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  • Coke Studio 13 to include an all-female anthem, international musicians

    Coke Studio 13 to include an all-female anthem, international musicians

    Coke Studio Pakistan has revealed the official artist lineup for the thirteenth season, confirming the arrival of Coke Studio 2020.

    According to a press release, the upcoming season will be shorter with only 12 songs. The reason for a shorter season is the nation-wide lockdown and restrictions due to COVID-19 this past year.

    CS2020 is produced by Rohail Hyatt and was administered under careful management and maintenance of COVID-19 SOPs which resulted in both singers and musicians being recorded separately. Technology was used to make communication easy for the artists, resulting in an errorless outcome.

    The teaser of every artist was uploaded on Coke Studio’s official YouTube Channel.

    The season includes 12 new songs featuring 13 artists, out of which four emerging artists will make their debut on this platform. This includes an assortment of singers ranging from industry veterans like Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Meesha Shafi, Fariha Pervez, Umair Jaswal, Ali Noor, Bohemia and Sanam Marvi alongside new-comers such as Mehdi Maloof, Aizaz Sohail, Sehar Gul Khan and Wajiha Naqvi as well as experienced artists such as Zara Madani and Ali Pervez Mehdi.

    Not only will this be a season featuring purely original songs, but the focus for this season has also been on its content and social messaging including an all-female anthem on women’s empowerment. Interestingly, this will be the first time ever in CS history that all the female artists of the season will be singing together, although each artist was recorded separately.

    Moreover, given the new format and advantages of technology, this season has also collaborated with international musicians from across the world including Turkey, Nepal, Lebanon and Serbia.

    “Working on this season has been a valuable learning experience. It has left me with a realization that in order for anything to survive, it must have the ability to change and adapt to the circumstances that surround it. Even in trying times, we must not give up but instead re-invent ourselves and keep moving ahead. Despite the limitations of this pandemic, everyone on the team, especially the artists, willingly left their comfort zones only to help keep alive the tradition of sharing music. It is with this same spirit that we bring CS to you this year; a humble effort to share something familiar, yet new.” said producer Rohail Hyatt.

    Given the extraordinary circumstances under which this year’s season has been produced, it will be deliberately referred to as CS 2020 and not CS Season 13.

    The first episode of Coke Studio 2020 is set to air on December 4, 2020.

  • ‘Zindagi Tamasha’ is Pakistan’s official entry to the Oscars

    ‘Zindagi Tamasha’ is Pakistan’s official entry to the Oscars

    The Pakistani Academy Selection Committee has selected Sarmad Khoosat’s Zindagi Tamasha as Pakistan’s official entry to the Oscars.

    According to a press release, the film will be submitted for Oscar consideration in the ‘International Feature Film Award’ category for the 93rd Academy Awards. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will choose the final nominees for all award categories including International Feature Film in February 2021. The complete and final list of Oscar nominees will be announced on 15th March 2021 with the presentation show for the 93rd Academy Awards scheduled to take place on 25th April 2021.

    Directed and co-produced by Khoosat and written by Nirmal Bano, Zindagi Tamasha features Arif Hassan, Eman Suleman, Samiya Mumtaz and Ali Kureshi in the lead roles. The film is centred around a naat khwan Rahat Khawaja (played by Hassan) and his family who are outcast from the society when a secret of Khawaja’s is leaked.

    The official synopsis states: “The film is an intimate portrait of a family as well as a scorching political commentary on little gods on this earth who police our private passions.”

    Speaking about the selection, Sarmad said: “All the heartache that Zindagi Tamasha gave me has somehow restored my faith in the power of art too: the sheer, almost physical power of art to make life imitate it. This announcement, for me, is a very bright light shining at the end of this dark tunnel of a year.”

    “I made this film in Pakistan and foremost, for Pakistan, for my people and the misfortune that my people have remained deprived of it weighs quite heavy on my artistic conscience. Some pride is slowly kicking in though and no matter how far we go with this official selection, Zindagi Tamasha will be representing all of us – our ‘Pakistan’,” he added.

