Tag: trending

  • ‘Trump administration enabled Taliban takeover, not Pak’: US Senator

    ‘Trump administration enabled Taliban takeover, not Pak’: US Senator

    United States (US) Senator Chris Van Hollen said on Tuesday that former US President Donald Trump’s administration had enabled the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, reports Dawn.

    The senator, a Maryland Democrat, argued at the first Senate hearing on the US withdrawal from Afghan soil that it was in Pakistan’s interest to “prevent chaos and civil war” in its neighbourhood.

    Responding to allegations that President Joe Biden’s administration was responsible for the chaos and the Taliban takeover, Senator Van Hollen engaged in a dialogue with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who was the main witness.

    “Is it not the fact that the Trump administration asked the Pakistani government to release three top Taliban commanders as part of that process?” he asked.

    “That’s correct,” Blinken responded.

    Van Hollen asked Blinken that the former Afghan government was not included in the Doha talks and was pressurised to release 5,000 Taliban prisoners who were later involved in Kabul’s takeover, to which Blinken responded: “That’s correct.”

    The US senator also raised the agreement reached that said US forces would leave by May and would not be attacked but there was no such restriction on attacking Afghan forces, to which Blinken said he was correct.

    “And so, we pick a date. We say to the Taliban you can attack Afghan forces and then we say, now let’s negotiate the future of Afghanistan. Isn’t the way it was set up when you walked in?” the senator asked. “That’s essentially, yes,” Blinken replied.

    “There is a saying in Afghanistan, partners have watches, we have the time. So, the Trump administration, with this negotiation, set it up perfectly for the Taliban. Greenlight to attack the Afghan forces. No discussions going forward,” Van Hollen said.

    Blinken responded: “I believe that’s accurate.”

    Senator Van Hollen reminded Secretary Blinken that Trump even criticised Biden for not withdrawing the forces by May, as agreed in the US-Taliban agreement.

    He noted that the Biden administration now had both Pakistan and India on the table because the Afghan dispute could not be resolved without involving regional players.

    “I think a number of those countries, at least Pakistan — like India, like the others — have an interest in preventing chaos and civil war in Afghanistan,” he added.

    Then returning to Pakistan, he said: “Obviously, we asked them to release prisoners that they had locked up, Taliban prisoners. So, obviously, we have to keep an eye on the ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence), [I] get that, but let’s all work together to achieve the goal of a stable Afghanistan that protects the rights of its people.”

    On the other hand, National Security Adviser (NSA) Moeed Yusuf on Wednesday said that the US should listen to Pakistan’s message as it reassesses its relationship with the country.

    “If there has to be a reassessment, the reassessment has to conclude that what Pakistan was saying made sense. So now what Pakistan is saying we should give a fair hearing to,” he said.

    On Monday, Antony Blinken said the US would be looking at its relationship with Pakistan in the coming weeks to formulate what role Washington would want it to play in the future of Afghanistan.

  • Senior Afghan Taliban leader named among Time’s 100 most influential people of 2021

    Senior Afghan Taliban leader named among Time’s 100 most influential people of 2021

    Taliban co-founder and now Deputy Prime Minister of Afghanistan, Abdul Ghani Baradar, has been named among the “100 Most Influential People” of 2021 by Time magazine, reports Dawn.

    Veteran journalist Ahmed Rashid wrote Baradar’s profile for Time’s list.

    Rashid mentions Baradar as having “a charismatic military leader and a deeply pious figure”, who “is revered” among the Afghan Taliban as a founding member of the movement in 1994.

    “A quiet, secretive man who rarely gives public statements or interviews, Baradar nonetheless represents a more moderate current within the Taliban, the one that will be thrust into the limelight to win Western support and desperately needed financial aid. The question is whether the man who coaxed the Americans out of Afghanistan can sway his own movement,” the profile said.

    “When the Taliban swept to victory in August in Afghanistan, it was on the terms Baradar negotiated. He was said to be making all the major decisions, including the amnesty offered to members of the former regime, the lack of bloodshed when the Taliban entered Kabul and the regime’s contacts and visits with neighboring states, especially China and Pakistan,” read the profile.

    “Now he stands as the fulcrum for the future of Afghanistan. In the interim Taliban government, he was made a Deputy Prime Minister, the top role given to another leader more acceptable to the younger, more hard-line generation of Taliban commanders.”

    Baradar appears to be the first Taliban leader to make it to the list.

    In 2004, Al Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden was included in the list, with the magazine noting that he “galvanised disparate organisations in dozens of countries into one network, sharing a vision, logistics, and Afghan training camps”.

