A 35-year-old Pakistani man Naeem Shahzad has gone viral on the internet for his marriage to 70-year-old Mary from Canada, after meeting her on Facebook. Their union was met with scrutiny by social media users, who criticised Naeem for being a “gold-digger” and marrying the older woman for a Canadian passport. But in an interview with Urdu Point, the couple has clarified that they married for love. Naeem revealed the two met in 2012, and after 2015 the two began talking about getting married, and finally they tied the knot in 2017.
Addressing comments that he’s a gold-digger, Naeem said he married Mary because after struggling with depression and other mental health issues, adding that he could open up to the woman who supported him in every way, after which he fell in love with her.
“I’m not a gold digger. You are in my house you can see we have nothing luxurious here,” Naeem clarified. “We have necessary things like a sofa set for when guests arrive. We brought our beds from our own homes. Let people say what they want to say.”
Naeem further explained he and Mary are not living a lavish lifestyle in Canada, where they survive on the pension the woman receives.
“The most important persons for me right now are my wife, my mother and my brother,” Naeem said, further elaborating that he was prepared before marriage to listen to criticism that he’s a gold digger, but doesn’t care anymore.
Naeem revealed his wife had come back to Pakistan after six years, and the couple plan on making their living through a Youtube channel ‘Beast Brother’s PK’. The couple will stay for six months in Pakistan and six months in Canada.
Watch their complete interview below:
This case of online romance leading to marriage follows the recent string of marriages between foreign women and Pakistani men. Recently, a woman from Sweden came to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) to marry 23 year old Ahmed, whom she met on Facebook.
What would be the most controversial, yet important take you have about desi society?
A user on X posed this challenge to their followers, asking for opinions about every single aspect of desi society. Whether it is excessive body shaming, poor funeral etiquettes, division of household chores within family members, or wedding obsessions, desi social media users held back nothing, leaving us with some very blunt, but direly needed takes.
Your wives are not unpaid house helpers. We wish more families would understand this.
It’s not the bahu’s responsibility to serve the whole family. If she is not willing to cook and clean for anyone except her husband no one can force her and that’s shari’ah https://t.co/CdjW2giXOO
Please understand that funerals are a time when family members need to grieve. Instead of giving them space, desi family members end up doing the opposite which is tragic to witness.
That women and girls don’t get to mourn the loss of a loved one. They are constantly expected to service food and tea to guests and look after them. The men get a head start on processing their grief and start to get some kind of a closure. Women do not. https://t.co/XlUzcRvRxy
Teach your sons to be the kind of men your daughters would feel safe around.
Turning a blind eye to the things your sons get up to but then teaching your daughters to protect themselves from such men is WILD. https://t.co/x0cWbarTAe
We hope more people start unlearning that talking about periods is a taboo.
Menstruation being a hush hush topic is the reason why a lot of women suffer in silence. It’s why conditions like endometriosis, genital TB, hypomenorrhea, dysmenorrhoea, and metrorrhagia go undiagnosed. https://t.co/D5C1S5v6MU
This prevalent practice of hiring underaged help for housekeeping or as nannies under the guise of “helping out their poor families” is such a fallacy. These kids are easily manipulated and continually fall victim to anger issues or latent predatory behaviour at the hands of- https://t.co/FWgShJuvpX
the average housewife works harder than all men who take six figure salaries. physical labour 18 hours every day (assuming they get 6 hours of sleep) on all days of the week with extra work on holidays like eid when they have to prepare grand feasts, and you say they do nothing https://t.co/xQacMzZOic
BTS fans will continue to go to all lengths to prove that they’re indeed the most wholesome and wonderful people to exist on the planet.
A BTS fan from Gujranwala, Syeda Binte Zainab, moved social media a few days ago when she celebrated the birthday’s of both BTS members Jung Kook and Namjoon’s by donating 125 boxes of food to patients suffering from thalassemia at Sundus Foundation, in an effort to spread awareness about providing blood donations to help children suffering from the disease.
