Here’s what’s happening across the border: Former senator talks ‘quiet coup’, and Pakistani cinema gets its first transgender actor.
Female centenarian among Imran Khan’s poll challengers
Hazrat Bibi, a 100-year-old independent candidate from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has filed her nomination papers to contest against Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan from NA-35 (national assembly constituency #35), or Bannu, in the upcoming general election, reported Dawn. She will also compete for a provincial assembly seat from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s PK-89 constituency.
Bibi, who has promised to work for girls’ rights if elected, has contested five elections before but never won. “I will pay extra attention to education for girls if I end up succeeding,” the paper quoted her as saying.
With 1.7 million people, NA-35 is one of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s most populous constituencies.
Footie fever takes over Karachi town
Lyari in Karachi is all pumped up about the FIFA World Cup, which kicks off Thursday in Russia, with fans drowning the town in the colours of their favourite teams, Dunya TV reported.
Fans have even set up a grand wall displaying the names of past winners, the year and the emblem. The small town is often called ‘Mini-Brazil’, with the South American football powerhouse among the town’s most beloved teams.
Earlier this year, in March, FIFA revoked the suspension imposed on the Pakistan Football Federation last year for “undue third-party interference”. Pakistan currently ranks 201 in FIFA World Ranking.
Former senator says Pakistan under a ‘creeping coup’
A leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has said that a “creeping coup” had undermined the civilian government ahead of the general election, leaving journalists without freedom.
“A creeping coup has taken place against the authority of the civilian government. The coup has taken place very quietly before the election,” said PPP leader Farhatullah Babar Tuesday, while addressing a seminar organised by the Rawalpindi/Islamabad Union of Journalists (RIUJ), reported Dawn.
He said the coup was different from martial law, and had two outcomes: “The civilian government exists, but has no authority; press freedom exists, but journalists have no freedom.”
Babar also called for an international conference on the freedom of expression, saying the media was being attacked from all fronts, including the “security establishments” and “non-state actors”.
Pakistan has had a notorious history with coups, with the upcoming election signifying only the second-ever democratic transition of power in its 71-year existence. The run-up to the 25 July poll has been marred by reports of repeated attacks on journalists, including the abduction of Gul Bukhari, a vocal critic of the Pakistan army.
Pakistan cinema gets its first transgender star
Rimal Ali, a transgender starlet, will seek to challenge stereotypes as she makes her film debut this Eid with Love in 7 Days (7 Din Mohabbat In), Variety reported. Ali, a trained dancer, first came under the spotlight in 2017, when she featured in a music video for the band Soch.
In her debut film, Ali is among the lead stars alongside renowned actors like Mahira Khan, Sheheryar Munawar and Javed Sheikh.
When asked about the film and her experience, she said, “The first thing I wanted to be sure of when the role was offered to me was whether it makes a mockery of our community, which happens often in Bollywood and Lollywood (Pakistani cinema) films.”
“I was thrilled at how wonderfully, sensitively and rather matter-of-factly the story places a transgender character,” she added.
Earlier, in May, Pakistan’s parliament passed The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, which guarantees fundamental rights to the widely ostracised community.
Pakistan’s media is leading the way in empowering transgenders, with the country’s first news anchor from the community, Marvia Malik, making her debut this March.
25 international wrestlers to visit Pakistan in August
A team of 25 wrestlers from all over the world, including the US, the UK, Germany, France and Belgium, will visit Pakistan for the country’s second international professional wrestling event in August, reported GeoTV.
The news was announced at a press conference attended by renowned wrestlers Bram, Tiny Iron, Pram and Chardonhay, Pakistan’s high commissioner to the UK, Syed Ibne Abbas, and Imran Shah, the CEO of Ring of Pakistan (ROP), the company behind the event.
Shah said the tournament was meant to project a positive image of Pakistan and “shun the negativity that exists” around the country. The Pakistan army, he added, had assured him of full security support for the event.
Army chief Bajwa talks peace with Afghan President
Pakistan army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa visited Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in Kabul Tuesday, days after the Afghanistan government and the Taliban agreed on a truce during Ramzan, The Nation reported.
“China and Pakistan are thought to have played a crucial role in brokering a ceasefire deal between Kabul and insurgents,” The Express Tribune added.
Bajwa congratulated Ghani on the truce, with discussions also involving a range of other issues, including measures to check the rise of the Islamic State terror group and the exploitation of the porous border by terrorists.
The army chief said he expected the ‘Afghanistan-Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Stability’ to bring greater coordination between the neighbours. Bajwa also told Ghani that he wanted US/NATO forces to succeed in leaving behind a peaceful and stable Afghanistan.
Contributors: Priyamvada Grover, Manisha Mondal, Rupanwita Bhattacharjee, Prateek Gupta and Hansa Kapoor