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  • ‘Would it be the same outrage had the student who proposed been a man?’ questions Shaniera Akram

    The expulsion of two university students in Lahore over a public proposal has created an uproar on social media with users criticising the university administration for the shallow-minded approach.

    Shaniera Akram, who is very vocal about her opinions, expressed her outrage on the matter on social media, saying: “Let’s talk about it? Why are we all upset?”

    “Is it the PDA? The proposal on university grounds?,” she questioned, adding: “Or the fact that a woman did it? Would it be the same outrage had the student who proposed [been] a man?”

    https://twitter.com/iamShaniera/status/1370715603439288322

    Shaniera also questioned why celebrities and sports stars are allowed to propose, show affection or date in public, but not the youth.

    https://twitter.com/iamShaniera/status/1370712182476828673

    “We just celebrated International Women’s Day and here we are with a top university expelling a young woman for having the confidence and empowerment to ask a man to marry her amongst the security of her peers,” commented Akram further.

    “What kind of example are we setting here?” she added.

    “Apply all the rules you want but you can’t expel love,” she asserted.

    The University of Lahore, on Friday, allegedly expelled two students for publicly expressing their love and proposing on university grounds. In a video that went viral on social media, a girl could be seen getting down on one knee and asking her partner to marry him with a bouquet of roses. The proposal ended with the two hugging each other.

    According to a notification, dated March 12, the two students were expelled for “[being] involved in gross misconduct and violation of university rules and were called to appear before the special disciplinary committee [but] failed to appear.”

  • Mawra Hocane, Aiman Khan respond to ‘body shaming’ controversy

    Mawra Hocane, Aiman Khan respond to ‘body shaming’ controversy

    Mawra Hocane and Aiman Khan have hit out at social media pages for creating an issue out of a non-issue.

    As per details, controversy erupted after a clip of Aiman, in which she was commenting on Mawra’s weight went viral on social media. The clip in question was from Hina Altaf and Aagha Ali’s The Couple’s Show on which Aiman appeared with husband Muneeb Butt.

    During the show, when asked to give advice to Hocane, Khan had remarked that “she [Mawra] should gain some weight as she is very skinny”. Aiman’s comments did not go down well with Mawra’s fans who then attacked the actor for them.

    Responding to the controversy, Mawra requested all her fan pages and other social media pages to “be kind” and “give each other some space for improvement.”

    In a note shared on social media, the Jawani Phir Nahi Ani 2 said: “I DO NOT appreciate anyone throwing the other person under the bus in the garb of supporting me.”

    “We must know how far we must go and not vilify the other person involved in the process,” she continued. “We are all humans and utter words we don’t entirely understand or mean!”

    “Let’s give each other space for improvement and not to do the same or worse by spewing hate,” added Mawra, urging everyone to be “please be kind”.

    On the other hand, while asking netizens to keep their opinion to themselves, Khan said: “I don’t understand why people take things personally and spread negativity. My life is not your property, you have no right to say anything to me if I can’t say anything to you.”

    Read more – Aiman Khan says her 8 million following is ‘organic’

    “My education, my accent is not your problem,” said the actor further. “Would my degree land you a job? No, right? Keep your nose out of my business, thanks. Make life easy and stop this nonsense.”

    Khan added: “Games are games and shows are shows – nothing is personal. I think bloggers shouldn’t make everything breaking news.”

    “We are already suffering a lot so stop making our lives tough with your stupid comments. Stop making issues out of nothing. Stop this nonsense, stop this hatred,” she asserted.

    Later in another post, she shared an announcement on her Story whereby she clarified a number of issues circulating on social media.

    She wrote, “This is to clear a number of issues that I’ve been seeing circulating on the social media.”

    Aiman stated “Initially, I’m not the form of particular person to disrespect anybody on nationwide tv or by social media.”

    “Secondly, social media portals and bloggers shouldn’t mislead a remark simply to create a stir and get eye balls on their platforms. They need to act responsibly and never add gasoline to fireside,” she added.

    Aiman Khan went on to say, “Thirdly, my training and my accent in none of anybody’s concern, I’m a public determine sure, however not the general public property that anybody can write something damaging or derogatory about.”

    “I’m not a hater nor do I consider in spreading hate. A lot love,” she concluded.

  • Fawad Alam to make his acting debut with ‘Khudkash Mohabbat’

    Fawad Alam is all set to make his acting debut with a web series titled Khudkash Muhabbat, scheduled to release on Pakistan’s first OTT platform, UrduFlix.

    “UrduFlix recently launched as Pakistan’s first-ever Urdu OTT platform has upped the game with brilliant new content and has kept the surprises coming. In a recent poster for their latest web series Khudkash Muhabbat – it was revealed that the cricketing hero would be making his debut on UrduFlix,” read a press release by the streaming service.

    “Fawad Alam, who has given remarkable performances in his cricketing career will soon be seen on the screens in what looks like an unconventional role in a unique story,” it added, without going into further details about the series and Fawad’s role in it.

    UrduFlix is Pakistan’s first Urdu OTT platform. It went live on March 5 and will provide viewers with access to original Urdu films, series, documentaries, cartoons, and Urdu dubbed Turkish dramas among other exclusively made shows for the platform.

    The first few shows on the platform would include Mashal Khan’s Lifafa Dayaan and Hareem Shah’s Raaz among others. The first exclusively available show going up on the platform with its launch is Dulhan Aur 1 Raat featuring Alizeh Shah in the lead.

    Fawad, who has was ignored by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for almost eleven years, recently scored a century during the Pakistan vs South Africa series. It was the cricketer’s third century. He scored his first in 2009 when he hit 168 on his Test debut against Sri Lanka while opening the innings. Since then Alam has played just six Tests having made a comeback in 2020. He scored his second hundred in New Zealand during the Pakistan vs New Zealand Test series after he got a chance to play when captain Babar Azam was ruled out due to his thumb injury.

  • PSL and PCB’s buffoonery

    PSL and PCB’s buffoonery

    The coronavirus pandemic has turned all the world’s industries upside down and sports has been no exception.

    The resumption of sporting events after the outbreak of the pandemic has been nothing short of a blessing for the fans as well as the players but its success was contingent upon whether the players would comply with the COVID protocols or not. There can be no denying that staying inside the bubble, not interacting with outsiders and playing in empty or half-empty stadiums would take a physical and psychological toll on them but it was expected of them to be acutely aware of their responsibilities and not to contravene the rules. However, the reality was different as the matter was handled carelessly and scores of players flouted the restrictions. The same was the case in PSL 2021, as a consequence of which, it has screeched to an indefinite halt.

    The guidelines explicitly mentioned that anyone who attends the game would be required to wear a face mask throughout the duration of the game and observe social distancing. However, as the screengrab from one of the matches below shows, the implementation of these rules was nowhere to be seen.

    Even worse, celebrities and social media influencers like Shahveer Jafry and Dananeer Mobeen were seen interacting with the players and team owners making an absolute mockery of the health protocols. None of the breaches mentioned thereof went unpunished thereby setting a wrong precedent.

    Following the news of Australian leg-spinner Fawad Ahmed testing positive for the virus, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) should have been more cautious and stringent with restrictions but instead, Multan Sultans bowling coach Azhar Mahmood was allowed to throw a birthday party that was also attended by a number of players. This surge in the virus cases, due in large part to management’s carelessness (six players and one member from the team officials tested positive), behooved the PCB to postpone the league who had no option but to swallow the bitter truth that they have been incompetent in ensuring that the tournament is smooth sailing.

    The blame-shifting game instantly began, media outlets started peddling hyperbolic and even false reports and overseas players (on the condition of anonymity) averred that the bio-secure bubble was not well-maintained. PSL is in its boom years and is improving over time but untoward incidents like these will blemish its image.

    Responding to the backlash in his presser, PCB’s Chief Executive Wasim Khan admitted that they weren’t equal to the task.

    “It was a great disappointment for us that we found ourselves in a situation where neither us nor others are able to provide what we need to provide and that is the full protection for players,” Wasim said.

    “This is a collective effort that we all had a responsibility to actually police and self-police that environment. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to do it effectively enough. Hence, we find ourselves in this situation today,” he added.

    As in, the uppermost task on PCB’s plate now is to find a window in a jam-packed schedule in which it can hold the remaining games of the league. Pakistan is set to play South Africa in April followed by a tour of Zimbabwe but reports suggest that Pakistan will push these tours to accommodate the remaining matches of the league.

    I’m no epidemiologist thus it would be naïve to comment on the spread of the virus and measures to mitigate the virus but it is not rocket science to understand that carelessness over a deadly contagious pandemic is downright buffoonery. There’s no point in crying over spilt milk but whenever the PSL resumes, PCB should ensure that it learns from its mistakes and the remaining tournament goes without any chaos untoward incident.

  • Mumbai police files case against Kangana Ranaut for copyright violation

    Author of the book Didda: The Warrior Queen of Kashmir, Ashish Kaul has accused Kangana Ranaut of copyright violations and approached a local court in this regard after which a case has been filed against the actor by Mumbai police.

    According to a report in Gulf News, Kaul has accused Ranaut of copying content from his book for her film Manikarnika Returns: The Legend Of Didda without permission, claiming that he has exclusive copyrights to the life story of Didda, the Princess of Lohar (Poonch) and the queen of Kashmir.

    As per the complaint, the author had sent an email about the storyline of his book to Kangana, and she used some part of the story in a tweet while announcing her movie without his permission.

    “Is it believable by any stretch of imagination that a story and a book are being usurped by a renowned actor- turned-social activist?” said the writer.

    Kangana is also facing police cases in Mumbai over her allegedly provocative tweets.

    Read more – Kangana defines ‘porn singer’ for Ali Gul Pir

    This is not the first time, Kangana has made it to the news for the wrong reasons. She recently had a meltdown after Rihanna extended her support for the farmers’ protest in India.

  • Genelia, Riteish Deshmukh send love to ‘Pawri Girl’

    Genelia, Riteish Deshmukh send love to ‘Pawri Girl’

    Dananeerr Mobeen, who became a social media sensation after she posted a ‘pawri‘ video, has found new fans in Bollywood actors Genelia and Riteish Deshmukh. The couple re-created the trending video to wish their dog Flash.

    VIDEO – Mahira Khan, Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor join the’Pawri Ho Rai Hai’ bandwagon

    During an interview with Bollywood Hungama, Mobeen was shown videos of Bollywood actors who recreated her video. Among those was Genelia and Riteish’s video in which they were celebrating their dog’s birthday, ‘Pawri Ho Rai Hai‘ style. In the video, the Ek Villain actor can be seen showing the celebrations and saying: “This is Flash, this is us, and this is our party.”

    Reacting to the video, Mobeen said: “The couple is so beautiful. I’ve also grown up looking and admiring them and recreating this trend in such a beautiful way. And Flash is so cute,” she added.

    In response to Mobeen’s reaction, Genelia and Riteish sent the young Pakistani influencer love.

    “Lotsa Love Dananeer. Flash says thank you,” said Genelia, while Riteish wrote: “Hey Dananeer wishing you all the best form our side. Much love.”

    Read more – ‘Pawri Girl’ aspires to join Pakistan’s foreign services

    “Grateful and humbled,” said Dananeer responding to Riteish’s tweet.

    Earlier in the interview she said that as a child, she used to stare endlessly at pictures of Shah Rukh, and that her favourite Kareena character is Poo, from the film Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham.

    She told Bollywood Hungama, “The character Poo I think not just me but I think the entire world can relate. I think I personally relate to Poo at times. So, I’ll just be sitting with friends and they’ll something like: ‘Okay! So we’re gonna watch a movie’ and I’ll be like, ‘tell me how it was’!”

    Asked if there is an element of Poo in the ‘Pawri girl’, she said, “Poo I think humare andar bas gaya hai (Poo is deeply ingrained in all of us). So in anything that you do, it’s the sass, that Poo comes out.”

    Dananeer was also asked if she had a message for Kareena, who recently gave birth to her second child, she said, “Two beautiful beautiful children Mashallah.”

    Dananeer, who has had scores of celebrities from all corners of the subcontinent react to her viral meme, said that she would ‘go crazy’ if Shah Rukh sends her a message.

  • Opposition ready to challenge Sanjrani’s win in Senate

    Opposition ready to challenge Sanjrani’s win in Senate

    The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) is all set to challenge the rejection of seven votes that were cast in favour of Yousaf Raza Gilani as per news reports. Sadiq Sanjrani bagged 48 votes in the election for the slot of Senate Chairman while Gilani bagged 42 votes. Seven votes cast in Gilani’s favour were rejected due to a technicality.

    The seven votes that were rejected had stamps on the candidate’s name but were inside the box. Senator Farooq H Naek said that the presiding officer does not have the right to reject “our vote if it has been stamped inside the box and on the candidate’s name”. Presiding officer Muzaffar Hussain Shah explained why those votes were rejected.

    It was pointed out that the written instructions in the Senate Hall were different from the reasons being given by the presiding officer.

    Former Secretary to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) said on Geo News that the votes should have been valid and this decision can be challenged in the Supreme Court.

    Meanwhile, government senators say it was clearly stated in the Instruction Book how to vote and that these votes were wasted deliberately.

  • Roshan Digital Account attracts $671m in six months

    Roshan Digital Account attracts $671m in six months

    More than 100,000 Overseas Pakistanis have created accounts on the Roshan Digital Account (RDA), attracting almost $671 million, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has announced.

    As per details, overseas Pakistanis from almost 100 countries have opened accounts which indicates the increasing reach of the RDA, helping the government and the central bank to improve the external account of the country.

    Overseas Pakistanis have been providing large amounts of foreign exchange in terms of remittances and now the RDA has attracted $671m. At the same time, long-term domestic Pakistan Investment Bonds attracted $150m foreign investment over the past four months.

    The State Bank said that half of the total deposits of $671m came over the last eight weeks, reflecting the growing interest of Pakistanis abroad.

