It’s the season of birthdays. Sania Mirza and Shoaib Malik, who celebrated Sania’s birthday in Karachi earlier this week, have now jetted off to Dubai, where they celebrated Indian cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s wife Sakshi Dhoni’s birthday.
Pictures of the celebrations were widely circulated on social media. Salman Khan’s sister Arpita Khan Sharma and Sania’s sister Anam were also on the guest list.
Sania shared a lovely photo of herself with Sakshi as she wished her a happy birthday.
Sakshi also shared an adorable picture of herself with husband Dhoni.
Dhoni was recently in Dubai for 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). He decided to stay back there to spend time with family.
Disposal of used contraceptives, such as condoms, in gutters has been causing sewerage problems in Karachi, the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) has said.
According to reports, KWSB recovered a massive amount of used condoms while clearing a sewerage line on Thursday, which were affecting the flow of sewage and causing serious blockage problems.
A KWSB official said the huge quantity of used contraceptives was found while a team was cleaning a sewerage line in Clifton Block 2. But this isn’t an isolated incident: the KWSB often finds items like these in sewer lines across the city.
Water inflates the condoms up to 400 times their size, which blocks manholes and sewerage lines, the KWSB spokesperson explained. Such items must be disposed of in trash cans, he urged.
The KWSB stressed the need for generating awareness about the issue and urged government departments and social organisations to play their role.
Renowned cleric and Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) chief Khadim Hussain Rizvi passed away on Thursday.
Earlier it was reported that he was suffering from high-grade fever for the past couple of days, which had led to speculations if he was suffering from COVID-19.
The same was claimed by journalist Mubashir Zaidi, who quoted a hospital spokesperson.
While TLP leaders have confirmed reports of Rizvi’s passing, conflicting reports claim that the cleric was not suffering from any illness.
Meanwhile, condolences are pouring in over social media as people say they “forgive” the late religious leader who was known for his aggressive speeches besides promotion of extremist element in the religio-political landscape of the country.
He had just earlier this week led a protest rally in the federal capital against the publication of blasphemous cartoons by a French satirical magazine.
Things had taken an ugly turn when participants of the protest-turned-sit-in had clashed with law enforcement.
The law and order situation had been dealt with by the government after accepting the protesters’ demands.
Imagine getting a chance to stay at Shah Rukh Khan’s house and living like a superstar. That too for free.
That dream might just become a reality on Valentine’s Day 2021 as SRK’s wife Gauri Khan offers a couple a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to spend two nights at their home in Delhi, the city where she and her husband grew up.
In a tweet, the interior designer shared that she has collaborated with Airbnb and is offering fans a chance to be their guest. To get a chance to stay at the Khans’ residence, fans need to share what an ‘Open Arms Welcome’ – a nod to SRK’s signature pose – means to them by November 30.
Sharing details, Gauri in an interview said: “I have personally curated the itinerary for our Airbnb guest. They will be treated to a special home-cooked meal which has all of our family’s favourite foods, a movie marathon session of watching Shah Rukh’s favourite films, and souvenirs as keepsakes, to fondly remember and cherish their time in our home.”
When asked why they decided to host guests at their residence, Gauri said: “Our family loves hosting people at home and we feel that it is truly the best way to welcome and bond with loved ones.”
“One of the central aspects of staying at an Airbnb that has always fascinated me is the role that the hosts play. They add a touch of warmth to one’s entire travel and stay experience, and that’s why I believe their role is so critical. The idea to open our Delhi home came after a trip to LA with the entire family — we had stayed at an Airbnb and had a fantastic experience. It was then that we decided that we want to welcome people into our home too and give them a memorable experience as hosts.”
Further while talking about the house and its decor, Gauri shared while the whole house is special to her two corners of it are her absolute fav.
“The first is what I like to call the ‘nostalgia wall’ in Shah Rukh’s and my bedroom,” shared Gauri. “It is a selection of things which hold significance to us as a family. It includes Aryan’s first badminton racket; Suhana’s favourite make-up brushes and butterflies she has collected over the years; AbRam’s first birthday gift, which is an exquisite silver mirror and comb. Even an art piece that Shah Rukh bought from his early travels, that is emblematic of his love for pizza, is on the wall.”
