Pakistan cricket team’s fast bowler Haris Rauf reacted to an incident that happened in Florida with him and a fan.
Haris Rauf released his statement on the social media site X (formerly Twitter) in which he wrote, “I had decided not to bring this matter on social media, but now the video has come out, so I think that It is important to discuss this situation.”
“Being public figures, we are ready to get all kinds of feedback from the public. Fans are entitled to support or criticise us, but when it comes to my parents and my family,” the fast bowler said, “I will not hesitate to respond accordingly. It is important to respect people and their families, regardless of their profession.”
Earlier, a video of national cricketer Haris Rauf’s entanglement with a fan in Florida went viral.
Haris was with his wife when the fan allegedly abused him, after which Haris ran toward him. Other fans also tried to stop Haris. The fast bowler told the fan asked the fan, “is this is what your father has taught you?”
The players of the national team have left for home in groups after a very bad performance in the T20 World Cup.
Six players including captain Babar Azam, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Amir and Azam Khan will return back later.
This Eid ul Azha, six exciting films are set to hit cinemas across Pakistan. And since it’s the second day of Eid and you’re done with all the family commitments (hopefully), here is what you should go watch. Four Lollywood and two Hollywood films released on June 17th, 2024.
UmroAyyar – A New Beginning A Pakistani fantasy film based on the classic Urdu novel, directed by Azfar Jafri and starring Ali Kazmi, Farhan Tahir, and Hamza Ali Abbasi.
Abbhi Humza A young Kashmiri boy pursues his passion for music in Lahore, struggling with haunting childhood memories. Directed by Asad Mumtaz and starring Gohar Mumtaz, Hareem Farooq, and Kubra Khan.
Na Baligh Afraad A comedy set in the 90s, directed by Nabeel Qureshi and starring Samar Jafri, Aashir Wajahat, and Meera.
Bhediya: A Scientist’s Theory An action-adventure film about a person seeking revenge, blurring the lines between humans and animals. Directed by Shahzad Billa and starring Ali Khan, Baba Khan, and Shahzad Billa.
Inside Out 2 Riley navigates her teenage years, experiencing new emotions and adventures. Directed by Kelsey Mann and starring Amy Poehler, Maya Hawke, and Kensington Tallman.
Bad Boys 4: Ride or Die Will Smith and Martin Lawrence return as Miami’s finest, but this time they’re on the wrong side of the law. Directed by Adil El Arabi and Bilall Fallah and written by Chris Bremer, Will Beall, and George Gallo.
Don’t miss out on these exciting films. Book your tickets now and enjoy the cinematic experience at Cue Cinema, Universal Cinema, Nuxplex Cinema and Cinepax Cinema.
The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) has announced an increase in the basic electricity tariff by Rs5.72 per unit, effective from July 1, 2024. This hike will raise the current base tariff from Rs29.78 to Rs35.50 per unit.
The capacity charges, which form a significant portion of the base price, amount to Rs18.10 per unit, constituting 51 per cent of the total cost. Consequently, the total capacity payment is projected to reach approximately Rs2.091 trillion for the fiscal year 2025.
This proposal has been submitted to the federal government for final approval. The government will decide whether to implement the increase immediately or phase it in over time.
It is important to note that in the current fiscal year (FY24), the electricity tariff was increased by Rs7.50 per unit, while in the previous fiscal year (FY23), the government implemented an increase of Rs7.91 per unit.
In a contrasting move, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced on Friday a substantial reduction of Rs10.69 per unit in the electricity tariff for the industrial sector. This reduction is part of the Prime Minister’s historic power package aimed at bolstering the country’s industrial sector.
Additionally, the petrol price has been reduced for the fourth consecutive time, decreasing by Rs10.20 to Rs258.16 per litre.
Federal Finance Minister Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb reiterated the government’s dedication to reducing expenditures and boosting revenues in a bid to fortify Pakistan’s economy sustainably.
The announcement came during a press conference in his hometown, Kamalia, as reported by the state-run APP.
Aurangzeb highlighted that the federal government plans to shut down parallel ministries or departments that have been devolved to provinces. This strategic move is anticipated to significantly cut down on expenditures and enhance operational efficiency.
As an example, the minister noted that the Prime Minister has already announced the closure of the Pakistan Public Works Department, a decision expected to alleviate the financial burden on the government.
Furthermore, the government is set on privatising state-owned enterprises (SOEs), which have been a considerable strain on the national exchequer. Aurangzeb cited Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) as a prime example, mentioning its liabilities amounting to billions of rupees now transferred to the government. The privatisation of these SOEs is projected to reduce financial burdens and enhance efficiency.
In a related development, the minister revealed that the government is working on outsourcing airport management, starting with Karachi airport, which is expected to be handed over to the private sector by July or August this year, followed by Lahore airport.
