Tag: America

  • Qavi Khan-Faran Tahir starrer film gets banned in Pakistan for controversial content

    Qavi Khan-Faran Tahir starrer film gets banned in Pakistan for controversial content

    The internationally acclaimed film, I’ll Meet You There, has been banned by the Central Board of Film Censors of Pakistan (CBFC) for not displaying a true image of Pakistani and Muslim cultures.

    Veteran actor Qavi Khan and Pakistan-British actor, Faran Tahir, who got famed for Iron Man are starring in the film.

    The film was released in 2021 worldwide and it was set to release in Pakistan. However, CBFC did not issue a Non-Objection Certificate (NOC) to the film.

    While talking to The Express Tribune, the Senior officer said, “I’ll Meet You There was reviewed by the full board of CBFC, and after watching it was decided that the film is not suitable to be given NOC for a release in the country. There were several controversial topics and details that opposed our policy. The board unanimously agreed on a ban.“

    The director of the film, Iram Parveen Bilal has recently given an interview to The Variety, and said in response, “I’ve been mulling over the decision by the Central Board of Film Censors, calling our film I’ll Meet You There a ‘negative image of Muslims.’ A film that was made with blood, sweat, and tears by a Muslim, financed by Muslims, and made in the face of a post 9/11 world and a Trump presidency; a film whose very purpose was to combat Islamophobia and to create a positive portrayal of Muslims. A film already released abroad and celebrated widely by the Muslim Pakistani diaspora and seen as a needed and humanised representation of our people. How could that intention be reframed so oppositely and so negatively?”

    Tahir has also shown disappointment over the banning of the film. He emphasised that Pakistanis living abroad are labeled as ‘‘not reflecting true Pakistani culture.’ They represent their country with pride and love however our own people hurt us.

    He said, “It is disheartening, disappointing, and shameful that issues that Pakistani ex-pats face in their lives are trivialized and labeled as ‘not reflecting true Pakistani culture.’ We, Pakistanis, represent our country with love and pride every day while living in foreign lands. We do this to support our families and loved ones. We do this to support our country financially and in every other way. We do this with nothing but love for our country and yet to be cast aside by our very own is deeply hurtful.“

    The film portrays a modern and moving portrait of three generations of a Muslim-American family. Faran Tahir is playing the character of a cop, Majeed, and his teenage daughter, Dua who is portraying the role of a gifted ballerina. Their life changed when Majeed’s father unexpectedly visited their home from Pakistan.

  • ‘I know India much more than rest of my own countrymen’: PM Khan

    ‘I know India much more than rest of my own countrymen’: PM Khan

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan on Sunday said that no one in Pakistan knows India better than him. PM Khan was talking to CNN’s Fareed Zakaria about Pakistan’s relations with India.

    “I understand and know India much more than the rest of my own countrymen or probably all over the world,” said PM Imran Khan, adding that he has many friends in India.

    Racist RSS ideology has taken over India: PM Imran Khan

    “The moment my government came into power, the first thing I did was reach out to India. I told them [PM Narendra Modi] if he took one step forward, I would take two. Our only issue is Kashmir, and we should solve it like good neighbours on the dialogue table,” said PM Khan.

    “Unfortunately Fareed, there is a tragedy unfolding in India. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) ideology has taken over India. We are in this day of information technology. All we have to do is Google who are the founding fathers of RSS,” said the premier.

    “It’s a racist ideology which has taken over India. It’s an ideology that assassinated the great Gandhi. It’s very difficult to come to terms with the ideology,” said the prime minister.

    “We have made no headways. But my worry is Fareed that what is going on in India is much more damaging for India than for Pakistan,” added PM Khan.

    The only option the world has right now is to engage with the Taliban for things to move forward: PM Khan

     The premier further talked about Pakistan’s diplomatic relations with the new Taliban government in Afghanistan and the current state of the war on terror.

    PM Khan said that sooner or later, the Taliban will have to be recognised by the world as it is about the well-being and future of about 40 million Afghans.

    “Forty million people in Afghanistan are in dire straits because of the ongoing situation in the country,” the premier said, adding that the people of the United States (US) should understand that disliking the Taliban government is one thing but thinking about the welfare of the Afghans is another as they are facing “extreme difficulties”.

    “Afghanistan is on the verge of experiencing the worst humanitarian crisis,” PM Imran Khan said. “Considering the circumstances, is there any other alternative to the Taliban in Afghanistan? No, there isn’t.”

    “Therefore, the only alternative we have is to work with the Taliban government [for the sake of the Afghans] because turning the Taliban away would only lead to chaos in the country,” PM Imran Khan reiterated. 

    He went on to say that the US’ War on Terror (WoT) backfired and increased the number of terrorists worldwide, adding that because of the war, there had been extensive casualties in Pakistan as more than 80,000 Pakistani citizens lost their lives during the war.

