Kaifi Khalil topping local charts on Spotify.

Whether you are an avid music listener or not, chances are that you’ve come across “Kana Yaari” or “Kahani Suno 2.0” playing behind a short video or on a friend’s Spotify playlist! In fact, “Kahani Suno 2.0”, has continuously been ranking at No. 1 and 2 on Spotify’s weekly charts with its total streams now past 19 million and counting. 

In addition, the soulful original-sound-track (OST), Mujhay Pyaar Hua Tha, Kaifi’s recreation of “Kahani Suno 2.0” , has ranked at the top of Spotify’s Daily Viral Songs. This comes only seven days after the track made its debut on Charts. As an artist, Kaifi Khalil himself has witnessed a 97% increase in streams on Spotify just over the past month. His popularity has sky-rocketed making him increasingly popular with listeners of every age and country.

With his top countries on Spotify being India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, UK, the USA and Canada, Kaifi Khalil, the emerging artist from Karachi’s Lyari neighborhood, has become a global sensation, thanks in part to his amplified reach through Spotify. He is a prime example of how the streaming service has allowed the young boy from Karachi to let his voice be heard in all corners of the globe.

Kaifi’s vocal magic has been soulful, groove-worthy and feet-tapping with every other track. When “Kana Yaari” first dropped, it was a fusion that was unlike any other that audiences had enjoyed. It came as no surprise then that the track shattered records, topping chart after chart on Spotify, even ranking among the top 5 in Wrapped this year.

Kaifi has become the latest awe-inspiring musician to conquer people’s hearts the world over. For the talented youngster, it is a time when anything he touches turns to gold. And it’s not just Pakistan, the song is trending in neighboring country India and hit the top spot in Bangladesh too this week.

Kaifi Khalil is one of many emerging artists to have joined the Spotify for Artists program, a creatively curated platform that enables musicians to have better access to insights of their releases. The offering facilitates both the artists and their tracks to reach wider audiences spread all over the globe. 

The success that artists like Kaifi Khalil are experiencing today has a lot to do with Spotify. The music streaming service has broadened the horizons for local artists, be it through Charts, Fresh Finds, RADAR or EQUAL Pakistan. Spotify is a platform that is catapulting Pakistani artists to new heights of glory allowing them to realize their true potential. It is a game changer for the country and its musical landscape with equally potent benefits for both artists as well as audiences.

See Prime’s most watched short film ‘Prince Charming’ wins global recognition.

Mahira Khan, an exceptional actress after winning laurels for her work on both big and small screen has just laid her hands on the award for Best Actress – Short Film at Indus Valley International Film Festival which was held in New Delhi, India for Prince Charming, a short film produced by See Prime.

Last year superstar Sheheryar Munawar, after making waves as an actor released his short film ‘Prince Charming’, produced under the See Prime banner, starring countries’ biggest stars Mahira Khan and Zahid Ahmed together for the first time. Prince Charming talks about post-marital depression, a very real issue in our modern day and age, in a very unique and creative way.

Award winning actress, Mahira Khan shared her views by saying; “this award goes out to all the ladies who are silently suffering from post-marital depression, our society doesn’t talk about it, we consider such topics as taboos and yet here we are. I’m glad that this role touched the audiences’ heart, it’s one of the roles which shall stay close to my heart forever. I would like to thank my dear friend Shehryar Munawar for believing in me and the entire team of See Prime specially Seemeen Naveed for providing us with this platform”.

Seemeen Naveed, the executive producer See Prime stated, “I truly believe in showing and producing content that comes with a deep message for my audiences. I was amazed by the vision which Sheheryar had in his mind behind this masterpiece. I’m proud that our content has been recognized on an international level, hoping to keep on producing and working with these gems”.

The film is available on SeePrime’s official YouTube channel and you can still watch it here:

About See Prime: See Prime is a digital entertainment platform bringing new, dynamic and break-through, original and distinctive content for its viewers. It has successfully broken into a dimension of untold and unique narratives for its audiences, exploring different and diversified genres.

13th Tehzeeb Festival all set to be held at NAPA.

Tehzeeb Foundation of Pakistan in collaboration with the National Academy of Performing Arts (NAPA) and Getz Pharma is holding 13^th Tehzeeb Festival from 05^th November 2022 till 06^th November 2022 at Zia Mohyeddin Auditorium, NAPA.

This festival aims at celebrating South Asian legacy through classical, folk and sufi music. IT will be featuring eminent artists from Pakistan, India, United Kingdom (UK), United States of America (USA) and other parts of the world.

