“Iss umar mein yeh sab (doing this at this age)?“ asked one troll, while others weighed in on how the unborn baby deserved “younger, more energetic” parents while some prophesied that Khan wouldn’t live long enough to see her baby have babies.

Media coverage has been equally atrocious, with one channel featuring “medical specialists” who referred to Khan as an “old woman”. 

We don’t judge older dads

Of course, such a sexist, ageist response is not a uniquely Pakistani phenomenon. Anne Hathaway was picked apart online after announcing she was pregnant at 43. Kourtney Kardashian, pregnant at 44, and Naomi Campbell, who became a mother at 50 through surrogacy, were also criticised heavily online.

I personally am a fan of how Sienna Miller handled criticism around her pregnancy announcement at 43. When people called her “irresponsible,” she hit back saying: “There’s a whole load of noise and people have a lot to say, and it’s incredibly gendered and unbelievably misogynistic and anti-feminist. If your body is capable of it, have the baby”. She went on to say, “We don’t judge men who are having kids in their 80s. Why on earth is there any sort of narrative?”

Miller was, of course, referring to a host of celebrity dads such as Al Pacino, who became a father at 83, and Robert De Niro, who welcomed a child at 79. The public’s response to these literal senior citizens joining the new dad club was mostly eye rolling and jokes about their virility with some commending them for still having “it”.

There was certainly no online mob with pitchforks accusing these men of behaving irresponsibly by bringing into the world a child they probably won’t see graduate college.

You don’t have to be a celebrity to have your age become the central part of your pregnancy journey. The women I spoke to for this story have been on the receiving end of stigmatising comments as a result of getting pregnant in their forties. 

For instance, Shehnaz — a 40-something-year-old acquaintance whose name has been changed to protect her anonymity — told me, “Instead of congratulating me, people around me asked: ‘What are you thinking? Have you gone crazy?’” Yet, for Shehnaz and every other woman I spoke to, becoming a mother — irrespective of their age — was the best thing to happen to them, and they would do it all over again. 

“It’s good that women are having kids at whatever age they want. Who are we to say when the cut off should be to have a baby? You do worry who will take care of them when you get older but life is unpredictable. My baby was Allah’s gift. She was meant to come to this world,” said Shehnaz.

Ironically, the fulfilment and excitement that all these mothers described to me is something I first heard from Mahira Khan herself.

Seven years ago, I interviewed Khan while she was promoting Superstar in Houston, Texas. I was in my first trimester with my first child. Noticing that my energy was flagging as we all stood around waiting for the event to begin, Khan asked if I was doing okay. When I told her I was fine, just fatigued because I was early in my pregnancy, she hugged me, then hugged me again. Then, holding me close, she told me, “This is the best thing… there is nothing better in the world than being a mother”. 

That day — in the throes of first trimester exhaustion — I couldn’t match her enthusiasm because I didn’t know what was coming for me. But today, six years and two kids later, I couldn’t agree more.

“Geriatric” moms

Webster’s Dictionary defines geriatric as “of or relating to the process of growing old and the medical care of old people”. Naturally, what then comes to mind is a withered, sickly person hobbling into a clinic with a cane. Yet, geriatric is the term the medical establishment deployed for a long, long time when talking about pregnant women over 35. 

According to Texas-based OB-GYN, Dr Sidra Yunus, doctors have recently begun moving toward the slightly more palatable term “advanced maternal age”.

“Geriatric pregnancy is an outdated and unnecessarily stigmatising term,” says Dr Yunus. “While it still appears in older medical literature, it is not the language I use with patients.” 

While the age of 35 as the cut-off for when a woman becomes “old” might feel arbitrary given how different every woman and their aging process is, apparently, the age was set as the threshold due to evidence indicating declining fertility and rising genetic abnormalities after that age. More on that later but, for now, the point being that labels — even when used in a neutral, medical context — matter. 

Take the case of a friend, who, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told me she would cringe every time her doctor referred to her as geriatric.

“I remember being sort of stunned the first time [the doctor] casually referred to me as one of his ‘geriatric’ patients,” she said. “I was only 35 and, in my mind, I did not feel or even look old. But every time I heard it, the implication felt like ‘I’m too old to be carrying this baby, I’m too old to care for this baby.’”

Biology 101

Labels and trolls aside, one thing is clearer now than ever: there is no perfect age to become a mother. Today more than at any point in history, motherhood in one’s forties is becoming closer to the norm than the exception. According to the CDC, the number of babies born to American women 40 and older jumped a whopping 193 per cent from 1990 to 2023. This means that in 2023, for the first time ever, more American babies were born to women 40 and older than to teenagers.

“Forty is the new 30,” Dr Joanne Stone, director of Maternal Fetal Medicine at New York’s Mount Sinai Hospital, recently joked to CBS News. “Everybody’s older. If you have somebody that’s 28, it’s like a teen pregnancy.”

Of course, women are still beholden to biology. And pregnancy later in life comes with its share of risks.

“With advanced maternal age patients, the first [concern] is the ability to become pregnant and have a live birth. With a woman’s own eggs, fertility declines considerably in the mid-40s because both the number and chromosomal quality of the remaining eggs decline. The risks of miscarriage and chromosomal abnormalities therefore increase. Also, with the increasing age I tend to see more medical comorbidities: obesity, diabetes, autoimmune conditions, hypertension,” says Dr Yunus.

Unlike men, who are able to produce sperm throughout most of their lifespan, women are born with all the eggs we will ever have. At birth, a woman has about one to two million. By puberty, that number drops to between 300,000 and 500,000. And, by 37, it has dramatically fallen to around 25,000, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). 

The decrease in the number of eggs is not the only obstacle to getting pregnant. Egg quality declines too. For instance, having 100 eggs doesn’t mean all 100 will be viable. This is why the odds of getting pregnant without fertility treatment after the age of 40 drops sharply, according to the ACOG. Still, spontaneous and unplanned pregnancy after 40 is possible.

What are you waiting for?

Globally, women have more choice today than our mothers and, certainly, our grandmothers did. That choice has resulted in a cultural and lifestyle shift. We are choosing to stay in school longer. We are then spending years after that building our careers. And because we are focused on school and work in our 20s and 30s, we might be marrying later.

I can only use myself as an example. Despite subconsciously being aware of a ticking biological clock, no part of me wanted a child in my 20s. Even after I got married, there were things I wanted to do for myself, including travelling and grad school. After graduating from law school, I worked in Big Law, where 60-hour workweeks were the expectation. I remember walking into the bathroom at work once and finding a more senior attorney crying. She’d just learned she was pregnant and knew that it meant she’d be knocked back at least a year on the seven-year partnership track. And that was exactly what happened — after returning from maternity leave, she was passed over for promotion while her male counterpart made partner.

Another factor contributing to the rise in maternal age is the accessibility of birth control and fertility treatments like IVF, donor eggs and the practice of freezing one’s eggs, which all have collectively made pregnancy in one’s 40s possible for many more women.

As but one anecdotal example, my husband, who is an anesthesiologist, recently did an epidural for a 63-year-old who was using a donor egg to have a second child after her first son passed away. 

One friend who chose to freeze her eggs in her early 30s put the practice best: “I could either let desperation take over and marry the wrong person in my 20s just so I could have kids. Or, I could freeze my eggs, hope the right guy would come along, and then bring a baby into the world on my own terms,” she said. “I am 45 now and my body definitely aches after a day of chasing down a preschooler. But what I might lack in energy, I make up for in patience and emotional stability.”

According to Dr Sadia Durrani, a Texas-based OB-GYN, there is a stigma around being pregnant at 40+, but it is less pronounced than it used to be.

“Some women may feel self-conscious about being an ‘older mom’, particularly because of comments from family, friends, or even strangers,” says Dr Durrani. “There can be assumptions that the pregnancy was unexpected, that because the woman is ‘too old’ she will be significantly more tired or less able to keep up. I also think there is an emotional side that sometimes gets overlooked: a woman can be medically healthy and still feel that society is telling her that she is ‘too old’ to be starting or expanding her family. That stigma can be more significant than the medical issue itself.”

So why the backlash?

I’m 38 and still attending friends’ baby showers. This year alone, I’ve been invited to three for women over 40. Not once did I worry about the mom-to-be’s age or whether she’d live long enough to see her grandchildren, which is why I am still struggling to understand why — despite talking to several physicians and older moms for this story — there is this inevitable backlash when a woman over 40 (celebrity or otherwise) announces she’s pregnant.

If the data is telling us that pregnancy after 40 is the new normal, then why is our reaction to an older mom still so hostile? Why does the age of a 40-something pregnant woman become the headline? And why, in Pakistan and the Pakistani diaspora, does that hostility feel even louder?

Part of the answer, I think, is simple math. In Pakistan, women are still marrying and having children young. Unlike Western mothers, the average age of a first-time mother in Pakistan is 22. That means a lot of Pakistani women in their 40s aren’t planning their baby showers. They’re planning their daughter or son’s wedding and, by 45, they might even be nanis or dadis. 

So, for 41-year-old Mahira Khan with a teenage son to announce a pregnancy means she is going against a script that is internalised by Pakistani women since girlhood. Indeed, Khan, who had her first child at 25, followed that script at one point.

And because age is something Pakistani women are taught to lie about or conceal and because divorce and remarrying still carry a lot of stigma amongst Pakistanis, Khan announcing she’s pregnant with her second husband triggers a lot of our collective mental cultural baggage. Simply put: people feel threatened by a woman who refuses to lie about her age, has spoken candidly about being a single parent, and is now living proof that a person can and should have a second chance at both love and parenthood — no matter their age.

There’s also the fact that in Pakistani culture, a woman’s body — even her life — is never really her own. A pregnant woman in her 40s makes us uncomfortable because she it’s proof she is not celibate. And that’s apparently intolerable and unfathomable in a culture where a woman past a certain age is expected to drop joy from her life and instead spend her time arranging marriages instead of having a romantic life of her own. 

All this means that, for Pakistani women, the window in which to produce a child is predetermined not just by our biology but by our society. 

Get married at 24 and within the first year of marriage, you can expect to be asked the inevitable, “Khush khabri kab suna rahi ho (when will you give us good news)?” By year two, you can expect to be asked if everything is ‘normal’ followed by the suggestion that maybe you should see a doctor. Having one child means you’ll very quickly be told: “Ek bachay ko akela mat chorro” i.e. give them a sibling. But, should a child turn up in your 40s? Well then, the commentary sounds like Mahira Khan’s comment section: “iss umar mein (at this age)?” 

