Tag: trending

  • Audio leaks commission to make proceedings public

    Audio leaks commission to make proceedings public

    The three-member judicial commission that was established to look into the audio leaks involving judges and the judiciary has decide to make its proceedings public.

    Justice Qazi Faez Isa, Chief Justice of the Balochistan High Court, Naeem Akhtar Afghan, and Chief Justice of the Islamabad High Court, Aamer Farooq, are part of the commission.

    Attorney General Mansoor Usman Awan appeared in the first meeting of the commission.

    Justice Qazi inquired from the attorney general that under which law the government formed the commission.

    The Attorney General said that this commission was formed under the Commission of Inquiry Act 2016.

  • Imran Khan suspects he can be arrested on Tuesday

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has said that he might get arrested again when he appears before a court in Islamabad on Tuesday.

    “On Tuesday, I’m going to appear before court in Islamabad for various bails and there are 80% chances that I will be arrested,” Imran said that while speaking to Fareed Zakaria on CNN.

    “Everything is being done just to dismantle our democracy, so right now, as we speak, over 10,000 workers have been arrested. My entire senior leadership is in jail,” he added.

    Imran Khan further said that the government is taking such actions against him because they fear they would lose upcoming elections.

  • Miscreants who attacked army installations will face military court, says PM Shehbaz

    Miscreants who attacked army installations will face military court, says PM Shehbaz

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif has announced that miscreants involved in attacks on army installations and civil properties during the violent protests if May 9, will be tried in military courts and anti-terrorism courts (ATCs).

    Chairing a meeting on the law and order situation in Lahore on Sunday, PM Shehbaz said everyone who is involved in incidents of May 9 will be dealt with an iron hand.

    He added that the day will always be remembered as a “black day” in the history of Pakistan. He went on to say that the rioters “turned into enemies of the country” and carried out the attack on the GHQ.

    After Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s arrest, his supporters came out on the streets and allegedly attacked army installations which included Corps Commander’s House (Jinnah House) in Lahore Cantt and the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi.

  • Dear ‘Tere Bin’ writer, marital rape is rape

    To Nooran Makhdoom, the writer of the drama ‘Tere Bin’.

    How you chose to write your script is your own business. But to say that a heinous act like marital rape is justified and needed for the script is completely wrong and horrifying, as well as an insight into how the Pakistani entertainment industry keeps alienating women every year.

    This spectacle started on Friday, when the promo for the upcoming episode showed that after accusing Murtasim of cheating on her with Haya, Meerab is raped by her husband as punishment. Social media users were rightfully horrified, which led to a stream of hashtags like ‘Shame on Tere Bin Makers’ and ‘Nooran’, with users beginning to withdraw their support from the once popular drama, and criticising the production team for taking such a heinous step without realising its consequences and impact.

    Instead of listening to your fans and hearing their well-justified complaints about Meerab’s rape, you, Ms. Makhdoom, have instead decided to double down on your stand and defend it. In your statement to Arab News, you said that this is just a drama, and that this had not happened for the first time, so fans should stop complaining about every single episode.

    Now, Ms Makhdoom, we have to point out that you are entirely wrong to dismiss these complaints. Because:

    a. Marital rape is a crime, and many women in Pakistan suffer from it.

    b. Films and dramas are more than just means of entertainment. They are powerful tools to influence audiences.

    Let us break down all of this to you because clearly, you are not aware about the audience you are writing for.

    Marital rape has been declared as a human rights violation by the United Nations High Commissioner For Human Rights in 1993, when they included it in the ‘Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women’. However, in Pakistan where approximately 40% of women have experienced physical or emotional violence in their lifetime, there are no laws that recognise this as an illegal act.

    Already Ms. Makhdoom, you must be aware that the country you are writing dramas for, is one where women are not granted financial independence or any form of security so that if they are suffering from violence, they find some solace and escape. But because of cultural restrictions that prevent women from finding support, as well as a dilapidating justice system that refuses to help survivors, very few women live to see the day when they are able to escape their abusers with ease.

    So to stress on why saying this is ‘just a drama’ is wrong, these kinds of scenes undermine the difficult realities of women in Pakistan. It refuses to acknowledge them as individuals with the right to reject sex from men, whether or not they are married to them. And such actions being normalised by some of the top rated dramas in this country will only further erode the little progress that has improve the rights of women in Pakistan.

