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  • Making us proud: Meet Major Fozia Parveen, serving UN Peacekeeping Force

    Making us proud: Meet Major Fozia Parveen, serving UN Peacekeeping Force

    Among many other Pakistani female military and staff officers is Major Fozia Parveen, who is making the country proud by serving the United Nations’ (UN) Peacekeeping Force.

    Taking to social media, Pakistan’s Representative to the UN, Maleeha Lodhi, lauded Major Fozia’s services as a UN peacekeeper in Cyprus.

    “We are proud of our female (and male) peacekeepers who serve in UN missions. Major Fozia Perveen is serving in the UN Mission in Cyprus (UNFICYP), seen here on a patrol in the Buffer Zone. Picture thanks to the UN, [sic]” she said in an Instagram post.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BzMeC8_h_mI/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

    Pakistan earlier crossed the target set by the UN from zero to 15 per cent deployment of female military and staff officers in the peacekeeping mission within just 18 months.

    “We believe, increased participation of female peacekeepers, and encouraging more women to take up mediation roles helps in the stabilisation and reconstruction phases of conflicts,” Lodhi had said earlier in April while participating in a debate on ‘Women in Peacekeeping.’

    Maleeh Lodhi herself is the first woman to hold the position of Pakistan’s representative to the UN. Previously, she has served as the country’s envoy to the Court of St James and twice as its ambassador to the United States (US).

  • Six episodes in, ‘Hassad’ is everything that’s wrong

    Six episodes in, ‘Hassad’ is everything that’s wrong

    To put it very simply, ARY’s latest drama, Hassad, starring Minal Khan and Shahroze Sabzwari, is everything typical.

    The story revolves around two brothers. The older one, Farhan (Noor Hassan), is married to his Khala’s jealous daughter Zari (Arij Fatima) while the younger, cute Armaan (Shahroze Sabzwari) is happily married to Naintara (Minal Khan). Zari detests Naintara and Armaan’s totally in love, happy relationship and tries her best to mess it up. But the happy-go-lucky Nain Tara keeps her mother-in-law happy and her husband happier (he calls her every hour because he misses her so much).

    In a tragic twist of fate, Armaan is killed in a robbery and Naintara becomes the oh-my-God banished widow, pregnant with her late husband’s child. Meanwhile, Zari fakes a pregnancy to score brownie points with her MIL and Farhan. What’s annoying is that even in the sadness of it all, Zari can’t let go of her jealousy (the title of the drama is Hassad, after all) and tries to kill Naintara with the help of her mother. Farhan catches on and tells her she’s nuts and needs to calm down. Zari then decides to make Naintara into a skank (pretty much the easiest way to get a woman shunned) and claims that she’s having affairs with men, including her brother, who by the way was caught trying to rape Naintara in the middle of the night.

    Six episodes of every-single-twist-you-can-think-of, keeps viewers hooked but once you start thinking or trying to understand it, you’re like “Wha?”

    Despite being a young and pretty girl, Naintara is cons-tant-ly forced to wear white after her husband’s death because she is now a bewa. She is constantly harassed by the evil Zari into being plain and is not allowed to go out and “sambhalo” her white dupatta. Soon enough, the MIL, being the MIL, joins in with Zari. So typical.

    In a nutshell, as the episodes progress, the MIL and SIL turn against sweet little bahu who is so beychari that she has nowhere else to turn to. She has to put her hand on the Quran to swear that she didn’t have an affair with Zari’s brother and destroy Armaan’s memory. So cliche. But then again so masalaydaar.

    Our drama directors know what sells and they’re literally selling it like no one’s business in this drama, with overdone twists in every episode. And they don’t appear to be stopping soon. While we personally don’t advocate the typical crap presented in this drama, it is stuff that will definitely sell.

  • VIDEO: Sikh fan cheering for Pakistan cricket team breaks the internet

    VIDEO: Sikh fan cheering for Pakistan cricket team breaks the internet

    The video of a Sikh fan cheering for the Pakistan cricket team at Edgbaston on Wednesday, has gone viral over the internet.

    The unnamed fan has won hearts of Pakistani supporters all across the globe with his gesture during the must-win match against New Zealand at the packed cricket stadium.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    In the video, he can be heard raising the slogan “Pakistan Zindabad” while thousands of other Pakistan team supporters join him.

    Green Shirts defeated New Zealand by six wickets to stay in the hunt for a place in the World Cup Wednesday. They next face Afghanistan and Bangladesh on June 29 and July 5, respectively.

