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Tag: in-case-you-missed-it

  • ‘Laal Kabootar’ is Pakistan’s official entry to the Oscars

    ‘Laal Kabootar’ is Pakistan’s official entry to the Oscars

    The Pakistani Academy Selection Committee, chaired by two-time Academy Award winner Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, has selected crime thriller Laal Kabootar as Pakistan’s official entry to the Oscars.

    The Oscar committee which includes Zeba Bakhtiar, Zarrar Khuhro, Sarmad Khoosat, Asim Abbasi, Rizwan Beyg and Sanam Saeed among others chose the film to be submitted for Oscar consideration in the ‘International Feature Film Award’ category for the 92nd Academy Awards.

    Laal Kabootar features Ahmed Ali Akbar and Mansha Pasha in the lead roles. Ahmed plays a taxi-driver, looking for a way out of Karachi while Mansha plays Aliya, a strong-headed woman navigating through the city. The film was well-received both critically and commercially.

    The film has been directed by Kamal Khan while Hania Chima and Kamil Chima were the executive producers.

    The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will choose the final nominees for all award categories including International Feature Film in December 2019. The complete and final list of Oscar nominees will be announced on 13th January 2020 with the presentation show for the 92nd Academy Awards scheduled to take place on 9th February 2020.

    Speaking about the selection, producers Kamil and Hania said, “This is very exciting news. This is a moment of immense pride for the entire team, from the investors who put their faith in us, to the cast and crew that worked tirelessly to tell a daring story.”

    Meanwhile, committee member Sarmad Khoosat was all praises for the film remarking, “Laal Kabootar is an authentic representation of the new wave cinema in Pakistan. Karachi’s raw and fierce beauty has never been shown like this on screen before.”

    Watch the trailer here:

  • Here are the best universities in the world

    Here are the best universities in the world

    Prospective students heads up! The Times Higher Education (THE) has released its annual World University Rankings after analysing more than 1,300 institutions across the world.

    Considered the most comprehensive global ranking, it uses 13 “performance indicators” to judge institutions’ excellence in terms of teaching, research, job placement, income and international outlook.

    This year’s ranking was along the same lines as last year – there was no change at the top this year – European and North American universities continue to dominate.

    The University of Oxford took the top spot for the fourth year in a row, with its traditional rival the University of Cambridge dropping to third place behind the California Institute of Technology.

    UK’s highest-ranked universities including Imperial College London, UCL, the London School of Economics and Political Science, and the University of Edinburgh have all dropped by one place.

    Switzerland was the only country outside the United Kingdom and North America to break into the top 20, with the ETH Zurich coming in joint 13th place. Ellie Bothwell, THE’s rankings editor, said that while Europe continued to perform “extremely well” and attract academics from around the world, there could be challenges ahead.

    Seven territories included in the analysis for the first time were Bangladesh, Brunei, Cuba, Malta, Montenegro, Puerto Rico and Vietnam. Iran was one of the biggest overall climbers, overtaking France and Australia with 40 universities included.

    Asia is the only region posing a serious threat to Anglo-American dominance in the rankings, now in their 16th year. China has grown to be the fourth-most-represented country in the world, while Japan has strengthened its position as the second, though it lags behind countries such as Denmark and Belgium in terms of top-200 representation.

    Meanwhile, in Pakistan, Quaid-i-Azam University (401-500) was the highest-ranked in the country followed by COMSATS University (601-800), Islamabad and University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, International Islamic University, Islamabad, Lahore University of Management Sciences, National University of Sciences and Technology and the University of Punjab in the 801-1000 bracket.

  • Mobile phones banned in police stations

    Mobile phones banned in police stations

    Following a string of custodial deaths due to alleged torture in just the past week, the Punjab police has banned the use of cellphones by officers while on duty and barred them from capturing videos of other police personnel as well. Videos of the incidences of torture had been widely circulated on social media raising outrage.

    However, citizens and media personnel will not be banned from taking them inside.

    A notification sent by the additional inspector general on behalf of the Punjab Inspector General of Police Arif Nawaz to all Punjab police officers stated that it had been observed that police officials were using mobile phones while on duty even though “clear directions in this regard have already been conveyed to all field formations”. It added that it was the responsibility of the field formations “to get these instructions/directions/SOPs implemented in letter and spirit.”

    The notification further read: “Frequent violations of these directions/SOPs reflect badly on the performance of supervising officers. In future, no officer below the rank of SHO (Station House Officer) or in-charge of a deployed duty will use [a] cellphone while on duty.”

    Lower-ranking officers will instead be allowed to use ordinary phones that do not have the video recording feature.

    The letter asserted that it was “strictly forbidden” to make a video of police officers on duty or upload a video of police officers performing their duty and any violation will result in “severe departmental action” against the police personnel involved as well as their supervisory officer.

    At least three cases of police torture had surfaced last week including that of the infamous ATM robber Salahuddin Ayubi. Punjab IG expressed extreme displeasure over these deaths in police custody and said that the recent deaths and maltreatment in police custody indicated the irresponsible behaviour of field and senior police officials. The police chief warned that DPOs, SPs, SDPOs and supervisory officers would be held responsible if any such case surfaced again in the future.

