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  • VIDEO: Groom skydives into his wedding

    VIDEO: Groom skydives into his wedding

    We’ve always heard of innovative and unusual bridal entries but in this case, a bridegroom made headlines with his extraordinary shaadi entrance.

    Bridegroom Akaash Yadav, who was getting married in Los Cabos, Mexico joined the ‘baraatis’ by skydiving from an aircraft.

    The video, which went viral on social media showed Aakash, all strapped-in and wearing a black paragliding suit, gliding down with a yellow and white parachute. The excited applause and hoots can be heard in the background of the video as he lands.

    Now that’s what you call a dramatic entry.

    Watch the video here:

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B5lGbI8Bmtu/

    In the video, one guest can be heard saying, “Only he would do this!”

    According to reports, the couple, who are both professional dancers and actors in the US, tied the knot in a Hindu ceremony in Mexico.

  • ‘Wait four years for Buzdar to be replaced,’ PM tells CM’s foes in PTI

    ‘Wait four years for Buzdar to be replaced,’ PM tells CM’s foes in PTI

     Prime Minister Imran Khan made it clear that
    Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar will complete his time as he supported him
    in different meetings he lead at the CM Secretariat during his one-day visit to
    Lahore.

    According to the reports, during one of the meetings with members of the Punjab cabinet and MPAs at the CM Secretariat, the PM said that he knew everyone sitting in the meeting wanted to become the chief minister, but he would continue standing with CM Buzdar.

    “Those who want to replace Usman
    Buzdar should wait for the next four years,” said the prime minister.

    He said Buzdar was neither living in
    lavish houses nor spending Rs800 million per annum on his personal security.

    “The reforms implemented during the
    PTI government’s tenure have never happened before in Punjab. We need to hold
    seminars and publicize the reforms implemented in Punjab,” he said.

  • VIDEO: Congress leader chants ‘Priyanka Chopra Zindabad’ instead of Priyanka Gandhi

    VIDEO: Congress leader chants ‘Priyanka Chopra Zindabad’ instead of Priyanka Gandhi

    Like a Pakistani political blunder, former Congress MLA (Member Lok Assembly) Surendar Kumar made a gaffe and was left embarrassed on stage at a public rally when instead of chanting the name of his leader Priyanka Gandhi, Kumar chanted Priyanka Chopra.

    Many people chuckled at a recent rally held across the border when it started echoing ‘Priyanka Chopra Zindabad’ instead of Priyanka Gandhi, who is one of the important figures of Indian National Congress.

    But Kumar soon realised his mistake and corrected it by screaming: “Priyanka Gandhi Zindabaad!”

    Watch the video here:

    https://twitter.com/Alter_Ego45/status/1201124891103121408
  • VIDEO: Imran Ashraf hums the tune of ‘Meray Paas Tum Ho’ as Adnan Siddiqui plays the piano

    VIDEO: Imran Ashraf hums the tune of ‘Meray Paas Tum Ho’ as Adnan Siddiqui plays the piano

    Imran Ashraf and Adnan Siddiqui’s impromptu rendition of Meray Paas Tum Ho’s title track is pretty cool.

    As the two got together at Evernew Studios to begin work on their upcoming project Dum Mastam, they made use of an old piano there to record their own version of the title track of Meray Paas Tum Ho.

    Watch the video here:

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B5hhsK0lWGd/

    We all knew that Adnan Siddiqui was a pro at playing the flute but turns out he’s equally good with the piano as well.

    Meanwhile, in case you missed it, Adnan Siddiqui is donning the producer’s hat and will be producing Imran’s debut film Dum Mustam. The film is being directed by Superstar director Ehteshamuddin and will also star Amar Khan and social media sensation Momin Saqib.

