Pakistani passport’s individual power ranking has improved from 199 to 193 on theGlobal Passport Index list of 2020.
According to the index, just a year ago, Pakistani passport was standing on 198 — the second to last position.
Now, the Pakistani passport ranks better than the passports of Iraq (199), Afghanistan (198), Syria (197), Somalia (196), Yemen (195), and Iran (194).
Pakistan’s passport is at a rank lower than that of Palestinian territories (192). However, the global group ranking of both passports is same, which is 63.
The ranking of Iranian passport has declined and stands on 194th, one of the least respected passports in the world.
The global passport ranking is a symbol of power and prestige. It also indicates your place in the world, how many countries a passport holder can travel without a visa, and how it’s citizens are treated.
Countries where Pakistani can travel without visa are as follows:
Gambia
Haiti
Micronesia
St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Trinidad and Tobago
Vanuatu
Countries that give eVisa/visa on arrival to Pakistani citizens:
Cambodia
Cape Verde
Comoros
Djibouti
Ethiopia
Gabon
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Kenya
Lesotho
Madagascar
Mauritania
Mozambique
Myanmar (Burma)
Nepal
Nigeria
Palau
Rwanda
Samoa
Senegal
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Somalia
Suriname
Togo
Tuvalu
Uganda
Here are the 10 most powerful passports in the world:
It’s that time of the year when Karachi’s electricity provider K-Electric is at the receiving end of Karachiites wrath. Over the past couple of the days, their standard reply to all complaints – “Responded in DM” – has become a joke.
Recently, Osman Khalid Butt had a hilarious Twitter exchange with K-Electric and is something all citizens of Karachi will be able to relate to.
It all started when Butt shaded KE at 5 am in the morning for not restoring electricity.
I don't think that's what 'early resolution' means, @KElectricPk.
— Osman Khalid Butt 🇵🇸 (@aClockworkObi) July 6, 2020
KE responded with their usual reply to which Butt joked that given how many DMs have been exchanged they should just ask each other out at this point.
I know, we've been sliding into each other's DMs since 5:30 pm. At this point one of us should ask the other out.
— Osman Khalid Butt 🇵🇸 (@aClockworkObi) July 7, 2020
Four hours later, electricity was still not restored.
The year is 2048. The Resistance battles the Global Hive Mind Corp. Humans wonder whether they can live in a world dominated by artificial superintelligences. Meanwhile, @KElectricPk is still waiting on an update from their area teams, and sincerely regrets the inconvenience.
— Osman Khalid Butt 🇵🇸 (@aClockworkObi) July 7, 2020
An hour later, Butt shared that K-Electric may take 15 more hours to restore electricity.
“I may spontaneously combust with rage,” said the actor.
Egypt’s parliament on Monday approved amendments allowing active or former military personnel to run for the presidency and parliament pending the army’s approval, AFP reported.
The legislative changes come a year after Egyptians overwhelmingly voted in favour of constitutional amendments that potentially allow President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, a former army chief, to stay on until 2030.
Since it became a modern republic, all but two of Egypt’s presidents have hailed from a military background.
The army is highly visible in Egypt’s public life, with former top brass currently serving as ministers and heading governorates as well.
The nationalist institution boasts a sizeable business portfolio ranging from massive construction projects to most recently producing protective masks.
Sisi, the former general-turned-president, led the army’s overthrow of elected president Mohamed Morsi in 2013 following mass protests against the Islamist leader’s rule.
He won his first term as president in 2014 and was re-elected in March 2018 with more than 97 percent of the vote, after standing virtually unopposed.
The amended law also prohibits officers from divulging information during their service publicly or joining political parties without the Supreme Council of Armed Forces’ permission.
SCAF is a military council comprised of the country’s most senior generals. It ruled Egypt following the toppling of long-time autocrat Hosni Mubarak in 2011.
A former chief of staff of the armed forces, Sami Anan, was jailed in January 2018 after contesting the presidential elections against Sisi without the military’s explicit approval.
He was released nearly two years later.
A military court jailed another former soldier in December 2017 for six years for announcing his decision to enter the presidential race as a potential candidate in a video he posted on YouTube.
Hina Butt’s admiration for Maryam Nawaz is no secret. The Punjab Assembly MPA earlier ruffled a few feathers after she commented that Ertuğrul reminds her of the PML-N VP and now she’s done it yet again.
In a recent interview, when asked who would essay Maryam best if a biopic on her was made – Mehwish Hayat, Mahira Khan, Hareem Farooq or Zara Noor Abbas – Hina said none of them.
“I don’t think any of them. Because she’s tall-heighted. She’s fair. As an actress, I really like Sanam Saeed and Iman Aly. But they have a tan complexion. So none of these. Although Mahira is a good actress, I don’t think she can play a serious role like this,” said Butt.
In the same interview, when she was asked to rank Prime Minister Imran Khan’s performance as a cricketer and prime minister out of ten, the lawmaker responded that as a PM she would give him zero while as a cricketer, she would give him six because he won the ICC Cricket World Cup in 1992.
Amid controversies surrounding the licences of several Pakistani pilots, which have also led to the suspension of Pakistan International Airlines’ (PIA) authorisation to operate in European Union (EU) member states and the United Kingdom (UK), a newspaper clipping pertaining to the launch of army’s Askari Airline has left Twitterati in doubts.
“Preparations for the launch of Askari Airline completed; licence issued,” read the undated Urdu newspaper clipping making the rounds on the internet.
The undated Urdu newspaper clipping making the rounds on the internet
It added that “the chief of army staff (COAS) would inaugurate the project that was in its final stages owing to the efforts of the Army Welfare Trust (AWT)” — Pakistani conglomerate also known as Askari Group of Companies — and mentioned details of the airline’s fleet.
The clipping drew the ire of a majority of netizens who attempted to draw a link between the downfall of the national carrier and the alleged impending launch of Askari Airline, compelling The Current to look into the claims.
According to prominent aviation journalist Tahir Imran, Askari Airline was given approval a few years ago, which suggests that the clipping is not a recent one.
Askari airline was given approval few years ago. Along with few other operators. For record Shaheen foundation failed to run Shaheen air, sold it to ex Air Force guy whose children eventually ran it down to the ground. Note: This is not recent news item. pic.twitter.com/DxM9qDkyow
When contacted, Imran said that Askari Airline was among six new airlines that had applied to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) for regular public transport (RPT) licences in 2018.
“These airlines are Liberty Air owned by Chaudhry Munir and Mian Amir, Go Green Airways owned by Elahi Group, Askari Air owned by AWT, United Airways Pakistan Limited owned by Adnan Tabani, AirSial owned by the Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Afeef Zara Airways owned by Rashid Siddiqui,” he said, adding that even though they had been granted licences, no other airline except AirSial was for now in a position to launch flight operations.
“But even AirSial faces an uncertain future as its launch scheduled for May 2020 has indefinitely been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic among other reasons. It might see the light of day by 2020’s end… but everything depends on how the current situation pans out.”
To a question regarding the fate of Askari Airline, Imran said that no appointments in this regard had so far been reported, let alone any progress towards its launch. “Askari, as well as other upcoming airlines except AirSial, lack the required infrastructure for now and their launch within the ongoing year doesn’t seem possible.”
ASKARI AVIATION SERVICES:
Speaking of Askari Aviation Services (AAS), he said it was run by AWT and its activities included domestic and international travel as well as transportation by Askari Charter Services (ACS), ground handling services at Islamabad airport by Askari Airport Services (AAPS), domestic and international air travel ticketing by Askari Travel & Tour (AT&T), ground, cabin and flying training of fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft by Askari Flying Academy (AFA) beside aircraft and helicopter maintenance and operation services through Askari Aviation (Pvt) Ltd (AAL).
“In addition to its integral fleet of helicopter and aircraft, AAS also enjoys the backing of Pakistan Army Aviation and is providing international charter services to the army for its United Nations (UN) peacekeeping troops deployed around the world,” he said.
India on Monday banned 59 — mostly Chinese — mobile apps, including TikTok and WeChat over national security and privacy concerns just weeks after a deadly border clash between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.
India’s Ministry of Information Technology said it was banning the apps after receiving “many complaints from various sources” about apps that were “stealing and transmitting users data” in an unauthorised manner.
The apps “are engaged in activities that can be a threat to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of the state and public order,” the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEIT) said in a statement.
India is TikTok’s biggest foreign market, with an estimated 120 million users.
TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, is headquartered in Beijing. The parent company faced accusations for its involvement in data sharing with the Chinese government.
“TikTok continues to comply with all data privacy and security requirements under Indian law and have not shared any information of our users in India with any foreign government, including the Chinese Government,” said the company on Tuesday.
In the United States, strong critics, including some senators have called for an investigation into the Chinese company.
The list of apps banned by India also includes the microblogging platform Weino, the strategy game Clash of Kings, Alibaba’s UC browser, and e-commerce apps Club Factory and Shein.
— आकाश कहोगे तो मैं कहूंगा हां कहिए (@akashbolomujhe) June 29, 2020
The banning of TikTok invites a flood of hilarious tweets on Twitter and users are wondering why PUBG is not being banned by the government which is an extremely popular Chinese gaming app.
China says it is concerned about India’s decision to ban Chinese mobile apps and was making checks to verify the situation. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told reporters on Tuesday that India has a responsibility to uphold the rights of Chinese businesses.
“We want to stress that the Chinese government always asks the Chinese businesses to abide by international and local laws and regulations,” he said.
Despite a blanket ban on Indian films in Pakistan, our love affair with Bollywood films continues. Because every time a new Bolly film releases on Netflix, it instantly starts trending. And I don’t understand that because as of late, Bollywood films have become trashy, for lack of a better word. I can’t remember the last time I saw a decent Bollywood film and thought to myself, ‘Oh this was nice’.
Nevertheless, this weekend, the top film on Netflix Pakistan is Aditya Roy Kapur and Disha Patani’s Malang – a story about love and revenge. Advait Thakur (Kapur) and Sara (Patani) are two free-spirited (read: aimless) souls who meet in Goa and instantly hit it off. They spend their days enjoying the beachside and their nights attending rave parties featuring a lot of drugs. From ecstasy to cocaine, the film has it all. When I initially saw the scenes involving drugs, I found them to be a bit strange because audiences across the world are calling filmmakers to be more careful about the message they give out to the world. However, the makers of Malang really don’t give a s*** about that because there are no warnings or disclaimers either.
Soon enough Disha gets pregnant, bringing an unexpected twist into the couple’s life. While Advait runs away, Sara chooses to stay in Goa and raise her child. However, Advait soon realises his mistake and comes back to Goa only to discover that a police officer Micheal (Kunal Khemu) is attempting to rape Sara, thinking she is someone else. After a lot of bloodshed and marr dhaar (fighting) – which also seems to be a central theme in the film – Advait is sent to jail while Sara is killed. The rest of the film follows Advait get revenge from the police officers who covered up their colleague’s crime and assisted Micheal in Sara’s murder.
Meanwhile, Anil Kapoor plays a crazy cop Agashte with a tragic past who only knows how to serve justice by killing criminals in encounters. Think the Bollywood version of Rao Anwar. Despite a solid performance, Kapoor’s character is poorly written and there is not much he can do with it except laugh creepily in an attempt to provide comic relief.
To be very honest, a lot of the scenes in Malang reminded me of Siddharth Malhotra and Shraddha Kapoor’s Ek Villian. The plot was not original and the film had nothing new to offer in terms of content. But to ensure that his audiences leave the cinema halls satisfied and forget about the nonsense the rest of the film was, the film’s makers added a twist in the end to give that shock and thriller factor.
Malang has been directed by Mohit Suri of Aashiqui 2 fame, which means that the music of the film is definitely satisfactory. The songs are soulful and melodious and you will catch yourself humming them long after the film ends. In case you missed it, our very own Asim Azhar composed one of the songs Humraah, though it does not feature in his voice in the film.
The only good thing the film had to offer was lots of eye candy and spectacular views of the beach. Aditya Roy Kapur has toned his abs to perfect and missed no opportunity to show them off. Add to that an incredibly good-looking face and that is probably what will get you through the almost three-hour-long film.
The Lovebirds
Similarly, The Lovebirds, starring Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani has nothing new to offer in terms of an original plot or storyline. However, it will keep you entertained throughout its 90-minute run-time.
Jibran (Nanjiani) and Leilani (Rae) are a couple, who are on the brink of a breakup when they are unintentionally embroiled in a murder mystery. The two spend the night dodging the police and trying to find evidence to prove their innocence. Along the way they get into hilarious messes, which can get a little lame and cliched, but Rae and Nanjiani’s comic timing, charm and chemistry more than makeup for that. This is the first time I’ve seen either of their work and I thoroughly enjoyed their performance.
The film is a light, mindless comedy, something you can watch with your family or on Netflix Party with your friends. It’s easy, doesn’t require much thinking and offers that break from reality we so need in these testing times. If you’ve enjoyed watching comic capers like Date Night or Game Night, chances are that you will enjoy this film as well. You might even catch yourself laughing out loud at some points.
As the teasers of Bushra Ansari’s latest drama, Zebaish, hit the screens and are doing the rounds on social media, the veteran actor says she is done with “saas-bahu” dramas which is why she decided to work on something different. Ansari remarked that drama makers need to move away from the traditional storylines which depict a mazloom larki and focus on something with more substance. And from the look of the teasers, it appears that she has succeeded in achieving that because the teasers of Zebaish promise a story which is dark yet intriguing.
Without giving away the theme or plot of the drama, Ansari said that her upcoming drama Zebaish, which she has also written, aims to step away from the typical storylines that build on a woman’s distress. She said as drama makers, it is their responsibility to upgrade the audiences.
Talking about Zebaish, Ansari said that the drama’s story has multiple interconnecting tracks.
“The drama will focus on the complexities of human nature and how one’s behaviour defines their life,” said Bushra while speaking to The Current about it from Toronto where she is currently isolating.
She said that the drama will show raw human emotion and shed light on the human feelings of insecurity and selfishness. The actor further shared that in order to make the serial entertaining for the viewers, they have added a lot of glamour and drama. The teasers also show shrine culture and when asked about this, Ansari said that the spiritual and Sufistic elements have also been weaved into the plot.
Shedding light on her character, Ansari said that her character is of a simple, yet confident woman, and how relationships and loss affect her personality and life. She also revealed that she plays a glamorous star in the drama.
The drama also features Ansari’s sister Asma Abbas, niece Zara Noor Abbas and Zara’s husband Asad Siddiqui. Talking about why she chose her family members, Ansari joked that it was convenient. However, she added that the actors suited the characters she had written and it’s not like she was giving them a big break.
“Asma, Zara and Asad are already well-established actors, so it’s not like I am launching their career. I wanted people who would be willing to listen, learn and not show unnecessary attitude on set which is why I decided to go with people I know,” said Ansari. She added that this was also the reason they managed to wrap up the shoot within four months because there were no unnecessary delays caused by actors and their “tantrums”.
“Asma, being a veteran is a professional, while Asad apna bacha hai,” said Bushra. “He was so involved in the drama that he would sometimes shock me too – the director made him rehearse 25 times for some scenes and he would willingly oblige. And Zara, Allah na karay woh nakhray karay. Uss say pehlay hee hum ussay seedha kardein.”
Other cast members include the legendary Shabbir Jan and Babar Ali, both of who were the director’s call. Both the actors will play Ansari’s husband in the serial.
