ISLAMABAD: QMobile, Pakistan’s largest smartphone marketing brand, said this week it had signed on Esra Bilgic, hugely popular in Pakistan for portraying the role of ‘Halime Hatun’ in the historical TV series Ertugrul, as an ambassador.
The series, which ran in Turkey until 2019, is loosely based on the story of a 13th century nomadic Turkic tribal leader who confronted Mongols, Crusaders and Byzantine rulers in what are now Syria and Turkey.
Pakistani broadcaster PTV began airing Urdu-dubbed episodes of the show during Ramadan this year, and it has since become the most watched program ever aired by the outlet, gaining such popularity that residents have erected statues to commemorate the medieval Turkish leader at the heart of the show. Bilgic’s character has become especially loved nationwide.
The show also got a ringing endorsement from Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, who said on Twitter that it would help combat “vulgarity” from Hollywood and Bollywood and promote family culture.
“QMobile is proud to announce #EsraBilgic famous for playing Halime Sultan from #Ertugrul as its ambassador for View Max Pro series making QMobile the first Pakistani brand to have any celebrity from Ertugrul phenomenon on board,” QMobile said in a post on its official Facebook page on Monday.
More than 58 million people viewed the first episode of Ertugrul on PTV’s YouTube channel in two months, and the entire show has had more than 250 million views, according to PTV data. Turkish state television waived royalties for the show.
QMobile, which imports phones from China and markets them under its brand in Pakistan, sells an estimated one million mobile phones monthly.
Pakistan’s sweetheart: QMobile signs on Ertugrul star Esra Bilgic as ambassador
https://arab.news/gcg4z
Pakistan’s sweetheart: QMobile signs on Ertugrul star Esra Bilgic as ambassador
- Bilgic became hugely popular in Pakistan for portraying the role of ‘Halime Hatun’ in the historical Turkish TV series
- She will be an ambassador for the View Max Pro series as QMobile becomes first Pakistani brand to bring an Ertugrul cast member on board
Pakistan arrests suspect arriving from Cambodia amid crackdown on human smuggling
- Suspect worked at an “online fraud company” in Cambodia, later started smuggling people from Pakistan, says FIA
- Pakistan has intensified crackdown against human smugglers after hundreds of migrants drowned near Pylos in 2023
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Sunday said it had arrested a key suspect involved in smuggling humans who had arrived from Cambodia, alleging he was also part of an international fraud network.
The suspect, identified as Zainullah, was arrested by FIA officials when he arrived in the southern port city of Karachi from Cambodia.
Zainullah had traveled from Pakistan to Cambodia in September 2024, a press release issued by the agency said.
“He worked at an online fraud company in Cambodia and later became involved as an agent in recruiting individuals from Pakistan,” the FIA said.
The FIA said it recovered images of multiple individuals’ passports, payment receipts and bank transaction records after extracting data from Zainullah’s phone.
It said the suspect received money through personal bank accounts and a cryptocurrency account.
“The suspect has been handed over to the FIA Anti-Human Trafficking Circle, Karachi, for further legal proceedings,” the FIA said.
“Further investigation is underway.”
Pakistan intensified action against illegal migration in 2023 after hundreds of migrants, including 262 Pakistanis, drowned when an overcrowded vessel sank off the Greek town of Pylos, one of the deadliest boat disasters in the Mediterranean.
Authorities say they continue to target networks sending citizens abroad through dangerous routes, following heightened scrutiny at airports and a series of arrests involving forged documents.
Pakistan’s interior ministry said this week illegal migration to Europe has declined by 47 percent this year after its nationwide crackdown, saying that more than 1,700 human smugglers have been arrested in 2025.
