Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has feared that the second wave of coronavirus could hit Pakistan in winter.
PM Khan said that though Pakistan was “spared [from the] worst effect of COVID-19”, a second wave of the virus is expected in winters.
“There is a fear onset of winter could result in [the] second wave. I urge everyone to wear face masks in public to avoid a spike. All offices and educational institutions must ensure masks are worn,” said the premier on social media.
Compared to some other states, Allah has been kind to us in Pak & spared us worst effects of COVID-19. There is a fear onset of winter could result in 2nd wave. I urge everyone to wear face masks in public to avoid a spike. All offices & ed institutions must ensure masks are worn
Moreso, during the daily briefing held at the NCOC (National Command and Operations Centre) in Islamabad, Federal Minister Asad Umar also urged the public to follow the coronavirus standard operating procedures (SOPs) to ensure cases of the virus do not spike during the winter season.
Trust Eman Suleman to ruffle some feathers and send social media into a meltdown. The model, who is vacationing in Hunza, shared a picture of her husband kissing her on the nose with the caption: “Pahaar, pyaar, pappi (on the nose so chill).”
Though Eman clarified that the kiss was on the nose, social media went into a meltdown and attacked the model for spreading ‘fahashi‘.
However, Eman enjoyed the backlash and responded to the hate with humour. Her husband Jamil also had a sarcastic reply for the haters. All we’re going to say is you go girl!
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmaker and minister of state for parliamentary affairs, Ali Muhammad Khan, and senior journalist Ansar Abbasi have lost it over a biscuit television commercial (TVC) wherein actor Mehwish Hayat was seen dancing.
Let me take you on a majestic journey of our #des, as the most awaited #deskayqissay is unveiled. It has been an absolute pleasure to be part of this masterpiece by #Gala#deskabiscuit, where we cherish the cultural diversity of our des bcoz “apnay des ka har rung hai Niraala” ♥️ pic.twitter.com/BBb6IQ0IMp
بسکٹ بیچنے کے لیے اب ٹی وی چینلز پر مُجرا چلے گا۔ پیمرا @reportpemra نام کا کوئی ادارہ ہے یہاں؟ کیا @ImranKhanPTI اس معاملہ پر کوئی ایکشن لیں گے؟ کیا پاکستان اسلام کے نام پر نہیں بنا تھا؟؟
Ali Muhammad Khan, on the other hand, added fuel to fire as he tweeted to call the same advert “anti-Islamic”.
PM @ImranKhanPTI Sahb is totally against such anti Islamic stuff on media which is against our cultural norms & has damaging effects on our youth. No place for such absurdity in an Islamic state, which was made on the Kailma Tayyaba
“Why are you and Ali always digging out vulgarity? Try doing something productive,” he tweeted.
This isn’t the first time Abbasi has made his way to the limelight with such a concern.
Last month, he had drawn the ire of several netizens for urging Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, Federal Minister for Information Shibli Faraz and Special Assistant to PM (SAPM) on Information Lt Gen (r) Asim Bajwa to take notice of a woman exercising on state-owned Pakistan Television (PTV) News.
Arshad Khan, who became popular as the ‘Chai wala’ a few years ago has now opened up his own cafe in Islamabad.
In an interview with Urdu News, Arshad Khan shared he has now opened his own chai café and named it ‘Chai Wala’.
“People suggested me to name the café after my own name, Arshad Khan,” said Khan. “But making chai is a part of my identity that I cannot let go of.”
The café has lots of truck artwork with tables and chairs having a ‘desi’ touch to them.
“There are at least 15 to 20 dishes apart from chai”, shared Arshad. “Running this cafe is the most important thing for me right now so I am giving this more time because it is attached to my name.”
Talking about his showbiz career, Arshad said, “Two to four episodes of my TV show have been released. I will also give some time to that.”
In the future, Arshad wants to make an institute where children whose parents cannot afford their education can study.
سوشل میڈیا سے شہرت پا کر ٹی وی ڈرامے میں کام کرنے والے ارشد خان المعروف ‘چائے والا’ نے اسلام آباد میں ماڈرن طرز کا چائے کا ڈھابہ کھول لیا ہے جہاں وہ خود بھی خاص مہمانوں کے لیے چائے بنائیں گے۔ دیکھیے حارث خالد کی اس ڈیجیٹل رپورٹ میں#Pakistan#Chaiwala#ArshadKhanpic.twitter.com/DomhlfUfAJ
Arshad Khan became an overnight sensation after a picture of him making chai went viral on social media back in 2016. Following that, he also did some modelling projects back then.
Saudi authorities called upon citizens to “boycott everything Turkish” following a statement by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan where he accused some Gulf countries of pursuing policies that were destabilising the region, Gulf Newsreported.
“The boycott of everything Turkish, whether on the level of import, investment or tourism, is the responsibility of every Saudi — trader and consumer — in response to the continued hostility of the Turkish government against our leadership, our country and our citizens,” Saudi Arabia’s Chamber of Commerce head Ajlan Al Ajlan said.
