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Twitter war of words erupts over ‘Veere Di Wedding’ star’s comments about Pakistan

In this file photo, Bollywood actress Swara Bhaskar showcases a creation by designer Amoh by Jade at Lakmé Fashion Week Summer Resort 2017 in Mumbai on Feb. 3, 2017. (AFP)
Updated 05 June 2018
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Twitter war of words erupts over ‘Veere Di Wedding’ star’s comments about Pakistan

  • Pakistani censors said ‘vulgar dialogue’ and ‘obscene scenes’ were the reasons for the ban
  • Pakistani actors respond on Twitter to Indian actress Swara Bhaskar’s statements during TV interview
Updated 05 June 2018
Sabah Bano Malik

ISLAMABAD: Indian actress Swara Bhaskar sparked a war of words on Twitter over her comments about Pakistan during a television interview.
Bhaskar is one of the stars of “Veere Di Wedding,” a female-led comedy buddy film that was banned by censors in Pakistan on the grounds of explicit language and sexual themes. Asked about the ban by film critic Rajeev Masand during an interview on CNN News18 Bhaskar, who previously made headlines for expressing her love for Pakistan, did not mince words.
“For some reason I have to keep answering for that,” she said. “I don’t know why people think I’m a spokesperson for the Pakistani government. What do you expect from a state that’s run by Sharia law?
“They’re a nonsecular state. I’m not surprised at all. Why should we hold up Pakistan, which is a failing state? I don’t understand why we keep taking pleasure and feeling a sense of self-worth from all the silly things that happen in Pakistan. Apologies to all my Pakistani friends right now...rest assured, Pakistanis have way worse vocabulary than we do. I know.”
Two Pakistani actors, Urwa Hocane and Gohar Rasheed, quickly responded on Twitter to Bhaskar’s comments. Hocane posted a three-part message condemning her statements and also the uproar in India over the film “Padmavat.”
“Pakistan is the country that you @ReallySwara referred to, in 2015, as the ‘Best country you have ever visited’ and it has only gotten better in the last few years in every aspect along with when it comes to having bigger hearts and welcoming our guests,” she wrote.

“While you’re on this spree of empowering women, I must say you’ve become a bitter person. And all of this is odd coming from a citizen of a state that bans their own films i.e. #Padmavat so let’s not talk about women empowerment.

“This only reflects on u as an ignorant person who is also quiet contradictory in her own statements. It’s not a failing state for sure but u come across as a ‘Failing Human Being’!!! @ReallySwara.”

Rasheed posted a 10-part response, also directly addressed to Bhaskar.
“#SwaraBhasker prior to your recent interview I’ve never heard your name or known of your existence in #Bollywood. Hence this is when I found out about you, and your change of opinion on #Pakistan. My first reaction was, what a ‘typical old school mentality,’” he wrote his first message.

Bhaskar has not spoken publicly about the interview but retweeted and responded to fans who offered her support. To one she wrote that her comments were not aimed at the people of Pakistan but those that make decisions such as the banning of films.
“There should we a distinction between States/govts of a country and the people of that country. My regard for and goodwill toward the people of #Pakistan remains unchanged. Some of my closest friends are Pakistani. Lahore remains one of my soul cities.”

The ban on “Veere Di Wedding” was announced on May 30 by Pakistan’s Central Board of Film Censors (CBFC), who cited “vulgar dialogue” and “obscene scenes” as the reasons.
The film, directed by Shashanka Ghosh, is a buddy comedy starring Kareena Kapoor, in her first role after taking time off for the birth of her first child, Sonam Kapoor, Shikha Talsania and Bhaskar as four friends attending a wedding.
The trailer, which has been viewed more than 30 million times, includes dialogue about sex, and swearing in Punjabi and English. Despite this edgy attitude, the film attracted a lot of pre-release buzz for being a modern comedy about female friends and marriage in South Asia. The video for the first song released from the soundtrack, “Tareefan,” has been watched 54 million times.
The film was due for release in Pakistan on June 1. Prior to the announcement of the CBFC ban, the Sindh Film Censors (SFC) cleared the film following some cuts. However, when both CBFC and the Punjab Film Censor Board failed to clear the film, SFC followed suit.
The decision prompted much activity on Twitter, which questioned the reasons why a film about women discussing topics similar to those regularly discussed in Hollywood films was banned.

Topics: Veere Di Wedding Bollywood India Pakistan Urwa hocane Swara Bhaskar

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Pakistani fintech JazzCash partners with UAE’s du Pay for cross-border payments

Updated 8 sec ago
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Pakistani fintech JazzCash partners with UAE’s du Pay for cross-border payments

  • du Pay, licensed by the UAE central bank, offers international money transfers, mobile top-ups, bill payments and salary deposits
Updated 8 sec ago
KHURSHID AHMED   

KARACHI: JazzCash, a leading Pakistani fintech organization, on Monday announced its partnership with Emirati financial services provider, du Pay, for cross-border payments.

The signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) marked the “first-ever” collaboration between a Pakistani fintech organization and du Pay to simplify the transfer of payments from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to Pakistan, according to JazzCash.

The Gulf nation hosts a vast Pakistani expatriate community and holds the distinction of being the second-largest contributor of remittances to Pakistan after Saudi Arabia, with $548 million transferred to Pakistan in March alone.

Aamir Ibrahim, CEO of Jazz, the parent company of JazzCash, said remittances from Pakistani expats were vital to Pakistan and this collaboration would help ensure these contributions had a lasting impact on Pakistan’s economic stability.

“We are committed to using technology to enhance financial inclusion,” Ibrahim was quoted as saying in a JazzCash statement. “Our partnership with du Pay simplifies payments for Pakistanis everywhere, emphasising our role in boosting economic growth.”

du Pay, licensed by the UAE central bank, offers a diverse suite of services, including international money transfers, peer-to-peer (P2P) transfers, mobile top-ups, bill payments, and salary deposits through an IBAN, according to the statement.

As strategic allies, both firms will be exploring new avenues of cooperation, leveraging their strengths to drive innovation and expand JazzCash’s footprint in the UAE markets.

“As a leading digital telco, we are committed to delivering exceptional services and solutions to our customers, and we believe this partnership between du Pay and JazzCash, a leading mobile money operator in Pakistan, will ensure streamlined customer experience with great benefits,” said Fahad Al Hassawi, CEO of du.

“du Pay will offer a simplified and secure digital service that will advance financial inclusion and positively impact the lives of Pakistani nationals.”

Topics: Pakistan UAE ties JazzCash Du du Pay remittances

Pakistan, US discuss jointly countering Daesh, Pakistani Taliban to advance regional security

Updated 13 May 2024
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Pakistan, US discuss jointly countering Daesh, Pakistani Taliban to advance regional security

  • Development comes amid renewed violence in Pakistan’s western regions that border Afghanistan, where TTP and Daesh are said to have sanctuaries
  • A Pakistani military spokesman last week said a suicide attack that killed five Chinese engineers in March was planned in neighboring Afghanistan
Updated 13 May 2024
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the United States (US) have discussed jointly countering Daesh, Pakistani Taliban and other militant groups to advance regional security and address transnational threats, the Pakistani foreign ministry said on Monday.

The consensus was reached during a recently held Pakistan-US Counterterrorism Dialogue in Washington DC, which was co-chaired by Pakistan’s Additional Foreign Secretary Syed Haider Shah and US State Department coordinator for counterterrorism, Elizabeth Richard.

The dialogue underscored the cooperation between Pakistan and the US in addressing challenges to regional and global security, including the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Daesh-Khorasan, with discussions centered on the counterterrorism landscape in the region.

“Pakistan and the United States recognize that a partnership to counter Daesh-Khorasan (Daesh-Khorasan), TTP and other terrorist organizations will advance security in the region and serve as a model of bilateral and regional cooperation to address transnational terrorism threats,” the Pakistani foreign ministry said in a statement.

“Both governments resolved to increase communication on these topics and continue collaboration to detect and deter violent extremism through whole-of-government approaches.”

The development came amid a renewed wave of violence in Pakistan’s western regions that border Afghanistan, where the TTP and Daesh are said to have their sanctuaries.

Islamabad has accused Kabul of not doing enough to tackle militant groups targeting Pakistan from across the border. Last week, a Pakistani military spokesman said a suicide bomb attack that killed five Chinese engineers in March was planned in neighboring Afghanistan, and that the bomber was also an Afghan national.

Kabul has denied allowing the use of its territory against any country and says rising violence in Pakistan is a domestic issue of Islamabad.

During the dialogue, Pakistani and US officials emphasized the importance of expanded counterterrorism collaboration and capacity-building, including exchanges of technical expertise and best practices, investigative and prosecutorial assistance, provision of border security infrastructure and training, and strengthening multilateral engagement such as in the United Nations and the Global Counterterrorism Forum, according to the Pakistani foreign ministry.

“The Counterterrorism Dialogue reaffirms Pakistan’s and the United States’ shared determination to contribute to both regional and global security and stability,” it added.