    “The malcontented son of a wealthy Saudi construction magnate, bin Laden found meaning in the Afghan war,” wrote Richard Clarke, the former head of counterterrorism for America’s National Security Council.

  • Indian celebrities shower praise on Yumna-Bilal’s ‘Pyar Ke Sadqay’

    Indian celebrities shower praise on Yumna-Bilal’s ‘Pyar Ke Sadqay’

    Indian celebrities have praised Pakistani drama, Pyar Ke Sadqay on social media. Bollywood writer and critic Salil Arunkumar expressed his appreciation for the hit serial on his twitter handle.

    Reliance's Big Synergy appoints Salil Arunkumar Sand as Senior Creative Director - Exchange4media
    Helly Shah Wiki, Age, Net Worth, Boyfriend, Family, Biography & More - TheWikiFeed

    A-List Indian television actor Helly Shah also commented her feelings for the show. The Ishq Mein Marjawan 2 star stated that she loved every bit of the Farooq Rind’s directorial.

    Pyar Ke Sadqay starred Yumna Zaidi, Bilal Abbas Khan and Yashma Gill in lead roles. The ensemble cast also featured Atiqa Odho, Omair Rana and Srha Asghar in pivotal characters.

    In July 2021, Indian actor Ammy Virk expressed his appreciation for Humayun Saeed’s Meray Paas Tum Ho, also featuring Ayeza Khan, Adnan Siddiqui and Hira Mani.

    While talking to BBC Urdu Amitabh Bachchan shared how he felt about Pakistani dramas and also about Pakistani actors and singers coming to India to work. He said, ”I like it when people from Pakistan come to work in India. We have seen the work done in Pakistan. The drama serials that are shown on Pakistani television are exceptional. A channel in India is dedicated to showing Pakistani drama serials which are very fine and I accept the fact that Pakistani TV serials are far superior to those which are being made in India. The artist in Pakistan are brilliant too. Even very long ago many Pakistani serials were extraordinary”.

    Amitabh Bachchan - Movies, Biography, News, Age & Photos | BookMyShow

    Bollywood Actress Meera Chopra, who is a cousin of Priyanka Chopra and Parineeti Chopra praised Meray Paas Tum Ho. The actress was massively impressed by Humayun and Adnan Siddiqui’s performance in the drama.

    Meera Chopra Says She Has 'Not Got Any Work' Because Of Cousin Priyanka Chopra, Adds It Did Have One Advantage - DesiMartini

    She turned to her social media handle and wrote, “Watching Meray Pass Tum Ho, finding the show extremely slow. But both these men Humayun Saeed and Adnan Siddiqui, you guys are amazing. Can’t help to hate one and love the other, what performances. I’ve become fan for life.”

    Read More: Ten Bollywood superstars who love Pakistani dramas

  • ‘Khao begum’: Falak, Sarah enjoy their romantic getaway, flaunt over 15 dishes on table

    ‘Khao begum’: Falak, Sarah enjoy their romantic getaway, flaunt over 15 dishes on table

    Celebrity couple Sarah Khan and Falak Shabir shared special moments from their romantic getaway on their Instagram handles. The Zindagi duo are expecting their first child.

    The pair munched on some delicacies together.

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is WhatsApp-Image-2021-09-16-at-5.42.24-AM.jpeg

    On the work front, Sarah can be seen in Khizer Idrees’ Laapata co-starring Ali Rehman Khan, Ayeza Khan and Gohar Rasheed.

  • ‘US clueless and in state of shock over Taliban takeover’: PM Khan

    ‘US clueless and in state of shock over Taliban takeover’: PM Khan

    Prime Minister Imran Khan, while speaking with CNN journalist Becky Anderson, said the best way forward for peace and stability in Afghanistan is to engage with the Taliban and incentivise them on issues such as women’s rights and inclusive government.

    “The Taliban hold all of Afghanistan and if they can sort of now work towards an inclusive government, get all the factions together, Afghanistan could have peace after 40 years. But if it goes wrong and which is what we are really worried about, it could go to chaos. The biggest humanitarian crisis, a huge refugee problem,” Khan said.

    “No puppet government in Afghanistan is supported by the people,” he said. “So rather than sitting here and thinking that we can control them, we should incentivise them. Because Afghanistan, this current government, clearly feels that without international aid and help, they will not be able to stop this crisis. So we should push them in the right direction.”

    “Our intelligence agencies told us that the Taliban would not be able to take over all of Afghanistan, and if they tried to take Afghanistan militarily, there would be a protracted civil war, which is what we were scared of because we are the ones who would suffer the most,” Khan said. Now, he said, the world should “give them time” to form a legitimate government and make good on their promises.

