Author: News Desk

Following the tragic Tezgam train accident which killed at least 74 people and injured over 40 others, Coke Studio has announced that they will not be releasing the third episode of Season 12 on Friday (today) as per the schedule.

In a video message posted to social media, Coke Studio said: “In solidarity with the families affected by the Tezgam train tragedy, Coke Studio Season 12 Episode 3 will not be releasing today.”

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and individuals who were affected by this tragic incident,” the message read.

The third episode of the ongoing Season 12 was scheduled to release on November 1. The episode was set to feature songs by Fareed Ayaz and Abu Muhammad, Umair Jaswal, Banur’s Band and Atif Aslam.

Read more: Abrar Ul Haq serves major nostalgia with ‘Billo’ for Coke Studio 12

Meanwhile, as per reports, the train, Tezgam, was on its way from Karachi to Rawalpindi when a gas cylinder carried by a passenger exploded, resulting in hundreds of casualties on Thursday morning. The fire destroyed three of the train’s carriages, including two economy class and one business class carriage.

Khalil ur Rehman Qamar and his directorial feature Kaaf Kangana may not have been a box-office success but the film and its maker has been dominating headlines for one reason or another.

First the film and its ‘interesting’ trailer, then Neelum Muneer’s bizarre item song, then DG ISPR Major General Asif Ghafoor defending the item song and lastly Qamar himself saying that women should rape men if they want equality.

Yup, our head is spinning as much yours is.

Nonetheless, Qamar’s statements stirred up a social media storm and everyone began to call him out for his misogynistic and outdated comments.

Read more: Kaaf Kangana writer says ‘women should rape men if they want equality’

Osman Khalid Butt, who is touted to be one of the most ‘woke’ celebrities to exist in the Pakistan film industry also called out Khalil ur Rehman for his comments.

Usman Mukhtar called for a boycott on Qamar.

Armeena Khan also called out Qamar for his statements.

In an interview, the renowned screenwriter had said, “A few weeks ago, a feminist group had a conversation with me regarding equality. I asked them if they’ve ever heard about a gang of men kidnapping a woman? They assured me they have. I asked them then why don’t women do the same?”

“If you wish to strive for equality then kidnap men as well. Rob a bus, gang rape a man, so that I can understand what you [women] mean by equality.”

Qamar has several successful dramas to his credit including the current superhit Meray Paas Tum Ho.

Defending his ideas and “philosophy” around how he sees society, Qamar said that Meray Paas Tum Ho was “the story of several men, not just one”.

“I have come across multiple married couples who go through the same ordeal. I’ve observed when a married woman cheats, she doesn’t feel ashamed at all. The reason behind her not feeling guilty is because she has been backed by another man. When an unmarried woman cheats, she feels guilty.”

Read more: The episode that’s breaking Pakistan’s internet – Meray Pass Tum Ho’s climax

Social media was not buying his explanations and statements and called out the director for his misogynistic comments.

Award-winning director Mansoor Mujahid and his friend Anab Zehra Hameed were handed life imprisonment for murdering their friend Faisal Nabi. The court also ordered them to pay Rs200,000 each as compensation to the legal heirs of the victim.

According to reports, a sessions court in Karachi found Mujahid and his friend Anab guilty of killing banker Faisal Nabi Malik, in an apartment in Defence Housing Authority in June 2013.

The prosecution, in their arguments, said that Mansoor and his friends were consuming drugs at Anab’s apartment when he allegedly shot dead the victim after they got into a heated argument on June 20, 2013.

They further added that the male accused along with his female partners shared a common intent to kill the victim. They shot the deceased with an unlicensed weapon and dumped the body in the parking lot of an apartment complex after stabbing and burning it with acid in order to hide his identity.

Sharing further details, the prosecution said that when an inquiry officer along with some relatives of the deceased questioned the accused, Mansoor confessed to having shot his friend twice while Anab disclosed to have stabbed the victim and poured acid over his body to confuse his identity. They led the police to a place where the body, pistol, daggers, bloodstained pillow and bedspread were found.

It added that Anab further disclosed during interrogation that the deceased had assaulted her a few days before the incident and she wrote it in her diary which was read by Mansoor.

Meanwhile, the victim’s driver had also seen the accused coming out of the place where he had dropped the victim.

Mansoor is the director of the award-winning film Seedlings, whose Urdu title was Lamha. The film stars Mohib Mirza and Aamina Sheikh in the lead while Gohar Rasheed was also part of the film. It won the ‘Best Feature Film’ (People’s choice) and ‘Best Lead Actress’ awards for Aamina Sheikh at its World Premiere in The New York City International Film Festival 2012.

It also bagged the ‘Best Feature Film’ award at the DC South Asian Festival in Washington in May 2013.

Mansoor was also involved in the making of numerous documentaries, music videos and narrative work for television.

In an earlier interview, Mujahid had said that he did not intend to kill his friend but it was in fact an accident.