Tag: ARY News

  • ‘Jaahil’ Sindhis, Firdous Ashiq under fire for her racist comments

    ‘Jaahil’ Sindhis, Firdous Ashiq under fire for her racist comments

    Special Assistant to the Chief Minister of Punjab on Information and Culture, Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan said that the people of Sindh “are jaahil and lack political consciousness [for repeatedly electing the Pakistan People’s Party]”.

    Firdous Ashiq Awan was speaking on ARY News programme,’11 Hour’.

    Twitterati did not take the words of Firdous Awan well and criticised her remarks.

    A Twitter user wrote, “This is a common mentality of Punjab against Sindh flourished due to national exploitation and establishment’s behaviour towards two nationalities.”

    Another user said, “Sindh has a history of political awareness, democratic traditions, opposing the dictatorial rule.”

    A Twitter user reminded the government of their opinions and said, “With this mindset, If PTI believes that they can make any inroads in Sindh then they live in the fool’s paradise.”

    One man demanded an apology from Dr Firdous, saying, “It’s an insult to the Sindhis and they must demand an apology from her.”

    https://twitter.com/Dawoodk06/status/1421271911833735168

    Last month, a video of Firdous Ashiq Awan slapping PPP MNA Qadir Khan Mandokhel went viral. The incident took place off-air after the two were seen brawling with each other on Express News‘ talk show, ‘Kal Tak with Javed Chaudhry’.

  • ‘Jalan’ continues to be a cringefest

    ‘Jalan’ continues to be a cringefest

    Every season, there is at least one, if not more, drama which creates a stir and causes an uproar on social media. This season, it is Jalan, with its twisted and very problematic storyline.

    For those who have been oblivious to the drama and PEMRA’s short-lived ban on it, Jalan is about two sisters Nisha (Minal Khan) and Misha (Areeba Habib) who are after the same guy. While Misha is the sweet and obedient sister, Nisha is a spoiled brat and wants to be better than her sister, so she sets her sights on her brother-in-law Asfandyar (Emmad Irfani) because he’s rich and good-looking. Ignoring the fact that her sister is married to Asfandyar (Asfi) and pregnant with his child, Nisha openly flirts with him and urges him to divorce his wife. Nisha eventually gets her way and Asfi not only divorces his wife but also pushes her as a result of which she falls to the floor and ends up delivering their baby prematurely. Nisha’s parents throw her out of the house and she seeks refuge with Asfi pushing him to marry her as soon as possible. As Nisha and Asfi get married, Meenu, who cannot bear the heartbreak and humiliation sets herself on fire and eventually dies leaving behind her infant child.

    Asfi and Nisha’s marital bliss doesn’t last long and the cracks become wider when Nisha’s ex-fiance Ahmer (Fahad Sheikh), makes a dramatic re-entry into her life richer and better-dressed. Nisha then sets her sights on him, straight-up asking him to marry her the second time they meet after their breakup.

    If the entire situation wasn’t bizarre enough, it’s execution is even more mind-boggling. The script is weak and the characters terribly developed. It’s as if the writer after every scene forgot what she had written in the previous scene and started the new chapter afresh – there is no flow in scenes. Even though Nisha is the protagonist, her character and callous actions are incomprehensible and beyond basic understanding. The drama’s writer Sidra Sehar Imran, in a recent interview, said that the drama is a true story but I’m finding that a little hard to believe. In the past (I’m looking at you Meray Paas Tum Ho), several writers have used the ‘true story’ trope as a marketing gimmick in an attempt to hype up their dramas and push up ratings. This time round I am not definitely not buying it.

    If we thought Nisha was messed up, Asfi is even worse. He barely has any dialogues and mostly just moves around with either a sullen expression on his face or screaming his head off. While Irfani does a decent job with the role, Asfi’s one-dimensional personality is irritating, to say the least.

    I am unable to fathom what the makers of the drama are trying to show with this plot and storyline. A few words simply cannot sum up the disaster this drama is. It is quite clear that ARY just wanted to create a stir with this and they have gotten exactly that. Substance and content do not matter. It appears that with Jalan, we’ve hit a new low.

    Jalan is one of those dramas which are so bad that they don’t even qualify as a guilty pleasure. Every time you tune into it, you are bound to get your blood pressure high.

