Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry revealed that he was the one who recommended Mehwish Hayat for the prestigious Tamgha-e-Imtiaz.
In a recent interview, when asked who his favourite female actor is, Fawad replied that he is a big fan of Hayat, adding that he had suggested Hayat’s name for the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz, Pakistan’s highest civilian honour.
“Mehwish Hayat is brilliant. As [information] minister, I recommended her name for Sitara-e-Imtiaz even though I had never met her, until recently”, the minister said.
He shared that he recommended her because her films do exceptional business.
The minister also remarked that people do a lot of sifarish to receive awards, asserting that no one asked him to nominate Mehwish.
When probed further, Fawad said that he took awards very seriously and had always wanted youngsters to be nominated for awards.
“I take awards very seriously and I only want them to be given to those who are toppers in their respective fields”, he said. “We try to ensure that merit is followed strictly.”
Mehwish had received immense flak on social media when she was awarded the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz in March last year. Most people were of the view that she did not deserve it though their views changed after her speech at Oslo, Norway and her strong stance against Bollywood films.
President Dr Arif Alvi had conferred the award on Hayat during a ceremony in Islamabad.
Meray Paas Tum Ho has ended but the drama sure hasn’t.
Recently, a petition was filed in the SHC against the drama in which the petitioner Sana Saleem alleged that the script, penned by the controversial Khalil ur Rehman Qamar, contained derogatory language when talking about women. Saleem wanted the writer, actor and producer to apologise for this.
In addition, the petitioner also objected to the fact that “a divorced couple were living together” and “a six-year-old was playing matchmaker between his father and a school teacher”.
SHC’s Justice Yousuf Ali Sayeed and Justice Muhammad Ali Azhar, who heard the petition on Wednesday, directed all respondents including the federal government, PEMRA and the drama’s makers to submit their replies by February 13. They also directed Humayun Saeed to ensure that he present at the next hearing to explain himself in person.
While Humayun himself has not commented on the matter, former minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry took to Twitter to criticise the petition saying that “nothing can justify this notice”.
Seems Courts have little number of substantive cases left for disposal so opted k Shughal hi laga lein otherwise nothing can justify this notice….. https://t.co/XkINkW4C6Q
Since the Sindh High Court has disposed all the pending cases that numbered in thousands & nothing remains on the docket, it has take a wise step. I support the HC here wholeheartedly. https://t.co/ZmAPFZvtoZ
Despite its flaws, Meray Paas Tum Ho, starring Humayun Saeed, Ayeza Khan, Adnan Siddiqui and Hira Mani, went onto becoming television’s highest-rated dramas of all time. The final episode of the drama was also aired in cinemas where it broke box-office records.
Earlier, the minister had also congratulated the team for their success and requested Amazon and Netflix to review Pakistani content.
Must congretulate @ARYVideos for showing epic drama serial #MerayPassTumHo, writer n whole team deserves big applause. I yet again ask @amazon and @Netflix invest in Pak drama n film #Pakistan has far better minds than India our music is far superior, you guys wont regret.
Before the final episode was aired, a petition was also filed in Lahore’s civil court to stop it from being aired. The petitioner, Maham, had filed a plea to stop the release of the last episode because it has had a “negative impact and continues to degrade the status of women in our society”.
However, after examining statements and documents from representatives of the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) and ARY Digital, Civil Judge Naila Ayub dismissed the petition and said that show had received clearance from the censor board of Punjab to screen in cinemas so there was nothing inappropriate in it.
Training guns at Federal Minister for Science & Technology Fawad Chaudhry, Punjab Information Minister Fayazul Hasan Chohan has questioned the former’s own performance in response to his criticism aimed at Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Usman Buzdar.
According to Geo, Fayaz has accused Fawad of trying to remain relevant with his stunts and said he had “crossed all limits” when it came to violating the party’s discipline.
“You should think about how to benefit the ship that you’re on,” said Chohan. “It is not his [Fawad] prerogative to give opinions on whether CM Buzdar should stay or go,” he said when asked to comment on Fawad’s statements, while speaking to a private media outlet.
The provincial minister said only Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan had the prerogative to decide whether Buzdar should remain as Punjab’s chief executive or not and added that the premier, the entire cabinet and treasury benches were satisfied with Buzdar’s performance “100 per cent”.
“I can give him befitting, beautiful replies in my style,” said Chohan. “However, I am bound by my disciplined attitude not to do so. I would request him that excess of everything is bad.”
The information minister expressed disappointment that Fawad had still not learned how to talk about people from his party or government, adding that he was like a brother to him. “However, this has been his problem and he will never change.”
“It is his habit to try to become a hero. He tries to issue a statement every month or so to become a hero in front of the media,” he added.
Chohan advised Fawad to play his part as the federal minister of science and technology to ensure Pakistan became a force to be reckoned with in space. “I request you to prepare a Ghauri II or a Ghauri III for space. Leave the clerics and Usman Buzdar alone,” he added.
In what appears to prove the rumoured rift between certain leaders of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry has called out Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) for Information and Broadcasting Firdous Ashiq Awan for her “illiterate” remarks regarding Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Usman Buzdar.
