Frieha Altaf has landed up in the line of fire after a video of hers joking about Meera’s mental health went viral on social media. Reports of Meera being admitted to a mental facility in the United States were doing the rounds on social media and television for the past couple of days.
In the video, Frieha could be heard laughing and telling a group of people “Meera ko mental institution main daal diya gaya hai (Meera has been put into a mental institution).”
And none of these ‘educated, enlightened yogis’ stopped @FriehaAltaf from cracking this disgusting joke? Did they all REALLY find it funny to publicly make fun of someone’s mental health or is their life a high school where you bully to be part of the cool kids? pic.twitter.com/wFaUhTwvWu
The video did not go down well with the public, who called out the former model for her “insensitive” and “callous” remarks.
When will our celebrity/influencers understand that they hold great responsibility while posting things online. What makes Frieha altaf think that its funny to laugh on meera’s mental illness like that. Privileged and ignorant at the same time. pic.twitter.com/ixrR3fEkFH
Frieha Altaf is like every other person we come across who will tell everyone to ‘look out for friends’ and ‘be there for people’ when they hear about somebody with mental issues but will poke fun of the same thing in their circle and call it light humour.
How insensitive and pathetic you must be if you're making fun of someone's condition that too on such sensitive issue. The woman who calls herself PR Mogul, Frieha Altaf pic.twitter.com/0oPgyytPHa
Meanwhile, speaking exclusively toThe Current, Meera’s manager Hasan said that the actor is doing perfectly fine and is working on a few projects in the States. He said that Meera does know who started this terrible rumour and asserted there is no truth to it.
However, somereportsclaim that Meera has been discharged from the mental facility after Captain Naveed paid $50,000 for her ‘bail’.
Queen Elizabeth II’s husband and the longest-serving consort of any British monarch Prince Philip has died at age 99.
In a statement, Buckingham Palace said: “It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen has announced the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.”
“His Royal Highness passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle,” it added.
The statement also said that further announcements will be made in due course.
The Royal Family join with people around the world in mourning his loss.
Philip, who retired from public duties in 2017, had earlier been admitted to hospital on February 16, 2021. He went back home after nearly a month during which he was treated for a pre-existing heart condition and an infection.
His death comes just months before his 100th birthday in June — an event typically marked in Britain with a congratulatory message from the queen, who is now Britain’s longest-serving monarch.
The couple, who celebrated their 73rd wedding anniversary in November, had been living largely in isolation at Windsor Castle, west of London because their advanced age put them at heightened risk from COVID-19. They received their first vaccinations against the virus in January.
Officially known as the Duke of Edinburgh, Philip married Prince Elizabeth in 1947, five years before she became Queen and had been by his wife’s side throughout her 69-year reign, the longest in British history. During this time he earned a reputation for a tough, no-nonsense attitude and a propensity for occasional gaffes. He is also credited with playing a key role in modernising the monarchy in the post-World War Two period, and behind the walls of Buckingham Palace being the one key figure the queen could turn to and trust.
“He has, quite simply, been my strength and stay all these years,” Elizabeth said in a rare personal tribute to Philip made in a speech marking their 50th wedding anniversary in 1997.
The trailer of Fawad Alam’s acting debut Khudkash Mohabbat has dropped and fans of the cricketer are excited to see him show his talent on the screen. The series will be available for streaming soon on Urduflix.
Conspicuously delighted to announce my debut as an actor in the upcoming Urdu flix web series “Khudkash Muhabbat”. I hope you guys like me in the acting ground as much as you did in the cricket ground! Your prayers, love and support matter the most.#UrduFlix#KhudkashMuhabbatpic.twitter.com/qynHDruArA
Khudkash Mohabbat marks Alam’s entry into the entertainment industry as an actor. According to a press release, the series is a “touching story of love and loss and the complexity of going after what you want in a world filled with people who won’t let you find your happiness and peace”. It has been directed by Rao Ayaz Shehzad and executively produced by Farhan Gauher.