The festival includes live performances as well as some pre-recorded recitals. The recordings are all exclusive and will be screened for the first time. Live performance feature some of the leading torch-bearers of classical music in Pakistan.

Some of the participants are;

S No	Name of Artist	Medium	Country
01	Saphwat Simab	Rubab	Afghanistan
02	Ashraf Sharif Khan	Sitar	Germany
03	Shahbaz Hussain	Tabla	United Kingdom (UK)
04	Pandit Nirmalya Dey	Dhrupad Gayeki	India
05	Vidya Shah	Thumri Ghazal	India
06	Aizaz Sohail	Classical Gayeki	Pakistan
07	Imran Ilyas Khan	Classical Gayeki	Pakistan
08	Imran Abbas Khan	Classical Gayeki	Pakistan
09	Ustad Mumtaz Sabzal	Banjo	Pakistan
10	Ustad Fateh Ali Khan	Classical Gayeki	Pakistan

The hallmark of this year’s festival will be a classical dance performance by Tehreema Mitha, who is visiting Pakistan from USA.

Sharing some insights about this festival, Sharif Awan, Director, Tehzeeb Festival said; “Tehzeeb Festival is now in its 14^th year and this year we are planning to organize 13^th Tehzeeb Festival and 3^rd one at NAPA. This festival will be a two-day affair, which was earlier scheduled to be held three months earlier, but due to consistent rains all over Pakistan this festival was delayed”.

We added; “like all previous editions, this 13^th Edition of Tehzeeb Festival will be a success too”.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NAPA, Junaid Zuberi also shared his views and he said; “prime objective of NAPA is to train and educate our students about music and traditional arts. On music side we are training / educating our students on classical-music, folk-music and sufi-music, whereas on the traditional side, we are focusing on theatre-art”.

Zeb Bangash’s ‘Saaf Hawa’ (Clean Air) is out now.

Zeb Bangash announced the release of an anthem, titled ‘Saaf Hawa’ (clean air), linked to the UN Breathe Life Campaign on International Clean Air Day on 07th September 2022.

The anthem is an ode to clean air and aims to reach out to South Asian audiences who live in some of the dirtiest cities in the world. The song is rendered beautifully in Zeb’s melodic voice. Mir Ali Hussain has penned the poetry and award-winning music director Shantanu Moitra has composed and produced the track. Well renowned Arab violinist Layth Sidiq is also featured on the track.

This song has been created to drive an effort for awareness and eradication of conditions leading to the massive environmental pollution the world is struggling with today!

South Asia is home to 39 of the world’s 42 most polluted cities, making it the epicenter of the global air pollution crisis. 33 of these 39 cities are in India, three in Pakistan, two in Bangladesh, and one in Nepal.

The UN estimates that over 9 million lives are lost globally each year, with over 1.5 million lost in South Asia alone. According to recent research, COVID 19 mortality rates are 15 ~ 20% higher in areas with the highest levels of PM2.5 air pollution. The same air is affecting the Gulf region.

Furthermore, given the devastation caused by the floods and the global challenge of climate change, ensuring collective solidarity and accountability in efforts to make our air clean and breathable is critical. Given the importance of clean air and how polluted it is, we will only face severe consequences and a world in which our children will struggle to live and breathe.

Sharing her views on ‘Saaf Hawa’, Zeb Bangash said; “with the disastrous floods in my country, clearly climate change presents a future of consequences to be borne by our children. ‘Saaf hawa’ is a heartfelt ode to Clean Air written and rendered as a love song. I am extremely happy that I could be the voice for ‘Saaf Hawa’,”.

Air Quality Asia (AQA) commissioned an anthem featuring a human voice because of the positive response to vocal music in South Asia. With this song, AQA launched a clean air movement in collaboration with the United Nations Campaign: Breathe Life.

The main goal is to inspire the South Asian public to collaborate across borders and countries to achieve clean air as they are the sole brunt bearers of pollution happening all over the world whilst contributing the lowest to carbon emissions.

Seemab Gul’s “Haven of Hope”, has been selected from Pakistan for International Film Festival (IFFR)’s Hubert Bals Fund (HBF).

Seemab Gul’s “Haven of Hope”, has been selected from Pakistan for International Film Festival (IFFR)’s Hubert Bals Fund (HBF) for female filmmakers in the category of its 2022 ‘Script and Project Development Support Scheme’. Each of the 10 projects selected receives a grant of €10,000 to be spent on development.

