Tag: culture

  • South Korea names K-pop group NewJeans tourism ambassadors

    South Korea names K-pop group NewJeans tourism ambassadors

    South Korea on Thursday appointed K-pop girl band NewJeans “honorary ambassadors” as part of a drive to promote tourism, joining a long list of Korean celebrities to take up the role.

    South Korea has seen tourism figures recover to nearly pre-pandemic levels this year, with around a third of visitors citing K-pop or K-drama — the so-called “Hallyu” or Korean wave — as a major motive for travelling to the East Asian country.

    “We are very happy to be appointed as an ambassador to promote South Korean tourism today,” band member Minji said, adding it would be a “great joy” for the supergroup to promote their country’s charms.

    Tourist arrivals are at “about 90 percent of pre-pandemic levels,” said culture minister Yu In-chon.

    “With NewJeans as tourism ambassadors, I expect even more people from all over the world to visit Korea,” he added.

    The group will serve as ambassadors with no actual diplomatic responsibilities for a year, succeeding previous representatives such as “Squid Game” star and Emmy-winner Lee Jung-jae and K-pop megastars BTS.

    Members of the band shared their personal recommendations for visitors, including eating “gimbap dipped in tteokbokki sauce” and taking “a photo a day”, which is an “unspoken rule among young Korean generations”.

    Haerin said she recommended tourists to visit a hanok — or traditional Korean house — while Hanni urged visitors to embrace Korean cuisine.

    “You have to eat Korean food when you come to Korea, and since it’s summer and the weather is hot, if you eat food like samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup) or mul-naengmyeon (cold buckwheat noodles), you’ll be able to enjoy it a lot,” she said.

    More than 11 million tourists visited South Korea last year, a 245 percent increase compared to 2022, when some pandemic restrictions were still in force.

    Chinese and Japanese tourists made up the majority of the visitors.

    NewJeans recently held their first fan meet at the Tokyo Dome, less than two years after their debut — the fastest Tokyo Dome debut for any foreign artist. Tickets were sold out in minutes.

    The group’s Japanese debut single “Supernatural” sold over a million copies as of Thursday, marking their fifth million-seller.

  • ‘Punjabis must stop being ashamed of their language’: Abdullah Sultan

    ‘Punjabis must stop being ashamed of their language’: Abdullah Sultan

    Anchor and journalist Abdullah Sultan recently appeared as a guest on ‘Masarrat Misbah show.’
    Where he discussed how Punjabi parents restrict their children from speaking in their own tongue and how Punjabis do not own their language.

    Abdullah said that “Pakhtoon kids speak Pashto while Sindhi kids speak Sindhi with pride and never feel embarrassed about their mother tongue.”

    He also said, “Punjabis should take pride in their language, as it is the medium of some of the most beautiful poetry and music. Children should be encouraged to learn and speak their mother tongue, using it to communicate with each other and celebrate their cultural heritage.”

  • Hollywood team visits Pakistan to shoot film on country’s culture

    Hollywood team visits Pakistan to shoot film on country’s culture

    Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar said on Wednesday that the production of a Hollywood film on Pakistan’s culture will give people around the world an opportunity to know more about the country and highlight its soft and positive image.
    During a meeting with the members of the Hollywood production team visiting Pakistan to shoot an international film on Pakistani culture, the minister remarked that the film, produced by the Hollywood production team, would represent a significant milestone for the Pakistani film industry.

    Discussions were held regarding the great cultural heritage and history of the country. The minister also apprised the production team about the progress in the film industry in the country.
    Attaullah Tarar thanked the Hollywood production team, stating, “It is a big honour for our culture and people.”

    “Our history, literature, music, and art are unique and appreciated worldwide,”
    The minister said, “I believed that this film would give the world a new opportunity to see the beauty and diversity of Pakistan.
    He clarified the government’s efforts to revive the film industry while claiming that it was the only one in Pakistan to receive tax amnesty.

