The Lahore police on Thursday allegedly made a young boy and his sister do sit-ups in front of a police vehicle after they failed to provide their national identity cards to the police.
Speaking to ARY News, the girl said that she was coming back with her brother on a motorcycle from a factory where they both work when police officials stopped them at a check post near Ghalib Market police station and asked them to show their CNICs.
“The police officials forced us to perform sit-ups as we did not have the CNICs,” she said, adding that the policemen were recording a video while they were doing sit-ups.
Her brother said, “After inflicting corporal punishment to us in public, the police officials took us to the Ghalib Market police station where they subjected us to torture.”
The boy alleged that his sister was physically searched by the male police officer at the police station.
Meanwhile police officials have denied all allegations saying that the video shared on social media is fake and is aimed to “malign” the police.
Further reportsreveal that the Ghalib Market police station house officer (SHO) has said that “someone conspired to defame the police [in response to] an operation against the hotel mafia”.
“No official from Ghalib Market police station was involved” in the incident, the SHO said, claiming that the “footage of the boy and girl was made on purpose near the police van”.
The cop added that an investigation is underway and authorities would soon “reveal the facts”.
Maya Ali, in a note posted to social media, talked about how difficult 2020 was and what she is looking forward to in 2021.
The actor started by recounting her blessing, saying: “Dear Allah, thank you for letting us survive 2020. You have given us the biggest blessing yet, to survive another year, another opportunity to change ourselves for the better and to become better people, better Muslims and to worship you better.”
“Oh Allah, it’s been such a tough year and a lot of us have lost loved ones, we have felt pain like no other, but being here today is a blessing indeed,” she continued. “Lucky are those who are given a second chance to change for the better, a chance to grow as people and broaden our horizons.”
Maya further thanked Allah for giving her the opportunity to evolve.
“Every new day is an opportunity for change, love and kindness,” she concluded.
Ali is currently shooting for her upcoming film with Shoaib Mansoor ABGin which she will be sharing the screen with Emmad Irfani.
A man, who was wearing a ‘wolf mask’ in Peshawar on New Year’s Eve, was arrested by the Peshawar police for “trying to scare off people” in the provincial capital.
Police in the Pakistani city of Peshawar arrest a young man on New Year’s eve – for wearing a costume mask to scare people pic.twitter.com/sU9f1NDcAf
After the arrest, the police officials posed alongside the man, still wearing a mask and in handcuffs, for a picture. The photo went viral on social media, prompting people to say that if the intent of the costume was to scare off people off then why were police taking pictures of the accused in the same costume.
But the detainee says that he was wearing the mask in line with the government’s coronavirus Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
By the way when the police interrogated him last night, his statement in self defence was: “I was wearing the mask as part of the SOPs to protect myself from the Corona Virus” https://t.co/ZlXaM7N6uO
Twitterati, however, didn’t let this opportunity to bash policemen go.
A user wrote that the government should have been specific about the types of the face mask.
govt ka kasoor hai: instructions should be clear and specific. i mean, when you say ‘wear your face mask’, what is that you actually mean? https://t.co/qk2YCSqnig
ARY Digital has finally dropped the first teasers of its most-awaited drama Pehli Si Muhabbat’, featuring Maya Ali, Sheheryar Munawar and Hassan Shehryar Yasin.
The first teasers give audiences a glimpse into the upcoming drama and introduces the main characters of the show: Aslam (Munawar), Rakshee (Ali) and Akram (HSY).
The teaser introducing Aslam is titled ‘Every time I see your smile…I fall in love all over again’, while the one introducing Rakshee is titled ‘Love doesn’t need to be perfect…It just needs to be true!”
Meanwhile, the one introducing Akram is titled ‘You can’t buy love…but you can pay heavily for it’. It is pertinent to add here that Pehli Si Muhabbat will mark HSY’s television debut.
Written by Faiza Iftikhar and directed by Anjum Shahzad, Pehli Si Muhabbat is expected to be an intense love story. The OST of the drama has been composed by Ali Zafar.
Aray. Humbled my friend. But I strongly feel that that you are one of the best song writers and deserve more credit. From Aadat to “Pehli Si Mohabbat”. Brilliant work. Let’s hope people enjoy it as much as we did. https://t.co/NfsGuVmRsX
Sharing the teaser on social media, Munawar thanked the director for being “the right kind of crazy” and his co-stars for making “every day on set a wonderful experience”.
Addressing the audiences, the actor wrote: “I hope you like the project as much as we liked shooting it.”
The government has approved a hike of Rs2.31 and Rs1.80 in the prices of petrol and diesel, respectively, for the month January, while the price of the Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) has also been increased by Rs16 per kg.
“While considering relief for the people, Prime Minister Imran Khan approved the minimum possible increase in prices of petroleum products against OGRA’s [Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority] recommendations,” a Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) press release said.
OGRA had sought an increase of Rs10.68 in petrol price and Rs8.37 in diesel price, whereas it asked the government to increase the price of kerosene oil by Rs10.92 and light diesel oil (LDO) by Rs14.87; the government however reduced it by Rs3.36 and Rs3.95, respectively.