    The Oscar committee for 2020 was chaired by two-time Academy Award and Emmy winning filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and included musician Faisal Kapadia, director Asad-ul-Haq, filmmakers Asim Abbasi and Hamza Bangash, Syed Muhammad Ahmed, Mehwish Hayat, Hasan Shehreyar Yasin, Arshad Mahmud and Jamal Shah.

    Asim, who directed the critically acclaimed Churails, said: “For me, Zindagi Tamasha is the strongest submission from Pakistan since 2013.”

    It is pertinent to add here that Zindagi Tamasha has had a bumpy ride. It was initially scheduled to hit screens on January 25 this year but immense backlash from religious circles forced the federal and provincial government to stop its release.

    While the Federal Government had said that the film will be reviewed by the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII), the Punjab Government had directed the filmmaker to hold a screening on February 3 so that the film can be reviewed again. However, no screening has taken place to date. It is pertinent to mention here that the provincial and central censor boards had earlier cleared the film for release with a few cuts.

    At that point, Sarmad had made a heartfelt appeal to the Prime Minister, President, Chief of Army Staff and the Chief Justice of Pakistan to facilitate the release of the film.

    Later, Chairperson of the Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights and PPP Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar had taken notice of the ban and said that the committee will review the film. In July, the committee cleared the film and allowed it to be screened post-COVID-19.

    Zindagi Tamasha premiered at the Busan International Film Festival held in October 2019 where it also won the prestigious Kim Ji Seok Award.

    Watch trailer:

  • Bakhtawar Bhutto-Zardari’s engagement outfit details revealed

    Shaheed Benazir Bhutto and former president Asif Ali Zardari’s eldest daughter Bakhtawar Bhutto-Zardari got engaged to Dubai-based businessman Mahmood Choudhry in a beautiful day-time event on Friday at Bilawal House, Karachi.

    Read more – Everything we know about Bakhtawar Bhutto-Zardari’s fiancé

    The newly engaged couple looked radiant on their big day and Bakhtawar glowed in light pink outfit paired with a beige Mughlia chaddar. As per details, Bakhtawar’s outfit was designed by Karachi-based designer Nida Azwer. The designer shared pictures of Bakhtawar on her social media handles and wished the couple all the best for the new chapter in their life.

    The bride completed her look with glowy makeup and diamond jewellery.

    IN PICTURES: Bakhtawar Bhutto-Zardari’s magical engagement

    Meanwhile, Bakhtawar’s brother Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari was unable to attend the event since he tested positive for coronavirus and is now in quarantine. He will hopefully be able to attend the wedding which is expected to take place in January 2021 in Karachi.

  • PDM protesters break into sealed jalsa venue ahead of joint opposition’s gathering

    Workers and leaders of joint opposition’s Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) on Saturday broke into the venue of the alliance’s Multan gathering to be held on November 30, which had reportedly been sealed by the administration.

    According to reports, the district administration had placed 30 containers around the venue, Qila Kohna Qasim Bagh, with more being brought in to block roads leading to the city and police deployed outside.

    As per the details of Saturday’s incident, a rally led by sons of former prime minister (PM) Yousaf Raza Gillani, namely Ali Haider and Ali Musa, overpowered law enforcement to enter the venue. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) workers led by local party leaders also accompanied the PPP stalwarts.

    The episode saw several scuffles between opposition workers and the police on different routes leading to the stadium where the rally was headed. A final scuffle broke out right outside the venue where hundreds of cops were discharging their duties.

    Unconfirmed reports of casualties — both police personnel and political workers — are pouring in.

    A senior PPP leader confirmed to The Current that Gillani brothers have taken control of the venue and a welcome camp is also being setup at the stadium. “They refuse to leave until the gathering has been held on Monday.”

    To a question, they said the people of Multan are overjoyed to have with them the late former PM Benazir Bhutto’s daughter, Assefa Bhutto-Zardari, who’ll be replacing her coronavirus positive brother and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari.

    Earlier, more than 200 workers of PDM constituent parties were arrested and raids were being conducted to arrest more. The lists of workers, particularly from the PML-N and PPP, were provided to respective police stations.

