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Tag: Pakistan

  • 41 years later, ‘Ankahi’ is still more progressive than current drama serials

    41 years later, ‘Ankahi’ is still more progressive than current drama serials

    If we were to tell you that a drama is on air on Pakistani screens, showcasing a feisty, independent woman who stands up against forced marriages, is living with her single mother and uncle but never laments about not being married or plots 24/7 to entrap a man? You would say petrol is mulk mein sasta hojaye ga, but Pakistani dramas kabhi itnay achay nahi thay.

    We’re sorry to tell you that there was a time when Pakistani dramas were progressive and revolved around empowered women who never waited for a man, but were powerful and independent. Despite airing decades ago, more and more Pakistani women are watching classical dramas from PTV, and expressing their shock at the kind of empowering, witty women in these shows who never tolerated abuse, or the horrifying kind of things Pakistani dramas today think that all women want.

    Take ‘Ankahi’ penned by the brilliant Haseena Moin in 1982, decades ago and yet appealing to a mass audience with its main lead, Sana (played by Shehnaz Sheikh) who dreams of being rich, is clumsy yet endearing, outspoken about standing up for her rights, takes on the task to become financially independent and starts working despite the opposition she faces from her relatives.

    Did we imagine that what would pave the way after the women of Haseena Moin like Sana, Sunia, and the countless women from her drama’s- would be Umera Ahmed’s Khirad? A woman who set romantic standards that despite being neglected, kicked out of her home while pregnant, you forgive the man and every thing is good in the end.

    There is certain charm in the way PTV classical dramas from the minds of writers like Syed Mohammad Ahmed, Moin and Anwar Maqsood still appeal to audiences. They wrote over a variety of topics, covering a variety of issues like domestic violence (Sitara Aur Mehru Nisa), family planning (Aahat) and even light hearted rom-coms about women trying to pursue the men they love (Tum Se Kehna Tha). These dramas were upfront about bringing stories about women, and the issues they face to the spotlight, regardless of how absurd it may seem. Aahat discussed how women in Pakistan are pressurised to give birth to sons, are taunted when they have families full of girl children, and even didn’t shy away from depicting what post partum depression looks like, when the mother (played by Sania Saeed) is quickly returning home after giving birth, despite being forbidden by her doctor, and how she is made to endure the separation from her daughter because of the pressure her family puts on her. And as Moin put it herself, more rebellious women challenging the patriarchy was the onus:

    “I created the bold woman character as a counterpoint to all male writers who were showing women as a miserable victim, crushed by the system, eternally self-sacrificing, nurturing, serving her husband even though he visited prostitutes. Oh, it was so degrading! I like writing rebellious characters, and I keep repeating them so that there is an impact. The only thing is, my mode is comic and my words are never harsh. During many interviews, I have been asked why I show strong women characters. It annoys me. Do they ask male writers, why they show strong male characters?”

    Fast forward to the year 2023, censorship is at an all time high, and it was the implication of consensual sex that set PEMRA after ‘Tere Bin’ after a string of scenes depicted domestic violence, stalking, slapping, attempted suicide- too long of a list to get into.

    A few days ago, during an appearance at Mazaak Raat, Syed Mohammad Ahmed spoke about how writer’s today are more munshi than writers. They lack the creative freedom they had in the past to write about topics of their choice, and how the fixed formulae of creating a hit drama involved women being battered and abused, rather than rebelling against the patriarchy.

    Listening to this and watching as one of the currently hit dramas in Pakistan revolves around two cousins getting married, and the woman being demonised because she wanted to marry rich, there’s no way to stop the despair from hitting in. The hole left by Haseena Moin will be difficult to fill, as the entertainment industry keeps its head buried in the sand.

  • ‘Dead on Arrival’ or ‘The End’? Aleem Khan responds to SMQ’s comments about JKT’s party

    ‘Dead on Arrival’ or ‘The End’? Aleem Khan responds to SMQ’s comments about JKT’s party

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi has termed the launch of the newly established political party of Jahangir Khan Tareen, Istehkam-e-Pakistan, as “dead on arrival”.


