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  • India says didn’t approach Pakistan for talks

    India says didn’t approach Pakistan for talks

    India’s Ministry for External Affairs Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said that New Delhi did not approach Pakistan with a dialogue offer, as he rejected claims made by Moeed Yusuf — the prime minister’s aide on national security– in a recent interview with an Indian media outlet.

    “The statements made by him [Yusuf] are contrary to facts on the ground, misleading and fictitious. As regards the purported message that was referred to, let me make it clear that no such message was sent from our side,” Srivastava said at a weekly press briefing.

    The spokesperson termed the statement “fictitious and misleading”, saying the claim was made by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government to “divert attention from domestic failures” and “mislead its domestic constituents by pulling India into headlines on a daily basis”. The Indian official advised Yusuf “to restrict his advice to the establishment and not comment on India’s domestic policies”.

    PM’s Special Assistant on National Security Moeed Yusuf gave an interview to The Wire earlier this week, wherein he claimed that India approached Pakistan with a talk offer. This was the first time a Pakistani government official was interviewed by an Indian outlet since New Delhi annexed Kashmir in August last year.

    During his interview with Karan Thapar, Yusuf set five pre-conditions for the resumption of “meaningful dialogue” with India to resolve all outstanding issues, including the longstanding dispute of Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IoK).

    While he said that Pakistan desired peaceful ties with India and wanted to resolve all issues through dialogue, Yusuf asserted that for any meaningful dialogue to take place between the two neighbours, India has to release all political prisoners in Kashmir, end inhuman blockade and restrictions, rescind domicile law that allows non-Kashmiris to settle in the disputed territory, stop human rights abuses and end state terrorism in Pakistan.

    “My message is peace, my message is talk. But there is an intent and there has to be an enabling environment to talk, Karan. Create that and you will find us willing the next day. Just that one step, you will see my prime minister take two – that’s his promise, he stands by it,” Yusuf told journalist Karan Thapar.

  • ‘Woh toh main hoon hee nahi’: Amna Ilyas responds to backlash on fat shaming comments

    Just last week, Amna Ilyas was being lauded for urging her colleagues and peers to stop endorsing fairness creams and end colourism. But now, the model-turned-actor has ended up in the line of fire after an old video of hers in which she is fat-shaming former supermodel Aaminah Haq went viral on social media.

    The video which is from 2018 shows Amna and Sadaf Kanwal engage in a game of ‘Guess the Celebrity’ on designer Hassan Sheheryar Yasin’s talk show Tonite with HSY. When asked about a certain former Pakistani supermodel, Ilyas mocks her [Aaminah] for gaining weight and then proceeds to hi-five Sadaf.

    Soon after the clip when viral on social media, Haq responded to it saying: “A few of you have tagged me in something a certain model/actor said about me. Truth be told, if body shaming me brought some small shred of joy in her life, then you’re welcome. Unhappy people tend to gravitate towards hate, instead of kindness and compassion.”

    Read more – Agha Ali responds to backlash on ‘fat-shaming’ comments

    Later, Amna responded to the clip and backlash saying: ‘Woh toh main hoon hee nahi (That wasn’t even me).”

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CGXRYsvJ2wR/
  • Jannat Mirza reveals why she is moving to Japan

    Jannat Mirza reveals why she is moving to Japan

    TikTok’s most-followed star Jannat Mirza, in a recent interactive session with her fans, revealed that she is moving to Japan. Mirza had recently posted a picture of herself in Tokyo, Japan on Instagram, prompting fans to ask this question.

    When a follower asked Mirza if she is moving to Japan, the TikTokers replied: “Jee“.

    Later when someone asked why she is moving, Jannat said that though Pakistan is “very nice’, the people of Pakistan and their mentality is not. Jannat also posted a story of Komal Aziz Khan in which the actor was criticised for wearing modern clothes abroad.

    While Jannat said that she is moving to Japan, she also shared that she will be coming back to Pakistan in November. According to details, Jannat will be returning to work on a film with renowned Pakistani Director Syed Noor.

    Mirza was also asked questions on TikTok and the ban on it, to which she replied that the ban will be lifted soon.

    Jannat was also asked some personal questions. When a follower commented that she should marry fellow TikTok star Umer Butt, who has been a regular feature in her videos, Jannat replied that she would “rather die” than marry him. Jannat further said that she is not in love with anyone.

