Tag: Pakistani politicians

  • Jawad Ahmad says Pakistan also needs a farmers’ movement

    Jawad Ahmad has expressed that Pakistan also needs a farmers’ movement like the one happening in India.

    Speaking to the Times of India about his new song Kisana, the singer-turned-politician compared the conditions of farmers in India and Pakistan saying: “The third-world economies are still largely based on primitive methods and tools of agriculture and we need a peasant’s rights movement all over the world, including Pakistan.”

    He added that he made the song after seeing how India’s farmer movement is being recognised by the farmer community across the world.

    Kisana, which was released in the last week of December has already gathered thousands of views and is making waves across the border. The music of the song has been composed by Sahar Ali Bagga.

    The song’s description states: “Kisana is a revolutionary song for peasants of the world, to inspire and motivate them to struggle for their rights. It is a dedication by Jawad Ahmad to all the global peasant movements.”

    Meanwhile, the song calls peasants the providers of the world, saying that the farmers are the ones who give food to judges and police officers, so they should be respected.

    Ahmad, who entered politics a few years ago with his ‘Barabri Party Pakistan’ is very vocal about the rights of marginalized groups. The vision of his party is “To establish a truly democratic state based on equitable distribution of wealth, equality of right over resources so that whatever is found, grown and produced in this country is equally accessible to all and equal access to opportunities regardless of race, religion, gender, and ethnicity.”

    Farmer’s Protest

    Thousands of farmers have gathered at Delhi’s gateways to demand a repeal of the Centre’s three new farm laws. The protesting farmers, mainly from Punjab and Haryana as well as Uttar Pradesh, are worried the new laws will eliminate the safety cushion of a Minimum Support Price and procurement system while rendering ineffective the mandi system that ensures earnings for various stakeholders in the farm sector.

    Read more – Diljit Dosanjh gave Kangana Ranaut a piece of mind over the farmers’ protests and we’re here for it

    70 people have reportedly died during the ongoing protests and though several rounds of talks have happened between farmer unions and the government, a solution has not yet been reached.

  • Ertuğrul delegation enjoys a delightful dinner in Islamabad

    Ertuğrul delegation enjoys a delightful dinner in Islamabad

    The team behind Diriliş: Ertuğrul, including Celal AL (who plays Abdur Rehman Alp) and producer of the Ottoman epic Kamal Tekdin, after being welcomed by Adnan Siddiqui and Humayun Saeed, enjoyed a delightful dinner in Islamabad on Thursday.

    The dinner, which was hosted by The Legend of Maula Jutt producer Ammara Hikmat saw several Pakistani celebrities including Imran Abbas, Faisal Qureshi, Ahmad Ali Akhbar, Yasir Jaswal, Adnan and Humayun in attendance.

    Pictures of the guests enjoying themselves were widely shared on social media.

    Earlier in the day, the delegation met with Adnan and Humayun, with whom Tekdin Films and TRT production have signed a deal with as partners. Adnan had earlier shared that the partnership will infuse freshness in Pakistani content. Minister for Information and Broadcasting Shibli Faraz and Chairman Parliamentary Committee on Kashmir Shehryar Afridi were also part of the meeting.

    Sharing pictures from the meeting, Adnan said that it didn’t feel like they were meeting Celal for the first time. He added that Celal says that he’s fallen in love with Pakistan and our hospitality.

    Later, the delegates also had a meeting with Prime Minister Imran Khan. According to a press release, the meeting discussed in detail the proposed television series being created in collaboration between Pakistan and Turkey on the Khilafat Movement among other future projects and the lost glory of the Pakistani entertainment industry.

    PM Khan, during the meeting, emphasized on showcasing the golden era of Muslims’ Rule in the subcontinent in dramas and films to apprise the youth about that golden age and to foil negative propaganda and designs.

    The PM said that the Pakistani film and drama industry needed to work for the promotion of local culture to apprise western-influenced youth of their indigenous values and to protect them from social evils, adding that the Pakistani film and drama industry will flourish by producing quality content. This will also provide a substitute for the superficial and glamourized broadcast content to the youth.

    Meanwhile, producer Tekdin said that the Turkish team is very happy over Pakistan’s cooperation in this project, which will highlight cultural commonalities between the two countries. He said it will also help strengthen people to people contact.

    The Prime Minister, while appreciating the project, assured the Turkish team that his government will provide full cooperation in this regard.

    Pakistan’s Turkish guest Celal is thoroughly enjoying his stay in Pakistan and prayed that the love and brotherhood between Turkey and Pakistan lives long.

  • IN PICTURES: Kashmala Tariq ties the knot

    IN PICTURES: Kashmala Tariq ties the knot

    Federal Ombudsperson for Protection against Harassment of Women at Workplace Kashmala Tariq has tied the knot with Islamabad-based businessman Waqas Khan.

    As per details, the wedding reception of Kashmala and Waqas was held on Saturday evening and attended by top elite of capital. Guests included former Air Chief Marshal (R) Abbas Khattak, former DG ISI Lt Gen (R) Asad Durrani, PTI Senator Faisal Javed Khan, Chairman Standing Committee of National Assembly on Law and Justice Riaz Fatyana, ex-MNA Zammurd Khan and Deputy Commissioner Islamabad Hamza Shafqaat among other diplomats and businessmen.

    Earlier, before the wedding reception, Kashmala and Khan also arranged Mehfil-e-Milad and qawwali.

    On her Nikkah ceremony, Kashmala wore a pristine white dress. For the main event, she opted for a traditional red ensemble with classic gold jewellery.

