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  • ‘Journalists, unite!’ says Fazl as Imran govt plans to pin him to the ground

    ‘Journalists, unite!’ says Fazl as Imran govt plans to pin him to the ground

    Ahead of his long march to the federal capital against the Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazalur Rehman has asked the media fraternity “to unite against bars on its freedom”.

    “You the journalists should plead your case against censorship being imposed by undemocratic forces,” Fazl said while addressing a press conference at the South Asia Free Media Association (SAFMA).

    The JUI-F chief’s statement came days after a private media outlet took off the air his media-talk, alleging a ban imposed by the Pakistan Electronic Media Authority (PEMRA).

    The incident was followed by veteran journalist and analyst Hamid Mir’s tweet stating that the media watchdog has “forced TV channels not to show” Fazl’s presser.

    He said that the government was showing weakness by “imposing unannounced censorship” in Pakistan.

    Speaking to journalists Friday, Fazl said that media had a key role to play in the current situation. He claimed that it was the media that was giving his efforts a name of its choice and said, “For the JUI-F, it is an attempt to secure respect for popular vote and warn those who are trying to steal it every time.”

    Flanked by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senator Pervaiz Rasheed and JUI-F leader Abdul Ghaffoor Haideri, the religio-political party chief said that if any individual wanted to attain absolute power in the negation of the democratic norms, it could not be accepted in a free and sovereign state.

    “Mutiny can take place any time against tyranny,” he warned, adding that the constitution clearly demarcated the area of jurisdiction for all organs of the state, and all must respect it.

    “The trouble arises when one institution tries to hog the domain of others and creeping influence destabilises other state organs by breeding frustration among them. Once that frustration hits a boiling point, the entire process implodes. This cycle is being repeated with regularity for the last seven decades. The current JUI-F effort is aimed at breaking the cycle: demolishing illegal results of the last manipulation, ensuring fresh and legal mandate and securing commitment on part of the stakeholders to respect the constitution,” Fazl explained.

    He said the public mandate had been hijacked in the last general elections, adding that the nation should once again be given the right to chose and change should come through ballot to put an end to the prevailing sense of uncertainty among people.

    “Only two persons, including the governor of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and the chairman of FBR [Federal Board of Revenue], have got employment in the country so far,” he said and added that the entire nation and opposition parties were on the same page against the government.

    Earlier, SAFMA Secretary General Imtiaz Alam urged political parties to extend support to Fazl and sign a charter of democracy-like agreement to reject and discourage any anti-democratic regime in the country.

    A “civil society declaration” on civil, political, social and human rights of the oppressed people, women and minorities was also presented to the JUI-F chief with a demand that an all parties conference must make a commitment to the people of Pakistan to make them sovereign.

    GOVT READY FOR ACTION?

    The capital will likely be sealed from Oct 31 onwards by either the police or the JUI-F as preparations on both sides for the Azadi March gain momentum, Dawn reported.

    According to police officers, the Islamabad police have demanded more than 550 shipping containers to intercept the march before it enters the city. The demand was made by zonal superintendents of police City, Saddar, Industrial Area and Rural to the police’s logistics division, they said.

    The police have decided to block each of the Expressway’s connecting roads from both sides from Faizabad to the Koral flyover, they said, as this area becomes ‘Waterloo’ for them during protests and law and order problems.

    All the connecting roads of Rawalpindi to I.J. Principal Road will also likely be sealed, the officers said, and steps will be taken to intercept people trying to join the march or gather in the capital.

    The police have more than 1,000 gas masks, 200 teargas launchers and 13,000 shells available in the logistics division armoury, they said, along with enough batons, plastic helmets, riot jackets, riot shields, shin guards and arms, if needed.

    More riot gear was demanded to cope with a deteriorating situation, if it arises.

    The police have also threatened local traders with legal action if they do business with the organisers or participants of the Azadi March, the officers said.

    These traders include catering services, tent services, hotels, motels, guest-houses and inns, generators, workshops, hardware stores, welding workshops, sound system services, excavator owners and crane owners.

