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  • Twitter users, activists condemn Mahira Khan, Anwar Maqsood’s sexist remarks about Maryam Nawaz, Marriyum Aurangzeb

    Social media was enraged yesterday at the comments made by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senator Afnan Ullah Khan who remarked that Mahira Khan had mental health problems and Anwar Maqsood was a drunkard, in a tweet which celebrities and feminist activists slammed as sexist.

    What had prompted this reaction? It was a conversation at a session titled ‘An Evening With Mahira Khan’ held at the Arts Council of Pakistan in Karachi. In a clip that went viral, Mahira Khan was seen commenting about two females fighting and poisoning each other. To which Maqsood responded by saying that these two women were PML-N leaders Marriyum Aurangzeb and Maryam Nawaz.

    “I am restricted from talking about politics, I can’t say anything about anyone. Hopefully the situation will get better soon. What you said about poisoning, abusing each other so I gave an example, it is also happening in real life. Also both are actors, not character actors.”

    Can we condemn the disparaging comment made by the PML-N senator, whose party is currently under the leadership of a woman, and is also the one ruling the country? Absolutely, because how a politician comments about their critics reveals how thin-skinned and shallow-minded they are, especially when the critic is a woman.

    But to completely sideline the fact that Khan, who has been outspoken about gender inequality and the need to improve the way media represents women on screens, especially sitting next to a renowned leftist screen writer, could resort to making sexist jokes about female politicians whose views she doesn’t agree with? Twitter users could not over look this fact, and criticised Khan’s sexist behavior for directly targeting female politicians of the opposite party as a way to score points.

    Feminist activist Leena Ghani mentioned that it was male politicians who are consistently over-emotional, and behave in a horrible manner, but it’s astounding why Khan chose to overlook them and target Aurangzeb and Nawaz

    The Twitter page of Aurat March condemned Khan’s and Maqsood’s comments as ‘cringe’

    Twitter users like journalist Gharidah Farooqi criticised these comments as ‘shameful’:

    Zebunnisa Burki criticised both Khan and Maqsood for making such disgusting comments

    Another user wrote that it wasn’t proper for a woman to mock another woman politician in this manner

  • ‘Check on your loved ones’: Celebrities are praying for followers after magnitude 6.5 earthquake jolts Pakistan

    ‘Check on your loved ones’: Celebrities are praying for followers after magnitude 6.5 earthquake jolts Pakistan

    On Tuesday night, a magnitude 6.5 earthquake jolted Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.

    The powerful jolts killed nine while 44 were injured, according to Al-Jazeera.

    Celebrities across Pakistan urged their followers to take necessary precautions to keep themselves and their loved ones safe.

    During an earthquake, please remember to wear proper shoes and exit your home to prevent any injuries from the jolts, and stay on open ground until the situation is safe.

    Actor Saba Qamar sent her prayers and wished for everyone to stay safe:

    Cricket captain Babar Azam urged his followers to take care of their loved ones

    Pakistan cricket player Shaheen Afridi prayed that everyone remained safe during the earthquake

    Actor Mahira Khan wrote on her Instagram stories that she was praying for everyone’s safety.

  • Babar Azam all set to receive Sitara e Imtiaz on 23rd March

    Babar Azam all set to receive Sitara e Imtiaz on 23rd March

    Pakistan’s men cricket team captain and top run scorer in the PSL Season 8, Babar Azam, will be awarded the country’s third biggest civilian award Sitara-e-Imtiaz on March 23.

    Babar Azam will be the youngest player to get the coveted award. At just 28 years of age, Babar Azam is the top run scorer in the latest PSL edition with 519 runs and also Pakistan’s top run scorer.
    Previously, former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed held the record as the youngest person to be awarded the prestigious award.

    Sarfaraz, who led Pakistan to the Champions Trophy title in 2017, was given the award by then Sindh Governor Mohammad Zubair at the Governor House in Karachi in 2018.

    Last year on August 14, the government announced that it will be conferring Babar with the country’s third-highest civilian honour.

    The star batter will be taking a break from cricket to attend the ceremony, as he will not be participating in the series against Afghanistan, which is scheduled to start on March 24.

    Babar Azam is not the only cricketer to get Sitara-e-Imtiaz, as many more including former captains Misbah ul Haq, Shahid Afridi and Younis Khan have received the award.

    Mohammad Yousuf received the award in 2011, Saeed Ajmal in 2015, Inzamam ul Haq in 2005 and Javed Miandad in 1992.

  • PepsiCo Celebrates World Water Day with 100% Water Replenishment in Company-Owned Operations

    Lahore, March 22, 2023: PepsiCo Pakistan organized an event today to celebrate World Water Day 2023 by sharing that the company is replenishing 100% of the water they use at their Snacks manufacturing facilities in Sundar and Multan watersheds, in line with its global vision to become Net Water Positive by 2030. The company also showcased a unique Water Stewardship Model Community that is being set up in partnership with the World Wide Fund for Nature – Pakistan (WWF-Pakistan). The Center of Water Informatics and Technology (WIT) at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) will provide technical expertise for the project while Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) will create policy briefs based on the project learnings to facilitate policymakers.