    The arrests had come after the government vowed to not let opposition “put people’s life at risk” by holding a gathering amid the second wave of COVID-19.

    As the opposition claims the government is using the virus outbreak to stop the PDM from holding its rallies against “the fascist regime”, PML-N Punjab President Rana Sanaullah has declared that the Multan rally will be held at all costs.

    Talking to the media outside the party’s Model Town secretariat in Lahore, he said if the government did not de-seal Qila Kohna Qasim Bagh, the entire city of Multan will become the venue of the public meeting.

    He said the first phase of the PDM’s anti-government protests will be completed by holding the last event of the series in the Punjab capital on December 13, and the next phase will begin after the alliance leadership devises a new strategy.

    “We stand united against the government,” he said.

  • Citizens cannot ‘speak against state’, says high court

    Citizens cannot ‘speak against state’, says high court

    The Peshawar High Court has said that Pakistani citizens have no right to speak against the state, as they are bound to “respect and follow” the laws of the country.

    The acting chief justice of the PHC, Justice Qaiser Rashid Khan, made these remarks while hearing a plea of Prof Ismail– the father of activist Gulalai Ismail — against the cancellation of his bail, reported Voicepk.net.

    The acting CJ said that citizens cannot be granted the right by the court to criticise the state. During the hearing on November 23, the deputy attorney general told the court that Prof Ismail posted ‘anti-state tweets’ on his social media account.

    As per the prosecution, Prof Ismail had posted on Twitter: “When the TikTok star Hareem Shah can enter the Foreign Office, the country does not fulfill the definition of a state.”

    At this, the judge said such remarks were “unbecoming of a teacher”, adding these messages would have an adverse impact on his students as well. The judge said a citizen was bound to respect and follow the laws of the state. The judge addressed Prof Ismail and said that he should not misuse the relief if he’s granted bail.

    When the judge summoned Prof Ismail to the rostrum, the latter spoke in a harsher tone. This irked the judge, who said the petitioner called himself a teacher, but he did not even know how to talk. The lawyer tried to handle the situation and said his client was suffering from high blood pressure and that his family was facing harassment allegedly by the law enforcement agencies.

    Nevertheless, the court sought an apology from the petitioner and adjourned further hearings until Friday, November 27.

    Prof Ismail was granted conditional bail by the PHC in Oct 2019. A single-member bench of the high court, comprising Justice Qaiser Rasheed, had instructed Prof Ismail to “be careful” in the future while asking him to submit a surety of Rs100,000 as well as personal guarantees from two individuals, a report in Dawn said.

    Gulalai Ismail’s parents are facing charges of financing terrorism, allegedly for funneling money from their daughter toward terrorist activities. They deny the charges and are currently out on bail but have been ordered not to leave Pakistan.

    In October this year, an anti-terrorism court in Peshawar had indicted the parents of rights activist and Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) leader Gulalai Ismail ‘on charges of actively aiding’ two terrorist attacks carried out by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan in 2013 and 2015.

  • Cher thanks PM Imran Khan for his assistance in Kaavan’s relocation

    Cher thanks PM Imran Khan for his assistance in Kaavan’s relocation

    Two days before Kaavan is expected to fly to Cambodia, where he will retire in a wildlife sanctuary, US pop star Cher met Prime Minister Imran Khan and thanked him for his efforts in making this possible. The singer, who has campaigned for Kaavan’s freedom for years and is helping pay for his move, arrived in Pakistan this week to see the animal off.

    “Just came from meeting to thank PM Imran Khan for making it possible for me to take Kaavan to Cambodia,” said Cher in a tweet.

    Meanwhile, a statement from PM Khan’s office said that the prime minister appreciated Cher’s efforts in retiring Kaavan to an elephant sanctuary and thanked the singer for her campaign and role in this regard.

    Read more – Cher thanks PM Khan for ‘making her dream come true’

    According to the PM Office, Cher also appreciated PM Khan’s efforts in combating climate change and working towards a cleaner and greener Pakistan.

    “She also offered her support for furthering the green initiatives through her organisation ‘Free the Wild,’ added the PM office.

    Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam, who was also present at the meeting, also thanked the US singer for coming to Pakistan to see the elephant off.

    As per details, 36-year-old Kaavan is set to fly out of Pakistan on November 29 on a Russian cargo plane, specially chartered for his transportation.

    A team of vets and experts from Four Paws, an Austria-based animal welfare group, has spent months working with Kaavan to get him ready for the journey to Cambodia. Experts have trained Kaavan to enter a large metal crate that will be used to transport the animal to the airport.

    Kaavan was also put on a diet of fruit and vegetables and has lost half a ton (450 kilograms). Previously, Kaavan was eating 250 kilograms (550 pounds) of pure sugar cane every day, with an occasional fruit and vegetable.

    “All arrangements have been made, a Russian plane has been chartered that will land at Rawalpindi’s military (Chaklala Airport) in the morning of November 29, the same evening Kaavan will depart the Marghazar Zoo at 3 PM in VIP protocol paying his last regards to the city where he was brought as a calf from Sri Lanka in 1985. Kaavan was brought up at the same Marghazar Zoo. Here he had a female companion Saheli who later died of gangrene in 2012,” shared Director of the Four Paws Project Dr Amir Khalil.

    “Now at the age of 36, Kaavan is leaving for yet another home into retirement,” said Dr Khalil.

    The doctor added that there are many elephants at the sanctuary, but in particular three female elephants are awaiting Kaavan’s arrival. He joked that Kaavan might just find a girlfriend there.

    On November 24, Islamabad Zoo gave Kaavan a farewell party, which was attended by the public and government officials. The party was held right outside Kaavan’s enclosure and also included performances by Haroon, Natasha Baig, Khumaariyan and Arieb Azhar.

    Later, President of Pakistan Dr Arif Alvi also paid a visit to Islamabad Zoo to bid farewell to Kaavan. During his visit, President Alvi said that he hopes that Kaavan finds happiness in Cambodia.

  • Google honours Bano Qudsia with a doodle on her 92nd birth anniversary

    Google honours Bano Qudsia with a doodle on her 92nd birth anniversary

    Google is celebrating renowned novelist and playwright Bano Qudsia’s 92nd birth anniversary with a doodle.

    In a statement, Google said: “Today’s Doodle honours the life and legacy of Pakistani novelist and stage and television playwright Bano Qudsia, affectionately known as Bano Aapa (elder sister), who is widely credited as one of the most significant Urdu language authors in modern times.”

    “Renowned for her message of love and hope, Qudsia earned enormous acclaim for Urdu classics like her television play Aadhi Baat (Half Talk, 1968) and novel Raja Gidh (The Vulture King, 1981).”

    Bano Qudsia was born on November 28, 1928, in Firozpur, British India. She began to write short stories when she was a child. After the partition of the subcontinent, she moved to Lahore, where she earned her master’s degree in Urdu. While in school, she also met her future husband and fellow luminary of Urdu literature Ashfaq Ahmad.

    Google further said: “During a fertile era of Pakistani literature, Qudsia’s thought-provoking television plays earned her a reputation as a cultural trendsetter. In addition, she wrote a prolific 25 novels and founded her own magazine called Dastango. Even as her legend grew throughout her six-decade career, she maintained a reputation for her radical acceptance and kindness, known to embrace those from all walks of life who approached her for mentorship or assistance.”

    “Happy birthday, Bano Qudsia! Your contributions to Pakistani literature and entertainment will continue to resonate for generations to come!,” concluded the Google note.

    It is pertinent to add that Qudsia is also the recipient of the prestigious Sitara-e-Imtiaz (1983) and the Hilal-e-Imtiaz (2000).

    Read more – Google celebrates Manto with a colourful doodle

    Meanwhile, cricket commentator Ramiz Raja also remembered the late novelist and recalled the time he played tennis ball cricket at her home and broke her veranda’s tube light.

    “Readying myself for a dressing down, all I got from her instead was a warm expression to know if I was okay,” shared Raja.

