Habib Paracha’s ‘The Last Full Measure’ all set to hit cinemas in Pakistan today.

The most anticipated war drama film ‘The Last Full Measure’ would be hitting cinemas across Pakistan today i.e. Friday, 31^st January 2020, making this the first time that a Hollywood film by a Pakistani Executive Producer would be released in Pakistan. Habib Paracha has collaborated with HKC Entertainment Co for distribution of this film locally.

Written and directed by Todd Robinson, the film stars Sebastian Stan, Christopher Plummer, William Hurt, Ed Harris, and Samuel L. Jackson, among others. Habib Paracha is the Executive Producer behind the film, which narrates the true story of William Pitsenbarger, played by Jeremy Irvine, who is a war hero of the highest order, an Air Force medic who personally saved over sixty men.

Talking about the film release, the excited producer, Habib Paracha said, “I am so thrilled for this movie to be released in Pakistan! I hope to leverage my learning from this project to showcase the stories of the heroes of our armed forces and show the Pakistani audience and the World at large the great sacrifices that the soldiers of our country have made towards being a peaceful, progressive and positive country in the World.”

Talking about the film release, CEO HKC Entertainment, Hammad Chaudhry, said, “We are glad to be bringing this exciting new story to cinemas across Pakistan. It is a real honor to be able to bring a movie produced by a Pakistani producer to audiences over here.”

‘The Last Full Measure’ distributed locally by HKC Entertainment marks as Habib Paracha’s fourth venture in Hollywood after ‘The Trust,’ ‘Terminal,’ and ‘Strive.’

He is one of the few Pakistani producers representing the country in Hollywood, Habib Paracha, has made a name for himself with critically acclaimed productions starring popular American actors including Nicholas Cage, Elijah Wood, Margot Robbie, Samuel L. Jackson, and many others.

Here is the official Trailer of “The Last Full Measure”

Natasha Baig’s debut album “Zariya” launched.

Laal Series & Natasha Baig hosted a celebration of Natasha Baig’s debut album “Zariya” at Pakistan American Cultural Centre, Karachi on 28^th January 2020. Magnitude of this launch event was no less than grand. As per schedule of events, we were greeted at the red carpet by the media partners and their photographers and they made sure of our presence at the event with their clicks.

After the photo session we mingled into crowd which consisted of musician, music-lovers, music- promoters, socialites, celebrities who had come in large numbers to attend this album launch.

After this excellent networking and mingling there was an album listening session where we all enjoyed recorded version of Natasha’s songs after which went towards the stage, where Natasha Baig was getting ready for live performance, but going live she explained in details of all the struggle that she had to go through. Dino was asking questions and Natasha was replying with some nervousness initially but with the passage of time she gained her confidence.

Natasha Baig said; “making my debut album was no less than an adventure. It would be injustice if I didn’t pay homage to those responsible for making it happen”.

Natasha Baig remembered each and every person who made this album launch possible and she said; “first of all I would like to thank Allah for the everything that he has blessed me with and after that I would like to thank my lovely mother for believing in me and for being my constant support at every stage. I would like to thank my manager Hassan Ali Effendi for helping me and guiding me in my journey to become what I am today. To Sameer baig, Sinnan Fazwani and Aly Safeer for their greatest efforts. To Ahsan Bari and his team for their contributions. To Jaffer Zaidi for his consultation and guidance. To Moaz & Shafqat the team of ‘MediaBox’ for dedicating their blood and sweat in making this album. To my supporters and friends who have supported me through thick and thin and lastly to Mr. Uzair Mughal and Mr. Usman Qadir for being my constant support and for believing in my abilities”.

On concluding note Natasha Baig said; “my debut album ‘Zariya’ is a product made with immense love and dedication and I hope that it will transmit positive vibes your way as well”. Best on-stage moment was, when her mother was invited to say few words on this album launch. Her mother also spoke of the struggles that Natasha had to go through.

After her interview, best came the test part of this album launch which was live performance by Natasha Baig. One thing that I had noticed during her live performance was that she matured a lot a singer. Her vocal tone is very crisp to an extent that makes it unique and goes up and down to maximum limits which is a gift very few female vocalist have.