“The second is a wall adorned with handmade cards that Shah Rukh and I exchanged during our early courtship period.”
SRK and Gauri’s residence is located in the South Delhi neighborhood of Panchsheel Park.
“With so many memories of our early days in Delhi, the city holds a very special place in our hearts,” shared SRK while talking about the house.
Karachi Kings’ on Tuesday night were crowned the winners of the fifth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) after beating Lahore Qalandars by five wickets. Babar Azam knocked a commanding half-century to help his side win their first championship in five years at Karachi National Stadium.
Though Azam smashed seven boundaries in his 49-ball 63, it was skipper and KK captain Imad Wasim who hit the winning boundary to help the Kings overhaul a modest 135-run target in 18.4 overs.
MAN OF THE MATCH ✅ MAN OF THE TOURNAMENT ✅ CHAMPION ✅
The final — one of the most anticipated in PSL’s history, given the rivalry between the country’s two biggest cities — was played after a gap of nearly eight months after the PSL’s fifth edition came to a halt due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Kings will take home a glittering trophy plus a half a million dollars while Lahore will receive $200,000.
Following the win, celebrities including Humayun Saeed, Adnan Siddiqui, Asim Azhar and Mehwish Hayat celebrated Kings’ win and expressed their excitement on social media. Many also remembered the franchise’s head coach Dean Jones, who passed away in September in India.
“Mubarak ho Karachi walo!,” said Humayun Saeed. “It has indeed been a long wait but totally worth it. Wish Jones was also with us tonight.”
Mehwish Hayat said that the win was a “fitting tribute to their late coach, Dean Jones. He would really have been proud today.”
A thrilling finale to the #HBLPSLV . A well deserved win for the Karachi Kings and a fitting tribute to their late coach, Dean Jones. He would really have been proud today! #KarachiKings#KKvLQ#PSL2020Final
Adnan Siddiqui and Fahad were all praises for the Man of the Match Babar Azam, lavishing praises on him.
All hail the lions of @KarachiKingsARY! Congratulations, champions of #PSL5. Well-deserved win! What a photo finish match! Kept us on the edge throughout. @babarazam258–man on fire! Incredible performance. Your genius has set the bar high for future players. Atta boy!
The mercury may be going down but things are heating up. Syra Yousuf and Sheheryar Munawar’s latest photoshoot for a local magazine has become the talk of the town with people discussing how hot they look together.
According to stylist Rao Ali Khan, who was the Creative Editor of the shoot, the theme of the shoot was ‘Boni and Clyde – a tale of love’.
Renowned preacher Maulana Tariq Jamil has rubbished claims that he received a hefty amount to officiate what is being dubbed as “Pakistan’s most expensive wedding ceremony”.
The Master Tiles-Jalal Sons wedding from earlier this month has been making headlines for its extravagant style and featuring several Pakistani celebrities in addition to a troupe of foreign gymnasts.
“By the tawfīq of Allah, I have traveled around 6 continents to preach the message of Allah and I have been preaching the life of our Prophet ﷺ to the Ummah for a very long time. The hurdle in our advancement is our moral decline,” Jamil said in a Facebook post.
“My message for those who accused me of taking money for performing Nikāh is that in the journey of preaching the message of Allah I have performed Nikāh of thousands of boys and girls for the sake of Allah,” he added.
Jamil went on to say that Sheikh Mahmood of Master Tiles was an old friend of his. “How can I take money for performing Nikāh of his daughter on his invitation? May Allah protect us all from distrust and false accusations.”
Earlier, it was reported that the preacher was paid Rs1 million rupees (Rs10 lacs) for his services.
A probe was conducted by the FBR into the “service providers involved in the lavish arrangements” to detect possible tax evasion. The document shared by the FBR said that Rosa Blanca Country Club, the venue of baraat located on Raiwind Road in Lahore, was paid Rs150 million for the premises.
Renowned religious leader Mufti Tariq Masood has come under fire over a sermon wherein he is endorsing child marriages and paedophilia, guaranteeing his followers a minor bride as their fourth wife if they marry three widows or divorcees.
“Change my name if I don’t get you a fourth and virgin wife after you marry three widows or divorcees,” he was heard as saying in an undated video doing the rounds on social media.