Namjoon aka RM, is a popular rapper and song writer from the South Korean band BTS, which comprises of six other members including Jung Kook, Jin, Suga, Jimin, V and J-Hope. The band, declared by Time Magazine to be the ‘Princes Of Pop’, partnered with UNICEF in 2017 for their campaign to end violence against children, and have received 5 Grammy nominations.
Guyz I need your Prayers because I’m almost going to start Namkook Birthday Project Celebrations with Thalassemia patients and right now I’m packing food for them while streaming “Slow Dancing” Please drop your wishes or Purple heart pic.twitter.com/xkOkkCzpix
— Syeda BinteZainab⁷♥ #HBD_NAMJOON♥| ʟᴀʏᴏ(ꪜ)ᴇʀ ⍤⃝ (@BinteZainab33) September 9, 2023
The viral tweet received praise from fans and non-fans alike on social media, who appreciated the woman for undertaking such an amazing charity project on her own to celebrate her idol’s birthday.
감사합니다 아미 ♀️ You did a really really good Job Our boys will probably be so proud of you, and of course ARMY too… Fightingggg ♀️ https://t.co/GsnSyYMidC
Syeda Zainab also shared a link to her Youtube account which showed how she set up the project. She also included an interview with a doctor who spoke in detail about the disease and encouraged others to donate blood to patients and help save their lives.
Speaking to The Current, Syeda Zainab, who works as a teacher had previously collaborated with Sundas Foundation to organise 180 gifts food boxes, and this year had decided had collaborated with a student to bake a cake and a fellow BTS fan from Twitter, who baked cookies for the occasion.
“This year in collaboration with #BTS_Pk_Streaming , I thought of doing something different, so I texted the Director and asked for his permission to organise a little activity to which he instantly agreed. So I saved my 1 month salary and decided to arrange a special meal for Thalassemia fighters and their families. My student ‘Haider’ who is also BTS ARMY member, prepared the BTS Themed Cake to celebrate Namkook’s (Namjoon & Jungkook of BTS) birthday . A kind ARMY friend *Saira from Twitter specially prepared ‘Namjoon & Jungkook day special cookies’ for patients. I’ve Donated Blood before Starting the celebration because I know the importance of blood donations. My Blood can save 1 life so what’s better then this to celebrate this special month?”
Syeda Zainab told us she had been organising charity efforts for Sundas Foundation since 2021, when she donated blood to the patients and was in touch with the director whom she described as a ‘noble’ man. In 2022, she had celebrated Jung Kooks’ birthday with the rest of the patients by packing more than 180 gifts for the patients, and also brought along a cake to celebrate the occasion as shown from pictures she shared with us.
Speaking on the overwhelming praise her project received from social media, Zainab said she found it “over whelming and heart touching”. Several patients suffering from thalassemia exchanged phone numbers with her in order to see her vlog. “They literally longed for blood and happiness. I’m glad I was the reason behind their smile and happiness.”
“BTS is the reason behind spreading smiles all around the world and we ARMYs simply follow their footsteps. Alhumdulillah I feel incredibly happy to spread happiness around me just like my idols.”
Pakistani BTS fans have gone viral on several occasions for setting up extensive charity projects to celebrate birthdays of the band members, asking for nothing in return. “BTS and the ARMY fandom have been actively involved in social causes and have raised millions for charities. I remember back in June 6th 2020, BTS and Big Hit Entertainment donated $1 million to Black Lives Matter, and the ARMY fandom matched that amount within 24 hours.”
Continuing further, Zainab said “We organize projects like this because our icons inspire us every single day. Jungkook donated millions of won (Korean currency) to hospitals and universities on his birthday. When the severe earthquake disaster happened in turkey, it was BTS band members who donated millions of dollars to help the victims. The list is too extensive to share how many times they have contributed to help others.. We ARMYS do good things on BTS name all around the world so it doesn’t matter for us that our idols live in Korea or anywhere else. The thing which only matter is “THE MESSAGE”. The message BTS gives to ‘LOVE YOURSELF’ & ‘BE HUMAN’.”
