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Tag: Karachi

  • Good News for Pakistani filmmakers: SHC orders 85% preference for local films

    Good News for Pakistani filmmakers: SHC orders 85% preference for local films

    After the mess that local films like Chakkar, Dum Mastam and Pardey Mein Rehne Do faced with regards to their screening times being allotted to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, there has been a major development in the situation.

    The Sindh High Court has ordered that local films get 85% of playing time at Pakistani cinemas, with foreign cinemas being allowed 15% of the exhibition space.

    According to the high court order, foreign releases must comply by rules of the Motion Picture Ordinance, 1979, which states that internationally produced films screening in Pakistan can be allowed 15% screen space of locally created films are screening as well.

    The order states that the defendants must follow the rules of the Motion Picture Ordinance “strictly in letter and spirit” and to provide 85% exhibition time to Pakistani films till the next date of hearing on June 2.

    The Sindh High Court suits numbering 754, 754 and 755 have Cereal Entertainment (Adnan Siddiqui and Akhter Hasnain), Wajahat Rauf and Shazia Wajahat, and Farid Nawaz Productions (Yasir Nawaz and Nida Yasir) as plaintiffs, for their films Dum Mastam, Parde Mein Rehne Do and Chakkar respectively.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1e_LMBNYYI

    The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Central Board of Film Censors, Punjab Film Censor Board, Sindh Board of Film Censors, Competition Commission of Pakistan, J.B. Films, Nueplex Cinemas, Cinepax Cinemas, Cinegold Cinemas, HKC Entertainment and the Karachi District South deputy commissioner.

    Local filmmakers called for compensation in the face of damages the films and makers faced with the distribution of screen time, of which the relevant teams have been vocal about on social media.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHbpA1MMkp8

    While chaos has already ensued for local films in the wake of the release of Doctor Strange, this ruling may prove beneficial (if gone unchallenged) for upcoming local releases such as Quaid-e-Azam Zindabad and London Nahi Jaunga. Moreover, while the Marvel film has amassed big figures at the box office, upcoming foreign releases such as The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, Memory, and Top Gun: Maverick stand to potentially be impacted by this decision.

    Earier this year the Zindagi Gulzar Hai star, Sanam Saeed expressed her disappointment over the absence of posters and standees of her newly released film, Ishrat Made in China, in one of the outlets of Nueplex Cinemas at Minhas Road, Karachi. There were no posters displayed of the film in the cinema.

    She took to her Twitter handle to express her concern and tagged JB Films who is the owner of Nueplex cinemas.

    She wrote, “A little disappointed in #nuplexcinemas for not putting up any of our film posters, especially on Rashid Minhas Road.”

    She also urged the cinema owners to support Pakistani content as Hollywood does not need promotion for superheroes films.

    Meanwhile, Nueplex cinemas also released their official statement and clarified their stance.

    According to the cinema management, the distributor/producer is solely responsible for providing promotional material such as standees and posters. It added, “Hence, this issue may be better addressed if it is taken up with them.”

    They also explained that the film was given only two dedicated screens throughout the opening weekend at Askari IV and DHA. They urged to bring this matter to the distributor first to resolve the issue.

    Ishrat Made in China was released on March 4 along with Hollywood’s superhero film, The Batman starring Robert Pattison in Pakistan.

  • Police conduct search operation around IK’s residence

    Police conduct search operation around IK’s residence

    Islamabad Police conducted a search operation around former Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s residence in Bani Gala on Saturday after death threats to him.

    According to Geo News, a heavy force of police, including the bomb disposal squad, conducted the operation. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers staying around Bani Gala came out of their tents and started shouting slogans against the current government.

    In Karachi, the police raided PTI Member of National Assembly (MNA) Alamgir Khan’s house in his absence on Saturday. Following this episode, PTI leaders reached Gulshan-e-Iqbal police station and submitted an application against it.

    Former federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Ali Haider Zaidi said that the Sindh police has become a “military wing of PPP”. He added that the police should besiege the Chief Minister’s House if they wanted to arrest the culprits.

  • ‘Pakistan is likely to receive $1 billion from Saudi Arabia’: PM Shehbaz

    ‘Pakistan is likely to receive $1 billion from Saudi Arabia’: PM Shehbaz

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif on Friday said that Pakistan is likely to receive an investment worth $1 billion from Saudi Arabia.

    During his speech, the PM asked businessmen to speak about their problems and said: “We need to analyse the economic situation with patience.”

    The premier then requested the business community to provide solutions as the local currency has lately been fluctuating significantly against the United States (US) dollar. “I am not here for political point-scoring,” PM Shehbaz clarified.

    “When I took the oath on April 11, the rate of United States (US) dollar against the Pakistani currently was 189,” said Shehbaz.

