Pakistan former captain Azhar Ali has likened Karachi batsman Fawad Alam to Turkish legend Ertuğrul.
Sharing a collage of Fawad’s century celebration and Ertuğrul Ghazi ready for battle in a still from the popular Turkish series Diriliş: Ertuğrul, Azhar said the batsman has a “heart of a lion.”
“What a knock from Fawad Alam!,” said the former skipper. “A lot of courage and character and determination.”
Eleven years, five months and 16 days from the day he scored his first Test hundred, Fawad pulled Wagner behind square – that shot had served him well both in defence and attack – past a diving deep fielder to bring up a second Test hundred.
The last one he scored was way back in 2009 when he hit 168 on Test debut against Sri Lanka while opening the innings. Since then Alam has played just six Tests having made a comeback in 2020.
Babar Azam’s injury gave him another go and yet he proved to be an ace for the team.
In a post-match video, Fawad credited Ali for the celebration.
“During a four-day game, Azhar Ali and I had a discussion. He told me if I get a century, this is how I should celebrate it,” said Fawad. “Maybe God granted his wish. And I remembered what he had told me. So, this celebration was for him.”
2020 has pretty much been all about COVID-19 and the pandemic. The year has perhaps been one of the most challenging ones in recent times and has been difficult for everyone. As the year nears its end, The Current decided to look back and reflect upon some happy moments which brought a smile to our faces.
Kaavan’s Relocation to Cambodia
After spending years chained in Islamabad Zoo, the world’s former ‘loneliest elephant’ Kaavan was relocated to a local sanctuary in Cambodia where he will spend the rest of his days in the open and among his own. Kaavan’s freedom was assisted by American singer Cher, who came to Pakistan to personally see Kaavan off. She also welcomed the elephant in Cambodia with a very cute nameplate.
As per the latest details, Kaavan has found new friends in Cambodia and has been spotted enjoying himself at his new home.
Kavaan’s case and relocation also paved the way for other animals to be relieved of their plight. A few weeks after he left, two brown Himalayan bears at the Islamabad Zoo Suzie and Babloo were sent to a sanctuary in Jordan where they will be rehabilitated and nursed to health. Following their departure, the Islamabad Zoo was shut down.
Tough anti-rape law
The federal cabinet approved tough new anti-rape law under which special courts will be established to speed up rape trials and convicted rapists and perpetrators will be chemically castrated. It also prohibits the disclosure of the identity of rape victims and will create a national sex offenders’ register.
Increased exports
Pakistan’s exports for the month of November passed the $2 billionmark amid a resurgence of economic activity after the coronavirus lockdown. As per reports, Pakistan’s move to loosen pandemic restrictions early has helped the nation’s exports emerge stronger than its South Asian peers including India and Bangladesh.
Construction of Hindu Temple
The Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) approved the construction of a new temple for minority Hindus, ruling that Islamic law allows minorities a place of worship. The CII also allowed the government to hand over the temple site as well as its adjoining Dharamshala (community centre) in Saidpur village of Islamabad to the Hindu community “so that it can offer religious rites as per their beliefs”. Many people including celebrities like Hamza Ali Abbasi lauded the initiative.
Mahira Khan, Dr Sania Nishtar among BBC’s ‘100 women of 2020’
Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Poverty Alleviation and Social Protection Dr Sania Nishtar and Mahira Khan were listed among BBC’s ‘100 women of 2020‘. According to the publication, the list included “100 inspiring and influential women from around the world for 2020”.
“This year 100 Women is highlighting those who are leading change and making a difference during these turbulent times,” said the publication.
While Mahira was lauded for her outspoken views against sexual violence, refusal to endorse skin-lightening creams and supporting the fight against racism, Dr Nishtar was honoured for “spearheading the transformative Ehsaas Poverty Alleviation programme, which has improved the livelihoods of millions of Pakistanis by providing mobile banking and savings accounts, and other basic resources.”
It is pertinent to add here that Mahira was also part of the inaugural Forbes Asia’s 100 Digital Stars list, along with Aiman Khan and Atif Aslam. The list highlighted celebrities from across the Asia Pacific region who have taken the digital world by storm.
Have more good news to share? Let us know in the comments.
With weeks to go before baby Sharma-Kohli arrives, Anushka Sharma has opened up about her pandemic pregnancy and posed for the cover of Vogue Indiawith her baby bump.