Meanwhile, male counterparts — no matter how geriatric they may be — get to keep finding new sources of joy in  the shape of a second, younger wife who brings forth children no matter the uncle’s age. 

Bollywood movie Badhaai Ho addresses this cultural stigma. In the movie, when a middle-aged woman (Neena Gupta) with grown sons gets pregnant, her sons are mortified while her relatives, friends, and neighbors collectively lose their mind gossiping and mocking the situation. 

So while in the West the “geriatric” label lives mostly in the doctors’ office, in Pakistan it permeates society. 

Seven years ago, Mahira Khan hugged a very tired, pregnant me and said there was nothing better in the world than being a mother. She didn’t add “if you’re the right age”. Now, she is about to find out all over again, at 41, whether she was right. I’m betting she was.

And to the people in her comments asking “iss umar mein?” I’d offer a simpler answer: yes, at this age. At any age her body and her life allow. The only thing that feels truly old here is the question.

On Thursday, she sat down with Parishae Adnan — the CEO of fashion house Aamir Adnan who just got back to Pakistan after closing a show during New York Fashion Week — for her show Rise & Shine. One pressing question Khan had for the designer was whether her parents were okay with the way she dressed going to the gym.

Yeah, the internet made quick work of Khan and her views, with Parishae firing a shot herself by posting a reel of the interaction. Her face shows just how uncomfortable she was with the host’s line of questioning.

Khan can be heard asking how Parishae convinced her parents to let her wear what she does and her co-host Zohaib Hassan even makes a remark about her body — the designer responded to that in a separate video.

Others joined in too, with influencer Zoya Zaidi doing an impression of Khan and her questions on the show, constantly shifting her point from parents to society and back.

Another social media creator, Aisha Yousuf, pointed out how there was so much for the hosts to ask Parishae about her work and her journey but they could only seem to focus on what she wore and log kya kahen ge (what will people say)?

Ramsha Waseem, known for her comedic skits, acted like the person who had the most difficult job in this entire situation: Khan’s PR manager who told her to talk about the designer’s “clothes” — the joke being that she meant the clothes the designer makes, not the ones she wears.

Telling her not to accept fault over her comments or apologise, the ‘manager’ said her client should double down and say she was trying to protect society’s morals because “we have enough loud men and misogynistic women who will support you”.

In her caption, she said, “No matter how successful a Pakistani woman becomes, there will always be someone waiting to reduce her to her clothes, her age, her relationships or the choices she makes.”

But while all these other creators were calling out Khan, Yashal Shahid had a more solution-oriented approach which she described as “kambalon se dumbbellon tak (form blankets to dumbbells)”.

She demonstrated her idea to the audience, lifting weights while draped completely in a blanket, because apparently that’s what you need to do nowadays if you don’t want to be asked about your clothes on national television.

Jokes aside, Khan’s questions and the attitude behind them are unfortunate, especially when they come from a woman who has built a career herself.

Treating women differently and focusing on their personal choices rather than celebrating their achievements — which, in this case, was a win for the entire Pakistani fashion industry — will only push us back to a point where women are no longer comfortable being themselves and building themselves up in public.

During an appearance on Samaa TV’s talk show Gup Shab on Tuesday, the actor complained about how women these days ‘quickly’ recover and heal from the process of divorce. In her opinion, this destigmatisation of divorce is leading to societal ‘ruin’.

Those who are aware of Faisal’s commentary on marriage know all too well how she enjoys making outdated (bordering on insidious) statements on marriage and women’s role in society. In fact, it’s become her brand.

Just months after advocating for more unchecked power for mothers-in-law, the actor sparked controversy in April by advising wives to remain ‘calm’ if their husbands are unfaithful.

Marriage, therefore, inevitably came up on Gup Shab as host Vasay Chaudhry pulled up a quote from Faisal’s vast portfolio of problematic views on the topic. The gist of that statement is that Faisal believes divorce rates are higher these days because “women compete with their husbands”.

Instead of taking this as an opportunity to reflect on the inanity of her words, Faisal chose to double down.

“Look, my mother, our elders used to say such things and I am a big supporter of this. And if today’s girls and today’s people don’t understand this, then it’s their perception. It’s not mine. This is mine,” she said, justifying her toxic narrative.

With a slight raise of her brows, Faisal went on to reiterate that a woman can’t compete with a man, cheekily adding this comment would go viral again.

As the audience clapped (yes, unfortunately this exchange appeared to be met with jovial approval), Chaudhry highlighted how divorce rates seem to be increasing by the year in Pakistan. This shifted the conversation towards how people view divorce differently now.

While there’s still a lot more progress to be made when it comes to the acceptance of divorced women in our society, they aren’t subjected to as much ostracisation as they used to be. For everyone reading: that’s a good thing.

Faisal, however, doesn’t view this as something good. In fact, she seems to want people to be miserable.

“Earlier, people would mourn for two to three months as a result of a divorce in the family. People would say in distress, ‘What has happened to our family? This shouldn’t have happened.’ The father couldn’t raise his head. The daughter, I mean, it was difficult [for her],” she said.

As if this wasn’t ridiculous enough, Faisal spoke of how some women even go for vacations after a divorce — as if wanting to heal from a tumultuous experience is a crime.

Perhaps what Faisal doesn’t realise is that as someone who’s made a name for herself as an enforcer of the most patriarchal and archaic views of marriage, she is not a likely candidate for anyone to go discuss their marital woes, or announce their divorce to. She thinks people aren’t sad after a divorce anymore, but maybe no one is going and weeping in her living room because they know exactly what kind of nonsense she’ll be spouting. That she believes she knows exactly what people who’ve been divorced are feeling or not is evidence of this.

When a marriage ends, people are inevitably sad. However, people also realise that ending a marriage is better than living a life of misery.

It goes without saying that Faisal’s views on women and marriage are harmful, especially in Pakistani society where divorce is still heavily stigmatised. That stigma, of course, disproportionately falls on the shoulders of women.

For many women, leaving a marriage means more than the end of a relationship. In a society where divorced women, to this day, are treated differently and, to a large extent, blamed for failing to fulfil societal expectations, divorce is not an easy choice to make.

Ostracisation from people who think just like Faisal isn’t something limited to media commentary — it’s very much a reality for divorced women.

Therefore, when people like Faisal imply that Pakistani women are cavalier about making the choice to end a marriage, they’re not making a comment rooted in facts — they’re just perpetrating pernicious stereotypes.

The fact that women no longer have to contend with as much moral policing after going through divorce should be considered progress.

Isn’t it a good thing that the fathers (or the family, in general) of divorced daughters no longer have to feel ashamed?

Why is Faisal offended by something that is positive and kind?

Granted, in the past divorce rates were lower but that was mainly due to heavy social stigma, women’s financial dependence, and it not being as easy to navigate the legal system. Many women faced abuse — physical, emotional and even financial — but not everyone had the means or support to seek a divorce because, much like Faisal, many people actually believed that women weren’t equal to men and that these issues could be overlooked. Just because a woman is trapped in a marriage does not mean it’s a happy one.

Bringing back these views, or blasting them from a position of privilege that Faisal possesses, is extremely harmful, especially amid an active femicide in Pakistan. Just last month, 45-year-old Hina Javed was found dead in the bathroom of her apartment in Rawalpindi. Her husband, Faisal Asghar, and an accomplice have been arrested in connection with her murder.

Considering how obsessed Pakistan is with marriage as a nation, it’s not unusual to come across controversial views. However, there is a line between being opinionated and spewing vitriol. Faisal, as her record suggests, always goes for vitriol. She couches her damaging views on marriage and women as education that was passed down to her by her elders, but that excuse no longer works — not when a woman with her resources, money and privilege has access to both exposure and information.

Faisal’s assertion that women’s independence is the reason behind societal ruin is almost criminal, especially in a country where a wife can be murdered for not “serving a hot meal”.

Quoting a post from the BBC News Punjabi about women in Punjab increasingly using scooters to get around and organising scooter rallies in different cities to promote better mobility for other women, Chaudhry said “Most of the girls are horrible drivers”. He said encouraging them to drive themselves around was akin to “putting their and others’ lives in danger”.

Naturally, X was having absolutely none of his nonsense, with users expressing a mix of shock and disgust at the blatant misogyny.

Netizens asked Chaudhry if he had the numbers to back his claims — or if he was just pushing a TikTok conspiracy.

People asked him if he thought men riding bikes in Pakistan — who generally consider turn signals to be entirely optional —were good drivers.

A couple of users pointed out why it was important for women to be able to drive independently, especially in a place like Pakistan.

Users asked why, if he felt women weren’t great drivers, Chaudhry didn’t advocate for better driving training instead of telling women to stay off the road.

One user, however, had a slightly different suggestion.

The truth is, the former minister’s misogyny ignores the realities women face in Pakistan — both on the road and at home. Being able to drive scooters, especially during organised rallies, gives them a way to prove they can live their lives without patriarchal dependence.

And as the girls interviewed by the BBC will tell you, even when they can drive around, they keep getting stared at, chased and hit by men on bikes who might be more deserving of Chaudhry’s — and everyone else’s — criticism.

In one scene from the film — which is touted as a celebration of the South Asian diaspora in the US — Maya (played by Never Have I Ever’s Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) tells another girl “guys throw themselves at you like you’re the last flight out of Kabul”.

Naturally, netizens were shocked and appalled. Some even had to take a moment to come to terms with what they’d heard.

A lot of the criticism was directed at Hasan Minhaj, the prominent South Asian comedian who produced the film and was one of the screenwriters. There was also some shade cast at director Lena Khan.

Best of the Best is the story of a young girl joining the Bollywood-fusion dance team at her university. Speaking to Variety, Khan said South Asian representation in Hollywood was often limited to nerdy side characters and comic relief. “We can be proud of things that we do as South Asians,” she said.

One user said the whole thing was “distasteful, disgraceful and downright wrong”.

Others said Netflix should acknowledge the offence caused by the joke and apologise to Afghans.

For those in need of a lesson in recent South Asian history, the US withdrew from Afghanistan in 2021, ending nearly two decades of continued military presence in the country.

The climax of the withdrawal came in mid-August, when Kabul fell to the Taliban and evacuation flights operated by foreign forces became a last hope for many thousands of Afghan civilians.