 

After a very impressive and power-packed performance we were treated to excellent tasting pizza from Pizza Hut, cold beverages from Pepsi, ice-cream from Igloo and dhood patti from a local vendor. This album launch won’t be forgotten for long nor any easily.

 

About Natasha Baig: Natasha Baig is the only female sufi rock singer who comes all the way from mountainous valley of Hunza. She came to limelight in 2013 through a reality show named “Cornetto Music Icons”, where she was stated to be the power-house because of high vocals by Shahi Hussain, who was the producer of the show. Natasha Baig has also remained a vital part of the contemporary band “Sounds of Kolachi” and later on as a solo artist she joined hands with Mai Dhai in collaboration of a song which became a huge hit “Kesaria”.

About “Zariya”: Natasha Baig is known for high pitched, crispy and husky rough vocal tone. She debuted in Coke Studio (Season 11) with Allama Iqbal’s poetry Shikwa and Jawab-e-Shikwa along-side Fareed Ayaz and Abu Muhammad and it became a massive hit with more than 2 million views  in just one day and started trending worldwide for more than one week including Pakistan, India, UAE, Canada etc etc. Since music gave her the way to become what is today and gave her courage to break the monotony of cultural barriers hence she named her debut album as “Zariya” which is self explanatory.

 

‘Closer To The Truth’ by Tony Joe White.

Tony Joe White’s best creation till-date,  a song that he wrote, produced its music and sang to perfection like no other. His song ‘Closer To The Truth’ from his album with the same name ‘Closer To The Truth’ takes you to another world.

 

 

 

ArtOne62 brings to Pakistan “The Story of Australian Aboriginal Art”.

ArtOne62 Gallery hosted a display of artworks titled as “The Story of Australian Aboriginal Art”. This artwork consist of Australian Aboriginal Art specially brought in from Australia in collaboration with Gallery One62 Australia. Opening reception of this exhibition was held on Tuesday 28^th January 2020 at 06:00 pm at ArtOne62 Gallery in Clifton Block 04. This exhibition will continue till 31^st January 2020 (excluding Sunday).

About Aboriginal Art: Aboriginal culture dates back as far as between 60,000 to 80,000 years. This is when Aborigine’s first settled in Australia. It is imperative to pass on information to preserve their culture. Indigenous art is centered on story-telling. It is used as a chronicle to convey knowledge of the land, events and beliefs of the Aboriginal people.

Aboriginal people do not have their own written language as so they make use of many common symbols (often called iconography) in their artwork. Although these vary from region to region, they are generally understood and form an important part of Australian Indigenous Art. A few of the more common ones and some variations are shown here. A painting may have several levels of story depending on whether the story is being told to children, initiates or among elders or law people. The meaning of the symbols can change depending on the context of the story concerned.

About Aboriginal Art Movement: In 1971, a school teacher named Geoffrey Bardon was working with aboriginal children in Papunya near Alice Springs, when he noticed that whilst the aboriginal men were telling stories, they would draw symbols in the sands. He encouraged them to paint the stories onto canvas and board. With that began the famous Aboriginal Art Movement. It was a major jump for indigenous people to start painting their stories onto western facades which was a very foreign concept to them.

Since its inception Australian Aboriginal Art has been identified as the most exciting contemporary art form of the 20^th century. An aboriginal artist needs permission to paint particular stories. For some stories they inherit the rights to these stories which are passed down through generations within certain skin groups. An aboriginal artist cannot paint a story that does not belong to them through family.

As per Australian law, this indigenous art form cannot be made by anyone not hailing from ethnic aboriginal roots, thus giving this art an exclusive right of making and ownership.

Connected

Dragon Fly Dreaming

Egg Swril

Gunidjarr Yurrandaali

Kevin Carr

Sea Creatures. 

German & French Embassies in Islamabad celebrated 57th anniversary of Franco-German Friendship – Treaty of Elysée.

On the occasion of the 57th anniversary of the Treaty of Elysée and of the first anniversary of the Treaty of Aachen, basis of German-French reconciliation and friendship, French Ambassador Dr. Marc Baréty and German Ambassador Bernhard Schlagheck gave a joint lecture on “German-French friendship as the ground for effective multilateralism” at NUST University today. The lecture was attended by students and faculty members of the university’s department for public policy and governance. The German and French Embassies in Islamabad celebrated the Franco-German friendship day with a joint lunch of both Embassies’ staff. On the same occasion both Ambassadors gave a joint interview to a private television channel.

