Democracy can’t be ‘chopped up like vegetables’: Saad

 

LAHORE: Senior journalists and political leaders here on Sunday condemned the attack on Jang Multan Resident Editor Zafar Aaheer by masked men and the burning of Jang vehicles across the country.
Speaking at a seminar, organised at the Lahore Press Club on Sunday, they expressed solidarity with Geo/Jang Group and Hamid Mir and called upon the PML-N government to re-establish its writ in the country.

Federal Minister for Railways Khwaja Saad Rafique said he supports Hamid Mir and has always maintained a close association with the senior anchorperson. He called his father Waris Mir a patriotic citizen. Saad said Hamid Mir had advised him when he was going out of line in dealing with the trial of General Pervez Musharraf and said Mir embodies the values of Islam, democracy and patriotism.

However, Saad said the media in Pakistan is engaged in a dirty war with itself that threatens the freedom of the press. He said those committing acts of vandalism, including the burning of Jang vehicles, would not benefit and have to ultimately lose the war on free speech.

Saad said the media in Pakistan was highly sensationalist and some anchors and journalists were deeply unethical and were misleading the public. The minister said the culture of breaking news and ratings had destroyed the authenticity and quality of the electronic media. He said the media in Pakistan was behaving like the Supreme Court and delivering judgements on politicians on baseless allegations. He said most media house owners were tax-evaders and had opened TV channels as their public relations wings. He criticised the display of the DG ISI’s picture on Geo News after the Hamid Mir attack and also criticised certain TV channels for showing the blasphemous video again and again to their viewers.

The minister said the government was playing the role of a necessary fire brigade between the Jang Group and the military establishment. He said this is important in order to lessen tensions and stop things from getting worse. Saad said democracy is not a gift and has been earned by Pakistan’s civilian leadership after great heartache and trial. This should not be undermined. He termed the talks in London highly regrettable.

He reminded Imran Khan that the PTI won the elections in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa under the same ‘fraudulent system’. He urged setting up of a media accountability mechanism in media houses and invited Tahirul Qadri to come forward instead of avoiding the government and holding ‘dharnas’.

In his telephonic address to the seminar, Hamid Mir condemned the attack on Aaheer and said the culprits wanted to curb press freedom. He said Aaheer’s attackers were the same who had attacked him on April 19, who had thrown petrol bombs on Jang vehicles and burnt Jang newspaper bundles. He said his patience and commitment to journalism had enhanced due to the support received from civil society and the journalists’ community. He reiterated the need for unity in Pakistan’s journalist community in such testing times. He said the recent events in the country reminded him of General Ziaul Haq’s dark era when journalists were flogged and sent to jails. He said there should not be any ambiguity about those who were responsible for the attack on Zafar Aaheer, who were behind the illegal suspension of Geo TV networks’ suspension through cable operators, who hurled threats at the Lahore Press Club President Arshad Ansari and attacked journalists in the past.

Hamid said these elements wanted to create division in the media industry and they had succeeded in pitting media outlets and journalists against each other. He said different cable operators told journalists that they were ‘helpless’ as they were facing severe pressure from unnamed circles. He thanked parliamentarians who supported him during his tough times. However, he added, condemnation was not enough and his attackers should be exposed and brought to book. Hamid said the police should also look into Aaheer attack case and arrest the assailants at the earliest.

Hamid said the Karachi police were afraid of arresting his attackers, despite knowing their identity and whereabouts. He said other journalists have also been approached by the intelligence agencies, and Arshad Ansari had been threatened via a letter to stop holding events in favour of Hamid Mir and press freedom. He said over 30,000 journalists have been approached by the intelligence agencies in this regard.

Hamid said such elements were mistaken if they believe that by doing so they could silence and suppress the media. He said the Pakistani media was not like the army generals who had surrendered in Bangladesh in the 1971 war.

Hamid said the civilian government is weak and the military has imposed a de facto martial law in the country. He said the judiciary’s orders are not being respected and it is the responsibility of the civilian government to establish its writ and expose his attackers. He said he had given all evidence to the judicial commission set up to investigate the April 19 attack on him.

Hamid Mir said a Taliban hit list comprising names of journalists being circulated by the interior ministry among few chosen channels should be provided to all media outlets. He said his name was on top of the list, followed by journalists from different media groups.

He also condemned the newly formed alliance of Tahirul Qadri and the Chaudhrys which will weaken democracy in the country. Hamid saluted the LPC and journalists in Pakistan for their courage despite opposition from all quarters. He said the country’s establishment is in the business of branding people as traitors, especially sincere and professional journalists. He said the struggle of the Jang Group is a nationwide struggle for democracy, press freedom and the right to life of all citizens.