  • Sarfaraz’s wife breaks down after he was called a ‘fat pig’

    Sarfaraz’s wife breaks down after he was called a ‘fat pig’

    Following Pakistan’s loss against India in the much-hyped ICC World Cup match, members of the Pakistan cricket team faced an immense backlash at the hands of the public. Captain Sarfaraz Ahmed, in particular, bore the maximum brunt of the upset Pakistani fans who fat-shamed him and called him out for yawning on the field.

    A video of a cricket-goer who called Sarfaraz “a fat pig” in a mall in England while he was with his son also went viral. But many fans stood up to support him after that and pressurised the guy making the video into apologising for his distasteful comments.

    In a recent interview with ICC Insider Zainab Abbas, Sarfaraz opened up about the experience.

    “This was playing on my mind, but I didn’t pay much heed as I thought he won’t do this as his family was also with him. I spoke to his family. One of his family members also apologized on his behalf. But when the video became viral my body language was demotivated. It was not because of me. It was because of my son Abdullah who was with me at that time. That’s why it hurt me even more,” he said while speaking to Zainab about the video.

    Sarfaraz shared that after the video went viral he returned to his hotel room to find his wife crying which really hurt him.

    “When I went back to the hotel I saw my wife was crying after watching the video. I tried to explain to her that this is just one video and that we have had people walk up to us and tell things. This is nothing serious we must be strong. All of this is a part of life, when we don’t perform well we will have to go through all this,” the skipper said.

    The skipper also revealed why he did not react there.

    “I was very angry at that moment, but if I had gotten into an argument people would not have seen the truth and I would’ve been seen in a negative light instead. That’s why I felt not reacting to the incident was the best response as I left it to God,” he said, adding that he was very grateful to everyone who stood up for him. He even said that the fans had a right to be angry “because they have expectations from us.”

    Following their humiliating defeat, Pakistan went to win their next two match against South Africa and New Zealand.

    Watch the entire interview here:

  • 5 drugs you probably didn’t know about

    5 drugs you probably didn’t know about

    On International Day against Drug Abuse, The Current decided to spread awareness on the subject considering what a grave matter of concern it is in our country. We’ve already posted a list of drugs which are very popular among the youth. Here’s a list of drugs you probably had no idea existed.

    Bichoo

    Bichoo is a local term for scorpion. In order to make a drug out of a scorpion, the bichoo is first killed and then dried in sunlight or burnt on coal. The burnt body is then crushed and mixed with tobacco or hashish and smoked. A bichoo’s tail is what is most important as it contains the venom which gives a high. Bichoo as a drug is most common in KPK.

    Shrooms

    Though shrooms are not available easily in Pakistan, they are apparently the most organic form of drug available as they don’t leave you with a hangover. You can eat them raw, dried, cooked or stewed.

    Samad Bond

    As strange as it sounds, Samad Bond is also used as a drug. The glue is poured on a piece of cloth and then inhaled to get a high.

    Withdrawal pills for heroin addicts

    Medicines which are used to help heroin addicts deal with their addiction is also used as a drug.

    ADHD cure pills

    Pills used to counteract attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are also surprisingly used as a drug. According to our source, the pill when taken with alcohol gives a high like cocaine.

  • FBR asks celebrities to declare their assets

    FBR asks celebrities to declare their assets

    The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), in its initiative to collect tax from the citizens, has also requested showbiz and media personalities to declare their assets, warning them that if they don’t they will also face disciplinary action.

    In this regard, the FBR held an amnesty scheme awareness session at Karachi’s regional tax office to brief the members of the entertainment industry about the advantages of the amnesty scheme, its procedure, the rate of tax and fines. Those in attendance included actors Farhan Saeed, Urwa Hocane and Neelum Munir and model Nadia Hussain among others. Urwa and Nadia even shared pictures of the meeting on social media.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BzIhxYolvr7/?igshid=ig2czb9ez6sn

    The in-Land Revenue Chief Commissioner of the FBR told those present that the board has collected data of their properties and bank accounts in the country and abroad and those who hide their assists will also have to face disciplinary action, like the rest of the country. The commissioner assured the artists that details of assets declared in the amnesty scheme will remain safe and private and that no one will question the declared assets.

    Members of the entertainment industry who participated in the session said that artistes, like the public, have been paying taxes on their income and expenditures.

    They also shared their concerns with the board telling them that some lawyers claim to provide tax consultation but collude with the FBR officials to blackmail taxpayers.