During the lecture at NUST both Ambassadors emphasized:

“After centuries of hostilities and wars between our countries, strong political will and people-to-people contacts paved the way to overcome “hereditary enmity” and establish Franco-German friendship. This successful reconciliation process might be a source of inspiration for other regions as well.”

January 22nd marks an important date in the history of both countries as on this date in 1963, French President General Charles de Gaulle and German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer signed in Paris the Elysée Treaty on cooperation between the two countries that marked the beginning of an era of friendship and cooperation between Germany and France after more than a century of hostilities and wars.

Get your nikhaar on with the new Veet-Nikhaar.

Veet, a leading depilatory brand manufactured by Reckitt Benckiser Pakistan Limited (RBPL) has launched a new variant, Veet-Nikhaar. With the benefits of natural ingredients such as turmeric and saffron, Veet-Nikhaar gives that perfect glow and silky-smooth skin in just three minutes (application times may vary for sensitive skin).

The campaign is launched during the wedding season for girls looking for hair removing solutions that are not just convenient to use due to busy routines and hectic schedules but are also based on natural ingredients which they love and are very comfortable with.

Talking about the launch of the new variant, Humayun Farooq, Director Marketing Health, RBPL said, “Veet, as a brand, has always delivered on its promise by staying relevant for its consumers and thus stayed on top as a market leader in the industry. We have seen a consumer shift towards natural ingredients, and in our quest to resonate with the Veet Woman, we have launched this new product variant that serves the purpose.”

Veet-Nikhaar is a simple and convenient solution that allows women to be comfortable in their own skin and face any and every situation fearlessly with confidence!

To further excite consumers, Veet has also launched a campaign through which women are given the chance to win beautiful gold pendants. To enter the contest, participants just need to purchase a pack of Veet cream or lotion and give a missed call on 0303-0833875 to receive details on how to enter the competition. (Terms & Conditions apply: https://bit.ly/2Nqn1LZ).

07th edition of Karachi Eat Food Festival commonly known Karachi Eat 2020 ended as a success too.

07^th edition of Karachi Eat Food Festival commonly known Karachi Eat 2020 was held at Beach View Park, Clifton from 10^th January 2020 and went on till 12^th January 2020. Karachi Eat is owned by CKO Event Architecture is getting bigger, better and well recognized brand among Karachi’s eatery circles.

On Friday 10^th of January 2020, we decided to head towards Karachi Eat on very breezy winter evening, which was quite cold as per Karachi’s standard. Most of the aspects that were lacking last year seemed covered up this year at 07^th edition of Karachi Eat 2020. We got to see a well developed parking space against the bumpy ground from last year and this year it was vast and well lit up during night-time. After parking we headed towards the entrance, which seemed very well managed. Arrangement at the entrance also seemed to be near perfect. Entry was meant only for families and was priced at Rs 450.00/head. Young kids below the age of 05 were free. Prices of all offered items were capped to Rs 400.00, which felt like a decent idea.

On enquiring we were guided to media desk where Ms. Irum Ali from Mind Maps Communications greeted us with a broad smile. She was kind enough to inform us that this year’s which is also the seventh edition of Karachi Eat will boast around 115 eateries, all of which were carefully curated by their food-jury from 300 applicants wanting to be a part of this year’s edition; all the eateries and their dishes were marked according to taste, cost, practicality and presentation.

Ms. Irum Ali was also kind enough to inform us that the organizers CKO Event Architecture is a firm jointly owned by three young entrepreneurs Sara Chapra, Omar Omari and Aslam Khan and its turning out to be one of most sought after event planner because of their new innovative ideas that can be viewed by their clients and gets appreciations all over.  Their product ‘Karachi Eat’ has become one of the most recognized brand within Karachi’s ever growing and evolving eatery circles.

She also informed us that official BBQ Pit partner is ‘Shan‘, official beverage partner is ‘7up’, official tea partner is ‘Mezan Tea’, official biscuit partner is ‘LU’, official chocolate partner ‘Cadbury Dairy Milk’, official hygiene partner ‘Lifebouy’, official washing-powder partner ‘Ariel’, official health partner ‘Sensodyne’, official health partner ‘Hashmani’, official media partner ‘Geo’ & official radio partner ‘FM91’.

After a very brief introduction to organizers, sponsors and eateries present at Karachi Eat 2020, we were finally ready to begin our tour.

There were three rows of stalls and we opted to start from the centre row which had large size stalls. Our first stop was at Cadbury Dairy Milk’s stall where Chef Abdul Hadi Co-founder at Master-Class Pakistan Hospitality Business School was present with his team of chef and was preparing some very excellent tasting confectionary & dessert items for us. Best of the best dessert that we tasted during our visit to Karachi Eat 2020 was desi dessert ‘maalpura’ served with hot molten Diary Milk Chocolate. This ‘chocolate maalpura’ for me was the winner of Karachi Eat 2020. At Diary Milk’s stall there were other items like ‘walnut tart stuffed with chocolate’ and ‘creamy puff dipped in chocolate’ but none of them could beat the taste of ‘chocolate maalpura’. Dairy Milk did live upto their slogan which was “kuch acha hojaye, kuch meetha hojaye”.

‘Kuiya – the art of Potato’ were serving Potatoes is all sorts of styles. They specialized in presenting Potato in its conventional ways also in un-conventional desi styles like kuiya. CEO of Kuiya Mr. Mujtaba Haider Afaq said; we make amazing foods items in Karachi. According to Mr. Mujtaba Haider Afaq, Kuiya mostly prefers to serve for events with bookings mostly online, but can also deliver at your site through their delivery riders, Bykea & Food Panda. They have been in business for four years now. All of their desi & conventional items are prepared from spices that they prepare in-house and these preparations of spices date back to the times of mughal era. Kuiya took this opportunity to launch their spices by the name of ‘Kuiya – the art of spices’ or Kuiya Masala.

Spic-O-getti being next was another home based online eatery available for delivery only in most parts of Karachi was our next destination and we went there for a tasting session. We tasted their signature dishes ‘Khausa’ in chicken along with their ‘Singaporean Rice’ (Chicken) and new entrée “Chic ‘n’ Cheese Spaghetti”. “Chic ‘n’ Cheese Spaghetti” was defiantly the winner among these three and is highly recommended. Cheesy texture was too rich with low spices and this turned out to be good combination and gave it a heavenly taste. We were told that this home based online eatery is run by three sisters and they are sure doing a good job.

After so hype that was created for Butter Beer at last Karachi Eat, I immediately rushed to Sol’s stall and got hold of their now famous Butter Beer. Wasn’t up that hype that was in mind since last year when they ran out of stock.

Dumba Club was serving lamb chops & also claimed to serve optimum prawns. Portion of Lamb Chops served too small and on all three days I couldn’t succeed tasting their prawns as they were always out-of-stock.

SlamVich as always were serving one of best and finest sandwiches in Karachi. I doubt that anyone can match their quality, taste & quantity. Like always they were spot-on.

About Sugar Drizzle, I didn’t try their cookies but their hoarding said “abs aren’t made in kitchen, but cookies are”, was one of the best advertising that I had seen all day.

A very dear friend recommended Kichdri Express, but reaching there, didn’t find their presentation appealing enough so decided to opt against trying Kichdri Express. Some friends wanted to try Original-Zafarani-Chai, 2-guys 1-grll, Dirty-Dogs but we couldn’t due to over-crowding or some other unappealing reasons.

Music line-up this year as impressive as it use to be. Some of big names in desi music like Josh from Canada were here to perform their hit numbers and RDB had flown in all the way from UK for perform their desi-punjabi hit numbers.

Media in Pakistan continues to be in chains as at-least seven journalists reportedly killed; 60 were booked under Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA).

Though the Article 19 of the constitution of Pakistan and Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) guarantees freedom of expression and free media but media in Pakistan continues to be in chains or under strict form of physical intimidation like killings and self-censorship regime during 2019 like preceding years.

Despite the fact that there is a specific law on defamation but the government and other actors used Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) and Pakistan Penal Code’s (criminalization) sections against media practitioners in Pakistan. At-least 60 journalists were booked under Anti Terrorism Act 1997 in 35 cases which included 50 journalists from Sindh province alone.

It is revealed by the Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) in its Pakistan Media Freedom Report 2019 issued here on Sunday. It has compilation of cases, number of victims and sequence of events made mockery of freedom of media and freedom of speech in the country. Reports also contained recommendations by Arif Nizami, President CPNE.

First ever conviction for possession of banned material was also made. Chaudhry Nasrullah, member Karachi Press Club was convicted for five years imprisonment with fine on allegations of possessing banned material by Anti-Terrorism Court in Karachi.

According to available data at-least seven journalists reportedly were murdered during the year 2019 while reports suggest at-least 15 journalists were injured during attacks in the line of duty.

The mysterious and unidentified actors (‘unknown’) constituted the biggest threat to press freedom as it was in the previous year as well. The second biggest threats to the lives of journalists were non-state actors, outlawed terrorist and militant groups, who continued their attacks on journalists and media in previous year too, report mentioned.

The pathetic state of un-announced impunity for those who attack the media can be perceived from the fact that not a single killer or attacker of journalists and media persons was brought to justice.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa while taking a lead introduced the first provincial law on Right to Information (RTI) followed by Punjab and Sindh respectively. The Federal Capital Islamabad adopted new legislation on RTI as well. However, in the province of Balochistan, RTI laws were remained a distant dream, report noted.

Pakistan Media Freedom Report 2019 further stated, it was claimed by government that cyber law- Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016 would deal with cyber-crimes and online harassment of women and, would not be used against journalists & media. But on the contrary the same law had been used against media freedom and freedom of expression in one way or other.

In an attempt what can be termed as a flagrant attempt to curb media freedom, the PTI government announced to form Special Tribunals (Media Courts) to tight its grip on media. But due to strong opposition by CPNE and other stake holders’ the government dropped the proposal.

Press Information Department in a move to introduce advertisement policy by federal government shared a draft of the proposed policy with various stakeholders including CPNE. According to media professionals, the advertisements are being used as tool to restrict media freedom and keeping this in view CPNE shared its feedback on the policy.

According to World Press Freedom Index, Pakistan ranked 142 out of 180 (comparison) countries, which gives the indication of how media in Pakistan was under threat. On the other side extreme fear and self-censorship continued haunting media freedom and free expression in the country, report observed

According to available data at-least seven journalists including Urooj Iqbal, Mirza Wasim Baig, Muhammad Bilal Khan, Ali Sher Rajpar and Malik Amanullah Khan reportedly were murdered during the year.

The mysterious and unidentified actors (‘unknown’) constituted the biggest threat to press freedom as was in the previous year as well. The other threat factor included members of political parties, religious groups and state authorities who allegedly had murdered/attacked journalists.

Due to its stories and content, Daily Dawn came under the severe attack as its offices were besieged by angry organized mobs in Islamabad and Karachi; while foul language was used against the Dawn management including its Chief Editor Zaffar Abbas, its lamented.

Discussing PEMRA role, CPNE reported that PEMRA not only issued notices to TV channels but barred some anchors from offering opinions on TV channels and talk shows. It was ordered not to discuss the issue pertaining release of PMLN leader Shahbaz Sharif on bail. While News Channels were directed not to cover live telecast of PMLN leader Maryam Nawaz’s press conference and issued notices to 21 news TV channels for non-compliance.

An interview of Asif Ali Zardari, former President of Pakistan and Co-Chairman of Pakistan Peoples Party with host Hamid Mir was stopped from being aired shortly after it started on Geo News in July 2019.

Geo News, 24 News, Abbtakk, Capital and DAWN News were taken off air due to coverage of Mualana Fazal-Ur-Rehman’s press conference on Azadi March. News channel 24 News was served notice on the complaint of the Prime Minister and PEMRA imposed a fine of Rs one million on the News Channel, it was quoted.

CPNE report further shared that by using Anti-Terror and other laws, at-least 60 journalists were booked under Anti Terrorism Act 1997 in 35 cases which included 50 journalists from Sindh province alone. Journalists were booked under allegations of “Bhatta Khori”, kidnapping for ransom, police encounters, attempted murder and blackmailing etc. Whereas the journalists, alleged that they were victimised owing to their fair reporting against the authorities.

One journalist Ajeeb Lakho associated with a local newspaper was booked in 17 cases; while freelance journalist Mushtaq Sarki in Karachi was implicated in seven criminal cases allegedly due to social media stories posted by him.

According to reports, other journalist victims included Ashiq Jatoi, representing a TV channel was booked in kidnapping and police encounters cases including terrorist activities and attempted murder.

On July 30 last year Jotai and his five journalist friends – Rutam Indhar, Altaf Kalwar, Mubeen Indhar, Junaid Kalwar and Hazrat Gul Pathan — were attacked by a dozen unidentified people wearing masks. They were beaten brutally in front of hundreds of people before being taken away to an unknown place.

Cases were also registered against two other journalists Shair Samejo and Irshad Rutam. The 18-year son of Rutam Indhar, who visited the police station to inquire about the journalists, was also named in the same case registered on the complaint of one, Abdul Ghaffar Chachar, facts revealed.

According to Shahzada Zulfiqar, President Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), they received around 60 to 70 complaints from journalists who were booked under ATA. He said that government was making a mockery of rule of law by registering fake cases against journalists.

Previous year also witnessed first ever conviction for possession of banned material. Chaudhry Nasrullah, member Karachi Press Club was convicted for five years imprisonment with fine on allegations of possessing banned material by Anti-Terrorism Court in Karachi.

In the report, Arif Nizami, President CPNE has recommended enactment of special federal and provincial laws for safety of journalists should be done to obligate the legal system to protect journalists and special federal and provincial prosecutors be appointed. A unified self-regulated code of conduct should be introduced and implemented by media houses/ journalists bodies, he urged.

“Enacting safety policies, safety protocols and annual safety audits should be done in-house at media houses aimed at pre-empting and preventing risks, threats to their journalists, other staff and media houses. Resources should also be pooled for prosecution of crimes against journalists,” he further suggested.

Decriminalizing dissent in the Prevention of  Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), including abolishing Section 11 (dealing with hate speech) and Section 20 (dealing with defamation) and Clause 37 (dealing with prerogative of Pakistan Telecommunications Authority to arbitrarily block websites) while vagueness around the phrases included in Section 9 (dealing with glorification of an offense) and Section 10 (dealing with cyber-crimes) should also be removed to prevent journalists from being targeted for their professional work. There should be a judicial probe of cases registered under ATA against journalists, CPNE recommended.

Curtain-raiser of ‘1st PTV Sports Lifetime Achievement Awards’ held in Karachi.

Pakistan Television Network (PTV) in collaboration with Cutting Edge Group & Jellyfish launched the curtain-raiser of ‘1^st PTV Sports Lifetime Achievement Awards’ here on Wednesday January 15^th 2020 at an impressive ceremony held at Pearl Continental Hotel, Karachi.

For the first time ever in the history of broadcasting any network has taken such an initiative. In a perfectly conceptualized event, six nominees from 18 different categories of sports were revealed. Six players were nominated for each sports category from Athletics, Badminton, Basket-Ball, Boxing, Cricket, Field-Hockey, Football, Kabaddi, Mountaineering, Polo, Sailing, Snooker, Squash, Swimming, Table-Tennis, Tennis, Weight-Lifting, Wrestling. Apart from these nominations there will be Best Sports-woman, Best-Sports-man and Best Sports-Journalist/Commentator awards and in addition to these 21 awards there will be twelve players from different sports rewarded for excellence in the sports (world records).

The ceremony started with Zainab Abbas & Shahzad Khan on an impressive set with strong aesthetics explaining the concept of arranging ‘1^st PTV Sports Lifetime Achievement Awards’ to re-incarnate the forgotten stars, to highlight that heroes never die, to reflect on how sports had integrated the society and also how with an early impact Pakistan had dominated the world. It is to provide a platform for future generations to get motivated and to move in life progressively.

There were exclusive documentaries on excellence of Pakistan sports, Brigadier Rodham, Subedar Major Abdul Khaliq, Hissam Ali Haider, the Muhammad brothers were run.

Dr. Nauman Niaz, Sadiq Muhammad & Shoaib Muhammad

 

It was an extremely well attended ceremony where Mr. Aamer Manzoor, Managing Director of Pakistan Tele-Vision Corporation (PTVC) dilated upon the need for such an activity and how PTV has been patronizing sports in Pakistan.