At the time, videos circulated of desperate crowds surrounding and running alongside military aircraft, including one video in which people tried to cling on to a US jet as it took off from Kabul. Several people were seen falling from the aircraft as it climbed and authorities confirmed seven people had died.

The 13th instalment of the hit ARY Digital drama, which aired on Saturday, prompted strong reactions and discussions over hypocrisy from viewers, following a major plot twist.

Here’s a quick recap of what happened: after years of dating, and even briefly living with his long-time girlfriend and childhood sweetheart Zaryab, played by Dur-e-Fishan Saleem, Zamil — a narcissistic man who has rediscovered religion portrayed by Nameer Khan — ends up marrying an unknown woman from a madressah. And he doesn’t even bother letting Zaryab know.

The break-up, however, isn’t the story here. It’s what Zamil tells Zaryab when she finally shows up at his doorstep, looking for answers.

As an understandably emotional Zaryab confronts Zamil about his decision to abruptly end their relationship in such a cruel manner, he tells her she isn’t fit to be the wife of a good Muslim man.

“The time I spent with you was my era of ignorance. I’ve left all that and to move ahead I needed a life partner who’d help me in my religion. Someone who is pious, pure and innocent,” Zamil says.

“I think God has accepted my repentance and given her to me as a result,” he adds, before telling Zaryab she needs to find someone “like herself” if she wants to get married.

Zaryab then asks him if only a man has the right to repent and Zamil, visibly frustrated, dodges the question by listing the qualities he wants in a pious wife and how Zaryab doesn’t fulfil his newfound standards.

After the episode aired, many were left impressed by Saleem’s portrayal of Zaryab, a heartbroken woman who, at one point, was willing to let go of her admission to Harvard University, just to placate and comfort Zamil, who couldn’t get in himself.

At the same time, the blatant hypocrisy in Zamil’s views on religion and marriage didn’t escape the notice of the show’s fans.

One user on X called Dare-e-Nijat a “masterpiece” by writer Umera Ahmed.

“Zamil is basically [a] representation of [the] average Pakistani man: khud jo marzi karo, lekin biwi hamesha naik, shareef aur parda-daar chahiye (doing whatever they feel like, but always want a wife who is pious, virtuous and keeps herself covered up). Hypocrisy is just too real,” the user added.

Another pointed out how the drama highlights the importance of not losing one’s humility when you believe you have found religion.

Another user commented how the episode could serve as an unfortunate reminder for all women who have been in relationships with narcissists.

One user straight up called Zamil a red flag.

Directed by Saqib Khan, Dar-e-Nijaat features an ensemble cast, including Sheheryar Munawar, Romaisa Khan, Sahar Hashmi, Sania Saeed, Saba Hamid and Nadia Afgan.

The development came to light when another digital creator, Muhammad Ahsan, in a reel on Friday, criticised an Instagram account identified as M*.

Images independently viewed the account before writing this piece. It shows a mix of AI-generated content: videos of M appearing to kick and assault deepfakes of male and female celebrities — including actor Hania Aamir, as well as other local and international celebrities — alongside separate videos depicting him dancing with and embracing deepfakes of certain celebrities.

In his reel, Ahsan shows a blurred-out clip posted by M where a deepfake of him is seen hitting a deepfake of actor Hania Aamir.

Ahsan said that this wasn’t the only such clip and there were many others on the account that showed M’s deepfake behaving inappropriately, hitting and degrading other actors, influencers and content creators.

Ahsan also showed comments allegedly posted under these videos of other men cheering M on and saying his videos are a “very good use of AI”, though many comments posted over the past 24 hours reflect growing anger and calls for action to be taken against the digital creator.

Ahsan claimed female celebrities were in danger because of people like M and those who support and condone his behaviour, and asked people to report such content wherever they saw it.

Images reached out to M regarding the comments made about his content, but has yet to receive a response.

In Ahsan’s own comment section, female celebrities expressed their anger and called for action.

Mahira Khan said nobody should be surprised at the prevalence of violence against women in Pakistan if this was the mindset people had when it came to female celebrities.

Kinza Hashmi tagged authorities from Punjab, Sindh and Islamabad to bring the matter to their attention and urge them to act.

Actor Tamkenat Mansoor similarly said making such content should be illegal if it isn’t already and that these videos were symptomatic of a society where men think it is okay to abuse ‘popular’ women. The comment section, she said, “proves that so many of these men are just an opportunity away from violating a woman.”

Actor Zara Tareen called on people who have seen M’s videos to identify him, report him to the authorities and file a complaint with the police so that he can face the consequences of his actions.

Cases like this test the limits of existing law. Pakistan’s Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) doesn’t contain provisions written specifically for AI-generated content, but courts and police have applied existing sections — including Section 20 (online defamation) and Section 21 (modesty/non-consensual images) — to prosecute deepfake cases involving public figures.

The lack of dedicated provisions in PECA dealing with deepfake cases means outcomes vary depending on how specific cases are framed. Last year, the Punjab police registered charges under PECA and the Pakistan Penal Code’s defamation provisions over AI-generated deepfake videos of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz.

AI-generated abuse targeting women specifically is a documented, worsening global problem. UN Women estimates that between 16 and 58 per cent of women worldwide have experienced some form of digital abuse, and that 90 to 95 per cent of deepfake videos circulating online are sexualised images of women.

*Name withheld.

But that’s exactly what happened in the 15th and 16th episodes of Hum TV’s hit drama Aap Ki Izzat starring Ahsan Khan and Urwa Hocane in leading roles.

For those unaware, Aap Ki Izzat’s plot revolves around a 14-year marriage that breaks down due to emotional neglect, and the loss of mutual respect.

In the episodes aired on Friday and Saturday, the wife Beena, played by Hocane, finally confronts her husband Tabish, portrayed by Khan, and unleashes years of pent-up pain and anguish.

From calling him out his religious hypocrisy, to pointing out years of emotional neglect and abuse, Beena says it all.

Soon after the episode aired, several fellow celebrities took to social media to laud the performances — Hocane’s in particular, as she portrayed Beena’s vulnerability with diligence and care.

Hocane’s husband, Farhan Saeed, was one of the first to praise his wife’s monologue:

Mawra Hocane also shared her admiration for her sister’s performance:

“Such powerful dialogue delivery yet so subtle and precise,” wrote Sonya Husyn.

Zhalay Sarhadi, Yumna Zaidi, Zara Noor Abbas and Ayesha Omar also shared their admiration for their fellow actors in their Instagram stories:

Beyond the applause, Aap Ki Izzat has done something more important; it has started a conversation. Directed by Saife Hasan and penned by Umera Ahmed, the drama has shed light on the quiet struggles that many couples face behind closed doors, sparking discussions about respect, dignity as well the courage it takes to speak up.

Judging by the praise Aap Ki Izzat is receiving, it’s clear that Hocane and Khan haven’t just delivered powerful performances — they’ve given a voice to stories that too often go unheard.

And in doing so, they’ve reminded us all why storytelling matters.

Well, it’s finally out — and people have really strong feelings about it.

Titled ‘Dil,’ the first song features overnight Pakistani sensations Afusic and Ali Soomro of ‘Pal Pal’ fame and newcomer Zoha Waseem, who shot to viral fame last year with ‘Majboor’.

The heart of ‘Dil’ beats with its catchy catchphrase, “Jeenay ka maza hai Dil de ke (the joy of living is in giving your heart).” The track opens with Afusic appearing seemingly untethered — at one point even floating in the air — while lamenting the experience of falling in love.

In the second half of the song, Waseem mesmerises with her signature soothing vocals, which have the potential to become the next viral hit for Instagram and TikTok reels.

Directed by Kamal Khan, the song delivers an intentionally retro-inspired visual feast. While Nu.WAV is all about showcasing the next generation of artists, the video for ‘Dil’ plays with an ironic contrast — with old-school televisions and purple neon lights. It perfectly showcases the tunes of modern love (and heartbreak) played through a vintage lens.

As expected, the internet had thoughts. Many seemed to be equating Nu.Wav with Coke Studio instead of treating it as a separate platform with a separate sound.

One X user bemoaned that for Pakistanis, everything from cricket to Coke Studio is now ruined.

Another user had a cheeky remark about the Gen-Z spirit of Nu.WAV.

Suffice it to say, ‘Dil’ hasn’t really been able to win the hearts of Coke Studio fans yet.

But Nu.WAV has a lot in store as the inaugural edition features a diverse line-up, including names like Asim Azhar, Hasan Raheem, Maanu, Sabaat Batin, Shae Gill, Young Stunners, Izz Chughtai and Aaryan SDQ, presenting well-known artists with fresh voices who are redefining Pakistan’s current music scene.

The in-store service, which has been live since January, was launched to “help make its footwear more accessible to those living with leg limb difference — by offering customers the option of purchasing only their required shoe,” according to the German-based sportswear company.

The service allows amputees to purchase only one required footwear at half price. However, Adidas has set off a firestorm of criticism online after featuring Shalev Biton, an Israeli soldier who lost his leg during the 2021 onslaught on Gaza, in one of its campaign videos.

Palestinian-American writer and activist Susan Abulhawa pointed out how Israel is responsible for creating the highest number of child amputees per capita in modern history in Gaza.

“I hope good people of the world let Adidas know they made a toxic decision to cheer genocide. May it poison their brand forever,” she wrote.

Many, including Pakistani writer and columnist Fatima Bhutto, called for a boycott of the company.

“More than 5,000 traumatic limb amputations have been estimated since October 2023, as a result of Israeli attacks carried out by soldiers like the one Adidas chose to model for them,” wrote Spanish-Moroccan sports journalist Leyla Hamed.

This isn’t the first time the company has attracted controversy over its connections to Israel. In 2024, Adidas issued an apology to Bella Hadid, the Palestinian-American model, after she threatened legal action over a controversial ad campaign inspired by the 1972 Munich Olympics.

The United Nations reported in July that since the events of October 7, 2023, Israel is responsible for killing at least 20,179 children and injuring 44,143 children in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem.

For anyone reading this who hasn’t yet had the displeasure of witnessing Tamasha Ghar deteriorate into Pakistan’s archetypal Pidarshahana Ghar or Patriarchal House, let me walk you through the rage that birthed this article.

It all started in the late hours of August 29, when a fight broke out between two contestants — Hamza Joher and Dr Sikandar Zaman Khan (popularly known as Dr Zee Khan).

