Tag: Pakistan

  • India denies visas to 200 Pakistani pilgrims

    India denies visas to 200 Pakistani pilgrims

    Only 249 of the 488 applications for visas to travel to Ajmer Sharif, the shrine of famed Sufi saint Moinuddin Chishti in Rajasthan, were accepted by India, Express Tribune has reported.

    Over 200 Pakistani pilgrims were prevented from paying respects to the Sufi saint, according to a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony.

    The official stated that all zaireen have received SMS instructions to travel to Lahore, where they will board their flight to India today (Tuesday).
    Despite the coronavirus no longer being a valid reason to bar International travel, India spent the majority of last year prohibiting Muslim visitors from Pakistan from visiting their country for religious reasons.

  • ‘Tuttay huey dil jayein kahan?’ Shadab Khan is a married man now

    ‘Tuttay huey dil jayein kahan?’ Shadab Khan is a married man now

    Shadab Khan announced on social media platforms on Monday that he has gotten married with the nikah taking place yesterday.
    The cricket player went on to reveal that his wife was his mentor Saqlain Mustaq’s daughter. He requested the media and fans to respect his privacy.

    ‘Salaam everyone. Alhumdulillah today was my nikkah. I am becoming part of my mentor Saqi bhai’s family. When I started playing cricket, I wanted to keep my family life seperate, my family has also opted to stay out of public life. My wife has asked for the same, she wants her life to remain private. I would kindly request everyone to respect her choice and our family’s choice. However, if you want to send salami, I will send an account number.”

    As shaadi season goes on, the list of broken heart girlies keeps growing on and on. The past weeks have seen Haris Rauf, Shan Masood and now Shadab getting married in quick succession. Soon Shaheen Shah Afridi will also be tying the knot. Sending our condolences to fan girls everywhere.

    https://twitter.com/CuteHunYar/status/1617764272096018432?s=20&t=ePTRkqxMFwsLRzhMO7-mLg

  • ICC rescinds ‘below average’ rating for Rawalpindi pitch

    ICC rescinds ‘below average’ rating for Rawalpindi pitch

    The Rawalpindi pitch’s demerit point after the ICC World Test Championship series between Pakistan and England’s first game has now been rescinded.

    Following a Pakistan Cricket Board appeal, the decision was made. After the first Test of the series in early December, the pitch grade at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium was deemed to be “below average.”

    England won the Test by 74 runs after some exciting batting. The pitch was later described as “embarrassing” by PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja, and Andy Pycroft of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees agreed.

    “It was a very flat pitch which gave almost no assistance to any type of bowler,” Pycroft said. “That was the main reason why batters scored very fast and both sides posted huge totals. 

    “The pitch hardly deteriorated during the course of the match. Since there was very little in it for the bowlers, I found the pitch to be ‘below average’ as per the ICC guidelines.”

    The ICC appeal panel, however, came to the unanimous conclusion that the pitch had some “redeeming features” after studying the Test Match film, including the fact that a result was feasible and that 37 out of 39 wickets were taken.

    The appeal panel concluded that the pitch did not deserve the “below average” grade it had previously received.

    The venue had previously faced the possibility of having its right to hold international cricket matches suspended due to the number of demerit points it had received.

  • Najam Sethi appoints Haroon Rasheed as the new chief selector of Pakistan men’s cricket team

    Najam Sethi appoints Haroon Rasheed as the new chief selector of Pakistan men’s cricket team

    Chairman Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Management committee Najam Sethi on Monday announced the appointment of men’s national team chief selector, Haroon Rasheed, who is a former Test cricketer.

    Haroon represented Pakistan in 23 Tests and 12 ODIs and was also a member of Shahid Afridi-led selection committee appointed only for the home series against New Zealand.

    Haroon Rasheed also served as national men’s team chief selector in 2015 World Cup. He was also the manager of the Pakistan Cricket Team from 2003 to 2005.

