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  • Sonam Kapoor reveals how Fawad Khan was cast in ‘Khoobsurat’

    Sonam Kapoor reveals how Fawad Khan was cast in ‘Khoobsurat’

    Fawad Khan’s Bollywood cross-over was possibly one of Pakistan’s most successful. The heartthrob won hearts across the border and was offered a plethora of projects before India-Pakistan border tensions cut short his flying Bollywood career.

    In a recent interview with Filmfare Magazine, Sonam Kapoor shared how Fawad Khan ended up being cast in the role. While discussing her struggles in India’s film industry, Sonam said, “Do you know how much effort it took to make Khoobsurat? No hero wanted to work with me because it was called Khoobsurat.”

    “I had to get Fawad Khan from Pakistan. And look what happened. Fawad became a huge star. He had the confidence,” she continued.

    This is not the first time Sonam has praised Fawad. She has often complemented him for his acting and professionalism and even said that she looks best with him onscreen.

    Previously, Anil Kapoor also shared that no male actor was ready to take up the lead role opposite Sonam in Khoobsurat.

    He had said, “We still kept looking for an apt actor and Rhea (Kapoor; co-producer) told me about Fawad Khan and showed me some of his work.”

    They asked Fawad to give an audition and and immediately cast him because they really liked it.

    The film was a huge success on both sides of the border and garnered positive reviews from critics and audiences alike. Late last year, producer Rhea even expressed her keenness to do a sequel of the film.

  • Army removes ‘Christians-only’ condition for sanitary workers

    Army removes ‘Christians-only’ condition for sanitary workers

    After being criticised for discrimination towards Christians, Pakistan Army has removed the “Christian-only” clause in its call for applications for sanitary workers.

    The move was pointed out by activist and former Punjab Chief Minister’s Strategic Reforms Unit director general (DG) Salman Sufi. Taking to Twitter, he thanked Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) DG Major General Asif Ghafoor.

    “Great news. Thanks to @OfficialDGISPR [Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor] for removing the ‘Christian-only clause in the call for application for sanitary workers, paving the way to ensure Pakistani Christians aren’t labeled as just for sanitary jobs,” he wrote.

    “We are grateful that this clerical error was addressed as usually Christians are [stereotyped] as sanitary workers so it is considered a norm and we wanted that changed,” Sufi told a private media outlet.

    Earlier, activists had taken to social media to urge the ISPR chief that the discriminatory clause is removed from the call. It specified that only Christians could apply for the posts of sanitation workers in the army’s Mujahid Force.

    Vacancies for the posts of drivers, sepoys and tradesmen were also mentioned, but had no such religious criteria.

    According to SAMAA, a report by the World Watch Monitor says that minority representation in sanitation work in Pakistan is above 80%. According to the report, 824 of 935 sanitation workers in the Peshawar Municipal Corporation (PMC) are Christian.

    About 6,000 out of 7,894 sanitation workers in the Lahore Waste Management Company (LWMC) are Christians and so are 768 of 978 workers in the Quetta Municipal Corporation (QMC).

  • ‘PTI govt repays record $9.5 billion foreign loans’

    ‘PTI govt repays record $9.5 billion foreign loans’

    The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government has retired record foreign loans worth $9.5 billion during the current fiscal year, which according to Minister of State for Revenue Hammad Azhar, had never been done by any government in a single year.

    On point of personal explanation in the National Assembly, Azhar said that during the first year of PTI government, external debts increased by $2.7 billion whereas, in the last year of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government, foreign loans surged by over $7 billion.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    Responding to the opposition’s claim of obtaining domestic loans worth Rs7,000 billion or Rs 10,000 billion during PTI’s first year in power, he further said the figures were highly exaggerated.

    The minister added that previous governments were responsible for the current economic situation of the country, while the Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan-led government was taking the economy towards stability.

