Television in Pakistan went through a seismic shift when 13 years ago, the drama ‘Dastaan’ debuted on our screens. Featuring a star-studded cast like Fawad Khan, Sanam Baloch, Saba Qamar and Ahsan Khan, the series was an adaptation of the novel ‘Bano’ by Razia Butt, an exploration of the aftermath of the subcontinent’s partition.
The main leads, Hassan (played by Khan) and Bano (played by Baloch), are two lovers who meet when their relatives Suraiya and Salim get married. At first Hassan tries to befriend Bano, but Salim refuses to let them marry because he wants to marry her off to another man. However, just as their families approve and both are engaged, Hassan has to leave for University, and then the partition of 1947 takes place after which their lives are completely changed.
Pakistani dramas today can’t seem to move on from saas-bahu kay jhagray and toxic love stories where women are nothing but a prop for men, so many remember the magic of ‘Dastaan’ especially the tragedy of the love story between Hassan and Bano.
A viral tweet on Twitter had asked about a couple from a drama series that had devastated them, and the most popular reply in the Pakistani context had to be Hassan and Bano’s tragedy from ‘Dastaan’.
Satya Pal Malik, the last governor of the now Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) before it was divided has claimed that Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi is extremely “ill-informed’.
Malik, who was governor during the Pulwama terror attack of February 2019 and during the scrapping of Article 370 in August the same year, said that Modi is “ignorant” about Kashmir and told him [Malik] not to speak about the Union home ministry’s lapses which led to the killing of dozens of paramilitary troops in India-held Jammu and Kashmir.
He said removing Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood was a mistake and it should be restored immediately. He said, “Modi mast hain apne mein – to hell with it! This is his attitude.”
“Narendra Modi is a very ill-informed person.”
Satyapal Malik opens up to Karan Thapar on what really happened in Pulwama – including the PM’s instructions to not speak about lapses – in this explosive interview.
Conversing with acclaimed Indian journalist Karan Thapar, Malik said during the interview with The Wire, that he immediately realised that Modi wanted to use the Pulwama attack to blame Pakistan for the benefit of his government and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The former Indian governor said, “Mein safely keh sakta hoon Prime Minister ko corruption se bahut nafrat nahin hain” (‘I can safely say the PM has no real problem with corruption’).
He further revealed that the attack on the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) convoy in Pulwama was a result of “incompetence” and “carelessness” by the Indian system, specifically the CRPF and the home ministry. Malik gave details of how the CRPF had asked for aircraft to transport its personnel, but was refused by the home ministry.
He said all of these lapses were raised by him directly when Modi called him from outside Corbett Park, shortly after the Pulwama attack. He said the prime minister told him to keep quiet about this and not tell anyone.
Twitter has lashed out at Veteran Bollywood actor Neetu Kapoor for a questionable Instagram post. The actor uploaded a photo on Instagram which many felt was aimed directly at her son Ranbir Kapoor’s ex-girlfriends, Deepika Padukone and Katrina Kaif.
The picture was of a poster on a wall, which read: “Just because he dated you for seven years doesn’t mean that he would marry you. My uncle studied medicine for six years and now he is a DJ.”
Kapoor and Padukone had dated for two years before parting ways while the ‘Tu Jhooti Mein Makkar’ actor was in a relationship with Kaif for six years.
Finding the post problematic, fans lashed out at Kapoor for resorting to sexist and degrading jokes.
Many shared previous clips detailing the late Rishi Kapoor and Neetu’s marriage problems, when he had been caught cheating on her with several women to point out the irony in Kapoor’s comment.
Twitter users also criticised Kapoor for making such sexist comments about women, rather than directly addressing how it is men who refuse to be faithful in relationships and even pointed to how this has led to her son, Ranbir Kapoor, behaving in such a misogynist manner in several interviews towards his wife Alia Bhatt.
Surprising that the person sharing this is a woman herself and has a daughter and two grand daughters . Upsetting to say the least . The toxicity of this family is unmatched . https://t.co/lOlD40Ntst
The Dalai Lama has apologised for kissing a young boy on the lips and asking him to “suck his tongue” at a public event in India.
The incident happened on February 28 at the Dalai Lama’s temple in Dharamshala.
Video of the event show the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize seated in a chair, while the unnamed youngster is standing in front of him, surrounded by numerous people.
The video shows the Dalai Lama kissing the youngster on the lips while holding the boy’s hand. The spiritual leader then places his forehead on the boy’s forehead and says, “And suck my tongue,” while sticking out his tongue.
“A video clip has been circulating that shows a recent meeting when a young boy who asked his Holiness, the Dalai Lama, if he could give him a hug,” said a statement from the leader’s Twitter account said.
