A young man in Faisalabad climbed up the Ghanta Ghar to protest against his family for pressuring him to get married, SAMAA has reported.
The man climbed the tower after knocking out the guard. He then hurled bricks from his vantage point at the people down below. This alarmed locals who later called the police and rescue services.
He was finally subdued and brought down from the tower after three and a half hours of effort by the authorities.
The police are investigating the case.
In 2022, we collectively experienced episodes that turned Pakistan upside down. Many incidents shook the entire nation, some of them worth condemnation. Significant happenings shook the world of politics, from Prime Minister Imran Khan getting removed through a no-confidence motion to the ugly fight between Pervaiz Elahi and Hamza Shehbaz for Punjab’s Chief Minister (CM) seat.
After a year full of constitutional crises in Pakistan, we hope that we don’t witness another year full of drama.
For the first time in the history of Pakistan, a sitting prime minister was removed through a no-confidence motion. In April, PM Imran Khan was removed after being the head of government for more than three years. In the 75-year-long history of Pakistan, not a single Premier stayed for their full term. We hope that next time when the public chooses their leader, he or she gets to keep their promise and serve their full term.
Right after the formation of a new government, in April, a group of Pakistani pilgrims accosted, heckled and chanted slogans against incumbent PM Shehbaz and his entourage at the Masjid-e-Nabwi in Madina during their three-day visit to Saudi Arabia. Such incidents continued happening throughout the year. Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb was heckled at a coffee shop in London. Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal was harassed by PTI supporters at a restaurant while Finance Minister Ishaq Dar was heckled by unidentified people in Washington DC. It was observed that a particular party was being targeted. Whether these incidents happened because of a false narrative or not, no one has the right to harass someone.
This year, we also saw how some of our public figures remain targeted. In the second half of the year, two unfortunate incidents took place. On October 23, senior anchorperson Arshad Sharif was shot dead near Nairobi, Kenya, by the local police. The local law enforcing authorities termed the killing, calling it a case of ‘mistaken identity’. However, some termed it an assassination. Till now, authorities are unable to find the real culprits. Almost a week later, on November 3, Imran Khan survived an assassination attempt on day seven of PTI’s ‘Haqeeqi Long March’ as his container moved through Punjab’s Wazirabad. Salman Taseer, Benazir Bhutto Shaheed, Shahbaz Bhatti; how many assassinations do we have to witness?
We saw legislators getting into a brawl in Punjab Assembly over the CM seat. The beginning of summer wasn’t good for Pakistan as in April a scuffle between treasury and opposition benches in Punjab Assembly took place, resulting in PML-Q leader and Punjab Assembly Speaker Pervaiz Elahi getting injured. The same day, PML-N’s nominee Hamza Shehbaz was elected as CM, however, later the Supreme Court struck down Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari’s ruling on the election. Later, Pervaiz Elahi took over the CM seat, however, he doesn’t enjoy a great majority in the Assembly.
Just when we thought that terrorism has finally ended, attacks started escalating. Currently, the capital is on high alert because of extreme threats. In late November, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) said that they had called off a ceasefire with the federal government and ordered its militants to stage terrorist attacks across the country. On December 23, a suicide bomb shocked the residents of Islamabad— which is considered one of the safest cities in Pakistan. After dealing with terrorism for decades, Pakistanis dont want to start living again in fear.
Bollywood actors Sidharth Malhotra and Kiara Advani had successfully kept their relationship under wraps for quite a long time. But it was Karan Johar who made them confess that they were more than just ‘good friends’ on Koffee With Karan Season 7.
As per the latest media reports, the couple’s wedding festivities will begin in the first week of February at the Jaisalmer Palace Hotel in Rajasthan. According to a report by ETimes, Malhotra and Advani will get married in the first week of February and the pre-wedding functions will reportedly take place on February 4 and 5 during which the groom and bride’s families will host traditional events like mehndi, haldi, and sangeet ceremonies.
It has also been reported that the big day will be held the next day on February 6, which is expected to be a grand affair, perhaps even a destination wedding. A source told ETimes, “The wedding is slated to take place at Jaisalmer Palace Hotel. It is going to be a lavish event with high security.”
The report also claimed that a group of security personnel and bodyguards will be sent to the hotel in Rajasthan a day before the pre-wedding festivities begin.
According to Pinkvilla, Malhotra and Advani were spotted outside ace fashion designer Manish Malhotra’s store where the Juggjugg Jeeyo star was all smiles.
While wedding rumours run rampant, the couple was spotted at the Mumbai airport on Thursday.
Kiara and Sidharth met for the first time at the wrap-up party of Lust Stories (2018). They struck the chords in no time and their on-screen love was widely reflected in their sizzling chemistry in Shershaah. Shahid Kapoor and Karan Johar were very keen on Advani’s marriage and even declared that she seemed ready during their conversation at KWK.
Allegedly the couple was earlier to get married in Goa but due to the inconvenience it will cause their families to travel from Chandigarh and Delhi, the plan was dropped.
