Chairman Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and Vice President Pakistan Muslim League (N) Maryam Nawaz celebrated Father’s Day by honouring their fathers.
Bilawal shared an image of a video call with his father, former President Asif Ali Zardari, and his siblings Bakhtawar Bhutto-Zardari and Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari on Father’s Day and commented: “#COVID Virtual Father’ s Day.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CBtR-i6Jb7S/
Meanwhile, Maryam Nawaz shared an old letter from her father Nawaz Sharif, head of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), and some pictures on her Twitter and Instagram accounts.
میرے لئے ہر دن ہی #FathersDay ہے مگر آج کے دن اس چھوٹے سے خط سے بڑا کوئی tribute نہیں۔ کہ ایک انتقام سے دوسرے انتقام کی طرف جاتے ہوئے بھی باپ کو اپنی ذات کی نہیں, دوسری کال کوٹھڑی میں پڑی بیٹی کی فکر ہے۔ ایسے والد پر قربان کرنے کے لئے ایک زندگی بہت کم ہے! pic.twitter.com/YGL7pgmfYM
— Maryam Nawaz Sharif (@MaryamNSharif) June 21, 2020
The letter dated October 11, 2019, said that the National Accountability Beaurea (NAB) is taking Nawaz Sharif away in Chaudhry Sugar Mills case. Sharif tells his daughter to be strong and not lose hope in the letter addressed to his daughter.
In an Instagram post, Maryam wrote: “I am at a loss for words for a befitting tribute but as they say ‘A dad is a daughter’s first love’… Yes, and the last …. And the only one …. because he becomes the standard she would judge everyone against and no one would measure up ….. I love and miss you Abu, every minute, every second. May you live long.”
Bilal Maqsood of Strings has said that if he was the prime minister of Pakistan, he would make Fawad Chaudhry the head of Ruet e Hilal Committee.
In a Q&A session with his fans on Instagram, when a user asked Bilal what he would do if he was to become PM, the singer responded: “I will make Fawad Chaudhry the head of Ruet e Hilal Committee.”
Ruet-e-Hilal Committee of Pakistan is the department that announces the sighting of the new moon. It is currently headed by Mufti Muneeb ur Rehman and assisted by 150 observatories of the Pakistan Meteorological Department and many religious scholars of different sects.
On the other hand, Chaudhry who is the Minister for Science and Technology recently launched Pakistan’s first official Moon-sighting website and Hijri Calendar. He also said: “In my opinion, Ruet-Hilal Committee is no longer required (for moon-sighting).”
The minister faced a lot of criticism from religious circles and both Chaudhry and Mufti Munib ur Rehman are often involved in a banter whenever it comes to the announcement of Eid.
The cast of Ertuğrul, including Esra Bilgiç and Engin Altan Düzyatan, have expressed their desire to visit Pakistan and interact with their Pakistani audiences who have showered them with so much love and appreciation.
Given the ongoing pandemic and restricted movement, the cast has been unable to plan a visit to the country. However, according to a press release by Sophisto Global Media, the cast is expected to visit Pakistan in October or November depending on the situation. Sophisto Global Media is an international media company and a subsidiary of Imtiaz Holding, Turkey’s largest British-Pakistani owned holding company. It provides advertising, endorsement and media services to many of the world’s leading brands in both Turkey and abroad.
CEO of Imtiaz Holding Omar Imtiaz said that the cast will visit Pakistan to meet with fans and producers and “build something spectacular for the long term”.
He added that the Turkish actors are looking forward to the visit and many are already learning words as well as choosing which food dishes they want to try.
According to details, a joint collaboration agreement was signed between Sophisto Global Media and Hasan Gungor, a celebrity management agency which represents many of Turkey’s leading actors including those from Diriliş: Ertuğrul, to promote cross-border partnership. Under the agreement, Turkish talent, culture and history through film, drama, art and music will be showcased in Pakistan while Pakistani drama, talent, productions, art and music will be promoted in Turkey.
Exactly a month after the fatal Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane crash in Model Colony, Karachi, the preliminary investigation report was presented to Prime Minister Imran Khan today. Federal Minister for Aviation Ghulam Sarwar Khan met the prime minister and briefed him on the investigation into the incident.
The crash claimed 97 lives and two survivors and according to Geo News, the report details that the air traffic control and the cockpit crew of the plane were responsible for the crash but it also says that the deterrents in place by PIA and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) were not enough to avoid the plane crash and they also share equal responsibility of the crash.
The report has also stated that investigation into any technical failure is still on-going but no technical issues have been determined yet. It is pertinent to mention here that this is a preliminary one and the detailed report will take upto six months or a year.
Following the crash, the prime minister had ordered a probe into the incident to determine why the plane had crashed and Federal Minister for Aviation Ghulam Sarwar Khan had said that he would present the report to the national assembly today (June 22nd).