    “The Rs. 60-65 increase in the rupee value against the greenback wasn’t the coalition government’s fault,” Shehbaz said, adding that when the former government speculated that they would be ousted, they reduced the petroleum prices despite a price hike in the international market, thus going against the conditions of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

    “During the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) tenure loans worth Rs22,000 billion were taken which shows an 80 per cent increase from 2018,” he said, adding that “powerful echelons” in the country supported their “favourite” person.

    Shedding light on his decision regarding the ban imposed on the import of luxury and non-essential items, PM Shehbaz said that while he banned the import of certain items for some time, he did not increase the duties because the “elite class would have still purchased imported items after paying duties.”

    The premier said: “Pakistan cannot afford to purchase gas worth $20 billion; we have to slowly and gradually move towards solar and wind energy.”

    “If green energy comes to Pakistan, we will save Pakistan’s funds,” said PM Shehbaz.

    The premier arrived in Karachi earlier today on a day-long visit.

  • Supreme Court bars transfers, appointments in high-profile cases

    Supreme Court bars transfers, appointments in high-profile cases

    The Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP) is barring authorities from making new appointments and transferring officials involved in “high-profile” and National Accountability Bureau (NAB) cases as well as those cases which are being heard by special courts, reports Dawn.

    The Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) observed that special courts in Karachi and Lahore lack judges while three accountability courts in Islamabad are also empty.

    The court issued notices to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) director general, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairman and the interior secretary. The court asked the parties concerned to give an explanation as to why there was “interference” in criminal cases, and stopped the NAB and FIA from withdrawing cases till further orders.

    The court also asked to be informed about the steps being taken to protect the record of criminal cases and directed for the record of high-profile cases to be checked and sealed. When Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Ashtar Ausaf protested against this, the CJP said that the record of ongoing cases would not be sealed, only that of the prosecution.

    During the hearing, the CJP also observed that there should be “no interference in the prosecution process or the prosecution wing”.

    The CJP also noticed that FIA’s former director Mohammad Rizwan, who was probing money laundering charges against Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif and his son Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Hamza Shahbaz, was also transferred and later died of a heart attack.

    “We are concerned over these developments,” the CJP said. Justice Bandial, indirectly pointing out at Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) also stated that according to news reports, “thousands” of people had benefitted after their names were removed from the no-fly list.

    At one point, CJP Bandial remarked that the court was only concerned with ensuring justice and adjourned the hearing till May 27.

  • One killed, at least nine injured in Karachi’s Saddar blast

    One killed, at least nine injured in Karachi’s Saddar blast

    One person was killed and at least nine were injured in a blast that rocked the Saddar area of Karachi late Thursday night when a a vehicle of Pakistan Coast Guards was passing by. Sindhudesh Revolutionary Army (SRA), an outlawed nationalist party, claimed the responsibility of the blast through social media. It said that the target was Pakistan Coast Guards.

    According to the initial report submitted to Chief Minister (CM) Sindh Murad Ali Shah by the DIG South, an improvised explosive device (IED) was planted in a bicycle. The blast occurred near the United Bakery.

    According to the Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) officials, explosive material was planted in the carrier of the bicycle that was detonated using a time device.

    “The bomb was made locally and about 2 to 2.5-kilogrammes of explosive material was used in it,” said BDS, adding that “ball-bearings were used in the explosive material”.

    Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Memon has said that those responsible for the incident will not be spared.

    He said there was no threat of a blast at any particular place. Replying to a question, he said that the blast at the University of Karachi was a suicide bomb blast; however, it is too early to comment whether the two had any links.

    Administrator Karachi Murtaza Wahab said that the police and other law enforcement agencies were assessing the situation.

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif expressed deep sorrow after the terror attack.

    https://twitter.com/PMO_PK/status/1524832321492373522

    Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari expressed his sorrow and sent heartfelt condolences to the family of the deceased. He directed authorities concerned to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the incident.

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan also condemned the blast and also sent his condolences.

  • Rescue 1122 service to officially launch in Karachi this month

    Rescue 1122 service to officially launch in Karachi this month

    On May 30, the Sindh government will finally launch the Rescue 1122 service in Karachi, which would provide emergency aid to those in need.

    The approval was announced at a briefing held on Thursday at the Sindh Secretariat, with Sindh Chief Secretary Dr Muhammad Sohail Rajput in the chair. The initiative to open the trauma center and Rescue 1122 service in Larkana would also be finished by May 30, according to relevant officials.

    Later on, the service would be expanded to include the province’s other divisions. The meeting resolved that on the motorway and the Indus Highway, fire engines and ambulances would be available every 50 kilometers.

    Once the ambulance service is established under the Rescue 1122 service, the fire department would follow suit. Barrister Murtaza Wahab, the Administrator of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) and Adviser to the Sindh Chief Minister on Law, said that a fleet of 50 ambulances will begin operating in Karachi on May 30 as part of the Rescue 1122 service.

    According to him, the Sindh government chose to introduce the rescue service in Karachi after improving the city’s civic infrastructure and transportation amenities. Under the rescue plan, he said, a quick response centre would be constructed in the city every 10 kilometres.