Fights are common in — and even part and parcel of — reality television competitions like Tamasha and Bigg Boss which operate under the Big Brother format, so that was not the concerning part. What stood out was Joher’s apparent hatred for women.

Hatred is a strong word, and I do not use it lightly. In fact, I feel upset using it to describe the politics of a man who had so far appeared progressive, often talking about how much he misses his wife while living in the Tamasha Ghar. Misogyny is all around us, but when it comes from (supposedly) Nice Men™, it pierces more sharply.

The fight started when Joher heard from another contestant that Dr Zee accused him of making inappropriate comments about women. Joher instantly rushed to the wardrobe area where Dr Zee was, getting in his face and demanding to know what he was being accused of saying. What followed was a repetitive, circular exchange, with Joher demanding clarification on his alleged remarks and Dr Zee insisting that Joher recall what he had said in Pashto while they were in the bathroom.

The confrontation quickly intensified with Joher threatening Dr Zee with physical violence over what he perceived was character assassination. At that point, two other contestants intervened, resulting in the altercation shifting to the central lounge area where it pulled more people into its fold. A few minutes later, Dr Zee finally revealed the misogynistic comments Joher had made about the clothing choices and bodies of Tamasha’s women.

Dr Zee’s repetition of those comments was muted in the episode broadcast, presumably because they were too problematic to air on national television, so we don’t know exactly what he said. However, viewers have since analysed what might have been said based on his lip movements and the context shared in the uncensored parts, and the online consensus is that Joher criticised the “revealing dressing” of women on the show, along with making crude, derogatory remarks about the size of someone’s hips.

Somewhere in between, the same Joher who had so far aggressively been asserting that he was being defamed by Dr Zee ended up blurting out, “What’s wrong with what I said?”

Him slut-shaming women was thus reduced to only half the problem; that he did not see anything wrong with it became the other half.

Throughout all of this, he glared at Dr Zee with a rage that felt frightening to many of us watching from the other side of the screen. That rage persisted, despite him being the one in the wrong, which made it all the scarier, and also eerily familiar owing to its hyper-masculine undertones similar to what we see a lot of men in our society exhibiting.

That rage was ignored by the Badshah Salamat (King of the House), Adnan Siddiqui. Instead, he chose to reprimand Dr Zee. His crime? Informing the women around him of what was going on. Or, in the words of the Badshah Salamat himself, breaking the “bro code”.

The day after this confrontation happened, Siddiqui visited the house like he does every day to personally interact with (read: lecture) the contestants. He appeared to be on a mission to publicly humiliate Dr Zee, as he started off by employing a disciplinary tactic seen in schools, forcing Dr Zee to repeatedly stand up and then sit down in front of his assembled housemates.

Then segueing into a discussion on the fight, Siddiqui remarked, “Let me ask you a question, man to man. We tend to say a lot of things like these to each other, right? Do we discuss that [in front of women]… if they are inappropriate? Man to man? There is something known as the ‘bro code’.”

Okay, Adnan, way to publicly confess your covert misogyny. In what came to me as a pleasant surprise, Dr Zee attempted to politely disrupt Siddiqui’s patriarchal line of questioning by declaring that it was Joher who broke the bro code, not him. By so doing, Khan prioritised an ethical reframing of the traditionally misogynistic bro code as something that should push men to become better versions of themselves. That reframed version would obviously not include them engaging in locker-room talk.

Siddiqui, however, didn’t seem to be interested in reframing a problematic social phenomena. His concern was with establishing secrecy around any such conversations that may take place in the future, instead of fostering a culture where there is no room left for these comments to begin with, and he made this quite clear in his subsequent cross-questioning.

He also expressed disapproval over some women not swallowing the blatant disrespect silently. “I am surprised about the way some women became part of the conversation,” he said in reference to the only two women — film star Laila and Rabia Javaid Sheikh — who called out Joher the previous day. He followed it up by saying, “Unko mauqa mil gaya (they got an opportunity).”

The suggestion that the women gained “an opportunity” by being spoken about in that vulgar way reeks of deeply-ingrained misogyny, as if this was some sinister ploy to further their supposedly malicious gameplay, and not a very human and natural reaction to finding out that they were being objectified and demeaned by someone they had no choice but to continuously share physical space with.

Perhaps anticipating public backlash over this, he concluded the tribunal with an acknowledgement of Joher’s fault in passing such comments and advising him to leave these matters to the production management moving forward.

The brief nature of this criticism, coupled with how diluted it was in comparison to what the others received relegated it to being nothing more than a token. And while Tamasha can now claim that they did indeed condemn Joher’s wrongdoing, the fact that this surface-level condemnation was wrapped up in a load of retrogressive, male chauvinist rhetoric by an industry veteran makes me wonder: when will the tamasha of Pakistani men invoking patriarchal concepts like the ‘bro code’ come to an end?

The star posted a story on Instagram on Tuesday saying she has a seven-month-old baby herself and can’t find words to describe what she felt when she came across the news.

Aziz said the only thing she could think to ask was how anyone can do this to a child.

“Why, how and when did some men in Pakistan become so deeply disturbed that they feel entitled to take their frustrations out on women around them? And now, I have to include infants and toddlers in that sentence too.”

The star said she was “disgusted to my core”.

The incident, which the complainant said happened at his house while his wife had gone out to work, left the little girl injured. The suspect is said to have fled as soon as the complainant’s wife returned home.

Aziz said she couldn’t even begin to talk about sex education when people in Pakistan lacked basic awareness of consent, boundaries, safety and respect.

She said she loved Pakistan; it was her home and she couldn’t imagine living anywhere else in the world, but that did not mean she would stay silent about the country’s problems.

She said she wanted to see a country where her children were protected by a functioning system and not just her vigilance as a mother. “A Pakistan where predators are afraid of the law, not where parents are afraid for their children.

“If my children are not safe here, then what am I supposed to do with all this love for my country?”

Sonya Hussaiyn had a similar outlook on the system when she reacted to the incident, saying “Qayamat (the Day of Judgement) will explain why its arrival was necessary”.

“Shame on the system that continues to fail its people,” Hussaiyn said.

This latest incident comes after a string of violent incidents against girls in Pakistan. Just last week, police in Haripur recovered the body of a five-year-old who had been raped and killed.

Earlier in August, police arrested a teenager suspected of raping a toddler in Karachi.

According to a report from child protection NGO Sahil, 1,914 cases of child abuse were reported across the country between January and June 2026, including as many as 1,015 cases of child sexual abuse, 558 cases of abduction, 101 cases of missing children and 35 cases of child marriages.

On Friday, Mahira Khan posted a message on her Instagram page saying people were murdered every day in Pakistan, “by negligence”, “by power”, “by misogyny” and “by silence”.

Khan asked how many more deaths the country would have to face and “when did it get so bad?” She said she felt sick to her stomach and hopeless to the core in light of recent events and that she “can’t stop crying looking at the news every day”.

The actor said she “can’t even begin to imagine the pain of those who have been directly affected” by a slew of tragedies, but soon all the innocent victims will become “just another hashtag” and “we will all move on”.

This wasn’t just about the fire at Pims and its 14 tiny victims, Khan remembered the mother of the 18-month-old girl in Karachi who was raped and murdered on August 4 and the family of Mir Raza Ali, the 25-year-old Karachi businessman who was found murdered in July.

She also mentioned the parents of Hina Javed, who was found murdered in her Rawalpindi apartment on Aug 20 with signs of torture on her body and the father of a five-year-old girl, whose body was found dumped in a well on Monday after she was raped.

“Who cares who is responsible? How does it even matter, when nobody has ever been held responsible?”

She prayed for a day her children can see a better Pakistan, quoting a line from Faiz Ahmed Faiz’s Hum Dekehenge: “Jab zulm-o-sitam ke koh-e-giraan/Ruii ki tarah urrh jaein gey (When the mountains of tyranny and oppression will blow away like cotton fluff).”

Actor Bushra Ansari also posted a reel on Instagram saying Pakistanis were seeing many tragedies nowadays, including the death of babies at Pims due to “negligence”.

“That happened and the ones going through that grief, who knows what they’re thinking. Someone [lost] a child they had after trying for years, somebody lost twins… it’s a great, unimaginable loss.”

Ansari said she wasn’t here to talk about that, but rather the conduct of Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal, who was “shaking them off”.

“This is not the way to talk to these people,” the actor said.

“For God’s sake, think of how you’re behaving. Nobody’s saying you started the fire. It’s just that there’s an institution under [your ministry]. People will complain about it [to you] and they’re distressed… and you’re scolding them?”

She urged the minister to do the job he gets paid for or “keep your head down and listen to people’s complaints”.

Khaled Anam, another industry veteran, similarly admonished authorities. He said pleading the authorities to take action or fix anything was “akin to playing the flute for a buffalo”.

Anam quoted the late columnist Ardeshir Cowasjee, saying “You cannot shame the shameless” and said it was futile to expect those responsible to accept blame and leave their posts.

“Please don’t expect anything to happen. Committees will be formed, findings published, notices taken and announcements made that ‘Oh, we gave a budget of so many crores.’”

Anam said all his expectations — and those of society — were from God now. He prayed for everyone responsible for the Pims tragedy to be held accountable.

Naimal Khawar said she “angry, furious, scared and heartbroken” after seeing yet another story that “makes me wonder whether our children and women are safe anywhere anymore”.

“How many more mothers have to lose their children? How many more girls have to suffer before enough is enough?” the actor asked in an Instagram story.

Khawar said her heart was “with the families who lost their newborns at Pims, with Hina Javed and with every woman and girl who has faced unimaginable violence”.

Like Anam, she also prayed for God to deliver justice to those who had been wronged.

Visuals of rescue personnel entering the building through broken windows and aggrieved parents crying for children they hadn’t even gotten the chance to name flooded TV screens as an air of intense grief descended over the country.

Celebrities joined the nation in its mourning, with Zhalay Sarhadi sharing a post about a father who had been blessed with a son, only to lose the child in the inferno.

Sarhadi said she had no words to offer except her prayers for the parents who were faced with an unimaginable loss.

Areeba Habib shared a poetic message to the children’s mothers who spent their pregnancies looking out for their unborn kids, only to lose them in a fire. “Some fires begin with a spark. Others begin when someone fails to care,” she wrote.