In addition to accusing some Gulf countries of targeting Turkey and following policies that led to instability, the Turkish president had, during an address to the country’s General Assembly, also said: “It should not be forgotten that the countries in question did not exist yesterday, and probably will not exist tomorrow; however, we will continue to keep our flag flying in this region forever, with the permission of Allah.”
Relations between Saudi Arabia and Turkey have been thorny especially since the brutal murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi that took place in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018.
Erdogan has said the order to murder Khashoggi came from “the highest levels” of the Saudi government but has never directly blamed Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is widely believed to be behind the gruesome murder.
Earlier this week, Turkey indicted six Saudi suspects in Khashoggi’s murder case. None of the suspects are in Turkey and will be tried in absentia. Twenty Saudi nationals are already on trial in an Istanbul court for Khashoggi’s killing.
The indictment came weeks after a Saudi court overturned five death sentences issued after a closed-door trial in Saudi Arabia that ended last year, sentencing them to 20 years in prison instead.
Recently, Erdogan also condemned the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain’s decision to normalise ties with Israel. After the announcement of normalisation of ties between UAE and Israel, Erdogan had warned Turkey could suspend diplomatic relations with the Gulf state in response.
Turkey has had diplomatic relations with Israel for decades, but under President Erdogan, has positioned itself as a champion of the Palestinians.
Adnan Siddiqui may have shared the screen with international superstars such as Sri Devi and Angelina Jolie, but it is Humayun Saeed and Shaan Shahid who left him starstruck.
Sharing a black and white picture of himself with the two actors from Humayun’s brother Salman Saeed’s wedding, Adnan said: “It has taken me 10 days to realise the full extent of being in the same frame as these two.”
“I saw the photo being widely circulated on social media, among friends and colleagues but I couldn’t react. So starstruck I was with the moment long after it had passed,” he continued.
“I am forever thankful to Shaan Shahid and Humayun Saeed —legendary stars of Pakistani industry for being gracious enough to agree to a photo with me, and also for letting me literally be the centre of attraction,” he added.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CF7TdYMnHfG/
While Humayun and Shaan are yet to respond to Adnan’s comments, Aijaz Aslam commented: “Rula diya paglay“.
Meanwhile, Adnan also shared that he will be reading Elif Shafak’s The Forty Rules of Love next after Prime Minister Imran Khan recommended everyone to read it.
On my list for next read ‘The 40 Rules of Love.’ Thank you for the recommendation @ImranKhanPTI . Great reason to finally pick it up from my bookshelf where it’s been lying for months! Hope it inspires me as much! #bibliophile#goodreadspic.twitter.com/FPDAHSphow
India is known as the ‘world’s largest democracy’ but it is quite apparent that it has become an autocracy under the rule of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Modi government has marginalised the minorities, apart from a few honourable exceptions, the Indian media largely behaves like a PR machine for the right-wing government, and the judiciary, too, has become pliant. International human rights organisations are facing the wrath of the Indian government for exposing its real face. Just recently, Amnesty International India announced that it is halting its work in the country after the Indian government froze its bank accounts due to their work. The recent crackdown by the Indian government against human rights organisations and defenders was condemned by 15 international human rights organisations.
The Babri Mosque verdict was a tight slap in the face of justice. To give a clean chit to all accused in the Babri Mosque demolition case – 32 out of 49 were acquitted as17 had died while the case was still under way – seems to say that nobody demolished the historic mosque. An Indian court said the demolition was not pre-planned despite 850 witnesses, 7,000 documents apart from TV footage and photos of what happened that fateful day. The demolition was televised and led to communal riots, which killed around 2,000 people. From the Ayodhya verdict last year to the Babri Mosque verdict just days ago, the Indian judiciary seems like a proper lackey of the Modi government. The way this verdict was celebrated by the accused, which included former Deputy Prime Minister LK Advani, shows that the verdict was expected.
India under Modi has changed radically in just six years. The pretense of a secular India is truly over. Communalism in India was always a reality – from the Bombay riots in 92-93 to Gujarat pogrom in 2002, the Muslim minority in India largely lived in fear but at least there were constitutional protections safeguarding their rights. Now, just like the White Supremacists have been empowered in Trump’s America, the Hindutva brigade has been weaponised in Modi’s India. It is fast turning into a Hindu Rashtra. From treating religious minorities like third-class citizens to not giving a hoot about the ethnic minorities, the Indian authorities have shown time and again how shameless they can be.
A 19-year-old Dalit woman died on Tuesday after she was allegedly gang-raped by four upper-caste men in the state of Uttar Pradesh (UP), where the controversial Yogi Adityanath rules as the chief minister. The details of the gang-rape are horrific: the young victim was beaten to a pulp and left to die. She was hospitalised for two weeks but did not make it in the end. As if the trauma of her death and what led to it was not enough for the victim’s family, the UP police cremated her body in the dead of the night without the permission and presence of her family. The victim’s brother told the BBC that “they took the body away without our permission, without the permission of my parents and cremated her”. He said the family did not even get to see her one last time. Just after this, news broke of a 22-year-old Dalit woman’s death after a gang-rape, this time too in the state of UP.
