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  • Iffat Omar, others slam Pakistan Literature Festival for appointing alleged harasser as panelist

    Iffat Omar, others slam Pakistan Literature Festival for appointing alleged harasser as panelist

    Celebrity Iffat Omar and other Pakistani feminists have called out Pakistan Literature Festival for appointing Ali Zafar as a panelist for a conversation with actor Yasir Hussain.
    Activist and makeup artist Leena Ghani shared the announcement by Alhamra on her social media page, and revealed that the organization had previously refused to allow Aurat March to use their grounds for an event on the grounds that the march ‘was too controversial and had a negative image’.
    “In 2020 Alhamara declined Aurat March’s request to let them use the Alhamara grounds for their event because Aurat March was “too controversial and had a negative image”. Yet they have no issues when a sexual harasser is invited? Is he not controversial with a negative image?!” she asked.

    “What makes him an expert and what contribution does he have for the youth? He’s neither youthful nor did he ever support the young emerging talent. Even if we keep the harassment aside, there is nothing about him that fits the topic. So many other relevant people to choose from,” Ghani had further written.

    Other women on Twitter have also called out Hussain for sharing a platform with an alleged harasser, when he had previously applauded his wife, Iqra Aziz, for refusing to act in a drama with one.

    Actor and model Iffat Omar also took to Twitter to protest, by revealing that she had been excited to give a talk at the event, however chose to back out when she learned about the alleged harasser’s panel.

    “Pakistan Literature Festival, Lahore, thank you for inviting me as a moderator for a discussion today. I was excited, but then I learned that #PLF made an alleged harasser a part of the event. I cannot share the platform with an Alleged Harasser, so I am boycotting. @ACPKHI#harassment#Boycott.”

    Women have also criticized the event for not including female authors for panels this year. Editor and writer Mehr Husayn criticized the PLF organizers in a Twitter thread, where she shared that there were no recent authors included in the lineup.

    “I cannot help but marvel at the staggering disconnect the old guard has with modern Pakistan. Case in point. Not ONE recent author in this. Do better @ACPKHI I expected @thebankofpunjab to do their research. Where are the new authors?? Fresh female writers??”

    Husain shared a list of female authors who had released books last year, and went on tag the main organizer of the event and called him out for refusing to include the voices of female authors who were new to the publishing industry but were not included in the event.

    “@zafar_masud Zafar sahib I request you to consider the above female authors. How can you not have them be part of such a festival when you have members associated with controversy? How can you ignore female roles in furthering publishing when EVERYTHING goes against us?”

  • Weekly inflation in Pakistan soars 35% from last year’s rates

    Weekly inflation in Pakistan soars 35% from last year’s rates

    The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) has reported an increase in the Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) based inflation for the week ending on February 9th, 2023. The SPI recorded a rise of 0.17 per cent due to heightened prices for both food and non-food items.

    The year-on-year trend shows an increase of 34.83 per cent mainly due to an increase in the prices of onions (507.98 per cent), chicken (93.21 per cent), diesel (81.41 per cent), eggs (79.19 per cent), rice basmati broken (68.92 per cent), petrol (68.77 per cent), rice irri-6/9 (68.26 per cent), pulse moong (66.30 per cent), tea Lipton (63.92 per cent), bananas (61.88per cent), pulse gram (56.80 per cent), bread (50.66 per cent), LPG (50.41 per cent), pulse mash (50.25 per cent) and salt powdered (46.46 per cent), while a decrease is observed in the prices of tomatoes (57.76 per cent), chilies powdered (12.43 per cent) and electricity for q1 (12.31 per cent).

    The SPI for the week under review in the above-mentioned group was recorded at 228.17 points against 227.79 points registered in the previous week, according to the latest PBS data released on Friday.

    During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 29 (56.87 per cent) items increased, 05 (9.80 per cent) items decreased and 17 (33.33 per cent) items remained stable.

    The SPI for the consumption group up to Rs. 17,732 decreased by 0.06 per cent while it increase for Rs. 17,732-22,888, Rs. 22,889-29,517, Rs. 29,518-44,175 and above Rs. 44,175 consumption group increase by 0.02 per cent, 0.10 per cent, 0.14 per cent, and 0.22 per cent respectively.