    Rawalpindi police, on the other hand, have requested 6,000 shells of tear gas, 1,600 rubber bullets, batons, masks and shields. Anti-riot exercises have begun in Police Lines Headquarters and special squads have been formed to be deployed at sensitive locations.

  • ‘Kaaf Kangana’s’ item song featuring Neelum Munir is more bizarre than the trailer

    ‘Kaaf Kangana’s’ item song featuring Neelum Munir is more bizarre than the trailer

    When renowned playwright Khalil ur Rehman Qamar released the trailer of his upcoming feature film Kaaf Kangana last week, Pakistani Twitter trolled the film endlessly. So much so, that Ayesha Omar, who is an integral part of the film, said that people should watch the film before passing any judgments.

    Nonetheless, after that, the Royal couple took over our lives and we forgot about the trailer and film up until yesterday when the makers of the film released the item song featuring Neelum Munir.

    The song titled Khabon Main has been composed by Sahir Ali Bagga while Aima Baig has lent her vocals. The song appears to have been shot at one of the historic Mughal monuments in Lahore.

    While the song is like any other item song, the lyrics are what caught our attention.

    The song opens with: “Khwabon main jab main Pakistan gayi re, India main bolay saadi jaan gayi re.”

    The lyrics get more bizarre as the song continues, “Eik toh kam**na mujhe ghar lay gaya, ghar main gaye toh wahaan koi nahi tha. Baaton main aakar baatain maan gayi re. India main bolay saadi jaan gayi re.”

    While Neelum put up a decent performance, the choreography wasn’t exactly up to the mark. Her outfit was also tacky.

    Kaaf Kangana which has Sami Khan and Eeshal Fayyaz in the lead is scheduled to release on October 25.

    Watch the song here:

    For more details on the film, click here.

  • ‘Durj’ cleared from Censor Boards with minor cuts

    ‘Durj’ cleared from Censor Boards with minor cuts

    Shamoon Abbasi’s Durj has been cleared by the Central Film Censor Board to release in Pakistan with minor cuts. The director cum actor took to social media to share the news and informed audiences that he will announce a new release date soon.

    As per reports, some of the graphic scenes have been removed from the film. Abbasi refrained from commenting on this recent development and said that he will be issuing a public statement soon.

    Earlier, the film was banned by CBFC (Central Board of Film Censor) to release in Pakistan because of its subject. They said that a sensitive topic such as cannibalism, should not be broadcasted so openly. 

  • Watch: PTI’s Usman Dar copies Maryam Nawaz’s old speech, praises PM Imran

    Special Adviser to the Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, Usman Dar has copied Maryam Nawaz’s old speech in his address during Pakistan Tehreeke Insaf’s (PTI) “Kamyab Jawan Program” launch.

    Usman Dar was praising PM Imran for launching this program to provide loans to the students and he copied the exact same words, Maryam Nawaz had used for praising former PM Nawaz Sharif after winning elections.

    Maryam in her speech had said, “During elections campaign, your PM Nawaz Sharif had made some promises, and despite having a severe economic crisis, your PM has fulfilled this promise”.

    While Usman during his address said, “During elections, PTI had promised that they would make the youth of Pakistan independent, and despite having severe economic crisis your PM has fulfilled this promise in the shape of Kamyab Jawan Program”.

    Journalist Arshad Sharif during his talk show played both speeches from Usman and Maryam, side by side and asked from the special adviser whether he and Maryam have the same speechwriter.

    Replying to this question Usman replied, “You wrote this speech, If he knew Arshad Sharif had written Maryam’s speech also, he wouldn’t have asked him to write his speech”.

    Making a comeback to Usman’s answer Arshad said, “No, I am not such a cheap speechwriter”.

    Watch Video:

  • ‘It’s been fantastic’: Kate Middleton on Pakistan tour

    ‘It’s been fantastic’: Kate Middleton on Pakistan tour

    The Royals may have bid goodbye to Pakistan for now but we’re not getting over their visit anytime soon. And even more, after Duchess Kate told CNN that her trip to the country has “been fantastic.”

