Tag: Pakistan

  • Watch: Bollywood Legend Mumtaz and Pakistani star Resham create magic in dance video

    Watch: Bollywood Legend Mumtaz and Pakistani star Resham create magic in dance video

    Bollywood icon Mumtaz is currently visiting Pakistan, where she met with Pakistani veteran actress Resham at a gathering where actor Ahsan Khan and other stars were also in attendance.

    Videos from the get- together are going viral on social media, including one of Mumtaz and Resham dancing together.

    Mumtaz’s classic Indian song ‘Koi Sehri Babu Dil Lehri Babu’ from the 1973 Bollywood film Loafer, starring Dharmendra, plays in the background as the two stars shine in all-white traditional outfits. Fans were delighted with Resham and Mumtaz joyfully embracing each other. Ahsan Khan, cheering them on, was also seen in the viral video.

  • Scream 7; After Melissa Berrera firing on Palestine issue, director Christopher Landon also quits

    Scream 7; After Melissa Berrera firing on Palestine issue, director Christopher Landon also quits

    Scream 7 has lost not only its leading ladies, but also its director.
    Christopher Landon shared a statement on social media saying that he left the latest installment of the franchise over a month and a half ago, describing the project as a “nightmare.”

    “I guess now is as good a time as any to announce I formally exited Scream 7 weeks ago,” Landon wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Saturday. “This will disappoint some and delight others. It was a dream job that turned into a nightmare. And my heart did break for everyone involved. Everyone.”

    “It’s time to move on,” the director said, adding that he has nothing more to add to the conversation. “I hope Wes’ legacy thrives and lifts above the din of a divided world,” he continued. “What he and Kevin [Williamson, who wrote the screenplay for Scream] created is something amazing and I was honored to have even the briefest moment basking in their glow.”
    Landon left Scream VII a month after Melissa Barrera, who was in the fifth and sixth films of the franchise, was fired after she shared messages on social media supporting the Palestinian cause and criticizing Israel’s airstrikes.

    The director of Happy Death Day and Freaky, in a now-deleted social media post, seemed to comment on Barrera’s firing, saying, “This is my statement. Everything sucks. Stop yelling. This was not my decision to make.”

    Wednesday star Jenna Ortega also departed from Scream 7 the day after Barrera’s exit became public. However, the exact reason for Ortega leaving wasn’t disclosed. The actress too had shared pro-Palestine posts on social media. Instead, it was widely believed and reported that she departed due to scheduling conflicts with Season 2 of the her super hit Netflix show Wednesday.

  • Election 2024: Imran Khan excluded from Registered Political Parties List

    Election 2024: Imran Khan excluded from Registered Political Parties List

    The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) unveiled a revised list on Sunday, featuring 175 officially registered political parties that reflect the diverse landscape of the country’s political arena.

    The founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Imran Khan, is no longer listed as the leader of the party in the updated list, indicating that PTI is now considered a political entity without a designated leader.

    However, the list now includes the group headed by Pervez Khattak, identified as Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Parliamentarians (PTIP).

    An important development took place earlier in the week when the party led by Khan lost its electoral symbol, the “bat”, as a result of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) releasing the reserved verdict on the party’s internal elections.

    After hearing arguments from all concerned parties, the ECP initially reserved its decision.

    Following this, Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, leading a five-member bench of the electoral authority, announced the invalidation of the PTI’s intra-party elections.

    After ECP’s verdict, Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, who took over as PTI chairman after Imran Khan, will no longer serve as the party’s leader.

  • Lahore back on top of cities with hazardous levels of smog

    Lahore back on top of cities with hazardous levels of smog

    The quality of air pollution in Lahore is back at levels deemed hazardous to human health while Karachi is out of the top ten league after a long time.

    According to the Air Quality Index, Lahore ranks first in the list of the most polluted cities in the world with an AQI of 387.

    Karachi’s air quality is also unhealthy while it stands at the eighth position on the list of most polluted cities with an AQI of 152.

    An index of 151 to 200 is unhealthy, while 201 to 300 is very unhealthy and above 301 AQI, air pollution is considered hazardous.