Talking about why he decided to foray into the world of acting, Alam while speaking to Independent Urdu, said that he was free the month the opportunity came and did not want to let it go.
“We’ve been talking about this for two or three years, but I didn’t get a chance,” said Alam. “Now I got the chance and I hope everyone enjoys the series.”
Sharing details about his character, Alam said that he plays a jilted lover, remarking that love is suicidal.
“It’s a love story and must be watched,” said Fawad, adding: “When I was offered this role, I instantly said yes to it.”
Talking about the difference between performing on-field and on-screen, Alam said: “Cricket and acting are two different things. Being a hero is not easy and takes a lot of hard work.”
“Whether it’s cricket or acting, you have to work hard because both are difficult in their own right. Acting in front of the camera and speaking dialogues written by the scriptwriter and doing what the director tells you to is not an easy task,” he shared.
Fawad also shared that he aspires to work in a film on the big screen and would go for it if he ever gets the chance.
On whether he’d like to work with Mehwish Hayat, Maya Ali or Mahira Khan, Fawad said he’d like to work with all three of them together.
“Whichever of the three heroines will work with me, it will be a source of pride for me because these are well-known names and there will be a lot to learn from them,” said the cricketer.
Meanwhile, Alam’s colleagues and other members of the Pakistan Cricket Team including Sarfaraz Ahmed and Imam ul Haq have sent him best wishes for his upcoming project.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) vice president and key leader of the opposition alliance, Maryam Nawaz has been accused of having a “dictatorial attitude” that has also been cited as the reason behind the Pakistan Democratic Movement’s (PDM) downfall.
As per the details, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leaders travelled to Wali Bagh, the residence of Awami National Party (ANP) head Asfandyar Wali on Thursday and held talks with him and other party leaders on the evolving political situation in the country.
The PPP and ANP are the two parties with which the PDM is having differences ever since ex-premier Yousuf Raza Gilani’s election as the Senate opposition leader — a move deemed as betrayal by other parties of the opposition alliance.
The ANP has already announced to quit the PDM, saying the show-cause notices over voting for Gilani were an insult to the party.
Briefing reporters after the meeting, Nayyar Hussain Bukhari and Mian Iftikhar Hussain said the PPP would take the decision of whether or not to quit the PDM at its Central Executive Committee (CEC) meeting scheduled later this month.
They blamed the “dictatorial attitude” of Maryam Nawaz for the disintegration of the alliance.
“The split in the PDM began with the issuance of the show-cause notice,” Mian Iftikhar Hussain said, adding, it was an insult to ANP and couldn’t be tolerated.
Meanwhile, Nayyar Hussain Bukhari said the PPP had proposed Maulana Fazlur Rahman as the PDM head but the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief adopted “a step-motherly attitude” towards the PPP.
“PPP is not subordinate to any political party.”
He said that the PPP was ready for the “long march” to Islamabad and wanted to use resignations from the assemblies as the last option.
Samina Ahmed is reportedly shooting for a ‘Hollywood serial’ in Thailand, her husband Manzar Sehbai has revealed.
Replying to an Instagram user asking where Samina is, Sehbai said: “She is in Thailand, shooting for a Hollywood serial. Will be back on 6th of May.”
While Sehbai did not reveal what project Samina is shooting for, it is believed that the veteran actor is part of Disney+’s Ms Marvel. As per details, the series is currently being shot in Bangkok and Bollywood actor Farhan Akhtar is also in the city for it.
According to a report in the Indian media, “Farhan is currently stationed in Bangkok, along with an international cast and crew, for the shoot of a project with Marvel Studios, who are known to be one of the biggest film studios worldwide.”
Marvel Studio’s upcoming original series Ms Marvel, will see Iman Vellani play Kamala Khan aka Ms Marvel. Churails actor Nimra Bucha is also part of the cast and is expected to have a titular role in the series.
According to a press release, “The Marvel Studios original series centres on fan-favourite Kamala Khan — a 16-year-old Pakistani-American growing up in Jersey City. A great student, avid gamer, and voracious fan-fic scribe, Kamala has a special affinity for superheroes, particularly Captain Marvel.”
The episodes of the series will be directed by Adil El Arbi & Bilall Fallah (Bad Boys for Life), Meera Menon (The Walking Dead, Dirty John, Outlander) and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy.
The series is set to premiere on Disney+ later this year.
The Foreign Exchange reserves of Pakistan fell by $157 million or 0.75 per cent to clock in at $20.679 billion, said the central bank on Thursday.
The total liquid foreign reserves held by the country stood at $20.836 billion in the previous week.
The reserves held by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) decreased by $146 million to $13.527 billion due to external debt repayments. The reserves of commercial banks also reduced to $7.152 billion from $7.163 billion last week.
Earlier, Pakistan received inflows amounting to $2.5 billion on Thursday evening as proceeds of recently launched Eurobonds.
#SBP has received the proceeds of government’s US$2.5bn Euro Bond issuance in its account. As a result, SBP’s FX reserves closed above US$16bn today, their highest level since July 2017.
The central bank has confirmed on its Twitter account that SBP has received the government’s proceeds of $2.5 billion against Eurobond issuance, resulting in $16 billion surges in foreign exchange reserves.
After a gap of almost three years, Pakistan has entered the international capital market for Eurobonds trading. A multi-tranche transaction of 5-,10-, and 30- year Eurobonds was performed to build up the foreign exchange reserves.
During the past two years, Pakistan got almost $3 billion in foreign inflows and out of these, $2.5 billion from Eurobonds arrival on Thursday evening.
Besides, in the last week of March, International Monetary Fund (IMF) gave around $500 million to Pakistan as a loan under Extended Fund Facility (EFF) for support.
As of April 2, 2021, SBP’s liquid foreign exchange reserves were $20.679 billion. With the addition of Eurobond proceeds, these foreign exchange reserves would likely cross the $23 billion mark.
As per details, Daniel, a resident of Washington DC arrived in Pakistan after falling in love with 27-year-old TikToker Afshan Raaj who hails from Rawalpindi.
Daniel accepted Islam and married Raaj. She also changed her name to Hafsa. The couple’s love story began when they started liking each other’s videos on TikTok.
Talking to The Express Tribune, Raaj said that Hafsa liked and commented on his TikTok video a few months ago after which they began talking to each other. He said that he is very lucky as Hafsa converted to Islam to marry him, adding that he has a lot of respect for his wife as she left her native country and came all the way to Pakistan to marry him.
On the other hand, Hafsa said that before making this decision, she did detailed research on Islam. Hafsa said that she added followers of different beliefs and religions in a Whatsapp group after which concluded that Islam is the religion for eternal peace and happiness in life and hereafter. She clarified that she took this step by her own will and was not pressurised by anybody to change her religious beliefs.
Hafsa further said that she is very fond of Asian culture and is trying to learn Urdu. She said that based on her experience, she finds Pakistanis very hospitable.
Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar has announced that the government plans to open registrations for COVID-19 vaccination for citizens of all age groups after Eid, which is around mid-May.
According to a report in Gulf News, the minister made these remarks while talking to senior media persons in a press meet. He also said that Pakistan will be able to vaccinate more than 125,000 people per day after Eid.
Pakistan Vaccination by Govt as of April 8, 2021
80 plus can be vaccinated at home (Expect info soon on how to arrange)
Single shot avlb only for 70 above
65 and above simply WALK IN to ANY center nationwide for 1st 2nd
50 to 64 ONLY when Date received with "Tasdeeqi" code
“We began a phase-wise approach at the beginning [and are expanding it now],” said Umar during the meeting, adding that the coming five to six weeks are very critical for Pakistan in the fight against coronavirus.
The minister said that the private sector had also started vaccinations and so far 14,000 people have been vaccinated through that, while 1.1 million were inoculated as part of the government campaign.
Umar also relayed that China was Pakistan’s “primary source” for vaccination and that the CanSino vaccine would also be available in the country after Eid.
