Dia Mirza tied the knot with Mumbai-based businessman Vaibhav Rekhi in an intimate ceremony on February 15. The wedding ceremony took place at Mirza’s residence in Bandra, Mumbai.
Sharing pictures from the wedding day, Dia said: “Love is a full-circle that we call home. And what a miracle it is to hear its knock, open the door and be found by it.”
The newlyweds also posed for the media and distributed sweets among the photographers and paparazzi present outside their home. While Dia glowed in a red saree accessorized with red dupatta, the groom donned a white kurta-pyjama with a beige turban.
Earlier, pictures from Dia’s bridal shower were widely circulated on social media.
Dia and Vaibhav have reportedly been in a relationship for more than a year now and grew closer during the lockdown. The two kept their relationship tightly under wraps with their fans finding out about it just a few days before their wedding.
Dia was earlier married to Sahil Sangha. The two got divorced in August 2019 after five years of marriage.
Media outlets from across the border, including India Today and NDTV, have apologised for airing a doctored video of Pakistani analyst and former diplomat Zafar Hilaly, wherein due to editing, he appeared to be supporting Indian claims of hundreds of casualties in the 2018 cross-border aggression by New Delhi.
Several Indian television channels, newspapers and websites had carried the report by news agency ANI on Hilaly’s remarks that he made while speaking to a Pakistani media outlet over Indian claims of 300 terrorists dying in the Balakot airstrike on February 26, 2019.
One of the reports said, “The admission by the former Pakistani diplomat, who regularly takes the Pakistan army side in TV debates, goes against the zero casualties claim made by Islamabad at that time.”
“India crossed the international border and did an act of war in which at least 300 were reported dead. Our target was different from theirs. We targeted their high command. That was our legitimate target because they are men of the military. We subconsciously accepted that a surgical strike — a limited action — did not result in any casualty. Now we have subconsciously told them that, whatever they will do, we’ll do only that much and won’t escalate,” ANI had quoted Hilaly as saying.
But a fact-check by Alt News found that the comments were misreported. Hilaly also tweeted a video saying his statement was spliced and edited.
In the debate posted on YouTube by HUM News as part of a programme called “Agenda Pakistan”, Hilaly had actually said, “What you did, India, was an act of war. By crossing the international boundary, India committed an act of war in which they intended to kill at least 300 people.”
While the report has since been retracted by all outlets, here’s what India Today tweeted.
CLARIFICATION It’s been brought to our notice that the segment in the video, showing former Pakistani diplomat claim that India killed many in #Balakot airstrikes, is doctored. It is our responsibility to bring this to the notice of our audience. We regret the error.
The 2019 Balakot airstrike was conducted by India in the early morning hours of February 27 when Indian warplanes crossed the de facto border in the disputed region of Kashmir, and dropped bombs in the vicinity of the town of Balakot in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province in Pakistan.
While India claimed having destroyed terror camps “established on the Pakistani side” with hundreds of terrorists dead, Pakistan had rebutted the claims and sent a group of both local and foreign journalists to the area to ascertain the facts by themselves.
The episode had led to tensions running high between the two countries for months and embarrassment for India after Pakistan shot down one of its intruding fighter jets besides capturing an Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot.
What do you think of the yet another rather embarrassing moment for Indian media? Let The Current know in the comments…
Claim: Pakistani lawmakers chant “Modi, Modi” in favor of the Indian Prime Minister during the 27th session of the National Assembly
Fact: Pakistani parliamentarians did not engage in any sloganeering in favor of Modi inside the parliament and were in fact chanting “voting, voting”
A television news segment in India reporting that slogans favoring Prime Minister Narendra Modi were chanted by lawmakers in Pakistan has been shared extensively on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
The claim was widely amplified by prominent Indian politicians and other media outlets.
However, the claim is false; the lawmakers were in fact chanting calls for a vote during a debate in the National Assembly, a fact check by AFP read.
A one-minute and 45-seconds news clip was published on Facebook here on October 29, 2020.
The post’s caption says: “Modi Modi slogans in Pakistan’s parliament.”
The clip shared in the Facebook post is a segment from India TV that reports on and shows footage from a debate in Pakistan’s National Assembly that was held on October 26, 2020.
The segment was published on India TV’s Twitter account here on October 28, 2020. “Exclusive: Why some MPs in Pakistan parliament shouted ‘Modi, Modi’,” the tweet reads.
In the broadcast, India TV’s chyron reads “Again MPs raised the slogans of Modi” and “‘Modi-Modi’ slogans chanted in front of Pakistan foreign minister.”
Footage of the parliamentary debate was also shared alongside the claim by Indian media outlets here, here, here, here, here, here and here and by Facebook users here, here, here and here.
However, the claim is false.
A close analysis of the parliamentary proceedings show that the lawmakers are in fact chanting in Urdu “voting, voting” — not “Modi, Modi”.
The chanting was coming from opposition politicians that were demanding a vote on a resolution that would call on Muslim countries to boycott French goods in response to remarks made by French President Emmanuel Macron regarding blasphemous sketches of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him).