  • Eight out of 20 test positive for coronavirus at ARY office

    The founder and CEO of ARY Digital Network, Salman Iqbal, has tweeted that eight out of 20 random test results at ARY’s Islamabad office came positive for coronavirus, following which the channel has closed the office and all of its staff will be tested.

    ARY anchor Sabir Shakir has tweeted that three staff members tested positive after they went to Faisal Edhi’s home and other three after going to a mosque that has been sealed. Most of the affectees were field reporters or staff.

    Related: ARY’s Kashif Abbasi’s interview with The Current in the Islamabad office

    Some of ARY’s most popular shows, including Off the Record with Kashif Abbasi is based in Islamabad as well as Arshad Sharif’s programme.

    Pakistan currently has almost 13,700 cases and more than 250 people have died. There has been a spike in cases this past week and 92 health professionals in Pakistan have tested positive for the virus.

    ARY’s head office is in Karachi.

  • Kashif Abbasi hosts show after PEMRA lifts 60-day ban within 24 hours

    Kashif Abbasi hosts show after PEMRA lifts 60-day ban within 24 hours

    Anchor Kashif Abbasi has hosted his show “Off The Record” after the 60-day ban imposed by the Pakistan Electronic Media Authority (PEMRA) was lifted within 24 hours of its imposition, following the submission of a written reply by Ary News.

    On Wednesday, the media watchdog had issued a notification banning Abbasi for 60 days for “acting unprofessionally” and “not intervening” when Federal Minister for Water Resources Faisal Vawda produced a boot to put down political opponents during Abbasi’s show.

    The ban was roundly condemned by the Association of Electronic  Media Editors and News Directors (AEMEND), which called for the ban to be lifted immediately. 

    Vawda had earlier this week appeared on the talk show along with Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Qamar Zaman Kaira and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) representative Javed Abbasi. He had caught the guests by surprise by suddenly placing a black boot on the table they were sitting around.

    He was mocking the opposition parties for their “unconditional” support for the Army Act amendment bill, saying the parties were “lying down to kiss the boot”.

    PEMRA, in its notification, had said the content aired live during the programme appeared to be a “willful attempt to debase and demean a state institution by dragging it unnecessarily in a debate”.

    “Therefore, in view of the aforementioned reasons the competent authority decides that in the exercise of delegated powers of the authority, the broadcast or rebroadcast of the programme is prohibited with immediate effect for 60 days starting from January 6, 2020.”

    The media regulatory authority further said Abbasi was also banned from appearing on television for 60 days. During the ban, he was not to conduct his show or appear on the television channel he was associated with or any other television channel as a guest/analyst or expert.

    In case of non-compliance by the TV channel, the authority said it would proceed under PEMRA laws, which may result in suspension/revocation of the satellite TV channel license conferred to the television channel.

    Amid protests by the journalist community, ARY reportedly approached PEMRA with its right to reply and was subsequently allowed to continue with the programme with Abbasi in his chair.

  • Kashif Abbasi’s program banned because of Faisal Vawda’s boot

    Kashif Abbasi’s program banned because of Faisal Vawda’s boot

    ARY News’ prime time anchor Kashif Abbasi has been banned from hosting his program and appearing on any other channel for 60 days by the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA).

    The PEMRA notice was sent to the anchor, the channel and posted on Twitter, saying that the program in which PTI’s Faisal Vawda brought a military boot and put it on the table to ridicule the PML-N and PPP, was an “attempt to debase a state institution”.

    PEMRA ORDER PAGE ONE

    PEMRA said that Vawda’s actions were “derogatory” and “extremely frivolous” and he “performed a very unethical act” when starting his argument on the program.

    PEMRA added that Kashif was “quite unprofessional who actually did not intervene or stopped that unethical act,” and claimed that Kashif, “kept smiling/cherishing such occurence.”

    PEMRA ORDER PAGE TWO

    READ MORE: ‘#PTIDisrespectsArmy‘: Military unhappy with Vawda over shoe stunt?

    The ban comes after an uproar on social media and television after Faisal Vawda brought the boot to the program. The Current did a poll on it’s Instagram account and this is what more than 430 people voted on:

    The Current Poll

    Haven’t seen the video yet?

    WATCH THE VIDEO HERE: Faisal Vawda puts military boot on the table in a talk show

    Haven’t seen The Current Life’s interview with Kashif Abbasi, which was done five minutes before he went live (And in which Faisal Vawda was also a guest)? Watch it here: