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Author: News Desk

  • ‘No shoes’, PCB shares Shahnawaz Dahani’s story of becoming a cricketer

    ‘No shoes’, PCB shares Shahnawaz Dahani’s story of becoming a cricketer

    Shahnawaz Dahani is a young Pakistani cricketer, born near a village in Larkana. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has shared his story of becoming a cricketer through a video ahead of the seventh edition of Pakistan Super League (PSL).

    In the video, the journey of Dahani from playing in his village to the PSL is shown where it can be seen that he was opposed by his late father when he wanted to play cricket.

    Lack of proper facilities might have stopped the young Shahnawaz to get opportunities at a young age, just like many other boys from the city. But Shahnawaz seems to be making up for lost time. His story is one for the ages as someone who found it difficult to buy shoes to play cricket and is now one of the most celebrated young players.

    Ahead of the sixth edition of the PSL 2021, he was picked up as an emerging player by the Multan Sultans and the decision proved to be worth it. He ended up becoming the first emerging player to become the highest wicket-taker in the tournament’s history.

    He was a key member in the Sultans’ impressive turnaround and helped them clinch their maiden title. Now, Dahani is one of the most celebrated young cricketers. Yet, just a few years back, he was like any other young Pakistani boy, living in a small village near Larkana, dreaming to play cricket for Pakistan.

    Read more – Shahnawaz Dahani to make his T20I debut today against Bangladesh

    The 23-year-old made his international debut for the Pakistan cricket team in November 2021 in a series against Bangladesh.

    The young speedster is set to represent his franchise Sultans again in the latest edition of the league, starting from January 27 in Karachi.

  • FBR freezes all bank accounts of singer Aima Baig

    FBR freezes all bank accounts of singer Aima Baig

    The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has frozen all bank accounts related to Pakistani singer, Aima Baig over unpaid taxes on Wednesday. She has not paid her taxes from the years 2018, 2019, and 2020.

    She allegedly withdrew Rs 25 million from her bank accounts and emptied them before FBR attempted to recover money from the accounts.

    Now FBR is planning to seize all vehicles belonging to the singer.

    On January 14, 2022, Aima received a notice from the FBR for non-payment of taxes worth Rs 85 million.

    On the work front, the singer will feature in Pakistan Super Leagues’ (PSL) Anthem along with Atif Aslam. The music will be produced by Abdullah Siddiqui.

    She was recently in the news over a controversial video where she showed her middle finger to a person in the crowd during her concert.

    Aima clarified the reason for her actions, saying she did it because someone in the crowd did it first to her.

  • Meesha Shafi wins case against stay order obtained by Ali Zafar

    Meesha Shafi wins case against stay order obtained by Ali Zafar

    Singer, Meesha Shafi has won a civil revision challenge at the Lahore High Court against a stay order obtained by Ali Zafar against a defamation suit which Meesha had filed against him.

    The stay order that was issued on February 13, 2020 issued by the trial court had stopped the proceedings of a civil defamation case filed by Meesha Shafi in 2019 under the Defamation Ordinance 2002 for false and defamatory statements made by Ali Zafar in the media and social media.

    In its application for a stay order against Meesha’s defamation case, Ali Zafar had argued that Meesha’s suit should be stayed until a separate defamation case filed by Ali Zafar is decided. However, the Lahore High Court has overturned this order by accepting a civil revision challenge which has stated that the cause of action of the two suits is sufficiently different and the trial against Ali Zafar can proceed and Meesha Shafi’s legal team can now pursue the case against Ali Zafar.

    What is Meesha’s defamation suit?


    Meesha Shafi had filed a case on September 17, 2019 pertaining to a defamatory smear campaign by Ali Zafar. In the suit, Meesha contended that statements made by Ali Zafar on a private Pakistani news channel on falsely stated that she was a “liar” and that she made sexual harassment allegations to obtain fame and Canadian immigration.

