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  • Celebrating Manto

    Celebrating Manto

    Pakistan is celebrating the 108th birth anniversary of renowned Urdu short story writer Saadat Hasan Manto. His birthday is trending at number one on Twitter and Google even honoured the writer with a doodle.

    The doodle was designed by artist Shehzil Malik, who took to social media to share the news. Talking about the late author, Malik said, “I’m a big fan of Manto. He is a hero to me for pushing the envelope in Pakistan through his art (which I try to do and often get in trouble) so this is the perfect assignment! His stories are dark, beautiful, brutal, honest; once you read them, you can’t forget them. He used his words as a mirror to society, to speak truth to power, and would not back down in the face of intimidation.”

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CACNqLjACa3/?utm_source=ig_embed

    Meanwhile, people from Pakistan, as well as India celebrated the acclaimed writer and his words on Twitter.

    https://twitter.com/karlremarx_/status/1259696501384593415?s=20

    About Manto

    Manto was born in Ludhiana, British India on May 11, 1912. The writer spent his life in Bombay before shifting to Lahore after the Partition. Though he was already an acclaimed name before the Partition, it was his vivid and intense stories on the partition that earned him critical acclaim. Manto produced 20 collections of short stories, five collections of radio dramas, three of essays, two of sketches, one novel and a clutch of film scripts. He wrote about sex, desire, alcoholics, prostitutes which led to him being charged with obscenity six times – thrice in British India before 1947, and thrice in Pakistan after. Despite this, he received the Nishan-e-Imtiaz from the Government of Pakistan.

    Some of his most praised works include Thanda Gosht, Khol Do, Toba Tek Singh, Iss Manjdhar Mein and Babu Gopi Nath.

    Manto’s life and works have also been adapted into two feature films: one by Sarmad Khoosat and another by Bollywood filmmaker Nandita Das.

    Manto passed away on January 18, 1955, in Lahore at the age of 42.

  • NAB elected head of SAARC Anti-Corruption Forum

    NAB elected head of SAARC Anti-Corruption Forum

    The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has been elected as the head of the Anti-Corruption Forum of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).

    An official press release issued by NAB said the anti-graft watchdog was the “role model” not only for Pakistan but also for entire SAARC countries as NAB had been unanimously elected as chairman of the organisation’s Anti-Corruption Forum, which was a great achievement for Pakistan.

    NAB’s performance is lauded by SAARC countries, national and international organisations like Transparency International (TI), World Economic Forum (WEF), Pildat and Mishal Pakistan.

    In addition, “Pakistan is the only country with whom China has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for eradication of corruption,” the press release said.

    From the beginning, NAB has managed to recover Rs328bn and returned the money to affected people, government and private departments without keeping a single rupee of its share, deposited all recoveries in the national exchequer, says the press release.

    NAB has established its own research academy for the capacity building of investigation officers (IOs) on modern lines. Moreover, it has also established a forensic science laboratory at its Rawalpindi office for scrutinising of documents, analysing fingerprints and digital data.  

    NAB has also established an anti-money laundering cell in its headquarters.

  • Pakistanis lose it over ‘un-Islamic’ Instagram of ‘Diriliş: Ertuğrul’ star

    Pakistanis lose it over ‘un-Islamic’ Instagram of ‘Diriliş: Ertuğrul’ star

    With hit Turkish series ‘Diriliş: Ertuğrul’ continuing to grip Pakistan ever since it was released in the country in Urdu on Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s advice to “help youngsters connect with their roots”, the Instagram handle of one of the show’s stars has left many in the country “disappointed”.

    As praise pours in for the historical fiction over the internet by both celebrities and general public, fans have started following the show’s actors on social media.

    Amid all the hype, a group of fans, who apparently do not understand the concept of acting, is having a meltdown because actors, who play different characters in the show based in the pre-Ottoman era, are much different in their real lives of the 21st century.

    Among these characters is Halime Sultan played by Esra Bilgiç, who a couple of weeks ago posted on her Instagram a picture that wasn’t very well-received by her fans in Pakistan.

    Here are some of the reactions by Pakistanis:

    Some also apologised on behalf of their countrymen:

    Meanwhile, owing to the show’s popularity in Pakistan and after hitting millions of YouTube subscribers, the team behind the series has urged fans for more subscriptions in order to hit the world record for “most subscribers on YouTube in a month”.

  • The story behind coffin dance meme

    The story behind coffin dance meme

    A meme featuring four men dancing while holding a coffin is going viral on social media. The clip is mostly used when something bad is about to happen. These four men have also become the symbol of the lockdown with the slogan ‘Stay at home or dance with us’.