Meanwhile, Pakistan is all set to start manufacturing the Russian COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V locally in collaboration with Russia in the coming months.
Vaccinations of people 60 and above commenced on March 10, while registrations for people above 50 started from March 30.
Pakistan is currently battling with its third wave of COVID-19. According to the NCOC, Pakistan has recorded 5312 cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours and 105 people have lost their lives to the deadly virus.
Prime Minister Imran Khan’s comments on rising rape cases due to vulgarity in society have sparked an intense debate on social media with everyone from Jemima GoldsmithtoRohail Hyatt weighing in on the issue. Hamza Ali Abbasi, who recently embarked on a spiritual journey to connect with God, has now also stepped in to share his thoughts on the matter.
“In my personal understanding, God has made it clear in the Quran that sexual instinct is one of the most powerful instincts in both men and women,” said Hamza. “Hence God emphasizes on overall modesty and responsible behaviour from both men and women, equally, in this particular area.”
Random thought:- In my personal understanding, God has made it clear in the Quran that sexual instinct is one of the most powerful instincts in both men & women hence God emphasizes on overall modesty & responsible behavior from both men & women, equally, in this particular area.
Quoting a verse from the Quran, the actor further said: “Speaking as a man, in my understanding of what I believe is the literal speech of God, Quran, God has very clearly told all men who say they are Muslims that no matter what anyone is dressed like or behaves like, unconditionally lower your gaze and guard your own modesty.”
Speaking as a man, in my understanding of what i believe is literal speech of God, Quran, God has very clearly told all MEN who say they are Muslims that NO MATTER WHAT ANYONE IS DRESSED LIKE OR BEHAVES LIKE, UNCONDITIONALLY LOWER YOUR GAZE & GAURD YOUR OWN MODESTY (QURAN 24:30)
He also took time to respond to his followers and discuss the subject.
“Allah has made it clear that we are only responsible for our own intentions and deeds,” said Hamza, asserting that as individuals, we all need to start acting responsibly.
Lets all try our best to apply it on ourselves. When more & more ppl start individually doing that, it will gradually transform the society. In my understanding Allah has made it clear in the Quran tht we r only responsible for our own intentions & deeds.
I am very much first concerned about my own individual success than of others. I share what i see as divine guidance with others to earn some more good brownie points from Allah.
And men have been commanded to lower their gaze and guard their modesty regardless of what women around them are doing. We will be answerable for own deeds and intentions on Judgement Day infront of Allah.
Hamza also clapped back at a troll who raised questions on his wife Naimal Khawar’s dressing.
“If you mean face covering and head covering, it’s not commanded by Allah in our understanding,” clarified Hamza. “In case you are thinking about verses of Surah Ahzab, it is a commandment to establish identity in a dangerous situation, not for purity.”
Meanwhile, Hamza is currently working on his book on Allah and religion, which he announced in December 2020. The first draft of the book was completed last month and the actor hopes to make it free for everyone.
State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Governor Dr Reza Baqir has said the central bank is carefully studying the options to launch digital currency in Pakistan.
"We are studying it," says Reza Baqir, Governor @StateBank_Pak citing financial inclusion, tackling money laundering and counterterrorism as possible benefits.
Speaking to a private media outlet, Baqir highlighted the role of the central bank in the wake of COVID-19 in Pakistan. He also talked about his vision to bring digitisation to the country’s financial sector.
“The launch of digital coin in Pakistan will have a twofold benefit to us. Not only does it boosts our efforts for financial inclusion, but the central bank-issued digital currency will allow progress in our fight towards anti-money and countering terrorism financing,” said Baqir.
On the entry of global fintech companies like stripe in the Pakistani market, Baqir said that big international payment providers are “very welcome” in Pakistan.
“Pakistan is the home to the fifth-largest concentration of people. It is a market where people are generally tech-savvy, and it is a market that is waiting to burst as far as digitisation is a concern,” said Baqir.
“We are very open, and we embrace any global mobile payment operator that wants to come to Pakistan.”
