President Asif Ali Zardari has approved a grant of honour to bestow 101 national and international individuals for contributions to the country at a ceremony on 23 March 2025. Former Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto will be awarded posthumous Nishan e Pakistan, the nation’s highest civil award for outstanding public service.
Arshad Nadeem, gold medalist at the Paris Olympics 2024, will receive the second-highest civilian award, Hilal e Imtiaz. Murad Sadpara, who died at Broad Peak Hill after a daring rescue operation, will be bestowed with Sitara e Imtiaz in the sports category. Nasir Kazmi, famous poet, will also get the Nishan e Imtiaz award in the literature category.
The President has also approved a Sitara e Shujat award to Deputy Commissioner Panjgur, Zakir Hussain Baloch, who was killed in District Mastung.
Pakistan’s first Ghibli style animated film, The Glassworker, will be screened at the Hiroshima Animation Festival in Japan on Saturday August 17, 2024. Among thousands of entries from 97 countries and regions across the world, it is going to compete in the ‘Feature Competition’ category.
This is an achievement that showcases Pakistan’s animation talent on the global stage. The Glassworker promises a heartwarming and visually stunning experience.
The film, directed by Usman Riaz and Mairam Riaz Paracha and produced by Geo Films, was released on July 26, 2024 in Pakistan. It has now crossed the 30 million milestone at the box office.
Sanam Saeed always lets her work speak for her. When the actress does speak, she never shies away from saying exactly what is on her mind.
Though her latest project Barzakh, written and directed by Asim Abbasi, landed in controversy, she has come to its defence. The series attracted a lot of attention due to its incredible cinematography however, its queer-themed content stirred massive controversy, invoking mixed reactions across the region.
In a recent interview with Hindustan Times, Saeed shared her thoughts on the overwhelming response to the web series. The Barzakh actress said, “The feedback has been quite overwhelming. Mesmerised, blown away, and proud are just the adjectives that I’ve gotten to hear. People are really overwhelmed, intrigued, curious and have slowly understood that this is not a show that they can just binge-watch. It’s something that they have to really focus on and watch with a lot of attention.”
Despite the backlash, particularly in Pakistan where Barzakh was removed from YouTube, Saeed remains positive about its impact, especially in India. “It was this really beautiful exchange that happened (through the platform, Zindagi) where people’s eyes were opened up,’ noting how Indian audiences gained new insights into Pakistani culture.”
Although she hasn’t had an opportunity yet, the actor expressed cautious optimism about the possibility of working in India in the future.
“I haven’t experienced it, so I can’t say that I miss it because I’ve never gone to India for work. But things will happen one day”, Saeed added.
Sheharyar Munawar, one of the most eligible bachelors in the industry, is currently in the spotlight with his drama Radd and his love life. Rumours have been circulating about his upcoming wedding.
The Current talked to a source who gave exclusive information about the heartthrob bachelor.
Sheheryar Munawar and Maheen Siddiqui are indeed in a relationship and the duo is set to get hitched by the end of this year in December, the source told us.
Speculation gained momentum after Munawar spoke about his love life during an interview with Frieha Altaf. He had said, “Alhamdulillah, I’m very grateful and happy. My parents are very happy. Allah has been really kind.”
The Radd actor further stated, “I’m grateful for the love and support, but I request my fans to pray for us and respect our privacy as we embark on this new journey together.”
The buzz around Munawar’s relationship status intensified when he shared a heartfelt Instagram post showing affection for Maheen Siddiqui, calling her his “jaan” (life). He posted photos from his birthday celebration, where Maheen, among other close friends, surprised him.
Maheen was prominently tagged in the post and responded with a red heart emoji.
In another post, Munawar shared Maheen’s post with the caption “meri jaan” (my beloved), thanking her for making his birthday special.
This public display of affection has sparked conversations, especially given the rumours about their December wedding.
Previously, Sheheryar Munawar got engaged in Karachi to Dr Hala Somroo, however, the engagement was called off a few months after that.
During the promotion of his last film, Paray Hut Love, Munawar mentioned he had no plans to marry soon, which fueled speculation about his engagement status. His growing closeness with actor Maya Ali also contributed to the rumours, yet the two reportedly broke up and have not been seen together again.
Maheen Siddiqui has also been the subject of speculation, with netizens speculating about her relationship with Azaan Sami Khan after photos and videos surfaced.
However, the two have made it Instagram official, putting an end to all the rumors.
Senior actor Waseem Abbas was asked about beautiful actresses in the industry and his reply was very interesting.
Waseem appeared as a guest on Geo News’ program ‘Hansna Mana Hai,’ where he engaged in an interesting and humorous conversation.
During the program, host Tabish Hashmi asked whether Sajal Aly is more beautiful than Haniya Aamir. To this, the senior actor replied with a firm “no.”
The actor’s response sparked a lot of reaction from the program’s participants. The host then humorously asked if Tabish Hashmi is more beautiful than Haniya Aamir. The actor shook his head and said, “Not at all.”
It’s worth noting that Waseem Abbas played Haniya Aamir’s father-in-law in the drama ‘Mere Hum Safar.’
