Blog

  • Kashif Abbasi hosts show after PEMRA lifts 60-day ban within 24 hours

    Kashif Abbasi hosts show after PEMRA lifts 60-day ban within 24 hours

    Anchor Kashif Abbasi has hosted his show “Off The Record” after the 60-day ban imposed by the Pakistan Electronic Media Authority (PEMRA) was lifted within 24 hours of its imposition, following the submission of a written reply by Ary News.

    On Wednesday, the media watchdog had issued a notification banning Abbasi for 60 days for “acting unprofessionally” and “not intervening” when Federal Minister for Water Resources Faisal Vawda produced a boot to put down political opponents during Abbasi’s show.

    The ban was roundly condemned by the Association of Electronic  Media Editors and News Directors (AEMEND), which called for the ban to be lifted immediately. 

    Vawda had earlier this week appeared on the talk show along with Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Qamar Zaman Kaira and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) representative Javed Abbasi. He had caught the guests by surprise by suddenly placing a black boot on the table they were sitting around.

    He was mocking the opposition parties for their “unconditional” support for the Army Act amendment bill, saying the parties were “lying down to kiss the boot”.

    PEMRA, in its notification, had said the content aired live during the programme appeared to be a “willful attempt to debase and demean a state institution by dragging it unnecessarily in a debate”.

    “Therefore, in view of the aforementioned reasons the competent authority decides that in the exercise of delegated powers of the authority, the broadcast or rebroadcast of the programme is prohibited with immediate effect for 60 days starting from January 6, 2020.”

    The media regulatory authority further said Abbasi was also banned from appearing on television for 60 days. During the ban, he was not to conduct his show or appear on the television channel he was associated with or any other television channel as a guest/analyst or expert.

    In case of non-compliance by the TV channel, the authority said it would proceed under PEMRA laws, which may result in suspension/revocation of the satellite TV channel license conferred to the television channel.

    Amid protests by the journalist community, ARY reportedly approached PEMRA with its right to reply and was subsequently allowed to continue with the programme with Abbasi in his chair.

  • Hugh Grant takes a stand in favour of Prince Harry and Meghan

    Hugh Grant takes a stand in favour of Prince Harry and Meghan

    British actor Hugh Grant has defended Prince Harry’s right to “protect his family”.

    “I am rather on Harry’s side,” said Grant in a radio interview.

    “The tabloid press effectively murdered his mother, now they’re tearing his wife to pieces,” he continued, referencing to Princess Diana’s 1997 death, in which her vehicle was pursued by paparazzi. “I think as a man, it’s his job to protect his family, so I am with him.”

    Earlier Jemima Goldsmith had also extended her support to the Sussex’s.

    https://twitter.com/Jemima_Khan/status/1217469320105791488?s=20

  • Mahira Khan enjoys a beachy vacay in Mexico

    Mahira Khan enjoys a beachy vacay in Mexico

    While we freeze in the cold wave that has enveloped the country, Mahira Khan is enjoying a beachy vacay in Mexico.

    The actor took to social media to share pictures from recent trip to Tulum Beach in Mexico and honestly all we want to do is book ourselves a ticket there.

    Sunkissed and tanned.

    Mahira also shared pictures of the surroundings though we have to say that our eyes are only on her.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B7X4C68By_P/
    https://www.instagram.com/p/B7X1NEBBLmG/
    https://www.instagram.com/p/B7X_oH8hKqb/

    Looks like Mahira took a break from her hectic shooting schedule for Quaid e Azam Zindabad and is unwinding by the beach.

  • Sarmad Khoosat appeals to PM, President to facilitate his film’s release

    Sarmad Khoosat appeals to PM, President to facilitate his film’s release

    Sarmad Khoosat’s award-winning film Zindagi Tamasha seems to have run into trouble once again.

    As the film gears up for release in Pakistan, the filmmaker took to social media to reveal that “a few troublemakers” were creating hurdles in its release “for their political ends.”

    https://twitter.com/KhoosatSarmad/status/1217818381149229062?s=20

    In an open letter addressed to Prime Minister Imran Khan, President Dr Arif Alvi, Chief Justice of Pakistan, Chief of the Army Staff and Minister for Information, Khoosat detailed the problems his film was facing in its release.