    Check out pictures from the events below:

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    Photo Credits – Iffti Photography & Films

  • EXCLUSIVE: All the pictures from Kashmala Tariq’s intimate dholki

    EXCLUSIVE: All the pictures from Kashmala Tariq’s intimate dholki

    Federal Ombudsperson for Protection against Harassment of Women at Workplace Kashmala Tariq is all set to tie the knot on October 31 with Islamabad-based businessman Waqas Khan.

    According to details, the wedding reception will be held in Islamabad on October 31. Festivities will also include a Mehfil-e-Milad on October 29 and qawwali on October 30.

    Friends of the bride also arranged a dholki for her and her spouse-to-be in Lahore. Pictures and videos from the event went viral on social media. Kashmala glowed in a peach-orange bespoke outfit by BNS Couture as she celebrated her upcoming nuptials. Her makeup was done by Arooj and Nida.

    While the former MNA has not made an official announcement, she sent some exclusive videos from the festivities to The Current. Check them out below:

    Kashmala shared that the hashtag #Wakash was coined by her cousins and her friend’s children. She said that they also decorated the COVID-19 safety kits which included masks and sanitisers.

  • Video: Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan says Nawaz Sharif not unwell, only ‘acting’

    Video: Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan says Nawaz Sharif not unwell, only ‘acting’

    Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan has come under fire for her remarks regarding former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s health. Talking to a news channel, she said that Mian Nawaz Sharif is getting ready for a film shoot and all this was part of the plan.

    Mian Nawaz Sharif was taken to the hospital Monday night. His platelets count had fallen drastically but his dengue results have come out negative. His condition is now stable, as per senior PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal.

    Dr Fridous Ashiq Awan’s comments about Mr Sharif’s health were criticised widely and termed insensitive and callous by PML-N leaders and others on social media.

    This is not the first time Dr Awan has made flippant remarks. Last month when Azad Kashmir was jolted by earthquake, she said that the earth has taken a turn as it cannot deal with ‘tabdeeli’.

    Watch the video for Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan’s comments about Mian Nawaz Sharif’s health.

    Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan’s remarks on Nawaz Sharif’s health
  • ‘Sleeping on floor with just one sheet’; how Rana Sanaullah spent his first night in jail

    ‘Sleeping on floor with just one sheet’; how Rana Sanaullah spent his first night in jail

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader and MNA Rana Sanaullah, who was arrested by the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) on Monday, spent his first night in jail sleeping on the floor, a private media outlet has reported.

    Rana was taken into custody by the ANF while on his way to Faisalabad for a party meeting. Being intercepted on the motorway by an ANF team in Sukheki, he was detained for allegedly possessing a huge stash of heroin.

    With an anti-narcotics court sending the PML-N leader and other accused to prison on a 14-day judicial remand Tuesday, a news outlet has revealed how Sanaullah’s first night in jail went.

    According to reports, the lawmaker spent the night sleeping on the floor of Barrack No. 6 at Lahore’s Camp Jail, where he was provided with just a single sheet to sleep on.

    The PML-N leader was shifted to his cell after jail authorities emptied all neighbouring barracks, while the five other accused were kept in the old block of the prison.

    Sanaullah was arrested days after a large-scale crackdown on drug peddlers in Punjab was launched. Latest reports claim the MNA would be given B-class facilities in jail.

    Jail officials say B-class facilities include a newspaper, television, bed, table and chair, besides some other items.

  • Of ‘not-so-untimely’ ailments

    Of ‘not-so-untimely’ ailments

    Pakistani politicians are rather infamous for falling sick right
    after they are sentenced to imprisonment, taken into custody for investigation or
    even if summoned by a court.

    While some think of the sudden ailment as “nothing but an
    easy way out of the ordeal that could follow”, several others believe otherwise.

    Here are five politicians who fell prey to an untimely, or
    perhaps timely, sickness.

    1. Pervez Musharraf

    Soon after All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) chief and former
    military ruler Pervez Musharraf was charged with treason, he underwent chest
    and back pain. He was shifted to Combined Military Hospital (CMH), where he
    spent months and failed to appear before the court.

    Even though Musharraf’s name was put on the Exit Control List
    (ECL), the Interior Ministry allowed him to leave the country for treatment
    back in 2016 and he hasn’t returned since.

    2. Nawaz Sharif

    Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was advised to undergo a
    heart surgery soon after the emergence of Panama Papers in April 2016 amid
    calls for a probe into his offshore assets by the opposition.

    Since the case started and his subsequent imprisonment last year, the ex-PM has time and again sought bail on medical grounds, even the permission to travel abroad for treatment, and has taken multiple trips to the hospital from jail.

    3. Ishaq Dar

    The former PML-N lawmaker tendered his resignation as the country’s finance minister after the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) initiated an inquiry into his assets back in 2017.

    Dar fell ill, with his counsel requesting an exemption from the court. He later traveled to the United Kingdom (UK) and hasn’t returned since. The politician’s medical reports say he is severely ill; however, he has been spotted walking upright on London streets time and again.

    4. Asif Ali Zardari

    The former president’s little visit to the hospital after he
    was taken into NAB custody last week, wasn’t the first of its kind. Earlier, he
    had used his medical reports to fight a corruption case filed against him in a
    British court.

    Zardari had pleaded that he was diagnosed with a range of
    psychiatric illnesses during his detention in jail. He, however, went on to
    become the president of Pakistan in 2008.

    The list doesn’t end here as several other political figures, including ex-petroleum minister Dr Asim Hussain and ex-information minister Sharjeel Memon, have also sought medical attention in times of trouble.

    The Current asked people about what they think of all these untimely ailments and here is what they had to say: