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  • Coronavirus: JI woman leader trolled for comparing hazmat suit to burqa

    Amid global coronavirus fears, Jamaate Islami (JI) leader Dr Samia Raheel Qazi on Wednesday was trolled for what appeared to be a comparison between a hazmat suit and burqa on her Twitter.

    “Food for thought,” the women wing leader of the religio-political party wrote as she tweeted two images, one of which showed a person in a hazmat suit and the other a burqa-clad woman.

    The tweet that came as the world battles the deadly coronavirus that has so far claimed at least 500 lives and left over 24,000 others infected, met with trolling on the micro-blogging website, as people reacted to what they said was an absurd comparison.

    Meanwhile, China’s National Health Commission has said the number of confirmed infections in the country rose to 24,324 after an additional 3,887 people were diagnosed with the virus.

    Other countries have rushed to evacuate their citizens from Hubei and its capital city, Wuhan, while many have also imposed extraordinary travel restrictions on travellers to and from China, Al Jazeera reported.

    Countries outside China continue to report more cases, with Hong Kong and the Philippines reporting one death each from the disease.

    The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) has called for greater solidarity among the international community, and criticised governments for being “well behind” in sharing data on virus cases. He said he had received complete case report forms for only 38 per cent of the cases outside China.

    THE CURRENT LIFE WITH DR SAMIA RAHEEL QAZI:

  • Doctor ‘beats up nurse for refusing to be photographed’

    Doctor ‘beats up nurse for refusing to be photographed’

    A doctor at the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital in Jhang, Punjab allegedly beat up one of the nurses for not allowing him to take pictures of her. An FIR has been registered against the doctor for the attack.

    The closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage of the incident shows the doctor getting angry at the nurse and then slapping her repeatedly.

    An FIR has been registered against the doctor at the Shorkot Police Station on the request of the nurse. In her complaint, the nurse claimed that the doctor in question entered the nursing room at night when she was on duty and asked her to accompany him on rounds.

    She added that when she paused to collect medical files for the rounds, the doctor started taking pictures of her. When she tried to stop him from taking her pictures, he started beating and slapping her.

    Meanwhile, the doctor has reportedly secured a pre-arrest bail till February 14th from a local magistrate.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGovY20_gOM
  • Jhooti: The drama that replaced ‘Meray Paas Tum Ho’

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

    Meray Paas Tum Ho left some big shoes to fill. The Humayun Saeed-Ayeza Khan starrer received unprecedented success and was reported to be television’s highest-rated drama of all time. The serial wrapped up on January 25 and the next week on February 1, Iqra Aziz, Ahmed Ali Butt and Yasir Hussain’s Jhooti took over.

    Much before its release, when the teasers of the drama were released, Jhooti had stirred up controversy for allegedly showing women in a bad light and portraying them as money-hungry, two-faced creatures and the first episode did nothing to change the perception.

    The drama opened with the same-old storyline. Nirma’s (Iqra) parents want their daughter to get married and settle down. But the rebel daughter wants a better life for herself and doesn’t want to settle for the “useless” boys in her “poor” neighbourhood. She spends her days shouting or passing snide remarks to her family members. There are a lot of screaming sessions as Nirma clashes with her family over the rishtas that come for her. The only person who supports her is her father.

    In comes Ahmed Ali Butt as Nasir, a simple man *yawn* madly in love with Nirma. He runs a small store in the neighbourhood and lives a fuss-free life. He comes over with his family with a rishta for Nirma. While Nirma herself rejects him by constantly calling him fat, her family thinks that he is a good choice for her. Eventually, Nirma’s partner in crime and equally vile friend advises her to marry Nasir only if he agrees to put his shop and house in her name. Interestingly Nasir’s parents agree to her condition and they come over to fix the date for the wedding when Nirma flips and tells them that she’s already rejected the proposal.

    While the drama doesn’t appear to have anything new to offer as yet and is as regressive as it can get – I mean Nirma’s mother tells her that she cannot go to university because she needs to get married – the only department in which it excels is acting. Iqra has given a solid performance and you absolutely hate her at the end of the episode. The rest of the actors including Butt and Asma Abbas as Nirma’s mother put up commendable performances.

    The drama has a bit of a negative vibe to it and reminds you of the over the top Star Plus sagas. But I’m going to watch a couple of more episodes before deciding whether the drama is worth watching or not.

    Jhooti has been directed by Syed Ramish Rizvi and penned by Ali Moeen. It airs every Saturday at 8pm.

  • Former Bollywood actor Zaira Wasim condemns Indian atrocities in Kashmir

    Former Bollywood actor Zaira Wasim condemns Indian atrocities in Kashmir

    Former actor Zaira Wasim, who hails from Kashmir, has condemned the curfews in the region.

    Taking to Instagram, the Secret Superstar actor shared a lengthy note writing, “Kashmir continues to suffer and see-saw between hope and frustration. There’s a false and uneasy semblance of calmness in place of escalating despair and sorrow.”