    The event was held at WIT LUMS with an aim to raise awareness about the importance of water and sanitation and to promote sustainable management of water resources through public-private partnerships. A robust overview of various water conservation projects by PepsiCo Pakistan across the country was shared, including partnerships with multiple stakeholders such as the government, non-profit organizations, academia, and policymakers. PepsiCo Pakistan also honored Community Leader Dr. Humera Saleem, who has been a key part of spearheading community mobilization for the PepsiCo Foundation and WaterAid supported Access to Safe Water program in Humak, Islamabad.

    Eugene Willemsen, CEO PepsiCo Africa, Middle East, and South Asia (AMESA), and Furqan Ahmed Syed, CEO PepsiCo Pakistan and Afghanistan along with stakeholders from WWF-Pakistan, SDPI and WIT LUMS unveiled the Water Stewardship Model Community project. The expansive project willinclude water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) facilities and enable sustainable sewage water management in one underserved community in rural Punjab for a focused intervention that delivers positive outcomes. The model village will illustrate the end-result of this collaboration for water access and stewardship, improved sanitation and replenishment, employing state-of-the-art interventions for WASH and Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS). In line with our Alliance for Water Stewardship and Water Replenishment agenda, this model will exemplify PepsiCo’s commitment to directly benefiting communities within our watershed.

    A high-level panel discussion on “Accelerating Collaboration for a Net Water Positive Future ” featuring distinguished panelists Arif Jabbar Khan (Country Director WaterAid Pakistan), Dr. Shafqat Munir Ahmed (Director Resilient Development Program SDPI), Maha Qasim (CEO & Founder Zero-Point Partners) and Dr. Abubakr Muhammad (Director WIT LUMS) was also conducted at the event, focusing on critical issues related to the water crisis in Pakistan, including access to safe drinking water, sustainable water management, private sector engagement in water stewardship, and the role of technology and innovation in addressing water challenges.

    Speaking on the occasion, Eugene Willemsen, CEO PepsiCo AMESA said, “Being an agriculture company at our core, water is a critical resource for PepsiCo’s business. It is, therefore, a strong imperative for food producers like us to follow through a Net Water Positive vision, ensure water resources are in a better state due to our presence, achieve sustainable water security, replenish more water than we use and support collaborative solutions to reduce water stress at the local community-level. Local stakeholder engagements and partnerships play a key role in paving our way towards Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6: water and sanitation for all by 2030. PepsiCo Pakistan’s tangible win is reflective of our accelerated water stewardship efforts in the region, reiterating our pep+ sustainability commitment to the people and the planet.”

    Syed M Abul Hassan Kazmi, Senior Director Supply Chain and Office of Sustainability Lead PepsiCo, said, “At PepsiCo, we are reengineering the ways in which we use water within our operational boundaries and outside them, in our communities. Our focus is on water protection and conservation across our value chain, in line with the vision of becoming Net Water Positive.  We have achieved 100% water replenishment in our company-owned operations in the Sundar and Multan watersheds and continue to work extensively on accelerated programs that focus on water conservation and access to safe water for communities.”

    Dr. Abubakr Muhammad added, “Leveraging the power of industry-academia linkages and information-driven technologies for water issues in Pakistan will surely accelerate transformation in water conservation and use. We are happy to assist PepsiCo, WWF-Pakistan, and SDPI at the Model Community in collecting and visualizing real-time data of various critical interventions for community uplift.”

    About PepsiCo


    PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated more than $86 billion in net revenue in 2022, driven by a complimentary beverage and convenient foods portfolio that includes Lay’s, Doritos, Cheetos, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, Quaker, and SodaStream. PepsiCo’s product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including many iconic brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.

    Guiding PepsiCo is our vision to Be the Global Leader in Beverages and Convenient Foods by Winning with pep+ (PepsiCo Positive). pep+ is our strategic end-to-end transformation that puts sustainability and human capital at the center of how we will create value and growth by operating within planetary boundaries and inspiring positive change for the planet and people. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com, and follow on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn @PepsiCo. 