    The purpose of the RDA is to attract millions of Pakistanis living abroad by giving them high returns on deposits in comparison to developed economies. Besides, they can also remotely open bank accounts in Pakistan through online digital portals without physically visiting branches.

    Non-resident Pakistanis (NRP) can now avail digital banking facilities, including access to online banking, domestic funds transfer, utility bills and tuition fee payment in Pakistan, as well as investments in the stock exchange and real estate with an option of full repatriation.

    On September 10, 2020, Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan inaugurated the project and appreciated the joint venture between the federal government, SBP and commercial banks operating in Pakistan.

  • Taliban threaten to go after Aurat March participants

    Taliban threaten to go after Aurat March participants

    The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has threatened rights activists, who organised peaceful demonstrations to mark International Women’s Day in the country, accusing them of blasphemy and promoting obscenity.

    Read more – ‘Ek hee dafaa sari aurton ko ban ker do’: Meesha Shafi defends Aurat March

    The proscribed Afghanistan-based militant group’s statement followed a flurry of falsified images and doctored video clips on social media that suggested participants in the March 8 protests had insulted Islam, which they denied.

    “We want to send a message to those organisations who are actively spreading obscenity and vulgarity,” the statement said, addressing the marchers. “Fix your ways, there are still many young Muslims here who know how to protect Islam and the boundaries set by Allah.”

    Conservative groups held demonstrations on Friday in several cities to demand that the government prosecute the march organisers for blasphemy, and they threatened vigilante action.

    Messages spread on social media, in some cases shared by journalists and politicians with millions of followers, included false allegations that the French flag was waved at the Women’s Day march, while doctored video and audio showed participants chanting slogans viewed as blasphemous against sacred religious figures.

    ‘MALICIOUS CAMPAIGN’

    “Each and every one of these allegations are completely false and part of a malicious campaign to silence women from speaking out about their rights,” the march organisers said in a statement.

    The Women’s Democratic Front, a leftist group founded in 2018 and one of the organisers of the march, said their flag — with red, white and purple stripes — had been misrepresented as the French flag, which has blue, white and red stripes.


    Pakistan has seen violent nationwide protests against France over issues such as the blasphemous Charlie Hebdo cartoons and restrictions on the veil there for Muslim women.

    Hassan Abbas, a security expert at the National Defense University (NDU) in Washington, told Reuters that the Taliban statement should be a “wake-up call” for authorities.

    “[It is aimed at] creating fear, gaining the sympathy of religious radicals and recruiting extremists in urban centres of Pakistan,” he said.

  • COVID-19: Here’s what you can and cannot do amid lockdown in Punjab

    COVID-19: Here’s what you can and cannot do amid lockdown in Punjab

    Amid a drastic rise in COVID-19 cases in Punjab, the provincial government has decided to reimpose numerous restrictions in different districts of the province.

    Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar tweeted an update on the new restrictions, saying that COVID-19 cases, especially the UK variant, were spreading across the province rapidly.

    “According to the advice of health experts, starting from Saturday night, we have decided to implement strict coronavirus SOPs in districts with over 5% positivity rate for the next 15 days,” he wrote.

    Later, the Punjab health department issued a notification listing restrictions across the province.

    “The positivity rate in some cities is constantly rising and third wave is looming, which poses a serious and imminent threat to public health,” read the notification, adding that the restrictions are being put in place under the Punjab Infectious Diseases (Prevention and Control) Act 2020.

    Meanwhile, here’s what you can and cannot do during the lockdown:

    • All commercial activities, establishments and markets will close by 6 pm on weekdays and completely closed on weekends.
    • This excludes medical services, general stores, bakeries, milk and meat shops, tire puncture shops, fruit and vegetable shops, tandoors, petrol pumps, oil depots, LPG outlets and filing plants, agriculture machinery workshops and spare parts shops, printing press, call centres (with 50% staff and no public dealing).
    • Complete ban on indoor and outdoor dining in Lahore, Rawalpindi, Sargodha, Faisalabad, Multan, Gujranwala and Gujrat and only takeaway/ home delivery will be allowed in these cities. Only takeaway and home delivery from restaurants will be allowed.
    • Wedding halls are to remain closed in Lahore, Rawalpindi. Sargodha, Faisalabad, Multan, Gujranwala and Gujrat from March 15. Only outdoor functions will be allowed with a maximum of 300 guests.
    • Parks will close at 6 pm.
    • Offices are to follow a 50% work from home policy.
    • Cinemas and shrines will stay closed.
    • Indoor gatherings have been banned. Outdoor gatherings are allowed with a maximum of 50 people in Lahore, Rawalpindi, Sargodha, Faisalabad, Multan, Gujranwala and Gujrat and 300 persons (outdoor) in the rest of the province for a maximum of two hours.
    • Sports and all cultural activities will still be banned.
    • Industrial activities and establishments are exempt from these restrictions