Hamid Mir also condemned the murder of HRCP Multan coordinator and lawyer Rashid Rehman last month. He concluded his speech by chanting “Pakistan Zindabad’ and saying an attack on one journalist will be taken as an attack on all in the community.

Kasur Press Club President Khadim Ali Khokhar, Okara Press Club President Munir Chaudhry and Sheikhupura Press Club President Shahbaz also condemned attempts to shut down Geo and the Jang Group, and expressed solidarity with senior anchorperson Hamid Mir.

Jamaat-e-Islami representative Farooq Chohan said his party was committed to press freedom and would not participate in meetings taking place in London between Tahirul Qadri, Pervaiz Elahi and Ch Shujaat Hussain. He said the JI believes in complete press freedom and Liaquat Baloch had met Hamid Mir in hospital after the attack in Karachi. He said JI chief Sirajul Haq firmly believes that imposition of a ban on Geo TV would be illegal and immoral.

He said former Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry had earned the wrath of the intelligence agencies for taking up the missing persons’ case and today the media is facing similar pressures due to the same reason. He said the JI would not take part in the London talks because the party respects the democratic process and the mandate of the PML-N government. He said the alliance currently being formed in London was part of a conspiracy to gain a safe passage for the American CIA in the region.

Chohan said the Jang Group had tendered an apology over the eight-hour transmission about the agencies role which followed the attack on Hamid Mir and the blasphemy charge. Even then he added, efforts were under way to shut down the media group. He urged PM Nawaz Sharif to re-establish his writ over the country in order to escape General Pervez Musharraf’s fate today in judicial custody.

South Asian Free Media Association (Safma) General Secretary Imtiaz Alam said he had fought for democracy for 25 years and the destination was still nowhere in sight. He said the media in Pakistan needs to develop a code of conduct, refrain from hate speech, and encourage responsible and sensitive reporting.

Alam said we are happy that the army is fighting against terrorists. But it is a matter of concern that the banned organisations were staging demonstrations in favour of the army, he said adding that we are moving towards an unlawful state. He said the chief justice of Pakistan should take suo motu notice of the attack on Geo.

He said Pakistan’s own media has defeated itself in the fight for press freedom. Alam said Pakistan’s civilian government needs to re-establish its writ over the country as we cannot accept the bullet power of non-state actors. He said the attack on Hamid Mir is also of concern to Pakistan’s masses as it shows the state’s failure to protect a citizen’s right to life and a media consumer’s right to information.

Imtiaz Alam said we cannot compromise on fundamental rights and Pakistan can no longer be a ‘graveyard of democracy’. He also condemned the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) on grounds of independence and fairness.

Alam said any attack on any anchorperson from any TV channel would have drawn a similar response as has happened in the case of Hamid Mir. He said owners of media outlets are engaged in a self-destructive rivalry in the country today. He also condemned the conspiracy theories being aired on Hamid Mir’s wounds and said Geo’s closure would lead to the economic death of 50,000 workers.

Alam said legal ways should be sought in criticising Geo TV and Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid should not just attend rallies but also deliver on his promises. He said the Pakistan Army, intelligence agencies, and Jang Group can resolve their problems through dialogue. Alam said in the 21st century a ban on any media channel is unacceptable. He said the attempts to close Jang Group is a test of civil-military relations by the army and that All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS) should wake up from its slumber and take an action.

Punjab Union of Journalists President Waseem Farooq said the PUJ has gone on hunger strike, borne flogging and imprisonments to defend press freedom. He said the PUJ is carrying the torch of senior journalists Khawar Naeem Hashmi, Nisar Usmani, and Iqbal Jafri. He said media house owners should implement labour laws and give their employees decent wages if they need them to participate in protests for press freedom. He said working journalists in the Jang Group need support from society to ensure that their jobs are not endangered.

Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) Vice President Shaheen Qureshi told the seminar that Geo TV is practically shut down due to the role of the cable operators and subsequent drop in viewers. He said this is undemocratic as it deprives viewers of the right to information. Qureshi said advertisers are pulling back and Jang’s circulation in most areas has come to a halt. He said only areas occupied by foreign diplomats in Islamabad get The News, which is a clever move to mislead the international media into thinking all is well with regards to press freedom.

Qureshi said PML-N MNA Tehmina Daultana in a Safma meeting had assured him that she would communicate these issues to PM Nawaz Sharif. The CPNE vice-president said information of Hamid Mir’s arrival in Karachi and work schedule could only have been accessed by intelligence agencies. He told the media on Sunday that Mir’s reporting on Balochistan’s missing persons long march and coverage of Musharraf’s trial had angered certain elements. He said the attack on Mir was intended as a lesson for Pakistan’s media.

