ISLAMABAD: Three Pakistanis have made it on Forbes Asia’s inaugural 100 Digital Stars list, which highlights 100 singers, bands, and film and TV stars from across the Asia-Pacific region “who have taken the digital world by storm.”
The list, which is unranked, comes at an exceptional time when much of the region’s population is spending time isolated at home due to the coronavirus, relying on their screens for communication and entertainment.
“We’ve given special focus to celebrities who, despite canceled physical events and activities, managed to remain active and relevant, largely by using social media to interact with their fans, raise awareness and inspire optimism,” Forbes said on its website. “Many also used their influence to help worthy causes, especially those with a COVID-19 focus.”
The Pakistani stars on the list are actresses Mahira Khan, 35, and Aiman Khan, 21, and singer Atif Aslam, 37.
“Khan uses her social media presence— nearly 7 million Instagram followers and over 4 million on Facebook— to raise awareness about mental health issues, violence against women and breast cancer,” Forbes said about Mahira Khan.
On Atif Aslam, Forbes said: “Released in May, his song ‘Asma-ul-Husna,’ recites Allah’s 99 names to encourage hope during the pandemic, and has over 22 million views on YouTube. Aslam urged his 20 million Facebook followers to stay home to curb the spread of the coronavirus.”
Actress Aiman Khan, with nearly 8 million followers, is the most-followed Pakistani celebrity on Instagram.
She and twin sister Minal run the clothing site Aiman Minal Closet, with 249,000 Instagram followers. Last year, she was nominated for Best Actress at Pakistan’s Hum Awards for roles in TV shows Ishq Tamasha and Baandi.
Three Pakistanis make it on Forbes Asia’s inaugural 100 Digital Stars list
https://arab.news/2kezz
Three Pakistanis make it on Forbes Asia’s inaugural 100 Digital Stars list
- The Pakistani stars on the list, which is unranked, are actresses Mahira Khan and Aiman Khan and singer Atif Aslam
- List comes at a time when the region’s population is home due to COVID-19, relying on screens for communication and entertainment
Pakistan transporters call off five-day strike after successful talks with Punjab government
- Transporters went on strike against heavy fines, penalties imposed by Punjab over traffic violations
- Punjab government sets up committee to resolve transporters issues, confirms provincial minister
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani goods transporters called off their five-day-long nationwide strike on Friday after successful talks with the Punjab government, officials and transporters confirmed, as the business community warned of an impending economic crisis if the dispute stayed unresolved.
Transporters went on a nationwide strike on Dec. 8 against stringent traffic rules and heavy fines imposed by the Punjab government over traffic violations. These penalties were included in the Motor Vehicle Ordinance 2025 last month.
The ordinance details hefty fines ranging from Rs2000 [$7] to Rs50,000 [$178] and mentions prison sentences going up to six months for various offenses committed by drivers, such as driving on the wrong side of the road or driving in vehicles with tinted windows.
“Yes, the strike has been called off after our meeting with Senior Minister of Punjab Marriyum Aurangzeb,” Nabeel Tariq, president of the All Pakistan Goods Transport Association (APGTA), told Arab News.
Tariq said fines ranging from Rs1000 ($3.6) to Rs1500 ($5.4) for traffic violations have been increased to around Rs20,000 ($71.3) as per the new rules.
He said the APGTA has agreed to accept a 100 percent or even 200 percent hike in fines. However, he said an increase of 2000 percent was not “logical.”
“Our urgent demands have been accepted and a committee has been formed to review the ordinance and come up with recommendations,” Tariq said.
Speaking to Arab News, Aurangzeb confirmed the strike had been called off after talks with the Punjab government and that a committee has been formed to resolve the transporters’ issues.
The committee will be headed by Aurangzeb and will include representatives of goods transporters, a statement issued by her office said.
“The government wants to protect human lives and make things better for all citizens,” the statement said. “We will resolve the issues (with transporters) amicably.”
‘UNPRECEDENTED CRISIS’
Pakistan’s business and industrial community, meanwhile, warned of an impending crisis if the disputed was not resolved.
The All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) and the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) have both appealed for immediate government intervention.
Imdad Hussain Naqvi, president of the Grand Transport Alliance Pakistan (GTAP), told Arab News that over 400,000 goods carriers had been stranded across Pakistan due to the strike, affecting supplies to millions of consumers.
Earlier, in a letter to Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, APTMA Chairman Kamran Arshad said the strike has “critically impacted import and export operations which are backbone of the country’s economy.”
He said hundreds of cargo vehicles remain stranded across Punjab, creating “abnormal delays” in goods movement and triggering heavy demurrage, detention charges, missed vessels and production shutdowns due to the non-availability of raw materials.
Arshad warned the disruption poses “a serious risk of order cancelation of export orders by international buyers, which would have far-reaching consequences for Pakistan’s foreign exchange earnings.”
Meanwhile in Pakistan’s commercial hub Karachi, KCCI President Rehan Hanif issued an even stronger warning, saying the nationwide strike threatens to paralyze Pakistan’s economic lifeline.
“The complete suspension of cargo movement is pushing Pakistan toward an unprecedented trade and industrial crisis,” Hanif said in a statement.
He added that import and export consignments are now stranded at the city’s ports, highways and industrial zones.
