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  • Fear in Karachi after five lions escape from farmhouse

    Fear in Karachi after five lions escape from farmhouse

    Five lions are on the loose near Gulshan-e-Hadeed in Karachi after they escaped from a private farmhouse.

    According to reports, five out of six lions escaped from a farmhouse and attacked the dogs of that place. 

    After escaping, the lions entered a nearby seminary spreading fear and panic among the citizens. Residents of the area called Bin Qasim police and wildlife authorities to handle the situation.

    Provincial Wildlife Conservator Javed Ahmed Mehar reached the area to manage the efforts to find and catch the escaped lions. While speaking to a local media outlet he said, “We sent our experts to the area as soon as we received reports of lions’ escape.”

    He lamented that keeping lions at the farmhouse is an illegal activity but there is no definitive law forbidding people from keeping wild animals at their place.

    “Sindh Assembly has passed a law to regulate the presence of wild animals at private places, however, it is yet to be enacted,” he said while remembering that last year one person was also seen roaming with a lion on a Karachi street.

    After an hour-long search operation, wildlife experts finally caught the lions.

    The provincial wildlife conservator said that they have called the lions’ owner on Wednesday (today) to take action against him.

    Meanwhile, the owner of the lions, while speaking to Independent Urdu, dismissed the reports and said that this was all a fake news.

    “Only one of my animals got out of the cage,” said the owner.

    He claimed that though the lions did escape their cages, they did not go out of their vicinity.

    “All our animals are tamed and do not harm anyone,” he added. “We will be charged for the negligence of one of our workers.”

    “We have a farm and have a permit for that,” he explained further. “The license is not been renewed because we did not find it appropriate to visit the office due to coronavirus.”

    “Wildlife department official visited the place last night and recorded all evidence.”

  • ‘Ishqiya’ ends on a bittersweet note

    ‘Ishqiya’ ends on a bittersweet note

    Hania Aamir, Feroze Khan, Ramsha Khan and Gohar Rasheed’s painstaking romantic saga Ishqiya came to a close Monday night with a finale that left viewers torn. While some thought the ending was fitting, others were rooting for a happy ending for Rumi (Hania) and Hamza (Feroze). But alas that did not happen, even though Hamna (Ramsha) and Azeem (Gohar) got their happy ending. If you ask me, I’m just glad that no one died or lost their sanity.

    To be honest, I really was not a big fan of Ishqiya given its ridiculous storyline and I made that pretty clear at several instances (Here and here). But given the nature of my job and the fact that the drama trended every week on YouTube (the last episode is trending at number two on YouTube Pakistan) and social media, I had no choice but to follow it and try to figure out what exactly made it a hit. After much thought and going through audience comments, I came to the conclusion that strong performances by the lead and supporting cast, Rumi (Hania) and Azeem’s (Gohar) characters and the chemistry between Hania and Feroze is what attracted audiences and made them tune in every Monday.

    To sum up the plot in a few lines, Ishqiya was the story of two sisters Rumi and Hamna (Ramsha Khan) who have conservative, yet loving parents. Hamna is in a relationship with her class fellow Hamza but her father Siddiqui sahib (Shabbir Jan) gets her married to Azeem. Being an obedient daughter and a weak person, Hamna does not protest and goes ahead with her father’s wishes. This is when the problem begins. Hamza is heartbroken over Hamna’s marriage and thinks she betrayed him so he sets out to seek revenge from her by marrying her sister so he can be close to her and mentally torture her. In the process, he ends up falling for his wife but as they say, you reap what you sow. Pretty convoluted if you ask me.

    While the actors did complete justice to their roles and delivered above-average performances – Hania was great as the bubbly, chirpy Rumi, while Ramsha fit perfectly as the sober and introverted Hamna; Gohar was wonderful as the soft-spoken Azeem and as for Feroze, he seems to have perfected the role of the ‘bad boy’ – they were let down by a weak script, bizarre plot and poorly written characters. The drama relied heavily on flashbacks, greatly testing our patience because while the present featured someone crying, the flashback saw the person crying even more. Basically, there is lots of crying in the drama, except a few moments of comic relief by Hania. Gohar and Hamna became monotonous in a few episodes because they maintained the same expressions. But then again that was more of the script’s fault than their own.