    Attaullah Tarar also said, “The film policy was reinstated during the previous term of the government led by Shehbaz Sharif.”

    . He said, “A film finance fund of rupees one billion was established in the 2022-23 budget, which has greatly benefited the film industry and its related sectors.”

    Additionally, the govt introduced medical insurance for artists and tax incentives for filmmakers, which has further boosted the industry. In the 2022-23 budget, the govt also granted a five-year tax exemption to filmmakers and a five-year income tax exemption on the establishment of new film-related businesses.

  • Zulfikar Jr forms Sindh’s first locally initiated wildlife foundation

    Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Jr., grandson of former Pakistani President and Prime Minister, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, has taken a step forward with advocacy for wildlife and climate justice. In his latest Instagram post, he has announced the launch of Bulhan Foundation.

    Bulhan Foundation aims to “foster a culture of care and compassion for all living beings”. Further details have been given on the foundation’s official Instagram page where they highlight their vision. Their goal is to “operationalize and implement pro-nature and pro-people laws”. Under this ambit, they look forward to the preservation of wildlife as well as indigenous visual cultures.

    Acknowledging that Pakistan is one of the world’s most vulnerable countries to climate change, the foundation also intends to be one of the “first responders providing on-the-ground relief” to humans and animals during natural calamities like floods, drought, possible economic-induced famine etc.

    With a solutions-oriented approach, Bulhan Foundation will be Sindh’s first locally initiated wildlife foundation. Bhutto’s sister, author Fatima Bhutto and friend, Menaal Munshey, are the co-founders.

    The mascot for the foundation is the Indus River Dolphin, known locally as Bulhan.

    Zulfikar Ali Bhutto has been working for wildlife protection for a long time now, especially when it comes to dolphins. Earlier this year, at his art exhibition at Como Museum Lahore, he dedicated an entire section to the blind dolphins of river Indus.

  • HEC withdraws notification banning Holi

    The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has withdrawn a controversial ban on Holi celebrations in universities.

    A notification issued by HEC on Thursday stated that the commission is respectful of faith, religions, beliefs and the festivals associated with them.

    “Considering that the message inferred from the communication has regrettably led to misinterpretation, HEC is pleased to inform the same,” the notification added.

    On Tuesday, the Commission caused outrage when it banned Holi celebrations in educational institutes throughout the country, citing a deviation from the sociocultural values and Islamic identity of Pakistan.

    The notification read that students are prohibited from observing the festival to uphold sociocultural values.

    On Wednesday night, Salman Sufi, the head of Prime Minister’s Strategic Reform Unit, said in a tweet that HEC has been asked to withdraw the notification about banning Holi in universities.

    He wrote that he had spoken to Rana Tanveer Hussain, adding that he has asked HEC them to withdraw it.

    The decision came a few days after Holi celebrations were held on June 12 by students at Quaid-i-Azam University.

  • VIDEO: Promo of re-recorded national anthem of Pakistan

    VIDEO: Promo of re-recorded national anthem of Pakistan

    To mark the 75th anniversary of the Independence of Pakistan, Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif will unveil the re-recorded national anthem on August 14 at the national flag hoisting ceremony.

    A promo of the re-recorded national anthem has been released.

    “Official release of the re-recorded National Anthem on 14th August 2022 by the Prime Minister of Pakistan. First time the National Anthem has been re-recorded since the original release in 1954,” tweeted the official account of Government of Pakistan.

    Formed in June 2021, and further mandated by the present Government in April 2022, the Steering Committee has endeavoured to create a re-recording of the original national anthem that reflects updated inclusivity in voices and expression while ensuring the sanctity of the original words and the musical composition.

    Happy that project started under my special instructions is now complete: Fawad Chaudhry

    Former Information Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Fawad Chaudhry tweeted on August 6 that he is very happy that this project, which was initiated by the Ministry of Information under his special instructions, has been completed.