  • Motorway rapist wasn’t arrested, he surrendered: father

    After the arrest of the prime suspect in the motorway rape incident, Abid Malhi, his father claimed that the suspect had turned himself in after having escaped the Punjab police for a month.

    The father released a video Tuesday stating the above after police arrested Malhi a day ago from Faisalabad.

    Reportedly, the Intelligence Bureau (IB), Special Branch of the police, and other agencies had tipped off Punjab police about the whereabouts of the suspect before the arrest was made, but the father’s video alleges that Malhi had called the police himself and that the arrest was made from Lahore’s Manga Mandi area in front of a person named Khalid Butt.

    Furthmore, as the arrest has been made, the father demanded that the female members of their family be released. Some of Abid’s relatives had been apprehended by police shortly after the incident took place.

    “Abid had expressed his wish to come home. At 6:30 pm, he returned,” his father said. “Abid was sent to the Crime Investigation Agency’s (CIA) [office] in Khalid Butt’s car,” he claimed.

    On the contrary, Punjab Inspector-General Police (IGP) Inam Ghani said that the suspect had been arrested by police.

  • Indian jewellery ad slammed for showing Hindu-Muslim couple

    Indian jewellery ad slammed for showing Hindu-Muslim couple

    Popular Indian jewellery brand Tanishq has withdrawn an advertisement featuring an interfaith couple after a right-wing backlash on social media, BBC News has reported.

    Opponents of the adverts argued that the ad, which shows a baby shower organised for the Hindu bride by her Muslim in-laws, promotes “love jihad”, a term radical Hindu groups use to accuse Muslim men of converting Hindu women by marriage.

    The description for the 43-second ad – promoting a jewellery line called ‘Ekatvam‘ (Hindi word for unity) – reads: “She is married into a family that loves her like their own child. Only for her, they go out of their way to celebrate an occasion that they usually don’t. A beautiful confluence of two different religions, traditions and cultures.”

    The ad sparked outrage among a section of conservative social media users who led calls to boycott the brand, taking it to the top of Twitter trends. On the other hand, many joined in to condemn the abusive posts and comments.

    The brand first disabled comments and Likes/Dislikes on the advert, posted to Facebook and YouTube before removing the video altogether. In a statement, the jewellery brand said: “We are deeply saddened with the inadvertent stirring of emotions and withdraw this film keeping in mind the hurt sentiments and well being of our employees, partners and store staff.”

    Congress party MP Shashi Tharoor, who posted the advert to his Twitter account, said: “Hindutva bigots have called for a boycott for highlighting Hindu-Muslim unity through this beautiful ad. If Hindu-Muslim ‘ekatvam‘ irks them so much, why don’t they boycott the longest surviving symbol of Hindu-Muslim unity – India?”

    https://twitter.com/ShashiTharoor/status/1315833504253374464?s=20

    Other prominent personalities also argued that the ad promoted inter-faith harmony and should not have been taken down.

    https://twitter.com/RichaChadha/status/1315906312417415168?s=20

    Read more – Hindu couple gets married at a mosque in India

    Kangana Ranaut, on the other hand, stood with the right-wingers and slammed the ad for promoting love-jihad.

    “As Hindus we need to be absolutely conscious of what these creative terrorists are injecting in to our subconscious, we must scrutinise, debate and evaluate what is the outcome of any perception that is fed to us, this is the only way to save our civilisation,” wrote the actor on social media.

    https://twitter.com/KanganaTeam/status/1315912815509598208?s=20

    Most Indian families still prefer weddings arranged within their religion and caste; and marriages outside these boundaries have sometimes led to violent consequences, including women – sometimes even men – being killed by their relatives.

    According to the India Human Development Survey, only about 5% of all marriages are inter-caste and interfaith couples are even rarer.

  • Mushk Kaleem opens up about taking drugs to lose weight

    Mushk Kaleem opens up about taking drugs to lose weight

    To mark World Mental Health Day over the weekend, model Mushk Kaleem opened up about the time when she was underweight and struggling to be okay with her looks and appearance.

    Sharing pictures of her journey on Instagram, Mushk wrote: “2019, was probably the most rewarding year of my career, but when I look back and think about all that I went through last year, I realise that my mental health had completely taken a back seat.”