    “Pakistan had to bear the brunt of the war in Afghanistan by witnessing numerous suicide attacks,” he said. “The US must reconsider its policy on carrying out drone attacks.”

    The situation in Xinjiang is not what the western media portrays: Premier

    When asked about China’s treatment of Uyghur Muslims, PM Khan said that Pakistan’s ambassador to China Moin ul Haq had visited Xinjiang and said that the situation over there is “not what the western media portrays”.

    The premier said that a comparison of Pakistan’s condemnation of India committing genocide of innocent people in occupied Kashmir and the issue of Xinjiang is not fair.

    “Occupied Kashmir is a disputed territory between Pakistan and India and India is ruled by an RSS ideology,” the premier said. “Until the Kashmir issue is resolved, the fear of war between the two nuclear powers will remain intact.”

  • ‘Anyone who understood Afghanistan’s history would never have done what Americans did’: PM Khan

    ‘Anyone who understood Afghanistan’s history would never have done what Americans did’: PM Khan

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has spoken about the invasion in Afghanistan by the United States (US) for the “war on terror”, which continued for 20 years, terming it as a failure.

    In an interview with the Director of the Advisory Committee of China Institute of Fudan University Dr Eric Li, PM Khan said, “Anyone who understood the history of Afghanistan would never have done what the Americans did.” He argued that after the killing of former Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden, American forces didn’t know what they were doing there.

    “They [Americans] were never clear on what they were trying to achieve in Afghanistan. Was it nation-building; was it democracy; was it liberating the Afghan women? They had no clear aims,” the premier posed several questions during his interview.

    Since the ousting of the Ashraf Ghani-led government, the prime minister has been supporting to unfreeze the Taliban-run country’s assets.

    He said joining the “war on terror” and the corruption of the past rulers badly affected Pakistan. Furthermore, he highlighted that the country lost about 80,000 people and over $100 billion in the war.

    Talking about the recent treatment of Indian Muslims in India, the prime minister criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government for marginalisation of minorities, including Muslims, and termed it a “tragedy” for the Indian nation.

  • Arooj Aftab first Pakistani artist to perform at Coachella with mega stars

    Arooj Aftab first Pakistani artist to perform at Coachella with mega stars

    Grammy-nominated Pakistani singer Arooj Aftab has announced that she will be performing on April 15 at the music festival Coachella in California.

    ‘Mohabbat’ singer is also going to be the first Pakistani artist to be performing at the American art and music festival. The news comes after she revealed that she will make her first Coke Studio appearance this season.

    Aftab shared a list of artists who will be performing on the first day of the festival on two weekends including Harry Styles, Lil baby, Daniel Caesar, Phoebe Bridgers, Big Sean.

    The music festival has returned after a three-year break due to Covid-19. Coachella is one of the largest, most famous, and most profitable music festivals in the world.

    After the announcement, Pakistan celebrities came forwards to congratulate the artist.

  • PM Khan likely to attend Beijing Olympics 2022 in China next month

    PM Khan likely to attend Beijing Olympics 2022 in China next month

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan could well be one of the leading dignitaries watching the Winter Olympics, which start in Beijing on February 4.

     The government of China and China Sports Authority are looking forward to Pakistan’s PM Khan’s attending the opening or the closing ceremony or attending during the event. The invite was sent to the Pakistan Cricket Board, reports The News.

     “Yes, we are in contact with the Chinese authorities and have received a communication. We have forwarded that to the foreign ministry through the official channel,” said Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official.

    The United States, Britain, Australia, and Canada have announced a diplomatic boycott of the event, while North Korea was the latest country to pull out, citing the pandemic.

    Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Khalid Mansoor, a couple of days back, had revealed the prime minister’s plan to visit Beijing early next month.

  • America forced IMF to impose strict conditions on Pakistan: Shaukat Tarin

    America forced IMF to impose strict conditions on Pakistan: Shaukat Tarin

    Federal Minister for Finance Shaukat Tarin termed the geo-political situation of the region as a reason for the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) to impose strict conditions on Pakistan.

    The finance minister spoke about a number of issues, including the Supplementary Finance Bill 2021, inflation, State Bank Amendment Bill, prior actions demanded by IMF, and other core issues related to finance on Geo News‘ programme ‘Naya Pakistan’.

    The minister, terming the geo-political situation of the region as a reason for the IMF being forceful, said that the talks with the lender aiming to restore the United States (US) $6 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF) were not a piece of cake after the US pullout of Afghanistan.

    Tarin admitted that America was behind IMF to impose strict conditions on Pakistan.

    The finance minister said that the petroleum levy in fuel prices has been increased as per the IMF’s demand.