    Furthermore, dramas aren’t ‘just dramas’ Ms. Makhdoom, but powerful instruments of change that can influence the masses that are watching them. As a script writer, you do not get to evade the responsibility that comes with being a public figure, because ultimately the public looks up to you and is watching your dramas to learn more about the society around them. Which is why, it speaks volumes about the way our entertainment industry has continued to dig itself further and further into a hole when one of the highest rated dramas of a country which has been declared as the fourth most dangerous country for women, thinks that showing marital rape is okay.

    It’s never okay. And we urge you, Ms. Makhdoom, to stop hiding behind such baseless defences, and actually look down to see the consequences of the narrative you are promoting. Women in Pakistan are in pain. And it is only when public figures like you take responsibility for your actions and stop churning out such debauched dramas for the sake of good ratings, that we can actually progress forward.

  • Man kills elder brother over property dispute in Karachi

    Man kills elder brother over property dispute in Karachi

    A man in Karachi killed his elder brother over a property dispute, ARY has reported.

    The suspect has been identified as Abdur Rauf.

    According to police, Rauf opened fire on his brother, who then lost his life on the spot.

    Police have arrested the suspect from the place of the incident.

    The initial investigation has revealed that the suspect had a dispute with his brother over their father’s property.

  • ‘I stand by it’: Tere Bin writer Nooran Makhdoom defends controversial rape scene

    Trigger warning: victim blaming, discussions of marital rape, assault

    Pakistani drama ‘Tere Bin’ has been in the eye of a social media storm since yesterday a controversial scene from the drama serial went viral on Twitter. In the scene, the female lead Meerab (played by Yumna Zaidi) is raped by her husband Murtasim (played by Wahaj Ali) after she accuses him of attempting to start an affair with Haya.

    Social media users, who had already labelled the drama as problematic for past controversies like slaps, attempted suicide, stalking and poor story pacing, declared that they were dropping their support for the once-popular drama. But it turns out, the writer behind the drama Nooran Makhdoom, is not moved by the backlash, defending it as a ‘a demand of the serial’, in an interview with Arab News Pk.

    “It’s a situation which was the demand of the serial that will lead to the climax,” explained Makhdoom.

    She also went on to defend the story by saying she won’t be changing the script because of fans:

    “If the audience isn’t getting it, I can’t change it,” she said. “It’s just a drama. They should wait for the entire story to unfold instead of taking issue with every episode.”

    Makhdoom also pointed out that such a horrfiying trope is not being used for the first time, and that the entire production team or director had not objected to the scene:

    “It’s not like this has happened onscreen for the first time. It’s just that this project has received such wide recognition that people reacted strongly to the recent twist.”

    Makhdoom also shared with Arab News that she had not initially added the slap and the spit scene, which was added in before filming, but she took complete responsibility for writing the script:

    “If you speak of my social responsibility, I created a story and I stand by it,” she said. “And this is not an unusual occurrence; it has happened before.”

    This revelation has led to more backlash on social media, with hasthags like ‘Shame on Tere Bin makers’ and ‘Nooran’ trending on Twitter, and users calling for a boycott of the drama.

  • ‘Depression is something only rich people get’: Nawazuddin Siddiqui

    Nawazuddin Siddiqui gave an interview to Mashable India, where his comments about mental illness have triggered a debate on social media. According to Indian Express, the actor was quoted as saying that mental illnesses like depression and anxiety only happened to privileged people because they tend to glorify their emotions.

    The ‘Sacred Games’ actor revealed that while growing up, he would never have been able to tell his father that he was depressed or he would have been slapped:

    “I come from a place where, if I would tell my father that I am feeling depressed, he would give me one tight slap… Depression waha nahi tha, kisi ko bhi nahi hota waha depression, sab khush hai. But I learnt about anxiety, depression, bipolar after coming to the city.”

    “Ye shehro mein aake hoti hai, yaha pe har aadmi apne chhote emotions ko bhi bohot glorify karta hai.”

    The actor, who faced a recent controversy after his ex-wife accused him of kicking her and their children out of their house, went on to say that it was working class people who never get depressed because they work hard and make the most out of their conditions, unlike rich people.

