Tag: trending

  • ‘It’s disturbing that a film like The Kashmir Files is so popular’: Naseeruddin Shah

    ‘It’s disturbing that a film like The Kashmir Files is so popular’: Naseeruddin Shah

    Bollywood’s venerated thespian Naseeruddin Shah has spoken out against the rising popularity of propaganda films like ‘The Kerala Story’ and ‘The Kashmir Files’, both of which revolve around Islamophobic content. The former centers around the debunked claim that thousands of women in the state of Kerala were forced to convert to Islam and then recruited into ISIS. ‘The Kashmir Files’, a film about the mass evacuation of Hindus from Indian-occupied Kashmir, was slammed by critics for distorting facts.

    “Now the more jingoist you are, the more popular you become, because this is what has been ruling this country. It’s not enough to love your country but beat drums about it and you have to create imaginary enemies,” the veteran actor said while speaking to Free Press Journal.

    Shah said that filmmakers behind ‘The Kerala Story’ or ‘The Kashmir Files’ don’t realise that what they’re doing is harmful.

    “In fact, films like Kerala Story and Gadar 2, I haven’t seen them, but I know what they are about. It’s disturbing that films like Kashmir Files are so massively popular whereas movies made by Sudhir Mishra, Anubhav Sinha and Hansal Mehta, who are trying to portray the truth of their times, don’t get seen.”

    The ‘Masoom’ actor described the current environment “frightening” considering how filmmakers today are resorting to making movies on baseless accusations that trample down other communities:

    “It’s hard to resort to abstraction and capture life as it is. So regressive is a pretty mild word for what’s going on. It’s frightening when filmmakers are being coopted into making films which praise all the wrong things and run down other communities for no reason at all. It’s a dangerous trend.”

    The actor had previously written an open letter about the accusations of love-jihad on his 41-year-long marriage to Hindu wife Ratna Pathak, saying that he and his family were supportive of his wife’s decision to remain a Hindu.

    “As it happened, the subject of my wife Ratna converting to Islam was brought up just once by my mother and that as enquiry, to which, on receiving a reply in the negative, she concurred with a ‘Haan, mazhab kaise badla jaa sakta hai.’ Whether this statement of a woman weaned exclusively on a diet of the Quran makes more sense than the hate-filled rhetoric of ‘Hindus and Muslims cannot live together’, I will leave to the judgement of the reader.”

    READ MORE: Naseeruddin Shah opens up about ‘love jihad’ accusations on marriage to Ratna Pathak

  • Working women, pay heed to this excellent advice from Bushra Ansari

    Working women, pay heed to this excellent advice from Bushra Ansari

    Bushra Ansari keeps aging with grace and confidence, giving us more reasons to love her. Her stellar comedy skills, her decades long career, and her blunt advice to empower women keeps proving she’s the GOAT. Recently, during an appearance at ‘The Talk Talk Show’, the actress spoke in depth about two prevailing topics that more working women should take her advise on: remembering that its okay to want to work after marriage, and that the right to divorce was granted to them by Islam.

    On the show she discussed the basics of establishing a flourishing career while also remaining a full-time mom. The ‘Tere Bin’ actress said that aside from performing on screen, she kept working as a full time mother and a housewife who cooked food and dropped her kids to school. Her advice to stay-at-home mothers, especially women working in the showbiz industry, was to keep multi-tasking in different roles.

    “Allah has given us a lot of abilities so we should keep searching for them. This is the advice I also give to girls working in showbiz to keep working after marriage, whether or not they start a family.”

    Bushra elaborated that women shouldn’t stop after getting married or after having a child, giving examples of several actors who have done the same. “I worked on my career and raised my children along with this. Along side with Rubina Ashraf, Samina Ahmed, Saba Hamid. We continued to work, while also taking care of our children.”

    The ‘Dolly Ki Aegi Barat’ spoke about her divorce from her husband of 36 years, reflecting on her Nikah, when her father made sure to include the ‘right to divorce’ clause. The actress elaborated that in contradiction to what society thinks, the Quran has given women a lot of rights in Islam.

