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  • PM meets Ertuğrul founding team while Mach victim families still wait for him

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has come under criticism for meeting the founding team of hit Turkish drama series ‘Diriliş: Ertuğrul’ days after the Mach massacre, victim families of which await him even after the passage of five days.

    Earlier, thousands of protesters blocked Quetta’s key western bypass on Sunday after 11 coalminers belonging to the Hazara community were brutally executed. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack by terrorists at a residential compound near a mine site in Mach area of Bolan, some 100km away from the provincial capital.

    While the protesters have been seeking the government’s support and assurance for an end to sectarian killings that have once again shot up in the area, they have been demanding that the premier personally meets them.

    Amid delays in PM Imran’s travel to Balochistan, and subsequent criticism by opposition members as well as the general public, it has emerged that he on Thursday met the founding team of the hit Turkish series that has broken viewership records in Pakistan.

    The meeting in Islamabad was also attended by Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Shibli Faraz, Kashmir Committee Chairperson Shehryar Afridi and personalities from Turkish and Pakistani film industries.

    The meeting discussed in detail the proposed television series being created in collaboration between Pakistan and Turkey on the Khilafat Movement among other future projects and the lost glory of Pakistani entertainment industry.

    The premier, however, did tweet on the Mach massacre once again on Wednesday.

    He had also condemned the incident and assured the grieving community of the government’s support earlier, on Sunday.

  • Facebook bans Donald Trump indefinitely

    Facebook bans Donald Trump indefinitely

    A day after various social media platforms, including Twitter, temporarily suspended US President Donald Trump’s accounts, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that Trump’s account has been banned indefinitely.

    “The shocking events of the last 24 hours clearly demonstrate that President Donald Trump intends to use his remaining time in office to undermine the peaceful and lawful transition of power to his elected successor, Joe Biden,” Zuckerberg said in a statement posted on Facebook. “His decision to use his platform to condone rather than condemn the actions of his supporters at the Capitol building has rightly disturbed people in the US and around the world.”

    “We believe the risks of allowing the President to continue to use our service during this period are simply too great. Therefore, we are extending the block we have placed on his Facebook and Instagram accounts indefinitely and for at least the next two weeks until the peaceful transition of power is complete.”

    On Wednesday, Twitter suspended Trump’s account. In a series of tweets, Twitter Safety tweeted:

    As a result of the unprecedented and ongoing violent situation in Washington, D.C., we have required the removal of three @realDonaldTrump Tweets that were posted earlier today for repeated and severe violations of our Civic Integrity policy.

    This means that the account of @realDonaldTrump will be locked for 12 hours following the removal of these Tweets. If the Tweets are not removed, the account will remain locked

    Future violations of the Twitter Rules, including our Civic Integrity or Violent Threats policies, will result in permanent suspension of the @realDonaldTrump account.

    https://twitter.com/twittersafety/status/1346970431039934464?s=21

    This happened in the wake of the siege of Capitol Hill by pro-Trump mob. Trump released a video on Wednesday night in which he continued to claim he won the election and told supporters who stormed the Capitol: “We love you.” According to the BBC, Snapchat also stopped Trump from creating new posts, but did not say if or when it would end the ban. YouTube also removed the video.

    While his social media accounts remain suspended, Trump released a statement through White House Social Media Director Dan Scavino. It said:

    “Even though I totally disagree with the outcome of the election, and the facts bear me out, nevertheless there will be an orderly transition on January 20th. I have always said we would continue our fight to ensure that only legal votes were counted. While this represents the end of the greatest first term in presidential history, it’s only the beginning of our fight to Make America Great Again!”

  • Newsletter- 7th January 2021, Thursday

    Newsletter- 7th January 2021, Thursday









    *|MC:SUBJECT|*

    The Current Insider
    Thursday, 7th January 2021

    I don’t get it. Why would you send someone who could not choose his words to represent you with the Hazara community who are mourning a devastating loss? PM Khan has requested the Hazara families, who have not buried their murdered family members for the past four days, to bury their dead and said that he will come and meet them ‘very soon’. The families have been doing a sit-in in Quetta, requesting the PM to come and listen to their concerns. The PM sent his special assistant Zulfi Bukhari instead who asked the community members, ‘How will the PM benefit from coming to visit you?’ It really makes one’s heart break. This community that has faced such massive tragedy over the years, and they barely make the headlines. 

