During tough times of Covid, Usman Khan from Peshawar has taken the initiative of spreading smiles after the area where he has lived has witnessed decades of suicide attacks, explosions, and threats from hardline militant groups.

Great news for all those looking forward to starting a business in Pakistan. Pakistan has improved its position in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Index for the second year in a row.
According to the latest rankings released by the global organisation, Pakistan has improved its position by an impressive total of 28 points, surging from 136th place to 108th on the ran.

Despite many hurdles, the history of the land of Pakistan retains a rich potential for the Sikh diaspora to relive and reclaim their religious heritage. As an effort to highlight and elaborate the religious memorials, Gurdwara, and history of the important religious figures, we find an impressive effort of Dr Dalvir S. Pannu as, The Sikh Heritage: Beyond Borders of India and Pakistan.
 

We thought the year 2021 will be a year of hope after last year’s pandemic outbreak. This year will indeed be a year when a vaccine is rolled out around the world but there is a catch. Find it out in this editorial. 

Zayn Malik has released a new song from his album ‘Nobody is listening’ with a surprise for the fans of classical music. The surprise is that his newly released song features Muhammad Rafi’s Chaudhvi Ka Chand.

Shoaib Akhtar jo ke apni on and off the field aggression ki waja se famous hain has recently trashed Pakistani advertisements in a live TV show, which basically runs on the advertisements. Khair he said ke world’s pathetic advertisements are made in Pakistan and without creativity. 
 

Like every Pakistani, Sajal Aly’s sister is also proud of her for getting a role in Jemima Goldsmith’s upcoming production ‘What’s Love Got to Do With It?’ Sharing the news on Instagram, Saboor congratulated her sister: “Proud sister. Your hard work paid off. We believe that sky is your limit, so go out and spread your wings and soar high.”

This week we’ve been asking some pretty tough questions on our Instagram stories. Asking our followers to vote in polls with questions like, ‘Are you with the one you love’, ‘Do you think your parents know you’, and ‘Are you happy right now’. I loved checking to see how many people were engaging with the poll since so many were, and I was amazed to see how many people inboxed us wanting to talk about their lives. 58 percent said they were not with the one they loved, and 62 percent said they weren’t with who they wanted to be with because of family issues rather than societal norms. 59 percent felt their family knew them and 64 percent said they felt happy right now. You know what that shows me?  Resilience. Hum aik muaashray mein rehte hain jahan it’s difficult to have a love marriage or date lekin hum phir bhi khush hain.

Urooj Ali The Current kay lifestyle desk ko manage karti hain and when I met Urooj, I was so impressed by how happy she was. And yes, being happy is an impressive thing. She was energetic, smart and so very young. She had been working at another online channel and wanted to join us to do reporting — but there is no challenge that Urooj has not taken up — and succeeded at. Not because she’s lucky, but because she is incredibly hardworking. Some of our best lifestyle stories are written by her, she goes out and gets people to talk to her for our social questions (like the ones asked in the polls above) called Mujhe Samajh Nahin Aata and let’s not forget her amazing exploration of historical sites called Secrets of Lahore. 

This week Urooj takes us on a tour of Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s son Maharaja Sher Singh’s summer house (most people haven’t even heard of or seen it) and it’s such a fun watch (lifestyle of the historical and famous) that you will most definitely want to join Ashar as he checks out Badshah Tandoors’ Pizza Naan on this week’s food review. I can’t wait for the day I can go out and eat without a mask but to my anger and disappointment, aisa nahi lagta kay Pakistan mai vaccine jald ayegi. Apparently, the government doesn’t care because according to journalist Saleem Safi and Suhail Warriach, government officials have secretly gotten vaccinated and are home corona-free. At this point, it’s just speculation and when it comes to knowing what’s going on in government, PM Khan has also told his spokespersons to stop sharing details of his party meetings with the media. And I promise this wasn’t planned but Mahwish Bhatti’s opinion piece called, “Pata Nahin Imran Khan” seems quite apt today (I’m really hoping this vaccine news isn’t true). 

