Superstar Fawad Khan will star with Bollywood actress Vaani Kapoor in a new film. While the film’s title hasn’t been announced yet, some details about Khan’s role and the shooting schedule have been shared.
Reports say Khan will play a British chef in the film, which will be his first Bollywood role since 2016. The movie, directed by Aarti Bagdi, will be filmed in London and Dubai.
Pre-production is almost done, and filming is expected to start soon. Fans are excited to see Khan and Kapoor together on screen.
Khan first made waves in Bollywood with his 2014 film ‘Khoobsurat,’ where he starred with Sonam Kapoor. His star continued to rise with roles in ‘Kapoor & Sons’ and ‘Ae Dil Hai Mushkil.’
His return to Bollywood is generating a lot of buzz, and fans are eagerly waiting for more details about the film.
In a bid to clear the air around tax being imposed on graves in Punjab, the government has said that no ‘grave tax’ has been levied in Punjab and no proposal for such a tax is under consideration.
Recently, a widely shared clip from Samaa News in 2019 resurfaced, which claimed that the government is imposing a tax for about 1500 rupees on the graves of adults and children in the budget for the next year.
Asia Gul, Special Secretary for Local Government and Community Development in Lahore, told Geo Fact Check that the news is “fake”.
“The local government department has neither initiated any such proposal nor has the government approved any such proposal,” she said.
Aslam Nadeem, director of administration and finance at the Punjab Shahr Khumshan Authority, who is responsible for establishing model cemeteries across the province, also confirmed that he has not seen any such proposal and was unaware of any tax on graves in the province.
The Punjab budget for 2024-25 also has no mention of a tax on graves.
Senator Faisal Vawda has alleged that former Prime Minister Imran Khan, citing evidence provided by former director general Inter-Services Intelligence Lt Gen (retd) Faiz Hameed, was responsible for creating political instability due to his direct involvement in the May 9 violence last year, Express Tribune reported.
“Some time ago, I revealed that Imran Khan’s close associate, Faiz Hameed, provided evidence of Khan’s involvement in the May 9 vandalism,” stated Vawda.
He further said, “This was not Faiz Hameed’s suggestion; however, Imran Khan was part of the entire scheme.”
The senator clarified that the government doesn’t face any threats from a technocrat government or martial law but rather from the ongoing power struggle within the PML-N.
He opined that the government should renegotiate electricity agreements with IPPs, saying, “These political parties were responsible for the agreements that ensure payments to IPPs regardless of power supply. Such contracts involve kickbacks.”
Hamas announced Tuesday it had signed an agreement in Beijing with other Palestinian organizations, including rivals Fatah, to work together for “national unity”, with China describing it as a deal to rule Gaza together once the war ends.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who hosted senior Hamas official Musa Abu Marzuk, Fatah envoy Mahmud al-Aloul and emissaries from 12 other Palestinian groups, said they had agreed to set up an “interim national reconciliation government” to govern post-war Gaza. “Today we sign an agreement for national unity and we say that the path to completing this journey is national unity. We are committed to national unity and we call for it,”
Abu Marzuk said after meeting Wang and the other envoys. The announcement comes more than nine months into the genocide.
Israel’s retaliatory military campaign in Gaza has killed more than 39,000 people, also mostly civilians, according to data from the health ministry in Gaza.
The relentless fighting has plunged Gaza into a severe humanitarian crisis. China has sought to play a mediator role in the conflict, which has been rendered even more complex due to the intense rivalry between Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, and Fatah, which partially governs the occupied West Bank.
Israel has vowed to keep fighting until it destroys Hamas, and world powers, including key Israeli backer the United States, have scrambled to imagine scenarios for the governance of Gaza once the war ends. As Tuesday’s meeting wrapped up in Beijing, Wang said the groups had committed to “reconciliation”.
“The most prominent highlight is the agreement to form an interim national reconciliation government around the governance of post-war Gaza,” Wang said following the signing of the “Beijing Declaration” by the factions in the Chinese capital.
“Reconciliation is an internal matter for the Palestinian factions, but at the same time, it cannot be achieved without the support of the international community,” Wang said. China, he added, was keen to “play a constructive role in safeguarding peace and stability in the Middle East”. Beijing, Wang said, called for a “comprehensive, lasting and sustainable ceasefire”, as well as efforts to promote Palestinian self-governance and full recognition of a Palestinian state at the UN.
Hamas and Fatah have been bitter rivals since Hamas fighters ejected Fatah from the Gaza Strip after deadly clashes that followed Hamas’s resounding victory in a 2006 election.
Fatah controls the Palestinian Authority, which has partial administrative control in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Several reconciliation bids have failed, but calls have grown since October 7, with violence also soaring in the West Bank, where Fatah is based.
China hosted Fatah and Hamas in April, but a meeting scheduled for June was postponed. China has historically been sympathetic to the Palestinian cause and supportive of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Veteran Pakistani actor Nauman Ijaz has responded strongly to critics of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant’s lavish wedding.
Nauman took to Instagram to defend Mukesh Ambani and his family. Sharing a smiling picture of himself, the actor addressed the critics directly. “I don’t understand why people are criticizing Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant’s wedding,” Ijaz wrote.
He urged people to stop criticizing the wedding, saying that it is the Ambani family’s money, happiness, and life, and they should be allowed to enjoy it. Ijaz advised critics to ignore the wedding if they cannot be happy for the Ambanis. He stressed that giving negative opinions is not appropriate.
The actor also suggested that critics should “pray to become wealthy enough to afford such a wedding.”
Fiza Ali is known for being outspoken but did she recently cross lines with a girl who asked her for advice?
During a live show, the television host got angry at a young caller who asked for love advice. This heated exchange is now trending on social media. The viral video shows a teenaged girl calling into Fiza’s show, sharing that she has feelings for a boy and asking for advice and a spiritual solution to win his love.
The 18-year-old caller said that although she has strong feelings for the boy, he doesn’t show any interest in her.
Fiza Ali, clearly frustrated, asked the girl her age and then lost her temper.
Turning to the religious scholar on the show, she questioned the moral values of society and why such issues need to be discussed. The scholar responded that proper upbringing is crucial and parents must pay more attention.
Fiza did not hold back, calling the girl shameless for bringing up such a topic on live television.
“There should be a limit to shamelessness,” she said, adding that the girl’s parents should be embarrassed.
After calming down, Fiza advised the girl to focus on her education and make her parents proud instead of getting into a relationship. She also emphasized the importance of being a good role model for younger siblings.
The intense moment has sparked a conversation online, with people divided over Fiza’s reaction and the girl’s request for advice.
Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) addressed a press conference today, stating that the entire nation needs to stand up against “digital terrorists.”
“Digital terrorism is being carried out on social media. The army is standing up against terrorists and digital terrorists. The time has come for the entire nation to stand up against them,” he stated.
He underscored that critical national issues were being politicized in the country, referring to Azm-e-Istehkam as an example.
“Azm-e-Istehkam is a comprehensive and integrated counter-terrorism campaign, not a military operation per se as it is being presented,” the DG ISPR said during a press conference in Rawalpindi.
He further said, “Azm-e-Istehkam is not a military operation. Why is Azm-e-Istehkam being made controversial? There’s a strong lobby which wants the objectives of Azm-e-Istehkam not to be fulfilled. It is being politicized.”
Meanwhile, the military spokesman also dismissed rumours that the establishment had no role in the recent Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan’s (TLP) protest: “There’s so much fake news that people keep saying whatever they want to. Since the protesters cleared the area peacefully, it was being claimed that there’s ‘someone’s hand’ behind it.”
An accountability court has approved a seven-day physical remand of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and his spouse, Bushra Bibi, in the newly filed Toshakhana reference.