  • Yeh mera Pakistan hai ft. Momin Saqib

    Yeh mera Pakistan hai ft. Momin Saqib

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fq17gkygzfA
  • Abdul Razzaq offers to make ‘faulty Hardik Pandya world’s best all-rounder in two weeks’

    Abdul Razzaq offers to make ‘faulty Hardik Pandya world’s best all-rounder in two weeks’

    Former Pakistan cricketer Abdul Razzaq has offered to coach Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya to “improve his faulty techniques”.

    “Today I saw Pandya batting against West Indies and found a few issues in his foot movement, bat swing and body balance while hitting,” the former all-rounder said in a video on his official YouTube channel.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IXIaYFasBE

    On Thursday, Pandya scored a brisk 46 and shared a crucial 70-run partnership with MS Dhoni to help India post a competitive total of 268/7 against West Indies in their ICC World Cup 2019 game at the Old Trafford.

    Pandya chipped in with the ball and also took the wicket of opener Sunil Ambris. In fact, his send-off to the Windies opener became one of the talking points of the game.

    However, Razzaq, who scored 5,080 runs in ODI, said Pandya’s game had weaknesses, which needed to be worked upon.

    “If Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) gives me just two weeks to coach Pandya, he can become world’s no 1 hitter and all-rounder,” he added.

  • Bankruptcy? ‘Ishaq Dar’s son shuts down school in Dubai over financial issues’

    Bankruptcy? ‘Ishaq Dar’s son shuts down school in Dubai over financial issues’

    Days after it was reported that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government is tightening the noose around former finance minister Ishaq Dar, reports claiming his family is going through a financial crunch, have surfaced.

    According to reports, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader’s son, Hasnain Dar, has decided to shut down his Ontario International Canadian School (OICS) in Dubai citing “financial issues” as the family “starts to wind up their ventures abroad”.

    Mirdiff based OICS was opened in 2014 and follows the Canadian curriculum for kindergarten to grade 10, with fees ranging from Dh28,000-56,000 a year.

    Last week, the school administration issued to parents a circular signed by Dar, which has reportedly left over 200 parents in an awkward position while around 50 teaching and non-teaching staffers will also be affected.

    “I have continuously been engaged in discussions with KHDA regarding the future of OICS. However, it is only fair for me to share with you that —the school does not have the financial support to continue beyond June 30, 2019,” the circular read.

    “I understand that this is an incredibly difficult time for families and we at OICS are committed to ensuring a smooth transition of your children to other schools. As a part of our effort for this smooth transition, we have asked Kings’ Education to honour the OICS fee structure for the next two academic years for any students who wish to transfer to Kings’ Schools,” it said further.

  • Is history repeating itself?

    Is history repeating itself?

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWVzTr0YkiQ
  • FREAKONOMICS!

    FREAKONOMICS!

    We are all freaked out!

    No one knows what is happening… no one
    knows what will happen… but we are all freaked out!

    Dollar floats and soars as freely as Imran
    Khan’s sky-high claims of rectifying the economy in the past, buying gold is
    the gossip of old times, stock market plunges are a routine matter. Basic
    necessities are now luxuries, taxes are piling up these days more quickly than
    the fats on one’s bones, education was never free, but wasn’t even as expensive
    as of today.

    Jobs are scant. Health facilities are
    sparse. Incomes and earnings getting more and more exiguous. The economy is
    shrinking, debt is accumulating, investors are wary, traders are worried, farmers
    are distraught, businessmen depressed and youth distressed.

    Everyone is caught up in a whirlpool of
    stress and strain, yet the Khan government assures us on a daily basis: “All is
    well… all will be well”.

    Either it’s the innocence, ignorance or
    some blind inference that we still sustain some hope in the current regime.
    Probably, we are left with no other option. Probably we still want to test
    Khan’s delivery.

    Either it’s the incompetence of the
    government or it’s the incompetence of the collective social judgement. We are
    in a state of love and hate relationship with Khan — exactly like our cricket
    team. On a rare, unexpected occasion; it delivers something and we are all
    cheering up.

    Most of the times we are let down,
    crestfallen; yet we have no other option. Do we?

    Opposition, on the other hand, the prime
    task of which is to safeguard the public interests and to keep an eye on
    government functioning, is failing to perform too. Though we see a lot of brouhaha
    and hubbub by the opposition parties in the National Assembly these days as the
    budget session goes on, it fails to substantially affect the smooth passage and
    approval of the finance bill.

    Reason: united we stand, divided we “sit”.

    This division was quite obvious at the
    opposition’s All Parties Conference (APC) convened two days back in Islamabad
    when the joint communiqué lacked any solid and affirmative strategy.

    The ostensible joint opposition had a clear
    difference of opinion and strategy between Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and
    Maulana’s Jamiat Ulemae Islam-Fazl (JUI-F); between within Pakistan Muslim
    League-Nawaz (PML-N) of Shehbaz Sharif versus Maryam Nawaz; between smaller
    parties and PPP plus PML-N.

    So far the synthetic joint opposition is
    granting more benefit than inflicting any harm upon Khan’s government. Under
    the cloud of thunderous claims by the opposition, it all seems to rain down
    well upon the government.

    Khan smartly managed to politically
    “epoxy-fy” disgruntled Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) and
    Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M), hence securing not just the sanction
    of Budget 2019-20, but acquiring a few months’ more time to stabilise his
    administration.

    Opposition can rely upon mere verbosity via
    pressers, media talks, statements and tweets till then. And we are all left at
    the mercy of tight economic clenching till then.

    October is the new November, they say.

    No one knows what is happening… no one knows
    what will happen… but we are all freaked out!

  • Afghan President in Lahore; roads to avoid today

    Afghan President in Lahore; roads to avoid today

    Afghan President Ashraf Ghani landed in Lahore on Friday morning where he was received by Governor of Punjab Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar and Chief Minister of the province Usman Khan Buzdar.

    The Afghan President is in the country on a two-day official visit on the invitation of Prime Minister Imran Khan. President Ghani is expected to participate in a business forum attended by representatives from both countries.

    He offered his Friday prayers at the Governor House before fulfilling his formal commitments.

    In order to avoid getting stuck in traffic, it is best to avoid all roads leading to and from the airport. Avoid Mall Road as well as it will be closed for VIP movement.

    Try staying within Defence or Model Town and avoid Gulberg and other areas surrounding the Mall Road. Better still, just stay at home today and chill.

  • UK events featuring Saqib Nisar, Faisal Vawda cancelled due to ‘lack of public interest’

    UK events featuring Saqib Nisar, Faisal Vawda cancelled due to ‘lack of public interest’

    At least three fundraisers in the United Kingdom (UK), planned with former chief justice of Pakistan (CJP) Saqib Nisar and Federal Minister for Water Resources Faisal Vawda, have been cancelled owing to “lack of public interest”.

    According to The News, I am Pakistan Worldwide Movement (IAPWM) had announced the “awareness dinner galas” in Birmingham, London and Manchester to raise funds for Diamer-Bhasha and Mohmand dams with Nisar and Vawda.

    However, the three events to be held on June 24 at Piccadilly Banquetting Suite, Birmingham; June 21 at Royal Nawab Restaurant, London; and Royal Nawab in Manchester on June 23 were cancelled due to “lack of public interest”.

    Nisar has been in London for over two weeks now and dates of the events were announced in consultations with him as well as Vawda, however, the response from the local chapter as well as the community groups led to the events being cancelled, the report said.

    “Ex-CJP Saqib Nisar made London travel plans with his family to attend the fundraising events and to watch the ICC World Cup, but upon arrival, the organisers told him that the events had been cancelled due to lack of interest from the members of the public,” The News quoted sources as saying.

    The report further said that Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s close aide Aneel Musarrat “didn’t show any interest in the event unlike previously when he took lead in arranging a fundraiser when Saqib Nisar was the chief justice”.

    Vawda, on the other hand, said he failed to attend the events because “he was busy with the budget session and other commitments”.