Even though it’s been hard to stay isolated this past year, I know what I want to do when I get the vaccine. Hop over to Sindh to see the site where archaeologists say was a third-century settlement and eat at The Grizzly Burger, a restaurant that hired a transgender staff to challenge the unfair practises of the Pakistani society. I’m also looking forward to seeing actor Sajal Aly in Jemima Goldsmith’s new movie  ‘What’s love got to do with it?’ But there doesn’t seem to be an end to the virus anytime soon. What do you think? When will we be free?

At this sad, yet hopeful note, Karachi is going to have a wonderful sunny day today, Islamabad, Quetta and Peshawar are also sunny while Lahore will be cloudy. Oh and I almost forgot a story you guys might be interested in. Singer Asim Azhar has asked the Pakistan Cricket Board to stop ignoring him. (I promise I wasn’t. I just forgot to add him in). 

Haha, kal milte hain! Theek 8:30AM!
Marium

A foreign couple, who is apparently from Australia or Germany, has been residing outside the Customs House in Lahore, for the past six months without permission, and kisi ko pata hi nahi chala, waah!

Mohammad Amir has hit back at Head coach Misbah-ul-Haq, and bowling coach Waqar Younis, saying that they are portraying a different picture to take the blame off their backs.

Farhan Saeed has lauded polio workers for their dedication and hard work. He shared a video of female polio workers walking in blankets of snow to deliver the vaccine to the children of Azad Kashmir, aur unki Twitter post pe aur log bhi couldn’t stop praising the efforts of these women.

Kya #WhatsApp Headquarters mein log aapkay messages parh rahay hain? What are these #privacy concerns all about and how is #Telegram better than WhatsApp?
 

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has blamed its agents managing its two limited liability companies (LLCs), saying the responsibility lies with the agents in case of any illegal funding from the United States.

The Prime Minister isn’t happy with his cabinet ministers. He has asked them to quit the federal cabinet if they have a problem with the decisions taken by the government. Well, news reports suggest that PTI’s Nadeem Afzal Chan is the first one to resign from his post after this meeting and it’s got us wondering: Should we expect other resignations soon?

I mean what we shouldn’t expect anytime soon is Kamran Akmal getting selected by the Pakistan Cricket Board. Don’t get me wrong, he is such a super fun guy and he’s trying his best to get back into national cricket but his latest workout videos aren’t helping him much. The internet can’t get enough of his workout video that he recently posted on Twitter. Can you do such strenuous workout while another human being is on top of you? (Yes, you did read that right!)

Aik story jo abhi tak confirm nahi ho saki is that PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto will attend US President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration ceremony lekin kaha ja raha hai kay yeh sach nahi hai. As per BBC Urdu, Senator Farhatullah Babar has denied these reports and said that the PPP has received no such invitation lekin news reports yeh keh rah hain kay BBZ 18th ko America ja rahein hain. Waiting to see what happens!

We never have to wait for our two Pakistani love birds Iqra Aziz and Yasir Hussain to take to social media to express their love for each other. They had a “shame on you” social media banter and it’s rather cute. Is it?

What is absolutely super cool is that Pakistan and Turkey might be making a movie or a series very soon! Humayun Saeed shared pictures of  himself and Adnan Siddiqui with the executive producer of Diriliş: Ertuğrul Kamal Tekdin and actor Celal Al, saying that he and his “friend Adnan Siddiqui are absolutely thrilled to be bringing to you the biggest project ever in collaboration with Kashif Bhai and our Turkish brothers.” Humayun Saeed and Halima Sultan? Yes, please!

The A-Team, Ayesha and Ashar reviewed the top dramas this week and had a tie for the worst dramas. I couldn’t agree more. The only one I’m kind of liking these days is ‘Raqs-e-Bismil’ because that Sarah Khan, is an excellent actor, controversial storyline and it’s going to have a lot of mirch masala. 

Atif Aslam nay bhi aaj shock kar dia. The Federal Board of Revenue has reportedly sent singer Atif Aslam a tax notice worth Rs 58 million after the audit of his income for the year 2018. Atif has been given one month’s notice to pay the tax. If he fails to pay the due amount, the revenue board will make the recovery by freezing his bank accounts. 