    While you may think that this is either a scene of a movie or is being shot for comedy purposes, but you will not believe that these people actually exist and it actually happens in Ghana, Africa.

    These dancing people are called “dancing pallbearers”. They are professional dancers that are hired by the family to turn a funeral into a party. They became famous in 2015 when an African YouTuber ‘Travelin sister’ posted a video of her mother-in-law’s burial in Ghana. Since then the clip has gone viral on social media.

    Video by Brut
  • Firdous denied overnight stay, Sehri at govt residence

    Firdous denied overnight stay, Sehri at govt residence

    Former special assistant to prime minister (SAPM) on information and broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan was refused government-owned residence in Multan for an overnight stay, Geo reported.

    The former SAPM travelled to Multan from Karachi in a car and was accompanied by friends and a maid. However, reports said, upon arrival at a government-owned circuit house in Multan, she was refused entry by the night guard who said that she was not a public office holder anymore. Firdous asked the guard for a Sehri meal but was refused again and had to send her driver to the market to purchase a meal.

    The former SAPM exchanged hot words with the lower staff of the government residence and tried to get in touch with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) District President Khalid Javed Warraich and Deputy Commissioner (DC) Amir Khattak, but their phones were switched off.

    The news outlet reported that when the caretaker of the official residence was contacted, he said that there was no advance booking and the lower staff did not have the authority to allot a room to someone not holding a public office. He added that when he reached the circuit house in the morning on Sunday, Firdous had already left for Lahore.

  • Pakistan Army major passes away of coronavirus

    Pakistan Army major passes away of coronavirus

    Major Muhammad Asghar “laid his life in the line of duty at Torkham border” after losing the battle against coronavirus, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) reported Sunday. 

    “Major Muhammad Asghar laid his life in the line of duty at #Torkham border in fight against #COVID-19. Evacuated to CMH Peshawar with breathing problems, was put on ventilator but succumbed to Corona Virus. There is no cause bigger than serving the Nation,” the media’s military wing tweeted. 

    Pakistan climbed to the 20th spot on the global coronavirus ranking on Sunday after the nationwide tally of COVID-19 patients crossed 30,000 after Sindh reported 709 new cases.

    Asghar is the first security official to have lost his life in the war against the pandemic in Pakistan.

    By the time this report was filed, the country had reported 30,446 COVID-19 cases with 662 fatalities.

  • Coronavirus: One member of a family infects 16 others at an iftar gathering

    Coronavirus: One member of a family infects 16 others at an iftar gathering

    An iftar gathering in Bahrain ended up with 16 family members contracting the novel coronavirus from one sick relative.

    The family members were infected because they did not follow precautionary measures including avoiding gatherings, wearing masks and social distancing, the ministry said. The infected person infected all other family members, including parents, siblings and some children.

    “It is everyone’s responsibility to adhere to guidelines and precautionary measures to prevent the spread of the virus,” the ministry said.

    World Health Organization (WHO) has urged people to avoid gatherings and maintain social distancing of three to six feet from anyone who is coughing or sneezing to control the spread of COVID-19.

    Read More: Myth Buster: Can sitting in the sun save you from COVID-19?

    “When someone coughs or sneezes they spray small liquid droplets from their nose or mouth which may contain a virus. If you are too close, you can breathe in the droplets, including the COVID-19 virus if the person coughing has the disease,” the organization’s website states.

  • Celebrities honour their ‘Ammis’ on Mother’s Day

    Celebrities honour their ‘Ammis’ on Mother’s Day

    Along with the rest of the world, Pakistan also celebrated Mother’s Day on Sunday and paid a tribute to the real superheroes in our lives. Check out some sweet Mother’s Day wishes below, starting with Prime Minister Imran Khan, of course.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CAAu-tQn1LV/
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    https://www.instagram.com/p/CAAyCvCnqa9/
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    https://www.instagram.com/p/CABEinkgcdx/
    https://www.instagram.com/p/CABBijkDiWI/
    https://www.instagram.com/p/B__tDMiDubh/?utm_source=ig_embed
    https://www.instagram.com/p/CAA_YkDHck0/
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    https://www.instagram.com/p/CAA63R4gI0N/
    https://www.instagram.com/p/B__50ePlLgb/
    https://www.instagram.com/p/CAAG3Zrh6nt/
    https://www.instagram.com/p/CAA0MO2lU2d/
    https://www.instagram.com/p/CAApLBUlKFo/
    https://www.instagram.com/p/CAAT9L8gGcU/
    https://www.instagram.com/p/CAAzWiDlvIT/
    https://www.instagram.com/p/B__vr6aHy5M/?utm_source=ig_embed
    https://www.instagram.com/p/CAAefH3AIkd/
    https://www.instagram.com/p/CAAJSrfALyS/?utm_source=ig_embed
  • ‘Jhooti’: Can Iqra Aziz’s acting save a lame storyline?