The “voting, voting” chants occurred while Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi was speaking during the debate, which can be seen in full on Public TV’s YouTube channel here.
The chanting can be heard at the video’s 13:28 mark.
Dawn, a major English newspaper in Pakistan, reported on the “voting, voting” chants here on October 27, 2020.
Prime Minister Modi was invoked later in the parliamentary proceeding but in a negative sense.
At 18:25 mark of the Public TV video, Qureshi taunts an opposition lawmaker, saying “it appears that the spirit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s has been transferred into him”.
The quip was followed by chants of “whoever is a friend of Modi is a traitor.”
The negative comments about Modi were reported on by several news outlets, including Pakistan’s Express Tribune here, Indian news agency IANS here and in the Dawn report here.
The false claim that Pakistani lawmakers chanted “Modi, Modi” was also debunked by the UK’s BBC here and by Indian fact-checking organizations Boomlive here and Alt News here.
After the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) decided to keep Pakistan in the grey-list till February, Indian media reports have claimed that Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Turkey was the only country to back Pakistan at the plenary meeting of the global anti-money laundering watchdog while China bailed out.
The FATF, also known by its French name, Groupe d’action financière, is an intergovernmental organisation that combats money laundering. In 2001, its mandate was expanded to include terrorism financing.
Pakistan was placed on the FATF’s grey list in 2018 whereas in February 2019, the country had secured an extra four months to complete the plan after missing 13 of the 27 targets set by the global watchdog.
According to reports, Turkey, during October 23’s plenary, proposed a special visit to Islamabad to make an onsite assessment of the Imran Khan government’s implementation to plug holes in its legal framework to curb terror financing.
The suggestion was seen as an effort to let Pakistan off the hook for now and immediately place it on the white list but was not supported by any other country, including allied China and Malaysia.
“Out of 27 points, we have implemented 21 points given by the authorities concerned regarding FATF, ” Minister for Revenue Hammad Azhar said while talking to a private television channel after the watchdog decided to retain Pakistan on its grey list.
Except India, every country had appreciated the efforts of Pakistan for satisfying the people dealing FATF, he added.
BLACKLISTING OFF THE TABLE:
In a statement, FATF urged Pakistan to complete an internationally agreed action plan by February 2021. FATF said Pakistan had now reached 21 targets out of 27 set for it in 2018 when Pakistan was placed on FATF’s “grey list” of countries with inadequate controls over terrorism financing.
But Pakistan still needs to demonstrate that law enforcement agencies are identifying and investigating the widest range of terrorism financing activity, FATF said.
The watchdog also asked Islamabad to demonstrate that terrorism financing probes resulted in effective, proportionate and dissuasive sanctions.
“FATF acknowledged that any blacklisting is off the table now,” Pakistani federal minister Hammad Azhar tweeted.
Pak has achieved impressive progress on its FATF action plan. 21 out of 27 action items now stand cleared. Remaining 6 rated as partially complete. Within a year, we progressed from 5/27 to 21/27 completed items. FATF acknowledged that any blacklisting is off the table now. 1/2
Azhar, who leads Pakistan’s delegation at FATF plenary meetings, said the forum’s discussions were focused on how Pakistan could be supported in meeting its targets before a formal review in the middle of next year.
According to a report now retracted by News 18, Karachi is burning with shootouts between civil and military bodies after the army took over the provincial metropolis and the control of all police stations as well as government buildings.
WATCH VIDEO:
Here’s a screenshot of the tweet that has now been deleted:
This time, however, it isn’t just Indian media that is making baseless claims that will crack you up…
“10 police officers of Sindh police martyred during their line of duty of saving people of Karachi from atrocities of army [sic],” prominent Indian lawyer Prashant Patel Umrao claimed.
He went on to say that the United States (US) Navy may enter Karachi port soon, drawing strong reactions from Twitterati, and not just those from Pakistan.
“Indian disinformation accounts are exploiting Pakistan’s current political crisis and falsely claiming that the country is now experiencing urban warfare and other serious instability,” tweeted the deputy director of the Asia Program and senior associate for South Asia at the Wilson Center, Michael Kugelman.
Indian disinformation accounts are exploiting Pakistan’s current political crisis and falsely claiming that the country is now experiencing urban warfare and other serious instability. Dangerous and disturbing; several of these accounts are verified, with large followings. Ugh.
Mehwish Hayat has lashed out at Indian media for spreading fake news about her, saying that she will not “give credence to the unfounded accusations by issuing a statement”.
The actor in clear cut words stated that she knew why she was the target of fake news and said that “this kind of gutter journalism will not shut me up”.
“I will continue to highlight their atrocities in Kashmir and to call out Bollywood for its hypocrisy,” added Mehwish, before concluding her tweet on a light note. Mehwish has always raised her voice for the plight of the Kashmiris and has been a vocal critic of Muslim and Pakistani representation in Bollywood movies. She had even called out Shah Rukh Khan for fuelling propaganda after his series Bard of Blood was released on Netflix.