    Along with that, he clarified that “As a law-abiding citizen and with full conviction that there is nothing offensive or malicious in the film, in response I submitted the film for another review to the censor board. It was cleared once again with a few cuts to appease the complainants.”

    “I launched the promotional campaign and now, just a week before the film’s release, another attempt is being made by the same group to stop the release of the film and this time they are hell-bent on using pressurising tactics,” he said, adding that he is bringing this issue to their notice because “these series of episodes undermines a state institution like the Central Board of Film Censors.”

    Written by Nirmal Bano and directed by Sarmad Khoosat, Zindagi Tamasha starres Arif Hassan, Samiya Mumtaz, Eman Suleman and Ali Qureshi in the lead. 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.”

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

    Read more – Sarmad Khoosat’s ‘Zindagi Tamasha’s’ trailer mysteriously disappears from Youtube

    Meanwhile, Sarmad’s colleagues including Meesha Shafi and Ali Gul Pir stepped forward to support the filmmaker and his film.

  • Iconic Maggi noodles are no more

    Iconic Maggi noodles are no more

    The iconic Maggi noodles that introduced the concept of convenience food to many in Pakistan, have been shut down in the country, Profit has reported.

    According to reports, Nestlé — the company that owns the brand and manufactures the product — has confirmed that they will no longer be marketing the instant noodles with which at least two generations of Pakistanis grew up.

    “Yes, we discontinued Maggi by the end of 2018. The divestment is part of Nestlé’s strategy to manage its multi-product portfolio,” the report quoted an official as saying on the condition of anonymity.

    Nestlé Pakistan has made no public announcements about the matter, and Maggi noodles remain listed as a product on the company’s website. However, the product is conspicuously absent from the 2018 annual financial statements of the company. There was no explicit mention of a discontinuation; it was just listed as a product offering on the 2017 report, and not listed on the 2018 report.

    When it was first launched in Pakistan in 1992, Maggi was the only brand of noodles in the country and had a complete monopoly for the first year of its production. And while Unilever quickly launched its Knorr brand of instant noodles in 1993, Maggi was the market leader and, for the most part, remained so for the next two decades.

    Over the past four years, however, Maggi went from being the market leader in its category to being almost completely wiped out from the country. Sources inside the company confirmed to Profit that the current stock of Maggi in stores is all that is left. Once it is gone, there will be no more.

    Among other reasons behind Maggi’s death are the food safety scare in India from a few years ago – one that turned out to be a false alarm – and losing market share to Knorr even before that scare. Unilever, it seems was much better at localisation than Nestle was, the report said, adding that as a result, Unilever’s product was able to continue gaining market share from Nestle, and was therefore well-positioned to become the market leader by the time Maggi met its demise.

  • ‘Meray Paas Tum Ho’ is a sensation in the US also

    ‘Meray Paas Tum Ho’ is a sensation in the US also

    The very popular drama Meray Paas Tum Ho has surpassed boundaries to make a home in the hearts of fans.

    Viewers are desperately waiting for the last episode of Meray Paas Tum Ho. Recently, two friends from Indiana University, US sang the title song of the drama.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B7O5aeUJvPB/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

    The video was posted by the Pakistani student association at the university on Instagram with the caption “Have you been living under a rock if you don’t know Meray Paas Tum Ho?! Pakistanis all around the world are DYING to see the final episode. It even has a higher rating on IMDb than Game of Thrones!” 

    READ MORE: Meray Paas Tum Ho’s double episode finale’s promotional video is out

    A disclaimer reads that the girls are not professional singers and one of them, Sitha Vallabhaneni does not know Urdu.

    The last double episode of the drama will not air this Saturday but on January 25, i.e. next Saturday and the last episode will be shown in cinemas. 

  • An old music video by Hareem Shah resurfaces

    An old music video by Hareem Shah resurfaces

    Pakistani TikTok sensation Hareem Shah has stolen the spotlight once again. She dropped a music video titled ‘Nakhray Baaz’ on twitter. 

    Hareem, originally named Fiza Hussain, was seen in the video singing and posing alongside Sandal Khattak and rapper Aash Chughtai.