    Similarly, Hania and Feroze’s chemistry was crackling and straight out of a Mills and Boons novel but again it was neither explored nor developed properly. The two complimented each other well and were one of the highlights of the drama.

    Badar Mehmood has given us many memorable dramas including Cheekh and Balaa and I’m still trying to figure out why he opted for a project like this. But given the drama’s success, I’m scared that our directors and producers will continue to churn out such senseless and nonsensical stories. Written by Mohsin Ali Shah, Ishqiya was produced by Fahad Mustafa and Dr Ali Kazmi under their production house Big Bang Entertainment.

  • Govt targets $5 billion IT export remittances in next three years

    Govt targets $5 billion IT export remittances in next three years

    The government is aiming $5 billion for export remittances through Information Technology (IT) and IT-enabled services (ITeS) in the next three years.

    The target will be achieved by digitalising payment gateways, setting up broadband internet in unserved areas and by practising e-governance in Pakistan.

    This was revealed in a meeting of Dr Ishrat Hussain, Advisor to the Prime Minister on Institutional Reforms, and Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Syed Aminul Haq.

    The advisor was informed that the ministry is taking steps to provide broadband services in the country through the IT Universal Service Fund, the services which promote the development of telecommunication services in un-served and under-served areas of the country.

    The minister added that plans for laying fibre optic cable in remote areas and providing faster internet service are also underway.

    The IT and ITeS export remittances comprising computer services and call centre services surged by 23.71 per cent to $1.230 billion in the fiscal year (FY) 2019-20 compared to $994.848 million during the same period last year (2018-19).

    “After record export remittances through IT exports, the next target is $5 billion during the next three years”, said Haq. “A payment gateway and e-office projects will be completed soon”, Federal Minister for IT said.

    Dr Ishrat Hussain said, “the important role of the Ministry of IT in the development of the country cannot be ignored. The Ministry of IT deserves congratulations on the significant increase in IT exports.”

  • VIDEO: ‘Fawad Chaudhry is jealous of my good looks,’ Federal Minister Ali Zaidi says

    VIDEO: ‘Fawad Chaudhry is jealous of my good looks,’ Federal Minister Ali Zaidi says

    Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Ali Haider Zaidi has taken a dig at his colleague, Federal Minister for Science & Technology Fawad Chaudhry, saying that the latter is jealous of his good looks.

    In an interview with The Current, Zaidi was asked if claims that he “is an expert on all ministries except his own” had any truth to them. “Fawad Chaudhry is really jealous of me. That’s why he says so,” the minister said in response, later cracking up while adding that his colleague was jealous of his good looks.

    While Fawad thought it was a “fun” interview, others, including senior journalist Hamid Mir, also reacted to Zaidi’s comment.

    Earlier, during the interview, Zaidi also spoke of the responsibilities of the Maritime Ministry, and the work that is being carried out under his supervision, such as the plans of introducing blue economy in Pakistan.

    Besides rebutting some claims made regarding him, the minister also gave a tour of his beautiful Islamabad office, shared his views on different political leaders and fellow Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) colleagues, took a look back at his cricketing career and cracked us up with his wit.

    WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW:

  • Sonu Nigam praises Pakistan’s young singer Hadia Hashmi

    Indian singer Sonu Nigam got emotional while listening to Pakistan’s young rock star Hadia Hashmi. In his latest vlog, Sonu Nigam was listening to the Nescafe Basement’s hit song Bol Hu and expressed how awestruck he was by the song and the vocals of the Hadia Hashmi.

    The song, released in February 2019, features Hashmi and Soch the Band. They performed in the fifth season of the show Nescafe Basement.

    “It’s been a while since anything has touched my soul like this! What a song, what lyrics, what composition! Wah! Soch the band, kya soch hai!”, Nigam said in the video.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLn_jNwLYYg&feature=emb_title

    Hashmi was only eight years old at the time. Many celebrities praised the young star and Bol Hu was also featured in 2019 Bollywood thriller Malang.