    Ali also stated that Meesha wanted to “become another Malala Yousafzai”, implying that Malala fabricated her assassination attempt.

    Meesha Shafi reacted to the news, thanking her legal team and all those who support her.

  • ‘Authorities were unable to perform their duties’: CM Buzdar suspends 15 officials responsible for Murree tragedy

    ‘Authorities were unable to perform their duties’: CM Buzdar suspends 15 officials responsible for Murree tragedy

    Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Sardar Usman Buzdar on Wednesday ordered the suspension of 15 officials for being negligent towards their duties.

    CM Buzdar,while addressing a press conference, revealed the findings of the inquiry report and said that Rawalpindi’s deputy commissioner has been removed and disciplinary action has been ordered against him.

    The Murree assistant commissioner has also been suspended along with Murree’s assistant superintendent of police (ASP), said the CM.

    Buzdar further said that the Rawalpindi chief traffic officer (CTO), traffic deputy superintendent of police (DSP), Murree divisional forest officer, Murree district emergency officer, Murree Rescue 1122 in charge, and Punjab Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) director have also been suspended and disciplinary action has been ordered against them.

    The chief minister said that disciplinary action has been ordered against these 15 officers over the Murree tragedy as “concerned authorities were unable to perform their duties.”

    “The government has fulfilled its promise of a transparent inquiry into the Murree tragedy,” Buzdar said, adding the inquiry report has highlighted the shortcomings of the authorities.

  • Senate passes resolution regarding artist royalties, celebrities laud

    Senate passes resolution regarding artist royalties, celebrities laud

    The Senate of Pakistan has passed a resolution that ensures royalties for artists, Senator Faisal Javed announced on Tuesday.



    The resolution, passed unanimously, would empower the Copyright Board to fix royalties for licensing and assignment of work and to ensure payments to artists, according to actor Humayun Saeed.

    Until now, artists only get paid once for their work but the media houses are free to re-run plays and movies featuring them and earn more money.

    Royalties are payments that artists receive on the reruns of their projects.

    Royalties had been the subject of debate since the death of actor Naila Jafferi, who had publicly appealed to the government that artist be given royalties. Her video came at a time when she was battling cancer.

    The resolution was introduced by Senator Javed. He congratulated the entertainment industry on Twitter.

    “Congratulations as the resolution has been passed by the Senate unanimously today. Appreciate the support from all the members of the house.”


    Celebrities such as Mikaal Zulfiqar Humayun Saeed, Adnan Siddiqui and Ramsha Khan lauded the development.

  • Usman Mirza Case: Victims appear in front of court

    Usman Mirza Case: Victims appear in front of court

    The victims of the Usman Mirza case have appeared again on Wednesday in front of the court after being absent from the last hearing held on January 18.

    The Additional District and Sessions Judge Atta Rabbani resumed the hearing today in which the female victim revealed that she was being forced to pursue the case. She said, “I have given the statement that I don’t know anyone.”

    The prosecutor Rana Hasan Abbas questioned the male victim during cross-examination to narrate the background of the incident. To which he replied: “I cannot recall the details of the incident and also don’t remember what shirt I was wearing that day.”

    The female victim claimed that she was not in this video that is being circulated on social media. She also said that she has not taken Rs 10 million from one of the suspects.

    While replying to a question about whether she signed the blank papers under any influence to which she responded with: “I don’t know.”

    “There are seven people of the same face in this world,” she added when told that the video was authentic. She denied that it was her in the video.

    The court adjourned the hearing till January 25th.

    Last year, a video of Usman Mirza harassing a couple went viral on social media which created an outrage across the country. The following day Islamabad police arrested Usman Mirza who is the prime suspect in the case.

    Recently at the time of the hearing on January 11, the female victim refused to identify any of the accused and said she does not want to pursue the case. However, a journalist reported that the couple has reportedly taken one crore rupees from Usman Mirza.