On the work front, Malhotra will next be seen in Mission Majnu, a spy thriller that also stars Rashmika Mandanna. He also has Yodha with Disha Patani and Raashii Khanna coming up. As for Advani, she was recently seen in Govinda Naam Mera with Vicky Kaushal and Bhumi Pednekar in the lead roles. She will be seen next in Satya Prem Ki Katha opposite her Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 co-star Kartik Aaryan, and RC15 with Ram Charan.
Actor Arslan Naseer took to his social media handles to express his disappointment over the Urdu lyrics used in the Bollywood film Pathaan‘s song Besharam Rang. genuinely upset when he heard the song Besharam Rang and pointed out that a word had been both misspelled and mispronounced. The Chupke Chupke actor tweeted against the Urdu language being wasted in Hindi songs.
Naseer also highlighted, with his usual rib-tickling humour, how Hindu extremists have been lambasting actress Deepika Padukone for her saffron dress in the song while nobody raised their voice for the Urdu language being ”murdered.”
The famed YouTuber tweeted, “Heard some people were protesting against Deepika wearing orange bunyaan chaddi in that song but why isn’t anyone protesting against her calling ‘Sharaafat’ … Shareefi? Dear Indian filmmakers, please stop murdering the Urdu language.”
However, social media users gave a mixed reaction to Naseer’s ”genuine concern” suggesting that both nations speak more or less the same language with a bunch of words different and also claimed that every day spoke Hindi/Urdu contains words that are either spelled or pronounced incorrectly.
On the work front, Naseer was last seen in Hum TV’s Paristan.
President Dr Arif Alvi has signed the Access to the Media (Deaf) Persons Act, 2022 into law, under which all private and state-run broadcasters will be required to air news bulletins with sign language interpreters.
The act will fully come into force six months after the commencement of the bill.
Once enforced, the government shall not allow broadcasting any news bulletin on the national broadcaster, state or privately run electronic media, private television channels, cable TV, or any other broadcast media without sign language interpreters.
The bill was moved by Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Senator Saleem Mandviwalla who gave a detailed briefing to the committee regarding the bill.
2022 might feel like it was the longest year ever but it has also given us a lot of things to look back at fondly. From Mera Dill Yeh Pukare girl’s viral video to former PM Imran Khan’s iconic “Ham koi Ghulam Hain”, here are all the things that the Pakistani internet went crazy about in 2022:
Asif Ghafoor, a young boy, became an overnight star after a video of him dancing on the Pakistan Super League (PSL) anthem, ‘Agay Dekh’ went viral.
A clip of Pakistani television serial Judwa in which a bride gets swapped on her wedding night by her twin sister, confusing netizens about what was happening.
Former Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s “Kya Hum Ghulam Qaum Hain Kay Jou European Union Kahay Hum Woh Karein” reply to European Union (EU) envoys in Pakistan for their letter asking Islamabad to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine went viral across the country.
In a humorous video, a girl can be seen leaving the dining room with two slices of pizza but no ketchup, which worries her husband, as if eating pizza without ketchup was a big deal.
Mera Dil Ye Pukare Aaja went viral over the internet after a Tik Tok video of a girl named Aisha was widely shared on Tik Tok. It went so viral that people from across the border including Madhuri Dixit made a video on it.
Bilawal was speaking at a rally in Islamabad to mark the end of a 10-day long Awami March. “I am shaking Islamabad. Islamabad may kaampein taang rahi hai [Shivers are legging in Islamabad],” he said. Although he meant to say taangein kaamp rahein hain, his slip of tongue led to a meme fest.
However, PPP later said the video was morphed, with the real one showing Bilawal correcting himself a second later.
In the last month of the year videos of the Lahore based politician Chaudhary Akhtar Lawa trended on social media and his catchphrase, ‘Lahore da Pawa, Akhtar Lava’ (Akhtar Lava, the pillar of Lahore), spread like wildfire across social media platforms. Twitter and TikTok particularly went into a frenzy about him.
Actor Ushna Shah took to her Twitter handle to condemn the treatment of religious minorities in Pakistan amidst Daya Bhel’s tragic murder news.
The Habs star wrote, “I have some close Hindu Pakistani friends. Wonderful, kind people, some are even like family to me. They happen to be from privileged homes. I shudder to think that their lives would have been bad if they had not been, like the majority of minorities, who have no voice #dayabhel.”
Shah also raised awareness on the matter in a follow-up tweet.
Earlier this year during the holy month of Ramadan, she shared an instance where she was helped by a Christian and a Hindu as she went on to offer her Asr prayers in Ramadan.
“A Christian and a Hindu helped me pray Asr just now and set an example of tolerance,” Shah tweeted.
“At Nabila salon, the makeup artist for today (who is Hindu) held up the faucet so I could perform Wudu easily and another makeup artist (who did my makeup last night), who is Christian, spread out the Janemaz for me.”
Last year the Balaa diva expressed her solidarity with the minorities in the country on the 75th Independence Day.
Taking to Instagram, the Punjab Nahi Jaungi actor said “I’ll celebrate Independence Day when the minorities in Pakistan are given the economic, physical and religious securities as well as the civic liberties promised to them. The very promise which laid the foundation of this country.”