Seemab Gul shared her views; “being at La Fabrique in Cannes is an incredible experience because it’s a meeting point of international cinema. It’s the largest and only festival in the world which is catered mainly for film professionals. Meeting many French and international producers has opened up lots of new co-production avenues. This is a step closer to accomplishing my dream of making my debut feature film, Haven of Hope (Panah Khana)”.

The selection includes Iranian filmmaker Rakhshan Banietemad, who’s previous film Tales picked up best screenplay at Venice Film Festival in 2014, and Tamar Shavgulidze, the Georgian director of Comets which screened at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2019.

Two Brazilian projects, The Secret Of Sikán by Everlane Moraes and Maíra Bühler’s The Marriage, are featured and will also be supported by HBF’s partner Projecto Paradiso.

Jazmín López is being supported by HBF for the third time with her latest project Presidente which explore the controversial history of Argentina’s first female president, Isabel Perón, who was also the third wife and widow of Juan Perón. These films were chosen from 308 submissions.

Hubert Bals Fund manager Jeske van der Slikke said; “our fund is committed to defending artistic vision from courageous filmmakers across the globe, who may otherwise find it more difficult to access funding, particularly during such a fragile moment as a project’s development”.

Hubert Bals Fund – Script and Project Development Support selection:

Seemab Gul is a Pakistani artist and filmmaker based in London. Her films interweave documentary, fictional, and performative elements to explore social-political stories. Her work is inter-disciplinary, immersed in the current political dialogue, examining conditions of precarity in society and focusing on the outsider experience.

Tim Hortons celebrates the country’s extraordinary achievements over the 50 years

Since the opening of its first branch in Dubai in 2011, Tim Hortons shared the UAE’s past as well as its future and was part of the Emirati society which it considered as home in all the sense of the word, with its 77 outlets spanning over Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah and Al Ain.

More than 50 years ago, the F&B concept opened its doors in Hamilton, Canada on May 17 and the only thing available on the menu back then was coffee and donuts.

Fast forward to 2011, the iconic retail group “Apparel” has introduced the iconic Canadian Tim Hortons brand to the Middle East, opening its first location in Dubai. The brand was received with unprecedented excitement from both locals and expats due to its renowned history, quality of food, and its popularity as the largest coffee chain with more than 4000 locations in Canada.

The chain quickly became known in UAE for its freshly brewed coffee and freshly baked food, as its tagline “Always Fresh, Always Delicious” continually delivered this promise. In the years to follow, Tim Hortons expanded across the UAE where it became the cafe of choice for all. The UAE has an environment that welcomes innovation.

Tim Hortons strongly believes in delivering superior quality products and services for its customers and communities through leadership, innovation and partnerships.

The UAE constituted an attractive environment for Tim Hortons that provides a developed infrastructure and business incentives that helped the chain to thrive and expand across the country and worldwide.

The inspirational vision behind the country’s leadership has created a prospering atmosphere for entrepreneurs and like-minded businesspeople to continue to establish their investments in the UAE.

Recently with UAE’s National Day celebrations and achievement commemorations, plans were also being set into action for the next 50 years. As the UAE continues to grow and thrive, Tim Hortons will continue to grow with it, while always promising unparalleled moments of delight for its visitors.

Hesham Almekkawi, CEO of Tim Hortons Middle East, stated that, “the business environment in the UAE has strongly contributed to attracting many regional and global companies. The Emirates is considered as the ideal location for them due to its achievements in developing a suitable business model for entrepreneurship and talents through the continuous efforts and support of its government.”

Almekkawi added that, “with the exceptional achievements of the UAE, we are honored and thrilled to be a part of this remarkable journey. And with the immense success the brand has experienced here, we are ready to push it to the next level and prosper with the visionary plans the UAE has set for the coming 50 years.”

Mr. Hesham Almekkawi, CEO of Tim Hortons Middle East.

What gives Tim Hortons such a relevant place in the hearts of all its UAE customers is the fact that its concept stores cater to all segments of the community. From the drive-thrus and main street outlets to its branches in malls, community compounds, petrol stations, universities, and hospitals, the brand is present wherever you may need it, with plans to further expand throughout the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain; and soon in Kuwait, Egypt and India.

Tim Hortons Stores

Javed Jabbar unveils what really happened in 1971.