    To reduce smog and air pollution in Lahore, the caretaker government of Punjab experimented with artificial rain with the support of the UAE government, successfully lowering AQI levels after a light shower.

  • Shaun King suspended, Motaz asked to remove content by Instagram

    Shaun King suspended, Motaz asked to remove content by Instagram

    American writer and activist Shaun King, famous for pro-Palestine advocacy on social media, has been suspended from Instagram.

    The news of the suspension was reported by Khalid Beydoun, another important voice on social media, speaking for the distressed in Palestine. “I felt it was a violation of my principles to not tell the truth about Gaza out of fear of getting banned,” Shaun reportedly told Beydoun.

    Earlier, Motaz Azaiza, photo-journalist from Gaza with a large following, also posted that he was receiving notifications from Instagram of either deleting or editing his content with the objection that they go against the guidelines on nudity or sexual activity of Instagram. The videos showed injured children crying out in pain after being hit by Israeli strikes.

    Motaz protested, “Am I shooting Nudes or what ? A lot of naked girls keep posting on Instagram which is (normal for them) and I don’t see them removing any of their content! But showing what kids of Palestine are facing in Gaza is nudity and sexual activity? Tell me if I’m right or wrong?”

    Another Palestinian journalist Hind Khoudary also posted about her account being shadowbanned by Instagram. This implies that her posts are not visible or are losing engagement because they are against the narrative Meta wants to propagate.

  • Fugitive candidates will appear before ROs for scrutiny of nomination papers

    Fugitive candidates will appear before ROs for scrutiny of nomination papers

    Candidates who are in hiding or have been declared proclaimed offenders may face the risk of having their nomination papers rejected if they fail to appear before the respective returning officers (ROs) when summoned for scrutiny by December 30, as reported by The News on Sunday.

    The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has confirmed that the scrutiny of nomination papers for the 2024 general elections will be conducted by the Returning Officers (ROs) in adherence to the rules, regulations, and guiding framework set by the electoral authority.

    The scrutiny begins today and is scheduled to conclude on Saturday, December 30. According to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), the deadline for filing appeals against the acceptance or rejection of nomination papers is January 3, 2024.

    The Commission will publish a revised list of candidates on January 11, 2024, while candidates can withdraw their papers by January 12, 2024.

    Nomination papers of several Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidates linked to the incidents of May 9—sparked by the arrest of the party’s former chairman, Imran Khan—are expected to face challenges from opposing candidates during the scrutiny process.

    Their signatures on the original form could also be challenged, as some candidates have been declared proclaimed offenders and have been hiding since May 9.

  • Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: Oath of Khatm-e-Nabuwat made mandatory before Nikkah

    Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: Oath of Khatm-e-Nabuwat made mandatory before Nikkah

    The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has made the oath of Khatm-e-Nabuwat mandatory for marriage certificates.

    According to the Department of Local Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the provincial government has made amendments to serial numbers 13 and 25 of the Muslim Family Ordinance.

    As per the amendment, details of the dowry must be entered in the form of cash, movable and immovable property, and the oath of end of Prophethood ﷺ has also been made mandatory in the marriage certificate. Both the bride and groom will be bound to take the oath of end of Prophethood ﷺ.

    The marriage certificate must be signed by the bride, bridegroom, bride and groom’s lawyers, and witnesses, while the signature and seal of a marriage registrar are also mandatory on the marriage certificate.

    The Oath of Faith form on Khatm-e-Nabuwat for marriage already exists in Punjab.

    In a conversation with Geo News, Secretary Local Government Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Daud Khan said that the provincial cabinet had decided to amend the Muslim Family Laws Ordinance, the amendments were related to the educational qualification of Nikah Khawan.

  • Writer Mohammed Hanif returns Sitara-e-Imtiaz to protest against Baloch persecution

    Writer Mohammed Hanif returns Sitara-e-Imtiaz to protest against Baloch persecution

    A Case of Exploding Mangoes and Red Birds famed writer and journalist Mohammed Hanif has returned the prestigious civilian award, Sitara-e-Imtiaz, in protest against this week’s crackdown on Baloch protestors by Islamabad police.