  • ‘We need more men like him’: Writer behind ‘Mujhe Pyar Hua Tha’ revealed why she wrote Saad as a non-toxic character

    Saad from the drama ‘Mujhe Pyar Hua Tha’ has won the nation’s heart for breaking stereotypes that are associated with the toxic male lead in Pakistani dramas, and being an attentive husband and care giver to the female lead, Maheer (played by Hania Amir).
    Twitter users have praised Wahaj Ali for brilliantly portraying the sensitive and caring Saad, and how at every step he has remained a character who was fearlessly devoted to his wife, and was a dedicated son to his parents.

    https://twitter.com/Kamforsure/status/1635305041585381376?s=20

    The writer behind the iconic drama, Sidra Sahar Imran, gave an interview to Fuchsia magazine where she opened up about the character of Saad, and why she felt that it was important to address the toxic double standards in our society that shame men for showing emotions or for being ‘kind-hearted’:

    “I had observed that often romance novels will depict the girl as the sati savitri who will sacrifice all that she has, but I used to think that men also exist in our society why can’t we depict them the same way?”

    Looking at the feedback Saad’s character was receiving, Imran said that most people were shocked.

    “I can see that mostly people are shocked that a man like Saad is acting this way. Because we are so used to men not being able to tolerate a lot of abuse. Our society cannot understand the fact that men should be sensitive and soft-spoken, since we are used to the standards telling them to be tough and loud. In our male-dominant society, we encourage men that to be a real man, they need to be aggressive and out-spoken to prove their worth. But there are a lot of men like Saad out there and I wanted to write a character like him.”

    Imran also revealed that there was a way she could have catered to these expectations after Maheer and Saad’s marriage, and demonstrate his anger and possessiveness but she refused:

    “I didn’t want my character to act in this manner, after coming a long way. He will not cater to such toxic standards about what a real man is.”

  • Energy ministry announces uninterrupted power supply during sehr, iftar and taraweeh in Ramzan

    Energy ministry announces uninterrupted power supply during sehr, iftar and taraweeh in Ramzan

    The Ministry of Energy announced on Wednesday that no loadshedding will take place during sehr, iftar and taraweeh in the holy month of Ramzan, in accordance with the instructions of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

    The Prime Minister has directed for an uninterrupted supply of electricity during Ramzan, and the ministry has subsequently issued directives to power distribution companies to ensure this.

    The ministry has requested that DISCOS ensure the supply of electricity during sehr, iftar, and taraweeh, with zero load management an hour before and after sehr, and one hour before iftar and three hours after.

    According to Geo, control rooms will be established at the operation circle level to guarantee an uninterrupted supply of power. Additionally, special teams have been formed to address grievances at division and sub-division levels.

    In the event of transformer failure, additional transformers and trolleys will be made available. Today (Wednesday), the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee will convene in Peshawar for the sighting of the Ramzan ul Mubarak 1444 AH moon.

  • What was happening when the earthquake came in Pakistan?

    What was happening when the earthquake came in Pakistan?

    A powerful 6.8 magnitude earthquake jolted parts of Pakistan on Tuesday night.

    The epicentre of the earthquake was Afghanistan’s Hindu Kush region, while its depth was 180 kilometres, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD).

    According to reports, tremors were felt in Islamabad, Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Lahore, DI Khan, Swabi, Bahawalpur, Quetta, Parachinar, Skardu and other cities of the country. 

    The tremors continued for 30 seconds, and people came out of their homes in panic.

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif ordered the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and other institutions to be ready to deal with any emergency.

    Below are scenes as to what was happening in different parts of the country when the earthquake came in Pakistan.

  • A couple got married during Taylor Swift’s concert

    Taylor Swift being the icon and queen she is, has curated a safe space in her concerts for everyone to dance and cry to her music, and now it is even permissible to get married during her shows.

    A clip of one of her concerts held in Glendale on March 18 went viral on social media. A couple were seen getting married during the ‘Seven’ spoken version.

    Speaking to Rolling Stone, the bride René Hurtado revealed the reason why she and her husband, Max Bochman, had chosen to get married during Swift’s concert:

    “It was really thrilling and exciting. I’m so glad that we did it. It was really special, and the timing during the concert was so beautiful.”

    On the reason why they chose to recite their wedding vows during “Seven”, Hurtado revealed that it was quite a significant song for them:

    “We pretty much had the best seat in the house, she added. “It was a really wonderful experience. Our section was so supportive and sweet to us when they saw what we were doing.”

    Since the past two days, Taylor’s concerts have featured all kinds of spectacular moments which only prove that she is breaking global records of the most highly rated tour anyone has ever witnessed.

    At the first concert, which was held in Glendale on 17th March, during the performance of Love Story, a couple went viral for getting engaged during the iconic bridge of the song.

    Another moment showed a guest service employee dancing to ‘Blank Space’ along with the rest of the audience.

    Us international Swifties can just sob into our pillows while watching livestreams, witnessing a powerful singer inspire other people to live their best moments in these wholesome ways.

  • Khan agrees to sit with rivals for ‘greater national consensus’

    Khan agrees to sit with rivals for ‘greater national consensus’

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has agreed to sit with rival political parties for “greater national consensus” on elections.