    “I was a model, adapting to fame, success and accolades. Of course, everyone thought I was okay, living the dream. I knew then, that to complain about anything would be unthankful,” she continued.

    “I was hospitalised on my 25th birthday last year. I was almost 48 kilos and I was suffering from severe body dysmorphia. I would spend hours obsessing over my weight, about losing those few inches on my waist, about getting those perfect hips, or about just looking the part. I had started starving myself, not eating for 24 hours and more, I was abusing drugs, I was unhealthy. I was a 6ft girl suffering from severe anorexia. I would occasionally blackout.”

    Mushk then said that her story has a happy ending.

    “Now a year later, I’m a happier person. I’ve been clean for more than a year. I have found support and happiness in my family, friends, and my pets. I have set boundaries that I never let people cross. I decided that I could still be beautiful, no matter what number the weighing scale would say. I took therapy. I put myself first. I tackled my issues head-on, and at first, it was scary and it aggravated my anxiety, but I’ve grown, and I’ve healed. It’s still an ongoing process of recovery that I’m on. But I’m glad I started somewhere,” she added.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CGKAzAPn9mU/

    Read more – Mushk Kaleem calls out Iman Aly for her ‘condescending statement’ on current models

    Several of Mushk’s colleagues and members of the entertainment industry, including Sheheryar Munawar and Anoushey Ashraf, appreciated her for opening up and sharing her journey.

    Winner of the Lux Style Award for Best Emerging Talent in Fashion, Mushk is a regular at all fashion shows across Pakistan, opening and stopping the show for many renowned designers, along with being the face of many designer brands. Late last year, she also walked the ramp at the Milan Fashion Week for Italian designer Stella Jean.

  • Every Pakistani girl wants to be ‘Emily in Paris’

    Every Pakistani girl wants to be ‘Emily in Paris’

    Meet Emily – a bright, vivacious and a tad bit annoying American who suddenly finds herself in Paris for a new job. She lands in Paris, makes an Instagram account to document her year in the city, posts a picture of a croissant on Instagram and boom she’s hit 20,000 followers. And you’re just like, where, what, when, HOW? But that’s what Emily in Paris is about. It requires you to leave all sense and sensibility aside and just immerse yourself into Emily’s world.

    Created by Darren Star of the Sex and the City fame, Emily in Paris has been produced by the show’s star Lily Collins and follows Emily as she navigates her life in Paris and tries to add an “American touch” to the firm she works at. She breezes through life with the mantra ‘fake it till you make it’ and still manages to get everything right and save the day while running around the city in her cutesy clothes and heels (Again, HOW?). She makes friends on the street, has a hot neighbour, gets invited to all cool parties and events in town and eats all the butter and chocolate croissants she wants without gaining a pound. With all this, who wouldn’t want to be Emily? Or live in her world – where everything can be solved via Instagram engagement?

    As a 20-something girl living in Pakistan, I can say with full conviction that every girl in the country wants to be Emily in Paris. She wants to be able to live her own life in a charming city like Paris, away from the prying and judgmental eyes of the society and relatives, do a job she loves, post pictures on social media without a care in the world, and eat and drink as many croissants and Starbucks as she likes without putting on a pound. She wants to be able to walk free on the streets without worrying what awaits around the corner or if she’ll make it home safe. She wants to be able to date and hang out with whoever she wants without being labelled a s***. She just wants to be free to live her life the way she wants. And the way Emily does.

    It is rare for a show like Emily in Paris to trend at number one on Netflix Pakistan, given the show and movies that nab the top spot are either all-time favourites (Diriliş: Ertuğrul, Friends), Bollywood films, action/crime (Money Heist/Sherlock) or soft porn (365 Days). For Emily to make such an impact proves my earlier stated point and shows that Pakistanis love an absurd rom-com just like any other. They are done with love triangles and saas-bahu stuff that are shown regularly on television, most of it which is also not relatable.

    Emily in Paris is far from reality but the beauty of it is that it doesn’t even pretend to be real. Even the French have accused the show of stereotyping French people and culture and presenting an image of Paris that even they don’t recognise. But the creators of the show knew exactly what they were doing. They wanted to transport their viewers to the charming, cobbled streets of Paris and give them a stress-free vacation right in their living rooms. The episodes are short and crisp – less than half an hour each – and easy. They don’t demand you to use any of your brain cells. That with lots of eye candy including good-looking people (Sigh Gabriel), dreamy locales, beautiful clothes (though I have to add Emily’s wardrobe did not impress me) and some witty one-liners (courtesy Julien), Emily in Paris is trash television at its finest.