Mr. Arif Malik, CEO of the Cutting Edge Group explained about their collaboration in hosting the awards and referred towards the main function to be held on February 18^th, 2020 at the Convention Centre in Islamabad. The CEO of Cutting Edge Group also appreciated the efforts Jellyfish PR agency headed by Naveen Ali for their contributions to this event. CEO of Cutting Edge Group also explained the hosting in May-June 2020 of Kashmir Premier League.

Dr. Nauman Niaz Director Sports & Syndication of the PTV & a renowned anchor eloquently went through the sequence of events aired and produced by PTV since its inception in 1964 & its role of manifesting the true cultural values. He using his remarkable memory also discussed in comprehensive details the early of impact of great Pakistan sportsmen.

Dr. Nauman Niaz, Zainab Abbas & Shahzad Khan fluently explained each details of each nominee supported by strongly made visual citations. There were interactions with top sportsmen including Sami-Ullah, Islah-ud-din, Sadiq Muhammad, Shoaib Muhammad, Javed Miandad, Sarfraz Ahmad, Rashid Latif & Shoaib Akhtar which turned out to true essence of this event. Zaheer Abbas, Iqbal Qasim, Asad Shafiq, Wasim Bari, Muhammad Yousaf the snooker champion & Salim Jaffer were also present.

Hasan Sardar & Sarfaraz Ahmed.

Zaheer Abbas, Javed Miandad & Islah-ud-din

Shoaib Muhammad, Javed Miandad, Arif Malik, Aamer Manzoor, Dr. Nauman Niaz & Hasan Sardar.

Apart from usual expected stuff that we get to see in awards events, this award show had more to it, stand-in comedians Murtaza & Mustafa left the house in laughter. After a good laugh an elegantly made award trophy & medallion were unveiled by all sports celebrities + organizers that were present. A very artistic & customized cake by pie-in-the-Sky was cut as part of the celebrations. Breathtaking music was next with the songs sung by Sahir Ali Bagga & Aima Baig. After musical event the curtain raiser of ‘1^st PTV Sports Lifetime Achievement Awards’ concluded with all the participants were invited for an delicious dinner, but most of the attendee’s opted to take advantage of stars & super-stars of Pakistani sports that were present and went for their ‘seflie moment’.

Meet the Jury of ‘Pakistan International Screen Awards’ (PISA) 2020 being held in Dubai.

The countdown to the inaugural Pakistan International Screen Awards (PISA), taking place on 7th February, 2020 at the magnificent Coca Cola Arena has begun. For the first time ever, Pakistan’s TV, Film, Music, Fashion and Social Media stars will be celebrated at this gala event. As we await the glamorous stars walk down the red carpet and perform on stage on the night, here’s a list of awards that will be chosen by an esteemed jury.

1) Best Actor in a Leading Role – Critics’ Choice
2) Best Actress in a Leading Role – Critics’ Choice
3) Best Actor – Critics’ Choice Best Actress – Critics’ Choice
4) Song of the year – Critics’ Choice

Experts from various industries comprise the curated jury for the upcoming PISA. From fashion to film critic to entrepreneurs and ardent promoters of talent, PISA jury members are stars in their own right. In a secret ballot, which will be revealed on the awards night, the jury will vote for the five Critics’ Choice categories. Meanwhile votes are pouring in on the public nomination categories on the PISA website; www.pisa.com.pk.

The inaugural star-studded event will see around 17,000 audiences at the Coca Cola Arena. Glamorous red carpet, outstanding performances and showcasing the best of the best talent from the Pakistan television, film, fashion and music industries as well as social media stars. The event will be attended by icons of the film industry and the young, talented and dynamic artists who have created a huge following in the sub-continent in such a short time.

Book your tickets on https://www.coca-cola-arena.com/en/events/Pakistan-International-Screen-Awards or on Platinum List.