    PM Khan commenting on women’s rights in Afghanistan said, “I feel very strongly that it is a mistake to think that someone from the outside will give Afghan women their rights [because] Afghan women are strong. Give them time, and they will get their rights.”

    “Women should have the ability in society to fulfil their potential in life [but] you cannot impose women’s rights in Afghanistan from abroad,” said Khan.

    When questioned about the decision of the United States (US) and NATO forces to withdraw from Afghanistan, PM Khan said that the “US should have attempted a political settlement with the Taliban from a position of strength.”

    “Just because we sided with the US, we became an ally of the US after 9/11 and the war in Afghanistan. The suffering this country went through with at one point there were 50 militant groups attacking our government … on top of it, they must also know there were 480 drone attacks by the US in Pakistan,” he said.

    On Monday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US would reassess its ties with Pakistan following the withdrawal. He told Congress during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing that Pakistan has a “multiplicity of interests some that are in conflict with ours”.

    “It is one that is involved hedging its bets constantly about the future of Afghanistan, it’s one that’s involved harbouring members of the Taliban … It is one that’s also involved in different points cooperation with us on counterterrorism,” Blinken said, Reuters reported.

    Khan called such comments “ignorant”, telling CNN: “I have never heard such ignorance.”

    “I cannot destroy my country to fight someone else’s war,” he said. “My responsibility would have been to the people of my country.”

    PM Khan also said that he hasn’t met President Joe Biden after the Taliban took over Afghanistan.

    “He did not call as he is a busy man, but our relationship with the US is not just dependent on a phone call, it needs to be a multidimensional relationship,” remarked Khan.

  • Ministry of Information to form joint committee for media authority bill

    Ministry of Information to form joint committee for media authority bill

    The Ministry of Information has decided to form a joint committee after consultations with representatives of all media institutions and organisations.

    The committee will review the proposed media regulation and make recommendations. The Pakistan Media Development Authority (PMDA) has apparently been postponed for the time being.

    Journalists staged a protest in front of the Parliament House against the proposed PMDA, which aims to muzzle media freedom. The protest started on Sunday, September 12. Journalists marched from the National Press Club to the Parliament House and stayed overnight.

    As journalists continued with sit-in outside of the Parliament House against the government’s proposed PMDA, prominent leaders from political parties, student unions, and members of the civil society also joined in to show solidarity.

    In a first in Pakistan’s history, reporters were not allowed to enter a joint session of Parliament on Monday, September 13.

    Parliamentary reporters were to be present in the press gallery for President Alvi’s address but entered the hallway to find that the door was locked. The press gallery was closed for the journalists.

    The Parliamentary Reporters Association (PRA) strongly condemned the closure of the press gallery and said, “Closing the gallery is the worst dictatorship.”

    However, National Assembly (NA) Speaker Asad Qaiser said that he closed the doors of the press gallery during the president’s speech to a joint session of parliament after getting ‘reports’ that there was a possibility of a ruckus between two journalists’ groups.

    The Speaker claimed that he made this decision after consulting the PRA.

    “I couldn’t afford a fight between two groups in Parliament which could have resulted in the disrespect of media and the House,” Qaiser said adding, “however, there was some misunderstanding.”

  • ‘Breaking that vicious circle’: Gohar Rasheed hits back at Sharmila Faruqi, Kubra supports him

    ‘Breaking that vicious circle’: Gohar Rasheed hits back at Sharmila Faruqi, Kubra supports him

    Recently the Digest Writer star had posted a message on Instagram to address a slap scene from his drama Laapata that was being widely shared on social media.

    The actor had posted that the reason he opted for the role of Daniyal in the drama, “prove that oppression is a choice”. “If any insecure man with his fragile ego tries his ‘so called’ muscles on you, make the choice that Falak did without any fear,” he had written. “One tight slap back from a brave woman to such weak man in our society would be a giant leap for women kind.”

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Sharmila Faruqi recently responded to actor Gohar’s reflections on violence against women on Instagram, disagreeing with the actor’s assertion that “oppression is a choice.”

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Sharmila-and-Gohars-comments-412x1024.jpg

    Rasheed then replied to Faruqi’s comment via his a reply and a social media post. “With all due respect ma’am. Then how can we break this vicious cycle? If thousands of women are being oppressed daily, how can we change that reality?” he asked.