It isn’t freezing in Quetta today for once! Karachi is beautiful and sunny, Lahore, Islamabad and Peshawar are still a bit cloudy. 

I’m off to Islamabad tomorrow for a day so might not be able to check-in with you guys tomorrow! But don’t worry, you will get our regular newsletter! We shall never leave you alone

See you!
Marium

I’m not going to introduce you to a member of The Current today, mostly because I want to introduce her when her video goes on this week. Most of you guys already know who she is since, “Where’s Urooj” is one of the most common messages we get when we go live from our office. 

Today we start off the newsletter is what I believe is the most important issue of all. The #MeToo movement has given courage to a lot of voiceless victims of sexual abuse and harassment and I am always hopeful that we in Pakistan, also take this seriously. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister’s aide Ziaullah Bangash has been accused of sexual harassment by a woman hailing from Kohat. She has asked PM to take notice. Bangash has denied these claims but if we are to make our country safe for women, the government must investigate this incident. Will it? I don’t know and am doubtful but at this point, we can also report the incidents, keep them alive and hope that the government protects its women.

We know Zulfi Bukhari to be someone who is PM Khan’s very good friend and in Quetta he tried to ‘protect’ the PM by asking what the PM would gain if he came to visit the Hazara mourners. His statement created quite a controversy. Ever wonder who he is and why he is so close to the PM? Here is what you need to know. When I met him for the interview we did about a year ago, he took time to loosen up and talk about who he was but once he did, he seemed charming and quite upset at the ‘propaganda’ about his private life. 

We all know how the Indian media is used as a propaganda tool by the Modi regime. Well, it’s not something new — as was uncovered by the EU’s DisinfoLab in the ‘Indian Chronicles’. Well, the Indian media has been exposed once again for the lies it peddles. Many Indian media outlets had to apologise for airing a doctored video of Pakistani analyst and former diplomat Zafar Hilaly about the Balakot airstrike. Well, at least they apologised for once!

Here is a video I never thought would be possible. In a viral clip, we see a desi mom asking Boom Boom Afridi if he is indeed Shahid Afridi. “Aray baita idhar aao. Yeh larkiyan keh rahi hain tum Shahid Afridi ho. Aik picture to lelo?” Well, Lala did take a picture with them! The video is hilarious. We also interviewed Lala a year ago when he was promoting his foundation at different universities in Lahore. In the immense crowd of Boom boom-obsessed students, there wasn’t anyone who didn’t recognise him.

You might not recognise a new actor acting in a web series on Pakistan’s first Urdu OTT platform Urduflix. But it is none other than our very own TikToker Hareem Shah who has decided to get into acting. This one might not be one to miss. 

I’ll admit I love memes just as much as anyone else and these memes on Whatsapp’s new privacy policy cannot be missed.Also, are you thinking what I’m thinking? Yes, the weather isn’t going to be much different tomorrow in the city you’re in. That might just be a good thing!

Until tomorrow!
Marium

I’ve always wondered if people announce the GPA they actually get in college. I wouldn’t announce it for sure but PML-N’s Hina Butt revealed her GPA in a news show, most likely because the trends on Twitter about her and graduating from LUMS might’ve gotten to her. Takes guts, that’s for sure. 

I wouldn’t say that Saman, our entertainment editor is gutsy — but I will say that she is smooth enough to do some of the gutsiest things I have ever seen anyone do. She has walked away after asking Minister of Science Technology Fawad Chaudhry a question while he was looking at her and answering it, she has asked Bilawal Bhutto to sign pictures for her and when I interviewed her at the same coffee shop I met the rest of our candidates, she was all smiles and a twinkle in her eye. She knew everything I shot at her and the best part was, she was so happy. I mean, check out her picture below from our Secret Valentine party. All smiles and aren’t happy people the best kind?

Bollywood’s Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli are having a baby girl and we can’t be happier for them. Even though it is super cold in Lahore, we are so excited to know that it made the New York Times ‘places to love in 2021’ list (although the food is better in Karachi, no DOUBT!), and it’s a semi-win for singer Meesha Shafi in her case against Ali Zafar as the Supreme Court approves her workplace harassment case for hearing. If she manages to convince the court that her alleged harassment falls under the workplace harassment law, it would be a huge win for women who are self-employed.