    Read more: Adnan Siddiqui is producing a rom-com starring Imran Ashraf & Momin Saqib

    What did you think of their rendition? Another rendition of the OST which is doing the rounds on social media is of these two young school kids.

    https://twitter.com/TeamAhsankhan/status/1201438614934237184?s=20

  • ‘Treason’ for a better Pakistan

    On November 29, hundreds of thousands of students marched in 50 cities of Pakistan. Their main demand was that the ban on student unions be lifted; other demands included right to free education, better education facilities, etc.

    Any civilised country would have celebrated that the country’s youth came out on the streets to ask for their rights. In a country where more than 64 per cent of its population is under the age of 30, Students’ Solidarity March should have been a moment of pride for Pakistan. Instead, we saw that the top trend on Twitter the following day (November 30) was #StudentsMarchExposed.

    From calling these students ‘foreign agents’ to ‘traitors’, this and many other comments on social media portrayed this march in a negative colour. This isn’t entirely a Pakistani phenomenon. In our neighbouring India, the same card has been used against students. The sedition case against Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students comes to mind. A sedition case was registered against JNU Students’ Union President Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar Khalid, Anirban Bhattacharya and eight others for allegedly raising ‘anti-national slogans’ during an event at JNU in February 2016.

    This is not to say that all comments pertaining to the Students’ Solidarity March in Pakistan were negative – our mainstream media and many on social media praised the students for organising such a successful march on the streets of Pakistan. But we must question this negativity regarding an indigenous movement that should be lauded for its efforts.

    On December 1, an FIR pertaining to sedition charges was registered against the organisers of the march in Lahore as well as some of the participants, including Iqbal Lala who is the father of Mashal Khan, a student lynched on allegations of blasphemy, academic Ammar Ali Jan, labour rights activist Farooq Tariq, Alamgir Wazir Mohammad Shabbir and Kamil Khan. One can only wonder why sedition charges were brought against peaceful protestors.

    Well, if there is one thing common since Pakistan came into being, it is how the state hands out certificates of who is a ‘traitor’/‘anti-national’/‘anti-state’ to whosoever challenges the status quo. What to talk of others if someone like Māder-e-Millat (Mother of the Nation) Fatima Jinnah – who fought for Pakistan’s independence alongside her brother Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah – couldn’t escape the tag of being a ‘foreign agent’ by the then military dictator Ayub Khan. Nationalist leaders were also dubbed anti-state. From Bacha Khan to Baloch nationalists, from G.M. Syed to mainstream leaders like Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif, all have been labelled ‘anti-national’ at one point of time or another.

    Dissenting voices that challenge how the state has failed its citizens or those who question the flawed policies of the Pakistani state are dubbed as ‘foreign agents’ working on the agendas of some foreign powers. Patriotism of politicians, students, human rights activists, civil society, NGOs, lawyers, social media activists, media groups, journalists and anyone who has crossed a ‘red line’ or gone against the status quo has been called into question. Just recently, Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khosa lamented how the three judges including the CJP were being called Indian agents, CIA agents, etc., for questioning the government’s notification regarding the army chief’s extension.

    Pakistanis should realise that dissenting voices are the conscience of a country and that freedom of expression is a fundamental right. We must not go down this dangerous path of silencing dissent for if we do, there will no one to speak for the rights of the marginalised, the rights of minorities, the rights of any human being. Let us not go down a disastrous path from where there is no turning back.

  • PTI reappoints Fayazul Hasan Chohan as Punjab information minister

    PTI reappoints Fayazul Hasan Chohan as Punjab information minister

    After certain administrative alterations in Punjab amid much criticism from the opposition parties, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government has reappointed Fayazul Hasan Chohan as the provincial information minister, Dunya News reported.

    According to the details, Chohan has been granted the additional charge besides that of provincial minister for colonies. The development comes after the previous information minister, Aslam Iqbal, excused himself from the additional charge.

    Fayaz was earlier removed as Punjab’s information minister amid intense criticism over his derogatory remarks against the Hindu community.

    Chohan, during a press conference had said, “You cow urine-drinking people, listen to me. We are Muslims and we have the flag of Hazrat Ali (RA) and Hazrat Umar (RA)’s bravery. You don’t have that flag.”

