A newly married Pakistani couple are going viral for a unique reason. Azlan Shah has given his wife a baby donkey to his wife Warisha Javed Khan as a wedding gift.
“I always knew that @warisha.jk loves baby donkeys so here’s a wedding gift to her from my side,” he wrote on an Instagram post while sharing the pictures of their big day.
“P.S: we didn’t separate this baby donkey from his mother, we brought her along,” the post added.
Twitter users are appreciating the ‘cute’ wedding gift.
The first female judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, (SCP) Justice Ayesha A. Malik, has been listed as one of the 100 most influential and inspiring women of 2022 by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC ).
On Wednesday, BBC revealed the names of 100 influential and inspiring women from around the world who made it to the privileged list for this year. Among the honourees is Justice Malik, the only Pakistani woman to have been featured on the list.
The BBC highlighted that Justice Ayesha has authored judgments protecting the rights of women, including her “landmark judgment which banned the so-called two-finger test of rape victims” which was performed during the examination of sexual assault cases.
“Alongside her role on the Supreme Court, Malik also conducts training for judges around the world and has inaugurated conferences for women judges in Pakistan, encouraging debate around and including the gender perspective in the justice system”.
Earlier this year, the 56-year-old judge made history after being sworn in as the top court’s first female judge. She will become the first woman Chief Justice of Pakistan after Justice Yahya’s retirement in January 2030.
Her elevation to the apex court was hailed by human rights activists and civil society across the country.
Sayed Zulfi Bukhari, a close aide of Imran Khan, the Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has denied the authenticity of an audio recording between him and former First Lady Bushra Bibi which surfaced online earlier in the day.
In a tweet, he said that he has neither bought or sold any watches. “Earlier, it was being said that watches were sold to a person named Umar Zahoor through Farah Gujjar. But when a legal notice was served [to Zahoor], a new story popped up that I have sold the watches”, he said.
Bukhari went on to say that “even college students can make such cut-copy-paste audio”.
He also demanded that a forensic audit of the audio should be immediately conducted and he is “ready to pay for it”.
Prior to this, the audio got leaked, in which Bushra Bibi can be heard allegedly discussing selling Toshakhana watches with Bukhari. According to the clip, Bushra asks Zulfi to sell her husband’s watches as they are of no use to him. Zulfi Bukhari can be heard agreeing with his party chairman’s wife.
It is pertinent to mention here that this is the second time that Bushra Bibi’s audio got leaked. Earlier in the year, another alleged leaked audio of the former First Lady came to light in which she could be heard saying, “Khan Sahib told you to run a hashtag of treason. I have been getting calls from people that your social media was very active but after a week, it is not. You should have been very active nowadays.”
The United States (US) has warned of action if the superpower sees “international terrorists regrouping in Afghanistan” while saying that US’ broader goal was to make sure that “terrorists and others aren’t able to use Afghanistan as a launch pad for attacks on Pakistan.”
US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price, in a press briefing, stated: “We also have capabilities when it comes to counterterrorism in the region that does not leave us entirely beholden to the Taliban.”
He also mentioned the killing of the al-Qaeda leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri by a US strike in August this year to prove the superpower’s capabilities to act against terrorists.
The spokesperson also added that the Afghan Taliban had been “either unable or unwilling to live up to the commitments that they’ve made in a number of areas.”
Answering a question, Price said, “Of course, we’ve seen other groups also active. You mentioned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), among others. We are determined to work with our partners in the region, including Pakistan, to do what we can to take on the threat of terrorism in the region, and certainly the threat of terrorism that extends well beyond the region.”
Terming Pakistan an “important partner”, Price said that the US values its bilateral relationship with the country. “We welcome opportunities to expand cooperation in areas that are of mutual interest to us and to Pakistan. That, of course, does include when it comes to counterterrorism”, he added.
Earlier this week, Pakistan’s Head of Mission to Kabul Ubaid-ur-Rehman Nizamani escaped an assassination bid in Afghanistan. Last month, a suicide attack— for which TTP claimed responsibility— rammed a police escort for a polio vaccination team in Quetta.
The federal government has formed a new Joint Investigation Team (JIT) to probe the murder of journalist Arshad Sharif after the Supreme Court (SC) took suo motu of the slaying and ordered that a new team be formed.
Chief Justice of Pakistan, (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial, is heading the five-member bench that is hearing the suo motu case.
During Thursday’s hearing, the federal government informed the apex court that a new JIT has been constituted, including members DIG Islamabad Owais Ahmed, Director Cybercrime FIA Waqaruddin Syed, Sajid Kayani from Intelligence Bureau, Murtaza Afzal from Military Intelligence and Mohammad Aslam from Inter-Services Intelligence.
