Prime Minister Youth Affairs Program (PMYAP) has planned to establish 500 skilled laboratories in Madrassas to mobilize these institutions across the country with modern technology tools, Associated Press of Pakistan (APP)reported.
A PMYAP official has said that most of the madrassas were undergoing informal education programmes to impart basic education to the students along with religious schools.
However, the authorities were planning to collaborate with different madrassas in the country to have modern technology equipped laboratories for their students.
“These skilled laboratories would help provide acquaintance to new methodologies applied through information technology tools and software applications. It would also contain technical training equipment as well that is going to enable madrasa students get technical skills for better employment opportunities,” PMYAP official added.
He also said that this programme would primarily focus to get the madrassa students at par with those acquiring formal education in schools for better employment.
The teasers of Ahad Raza Mir and Sajal Aly’s latest drama Yeh Mera Dil released Saturday and has created quite a stir.
The drama is the engaged couple’s third project after Yakeen ka Safar and Aangan – both of which also aired on Hum TV.
From the look of it, the drama will be a love story where Ahad plays Sajal’s suave boss. The promos have scenic shots of the two in the Northern Areas of Pakistan and are visually very appealing.
While the aesthetics and cast of the drama look good, people are not too pleased with the teaser – some are likening it to workplace harassment while others are comparing it to 50 Shades of Grey.
Would have left the interview but yes let’s romanticize creepy bastards. https://t.co/3MzGkr2AGU
Hamna makes a valid point. Sajal & Ahad are great together, but the content is worrying. 1 because as she points out the potential boss coming on to the applicant & 2, because women with career ambitions or talent shouldn’t have to put up with such advances. https://t.co/8uiwkFk5NA
If someone spoke to me like that at a job interview, I’d leave right away. And I can do that because I have the privilege to walk away from a sleazy boss. How many girls would be able to take a stand like that for themselves? This isn’t romantic. It’s sleazy as fuck. https://t.co/ZxXalioAei
Mujhe ye samjh nahi aati ye Ahad Raza Mir type actors bahr sae parhai kyun karte hai jab yaha aise cheap 50 Shades of Gray ripoff dramay karne hote hai?
Meanwhile, others took to defend the drama and asked people to wait for it to release before criticising.
Why are people “disappointed”? How in the world do you judge on a 20 seconds teaser? Even If its about workplace harassment how do u know they didn’t give her justice or punish the criminal? How do u know they just romanticized the situation? Wait for the show people! #YehDilMera
Why are people “disappointed”? How in the world do you judge on a 20 seconds teaser? Even If its about workplace harassment how do u know they didn’t give her justice or punish the criminal? How do u know they just romanticized the situation? Wait for the show people! #YehDilMera
Prince William and Kate Middleton may have bid goodbye to Pakistan for now but that doesn’t mean us Pakistanis are getting over the royal visit anytime soon. The couple’s maiden trip was the first royal trip in almost 13 years and frankly speaking one we very much needed as we try to build ourselves up after years of being labelled a terrorist and backward country.
The first full day of the Royals tour wrapped up with a grand reception hosted in their honour at the Pakistan Monument in Islamabad. The reception saw who’s who of Pakistan in attendance and it was without a doubt one of the most lit nights in recent times as the royals mingled with celebrities, sportspersons, politicians, humanitarians, business tycoons and entrepreneurs.
While Kate glittered in a gown by Jenny Packham, Prince William donned a teal sherwani by Karachi-based designer Nauman Afreen becoming the first-ever Royal to do so.
I secretly wished that I had attended the event and my Insta and Twitter stalking throughout the event I was glued to my phone getting excited over every update. Lucky for me, I managed to speak to a few people who attended the event and gave me all the inside details including what was on the menu and how it was like meeting William and Kate.
First things first. Everyone who attended the event literally had the same thing to say about the Duke and Duchess. They described the couple as extremely pleasant, down to earth and very friendly. They said that they paid great attention to whoever they were talking to and had lots of positive things to say about Pakistan and it’s people.
Mehwish Hayat, in a Whatsapp conversation, said that Willam “was genuinely very happy to visit Pakistan and getting the chance to meet ‘amazing people’ and receiving so much love and warmth.”
“No wonder my mother loved coming here,” he said to Mehwish.
Mehwish also shared that she spoke to him about running the London Marathon next year for girl’s education in Pakistan and her work with the Ministry of Human Rights for girl’s rights in the country, something the Prince was very delighted to know about.
“He shared their experience of visiting the kids at the school earlier during the day and how the kids were so keen to get an education,” Mehwish revealed.