    National anthem of Pakistan

    The stirring, powerful musical score by Ahmed Ghulam Ali Chagla was formally approved in 1949 by then-Prime Minister Quaid-e-Millat, Liaquat Ali Khan. However, the beautiful, inspiring words, as written later by Abu Al-Asar Hafeez Jalandhari were formally approved and then recorded with the music in 1954. That first recording featured a limited number of voices and used the modest technical facilities available at that time. In the succeeding 68 years, there have been major developments in music technology as also the emergence of diverse musical talent across the country.

    In planning to produce new vocal and instrumental versions of the unchanged original words and composition, the Steering Committee applied an all-inclusive, gender-balanced approach and enlisted vocalists from diverse regional, cultural and ethnic backgrounds, from all religious faiths and musical genres. 48 musicians from the army, air force and navy bands skilfully played the musical instruments.

    Re-recording of national anthem

    The re-recording in 2022 becomes an occasion to celebrate the rich diversity of the nation and reflect the unique national identity and solidarity of the people of Pakistan.

    A choir comprising of 30 vocalists rehearsed at the National Academy of Performing Arts (NAPA) in Karachi for several weeks, and in June 2022, 125 vocalists representing all provinces, regions and faiths were invited to participate in rehearsals and recordings in Islamabad. These artists were selected after the publication of public notices in leading newspapers inviting expressions of interest resulting in an online registration process. Prior to the recording, all the selected 155 vocalists, including well-known artists, were mentored and rehearsed, and an artist kit was shared with them. This contained lyrics, translations and pronunciation guides. It was imperative that the Re-recording of the National Anthem of Pakistan was rendered correctly while maintaining its historic sanctity and rich legacy. State-of-the-art digital technology was used to record multiple tracks and to complete the mixing and fusion to create clear, distinct, powerful vocal and instrumental versions. A colourful, kaleidoscopic video featuring the new version has also been produced by Num Films.

    Steering Committee of the Re-Recording of the National Anthem of Pakistan

    The Chairman of the Steering Committee of the Re-Recording of the National Anthem of Pakistan is Senator (r) Javed Jabbar. The 16 members comprise of 10 persons who served on a voluntary basis and 5 senior civil officials and one senior military official. The Secretary of Information Ministry is also a member. The audio sub-committee includes Arshad Mahmud, Brigadier Imran Naqvi (ISPR), Rohail Hyatt, Talha Ali Khushwaha, Ustad Nafees Ahmed, Layaqzada Layaq and Dr. Zulfiqar Qureishi. The video sub-committee’s convenor is Satish Anand.