Topics: Pakistan Taliban

Three killed in clashes with paramilitary Rangers amid Azad Kashmir protests 

Updated 13 May 2024
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Three killed in clashes with paramilitary Rangers amid Azad Kashmir protests 

  • Protesters have been calling for reduction in wheat, electricity prices in Himalayan valley through days-long demonstrations
  • Earlier on Monday, PM approved $83 million wheat flour and electricity subsidy and Azad Kashmir announced new prices 
Updated 13 May 2024
SAIMA SHABBIR

ISLAMABAD: At least three people were killed and scores injured as protesters clashed with paramilitary Rangers troops in Azad Kashmir, officials said on Monday, despite Pakistan’s announcement of a $83 million subsidy to reduce wheat flour and electricity prices in the region.

The development comes amid days-long protests in the disputed Himalayan valley, which is administered by Pakistan, led by the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), which is demanding subsidized wheat flour and that electricity prices be set as per the hydropower generation cost in Azad Kashmir.

On Saturday, a policeman was killed in clashes between police and demonstrators as authorities blocked a rally from moving toward Azad Kashmir’s capital, Muzaffarabad, from the region’s Poonch and Kotli districts. Weekend talks between the JAAC core committee and AJK Chief Secretary Dawood Bareach in Rawalakot ended in a stalemate and a planned march by protesters to the capital resumed on Monday.

Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Prime Minister Anwar-ul-Haq said at a press conference on Monday the regional government had notified reduced prices of wheat flour and electricity after Pakistani Premier Shehbaz Sharif okayed Rs23 billion ($83 million) in subsidies.

“Despite the issuance of notifications to reduce electricity and wheat prices, along with addressing other demands, protesters attacked a Rangers convoy, leading to an exchange of gunfire that resulted in the death of three civilians and many injuries on both sides,” Abdul Majid Khan, a spokesperson of the AJK government, told Arab News.

“The deployment of Rangers is not uncommon and their [protesters] attack on the convoy was uncalled for as it occurred after the government had already accepted their demands,” he added.

“The situation is currently under control and we are trying to bring calm as the government will not allow mischievous elements to succeed.”

Amjad Ali Khan, a member of the JAAC core committee member, said the protesters had been contemplating calling off the protest after the price reduction announcements, but the situation had “completely changed” after the killings of the three demonstrators.

“At the moment, we are not clear about the exact number of injured as many are injured, while three deaths have been confirmed,” he told Arab News.

Amjad said protesters got agitated by the heavy deployment of the paramilitary Rangers and clashes resultantly erupted in different areas of Muzaffarabad.

“Although the actual issue for which demonstrations started [protesting] has been settled, this new development has changed everything and now we will decide our new course of action tomorrow (Tuesday),” he added.

The Himalayan territory of Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since their independence from Britain in 1947, with both countries ruling part of the territory, but claiming it in full. The western portion of the larger Kashmir region is administered by Pakistan as a nominally self-governing entity while India rules the southern portion of the larger Kashmir region as a union territory.

While the Indian portion has faced an ongoing insurgency for decades and multiple armed attempts by the state to quell it, the Pakistani side has remained relatively calm through the decades, though it is also highly militarized.

SUBSIDY

Earlier on Monday, AJK PM Haq announced a reduction in the prices of wheat flour and electricity in the region, thanking Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif for approved a Rs23 billion ($83 million) subsidy to make it possible.

“He [Sharif] issued instructions and the things that had been pending for a long time with regard to subsidy, electricity prices, resources, have been provided to Azad Kashmir,” Haq said.

The new price of electricity in the region will be Rs3 per unit for 1-100 units, Rs5 per unit for 100-300 units and Rs6 per unit for those consuming above 300 units. Commercial unit price will be Rs10 for 1-300 units, and Rs15 for above 300 units, according to Haq. A 40kg bag of wheat flour, which was previously priced at Rs3,100, will now be sold for Rs2,000.

“This would cost more than Rs23 billion to the national exchequer,” Haq added, “which the [federal] government and the prime minister of Pakistan gladly accepted.”

Topics: Azad Kashmir protests

IMF, Pakistani officials begin formal talks in Islamabad for fresh bailout program

Updated 13 May 2024
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IMF, Pakistani officials begin formal talks in Islamabad for fresh bailout program

  • The South Asian country last month completed a short-term $3 billion IMF program that helped stave off a sovereign default
  • While Islamabad expects a staff-level agreement by July, both sides have refrained from commenting on the size of the program
Updated 13 May 2024
KASHIF IMRAN

ISLAMABAD: A team of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Pakistani officials on Monday began formal talks in Islamabad for a fresh, longer-term bailout program for the cash-strapped South Asian country, the Pakistani finance ministry said.

The South Asian country, which has been facing low foreign exchange reserves, currency devaluation and high inflation, last month completed a short-term $3 billion IMF program that helped stave off a sovereign default, but the incumbent government of PM Shehbaz Sharif has stressed the need for a fresh, longer-term program.