Meanwhile, OGRA notified a hike of Rs16 per kilogramme in the prices of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), effective from today, which comes as another blow for the public already facing high inflation.
According to OGRA’s notification, the LPG prices are raised by Rs16/kg. With the increase, the LPG cylinder for domestic users will be up by Rs188 and commercial users by Rs722.
It may be noted here that the consumers are already facing a shortage of gas nationwide and have to rely on LPG cylinders instead.
A 50-year-old farmer in India, Om Narayan Verma has named his second wife Champa Bai and pet dog Jacky as the heirs of the ancestral property after his death as he was troubled by a sustained family dispute.
The farmer’s will states that he loves Champa Bai and Jacky as they are the only ones who take care of him.
The will adds that whoever takes care of Jacky will be permitted to use the pet dog’s share in the property to ensure the dog’s well-being and the whoever takes care of Jacky will get the pet’s share of the property after his demise.
According to details, Verma was angry over a family feud when he made the will but the problems were later resolved.
“The notarised will not only includes my dog’s name but also my wife Champa Bai’s name. I gave a share of my inheritance to my dog’s to ensure my family takes Jacky’s care even after my death. But, the entire matter has been resolved now,” stated Mr Verma, a former chief of the village.
Verma owns around 21 acres land and has two wives. While he has two daughters and a son from the first marriage, he has two daughters from the second wife – the one who takes care of him.
Pakistan’s ambassador to Germany, Dr Mohammad Faisal, on Thursday tweeted claiming that IKEA, a multinational conglomerate that designs and sells ready-to-assemble furniture, is coming to Pakistan.
But soon after the news was announced in the media, the ambassador deleted his tweet and did not reply to queries sent to him regarding the development either.
To add to the surprise, Profit reported, relevant ministries in the country were also unaware of the development. Officials at Board of Investment (BoI), the premier investment promotion agency of Pakistan working under the administrative control of the Prime Minister’s Office, mandated to promote and facilitate both local and foreign investment was also unaware of the development.
The official claimed that there was no development, not even at the initial stage, regarding investment by IKEA.
Similarly, the Ministry of Commerce, and officials at both the offices of adviser to prime minister on commerce and investment as well as secretary commerce were also unaware about the development.
The official spokesperson at Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) said that no application for the registration of the company was received by the commission.
However, SECP’s website shows the registration of a company IKEA TRADING (HONG KONG) LIMITED in 2006, at CRO Karachi. As per the SECP’s record, another firm in the name of IKEA SUPPLY AG SWITZERLAND was registered in Karachi in 2015.
Art is something we all love but few have the eye to determine which artist might be the next big thing. On a popular Pakistani Lifestyle Instagram account called Bhindifries, an NCA graduate and miniature artist, Ayesha Jatoi lists her favourite artists for 2021. Jatoi decided to reflect on 2020 not by the grief it gave, but by the potential for 2021. Jatoi’s recommended top nine Pakistani artists to look out for are:
1. Fazal Rizwi:
Like Jatoi, Rizwi is also an NCA graduate. This Karachi based artist blames his love for art to lead him to explore the dimensions of the sea and internal turmoil. Rizwi believes that the two main reasons for mental conflict are your soul and your family. That’s primarily why he bases his artworks on conceptual minimalism.
2. Mahrukh Bajwa:
Since this list has quite a few candidates from NCA, Bajwa is another one of them. This lady’s large charcoal sketches convey the unbiased observations of the outside world from the perspective of the mind.
3. Alyssa Mumtaz:
Mumtaz is an American Muslim whose mixed media art highlights the importance of ordinary objects in a unique way as her tools can range from a mere string or colour pigment to gold or silver.
4. Faraz Aamer:
Another NCA candidate with an extraordinary mastery in artist books, he tries to use his artistic expertise to highlight human conditioning due to societal influences.
5. Lujane Pagganwala:
A graduate of Indus Valley, Pagganwala shifts her focus from paper to sculpture, to bring her thoughts to life.
6. Sahyr Sayed:
Another NCA graduate and sculptor who efficiently uses miniature sculpting to make sure that the viewer is not devoid of any details. Her work featuring woman empowerment was appreciated on forums like Dawn Newspaper.
7. Maryam Atiq:
She employs the use of collage paintings to grip the attentions of the admirer.
8. Ayesha Sultana:
A BNU graduate with a Bangladeshi origin, Sultana is a minimalist who uses her artwork to transcend international boundaries.
9. Kainat Jillani:
Last but not the least, Jillani is a mixed media painter who has everything in her toolbox to create magic.
There is no doubt that more books were read this year by people who love them. Finally having the ability to say that they’re going to stay in, for bookworms it was the year where they did what they love most. One of our favourite Pakistani accounts for the best book finds is The Writing Room run by Mariam Tareen. She lists her favourite books of the year, ones that should not be missed by book enthusiasts everywhere.
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Between the World and Me is written as a letter by Ta-Nehisi Coates to his teenage son. Coates’s prose is charged with emotion, fear, honesty, and poise as he attempts to share with his son what he knows about being a black man in America. His love for his son jumps up from every page, but also fear on his behalf. Coates does not wish to protect or shield his young son from hard truths about the world they live in and the responsibilities that come with discovering them.
