Here’s what’s happening across the border: Human rights minister says US ignoring religious intolerance in India, andanti-graft body puts Shahbaz Sharif’s son on no-fly list.
Bushra Maneka most searched person on Google by Pakistanis in 2018
Guess who was the most searched for person on Google in Pakistan this year?
If you said Bushra Maneka, Imran Khan’s fully clothed third wife whose face no one seems to have seen in public — well, then, you just won a jackpot.
You want a list? Here goes:
Bushra Maneka’s on top. And Imran Khan’s public praise for her from the podium of PM has certainly added to the interest index. There’s the question as to why he married this ‘pirni’ or holy woman — Pinky Pirni, as she is called in Pakistan.
The answer to why the much-married Pakistan prime minister has become such a devout follower of the faith and why he married a ‘pirni’ to boot hasn’t been answered yet.
Perhaps that’s what explains Pakistan’s abiding interest in the lady.
The second-most Googled person is, Meghan Markle — who married Prince Harry of Britain, and is now believed to be already pregnant.
Third on Pakistan’s list is Pakistani singer and celebrity Meesha Shafi, while Imran Khan’s second wife Reham Khan was fourth most searched person in Pakistan.
Sylvester Stallone came fifth, while Indian actor Sonali Bendre was sixth. Seems Pakistani newspapers actively covered her stay in New York when she was undergoing cancer treatment.
Acclaimed economist Atif Mian who was asked to step down from the Economic Advisory Council constituted by Imran Khan in August because of his Ahmadi identity was the seventh most searched. PML-N leader Hanif Abbasi who was handed down a life imprisonment sentence this year was the eight most searched and Pakistan television actress Iqra Aziz was the ninth most searched.
The last to feature in the list, that is the tenth most looked up person on Google, was none other than former porn star Sunny Leone.
Shireen Mazari slams US for blacklisting Pakistan for religious intolerance
Human rights minister Shireen Mazari has lambasted the US for putting Pakistan in its list of countries violating religious freedom. Mazari called this move a “brazen political tactic” by the Trump administration, reports Geo TV.
She said the timing of this US move was to put pressure on Pakistan “to mitigate” its “failures in Afghanistan”.
The American move comes in the wake of Pakistan imposing a ban on entry of Pashtun rights activist Manzoor Pashteen to Balochistan. This also assumes significance in the light of Asia Bibi controversy. Bibi was spared by the top court but Islamic hardliners brought the country to a standstill demanding her execution.
Prior to that, eminent economist Atif Mian was expelled from Khan’s Economic Advisory Council because he was an Ahmadi.
While Mazari admitted that the Pakistan’s “record on religious freedom was not ideal”, she chose to pick out loopholes in other countries, including India for its alleged treatment to its Muslim citizens.
“In our own neighbourhood, we have India where Muslims are being targeted and where the BJP is supporting violence against Muslims ostensibly over ‘beef’,” she said in a press statement.
My response to US downgrading Pakistan's position viz religious freedoms at this time: pic.twitter.com/FW7FMEwVSC
— Shireen Mazari (@ShireenMazari1) December 12, 2018
She also said US’ action comes at a time when Pakistan decided to develop the Kartarpur Corridor for Indian Sikh pilgrims and granting Indian Hindus visas to fulfill their religious practices in the country. She accused India of preventing “Muslims from Pakistan visiting Ajmer for religious purposes”.
“The deliberate ignoring of India’s shrinking space for its religious minorities by the US while it targets Pakistan is absurd and unacceptable,” the statement read.
She also pointed fingers at Europe for undermining freedom of Muslims and reminded that Pakistan had taken several steps to allow its minorities to retain their practices and customs by moving legislations and maintain institutions for them.
Anti-graft body puts Shahbaz Sharif’s son on no-fly list
Former chief minister Hamza Shahbaz’s son has been barred from flying out of the country. He was stopped from boarding a flight to Doha Monday.
The Federal Investigative Agency told DawnNewsTv that the National Accountability Bureau has requested that his name be put on the exit control list. Hamza is facing an inquiry for allegedly possessing assets beyond known sources of income.
While his brother Salman was successful in fleeing the country, the NAB fears he might do the same. The brothers own Ramzan Sugar Mills. They also got a bridge constructed connecting to Chiniot, using public funds.
PML-N spokesperson and MNA Marriyum Aurangzeb came out in Hamza’s defence saying, “He is not a terrorist, he is a responsible citizen and politician”.
American singer B. Howard reaches Pakistan to shoot music video
American singer-producer B. Howard is visiting Pakistan to shoot a music video.
According to The Tribune, the singer is possibly going to collaborate with local artistes and that Pakistanis are in for a “big surprise”.
Howard’s claim to fame is not just his music but his striking resemblance to former pop star Michael Jackson. There were also rumours that Howard is Jackson’s love child and he even took a DNA test to confirm it.
Later, he dismissed the rumours by stating, “I’ve never self-proclaimed to be Michael Jackson’s son and it is true I did do a DNA test but it had nothing to do with any of this.”