Previously, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had sought a fourteen-day remand; however, the court turned down this request while ordering NAB to produce them in court on July 29.
Former Prime Minister Imran Khan has been imprisoned for almost a year now in many cases, including the cipher, Toshakhana, and Iddat cases.
However, a court suspended his sentence in the Toshakhana case, while other courts overturned his convictions in the cipher and iddat cases, respectively.
Chances grew that Khan would be out of jail but all hopes dwindled when NAB charged him and his wife on fresh charges related to the sale of state gifts.
The Punjab government has approved launching a tram service in Lahore, ARY reported.
The project was approved by Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif during her recent visit to the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) headquarters.
The project will spread around 11 kilometers and include 10 stops, approximately 1 to 1.5 kilometers apart. The LDA has been asked to draw inspiration from modern tram models in Finland and China, with an estimated cost of Rs27 billion for the project.
The tram route will include prominent localities such as Main Boulevard from Kalma Chowk, Liberty, Main Market, Mini Market, and Hali Road. With Maryam Nawaz’s approval, MM Alam Road is expected to be converted into a one-way street to accommodate the tram route, as part of the re-modeling.
The tram service will also have a special stop within Gaddafi Stadium, making it a convenient option for sports enthusiasts and even-goers. However, ticket prices for the tram service will be determined after the launch.
After videos emerged of several individuals, allegedly Afghan nationals, vandalising the Pakistani consulate in Frankfurt, Islamabad urged Germany to take immediate measures to investigate the security lapse and hold those responsible for it accountable to the law.
The incident happened on July 20, when a “gang of extremists” attacked the consulate and “endangered” the lives of the consular staff on the premises, says the statement from the Pakistani mission.
In one of the viral videos, it can be seen that protesters carrying placards gathered outside the consulate.
The videos show three men — one of whom is seen clutching an Afghan flag — climbing a flagpole to remove the Pakistani flag.
However, some reports also indicated the protesters pelted the consulate building with stones.
Protest outside consulate
German media outlet DW reported that Saturday’s demonstration was arranged to “highlight complaints against Pakistan’s military and intelligence services, which organisers accused of killing critics and political opponents”.
DW quoted police as saying that about 400 people carrying Afghanistan flags took part in the demonstration outside the consulate.
Netizens on X also speculated that the people who vandalised the Pakistani consulate in Frankfurt belonged to the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement headed by Manzoor Pashteen.
However, Manzoor posted an official denial on X condemning the violence in Frankfurt. “Local authorities should take action against the perpetrator. Trained people are doing such acts on planning to create negative propaganda against people’s protests,” he asserted.
Pakistan’s reaction
The Foreign Office in Pakistan called out the German authorities for failing to protect the “sanctity and security of the premises of its consular mission” under the Vienna Conventions on Consular Relations, 1963.
“We are in contact with the German authorities to ensure such a situation doesn’t arise again and the miscreants face legal consequences,” the Pakistani embassy in Germany posted on its official X handle.
Information Minister Atta Tarar, in a press conference, revealed that NADRA is asked to analyse the footage of the incident in Frankfurt to ascertain whether any Pakistanis were involved.
Though the Foreign Office did not point to the nationality of the miscreants, some of them were draped in the tri-colour Afghanistan flag. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, however, lashed out at the Afghan nationals, saying Islamabad needed to rethink its hospitality towards Afghan citizens in the wake of this incident.
“There’s a limit to hospitality. They swore at us; they swore at Pakistan. They talk against the integrity of Pakistan. They carry out proper rallies [against Pakistan]. They burn our flags,” he told Geo News, claiming that Pakistan fought wars for Kabul. “I think Pakistan needs to rethink their hospitality,” he said.
Pakistan hosts over three million Afghan refugees and recently launched a deportation drive to expel those who were residing in the country without documents.
Earlier this month, the government extended the stay of registered Afghan refugees by one year.