The event was invite-based only. Cars were parked a little bit away from the venue, and rickshaws were in place to take everyone from the parking to the main event. The decorations were beautifully done and the ambiance was very nice.
Initially, the guests mingled among themselves. There were two sections – one section for the VVIPS and one for all the others who were invited. When the royal couple arrived, they went there directly to the VVIP section where they made rounds and spoke to people before Prince William delivered his first speech.
During his keynote speech, Prince William highlighted the relationship between the UK and Pakistan – and also referred to when his grandmother the Queen visited more than fifty years ago, saying: “Stood here with this magnificent monument behind me, I am struck by the great strides Pakistan has made since its birth seventy-two years ago.”
“And with successive visits by my mother and my father, this view has continued to change, with the city constantly growing and with it my family’s affection for Pakistan.”
William also spoke of the “unique bonds” between the two countries and that Pakistan can “rely on the UK to keep playing an important role as a key partner and [a] friend”.
The most important part of any event is the food so we did some research on what was served to the guests. As per our sources, the menu had a variety of options available. There was paneer tikka, savoury tarts, small quiche bites, lemon tarts and macarons.
It was a royal night indeed and everyone seemed to have had a ball. Kate and William’s maiden visit will go down in history and will definitely be one to remember for times to come.
Finding a decent place to brunch in Lahore is quite a feat considering most of the good brunches are buffets. And those that aren’t, aren’t really all that great. You have them once and you don’t want to visit again.
Thanda Garam had been on my list for quite a while and last weekend, I finally got the chance to brunch there. We went to the Gulberg branch, which is located off MM Alam Road. The interior of the place was done in pastels and it was bright and lit. The staff was also welcoming and very friendly which added brownie points to the overall experience.
The restaurant/cafe had a simple brunch menu with only a handful of options to choose from. Most of their brunch dishes are perfect for those who are health conscious since they consist of eggs and fresh vegetables. The waiter who took our order recommended us the Hugo based upon our preferences and so we ordered that.
Hugo Bowl
When our order arrived, it looked very appealing. The breakfast bowl had eggs, spinach, grilled chicken, carrots, mushrooms and rocket leaves. Two small pieces of multi-grain bread accompanied it. The taste of it, however, wasn’t all that great – there was too much creamy spinach which overpowered the rest of things in the bowl. The scrambled eggs were fluffy but lacked flavour. The best part of the entire dish was the bread – it was absolutely delicious.
French Toast
After the overdose of spinach, we needed something to tantalise our tastebuds so we ordered their French Toast and oh God, those were divine. They were crispy from the outside and fluffy from the inside. The cream that accompanied was so delectable that I had to stop myself from licking clean the plate. The only thing I disliked about the dish was that there was too much Nutella – but then again those who love Nutella will absolutely love this. I’d recommend the restaurant to make Nutella optional and add a jam option as well – Strawberry or Apple Jam with these french toast would be delightful.
Last but not least, I also tried their Mocca Mocca Frappuccino and didn’t like it much. The taste of the coffee was too strong because of which the frappe ended up tasting bitter. The perfect Mocha Frappe strikes the perfect balance between chocolate and coffee and this one sadly missed the mark.
Though the food was well presented and I quite enjoyed the ambience of the place, Thanda Garam’s brunch failed to impress. The only thing I’ll be going back for is the french toast.
School students were forced to wear cardboard cartons on their heads during an exam, apparently to stop them from cheating in the test in the Indian state of Karnataka.
As per reports, the pictures of the students wearing the cartons over their heads went viral on social media and people wanted the Indian government to take notice. The exams were mid-terms, and teachers were seen monitoring students.
“This is unacceptable. Nobody has any right to treat anybody more so students like animals. This perversion will be dealt with aptly,” a provincial minister said of the incident.
Social media widely criticized the institute for treating the students so inhumanely, tagging the behavior as totally unacceptable and ridiculous.
Let’s be honest. No matter what we say, us Pakistanis love a little drama – whether in real life or in our dramas. Which is why Minal Khan’s latest drama Qismat, which airs on Hum Tv on Saturdays provides the perfect weekly dose of drama. It has all the masala and ingredients needed for an OTT dramatic experience and is without a doubt one of my weekend guilty pleasures.
While the storyline and plot are predictable and irks you at some points, Qismat is like that mindless entertainment you need at the end of a long working week.