Mehwish Hayat said she was “struggling to process” the many tragedies hitting Pakistan, adding that the fire at Pims was “yet another heartbreaking reminder of how deeply disturbing things had become”.

She said the hospital where the children died was supposed to be the place they were safest.

Hayat asked how many more women and children had to die before people would get answers, accountability and safety for society’s most vulnerable.

Romaisa Khan struck an even harsher tone, saying the country was “bleeding”. She cited recent cases of murder and rape as further failures of the system.

“Women aren’t safe in their homes. Children aren’t safe. People disappear and are found dead. Even babies aren’t safe inside hospitals. How did we get here?” she asked.

The actor said we couldn’t go on like this, moving on after every loss. She demanded justice and accountability for every woman, child and family failed by the system.

Sharing Khan’s post on his story, music producer Umair mourned the loss of 14 lives “that never even got the chance to begin” and said the deaths should never have happened.

Ushna Shah said she was keeping the bereaved parents close to her heart and called the incident “preventable”.

Mohammed Ahmed said the children who had died on Wednesday would be forgotten soon, just like all the other children who had been killed by the system’s indifference and forgotten after a period of outrage.

“Why is no one ever punished? Why does nobody ask questions? Think of the mothers whose babies burned to death.”

Ahmed implored the authorities to open their eyes and make those responsible face accountability.

Ayesha Omar said Pakistanis were now waking up to horrific news on a daily basis and there was a “systemic failure” in every department. “What is this crazy negligence,” she asked.

She prayed for the families of the young victims to have justice and strength.

Sheheryar Munawar and Bilal Abbas didn’t have any words to express their feelings, sharing broken heart emojis.

A spokesperson from Pims told Dawn on Wednesday that the ward had 15 children in it, one of whom was rescued by a doctor.

In the aftermath of the fire, the federal health secretary has been removed from his post and Health Minister Mustafa Kamal has vowed to bring those responsible to justice with a transparent investigation.

On Monday, police in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Haripur recovered the body of a five-year-old girl who had been missing since August 10. Three teenage suspects have been arrested in connection to the case, one of whom, the police says, confessed to raping the child.

On Thursday, 45-year-old Hina Javed was found murdered in her Rawalpindi apartment with her hands tied behind her back. Her husband and a domestic worker have been arrested. Her father-in-law is not under arrest but is also being investigated.

Naturally, celebrities were quick to ask the question on everyone’s mind: how many more women and girls need to die before something is done?

Actor Ahsan Khan posted a story on how incidents like these keep occurring regularly.

Singer Aima Baig struck a similar tone with her message on how each of the victims was more than just a headline, they were people with loved ones who are now left behind to mourn.

She wished their families “strength to survive the unimaginable”.

Actor Mariyam Nafees posted a video listing the many hashtags relating to cases of violence against women and young girls. She asked what was being done to protect women in Pakistan, if anything.

Actor Nadia Jamil made clear this issue was not new and she had in fact been fighting against it for years now. Calling it an “epidemic in men here” and a “plague that has ruined countless lives”, she said the perpetrators could be the closest people to their victims and nobody was truly safe.

A number of prominent figures called for swift and judicious punishments awarded to murderers and rapists, with actor Zhalay Sarhadi saying it was the “only way to stop these heinous crimes”.

Rapper Talha Yunus asked why that wasn’t the case already, calling for reform and accountability on all fronts. He said the country needed action, not statements of condemnation.

“We need investigations that cannot be manipulated, police officers who are held accountable, prosecutors who actually pursue cases, protection for survivors and a justice system where perpetrators know that they will face consequences,” the rapper said.

Yunus said he was “tired of being angry” and hearing “justice will be served”, only to see people move on.

Actor Sabeena Farooq was of the mind that if justice is not served, it is society’s responsibility to come out onto the streets and demand justice.

“[The victims’] parents can’t live like that. Give them justice, where will they go? Unless you make examples [by punishing rapists and murderers], this will keep happening.”

TV presenter Shaista Lodhi felt it might be time for Pakistan’s women to get up and leave since the situation was so dire and hopeless.

Others, like actor Sarwat Gilani felt it was a collective responsibility of all Pakistanis to keep our children safe. She shared a post calling for people to stop blaming technology for society’s moral decay and start teaching young boys they will be held accountable for their actions.

Actor Ayesha Omar said there was a special burden of responsibility on men — yes, all men — to take a stand against the abuse of women and girls and hold each other accountable.

“All you daughters, wives, sisters and mothers are at risk all the time. Babies and children are being raped and murdered… We have to change this,” she said.

Actor Zara Noor Abbas said, “We are all part of the crime”. She shared a video by journalist Shahzeb Khanzada in which he said everyone who stays silent in the face of abuse is as much to blame.

This is neither the first time Pakistan’s stars have spoken out in rage when it comes to incidents of rape and murder — particularly against children. It isn’t even the first time this month — a child was raped and killed in Karachi on Aug 6, sparking similar reactions.

In June, two cases where children were killed in Karachi and Sargodha and another where a doctor in Quetta was attacked with acid shook the country.

According to a report from child protection NGO Sahil, 1,914 cases of child abuse were reported across the country between January and June 2026, including as many as 1,015 cases of child sexual abuse, 558 cases of abduction, 101 cases of missing children and 35 cases of child marriages.

The government has since challenged the move, but the top court returned its review petition on Thursday citing incomplete paper books.

In the meantime, netizens have been coming up with creative ways to get into the hospital.

There were some who were considering getting admitted themselves with fake illnesses.

Though the impending medical bills for their ‘treatment’ would be a consideration.

Some people are considering taking up new jobs.

Others just want to boogie their way in.

Many netizens are pretty sure they know how the telephone operators at Shifa are operating right now.

The medical staff too.

The Su­p­­­r­eme Court’s Tuesday order directed the government to shift the ex-premier to Shifa hospital for medical examination and treatment by a multidisciplinary medical board.

The court also allowed his personal physician and sister to remain associated with his medical care and directed authorities to facilitate regular family contact.

Naturally, when it was broadcast around the world, Pakistanis who were watching the day’s game against England loved it, taking to X to express their appreciation of the singer.

One fan even said the performance made them cry “happy tears”.

Another knew Pakistan needed someone with a voice like hers. The suggested Wright be made a Pakistani citizen immediately and given a national ID card.

Not everyone was pleased though — some listeners weren’t too sure about the rendition.

A couple of people, who thought Wright’s singing was great, were more worried about how the Green Shirts were going to play.

Of course, Pakistanis had to propose singers who could sing the British anthem when the English next tour Pakistan. Two names were suggested: Aima Baig and Sahir Ali Bagga.

With Pakistan scoring just 171 off their first innings and England giving quick chase to their target — they had 112 runs for two wickets at the end of the first day — we understand some netizens’ anxiety about the game.

The anthem was performed beautifully, let’s hope our boys in green play their best game and do it justice.

Brown, the American musician with a history of violent incidents — including a 2009 conviction for domestic violence against then-girlfriend Rihanna — posted a picture with BTS leader Kim Namjoon and rapper Jung Hoseok on Thursday.

In 2016, Brown was arrested for threatening a woman with a gun at his home in Los Angeles, He was released on bail. In 2018, the singer was accused of co-conspiring with guests at his home who sexually assaulted a woman, although the case was dropped after a settlement was reached.

The next year, he was detained in Paris after a woman accused him of rape. The charges were later dropped and he was released.

In 2022, he was accused of drugging and raping a woman on a yacht in Miami. The woman, identified in legal documents as Jane Doe, said she feared for her life.

Most recently, a Los Angeles jury found Brown liable to pay $12.9 million to his housekeeper’s sister after his dog attacked her.

Netizens were quick to react, with some fans saying their views on the group had changed after its members’ support for a convicted abuser came to light.

One ARMY — a term used by BTS fans to refer to themselves — said they were sexually assaulted themselves and didn’t appreciate artists they looked up to supporting people who abuse women. “I am a woman before I am an ARMY,” she said.

As they are sometimes known to do, a lot of BTS fans ran to their idols’ defence as they faced heat from the internet. Users on X pointed out how dangerous it was for fans to defend artists when their actions hurt others and how it allowed “disgusting men [to] keep thriving and getting away with crimes”.

One user even asked fans who their target audience was with public posts defending the singers, because the stars likely won’t see the tweets themselves. “But your mutuals who have gone through domestic violence or abusive relationships will,” they said.

Some fans argued that celebrities were people too, questioning why it mattered if they went to concert of an artist they liked.

Netizens were quick to dismiss that argument, saying all people had a moral responsibility not to support abuse and domestic violence, and that responsibility fell so much more greatly on celebrities with massive fan followings like BTS.

Some broke down the fallacy of men who stay silent in the face of misogyny but still consider themselves not sexist by virtue of the fact that they themselves did not say the misogynistic things.

Others pointed out the responsibility that comes with having a large platform.

One user even brought up the example of Zara Larsson, who has collaborated with BTS in the past. In a clip shared by the user, Larsson is asked which artist she would never listen to and she replies saying she has many abusers blocked on Spotify before going on to name Brown as an example.

The controversy comes on the heels of a collaboration between the K-pop group and Google’s artificial intelligence (AI) agent Gemini, which also attracted the ire of fans over its disregard for the environmental impacts of AI.

The joint advertisement made with the aim of showcasing “the new possibilities that technology and art can create”, played on the Las Vegas Sphere last week.

Sarwat Gilani posted a video of her husband and kids putting up flags and listening to Vital Signs’ ‘Dil Dil Pakistan’ — arguably the primary anthem for all Independence Day celebrations.

Her message for the holiday hoped that the countless sacrifices people had given for the sake of the country would not go in vain and the people of Pakistan would honour them by building a country where “children feel safe”, “education is a right”, “women are respected” and where “honesty, kindness, tolerance and justice are stronger than hatred and fear”.

Aiman Khan was also feeling the joy of freedom as she posted a video of herself singing along to ‘Dil Dil Pakistan’ on her Instagram account.

Shehzad Roy upped the ante musically with a video of girls from a school run by his Zindagi Trust performing a heartwarming rendition of Mehdi Hassan’s classic ‘Yeh Watan Tumhara Hai’.

Faran Tahir, celebrating Independence Day at home for the first time in 45 years, said he was doing so with “gratitude, pride and hope for all that Pakistan can become”.

