Here’s what’s happening across the border: Sophia Naz’s article on her mother leads to book deal with Indian publisher, and protests erupt after Taliban attacks on PTM
Reham Khan lands up in controversy over autobiography and Imran Khan
Reham Khan embroiled herself in a fresh controversy over the manuscript of her autobiography, reported Gulf News Pakistan.
It started when Reham Khan’s ex-husband and actor, Hamza Ali Abbasi tweeted Friday that the manuscript of Khan’s unreleased autobiography portrayed her ex-husband Imran Khan as the ‘most evil man to walk the face of this planet’. However, Reham quickly responded by tweeting, “Hamza Abbasi claims he has read manuscript when it’s not been published? Only possible through fraud or theft.” She further claimed that Abbasi had been bullying her and trying to silence her since August 2017.
Twitter users had a mixed reaction, with some accusing Reham Khan of a hidden agenda behind the autobiography, while others called her “brave.”
The story of almost ‘Anarkali’ of Mughal-e-Azam, told by her proud daughter
The story of Sophia Naz’s mother, chosen to play Anarkali in the iconic Mughal-e-Azam movie by director K. Asif, refuses to die down. After Naz wrote about the tragic story of her mother Shahnaz in Dawn, an Indian publisher is now in talks with Sophia Naz to write her story.
Shahnaz’s story begins in the years after Partition in Mumbai (Bombay) when as a theatre actor she is seen by K. Asif and picked to play the coveted role of Anarkali; at the same time, she suffers terrible abuse at the hands of her husband. She has two children with him, but unable to bear the trauma of abuse flees to Karachi, where she remarries. Sophia doesn’t name her apparently influential Indian husband, as all of Mumbai and Pakistan is now said to be wondering who he is.
Ex-Pakistani parliamentarian turned Uber driver?
Has Syed Haidar Abbas Rizvi, former deputy leader of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), turned a driver for the online cab booking service Uber in Canada, The News asked Sunday.
Pakistan is agog with the news after Rizvi’s alleged Uber profile went viral online. Earlier, a video of the senior MQM leader, who has distanced himself from politics lately, driving an Uber in Canada was doing rounds on social media.
The murder of Sikh activist Charanjeet Singh has left Peshawar in shock
Charanjeet Singh, a Sikh community leader based in Peshawar was shot dead during on 29 May. His murder sent shockwaves across the country, reported TheNews.
Although the motive behind the shooting is still unknown, incidents of killing of the minority Sikh community have been reported across Peshawar and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the past year. The clashes between local Muslims and Sikhs have been taking place for a long time with the Sikhs demanding facilities like a shamshan ghat for cremation.
Three PTM members dead, 20 injured in Taliban attack
Local Taliban militants in the Wana area of South Waziristan attacked activists from the Pashtun Tahufuz Movement Sunday, killing three members and injuring at least 20, reported by Daily Times.
This is the first time such an attack has taken place against non-violent PTM members. Hundreds protested the attack in Islamabad, Karachi, Peshawar and Karachi and sparked a social media campaign called #StopUsingTalibanAgainstPTM.
“Acting as state proxies the Taliban attacked peaceful and unarmed Pashtun demonstrators in Wana with assault rifles not far away from the military camp,” tweeted Afrasiab Khattak, general secretary of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province.
Pakistan’s trade benefitting from India’s Nipah virus
Kuwait recently banned imports of fruits and vegetables from India due to the outbreak of Nipah virus in the country. This looks like a hidden gift for Pakistan’s fruit and vegetable export industry as it can double the amount of produce it sends to Kuwait, according to the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FPCCI), reported Geo TV.
Pakistani politics plagued by fake social media accounts
A new problem plagues Pakistan’s politicians ahead of its general elections– social media imposters. Fake Twitter handles of prominent politicians like Imran Khan, Shehbaz Sharif, Meryam Nawaz, Farhatullah Babar, Ayesha Gulalai and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari have emerged recently, reported The Express Tribune.
The imposters have been spreading false opinions and statements posing to be politicians. For example, a fake twitter account of Shehbaz Sharif tweeted a criticism of the PTI government’s performance in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Ppl of KP r politically aware. They will not allow fake change makers 2 cheat them again. Real change is the one that touches people’s hearts & makes their lives better. Upcoming election is an opportunity 2 reject those who indulged in politics of agitation & abuse & wasted time
— Mian Shahbaz Sharif (@m_shahbazsharif) April 11, 2018