    Soch then thanked the singer for his words. “We have grown up following you and listening to your music so it’s like a dream come true for us. Thank you, Sonu Sir! It is always gratifying and nice to hear something heartfelt like this from a fellow artist across the border.”

    Zulfi, the producer of Nescafe Basement, also posted a video on Facebook to thank Nigam.

    “I just saw Sonu Nigam’s video on Bol Hu and I thought it only made sense that I express my gratitude in a similar manner,” he said. 

    “I don’t only have one thing to thank him for, there are multiple things. The first thing I would want to thank him for is the way his reaction must have elated the spirits of Adnan, Rabi and Hadia. There’s no comparison to that. They would want to work even more seriously towards their dreams. God has given you a gift; do not let it go to waste”, he added. 

    https://www.facebook.com/zulfiqarjkhan/videos/10158511949360540/
  • KYA BOLA? (Aug 11): ‘Usman Buzdar ki tabdeeli’, ‘Wazire azam k ladlay totay’, ‘National Assembly mein classroom wali harkatein’

    KYA BOLA? (Aug 11): ‘Usman Buzdar ki tabdeeli’, ‘Wazire azam k ladlay totay’, ‘National Assembly mein classroom wali harkatein’

    Following are some snippets that stood out from Urdu newspapers on August 11, 2020, which The Current takes no responsibility for.

    ‘Usman Buzdar Ki Tabdeeli’

    It has been reported by Daily Jang that senior journalist and analyst Suhail Warraich has said, “Imran Khan k paas Usman Buzdar ko tabdeel krnay k ilawa koi option nahi.”

    His remarks come at a time when rumours regarding the removal of Punjab chief minister (CM) have gone rife yet again.

    ‘Wazire Azam K Ladlay Totay‘

    In his column, Suhail Warraich has said, “Special assistant to prime minister mein aksar tadaad inn ladlay toton ki hai jo Tehreek-e-Insaf ki siyasi jad-o-jehad mein shaamil naa thay aur naa he unhon ney koi qurbaani di… iss ka bawajood qaabina ka hisa ban bethay… parlimaan k log faisla saazi mein shareek nahi hain magar yeh ghair muntakhib eham tareen mulki faislon mein shareek hotay hain jo k sarasar ghalat riwayat hai.”

    ‘National Assembly Mein Classroom Wali Harkatein’

    According to Daily Jang, PML-N leader and former National Assembly speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq has said all lawmakers must play their role in improving the environment of the assembly. “My grandchildren told me, ‘Aap log jo kuch assembly mein kartay ho, hum school k classroom mein kr sakty hain’.”

  • VIDEO: Maryam Nawaz ‘attacked by police’ outside NAB office

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) vice president and former prime minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif’s daughter, Maryam Nawaz, was on Tuesday caught in a clash between party workers and Punjab Police as she arrived at the Lahore office of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in the case pertaining to receipt of 200 acres of what was supposed to be government land in Raiwind.

    To show solidarity, PML-N workers in the form of a procession had accompanied the party leader as she left for the NAB’s office in Thokar Niaz Baig. She was, however, told to head back as the situation deteriorated outside the anti-graft body’s office when party workers and police clashed.

    In two videos that she posted on Twitter, Maryam alleged that police pelted stones at her car which cracked her bulletproof vehicle’s windshield. “Pelting stones at my car, police have broken its windshield. This is a bulletproof car and police are pelting stones and shelling [PML-N workers] in front of NAB’s office to instigate workers. Why do you call us if you are so scared of us?” she was heard as saying in one of the videos.

    In another tweet, the PML-N leader condemned the firing of tear gas shells and assault her party workers were subjected to by the police.

    Speaking to party workers after the clash, Maryam said she had been summoned from her home so that she could be harmed. “I am standing here, if I have been called, then listen to me as well,” she said. 

    The PML-N leader said that she had arrived outside the NAB office to “answer lies” and will not head back home; however, the doors of the NAB office remained closed and no official of responded to Maryam’s statement. 

    The incident was followed by Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Usman Buzdar taking notice of the clash and ordering the chief secretary as well as the inspector general to submit a report on the matter. “No one can be allowed to take the law into their hands,” said the chief minister. “Action should be taken against those who violated the law,” reports quoted him as saying.