    She continues by asking many questions. “Why do we have to live in a world where our lives and wills are controlled, dictated and bent? Why is it so easy to have our voices silenced? Why is it so easy to curtail our freedom of expression? Why aren’t we ever allowed to voice our opinions, let alone our disprovals to decisions that are made contrary to our wishes? Why is it that instead of trying to see the cause of our view, our view is just condemned ruthfully? What is so easy to curb our voices so severely?

     “Why can we not live simple lives without always having to wrestle and remind the world of our existence? Why is that life of a Kashmiri is just about experiencing a lifetime of crisis, blockade and disturbance so abundantly that it has taken away the recognition of normalcy and harmony from the hearts and minds?”

    Zaira also warned not to believe the beautiful picture that the media has been showing about the Kashmir.

    “Do not believe the unfair representation of the facts and details or the rosy hue that the media has cast on the reality of the situation. Ask questions, re-examine the biased assumptions. Ask questions. For our voices”

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B8HbAKKlUvT/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

    In early August, the Indian Government revoked Article 370 which granted special status to IoK(Indian occupied Kashmir). Troops were deployed in the region and all communication in the valley was blocked, cutting off Kashmiris from the outside world.

    Earlier, Zaira had taken to social media to assure fellow Kashmiris that “this too shall pass.”

  • ‘Zindagi Tamasha’s fate hangs in limbo

    ‘Zindagi Tamasha’s fate hangs in limbo

    In an emotionally-charged country like Pakistan, where religion is a sensitive topic, it was no surprise that Sarmad Khoosat’s Zindagi Tamasha ruffled many feathers and sparked controversy. Despite the director’s assurance that the film does not hurt any religious sentiments, people jumped to conclusions based on a two-minute teaser trailer. Nonetheless, fearing public unrest, the federal and provincial governments decided to stop the film from being released, just days before it was scheduled to.

    While the Federal Government has said that the film will be reviewed by the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII), the Punjab Government directed the filmmaker to hold a screening on February 3 so that the film can be reviewed again. It is pertinent to mention here that the provincial and central censor boards had earlier cleared the film for release with a few cuts.

    The ban on the film sparked public outrage and members of the civil society and the film fraternity stepped forward to support the film and filmmaker. They also requested the government to extend more support to filmmakers and called for a more open creative space.

    After all the hue and cry, the hype and criticism around the film has died as its fate hangs in limbo.

    When The Current reached out to the Central Board Of Film Censors Islamabad for an update regarding the film, a source shared that it is “in limbo”. When probed further they asserted that work on the film’s clearance is still underway.

    Read more – Council of Islamic Ideology to ‘critically review’ ‘Zindagi Tamasha’

    Meanwhile, local media had reported that the CII is awaiting the green signal from the censor board so they can go ahead with reviewing the film for any objectionable content.

    As per reports, a three-member committee has been set up to review the film. The censor board has also been informed of this but no response was received from their end. The CII’s media coordinator Rana Zahid shared that the film can only be reviewed after they receive an invitation from the censor board.

    While the three-member committee does not include members of the council, it includes officers from the council’s research wing.

    According to the CII official, “All the members are competent and hold qualifications in Islam and social sciences. They were selected for this task after going through an interview process. We have shown them the CBFC letter and advised them on how to review the film, keeping religious sentiments in mind.”

    The committee will review the film and then submit a report to council Chairman Dr Qibla Ayaz. The report will further be analysed 20 members of the CII after which a decision will be taken. The council members including the chairman will also watch the film after the report has been submitted.

    The CII has informed the censor board of all the preparations they have made but are yet to hear back from the body.

    Read more – Damning bans

    Meanwhile, no progress has been made on the review directed by the Punjab Government. They had directed Khoosat to arrange a review of the film on February 3.

    Khoosat has also made no public comment after the film was barred from release.

    Read more – Sarmad Khoosat appeals to PM, President to facilitate his film’s release

    Petition against Zindagi Tamasha screening withdrawn

    A petition filed against the screening of Zindagi Tamasha was withdrawn on Thursday (Jan 30).

    As per reports, the petition was filed on Monday (Jan 27) by a man named Chaudhry Qadeer Ahmed who alleged that that the film was against the spirit of the Constitution, hurt religious sentiments and violated PEMRA’s rules.

    The petition was heard in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) by Justice Aamer Farooq who questioned the petitioner if he had seen the film anywhere or if it had been released yet.

    In response to the judge’s question, the petitioner’s lawyer said that he has not seen the film.

    “How can you comment on something that no one has seen,” questioned the judge.

    Ahmed’s lawyer explained that the film’s trailer had been released online and it “disrespected” naat khawans.

    The court asked the petitioner’s lawyer when the film was scheduled to screen. The lawyer informed the court that the film had not been released yet as the Punjab government had made a decision against it.

    Ahmed’s lawyer then requested the court to take back the petition which the court accepted.

    Khoosat’s father had also filed a petition against the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) for trying to interfere with the release of the film. However, after the film’s release was delayed, he withdrew the petition for reasons unknown.

  • VIDEO: PTI’s Faisal Javed reaches Kashmir event on bike after car breaks down midway

    VIDEO: PTI’s Faisal Javed reaches Kashmir event on bike after car breaks down midway

    Ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senator Faisal Javed reaches the venue of a Kashmir Day event on a motorcycle.

    Senator Javed reportedly sought a stranger’s help after his vehicle broke down midway. Kashmir Solidarity Day is to be observed by the country tomorrow (February 5).

  • CM Buzdar wants strict action against companies selling substandard fairness creams

    CM Buzdar wants strict action against companies selling substandard fairness creams

    Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar on Tuesday directed action against productions of low-quality fairness creams.

    The Punjab CM has approved ‘The Punjab Drug and Cosmetics Amendment Act’, according to which the drug regulatory authority will take action against companies making substandard fairness creams.

    During the meeting, CM Buzdar said that previous governments failed to take any action against mafia selling fake cosmetics.

    “There is no place for such kind of ‘mafias’ in PM Imran Khan’s government”, said CM Buzdar, adding that such people are playing with the health of the nation because they contained toxic ingredients.

    Last year in July, the minister for climate change, Zartaj Gul Wazir had initiated a crackdown on fairness creams across the country and ordered strict action against those selling substandard products.

  • Coronavirus: Sick Pakistani student from China shifted to isolation ward

    A Pakistani student, who was extracted from coronavirus-hit China as flights operations resumed between the two countries, has been quarantined since his return as he showed suspected symptoms of the novel epidemic, The Express Tribune has reported.

    According to reports, Shahzaib Rahujo studies petroleum at a Chinese university around 1,000 kilometres (km) away from Wuhan where the deadly coronavirus originated. He reached his village, Nangerji, late on Saturday night and was shifted to an isolation ward on Monday after he fell ill.

    “He was experiencing a headache, flu and cough when he reached Qatar. He took some medicine to relieve the symptoms and was able to reach the village safely,” Rahujo’s elder brother, Irshad Ali, told the media outlet. He added that his brother cleared medical screening at Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, but once he reached his village, he started experiencing fever, flu, cough and fatigue.

    Kept in isolation, Rahujo is reportedly facing neglect at Civil Hospital in Khairpur where he is admitted, as medics there are not ready to perform tests on him. Ali posted a video over the internet showing how his brother Rahujo was being neglected in spite of his ill health and nose bleeding.

    “We were on our way to Karachi when they told us to come back to the civil hospital. There, they put him in a dengue ward. But there is no doctor and we are not being treated properly,” Ali said. 

    Several Pakistani citizens, a large number of which are students, are still reportedly stuck in China.

  • Imran regrets ditching Kuala Lumpur Summit ‘because of other friends’

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has regretted not attending December 2019’s Kuala Lumpur Summit in Malaysia, saying there were misconceptions among some friendly countries of Pakistan, which led to him and his team opting out of the moot, Dawn reported Tuesday.

    Addressing a joint press conference following talks with Malaysian Prime Minister (PM) Mahathir Mohamad in Putrajaya, the premier said he wanted to share how sad he was for not attending the conference in Kuala Lumpur in the middle of December.

    “Unfortunately, our friends, who are very close to Pakistan as well, felt that somehow the conference was going to divide the ummah. It was clearly a misconception because that was not the purpose of the conference as evident from when the conference took place.”

    In December last year, Pakistan had pulled out of the Kuala Lumpur Summit of some 20 Muslim countries reportedly due to pressure exerted by Saudi Arabia. At the time, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi had confirmed that Riyadh and the UAE had concerns about the summit.

  • Cleric arrested for selling meth to students, saying ‘it’ll help study Quran better’

    A cleric has been arrested for selling meth to his students, claiming it would “help them study and recite the Quran better”.

    According to The Star, the religious leader from Madura, Northeast Java in Indonesia had been selling the drug to his students at an Islamic boarding school and reasoned that it was permissible under Islamic law.

    Being an avid drug user himself, Ahmad Marzuki managed to avoid the police for two months after they learned of his actions.

    Despite being a fugitive, the religious leader still taught at other Islamic boarding schools in Surabaya and Mojokerto cities.

    On January 20, authorities finally managed to capture him when he was attending a funeral in Madura. Police officers located Marzuki and two other drug users at his home where they found a small quantity of the substance and other drug paraphernalia.

    After he was arrested, Marzuki said he knew meth is illegal under Indonesian laws, but found “no evidence against it in the Quran”.

    K.H. Said Aqiel Siradj, head of Nahdlatul Ulama — Indonesia’s largest independent Islamic organisation — on the other hand, said that while the Quran does not explicitly mention the drug, the religious text’s verses should be interpreted with a consensus among Islamic scholars and deductive analogy.

    Meanwhile, Marzuki will be charged under the Indonesian Narcotics Law. He reportedly also faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of 10 billion Indonesian rupiahs (PKR112 million).