    It might also be because our news is always so depressing that we turn to entertainment to make our lives feel a little better. In the past year, most of our followers have read entertainment stories, and it seems it’s because they want to escape — and not deal with the reality of what we live in. Our dramas are no less. They reflect what happens in our society but with such mirch masala that we can’t help watching it. Ashar and Ayesha break down what dramas are super hits this week. Oh and did you hear? Bigshot Indian director Sanjay Leela Bhansali is making a movie about Lahore’s Heera Mandi and rumour has it that Alia Bhatt is playing the leading role. He might also be in talks with Aishwariya Rai and Deepika Padukone but one thing is for sure — it will be big. Although a good Bollywood movie makes for a great Saturday night, it kind of sucks that our history and culture is going to be shown in an Indian movie. We should be the ones making this movie — but then, have we given the space for a Pakistani Sanjay Leela Bhansali to grow?

    Rumour also has it that the Pakistan Cricket Board has reportedly decided to remove Misbah-ul-Haq as the Pakistan cricket team’s coach and will bring in a foreign coach after the home series against South Africa and if you haven’t heard already, rumours online suggest that Kim Kardashian and Kanye West are getting a divorce after seven years of marriage. 

    No particular reason to smile today except this video of the Nawaz brothers and their take on Ahmed Shah’s viral video and as promised, the team got together to do a small New Year celebration yesterday. Here is a picture of all of us making a “C” for Current except only one of us actually managed to do a C. Spot the one who got it! 

    Until tomorrow, 
    Marium

    Current Baba’s Prediction

    No matter how bad things get, or how hopeless life may seem, you can always go home and watch Netflix with a nice cup of chai. So sab theek hojaayega, bus aap ne Ghabrana nahin hai.

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  • Bilawal, Maryam urge PM to visit Hazara families, put ‘ego’ aside

    Bilawal, Maryam urge PM to visit Hazara families, put ‘ego’ aside

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz have urged the prime minister to accept the demands of the protesting Hazara community.

    The victim families have been protesting in the freezing cold of Quetta against the killings. The protesters have demanded a meeting with PM Imran Khan and the dismissal of the Balochistan government over the security failure.

    Speaking to reporters during his visit to the protest camp, Bilawal said that the PPP had dismissed its government in Jan 2013 after similar protests were arranged by the minority community over the killings of its members.

    “Then too, you had put forward your demands to us. We had even dismissed the [provincial] government,” he was quoted by Dawn as saying.

    Bilawal said he has no words to describe the pain of the Hazara families, adding that he would always raise his voice for the persecuted community. “Unfortunately, we live in a country where even the dead have to be dragged into politics,” he said, adding that “we live in a country where blood is cheaper than food.

    According to the PPP chief, at least 2,200 Hazara Shias have been killed in the past 22 years, but their killers have remained free.

    In a reference to the remarks by the PM that a foreign country was involved, Bilawal said that it is still a failure of the state if it has failed to stop a foreign conspiracy on its land.

    ‘EGO BIGGER THAN COFFINS’

    Meanwhile, Maryam Nawaz also spoke to the protesters. She chided the PM for having such a “big ego” that he cannot even feel the pain of these people. “All they are asking is that you come here and condole. Is your ego bigger than those whose coffins are laying here,” she remarked.

    She called the PM “shameless” for ignoring the plea of the Hazara Shias, saying she was not in Quetta to play politics on the issue. “It is your job to visit these people,” said Maryam, asking Imran to empathise with the protesters. “You are a parent yourself, trying to understand their pain,” she urged the PM.

  • The Current’s followers share their top 5 A.R. Rahman songs

    The Current’s followers share their top 5 A.R. Rahman songs

    Allah Rakha Rahman, professionally known as A. R. Rahman, is an Indian composer, musician, singer, and music producer. On his birthday, January 6, we (The Current) asked our followers to share their favourite songs of him. Here are the ones that topped the list:

    Kun Faya Kun

    While the entire album of Rockstar is mindblowing but one song that stood apart and continues to be a classic is Kun Faya Kun. The song has been sung by Mohit Chauhan, Javed Ali and Rahman himself while the soulful lyrics have been penned by Irshaad Kamil. The film features Ranbir Kapoor in the lead.

