Tag: Pakistan

  • Naumaan Ijaz really likes Adnan Siddiqui’s performance in Gentleman

    Naumaan Ijaz really likes Adnan Siddiqui’s performance in Gentleman

     
     
    Adnan Siddiqui is one of Pakistan’s most beloved actors, hosts, and producers, having captivated audiences for over thirty years with his work. His legendary performances have made him an iconic figure and left an indelible mark on the entertainment industry. On the set of Tamasha, Siddiqui gave an interview to Something Haute.

      The host Hassan Chaudhry asked, “Rehmaati, everyone across the board is praising your performance, both within Pakistan and internationally. At this stage in your career, with such positive feedback coming in, how does it make you feel? Are you proud of yourself, glad, or simply enjoying the recognition?”

      Adnan Siddiqui replied, “It feels really good when your work is appreciated, when your efforts are acknowledged, and when your hard work is recognized. But I always emphasize that the credit is not mine alone. No actor can achieve that level of performance without the support of their fellow actors. Along with them, the production team, producer, director, writer, and even the director of photography all put in their hard work, and that’s how a final product comes together.”

    The host revealed, “Let me tell you, Adnan, you’ve got fans across the border too! Many top stars and actors have been praising your work and watching Gentleman. They’re blown away by your performance.”
    The actor said, “Even the stars of my own country, those who speak less about others have praised me.”

     “Naumaan Ijaz, known for his reserved praise, personally texted me to commend my performance in ‘Gentleman’. His recognition means a lot, as he doesn’t often give such praise. It shows there’s something exceptional about my role. While I value the competition in our industry, it’s important to remember that we are all united as one,” Siddiqui added.

    Gentleman is directed by Haissam Hussain. The dramas air on Green Entertainment on Sunday at 8:00 PM.

  • Fazlur Rahman will not form alliance with PTI

    Fazlur Rahman will not form alliance with PTI

    Chief of Jamiat-e-Ulema Islam (JUI-F) Maulana Fazlur Rahman has denied that he is forming an alliance with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and said that his party will continue political activities on their own.

    While speaking to the media at Dera Ismail Khan, he said,
    “Our alliance experience in the past has not been good, so we will continue our struggle on our own.”

    He further stated, “We are talking to the PTI on an issue basis instead of entering into a political alliance.”

    Fazlur Rehman made it clear that the party is not hostile to the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN) or Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).

    The party led by Maulana Fazlur Rahman believed in launching an effort to achieve the rights of the oppressed people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan, staying within the constitution.

  • Shraddha Kapoor can’t get enough of Coke Studio’s ‘BlockBuster’

    Shraddha Kapoor can’t get enough of Coke Studio’s ‘BlockBuster’

     
    Coke Studio Pakistan Season 15’s superhit ‘Blockbuster’, by Faris Shafi, Umair Butt, and the Ghaarvi group, is making waves across borders. The track has caught the attention of many, including Bollywood star Shraddha Kapoor, who has been playing it on repeat. Kapoor describes it as “an amazing track with incredible beats.”

     
    During a conservation with Spotify India, Shraddha Kapoor said, “The song I’ve been playing on a loop is ‘Blockbuster’ by Faris Shafi, Umair Butt, and the Ghaarvi group. It’s an amazing track with incredible beats.”
     
    Shraddha is starring in her new film Stree 2, written by Niren Bhatt and directed by Amar Kaushik.
     
    Coke Studio producer, music maestro Xulfi posted Shraddha’s clip on his Instagram with the caption, “Wah! Love how love keeps transcending across boundaries and borders. Heart smiles knowing Blockbuster is the number 1 song on your playlist @shraddhakapoor and loved how you hummed the melody @rajkummar_rao. It was very sweet ♥ We over here are your super admirers as well! Love your art ✨ Good luck for Stree 2!”

     
    Umair Butt also posted a video on his Instagram with the caption, “I feel humbled and ecstatic every time I come across such conversations.

    @shraddhakapoor @rajkumarrao Always refreshing to see music brew magic and connect hearts all across the world. Thank you for all the love and support! ❤”

    Read more:Shraddha Kapoor aur Rajkummar Rao nai Stree 2 ke liye kitnai paisay liay?

    “@zulfiqarjkhan Bhai It is heartwarming to see such bridges surface through your remarkable commitment towards creativity and empathy. Thank you for such a beautiful chapter i will cherish forever. ❤”, Umair Butt added.