Additional Attorney General (AAG) Chaudhry Amir Rehman informed the court that an investigation into the murder is being launched immediately, specifying that the JIT would first record the statement of the slain journalist’s mother.
“The JIT will probe all relevant persons in Pakistan and then start investigations in Kenya,” the AAG added.
The chief justice stressed an impartial and transparent investigation and directed the JIT to submit a progress report fortnightly. The top court also said that “JIT can approach the Supreme Court in case it faces any hurdle.”
Moreover, the SC stated that the team should submit progress reports to judges in chambers for review.
A day earlier, the apex court sought the names of senior and competent for the JIT from the government.
An audio recording for former First Lady Bushra Bibi has surfaced online on Thursday.
In the brief clip, Bushra Bibi can be heard allegedly discussing selling Toshakhana watches with Zulfi Bukhari, a close confidant of her husband, former Prime Minister Imran Khan, and leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
Following is the audio transcript of the clip.
Bushra bibi: Hello
Zulfi Bukhari: Asalam-o-Alikum Jee
Bushra Bibi: Jee Waalikum Asalam. How are you?
Zulfi Bukhari: I am well Murshad. How are you are?
Bushra Bibi: All is well by the grace of God. There are a few watches of Imran Khan Sahib. He has asked me to send them to you so that you can sell them. They are not of his use.
Zulfi Bukhari: Yes
Bushra Bibi: He wants that you take them somewhere.
Zulfi Bukhari: Yes Murshad. I will do so.
On November 15, Dubai-based businessman Umar Farooq Zahoor claimed in the Geo News programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’, that the PTI government had sold the expensive Graff wristwatch gifted by Saudi Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, for a cash amount of $2 million or Rs.280 million at the time of sale in 2019.
Zahoor claimed that he had bought the watch through former accountability minister Shahzad Akbar and Farah Khan, a close aide of Imran’s wife Bushra Bibi.
The Dubai-based businessman also claimed that Farah wanted to sell the watch for $4-5 million “but after negotiations, I purchased it for $2 million”. The payment, he added, was made in cash on Farah’s insistence.
It is pertinent to mention here that earlier in the year, another alleged leaked audio of the former First Lady came to light in which Bushra Bibi could be heard saying, “Khan Sahib told you to run a hashtag of treason. I have been getting calls from people that your social media was very active but after a week, it is not. You should have been very active nowadays.”
Actor Will Smith appeared on The Daily Show With Trevor Noah in the first late-night interview since the Oscars controversy.
Promoting his new historical drama Emancipation, Smith’s conversation with the late-night host naturally dug into his Oscars night controversy, in which he slapped Chris Rock onstage as the comedian was introducing the category of best documentary feature.
“I have been away,” Will Smith said, drawing a laugh from the crowd when the topic of his absence from the public eye came up, reports Variety.
“That was a horrific night, as you can imagine. There’s many nuances and complexities to it. But at the end of the day, I just – I lost it, you know?” Will Smith continued.
“I was going through something that night, you know? Not that that justifies my behaviour at all… It was a lot of things. It was the little boy that watched his father beat up his mother, you know? All of that just bubbled up in that moment. That is not who I want to be.”
Trevor Noah interjected, offering his own perspective on the situation and recalling the discussions he had with peers about the controversy.
“I love Chris. I’m friends with him. I love you, but this is fucked up… I know that as Black people, Black people get together and go, ‘What was Will doing? What the hell happened?’ A lot of Black people were like, ‘He should go to jail, Like, you need to relax yourself’,” Trevor Noah said, earning a laugh from Smith.
“Some people were overreacting, which made some people underreact.”
Will Smith shared an anecdote from the aftermath of Oscars evening when he was already having to deal with the consequences of his outburst in his private life.
“I was gone. That was a rage that had been bottled for a really long time,” Smith said, “My nephew is nine. He is the sweetest little boy.”
“We came home. He had stayed up late to see his uncle Will and we are sitting in my kitchen and he is on my lap and holding the Oscar and he is just like, ‘Why did you hit that man, Uncle Will?’ Damn it. Why are you trying to Oprah me?”
Will Smith also discussed Emancipation, sharing the decision-making that led him to the project. Based on true events, the film stars Smith as a runaway slave who becomes known to the world as “Whipped Peter,” as widely distributed photographs of keloid scarring on his back exposed the extreme brutality of slavery.
First seeing that image was one of the things that really got me excited to explore this, because you see the image, but you don’t know who he is, you don’t know what the story is,” Will Smith said. “American slavery was one of the most brutal aspects of human history… It is hard to understand the level of human cruelty. My daughter asked me, daddy, do we really need another slave movie? I said, Daby, ‘I promise you, I wouldn’t make a slave movie. This is a freedom movie’.”
The Aladin star shocked everyone when he slapped Chris Rock during the 94th Academy Awards’ live broadcast.