After 50 years of being made hostage to false narratives and selective half-truths actively promoted and propagated by external forces benefiting from broken ties, it is time we recognize what really happened, clarifying the myths to be able to move forward. It is not about proving who is right and who is wrong, but about sifting through the purposeful haze created by international politics and moving towards renewing relationships and building stronger partnerships. Javed Jabbar, in his recently launched documentary “Separation of East Pakistan – The Untold Story,” aims to do just that.

The documentary was screened at Nueplex Cinema in Karachi and was well attended by eminent and prominent members of society and intelligencia.

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The documentary tells us how Sheikh Mujibur Rehman did not want an independent nation, how Indira Gandhi admitted to India’s active involvement in the separation of Pakistan, it breaks apart the fake news about 3 million deaths and 200,000 rapes, which are humanly impossible, it shows how Soviet Union and India played dirty politics to divide a nation to the extent of training Bengali civilians and arming them as Mukti Bahini in the camps on the Indian side of the border and initiating and supporting the “6 points” which they knew would ignite a separatist movement, and how the issues of resources and language were misused to promote a separatist politics.

Javed Jabbar has shown intellectual integrity in also analyzing where we went wrong, whether it was Ayub Khan’s One Unit Policy which caused political alienation of East Pakistanis, a growing trust deficit on resources and language, amplified by natural disasters and misused by separatists, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto’s power politics and refusal to comply with the 1970s election results, or Yahya Khan’s uninformed actions.

The audience greatly appreciated the efforts of the Evolution Media team, at bringing together international and national learned scholars, expert analysts, historians and public servants who had served at the time to unfold the story of 1971 like it has never been done before. Many shared that they were totally unaware of many of the information that were shared and how it completely changed their perspective on what had happened.

The documentary has been produced by Ms. Erum Binte Shahid, with Javed Jabbar as the Executive Producer and writer, Muhammad Zeeshan as the Content Director, and Mitra Bonshahi, Mehreen Jabbar and M. Bilal as the Consulting Editors.

While speaking at the event Ms. Erum Binte Shahid, the producer of the documentary said that; “she is honoured to have had “the privilege to share the true story of 1971 with the people of South Asia, especially those who were not witness to the events of those years that led to the events of 1971. I am humbled to have contributed towards demystifying the false information that has unfortunately become the mainstream history.”

The documentary is the first of its kind, sharing facts and information not revealed before. International and national experts and intellectual leaders address the false information and shares little known facts about 1971.

While addressing the audience the eminent Javed Jabbar, shared that; “the history of 1971 has purposefully been diluted by hyperbole and false information. After 50 years it is time, we use the lens of facts and objective analysis to tell the untold story.”

Through the documentary Javed Jabbar factually and objectively highlights how India’s involvement was not arbitrary or based on an immediate response to a humanitarian crisis but a well-crafted long-term strategy, which they were able to manipulate due to the circumstances and political immaturity prevalent at the time.

Pakistan has always accepted the reality of Bangladesh with an open heart and wished them the best as a brotherly nation. However, moving forward in good faith makes it imperative to revisit the past and review what had happened, separating facts from myths, and accepting the reality.

The documentary is available on www.1971untoldstory.com.

Zoha Rahman set to make her Bollywood debut in the upcoming film ‘83’.

After her role as the first Hijabi woman in a Marvel movie ‘Spider-Man: Far From Home’, and starring in the Apple+ show Foundation, the British-Pakistani actress Zoha Rahman is set to make her debut in Bollywood and will be seen in Kabir Khan’s upcoming sports film ‘83’ starring Ranveer Singh.

The teaser in which Zoha Rahman is seen in, re-creates the famous nail-biting moment from the 1983 World Cup final at Lord’s where India defeated West Indies and bagged their first ever win in a World Cup. Zoha watches the match from the bleachers, anticipating what might happen next. The actress will be seen playing a first generation immigrant living in the United Kingdom.

Zoha Rahman shared her excitement by saying; “It’s an honour to be part of such a huge project next to some of the greatest stars of our time and It’s definitely one of the most exciting experiences of my life.”

Zoha Rahman’s versatility knows no bounds. The actress can currently also be seen making waves in the Pakistan Entertainment industry in the 7th Sky Entertainment blockbuster serial Dil-e-Momin.

About Zoha Rahman: Rising star Zoha Rohman has made a name for herself in the entertainment industry within a short time. The budding star is known for her role as a hijabi in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in ‘Spider-Man: Far From Home’. She is also a part of the Apple TV+ production ‘Foundation’  and is making her Bollywood debut in Kabir Khan’s film ‘83’. The actress can currently be seen in the 7th Sky Entertainment blockbuster Dil-e-Momin.