    Police brutality is a topic which has long been debated. In this regard, Spokesperson to Punjab Chief Minister Dr Shahbaz Gill on Sunday had said that the provincial government would soon introduce reforms in the police force and that a summary in this regard has been sent to Prime Minister Imran Khan for final review.

    Criticising the previous governments, Gill said that police were used as a tool for political victimisation in the past but now things would change. He asserted that the present government is striving hard to make things better, adding that a positive change would be visible within six months.

    Prime Minister Imran Khan on several occasions has iterated the government’s commitment to bring reforms in the police force to so as to improve its performance. PM Imran had said that he wanted to see independent police in the country.

    Meanwhile, this development created outrage on social media.

    https://twitter.com/FaisalViewss/status/1171002231497400320?s=20
    https://twitter.com/SameenaERana/status/1170990622481817601?s=20
  • Ahad Raza Mir, Osman Khalid Butt’s ‘Ehd-e-Wafa’ has everyone buzzing

    Ahad Raza Mir, Osman Khalid Butt’s ‘Ehd-e-Wafa’ has everyone buzzing

    The teaser of Hum TV’s latest offering Ehd-e-Wafa dropped yesterday and considering the names attached to the project, it comes as no surprise that everyone is excited and looking forward to it.

    Starring Ahad Raza Mir, Osman Khalid Butt, Zara Noor Abbas, Ahmed Ali Akbar, Wahaj Ali, Alizeh Shah and Hajira Yamin, Ehd-e-Wafa is directed by Saifee Hassan. The Current has exclusively learnt that Ehd-eWafa will be a TV drama.

    According to Hum TV, the drama is about “Friends, friendship, the journey of hardships and hustle, and willingness to sacrifice everything for the country.”

    Ahad, Osman, Ahmed and Wahaj will be essaying the roles of four friends who are SSG (Special Service Group) officials. Alizeh will be Ahad’s love interest and it is being speculated that Zara will be Osman’s.

    From the first look, the drama has been shot in the Lawrence College. Murree and the areas surrounding it.

    Teaser 1

    As soon as the teasers dropped, everyone took to Twitter to express their excitement so much so that the hashtag for it started trending at number one, as did Ahad’s dialogue, “Kutte bano, insaan mat bano.“

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B1zHFoJnMVU/

    Everything aside, we’re still curious to know if this is the same project which DG ISPR Major General Asif Ghafoor had hinted at when he congratulated Ahad on his engagement.

    https://twitter.com/peaceforchange/status/1137664559299342337?s=20
  • PICTURES: Amir Khan visits the LoC

    PICTURES: Amir Khan visits the LoC

    Acclaimed British-Pakistani boxer Amir Khan on Tuesday visited the Line of Control where he met the families of those affected by India’s ceasefire violations and to highlight the ongoing Indian aggression in Indian-occupied Kashmir (IoK).

    Khan met with the families affected by unprovoked firing by Indian troops along the LoC and pledged to help the victims with funds from the Amir Khan Foundation.

    Speaking to media on the occasion, Khan said the purpose of his visit was to advocate for peace and to highlight the plight of the Kashmiris who have been living under siege since August 5, when India revoked Article 370 which granted a special status to the region.

    “My heart beats with the people of [occupied] Kashmir who are living under siege. I condemn India’s actions [in occupied Kashmir],” Khan said.

    “I will continue to be the voice of Kashmiris against the brutalities of Indian [occupation]. I will tell people back in Britain about the situation here.”

    Khan further called on celebrities worldwide to raise their voice for IoK and its people.

    The boxer’s visit to the area had been facilitated by the Pakistan Army and Khan had thanked Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) Major General Asif Ghafoor for organising his visit.

  • Boxer Amir Khan is going to the Line of Control

    Boxer Amir Khan is going to the Line of Control

    Acclaimed British-Pakistani boxer Amir Khan has announced that he will be visiting the Line of Control to highlight the ongoing Indian aggression in Indian-occupied Kashmir (IoK).

    Khan in a tweet shared that Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Asif Ghafoor was giving him the opportunity to visit the LoC.

    The boxer also posted a video message calling for peace.

    “This trip to Kashmir will be for peace,” Khan said. “I see that there are a lot of problems there… a lot of innocent people are being killed and injured.”

    The boxer also praised the Pakistan Army for “doing a great job” and said he wants to go to Kashmir on behalf of the Amir Khan Foundation and express his support for the people there.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B1jt7vqj2Da/

    Ever since India revoked Article 370 which granted special status to IoK, tensions between the two neighbouring countries have reached an all-time high. Pakistan has demanded the UN take immediate notice of the deteriorating human rights situation in the occupied valley and play its role in relieving the Kashmiris from the Indian atrocities they have been facing for the last 20 days.