According to arecording of a Mayday call, the pilot told controllers the aircraft had lost power when he tried to land for the second time.
The aircraft had tried to land earlier but went around for a second attempt. According to the recording, an air traffic controller told the pilot that he might be off-course. The pilot told him that he had lost the engines. The pilot had been cleared to use any runway but called, “Mayday, Mayday, Mayday,” and the plane crashed minutes later.
After the aircraft reportedly called off an earlier attempt to land and went around for a second attempt, a controller radioed the pilot of flight 8303 that he appeared to be turning left, suggesting he was off-course.
The pilot replied, “We are returning back, sir, we have lost engines,” and the controller cleared the plane to land on either of Karachi airport’s two West-Southwest-facing runways.
Meanwhile, the flight data recorder (FDR) and cockpit voice recorder (CVR) have been been decoded in France and the inquiry committee has received a report.
Mango season has officially begun and some lucky fellows have already started receiving their mango paitis straight from the farms.
Huda Kattan’s sister Mona Kattan received her box of mangoes from Bilawal House Karachi, with compliments from President Asif Ali Zardari and his children Bakhtawar, Aseefa and Bilawal. Mona shared her excitement of receiving the boxes of mangoes on her social media.
According to the greeting card, the mangoes are grown naturally at farms in Tando Allahyar.
Bakhtawar is reportedly good friends with the Kattan sisters.
Bakhtawar and Huda
Huda is an Iraqi-American makeup artist, beauty blogger, and entrepreneur. She is the founder of the cosmetics line Huda Beauty. According to Forbes, her net worth is $610M.
A teenager accidentally shot himself while recording a TikTok video in Karachi’s Sikandarabad on Sunday.
As per reports, the deceased, who was 17 years old, was reportedly filming himself while holding his father’s pistol when he accidentally pulled the trigger, killing himself.
According to the Sachal police, the family declined a post-mortem. After the completion of medico-legal formalities, the body was handed over to the family. The police said that the pistol was licensed and belonged to the boy’s father.
Esra Bilgiç, who plays the fearless Halima Sultan in the super hit Turkish series, Diriliş: Ertuğrul, says that she would love to visit Pakistan and feature the country in her documentary project.
In an interview with Hello Magazine Pakistan, Esra, who is currently studying Law, shared that she has written a documentary project about “how nature responds to us in all circumstances.”
“The destroyed agricultural areas, forests ruined by urbanization and the habitats of animals which could return to their former fertile states in such a short time. No matter how much damage we do to nature, it hugs us every time we go to it,” said Esra.
She continued: “I intend to reach villages and mountainous areas that have difficulties, due to financial deficiencies and access to natural resources. I want to help the local people, to listen and photograph their problems, and to make everyone aware. In the quarantine period with the team in Turkey, we have identified a few places. I want to complete all our preparations — and after a few photography classes— get to work.”
The actor then expressed her desire to visit Pakistan for her project.
“I hope that my first visit to Pakistan will take place as part of this documentary project,” she said. “I want to photograph the geographical topography, the vegetation and the exotic sites. I love the mountainous areas of the Babusar Kaghan Valley; the views overlooking the Valley of Leepa in Azad Kashmir; the camp plan in Concordia and the amazing Deosai plateau.”
Esra added: “In fact, the Kashmir region is one of the places I am most curious about and want to travel to and determine a few places for the documentary project.”
Meanwhile, talking about the success of the series in Pakistan, Esra said she cannot thank the Pakistani audience enough for their love and that the success has motivated her to excel more.
“To know that the character to whom I gave life as an actor, embraced like this, is the biggest reward I could get. Literally it is like a prize,” exclaimed the actor.
On why Ertuğrul resonated so well with the Pakistani audience, Esra said: “The fact that a movie series or music finds a response in people living in other cultures proves that emotions are universal. The main theme of the Ertuğrul was not to remain silent in the face of injustice, to stand by the oppressed and to fight for justice.”
“I believe that the Pakistani people’s love for Ertuğrul has led them to embrace our similarities, especially in the ways we express emotion.”
Prime Minister Imran Khan, in a video meeting with renowned writers across the country, urged them to promote family values and national identity through their writings and dramas. Writers who were part of the meeting included Hasina Moin, Amjad Islam Amjad, Bee Gul, Fasih Bari Khan, Zafar Meraj, Zanzbeel Asim Shah, Amna Mufti, Saima Ikram Chaudhry and Jahanzeb Qamar.
According to APP, the prime minister assured the government’s support for the promotion of national culture and identity. In the meeting, PM Khan discussed the importance of highlighting national culture and identity and said that the education and training of the youth had been jeopardized by modern communication tools, internet, easy access to objectionable content and onslaught of alien culture and traditions.