Nadia Jamil posted a clip of Independence Day fireworks and said the country was really its people. She hoped those people would work to make a “safe haven” where its children thrive and its people and animals feel safe.

Adnan Siddiqui took a moment to remember the people taking part in Pakistan’s founding 79 years ago who had little apart from their “extraordinary conviction”.

“They built something that could outlast them. It’s on us now to protect it, honour it and evolve it,” he wrote.

Malala Yousafzai’s Independence Day wishes for Pakistan came with an appeal to invest in education. She said her recent interactions with the country’s youth made her excited and hopeful for the future.

Ahsan Khan said Independence Day wasn’t just about raising flags and slogans, it was an opportunity for every Pakistani to look inwards and ask what they had done for their country.

“The most beautiful expression of patriotism is that, wherever we may be, we increase Pakistan’s respect in the world with our successes and our actions,” he wrote.

Celebrations were somewhat tempered this year after the country saw a number of horrific incidents of abuse against women and children in recent months, leading to many being mindful of that in their Independence Day messages.

Merub Ali asked the all important question whether we truly were free when “women are scared to exist freely in their own country” and somehow everyone had accepted that reality as “normal”.

“Don’t get me wrong. I love Pakistan. I love being Pakistani. This is my home… I owe so much of who I am today to this country and maybe that’s exactly why it hurts so much to watch what we’ve allowed it to become,” Ali said.

“I’m incredibly proud to be Pakistani. I’m just heartbroken to be a Pakistani at a time where all of this has started feeling normal.”

Zara Noor Abbas answered that question, saying we weren’t really free and today was actually about acknowledging the sacrifices of our forefathers and the hopes and dreams of the country’s children.

Zhalay Sarhadi sang a soulful version of Nayyara Noor’s ‘Sohni Dharti’ with a note attached saying her “heart is heavy” this year. She prayed for justice, education, tolerance and the protection of the rights of women, children and animals in her country.

Iqra Aziz’s Independence Day wish came with news of death and injuries in Karachi as a result of celebratory gunfire.

Two people were killed in the metropolis and 94 were injured; the practice continues to be a regular occurrence despite a ban being in place.

As the holiday continues, let us know how you’re celebrating and what you think Pakistanis should do for their country as we mark 79 years of independence. Happy Independence Day.

In an Instagram story shared to her account on Friday, Muneer said every day brought “another horrifying story” and destroyed “another innocent life”. She questioned what had happened to us as a society.

She said the fact that the victim this time was an 18-month-old girl — as per reports — made this incident much more than just “disturbing news”.

“A baby who could not even understand what was happening to her was subjected to unimaginable cruelty,” the actor said.

Muneer asked how many more children had to suffer such a fate before people decided to speak up and how many more innocent lives had to be lost before someone took action.

The actor said we need justice, accountability and stronger protection for our children. “And we need a system where those who commit these horrific crimes know that they will face the full consequences of the law,” she said.

She urged everyone reading her message not to scroll past and go about their lives as they usually would. Instead, she said they should speak up, demand justice and “protect our children”.

Earlier, a number of Pakistani celebrities expressed similar sentiments over the incident. Adnan Siddiqui questioned how depraved people had become that this had become our reality. He said the fact that the victim was just 18 months old and the suspect — a relative of the girl who was arrested on Wednesday — was a teenager, made the ordeal that much more horrific.

Ayesha Omar said the country and society were in “the lowest of lows” and called for people to come together and figure out how to move forward in the aftermath of the tragedy.

According to the FIR registered on the complaint of the girl’s father, the child was taken out by a relative to buy something to eat. When they returned, she was unconscious and taken to a private hospital and then to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, where she died.

The relative — a 17-year-old boy who lived with the family — was arrested on Wednesday on charges of allegedly raping and murdering the child.

Among those calling for justice and accountability was actor Sanam Baloch, who said the news was “devastating” and that “justice must be served”.

Baloch said that being a mother herself, she “can’t even imagine the trauma this family must be going through”. She said the safety of the nation’s children was paramount.

Adnan Siddiqui questioned how depraved people had become that this had become our reality. He said the fact that the victim was just 18-months-old — as per reports — and the suspect was a teenager, made the ordeal that much more horrific. He said he was feeling both “disgusted and heartbroken”.

“There are no words left. Only rage, grief and shame that we have come to this,” said Siddiqui. He prayed for “swift and uncompromising justice for the child and strength for her family”.

Ayesha Omar said the country and society were in “the lowest of lows” and called for people to come together and figure out how to move forward in the aftermath of the tragedy.

“We cannot go on like this anymore,” Omar said.

Srha Asghar said we ought to have some shame as another day brought with it another miserable story. Zhalay Sarhadi, meanwhile, could only plead for God’s mercy in these times.

A number of cases of violence and abuse against children have been reported recently, including two gruesome murders that elicited similar reactions in June.

At the time, Siddiqui said that even animals have an instinct to protect their young and questioned how humans had failed so badly in protecting their own.

Omar said, “The environment all over Pakistan is barbaric,” and that she was “shaken, so, so, so angry and feeling hopeless about this country”.

Both demanded accountability for those responsible for harming children.

Pakistani dramas have frequently explored narcissistic pathology. We call them ‘villains’ without recognising that they are psycho-education disguised as entertainment. Narcissism exists on a spectrum, and can perhaps be divided into two broad categories. Each destroys differently. Each requires a different survival strategy.

Overt narcissism: The shouters

Easy to spot, they are loud, entitled and unapologetic. They demand attention and special treatment and believe rules do not apply to them. And when challenged, they rage.

1. Mubashira Jaffer (Ayeza Khan) in Main — The textbook grandiose narcissist

Mubashira does not just want power. She claims it as a birthright. Her arrogance is her core identity, not a mask. She manipulates, schemes and destroys whoever threatens her position because she genuinely cannot conceive of a world in which she is not the main character.

Narcissism is more than vanity or selfishness. From domineering personalities to subtle manipulators, Pakistani dramas offer striking examples of how narcissistic behaviour unfolds

The clinical markers are unmistakable. She exhibits a sense of self-importance, exaggerates achievements, expects automatic compliance and displays a complete lack of empathy. When her plans fail, she doesn’t reflect — she retaliates. This is narcissistic rage — the violent response to any threat against the fragile ‘god self’ beneath the grandiosity.

Protecting yourself: Bou­n­daries must be impenetrable, stated clearly and enforced. They will test every limit, gaslight, guilt-trip and escalate. Do not negotiate or explain. They thrive on reaction. Calmness is your armour.

2. Farasat Ali (Naumaan Ijaz) in Sharpasand — The malignant manipulator

A darker sub-type, he doesn’t just lack empathy — he enjoys destruction. He destroys the character of women in his neighbourhood who do not submit to him — Shazmeen (Hira Mani), Hafsa (Zuni Sheikh) and Sanam (Hareem Farooq). His cruelty is calculated, not impulsive. He identifies vulnerability and exploits it with maliciousness.

This is narcissism with sadistic features. The pleasure is not just in winning. It is in watching you lose. Farasat seeks submission rather than admiration. He wants to see spirits break. This is the narcissist who will destroy reputations, relationships and people’s sanity — and then claim he was “just being honest.”

Protecting yourself: No contact is the only safe option as there is no reasoning with someone who derives pleasure from pain. Do not engage or confront. Document everything, protect your support system and exit. This is not a person who can be won over. This is a person who must be escaped.

Covert narcissism: The whisperers

Harder to spot, these narcissists play the victim, appear humble, sensitive and even self-deprecating. But beneath the vulnerability lies the same grandiosity — a deep belief that they are special, misunderstood and entitled to endless care. They drain you not with demands, but with need.

1. Nabeel (Mirza Gohar Rasheed) in Goonj — The covert harasser

He does not shout or threaten. He makes covert comments, withholds approval and isolates his target Zarnab (Komal Meer). When she explodes, there is no evidence. He has engineered the perfect crime: abuse that leaves no fingerprints.

In slow-motion gaslighting, the victim begins to doubt her own perceptions. Nabeel’s narcissism is not loud entitlement — it is quiet control. He does not need to dominate openly. He needs to make sure you know, in every interaction, that you are less than him.

Protecting yourself: Tr­u­st your gut. If you feel small, confused, or constantly apologising around someone, pay attention. They thrive on your self-doubt. Keep a journal of interactions. Share with a trusted person. Remember, you are being psychologically conditioned.

2. Raza Haseeb (Usman Mukhtar) in Pamaal — The love-bomber who crushes

Raza is perhaps the most insidious sub-type: the narcissist who loves you into submission. He begins with overwhelming attention, gifts, declarations of devotion. His wife Malika (Saba Qamar), a writer, believes she has found her soulmate. Then slowly, the mask slips.

He critiques her writing, isolates her from her friends, portrays her creativity as a threat to their marriage. He does not yell, he acts disappointed. He sighs when she succeeds. He withholds affection when she asserts herself. He is not a monster — he is a slow poison. His wife does not leave because he is cruel. She stays because he was once so kind — and she keeps hoping that man will return. He never does. That man was the bait. The trap was her hope.

Protecting yourself: Recognise the pattern. Love-bombing is seduction as strategy. Healthy love grows slowly. It does not demand self-abandonment. If someone asks you to shrink so they can feel big, leave… because they are incapable of seeing your worth.

Regardless of their type, narcissists share core features: a fragile self-esteem masked by grandiosity, a profound inability to empathise and a relentless need for a narcissistic supply of attention, admiration or submission.

But here is what they take: reality testing — you stop trusting your own perceptions and self-worth, you believe you are the problem — and hope. You exhaust yourself trying to be good enough.

Is change possible?

Research says yes, but it is rare and difficult. Unlike the dramatic redemption arcs we see on screen, real change requires years of committed therapy. This is the hardest step because narcissism is built on denial.

Therapeutic approaches work by helping the narcissist develop the capacity to understand their own mind and the minds of others — something stunted in childhood. With treatment, reductions in pathological narcissism are possible, but here’s the catch: change only happens when the narcissist wants to change, not because someone demanded it, but because the pain of staying the same has become unbearable. Most never reach that point. And those who do? It takes years, not episodes.

For everyone else, the only healing is the one you do for yourself.

Healing the partner

If you have encountered a narcissist, you know: the damage is not just what they did but what you stopped being. Recovery is not about “getting over it.” It is about rebuilding the self.

1. Identify: This is not about labelling someone but about validating your experience — the confusion, exhaustion and persistent feeling of being either ‘too much’ or ‘never enough.’