Zainab told The Current that Pakistani BTS fans have done several projects in honor of their idols in the past, as last year they had celebrated Namjoon’s birthday by donating wheelchairs to Manawan Hospital Lahore. On September 1, which was Jungkook’s birthday, ARMY members donated 50 notebooks to schools in order to provide educational facilities for students from lower income backgrounds, along with Rs 7000 to Edhi Foundation, just proving how their fandom continues to do good and keep making their icons proud.
Actor Adnan Siddiqui has become the latest target of fake death rumours on the internet, and he has had enough of it.
The ‘Maat’ actor shared a clip on his Instagram account of a video spreading news that he had passed away, slamming irresponsible journalism:
“All those spreading the rumours of my demise in the name of journalism and breaking news, next time give me a fair idea before making me the headline. I’ll personally come to your studios and confirm it, complete with my epitaph. Your (ir)responsible journalism should look flawless after all.”
Actress Simi Rahael sent prayers in the comments and called out trolls for spreading such dangerous news.
Other actors like Faysal Quraishi and Aijazz Aslam also agreed with Adnan’s post.
Previously, it was veteran actor Mahmood Aslam who became the target of rumors that he had passed away, and the ‘Bulbulay’ actor took to social media to slam the fake news and called for users to be mindful about his friends and family members who could be deeply hurt by such actions.
“I’m Mahmood Aslam, breathing, fit and alive in front of you. A few hours ago, someone reported on social media that I have passed away. Whoever spread this news, I want to request them, for God’s sake, to not spread such news without verifying it. I am sitting in front of you, healthy and alive.”
“If not me, please think of my friends and family, relatives and fans and how they would feel after reading this unverified news. You can post about people who die so everyone can grieve them but please do not post fake news about those who are alive.”
“I made this video to tell all of you to not believe the news. I’m here and alive. And I’d like to request the people behind the fake news to stop their malicious attempts. Think 10 times before doing such a thing. It might be fun and games for you but it isn’t a joke. Fans and families could get affected in the worst possible way.”
Pakistan’s celebrated singer Shazia Manzoor has been honored in Ontario, Canada on Friday with The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Pin. The award was presented by Canadian politician Shafqat Ali, who praised the veteran singer for her contribution to arts and culture.
“It was such an honour to host Shazia Manzoor, a recognized and renowned Pakistani singer, and to recognize her for her contribution to art and culture and her commitment to bringing South Asian communities together through her song It was such a blessing to meet the acclaimed Pride of Performance of Pakistan and to award her with Her Majesty the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Pin Thank you for visiting and we hope to see you again soon.”
Faryal Mehmood was a guest on Momin Saqib’s show ‘Had Kar Di’ where the actor opened up how as a child, she was kicked out of several schools before reaching 12th grade because of her aggressive nature.
“I used to hit people a lot’, recalled Faryal. “One time I broke a girl’s ribs.”
“I was very young and I knew how to fight. So I just fought and it went to another level. I kicked her here and I broke her ribs and then I got suspended.”
The ‘Laal Ishq’ actress also revealed what career would she pick if she wasn’t an actress, and her choice was either becoming a dancer or a thief!
“I think I can accomplish huge heists’, joked the actress. “Because I’m a good actor…So I can manipulate anyone and use them.”
Actress Sajal Aly is once again going viral on the internet but for a very absurd reason. A user on X (formerly Twitter) shared a clip of the actress speaking at a red carpet interview.
When asked about her opinion on relationships, the ‘Ye Dil Mera’ actress said:
“People will start rising in love instead of falling in love,” responded Sajal. “You know what I mean? You know we say ‘fall in love’, why do you fall in love man? Just rise in love!”
The user who shared the tweet mocked the actress but other tweeps defended the actress by pointing out ‘rising in love’ is a healthier alternative approach to relationships, where one is encouraged to gain a fresh insight to life after meeting someone new, even by sharing how previously writers and films defending this concept.
A user shared a quote from Toni Morrison’s book ‘Jazz’ which talked about the same concept of rising in love.