    He had further said that “idol-worshippers” shouldn’t operate under the delusion that “they are better than Pakistanis”.

  • SOS Pakistan to launch app to rescue stray animals

    SOS Pakistan to launch app to rescue stray animals

    Save Our Strays (SOS) Pakistan, an animal welfare community, is launching a mobile phone application to rescue stray animals. According to the makers of SOS Animal Rescue, this will be Pakistan’s first-ever rescue app for strays.

    The app will spot the exact location of animals in danger and provide instant help through the nearest volunteers and vets. The app is expected to launch on March 23, 2020, to end violence against stray dogs, cats, donkeys and other local breeds.

    Director Operations and PR from SOS, Mustafa Ahmed, said
    “People could not share the exact location of animals in need, especially when
    reporting from the roads, hence the rescue work would get delayed,”

    As per reports, the app will initially launch in Karachi, Badin, Bahawalpur, Lahore and Islamabad, but will soon cover other cities as well in the next phase.

    The application will only require address, nearest landmark, contact number and details of the animal in danger to provide help. The volunteers are also being trained for this purpose while CNIC and mobile number based verification system are also being presently developed.

    Ahmed shared that more than 1,500 animals, that were mostly wounded or poisoned, were rescued and around 130 animals in November alone. He hoped that more strays would be saved via this app.

  • Imran trying to save Buzdar by bringing back Shehbaz’s favourite bureaucrats: report

    Imran trying to save Buzdar by bringing back Shehbaz’s favourite bureaucrats: report

    Former Punjab chief minister (CM) Shehbaz Sharif’s rule is back in the province without him as the massive bureaucratic reshuffle, ordered directly by Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, has brought back the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief’s team, contradicting the narrative of his own government against Shehbaz’s alleged corruption.

    According to The News, all key positions in the new set-up have been given to Shehbaz’s blue-eyed officers, who were responsible for development and governance during the now PML-N president’s ten-year rule in Punjab.

    Most of these officers were responsible for key projects, which are identified by PML-N and Shehbaz, suchas the Orange Line Metro Train (OLMT), Multan Metro, underpasses and other mega projects of Lahore besides the Nandipur Power Project and others. More than a dozen officers, now brought back to deliver for CM Usman Buzdar’s government, were directly working with Shehbaz at the CM Secretariat.

    However, with their fingers, crossed many in the bureaucracy wonder if Buzdar would be able to lead this team of go-getters like Shehbaz successfully did in the past.

    The new bureaucratic team being marketed as panacea for all the ills of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in Punjab, is led my Major (r) Azam Suleman — the new chief secretary who has been the secretary of the most lucrative provincial department, Communication and Works (C&W), for five years under Shehbaz.

    The former Punjab CM took so much interest in development that he never appointed a C&W minister and directly interacted with the secretary. Azam was instrumental in execution of mega projects in Punjab, especially Lahore, and is reputed to be a tough no-nonsense officer and Shehbaz’s blue-eyed.

    According to reports, Shehbaz had such great liking for Azam that even after his promotion to BS-22, he was retained as the additional chief secretary (ACS) (Home) for five years — longest tenure ever. Strangely, at that time, the PTI used to blame him for the 2014 Model Town massacre.

    Bureaucrats like Nabeel Awan, Abdullah Sumbal, Nadeem Mahboob, Javed Qazi and Sajid Dahl — all reputed ace officers of the administrative services, who served Shehbaz’s immediate team — have also been given key positions in the recent reshuffle.

    Nabeel has been posted as the health and livestock secretary, Sumbal as finance, Nadeem as housing, Qazi as local government, while Dahl has been appointed as the higher education secretary.

    Similarly, a number of former principal staff officers (PSOs) like Sumair Syed, Amara Khan, Ahsan Waheed and Naseem Sadiq, who were given key portfolios by Shehbaz, have now been brought back by the PTI government to mainstream administration.