    Almost every video of the TikTok star goes viral but she got famous when one of her videos started doing the rounds on the internet where she could be seen roaming around the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

    Her father had earlier also issued a video statement expressing his displeasure and saying: “May Allah accept my sacrifice and forgive my mistakes.”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZU9QQPLa0h4
  • Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor removed as ISPR chief

    Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor removed as ISPR chief

    Major General Asif Ghafoor was on Thursday removed from the position of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) director-general (DG) and replaced by Maj Gen Babar Iftikhar.

    Maj Gen Ghafoor’s services were transferred to the 40th Infantry Division (Okara), where he will serve as the general officer commanding (GOC).

    “Thanks to everyone I have remained associated with during the tenure,” Maj Gen Ghafoor wrote on Twitter from the @OfficialDGISPR handle as news of his transfer broke.

    “My very special thanks to Media all across. Can’t thank enough fellow Pakistanis for their love and support [sic],” he said in his farewell message, while also wishing his successor the best.

    Maj Gen Ghafoor had headed the military’s media wing since December 2016. The announcement of his departure comes after Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen Qamar Javed called on Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan.

    WHO IS MAJ GEN IFTIKHAR?

    According to Dawn, Maj Gen Iftikhar was commissioned in 6 Lancers in March 1990. He is a graduate of the Command and Staff College Quetta, National Defence University (NDU) Islamabad and Royal Command and Staff College Jordan. The General Officer carries with him a rich command, staff and instructional experience.

    He has served as Brigade Major in an Armoured Brigade, Brigadier Staff in an Infantry Division in North Waziristan and Chief of Staff in Corps Headquarters. He has commanded an Armoured Brigade and infantry Brigade in North Waziristan (Operation Zarb-i-Azb).

    He also served on the faculty of Pakistan Military Academy (PMA) and NDU Islamabad. He is married with four sons. An avid reader and golfer, Maj Gen Iftikhar was presently commanding an Armoured Division before being appointed as the military spokesperson.

  • Shut courts if oaths are to decide cases: ANF DG

    Shut courts if oaths are to decide cases: ANF DG

    Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) Director General (DG) Major General Muhammad Arif Malik has said that courts should be closed if cases “are to be decided through taking oath”, The News reported.

    The ANF chief’s statement came as Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Rana Sanaullah, who was granted bail in the drugs trafficking case against him, continues to swear over the Quran that he is innocent and the case is bogus.

    The ANF has challenged the bail of the former Punjab law minister Sanaullah before the Supreme Court, filing a petition against the verdict of the Lahore High Court (LHC). It has argued that there was sufficient evidence against Sanaullah for being involved in the drugs case.

    The ANF alleged the PML-N leader was carrying around 15 kilograms of heroin with him when he was arrested from Sukheki in July last year. The force asked the court to set aside the verdict of the LHC wherein he was allowed bail.

    Later, talking to the reporters, the ANF DG asked if any murderer ever admitted in court or in public that he/she killed a person. He said Rana Sanaullah’s case was being heard by the court and he should provide evidence of his innocence there.

    Major General Arif Malik said Rana Sanaullah and Minister of State for Narcotics Control Shaharyar Afridi both took oath and therefore, a draw should be held to figure out who is the culprit.

    Responding to a journalist who asked the ANF DG that if he could swear about the veracity of the case, he said courts should be closed if things were to be settled that way.

  • Rs18 billion scam discovered in PAF housing society for martyrs

    Rs18 billion scam discovered in PAF housing society for martyrs

    An accountability court in Karachi was on Wednesday informed of massive fraud in Fazaia Housing Scheme Karachi (FHSK) by two builders with the connivance of Pakistan Air Force (PAF) officials, cheating people of billions of rupees.

    The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had arrested Tanveer Ahmed and Bilal Tanveer, said to be associated with Maxim Properties, for allegedly depriving the public of Rs18 billion through investments in the FHSK.

    During the hearing, NAB told the court that the land was allocated to the heirs of martyrs, but only 30 units were allocated to their families out of the 8,400 planned housing units.

    According to the NAB, the detained builders, in connivance with the PAF officials, collected Rs18.2bn under the heads of form fees, registration, open certificate, standard and luxury apartments, surcharge, transfer fees, overseas apartments, overseas transfer fee, bungalows, the surcharge, transfer and proceedings fee for the bungalows and direct deposits.

    The suspects were produced in the court for a physical remand, which was extended by 14 days.