According to details, a notification dated August 13, 2020, states that if any act is recorded in a mosque or a shrine, the relevant manager and zonal administrator would be responsible.
The approval to shoot a documentary in these sites will be subject to consultation with the department of religious affairs, it adds.
The Auqaf department’s notification specified that no shooting featuring a woman in a shrine or mosque will be allowed.
Approximately 544 shrines and 437 mosques fall under the management of the department, which has been listed in its notification issued last week.
The decision came after public outcry against the shoot of a music video featuring Bilal Saeed and Saba Qamar at Wazir Khan mosque in Lahore. Though the two artists publicly apologised for hurting public sentiment and removed the sequence from their music video, they received a lot of backlash and cases were also registered over the scene picturized at the mosque.
Saba Qamar’s directorial venture with singer Bilal Saeed Qubool has finally been released after being mired in controversy last week. Saba and Bilal had come under fire for shooting a sequence at Masjid Wazir Khan and “humiliating the sanctity” of the holy place. They later apologised for hurting public sentiment and said that they will not be including the mosque sequence in their music video.
Qubool is a love ballad, which according to the makers, “is about falling in love, saying I do and yet learning to agree to disagree for life with love”. The music and melody is along the same lines as Bilal’s earlier hit Baari.
Saba has done a great job as usual as the director and the music video is endearing and full of warmth. The chemistry between the two leads is also lit.
Qubool has been written, composed, produced and performed by Bilal.
Fahad Mustafa, Yasir Hussain and Iqrar ul Hassan Syed have extended their support to Saba Qamar and Bilal Saeed after they received backlash for shooting part of their upcoming music video at Lahore’s historical Wazir Khan Mosque.
Iqrar ul Hassan requested all his followers to accept Saba and Bilal’s apologies and said that Bilal’s respect in his eyes has increased after his apology message. Fahad later retweeted Iqrar’s tweet and urged everyone to forgive and move on.
Yasir Hussain also extended his support to his Lahore Se Aagay co-star and called out trolls spreading hate.
Shafaat Ali also voiced his support, though he did not explicitly name anyone.
There is a selective hatred against almost all Actors/Singers/Artists in general in Pakistan. People follow them, yet look down upon them. People always love to spew hatred towards them. They just need a chance.
Last weekend, Saba and Bilal found themselves in hot water after they released the teaser of their upcoming music video Qubool Hai. Part of the music video, which has been directed by Saba herself, has been shot inside Wazir Khan Mosque upsetting the public, who demanded strict action be taken against those who allowed the video to be shot inside the mosque.
Chief Minister Punjab Usman Buzdar also took notice of the incident following which the Punjab Auqaf department suspended the manager of Masjid on Sunday. According to reports, the CM sought a report from the minister concerned and the department’s secretary on the matter.
“The mosque is the holiest place and no one can be allowed to trample upon its sanctity. Whosoever is found responsible will not be spared,” an official handout quoted the chief minister as saying.
After severe criticism and backlash, Bilal, in a video message apologised for hurting the public’s sentiments and clarified that they did not dance or record any music in the mosque.
“We realise what has happened over the past few days has hurt your sentiments deeply,” says Bilal in the video. “We as Muslims, as decent human beings and as artists will never, ever trivialize or condone disrespect to Islam or any other religion, race, caste, colour or creed. If we have unknowingly hurt anyone’s sentiments we apologise to you all with all our heart.”
He continued: “Alhamdulilah I am a Muslim and I was raised in a Muslim household. I cannot even think about doing something that would disrespect my religion. I solemnly affirm in the name of Allah that neither did we play any music in the mosque and nor did we dance and the witness to that is the management of the mosque.”
Referring to the clip in which he is twirling Saba, Saeed said: “There was a move that we did for the sake of the photoshoot. We were not following any dance sequence and neither was there any music playing in the background. We understand that we have unintentionally made a mistake and we are acknowledging our mistake.”
“Saba Qamar and I, are just humans like the rest of us and to err is human,” he further said. “As a Muslim, if I was in your place, maybe I would also think the same. So we also apologise to you, and hope that you can let this go. As a realisation on our part, I am also removing the entire sequence from the video, and assure you that we won’t make such mistakes in the near future.”
“I had never imagined my name would be associated with something like this. As a Muslim, I am extremely regretful of this and apologise on behalf of all of us, including Saba and our entire team,” he concluded.
Earlier, Saba had also clarified that “this is also the only sequence that was shot at the historical Wazir Khan Mosque” and is a prologue to the music video.
“The BTS video that’s making rounds on social media was just a circular movement to click stills for the poster of ‘Qubool’ depicting a happily married couple right after their Nikah. Hurting or offending anyone or being disrespectful to a holy place is as unimaginable and unacceptable for me as for any decent human being,” she had said.
Saba Qamar and Bilal Saeed have found themselves in hot water after they released the teaser of their upcoming music video Qubool Hai. Part of the music video, which has been directed by Saba herself, has been shot inside Wazir Khan Mosque upsetting the public.