2. Grieve: You will grieve the person you thought they were, the relationship you believed you had, the years you lost. Let yourself feel the anger, sadness and relief as valid.

3. Rebuild: Narcissists dismantle your sense of self. Reconnect with your own needs, voice, desires. What do you want, feel and need today? The answers will feel foreign at first. Keep asking.

4. Set boundaries that stick: This means walking away when they are violated. Choose yourself over the fantasy of their change. They will test every boundary. Your job is not to convince them to respect it. But to respect it yourself.

Pakistani dramas have shown us narcissism in all its forms. We fume watching these characters. But the real work begins when we recognise them in our own lives. The question is not “who is the villain?” but “who in your life is making you smaller?”

You do not have to stay small or earn love by disappearing. Narcissists may or may not change. But you can. And that is the only freedom that matters.

Originally published in Dawn, ICON, August 2nd, 2026

“Inspired by the timeless philosophy of Allama Muhammad Iqbal, this song carries the message of Khudi and the spirit of the Shaheen. Iqbal taught us that true strength lies within. A nation rises when its youth discover confidence, character, knowledge and an unshakable belief in their own potential,” the minister wrote in his tweet.

The song, based on a poem by Allama Iqbal, has been released by the Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives and URAAN Pakistan, the ministry’s initiative to spotlight and advance projects and reforms as part of the 5Es National Economic Transformation Plan.

Rather ironically, he wrote that the poet’s Shaheen “never accepts mediocrity and always aims for greater heights”. But what’s more mediocre than a government department using AI to create a song and music video instead of hiring actual Pakistani artists and filming it in our beautiful country?

In 2022, the government released a re-recorded version of the national anthem to make it more inclusive. It featured musicians from all over the country with diverse regional, cultural and ethnic backgrounds and was gender-balanced and inclusive of national musical talent. That’s the kind of content we want to see from our government, not this.

“Today, Pakistan needs a generation of Shaheens — young men and women who choose hope over despair, innovation over stagnation, and hard work over excuses. Under the vision of URAAN Pakistan, we are building a future driven by knowledge, technology, entrepreneurship and opportunity. That future belongs to you,” the minister wrote in his tweet.

It’s unfortunate that a minister, while calling for the youth to “work hard”, is promoting AI slop of this kind. Pakistan is full of talented artists, any of whom could have written, composed and sung this song. We’re not even going to go into the impact AI has on the environment, even as data centres are inaugurated in Pakistan, a country that already faces water scarcity.

AI slop is already taking over the internet. One of the most well-known attempts at replacing actual humans with AI is an inane attempt by Elon Musk, the AI pushing owner of X and Tesla, to recreate The Odyssey using AI because he didn’t like Christopher Nolan’s version, ostensibly for being too ‘woke’, read: not featuring only white people. Three weekends in, Nolan’s The Odyssey has generated a whopping $911 million at theatres around the world and Musk’s plans are still just that — plans shared in a tweet.

Artists around the world are condemning the use of AI, both in writing and in music. Seth Rogen, the American actor and director, recently said that if your first instinct is to use AI to write, you shouldn’t be a writer. Nolan called it a Trojan Horse, just one that’s not stealthy. In 2024, over 13,000 artists, including some of your faves like Radiohead’s Thom Yorke, ABBA’s Bjorn Ulvaeus and actor Julianne Moore, signed an online statement warning about the unlicensed use of artificial intelligence.

Pakistani artists are also fighting this battle. Recently, Hira Tareen cautioned fellow actors to read their contracts properly because a production house tried to get her to sign away her digital likeness. “First, they use AI just to make your posters. Pretty innocent. Then they use your voice for dubbing. Then they call you in for 10 scenes instead of 20, because now the model is training on your existing likeness and footage that they already have. And then, one day, the model is ready and they don’t need to call you in at all,” she said.

There are also arguments against the use of AI to generate music and how it threatens to relegate actual human-made music to mere disposable background noise rather than a meaningful cultural artefact.

This Independence Day, we hope our government will honour actual Pakistani artists — not machines.

Sana posted a picture of the two laughing together on her Instagram account on Sunday with a caption celebrating her team’s win — she plays for Birmingham Phoenix in The Hundred, which is partly owned by Bellingham.

Users on X were quick to say the footballer was lucky to be in the presence of Pakistan’s queen (of cricket).

Bellingham himself seemed to have enjoyed the chat, commenting a heart under Sana’s post.

Pakistanis were surprised to see the unusual crossover with two beloved stars from two completely different sports.

Someone brought out the “before GTA 6” gag while they still could — the meme will (hopefully) be put to rest when the game releases in November.

One user knew exactly what they wanted to see — and it wasn’t the footballer.

Bellingham also met — and played a couple of shots with — Pakistani spinner Usman Tariq, leading one user to get a bit jealous over how everyone was living her dream moment with the star.

It was a big day of Pakistani cricket at Edgbaston on Saturday and Sana’s squad even managed to score their first win of the season against their Welsh opponents — Tariq, who plays in Birmingham Phoenix’s men’s squad was not as lucky.

Who knows, maybe they can convince England’s football sweetheart to visit Pakistan sometime and we can all have our fan moments.

His next victim appears to be The Odyssey — the ancient Greek text — which he has pledged to adapt in a way that is “historically accurate” by year’s end using his AI agent Grok.

Now, one would assume the richest man in the world might do this to bring a literary classic to a new generation or maybe to push the boundaries of filmmaking — in some weird, non-human way. But no, dear reader, he is doing it because he’s mad at Christopher Nolan for doing both of those things.

Nolan’s box office hit, which released on Friday, has taken the 3,000-year-old work and adapted it into a story that resonates with a modern audience. It has a diverse cast, a complex protagonist and focuses more on the guilt of war than its glory. Naturally, Musk does not approve.

Instead, the former trillionaire said he would give Mel Gibson $100 million to make the movie with “historically accurate” ships, armour and casting.

We wonder if several centuries from now, someone will try to remake Harry Potter and some obscenely rich person would object, saying the wands need to be made from a long-extinct species of tree endemic to Scotland.

Put the ethical and environmental implications of AI use for a moment and remember that Musk’s support of a cause usually signals that it is not the side to be on.

Really, Musk’s probably just mad that his prediction about the film flopping because it was “woke” didn’t pan out. Instead, The Odyssey had a massive $246 million opening weekend, with people around the world struggling to get last-minute seats at sold out theatres.

It’s also been received an outpouring of critical acclaim for its storytelling, characters and emphasis on practical effects. We can’t imagine anything AI generated could even come close.

As for Nolan, he’s previously dismissed criticism over his casting choices and Americanised dialogue.

“These conversations that happen before people see the film — they’re always irrelevant, because no one having them knows what the film actually is yet,” he told The Telegraph.

It is ironic though, a rich crybaby is feeding one of humanity’s greatest literary works to a computer and presenting its twisted mechanical output as art.

We wonder if Musk has actually read The Odyssey and how he feels about its lessons on hubris.

From Zara Noor Abbas to Talha Chahour and Mawra Hocane, emotions were high on Instagram.

Adnan Siddiqui shared a picture of Spain hoisting the trophy and said, “No offence to Messi and Argentina fans, but today felt like comparing Wi-Fi to [Dial-up]. And if Argentina had won, Egypt and I would have unfollowed football…. Just for a week.😉”

Zara Noor Abbas was the most excited person out there, sharing a video of herself with an on-screen Lamine Yamal.

We can infer from all her posts that she’s a fan of the young star.

Ushna Shah addressed the elephant in the room — the many, many allegations of rigging and unfair decisions plaguing the World Cup and the Argentinian team.

So did Talha Chahour, who shared a picture of Lionel Messi, calling him “FIFA’s favourite child”.

For Maanu, supporting Spain and supporting Palestine went hand-in-hand. Spain’s government has been a vocal supporter of Palestine, recognising its statehood and pushing to suspend EU ties with Israel.

Maanu wasn’t the only one highlighting Spanish — and young star Lamine Yamal’s — support of Palestine. Chahour also shared a picture of Yamal hoisting the Palestinian flag in Barcelona in May while celebrating FC Barcelona’s 29th La Liga title, as did Mawra Hocane.

“When you stand [on] the wrong side of history, it’s bound to get ‘Messi’,” wrote Zhalay Sarhadi.

Asim Azhar shared his thoughts on the match — that Messi deserved the win, but Argentina did not.

He later shared that he wasn’t a Spain fan (England is his team) but he had the opportunity to visit the country recently and found it to be “so warm, beautiful, inclusive”.

There were many, many stars who celebrated Spain’s win. Maria Unera, Naimal Khawar, Mariyam Nafees and Sana Javed all shared their joy online.

Aijazz Aslam congratulated Spain and spoke about how he switched sides. “I was rooting for Argentina at the start. Messi’s magic always pulls me in but somewhere in the middle of that final, I switched sides. Argentina were pushing and playing rough, and it just didn’t sit right with me,” he wrote.

“Spain kept their composure and played the better, fairer game. Well deserved, Spain. What a final.”

Even Samar Jafri, who has on many, many occasions expressed his support for Messi, had to hand it to Spain.

Other Argentina fans, like Sajal Ali, were feeling down.

There were a lot of celebrations of Messi as an individual player and talk of him handing down the GOAT torch to Yamal.

Zarrar Khan said that seeing Messi cry breaks his heart, even though he’s a Ronaldo fan. “The Argentinian football team in general is despicable in how they play football and how pathetic they are as sportsmen, but the past two World Cups have proved what an insane carry-job Messi has been doing and how magical he is,” he wrote.

“What a player, what a career. It has been a privilege to witness. There will never be anyone like Leo Messi.”

“You are the greatest ever to step onto this field. Thank you for the countless memories. No one will ever come close to the legacy you’ve left behind,” wrote Jafri in a post dedicated to Messi.

Sami Khan shared a picture of Messi and Yamal, saying, “From generation to next…From present GOAT to future GOAT.”

Syed Jibran shared a picture of himself and his son wearing Argentinian and Spanish jerseys, captioning it “the Kid vs The Goat”.

And of course, there were the inevitable jokes about Messi and Yamal’s Unicef photoshoot and baby Yamal going on to defeat Messi.

Which side were you supporting?