    In a press conference, Najam Sethi said, “I think Haroon is the best man for this job. I have worked with him. He is a competent individual and I have given him a free hand to make his team and take decisions.”

    PCB reportedly wanted Afridi to continue as the chief selector; however, the former all-rounder refused a permanent role, citing personal commitments.

  • ‘The fault in our taars’; Electricity will come and go but Pakistan’s meme game will stay

    ‘The fault in our taars’; Electricity will come and go but Pakistan’s meme game will stay

    Pakistanis woke up to a nationwide power breakdown and utter confusion regarding about what is going on. But don’t worry, we got you covered.
    According to a statement released by the Energy Minister, the power outrage has gripped parts of Pakistan , begun when the country’s National Grid went out at 7: 30 am, “causing a widespread breakdown in the power system”, as per the tweet.

    But if the lights are down, it means more meme material for Pakistanis. Any time a national crisis takes place, find your refuge on Twitter, among some of the hilarious reactions churning out since this morning.

    Group chat is on fire today

    https://twitter.com/Usman27849070/status/1617406619289092096?s=20&t=CSjykoQlY4PN1IUUQrX4Vg

    Ok that’s harsh

    Happy ghum hour everyone

  • Jemima Goldsmith shares the inspiration behind film ‘What’s Love Got To Do With It?’

    Jemima Goldsmith shares the inspiration behind film ‘What’s Love Got To Do With It?’

    Screenwriter and producer Jemima Goldsmith has revealed that she came upon the idea to make the film ‘What’s Love Got To Do With It?’ after living in Pakistan and observing arranged marriage committees, which would look for spouses for people.

    “The film kind of started as a joke with my friends who were in their thirties, when i came back to the UK after having lived in Pakistan in those years,” Jemima said on Australian show Project TV.
    “My ex-husband’s family is quite conservative so I lived in a joint family household. I lived with his father, his sisters, their husbands and kids. There were about 24 of us, living under the same house, and all our kids,” she revealed about her marriage to former Prime Minister Imran Khan. Jemima and the cricket hero divorced in _ after __ years of marriage.
    “I did get to see arranged marriages up close, long term ones and ones that were arranged that I was on the committee for. And some of them were like surprisingly, to me, with my pre-conceptions, happy and successful. So when I came back in my thirties, my friends were at the point where they were hoping to settle down, have kids, get married, maybe not get married. We would say if you had seen functional parents..who would they choose for you and would it work? And it became a conversation point, and I think there’s quite a lot to be said for like simmer then boil and walking into love or falling in love. And the idea that they always used to say ‘Love comes at the end of the beginning of marriage’, which is a completely different point of view,” she said.
    Jemima also described the film as ‘the rom-com Pakistan’, showing the colorful, vibrant side of the country that Western audiences don’t often see on the screen
    “It’s the rom-com Pakistan aside from the darkness of politics. It’s the jazz-hands version of Pakistan. Which is nice to show because you don’t often kind to see the colorful, vibrant Pakistan we’re much more used to seeing Pakistanis and Pakistan as a kind of darker place on our screens particularly in the US and the UK.. So it’s nice to show the version of Pakistan that I grew to love.”

    ‘What’s Love Got To Do With?’ releases in cinemas on 24th February.

    You can watch the full interview below:

  • Two transgender activists barred from Fly Dubai plane because of X gender

    Two transgender activists barred from Fly Dubai plane because of X gender

    Transgender activist Shahzadi Rai has said on Friday that Fly Dubai had barred her and another transgender activist from travelling on their flight.
    Rai took to Twitter to share her experience with Fly Dubai stating that she and her Project Manager Zarish were barred from travelling from Karachi to Dubai because of her X gender.
    The activist who works with the Gender Interactive Alliance narrated the incident in a video clip.

    “We had a flight to attend our annual meeting, me and my project manager, Zarish. But they cancelled our ticket because we had written X in our gender category. This is extremely transphobic.”