    The items, which recorded an increase in their average prices during the week over the previous include potatoes (7.15 per cent), chicken (6.94 per cent),  bananas (6.53 per cent), vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib or other superior quality 1 kg pouch each (5.67 per cent), rice basmati broken (3.80 per cent), rice irri-6/9 (3.64 per cent), LPG (3.06 per cent), vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib 2.5 kg tin each (2.71 per cent), cooking oil Dalda or other similar brands (sn), and 5 liter tin each (2.60 per cent).

    Other items which recorded an increase are pulse mash (2.42 per cent), cigarettes capstan 20’s packet each (2.25 per cent), garlic (2.20 per cent), pulse moong (2.20 per cent), mustard oil (2.20 per cent), powdered milk Nido 390 gm polybag each (1.88 per cent), pulse gram (1.87 per cent), curd (1.83 per cent), tea prepared (1.77 per cent), milk fresh (1.52 per cent), matchbox (1.47 per cent), Sufi washing soap (1.39 per cent), bread plain (1.25 per cent), pulse masoor (1.23 per cent), energy saver Philips (0.79 per cent), salt powdered (0.65 per cent), firewood whole 40 kg (0.60 per cent), cooked daal (0.52 per cent), gur (0.31 per cent) and cooked beef (0.09 per cent).

    The commodities, which recorded a decrease in their average prices included onions (9.83 per cent), tomatoes (5.40 per cent), eggs (3.40 per cent), wheat flour bag 20 kg (2.71 per cent), and sugar (0.31 per cent).

  • Maryam Nawaz stops Safdar from speaking on behalf of party

    Maryam Nawaz stops Safdar from speaking on behalf of party

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senior Vice President Maryam Nawaz has reportedly stopped her husband—Captain (retired) Safdar—from delivering any ‘policy statement’ after he criticised the party’s leadership in an exclusive interview with ARY News.

    According to media reports, the senior vice president made it clear that no party leader, including her husband, should give any statement that goes against the party’s policy.

    She also warned the party that strict action would be taken against those who deviate from the directives.

    ‘Don’t see Maryam Nawaz becoming PM in near future’: Capt Safdar

    Earlier, Safdar said that he doesn’t see his wife becoming the Prime Minister (PM) of Pakistan in the near future.

    He said, “I don’t see Maryam Nawaz becoming PM in near future”, adding that if PM Shehbaz Sharif gets elected in 2025, the country will prosper.

    He said the ‘vote ko izzat do‘ narrative of the party was buried on the day when PML-N decided to vote in parliament in favour of an extension to the former Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Qamar Javed Bajwa. Safdar said he thinks whoever voted for Qamar Javed Bajwa’s extension except for Pervaiz Rasheed, are “criminals”.

    Replying to a question about Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) dissident leaders, Safdar said the parliamentarians should not change their loyalties. “It is not right to win elections on PTI’s tickets and later change your loyalties for power,” he maintained.

    Safdar was of the view that elections in Punjab and KP shouldn’t be held now and went on to say to hold general elections in 2025 after the recovery of the economy.

    In a turn of events, he also regretted his personal attacks on his party rival, Imran Khan, and said that political rivalry should remain political, not personal.

    Talking about PML-N leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi—who recently resigned from his position as the party’s vice president after Maryam’s elevation— Safdar said that Shahid doesn’t need a position and praised him.

    On January 3, Maryam was appointed as the party’s “Chief Organiser” and “Senior Vice President”. Later, she returned to the country to take charge of her new responsibilities after a three-month absence.

  • ‘Back-to-back weddings just coincidence’: Shadab addresses consecutive weddings in Pakistani team

    ‘Back-to-back weddings just coincidence’: Shadab addresses consecutive weddings in Pakistani team

    Shadab Khan tied the knot with former Test cricketer Saqlain Mushtaq’s daughter on February 9.


    “It’s a big moment for me and my family,” said Shadab Khan while talking about his wedding in a video shared by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
    “To be honest, it happened all of a sudden. I was scheduled to travel to Australia but due to injury, I couldn’t. Meanwhile, this happened,” he said.

    “Haris Rauf and I were not prepared for marriage. Shaheen and Shan had already planned their marriage. Back-to-back weddings are just a coincidence,” he said while talking about the rapid fire weddings of team members.