    “The right to divorce is written in the Nikkah, which is cut out. When someone is getting married, they can chose to have the right to divorce. This is initiated when a discussion is held with the boy’s family, because they can give you this right. It’s not that a woman can just hand over a divorce, but its a granted right given by her husband and in-laws. So this is something I feel even the boy’s side of the family should understand.”

    Ansari said using the right to divorce was not an easy task because ending a marriage can be painful “I had the right to divorce from the first day, but I spent 36 years in my marriage. I would have used it in a snap but no one wants to separate this way. But when the time came, I used this right.”

  • Journalist questions US ‘internal matter’ response to Imran’s arrest, compares to other countries

    Journalist questions US ‘internal matter’ response to Imran’s arrest, compares to other countries

    Matthew Miller, spokesperson for the US State Department, was recently questioned about his country’s “subdued and muted” response to former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s arrest.

    In a recent press briefing, a journalist asked Miller about whether he thought Khan got a fair trial. To this, Miller responded by saying, “We think it’s an internal matter for Pakistan. And we continue to call for the respect of democratic principles, human rights and rule of law in Pakistan, as we do around the world.”

    The journalist then said, “Some people describe that response as subdued and muted,” asking if that was because of Imran Khan’s criticism of the USA when he was Prime Minister.

    “I think our response to this arrest and his previous arrest have been consistent,” Miller replied, repeating again that it was an internal matter for Pakistan.

    Another journalist then asks, “How is that different from the Navalny case,” referring to Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who has been sentenced to 19 years in prison for allegedly funding an extremist organisation. The US had strongly condemned Navalny’s detention.

    Miller replied, “There are times when the case is so obviously unfounded that the United States believes it should say something about the matter. We have not made that determination here.”

  • Arif Alvi, establishment strike deal?

    Arif Alvi, establishment strike deal?

    Senior analyst Muzamil Suharwardy has alleged that President Arif Alvi will announce the election date very soon as part of a deal he has striken with the establishment.

    During a programme on Naya Daur TV, the analyst said that Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Director General Lt Gen Nadeem Anjum met with President Alvi to finalize a deal between both parties. President Alvi will not voice any objections regarding the Official Secret Act and Army Act, Suharwardy narrated.

    The analyst also said that the President asked the establishment to provide a smooth path so that he could face the public with dignity. Not objecting to the Official Secret Act and Army Act will be part of the agreement.

    According to Suharwardy, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will file a plea stating that the president has no right to announce the election date. The matter will then shift to the Supreme Court (SC), where the upcoming chief justice, Qazi Faez Esa has already said that no such case can be heard until the Supreme Court Practice and Procedure Bill case is finalized.

    Chief Justice Umar Atta Bandial will consequently face criticism from both the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM).

    “A fixed match will be played between President Alvi and the establishment,” Suharwardy said.

  • Sharmila Tagore: not your typical saas and here’s proof from Kareena Kapoor

    Sharmila Tagore: not your typical saas and here’s proof from Kareena Kapoor

    Sharmila Tagore should share a page from her book on how to be an uplifting and generous saas to your newly wedded daughter-in-law, and maybe more women would want to get married.

    Kareena Kapoor was a guest on Express Ada where she spoke about her decision to marry actor Saif Ali Khan at the peak of her career. She opened up about people telling her she would be destroying her career.

    “Everyone was like, if you get married your career might be over and it would take a beating,” reports The Indian Express. “I was madly in love and I thought it is fine. If producers and directors would be like my career is over because I got married, then I think it’s maybe their loss. It’s a weird thing. I couldn’t believe it. I was like, ‘Okay, let’s see what happens.’ And I just did it.”

    The ‘K3G’ actress especially gave credit to her mother-in-law veteran actress Sharmila Tagore, whom she gushed about for giving her a lot of confidence when she needed it.