‘Champa Chambeli’ – A See Prime short film explores friendship between Indo-Pak.

Marking the 73^rd Independence Day for Pakistan & India this weekend, See Prime, the digital entertainment platform recently launched by SEEME Productions, has released a short film ‘Champa Chambeli’ narrating an enticing tale of finding friendship across borders that goes beyond politics and fights.

‘Champa Chambeli’ is a light-hearted take on going against the animosity between India and Pakistan – following the story of two hopeless romantics from across the borders, who in search of love end up crossing paths virtually. As they form a new friendship, the duo embarks on an online mission to rekindle the dying friendship between the two nations through YouTube.

Produced by Seemeen Naveed, the short film is written and directed by Hisham Bin Munawwar who is also the director of Amna Ilyas’ 2019 romantic comedy ‘Ready, Steady, No’. The cast of this See Prime original include the multi-talented Salman Shahid, along with Sarmad Aftab, Kanwal Aslam & Momina Farooq Khan.

YouTube Link for the Short Film –  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyzxLLLpqvM&feature=youtu.be

KCFR hosts webinar “India China stand-off at Ladakh & its impacts on Kashmir issue”.

President Azad Kashmir Sardar Masood Khan has suggested that; “Pakistan should hold joint-military exercises with China and keep its armed-forces ready for full fledged war as India can engage in any misadventure to save its face after stand-off with China on Ladakh”. He was of the view that present stand-off between India and China is just because of Indian recent actions in India Occupied Kashmir (IoK).

He was speaking as one of panelists during a live webinar on “India China stand-off at Ladakh & its impacts on Kashmir issue” hosted by the Karachi Council on Foreign Relations (KCFR).

Other panelists included Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed and Ambassador Mustafa Kamal Qazi. Ikram Sehgal Chairman KCFR, Commodore (Retd) Sadeed A. Malik Secretary General KCFR and Dr. Huma Baqai also spoke.

Sardar Masood Khan referred that; “during Indian elections, Prime Minister Modi threatened to occupy Kashmir and Siachin and in fact it was a direct threat for Pakistan and China. So India is facing today what it threatened off and had evil plans in mind”, he added.

“China has never compromised on its sovereignty. Pakistan should further strengthen its relations with China and should have join exercises of armed-forces along with having offensive diplomacy. Both countries should complement their strength. China has good number of friends in the world and Pakistan should also increase number of its friends countries”, he emphasized.

“China never wants to engage in war with India. US President Trump’s offer for mediation between India and China was not serious rather ridiculous. This was alike as China may offer mediation on conflict between USA and Mexico. USA will never come for rescue of India if situation turn worse”, President Sardar Masood Khan analyzed.

“Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is now a new world order and can challenge existing world order”, Sardar Masood Khan concluded.

Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed told that; “India cannot fight with China however it can make its nation fool by engaging in any misadventure like it did in Ladakh. India can do this in next few months or may be in September, so we should be ready for it,” he further stressed.

Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed said that; “after being ditched by China, India was now trying to test Pakistan and it always failed. USA needs support of Pakistan for peace process in Afghanistan and it will not take any step to weaken Pakistan which will ultimately affect this peace building process,” he informed.

“It is now clear that attack on Karachi Stock Exchange and other terrorist activities in Pakistan are mastered by India RAW. We are already engaged in hybrid warfare and we have to enhance our skills in it further”, he added.

Chairman KCFR Ikram Sehgal showed a banner “Kashmiri lives matter also” it was on lines with the American slogan carried that the “Black lives matter also”. He said that; “martyred Burhan Wani had become a symbol of independence movement of IoK”. Recalling his career, Ikram Sehgal told that; “he was part of flying operation in Karakaram belt some 50 years ago and knew that it is very important strategic position”.

“India has already threatened to disturb China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), however Pakistan should strengthen itself to face the situation. India has martyring number of Kashmiri youth Everyday in the occupied valley. World should now realize that lives of Kashmiri people is also important”, Ikram Sehgal stressed and showed a banner “Kashmiri lives matter” also as it was on lines with the American slogan carried that the “Black lives matter also”.

Ambassador Mustafa Kamal Qazi said that; “India has got no support from the world in this current situation. USA can also not lien further towards India”, he added.

Earlier Commodore (Retd.) Sadeed Malik started the webinar and then invited Dr. Huma Baqai for further coordination.