    Meanwhile, support poured in for Maryam as Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari among many others voiced their concerns.

    “Condemn the unnecessary use of force, teargas & stone pelting on @MaryamNSharif & her party workers by police in Lahore today [sic],” Bilawal tweeted.

    THE CASE AGAINST MARYAM:

    According to Geo, NAB has accused Maryam of receiving 200 acres of what was supposed to be government land in Raiwind. Reports claim that the transfer was made during former Lahore deputy commissioner (DC) Noorul Amin Mengal and former Lahore Development Authority (LDA) director general (DG) Ahad Cheema’s tenure.

    NAB had also summoned Mengal along with the LDA officials of that time with records.

    A tract of land, stretching over 3,568 kanals, was bought by the Sharif family in 2013. The largest part of the property, 1,936 kanals, was transferred to the name of Nawaz and Shehbaz Sharif’s mother, Shamim Bibi. The land that was transferred to Maryam from that tract was 1,440 kanals.

  • Man gets stolen wallet back after 14 years

    Man gets stolen wallet back after 14 years

    A man, whose wallet got stolen in a local train in Mumbai in 2006, received a call after 14 years from the police saying they have found it.

    Hemant Padalkar had lost his wallet while travelling in a local train in 2006, containing Rs900 at that time. In April this year, he received a call from the Government Railway Police (GRP) updating him that his wallet was found.

    However, he could not then go to collect his wallet because of the lockdown in India due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    After the ease of the lockdown, Padalkar, recently went to the GRP office where he was given part of the money that was in the wallet.

    “My wallet at that time contained Rs 900, including a Rs 500 note which was later demonetised (in 2016). The Vashi GRP returned Rs 300 to me. They deducted Rs 100 for stamp paperwork and said the remaining Rs 500 would be returned after exchanging the scrapped currency note with a new one,” Padalkar was quoted as saying.

    According to local media reports, a GRP official said those who stole Padalkar’s wallet were arrested sometime back.

    “We recovered Padalkar’s wallet containing Rs 900 from the accused. We handed over Rs 300 to Padalkar and the remaining Rs 500 would be returned to him after the currency note is exchanged with a new one,” he added.

  • ‘She is an actress and she has to keep fit’: Agha Ali responds to backlash on ‘fat-shaming’ comments

    ‘She is an actress and she has to keep fit’: Agha Ali responds to backlash on ‘fat-shaming’ comments

    Agha Ali has responded to the backlash he received after a video clip of him and his wife Hina Altaf went viral on social media. In the clip, Hina and Agha shared that at the time of their marriage, the only promise that Agha took from Hina was that she will never get fat or gain weight.

    The couple received immense criticism on social media and people called them out for promoting fatphobia.

    In a story posted to his Instagram, Agha clarified his statement and said that he asked his wife not to gain unnecessary weight because she is an actress and needs to look fit.

    “No producer or director or writer would like to have an overweight heroine,” said Agha.

    He added: “She was chubby before and has worked really hard to keep fit. I myself have had a weight loss journey.”

    The actor also expressed his anger over the matter and said that has is not a fat-shamer and has never made fun of or ridiculed overweight people. He also said that he will host a live session to discuss the matter.

  • Pakistan Railways removes first woman station manager within hours of appointment

    Pakistan Railways removes first woman station manager within hours of appointment

    Syeda Marzia Al-Zahra, who was appointed as Pakistan’s first-ever woman station manager in Lahore was removed from her position by Pakistan Railways a few hours after her appointment.

    As per reports, a union of station masters allegedly severely opposed her appointment and threatened to protest against the admin if the notification was not cancelled.

    Speaking to Independent Urdu, Union Central Chairman Muhammad Irfan said it was against the law and the civil rights of station masters.

    However, Zahra said that she would continue supervising the office of station manager being ATO-1 of the PR’s Lahore division under the law.

    “Though I cannot look after the post now under the new notification, I being an ATO-1, can exercise my authority to supervise this post. And I will do this. Office of Lahore Cantt station master also comes under my supervision,” she explained.