    Choir and vocalists

    Abdullah Qureshi, Abid Brohi, Abid Wilson, Adil Baloch, Ahmad Gul, Ahmed Jahanzeb, Ahsan Ali, Aizaz Sohail, Akbar Ali, Akbar Ali Khan, Akhtar Chanaal, Ali Hamdani, Ali Hamza, Alycia Dias, Amanullah Nasar, Anamta Saleem Sabri (Sabri Sisters), Aqdas Asif, Arif Khan, Arif Lohar, Arqam Khan, Asfar Hussain, Asim Baloch, Bakhtiar Khattak, Bilal Ali, Bilal Asvad, Bilal Saeed, Bisma Abdullah, Dr. Essa Kakar, Essa Khajjak, Fakhir Mehmood, Fariha Pervez, Fozia Yasmeen (Manwa Sisters), Goher Mumtaz, Haider Ali, Hamayoon Khan, Hamza Tanveer, Haroon Shahid, Humaira Javed, Hussain Baksh, Iman Shahid, Irfan Ali Taj, Irfan Khan, Islam Habib, Jabar Abbas, Jana Nazareth, Jasim Haider, Jia Nauman, Junaid Javed, Karan Khan, Kashif Din, Kashif Zafar, Kehkashan Khan, Khalid Jahangir, Khurram Iqbal, Laila Khan, Lucky Khan, Maham Waqar, Maria Unera, Mehak Ali, Moez Mohamand, Naseer Afridi, Nasir Butt, Natasha Humera Ejaz, Nauman Lasharie, Niaz Balti, Nida Irtiza, Nimra Gilani, Nimra Rafiq, Nirmal Roy, Nirmala Maghani, Noman Asmet, Quaid Ahmed, Rabia Nazar, Rachel Johnson, Rafia Ali, Rahim Khan, Raisa Raisani, Rameez Mukhtar, Razia Abrar, Rizwan Anwar, Saba Noreen (Manwa Sisters), Sadiq Hussain, Sahir Ali Bagga, Sajjad Gohar, Salman Paras, Saman Areej (Sabri Sisters), Sana Tajik, Sanwal Esakhelvi, Sardar Amar, Sehar Gul Khan, Shahab Hussain, Shahmir Quidwai, Shaina Johnson, Shamu Bai, Shaukat Faqeer, Sherry Raza, Shuja Haider, Sibtain Khalid, Sidra Kanwal, Sitara Younas, Sumraan Shafique, Sunny Sam, Tahir Feroz, Taj Mastani, Tehmina Tariq (Gospel Singer), Tina Sani, Umair Jaswal, Urooj Fatima, Usman Withd, Vishnu, Wajahat Aalmi, Wajiha Naqvi, Wali Ullah Farooqi, Yamsa Noor, Yashwa Ayub, Yasir Khan Milzai, Zara Madani, Zarish Kaleem, Zeb Bangash, Zeek Afridi, Zeeshan Ali, Zille Huma (Manwa Sisters), Zoha Zuberi, Zohaib Zaman, and Zubin Ernest (Gospel Singer).

    Artists from the National Academy of Performing Arts

    Ahsan Sheikh, Aleeza Fatima, Angeli Sarfraz, Christina Nayamat, Cynthia Rose, Elisha William, Fahad Maqsood, Hassan Mirza, Hiba Asim, Julian Qaiser, Khadeeja Imtiaz, Komal Soomro, Mahnoor Sahar, Muhammad Khizar Rizvi, Muhammad Minaam, Myron Jasper, Nasfa Nizar, Natasha Sharif, Neha Fahim Khan, Nigel, Obaid Ahmed Siddique, Rimsha Masud Qureshi, Sajar Nafees, Sameer Hamza, Simal Nafees, Syed Rizwan Mehdi, Tabita J Nasim, Usama Anwer, Yashwa John, and Zeeshan Zafar.

    Official National Anthem Re-Recording Project links:

  • ‘Human rights and women rights are different’: PM Khan

    ‘Human rights and women rights are different’: PM Khan

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan during his address at the 17th extraordinary session of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) said that human rights and women’s rights are different.

    “We must understand that when we talk about human rights, every society is different, every society’s idea of human rights and normal rights is different,” said PM Khan.

    “The Pakhtunkhawan province, which borders Afghanistan because the culture is similar because there the Taliban are predominantly the Pashtun movement and there are more Pashtuns on our side of the border,” said the premier, adding, “The city culture is completely different from the rural culture.”

    https://twitter.com/mSaleemJaved/status/1472515320850038785

    “Culture in Kabul was always different to culture in rural areas. Just like in Peshawar it is completely different from the culture to the district adjoining the Afghanistan border,” said the prime minister.

    “I will give you an example. We give stipends to the girl’s child parents to put the girls in school but in tribal districts or districts adjoining Afghanistan, if we are not sensitive to the cultural norms of those people, even with stipends they will not send the girls to school,” said the premier.

    “But if we are sensitive to their cultural norms, without stipends they are willing to send their girls to school,” said PM Khan adding, “So this sensitivity I am afraid when we are talking about human rights and women’s rights we have to be sensitive about this.”

    PM Khan’s words received some criticism online.