 

MEET THE JURY:

 

FRIEHA ALTAF – as the CEO and creative head of Catwalk Events and Productions, Frieha Altaf has executed more than 3000 events, ranging from intimate to enormous, over a span of 30 years. Her forte extends to directing, producing shows, celebrity and model management. Recently, she has ventured back into acting as well. With a degree in arts from The William Smith College, US and a diploma in fashion design from International Academy of Design, Canada, Frieha Altaf has conceptualized mega events such as Lux Style Awards, Engro Excellence Awards, Veet Supermodel and has also been at the forefront to fashion weeks and Pakistan Film Festival. Besides an illustrious career for which she has received several awards, Frieha’s proud accomplishment is the ‘Woman of The Year’ award presented to her by the Governor of Sindh for her work on child sexual abuse.

Frieha Altaf

 

JAVED SHEIKH – first made his debut in 1974 with Dhamaka and over the last three decades he has acted in more than 100 films and television serials in Pakistan and in India. As an actor and director, Javed Sheikh has won numerous awards and accolades and is hugely respected versatile star on both sides of the sub-continent border. In 2018, Sheikh directed and acted in the film Wujood and appeared as a ghost named Dwarka Prasad in successful comedy film Saat Din Mohabbat In. Most recently, Javed’s latest film, action-comedy, Teefa In Trouble, has been a box office hit.

Javed Sheikh

 

SAHER SHAIKH – founder and director of ‘The Adopt-a-Camp’ foundation, NGO Consultant, former investment banker, cordon bleu chef and mother of four, Saher Shaikh is a famed pillar of the Pakistani community. Saher Shaikh’s drum-roll of accomplishments include being awarded by Dubai Government for services to the community, being profiled by CNN Heroes, BBC World and Al-Jazeera; being named Most Inspirational Woman in the GCC, Dubai’s Personality of the Year, Hello magazine’s ‘Top 40 Women Changing the World’ alongside Queen Rania and Malala Yousuf Zai.

Saher Shaikh

 

ALINA TALHA – fashion, film-making and aesthetics are the driving force for the young and talented Alina Talha. Her creative input combined with her analytical outlook allows Alina to identify the up and coming artists in the field of performing arts. Alina has played a critical role in developing the format of PISA and fine tuning one of the biggest award ceremonies to be held outside Pakistan.

Alina Talha

 

FARAZ HAMIDI – an ad-man by day and a poet by night, Faraz Hamidi is the former creative chief of IAL / Saatchi & Saatchi and co-founder and chief creative officer of The D’Hamidi Partnership. Faraz Hamidi’s passion for advertising and the communication arts has seen him as a front-runner in Pakistan’s advertising industry for almost 30 years. A global citizen, Faraz Hamidi has attended a number of creative institutions including TASIS, Royal Academy of Music, Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Sorbonne, and Boston University’s College of Communication from where he graduated with BSC in Mass Communication and Advertising in 1991.

Faraz Hamidi

 

SENATOR FAISAL JAVED KHAN – a Pakistani politician who has been a member of the Senate of Pakistan, since March 2018. Faisal Javed Khan began his political career in 1996 with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). He has hosted more than 500 PTI political rallies across Pakistan and was named as the ‘voice of PTI’. Since February 2018, he has been serving as a member of the core and central executive committees of the PTI and its central additional secretary information.

Senator Faisal Javed Khan

 

SUHAIL ABDUL LATIF IBRAHIM GALADARI – is the eldest son of late Abdul Latif Ibrahim Galadari and is the director and executive committee member of Galadari Brothers & Co since 2006. Being in a leadership position, Suhail Galadari has successfully led teams of thousands in the multi-industries from media to automotive to hospitality to F&B. Galadari Brothers, based in the UAE for over 50 years has become an expert in introducing global businesses to the UAE including JCB, Mazda, Baskin Robbins, Komatsu, Khaleej Times among others.

Suhail Galadari

 

MARIA FAISAL – owner of Mesmerise Promotions and co-founder of PISA, grew up watching her father play a critical role in the establishment of Pakistan Television network. Maria Faisal’s innate passion for art and culture prompted her to establish the Pakistan International Screen Awards 2020 with an objective to highlight the talented artists of the country on an international level.

Maria Faisal

 

OMAIR ALAVI – senior journalist with over 20 years’ experience in writing about films, television dramas and theatre. Omar Alavi’s known for his in-depth interview style with celebrities. From interviewing global stars such as Chris Hemsworth, Tom Holland to regional stalwarts like Nadeem Baig, Subhash Ghai among others, Omar’s knowledge of films is un-matched.

Omar Alavi