Nazia Hassan was a talented singer who amazed fans with her powerful voice and energetic performances. The Aap Jaisa koi singer was born on 3 April, 1965 in Karachi. To pay tribute to her let’s look back at her most popular songs.
Nazia Hassan with her first song, ‘Aap Jaisa Koi,’ which turned her into an overnight star.
Her debut album, ‘Disco Deewane’, released in the year 1981, the music was a huge hit. It sold a record number of copies and was loved by people in 14 countries.
Other famous songs by Nazia include Boom Boom, Dil Ki Lagi, Aankehin Churanay Walay and Dosti, which for a long time appeared on the top spots on the music charts. Nazia Hassan also got the title of Queen of Pop.
Nazia Hassan won many awards during her time, including Pakistan’s highest civilian award for doing her significant work in music, the Pride of Performance. She had the pride of almost being the youngest ever Pakistani singer, at only 15, to also receive the prestigious Filmfare award for the song Aap Jaisa Koi.
Tragically, Nazia Hassan passed away on August 13, 2000, after a brave fight against lung cancer. She died in London, and although her time in the spotlight was short, Nazia’s music will always be remembered for inspiring and touching lives worldwide.
Nazia married Karachi-based businessman Mirza Ishtiaq Baig on March 30, 1995.
Her brother Zoheb Hassan was also a singer and music composer; the two siblings, therefore, collaborated on a number of music projects. Zoheb was a major part of Nazia’s music career and was, in fact, a co-producer for many of her music albums.
Actress Nimra Khan, recognized for her role in Geo TV’s drama serial ‘Umme Ayesha,’ has shared details of a terrifying experience where she escaped a kidnapping attempt.
Nimra posted a video telling her followers,
“I am Muslim proudly but I am sorry being Pakistani I dnt knw what should I say.” She begun: “Assalamu Alaikum, the nation is still alive, right? However, the purpose of this video is not to praise this country. What happened to me yesterday was horrible; do you want your sister, daughter, or wife to experience the same fate? It is not safe to send any of your girls outside of Pakistan; I guarantee you that they are not safe here. You people understand that it is ridiculous to celebrate August 14th when girls are still unsafe in Pakistan.”
“Yesterday, I was standing near Ramada, waiting for my car when the three men came and tried to kidnap me, they harassed me. I had mobile, bag and I was waiting for my family, it was raining, those men held me on gun point were dragging me to their car but no one heard me. I did my own protection, I pushed him and started running, he had guns, and he could open fire on me. How can I say that I am safe in this country where I pay taxes when I stepped in front of a passing car? The family and Ramada staff saved me. I see why people have guards with them now; we need guards, which is probably why so many people are moving abroad. I am not safe here, and I can hire guards with my tax money,” the Umme Ayesha actress added.
Chairman Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan has warned of a nationwide protest if the government attempts to extend the tenure of Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faiz Isa.
The former Prime Minister has said that protests will be held if the CJP-led bench fails to implement the verdict on reserved seats. The former premier alleged that the CJP and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) worked together, with the military supporting them, while talking to the media in Adiala jail.
Mr Khan further said: “All these things have been witnessed in Pakistan as well. Before elections, a crackdown was launched against the PTI on the pretext of May 9 violence”, while terming the situation in Pakistan worse than Bangladesh.
Bollywood singer Kumar Sanu, who has worked his magic in countless films in the past, has refused to sing for Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
The Indian singer released an explanatory statement on Instagram, in which he denied singing a song for Imran Khan. Sanu shared a screenshot of a news article published in Indian media that had a fact check and stated that he did not sing for Khan.
“I want to clarify that I have never sung any song for the former Prime Minister of Pakistan,” he wrote. “The audio circulating on Facebook is not mine but is generated with the help of AI (artificial intelligence). Some people are trying to defame me, so I want to tell my fans this. The news (song) is fake; it is a lie.”
He requested that the Government of India take immediate steps to stop the misuse of AI and the use of fake technology. On July 26, a user shared a video on Facebook in which Kumar Sanu was singing a song at a concert for the release of former Prime Minister Imran.
Renowned actress Resham has leveled serious allegations against director Syed Noor, saying that he ruined her film career.
Resham, a well-known name in Pakistani cinema, started her acting career on TV and starred in popular films like ‘Jeeva’ and ‘Sangam.’ Although she was successful early on, Resham stepped back from acting in recent years to focus more on charity work.
During an appearance on ‘Excuse Me’ podcast with Ahmed Ali Butt Resham talked about her career and Pakistani cinema, saying, “I recently heard Syed Noor say that I was an unfortunate actress because I ruined myself by working in low-budget films.”
Resham defended her choices, saying that every actor does both good and bad projects. “Show me any actor who has only done good work. We all have ups and downs, but everyone thinks only Resham made bad films,” she said.
She also accused Noor of betraying her professionally, especially after he fell in love with actress Saima, whom he then cast repeatedly in his movies. “Syed Noor was the only director who understood my acting, but he stopped giving me roles because of his feelings for Saima Ji,” she explained.
She strongly stated, “By God, Syed Noor ruined my career. He insulted me on set, asking who would cast me in their films.”