    In an exclusive news interview, apparently her first-ever ever since she became a royal, Kate Middleton said: “It’s been fantastic, we’ve seen a lot of Pakistan, a huge variety, it’s amazing seeing some of the geography but then to see some of the community activities like this [SOS Village] has been really special.”

    Kate was speaking CNN’s Max Foster after visiting an SOS children’s village in Lahore during the royal tour on Thursday.

    The Duchess, who set up an Early Years initiative last year, said: “I think William and I really wanted to come and see a SOS children’s village like this. There are so many vulnerable women here but they’ve really used their positivity and the support that the village here provides them really to support and protect the next generation, the children in their care and give them the best possible start to their future lives.”

    At the SOS village, a charitable organisation that provides orphaned children with a home and family structure, Kate and William interacted with the children and even celebrated the birthdays of three children.

    Kate also delivered the first speech of her tour there and impressed the gathered crowd by delivering the opening remarks of her speech in Urdu.

    The Duke and Duchess were so moved by the visit that they reportedly made a second trip to the village the next day after stormy weather caused a change in their plans and forced them to spend the night in Lahore.

  • VIDEO: Traffic policeman jumps on moving car

    VIDEO: Traffic policeman jumps on moving car

    A police constable has gone viral for putting his life in danger to ensure the implementation of traffic laws in Karachi.

    The video, which was shot by a motorist, shows a policeman trying to stop a car while sitting on its bonnet.

    The police confirmed that the incident happened near Nipa Chowrangi when constable Naveed Ali indicated a car to stop over an alleged violation of the law. However, the driver did not stop the car, and instead pushed the accelerator and hit the policeman. The constable landed on the bonnet of moving car after being hit by the vehicle.

    Despite seeing the constable on the bonnet, the car driver kept on driving to scare away the policeman. The driver stopped the car only when he realized that he was not going to escape the police.

    The traffic police imposed a challan of Rs 1000 on the car driver for irresponsible driving.

  • PCB tweets video of players dancing after Sarfaraz’s removal; apologises later

    Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) from its Twitter account on Friday posted a video of players dancing, moments after wicketkeeper-batsman Sarfaraz Ahmed was sacked as captain from T20 and Test format.

    Pakistan Cricket shared a GIF of batsman Fakhar Zaman dancing along with other players of the national team while Sarfaraz is leaving the scene.

    After getting massive hate on this insensitive tweet from Twitterati, PCB later removed the video and apologised for an ill-timed tweet, posted at the time of Sarfaraz Ahmed’s removal as captain of the national time.

    The board further clarified, “This was a pre-planned post as part of the one-year to go T20 WorldCup promotional campaign. The timing of this post clashed with the captaincy announcement for which the PCB offers its regrets.”

    Earlier today, Sarfaraz was removed as Test and T20I captain after a drop in his overall form during the past few series.

    Babar Azam has been appointed skipper until next year’s T20 World Cup in Australia, while Azhar Ali has been appointed as Test format captain for Pakistan’s World Test Championship matches in the 2019-20 season.

  • Royal Visit – Kate, William bid goodbye to Pakistan

    Royal Visit – Kate, William bid goodbye to Pakistan

    Prince William and Kate Middleton, after a short tour of the Army Canine Centre in Rawalpindi, left for the United Kingdom Friday afternoon. The couple was on a five-day visit to Pakistan for the first time.

    They were seen off at the Nur Khan airbase by British High Commissioner Thomas Drew and other officials.

    The couple arrived in Islamabad from Lahore earlier in the day. Their trip to Lahore was initially planned for a day only but stormy weather, rain and lightning played havoc with their schedule and forced the couple and their entire crew to spend the night in PC Hotel Lahore.

    They departed for Islamabad the next morning. Kate looked fresh and lovely in a black and cream embroidered kurta by fashion powerhouse Elan.