The PM asserted that foreign content – such a Bollywood – is putting our history, culture and social values in danger and reducing the youth’s knowledge about Islamic personalities, sagas and national history.
PM Imran also said that the government was aiming to revamp and digitalise Pakistan Television (PTV) and revive its previous glory.
Fasih Bari Khan, and other writers present on the occasion, speaking to a private media outlet, said that PM Khan had highlighted that the whole society was in a state of moral decay and that the country was leading in child pornography. PM Khan attributed rising divorce rates to the moral degradation of society and the influence of Western cultures. He expressed his distress at the rising divorce cases in society and spoke at length on the topic. He urged playwrights to help the new generation in moral training and character building.
PM Khan also expressed his desire for an Ertuğrul -type drama to be produced in Pakistan.
Meanwhile, when Bee Gul disagreed with PM Khan’s point of view and said that while divorce should be discouraged, it should not be stigmatised as it puts stress on the woman, her mic was switched off and PM Khan said that divorce has a negative effect on children and the family structure.
The writers hoped that this meeting would bear fruit and would bring positive changes, because more often than not, they are pressurised into writing a certain type of story by private channels.
Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Shibli Faraz and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information Lt Gen (Retd) Asim Saleem Bajwa were also part of the meeting.
2) وزیر اعظم نے قومی تہذیب و تمدن اور پاکستانیت کو اجاگر کرنے کی اہمیت پر زور دیتے ہوئے کہا کہ ماڈرن ذرائع ابلاغ ، انٹرنیٹ پرہر قسم کے مواد خصوصاً قابل اعتراض کی آسان دستیابی اور مغربی طور طریقوں اور بیرونی کلچر کی یلغار سے ہماری اقدار اور –
4)- بھی برائے نام اور محدود ہوتی جا رہی ہیں۔ وزیر اعظم نے کہا کہ نئی نسل کو قومی تشخص سے روشناس کرانے ، معاشرتی اقدار اور پاکستانیت کے فروغ کے لئے ضروری ہے کہ اس حوالے سے فوری طور پر اقدامات اٹھائے جائیں۔
6) وزیر اعظم نے کہا کہ قومی تہذیب و تمدن اور پاکستانیت کے فروغ کے حوالے سے کوششوں کی حکومتی سطح پر بھرپور پذیرائی کی جائے گی۔ انہوں نے کہا کہ حکومت پاکستان ٹیلی ویژن کی اصلاح پر خصوصی توجہ دے رہی ہے تاکہ پی ٹی وی قومی تشخص اجاگر کرنے میں اپنا کردار ماضی کی طرح ادا کر سکے۔
Pakistani women have time and again proven that despite the country’s patriarchal setup, they can always be counted on to make a mark. Malala Yousafzai, the country’s second and the world’s youngest Nobel laureate, is continuing the legacy of Pakistan’s iconic women.
Malala graduated from Oxford University earlier this week. “Hard to express my joy and gratitude right now as I completed my philosophy, politics and economics degree at Oxford. I don’t know what’s ahead. For now, it will be Netflix, reading and sleep,” she tweeted.
Hard to express my joy and gratitude right now as I completed my Philosophy, Politics and Economics degree at Oxford. I don’t know what’s ahead. For now, it will be Netflix, reading and sleep. pic.twitter.com/AUxN55cUAf
For someone so young, Malala has achieved what most of us cannot even imagine in our lifetimes. But it did not come easy; in fact, it was at a great personal cost. In 2009, Malala started writing a diary for BBC Urdu under the pen name ‘Gul Makai’. Swat Valley was under Taliban rule at the time. In one of the entries, she wrote, “I am sad watching my uniform, school bag and geometry box. I felt hurt on opening my wardrobe and seeing my uniform, school bag and geometry box. Boys’ schools are opening tomorrow. But the Taliban have banned girls’ education.”
Malala and her family received multiple threats from the Taliban even after their rule ended in Swat.
She was shot by the Taliban in October 2012 when she was on her way home from school in Swat. The Taliban tried to assassinate her because she had become an ambassador for girls’ education. The assassination attempt left her in a critical condition when she was taken to a hospital in Rawalpindi. She was later transferred to a hospital in the United Kingdom (UK).
Malala went on to become a global icon. From writing a diary under a pseudonym at an incredibly young age to surviving a brutal assassination attempt, her bravery makes one wonder about the determination and grit this young woman has shown over the years. Despite her success, Malala remains down to earth and humble. One can see that there is no pretense.
After her graduation, many are wondering what role she would take on in the future. It is for Malala to decide what is next but we can say with certainty that her future will not be anything ordinary. For an extraordinary woman like Malala, an ordinary job would obviously not do. She will always be a global ambassador for girls’ education and may well continue her work since it is a huge task indeed. Some speculate whether she will enter politics at some stage. Whatever she decides, we know she will continue to make Pakistan proud of her work.