The SAPM had said that those criticising CM Buzdar were criticising Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan and it would be “the premier’s failure if the provincial chief executive of Punjab failed”.
“Why?” Fawad said while quoting Awan on a private media outlet’s talkshow Monday night. “I’d say it is an illiterate comment,” he said, to which the anchor asked if the minister was sure about what he was saying regarding a colleague.
“Whoever says such a thing… it’d be a dumb thing to say,” Fawad maintained, adding that Buzdar was to held accountable for his performance and PM Imran for his own.
WATCH VIDEO:
To this, the anchor said that the premier was accountable for both his performance and that of CM Buzdar.
Continuing to train guns at the Punjab CM, Fawad urged Buzdar to step aside, and said the federal government could not deliver effectively without the support of the provinces.
Raising questions over the performance of the Punjab government, the minister said that they had made promises with the people of change and accountability and good governance ahead of general election, but unfortunately nothing had changed in Punjab.
He maintained that around 62 per cent of the total budget went to provinces but they were not delivering appropriately. Fawad added that the federal government was doing whatever it could for the masses.
Amid criticism that followed former ailing prime minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif’s photograph at a London restaurant, Hussain Nawaz has said that his father was taken out after they were “told to do so by the doctor”.
In his latest photos seen on social media, the ex-PM was spotted at a London restaurant with Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Shehbaz Sharif, his son Hussain and other party leaders, including former finance minister Ishaq Dar.
With netizens not going easy on Nawaz, who was allowed to travel abroad for medical treatment despite his conviction and subsequent jail sentence in a corruption case, and Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry also criticising him for dining out while being “seriously ill”, Hussain on Monday stepped up to clarify the situation.
Speaking to reporters outside Avenfield Apartments, the ailing former premier’s son said that Nawaz had been taken to the restaurant on his doctor’s recommendation as the ex-PM felt claustrophobic at home.
“We insisted that father visited a restaurant so he could get acclimatised… he left the residence on our insistence,” said Hussain.
WATCH VIDEO:
Hussain Nawaz says Nawaz Sharif went out for walk and dinner with family members on advise of doctors pic.twitter.com/wSwjmWyGyW
“Doctors ordered us that Nawaz needed to go on small walks at least twice a day and we paid heed to their recommendation.”
لندن کے ھسپتال کے انتہائ نگہداشت یونٹ میں ہونیوالی ملاقات کے مناظر۔۔۔ کھاؤ پیو بیماری کا علاج انتہائ انہماک سے جاری ہے اور سارے مریض بہتر محسوس کر رہے ہیں۔ pic.twitter.com/pl6Z2hlXw6
“Scenes of a meeting in the intensive care unit of a London hospital, the treatment for binge-eating is underway with sheer concentration, all patients are feeling better,” Minister Fawad had sarcastically tweeted earlier in the day.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and Federal Minister for Science & Technology Fawad Chaudhry has been spotted in the car of a Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader along with one belonging to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), leaving supporters wondering if “a deal has been struck”.
According to the details, Fawad on Sunday evening was spotted getting on the car of PPP senator and party chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s spokesperson Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar. PML-N Senator Musadik Malik and two others also accompanied Fawad and Mustafa as the latter drove to a five-star hotel.
With Fawad, who has never shied away from training guns at the two major opposition parties — the PML-N and PPP — accompanying the two leaders belonging to the ruling party’s arch rivals, it wasn’t later when speculation ran rife that a deal had been struck between the three largest political parties of the country and there lied no disputes among them whatsoever.
Amid all rumours, The Current went an extra mile to investigate and figured out that the three leaders had only decided to accompany each other for a cup of tea following “Where is Pakistan heading in the next 10 years” — their session at the recently-concluded two-day Afkare Taza ThinkFest 2020 in Lahore.
Their bond also dates back to a private media outlet’s show “Khabar K Peechy” where the three represented their respective political parties.
The Lahore Bar Association (LBA) has banned the entry of anchor Mubasher Lucman in its premises over “false reporting and accusations” made against Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry, who is also an advocate of the Supreme Court (SC) and an LBA member.
Fawad made the revelation in a tweet, sharing a copy of the notification released by the LBA executive committee. The press statement condemned the journalist’s act and considered his action “blatant misuse of freedom of speech and information”.
لاہور بار ایسوسی ایشن نے مبشر لقمان کے لاہور بار میں داخلے پر پابندی لگا دی، جب تک معزز بار رکن اور وفاقی وزیر فواد چوہدری سے بے سروپا الزامات پر معافی نہیں مانگتا بار کا رخ نہ کریں ورنہ خود ذمہ دار ہوں گے۔ pic.twitter.com/POtgeavrRd
Fawad said that Lucman will not be allowed to enter the premises of LBA until he tendered an apology over his unjust accusations.
The notification stated that the executive committee had expressed “distress and frustration” over the recent statements made by Lucman. The Bar has also sought a written and an on-air apology from the anchorperson. The executive committee warned Lucman for taking further legal actions against him within the parameters of law and constitution.