While Islamabad has said it expects a staff-level agreement by July, both Pakistani and IMF officials have refrained from commenting on the size of the program. The South Asian country is expected to seek around $7-8 billion bailout from the global lender.

On Monday, the IMF team, led by Mission Chief Nathan Porter, met Pakistan Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, central bank governor, chairman of the Federal Board of Revenue and other officials to kickstart discussions on further engagement with the lender.

“The Finance Minister welcomed the IMF team and thanked them for the successful completion of the [$3 billion] Standby Arrangement (SBA),” the Pakistani finance ministry said in a statement.

“The Finance Minister apprised the IMF team of the improvement in the macro-economic indicators over the course of the SBA and underscored the government’s commitment to continue with and expand upon the reform agenda.”

Pakistan narrowly averted a default last summer and its $350 billion economy has slightly stabilized after the completion of the last IMF program, with inflation coming down to around 17 percent in April from a record high of 38 percent in May last year.

However, the South Asian country is still dealing with a high fiscal shortfall and while it has controlled its external account deficit through import control mechanisms, it has come at the expense of stagnating growth, which is expected to be around 2 percent this year, compared to negative growth last year.

Wall Street Bank Citi expects Pakistan to reach an agreement with the IMF of up to $8 billion program by end-July, and recommends going long on the country’s 2027 international bond.

“While longer-term challenges pertain, we see several positive catalysts supporting the Eurobonds,” Nikola Apostolov at Citi wrote in a note to clients.

“First, a larger and longer IMF EFF (Extended Fund Facility) program could be finalized by July – possibly a $7-8 billion 4-year program and secondly and a possible inflow of Saudi investments,” Apostolov said after a team from Citi visited Pakistan and met policymakers, including Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb.

Citi said it expected Pakistan’s international 2027 bond to offer a sweet spot to investors with sufficient liquidity and large upside as risks of default dissipate further.

— With additional inputs from Reuters.
 

Topics: International Monetary Fund

Pakistan PM steps down as ruling party president, Nawaz Sharif poised to take charge 

Updated 13 May 2024
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Pakistan PM steps down as ruling party president, Nawaz Sharif poised to take charge 

  • Nawaz, who founded the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz in 1993, stepped down as president in 2018 
  • Supreme Court had ruled individuals disqualified under Articles 62/63 of constitution couldn’t head party
Updated 13 May 2024
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has resigned as president of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), saying it was time for his elder brother and three-time former premier Nawaz Sharif to “resume his rightful place” as the party’s leader, the PML-N confirmed on Monday. 

Nawaz, who founded the PML-N in 1993, stepped down as its president in 2018 after the Supreme Court (SC) ruled that an individual disqualified under Articles 62 and 63 of the constitution, which outline the rules for qualification and disqualification for parliamentarians, could not serve as the head of a political party. 

Sharif was disqualified as prime minister by the Supreme Court in July 2017, which declared him “dishonest” for not disclosing a separate monthly income from a company owned by his son. The court also ordered the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to open a criminal trial into the ownership of London flats and several other revelations about the ex-PM’s family wealth disclosed in the Panama Papers’ leaks. 

A year later, following the investigations ordered by the court, Nawaz was sentenced to 10 years in prison for corrupt practices linked to his family’s purchase of the upscale London flat and subsequently to seven years in jail in a separate case for being unable to prove the source of income that had led to his ownership of a steel mill in Saudi Arabia. Nawaz has since been acquitted in both cases, which he always maintained were politically motivated. 

Sharif, who is Nawaz’s younger brother, subsequently became president of the party but has always maintained it was a temporary arrangement until his brother was exonerated by the courts. 

On Monday, PML-N information secretary and Senior Punjab Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb shared Sharif’s resignation on X.

“I am heartened by recent developments that have exonerated our leader with dignity, affirming his unblemished integrity and commitment to the service of our nation,” Sharif wrote. 

“Therefore, it is with a deep sense of duty and reverence for our party’s principles that I tender my resignation as the president of PML-N,” he added, pledging to support the PML-N with “unwavering loyalty” under Nawaz. “The time has come for Mohammad Nawaz Sharif to resume his rightful place as the president of the PML-N.”

After being jailed in 2018, Nawaz flew to London in 2019 after a court allowed him to leave for medical treatment, on the condition he returned when fit. However, he went into exile and ran his party affairs from London, while former cricketer Imran Khan ruled as prime minister until April 2022, when he was ousted in a parliamentary vote of no confidence. 

Nawaz’s younger brother, Shehbaz Sharif, subsequently became prime minister for 16 months ahead of general elections on Feb. 8 after which Sharif once again came to power in March and became premier, ruling Pakistan through a fragile coalition with smaller parties. 

Topics: Nawaz Sharif Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz

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