    In the next tweet, Rai shared a screenshot of her flight ticket and wrote that although transgender people are a part of mainstream community in other countries, it was shocking to witness Fly Dubai indulge in transphobic behavior.
    “Transgender persons are part of the main stream in other countries but Fly Dubai doesn’t allow x-gender cards to travel, Transphobic behaviour by Fly Dubai, if they don’t allow us to travel on their plane, why did they issue a ticket.”

    Since this post was uploaded yesterday, many transgender activists and otter public figures have criticized the airline. Transgender activists like Mehrub Moiz Awan and Hina Baloch slammed Fly Dubai on their twitter accounts, and have called for Pakistan’s Foreign Office to address the matter.

    Fly Dubai has yet to issue a statement regarding the matter.

  • ‘Do not ask for free PSL tickets’; Najam Sethi is done with freeloaders

    ‘Do not ask for free PSL tickets’; Najam Sethi is done with freeloaders

    The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman, Najam Sethi on Friday requested his friends and high-ups to not ask for free tickets and passes for Pakistan Super League (PSL) matches.

    “I am making a personal request to all friends and high-ups NOT to ask for free tickets/passes to PSL matches starting next month. The Public Accounts Committee of National Assembly that audits PCB has warned us to desist from this practise,” tweeted Sethi.

    “I am also requesting friends and high-ups not to do sifarish for selection of any player or coach, etc, or to give employment or facilitation to any undeserving person. PCB competes with top professional organisations in the world and cannot afford to be inefficient,” he added.

    HBL PSL 8 will begin on February 13 with an opening ceremony at Multan Stadium.
    “The HBL PSL 8 will be a massive event for the PCB, taking place at the four iconic venues with the world’s best T20 cricketers in action. We aim to make the HBL PSL bigger, better and stronger than ever before with the overarching ambition to make it the first-choice event for leading T20 cricketers,” said Sethi.

    Each of the six sides will go into PSL 8 with much at stake. Islamabad United will aim to become the most successful team with three titles, Lahore Qalandars will attempt to become the first side to win back to back titles and the remaining four teams will once again attempt to lift the trophy. The tournament will be spread over 34 matches.

  • Mad man, Gen Bajwa, Gen Faiz responsible for Pakistan’s current crisis: Nawaz Sharif

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif blamed former Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa and former ISI Chief Lieutenant General (retd) Faiz Hameed for the current mess in the country.

    The former Prime Minister also blamed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan, calling him a “mad man”.

    Nawaz Sharif said that a cruel joke had been played on Pakistan for the sake of personal gains.

    “In my Gujranwala jalsa, I stated who was responsible, and everything was out in the open. It is my responsibility to tell the nation about the wrongs committed against the people, and it is my responsibility to make things right,” he stated.

    Turning his guns on another former Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif minced no words. “This mad man [Imran Khan, I am calling him a mad man today. I want everyone to compare my time with his, and people will see how happy everyone was during my time and how unstable everything became during his tenure,” said Nawaz.

    As Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa elections approach, PML-N is said to be ready to adopt an aggressive narrative against five individuals as it prepares for the polls.

    According to a news report, the five individuals against whom the PML-N will turn its guns with full ferocity are General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa, Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed, former Chief Justices of Pakistan Saqib Nisar and Asif Saeed Khosa along with former Prime Minister Imran Khan.

  • Davos Playbook names Bilawal as the best-dressed person at world economic forum

    Davos Playbook names Bilawal as the best-dressed person at world economic forum

    Politico‘s Davos Playbook on Thursday named Pakistani Foreign Minister (FM) Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari as the best-dressed person at the World Economic Forum (WEF).

    The playbook is published every year during the economic forum in Davos, Switzerland.

    Apart from the Pakistani minister, the playbook talked about the other politicians and personalities from all over the world who came to attend the international event. Moreover, it reported on all events that happened on Thursday.

    Bilawal, along with Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar, is currently in Davos. The four-day international event will end today (Friday).

    Here, have a look at Bilawal’s pictures during the event.