I will continue to highlight their atrocities in Kashmir and to call out Bollywood for its hypocrisy. Oh BTW next time if you want to link my name with someone .. may I suggest @LeoDiCaprio ?
Mehwish’s remarks come after Indian media linked the actor to the notorious Indian crime boss and drug dealer Dawood Ibrahim. The story which was carried by all leading Indian media outlets claimed that Mehwish and Ibrahim are in a relationship and that all her movies are funded by him. The report further stated that Mehwish was awarded the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz because of Ibrahim’s influence.
It is pertinent to mention here that Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry, in an interview, had shared that he was the one who had recommended Hayat for the prestigious 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 had said, adding that he had recommended her because her films do exceptional business.
What is interesting to note is that the story was not credited to any source and is baseless. Indian media is well-known for resorting to fake news to push forward propaganda.
Meanwhile, check out the video below see how the Indian media lost it during India-Pakistan tensions:
In yet another ridiculous attempt by Indian authorities to malign Pakistan, media outlets from across the border have quoted Bihar Police as saying that the country is at threat by men infected by the new coronavirus — COVID-19 — whom Islamabad is trying to send to India via Nepal.
According to reports, the Sashatra Seema Bal (SSB) — one of India’s Central Armed Police Forces — manning the Indo-Nepal border, has written a letter to authorities in Bihar’s Champaran district, apprising them of a “racket being operated from Nepal to spread coronavirus in India”.
As per the letter sent by SSB, a resident in Nepal is trying to send positive coronavirus Indian Muslims to India through the Bihar border with the ulterior motive of disseminating the virus in India. The letter also states that Pakistani men already infected by COVID-19 may also be infiltrated to India via the Indo-Nepal border.
“All top police officials of the districts bordering Nepal have been alerted of possible infiltration attempts,” Indian media reports quoted authorities in Patna as saying.
Both Pakistan and India are suffering in the global battle against COVID-19 that has so far claimed 72 lives in Pakistan and at least 239 in India. The number of infections in Pakistan and India stands at 4,788 and 7,447, respectively.
By the time this report was filed, nearly 1.7 million global infections had been reported with over 102,000 deaths.
In a rather amusing development amid coronavirus fears, Indian media has quoted a fake Twitter handle of Pakistan’s Health Ministry to report that at least eight officers of Pakistan army, including three lieutenant colonels, two colonels, two brigadiers and one major general, have tested positive for COVID-19.
“Routine check-up in GHQ [General Headquarters] Rawalpindi by #COVID19 investigation team has found that 3 Lt.colonel, 2 Colonel, 2 Brigadier, 1 Maj.general has been tested positive for coronavirus. #CoronavirusPandemic. [sic]” reports quoted a statement tweeted by an account that has now been suspended by the micro-blogging website.
The blunder was also highlighted by Uzair Hasan Rizvi of AFPFactCheck.
This story about Pakistan reported by Indian news agency ANI is FALSE.
A Health Ministry spokesperson also confirmed that the account was fake.
It was created in September 2019 and was regularly tweeting misleading information regarding the efforts of the government to control coronavirus in the country.
Meanwhile, the coronavirus tally in Pakistan has reached 29 with Islamabad’s maiden case being reported Saturday. The federal and all provincial governments are taking every possible step to contain the virus.
Atif Aslam took to social media to announce the arrival of his baby boy with the caption ‘Ladies and gentlemen our new arrival Alhamdulilah. Both mother and baby are fine. Keep us in your prayers and don’t forget to say Mashallah’.
Atif was thankful to God so he wrote Alhumdulilah. But someone who works in an Indian tabloid surely did not know what the term means.
Atif’s post: “Ladies and gentlemen our NEW arrival Alhamdulilah. Both mother and baby are fine. Keep us in your prayers and don’t forget to say Mashallah”
However, the writer accepted the mistake and also corrected it.
In retrospect, this is the silliest and one of the worst mistakes I have ever made. But as soon as we realised, we made the change. Too late though. But I learnt two things: 1. Be very careful on the web 2. Alhamdulilah cannot be a name
Desi Martini also posted an apology for the mistake.
An error in our copy on #AtifAslam claiming the name of his child wrong has been fixed. We sincerely apologise for the error and any misunderstanding or misinterpretation it may have caused.
Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan in his speech to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) bashed India for 50 minutes, exceeding the 15-20-minute time limit that leaders have to follow and Indian media can’t control their frustration.
The Indian media outlets including Times of India, NDTV among others are praising Narendra Modi for speaking for 16 minutes, within the given time limit.
But Modi in his speech failed to mention the situation in occupied Kashmir and the growing tensions with Pakistan.
PM Imran, however, talked about issues including Kashmir, money laundering, Islamophobia, and the damage caused by climate change and it is gaining recognition around the world.
Indian media instead of focusing on the content of the speech is raising a foolish argument and criticising PM Imran on the fact that he exceeded the given time limit.
On the other hand, the international media outlets are criticising Modi for skipping any mention of his government’s crackdown in the Indian occupied Kashmir (IoK). Similarly, Al Jazeera also noted Modi’s silence during his speech regarding the Kashmir issue.