  • ‘I get migraine’: Sheheryar Afridi reveals reason behind visit to France

    Chairperson of the Parliamentary Special Committee on Kashmir, Shehryar Khan Afridi, who is on a special visit to France, revealed why he was there.

    When asked by journalist Younas Khan whether he has had any interactions with parliamentarians or Tink Tank as he is touring France, Afridi said, “I get migraine. I was told about a doctor here. So for the first two-three days, I need to get treatment.”

    Reporter Younas Khan shared the clip on Twitter. “You are the chairman of the Kashmir Committee. Your job is to play a role in diplomacy on the Kashmir issues all over the world.”

    “You are in France. Which Think Tank did you meet here? Have you talked to any parliamentarian on Kashmir?” questioned Younas.

    “The culture is different here, you have to take appointments a month prior from parliamentarians and think tanks here. There is a proper channel here,” said Afridi.

    He added that he is reaching out to the Pakistani and Kashmiri communities during his stay in France and Italy. He also mentioned that he met stakeholders during his United States (US) visit. Afridi said that his next visit to Canada, Brussels, and Britain will include interactions with parliamentarians and Think Tanks.

  • Yasir, Ahmed and Noor extend support to Sadaf after public backlash

    Yasir, Ahmed and Noor extend support to Sadaf after public backlash

    Sadaf Kanwal received backlash on social media for her gendered statements in a recent interview.

    A few prominent members of the entertainment fraternity expressed their support for the Alif star.

    Ahmed Ali Butt, known for his comedy roles, came forward and shunned those who are bullying Sadaf Kanwal over her remarks. He called out people who are making a mockery of a woman.

    His wife Fatima Khan also shared her thoughts on the matter, saying: “Liberals fail to practice what they preach about tolerance.”

    She also wrote a detailed note on women attacking a woman.

    Actor and host Noor Bukhari also supported Sadaf, saying that whatever she said is in accordance with the true teachings of Islam.

    Recently, Yasir Hussain took to social media bashed the bloggers who are using dancing pictures of the actor.

    “Mujhy aik samajh nahi aati k Sadaf ki 50 hazar Khoobsurat pictures mai se ye aik dance wali picture hi kyon post ki jati hai? Dance buri cheez nahi magar mai bloggers ki is image building ko bakhoobi samajhta hun,” wrote Yasir addressing the social media websites.

    Earlier, Ali Abbas came in support of Sadaf saying that it is her husband and she can treat him the way she likes to do it.

  • Case filed against organisers for partying at tourist destination Hunza

    Case filed against organisers for partying at tourist destination Hunza

    A case has been filed against the people who organised a music and dance event in Hunza’s Gojal for spreading obscenity, reports Samaa.

    The organisers were berated after videos and pictures of the event went viral.

    A youth organisation had filed a complaint against the organisers at the Gulmit police station on June 16. The complainants said that the event was held in Passu from June 12 to June 15. People from across the country attended it.

    They said that tourists used drugs during the event, adding that some women were seen in “inappropriate” clothes and that is against the traditions and norms of Hunza. The event organisers disrespected the culture of the region.

    A case has been registered against Farhan Bhatti and his friends under section 294 (obscene acts and songs) of the Pakistan Penal Code. Those convicted under the law can be sentenced to jail for a maximum of one year and carries a fine of Rs100,000.

    Following the controversial event, the district administration has decided to ban all music and cultural programmes in Hunza.

    Gilgit-Baltistan Tourism Minister Raja Nasir Ali Khan said that the government wants to bring more tourists to the region and promote its tourist industry.

    “We will provide them all kinds of assistance but tourists must respect the culture and traditions of the region.”

    Prior to this, a Canadian traveller Rosie Gabrielle, who has been exploring the northern areas of Pakistan, took to social media to call out the local tourists for ‘destroying Hunza’s beauty’ and ‘spreading vulgarity’ in the area.