    Model Nadia also said that the artists are usually paid after tax deductions but there is a great difficulty in obtaining tax challan. The artistes do not work in one city but with many institutes all over the country and that is why obtaining tax challan from every institution takes a lot of time. She asserted there was a need to make this process easy.

    Several local celebrities have been raising awareness on the government’s tax amnesty scheme and are encouraging the public to play their role in the country’s development.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/ByiYCHRFk6m/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
  • The most used drugs in Pakistan

    The most used drugs in Pakistan

    It’s World International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking and though Pakistani authorities keep talking about cracking down drug abuse in the country, it’s unfortunate that the number of drug users have increased in the country. Statistics on the number of drug users in the country are not as easily available as the drugs themselves but the fact remains that drug abuse is a cause for concern. Earlier this year, minister Shahryar Afridi claimed that 75% of students in Islamabad’s educational institutions are drug addicts.

    We did some research on which drugs are the most popular among teenagers and the results are listed below. This article can serve as a guide to parents and friends and help them identify if those around them are using drugs.

    Coke

    Cocaine is allegedly the most popular drug among the youth, though a gram of coke can cost between Rs 12,000 and Rs 20,000 depending on the quality. News reports also suggest that overdose of it is the reason behind so many young deaths in the country.

    Hash (chars)

    Hash or weed, locally known as chars, has become very popular among the youth so much so that it is no longer considered a drug. It is either rolled into a cigarette and smoked or people add it to their sheesha for a stronger effect. 100 grams of chars cost Rs 1500 depending on where you get it from. You can roll about 25 cigarettes with 100 grams of chars.

    LSD

    Lysergic acid diethylamide, LSD for short, is a hallucinogenic drug. Depending on the strip potency, this drug can cost between Rs 2,000 and Rs 4000.

    Crystal Meth/Ice

    Use of meth and ice has drastically increased in our country. The powder-like substance, which can keep you alert and active for hours, typically costs around 500,000 rupees for a kilo.

    Ecstasy

    The ecstasy drug is available in the form of a pill which can cost between Rs 2500 and Rs 4000, depending on the variation.

    MDMA

    MDMA, better known as molly, is a compound of the ecstasy pill. Its price is approximately Rs 9000 per gram and one typically swallows it to feel high. However, it can also be smoked.

  • The Current’s Favorite TikTok Videos

    The Current’s Favorite TikTok Videos

  • A nightmare full of trash: Indian wedding leaves behind 4000 kgs of garbage

    A nightmare full of trash: Indian wedding leaves behind 4000 kgs of garbage

    Two weddings that cost INR 200 crore (approx PKR 400 crore) left behind mountains of garbage in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. According to media reports and videos online, 4,000 kg of garbage was left behind.

    The Gupta family from South Africa was behind the nightmare. They hosted two weddings of their sons Suryakant and Shashank Gupta at a hill-station, Auli, between June 18 and 22.

    Bride Kritika Singhal is the daughter of diamond merchant Suresh Singhal, and groom Suryakant is the son of industrialist Ajay Gupta

    Two grand wedding stages, as well as a glasshouse with floral arrangements from flowers that were flown in specially from Switzerland, were set up to celebrate the festivities. The guests were also flown in via special choppers. Many superstars including Katrina Kaif, Badshah and Kalaish Kher also performed at the functions.

    These wedding functions left behind a huge mess of leftover petals, foam, food and plastic among other things in the region, known to be ecologically fragile. The local municipal corporation is cleaning up mountains of trash left behind after the Gupta family deposited INR 54,000 with the Corporation. The Guptas have also agreed to pay the entire cost of cleaning up.

  • Army builds girls’ school in place of TTP militant Hakimullah Mehsud’s headquarters

    Army builds girls’ school in place of TTP militant Hakimullah Mehsud’s headquarters

    Pakistan Army has rebuilt a girls school for higher secondary education where once existed the headquarters of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militant Hakimullah Mehsud, a private media outlet reported.

    The school, located in the Orakzai Agency of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s (KP) Kohat division, was completely destroyed during the war on terror and later converted into the headquarters of Mehsud, who was the deputy to TTP commander Baitullah Mehsud.

    With the war abated after years of unrest, Pakistan Army has rebuilt the school at the same spot.

    The TTP has been a strong adversary of the idea of sending girls to schools. The militant group claims “educating women goes against Islam”.

    In 2012, Nobel Peace Prize winner and activist Malala Yousafzai was also shot by the Taliban after advocating for girls’ education using a pen name, bringing global attention to the group’s violent threat on the nation’s young women.