    He made the comments while speaking with journalists outside an anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Lahore on Saturday.


    “I would only say this much about it. When you take a patient, after an incident, to a hospital’s emergency. For instance, the Services Hospital is close by. You take them to an emergency.”

    “The doctors conduct their examination, after which they declare them dead. So I will only say this is a launch which is dead on arrival,” he said.


    Abdul Aleem Khan, who has also joined Tareen’s party, responded to Qureshi’s comment saying that people know which party’s launch is dead on arrival, and which party is ending.

    Jahangir Khan Tareen, formally established the political party on Thursday in Lahore. Former PTI leaders Imran Ismail, Aleem Khan and Ali Zaidi were also present at the press conference to announce the launch.
    The party comprises more than 100 former National Assembly members and leaders of PTI.

  • Shoaib Akhtar is not interested in a second marriage

    Shoaib Akhtar is not interested in a second marriage

    Former fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar recently appeared on Hafiz Ahmed’s podcast where he opened up about whether he would get married for a second time.

    The speedster rejected the idea of marrying again, saying that he would remain committed to his wife. The cricketer said that although Islam allows men to marry multiple times, it also encourages men to remain faithful and kind to their wives:

    “You can get married four times, but I believe that once you’re attached to someone, they have left their home for you so you should leave your things for them as well. Be nice to her, kind to her. You should be an inspiring figure to her. You should have a strong character and shouldn’t pressurise her to do anything. I’m always straight forward and honest, I take care of my children and teach them the Quran.”

    The cricketer, who tied the knot with Rubab Khan in 2014, talked about the arranged marriage his parents had set up for him, when they met his wife’s parents during Hajj:

    “My mother had met my wife’s mother during the time they were completing Hajj, and during this visit she had taken a lot of care of my mother. When my parents came back, during that moment my mother introduced me to a girl and told me ‘This is your wife’, and I agreed to marry her.”

    Akhtar said they had a simple nikkah ceremony, which wasn’t open to public, with just a few people from his family and from his wife’s family.

    Akhtar went on to reveal that he is quite different from his conservative wife because of his liberal views, but he has never pressurised her to do anything that she doesn’t want to, including asking her to make media appearances:

    “My family doesn’t like coming on tv. My wife is very conservative, even though I am very liberal, very open minded. I keep asking her to go out and eat something, and she refuses.”

    Akhtar also added that he respects his wife’s preference which is why he doesn’t speak about their personal life during media appearances, to keep supporting her choice to remain a private figure.

  • Eight cases of rape reported in Lahore in last 48 hours

    Eight cases of rape reported in Lahore in last 48 hours

    Eight cases of rape have been registered in Lahore in last 48 hours, Dawn has reported.

    A housemaid was raped in Defence Lahore, after being promised a job against an attractive salary package. The woman got pregnant after the rape, leading to her husband kicking her out of the house.

    In a separate incident, a man kidnapped a 14-year-old girl from Muzaffargarh, took her to Lahore, and raped her.

    One woman was gang raped in Quaid-e-Azam Industrial area, another was raped in Sabzazar.

    Another woman was allegedly raped in Green Town area of Lahore.


    As per the details, the suspects involved in rape incidents also take money from the the survivors by blackmailing them.
    Last year in June, Punjab government declared a rape emergency in the province, following an increase in rape and sodomy cases in the province.

  • This resurfaced advertisement about partition from Google India is moving Twitter to tears

    This resurfaced advertisement about partition from Google India is moving Twitter to tears

    An advertisement titled ‘Reunion’ made by Google India in 2013 has resurfaced on Twitter. The ad was about two long lost friends from India and Pakistan who are reunited with the help of their grandchildren.

    The advertisement revolves around two grandchildren who listen to their grandfathers recall being friends and living in Lahore, until partition took place, driving them apart. The grand daughter from India then tries hard to connect with the friend from Pakistan, and books tickets to get the two to unite.

    A twitter thread by an Indian twitter user asked followers about the best advertisements they had ever seen. In reply, a user shared the ad, moving Twitter to tears.

