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  • LHC to hear petition for ban on Aurat March

    LHC to hear petition for ban on Aurat March

    The Lahore High Court has accepted Judicial Activism Council Chairman Azhar Siddique’s petition to ban the Aurat March.

    According to reports, LHC has summoned Additional Director Cybercrime Wing of the Federal Investigation Agency and Deputy Inspector General Operations on February 27 in this regard.

    The petitioner Azhar Siddique has claimed that the Aurat March is a foreign conspiracy.

    “There are various anti-state parties present who are funding this Aurat March with the sole purpose of spreading anarchy amongst the masses.”

    He also objected to certain placards held at the march iterating that the march is “against the very norms of Islam” adding that it has a hidden agenda to spread “anarchy, vulgarity, and hatred.”

    “During last year’s Aurat March, women were holding placards that had objectionable messages,” read the petition.

    LHC directed the federal government lawyer to seek instructions from the Ministry of Interior and inform the court about what can be done in this regard.

    The Judicial Activism Council Chairman has previously attempted to file an FIR (first information report) against women holding “objectionable placards” at the march. He had submitted an application to the Capital City Police Office (CCPO) Lahore. However, the police did not take any action.

    Azhar had also submitted another application to enforce the Pakistan Electronic Crimes Act, 2016 and Citizen Protection (Against Online Harm) Rules, 2020 against the Aurat March and demanded to “stop the promotion of anti-state activities such as Aurat March on social media.”

    The Aurat March is organised every year on International Women’s Day. This year the march is scheduled for March 8. Last year, women from all across Pakistan came together to participate in the Aurat March 2019.

  • PAF exhibits wreckage of India’s MiG-21 shot down last year

    PAF exhibits wreckage of India’s MiG-21 shot down last year

    The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) has unveiled the wreckage of Indian Air Force’s (IAF) MiG-21 Bison that was shot down by Pakistan on February 27, 2019, contradicting Indian claims of shooting down a Pakistani F-16 aircraft.

    The PAF’s Director Media Affairs flanked by Assistant Chief of Air Staff (Planning) Air Commodore Syed Omar Shah gave a detailed briefing to the media on the victory of “Operation Swift Retort” here at the Air Headquarters.

    He also showed the missiles of MiG-21 Bison recovered from the wreckage of IAF fighter being piloted by Wing Commander Abhinandan and shot down by the PAF fighter jets during the dogfight on February 27 last year.

    Air Commodore Syed Omar Shah said the MiG-21 Bison was equipped with two R-73 Archer missiles and two R-77 Adder missiles on its left and right wings, which were never fired. Since the aircraft after being hit fell on the left side that completely damaged the two missiles attached on the left wing.

    The two R-73 Archer and R-77 Adder missiles, which attached on the right wing of MiG-21, were recovered almost intact from the aircraft’s wreckage whereas the left wing missiles were damaged, particularly the R-77 Adder whose rocket motor got burnt under the rubble, he added.

    Air Commodore Shah noted that after analysis of the recovered missiles it was found that none of them was fired, rejecting the claim of IAF that Wing Commander Abhinandan had fired a R-73 Archer missile at the PAF jet before his aircraft was shot down.

    “The rocket motor has been found attached with the missile launcher that clearly proves that the MiG-21 piloted by Wing Commander Abhinandan did not fire any of its missiles and inflicted no damage on the PAF aircraft,” he maintained.

    The Operation Swift Retort, he said, would be remembered as a “chronicle of valour and heroism”, which gave a message to the international community that their quest for peace should not be misconstrued by the enemy as their weakness.

    He said though the independent sources had also denied the IAF’s claims of shooting down PAF’s F-16 fighter plane yet Wing Commander Abhinandan was awarded the highest military award by the Indian government. Moreover, the IAF chief’s claim of hitting an F-16 with a R-73 Archer missile was a question mark on the professionalism of his force, he added.

    Air Commodore Shah said when the IAF tried to violate Pakistan’s airspace it was “unilaterally perceived to be challenging the sovereignty of Pakistan”. In response to the the IAF’s violation of Pakistan’s airspace, four key targets had been locked, including Headquarters 80 Brigade Punch Sector, Headquarters 120 Brigade and two others. The PAF’s swift operation had surprised the IAF as they were unable to respond, he added.

    He said the main reason behind a year-long delay in making public the wreckage of MiG-21 Bison was a war-like situation which prevailed at the time of dog-fight.

    The PAF pilots avoided to hit the locked targets due to the rules of engagement decided by the country’s leadership, he added.

    Earlier, Pakistan had announced to celebrate ‘Surprise Day’ on February 27 as a tribute to the retaliatory attack by the PAF after India’s Balakot airstrike.

