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Tag: Pakistan

  • ‘Our tolerance is much higher’: Adnan Siddiqui thinks Pakistanis are more accepting than Indian audiences

    ‘Our tolerance is much higher’: Adnan Siddiqui thinks Pakistanis are more accepting than Indian audiences

    Pakistani actor Adnan Siddiqui spoke with The Indian Express about his 2019 hit drama ‘Mere Pass Tum Ho’ which is set to appear on the Indian channel ‘Zee Zindagi’ which has also aired previous Pakistani dramas like ‘Qissa MeherBano Ka’ and ‘Hum Kahan Kay Sachay Thay’.

    Touching upon the topic of the ban on Pakistani music and films in India and vice versa, the actor said that there should be a healthy cultural exchange between the two countries as he feels Pakistanis are more tolerant in comparison to Indian audiences:

    “Art has no boundaries, but artistes have a certain boundary, which shouldn’t be there. There should be healthy cultural exchange. I believe that the kind of tolerance–pardon me for being so blunt–but our tolerance, in comparison to Indian audience is much higher. We accept Indian artistes, Indian cricketers, we accept everything good about India. But when this thing goes across the border, it becomes very political. I don’t know why.”

    Adnan, who starred in Bollywood film ‘Mom’ in 2017 which starred the late veteran Bollywood actress Sri Devi and our very own Sajal Aly, and was met with applause by audiences both in India and Pakistan. But the actor recalled how after the Fawad Khan controversy, the filming had to be kept quiet.

    “I remember when I was filming Mom, it was kept very hush-hush, because the whole Fawad Khan controversy had happened. Boney was saying that we can’t do interviews, public appearances. This shouldn’t be happening; the responsibility should be taken by both the governments and the political parties, to at least be a little lenient when there is art involved somewhere.”

    Speaking further on the ban and his dissapointment on not being able to establish a career in Bollywood, Siddiqui revealed that it was actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s manager who reached out to him with some jobs, but it eventually didn’t work out.

    “I was thinking to have my career over there, Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s manager was in touch with me, he was offering me some work over there and I was looking at those also, but then it didn’t happen. No regrets, really.”

  • SC refuses Khan’s plea to pause trial court proceedings in the Toshakhana case

    SC refuses Khan’s plea to pause trial court proceedings in the Toshakhana case

    The Supreme Court (SC) rejected former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s petition on Wednesday to pause trial court proceedings in the Toshakhana case.

    The former prime minister went to the apex court when he didn’t get relief from the Islamabad High Court (IHC) in the Toshakhana case.

    Last year, on October 21, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) disqualified Imran Khan in the Toshakhana case for making “false statements and incorrect declarations.”

    The trial court said on July 8 that ECP’s plea is defensible and further proceeded against the former Prime Minister Imran Khan. After that, Imran Khan approached the SC for relief.

    A two-member SC bench heard the case today. Justice Yahya Afridi remarked that the SC will not interfere in the matters of the trial court.

    He further said that it’s not within the SC’s jurisdiction to hear the petition while the case is already in the IHC.

    “Court’s jurisdiction is a major issue, it should be decided first,” the justice remarked.

  • ‘What even’: Sahir Lodhi’s philosophy has people scratching their heads

    ‘What even’: Sahir Lodhi’s philosophy has people scratching their heads

    Recently, a Sahir Lodhi quote featured in Tribune Lifestyle has left people scratching their head. The website quoted Lodhi’s interview with Cinevision Youtube channel where he said: “‘Sahir’ and ‘Sahir Lodhi’ are two different people. Sahir is somebody that I know. Sahir Lodhi is somebody that everyone knows. Everyone has access to Sahir Lodhi. But only Sahir Lodhi has access to Sahir.”

    Is this the plot to Inception? When the quote went viral on Twitter, users took their best shot at trying to decipher what Sahir meant. We’ll share some of the hilarious responses to Lodhi’s philosophy.

    https://twitter.com/KhizerAliKhan18/status/1683898287563079687?s=20
  • ‘Nothing decent to talk about’: Imran Abbas slams talk shows for insulting actors

    ‘Nothing decent to talk about’: Imran Abbas slams talk shows for insulting actors

    Actor Imran Abbas has taken to his Facebook account to discuss how entertainment talk shows have fallen in quality, after a series of controversies surrounding talk shows. The saga begun when model Ekra Faiz said Hania Amir was an overrated actress who was everywhere on television, and a resurfaced clip showed Sadaf Kanwal making demeaning comments about Mahira Khan’s appearance.

    Now, the ‘Tumharay Hussn Kay Naam’ actor has stated that he refuses to go on talk shows anymore because the conversations are focused on criticising one’s appearance, looks or deciding whether they are religious or not.

    “It’s one of the major reasons for me to refuse to go to these talk shows conducted by those fame-deprived hosts, who are known to no one, doesn’t have any claim to fame, and don’t have any acheivements under their belt, who even talk publicly about celebrities’ personal lives and at times about their religious and personal beliefs too and have the audacity to judge people and their work as well without any personal accomplishments of their own and without knowing these celebrities journey’s..”

    The actor urged talk show hosts to stop focusing on mundane, senseless issues that only seek to profit off other people’s misery, and to focus on important issues one can discuss in society:

    “Don’t you have anything decent to talk, any important issue left in our society to discuss and ponder, can’t you sit for a while for something deep and meaningful which needs our focus or anything which is humorous yet not derogatory?”

    Imran also urged other actors to join him in refusing to attend talk shows so that hosts can learn to remember their responsibility to make moral and ethical shows:

    “I request our fellow actors to discourage them by stop being a part of these ‘wanna be funny/ popular talk shows’…Please have some morals and set a precedent since we all have lots of responsibilities when we come on stage even as guests/ hosts.”

    Read his complete post here:

  • Raja Riaz rejects Dar for caretaker PM, sees no need for immediate elections

    Raja Riaz rejects Dar for caretaker PM, sees no need for immediate elections

    The leader of the opposition in the National Assembly, Raja Riaz, said on Tuesday that Finance Minister Ishaq Dar is not a suitable candidate for the position of caretaker PM. He has also said that there is no need for an immediate election in the country.

    The tenure of the National Assembly is going to expire on August 12. Members of the government are holding consultations over the matter of the interim government.

    Speaking on the matter of the caretaker setup, Raja Riaz said that the idea of appointing Ishaq Dar as caretaker PM is not good. “Elections will not be held for two years if Ishaq Dar becomes the interim prime minister,” he said.

    Asking the PML-N to reveal a name in media, Raja Riaz said that there is no need for him to consult on it. “As the opposition leader, I have to give my three names. I will meet the Prime Minister by August 1 on the caretaker government issue,” he added.

    The leader of the opposition has also dismissed the idea of an immediate election in the country. “The problems of the country and the people are more important. The solution to the challenges faced at this time is most important”.

    Raja Riaz was appointed as the leader of the opposition in May 2022 by the speaker of the National Assembly, Raja Pervez Ashraf.

  • Khwaja Asif slammed for calling PTI women legislators ‘garbage’

    Khwaja Asif slammed for calling PTI women legislators ‘garbage’

    Federal Minister for Defence, Khwaja Asif, found himself yet again at the center of a controversy after he passed derogatory comments about female legislators of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

    After being criticized by PTI parliamentarians on the “bulldozing” of bills in the assembly, Asif spoke up and reminded the opposition of their government’s tenure when bills were similarly bulldozed through the lower House.

    “Depraved women should not lecture on chastity,” he said, then stated that if he responds, the “woman card” will be used against him.

    Asif then went on to call the women the “remains” and “ruins” of Imran Khan, pointing towards the benches where Senators Zarqa Suharwardy Taimur, Sania Nishtar, Falak Naz Chitrali and Fawzia Arshad were sitting.

    “This is the garbage that has to be cleaned,” he remarked.

    His comments were met by fierce protests by PTI female parliamentarians.

    Raja Pervez Ashraf, the Speaker of the National Assembly, then expunged the word “garbage” from the speech.

    Asif, who has in the past been accused of misogynistic comments, most notably against PTI leader Shireen Mazari, has been slammed by commentators and politicians for the speech.

  • Imran Khan to be indicted in ECP contempt case in August

    Imran Khan to be indicted in ECP contempt case in August

    The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) postponed the indictment of former Prime Minister Imran Khan till August 2 in a contempt case filed against him, Geo News has reported.

    The ECP had on Monday ordered that the Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) be arrested and presented before the ECP in a case in which he allegedly used “”intemperate” language against the constitutional body and the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC).

    A four-member bench, headed by Nisar Durrani, heard the case.

    One of the members of the bench said that the commission will frame the charge against the former PM on August 2, and the bench directed that Imran Khan should appear in person at the next hearing.

    Earlier last year, the ECP issued contempt notices in exercise of its powers of contempt, against PTI chief Imran Khan and party leaders for allegedly using “intemperate” language against the chief election commissioner and ECP. The electoral body asked them to appear in person or through their counsel before the commission to explain their position.