    The partition between India and Pakistan is still like an open wound. It is nice to remember that despite political tensions between the two countries, people remain united by love.

    “This never fails to bring a lump in my throat and moisten the eyes,” wrote a user.

    “Actual tears rolling down my eyes.” wrote another user.

    “Now why is Google making me tear up on a Friday afternoon”.

  • ANF seizes heavy amount of drugs in country wide operations

    ANF seizes heavy amount of drugs in country wide operations

    The Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) on Saturday arrested five drug peddlers and seized a huge cache of drugs in operations across the country.

    According to the ANF spokesman, the ANF carried out multiple operations in various parts of the country. The force foiled a major drug smuggling attempt from Quetta to Punjab and also recovered 180 kg of hashish from a truck full of onions near Dera Ghazi Khan.

    He said two suspects, who were residents of Pishin, were apprehended by the ANF team. In another operation, 500 grams of heroin was recovered from a suspect who belongs to Sialkot near Wazirabad Road in Hafizabad district of Punjab.

    Another operation was conducted at Indus Chowk near Gadap Town in Karachi, where 51 kgs of hashish was recovered from a car. It was being smuggled from Quetta to Karachi, he added.

    The spokesperson further said 371 kg of heroin and 221 kg of morphine were recovered from an uninhabited area of Pishin and also 10 kg of hashish was recovered from a rickshaw at Airport Road in Quetta.

    He said cases have been registered against the arrested suspects under the Anti-Narcotics Act and further investigation is underway.

  • ‘Apologise to the nation for record-high 38% inflation’: PTI wants Dar to resign

    ‘Apologise to the nation for record-high 38% inflation’: PTI wants Dar to resign

    A spokesperson for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in a statement on Friday said that they want Finance Minister Ishaq Dar to resign and apologise to citizens for taking the country to the brink of default and unleashing 38 percent inflation.

    The PTI spokesperson further said that the Economic Survey FY2023 “paints a truly dismal picture of the economy”.

    “The epic failure of the PDM government has led to a ‘never-seen-before’ crisis with eight million workers becoming unemployed in FY2023, the unemployment rate rising to 10%, and causing nearly 18 million households to fall below the poverty line.”

    “The epic failure of his ‘Dar peg’ policy has showcased again why we believe he is unfit for this job, with a complete lack of basic understanding of markets and economic policy. This policy has brought the economy to the brink of a default, with SBP reserves now standing at only $3.9bn, not even enough to finance one month of imports. They were $10.5 billion at the time of the VONC,” the statement added.

    Amidst the economic crisis, the coalition government presented an expansionary budget for fiscal year 2023-24 on Friday.

  • Govt increases defence budget by 16% to Rs1.8 trillion

    Govt increases defence budget by 16% to Rs1.8 trillion

    In response to the prevailing internal and external security challenges faced by Pakistan, the federal government has put forward a proposal for a substantial 16 per cent rise in the defence budget. According to the budget document, the allocation for defence in the fiscal year 2023-24 is projected to be Rs1,804 billion, signifying an increase from the revised defence spending of Rs1,591 billion assigned for the outgoing fiscal year.

    Experts opine that the justification for a 15.7 per cent surge in the defence budget stems from the record inflation and devaluation of the rupee against the dollar witnessed over the past year. A detailed examination of the budget reveals that the figure of Rs1,804 billion excludes Rs563 billion designated for retired military personnel pensions, Rs280 billion for the armed forces development program and other crucial expenses, and Rs58 billion for UN peacekeeping missions.

    According to the 2023-24 budget document, out of the total defence allocation, Rs705 billion has been set aside for employee-related expenses, Rs442 billion for operational costs, Rs461 billion for local purchases and import of arms and ammunition, and Rs195 billion for civil works. Interestingly, all three branches of the military—the army, navy, and air force—have received equal budget increments, albeit with the army receiving the largest share due to its size and role.