    Sadiq has been appointed as Dera Ghazi (DG) Khan commissioner, Syed as the director general (DG) of the Lahore Development Authority (LDA), Khan as the Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) DG and Waheed as Sahiwal commissioner.

    Captain (r) Mahmood, who was responsible for the Nandipur Power Project and Lahore horticulture — two of Shehbaz’s favorite subjects — is now the new Rawalpindi commissioner.

    Capt (r) Saif Anjum, whom Shehbaz trusted with the Irrigation Department for three years, has been made Lahore commissioner, Momin Agha, another blue-eyed of Shehbaz and who served as his information secretary as well as the Faisalabad commissioner, has been posted as ACS (Home).

    The ec-Punjab CM’s Finance Secretaries Shaukat Ali and Hamid Yaqoob Sheikh have been placed on most important positions of Punjab ACS and Planning and Development (P&D) chairman, respectively. Abdullah Sumbal, who was appointed as Lahore commissioner by Shehbaz, is the finance secretary.

    Capt (r) Asadullah, who executed the Multan Metro project, is the new C&W secretary while Babur Tarar, who was Sahiwal commissioner, health secretary and cooperatives secretary under Shehbaz, will be a senior member of the Board of Revenue (BoR) in the new setup.

    Iftikhar Saho — another well-reputed officer — who was P&D secretary under Shahbaz for almost five years and was responsible for all development across the project, has been appointed as the principal secretary to CM Buzdar.

    A senior retired bureaucrat said that by bringing back the entire team back, the PTI government had contradicted its own mantra of corruption under Shehbaz.

    Another feature of the latest reshuffle is that many officers considered close to Buzdar or the Chaudhrys of Gujrat, have been sidelined.

  • Justice denied? Slain Naqeebullah Mehsud’s father passes away awaiting justice

    Slain South Waziristan youth Naqeebullah Mehsud’s father, Muhammad Khan, on Monday passed away at Combined Military Hospital (CMH) Rawalpindi after a long battle with cancer; still awaiting justice for his son.

    Khan was admitted to CMH Rawalpindi seven months ago and the body of the deceased will be sent to Waziristan later in the day.

    Khan had gathered the support of not only his son’s peers, but also political leaders, government officials and rights’ activists ever since the extra-judicial killing of his son by “encounter specialist” of the Sindh, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Rao Anwar.

    On January 13 last year, Mehsud was killed in a fake encounter carried out by a police team headed by then Malir SSP Anwar in Karachi. On January 17, his body was handed over to his relatives at the Chhipa Welfare Association morgue in the metropolis.

    The fake encounter had sparked countrywide protests against extrajudicial killings in the country and to bring Anwar to justice.

  • JKT, Fawad Chaudhry attend Zainab Abbas’ valima

    JKT, Fawad Chaudhry attend Zainab Abbas’ valima

    Zainab Abbas’ wedding festivities came to a close Sunday night with a grand valima.

    Among those in attendance were PTI’S Jahangir Khan Tareen, Fawad Chaudhry, Dr Yasmin Rashid and cricketer Mohammad Amir. Zainab’s mother, Andleeb Abbas is an integral member of PTI.

    Jahangir Khan Tareen
    Fawad Chaudhry with the newly weds

    Zainab looked ethereal in a lavender outfit by Élan.

    The glowing bride being escorted by her parents

    Aren’t these two adorable?

    Zainab tied the knot with Hamza Kardar in an intimate nikkah last month. Hamza is the son of the former finance finance minister and former governor of State Bank of Pakistan, Shahid Hafeez Kardar and the grandson of the renowned cricketer Abdul Hafeez Kardar. Zainab’s other events included a mayun and a shendi.

    Nikkah
    Mayun

    VIDEO: Zainab Abbas hits a sixer as Amir bowls on her shendi

    Shendi

    Wishing the happy couple all the very best for their future.