The Far Field by Madhuri Vijay
The Far Field – a sharp, nuanced, and engrossing novel – shows us the uncomfortable distance between the comfort of the privileged and the lives of the oppressed.
The Shapeless Unease by Samantha Harvey
A short, luminous and inventive examination of novelist Samantha Harvey’s year-long struggle with insomnia – the “blankness and blackness; the yawning expanse of a night awake.”
Daughters of the Sun by Ira Mukhoty
What a fantastic book! A parallel history of 200 years of Mughal rule that has been tragically absent from our history books: that of the women of the Empire.
We Need New Stories by Nesrine Malik
Award-winning Guardian journalist Nesrine Malik was born in Sudan and moved to the UK in 2013. The book reads less like journalism and more like a history/social science study, which I loved (but it’s also why it took me a while to read it). With the sharpness of a surgeon, she dissects each of the toxic myths of our time with clinical precision to expose the truth.
Grief is the Thing with Feathers by Max Porter
It’s about loss and grief and “moving on”, about how a grief-stricken father and his two boys mourn the unbearable loss of their mother, and the crow who comes to help them. “I won’t leave you until you don’t need me any more.”
The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
It tells the story of a man remembering events from when he was a 7 year old boy. It explores childhood and memory, the darkest moments from our childhoods, the ones that still feel warm and others that still hurt, the ones that left scars, both visible and invisible. But it’s very convincingly disguised as a children’s book.
Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall
If you consider yourself a feminist, read this book. It’s addressed to white feminists in America but is essential reading for all of us.
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
The Graveyard Book rounds off my Neil Gaiman hat-trick this October. I loved this book. I found myself wishing I had read it sooner. I think if I had read it as a kid, it would have made my childhood better in some way, and I would have remembered it in a way you can only remember things you read as a child.
Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi
The novel centres on a family of Ghanian immigrants in America. It’s a novel about Big Themes like addiction, faith, family, science, immigration, and racism, but it doesn’t feel like Gyasi set down a checklist of themes to write about (as it sometimes does in many “novels of our time”.)
This is the Story of a Happy Marriage by Ann Patchett
I’ve loved Ann Patchett’s writing for a long time and really enjoyed reading this essay collection about writing and life, especially the essay “The Getaway Car: A Practical Memoir about Writing and Life”, where she writes about the distance between having an idea for a novel in your head a and trying to get it onto the page.
99 Nights in Logar by Jamil Jan Kochai
“99 Nights in Logar” is Jamil Jan Kochai’s debut novel, and it is a unique book. I’ve never read a book in English where non-English words were not italicized. Toshaks, pakols, dusmals. Sadaqah. Rakah. Astaghfirullah. They’re written without hinting at foreignness. Pashto, Arabic and English are not foreign in the mind of the narrator, and that’s all that matters. There is an entire chapter towards the end of the novel in untranslated Pashto.
Less by Andrew Sean Greer
The book, written in crisp, vivid, screenplay-prose, is about running away from your problems.
There is no doubt that this has been a difficult year for us. We might be enjoying some cool sunshine today in all major cities of Pakistan thinking, it’s the 31st today. Where did this year go? I don’t think I would be wrong to say that food saved us this year. It feels like everyone cooked, baked, ate and passed the time hoping to survive. Survive we did but what does next year hold? For The Current’s team it was a variety of food: Saman ate ice cream from a local Lahore shop Frostis, Urooj ate French fries (she always does), Ayesha had chicken chili dry, Amna survived on chocolate and our food reviewer lived on dumba karahi. 2020 left us all uncertain about the future and hum subh nay khoob kahaya, kay chalo kuch tou karein. Nawaz Sharif came under severe criticism for eating pizza and roaming around London and seems like if he isn’t back before Feburary, he won’t be having any Pakistani pizza either. I ate a lot watching Pakistani dramas this year and here is the list of the highest viewed Pakistani drama episodes in 2020 and obviously Meray Paas Tum Ho made the cut. A few new dramas came out this week and Ashar and Ayesha tell you if they are worth the watch. One of our most commented on stories today is that the international furniture brand ‘IKEA’ is coming to Pakistan – sparking the debate: should we make and promote our own furniture instead? I have to admit there was a lot to smile about this year too, news that made us Pakistanis proud, including the eight Pakistani women who are among the world’s 100 most outstanding nurses and midwives. The government has given a go-ahead to purchase a million vaccines that will cover the frontline health workers first – in early 2021. Good things at the beginning of 2021 and drama star Srha Asghar ended her year by getting married in a simple Nikkah ceremony . It’s early in the morning but I’m sure you’ve decided how you are going to spend your New Years Eve. Reply to this newsletter and let us know! Would love to hear from you.
Marium
P.S. I lived on chicken biryani – the ultimate comfort food.
Current Baba’s Prediction
It’s good to have all those plans and celebrate the new year’s eve but please go easy on the food and drinks, warna kahin overeating ki waja say new year ka pehla din bemaari mien na guzar jaye.
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