Actress Hina Afridi recently appeared on Fuchsia Magazine’s YouTube show hosted by Rabia Mughni. She discussed her marriage and rising divorce rates. Talking about choosing a life partner Hina Afridi said, “I prefer a love marriage because it’s crucial to know your life partner. I want my partner to understand my job’s demands, like coming home late sometimes. He should grasp my nature and earn my trust. Seeing my parents’ loving relationship sets high expectations for my future partner. Love and respect matter most, as money can be earned by both.”
Hina Afridi shared her thoughts on divorce, saying, “I’m unsure about divorce, it can signify failure or freedom. It’s like a 50-50 situation. If someone leaves a cruel spouse, it’s freedom. But if it’s driven by ego, it’s a failure.”
A sessions court in Lahore has not proceeded with a request to file a case against Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz for wearing a police uniform.
The hearing was adjourned till tomorrow as Additional Sessions Judge Muzaffar Nawaz was on leave.
The court has sought a front desk report from the petitioner.
Lawyer Waqar Shah had filed a request to register a case against Maryam Nawaz, arguing that the Chief Minister has violated the rules by wearing a police uniform.
Lawyer Aftab Bajwa has also filed a plea against the CM for similar reasons.
Saheefa Jabbar, television actor and model, has starred in many popular Pakistani dramas. She’s also a successful model, endorsing several top clothing brands and collaborating with outstanding Pakistani fashion designers. Recently, Saheefa shared her experience of dealing with depression on Ahmed Ali Butt’s podcast. “I’ve been experiencing depression since 2013, but I didn’t realize it at first. I thought I was just reacting to unfavorable situations. Eventually, I noticed that my panic attacks persisted, even though I had a good life with loving parents, money, and a kind husband. That’s when I realized I was dealing with depression and severe anxiety.”
She also said, “I didn’t have much exposure and knowledge about depression because I belong to a middle-class family where most people just had their normal graduation degrees and no awareness of things like mental health,” Saheefa said, “A therapist should be concerned about the health of his/her patients.”
Saheefa revealed that despite receiving amazing support from her husband and brother, who take care of her, she still struggles with anxiety and depression, making healing a challenging journey for her. Reflecting on her difficult period with depression during her flight to Canada, Saheefa said, “I informed the flight crew about my condition as I had already consumed thirty pills, anticipating severe panic attacks. I was regularly taking antidepressants every few hours, and I have no recollection of my meeting with my husband. I recall being unstable for days, during which I isolated myself, and my husband provided constant care. My husband’s kindness has been instrumental in keeping me alive. His unwavering support in both Canada and Pakistan has been my lifeline.”
Saheefa added, “I’ll never do an item song. I won’t work with Khalil Ur Rehman Qamar. He might behave badly.”
Following the death of a student at Avicenna Medical College and after scores of shocking stories of fellow students are being shared by netizens, the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) is taking notice of the death of the student and launching an investigation.
The monitoring body of medical colleges, University of Health Sciences (UHS) has taken up the serious complaints of students regarding alleged heavy fines, harassment, torture and physical punishments. It has directed all the affiliated public and private sector medical colleges of Punjab to establish ‘Students Counselling Cells’ (SCCs). The cells must have senior faculty members, including teachers from the psychiatry departments, besides the students themselves to address the issues of alleged harassment of any kind and other such complaints. It declared the setting up of cells mandatory to prevent reported incidents like the one that recently surfaced at the Avicenna Medical College in Lahore.
The decision was made in a meeting chaired by UHS Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Ahsan Waheed Rathore, exclusively called after the death of a female student, Mahnoor Nadeem, of the Avicenna Medical College, followed by a protest by its students.
“It is our duty to ensure the holistic well-being of our students, particularly in light of the demanding nature of professional education in the medical and dental fields,” reads a letter issued by the Vice Chancellor to all the 12 public and 44 private medical institutes of Punjab. The letter was addressed to the principals of the medical colleges.
Answer within 72 hours
Additionally, the Avicenna Medical College has been directed to give its point of view within 72 hours so that ‘responsibility can be ascertained’.
