Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Sardar Usman Buzdar on Saturday announced that the province will take up Urdu as the medium of instruction at the primary level from the year 2020.
Taking to Twitter, the provincial chief executive wrote that time of both teachers and students was wasted in translation instead of comprehension due to the current medium of instruction, which is English.
As a result, he added, the students fail to learn anything new.
پرائمری سطح پر ذریعہ تعلیم (Medium of Instruction) انگلش ہونے کی وجہ سے اساتذہ اور بچوں کا سارا وقت مضمون کو سمجھنے کی بجائے ترجمہ کرنے میں صرف ہو جاتا ہے اور بچے کچھ نیا سیکھ نہیں پاتے
اگلے تعلیمی سال (مارچ 2020) سے پنجاب کے پرائمری سکولوں میں ذریعہ تعلیم اردو کر دیا جائے گا pic.twitter.com/yzXSyz0YHH
CM Buzdar revealed that a survey, with the help of teachers, parents and students, was conducted in 22 districts of the province, and over 85 per cent people in every category preferred Urdu over English as the medium of instruction.
He further said that English will only be taught as a language from March next year.
Model Marvi Shabbir has accused Lahore-based designer Zainab Salman of humiliating her and not paying her complete dues.
Taking to social media, Marvi posted a video in which she claimed that Zainab had called her for a photoshoot in Lahore, but was asked to do more than what had been agreed. According to Marvi, the agreement had been of a photoshoot only but when the shoot started, the model was also asked to record some shots for her fashion film. And when Marvi refused to do that because it was not a part of her commitment, Zainab allegedly misbehaved with her.
Elaborating further, Marvi said that Zainab’s team started humiliating her when she asked them for a dropoff because there was no Careem available in the area. She said they even refused to pay for her work. When she threatened them that she will expose them, they sent half her dues.
Marvi said that the entire incident left her heartbroken and that has been crying ever since.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B0VLtDUhKuR/
https://www.instagram.com/tv/B0RmcMBhDwJ/
Soon after the allegations began to trend on social media, designer Zainab Salman issued a statement denying all the allegations. Zainab said that she and her team were in cooperative throughout the shoot but it was Marvi who was rude to her team.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B0XjDCvFMCD/
https://www.instagram.com/p/B0X36kjldfK/
Meanwhile, some members of the fashion industry stepped forward to support Marvi, such as makeup artist Fatima Nasir.
The hot and humid weather doesn’t only play havoc with our mood but also sends our hair out of control. Which means that we need to be extra careful with them in this weather. The weekend calls for some self-pampering, so here are a few ways to avoid frizzy hair.
Get a trim
Trim your hair in summer. Along with getting rid of the split ends, you’ll also get a new hairstyle which is more summer-friendly. Plus you don’t have to worry about your hair not growing back because hair grows faster in the summer due to better blood circulation.
Avoid fun in the sun
The sun’s UV rays make your hair dry and can harm the outer layer of your hair. You would hate us for this but spending too much time in the pool can damage your hair. Dust and sweat can cause split ends and dandruff. You can wear a light scarf to shield your head from sun rays and dust when you are out in the sun.
Tackle the frizz
Use a leave-in conditioner to handle the frizz and if a conditioner doesn’t help, try to apply a hair mask twice a week to restore their luster.
Avoid hot styling tools
Straighteners and curlers may give to the perfect glam look but they can also ruin your hair. Heat destroys the protein layer of the hair. Allow your hair to dry them naturally.
But let’s just face the fact that when the air is so hot and humid, your hair are going to get frizzy. Don’t waste your time trying to fight frizz. Instead, find an easy go-to hairdo like a high ponytail, a messy bun or a side braid for the days high in humidity.
As more people come forward with their accounts of their run-ins with vlogger Umar Khan, popularly known as Ukhano, the latter has approached the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and filed his case against alleged fake accounts who have been tarnishing his name.
Taking to social media, late Wednesday night, Ukhano had pledged his innocence and said that his “private, personal and two-way conversations were leaked.” He added that the conversations were censored and blurred to suit a certain purpose.