    “My mother-in-law also gave me a lot of confidence because she did amazing movies like Daag, Waqt and such beautiful films that she did after Saif was born. So she was like, ‘Don’t fall for the fact that producers won’t (cast you).’ She was like, ‘Challenge yourself, challenge them, and it will happen.’ And I was confident about it. I was just always worried about balancing my life in terms of how I would balance marriage. I was most concerned about that because I was like, ‘I do want to work’.”

    Kareena remained confident that she hadn’t given up her career, and was happy to witness how several other actors like Deepika Padukone and Alia Bhatt have gotten married at the peak of their careers, continuing to work afterwards.

    “I think it’s given a lot of girls confidence. Everybody started following suit and being a lot more confident. People earlier would not even talk about their relationships openly. There was a time when nobody wanted to be linked with anyone or the sight of having a relationship for a Bollywood actress was like, no.”

    Kareena also gave credit to Saif’s “relaxed” state of mind, emphasizing that he didn’t have any issues with the actress wanting to work after her marriage, crediting his upbringing in a family, “where women have always been at the forefront, be it his grandmother, his mother or his sisters.”

  • PPP will form the next government, says Bilawal Bhutto

    PPP will form the next government, says Bilawal Bhutto

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said on Monday while addressing an audience at Sukkur’s Jinnah Stadium, that it is “evident” that the PPP will form the next government.

    The former Foreign Minister also said that “The writing is on the wall” that his party will be in power in the next government.

    Talking about the upcoming polls, Bilawal Bhutto stressed that general elections are inevitable.

    He added, “They [elections] will be held within 90 days, if not then within 100 or even within 120 days at most.”

    Earlier, while speaking at a ceremony in Hyderabad, the PPP head said that his former political allies are running away from elections.

    Without naming names, the PPP leader took a jibe at former ally Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) for refusing to support elections within the constitutionally mandated 90-day window.

  • Asia Cup 2023: India beat Pakistan by 228 runs

    India defeated Pakistan by a massive margin of 228 runs in the Super 4 stage match of the Asia Cup 2023 in Colombo, Sri Lanka. 

    Pakistan’s captain, Babar Azam, won the toss and chose to bowl first on Sunday. On the first day, India managed to score 147 runs for the loss of two wickets in 24.1 overs before the match was interrupted by rain and eventually called off. 

    The following day, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul began the game and built a strong partnership of 233 runs for the fourth wicket. Virat Kohli scored 122 runs, while KL Rahul contributed 111 runs. India set a formidable total of 356 runs in 50 overs. Shaheen Afridi and Shadab Khan each took one wicket for Pakistan. 

    Pakistan started their innings slowly, losing two wickets for 44 runs in 11 overs. Rain briefly interrupted the match again but resumed after an hour. Pakistan continued to lose wickets at regular intervals, managing only 128 runs for the loss of 8 wickets in 32 overs. Haris Rauf and Nasim Shah were injured and did not bat. Kuldeep Yadav was a key bowler for India, securing a five-wicket haul. 

    The next Super Stage match will be played between India and Sri Lanka tomorrow. 

    Here’s a summary of the key moments in the match: 

    – Pakistan scored 128/8 in 32 overs. 

    – Iftikhar Ahmed was caught out for 23 runs on the fourth ball of the 30th over, bowled by Kuldeep Yadav. 

    – Shadab Khan was caught on the fourth ball of the 28th over by Kuldeep Yadav, scoring 6 runs on 10 balls. 

    – Agha Salman was dismissed lbw by Kuldeep Yadav for 23 runs in 32 balls. 

    – Fakhar Zaman was bowled out on the second ball of the 20th over by Kuldeep Yadav, scoring 27 runs in 50 balls. 

    – Mohammad Rizwan was caught out on the fourth ball of the 12th over by Shardul Thakur, scoring 2 runs on 5 balls. 

    – Pakistan resumed their innings at 44/2 after a rain delay. 

    – Babar Azam was bowled out by Hardik Pandya after scoring 10 runs from his first 20 deliveries. 