Maham & Soha
Qismat revolves around two cousins – Maham (Sharmeen Ali) and Soha (Minal Khan). Soha’s parents have passed away so she has been adopted by her Khala, Maham’s mom. The drama starts with Maham getting married into a rich family. Meanwhile, Soha is in love with her colleague Walid and the two of them want to get married except Walid’s mother and sister oppose the rishta.
Rayyan and Soha
Maham’s husband Adnan’s (played by Kamran Jilani) brother Rayyan (Faizan Khawaja) sees Soha when he comes from Australia for the wedding and falls in love with her. The two get married on Maham’s wedding with everyone’s blessings. Everyone is happy with this except Soha who still wants to get married to Walid. So she goes and tells Rayyan that she loves someone else and doesn’t want to marry him. This breaks Rayyan’s heart and after much contemplation, he finally tells his brother the truth and sends Soha the divorce papers. Adnan is very angry with this development and in turn, becomes cold towards his wife. In the midst of all this, Maham gets pregnant, which means that her marriage is no longer in trouble. Soon both families find out about what is happening following which drama ensues.
I am loving the masala and twists because one: they are not entirely unbelievable and secondly because there are not too many. Qismat may be a mindless watch and its plot may have been done to death, but it is entertaining and keeps you interested. I have to add here that the pace of the drama is a little slow and there are a few scenes that could have been easily eliminated and made the drama crisper.
The only annoying part of the drama is Walid and his sadistic family – his sister boils my blood.
As far as the performances are concerned, all of the actors have done a good job. Minal has perfected the role of a crying heroine and this is exactly what she does in this drama as well.
So far, seven episodes of the series have aired and each of them has received more than a million hits which means that I’m not the only one enjoying this. If you do plan on watching it, keep your sense and sensibility aside and watch the drama for some entertainment and masala.
Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) leader Farooq Sattar has made a comment over the removal of Sarfaraz Ahmed from the captaincy of the national cricket team in all formats, The Express Tribune reported.
According to the details, when asked what he felt about the removal of Sarfaraz, MQM leader said: “It is wrong to remove Sarfaraz on the basis of bad performances in just two to three matches.”
He added that if Sarfaraz is being blamed for everything that happened wrong with the Pakistan team, then the blame of the “increased number of stray dogs and the ongoing epidemic of dengue in Karachi” should also be put on the former skipper.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Friday removed Sarfaraz as team captain after citing his degrading individual and leadership performances in all formats.
The board then appointed right-handed batsman Azhar Ali as the new Test captain, while Babar Azam was given the captaincy in the T20 format.
However, the announcement regarding the captain of the ODI format has not been made as of yet. As per PCB, it will be made in due course since the team is not scheduled to play any ODIs until July 2020.
Earlier, Pakistan hosted Sri Lanka in Karachi and Lahore in a landmark T20 and ODI series, but the return of international cricket was marred by the 3-0 whitewash in T20Is at the hands of a second-string Sri Lanka side.
Ahead of his long march to the federal capital against the Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazalur Rehman has asked the media fraternity “to unite against bars on its freedom”.
“You the journalists should plead your case against censorship being imposed by undemocratic forces,” Fazl said while addressing a press conference at the South Asia Free Media Association (SAFMA).
The JUI-F chief’s statement came days after a private media outlet took off the air his media-talk, alleging a ban imposed by the Pakistan Electronic Media Authority (PEMRA).
Geo news accepts on air that PEMRA is ordering the censorship of opposition leaders. Where is the selected PM who used to claim media in Pakistan is more free than in UK? pic.twitter.com/VrKXyS1qYe
The incident was followed by veteran journalist and analyst Hamid Mir’s tweet stating that the media watchdog has “forced TV channels not to show” Fazl’s presser.
Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority forced TV channels not to show the press conference of opposition politician Maulana Fazalur Rehman we can differ with Maulana but Govt is showing weakness by imposing unannounced censorship in Pakistan @RSF_inter@pressfreedom
He said that the government was showing weakness by “imposing unannounced censorship” in Pakistan.
Speaking to journalists Friday, Fazl said that media had a key role to play in the current situation. He claimed that it was the media that was giving his efforts a name of its choice and said, “For the JUI-F, it is an attempt to secure respect for popular vote and warn those who are trying to steal it every time.”
Flanked by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senator Pervaiz Rasheed and JUI-F leader Abdul Ghaffoor Haideri, the religio-political party chief said that if any individual wanted to attain absolute power in the negation of the democratic norms, it could not be accepted in a free and sovereign state.
“Mutiny can take place any time against tyranny,” he warned, adding that the constitution clearly demarcated the area of jurisdiction for all organs of the state, and all must respect it.