    Nadaan Parinde

    Another magical song from Rockstar. The powerhouse performance by Ranbir, soulful vocals of Mohit Chauhan and unimaginable composition of Rahman makes it another hit.

    Jai Ho

    After the 2008 film Slumdog Millionaire won Best Picture at Oscars, its song Jai Ho became an anthem for Indians at the time, symbolizing India’s victory. This song makes everyone groove even today. Rahman also won Best Original Song for Jai Ho at 2009 Oscars.

    Dil Se Re

    The song which features in Shah Rukh Khan and Manisha Koirala’s Dil Se continues to weave its magic even decades later. While Rahman sang and composed the song, its lyrics were penned by Gulzar. Anuradha Sriram and Anupama also gave their vocals to this beautiful song.

    Taal Se Taal Mila

    Released in 1999, Taal and its entire music album was a super hit in its time. The song, Taal Se Taal Mila has two versions: one has been sung by the epic duo – Alka Yagnik and Udit Narayan and the other version is sung by supremely talented, Sukhwindar Singh. All songs from the film still have the same charm.

    Any song that Rahman touches leaves an indelible mark in people’s memories. This remains one of the top reasons why the humble musician has a global fanbase.

  • Balochistan CM asks ‘people to cooperate’ after Afghanistan seeks bodies of citizens killed in Mach attack

    Balochistan CM asks ‘people to cooperate’ after Afghanistan seeks bodies of citizens killed in Mach attack

    After Afghanistan asked Pakistan to return the bodies of the Afghan citizens who were killed in an attack on Hazara coal miners in Mach, Balochistan, Chief Minister Jamal Kamal has asked people to cooperate.

    In a letter to the Foreign Ministry’s Camp Office in Quetta dated Jan 5, the Consulate General said: “As you know, in the terrorist incident that took place in Mach area of Bolan district of Balochistan province by the anti-governments and joint terrorists of the two countries, seven Afghan citizens are among the victims.”

    It said that the heirs of “three martyrs have requested that their dead bodies be transferred to Afghanistan”. “Therefore, your esteemed office is kindly requested to contact the relevant authorities to grant permission for transferring the mentioned three corpses via the Chaman-Spin Boldak Corridor.”

    In a tweet, CM Kamal wrote: “Afghanistan Government has asked Govt of Pakistan to hand over bodies of their three Hazara Community citizens whose heirs have requested Govt of Afghanistan. Therefore, we request the people to cooperate with us in this matter as requested.”

    11 coal miners, who belonged to the Hazara community, were killed by the terrorists in a sectarian attack in Mach, Balochistan, last week.

    The families of the slain miners are protesting for the past five days against the killings on Quetta’s Western Bypass. They have refused to bury their dead till the in person security assurances from the prime minister. But the PM has refused to visit, saying he will come to condole with them very soon.

  • Hotel owner, manager fined over violating SOPs in ‘vulgar’ student party

    Hotel owner, manager fined over violating SOPs in ‘vulgar’ student party

    A video of tourists celebrating and partying at tourist destination at Malam Jabba recently went viral on social media, prompting authorities to register an FIR against the participants and hotel management for violating SOPs.

    According to reports, the FIR also states that “obscene acts” were carried out at the party. The FIR was lodged under Section 294 and 33 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). The FIR also says that 30 to 40 participants are unidentified and missing.

    The FIR was registered on the complaint of SHO Javed Iqbal.

    Later, hotel owner Fazal Khan and manger Hasnain Ahsan were presented before a divisional magistrate. Both were fined Rs40,000 and released.

    Reacting to the incident, Ahmed Ali Butt hit out at authorities for allowing jalsas and rallies but registering FIRs against dance parties.

    Meanwhile, despite a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases, tourists are thronging to Pakistan’s scenic northern areas to witness snowfall and experience the winter wonderland.

    As per the latest reports, tourists flocked to Kalam valley to witness the Snow Kabaddi Championship, organised by the local youth in collaboration with the hotel association and youth affairs department.

    Six local teams took part in the championship with the Matiltan Tiger emerging as the winner.

  • Masks no obstacle for Japan’s new facial recognition system

    Masks no obstacle for Japan’s new facial recognition system

    Japan’s NEC Corporation has introduced a new facial recognition system that identifies people even when they are wearing masks.

    As per reports, the technology firm had already been working on a system to meet the needs of allergy sufferers who wear masks — a common practice in Japan — when the Covid-19 pandemic prompted it to accelerate development.