    “If you ask a labourer, or someone who is sleeping on the footpath, what is depression. When it rains, they dance even then, usko gh***a depression nahi pata hota. Jab aapke paas paise aajate hai toh iss tareeke ki beemariya aati jaati hai.”

  • ‘Your wife is not your cleaner’: Washing powder brand’s new commercial has enraged Twitter users

    Ever thought that Pakistani commercials couldn’t go lower than they already are? Welp, Brite decided to hit rock bottom with an advertisement that has enraged social media on its blatant display of misogyny.

    The commercial shows a woman opening her husband’s suitcase and finding his clothes covered with food stains. But below the clothes is a package and a card which tells the mother to not worry, because Brite can wipe away all kinds of food stains.

    First of all, how is it possible that a grown working man dribbles this much food down his clothes? And is this woman his wife, or a walking talking robot who is now responsible for all of his chores? Twitter had the same questions when they caught hold of the ad.

    A user slammed it as a failed marketing strategy, which is once more highlighting the fact that women weren’t equal members of the households, but they were subservient to the men around them.

    Others began joining in, sharing other sexist advertisements that they have disagreed with.

    Women are not your domestic helpers. They don’t exist to clean and cook around you. Especially if you’re a grown man who is capable of travelling but can’t seem to clean himself.

  • Trouble, Trouble, Trouble: Taylor Swift’s boyfriend Matty Healy faces backlash from fans for problematic history of islamophobia, racism, sexist jokes

    Trouble, Trouble, Trouble: Taylor Swift’s boyfriend Matty Healy faces backlash from fans for problematic history of islamophobia, racism, sexist jokes

    We knew you were trouble when you walked in like quite literally the receipts are right here.

    Taylor Swift made headlines when the ‘Anti Hero’ singer started dating the frontman of The 1975 band, Matty Healy, after splitting up from her longtime boyfriend, Joe Alwyn.

    However, the news was not received well by fans, who criticised Healy’s problematic history of making racist, sexist and Islamophobic jokes.
    Swift has been extremely vocal about her activism for gay rights and feminism, with songs like ‘Mad Woman’ discussing female rage and sexism, and ‘You Need To Calm Down’ from her Lover album empowering the transgender community.

    It must be exhausting always rooting for the anti-hero? Not for Tay-Tay it seems.

    Fans began sharing clips and problematic posts Healy had posted in the past where he appeared to be mocking Islam. For instance, a fan shared a screenshot of his Instagram stories with a tweet:

    “You start dating a Muslim girl then BOOM”

    Another user shared a clip of ‘The City’ singer’s interview with Brut Mexico where he slammed religious people by saying they should be ashamed of themselves, addin that he had no rights as an athiest.

    “Religious people are always allowed to be offended: ‘Oh, we’re offended by this, I’m offended by that,’ I have to get up every day and read something abhorrent that’s happened in the name of religion.”

    https://twitter.com/msatermnid/status/1657258113324441601?s=20

    The ‘Medicine’ singer has been slammed for his controversial racist and sexist comments about rapper Ice Spice. During his appearance at The Adam Freidland Show, the episode was immediately pulled from Spotify and Apple after backlash, but is still available on Youtube.

    Healy had also courted controversy in January when videos emerged of him doing the Nazi salute on stage, a move that has enraged many Swifties

    These recent controversies have led to many Swifties starting to retract their support for Swift, and even criticising her for working with problematic men but yet being quite vocal about social issues.

    Fans even began using the hashtag #speakupnow to demand Swift addressed the problematic history of her boyfriend, and stand up for the rights she claims to be advocating.

    https://twitter.com/laurenelectro/status/1658968672428343297?s=20

  • Lahore High court orders release of 123 PTI workers

    Lahore High court orders release of 123 PTI workers

    The Lahore High Court (LHC) has ordered the release of 123 Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers who were arrested in connection with May 9 protests following the arrest of party chairman Imran Khan.

    Justice Anwarul Haq heard PTI leader Farrukh Habib’s plea who sought the release of detained party activists.

    The PTI leader’s lawyer told the court that all of the prisoners are political activists.

    The court directed the government to release them without delay.
    The workers were arrested from Faisalabad and are currently detained in different jails throughout Punjab.