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  • Humayun Saeed, baby Mustafa Abbasi all smiles as they meet each other for the first time

    Humayun Saeed, baby Mustafa Abbasi all smiles as they meet each other for the first time

    Humayun Saeed with wife Samina paid a visit to Hamza Ali Abbasi in Islamabad, meeting his son Mustafa Abbasi for the first time.

    Both Humayun and Mustafa were beaming as they met each other for the first time.

    “MashAllah the most adorable and chilled out kid Mustafa Hamza Abbasi,” wrote Humayun in the caption.

    He added that he had the” strangest yet happiest feeling” when he held Mustafa and realised that Hamza is not only married but also has a child now.

    Humayun’s sister-in-law Sana Shahnawaz also shared pictures from their meeting and both Humayun and Mustafa were all smiles in these photographs also.

    Abbasi and Naimal Khawar welcomed their first child on July 30 this year.

  • ‘Revise your course, do homework, these aren’t holidays,’ Shafqat Mahmood to students

    Pakistan’s educational institutions had to be closed down because coronavirus infections were rising very fast, Federal education Minister Shafqat Mahmood tweeted Tuesday morning.

    He said it was done with a heavy heart, Geo reported.

    “I request all students to use this time not as a holiday but to revise their courses, do homework,” he said.

    The federal education minister asked students to continue with their studies “as much as possible”.

    Mahmood had made similar remarks last week while talking to Geo Pakistan. He had said the decision to close down educational institutes was taken due to non-compliance with government-issued coronavirus SOPs.

    “The SOPs were not being followed as they should have been,” he had said, adding that health department data showed rapid virus transmission in education institutes.

    Stressing that children’s health cannot be taken lightly, Mahmood said there were around 50 million students across the country i.e. one-fourth of our population. “They can become carriers. So it was necessary to shut down schools.”

  • Ali Tareen ‘welcome to join PPP’ after saying Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari is ‘pretty cool’

    Ali Tareen, who is the son of Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s close aide and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) bigwig Jahangir Tareen, was on Monday offered to join the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) in response to a tweet calling Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari “pretty cool”.

    “Political differences aside, Aseefa is pretty cool,” Tareen had tweeted after Aseefa’s address to the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) jalsa in Multan, which was seen as the formal entry into politics by the daughter of the late former PM Benazir Bhutto and ex-president Asif Ali Zardari.

    “Shukriya [thank you] Ali Tareen we welcome you to join PPP [sic],” tweeted a PPP supporter in response to the Multan Sultans co-owner’s praise for Aseefa.

    Here’s what the younger Tareen had to say in response:

    The tweets came as several netizens took to Twitter to praise Aseefa, who was filling in for her coronavirus positive brother PPP chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, over her maiden public address. Many said she reminded them of her mother Benazir.

    Earlier, Aseefa delivered a short and brisk speech. She vowed to stand by her brother “every step of the way”.

    She began her speech by heaping scorn on the “selected” government. “Despite the cruelty and oppression by the selected [government], so many of you have gathered here. This selected [government] will have to go!”

    She said those who think the opposition will be cowed into submission are mistaken, Geo reported.

    Aseefa said that the people had announced their decision and that they wanted PM Imran to “pack up and leave”.

    Speaking about her mother, she said Benazir Bhutto had carried on her father’s mission — to establish a welfare state — and faced several setbacks.

    “[Former] president Asif Zardari introduced the 18th Amendment and BISP [Benazir Income Support Programme] and fought for the people’s rights,” she said and promised supporters that she would continue their mission and would not back down.

    “They think that we are afraid of arrests. If they arrest our brothers, then they should know that every woman of PPP is ready to take up the struggle,” she said.

  • ‘Disgraceful & insulting’: PTV sends cheque worth Rs 1400 to Simi Raheal

    ‘Disgraceful & insulting’: PTV sends cheque worth Rs 1400 to Simi Raheal

    Simi Raheal is furious with the management of Pakistan Television Corporation(PTV) for sending her a cheque of worth Rs 1400 only.