India’s descent into fascism was expected under Modi but to witness the authorities being so blatant about it in the 21st century is still shocking. Rolling back Modi’s legacy will take generations. The process should begin before it is too late.
Senior PTI leader Senator Faisal Javed Khan in an exclusive conversation with The Current revealed the monthly income of a Senator.
When asked how much money he earns, Senator Faisal said, “My salary is 150,000.”
Later, while responding to a question that ‘senators only enjoy perks and do nothing’, Senator Javed said”No, things have changed. It is true that they do not have any constituency but those involved in legislative business and committees, work really hard.”
“Believe me, our days fly by in meetings, technical stuff, debates, overall legislative business etc. Sometimes we have a lot on our plate and have to work over the weekend too,” he continued.
“Some like-minded senators of ours are doing a lot of things together. And there’s a lot to do,” he concluded.
Just a few weeks before COVID-19 forced a lockdown across the country, noted actor and producer Yasir Nawaz opened a new restaurant TheForest in the heart of Clifton, Karachi. Though I was unable to visit the place when it first opened its doors, post-lockdown I decided to check it out after hearing some rave reviews about it from friends and colleagues.
The first thing that strikes you when you enter the restaurant is the huge mural of a lion on one wall. The painting instantly brightens up the mood. There are huge trees all around, which give the place a very rustic look and give the impression of a campsite in the middle of a forest. The outdoor and open-air setting of the restaurant is great in these COVID times and I can see myself spending winter nights with my family here. Once the weather is better, it’ll be a fantastic place for a night out or just to simply hang out.
Though Yasir, in one of his interviews said that the menu will mostly focus on desi cuisine, there is something for everybody. From karahis and BBQ to Chinese and burgers, TheForest’s menu has it all. In fact, I have to add here that it is a bit of a task to choose the dishes given the variety.
From the starters, we ordered The Forest Platter and it was simply yum. The platter included stuffed chicken, wings, pakora bites and two dips. Everything in the platter was brilliant and cooked to perfection.
The Forest Platter
For our main course, we decided to go desi and ordered a BBQ Platter, Mutton Handi and Chicken Handi. Out of them, the chicken handi was definitely my favourite. The chicken was very tender and the dish had the perfect blend of spices. The Mutton Handi was also good and spicy but the Chicken Handi won my tastebuds.
On the other hand, the BBQ Platter took my breath away with its size. The platter was huge and was good enough for six to seven people. It included grilled fish, chicken malai boti, seekh kabab, BBQ Prawns as well as rice and naan among other things. Each item on this platter was succulent and well-cooked, with just the right amount of spices and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
BBQ Platter
We ended our meal with a creamy and very satisfying kulfi which hit all the right spots for the perfect sweet ending.
Yasir told me that he took six months to set up the restaurant and I have to say that his hard work shone through. From the ambience to the food, everything was well-thought-out and polished till it was perfect. The hosts were very graceful towards their guests and ensured that no one left dissatisfied, which was probably another reason why I thoroughly enjoyed my visit. If you’re looking to spend a nice, relaxed evening with your family or friends, I’d highly recommend TheForest.
The first HUM Social Media Awards Powered by Facebook were streamed live Friday night and while there were a lot of winners, power couple Ahad Raza Mir and Sajal Aly took home four major awards – Most Popular Actor (Male and Female), Most Popular On-Screen Couple and Most Popular Off-Screen Couple. The couple, in a video message, thanked and appreciated their fans who voted for them.
Other winners include Atif Aslam (Most Popular Music Artist – Male), Aima Baig (Most Popular Music Artist – Female), Shahzad Noor (Most Popular Model – Male), Sadia Khan (Most Popular model – Female), Shahid Khan Afridi (Most Popular Sports Personality), Fahad Mustafa (Most Popular Television Host (entertainment)) and Zaid Ali T (Most Popular Content Creator). Aiman Khan was given a special award for being the Most Followed Celebrity of Pakistan. All the winners were part of the show via audio/video calls and special messages.
Though the awards were virtual, they were not without some fun performances. Due to COVID-19, celebrities at the ceremony were limited and those who attended included Aiman Khan, Muneeb Butt, Ayesha Omar and Aijaz Aslam. Those who attended kept the viewers engaged with their antics. The highlight of the ceremony, hosted by Yasir Hussain and Mooro, was an electrifying performance by Asim Azhar and the Young Stunners.
According to a press release, “HUM Social Media Awards Powered by Facebook is the first digitally based award show in Pakistan that has Facebook under its banner, making it distinguished and authentic in its true sense by recognising and encouraging deserving individuals working in the fields of music, entertainment, fashion, sports and content creation who have gained popularity over the years and have made their mark digitally.”
“The criteria of these awards and selection of nominees was based purely on their social media followers/subscribers, interaction rate and content created between July 2019 to June 2020, using Facebook Authentic Tool. All the nominees were put up for audience voting via website and the winners were selected on the basis of audiences’ votes,” it adds.