    “Don’t you want to go to the movies to escape life”, Emily asks her colleague in one of the episodes. That one dialogue is the gist of the whole series and the reason why you should also be watching it.

    Meanwhile, latest reports have suggested that Emily in Paris will be renewed for another season. In an interview, the show’s creator Darren revealed that he has plenty of ideas for season 2 in which “Emily is going to be more of a part of the fabric of the world she’s living in. She’ll be more of a resident of the city.”

  • Esra Bilgiç reportedly refused to work with Pakistani makeup artists

    Esra Bilgiç reportedly refused to work with Pakistani makeup artists

    Esra Bilgiç, who has become immensely popular in Pakistan after Diriliş: Ertuğrul aired on PTV in Urdu, has reportedly refused to work with Pakistani makeup artists and photographers.

    Lahore-based photographer Natasha Zubair, in a message shared to her Instagram stories, claimed that Esra refused to “work with Pakistani makeup artists and photographers.”

    She continued, “[She] is still wearing our clothes…and we’re still paying her…the amount we must be paying her.”

    In another story, Zubair lamented how Pakistanis tend to ignore their own local talent and continue to run after international stars, despite the disrespect they receive from them.

    Later, when a local media outlet reached out to Natasha for more details, the photographer refused to comment on the matter.

    Read more – Yasir Hussain is angry with QMobile for appointing Esra Bilgiç as brand ambassador

    Esra has been chosen as the brand ambassador for several Pakistani brands including Khaadi and Q Mobile.

  • Govt bans TikTok

    Govt bans TikTok

    The Government of Pakistan has banned TikTok due to “immoral/indecent” content being shared on the social media platform. 

    According to details, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) issued instructions for the blocking of the application across the country. 

    Keeping in view the complaints and nature of the content being consistently posted on TikTok, PTA issued a final notice to the application and gave it considerable time to respond and comply with the Authority instructions for the development of an effective mechanism for proactive moderation of unlawful online content.

    However, the application failed to fully comply with the instructions, therefore, directions were issued for blocking of TikTok application in the country.

    TikTok has been informed that the Authority is open for engagement and will review its decision subject to a satisfactory mechanism by TikTok to moderate unlawful content.

    According to Tiktok’s transparency report, the social media app had earlier issued a statement that the company had “removed 3,728,162 user videos that were found in violation of regulations from Pakistan from July 1 to December 31, 2019, 

    Earlier, in an interview, Minister for Information Minister and Broadcasting Senator Shibli Faraz said that Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan had remarked that the video-sharing app is affecting society’s values badly and should be blocked.

     “PM Imran is extremely concerned about the ‘growing obscenity and vulgarity’ in the society and has directed all relevant sections to check the trend before it destroys the socio-religious values of Pakistani society,” Senator Faraz had said. 

  • PM Imran, Facebook join hands for a comprehensive digital literacy project

    PM Imran, Facebook join hands for a comprehensive digital literacy project

    A virtual meeting between Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan and Facebook’s Chief Operating Officer (COO) Sheryl Sandberg has been held to discuss the social media giant’s investments in Pakistan.

    PM Imran appreciated Facebook’s investments and said he recognised the immense potential of digital platforms like Facebook and the role that they can play in giving global opportunities to Pakistani youth and entrepreneurs and how the opportunities they create can lift people out of poverty.

    The premier with Sandberg also discussed Facebook’s #SheMeansBusiness programme under which over 6,000 women will be trained across Pakistan.

    Facebook’s Vice President (VP) for Global Affairs and Communications Nick Clegg and Head of Public Policy Pakistan Sarim Aziz also attended the meeting along with Focal Person to the PM on Digital Media Dr Arslan Khalid.

    In an exclusive conversation with The Current, Dr Arslan Khalid said that the federal government is working on a comprehensive project to introduce topics on digital literacy in the curriculum for students.

    “Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) are already on board with the federal government while negotiations are underway with Sindh and Balochistan to bring them on board for this initiative,” he added.

    The premier and Sandberg had last met in Davos, Switzerland, earlier this year.