Though Saba and Bilal in the caption clarified that “this is also the only sequence that was shot at the historical Wazir Khan Mosque” and is a prologue to the music video, the teaser did not go down well with the audiences who called out the actor and singer for hurting religious sentiments.
“The BTS video that’s making rounds on social media was just a circular movement to click stills for the poster of ‘Qubool’ depicting a happily married couple right after their Nikah. Hurting or offending anyone or being disrespectful to a holy place is as unimaginable and unacceptable for me as for any decent human being.”
“Despite this, if we have unknowingly hurt anyone’s sentiments we apologise to you all with all our heart,” they added in their post.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CDoMcOtB6ch/
Social media users demanded that strict action be taken against those who allowed the video to be shot inside the mosque.
Recording the dance scene in a mosque—the best & sanctimonious place on the earth according to our religion(Islam)—shows how far undogmatic our some celebs r that they don’t know the rudimentary values.This is not right & acceptable at all.Shame on you!!#SabaQamar#Bilalsaeedpic.twitter.com/THd8X4zOKo
Later, spokesperson of the Punjab Government Mashwani Azhar said that an inquiry has been ordered into the matter and strict action will be taken against those involved in allowing the video to be shot in the Masjid and those who violated the terms of the NOC. Azhar even attached the notification in his tweet.
“Secretary Aquaf Govt of Punjab has already ordered DG Auqaf to conduct an inquiry of the Masjid Wazir Khan matter where private company shooting Saba Qamar, Bilal Saeed video violated terms of NOC, agreed with the administration,” wrote Azhar on Twitter.
Two enormous explosions ripped through Beirut’s port on Tuesday, wrecking buildings across the Lebanese capital. The explosions — which were heard in Nicosia, 240 kilometres (150 miles) away in Cyprus — were logged by seismologists, registering as the equivalent of a 3.3-magnitude earthquake. According to the Lebanese Red Cross, more than 100 people have been killed while over 4,000 have been injured.
“Until now over 4,000 people have been injured and over 100 have lost their lives. Our teams are still conducting search and rescue operations in the surrounding areas,” a statement said.
Following the devastating incident, Pakistani celebrities including Mahira Khan, Humayun Saeed, Mehwish Hayat, Hamza Ali Abbasi, Saba Qamar and Asim Azhar extended their prayers to those affected by the tragedy.
Prime Minister Imran Khan also said that he was “deeply pained to hear” of the incident.
Deeply pained to hear of the massive explosions in Beirut with precious lives lost & thousand injured.We stand in solidarity with our Lebanese brethren in their difficult hour, sharing their sorrow & grief. May Allah grant speedy recovery to the injured & strength to the bereaved
My heart goes out to you Beirut! Heartiest prayers for all those who have been affected by this tragic blast. Such a beautiful country going through the worst of times! #Beirut#Lebanon
The footage coming in from Beirut is truly devastating. My heart grieves for all the people suffering… Sending them lots of prayers and love #Beirut#BeirutExplosion#Lebanon
This is devastating. I just called every friend and family member I have in Beirut and each of them were directly impacted. Praying for Lebanon. https://t.co/jvElTyCEOU
Authorities are appealing to residents of #Beirut to remain indoors, wear a mask or leave the city for the mountains as the air has become highly toxic. But the residents are out on the streets going through rubble or to hospitals looking for their loved ones. #BeirutBlast
The apocalyptic carnage caused by the #BeirutExplosion has left me speechless. May the people of #Beirut find strength somehow – sending lots of love and prayers their way#Lebanon لبنان#
Horrific scenes emerging from videos regarding the Beirut Blast. Our thoughts and prayers go out to their people in this time of need. Stay strong Lebanon #PrayForLebanon#prayforbeirut#BeirutBlast#Beruit
Under their posts, confused fans expressed their shock, while others sent them best wishes.
However, some followers speculated that the picture is from Saba and Bilal’s upcoming music video. The award-winning singer was earlier spotted at Saba’s house where he treated those present to a live performance. Saba’s manager Meshal Cheema had shared a video of Bilal singing with the caption ‘Any idea what’s cooking?’ hinting that the two are working together on a project.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B_8e9CBpWag/
Moreso, a few hours before Saba posted the picture of herself and Bilal, Meshal shared a picture of the actor on her Instagram stories, saying “News has it that you’re directing a new music video releasing soon and also acting in it.”
While Saba and Bilal might not have given it away, Meshal certainly did. But we have to admit, when we first saw Saba’s post, we almost fell off the chair. Given the rate at which celebrity weddings are happening, this wouldn’t have been entirely unbelievable.
Earlier in the day, Saba celebrated 200k subscribers on YouTube while Bilal announced that he has sent clothing brand So Kamal a legal notice for copyright infringement and using his song Baari without permission.
Saba Qamar has been keeping her audiences and fans entertained with wholesome content during this lockdown and pandemic. The actor, who recently launched her YouTube channel, has been sharing fun but thought-provoking videos, much to the delight of her fans.