    “A candid conversation with Shadab Khan on tying the knot. Congratulations to him!” wrote PCB while sharing the video of Shadab.

  • Flour mill owners in Punjab threaten to suspend market supplies on February 14

    Flour mill owners in Punjab threaten to suspend market supplies on February 14

    The owners of flour mills have threatened to go on strike, halting supplies to the markets on February 14th, and are demanding that the Punjab food department immediately meet their demands.

    The Chairman of the Pakistan Flour Mills Association (PFMA) Punjab chapter, Chaudhry Iftikhar Ahmad Mattu, has issued a warning of a planned strike on February 14th if the provincial food department does not address their demands.

    During a press conference, the Chairman of PFMA Punjab Mattu criticised the inappropriate behavior and incorrect policies of the provincial food secretary.

    According to ARY News, the Chairman stated that the wrong policies of the food secretary have impacted the supply of flour, leading to the closure of multiple flour mills. He further announced that the flour mills will stop receiving wheat quota from the government starting from February 13th.

    In addition, Chaudhry Iftikhar Ahmad Mattu announced that the flour mills will cease supplies to the market on February 14th and proceed with a strike, unless their demands are promptly met by the Punjab food department. Meanwhile, the Karachi Dairy and Cattle Farmers Association declared its intention to raise milk prices by Rs20 per litre, effective from February 11th.

    In a statement from the Karachi Dairy and Cattle Farmers Association, the spokesperson attributed the price hike of milk to the increased cost of fuel and fodder. The official rate for milk has been set at Rs180 per litre, however, it is being sold for Rs190 in the city.

    With the increase, the price per litre of milk will rise to Rs210. The Commissioner of Karachi has recently ordered operations to seal dairy shops selling milk at elevated prices.

  • ‘Have never asked Gen Faiz any favour’: Tarin can’t believe Bajwa’s claims

    ‘Have never asked Gen Faiz any favour’: Tarin can’t believe Bajwa’s claims

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Shaukat Tarin has said that he can’t believe the quotes about him being attributed to former army head, General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa.

    Clarifying his position, Tarin said that he had only asked the then-Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lt General (retd) Faiz Hameed to have his cases heard on merit by the courts.

    Tarin was reacting to the accounts attributed to General Bajwa in a column written by Javed Chaudhry.

    In the piece, Javed Chaudhary quoted Gen (retd) Bajwa as saying, “We kept trying to convince the prime minister [Imran Khan] against appointing Tarin as finance minister. I told the PM that Tarin, who failed to run his bank, will ruin the economy. The premier disagreed.”

    “National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had a Rs 8 billion case against Tarin. The PM asked us to have these cases dismissed…. and Gen Faiz Hameed got these cases scrapped from NAB,” the column cited Gen (retd) Bajwa as stating.

    In response to these assertions, Tarin said he could not “believe” that the former Chief could say such things about him.

    “On March 31, 2022, General sahib had declared me a hero when I finalised the Reko Diq deal,” he said.

    While sharing details about his cases, the former finance minister stated: “My case should have been disposed of on merit. Faiz never told me that he would get my case dismissed, nor did I ever ask him for any favour. I had also told the prime minister [Imran Khan] that I would not accept this job [finance ministry] unless my cases are finished.”

    “The columnist wrote that the former army chief had my NAB cases dismissed through [Lt Gen (retd)] Faiz Hameed. The former army chief’s comments are against the truth and ridiculous.”

  • Big power consumers to face increased tariff due to IMF conditions

    Big power consumers to face increased tariff due to IMF conditions

    The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet approved the removal of subsidies in electricity tariffs for the export-oriented sector and the Kissan package in order to meet one of the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) preconditions for reaching a staff-level agreement.

    Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Senator Ishaq Dar presided over the meeting, where the revenue and fiscal measures were discussed to fulfill the IMF’s demands.

    The recently concluded 10-day IMF mission in Islamabad had energy sector reforms and reducing the circular debt as the main focus of the talks. However, the IMF team left without signing an agreement and requested that Pakistan take corrective measures. The ECC meeting was convened to evaluate the situation and implement necessary steps.