“Nobody gave you to me. Nobody said that’s the one for you. I picked you out. Wrong time, yep, and doing wrong by my wife. But the picking out, the choosing. Don’t ever think I fell for you, or fell over you. I didn’t fall in love, I rose in it. I saw you and made up my mind. My mind. And I made up my mind to follow you too.”
Another shared the proclaimed Urdu poet Ahmad Faraz had defended the same concept in an article and spoke about the need to rise in love rather than fall in it.
I have read an interview of Ahmed Faraz published in a newspaper. He said same thing that we rise in love… But y'all are hating on her bcz of her diiferent political views than that of yours… https://t.co/VSAH938C13
Another user shared a clip by screenwriter and producer Jemima Khan, who had also worked with Sajal for ‘What’s Love Got To Do With It’ and had spoken in an interview about encouraging more women to walk into love rather than fall in it.
Well, “You don’t fall in love but you walk into love” – Jemima Khan.
Other users defended the actress’s healthy approach to love by pointing out that it should make people better, not encourage them to submit themselves entirely to another person.
English is my first language I see nothing wrong in what she said In fact Its a good thought Love should make us better https://t.co/wEmwB8wWDp
Exactly our point. Please go touch grass or read a book before coming after female celebrities this way.
I’m sorry but none of you read or engage in books as much as yall say you do? Because if you did, you’d know this isn’t a new thought she’s come up with. I’ve heard yhat saying before. And you’d also know what she meant was you’d want to empower in love not just submit aka fall https://t.co/Dcbt77Qqmd
Some also slammed the user for indirectly mocking the actress’s English skills, and criticised trolls today for relentlessly targetting female actresses for small reasons.
Well, “You don’t fall in love but you walk into love” – Jemima Khan.
Former Pakistan Cricket Board chairman, Rameez Raja’s effusive praise for Babar Azam during his commentary at the Lanka Premier League (LPL) has set the internet abuzz. Raja expressed his admiration for Babar Azam in a rather unique manner after the latter scored a century in a LPL match on Monday. Rameez Raja’s comment, “I want to marry Babar,” has gone viral on social media, garnering considerable attention and sparking discussions.
Notably, Babar Azam delivered an exceptional century while representing the Colombo Strikers against the Galle Titans at the Paley Kale International Cricket Stadium. This outstanding achievement not only created a buzz within Pakistan but also captured the attention of cricket enthusiasts in Sri Lanka.
In the match, the Galle Titans set a target of 189 runs for the Strikers. Babar Azam, partnering with Pathum Nissanka, opened the Strikers’ innings and together, they established an impressive 111-run partnership with the Sri Lankan batsman. Babar Azam’s stellar performance included 8 boundaries and 5 sixes, allowing him to reach a total score of 104 runs off just 59 balls.
It is worth noting that Ramiz Raja resumed his role as a commentator during the recently concluded Test series between Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Raja had been absent from the commentary box since September 2021, following his election as the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for a three-year term.
A fruit vendor from Attock, Pakistan has become the new darling of Indian publications for his extraordinary singing skills and his knack for bringing a hilarious twist to Shakira’s popular song ‘Waka Waka’.
A video of the man was posted by a meme account with the name Hamza Choudhary, amassing more than 400,000 likes, with fans writing down all sorts of hilarious captions.
According to The News, officials in the National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination (NHS,R&C) have said that Pakistan plans to ask the World Health Organization (WHO) for vaccines to prevent monkeypox (mpox).
“During a National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) meeting held on Wednesday to discuss the monkeypox situation in the country, it was decided that WHO would be requested a sizeable quantity of vaccine to immunise healthcare providers and infectious diseases experts who would be on the frontline to deal with the confirmed and suspected cases of the infectious disease”, an official of the NHS, R&C said.
The Ministry of National Health Services Regulations and Coordination on Tuesday confirmed the first case of monkeypox in the country.
Monkeypox is a viral disease brought on by the monkeypox virus, a germ from the orthopox virus genus.
Humans can contract the monkey pox virus through coming into personal contact with an infected person, contaminated objects or infected animals.