  • Qubool hai: Hamza Ali Abbasi & Naimal Khawar

    Qubool hai: Hamza Ali Abbasi & Naimal Khawar

    After a whirlwind week which began with speculations, followed by Hamza’s lengthy acceptance and then a note on the right way of finding love, Hamza Ali Abbasi and Naimal Khawar have said their Qubool hais and are now officially man and wife.

    Their nikkah ceremony, which was an intimate affair, took place in Islamabad in the presence of family and some very close friends. Both the bride and groom looked radiant in white outfits and since it was a day time event they made sure to take some sunkissed selfies and pictures.

    Naimal opted to wear her mother’s bridal dress and jewellery. Islamabad-based designer Maheen Shah did Naimal’s outfit.

    “Naimal wanted to reuse her mother’s bridal and we thought it’ll surely make her look like a timeless bride. Playing with the vintage old world charm we paired it with a gold kamdaani kameez with gota and silma work on the front/back border, sleeves and the neckline. We added another organza dupatta with kamdaani chatta, finished with lace, lappa and taamba lace,” said the designer on the bride’s outfit.

    Close friends of the couple which included Gohar Rasheed, Ammara Hikmat, Usman Mukhtar, Bilal Lashari, Umair Jaswal and Atif Aslam graced the event with their presence. Senior PTI leader Senator Faisal Javed Khan and Murad Saeed were also present at the event.

    • The Groomsmen
    • Usman Mukhtar with the bride

    Besties Gohar Rasheed and Bilal Lashari were the dulha’s gawah.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B1llkKNn7kn/

    Here are some video highlights from the event.

    The larkay walay arriving

    Hamza Ali Abbasi with his mother and sister Dr Fazeela Abbasi.

    Qubool hai time

    The bride and groom meeting after the Nikkah

    Putting a ring on it

    The dulha dulhan sharing a light moment

    Selfie time

    Hamza is the perfect husband as he helps his wife manage her outfit as she walks.

    Rukhsati

    Wishing the couple a wonderful married life.

  • ‘Another anti-Pakistan project’: Mehwish Hayat lashes out as SRK’s ‘Bard of Blood’ stirs controversy

    ‘Another anti-Pakistan project’: Mehwish Hayat lashes out as SRK’s ‘Bard of Blood’ stirs controversy

    As disappointing as it is, it appears that Bollywood is on a mission to produce as many nationalistic films as possible and portray Pakistanis as the bad guys.

    King of Bollywood Shah Rukh Khan’s latest project, Bard of Blood, is set in Balochistan and follows three Indian spies who’re on a “suicide mission,” to rescue four other RAW agents captured in the Pakistani province. The seven-episode thriller series is based on Bilal Siddiqui’s 2015 book of the same name and is being produced by SRK for Netflix. Emraan Hashmi is playing the lead in the film.

    Khan described it as “a thrilling tale of espionage, vengeance, love, and duty”.

    However, considering tensions between the two neighbouring countries are currently at an all-time high, it is frankly irritating to see Bollywood churn out such content which only serves to create more divide. The ironic bit is that such a plot has been done to death.

    Hence, it comes as no surprise that Pakistanis have had enough of being portrayed as the villains in every single Bollywood movie of recent times – think Uri: The Surgical Strike. Which is why they took to Twitter to vent their frustrations. Even DG ISPR, General Asif Ghafoor had something to comment on the matter.

    Recently, Mehwish Hayat in a powerful speech had called out Bollywood for vilifying Pakistanis and after the trailer of the series released, she lashed out on Twitter once again. This time she also called out SRK for being part of such content.

    Similarly, Mansha Pasha also expressed her anger.

  • What happened in the Senate Elections – Pakistani Drama Style

    What happened in the Senate Elections – Pakistani Drama Style

  • Bollywood filmmakers rush to register films on the Kashmir issue

    Bollywood filmmakers rush to register films on the Kashmir issue

    Following the Indian government’s decision to revoke Article 370 which granted Jammu and Kashmir a special status, Bollywood filmmakers have rushed to register film titles such as Article 370, Article 35A, Kashmir Hamara Hai and Dhara 370, among others.

    According to a report in the Mumbai Mirror, over 50 titles related to the move have been registered at various Hindi film bodies. A source close to the development shared, “Taking a cue from the success of (Anubhav Sinha’s recently released Ayushmann Khurrana-starrer) Article 15, filmmakers have rushed to register films relating to the Kashmir incident with the titles Article 370 and Article 35A being their first choice.” He added that the associations have received at least 25-30 applications for them.

    Previously, after the Indian Air Force’s strikes at Balakot in February, Bollywood producers had rushed to film bodies to book names such as Pulwama: The Deadly Attack, Surgical Strike 2.0, Balakot and Pulwama Attacks, among others.

    Trade analyst Atul Mohan noted that filmmakers had rushed to register titles around such subjects because they “pique the audience’s curiosity.”

    Like in the case of the Vicky Kaushal-starrer Uri: The Surgical Strike which was a huge hit.

    Meanwhile, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan has reiterated that no Indian movie will be screened in Pakistani cinemas. Talking to media outside Parliament House on Thursday, Awan said a policy was being formulated to ban all kinds of Indian cultural content in Pakistan.