Qureshi urged the government to not be helpless as it had won the mandate of 180 million Pakistanis in 2013 elections. He said the country’s judiciary is being disrespected as evidenced in the banners hung in Islamabad’s red zone with names of Supreme Court judges. He said Jang Group is not in need of certificates of patriotism from PTI leader Imran Khan. He said the group is not an enemy of the government and that democracy and press freedom are natural allies.

Geo News Lahore Bureau Chief Khawar Naeem Hashmi lamented the division in the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) and said both disputing parties need to come together and resolve their dispute. Hashmi said he does not want any division in the media unions to be inherited by successive generations and both wings of the PFUJ should accept each other. He said they should heed Hamid Mir’s advice to the journalist community and stop infighting. Hashmi said that this is not a fight of media house owners but of all working journalists.

PTI Punjab President Ejaz Chaudhry, in response to Shaheen Qureshi’s comments on Imran Khan, said press freedom is not safeguarding the right to insult politicians only. He said PTI’s demand for inquiry into election rigging should not be set aside and that the party was committed to press freedom. He said Hamid Mir is a hardworking and loved journalist.

Lahore Press Club President Arshad Ansari said it was a tragedy that Hamid Mir’s perpetrators are yet to be arrested and condemned the attack on the Jang Resident Editor in Multan. Ansari said whereas divisions in the PFUJ are unfortunate they should be resolved in meetings mediated by veterans in the field. Ansari said that Geo had practically been shut down and it could result in joblessness among journalists.

Former Supreme Court Bar Association President Abid Hassan Minto also expressed solidarity with Hamid Mir and called out the ‘deep state’ for its covert attempts to silence the media. The lawyer also said protests being held in support of the army are futile as the public knows who is behind organising these protests. Minto said the army according to Pakistan’s 1973 Constitution is bound to serve the country and not intervene in political affairs.

News Desk adds: Later, talking to Geo News, Saad Rafique said the Geo TV sought a pardon several times for playing a Qawwali once. Those who re-telecast the same clip 70 times were feeling no shame.

He said the freedom of expression was threatened by the same billionaires who opened TV channels and newspapers to protect their black money. He said batons and the useless use of the TV remote were not in the interest of the country. Those who were burning the newspapers would get nothing but shame.

He said Pakistan did not get democracy in charity and democracy was not a vegetable (gaajar, mooli) which could be chopped off. He said: “We couldn’t say before the time of Musharraf, but now we can say that it is the right of the PML-N to say that it was involved in the process to restore democracy in the country.” He said the necks of politicians were thin, so they could be beaten by anyone.

Saad said the retired chief justice of Pakistan could be ridiculed by the retired general Pervez Musharraf could not be laughed at and nothing could be said about him. He said the government was working like a fire brigade and it showed a positive attitude in the current circumstances. He said that by not joining the London alliance, Imran Khan took a wise decision after a long time. He said the Chaudhry brothers and the Maulana could not do anything.

Talks can’t go ahead in tug-of-war like situation: Nisar

 

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said on Friday that the government-Taliban talks could not move ahead in an environment of tug-of-war.
Talking to media persons at the Nadra headquarters after signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government on setting up of citizen facilitation centres in the province, Chaudhry Nisar said the government was sincere in the dialogue process and there was no delay on its part. “But in such an atmosphere of tension, stress and strain when everybody is busy in political point-scoring, results of negotiations between the government and the Taliban could not be obtained,” the minister said. He said the dialogue process with the Taliban could not move ahead in an atmosphere of contradictory statements.

The minister said he would present a report to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on his return from London that in view of the present situation, the dialogue process could not be taken forward.

“It will be difficult to continue the process of negotiations in the situation of polarisation generated unfortunately by the people who are taking part in the reconciliation process,” the minister maintained, adding that they should express their point of view in the meeting, not in TV talk shows or public meetings.

Chaudhry Nisar said the dialogue process was the only way to handle these matters and there had been positive progress, which led to reduction in violence. He said due to the whole process, contacts had been established with the Taliban and the government came to know about their thinking, views and demands.

He said the date for the next meeting was to be fixed by the other side. He said there was no hitch from the government or the military. The minister said he wanted that the next meeting of the Taliban-government committees should be decisive and both sides should put their complete agendas on the table.

“Possibly on Monday, I will submit a report to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to inform himstakeholders, were forcefully criticising the dialogue process. “At the start, there were people who were opposed to the dialogue process and we listened to them and tolerated them as it is part of democracy,” he said, adding that now even those who were supporters of dialogue were showing contradiction in their stance.