    “We had cut down the sales tax on petroleum products to zero but were compelled to apply the petroleum levy due to IMF’s strict behaviour,” said Tarin, adding that the IMF had lent the country some money back in March 2021 on account of an increase in the petroleum levy.

  • ‘My friends are dead,’ Iraq war veteran blasts former US President Bush in public

    ‘My friends are dead,’ Iraq war veteran blasts former US President Bush in public

    Mike Prysner, a veteran of the United States invasion of Iraq, in a viral video publicly called out the former US President George W. Bush.

    The video has been making rounds on social media since late Monday. “You lied about Iraq being a threat. You sent me there in 2003. My friends are dead just because of you,” shouted Prysner who was interrupted by Bush telling him to “sit and behave.”

    https://twitter.com/trtworld/status/1440714591323897862?s=20

    “You need to apologise,” Prysner managed to add before being forcibly removed by staff.

    An individual from the audience stood up and said to the former president, “You made a nightmare for my family. One million Iraqis are dead from your war. You should be in prison.”

    Approximately 200,000 civilians have died from direct war-related violence caused by the US in Iraq. According to the Washington Post, about 6 in 10 civilian deaths occurred at the hands of coalition forces from 2003 to 2011. There were 4,431 total deaths of American forces as per the US Department of Defense website.

    In March 2003, U.S. forces invaded Iraq vowing to destroy Iraqi weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and end the dictatorial rule of Saddam Hussein.

  • Taliban stop at least four planes from leaving Afghanistan: Report

    Taliban stop at least four planes from leaving Afghanistan: Report

    At least four planes chartered to evacuate several hundred people trying to escape the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan have not been successful in leaving the country for days, reported TIME.

    Contradictory reports are emerging about why the flights weren’t able to take off as pressure builds upon the United States (US) to help those left behind to flee.

    An Afghan official at the  Mazar-e-Sharif airport said that the would-be passengers were Afghans, many of whom did not have passports or visas, and thus were unable to leave the country. He said they had left the airport while the situation was sorted out.

    Residents of Mazar-e-Sharif also said the passengers were no longer at the airport. At least 10 families were seen at a local hotel waiting, they said, for a decision on their fates. None of them had passports or visas but said they had worked for companies allied with the US or German military. 

    Republican Michael McCaul of Texas told Fox News Sunday that American citizens and Afghan interpreters were being kept on six planes.

    “The Taliban will not let them leave the airport,” he said, adding that he’s worried “they’re going to demand more and more, whether it be cash or legitimacy as the government of Afghanistan.” He did not offer more details.

    The US State Department has no reliable way to confirm information about such charter flights, including how many American citizens might be on them, since it no longer has people on the ground, according to a US official, reported AP.

  • US refuses to acknowledge claim that Pakistan involved in Taliban attack on Kabul

     The United States (US) State Department distances itself from former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s claim that 10-15,000 Pakistanis had joined the Taliban attack on Kabul, reported Dawn.

    US State Department spokesperson Ned Price, when asked to comment on Ghani’s claim, said, “I’m just not in a position to comment on that, to confirm those reports.”

    “If we have anything more, we’ll provide it,” said Price when asked if he would comment on another claim that the Taliban forces now in Kabul include foreign troops.

    “We’re enormously grateful to the huge network of countries that have provided critical assistance for our evacuation efforts,” said Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland.

    Praising the countries, she named Pakistan, Kuwait, Qatar, Turkey, and the UAE among the countries that supported the evacuation. She also named America’s key European allies – Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and others – “who have helped transit Americans and others to safety”.

    “Our close coordination with our allies and partners remains critical both on evacuation and relocation, but also as we begin to scope our ongoing relationship with the Afghan people and with the Taliban,” she said.

  • Taliban secretly escorted Americans to Kabul Airport in deal with US

    Taliban secretly escorted Americans to Kabul Airport in deal with US

    The US military negotiated a secret arrangement with the Taliban that resulted in members of the militant group escorting clusters of Americans to the gates of the Kabul airport as they sought to escape Afghanistan, two defence officials told CNN.

    One of the officials also revealed that US special operations forces set up a “secret gate” at the airport and established “call centres” to guide Americans through the evacuation process. One of the military officials said the arrangement with the Taliban “worked beautifully”.

    Americans involved in an unofficial network dedicated to helping Americans and vulnerable Afghans said there were problems — particularly in the beginning — as the Taliban turned away US citizens and legal permanent residents the militant group was supposed to allow through.

    The two US defence officials said Americans were notified to gather at pre-set “muster points” close to the airport where the Taliban would check their credentials and take them a short distance to a gate manned by American forces who were standing by to let them inside amid huge crowds of Afghans seeking to flee. The US troops were able to see the Americans approach with their Taliban escorts as they progressed through the crowds, presumably ready to intervene in case anything happened.