  • Man allegedly involved in spreading fake news triggering UK anti-Muslim riots arrested in Lahore

    Man allegedly involved in spreading fake news triggering UK anti-Muslim riots arrested in Lahore

    In an interesting development, Pakistani citizen Farhan Asif was taken into custody in Lahore for being involved in spreading fake news which sparked far-right racist riots in the United Kingdom a few weeks ago.

    During the last few weeks, Britain witnessed dangerous, widespread, violent riots as a result of misinformation about the identity of the alleged attack that killed three young girls on July 29.

    The riots targeted immigrants, Muslim communities, asylum centres and numerous mosques as well.

    The UK police authorities said that they had arrested over 1,000 people in connection with the weeks-long riots in England.

    The Lahore police stated that the suspect was arrested in the DHA area of Lahore and handed over to the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) Cybercrime wing for interrogation.

    Geo News reported that the suspect works for a news platform based in Pakistan. He has already confessed to the interrogators that he once published a story on his news website that went viral.

    Background

    On August 8, BBC’s Marianna Spring reported about the involvement of a Lahore man in spreading misinformation regarding the Southport stabbing.

    The BBC report was followed by an ITV report stating that Farhan Asif was the owner of the website which misquoted the name of the stabber as Ali Al-Shakati and declared him an immigrant from Syria, who had arrived in the UK on a boat. Later, a UK court announced that the name of the teenager charged with the murders was Axel Rudakubana, who turned out to be a British national.

    ITV said that they couldn’t find out who is the real owner of the website but Farhan Asif has “a significant role in a network of news websites that have promoted falsehoods.”

    Dawn’s sources in Pakistan said that the person identified in the ITV report was a freelancer working for Channel3Now, which collects crime-related news from the UK and the USA and republishes the stories for the sake of clicks and advertisements.

    The BBC report also cracked down on people attached to Channel3Now and asserted that it was actually “a commercial operation attempting to aggregate crime news while making money on social media”. The analysis of the website also showed that all the the freelance writers were recruited from several countries, including Pakistan and India.

    The BBC report elaborated that there are “more than 30” people in the US, UK, Pakistan and India who work for the site, which usually recruits freelancers.

    According to ITV, Channel3Now regularly publishes sensational news stories under the garb of being an American-style TV channel.

    However, BBC quoted Kevin as saying that Farhan Asif in particular was not involved in the false Southport story, which the site has publicly apologised for, and blamed there UK based team for that.

    Wider disinformation network

    Even though the report speculated that the website had links with Russia, it could not come up with a proof for that. Marianna Spring stated, “I did not find any evidence to substantiate claims that Channel3Now’s misinformation could be linked to the Russian state. [A] person claiming to be from Channel3Now‘s management told me that the publication of the false name “shouldn’t have happened, but it was an error, not intentional”.

    Atika noted that there are chances of website be linked to Srivastava Group, an Indian company that ran a vast network of anti-Pakistan fake news websites, which was unearthed by the EU DisinfoLab in a 2019 investigation.

  • Imran Khan seeks help from UK PM Keir Starmer

    Imran Khan seeks help from UK PM Keir Starmer

    In an interview with British media outlet ITV at Adiala jail through his lawyer, former Prime Minister Imran Khan congratulated Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (UK) Keir Starmer on his election victory and sought help disseminating awareness of democracy being at risk in Pakistan.

    Founder Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) said, “I urge PM Starmer and his cabinet, who assumed power through the genuine will of the people without any electoral manipulation, to imagine if their overwhelming victory was stolen”.

    “Picture a scenario where a party that barely won 18 seats usurped your mandate, where your party symbols were stripped, and your leaders were imprisoned or tortured until they switched allegiances or left politics altogether. Imagine homes broken into and women and children abducted in the dead of night.” Khan stated.

    “I am in a seven feet width and eight feet length prison which is usually allocated for death penalty perpetrators and terrorists,” he said, a statement that has been refuted by the government multiple times.

    “Surveillance is permanent, and privacy has been torn apart. Despite these hurdles, I am getting energy from exercise, prayer, and study,” Khan concluded..

  • Asad Qaiser apologises for Gen Bajwa’s extension

    Asad Qaiser apologises for Gen Bajwa’s extension

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Asad Qaiser apologised to the people of Pakistan on July 20 for extending the tenure of former Army Chief Gen (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa.

    “I apologise to the nation for granting an extension to General Bajwa. It was a mistake that we deeply regret,” said Qaiser on Samaa TV.

    In 2019, former Prime Minister Imran Khan approved an extension of then-Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa’s tenure for another three years in a notification which stated, “The decision has been taken in view of the regional security environment.”

