Former Indian cricket team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, commonly known as MS Dhoni, has been spotted polishing military boots in Indian occupied Kashmir (IoK), where he is serving the army.
The 38-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman, who holds the honourary rank of lieutenant colonel in the Territorial Army Unit of the Indian army’s Parachute Regiment since 2011, had earlier made himself unavailable for the West Indies tour.
He had then left for the troubled valley to undertake the duties of patrolling, guard and post for a period of 15 days starting July 31.
“As requested by the officer and approved by army headquarters; he will be taking on the duties of patrolling, guard and post and would be staying with troops,” the Indian army had said in a statement issued last month.
In the Men in Blue’s ongoing West Indies tour, the two teams are crossing swords in three T20s, three ODIs and two Test matches.
Earlier, Dhoni was received with “Boom Boom Afridi” chants by the Kashmiris. Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi aka Boom Boom Afridi has been known to voice out his opinion when it comes to Kashmir.
Recently, after the Indian government’s recent decision to scrap Article 370, Afridi had taken to Twitter to highlight the unprovoked aggression and crimes in IoK.
Kashmiris must be given their due rights as per #UN resolution. The rights of Freedom like all of us. Why was @UN created & why is it sleeping? The unprovoked aggression & crimes being committed in Kashmir against #Humanity must be noted. The @POTUS must play his role to mediate
Meera Jee’s passport has reportedly been confiscated in Dubai.
According to details, the passport was confiscated because it had expired. Meera’s manager shared that a new passport has been issued to the actor and she will be returning to Pakistan in a few days.
Meera is currently in her “favourite city” Dubai, where she appears to be enjoying life to the fullest. She has regularly been posting updates from her trip on her Instagram.
As tensions soar after India revoked the special status of held Kashmir, Taliban have urged both Islamabad and New Delhi to refrain from taking any steps that could pave way for violence in the region.
Pakistan has downgraded diplomatic ties with India and also suspended bilateral trade after the Indian parliament approved abrogating Article 370 of its constitution.
The move that takes away autonomy from Indian occupied Kashmir (IoK), can lead to Muslim genocide in the disputed territory as people from all over India can now purchase properties there — resulting in major demographic changes.
In a statement issued Thursday, Afghan Taliban expressed deep sadness over IoK’s special status being revoked and advised Pakistan and India to choose peace, stating that they themselves have gained bitter experiences from war and conflict.
“Taliban have gained bitter experiences from war and conflict and urges peace and use of rational pathways to solve regional issues,” Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahed said.
The statement further said that linking the issue of Kashmir with that of Afghanistan by some parties will not aid in improving the crisis at hand because the issue of Afghanistan is not related nor should Afghanistan be turned into the theater of competition between other countries.
It came after the leader of the opposition in National Assembly, Shehbaz Sharif, compared Kashmir and Afghanistan in the parliament.
“What kind of a deal is this that the Afghans enjoy and celebrate peace in Kabul, but in Kashmir, blood is shed? No, this is not acceptable for us,” the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader had said.
However, the Embassy of Pakistan in Kabul has clarified that the Kashmir crisis would not affect the peace drive in Afghanistan.
We all make grand plans to read more often. But time is never on our side. With the long weekend and holidays coming up, and today being Book Lovers Day, here are five must-read books The Current recommends:
Beloved by Toni Morrison
Toni Morrison – the Pulitzer and Nobel Prize-winner and one of the most celebrated African-American authors, died at the age of 88 recently. Beloved is Morrison’s Pulitzer Prize-winning and best-known work. Set after the American Civil War (1861–65), it is inspired by the story of an African-American slave, Margaret Garner, who escaped slavery in Kentucky late January 1856 by fleeing to Ohio, a free state.
City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert
From the # 1 New York Times bestselling author of Eat, Pray, Love and The Signature of All Things, this one is a delightful read with all the perfect ingredients: glamour and adventure!
Curfewed Night by Basharat Peer
After India’s recent move in Kashmir, we feel you should read this book by renowned journalist Basharat Peer. The book is an intimate account of growing up in the 1990s in Occupied Kashmir. A powerful and haunting book written beautifully.
Mr And Mrs Jinnah by Sheela Reddy
Prime Minister Imran Khan read this book in 2017. If you still haven’t read it, you must. According to Fatima Bhutto, anyone who has read this book will have “admiration for the young Mrs Jinnah who—with great moxie—yearned and fought the entirety of her short, troubled life, for freedom”.
Unmarriageable: A Novel by Soniah Kamal
Described by NPR as “a fun, page-turning romp and a thought-provoking look at the class-obsessed strata of Pakistani society”, this book is a Pakistani version of Pride and Prejudice. A must-read!
No Lies Fries is late to the game. The gourmet burgers and fries came into existence a century ago and left Karachi two years ago with Burger Lab, Oh My Grill and Juicy Lucy. Though some did come close to the Holy Grail of burgers – Shake Shack – others were a miss. After hearing rave reviews on No Lies Fries, I wondered could it be? Had they cracked the Shake Shack code?
The NLF: beef patty, lettuce and secret sauce
Sadly, no. They’re close. But they’re drying their meat out by overcooking it and assuming their secret sauce will hold it together. But those extra 40 seconds on the grill only shock the patty into becoming plain boring. The ‘secret sauce’ doesn’t really need to be a secret since it’s nothing earth-shattering.
The only shake in their shack is that perfectly perfect potato bun. Oh my, what a bun. I disassembled the burger and tried the soft potato goodness on its own and it’s legit, the best bun in town.
The Crispy Chick: fried chicken, secret sauce, jalapenos and cheese
The Crispy Chick, a fried chicken burger, didn’t get the slather of the secret sauce that was needed but it was fried to perfection. Depends on how crisp you like your chicken though. This was perfect. A not so thin layer of breadcrumbs resulted in a perfectly cooked chicken breast with that oh-so-delicious potato bun. The Crispy Chick isn’t KFC level, but then again I don’t particularly enjoy the fat layer of crispy crumbs which tend to overcook the chicken.
Coming onto their main item. The guy taking the order recommended the Authentic Canadian Poutine but I really wish he hadn’t. The dish on its own didn’t come together and it seemed that the creators of this one expect that customers, (mostly Canadian returns) will be wowed by the thought of Canadian poutine rather than the work that goes into it.
A decent (but too thick) beef gravy, cheese curds and fries, it lacked the flavour of traditional Canadian poutine, which is made by the gravy.
Authentic Canadian Poutine Fries
So are they lying? People expect that the juiciest details, the final verdict is usually delivered in the first few paragraphs. But something as inconsequential, as common, as Alanis Morrisette Ironic can be picked up, bitten into and make you do a 180.
Belgian Frites
No Lies Fries Belgian Frites are out of this world. Thick cut fries, Gordon Ramsay level cooked, crisp and aggressively seasoned, they are without an atom of a doubt, the best fries in Karachi. Their burgers might lie, but those simple fries definitely don’t. This just goes to show that secret sauces, shake shack references, Canadian copies won’t get you anywhere but a side item can make you live up to your name.
(On a side note: the burger doesn’t come with fries; they are sold separately. And with a burger starting at Rs. 560, it’s really not the best deal in town).