  • People are outraged at the woman who slapped a security guard at Dolmen Mall

    People are outraged at the woman who slapped a security guard at Dolmen Mall

    People on social media are triggered by a woman who slapped a security guard at Dolmen Mall. Reportedly, the guard did not open the barrier to let her in because of the revised mall timings.

    The video doing rounds on social media shows the girl not only shouted at the guard but also slapped him. She can be heard saying, “Tumhari itni himmat, auqaat main raho.”

    People are outraged at her and are criticising her actions on social media.

    https://twitter.com/sakhtLondii/status/1332012212756520962?s=20

    Earlier, Deputy Comissioner South Karachi had announced that the mall will be strengthening COVID-19 SOPs for the staff and the customers.

  • ‘Over 20 mobile phones, Rs90,000 in cash’: Johar Town cafe robbed in ‘two minutes’

    ‘Over 20 mobile phones, Rs90,000 in cash’: Johar Town cafe robbed in ‘two minutes’

    Police have registered a case against two unidentified suspects for robbing a restaurant in Lahore’s Johar Town area on the night of November 26 and getting away with a loot of almost Rs1 million.

    Chai Khas, an eatery located on Main Boulevard, was jam-packed at 10:30 pm (despite coronavirus SOPs) when two alleged robbers entered the premises. According to eyewitnesses, the suspects armed with handguns took the “entire floor hostage and started taking away people’s mobile phones, jewellry, and wallets”.

    FIR of the incident

    The FIR of the robbery registered at the SattoKatlan police station claims that at least 21 mobile phones, worth almost Rs1 million, and Rs90,000 in cash was looted in the alleged robbery. The FIR, however, doesn’t mention the details or the worth of the jewellry. The suspects managed to finish their job in two minutes before getting away on a 70cc motorbike numbered 7102, as per the FIR.

    The incident took place at 10:30 pm on Thursday while the FIR was registered around 5 am on Friday, as the owner was allegedly reluctant to approach the police at first. However, after the insistence of the robbed customers, the owner decided to visit the police station in the wee hours of the morning, accompanied by one of the customers, who also shared the account of the robbery on a Facebook group.

    According to the FIR, the two suspects in their early 30s entered the restaurant on Thursday night. They sat in the cafe for a while before they took out their weapons and started robbing people at gunpoint.

    Subsequently, the police booked the suspects under Section 392 of the Pakistan Penal Code that pertains to robbery. “Whoever commits robbery shall be punished with rigorous imprisonment for a term which [shall not be less than three years nor more than] ten years, and shall also be liable to fine; and, if the robbery be committed on the Highway […..] the imprisonment may be extended to fourteen years,” the section reads.

    The police ASI, Furqan Anjum, remained unavailable for comments when The Current called him, seeking updates on the probe.

    RELUCTANCE OF CAFE OWNER:

    The people who were robbed at the restaurant have accused the cafe management of dilly-dallying in the registration of the FIR and the release of the CCTV footage of the incident. An eyewitness claimed that the owner didn’t want to go to the police because it could “damage the reputation of his cafe”. “The owner remained insensitive to the episode and remained reluctant to file an FIR,” the customer complained.

    People, who were robbed at the restaurant, have asked the Punjab IGP and Lahore police chief to take notice of the incident in light of a spike in street crimes over the past several months.

  • Chaudhry Sarwar inaugurates café for public at Governor House

    Punjab Governor Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar has inaugurated the ‘Governor House Café’ that is set up in a double-decker bus inside the Governor House in Lahore.

    The restaurant, which will be open for the public, has been established in a double-decker bus. While the lower portion of the bus houses the kitchen, the upper section has the sitting area. According to details, the governor and his wife had lunch with the kids under the care of Sarwar Foundation at the inauguration.

    Aas per reports, the café will remain open for the public and families from 11 am to 6 pm.

    Chaudhry Sarwar’s wife Perveen, while talking to the media, said that only a few children were invited for the opening ceremony because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    She added: “We have received a lot of donations and we will use them for their (children) benefit only”.

    In addition to the café, Sarwar also inaugurated Quran Garden, Corona Heroes Wall and Souvenir Shop at the Governor House as well.