Congratulations poured in from the world over, including from Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and Information Minister Attaullah Tarar.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif raised a cheer for Spain and for Palestine. The Palestinians, for their part, were also overjoyed at the victory; we assume Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — who was rooting for the Argentines — was not as pleased. Spain has been a vocal supporter of Palestine.

But the reactions to the match started much earlier, with people weirded out by the uniquely American game. The US hosts used the match’s halftime break to put on a show that included the Muppets, BTS and Justin Bieber. That left a lot of European fans scratching their heads.

The play itself drew some reactions, especially the anger shown by Argentine players both during and after the game — Argentina ended the match with four yellow cards and a red for Enzo Fernandez.

Spain’s near-impenetrable defensive wall that kept Argentina away from their goal throughout the match made life much easier for the Spanish keeper — who ended up winning the Golden Glove for his performance through the tournament.

And when the time came to present the victors with their prize, all eyes were on US President Donald Trump — and FIFA President Gianni Infantino — who got booed as they walked onto the pitch. Trump also managed to linger near the celebrating team long enough to make it a bit awkward.

After a World Cup mired in controversy, that’s it for this tournament, we’ll see all you seasonal football fans again in four years.

Obviously, ARMYs — as the group’s fans call themselves — couldn’t believe what they were reading; their bias not only knew about their favourite foods, he also wanted to try them straight from the source!

Of course, many followers immediately set out to do one of the first things any Pakistani does on a special occasion: cook up some biryani and karahi. To be fair, if any occasion calls specifically for it, it’s this one.

Another very Pakistani thing was how ARMYs wasted no time in using V’s statement to assert that biryani — and karahi — belonged to Pakistan alone. We’re not sure he can be considered a definitive source to settle the debate — not that we realised there even was one.

As for the singer, his motivations became clear when netizens looked at some of his other comments from the same day. From promising to visit Türkiye if offered kebabs to asking a Bangladeshi fan what’s good there — we think he was just hungry.

We’ve always said anyone visiting Pakistan can’t be allowed to leave without trying our delicious food. So, if there are any ARMYs reading this, here’s a list of other iconic Pakistani foods for your favourites to try.

Bon appetit!

People keep asking, ’“Is it available online, or will it come to Netflix?” It’s a reassuring question, because it tells you the film has travelled through word of mouth, through conversations, through people. But it also reveals something important. In today’s world, discovery begins with access. Before audiences engage with a film, they need to know where to find it.

They are asking where it exists. And increasingly, that “where” leads to one place — Netflix.

Federal Planning and Development Minister Ahsan Iqbal’s recent statement is encouraging because it recognises that the issue is not the quality of Pakistani content, but the route through which it reaches global platforms. Our industry has already produced films that meet international creative and technical standards.

India, meanwhile, continues to put out all kinds of content globally, while projects like the upcoming Operation Safed Sagar also present its own side of the region’s history. Streaming is, therefore, not only about entertainment; it also decides which stories the world gets to see and remember.

Now that this conversation has started at the right level, I hope it leads to real and direct access for Pakistani content on global platforms.

Why Netflix matters, especially in Pakistan

In Pakistan, we are not yet a fully subscription-driven market. Local OTT platforms exist, and some are doing serious work. Yet, the average viewer still hesitates to subscribe to multiple services.

But Netflix is different. Netflix has become a habit. A reference point. There is a certain psychology attached to it, a quiet fear of missing out. Viewers who might hesitate to pay for other platforms often make an exception for Netflix, which is why presence on Netflix today is not simply about distribution. It’s about belonging to the global conversation. And absence from it is equally telling. 

The question we are not asking loudly enough is if Pakistani actors enjoy loyal audiences beyond Pakistan, if our music travels effortlessly, if we share the same meme culture, then why are our films not finding consistent space on Netflix for global audiences?

This is not a question of talent, it’s not even a question of audience. It is a question of access.

South Asia, as a streaming region, is largely managed through India. That means content from Pakistan often enters a system shaped by India’s market priorities, their regulatory environment and India’s political sensitivities.

The situation was not always this way. After Modi’s government came into office, cultural exchange between the two countries became almost impossible. And in recent months, particularly following heightened tensions between the two countries, that shift has become even more visible, reflected not only in policy decisions, but also in symbolic moments, whether in the absence of collaboration, cancelled engagements, or even gestures as simple as players choosing not to shake hands.

This does not always translate into direct rejection. It works in subtler ways. Projects get delayed. Decisions remain pending. Risk outweighs opportunity. And gradually, absence becomes normalised.

At the same time, India being the dominant market continues to supply a steady stream of content to global platforms. And not all of that content is exceptional. There are many examples of films that secured immediate global placement despite modest reception, titles such as Ginny Weds Sunny, The Girl on the Train, Jaadugar, Jewel Thief, Maa Behen, Tu Yaa Main, Do Deewane Seher Mein, Happy Patel: Khatarnak Jasoos and Toaster, among others.

That difference in visibility is where the imbalance becomes visible.

Why is access to platforms not direct? 

One of the realities filmmakers face is that access to platforms such as Netflix is rarely direct.

You cannot simply submit a film and expect it to be evaluated. Access typically happens through distributors, aggregators and regional decision-makers, in this case India.

While filmmakers can approach distributors and aggregators, the distribution pathway for Pakistani content is frequently routed through regional decision-making structures based in India. Individually, it is extremely difficult to navigate this system, which is why this is no longer just an industry challenge — it’s a structural one.

Pakistani cinema today is not short on high calibre stories.

Films like Nayab, Kamli, The Legend of Maula Jatt, Luv Guru and the recent Aag Lagay Basti Mein reflect the breadth of storytelling emerging from the country, grounded, character-driven narratives, alongside films that have demonstrated strong audience appeal and numbers. This is an industry that understands both storytelling and spectatorship. This is not an industry lacking range. This is an industry lacking reach.

A large number of Pakistani viewers have watched films such as Dhurandhar, Article 370, Raazi, and Fighter, films that engage directly with themes of nationalism, security, and regional conflict.

Whether one agrees with the narrative or not, these films succeeded in placing their perspective in front of global audiences. That is the real achievement, because once a story reaches viewers, the conversation begins. And once the conversation begins, the narrative takes shape, making all other debates secondary.

Visibility matters. And visibility does not happen by accident. It happens through planning, coordination, and access.

When global audiences repeatedly see narratives about Pakistan but rarely see narratives from Pakistan, a certain image begins to form. Over time, that image becomes reality for those who have never experienced the country themselves. This is not about competing with another industry, it’s about ensuring that our voice exists alongside others.

Here our producers operate in a challenging ecosystem, with limited financing, unpredictable distribution, and a narrow theatrical window. Provincial and federal governments have supported filmmakers through grants and incentives, and those efforts deserve recognition.

But grants alone cannot build a sustainable industry. What we need is a self-sustaining ecosystem. In many countries, films generate revenue even before reaching cinemas through pre-sale agreements with streaming platforms and broadcasters. These deals provide financial stability, reduce risk, and allow filmmakers to invest in stronger production values.

Streaming platforms are not just distribution channels. They are economic engines. They bring revenue. They extend audience reach. They strengthen the industry. And they allow stories to travel.

This challenge cannot be addressed through individual effort alone. A formal engagement between the Pakistani government and global streaming platforms is necessary.

This is not about lobbying. It is about representation. Pakistan must present itself as a content market, not merely a content consumer. Rather than informal outreach, a structured Pakistan content showcase should be organised, which should include curated film screenings, meetings with filmmakers and producers, presentation of audience data and ready-to-license content.

The goal is clear: to create direct visibility and build relationships beyond regional filters.

A mid-level Pakistani film can often be produced at a budget of around $250,000, delivering quality that meets international technical standards. At this level, Pakistan has a competitive advantage  producing strong content at a fraction of the cost seen in many larger markets.

With the right support, this cost efficiency can become a strategic strength.

A national strategy should focus on structured engagement with platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime, distribution partnerships and international marketing.

These steps are not theoretical — they are practical and they are achievable.

India recently held a national-level AI summit that brought together global companies, policymakers, investors, and industry leaders to build direct partnerships and signal national intent.

Pakistan’s content industry needs a similar national-level conference on distribution, one that brings key platform decision-makers directly to Pakistan, reduces dependence on regional gatekeepers, and allows us to engage global partners strategically across multiple fronts.

Because the reality is simple: efforts are already being made on many fronts. But without coordinated, diplomatic engagement at the national level, those efforts remain fragmented.

Such engagement should not be reactive. It should be strategic, it should be diplomatic and it should be consistent.

Cinema has a quiet but enduring power. It carries the texture of a people, the rhythm of a city, the dreams of a generation. When films travel, they do not just entertain, they represent.

The pieces were made from a pair of gold medallions discovered in Iran in 1947, which are estimated to be 3,000 years old. They were part of the Ziwiye hoard, a large collection of jewellery, ceramics and other artefacts, parts of which are housed in major museums across the globe.

As with anything over a century old from the region, quite a few questions arose.

Days after the pictures were first shared, people wanted to know how the pieces had made it to a private collection in London. Were they taken out of Iran in a less-than-proper way? Did the people whose culture they represented agree with how they were being used?

And perhaps most importantly, wasn’t it a bit on the nose for Zendaya to be using Iranian cultural heritage to promote an American film about a Greek legend at a time when the US and Iran were on opposite ends of the battlefield?

Some users on X said Zendaya was a repeat offender when it came to insensitivity in fashion after her outfit for another event promoting the film — a white gown from Italian fashion house Schiaparelli — was flown to London via private jet right after it had been shown on the runway at Paris Fashion Week.

Unfortunately, Zendaya is not the first celebrity to appropriate jewellery that mysteriously wound up in Western hands. In January, Margot Robbie promoted her film Wuthering Heights in Los Angeles while wearing the Taj Mahal diamond around her neck.

The diamond had little to do with the film, or its 18th-century setting, but it had everything to do with Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, who had it made for his wife Nur Jahan.

That’s not even the worst case, which might be Cartier’s lending decisions surrounding the Patiala necklace, originally belonging to Maharaja Bhupinder Singh.

As per a report from India Today, the French jewellery house let Emma Chamberlain wear a part of the ornate necklace to the 2022 Met Gala, but refused a request from Diljit Dosanjh to wear it in 2026.

It’s bad enough that they didn’t let an Indian celebrity wear an Indian necklace, but it gets even worse when you realise Dosanjh’s Met Gala look was inspired by the Maharaja who owned it.