Sharing details about her pregnancy, Sharma revealed that she felt exhausted and nauseous during her first trimester. She said that couldn’t go near the kitchen as she couldn’t stand the smell of things.
“Smells would revolt me, I couldn’t go near the kitchen. I swear, I could smell people’s skin. I thought it was never going to end,” said Anushka. “I didn’t think I could feel so tired. I am an active person and it was startling, but even when you’re in pain, or uncomfortable, you are still thinking: have I eaten at the right time? Is the baby okay?”
The actor also revealed that she was hooked to eating toast and crackers during the first three months and when that ended she wanted to eat vada pao and bhel puri. But other than that she did not have any major cravings, unlike Gigi Hadid who shared that she was hooked to eating spices.
Anushka also said that the pandemic turned out to be a “weird blessing” for the couple.
“The pandemic has been a weird blessing in a way. Virat was around and I could keep it a secret. We only left to go to the doctor’s clinic. No one was on the streets so we couldn’t be spotted,” said the actor.
Meanwhile, a self-confessed planner, Sharma revealed that her child’s animal-themed nursery is complete.
“I just want to be prepared. Everything is slower because of the times we are living in and I don’t like to rush things. This time in my life, even more so,” she says. “I want the nursery to be very calm. It’s the place where you spend the most amount of time, where you are bonding with your baby, so it has to be peaceful.”
Sharing details about the nursery’s theme, Sharma said: “I don’t believe that boys have to wear blue and girls pink. The nursery has all colours. Both Virat and I love animals and we want our baby to have that bond too. They are a big part of our lives and we really believe they can teach kindness and compassion to children.”
Anushka and Virat are expected to welcome their bundle of joy in January 2021. Their announcement tweet was the most-liked tweet of 2020.
2020 has been an interesting year for Pakistani dramas with several controversial dramas hitting our screens this year. In terms of popularity, there is no denying that Meray Paas Tum Ho was television’s highest-watched dramas with a cult following. As we look back on this year, here’s a list of dramas which had the maximum number of views on YouTube till the filing of this story.
Note – We are only including episodes that aired in 2020 in this list. Views have been indicated in brackets.
Nand Episode 1 (12M)
Despite having close to 100 episodes, Nand continues to trend on YouTube and social media. The first episode of the show was fast-paced and thrilling. Not only are we introduced to nand Gohar (Faiza Hassan) and the rest of the family, we dive straight into the story, which is about a woman who likes to control everything and everyone around her. Apart from being very masalaydar and spicy, the drama also boasts solid performances by the lead cast.
Deewangi Last Episode (13M)
Danish Taimoor and Hiba Bukhari’s Deewangi ends with Nageen (Hiba) killing Sultan (Taimoor) and getting her happily ever after with Haroon (Ali Abbas), who first divorced her. Audiences loved the drama for its depiction of love that reached a point of madness and continued to root for Sultan till the very end, even though he commits several mistakes along the way because of his mad love for Nageen. The last episode of the drama was thrilling, intense and fast-paced with viewers hooked to it.
Ishqiya Episode 1 (15M)
The first episode of this intense romance involving two sisters featuring Feroze Khan, Hania Aamir and Ramsha Khan opens with a scene which will instantly remind you of Rahul and Anjali’s basketball matches in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. The rest of the episode introduces us to the different characters and their relationship dynamics. Its ends with Azeem’s (Gohar Rasheed) family asking for Hamna’s (Ramsha) hand in marriage, who is in love with Hamza (Feroze).
The last bumper episode of Ehd e Wafa was initially scheduled to hit theatres but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the plan couldn’t fall through. The grand finale, which included a special appearance by Humayun Saeed, saw Captain Saad (Ahad Raza Mir) get injured in tensions on the Line of Control (LOC) in Kashmir, following which all four friends gather at the hospital to be on his side as he battles between life and death. The final episode was emotionally charged but ended on a happy note leaving viewers satisfied.
Though the second-last episode of the immensely popular Meray Paas Tum Ho was a slow one, it is one of the highest-viewed ones. The episode saw Mehwish (Ayeza Khan) shift back into her old house and use a wazeefa to try and win Danish back. She regrets the decisions she made and is wallowing in misery. On the other hand, Danish (Humayun Saeed) agreed to marry Hania (Hira Mani) and wore the ring she bought for him after Roomi proposed to her on behalf of his father. Meanwhile, Maham (Savera Nadeem) made sure she reminded Shehwar (Adnan Siddiqui) of his aukaat.