    The government approved a revised Circular Debt Management Plan (CDMP) that includes quarterly tariff adjustments, a deferred fuel price adjustment, and a surcharge of Re1 per unit for large power consumers. The approved tariff hike ranges from Rs7-8 per unit until August 2023, with the consumer base tariff expected to increase from Rs15.28 per unit in June 2022 to Rs23.39 per unit by June 2023.

    According to sources, the IMF had requested the government to raise the base tariff by Rs4.06 per unit, but this request was not approved under the revised CDMP. It is yet to be determined how the IMF’s demand was incorporated into the Memorandum of Economic and Financial Policies (MEFP) that was presented to Pakistan on February 10, 2023.

    If the IMF continues to insist on a higher base tariff, it is estimated that the Pakistani authorities will have to raise the tariff by a range of Rs9 to 11 per unit.

    The government has so far protected electricity users consuming 300 units or less from a planned tariff increase. However, the revised Circular Debt Management Plan (CDMP) does not address the IMF’s demand for a higher base tariff in order to reduce the need for an additional subsidy of Rs335 billion.

    In accordance with IMF directives, the additional subsidy requirement has been reduced from Rs675 billion to Rs335 billion, and the government has indicated that it will be included as part of the circular debt management plan.

  • Gen Bajwa ‘denies’ Javed Chaudhry’s assertion that he called Imran Khan dangerous for Pakistan

    Gen Bajwa ‘denies’ Javed Chaudhry’s assertion that he called Imran Khan dangerous for Pakistan

    Former retired Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa has denied calling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan “dangerous for Pakistan”.

    Javed Chaudhry, in a column published in Express News, had written that he questioned Bajwa how his decision of not saving Khan’s government was right. Chaudhry then quotes Bajwa’s response, “Our reading was that they [PTI] were dangerous for Pakistan. If they stayed [in power] the country would not be able to function.”

    Senoir journalist Mansoor Ali Khan in his vlog discussed Gen Bajwa’s denial. Mansoor, quoting the retired army chief, said that he got a call from him [Gen Bajwa] where he told Mansoor that he had not said anything of the kind to Javed Chaudhry. “Gen Bajwa said he has never said such a thing to Chaudhry and never had any understanding of the sort Chaudhry has written about,” said Mansoor.

    He further stated that Gen Bajwa has directly denied this one statement written in the column. However, Mansoor did say that the other information mentioned in the column by Chaudhry is almost 99 per cent accurate.

    Gen Bajwa has also sent his point of view to Javed Chaudhry so that the columnist may rectify his words.

  • ‘The biggest mistake parents make is not teaching their daughters about their rights’ Komal Rizvi opens up about domestic abuse in her first marriage

    ‘The biggest mistake parents make is not teaching their daughters about their rights’ Komal Rizvi opens up about domestic abuse in her first marriage

    Singer and actress Komal Rizvi was a guest on Nadir Ali’s podcast where she opened up about her abusive first marriage and how she managed to escape it.
    Recalling her past, Rizvi revealed that she was quite naive at the time she got married, as she was only 21 years old and this was a semi-arranged marriage for which she had been given only four months to accept the propsal. The actress had lived in Dubai for a year, and later shifted to Oman when the beatings began, getting worse to the point that even the police had to be called.


    “I was 21 years old when I had gotten married, so I was very young… When we lived in Oman, I didn’t have any family or friends that I could escape to, and my ex-husband never gave me any money to keep me under his control. One time, I called the police on him when he was beating me. But instead of taking action, they dismissed it as a domestic problem and left, leaving me completely alone with him.”

    Recalling what she had learned from her past ordeal, after getting a divorce four years later, the actress said she wished more parents would educate their children about understanding boundaries, because her husband would psychologically abuse her to believe the beatings she was receiving were her own fault.

    “Women from the start in our society are told that they will have a beautiful wedding, after which they will have a husband who will take care of all of their needs. Which is why, so many women are willing to give their 200% in order to make their marriages work. But I detest that we never teach women about the importance of establishing boundaries, that let alone their husband, no man can cross. Which is the thing I regret the most because then I would not have wasted three and a half years trying to make my marriage work. My husband would play all sorts of mind games to gaslight me and make me feel like I am responsible for the beatings because I made him angry. For instance, he would say ‘it’s your fault that you served me with cold food, so I hit a frying pan on your head.’ I kept believing that if I loved him better or worked harder, he would be proud of me.”