    Sharing a picture of it on social media, the actor said: “This is how artists are honoured by the state! This is the acknowledgement of Pakistan Television. After four decades, this was truly appalling!”

    While fellow actors, fans and members of the media industry extended their support to Simi and criticised PTV for their act, others told the veteran actor to not make a big deal out of it.

    Later, in a social media post, Simi, thanked those who supported her and explained that her reason for voicing her concern was not about money but was “about social attitudes concerning art and artists”.

    “It’s quite visible what people think of artists,” she said. “This dialogue this debate was essential. It does not matter what the actual amount is or should have been it’s about the respect regard of an artist.”

    She also explained her stance while replying to multiple users who left comments on her post.

    It is pertinent to add here that Raheal is not the only actor who accused PTV of mistreating artists. Earlier this year, senior actor Rashid Mahmood bashed PTV for sending him a cheque of Rs 620 of which Rs 500 is the Pride of Performance fees, leaving him with only Rs 120.

    The baffled actor has voiced his confusion and distaste on social media, saying “What are the criteria of paying a Pride of Performance winner in this country and who spent 50 years of [his] life in PTV.”

    https://twitter.com/RashidMahmoodPK/status/1305096918129954816?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1305096918129954816%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcurrentold.perceptiond.net%2Fptv-accused-of-insulting-veteran-actor-rashid-mahmood%2F

    Later, in a video message, he shared how he was invited to recite a marsiya two years ago in Muharram.

    “I hadn’t really received any work opportunities from PTV in the past two years. During Muharram, Pakistan Television Lahore had commissioned me to recite Mir Anees’s marsiya. I recorded it and it aired on the 9th and 10th Muharram multiple times. After two years, I received a cheque of only Rs 620,” he said, referring to the compensation as an ‘insult’.

    “In this Naya Pakistan, will my mother institute insult me and give me this sort of attitude? People whose worth in the showbiz industry is questionable take Rs 1.5 to 2.5 million. Today I announce that I will never work for PTV,” he lamented.

    PTV management later apologised to Mahmood and clarified that the cheque was “mistakenly issued in his name”.

    However, PTV then issued a new cheque to the veteran actor which was worth Rs 9600 only. Posting a picture of the new cheque, Mahmood said that he will not work with PTV in the future and will not be cashing the cheques either.

    https://twitter.com/RashidMahmoodPK/status/1305859618577547265?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1305859618577547265%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcurrentold.perceptiond.net%2Fptv-accused-of-insulting-veteran-actor-rashid-mahmood%2F
  • PCB reacts to sexual abuse allegations against skipper Babar Azam

    PCB reacts to sexual abuse allegations against skipper Babar Azam

    Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Director of Media and Communications Samiul Hassan has said that the sexual violence allegations against skipper Babar Azam were a personal matter and the board could not comment on it.

    According to Jang, the board’s spokesperson was responding to a question posed by the Urdu daily after a damning press conference by one Hamiza of Lahore, who claims to be Babar’s schoolfellow and neighbour.

    Addressing the presser on Saturday, the woman had claimed that the young cricketer tricked her into love and marriage.

    “When I asked him to marry me, he tortured me,” she said.

    Hamiza said that she had financially supported Babar when he was struggling with his career, adding that she spent millions of rupees on him.

    “When I called the PCB to lodge a complaint, they said that it was a personal matter,” she continued.

    While PCB’s response to media queries adds weight to the woman’s claims, her lawyer says that an FIR [First Information Report] had been lodged with the Lahore Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) regarding the matter but no action was taken. 

    Hamiza’s petition is now pending at a sessions court, which is scheduled for a hearing on December 4. The sexual harassment case will be heard on December 5.

    Babar, who is in New Zealand for a three-match T20I series and a two-match Test series, on the other hand, is yet to make a statement on the matter.

     

  • PM refuses to say Lt Gen (r) Asim Bajwa is not guilty of corruption

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan on Saturday refused to say that former military bigwig as well as his ex-aide Lt Gen (r) Asim Saleem Bajwa was not guilty of corruption, maintaining that it wasn’t his job to say so.

    In an interview with senior journalist Mansoor Ali Khan, when asked to say on camera if Bajwa was not guilty of corruption, the premier said, “I cannot say this because it is not my job to say this. However, I will say that he gave a very detailed answer to the allegations against him. I sat with our law minister and reviewed it.”

    Earlier this year, Bajwa had rebutted a news report linking his military career to his family’s businesses, terming it “malicious propaganda”. Amid opposition’s tirades against him despite a clarification, he had decided to continue serving as the chairperson of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Authority but stepped down as the premier’s aide on information and broadcasting.

    PM Imran himself had, however, expressed satisfaction over the ex-army official’s clarification regarding his assets and rejected the resignation at first.

    “These were mere allegations and if anyone had any problems with it, they should file a case against the retired army officer with the National Accountability Bureau (NAB),” the premier said on Saturday.

    He added that Bajwa was made the CPEC chairperson based on his credentials as opposed to any pressure from the army on him to do so. “He had served in the past as the commander of the Southern Command in Balochistan and had also worked closely with the Chinese. Gwadar is the focal point of the whole CPEC project.”

    The premier said that the government had then appointed Bajwa as his special assistant on information as he had also worked as the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) chief and had the much-needed experience for the job. 

    PM Imran reiterated that he was not under any pressure from the armed forces and among other executive decisions, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was in charge of the country’s foreign policy. “The army hasn’t [directed] me to do one thing which I did not want to do,” he said.

    “I would have resisted the army if they exerted pressure on me. The entire foreign policy [being implemented today] is mine, you can check the PTI’s manifesto,” the premier added. 

    The prime minister said that Pakistan’s foreign policy today was centered around the PTI’s manifesto, adding that the world was praising Pakistan for advocating non-military solutions to conflicts. “There was pressure on us to take a side in a conflict between any Muslim countries; we said we would remain neutral and play our role in uniting Muslim countries instead.”

    During the wide-ranging interview, PM Imran spoke on various issues and also trained guns at the opposition.

    Responding to a question, he said that former PTI general-secretary Jahangir Tareen was going through “difficult times” but said that he would not interfere in the sugar inquiry investigation.

    “Jahangir Tareen has been really close to us [in the past], we have worked together in the past closely,” he said. “Tareen says he is innocent. The investigation is going on, I will not interfere in matters of institutions,” added the PM. 

    He said that under his government, an inquiry against the sugar cartel was launched for the first time in Pakistan’s history. He said that an FIR had also been registered against Tareen.

    When asked about former Punjab government spokesperson Fayazul Hasan Chohan who was shown the door a couple of weeks ago and Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan was appointed as a special assistant to the chief minister (CM) of Punjab, the premier said both mattered to him. 

    “We need both Fayyaz Chohan and Firdous Ashiq Awan,” he said. “In order to win the match, you need to change the team sometimes,” he said. 

    The premier said that Chohan wanted a “strong” ministry which he had been given now. 

    Speaking further about the Punjab government, the PM said that his party had brought in people on merit. “The same setup was in power in Punjab over the past 30 years, but we brought in people on merit.”

    He said that the new Punjab inspector general (IG) was doing a fabulous job, adding that Punjab CM Usman Buzdar was doing a commendable job as far as development projects were concerned. “You will see that after five years, Buzdar will be the number one provincial chief executive in the country,” he said. 

    When asked to respond to allegations of being a “selected” PM, the premier said that he couldn’t understand their criticism. 

    He said that Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was the leader of his party because “he had shown a piece of paper” (in reference to Benazir Bhutto’s will) and Maryam Nawaz was leading the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) because she was Nawaz Sharif’s daughter. 