Hania Aamir, in a video posted to her YouTube channel, has announced that she will now be making TikTok videos as she is obsessed with them.
The first video that she tried making involved her entering the car from one door and exiting from the other. When she exits the second door, her clothes change.
The second and third videos involved her indulging in tricks in which she instantly changed her clothes and shoes.
While Hania’s initial TikTok videos were viral challenges, she wanted to make some original content so she decided to make a video in which she plays the double-role of a mother and daughter. As the daughter enters the house, apparently from a late-night party, the mother waits for her with a slipper in her hand. The daughter runs to her room to dodge the slipper but the slipper follows her to the room and starts banging on the door.
Once the banging stops, the daughter thinks she is safe but immediately the slipper hits her head and her outfit changes and she turns into a girl who does house chores.
Ending the video, Hania asked her followers to rate her TikTok videos by commenting ‘ON’ or ‘OFF’.
Senior journalist Hassan Nisar is under fire for trying to shout down his fellow panelist Reema Omer after she asked him to let her finish her point during the broadcast of Geo’s Report Card programme.
Nisar and Reema disagreed over the way politics is done in Pakistan. According to Hassan Nisar, in Pakistan politics was solely dependent on how much money you want to make, calling it a business. Reema Omer disagreed and said this practice was prevalent all over the world, not just in Pakistan, and gave examples of India and Bangladesh.
At this, Nisar “rudely” interrupted her, saying “he doesn’t think so”. Reema told Nisar that he speaks so loudly and if he could let her finish her point. Nisar responded that he was “deaf that’s why he speaks loudly”. At this Reema responded: “Well, I am not [deaf], so I find it strange.”
Nisar replied that he didn’t care if he was too loud. Reema retorted that the “viewers also think that you often try to shout me down during the show; it is not good optics”.
The clips of the debate started making rounds on social media, prompting debates on whether the senior journalist was rude to his fellow journalist. Reema also commented on these tweets, saying that some clips were “edited” and people were being misled by those.
Really appreciate the generous feedback for today’s report card!
Please do watch the complete segment for arguments on both sides – the edited clip shared on SM is misleading and doesn’t do justice to the debate or the manner in which it was conductedhttps://t.co/819WQfxa3Apic.twitter.com/TNKWgOb2NW
The host of the show also tried to dispel the impression that Reema wasn’t given enough to make her point.
some opinions based on a short clip suggest that @reema_omer wasnt given appropriate time to make her point or rebutt Hassan Nisar which is not true…Not only did Reema make her point but also responded to Hassan Nisar directly pic.twitter.com/KnNoyWJ2i3
Some Twitterati stood in solidarity with Reema Omer, appreciating the way she handled Nisar for his rude behaviour, while others supported Nisar for standing up to a narrative that allegedly endorses corruption.
How many #HassanNisar’s have we had to deal with in our families, workplaces, educational institutions? When will we stop having to be subject to such bullies? @reema_omer handled him beautifully, but when will such men’s’ time be up? We shouldn’t be subject to this anymore.
Hassan Nisar never has anything to contribute to a debate, apart from: “Yeh sab bakwas hai.” Shouting doesn’t give weight to an opinion.
He adds misogyny to his toxic mix of empty and bitter rhetoric, targeting @reema_omer who does use logic and facts for her arguments. pic.twitter.com/G1MDCKnebk
Now that I’ve seen the clip, yes Hassan Nisar should’ve waited for his turn but Reema was justifying politicians looting wealth of citizens in public office in Pakistan by saying it happens everywhere. Tbh, I would’ve been tempted to cut that bs too. https://t.co/4Q4G3jWUvh
Hassan Nisar is only man with logical thinking, always speak ugly truth…reema umar is just biased pseudo journalist. Hassan Nisar’s saying always hit these manner birgades. He is loud as always…and it was not humiliation
Muneeb Butt did not hold back while replying to a social media user who wrote a scathing comment on one of his posts on social media.
“Sastay marasi. Tum jaisi elite class ko is se ghanta farq ni parna,” a social media user commented on Muneeb’s post. “Nach gana or talaqon walay dramay or filmon ke ilawa tum log krte hi kya ho?” [This will have no effect on people like you who belong to the elite class. What work do you have except dancing, singing and creating dramas & movies based on divorce?]
“Ask a middle-class boy about his struggle who has lost his mother or a father or both the parents. Think before you speak,” added the user.