“The PMDC, as the apex regulatory body for medical and dental education in Pakistan, is deeply saddened by the loss of a promising medical student and extends its heartfelt condolences to the family and loved ones affected by this unfortunate incident,” the statement read.
PMDC President Prof Dr Rizwan Taj stated, “We are deeply concerned about the circumstances leading to the untimely demise of a medical student and are committed to ensuring that justice is served. The welfare and well-being of students are of paramount importance to us, and any form of misconduct or mistreatment will not be tolerated.”
He also added that the deceased student’s family will be welcomed to reach out to the council to file the complaint.reported Dawn.
What happened at Avicenna?
An Instagram handle ‘thenewspaper.pk’ shared a report slider detailing the alleged abuse students at Avicenna Medical College had to face by the management of the college. The slider was titled, “Avicenna Takes Another Life: Student found dead”. It laid out how the chairman, Abdul Waheed Sheikh, along with his daughters — both at key positions of the administration — are allegedly ‘abusing students mentally and financially’.
The report detailed that heavy fines are allegedly imposed on students, as much as Rs60,000. Students are also not allowed to take any days off. Quoting the statement of a student in the slider, allegedly Sheikh said to a student, “Your father is alive, isn’t he? Ask for a leave when he dies.” According to the report, Sheikh’s daughters — Shandana Sheikh and Fazilda Sheikh — in-charge of leave applications and finances respectively are also allegedly complicit in the reported exploitation of students.
The slider also explains how Mahnoor Nadeem, the student who according to them committed suicide, was stressed, according to her mother. The slider details that even though she was a bright student, Mahnoor was allegedly made to sit on floor for four hours as punishment and her ‘total fine for last year was 92,000 rupees’. A day before her death, Mahnoor had reportedly gone to ask for a leave as she was not feeling well but her ‘request was declined by management’.
Alleged ‘Torture’
Another slider by the same handled is titled as, “Horrors at Avicenna: Student testimonials and proof” and contains an alleged audio where Abdul Waheed Sheikh can be heard abusing a student using curse words like “motherfucker” whereas the student is apologising, asserting that his name has been wrongly added to a list. Another alleged video shows the chairman tearing up the shirt of the student because it was not properly tucked in. The report also mentions that girls in the college are allegedly verbally ‘abused and character assasinated’ for not wearing a dupatta.
According to details, in 2018, The Express Tribune reported on a viral video of a man destroying cell phones of students at the college.
The Instagram account has also posted the video and in the background a person can be heard saying, “I’ve said break them, break them.”
Students are reportedly not allowed to bring phones with cameras to the colllege. This video was reportedly secretly filmed by one student to show how the phones were smashed.
According to the Instagram post, the head of the Human Resource department, Amna Haroon allegedly kept track of all ‘posts on social media so if someone speaks against the college, he or she has to pay fines, and worse than that is the non-issuance of roll number slip.
The Current talked to a student at the college and upon the condition of confidentiality, the student revealed that the attendance made mandatory by the monitory body (University of Health Sciences-UHS) of medical colleges is 85 per cent but students are not allowed any leave. “My phuppo (paternal aunt) passed away but they did not grant me leave.”
She recounted that the punishment for failing a test in the college is that a student is made to sit for hours on the floor outside the chairman office. This policy is called “pink list” and according to the student, any teacher can impose it. “Fans and AC are turned off as punishment,” the student shared.
She recounted that the punishment for failing a test in the college is that a student is made to sit for hours on the floor outside the chairman office. This policy is called “pink list” and according to the student, any teacher can impose it. “Fans and AC are turned off as punishment,” the student shared.
“The thing that I personally witnessed was that on our white coat ceremony, a boy’s shirt was untucked and he [Chairman Sheikh] called that boy: ‘Oye kuttey kay bachey idher ao tumhari shirt kyu bahir ha, isko 20,000 ka fine lagao.’ (O you son of a dog, why is your shirt not tucked in the pants? He should be fined 20 thousand rupees.)”
The student also revealed that when students had any issues, “the chairman and his daughter say ‘they damn care’.”
The student further added that students were allegedly financial exploitated as well. The student described how a practical notebook worth Rs3,000 is being given to students for Rs7,200. “If we don’t buy these, they tear our books,” she shared.