    The system determines when a person is wearing a mask and hones in on the parts that are not covered up, such as the eyes and surrounding areas, to verify the person’s identity. Users register a photo of their face in advance.

    NEC says verification takes less than one second and claims an accuracy rate of more than 99.9pc.

  • England women cricket team to make maiden tour of Pakistan in October

    England’s women cricket team will make its first tour to Pakistan this year in October, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced. As per details, two Twenty20 Internationals and three one-day internationals will be played between both sides.

    The team will play Twenty20 matches on October 14 and 15 along with their men’s side while the one-day internationals will be played on October 18, 20 and 22.

    All the five matches will be played at Karachi’s National Stadium.

    “World champions England accompanying their men’s side for their first-ever tour to Karachi is an extremely powerful and strong announcement for Pakistan, our women’s cricketers, as well as for the global sport,” said PCB Chief Executive Wasim Khan, in a statement.

    “The three ODIs against the world champions will assist the Pakistan women’s side to access, gauge and fine-tune their ICC Women’s World Cup 2022 preparations as they aim to produce improved performances than in the past,” he added.

    Talking about the tour ECB Managing Director of Women’s Cricket Clare Connor said: “We are absolutely delighted to be making this historic announcement today.”

    “The England Women’s cricket team has never toured Pakistan before so this is another important step in our history and journey,” she said further.

    England’s men cricket team will also visit Pakistan after 15 years for a short tour. Unlike the women’s cricket team they will only play two Twenty20 matches.

  • ‘Let’s not let society dictate the way we want to lead our life,’ says Mehwish Hayat

    ‘Let’s not let society dictate the way we want to lead our life,’ says Mehwish Hayat

    Mehwish Hayat, who turned 33 on January 6, celebrated her birthday in a small and intimate party with her closest friends and family.

    Sharing pictures from the celebrations on social media, Mehwish thanked her fans and well-wishers for their “wonderful birthday messages”.

    “Your love means so much,” said the superstar.

    Later, in a detailed post, Mehwish shared her reflections from the past year.

    “As I turn 33, the past year gave me opportunity to reflect, assess my life and see what really matters to me,” said Mehwish. “Work has been so full on that I’d forgotten the simple pleasures in life; getting my hair oiled by my mother every Sunday, beating my brothers and nephew at video games, watching Netflix with my sister– all things that I’d missed.”

    “Believe me nothing in life is as important as family,” she asserted.

    The star went on to say: “Like everybody, I am glued to my phone most of my waking hours. While it connects us with the world, it also disconnects us from the world. We need to be present in the here and now and take in the wonders that abound. So much more to life, if only we appreciate it.”

    Mehwish also talked about dealing with negative criticism and hate on social media.

    “Let’s not let society dictate the way we want to lead our life. I have come to realise that it is possible for a girl in her early 30’s to be totally happy without being married and with children. It’ll happen when it will and not to some timetable,” said the actor.

    Talkin about change, Mehwish expressed that it needs to be systemic.

    “I am a little fed up of celebrities (including myself) made ambassadors for meaningful causes that fizzle out after a grand launch and photo op. How many times have we flooded social media, taken out rallies after some distressing event and then what.”

    “Social media is great – it has really democratised freedom of speech like nothing else. But some have taken it as a licence to abuse and bully others. Others see it as an excuse to spread fake news and malicious gossip. Wikipedia giving my age does not make it true,” she wrote.

    Continuing her note, she added: “Let’s not knock but support each other. We have this culture of bringing each other down. This has to stop if we are to succeed as a nation. Let’s understand that we are in this together and my success – or anyone else’s – is something of pride for every Pakistani.”

    “Depression is real. Though my life may seem perfect, we all have our insecurities, shortcomings and setbacks. But as long as we work towards inner healing and connecting with the divine, we are capable of overcoming everything that life throws at us,” the actor added.

    “The world was put on pause for us to reflect, how we come out of this is up to us. I, for one, know the direction I need to take. My mother always teaches that we have to create our own destinies wherever that may lead.”

    “I will dare to dream and dare to dream big! Anything is possible,” she concluded.

    Azfar Rehman, Danish Hayat, Afsheen Hayat, Faiza Ashfaq and Uzma Zakaria were among those with whom the Chhalawa star celebrated her big day.