    “The ‘slap scene’ depicts a woman standing up for herself and saying no to violence which is a step towards breaking that vicious circle. Oppression is a choice, an idea for the generation to come where no woman should accept being abused or oppressed due to the society norms and if she does tolerate being oppressed then that is her choice not a mindset anymore,” he wrote.

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Gohar-Post.png

    Meanwhile, actor Kubra Khan agreed with the Mann Mayal actor and supported his stance.

  • ‘Patli or achi actress Aiman, moti wali Minal’: Minal Khan’s shocking revelations on being bullied by industry members

    ‘Patli or achi actress Aiman, moti wali Minal’: Minal Khan’s shocking revelations on being bullied by industry members

    Actor Minal Khan recently opened up on being bullied and trolled by fellow industry members when she was overweight according to the entertainment industry’s norms. She started off young and hence had to groom herself after becoming a mainstream celebrity due to the industry’s pressure.

    The Jalan star revealed that it effected her when people used to draw comparisons with her twin sister,

    Are Aiman & Minal Copying Designs From Zara Shahjahan's Catalogue? - Lens

    Aiman Khan. She heard people saying that Aiman is slimmer and a better actor, whereas the fat twin is Minal.

    Hasad diva confessed that Aiman once came home from work and told her about the industry gossip. She added that the Ishq Tamasha star encouraged her to loose weight.

    On the work front, Minal is currently featuring in Ishq Hai opposite Danish Taimoor.

  • ‘Victim-blaming never ends’: Sharmila Faruqi schools Gohar over violent scene with Sarah

    ‘Victim-blaming never ends’: Sharmila Faruqi schools Gohar over violent scene with Sarah

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Sharmila Faruqi recently responded to actor Gohar Rasheed’s reflections on violence against women on Instagram, disagreeing with the actor’s assertion that “oppression is a choice.”

    The Digest Writer actor had posted a message on Instagram to address a slap scene from his drama Laapata that was being widely shared on social media.

    The actor had posted that the reason he accepted the role of Daniyal in the drama was to “prove that oppression is a choice”. “If any insecure man with his fragile ego tries his ‘so called’ muscles on you, make the choice that Falak did without any fear,” he had written. “One tight slap back from a brave woman to such weak man in our society would be a giant leap for women kind.”

    Faruqi replied to Rasheed’s post, saying that oppression is “not a choice”. “It’s a hard reality,” she wrote.

    “Thousands of women are oppressed daily not because they chose to be oppressed but because they don’t have the choice to hit back or leave. Marital rapes, domestic violence, acid victims, child marriages are rampant because the victims are helpless physically and financially. They suffer in silence and those who do muster the courage to fight back are either silenced, murdered or divorced with no where to go. The victim blaming never ends, it’s a vicious cycle.”

  • Asad Qaiser states press gallery closed in consultation with journalists, journalists deny

    Asad Qaiser states press gallery closed in consultation with journalists, journalists deny

    National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser said that he closed the doors of the press gallery during President Arif Alvi’s speech to a joint session of parliament after getting ‘reports’ that there was a possibility of a ruckus between two journalists’ groups.

    The speaker while speaking to journalists, claimed that he made this decision after consulting the Parliamentary Reporters Association (PRA).

    “I couldn’t afford a fight between two groups in Parliament which could have resulted in the disrespect of media and the House,” Qaiser said adding, “however, there was some misunderstanding.”

    After Qaiser’s claims, the PRA categorically denied the speaker’s statement and challenged him to name the journalists who met him as PRA representatives, reported Dawn.

    “PRA delegation has not met the Speaker National Assembly nor has the PRA been taken into confidence over the closure of the Press Gallery,” says the statement issued by PRA’s information secretary Malik Saeed Awan.

    “PRA delegation has not met the Speaker National Assembly nor has the PRA been taken into confidence over the closure of the Press Gallery,” says the statement issued by PRA’s information secretary Malik Saeed Awan.

    “PRA strongly condemns this black lie of the Speaker”. Awan demanded an inquiry to determine which delegation met with and misrepresented the journalist organisation.

    In a first in Pakistan’s history, reporters were not allowed to enter a joint session of Parliament on Monday, September 13.

    Parliamentary reporters were to be present in the press gallery for the president’s address but entered the hallway to find that the door was locked. The press gallery was closed for the journalists.

    PRA strongly condemned the closure of the press gallery and said, “Closing the gallery is the worst dictatorship.”

    Pakistani journalists protested in front of the Parliament House against the proposed Pakistan Media Development Authority (PMDA), which aims to muzzle media freedom. The protest started on Sunday, September 12, Journalists marched from the National Press Club to the Parliament House and stayed overnight.