    Pakistan’s defence spending currently accounts for 1.7 per cent of its GDP, representing a decline compared to the previous year. In the 2022-23 fiscal year, defence spending constituted around 2 per cent of the country’s GDP, which expanded due to the reevaluation of the economy.

    When comparing the average spending per soldier, Pakistan allocates $13,400, while India dedicates $42,000, Saudi Arabia $371,000, Iran $23,000, and the United States allots a substantial $392,000 annually. It is important to note, however, that the disparity lies in the significant disparity in the sizes of their respective economies compared to Pakistan’s.

    Defence expenditure has consistently been a topic of discussion, with some advocating for greater transparency and open debate regarding the military budget. In recent years, the government has provided more detailed information about the defence budget. Nevertheless, there has been no open parliamentary debate on the subject. Observers argue that the increase in the defence budget is warranted, considering the imminent external and internal security challenges faced by the country.

    Despite the withdrawal of US troops from neighbouring Afghanistan, Pakistan continues to deploy a substantial number of troops along its western border and erstwhile tribal areas to combat the threat of terrorism. Similarly, tensions persist between Pakistan and India, although the restoration of a ceasefire has provided some respite.

  • ACF’s Ayesha Chundrigar teams up with Marina Khan, Sania Saeed to make short film about animal rights

    ACF’s Ayesha Chundrigar teams up with Marina Khan, Sania Saeed to make short film about animal rights

    Animal Rescue Foundation ACF announced on Wednesday that they are making a short film ‘Aisa He Hota Hai’ which will explore the issue of animal rights in Pakistan. The five minute film will be directed by powerhouse Marina Khan, while the script was written by the founder Ayesha Chundrigar and veteran actress Sania Saeed will star in the film.

    The Current spoke to Chundrigar about how this project came about. The animal rights activist revealed that the short film reflected how animal abuse isn’t an isolated issue, but connects with every other issue in society. She also told us that the project was made without a budget, except for necessities like cameras and petrol, describing it as “a film about animals, but at the same time, it’s not about animals, its so much more.”

    “I am a psycho therapist by profession and what is very interesting for me, especially in my line of work with animals, is that I have to deal with human behavior of all sorts. I meet some of the best people, the kindest people, but then I also meet the worst kind of people that abuse those who are more vulnerable than them, who exploit them and treat them very badly. I have had the privilege of doing my work, while also looking at it through the lens of a psycho-therapist. And everything I do on social media, if you look at ACF’s, I tell stories of animals, of how we help…I try to get to the root of the problem.”

    Chundrigar said that the film was born out of her fascination by the connection between animal abuse and all other kinds of things that can happen in society:

    “We normally see animals and animal abuse as totally separate from issues in society. But what I find fascinating is how animal abuse is linked so deeply to every other issue in society, we just have a blind spot to it. But it’s so necessary to look at it because it’s so pivotal to everything else. So I thought it’s finally time to address it through the most powerful medium, which is a film, because it can reach all sorts of patents on social media and can have a really wide range. The difficult part is to put it in a story form, but it was honestly one night. I was just sitting and thinking…and this idea just came into my head. I wrote it within five minutes.”

    Chundrigar partnered with long time animal activist Sania Saeed, who is often spotted at the shelter and during rescue operations as well. Chundrigar gushed about Saeed’s enthusiasm for the project, and said she was the first person who Ayesha had reached out for the script:

    “I shared this idea with Sania because she’s the most amazing human who comes to the shelter all the time to help us with our rescues, with re-habilitating, and grooming animals there. She’s come with us to places like Empress Market to spread awareness. She is truly one of my top five most favorite people in the world. She’s so deep, incredible and empathetic. When I told her about the idea, she immediately came on board and also wrote all the dialogue because I wrote it in English, she translated it into Urdu.”

    It was through Saeed that Ayesha connected to the producer Imaan, veteran actress and director Marina Khan’s niece, who both came on board to help push the project forward:

    “Marina herself is amazing”, Chundrigar praised the ‘Dhoop Kinare’ actress. “She has visited us several times, and has even adopted a paralysed puppy from us who has grown to become this naughty little cartoon who lives with her. And Marina is the biggest animal lover, and an inspiring woman. I was lucky to be in her and Sania’s presence and working and learning with them. It happened organically, like I didn’t have to do anything. We talked with each other, and then had a couple of meetings, and then everything came together easily. Iman got the best team together for our sound, photography and so on.”