    Read more: Met department predicts torrential rains starting next week

    Meanwhile, another meeting, chaired by the Sindh chief secretary, resolved to enlist the help of the Sindh police and Rangers to combat wheat hoarding and smuggling in the state.

  • 49 buses arrive Karachi for Orange Line BRT, intra-city service

    49 buses arrive Karachi for Orange Line BRT, intra-city service

    A total of 49 buses procured for the Orange Line BRT project and the Intra-District Peoples Bus Service reached Karachi port on May 11.

    In June 2016, Syed Qaim Ali Shah laid the foundation stone for the Orange Line, predicting that the project will be finished in a year.

    After six years, the project is still unfinished. The Sindh Mass Transit Authority (SMTA) and contractors had originally been granted until November 2021 to complete the building of the Orange Line BRT track, however, they had missed the deadline.

    The provincial minister has directed the SMTA to finish the civil and electrical work for the Orange Line BRT by the end of this month. The Orange Line BRT is named after Abdul Sattar Edhi.

    Read more: CNG prices pushed to Rs140 per kg for sales tax collection

    As the 49 buses landed at the port, Sindh Transport and Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon tweeted that the remaining buses were on their way and will come in phases over the coming months.

  • 15 lakhs goes missing from passenger’s carry-on on flight from Karachi

    15 lakhs goes missing from passenger’s carry-on on flight from Karachi

    A Pakistani-born United States (US) citizen— Imtiaz Rafiq— lost his cash worth $8,000 (1,514,256) while travelling to Houston from Jinnah International Airport, Karachi via Doha on Qatar Airways reports Geo News.

    As per the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), the money went missing from Rafiq’s backpack. He claimed that at Doha airport he checked his bag and realised the cash was gone.

    He has registered a complaint and asked for an investigation into the incident.

    According to Rafiq, he doubts that the money was stolen in Karachi as he had removed his backpack from his shoulders twice at the Karachi airport and found the cash in the backpack. He believes it likely happened during the flight from Karachi to Doha.

  • Who is going to be the next governor of Sindh?

    Who is going to be the next governor of Sindh?

    The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) led government has decided to appoint their party ally Muttahida Qaumi Move­ment-Pakistan’s (MQM-P) senior leader Nasreen Jalil as the governor of Sindh.

    If Jalil becomes the next governor, she would be the second female governor in the province’s history after the first Prime Minister (PM) Liaquat Ali Khan’s wife Begum Raana Liaquat Ali Khan who served in the 1970s.

    The office of the Sindh governor fell vacant on April 12 when Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) leader Imran Ismail resigned, hours before PM Shehbaz Sharif took oath as the premier of Pakistan.

    Nasreen Jalil was born in Lahore but she spent most of her time in Karachi. In her childhood, she lived in London. She went to Paris for her education. She joined MQM and started her political career in Karachi. She served as a senator two times. Nasreen Jalil had been elected as chairperson of the Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights in 1994 and 2012.

    Following the news, the former Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry took to Twitter, saying the “crime minister” has proposed the name of Nasreen Jalil as Sindh governor. He claimed that Jalil had written a letter to the Indian high commissioner on June 18, 2015, and sought ‘help’ against Pakistan’s law enforcement agencies.

    Similarly, PTI’s Imran Ismail and former Sindh governor said that it appears that in order to become part of the present government it has become ‘imperative’ that one should be on bail or an “expert of vicious attacks” on security institutions.

    Responding to Ismail’s tweet, Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Senator Faisal Subzwari cleared that the letter was written to all diplomats.

    He admitted that it was the party office’s mistake that the name of the Indian diplomat was not excluded from the list of diplomats. However, this letter surfaced in 2015 and its contents were before everyone.

  • 1,721 vehicles, 1,800 mobile phones snatched in Karachi during Ramzan

    1,721 vehicles, 1,800 mobile phones snatched in Karachi during Ramzan

    During the holy month of Ramzan, around 1,600 motorcycles, 1,800 cell phones, and 121 four-wheelers were snatched or stolen in Karachi, according to provincial officials’ records.

    On the other hand, considering street criminal occurrences in the city, seven people were killed and 43 others were injured. According to the police, there was a decrease in the theft of mobile phones, motorcycles, and vehicles.

    Karachi police have undertaken a number of steps to curb the city’s escalating street crime events, most notably preparing a draught law for e-tagging of street criminals, with Additional IG Karachi Ghulam Nabi Memon stating that 11,000 suspects will be placed under electronic surveillance.

    According to a draught law developed by AIG Karachi, this will be the first time the police in Pakistan will use the technology, and anyone caught repeating a crime will be tracked for two years via e-tagging.

    Read more: Rawalpindi: Transporters continue to overcharge ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr

    The defendant could only get a bond if he files an affidavit promising not to leave a given zone during the duration of electronic observation.