“The trouble arises when one institution tries to hog the domain of others and creeping influence destabilises other state organs by breeding frustration among them. Once that frustration hits a boiling point, the entire process implodes. This cycle is being repeated with regularity for the last seven decades. The current JUI-F effort is aimed at breaking the cycle: demolishing illegal results of the last manipulation, ensuring fresh and legal mandate and securing commitment on part of the stakeholders to respect the constitution,” Fazl explained.
He said the public mandate had been hijacked in the last general elections, adding that the nation should once again be given the right to chose and change should come through ballot to put an end to the prevailing sense of uncertainty among people.
“Only two persons, including the governor of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and the chairman of FBR [Federal Board of Revenue], have got employment in the country so far,” he said and added that the entire nation and opposition parties were on the same page against the government.
Earlier, SAFMA Secretary General Imtiaz Alam urged political parties to extend support to Fazl and sign a charter of democracy-like agreement to reject and discourage any anti-democratic regime in the country.
A “civil society declaration” on civil, political, social and human rights of the oppressed people, women and minorities was also presented to the JUI-F chief with a demand that an all parties conference must make a commitment to the people of Pakistan to make them sovereign.
GOVT READY FOR ACTION?
The capital will likely be sealed from Oct 31 onwards by either the police or the JUI-F as preparations on both sides for the Azadi March gain momentum, Dawn reported.
According to police officers, the Islamabad police have demanded more than 550 shipping containers to intercept the march before it enters the city. The demand was made by zonal superintendents of police City, Saddar, Industrial Area and Rural to the police’s logistics division, they said.
The police have decided to block each of the Expressway’s connecting roads from both sides from Faizabad to the Koral flyover, they said, as this area becomes ‘Waterloo’ for them during protests and law and order problems.
All the connecting roads of Rawalpindi to I.J. Principal Road will also likely be sealed, the officers said, and steps will be taken to intercept people trying to join the march or gather in the capital.
The police have more than 1,000 gas masks, 200 teargas launchers and 13,000 shells available in the logistics division armoury, they said, along with enough batons, plastic helmets, riot jackets, riot shields, shin guards and arms, if needed.
More riot gear was demanded to cope with a deteriorating situation, if it arises.
The police have also threatened local traders with legal action if they do business with the organisers or participants of the Azadi March, the officers said.
These traders include catering services, tent services, hotels, motels, guest-houses and inns, generators, workshops, hardware stores, welding workshops, sound system services, excavator owners and crane owners.
Rawalpindi police, on the other hand, have requested 6,000 shells of tear gas, 1,600 rubber bullets, batons, masks and shields. Anti-riot exercises have begun in Police Lines Headquarters and special squads have been formed to be deployed at sensitive locations.
When renowned playwright Khalil ur Rehman Qamar released the trailer of his upcoming feature film Kaaf Kangana last week, Pakistani Twitter trolledthe film endlessly. So much so, that Ayesha Omar, who is an integral part of the film, said that people should watch the film before passing any judgments.
Nonetheless, after that, the Royal couple took over our lives and we forgot about the trailer and film up until yesterday when the makers of the film released the item song featuring Neelum Munir.
The song titled Khabon Main has been composed by Sahir Ali Bagga while Aima Baig has lent her vocals. The song appears to have been shot at one of the historic Mughal monuments in Lahore.
While the song is like any other item song, the lyrics are what caught our attention.
The song opens with: “Khwabon main jab main Pakistan gayi re, India main bolay saadi jaan gayi re.”
The lyrics get more bizarre as the song continues, “Eik toh kam**na mujhe ghar lay gaya, ghar main gaye toh wahaan koi nahi tha. Baaton main aakar baatain maan gayi re. India main bolay saadi jaan gayi re.”
While Neelum put up a decent performance, the choreography wasn’t exactly up to the mark. Her outfit was also tacky.
Kaaf Kangana which has Sami Khan and Eeshal Fayyaz in the lead is scheduled to release on October 25.
Shamoon Abbasi’s Durj has been cleared by the Central Film Censor Board to release in Pakistan with minor cuts. The director cum actor took to social media to share the news and informed audiences that he will announce a new release date soon.
As per reports, some of the graphic scenes have been removed from the film. Abbasi refrained from commenting on this recent development and said that he will be issuing a public statement soon.
Earlier, the film was banned by CBFC (Central Board of Film Censor) to release in Pakistan because of its subject. They said that a sensitive topic such as cannibalism, should not be broadcasted so openly.