    – Pakistan was at 43/1 in 10 overs when Imam-ul-Haq was caught out on 9 runs, bowled by Jasprit Bumrah. 

    – India had set a total of 356 runs in 50 overs, with Virat Kohli scoring 122 runs and KL Rahul scoring 111 runs. 

    Haris Rauf did not continue bowling due to discomfort in his right flank. 

    The match was eventually concluded with India winning by 228 runs. 

  • President Alvi can announce election date anytime, Geo News reports

    President Alvi can announce election date anytime, Geo News reports

    President of Pakistan, Dr. Arif Alvi, can announce the election date anytime, Geo News has reported. President Alvi met with interim law minister Ahmad Irfan Aslam on Monday and discussed the matter of the election date.

    The law minister reportedly told the President that in his opinion, deciding the polling date is the responsibility of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), verifying the stance of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC).

    However, the President declaring a date on his own could start another legal crisis with the matter likely to end up in the Supreme Court.

    According to a report in The News, President Alvi met with two significant individuals in Aiwan-e-Sadr on September 4. The location of the meeting, the Aiwan-e-Sadr’s fourth floor, was off-limits to everyone, including staff.

    General Nadeem Ahmad Anjum, the head of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), was also present at the meeting, according to a previous revelation by Kamran Yousaf in his vlog on August 30.

  • Venkatesh Prasad deletes viral tweet about Jay Shah, abuses Muslim journalist for sharing screenshot

    Former Indian cricketer Venkatesh Prasad on Saturday tweeted what many social media users believe was a cryptic tweet targeting Asian Cricket Council (ACC) President Jay Shah, who is also secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

    “It takes one corrupt, arrogant guy to take away the hard work of an organisation that is generally non-corrupt and get a stamp of corruption on the whole leadership, not just on a micro level but at a large level.”

    Prasad’s tweet made many X (former Twitter) users speculate if the former cricketer had targeted BCCI and Jay Shah, son of Indian Home Minister Amit Shah. However, Prasad soon deleted his tweet.

    Indian journalist and fact-checker Mohammed Zubair posted a screenshot of the tweet deleted by Prasad.

    AltNews co-founder Zubair was not the only one who posted a screenshot of Prasad’s deleted tweet. Many news outlets did a story on it as well. However, Prasad chose to target and abuse Zubair in a racist and bigoted tweet.

    Prasad quote-tweeted Zubair and wrote: “Haha.. Says a serial hate- monger, who has put so many lives in danger for his agenda. You disguising as a fact-checker is like Terrorists talking about peace. Now post that you need money to survive and ask for donation for your website, no shame in living off by fooling people.”

    In response, Zubair said that he hopes Prasad will be forgiven for his tweet on BCCI by his “political masters for compensating by abusing and comparing” him to “terrorists”.

    One user pointed out that Venkatesh Prasad’s manager is Amritanshu Gupta, a known right-wing BJP supporter, which is why Prasad’s language is of right-wing trolls.

    Many X users called out the former Indian cricketer for his bigoted and hateful tweet against a Muslim journalist in India.

    Prasad posted a new version of his deleted tweet a day later.

  • Imran Khan files petition against superintendent jail after not being allowed to talk to sons

    Imran Khan files petition against superintendent jail after not being allowed to talk to sons

    Former Prime Minister Imran Khan has filed a petition against the superintendent of Attock jail on Monday for not allowing him to speak to his sons over the phone.

    Khan is in custody until September 13 under the cypher case. He had been arrested on August 5 in the Tosha Khana case, and since then he has been in Attock jail.

    Last month, Khan was allowed to speak to his sons over the phone by a special court formed to hear cases registered under the Official Secrets Act.

    However, Imran Khan has claimed in his petition against the Attock jail superintendent that he is not following the court orders.

    Judge Abdul Hasnat Zulqarnain has issued a notice to the superintendent, asking for the submission of an implementation report of the court’s orders on September 15.