Local authorities have decided to close down five key recreational points ahead of New Year’s Eve in Islamabad as threats of terrorist attacks loom over the capital.
According to Samaa News, the decision has been taken to prevent large gatherings on New Year’s eve out of fear of terrorism.
The places include F-9 Park, Centaurus Mall, Safa Mall, Lake View Park, and Faisal Masjid. Residents of the city won’t be allowed to go to these places to welcome 2023.
The Deputy Commissioner (DC) has directed Assistant Commissioners (ACs) to implement the orders.
Moreover, to prevent any untoward incident, Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Police have also decided to beef up the security of the federal capital and called in 1,000 Frontier Constabulary (FC) personnel to assist the police at checkposts.
These decisions have been taken following a suicide car bomb blast in Islamabad on December 23 that left one policeman martyred and 10 injured.
Senior actor Samiya Mumtaz recently opened up on her blockbuster drama serial Meri Zaat Zarra-e-Benishan. The Sang-e-Mah star stated that she was hosting a show for Dawn English when acclaimed writer Umera Ahmed noticed her and approached her for the drama. Samiya stated that she wanted a fresh face for the character and thought that I fit the bill.
Mumtaz revealed that when received the drama offer, she was not even aware of Humayun Saeed’s existence. She genuinely questioned fellow actor Nadia Jamil about the offer, who insisted that she should definitely do it. Humayun and Umera were both well-known figures then also, and Nadia advised her to say yes right away. She gave her advice on how to charge for dramas as well. The rest, as they say, is history.
Samiya used to be recognised in public, which she wasn’t used to, as the drama went on to become a huge success. Mumtaz said that she initially used to wear a veil while going out so that she doesn’t get spotted by fans as she was overwhelmed with her popularity. The Daddy actor mentioned that although everyone she met was very warm towards her, but she wasn’t sure how to take it. Although she soon understood that this is not a permanent way to live.
Mumtaz was also flooded with offers and was approached for another drama with Faysal Qureshi but she didn’t take it down and Savera Nadeem was later cast for the project. She always wanted to do meaningful roles hence she remained super choosy even at the peak of her career.
In an interview with BBC Urdu, actor Hina Altaf spoke about her prolonged absence from social media and how misconstrued narratives can be detrimental to an individual.
Recalling the controversy involving her husband Agha Ali in 2020, when Ali told her “never to get fat again”, the Dour star pointed out how it was just a private agreement between them as partners that was misunderstood on many levels.
“It was just a personal understanding between us as a couple that served as a motivation factor. I just said ‘Agha reminds me not to eat a lot’ casually but people took this too sensitively than expected. I strongly respect the fact that weight loss is not an easy journey for everyone. Not everyone has the time to hit the treadmill, run a few kilometers daily, or just do a quick 15-day course to lose a couple of pounds. Many people have different challenges and health problems in their path, so maintaining health definitely isn’t easy,” explained Altaf.
She then highlighted how the aforementioned incident served as a reminder to her to never openly share her views again. “I think people took our drawing room talk too seriously and compared our situation with their own. After this incident last year, I have learned that everything is not meant to be spoken on television,” noted the Agar actor.
Before concluding the conversation, Altaf mentioned how social media doesn’t really bother her anymore, except for the time someone made a doctored video on her. She said, “Looking at a few pictures online doesn’t make anyone know the whole truth behind someone’s life or relationship. However, one thing I really dislike is when people ask me about having children. Normally, I always respond that when God wills, it will happen. But my relatives once sent me a video that implied I have had two miscarriages and am currently pregnant. This video extremely hurt me. I have never said this, usually, I would have ignored it, but it made me really upset.”
Last year, Aagha and Hina shared on Waseem Badami’s show that they first met on an ARY Zindagi show that Hina hosted, however, they first got talking on an Eid show in which they were the hosts.
While Hina denied that the two fought, Aagha confirmed that the two had, in fact, had some disagreements. “I would say it was a small disagreement because it was hard to develop a comfort level since we had to host the show together for the first time,” he shared.
The two then shared just how unpredictable life is. They ended up sharing their life together when they couldn’t even share the stage when they first met!
“Sometimes we sit and talk about how unbelievable it is! I could’ve never thought that I’d end up with Aagha and vice-versa. But we’re blessed,” said Hina Altaf.
When and how did they decide to get married then? Aagha shared that their friendship blossomed went they were cast together in a serial. “The show’s name was apt because we were in fact lost, and perhaps we were meant to find the right way to each other’s hearts and that’s how we became friends through that project,” he said.
Aagha termed their marriage a blend of friendship and arranged marriage, thanks to Hina becoming great friends with his mom who pushed him to pursue her for marriage.
“I had told Aagha that I want to settle down and that I was looking forward to settling down soon, and Aagha took that seriously,” said Hina Altaf, adding, “Aagha’s younger brother also pushed us to get our nikkah done on Jumma tul wida, and his mother and my father also wanted it to happen as soon as possible so.”