    “And they make these allegations against a man who has struggled in politics for the past 22 years,” said the premier, referring to himself. 

    He said that the leadership of the PML-N and the PPP had opened corruption cases against themselves. “Nawaz Sharif threw Asif Zardari in jail,” he said. “Our government only made cases against Shehbaz Sharif.”

    Referring to former PM Nawaz’s medical condition, the premier said that when he read the PML-N chief’s medical reports, he couldn’t help but wonder whether a person could suffer from so many ailments. “No one exerted pressure on me to send Nawaz abroad,” he said, adding that no one could do so either.  

    To another question, PM Imran said that the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), being one of the best spy agencies in the world, knew about everything he does.

  • Bakhtawar Bhutto-Zardari’s engagement outfit details revealed

    Shaheed Benazir Bhutto and former president Asif Ali Zardari’s eldest daughter Bakhtawar Bhutto-Zardari got engaged to Dubai-based businessman Mahmood Choudhry in a beautiful day-time event on Friday at Bilawal House, Karachi.

    Read more – Everything we know about Bakhtawar Bhutto-Zardari’s fiancé

    The newly engaged couple looked radiant on their big day and Bakhtawar glowed in light pink outfit paired with a beige Mughlia chaddar. As per details, Bakhtawar’s outfit was designed by Karachi-based designer Nida Azwer. The designer shared pictures of Bakhtawar on her social media handles and wished the couple all the best for the new chapter in their life.

    The bride completed her look with glowy makeup and diamond jewellery.

    IN PICTURES: Bakhtawar Bhutto-Zardari’s magical engagement

    Meanwhile, Bakhtawar’s brother Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari was unable to attend the event since he tested positive for coronavirus and is now in quarantine. He will hopefully be able to attend the wedding which is expected to take place in January 2021 in Karachi.

  • PDM protesters break into sealed jalsa venue ahead of joint opposition’s gathering

    Workers and leaders of joint opposition’s Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) on Saturday broke into the venue of the alliance’s Multan gathering to be held on November 30, which had reportedly been sealed by the administration.

    According to reports, the district administration had placed 30 containers around the venue, Qila Kohna Qasim Bagh, with more being brought in to block roads leading to the city and police deployed outside.

    As per the details of Saturday’s incident, a rally led by sons of former prime minister (PM) Yousaf Raza Gillani, namely Ali Haider and Ali Musa, overpowered law enforcement to enter the venue. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) workers led by local party leaders also accompanied the PPP stalwarts.

    The episode saw several scuffles between opposition workers and the police on different routes leading to the stadium where the rally was headed. A final scuffle broke out right outside the venue where hundreds of cops were discharging their duties.

    Unconfirmed reports of casualties — both police personnel and political workers — are pouring in.

    A senior PPP leader confirmed to The Current that Gillani brothers have taken control of the venue and a welcome camp is also being setup at the stadium. “They refuse to leave until the gathering has been held on Monday.”

    To a question, they said the people of Multan are overjoyed to have with them the late former PM Benazir Bhutto’s daughter, Assefa Bhutto-Zardari, who’ll be replacing her coronavirus positive brother and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari.

    Earlier, more than 200 workers of PDM constituent parties were arrested and raids were being conducted to arrest more. The lists of workers, particularly from the PML-N and PPP, were provided to respective police stations.

    The arrests had come after the government vowed to not let opposition “put people’s life at risk” by holding a gathering amid the second wave of COVID-19.

    As the opposition claims the government is using the virus outbreak to stop the PDM from holding its rallies against “the fascist regime”, PML-N Punjab President Rana Sanaullah has declared that the Multan rally will be held at all costs.

    Talking to the media outside the party’s Model Town secretariat in Lahore, he said if the government did not de-seal Qila Kohna Qasim Bagh, the entire city of Multan will become the venue of the public meeting.