“Mufti Tariq Masood will find you a 16-year-old or two eight-year-olds or four four year-olds,” he tells his followers after which they, as well as the cleric himself, start laughing.
The video surfaces as Pakistan reports over 90 rape cases within a single month, most of which involved minors.
The latest case that shook the entire nation remains that of a four-year-old who, along with her mother, was repeatedly subjected to sexual assault in the Kashmore district of Sindh.
The minor girl is currently admitted to a hospital battling for her life.
Meanwhile, here’s what Twitterati have to say about Mufti Tariq’s statement:
Listen to the whole bayaan first to understand the context. You are spinning his whole narrative with a 30 second clip. I thought you were a sensible one…..
The State Bank of Pakistan has ordered all banks to block Pakistani users from subscribing to Indian streaming platform Zee5 with immediate effect, according to a notification issued this week.
While it is unclear as to why this action was taken, reports have suggested that the reason behind this is Asim Abbasi’s web series Churails, which riled up the moral brigade in Pakistan prompting authorities to take this decision.
Responding to the notification, Churails director Asim Abbasi tweeted the title of a poem penned by Pakistani poet Faiz Ahmad Faiz to protest the oppressive regime of dictator General Zia-ul-Haq.
It is pertinent to mention here that Churails was earlier also banned for Pakistani audiences. However, it was restored in less than 48 hours. According to Abbasi, the show was taken off after the streaming platform received complaints from authorities here.
Featuring Sarwat, Yasra Rizvi, Nimra Bucha, Meher Bano and Omair Rana among others, Churails is the story of four self-proclaimed ‘Churails’ who come together to open a covert detective agency to expose cheating husbands amongst the city’s elite. As their operations expand, they come to be saviours of abused, harassed and mistreated women. The 10-episode series covers a myriad of issues such as child abuse, sexism, the domination of class and race and aims to challenge the hypocrisy of patriarchal societies.
Meanwhile, Mehreen Jabbar, who directed Eik Jhoothi Love Story – another original web series for the platform – expressed her disappointment over the ban.
“Don’t do anything yourself, just keep banning,” commented the director.
Mehreen’s directorial, featuring Bilal Abbas Khan and Madiha Imam, in the lead, is a quintessential Pakistani love story, starkly different from Churails. It released on October 30.
Zee5 had commissioned five original web series from Pakistan. While two of them have released, three more are in the pipeline.
The owner of Master Tiles is on the Federal Board Revenue (FBR) radar for spending Rs2 billion on the wedding ceremony of his son.
The wedding ceremony that had attracted media attention for its extravagant style also featured several Pakistani celebrities in addition to a troupe of foreign gymnasts.
Subsequently, a probe was conducted by the FBR into the “service providers involved in the lavish arrangements” to detect possible tax evasion. The document shared by the FBR said that Rosa Blanca Country Club, the venue of baraat located on Raiwind Road in Lahore, was paid Rs150 million for the premises.
The FBR inquiry said that the private company doesn’t have an NTN (national tax number) at all, adding that there’s a strong reason to suspect that the entity was not paying taxes at all.
The wedding organisers supposedly paid Rs5.5m to singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, while singers Atif Aslam was paid Rs5m for gracing the mehndi night. Cleric Moulana Tariq Jameel was reportedly paid Rs1m for solemnising the marriage ceremony.
K-5 Concepts — event manager that managed baraat decor– was paid Rs15-20m as per FBR. It was also accused of tax evasion along with Rosa Blanca. Qasim Yar Tiwana, the event manager, was paid Rs15-20m for the decor of the baraat. According to FBR, Tiwana declared Rs216,743 as income from business in the tax year 2019.
Whimsica I Parties and United Events and Services were paid Rs10m each for decor, whereas Ahsan Habib also received Rs10m in payments for walima decorations.
Photographers and videographers also provided their services for hefty amounts. Irfan Ahsan was paid approx Rs3m, Mobeen Studios charged Rs2m, Osman Pervaiz received Rs3-3.5m, while Ahmad Fayyaz charged Rs1m for photography at mehndi and baraat.
Shazray Khalid and Winc by Nadia charged Rs1m each for makeup services.