In response to the user’s comment, Butt hit back and wrote: “Mehngey begairat! Naach ganey aur talaqon waley dramey dekhtey kyun ho [?] Dr ne kaha hai dekhna zaruri h phr bura b bolna jakey PTV p dekhlo urea se fassal ki tayyari aur ganney ki kaasht! (Why do you watch such dramas with divorce stories and dance in them? Has any doctor prescribed you to watch them and then criticise them? You should watch PTV’s (ads) on crop preparation(with the help of) urea and sugarcane cultivation).”
The actor added that everyone struggles to achieve their goals and those who run away from the struggle often go to other people’s walls to depict their bizarre mindset.
Meanwhile, Butt has announced that he has started working on his next drama in which he will be sharing the screen with Madiha Imam for the first time. The drama tentatively titled Mujhay Vida Kar has been written by Samra Bukhari and directed by Anjum Shehzad. Other cast members include Saboor Aly, Haris Waheed, Raza Talish, Shabbir Jan, Saba Hameed, Maira Khan and Paras.
Gigi Hadid has revealed that she is a fan of spices and that too of Pakistani ones.
Taking the viral ‘Post a Picture of’ challenge on Instagram, when a follower asked her to share a picture from September 15, Gigi shared a picture of her spice cabinet which was full of desi masalas including zeera, haldi, garam masala and tandoori masala. A box of Shaan Seekh Kabab masala was also spotted on the side. The supermodel shared that she ate them during her pregnancy.
Gigi also shared unseen pictures of herself and baby-daddy Zayn Malik while taking the challenge.
Before taking the challenge Gigi made it clear that she will not be sharing pictures of her baby daughter and requested followers not to ask for them. Gigi and Zayn welcomed their daughter on September 24. They have not yet revealed their daughter’s name or face, though fans fondly refer to her as baby Zigi.
Meanwhile, Gigi also gave a shoutout to Pakistani artist Misha Japanwala, who thanked Gigi for helping her when she needed it the most.
Suno Chanda’s Farhan Ali Agha has joined Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI). In a press conference held in Karachi Monday, Farhan announced his decision to join the ruling party.
During the press conference, Farhan thanked PTI for giving him the opportunity and shared why he took this step.
“I decided to Join PTI because it is need of the hour that honest people come forward and be a part of the movement so that Prime Minister Imran Khan’s vision and Quaid-e-Azam’s dream can be fulfilled,” said Farhan. “A dream of a country where common people will get justice.”
Farhan further said that his father was in armed forces and he grew up listening to stories of sacrifices for the country.
He shared that he has been following Imran Khan from his cricketing days and believes the future of Pakistan is with PTI.
The press conference was held at the PTI Sindh’s Insaaf House at Shahr-e-Faisal.
It is pertinent to add here that Abrar ul Haq is also a member of PTI. Other celebrities who openly show support for PTI includeHamza Ali Abbasi, Farhan Saeed, Mawra Hocane, Shaan Shahid and Ali Zafar.
Earlier, Shamoon Abbasi had also announced that he has joined the ruling party to revive the cinema industry.
“I’ve joined PTI, not as a politician; I’ve joined the development department of the media industry. We’ve created and forwarded new policies that the government has accepted and started implementing. Thankfully, Prime Minister Imran Khan is supporting us,” Abbasi had said.
“A department is being created which will visit sets without notice and make sure things are functioning professionally. If a producer has employed someone without an agreement, he will be questioned and we will work things out accordingly,” he added.
Pakistan’s captain Mohammad Rizwan and New Zealand’s captain Kane Williamson looked on as the pitch invader ran onto the field and passed near them.
This is not the first incident of its kind.
During the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 one-day match between England and New Zealand a bizarre incident in the 34th over caught everyone’s attention. A nude pitch invader took advantage of a break in play to run onto the field and interrupt proceedings.
With New Zealand struggling at 145 for six in the 34th over, a fan took to the field. The naked man, wearing just a green hat, managed to reach the middle of the pitch and get close up to New Zealand batsmen Tom Latham and Mitchell Santner before managing to avoid security. The man was eventually hauled away by seven men and then broke free before being tackled to the ground.
Pakistan won the toss and elected to field first. While Black Caps have scored 222 runs for 3. Williamson is on 94 (not out), Nicholls scored 42 runs (not out), Taylor scored 70 runs. Shaheen took three wickets by giving 55 runs. Match will now resume tomorrow for the second day.