It’a s happy day as there is plenty of sunshine across Pakistan and the army has invited the opposition over for tea if they march to Rawalpindi (good or bad thing — the jury is out on that one). The only downer is that Hazara University has asked female students to not wear jeans or makeup and that’s not okay under any circumstances. It is the job of the university and the state to protect its women no matter what they wear — and not ask them to change their appearance. 

As a women-led platform, it was imperative that we hired progressive women — go-getters who wanted to make a change in their society, promote values that include freedom to do what they want. Saman is someone who reflects what we believe in. Someone who has a strong work ethic, pushes her entertainment team and goes out of her way to do what she can for her desk, which is why the entertainment and lifestyle desk is one you need to follow. It has news that is written in a smooth and seamless manner, videos that bring you the best of the best dramas and you know our cool insta stories? Saman is the one who gets it all done. I do wonder what her GPA is but I know that it’s probably higher than mine. 

Until tomorrow (we hope the tea is fantastic ?) 
Marium

As we begin the new week, I would like to tell you about what you’ve been wanting to know. Who are we and why should you read this? I have been a journalist in Pakistan for 13 years, producing television news and founded The Current a few months after the election in 2018. When I interviewed the people that would become our core team, I knew I wanted young, enthusiastic, strong personalities. And I also wanted to tell them that I had no money. I met Abdullah, our political desk editor at Gloria Jeans, a popular coffee joint because we didn’t have an office at the time (we worked out of my parent’s apartment for almost a year after we launched). He was young, feisty and knew his work – more than I did. Opinionated and strong-willed, with a snazzy hairdo, he didn’t look like he would be easily pushed around. He is still with us, manning the political desk, fighting over stories and owning his work like it’s his baby — the best kind of journalists who still believe in the work they do.  

We believe that the Hazara — our brothers who who have been so horrifically neglected not only by the government but by us as well — deserve more. We need to do more for them and maybe we should figure out how we can. Model Anam Malik has decided to live life by her own rules, quitting modeling and asking media outlets not to share any of her pictures. Good on her to take a decision that makes her happy. Cricketer Shoaib Malik was lucky enough to survive what looks like a terrible car crash in Lahore and after seeing pictures of how the car was totaled, we are relieved to know he is safe. A man openly breathed a sigh of relief as he booked an entire flight to avoid getting COVID-19 on the plane. I wish we could all do that but I don’t think most of us can travel in that kind of style. Etrugrul’s Celal Al is in Pakistan and he says that he looks up to our Quaid-e-Azam for inspiration and that’s something we should be proud of. We don’t mind more of this Pak-Turkey dosti at all! What I do mind is that illegal falcon trade is on the rise in Pakistan, something that needs to be addressed immediately. WhatsApp has also issued a statement due to the immediate concerns shown by its users over its privacy policy.

I write this on a daily basis (except Saturdays) and it usually takes me some time to gather my thoughts and tell you what you need to know. Abdullah is the person who edits this newsletter once I’m done writing it and I’m lucky since sometimes, I make the most gross grammars ki ghaltis kay kya kahoon. As I spend this week introducing you to our team members and why you should follow us, here is why you should follow our political desk — it is led by a gutsy, strong-willed and dedicated person, who spends his days finding stories that you would want to read, fact-checking and talking to reporters to ensure that they are true and coming up with different ways to make them exciting for you. He also agreed to join us on a low salary because he knew it would be fun — and sometimes that matters more.

(Abdullah is the guy everyone is pointing at while he takes a break). Today: Islamabad, Lahore, and Peshawar are cloudy and lots of sunshine in Quetta and Karachi.

I asked my daughter yesterday, what I should be. A journalist, a baker (we love to bake) or a teacher. And she said she would just like me to be her mother, and nothing more. 

The Hazara community buried their 11 dead today after seven days of extreme devastation. They needed their Prime Minister to be their solace and he only arrived after they buried their murdered dead, and after calling them blackmailers. How does one continue their lives after such utter devastation? To never see a member of your family, your brother, father, child? Has to be the most difficult feeling in the world. 

What makes things easier is meeting people like Moosa Bin Shahid. A boy so young, who speaks beyond his years, spoke so strongly in a viral video after the motorway rape case, one that shook people. But his way of speaking and what he says is not the only reason why he is our Sunday Superstar. Find out how big a role his family has to play in making him a strong and independent thinker – ones we desperately need. 

And food. Food always makes one happy right? Ashar went to Sialkot this week (without telling me) and ate at the Taj Palace Hotel where he had BBQ and fell in love. And I’m so sorry to completely gross you out, but did you hear about the dead rat found in a shawarma in a restaurant in Lahore? An 11-year-old girl was about to eat it. The restaurant has been sealed and the video is so disturbing. The worst part is that, according to the affected family, the restaurant tried to say it was fake and they had done nothing wrong.

Actor Navin Waqar says that there is no need to marry the wrong person. It is better to stay single and happy rather than marry the wrong person. A bad marriage can leave one’s heart broken forever. 

With a series win against Pakistan, the New Zealand cricket team is now the top test team of the world. Pakistani cricket fans are obviously heartbroken at our cricket team’s dismal performance. Who was the most disappointing of the lot? Our op-ed writer Zahoor Reza asks the core question: if Shan Masood 2.0 was a hoax or whether he can get his act together.

Sad news this Sunday but we’ve saved the ultimate happy news for the end. The government has established the first COVID-19 vaccination centre in Islamabad. According to details, citizens can register themselves for the vaccine using the helpline 1166. 

Did I say the end was happy? Well here comes one not-so-happy and rather anxiety inducing news. WhatsApp has updated its privacy policy. The company will now be sharing the customer data with Facebook and it is mandatory for the users to accept the privacy if they want to continue using the app, which is grossly unfair. And the memes on the subject shows that the internet has no chill.It’s only sunny in Quetta and all other major cities, will have clouds disturbing their clear day. Speaking of disturbing, wasn’t it strange when the whole country’s electricity went out at the same time? Conspiracy theories abound!

See you guys tomorrow and happy Sunday!

It’s been six days and they haven’t buried their loved ones and they’re saying they will wait a 100 days if they have to. The Hazara community are waiting for Prime Minister Imran Khan who hasn’t come to see them, despite the fact that 11 of their community members were kidnapped and murdered. Both Bilawal Bhutto and Maryam Nawaz visited the mourners in Quetta and urged the PM to accept the demands of the Hazaras. Government sources say the PM will visit soon. What has the PM been doing? Yesterday, PM Khan met the founding team of hit Turkish drama series ‘Diriliş: Ertuğrul’ amid criticism for not visiting the Hazara mourners. Yesterday’s siege of the US Capitol Hill has left the world reeling. Several social media platforms suspended President Trump’s accounts on Wednesday following a video where he told the mob that he loves them! Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced on Thursday that Trump’s account has been banned indefinitely. But what’s interesting is how memes in Pakistan over the event aren’t dying down. We kind of made a special video of the ‘Inquilaab at Capitol Hill’ as well. Hey, can you blame us? 
Bollywood star Anushka Sharma is blaming the paparazzi for a recent breach of her privacy. She slammed a photographer and publication for capturing and posting her and husband Virat Kohli’s private moment. Do you think she’s right? Aren’t celebrities allowed to have a private moment of their own too? Or is that the price for being up in the clouds? 
Speaking of, do you know what cloud computing is? It is apparently taking over the world, and honestly makes no sense to someone as technologically inept as me. But if you’re looking to try something new, perhaps a new high-paying job, this might be it and then you can go out and see the world! This is the story I don’t really get. Have we really become so close-minded as a nation? I don’t know if you saw the the viral video of a party in Malam Jabba? Well, an FIR has been registered against the hotel management and students for violating SOPs and “obscene acts”. Unbelievable. 
Believe it or not but today will be mostly sunny across Pakistan, despite some chilliness here and there. 
Will catch up with you all on Sunday!

Marium