  • Artists accuse ‘Gul Ahmed’ for stealing their designs

    Activist Shehzil Malik whose designs support and promote women empowerment recently called out retail brand Gul Ahmed for stealing her designs.

    Soon after the allegations surfaced, the fashion outlet apologised to Shehzil and also posted a public apology.

    While the fire from this backlash was still burning, another artist came forward with a similar case. Gul Khan Truck Art’s owner artist Ali Gul took to social media to highlight the issue and seek help and support from his followers. Gul Khan Truck Art represents cultural artwork from Pakistan and makes beautiful home decor products among other things.

    Though Gul Ahmed has publicly apologised to the artists, the public is demanding answers. Artists and supporters alike are raising the issue and demanding proper action by the Gul Ahmed team.

  • Is Karachi cop’s novel coming to Netflix?

    Is Karachi cop’s novel coming to Netflix?

    Omar Shahid Hamid’s best-selling debut novel The Prisoner is coming to Netflix, though it’s unclear whether as a movie or a series.

    In an exclusive interview with The Current, when asked when his novel is being made into a movie, the officer responded, “Its production is underway and it is hoped that a deal will soon be made with Netflix or some streaming service.”

    “And most likely, we’ll start shooting it in summers. So…fingers crossed,” he added.

    Inspired by his experiences in the police service, Omar penned the novel, while on a sabbatical. The book is centred around an American journalist who is kidnapped.

    A brief synopsis of the novel reads: “On an unusually cold December evening in Karachi, American journalist Jon Friedland is kidnapped from one of the city’s poshest neighbourhoods. His captors plan to post a video of his execution on Christmas Day. The kidnapping has come at a bad time, embarrassing the Pakistani government in front of their US allies. The clock is ticking. Will the police and Intelligence Agencies recover Friedman alive?”

    “The story careens through the streets of Karachi, taking the reader into an all too real world of jihadis, corrupt police officers, and bloodthirsty political henchmen – all placed together in a city where no one is quite what they seem.”

    Hamid is also the author of The Spinner’s Tale (2015), The Party Worker (2017), and The Fix (2019).

    Watch the full interview here:

  • PAF releases new song on anniversary of Indian jet downing

    PAF releases new song on anniversary of Indian jet downing

    The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) released a new song to mark the first anniversary of the downing of Indian jets. Shuja Haider sang the song ‘Allah o Akbar’.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J21KZleUuCs

    Last year, Pakistan also put on display a statue of an Indian pilot whose plane was shot down on February 27, 2019.

    The life-sized statue of Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman complete with his signature mustache had been installed in an exhibit at a museum in Karachi run by PAF.

    Indian plane was shot down over Azad Jammu Kashmir in February 2019 when an Indian plane entered the Pakistani airspace.

    After his capture, the Pakistani military released a video showing him sipping a cup of tea and politely refusing to answer questions. His comment on the tea “the tea is fantastic”

    made him a viral sensation on social media.

    He was released several days later in a peace gesture from Pakistan intended at defusing tensions.

  • Khalil ur Rehman did not offer Sonya Hussyn ‘Meray Paas Tum Ho’

    Khalil ur Rehman did not offer Sonya Hussyn ‘Meray Paas Tum Ho’

    Waseem Badami’s talk show, Har Lamha Purjosh seems to be a birthplace for controversies. Recently, writer Khalil ur Rehman Qamar appeared in the show and denied the Sonya Hussain’s claim that she rejected the role of Mehwish in the blockbuster drama serial Meray Pass Tum Ho.

    Speaking on the show, Qamar said, “Even if she had accepted the role, the final ball would have been in my court because no director or producer can finalise the cast on my script without me having the final say. Sonya was never in my books for that role.”

    Khalil ur Rehman also said that Hussyn had not reached the “calibre” to do justice to his script.

    He further said, “When Sonya met me in Lahore, I asked her whether she had refused my script and for what. Sonya had stated that when the role was offered to her, Humayun Saeed hadn’t been cast as the male lead. So I do not know what is the truth.”

    While responding to one of the questions of the host, he also said that the narrative of Rehmat Ajmal being not happy with her role was only because she wanted to develop a repute.”

    Read more – Rehmat Ajmal says she is not proud to be acting in ‘Meray Paas Tum Ho’

    Watch the full interview here:

    Earlier, Sonya Hussain said in an interview that I refused to play Mehwish in the drama because should could not see a woman as a negative character.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0mY7RM6C40
  • Hrithik Roshan extends support to Pakistani student mocked for stuttering

    Hrithik Roshan extends support to Pakistani student mocked for stuttering

    Bollywood superstar Hrithik Roshan, who has often spoken up about living with a speech impediment, won Twitter after he offered words of support and encouragement to a Pakistani student humiliated for stuttering.