Before presenting an award at the Oscars 2022, Chris joked about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, looking like ‘GI Jane 2’. This enraged the Aladin star who stormed the stage, lapping Chris and warning him to keep his wife’s name out of his ‘f*cking mouth’.
Although Will posted an apology on social media.
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari has asked Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) President, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain not to dissolve Punjab Assembly and assured him of a new setup, reports Geo News.
Quoting sources, the report said that at a meeting that took place on Sunday, Zardari also assured the PML-Q president that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Hamza Shehbaz will not be the Chief Minister (CM) of Punjab in the “new setup”.
Meanwhile, Shujaat guaranteed the PPP co-chairman asked that he talk to the CM of Punjab Pervaiz Elahi about the dissolution of the assembly.
Since the announcement of the possible dissolution of Punjab and KP assemblies by PTI chief Imran Khan, Zardari has been holding consultations about a possible no-confidence motion against the Chief Minister of Punjab.
Meanwhile, CM Elahi said that he did not see elections taking place in the next four months, however, he has repeatedly said that he fully backs Khan’s decision about dissolving assemblies.
In July, the Supreme Court (SC) removed Hamza Shehbaz as CM. At the time, the apex court struck down former Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari’s ruling on Punjab chief minister’s election, declaring his “understanding and implementation” of Article 63A(1)(b) of the Constitution “incorrect and erroneous”.
Former singer Rabi Pirzada has shared her take on trending dance reels of young female influencers on social media.
Recently, a dance video went viral and made TikToker Ayesha an instant hit not only in Pakistan but also in India. While Ayesha enjoys the fact that her groovy dance is being copied by legendary actresses like Katrina Kaif and Madhuri Dixit, Pirzada is in a dilemma about whether Pakistani media should promote such content or not.
The Dahdi Kuree singer, who once was a viral sensation mainly for her powerful vocals, recently sat down for an interview to discuss the negative influence and questionable trends on social media platforms in Pakistan.
In an interview with Waseem Badami, the Chori Chori singer opined on people going viral via dance videos. Pirzada suggested that our society is stooping low day by day as we idolize men who imitate women and women who dance to become famous.
For the unversed, Pirzada herself was caught in a scandal that led her to change her path and embrace the religious way of life.
On the work front, Pizada has two films Pyar Ki FIR, and Court Marriage in the pipeline.
Earlier this year she appeared on Mohsin Bhatti’s show G Kay Sang where she revealed her superpower.
The religious figure who used to be a pop singer said she has a special connection with wild animals and told the host to call her if he ever saw a wild animal.
Pirzada told the story of how she wanted to threaten India’s Prime Minister Modi with a picture of herself with her pet snakes at the GNN studio in 2019. The former singer wanted to bring her pet lion with her, but she casually said that her lion would have eaten the production crew.
The self-proclaimed “Snake Queen” says that she has a “gift” that lets her calm down any wild animal, whether it’s a snake, crocodile, lion, or wolf.
She said, “If God has given me this power, I should use it for good.”
She was known for keeping snakes and a lion at her house, but the Punjab Wildlife Protection and Parks Department had filed a case against her, which she says has now been dropped.
In 2019, Rabi even dedicated a song to her favourite creatures.
The song, which has a soft tune, shows Pirzada sitting on her bed with the snakes and crocodiles. She picks them up at regular intervals and pets them, while the rest of them slither around the bed. The music video then shows Rabi petting and playing with her snakes in different locations such as the garden or in her lounge.
Watch the complete song here:
President Dr Arif Alvi has allegedly strictly warned Imran Khan, Chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to stop his party leaders and social media team from criticising the Pakistan military and the new Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir, reports Journalist Ansar Abbasi for Jang.
Sharing a screenshot of a WhatsApp message sent to party leadership and social media team, a PTI source said that the president also told Khan that for the new military establishment, the honour of the institution is like a red line, which must not be crossed.
It has been revealed in the story that Imran Khan’s message was forwarded to the PTI Parliamentary Party’s WhatsApp group. In the message, Khan directed its social media team not to criticise the new army chief and made it clear that the instructions have to be followed very strictly. The person who shared this message on the group said that Khan’s directive should be followed by everyone.
Similarly, in another group of party leaders and social media managers, Khan wrote, “Please ensure that there is no criticism of the new chief and the army.”
When PTI leader and former federal minister Fawad Chaudhary was asked by the news outlet about Alvi’s message, he said that both the President and Imran Khan have made it clear that there will be no attack against the army and COAS Munir.
He hoped that the new army chief would come up with new policies and hoped that he would not repeat the alleged anti-PTI policies of former COAS, General (r) Bajwa.
It is pertinent to mention that Khan has directly targeted the former army chief multiple times for being “neutral”. He has also targeted others within the military, including senior officers of the Inter-Services Intelligence.