    The former Speaker of the National Assembly admitted that the decision backfired on the party. Qaiser also hinted at starting peaceful protests if party founder Imran Khan faces a military trial.

    He further suggested that legal international avenues like the International Court of Justice (ICJ) could be explored if the situation arises.

  • 28 killed as bus carrying Pakistan pilgrims crashes in Iran: State media

    28 killed as bus carrying Pakistan pilgrims crashes in Iran: State media

    At least 28 Pakistani pilgrims travelling to Iraq for a Shiite Muslim ritual were killed as their bus crashed in central Iran, state media reported early Wednesday.

    “A bus carrying 51 Pakistani pilgrims overturned and caught fire in front of Dehshir-Taft checkpoint in the central province of Yazd on Tuesday night,” state television reported.

    “28 people have been killed and 23 injured so far with the possibility of the death toll increasing,” it added.

    Yazd province crisis management chief Ali Malek-zadeh told the broadcaster that some of the injured were in critical condition.

    “Of the 23 injured, six have already been discharged from hospital, while the condition of seven others is critical,” Malek-zadeh said.

    “The dead consisted of 11 women and 17 men,” he added.

    The Pakistani pilgrims were headed through Iran to Iraq to attend the Arbaeen commemoration, one of the biggest events of the Shiite calendar which marks the 40th day of mourning for Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Mohammed.

    Last year, some 22 million pilgrims attended the commemoration in the Iraqi shrine city of Karbala, where Hussein and his brother Abbas are buried, according to official figures.

  • Nadia Afgan refuses to work with Khalil-Ur-Rehman Qamar

    Nadia Afgan refuses to work with Khalil-Ur-Rehman Qamar

    Very few names in the entertainment industry generate as much heated reactions as does Khalil-ur-Rehman Qamar.
     
    Television star Nadia Afgan has become the latest major name to refuse working with the misogynistic writer.

    Recently, Nadia appeared as a guest on ‘Subh Ka Samaa Madeha Kay Sath’ where the host Madeha Rizvi’s asked, “Is there any artist in the industry with whom you haven’t gotten along, a writer, director, or actor, with whom you don’t want to work?”
    The star replied, “Whenever I mention a name, my senior fraternity later tells me, “Look dear, this is very wrong. You should maintain a certain discretion instead of speaking out openly all the time.”

    “I have never worked with Khalil sahib, and InshaAllah, I never will. I have never worked with him, and I don’t intend to either,” Afgan added.

  • Jennifer Lopez, Ben Affleck divorce after two years of marriage

    Jennifer Lopez, Ben Affleck divorce after two years of marriage

    Hollywood singer Jennifer Lopez has filed for divorce from actor Ben Affleck after two years of marriage, ending weeks of speculation of the fairytale romance ending.

    The duo, affectionately called ‘Bennifer’, have had a whirlwind relationship since the early 2000s, when they became engaged after Affleck gave Lopez an engagement ring featuring a 6.1-carat pink diamond.
    However, in 2003, the couple announced their separation. They both married other partners and had children.

    The two rekindled their relationship in 2021 and got married in July 2022 in Las Vegas.

  • Uncertainty surrounds Pakistan’s $7 billion IMF bailout as approval date still not confirmed

    Uncertainty surrounds Pakistan’s $7 billion IMF bailout as approval date still not confirmed

    Pakistan’s much-anticipated $7 billion bailout package has not yet been scheduled for review by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) executive board, with the agenda extending only until August 30, according to the IMF’s recently released calendar.

    In July, Pakistani authorities and the IMF reached a staff-level agreement, potentially paving the way for a 37-month Extended Fund Facility (EFF) valued at SDR 5,320 million (approximately $7 billion).

    However, this agreement hinges on the approval of the IMF Executive Board, which is contingent upon Pakistan securing necessary financing assurances from its development and bilateral partners.

    The proposed programme is designed to build on the hard-won macroeconomic stability achieved in the past year. It aims to strengthen public finances, reduce inflation, rebuild external reserves, and eliminate economic distortions to foster private sector-led growth.

    Despite five weeks having passed since the staff-level agreement, Pakistan has yet to bridge an external financing gap of up to $5 billion.

    This delay has prevented the country from signing the Letter of Intent (LoI) required to formally request the IMF executive board’s approval of the $7 billion package under the EFF programme.

    The LoI is a critical step in requesting the IMF’s endorsement of the 37-month, $7 billion EFF programme. Without this approval, Pakistan cannot proceed with the much-needed financial support.