  • Bollywood special: How much do Akshay, Ranveer, Hrithik and Khans charge per film?

    Bollywood special: How much do Akshay, Ranveer, Hrithik and Khans charge per film?

    Bollywood is touted to be among the biggest film industries of the world, and has given birth to many transnational superstars. While some take upfront fees to be a part of the project, some opt for a profit-sharing deal to reduce the burden of recovery.

    Indian media tabloid, Pinkvilla has revealed the fee of Bollywood A-listers.

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    Akshay Kumar is among the actors who juggles between profit sharing and upfront fees. The actor has charged over100 crores for his forthcoming Cinderella. However, for some relatively smaller films and home productions, the actor has adopted a hybrid model i.e. charging a minimum amount as acting fees and then entering the profit sharing agreement in the ratio of 40 to 50 percent share in the profits. The actor had come on board Sooryavanshi for a sum of Rs 70 crore. The reason for Akshay Kumar to get such huge fees are the revenues from satellite and digital, as Khiladi’s films tend to do well on both platforms.

    Salman Khan was the first Indian star to get a salary of Rs 100 crore plus on a feature film with Sultan in 2016 and repeated the feat by becoming the first actor to get Rs 130 crore as acting fees in 2017 with Tiger Zinda Hai. Salman cracks a profit-sharing deal getting 60 to 70% of the total profits. Post Tiger Zinda Hai, it has all been home productions for Salman, which means he used to take home all of satellite and digital revenue as his acting fees. Bharat fetched him a sum of Rs 120 crore (Digital: Rs 80 crore, Satellite: Rs 40 crore).

    Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan have adopted the profit sharing model since the start of last decade. While Shah Rukh has been getting 60 percent of profit as his acting fees, Aamir has taken things a notch higher with a 75 percent share in profit. He got an elephant’s share for Dhoom 3, and Dangal. The fees of both these stars vary as per the revenues of films from all sources – right from satellite, digital to theatrical.

    Hrithik Roshan also has been following the profit sharing route for most of his films, though there have been instances where he has taken upfront fees and also opted for a hybrid model. He had opted for a 50 to 55 percent profit model for his last two releases – Super 30 and War.

    Ranbir Kapoor has got around 65 to 70 crores for forthcoming Animal, whereas Ranveer Singh too has upped his stakes by charging upwards of Rs 50 crore for Rohit Shetty’s Cirkus.

    Varun Dhawan is also contemplating to switch to the profit-sharing model soon.

    John Abraham’s acting fees have gone up 3-fold over the pandemic, from Rs 7 crore in Satyameva Jayate to Rs 21 crore for its sequel.

    Shahid Kapoor on the other hand charged Rs 31 crore for Jersey.

    Tiger Shroff charges an acting fees in the range of Rs 25 to 30 crore, has got seen a massive jump due to producer Vashu Bhagnani, who paid him Rs 35 crore for Ganapath.

  • Turkish President Erdogan says open to fix ties with Israel

    Turkish President Erdogan says open to fix ties with Israel

    After years of a fraught relationship, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has indicated mending ties with Israel.

    A joint pipeline to bring eastern Mediterranean Sea gas to Europe was started by Turkey’s rival Greece and Israel which was backed by then-President Donald Trump’s administration. At the time, Turkey strongly opposed the project but last week it was reported that Washington no longer backed the pipeline project.

    Following this, Erdogan said he was in talks with Israel on an old idea to bring Mediterranean gas to European clients via Turkey. “We can still do that,” he said.

    This is not the first time that Turkey has expressed the desire to be on good ties with Israel. In 2020, the President said the country would like to have better ties with Israel but it is impossible to accept their Palestine policies.

    In recent years, Ankara has repeatedly condemned Israel’s occupation in the West Bank and its treatment of Palestinians.

    Erdogan and Israeli Prime Minister (PM) Benjamin Netanyahu have often exchanged angry remarks, but both countries continue to trade with one another.