Umar explained that only a few of the leaked conversations were authentic, while the rest of them were fake. He claimed that even from the consensual chats, the responses of the girls were “censored to frame me as a sexual harasser and predator.” He said that he didn’t want to name and shame anyone publically which is why he has decided to take his case to the FIA. Ukhano signed off saying that he apologises to anyone who might have felt uncomfortable with his behaviour.
Following this video, on Friday morning, Ukhano shared videos and pictures of himself at the FIA office and said that that he has filed his complaint and shared the screenshots, usernames and other details to the relevant authorities. Umar is being legally represented by lawyer Hassaan Niazi.
Pakistan cricket stalwart and ace fast-bowler Mohammad Amir is planning to obtain a British passport so that he may permanently settle down in England in future, Cricket Pakistan reported Saturday.
According to reports, the left-arm pacer married a British citizen, Nargis Malik, in September 2016 and has already applied for a spouse visa, which allows him to stay in England for 30 months.
In the case of obtaining a spouse visa, the 27-year-old will be able to work and take advantage of various other perks that come along with it.
It is not yet clear if Amir has already obtained the visa as he has previously spent jail time in the United Kingdom (UK) for his role in the spot-fixing scandal; however, he is reportedly also looking to purchase a house in London.
After getting permanent residency, the paceman will also be able to apply for a British passport.
The report comes a day after Amir announced his retirement from Test cricket with immediate effect, but reaffirmed his commitment to playing white-ball cricket for Pakistan.
Amir’s teammates in Pakistan have been aware of the fact that the pacer is not interested in playing for the national team anymore and wants to play T20 leagues in England and around the world.
A Lahori man was put behind bars after he was accused of sexual harassment and indecent exposure.
According to details, the incident occurred near Etihad Town in the city’s Raiwind area when a group of women were travelling in a motorcycle rickshaw. The offender, who was on a motorbike followed the rickshaw for a while and hurled sexually offensive and derogatory comments at the women. He was also guilty of indecent exposure.
The offender’s behaviour was caught on camera and shared on social media after which the police took action.
A team led by SP Sardar Ahsan Saif Ullah started an investigation and arrested him soon after. They also asked the author of the tweets to register an FIR against the culprit.
Several users commented that it is difficult for women to register an FIR in their name. The lady who first shared this story also said that she will not be registering a case with her name.
Most restaurants in Pakistan, especially Lahore, operate on one theory: the more you have on the menu, the better it will be.
Dock 27 sounds like a seafood joint and looks like one too… or does it? Nevermind, it’s complicated.
The base of any chef, any restaurant or any food, is the basics. Books for professional chefs, bibles of food pairings, all emphasise the utmost importance of the basic commandments, which when perfected, are what the finer, complex ideas should stand on.
Dock 27 is as confused as the “About Us” section they have posted on their Facebook page.
The words, that jump at you from their Facebook page, don’t mean anything when put together. “Deepwater expeditions,” “Drifts and Jolts under the dark eclipse,” “journeys with dancing dolphins” and ultimately a “nautical hub” bistro. What did it all mean? I couldn’t tell.
Dimly lit, the clashing interior of Dock 27
Dock 27, a “worldly” restaurant in Lahore Defence, simply put, focuses on seafood, but also on cuisine from around the world. From Thai green curries to NY Strips, Italian pasta to Chinese stir-fried beef, it’s as if the owner and chef sat down and decided to make everything: because excess is always good, isn’t it?
Not spoilt for choice, but feeling overwhelmed, my dinner partner and I asked the courteous waiter for his recommendations. In the dim lighting, I could barely see his face but appreciated the impeccable service. We ordered two mains on his recommendations.
Tampa Chicken with mashed potatoes and grilled vegetables
It is incredible how something as basic as BBQ sauce can save a restaurant’s review.
What a BBQ sauce. The Tampa Chicken is grilled chicken slathered in shiny BBQ sauce, a bone dry potato mash (that I sent back) and decently grilled vegetables. The flavour was spot on, with the perfect balance of ketchup, Worchestershire and the tartness of what tasted like imli. Another bowl of the sauce was requested and dumped on everything else. Including the second main, the penne pasta with chicken and mushrooms in a creamy sauce. It elevated everything that touched it.
