ISLAMABAD: The human rights committee of Pakistan’s upper house of parliament said on Tuesday it had reviewed the film ‘Zindagi Tamasha’ (Circus of Life) and found “nothing wrong” with its content contrary to outcry by religious hardliners earlier this year, adding that the film was okay to be screened at Pakistani cinemas once the coronavirus pandemic subsided.
The film’s release, scheduled for January 24, was suspended after religious groups objected to its portrayal of a struggling cleric. Renowned filmmaker Sarmad Khosat posted an open letter on his Twitter account saying he had received several threatening calls and messages over the film. He has repeatedly since said the film was not meant to hurt religious sensitivities but to shed light on growing intolerance in Pakistani society.
“Senate HR [human rights] committee has unanimously agreed with the censor board’s decision to allow screening of movie ‘Zindagi Tamasha’,” committee chair Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar said on Twitter after Tuesday’s meeting in which the film was discussed. “We’ve found nothing wrong with it. Censor board has our go ahead to release the film post Covid.”
Pakistan’s ministry of information had earlier referred the matter to the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII), Pakistan’s highest religious advisory body, but the Senate human rights panel said it would look at the matter itself.
Before religious groups cried foul, the film, which is about a cleric shunned after a video of him dancing at a wedding goes viral, had already been cleared by the country’s censor board. Its world premier was at the prestigious Busan International Film Festival last year where it won the top fiction prize.
Pakistan senate clears release of controversial film 'Zindagi Tamasha'
https://arab.news/rtrbs
Pakistan senate clears release of controversial film 'Zindagi Tamasha'
- Film’s January 24 release was suspended after hardliners objected to its portrayal of a struggling cleric
- Senate human rights panel says “nothing wrong” with film, can play at cinemas after coronavirus subsides
Pakistan mulls 'Super App' for public services, document verification in major technology push
- Pakistan has been urging technology adoption in public, private sectors as it seeks to become a key tech player globally
- The country this month launched the Indus AI Week to harness technology for productivity, skills development and innovation
KARACHI: Pakistan is planning to launch a “Super App” to deliver public services and enable digital document verification, the country's information technology (IT) minister said on Sunday, amid a major push for technology adoption in public and private sectors.
Pakistan, a country of 240 million people, seeks to become a key participant in the global tech economy, amid growing interest from governments in the Global South to harness advanced technologies for productivity, skills development and innovation.
The country's information and communications technology (ICT) exports hit a record $437 million in Dec. last year, according to IT Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja. This constituted a 23% increase month on month and a 26% increase year on year.
Pakistan's technology sector is also advancing in artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud computing, marked by the launch of Pakistan’s first sovereign AI cloud in November, designed to keep sensitive data domestic and support growth in the broader digital ecosystem.
“In developed countries, citizens can access all government services from a mobile phone,” Fatima said, announcing plans for the Super App at an event in Karachi where more than 7,000 students had gathered for an AI training entrance test as part of the ‘Indus AI Week.’
“We will strive to provide similar facilities in the coming years.”
Khawaja said the app will reduce the need for in-person visits to government offices such as the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) and the Higher Education Commission (HEC).
The Indus AI Week initiative, which ran from Feb. 9 till Feb. 15. was aimed at positioning Pakistan as a key future participant in the global AI revolution, according to the IT minister.
At the opening of the weeklong initiative, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced that Pakistan would invest $1 billion in AI by 2030 to modernize the South Asian nation’s digital economy.
“These initiatives aim to strengthen national AI infrastructure and make the best use of our human resource,” Khawaja said, urging young Pakistanis to become creators, inventors and innovators rather than just being the consumers of technology.