  • Babar declared captain of ICC Men’s T20I Team of the Year, Rizwan, Shaheen included

    Babar declared captain of ICC Men’s T20I Team of the Year, Rizwan, Shaheen included

    International Cricket Council (ICC) has recognised 11 cricketers from different teams for their exceptional performance in cricket. Pakistan all-format skipper Babar Azam has been declared the captain of the team after his prolific stint in the ICC T20 World Cup.

    Pakistan’s star players, wicket keeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan and bowling sensation Shaheen Shah Afridi, also made it to the team.

    In a statement issued for the announcement of Men’s T20I Team of the Year, the ICC said that it is to recognise 11 outstanding individuals who have impressed one and all, “be it with the bat, the ball or their all-round exploits in a calendar year.”

    Here is a look at the players who made it to the team from Pakistan.

    Babar Azam

    The Pakistan skipper was at his classy best in the shortest format in 2021, leaving his best at the T20 World Cup where he ended the tournament as the leading run-scorer.

    Overall, Babar played 29 matches and aggregated 939 runs at an average of 37.56 with one century and nine half-centuries. His captaincy was also praised as he led his team to the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup in UAE and Oman.

    Mohammad Rizwan

    The Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter ruled the roost in 2021 when it came to the shortest format of the game. Aggregating a staggering 1,326 runs in only 29 matches, Rizwan struck at an average of 73.66 and a strike-rate of 134.89.

    Apart from his exploits with the bat, he was as solid as ever behind the stumps, playing a key role in Pakistan’s run to the semis during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021, where he ended up as the third-highest run-scorer.

    Shaheen Afridi

    It was a year to remember for Shaheen Afridi, especially in the shortest form of the game. Extracting brilliant movement with the new ball and reversing it with the old, Afridi picked up 23 wickets in 21 matches at an average of 26.04 and an economy of 7.86.

    Still only 21, Shaheen will likely lead the Pakistan pace bowling unit for years to come and with already rapid improvements in his bowling, he will undoubtedly prove to be a fearsome prospect.

    The others include Jos Buttler of England, Aiden Markram of South Africa, Mitchell Marsh of Australia, David Miller of South Africa, Wanindu Hasaranga of Sri Lanka, Tabraiz Shamsi of South Africa, Josh Hazlewood of Australia, and Mustafizur Rahman of Bangladesh.

  • NCOC allows 25 per cent spectators for PSL 7 Karachi-leg matches

    NCOC allows 25 per cent spectators for PSL 7 Karachi-leg matches

    The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) has allowed 25 per cent crowd attendance for the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 7 Karachi-leg matches, which will be played at the National Stadium from January 27 to February 7.

    As per the press release isuued by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the decision means around 8,000 spectators will be allowed inside the venue each match day. However, to ensure their health and safety as well as others attending the matches, the spectators’ entry will be subject to strict Covid-19 protocols, which are:

    • Individuals above the age of 12 years must be fully vaccinated
    • Valid vaccination certificates must be shown at the time gaining access to the stadium
    • Wearing of masks inside the venue is mandatory
    • Anyone violating the NCOC guidelines shall be liable to be evicted out of the stadium

    PCB Chief Operating Officer and PSL Tournament Director Salman Naseer said: “Spectators are the essence of any sport event and in this background, we now hope to set the stage with 25 per cent crowds to attend the Karachi matches of the HBL PSL 2022.”

    “As a responsible organisation, we completely understand our obligations in relation to health and safety of the fans and will leave no stone unturned in strictly implementing the NCOC guidelines.”

    Read More – NCOC bans indoor events in cities with Covid positivity rate over 10%

    “However, we will also require complete and unconditional support from the spectators so that they and others can continue to enjoy the matches in a safe and secure environment. This is something they can do by simply following the guidelines,” it added.

    The NCOC will make a decision closer to time for the Lahore-leg matches scheduled for the Gaddafi Stadium, which will be played from February 10-27.