When asked where she got the inspiration for the drama, Bushra shared that stories are all around us but developing a plot and writing a screenplay is what is tough. She revealed that it took her seven months to pen the screenplay for Zebaish because she was tied up in other commitments. She added that she has several other stories in mind but because the process of doing a drama is so tedious, it takes time for things to come into shape.
The drama has been directed by Iqbal Hussain and Ansari shared that though she had written the screenplay, she gave the director full authority to make any changes he wanted. She praised Ahmed for being a master at his craft and said that no one does dramatic elements and dialogues better than him.
Meanwhile, Zara Noor Abbas, on the other hand, had earlier shared that the project was very close to her heart as it was shot during a very difficult phase of her life.
Six episodes in, Sabaat has managed to capture the audiences with its compelling and entertaining storyline and strong performances. The drama had intrigued viewers before it even aired thanks to one of the main leads Mawra Hocane, who is an ace at the social media game – but a few episodes in, it has everyone, myself included, hooked.
Sabaat is centred on two families: Hasan Fareed (Ameer Gillani) and Anaya Aziz’s (Mawra). Anaya belongs to an average middle-class family. She has big dreams and wants to make a difference in society. She actively campaigns for harassment against women in workplaces and is a class topper. Hasan, on the other hand, is from an affluent and well-off family. He and Anaya are class fellows and start off as fierce competitors but an incident changes that and the two become acquaintances following which Hasan develops feelings for Anaya and wants to marry her. Though Hasan’s character development is a little weak, given how the swiftly the drama is progressing and how sparkling the chemistry is between him and Anaya, we are willing to overlook this.
While these two are in their own little university bubble, Hasan’s elder sister Miraal (Sarah Khan) is the real devil of the show. She is a spoilt brat who cannot take no for an answer. Miraal is rude, arrogant and selfish and thinks she can get away with anything because she is rich to the point that she goes to her brother’s university and slaps Anaya for no reason. She generously uses the dialogue “Tumhari aukaat kya hai” and is enabled by her father who is also a snob.
While Mawra’s character, for now, is one-dimensional, it is Sarah who steals the show with her bratty act. Her facial expressions, body language and moods are on point and she delivers a convincing performance making you hate Miraal. Nonetheless, it is refreshing to see both women essay strong and confident characters. At this point, I’d like to add here that Sarah’s wardrobe, hair and makeup are brilliantly done and she looks super chic in all of her scenes.
Usman Mukhtar is yet to make an entry and fans are waiting with bated breath for it. While the theme of the drama is still unclear, Mawra in an interview had shared it is primarily a love story which is meant to entertain audiences and not deliver sermons or lessons. However, she added that the drama will highlight several issues including classism in our society.
Sabaat has been penned by Kashif Anwar and directed by Shehzad Kashmiri of Anaa fame. Apart from the four leads, the drama also starres Simi Raheel, Laila Zuberi and Mohammad Ahmed.
To make decision-making easier for their users, Netflix has recently started sharing a list of ‘Top 10’ movies or seasons which are trending in different countries. According to a blog post from the company, the Top 10 row will be updated every day with “the most popular titles within a subscriber’s country, and the position of the row will also change depending on how relevant the shows and movies in the list are to their interests.”
As of Friday (May 1) night, the top three things trending on Netflix are Diriliş: Ertuğrul, Love Aaj Kal and Extraction, while the two films are also the top two in the Movie Category. While we all know that Diriliş: Ertuğrul is a hit among Pakistani audiences, Extraction and Love Aaj Kal are new additions to the streaming service.
Like any other Pakistani who grew up on Bollywood films, I couldn’t resist watching Love Aaj Kal. I mean Imtiaz Ali, Sara Ali Khan and Kartik Aryan — bring it on. As for Extraction, because for the most part, my job does require me to keep up with the latest trends, I decided to step out of my usual romantic comedies/dramas zone and watch something different and see whether it was worth the Netflix hype.