Student Protest and the Chairman’s reaction
Students and parents protested outside the college on April 29, in support of Mahnoor and against the alleged abuse faced by students at the college. “We are in medical college. We don’t deserve this,” said the student talking to The Current.
Chairman Sheikh came out to address the protesting students and parents, as seen in a video shared on social media. A YouTube channel Digital Diary 7127 shared those videos but are now deleted.
While the videos of Sheikh addressing the student protest have been deleted from YouTube, we have a recording.
Sheikh assured students of ‘compensation for the grievances of the past’. He started off by saying, “I will be more sympathetic in the future.” Moreover, he said, “Mein aap ki har bat sunon ga, taqreeban manon ga” which can be translated as, “I will listen to you and will almost agree with you as well.”
Later, while addressing the crowd, Sheikh announced that the “pink list” policy of punishing students will be terminated. Additionally, there shall be no fines in the future and the policy of issuing a leave will be in accordance with the monitoring body of UHS (University of Health Sciences). He promised the students that no action will be taken against those who are protesting.
It was also notified that Professor M.N Tabassum, who was allegedly fired from King Edward Medical University on allegations of sexual harassment, will not be involved in any sort of teaching and academic activities.
In another video on social media, a reporter asks Sheikh about the allegation that he uses abusive language with female students, which he denies it altogether. When he is asked about alleged physical altercations in viral videos, he said, “It used to happen in the past, probably before 2015 but it does not happen anymore.” The students behind the camera can be heard saying, “Woh mukar gaya hai” meaning “He has backtracked.”
Student response
The Current spoke with another student on the condition of anonymity. When asked if the student felt the issue was resolved, the student said, “For now, yes, but in the long run I don’t know. This thing has been going on for so long and on such big scale… it can’t be resolved just like this. According to many students we might have gotten this off our backs but we will still face the consequences,” the student said.
Netizens reacted to the video in which Sheikh is pledging to address the students’ demand. Hmad Nawaz wrote, “Concern after being exposed is always hollow.”
Meet Abdul Waheed Sheikh, an Ex-Army man, now running a prison called Avicenna Medical College who came up with grotesque punishment concepts like “pink-lists”, shaving heads, cutting clothes, protecting sexual harassers. Concern after being exposed is always hollow. pic.twitter.com/72TPQrbxR1
Daniyal Aziz, former MNA of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), has stated in an interview with regret that “This was N-League’s last election”.
Daniyal Aziz and his wife did not get PMLN tickets for 2024 elections and they ran their electoral campaigns independently.
Aziz said that the reason he thinks this is the party’s last election is because “The things they have done; there was no respectable man who wasn’t humiliated by terrorism of police.”
He said that this wasn’t just his opinion but it’s a common public perception that they have crossed lines with the people. The former minister also stated that this assault wasn’t just targeted at PTI but it happened everywhere and randomly.
Aziz recounted, “Do you think the people will forget what authorities did to them?”
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Information Secretary Raoof Hasan does not think that the party will take back its former information minister Fawad Chaudhry.
Raoof said on a talk show at Hum News, “I did not receive any green light from PTI founder Imran Khan about taking Fawad back in the party’s camp.”
The Secretary Information of PTI stated that many left the party when it came under hard times and now want to come back because they have lost public support but Imran Khan didn’t approve their re-entry.
Hasan also said that a new leadership within PTI has emerged that is a lot more ideological and younger, after the May 9 incidents.
Meanwhile, another PTI leader Sher Afzal Marwat also claimed that “some friends” were trying to re-induct Fawad in the party, however, party leadership and workers had reservations.
Dubai announced on Sunday that work had begun on a new terminal at Al Maktoum International Airport, which the Gulf emirate’s ruler said will become “the world’s largest” at a cost of almost $35 billion.
“We approved the designs for the new passenger terminal at Al Maktoum International Airport, and (are) commencing construction of the building at a cost of AED 128 billion ($34.85 billion),“ Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai and prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, said on X.
Once fully operational, the airport will “handle a passenger capacity of 260 million annually”, the government said in a statement.
Sheikh Mohammed said it will have “the world’s largest capacity” and be “five times the size of the current Dubai International Airport”, which is one of the world’s busiest air hubs.
According to Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, president of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and CEO of flag carrier Emirates, “the first phase of the project will be ready within a period of 10 years, with a capacity to accommodate 150 million passengers annually.”
Built on the city’s outskirts, Al Maktoum airport has received a relatively small share of the Gulf financial hub’s air traffic since 2010.
Authorities want it to replace Dubai International Airport, which has a capacity of up to 120 million passengers annually and whose city-centre location prevents expansion.
Rahat Fateh Ali Khan has teamed up with his son Shahzaman Ali Khan for a special musical project called ‘Biakul Jiyara The Legacy’, bringing something extra for fans.
Rahat announced the song’s release with much fanfare on his social media. The song is available on popular streaming platforms, showcasing the talents of both father and son. Their voices blend beautifully, creating a captivating musical experience.
‘Biakul Jiyara The Legacy’ released after a period of controversy for the award-winning singer. Despite uncertainty among fans, the new release seems to signal a promising comeback. With its timeless melodies and meaningful lyrics, the Qawali is expected to appeal to audiences of all ages.
New Delhi, India – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi denied Monday that his country was sliding towards autocracy, following accusations that his government orchestrated criminal probes to weaken rivals ahead of an ongoing general election.
Modi, 73, remains resoundingly popular after a decade in office, and he is widely expected to win a third term when the six-week-long national polls conclude in June.
His prospects have been further bolstered by several criminal investigations into opponents, including a tax probe that in February froze the bank accounts of Congress, India’s largest opposition party.
But Modi said the suggestion India was becoming “an electoral autocracy” under his rule was a fiction spread by his disgruntled rivals.
“Because the opposition is not able to get power, they start defaming India on the world stage,” he told the Times of India newspaper in an interview published Monday.
“They spread canards about our people, our democracy and our institutions.”
India’s press freedom rankings have declined markedly since Modi took office in 2014, while restrictions on civil society have seen rights groups such as Amnesty International severely curtail their local operations.
This year Modi is being challenged by a motley alliance of more than two dozen political parties, several of whom have leaders either under investigation or in jail facing criminal charges.
Modi’s chief opponent Rahul Gandhi, the son, grandson and great-grandson of past Indian prime ministers, was briefly disqualified from parliament last year after being convicted of criminal libel.
The 53-year-old faces numerous other active criminal cases, several of which were brought by members of Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Gandhi and his Congress party already lost two prior landslide elections to Modi, who told the newspaper that his opponent’s unpopularity had no bearing on the robustness of India’s democratic institutions.
“India does not become an electoral autocracy if the ‘Yuvraj’ cannot automatically get power,” Modi said, using the Hindi word for “prince” to disparage Gandhi’s upbringing as a political dynast.
‘Unprecedented display of love’
Turnout in India’s election has so far been several percentage points lower than the last poll in 2019.
Indian media outlets have speculated that higher-than-average temperatures were to blame, with parts of the country remaining subject to a heatwave alert.
Analysts also say voter enthusiasm has been dampened because of the widespread expectations that Modi’s party will easily win the vote.
Modi told the newspaper he remained confident that the BJP and its allies would secure more than 400 seats in India’s 543-seat parliament, its best-ever total.
“Everywhere I have gone, I have seen an unprecedented display of love, affection and support,” he said.
ASP Shehrbano Naqvi, the brave police officer who shot to fame after rescuing a woman from an extremist mob in Lahore, is capturing hearts once again; this time for her wedding festivities.
Recently, photos from her Mehndi circulated on social media, sparking an outpouring of praise and well wishes from users.
The snapshots show Shehrbano glowing in a beautiful Mustard Lehnga, while her groom charms with his traditional attire. Online, the pictures of the couple holding hands are warming hearts as they start their new journey together.
Previously, the Punjab Police recommended Shehrbano for the prestigious Quaid-e-Azam Police medal in recognition of her brave rescue operation. Now, as she celebrates her wedding, the public continues to admire her courage and determination, wishing her a lifetime of happiness.