Penne pasta with mushrooms and grilled chicken
The al dente penne pasta had a solid flavour with and the right basics — decent white sauce, perfectly seasoned…but that was it. After a few luxurious bites, it became a little one-note — until I took a journey under the dark eclipse and mixed it with some BBQ sauce, licking the bowl clean.
Singing praises of the sauce, I left thinking that I will not return again. The dim interior, the confused setting, and the loud music left me feeling disoriented. But I would definitely send someone to pick up anything with extra BBQ sauce.
In a rather hilarious development, leaders of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) have misread a World Bank (WB) report criticising their government’s economic policies and have attacked the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) instead.
According to a draft report by the WB, Pakistan’s budget has lost its credibility and the public finance management has further weakened.
The Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability (PEFA) report, the final draft of which was shared with the Finance Ministry in June, contains findings that reflect the poor performance of the Finance Ministry and how it failed to uphold fiscal rules.
The report was widely shared by PML-N leaders and supporters, who held the incumbent PTI government responsible for the mismanagement of the country’s economic affairs.
The catch, however, is that the report assesses Pakistan’s public finance management system and an analysis of its annual budgets from 2015 to 2018 — a time period when the PML-N was in power.
Twitterati were quick to point out the blunder following which PML-N leaders, including Vice President Maryam Nawaz, deleted their tweets.
According to The Express Tribune, when compared with a similar assessment that the WB carried out in 2012, the country fared poorer on almost all indicators and seven key pillars.
There were hardly two indicators where the score improved while on the other two the score remained unchanged. In 2012, the country had secured five A grades – the highest score – but in the 2019 assessment, there was not even a single indicator where it got an A.
Pakistan lost the highest score on critical indicators like the classification of budget, comprehensiveness of budget information, transparency in inter-governmental fiscal operations, participation in budget process and predictability of direct budget support.
The lowest score is D plus and D. In 2012, the country got only six Ds and D plus but the lowest score reached a staggering 13 in 2019, reflecting the extremely poor performance of the Finance Ministry from 2015 to 2018.
The Pakistani film industry may appear to be just about fun Eid releases but young, independent filmmakers are working hard to expand the industry and take it up a notch.
Pakistani filmmaker Saim Sadiq’s Darling is on its’ way to becoming the first Pakistani film to be screened at the 76th edition of the prestigious Venice Film Festival. The oldest film festival, the Venice Film Festival is part of the ‘Big Three’ a term used for the three most prestigious film festivals in the world namely Cannes, Berlin and Venice.
Set in a dance theatre in Lahore, Darling revolves around a young boy and a trans girl. Speaking exclusively to The Current, the film’s director said, “Darling is loosely based on my feature film in-development ‘Gulaab’ – both being an exploration of masculinity and femininity set in a highly sexualized erotic dance subculture that exists like an open secret in an otherwise repressive Pakistani society. It’s in equal parts a coming-of-age story, a queer celebration, and a love letter to the Bollywood dream.”
The main cast of the film includes Abdullah Malik who plays Shani and Alina, a trans girl from Lahore who makes her acting debut with this film.
The supporting cast of the film includes Nadia Afgan of Suno Chanda fame and Mehar Bano. Nadia will also be producing the film along with Mahak Jiwani. The film has been directed by Saim Sadiq, who is currently a student of Film Directing at Columbia University in New York. Mo Azmi, of Cake, was the Director of Photography.
The world premiere of Darling will take place in Venice in September 2019.
One of Pakistan’s most loved fast bowlers, Mohammad Amir has announced that he is retiring from Test cricket with immediate effect.
In a statement, Amir said: “It has been an honour to represent Pakistan in the pinnacle and traditional format of the game. I, however, have decided to move away from the longer version so I can concentrate on white ball cricket.”
Amir said that “playing for Pakistan remains his ultimate desire” and that he will try his best to be in the best physical shape to contribute in the team’s upcoming challenges, including next year’s ICC T20 World Cup.
He added that the decision was not an easy one but he felt that his time was up.
Amir made his Test debut against Sri Lanka in Galle in July 2009. He featured in 36 Tests, taking 119 wickets at an average of 30.47. His best bowling returns — six for 44 — were against the West Indies in Kingston in April 2017.