    We also spoke to Marina Khan on what drove her to participate in the project. She said that it was to help encourage empathy towards animals, and to show respect to all of God’s creatures:

    “The project was about addressing empathy towards animals and show respect to all of God’s creatures. We may use animals for labour and we may use them as food but we can still show them some respect. Also to show that the mistreatment of animals leads to the mistreatment of humans.”

    Pakistan is currently witnessed a rise in animal cruelty cases, most notoriously the elephant Noor Jehan, who passed away in Karachi Zoo in April due to poor health and neglect. Furthermore, there have been consistent cases of dog culling, as was the case in a May incident, when a man was arrested after a video showed him killing a dog by hanging and another case in KPK where another man was arrested for butchering dogs.

    To ensure that there is a shift in society in how animals are seen and treated, Chundrigar said that her organisation has been working through their social media pages to raise awareness about showing empathy and compassion to animals, so that the work for ensuring better rights for animals keeps progressing:

    “The state of animal rights in Pakistan has always been bad, the difference is that animals were never highlighted as a cause being worthy of even talking about. But now you and I are talking about it. Animal rights has become news now, and that is what my organization has been building towards. Because it’s very easy to say something like ‘we need laws’ or ‘we need our rights’. Of course we need them, that’s common sense! But to implement a policy, we need to ensure that the cause is seen as important. This is what my organization has been working towards for the last ten years, we have been building this case to become worthy of news. This is how we know about Noor Jehan, or the rising reports of dog culling, and the reason why people are trying to stop it and those in charge and now taking notice. This is a movement of animal rights, and like any movement its not just going to happen. You cant force it, but let it take shape slow and steady, but you have to be consistent and set an example through your actions. This is what we share on our social media about why animals are important, and what it takes to make a compassionate society. This is what I’m keep doing, because I look at it through a psychological perspective. The moment people start noticing animals, automatically you’ll seem ore things done to benefit them, which is why I’m working on psychological roots of change as oppose to just working on surface level stuff, because that is the way to bring about change not just through laws or policy, but through the mindset.”

  • Asia Cup: Other boards may reject PCB’s hybrid model

    Asia Cup: Other boards may reject PCB’s hybrid model

    Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) proposed hybrid model for Asia Cup 2023 could be rejected by Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, as per reports. PCB is mulling boycotting the continental tournament slated for later this month. Pakistan is aware that Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan are not backing their hybrid model proposal for Asia Cup and the only option left for the board is to play the tournament at a neutral venue or withdraw.


    As Asia Cup 2023 deadlock continues, PCB chairman Najam Sethi has sent an SOS to the International Cricket Council (ICC). PCB wants ICC to force India to accept the hybrid model. While PCB had threatened to boycott the tournament if the hybrid model is not accepted, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) believes Pakistan will play the tournament.


    Najam Sethi initially threatened to boycott Asia Cup but there are reports in the media that Mr. Sethi has a plan B for Asia Cup. The Prime Minister of Pakistan fully supports Najam Sethi, asking him to not back off from the hybrid model.


    The model suggests that India can play their matches at neutral venue and the rest of the teams can play in Pakistan. Sethi proposed the model in initial meetings but braodcasters showed concerns over logistics. A Star Sports official asked Najam Sethi how it would be possible for the crew to travel between two countries with equipment.


    Now Najam Sethi has proposed a revised version of hybrid model in which first four group stage matches will be played in Lahore except the matches of India, and the rest of tournament will be shifted to a neutral venue.


    A BCCI official told Inside Sports yesterday at the World Test Championship,


    “Those are just immediate reactions. PCB very well knows what position they are in and any money that comes through is important for them. I don’t think Pakistan can boycott. They will play in Asia Cup and World Cup. For the moment, they are trying whatever they can to keep it but it’s not going to happen.”