    ‘Jhooti’: Can Iqra Aziz’s acting save a lame storyline?

    There is no doubt that Iqra Aziz is a great actor. From her role in Suno Chanda to her portrayal of a greedy, selfish manipulator in Jhooti, she gets her roles down. But why she picked Jhooti is a question she might soon need to answer. 16 episodes in, the drama is going from lame to lamer and watching it makes it even more painful.

    Lovesick husband Nasir with classic manipulator Nirma, handing her money to save his marriage

    Maybe the pain comes from the fact that Yasir Hussain really can’t act or that the storyline is so typical that only an Indian soap opera miracle can help it. Nirma (Iqra Aziz) is a self-absorbed thief who manipulates sad, lovestruck Nasir (Ahmed Ali Butt) into giving her a lot of cash and property because he wants to marry her. They marry, get divorced and she meets Ali (Yasir Hussain) who she thinks is this loaded bachelor and is going to invest all her ill-gotten money in property.

    Read more – Jhooti: The drama that replaced ‘Meray Paas Tum Ho’

    She falls for him, marries him but turns out he’s just as big a manipulator as her. He’s using Nirma to get money so he can pay back his ex-wife who is threatening him if he doesn’t. So here he is, lying to Nirma, trying to get money out of her while she turns from manipulator to manipulated.

    Ali, played by Yasir Hussain, is probably the most important but the most mediocre character in the series

    Painful isn’t it? And so very typical. The running into your lying husband who says he is in Dubai but ends up at Park Towers Mall is so overdone. Bus kardo yaar, we all know she will find out that she got what she deserved and everyone was right about what a jhooti she was and oh ho, she totally deserved it.

    Read more – Iqra Aziz, Yasir Hussain’s ‘Jhooti’ sparks outrage for trivialising domestic abuse

    There is no doubt that Iqra Aziz is a fantastic actress as she fully takes on the role of Nirma

    The only saving grace is Iqra. Her acting as Nirma is on-point perfection. She seems like a greedy sister, a classic narcissist right down to her nails. Even Iqra’s height suits the role, this little innocent girl who is lying to everyone around her. But that’s just it. The drama doesn’t inspire anything else. It’s one that can be watched while you’re doing something else and it just plays in the background, or be seen because you have to write a review on it. Otherwise, it’s a dead bore and the only way it can be redeemed is if…well can’t really think of anything that can help this storyline.

  • Not-so-‘smart lockdown’

    Not-so-‘smart lockdown’

    More than 30,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus have been reported in Pakistan with over 600 deaths. The government has opted for a “smart lockdown” as both the number of cases and fatalities continue to increase on a daily basis, but nationwide lockdowns are also being eased with each passing day.

    Some government officials allude to the theory of herd immunity while others say that since the mortality rate of coronavirus is low in Pakistan, we must reopen the economy as the country cannot survive without it. We are left to our own devices now. You can choose to stay at home and in isolation if your work allows you to do it. Otherwise, go out but take precautions and hope that you don’t get coronavirus.

    We understand that the decision must not have been easy for the government but are we really preferring death over struggle?

    The world is also facing the brunt of easing lockdowns: South Korea warned of a ‘second wave’ of the coronavirus as infections rebounded to a one-month high on Sunday while coronavirus infections are rising in Germany days after the country eased its lockdown restrictions. These were two countries that had actually flattened the curve and had controlled the coronavirus cases to quite an extent.

    Imagine if the said countries — with the capacity of aggressive testing and better healthcare facilities — are struggling once again due to the second wave of the virus, what can happen in the near future in Pakistan — a country where a proper lockdown was hardly imposed for two weeks. Where the prime minister was against locking down from day one and where the ‘elite’ were blamed by the premier for somehow enforcing lockdown. Where the lockdown restrictions were eased but it led to everyone thinking that things were back to normal.

    Punjab is now allowing gyms, hair salons and barbershops to reopen again. If the administrations could not ensure that proper SOPs were followed in mosques during Ramzan, how will the local administrations ensure the same at barbershops or gyms or salons? While KP and Balochistan seem to be taking the pandemic lightly, hard-hit Sindh is also mulling opening markets.

    We talk of a ‘smart lockdown’ but we are not too smart, are we? People follow rules when they are enforced and properly implemented. They follow government instructions when the government is not giving out mixed messages or confusing messages. First, we tell them that only old people die of coronavirus, then we tell them that coronavirus doesn’t kill too many people and then we say well, even if it kills people, we must not give up hope and we need to go back to work because… economy.