“His Holiness wishes to apologise to the boy and his family, as well as his many friends across the world, for the hurt his words may have caused,” the statement read, adding that the spiritual leader “often teases people he meets in an innocent and playful way, even in public and before cameras. He regrets the incident”.
Bollywood superstar Salman Khan came under fire on Twitter after he spoke about digital platforms normalizing nudity and vulgar topics, asking that they should be subjected to censorship.
“I really think there should be censorship on the medium (OTT). All this… vulgarity, nudity, swearing needs to stop. Kids as young as 15 or 16 can access it. Would you like it if your young daughter watches it? I just think the content on OTT needs to be checked. The cleaner the content, the better it will be. It will also have better viewership.”
According to The Hindustan Times, the ‘Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan ‘ actor spoke out against actors who perform nude scenes on television and expose themselves on screen, suggesting that this should not be acceptable in India, because it could also lead to security problems:
“You have done it all – love making, kissing and exposing in scenes. And when you enter your building, your watchman has also watched your work. I just don’t think that is right for security reasons. We don’t need to do that… You don’t need to cross the boundary. We live in India. It was way too much before, finally, it has been curbed. Now, people have started working on a lot of good and decent content.”
Khan’s comments led to a revolt against him on social media, with users bringing up the problematic things the actor has said and done in the past, pointing out the irony in him speaking out against vulgarity, yet refusing to address his own problematic behavior.
Twitter users shared how the 57 year old has consistently played hero to women 20 years younger than him, as currently the female lead of his upcoming film ‘Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan’, Pooja Hedge, is 32 years old.
doesn’t romancing women who could be his daughters fall under vuIgarity or his actions have a different measure of judgement? https://t.co/OxpdMgS5dU
Other users pointed out Khan’s history of making problematic comments, especially when in 2016, he drew outcry over saying his schedule was so hectic that he felt like a ‘raped woman’.
and i think violence against women, hit and drive cases, ppl getting away w murder and animal cruelty should stop too. dont u agree salmon bhai 🥰🥰🥰 https://t.co/sfpgOMRYiW
Many also pointed out how Khan has a history of being abusive to his partners. Former girlfriend Somy Ali shared details of domestic violence she suffered during their eight year relationship. Other people also recalled how Bollywood superstar Aishwarya Rai Bachchan suffered from domestic abuse from the actor during the time they were together.
Bollywood openly promotes harassment, teasing, rapey scenes, female objectification through those item numbers and tharki lyrics but showing consensual sex on screen is where they draw the line weirdos man https://t.co/mffb3QVq9V
What about Bollywood’s misogynistic content – promoting teasing, stalking, rape culture. Double meaning songs. Objectifying women. Stereotyping marginalized communities. I can go on an on..any thoughts on that Mr Khan? https://t.co/BJmdAxQnZm
Pakistan’s High Commission in New Delhi has announced that it has issued 2,856 visas to Sikh pilgrims from India. The visas will allow the pilgrims to travel to Pakistan and participate in the annual Baisakhi festivities, which are set to take place from April 9-18, 2023. The issuance of these visas falls under the Pakistan-India Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines of 1974.
Every year, many Sikh Yatrees from India travel to Pakistan to observe different religious festivals and occasions. The High Commission’s issuance of visas to these religious pilgrims is in accordance with the Pakistani government’s commitment to fully implement the Bilateral Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines between the two countries.
Pakistan’s Charge d’Affaires, Salman Sharif, congratulated the pilgrims on the occasion and wished them a fulfilling journey. He added that Pakistan is dedicated to preserving sacred religious places and ensuring that visiting pilgrims are provided with necessary facilitation.
The pilgrims will visit several sites, including Dera Sahib, Panja Sahib, Nankana Sahib, and Kartarpur Sahib. They will arrive Pakistan on April 9 and return to India on April 18.
As part of their ‘Cost Of The Crown’ series, investigating the British Royal Family’s wealth and finances, The Guardian has extracted a 46 page report from the Indian government which provided details of jewelry and other precious items stolen by the colonial British Empire during their reign over the sub-continent. Most of the gifts were handed over as gifts to Queen Victoria, the reigning monarch at the time.
The investigation was commanded by the late Queen Elizabeth II’s grandmother, Queen Mary, to find out about the origins of her jewels.
The report details the names of the jewels as well as their colonial origins and how they were stolen by the East India Company.