On the revenue side, Aurangzeb stressed the need to elevate the tax-to-GDP ratio from the current 9.5 per cent to 13 per cent over the next three years, underscoring the essential role of taxes in national administration.
To achieve this, the government has introduced various revenue measures, including broadening the tax base to include non-taxable sectors, phasing out tax exemptions worth Rs3.9 trillion, and revising policies in sectors like health and agriculture.
The minister announced that 32,000 retailers had already been registered for taxation starting from July 2024. He emphasised the government’s commitment to incorporating other sectors into the tax net, enhancing compliance, plugging systemic leakages, and implementing end-to-end digitisation to reduce human intervention, increase transparency, and curb corruption. Automation of sales tax collection is a top priority, Aurangzeb noted.
Addressing the agricultural sector, Aurangzeb affirmed the government’s commitment by allocating Rs41 billion in the federal Public Sector Development Program (PSDP) to promote agriculture. Initiatives include the solarisation of tube wells, provision of loans to small farmers, and the development of warehouses to support small-scale farmers.
Subsidies on fertilisers, seeds, and other agricultural inputs will continue, with efforts to involve banks, including Islamic banks, in providing loans to farmers.
In the IT sector, the government aims to support freelancers and double exports from $3.5 billion to $7 billion. Aurangzeb mentioned a substantial budget allocation to facilitate the IT sector. He also assured that the Prime Minister’s recent visit to China focused on technology transfer, industrial development, and enhancing exports, rather than seeking aid.
This comprehensive strategy, combining expenditure reduction and revenue enhancement, reflects the government’s robust commitment to placing the country’s economy on a sustainable growth trajectory.
Umr-o-Ayyar is everything I could not have imagined: badly written fanfic and a thrilling display of VFX-laden action unknown to Pakistani films.
Invited to the premier on behalf of The Current, I recalled all I had ever known about the character of Umr-o-Ayyar. Having been an avid reader of the legendary series of Dastaan-e-Ameer-i-Hamza and Talism Hoshruba, I was a fan of the conniving, quirky character of Umr-o-Ayyar, a friend and close confidant of the protagonist, Ameer-i-Hamza, but a legend in himself. The expectations were a little too high. The reality was a bit of a downer.
It was a marriage of convenience between the magical world of Harry Potter and the legendary period drama of Ertugrul.
My father, a master in Arabic language and literature, always told me that the name’s correct pronunciation was Ammar-Ayyar and not Umr-o-Ayyar, as per the rules of the Arabic language. Ammar, the protagonist played by Usman Mukhtar, really marked the right box with the name, but unfortunately, that’s about it.
His portrayal of the ‘clueless chosen one’ who remained true to character till the end made him look stupid more than likeable. Just like it was said about Harry Potter that magic still surprised him, Usman embodied the same traits, keeping his quintessential baffled expression intact whether it was his Schrodinger phase or him as an Ayyar.
The hero’s entourage, comprised of Ali Kazmi Salman Shaukat and Sanam Saeed, did leave their mark. It was the story that let them down. Manzar Sehbai’s Guru is there to mentally prepare the chosen, pure-blood Ammar Ayyar just like Master Shifu did with Po in Kung Fu Panda, but his styling, like that of Ertugrul’s Ibn Arabi, seemed out of place in the uber-cool setting. His verbose speeches and boasting of the power to know it all led to an all too predictable ending.
Director Azfar Jafri, known for family entertainers like Janaan and Heer Maan Ja falls short on this period cum super-hero cum action genre. Despite the fact that the two legends featuring the titular character are quite internalised in our language and culture, the movie comes across as an adaption of foreign celluloid. It has elements of Harry Potter’s pure-bloodedness, Voldemort’s black magic, inconsequential mention of physics, a motor-bike chase, Marvel’s VFX, fight sequences, and a world of supernatural elements ironically being dealt with both guns and knives. Consequently, the original plot, if there was any, got lost.
A sign of a flawed storyline is that the movie does not reflect much on the very conflict of the plot as to why the two parties are at war with each other. Ayyars, weak enough to get possessed, riding on bikes, and combating magic with internal powers, guns, and daggers made it all funny, even funnier than the comic reliefs in the film.
The best thing about the movie was the villains. The plot was driven by Sana’s Cheno, inspired by Bellatrix Lestrange, and Laqqa-a desi Voldemort- played by Faran Tahir. They were visibly ominous, and however flawed their dialogues were, their actions made more sense as they acted their part well. At one point in the film, Laqqa, the villain, has his first showdown with Ammar Ayyar, the hero, where the former says to the latter, “I am extremely disappointed after meeting you.” As an audience, you agree with him because such is the extent of Ammar’s incorrigibility. While it is not a well-written character, it performed even worse.