Her latest video is no less. Titled #BreaktheStereotype, Saba’s latest videos hits out at bodyshamers and the rishta brigade, who belittle women.
Using her signature humour and sarcasm, Saba tries to get several messages across including body-shaming and gender equality and urges her followers to break different stereotypes. The video has been written and directed by Saba and features some of her closest pals.
Ever since Diriliş: Ertuğrul started airing in Pakistan, it has taken over the country by storm. The Turkish historical series has a cult following in the country and fans have been very excited since the cast expressed their wish to visit Pakistan.Esra Bilgiç who plays Halime Sultan in the series is particularly a favourite and the actor had earlier revealed that she will be endorsing three Pakistani brands.
One of them appears to be mobile company QMobile, who have announced that Esra will be the brand ambassador for their View Max Pro series.
Following their announcement, Yasir Hussain, who has been very critical of the government’s decision to air the drama on PTV, expressed his anger and disappointment over QMobile’s decision, saying: “Apko nahi lagta k Pakistan brand ki brand ambassador bhi Pakistani honi chahiye? Na Indian na Turkish? Pakistan Zindabad (Don’t you think Pakistani brands should have Pakistani brand ambassadors? Neither Turkish nor Indian).
The actor questioned why Pakistani actors like like Mahira Khan , Saba Qamar, Yumna Zaidi, Hira Mani cannot be brand ambassadors.
He added that he is not including his wife Iqra Aziz’s name in the list because she is already a brand ambassador for a mobile phone company.
Aiman Khan and Minal Khan also supported Yasir’s point of view.
Back when things were cordial between India and Pakistan, Pakistani artists had also criticised local brands for featuring Bollywood stars in their campaigns.
Asim Azhar’s upcoming song Tum Tum has already created waves before it even released. The reason for this is because Tiktok star Areeka Haq is featuring in the song. Asim’s fans were disappointed with him for including the Tiktoker and sent a lot of hate his way. It is pertinent to mention here that Haq has more than a million fans on Instagram.
Areeka Haq in a still from the upcoming songAsim and Areeka in a still from the song
Following the backlash on social media, Asim responded by tweeting:
Kamaal hai waise… pehle depression aur mental health pe lectures dete hain aur kuch din baad khud kisi ko depression ka shikaar bana dete hain apni bullying aur nafrat se.
Meanwhile, several celebrities including Saba Qamar, Yasir Hussain, Hania Aamir and Zara Noor Abbas extended their support to the singer and Tiktok star and requested people to stop spreading unnecessary hate and learn to respect each other.
@AsimAzharr I’m eagerly waiting for your upcoming music video! ❤️ Also, I’m proud of this little beautiful girl @areeqa__haq and all the other young talented people, trust me guys I’m your biggest cheerleader, no matter what! Keep Growing and Shining! Lots of love! 2/2
“Please be kind towards each other,” asserted Saba. “Learn to support each other. Don’t make these beautiful, young talented people depressed with hate comments and trolls because you have no idea how harsh and unkind it is.”
Saba Qamar
Yasir said that Tiktok has more talent than television and that Asim featured Haq because of her talent.
“We all need to grow up,” remarked Hussain.
Yasir Hussain
Zara said that she was proud of Asim for supporting new talent.
Zara Noor Abbas
Hania extended her support towards Areeka and wished her all the best.
Hania Aamir
Hania Aamir
Asim also shared that Hania came all the way from Islamabad to be part of the song.
The song touted to be “the biggest collaboration of the year” also features Shamoon Ismail, Talhah Yunus, Talha Anjum, Raamis, Hania Aamir, Mooroo and Asad Siddiqui and is scheduled to release on July 2. Watch the teaser for the song below:
Asim’s last song Humraah, featured in the Bollywood film Malang was a massive hit garnering more than 4 million views to date.
Saba Qamar just dropped another video on her YouTube channel and people cannot get enough of her unfiltered sass. Titled The Chay Show featuring Saba Qamar, the episode shows Saba being interviewed by makeup artist Shoaib Khan, dressed up as Suhail Warraich.
During the episode, Saba answers some of the most asked questions from female celebrities. She is witty and unfiltered with her responses which is why the episode has been much appreciated on social media.
For example, when the host asks Saba if she has done a lot of romance in real life like on-screen, Saba replies, “Kaisi baat kar rahe hain. Islamic Republic of Pakistan main aurat romance nahi karti, bachay aasmano say girtay hain (Women don’t romance in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Children fall from the skies).”
Later when he asks how many people Saba has dated, Saba said, “Aap hee bata dein. Aap behatar jaante honge.” When the host insists she answer, Saba launched a tirade saying: “Since a young age, girls are taught that it is better to die than to leave the first man in your life. This one sentence also ruined eight years of my life! He used to lie, misbehave, assault, and later apologise. Because commitment and marriage were the same for me, I kept going on for eight years thinking ‘it’ll get better’ but he didn’t get better, in fact, he ruined my mind!”
She further said that he later went and got married to someone in his family.
This answer, in particular, was lauded by Twitter users.
