Tag: Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar

  • Omair Rana rejects allegations of harassment, will take matter to FIA

    Omair Rana rejects allegations of harassment, will take matter to FIA

    Omair Rana, who was accused of sexual harassment by some students of Lahore Grammar School (LGS) 1A1 Ghalib Market Branch, has rejected all such allegations and has said that he will be filing a complaint with the Federal Investigation Authority (FIA) against those who have wrongfully accused him. Female students of LGS 1A1 had alleged that Rana would pass inappropriate jokes and comments and make them feel uncomfortable. They also said that he flirted with young girls and exchanged inappropriate texts.

    The actor, in a Twitter update added that “sexual harassment is a heinous crime and should be treated with the seriousness that it deserves”.

    On June 28, dozens of girls came forward with accounts of harassment and inappropriate behaviour by teachers at LGS 1A1 Ghalib Market Branch. The management of the school, including female teachers, also came under fire for brushing the matter under the carpet for years. Among those teachers accused of covering up was Omair’s wife Maira Omair Rana, who was later suspended for abetting in the acts. It is pertinent to mention here that most of the girls studying at the school were minors at the time.

    Such incidents had reportedly been going on for the past four or five years and the victims had been reporting the matter to the admin and their teachers. However, they took no action and resorted to victim-blaming. Strict action was only taken after the girls shared their ordeal on social media and the matter became public.

    According to details, students have come forward and shared their experiences of being harassed by three teachers namely Aitezaz Rehman Sheikh, Umer Shareef and Zahid Iqbal Warraich. All three teachers were fired soon after the allegations surfaced.

    Following the uproar on social media, Minister for Human Rights Dr Shireen Mazari had said that she has taken serious notice of the allegations. The Punjab government had also said that they will hand exemplary punishments to the perpetrators and make an example of them.

    Meanwhile, Chairman Senate Committee on Human Rights and PPP Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar said that the HR Committee has taken notice of the matter and will be discussing it on July 22. Sharing details, he said that concerned parents will be allowed to join the meeting.

  • ‘Zindagi Tamasha’ gets the green signal from Senate HR committee

    ‘Zindagi Tamasha’ gets the green signal from Senate HR committee

    The Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights has given the green signal to Sarmad Khoosat’s film Zindagi Tamasha and has allowed it to be screened post-COVID-19. The film had stirred up controversy for allegedly hurting religious sentiments.

    Chairperson of the committee and PPP Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar made the announcement on social media and said that the committee found nothing wrong with the film. He said that the film can be screened when cinema halls open post-COVID.

    While detailed reasoning on the committee’s decision is awaited, Senator Khokhar while speaking to The Current said: “It was a unanimous decision by all Senators of the Human Rights Committee who watched the movie together in Senate’s committee room. Nobody thought there was anything wrong with it. Waleed Iqbal from PTI was also one of the senators who watched it, even though he wasn’t part of the Human Rights Committee.”

    He added: “It’s a very good movie, I was touched by it; was beautifully shot. I would recommend that everyone should watch it once it’s released.”

    Zindagi Tamasha, which was scheduled to hit screens on January 25, was stopped from being released days before its release after the federal and provincial governments feared public unrest.

    While the Federal Government had said that the film will be reviewed by the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII), the Punjab Government had directed the filmmaker to hold a screening on February 3 so that the film can be reviewed again. However, no screening has taken place to date. It is pertinent to mention here that the provincial and central censor boards had earlier cleared the film for release with a few cuts.

    Sarmad had also appealed to the Prime Minister, President, Chief of Army Staff and the Chief Justice of Pakistan to facilitate the release of the film.

    https://twitter.com/KhoosatSarmad/status/1217818381149229062?s=20

    Senator Khokhar on March 11 had announced that the HR Committee had taken notice of the ban on the film.

    Written by Nirmal Bano and directed by Khoosat, Zindagi Tamasha starres Arif Hassan, Samiya Mumtaz, Eman Suleman and Ali Qureshi in the lead. The film is centred around a naat khwan Rahat Khawaja (played by Hassan) and his family who are outcast from the society when a secret of Khawaja’s is leaked.

    The official synopsis states: “The film is an intimate portrait of a family as well as a scorching political commentary on little gods on this earth who police our private passions.”

    The film premiered at the Busan International Film Festival held in October 2019 where it also won the prestigious Kim Ji Seok Award.

    Watch trailer:

  • Most of our politicians are spending their Valentine’s Day with one man

    Most of our politicians are spending their Valentine’s Day with one man

    Valentine’s Day 2020 is on a Friday and we asked a few politicians what they are planning to do on V day. And most of them are spending their day with one man: Turkish President Tayyib Erdoğan.

    Erdogan will be visiting Pakistan this week

    Erdoğan is set to visit Pakistan on the 13th and will be addressing a joint session of Parliament on Friday the 14th of February. When asked PML-Q’s Moonis Elahi, PPP’s Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar and Rehman Malik said they would be in Parliament to hear Erdoğan speak.

    While PTI’s Hammad Azhar said he will be working, we’re assuming that he will also be attending Erdoğan’s session.

    But not everyone has a date with Erdoğan. PTI’s rising politician Ali Tareen says he will be taking his wife out in the morning and will spend the evening with his team, Multan Sultans as they train for the Pakistan Super League (PSL).

    Ali Tareen is the owner of Multan Sultans which is set to play the PSL, starting next week

    But PML-N’s Hina Butt has one of the best V day plans. She says, “I love Valentine’s. I love expressing my love to the important people in my life by making them handwritten cards, chocolates, precious gifts, flowers. My father is my first love and always has been my first Valentine. I always give him a red rose and my son gives me a hand-written Valentine’s day card. This year I am also getting a Valentine’s basket make for Maryam Nawaz with a picture of her and her father, Mian Nawaz Sharif sahib, saying “Every girl’s first love is her dad” as they are not together at the moment. I know it will make her happy on Valentine’s Day.”

    Hina Butt has a super fun V day planned

    And that’s not all. “Also this year I am doing something special. I am treating myself by getting a puppy. My son, Momi and I will go to find a pet in the day and get a Pug or a fluffy cat,” she says adding, “Pets give you unconditional love. Then I plan to pamper myself in the spa and relax.”

    Hina is also planning to celebrate her evening in style – with her girls.

    “Later at night I am planning to celebrate ‘Galentine’s Day’ (Valentine’s Day with my girlfriends),” she says. “I will date my best friends. Getting the gang together, book a limo, get dressed up, go to a fancy restaurant, and order the special Valentine’s Day menu and do something fun as a group.”

  • PTI’s Fawad spotted in PPP leader’s car with another friend from PML-N

    PTI’s Fawad spotted in PPP leader’s car with another friend from PML-N

    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.