    In a post on X, Hanif shared the video of a Baloch girl stating her demands and wrote, “In protest, returning my Sitara e Imtiaz, given to me by a state that continues to abduct and torture Baloch citizens.”

    He went on to mention two female Baloch activists Sammi Baloch and Mehrang Baloch, writing that journalists of his generation have seen these young women grow up in protest camps. “Ashamed to witness a new generation being denied basic dignity,” Mohammed Hanif lamented.

    Hanif’s literary genius was recognized by the government of Pakistan back in 2018 when one of the highest national laurels, Sitara-e-Imtiaz, was conferred upon him.

    Along with being a journalist and novelist, Hanif is also a playwright and writes for the BBC.

    His novel A Case of Exploding Mangoes was long-listed for the Booker Prize, shortlisted for the Guardian First Book Award, and won the Commonwealth Prize for Best Book. His second book, Our Lady of Alice Bhatti, won the Wellcome Book Prize.

    Baloch protesters are on roads demanding the release of all “missing persons” and an end to “extrajudicial killings” in Balochistan under the leadership of activist Dr Mahrang Baloch and Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC).

  • Why was Bobby Deol’s character a Muslim in ‘Animal’?

    Why was Bobby Deol’s character a Muslim in ‘Animal’?

    Bobby Deol plays the role of a Muslim villain, Abrar Haque, in the recently released Bollywood film Animal.
    Deol has said that he didn’t think of his character as a villain but as someone with childhood trauma.
    Abrar, the negative character, is the cousin of the film’s protagonist Ranujay Singh (Ranbir Kapoor).

    Sandeep Reddy Wanga was asked in a recent interview why Abrar (Bobby Deol) belongs to a Sikh family but he himself is a Muslim.

    “I have seen that in life when people are completely disappointed, they go to a church, a mosque or a sage who helps such distressed people.” In order to get rid of the problem, they give tawzee or suggested to change the name, he said.
    “I have even seen people convert to religion in such desperate situations to completely change their identity. We have seen many people convert to Islam and Christianity but we have never seen anyone convert to Hinduism. So, I thought I should show this fact in my film because a Muslim man can marry more than once so he can have more children so I can show a lot of cousins in my movie story.”

    Sandeep stressed, “That’s the only reason I cast Abrar (Bobby Deol), a character from a Sikh family, as a Muslim in my film.”
    He clarified that he did not do this to make Muslims look bad.

  • ‘Wakhri’ has the best music lineup of any Pakistani movie in a long time

    ‘Wakhri’ has the best music lineup of any Pakistani movie in a long time

    Pakistan’s upcoming film ‘Wakhri’ is gearing up for a nationwide release on January 4, with director, Iram Parveen Bilal, promising a fantastic music album. Renowned music producer Abdullah Siddiqui has curated an impressive collection of tracks featuring prominent female singers from today’s music scene.

    Abdullah Siddiqui took to his Instagram to share the news, announcing a multi-artist album: “I produced four new tracks for Wakhri, the new film by the wonderful Iram Parveen Bilal and they’re out now. They’re performed by the insane lineup of Meesha Shafi, Ali Sethi, Eva B, Natasha Noorani, and RFB.”

    Siddiqui expressed joy in creating the soundscape for the vibrant world of the film, calling the songs both enjoyable and significant. He listed the tracks included in the album, featuring Eva B’s ‘Baaghi’, Meesha Shafi’s ‘You Don’t Give a Haqq’, Natasha Noorani’s ‘Matlabi (Wakhri version), and Risham Faiz Bhutta and Ali Sethi’s ‘Wakhri Dhamaal.’
    Reacting to Siddiqui’s post, director Iram said in the replies, “We are so honoured and I can’t wait to watch you soar even higher!” followed by a series of heart emojis.
    The film, based on the life of Pakistan’s social media sensation Qandeel Baloch, recently celebrated a significant milestone with its worldwide premiere at the Red Sea Film Fest in Jeddah.

    Head of International Programming, Kaleem Aftab, praised “Wakhri” for changing the narrative on a specific incident in Pakistan, while also bringing up Zarrar Kahn’s horror film, ‘In Flames’ as Pakistan’s international Oscar contender, adding diversity to the lineup.