    To try and defuse political tensions in the country, a delegation of civil society members called on the former prime minister on Tuesday evening. Calling themselves “mediators”, the group convinced Khan to agree to talks.

    Speaking about the matter, PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry said, “The civil society has spoken to Imran Khan and he has agreed to be part of the multi-party conference (MPC) to develop a consensus on the elections date and the process that leads to polls.”

    Speaking with Dawn, an individual who was part of the meeting said, “The civil society initiative and its acceptance by Imran Khan has come after some of the [party] leaders realised that the current confrontational strategy had the former ruling party in a bind.”

     “We are ready to talk to everyone for elections. We are peaceful people, with only one demand: hold elections,” said Pervaiz Khattak, former defence minister.

    The Pakistan Bar Council has agreed to host the MPC if “major political parties respond to this call”.

  • ‘Jahil’: Celebrities, activists slam Senator Afnan Ullah Khan for horrifying remarks about Mahira Khan, Anwar Maqsood

    Yesterday, a clip from a session named An Evening With Mahira Khan went viral on social media, featuring Anwar Maqsood. The renowned writer made a disparaging comment about two female Pakistan Muslim League -Nawaz (PML-N) leaders, Maryam Aurangzeb and Maryam Nawaz.

    In the clip, Khan was seen asking about two women who are fighting and shouting with each other, to which Maqsood responded that these women are Maryam Nawaz and Maryam Aurangzeb,

    “I am restricted from talking about politics, I can’t say anything about anyone. Hopefully the situation will get better soon. What you said about poisoning, abusing each other so I gave an example, it is also happening in real life. Also both are actors, not character actors.”

    This comment was rightfully criticized because of how it chose to directly target the female politicians through the same misogynist stereotypes Khan was condemning in her session. Twitter users also slammed Khan for her selective morality, urging the actor to reflect on the feminist morals she is presenting because repeatedly calling out misogynist slurs used to put down women, but in the same breath applauding this way of publicly targeting female politicians and humiliating them? Baffling.

    https://twitter.com/Bubbleskhanum/status/1637942268773519367?s=20

    “I don’t expect anything good from him, because he is a man, but it’s so baffling to see Mahira Khan applauding over this incitement of misogyny and sexism, she literally made a brand by capitalizing over feminism, but is not consious about how harmful this is for Pakistani women,” one user wrote.

    This is the proper manner of responding to an opinion you disagree with, by pointing out mistakes and urging the other person to reflect and correct themselves. Because after all, celebrities have a public platform through which they can influence other people to follow their actions.

    What is the most vile, awful way to counteract? By using abelist, abusive language and making personal remarks like the way Senator Afnan Ullah Khan did on Twitter

    “Mahira Khan has mental health problems and Anwar Maqsood has become a drunkard at this stage of life. Both of them are shameless characters and the public should condemn them for it. There are books written about Mahira Khan’s character, and she is known for even flattering Indian actors for the sake of money and Anwar Maqsood is filled with hatred at this point of his life,” wrote the PML-N senator on Twitter.

    To condemn a misogynist remark is the right of any politician, but to go even lower and make personal, completely distorted and abusive comments about someone is completely not acceptable.

    Targetting Khan and Maqsood with such awful comments from the politician whose party is currently ruling the country proves how deep misogyny runs in this country. Celebrities like Atiqa Odho and Farhan Saeed openly condemned these comments for showcasing Dr Ullah Khan’s misogynist state of mind.

    Farhan Saeed retweeted this comment and condemned the way free speech in Pakistan has been suppressed

    “This is the mentality that doesn’t let #Pakistan grow , this is what they do when someone just gives an opinion or has a political preference . They get personal so people stop giving their opinion . Senator ? Zuban jahilon wali,” he wrote.

    Odho shared a picture of both Khan and Maqsood on her Instagram account and in the caption she condemned the PML-N politician for using such foul language against two “hard working and committed people.”

    She wrote: “#AnwerMaqsood a living legend and mentor and #MahiraKhan our beloved star. Both shine where ever they go and leave others way behind. Shameful when anyone dares to say anything against such hard working and committed people as these are national treasurers. PMLN should expel the senator who behaved so poorly from their party at once to teach him a lesson and show their sincerity towards our iconic soft image ambassadors. Such acts must not go unnoticed as these are not political people and as citizens have a right to an opinion within a true democracy. Hope action is taken and a public apology is given by #PMLN !”

    Actor and writer Mira Sethi tweeted that these remarks are ‘utterly shameful’.

    https://twitter.com/sethimirajee/status/1638106602828865539?s=20

    Actor Iffat Omar, who is critical of Imran Khan, also condemned the tweet and tagged Maryam Nawaz, urging her to take action against the senator.

    The twitter account of Aurat March called out the Senate of Pakistan to teach their politicians to refrain from using such abusive, sexist language against their critics, especially when it is a woman involved.