On January 5, Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry had slapped anchorperson Mubasher Lucman in a valima ceremony of Mohsin Leghari’s son.
Several leaders of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), including Jehangir Tareen, were present at the time of scuffle between the two. Reacting to the incident, Fawad in a Twitter message had criticised Lucman, saying that the anchorperson could not be considered a journalist.
Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry, who made headlines for slapping journalist Mubasher Lucman on Sunday, has shared as to why is he no longer friends with the anchor he was once seen sharing rather fun moments with.
“It was Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s maiden interview and only six journalists could be invited for it,” Fawad said in an exclusive conversation with The Current, as he started to shed light on how it all started.
The former information minister said that senior anchorperson Kamran Shahid was coincidentally present in the federal capital at the time of Imran’s first interview as the country’s chief executive, and was invited. “Mubasher got upset because he was excluded,” Fawad said as he explained what later became a bone of contention between the two.
When asked if journalists and politicians should be friends, he said the two should be like “colleagues”.
Fawad further said that he would discuss the issue on the floor of the National Assembly later in the day, which he was doing by the time this report was filed.
FAWAD SLAPS MUBASHER:
On Sunday, the federal minister slapped the anchor during a spat over Lucman’s allegations against Fawad regarding TikTok star Hareem Shah.
According to reports, Geo News bureau chief for Lahore, Raees Ansari, said the event took place at the wedding reception of Punjab Irrigation Minister Mohsin Laghari’s son. The ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) leaders, Jahangir Tareen and Ishaq Khakwani, were also present at the event.
Ansari revealed that Tareen and Fawad were talking about the allegations that Lucman had levelled on the minister during a TV show, salaciously linking the federal minister to Shah, who recently made headlines after accusing government officials, including lawmakers, of sending her indecent pictures.
It was at that moment that Lucman arrived at the event, triggering a war of words between him and Fawad over the issue. The federal minister reportedly protested against the claims, later slapping and shoving the anchor. The altercation stopped when people intervened and broke up the fight.
Soon after, both Fawad and Lucman left the event.
Chaudhry tacitly admitted to the act, slamming the TV anchor on Twitter, saying: “People like Mubashir Lucman have nothing to do with journalism… they are [sexual slur] who have barged into journalism.”
“It is everyone’s duty to expose [such journalists],” he tweeted.
FIR AGAINST FAWAD:
Meanwhile, Lucman, who had refrained from publicly commenting on the incident, has submitted an application to register a First Information Report (FIR) against the minister.
According to Dawn, Lucman, in his application submitted to the Model Town police station late Sunday night, said he was attending the event along with Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Usman Buzdar, Governor Chaudhry Sarwar, Tareen and various federal and provincial ministers.
He said he was talking to his friends when Fawad attacked him along with 10-12 of his “mussala ghundas (armed goons)”.
“They subjected me to severe violence,” the anchorperson said, adding that after threatening him of serious consequences and of murder, they left the site of the incident.
He claimed that prior to this incident, the federal minister had called and threatened to have him killed if he did not stop his allegations.
Lucman further stated in the application that a case should be registered against Fawad and others, while the federal minister says he would move the cyber-crime wing of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) against the journalist.
As per an application submitted to Punjab inspector general of police (IGP) by the minister’s protocol officer, an FIR against the journalist for defaming and threatening Fawad, as well as his protocol officer, has also been sought.
The protocol officer has also accused Lucman and his accomplices of stealing his wristwatch.
Repeated attempts were made to contact journalist Mubasher Lucman, but he was unavailable.
Twitter has reacted to Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry’s invitation to American billionaire and owner of Tesla, Elon Musk, to establish a car factory in Pakistan in a rather amusing way.
Taking to Twitter and tagging Musk, the minister had on Sunday replied to a news story regarding an announcement by the United States (US) automaker to build half a million electric vehicles a year at its future factory outside Berlin.
“Dear Elon Musk your next destination may be Pakistan where 68 per cent of world population lives within 3.5 hours flight radius from Islamabad,” tweeted Fawad.
Dear @elonmusk your next destination may be Pak,68% of world population lives within 3.5 hrs fligt radius from Isld,we offer ten years zero tax facility and custom free import for factory setup,no other country may offer,plus we are worlds 3rd biggest freelance software exporters https://t.co/CkHznHAQ1P
“We offer ten years zero tax facility and custom free import for factory setup, no other country may offer, plus we are the world’s 3rd biggest freelance software exporters,” he added.
It wasn’t later that Fawad’s proposal attracted trolls, especially from India.
According to reports, Tesla is planning to build half a million electric vehicles a year at its future factory outside Berlin.
Planning documents posted online Friday reveal that the US automaker wants to construct Model 3 and Model Y vehicles at the site in Gruenheide, as well as “future models.”
The so-called Gigafactory – Tesla’s fourth – will include facilities to assemble entire electric vehicles, including the production of batteries.
The plans will have to undergo an environmental impact review and public consultation.
Tesla aims to start operating the plant in July 2021, an optimistic time frame by German standards.
Construction of a nearby airport for Berlin began in 2006 and the opening has been delayed for eight years.