    According to the royal reporters who were present on the flight with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the jet flew into the storm and twice had to abort landing at the military base in Islamabad. They said that the unexpected turbulence shook the plane violently and forced everyone, including the aircrew, to strap themselves to their seats.

    Royal reporter Chris Ship added that there were many experienced pilots and aircrew (including Prince William) onboard but every one of them said they had never experienced turbulence like that before.

    Meanwhile, recounting her own experience, Duchess Kate said that though it was “a bumpy ride”, she had enjoyed the “adventure.”

    “I think it was quite an adventure really, it was pretty bumpy up there. But we were looked after so wonderfully by the RAF who did a great job liaising with everyone and got us home safely, so we are hugely grateful to them,” the Duchess said.

    Kate and William were reportedly scheduled to visit Khyber Pass and Landi Kotal (Afghan border) on the last day of their tour but due to their delayed return to Islamabad, their plan had to be cancelled. Instead, they visited the Army Canine Centre in Islamabad, where Britain provides support to a program that trains dogs to identify explosive devices.

    Pictures from the event showed the couple feeding and petting trainee bomb sniffer dogs. Kate looked regal in a black flora coat from Beulah London.

    Kate, who is dog-lover, appears to have had a blast with the canines.

    The couple was also treated to a dog show.

    For all the royal updates from Day 1, 2 and 3 click here, here and here.

  • PM Imran’s focal person for polio eradication resigns

    PM Imran’s focal person for polio eradication resigns

    Focal Person to Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan for Polio Eradication and former polio adviser Babar Atta to the United Nations (UN) on Friday resigned from office with immediate effect.

    “When I look back, I am proud to say that I made all possible efforts to create that enabling environment where polio eradication is a top priority,” Babar tweeted and added that he had asked the premier to relieve him of his duties due to “some personal reasons”.

    Atta said that that a call centre will soon be inaugurated to cater to complaints of people and answer their questions related to immunisation drive. The country’s first-ever perception management initiative will be rolled out by the end of October, he added.

    “A 24/7 call centre will soon be inaugurated to address all concerns of people who have questions related to the vaccine.”

    “I am leaving at a time when the low transmission season is about to commence. Pakistan is in a position that will finally eradicate polio once and for all. The opportunity should be capitalised and should not be lost from here. I forever remain indebted to the love and respect all of you have offered,” he said.

    Meanwhile, sources informed The Current that Atta has resigned from office since he is the only male child in his family and his ailing father needs him. “He doesn’t want to regret not being there for his parents.”

  • Larkana by-election: ‘Is Bhutto still alive?’ Zartaj Gul trolls PPP

    Larkana by-election: ‘Is Bhutto still alive?’ Zartaj Gul trolls PPP

    With Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) facing defeat in Thursday’s Larkana by-election, Minister of State for Climate Change Zartaj Gul Wazir has trolled the rival party with a jibe at its late founder, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

    By-poll in the PS-11 constituency — considered a stronghold of Sindh’s ruling PPP — had been announced by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) after the Supreme Court had de-seated Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) candidate Moazzam Ali Abbasi in August.

    With an apex court bench declaring the election tribunal’s decision void and ordering re-election in the constituency, voters on Thursday polled to elect Abbasi, unofficial results revealed.

    As per preliminary results from 138 polling stations that were set up for the by-election, Abbasi bagged 31,557 votes, while his rival Jamil Soomro of the PPP obtained 26,021 votes.

    Reacting to the results, PPP chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari vowed to challenge what he believes was “rigging” in the by-election.

    In a series of posts shared on Twitter, the PPP leader said he was proud of party workers for “fighting an honourable election,” which he claimed they did “despite immense pressure from the establishment”.

    The accusations, however, did not seem to bother GDA or its allies, one of which is the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

    “Wanted to ask if Bhutto is still alive or not,” PTI leader and minister Zartaj Gul tweeted.

    While many joined Wazir in her attempt to poke fun at the opposition party, others argued that the statement was in bad taste for speaking ill of the deceased.