New Delhi: A four-part web series about the trials and tribulations of urban women in Pakistan, titled ‘Superheroes,’ is in the works and due to be released soon.
“Television seems obsessed with dictating what makes a woman good or bad. Every female character in Pakistani fiction on TV is an iteration of either a damsel in distress or a conniving puppeteer. There’s so much more to a real woman’s identity and existence” said Gul Zaib Shakeel, the writer of the series.
She added, “We want to break that mould and tell stories that don’t hurl you into depression but rather make you smile with their familiarity.”
The series will tackle issues like women’s work, personal ambition, family life, raising children, and their position in society. It has been produced by Teeli, a YouTube channel that calls itself an “alternative” source of entertainment to mainstream television channels.
Also read: Pakistan saw a spike in militancy in the New Year, but an 85% drop over the last decade
10 employees in Faisalabad DC office suspected of HIV
As many as 10 employees working in Faisalabad’s district commissioner office in the Punjab province are suspected of being HIV positive while two dozen others are possibly afflicted with Hepatitis B and C. The employees were screened by the Punjab AIDS Control Programme (PACP), which attributed the “high incidence of HIV cases in Faisalabad to a large number of intravenous (IV) drugs users.” 146 employees were screened in total.
The PACP has asked the HIV positive suspects to undergo a secondary test, called the PCR test, for confirmation.
Faisalabad is one of five districts that saw an alarming increase in the number of HIV/AIDS cases in June last year. According to the PACP, the fact that so many employees were found with the virus “showed the gravity of the situation and inefficacy of government measures to tackle it.”
Pakistan’s AIDS problem was termed an epidemic in 2019 by the WHO because of the spike in cases and number of children born with HIV.
Sri Lankan food fest kicks off
A two-day Sri Lankan food festival kicked off in Islamabad, with the objective of “bringing the two countries together”.
“There is a saying that the way to a man’s heart is through the stomach. I believe food can help bring the people of two countries together. This is the philosophy that has encouraged us to arrange this festival here” said Noordeen Mohamed Shaheid, High Commissioner of Sri Lanka, while inaugurating the event.
Pakistan and Sri Lanka have shared amicable relations and Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi reiterated that “Pakistan remains committed to working closely with Sri Lanka to achieve our shared objectives of peace, development and prosperity within the region and beyond.”
The festival coincides with the Sri Lankan Independence Day on 4 February.
This masala brand claims it is ‘World Famous in Punjab’
A photograph of a ‘Punjabi biryani masala’ by food giant Shan Foods is viral in Pakistan because it claims to be “World Famous in Punjab”. Twitter users can’t get past the irony, and are even surprised that something like ‘Punjabi biryani’ exists.
https://twitter.com/aqayyum/status/1224638966240026624
I have two questions… ?♂️ https://t.co/jO7Rf73FLD pic.twitter.com/PVf0nbc48v
— Awais Athar (@awaisathar) February 4, 2020
Punjabi Biryani; World famous in Punjab!!! only Punjab would declare itself a world on its own and then go ahead and brand a biryani as Punjabi ? pic.twitter.com/1yVa7LZggu
— Natasha Javed (@natashajaved1) February 4, 2020
Biryani is considered a close competitor to nihari when it comes to Pakistan’s national dish, and is most popularly made in Karachi in the Sindh province. Though Lahore, in the Punjab province, is also famous for its biryani it isn’t considered a “traditional” variant of the dish.
People from North Waziristan stage daily protest against military
The people of North Waziristan in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province stage a protest every day in front of the Peshawar Press Club against military excesses in the region.
North Waziristan is a tribal area and is considered a hotbed for militants, making it a target for the army.
The protesters perform a tribal dance and song, called the ‘Atann’, which uses drums and sticks. They have been demanding compensation for the damages to their shops during military raids.
Every day, people from NW protest in front of Peshawar Press Clup in a unique way – performing Attann to the loudest drums. However, they accuse KP govt of turning a deaf ear to them.
They demand compensation for shops destroyed in Miranshah during #Pakistan army operations. pic.twitter.com/A4184bHpIM
— Mashaal Radio (@Mashaalradio) February 5, 2020
Also read: Lahore student picked up for making ‘anti-state’ speeches returns home