1 Koh-i-Noor
The legendary diamond Koh-i-Noor was taken from Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s kitty. The ruler of Lahorr had signed a treaty of friendship with the British in 1831, and six years later the then Governer-General of India, George Eden, and his sister, Fanny, visited him at his palace. The Guardian writes that Fanny had later written about Singh’s diamond collection, detailing how he decorated his horses with the finest diamonds she had ever seen:
“If ever we are allowed to plunder this kingdom, I shall go straight to their stables.”
in 1849, Singh and his heir, Duleep, were forced to sign over Punjab to the British army, who stole all of his jewels as a part of their conquest, along with the Koh-i-Noor.
The diamond is part of the Imperial Collection, imbedded into Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother’s crown, worn by consorts.
2 The Timur Ruby gemstone
Named after Timur, the founder of Timurind Empire in Central Asia, the gemstone is etched with the names of the five men who owned it: Jahangir (1569-1627), the 4th Mughal Emperor, Shah Jehan (1592-1666), the 5th Mughal Emperor, Farrukhsiyar (1685-1719), the 10th Mughal Emperor; Nader Shah (1688-1747), Shah of Iran; and Ahmad Shah Durrani (1722-1772), King of Afghanistan.
By 1813, the gemstone was under the possession of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, who ruled over the Sikh Empire, and later was passed down to his heir Maharaja Sher Singh. From there, the necklace was inherited by his brother Duleep Singh, who became Maharaja when he was only five years old.
During 1948- 49, when the British Empire waged wars over the Sikh Empire, the East India Company took over Punjab and forced the then ten-year-old Maharaja to hand over his possessions. Duleep Singh was placed under a Scottish guardian, isolated from contacting his fellow countrymen.
3 Pearl necklace
Comprising of 244 pearls and a clasp of two magnificent rubies, the necklace had originally belonged to a ruler in Punjab, until it was stolen by the British. Queen Elizabeth II was spotted wearing this necklace at the Royal Opera House in London to celebrate her diamond jubilee.
4 Emerald girdle of Maharaja Sher Singh
The gold girdle inlaid with 19 emeralds first came to the public’s attention during Buckingham Palace’s celebration of Prince Charles’ 70th birthday, with a display of his favorite pieces from the royal collection. The item had previously belonged to an Indian Maharaja, Sher Singh, who used it to decorate his precious horses.
A 13-year-old boy in India has committed suicide after a barber cut his hair extremely short.
As per Indian media news reports, the incident took place in Indian state Maharashtra.
The boy committed suicide by jumping from the window of a bathroom.
Media reports state that the boy was unhappy about his hair being cut short and not according to what he wanted. His parents tried to calm him down but the boy remained unsatisfied.
The boy went to the bathroom and allegedly jumped out of the windo when all the family members of his family had gone to sleep.
Indian police have arrested five men accused of conducting a human sacrifice in a temple in Assam. In 2019, the headless body of a woman was found in Guwahati, leading to an investigation.
Shanti Shaw, 64, was beheaded with a machete at the temple as an “offering” to the temple goddess, police said.
“The five people planned the killing of the woman,” police commissioner Diganta Barah said while talking to the media on Tuesday. “A total of 12 people took part,” he added.
He continued by saying, “During investigation, we found this was a case of human sacrifice to please Maa Kamakhya (a Hindu goddess)”. The commissioner added that the alleged ringleader, Pradeep Pathak, 52, had orchestrated the killing as part of a religious rite to mark the anniversary of his brother’s death.
“The accused apparently believed that the sacrifice would appease the soul of the deceased,” he added.
Between 2014 and 2021, 103 instances of human sacrifice were reported to India’s National Crime Records Bureau.
Claim: The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) of India has removed chapters and topics related to the Mughal empire from its 12th-grade history syllabus.
FACT: NCERT director Dinesh Prasad Saklani has denied the news reports calling them a lie. “There was a rationalisation process last year. Due to Covid, there was pressure on students everywhere,” the NCERT director said, adding that the expert committee recommended dropping the chapters which won’t impact the knowledge of the students.
“The history of Mughals is being taught in Empires in section-2 of the 11th class book. And in the class 12th book there were 2 chapters on the history of the Mughals, out of which theme nine was removed last year, while theme eight is still being taught to the students. This year no chapter has been removed from any book,” Saklani said.
However, the false claim generated a meme fest on Twitter. Have a look at some:
Children in Delhi: Wow Taj Mahal is so beautiful, who made this?
Like the historic Red Fort, the Jama Masjid, Fatehpur Sikri and the Taj Mahal were all built by faeries who disappeared after they were done !! https://t.co/A30TnpJF8H
You can’t change history just by erasing all mentions of it, it’s like I won’t tell what I ate yesterday but the fact is I am getting fatter :/ https://t.co/8V2HtMkMXP