    During today’s hearing, Imran Khan’s lawyer, Shaheen Sohail, requested to adjourn the hearing until September.

    “We have only one month of vacation, and since you asked for a personal appearance, we have appeared”, Shaheen said.

    He further added, “Earlier, there were other lawyers on this case; now, I am the lawyer. This is my first appearance.”

  • ‘Mere Paas Tum Ho’ set to air in India from August onwards

    ‘Mere Paas Tum Ho’ set to air in India from August onwards

    Pakistani drama ‘Mere Paas Tum Ho’ is set to air on Indian channel ‘Zee Zindagi’. The Humayun Saeed and Ayeza Khan starrer will join the ranks of Pakistani dramas like ‘Qissa Meherbano Ka’, ‘Hum Kahan Kay Sachay Thay’ among others, all of whom have enjoyed popular airtime on the Indian channel ‘Zee Zindagi’.

    On the official Instagram page, the channel had announced:

    “What happens when you feel money CAN buy happiness?  Here’s a glimpse of the much-awaited show!  #MerePaasTumHo, Coming Soon on Indian Television screens!”

    Penned by Khalil-ul-Rehman Qamar, the show revolves around Danish (played by Humayun), a traditional man who lives a simple life in a small flat with his wife and son. However, his wife Mehwish (played by Ayeza Khan) is an ambitious woman who dreams of acquiring wealth. When the couple meets Shehwar (played by Adnan Sdiddiqui) she falls for him and soon after, leaves her family to marry him.

    Siddiqui recently made an appearance on Junaid Akram’s podcast where he spoke about the success of the drama, playfully suggesting that he should have charged more for his role had he known how big a hit the drama would become:

    “If I knew how successful it would be, I wouldn’t have charged the money that I did. I would’ve taken a lot more. For the first time ever, Humayun asked me to play a role that he had in mind, and he was right. It was very big of him to suggest that. He told me that people had already cast me for it since like 6 years ago. Like, they had my name in mind,” Adnan shared.

  • Alarming surge in violence against women in Punjab with Lahore at top

    Alarming surge in violence against women in Punjab with Lahore at top

    A staggering surge has been witnessed in violence against women, with over 10,000 cases reported in the first four months of 2023 alone in Punjab.

    Startling data from the Sustainable Social Development Organisation (SSDO), a research-based advocacy firm, reveals that 5,551 women were kidnapped during this period, translating to an alarming average of two women abducted every hour.

    SSDO, through a ‘Right to Information’ request to the Punjab Police under Article 19-A of the Constitution, collected the data, reflecting an urgent need for policymakers and stakeholders to address the issue and devise targeted measures to combat this growing crisis.

    The report revealed that between January 1, 2023, and April 30, 2023, Punjab police registered a total of 10,365 cases of violence against women, alongside 1,768 cases of violence against children. However, the actual numbers may be considerably higher as many incidents go unreported due to social stigma and a lack of trust in law enforcement.

    Lahore took the lead with 1,427 reported cases of violence, with one out of every four victims being kidnapped from the provincial capital. Other concerning statistics include 2,818 cases of physical assault, with Lahore as the primary hotspot (504), followed by Sheikhupura (262) and Faisalabad (225).

    Additionally, 1,111 cases of rape and 613 cases of human trafficking were documented, with Lahore again topping the list with 139 rape cases and 210 trafficking cases. Faisalabad reported a significant number of rape cases at 117.

  • Court accepts petition declaring Imran Khan’s sisters and PTI leaders absconders

    Court accepts petition declaring Imran Khan’s sisters and PTI leaders absconders

    An anti-terrorism court in Lahore has accepted a petition filed by the police to declare Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s sisters and other PTI leaders ‘absconders’ for not cooperating with the ongoing investigation related to the May 9 riots cases.

    Police told the court that PTI leaders are not cooperating with the investigation and are currently in hiding. According to the police, those PTI leaders are involved in the May 9 riots.

    The police, therefore, pleaded with the court to declare the aforementioned individuals “absconders”.

    The court has initiated the process with Aleema Khan, Uzma Khan, Aslam Iqbal, Hammad Azhar, Farrukh Habib, Murad Saeed, Zubair Niazi, Hassaan Niazi, Ali Amin Gandapur, Azam Swati, Andleeb Abbas and others named in the plea.

    On the other hand, the court has also extended the judicial remand of PTI’s senior leaders, including Dr. Yasmin Rashid, Ejaz Chaudhary, and former Punjab governor Umar Sarfraz Cheema.

    The court has also directed the police to submit challans against them at the next hearing.