Let’s start with Extraction. The Chris Hemsworth action-thriller has been creating a buzz since he went to India for its shoot. A day before its release, Hemsworth on social media had said that “making this film was one of the most exhausting but rewarding experiences I’ve ever had on a set.”
He further said: “We set out to make the most insane, intense action film and I couldn’t be prouder of what we’ve achieved.” Unfortunately, the film only made me insane with the amount of bloodshed it had it in. To be honest, I’m generally not a big fan of action films but I do enjoy them from time to time. The two-hour-long film, which I finished in three sittings, was just a Bollywood film on steroids given that a lot of actors [for example Randeep Hooda, Pankaj Tripathi] in the film were from India.
The film is focused around Tyler Rake (played by Hemsworth), a black-market mercenary and former Australian Special Air Service Regiment soldier with a troubled past. From Rake’s first scene in the film, one can tell that he is the sort of person who likes to challenge and see death in the eye. Except for a few glimpses from his past, Rake’s character isn’t adequately developed. Anyways, Rake is hired by a fellow mercenary Nik Khan (Golshifteh Farahani) to rescue Ovi Mahajan Jr. (Rudhraksh Jaiswal), the son of India’s biggest drug lord (Pankaj Tripathi), from Dhaka, Bangladesh who has been abducted by Bangladesh’s biggest drug lord, Amir Asif (Priyanshu Painyuli).
The film is just one, long and bloody action sequence. There are limited dialogues and the characters just run through the narrow streets of Dhaka as they try to escape Bangladesh’s most notorious drug lord. They jump from building to building, kill countless people on the way and lockdown an entire city. The ending is as abrupt as the beginning – there is no character development or plot development. So unless you want to see only action, I’d advice you to skip the film altogether.
Now onto Love Aaj Kal. If I had to sum up the film in one word, or two, I’d say half-baked. The story, the characters, the plot, everything about the film is half-baked. The film follows the same premise as Imtiaz Ali’s first Love Aaj Kal, which had two love stories running side by side.
Zoe (Sara Ali Khan) is a free-spirited but ambitious girl who wants to make a career. She is bold, speaks her mind and does what she feels like, which sometimes gets a bit over the top. Veer, on the other hand, is a sensitive guy who looks at life differently than Zoe. The two meet in a club and while Zoe just wants to have a one-night stand, Veer decides that it’s not right because Zoe is “special”. How he decided that within an hour is beyond my understanding. Zoe gets annoyed with this and leaves his house and goes back to her life. Except Veer starts stalking her, not in the 90s way by singing songs and all, but by getting a spot at the co-working space where she sits. Soon the two grow closer and get into a relationship but Zoe’s mother who wants her daughter to become independent first urges her to not give up on her career for marriage. This confuses Zoe who then breaks up with Veer. The breakup scene was so ridiculously cringed that you cannot help but wonder how Imtiaz Ali even came up with it. What follows afterwards is a typical Bollywood story of how two people who are meant to be together will find their way back to each other. In between all this, Raghuvendra “Raghu” Singh, who is the owner of the cafe where Zoe works, narrates his 20-year-old love story to Zoe to help her understand her own feelings and make her decisions.
What I did not like about the film was first Zoe’s character. It was highly irritating and Sara’s acting was also terrible. Especially the scenes in which she was drunk or crying. In fact, her own dialogue basically sums up her acting: “Tum mujhe tang karnay lagay ho“.
It appears that all the attention was paid to Zoe and Raj’s character because Veer’s character was highly underdeveloped. We don’t understand his profession, neither do we understand why he spends his days just buzzing around Sara – does he not have his own life. And to top it all, his insecurities deriving from his parent’s relationship are summed up in a rap song, which is more confusing than explanatory.
While the plot did have its heart in the right place, the film was not engaging enough. It lacked the humour [like in Jab We Met] or simplicity [Highway] which Imtiaz usually beautifully weaves into his films. Sorry, Imtiaz, I really did try my best to like the movie but it just wasn’t happening.