    Rizvi especially emphasized how important it is that women are emotionally strong and be vary of men who try to encourage them to abandon their careers and dreams, because this is how her husband treated her.

    “Men like my ex-husband, who are psychopaths, especially try to ensure that they trap the girl to prevent her from escaping in any way. They go after girls like me who were quiet independent and successful, and ask her to abandon all of this in order to become a wife. They want a simple, meek girl who has no independence or opinions of her own, so they can bend her in to two pieces.”

    After escaping her abusive marriage, Rizvi recalled that it was incredibly difficult to be happy and come out of her dark hole, and said that it’s important that society helps women understand that their life isn’t over after a divorce, and provide them with the support system and care one needs.

    ‘Because I was very young when I got divorced. I used to think ‘Oh my life is over! Who would marry me?’ Now I look back and I’m shocked that I said things like this because I remind myself today that I still have a long way to go!” joked Rizvi.

    On the lesson she wished parents, and especially men, would take away from her revelation, Rizvi said that men need to learn to respect women, and ensure that when they’re bringing a woman who had a lot of protection when she lived with her parents, ‘Make sure you provide her the same amount of honor, respect and love. And when she becomes the mother of your children, provide her with twice the amount of love and care than you usually gave.”

  • ‘Crash Course in Romance’ should be on your watch list and here’s why!

    ‘Crash Course in Romance’ should be on your watch list and here’s why!

    At a time when both Bollywood and Lollywood seem to be contesting to out cringe the other by producing the most awkward movies anyone has ever seen, we’re here to provide you a K-drama recommendation that is currently among the top ten most popular shows on Netflix. Take a step back from the saas-bahu kay jhagray, the satti savitri verses the slutty savitri trope and take a deep dive with us in to this enemies to lovers K-drama that revolves around a blossoming relationship between a celebrity math teacher and a single mother.


    1 Food as a love language

    If you’re a food lover, and want to escape from reality to take a deep dive in to a different culture worlds, then this is the perfect show. The central bond that keeps the main characters together is their love for food. This is what has helped K-dramas establish their own space, an emphasis on how love can be found in the most simple things, like making food for someone. We have two broken characters who have suffered hardships because of finances, poor mental health and poverty, learn to come close to one another because of their shared love for a particular dish.

    2 The greenest of green flag enemies to lovers story out there.

    Unlike Pakistani dramas where apparently enemies to lovers means adding aik kilo badtameezi and do chamach thappar to make the most recoiling drama ever, K-dramas have been lauded for championing unproblematic, wholesome male leads who respect and empower the women around them. Choi Chi-Yeol is a celebrity math professor whose in popular demand among students all across Korea to ace math in high school, however his crippling anxiety and depression is giving him insomnia and an eating disorder. However, when he crosses paths with Haeng-Seon, a hard working single mother who runs a cafe to support her daughter’s education, they both help each other overcome their trauma and soon start falling for each other.

    3 Explores the cut-throat competition within private schools and mental health struggles of students

    Aside from the comedy and the light-hearted banter between the main leads, the show is not afraid to address the practice of private schooling, and how the mental health of students is impacted as they compete for the best grades and colleges. The drama is set in the backdrop of the upcoming CSATs in Korea, and how students are pressurized by their parents and teachers to work hard everyday to get the best results. Mostly, the show also reflects how the privilege’s of good education comes at a high cost, with the struggles of Nam Haeyi, who comes from a working class background, and struggles to get good grades like the rest of her peers because she is unable to afford expensive private tuitions offered by academies after school.

    4 Wholesome supporting characters

    One of the most endearing tropes that have kept setting k-dramas apart from any other form of entertainment is the emphasis over found families, that as we grow old we can pick and choose our own family members, rather than the ones we are linked to by blood. In this show, aside from the male leads, side characters like Haeng-Seon’s autistic brother Jae-Woo, are fleshed out to provide more depth to the story, and especially with the way he forms a bond with loner characters like Chi-Yeol, to help him learn about the bond of family for the first time.

    Crash Course in Romance plays every Saturday and Sunday on 8 pm on Netflix.