Hamza Ali Abbasi’s styling and acting take the cake. During those five minutes of his guest appearance, you are reminded of the beauty of the original tale. His portrayal of the OG, vivacious and witty Umr-o-Ayyar, who has especially come to knock some sense in the hero, made me reminisce about the accessories he owned, such as “zanbeel,” a satchel he used to carry everywhere that contained all the things under the sun, including the jinns he had entrapped. Alas! Its a lost opportunity.
While the storyline keeps boggling the mind, VFX in the final showdown really gives that larger-than-life experience. It deserves all the praise for being groundbreaking in Pakistani cinema. It’s the story which is the hamartia, a fatal flaw of this presumed epic of a film. The title, Umr-o-Ayyar-A New Beginning, indicates that the makers intend to make a series under the same banner. The next effort should not be as frivolous as this one. Overall, the movie is a good one-time watch that really lacks originality.
An inflation bomb has been dropped on the Pakistani public as the government, in its new 2024-25 budget, imposed an 18 percent General Sales Tax (GST) on baby food and formula milk – a necessity for the nourishment of children.
People have strongly criticised the new tax on its probable risk of worsening malnutrition among infants and children since parents wouldn’t be able to afford baby food.
“In other countries, governments reduce taxes on such products,” said Akmal, a resident of Lahore, to DAWN.
In his budget speech Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb ironically underscored the importance of children’s nutrition in the country.
When asked about the new tax, he replied that it “was not a big deal” as formula milk is purchased by the middle and upper middle classes who can afford it.
What a hot, hot Eid ul Azha most of the country witnessed. But being the resilient country that we are, we didn’t let the weather dampen our celebrations, and that includes our celebrities.
Many actors have shared their pictures, showing off their best outfits for the first day of Eid. Some started celebrating in the evening and posted their pictures later.
Check out some of your favorite celebrities celebrating Eid:
After the elimination from the ongoing T20 World Cup, the players of the Pakistan cricket team left for home from Florida.
The players will reach Pakistan in the early morning of June 19.
Six players of the squad including captain Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Imad Wasim, Azam Khan and Mohammad Amir are not traveling with the team.
Babar Azam will leave for Pakistan on June 22.
The head coach of the team Gary Kirsten will leave for his home after the World Cup assignment while Mohammad Amir will go to England to join Derbyshire after staying in America for a couple of days.
The Pakistan team failed to reach the Super 8 round of the World Cup. Pakistan was defeated in two matches of the first stage, in which they lost to America and India.
An Israeli government spokesman on Monday said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had dissolved the war cabinet following the resignation earlier this month of centrist leader Benny Gantz.
David Mencer, spokesman at the prime minister’s office, told reporters the war cabinet was a “prerequisite” for former army chief and defence minister Gantz to join a unity government.
“So with Mr Gantz leaving government, there is no need for the cabinet. Its duties will be taken over by the security cabinet”, a pre-existing body, on matters regarding the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, he said.
Israeli media said the move, which was not expected to trigger any major policy shift, was meant to counter pressure from far-right politicians seeking a greater say in decision-making.
The war cabinet was formed after Gantz had left the opposition to join Netanyahu’s government following Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel.
Another member of Gantz’ party, also a former military chief, Gadi Eisenkot, had also agreed to join the government on condition that a war cabinet be formed, according to Israeli officials.
Eisenkot left the war cabinet along with Gantz.
“It means that the security cabinet will meet more often. The security cabinet is the body responsible for making decisions (related to the war) anyway,” said an Israeli official on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on the issue.
Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, who were all part of the war cabinet, also sit on the security cabinet — which ratifies decisions regarding the war including truce and hostage release negotiations.
Gantz announced his resignation on June 9 after failing to get Netanyahu to approve a post-war plan for Gaza.
Israeli media reported that Netanyahu dissolved the war cabinet to avoid including far-right coalition members in the sensitive forum, fearing harm to relations with Western allies such as the United States.
Mencer declined to answer when asked if Netanyahu’s decision aimed to rebuff his far-right partners and tighten his grip over decision-making.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who are both security cabinet members and opposed to a truce before Hamas is “eliminated”, had put pressure on Netanyahu to add them to the war cabinet.
Israel’s genocide against Palestinians in Gaza has killed at least 37,347 people, also mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in the territory.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and son of former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Zain Qureshi, said on Monday that he hopes his father will be released from jail after Eid ul Azha, Geo News has reported.
A close aide to former Prime Minister Imran Khan, Shah Mahmood Qureshi has been in jail since last year.
“This is my second Eid without my father. He has given the ultimate sacrifice. I’m hoping that he’ll be out of jail after Eid,” Zain Qureshi told journalists after offering Eid prayers in Multan.
Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi are facing multiple cases. They were initially arrested in the cypher case and cases related to vandalism on May 9.
Zain Qureshi also that his party is always ready for dialogue.