    Twitter user Marium Zulfiqar, penned a long note on how a professor at a university in Islamabad had mocked and humiliated her cousin for stuttering during a class presentation. She added that her cousin has been traumatised by the incident and has not been able to come out of his room since then.

    Marium’s tweet was widely circulated on social media and caught the attention of the Bollywood superstar who tweeted his support for the student and offered him words of encouragement.

    According to Marium, the professor in question is the head of the Bachelor of Business Administration department in National University Of Modern Languages, Pakistan.

    Following Roshan’s tweet, Marium has put her Twitter account on private though it’s not sure why she did that.

  • PTI govt moves FIA against Khalid Butt for mocking Imran Khan

    PTI govt moves FIA against Khalid Butt for mocking Imran Khan

    According to journalist Anas Mallick, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government is moving FIA against Khalid Butt, Faysal Chaudary and Mustafa Chaudhry for their political satire mocking Prime Minister Imran Khan.

    Mallick claims that the PTI government is seeking to register an FIR against the satire team.

    Khalid Butt and his team host a satirical show on Neo News. In January, they poked fun at PM Khan’s statement that nurses at Shaukat Khanum Hospital, who looked after him after he fell from the stage back in 2013, looked like hoors (companions from paradise) following painkillers.

    PM Khan is not the only one Khalid Butt and his team have mocked. They made fun of Leader of the Opposition Shehbaz Sharif after the PML-N voted in favour of the extension of the army chief. Meray Paas Tum Ho fame Danish and his subsequent death in the finale was also recreated by them.

    After Anas Mallick’s tweet, Khalid Butt tweeted: ‘Bring it on’ while journalist Kamran Yousaf sarcastically said that yes Khalid Butt & co should “immediately be arrested” since they are responsible for all the problems and all the U-turns taken by Prime Minister Imran Khan. “They must be booked under Article 6.”

  • Land in Saudi, get a visa on arrival

    Land in Saudi, get a visa on arrival

    Saudi Arabia is introducing a one-year multiple-entry visit visa for Pakistanis who have a valid UK, US or Schengen visa on their passports, reports The News. The visa will also be applicable for Umra but not for Hajj. There’s a catch though. The visa can only be issued to a credit card holder. When you land at any international airport in Saudi, a visa charge of Rs.18,000 will be charged to your card: cash is not accepted.

    People waiting at immigation. Photo credit: Marhaba Saudi

    You can stay in the country for 90 days and enter multiple times until the visa expires.

    There is another catch. You cannot enter the country if you have a valid UK, US, Schengen visa but have never used it Catch number three is that the first time to fly to Saudi to get an on arrival visa, you have to travel via Saudi Arlines, Flynas or Flydeal. The second time you visit, you can use any airline.

    The Kingdom Tower in Jeddah

    You can also apply for a tourist visa online. Once you submit it and it’s accepted, you will receive an electronic visa that you can show at immigration.

  • Lahore Qalandars, Quetta Gladiators, Karachi Kings fined for slow over-rate

    Following their loss from Islamabad United in a thrilling match at Gaddafi Stadium Lahore, Lahore Qalandars have been slapped with a fine for maintaining a slow over-rate during their one-wicket loss.

    According to a press release by the Pakistan Super League, all 11 playing members have been fined 10 percent each of their match fees as per Article 2.22 of the HBL PSL Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which deals with minimum over-rate offences.

    In the stipulated time, Qalandars were two overs short of their target after taking into account time allowances.

    As this was their first offence, they were only fined ten percent. If the team is found guilty of another slow over-rate during the tournament, then it will be deemed as their second offence and each member of their playing squad will be fined 20 percent each of their match fees.

    The charges against the team were brought forward by Ranmore Martinesz and Rashid Riaz (both on-field umpires), Shozab Raza (third umpire), Nasir Hussain (fourth umpire), while match referee Mohammad Anees imposed the fines, based on the applicable sanctions for Minimum Over Rate offences.

    Meanwhile, defending champions Quetta Gladiators and Karachi Kings have also been fined for maintaining slow over-rates during their match at the National Stadium on Sunday.

    Players from both teams were found to be one over short of their target after taking into account time allowances and, as such, playing members from either side have been fined 10 percent of their match fees as per Article 2.22 of the PSL Code of Conduct.

    The charges were levelled by Faisal Khan Afridi and Richard Illingworth (both on-field umpires), Asif Yaqoob (third umpire) and Syed Imtiaz Iqbal (fourth umpire), while match referee Roshan Mahanama imposed the fines.