ISLAMABAD: Ayesha Omar’s next role in “Dhai Chaal” is playing a journalist on a quest of uncovering life and realities in Balochistan.
“It’s about how the people of Balochistan have sacrificed a lot, and went through a lot of hard times to regain peace in the region. It’s about their sacrifices,” Omar told Arab News.
Directed by Taimoor Sherazi and written by Faiza Chaudhry, Dhai Chaal is expected to hit the big screen in February 2020.
Omar’s role will be aiming to report on Balochistan and provide a real account of what people in the region are facing ranging from the presence of foreign entities to corruption.
Her role is opposite Shamoon Abassi who will be playing an Indian spy working to dismantle progress and miff China-Pakistan relations.
the film is produced by Dr. Irfan Ashraf who is committed to highlight the tribulations faced by the people in Balochistan, Omar said.
“He’s been working in the region of Baluchistan for the past 15 years,” she said. “He saw the struggles of the people and wanted to give people a true picture of what’s happening there.”
Omar said, “In addition to our great cast and team, we have people helping out locally from Baluchistan. It’s a team of young people and energetic hard working kids, and lots of university students from universities in Balochistan,” citing producer and writer Ashraf’s work in the region as inspiring the support from the local population.
“People are just genuinely helping this guy with his mission. And that’s what he came to me with... I really, really want to do this (role),” Omar said.
Ayesha Omar’s new film focuses on realities in Balochistan
Ayesha Omar’s new film focuses on realities in Balochistan
- Film ‘Dhai Chaal’ is expected to hit the big screen in February 2020
- People of Balochistan are helping us to complete the project
Pakistan, global crypto exchange discuss modernizing digital payments, creating job prospects
- Pakistani officials, Binance team discuss coordination between Islamabad, local banks and global exchanges
- Pakistan has attempted to tap into growing crypto market to curb illicit transactions, improve oversight
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s finance officials and the team of a global cryptocurrency exchange on Friday held discussions aimed at modernizing the country’s digital payments system and building local talent pipelines to meet rising demand for blockchain and Web3 skills, the finance ministry said.
The development took place during a high-level meeting between Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (PVARA) Chairman Bilal bin Saqib, domestic bank presidents and a Binance team led by Global CEO Richard Teng. The meeting was held to advance work on Pakistan’s National Digital Asset Framework, a regulatory setup to govern Pakistan’s digital assets.
Pakistan has been moving to regulate its fast-growing crypto and digital assets market by bringing virtual asset service providers (VASPs) under a formal licensing regime. Officials say the push is aimed at curbing illicit transactions, improving oversight, and encouraging innovation in blockchain-based financial services.
“Participants reviewed opportunities to modernize Pakistan’s digital payments landscape, noting that blockchain-based systems could significantly reduce costs from the country’s $38 billion annual remittance flows,” the finance ministry said in a statement.
“Discussions also emphasized building local talent pipelines to meet rising global demand for blockchain and Web3 skills, creating high-value employment prospects for Pakistani youth.”
Blockchain is a type of digital database that is shared, transparent and tamper-resistant. Instead of being stored on one computer, the data is kept on a distributed network of computers, making it very hard to alter or hack.
Web3 refers to the next generation of the Internet built using blockchain, focusing on giving users more control over their data, identity and digital assets rather than big tech companies controlling it.
Participants of the meeting also discussed sovereign debt tokenization, which is the process of converting a country’s debt such as government bonds, into digital tokens on a blockchain, the ministry said.
Aurangzeb called for close coordination between the government, domestic banks and global exchanges to modernize Pakistan’s payment landscape.
Participants of the meeting also discussed considering a “time-bound amnesty” to encourage users to move assets onto regulated platforms, stressing the need for stronger verifications and a risk-mitigation system.
Pakistan has attempted in recent months to tap into the country’s growing crypto market, crack down on money laundering and terror financing, and promote responsible innovation — a move analysts say could bring an estimated $25 billion in virtual assets into the tax net.
In September, Islamabad invited international crypto exchanges and other VASPs to apply for licenses to operate in the country, a step aimed at formalizing and regulating its fast-growing digital market.