    He said the first phase of the PDM’s anti-government protests will be completed by holding the last event of the series in the Punjab capital on December 13, and the next phase will begin after the alliance leadership devises a new strategy.

    “We stand united against the government,” he said.

  • Ayesha Omar gets emotional as she recounts opening up about sexual harassment

    Ayesha Omar gets emotional as she recounts opening up about sexual harassment

    Ayesha Omar, in a recent interview with Waseem Badami, opened up about being sexually harassed at the age of 22 by a powerful person in the industry. The actor has shared her experience of being harassed on several occasions but has never named her perpetrator. However, while recounting the experience on Badami’s Masoomana Sawaal, Ayesha got emotional and started crying on live television.

    During the interview, the actor said that she has never cried while talking about this incident before.

    “Maybe it was your question,” said Ayesha, while explaining why she felt emotional.

    “Nobody said it was easy,” said Ayesha later, in an Instagram post, while referring to the interview.

    “Not sure if I’ve ever cried on live television before,” said the actor. “To be able to let your guard down and be vulnerable…to be able to talk about your painful, difficult experiences from an honest place…to relive and recall traumatic times…to describe your feelings and talk to your younger self…it’s not easy.”

    “It’s not even easy doing it one on one with someone trained to ask the right questions, in private, let alone publicly on live television,” she continued. “But I hope by doing so, I was able to make other humans who have had painful experiences or faced sexual/verbal/physical harassment at any point in their lives, feel a little less alone and a little more hopeful…to try to let go of self-blame and self-deprecation and hold their perpetrators responsible.”

    Read more – Ayesha Omar opens up about her childhood struggles

    On the show, Ayesha, while sharing her experience, had said: “I had just joined the industry, I was hardly 22 years old. He was a man in power and I was scared to go against him. I did not have the courage to tell anyone about it. I’m sorry about that.”

    “I am sorry to the person I was; had I shared it then, I would have been a stronger person today. A lot of other girls also suffered at the hands of the same person. Had I spoken up against him then, maybe he might have stopped.”

    Meanwhile, fellow female stars supported her in the comment section of her post.

  • We can’t show a woman being assaulted and falling in love with the same man, says Mahira Khan

    We can’t show a woman being assaulted and falling in love with the same man, says Mahira Khan

    Mahira Khan, who was recently listed in BBC’s ‘100 women of 2020′ for being outspoken about social issues, in a recent interview said that the media, including actors, filmmakers and drama makers, need to take responsibility to change the narrative.

    In a recent interview, the actor said: “Something happens, there is a lot of noise about it. Everybody gets on the streets, everybody talks about it on the media, and then what? And then it dies out. Another news comes out, another story comes out or another rape happens! Then that is just another name or another hashtag attached to it. The problem is that we are not ready to educate our public, create programs that educate children, we are not ready to talk about it openly and I think we need to change that narrative.”

    She continued: “I also take responsibility for it. I am a big part of the media of this country. I feel that our films, our television serials, we have to change the narrative.”

    “We can’t just show a woman being assaulted (by a man) and then falling in love with him and show him to be the hero. A hero cannot be someone who is abusive. So, I think somewhere even we have to take that initiative.”

    Mahira also talked about her stance on fairness creams and why she refuses to endorse them.

    “I’ve been approached from the beginning of my career, not just as an actor – even when I was a VJ – I was approached to do a lot of fairness cream products, skin whitening products,” shared the actor. “It doesn’t make sense to me, it never made sense to me. So, I am endorsing the idea that a darker girl, a man is not as attractive as someone with a fairer complexion? It just didn’t make sense to me.”

    Mahira also took a moment to recall her first award as an actor. In the interview, she said that though she has received many awards over the years, the award – Lux Style Award for Best Actress – she received for Humsafar is her most special.

    “This is my first award as an actor, for a drama that really launched me, in the year that I was launched,” said Mahira. “I won many awards after that but this remains very, very special.”