The minister said the dialogue process was a sensitive and complex issue but every day contradictory statements were being made about it. “Those who were supposed to assist in the dialogue process were making one statement in indoor meeting and saying something else at the public meetings,” Nisar said.

The minister emphatically stated that there has never been any deadlock in the peace process.Responding to a question, the minister said non-combatant Taliban prisoners were released in consultation with military authorities, adding that there was no conflict between the government and military leadership. “There is no hurdle from the government or the army in the dialogue process. The government is serious in this matter and there is no delay from its side,” he maintained.

He said it had been said by certain quarters on the issue of release of prisoners that the army was not supporting it. He explained that the prisoners who were released earlier were in the control of army, which decided who were non-combatants and should be released.

To a question about civil-military relations, he said the situation was normal at present as it was in the past.Earlier, speaking on the occasion of signing ceremony of MoU, the minister said Nadra earned a profit of Rs1.3 billion in three months and it had been put in the right direction through many changes in the last eight months.

He said more than 350 ghost employees were identified, adding that now transparent online tests would be held for posting of Nadra employees abroad.He said in the past such postings were made in violation of rules and on the basis of nepotism.The minister said the new Nadra chairman would be appointed by a committee according to the relevant ordinance

Hamid Mir received e-mail threats like slain reporter

 

ISLAMABAD: The veiled threat received by Geo News anchor Hamid Mir from an intelligence agency’s officials has striking similarities with the e-mail warning received by the slainjournalist Saleem Shahzad prior to his kidnapping and ultimate death.
In his first formal statement from the hospital bed on Thursday, Hamid Mir said a few days ago, officials of an intelligence agency came to his house and told him that Mir’s name was on a hit list along with some other journalists.

“When I asked as to who had prepared the hit list, the men gave no response,” said the star anchor whose statement was read out before the media by his brother Amir Mir.

Hamid Mir said he had told the officials that in the present circumstances, he faced the greatest threat from the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and they should convey it to their bosses.

It appears that a similar kind of veiled threat was received by the late Shahzad who was the Pakistan Bureau chief of Asia Times Online, Hong Kong, and Italian news agency Adnkronos (AKI).

Shahzad was kidnapped from Islamabad on May 29, 2011 and his body was found floating in a canal near Mandi Bahauddin on May 30 with visible torture marks.

Although, the ISI categorically denied the allegations of its involvement in the murder of Shahzad, the Human Rights Watch (HRW) and the US government officials pointed fingers at the agency. According to the Judicial Commission on Saleem Shahzad case, the slain journalist received an e-mail from the then ISI’s DG Media Rear Admiral Adnan Nazir months before his murder.

“I must give you a favor. We have recently arrested a terrorist and have recovered lot of data, diaries and other material during the interrogation. The terrorist had a list with him. If I find your name in the list, I will certainly let you know,” read the e-mail which was conceived by Shahzad as a veiled death threat.

The commission also found that while forwarding this e-mail to his magazine editor and HRW as a reference in case of any untoward incident, Saleem also cc’d this e-mail to Adnan. “The commission thus has reason to believe that these words were indeed uttered by Rear Admiral Adnan and were accordingly perceived by Saleem to be a threat.”

However, in its report, the commission had also clarified that the e-mail could not be considered as “sufficient circumstantial evidence” against the ISI.

“The commission has no reason to discard the perception of Saleem in construing such words as a threat and showing his reaction...However, there is evidence available on record which shows that in the subsequent seven months, Saleem and Admiral Adnan Nazir kept interacting with each other, and the tone of the interaction is absolutely normal, decent, courteous, friendly and cordial, as if no threat was ever given to or perceived by Saleem. This dilutes the effect of the crucial e-mail. This threat, after the lapse of seven months, cannot singularly be taken as a sufficient circumstantial evidence to conclusively hold that ISI is responsible for this incident on that account,” said the report.

Nevertheless, the commission has not ruled out the strong perception in the journalist community that the ISI harasses and intimidates journalists.

During the course of inquiry, the commission recorded the statements of several senior journalists including Hamid Mir, Absar Alam, Imtiaz Alam and all of them complained about Rear Admiral Adnan Nazir.

Although, threats and acts of intimidation are denied by the ISI, “yet from the statements of the above named, the commission cannot hold that their understanding and perception about the threats etc. extended to them are misconceived, simply for the reason that it had been refuted by the ISI official.” When so many senior and respected journalists have come forward to record their perception, noted the commission, that they found certain words, gestures and acts of ISI officials as intimidating and threatening, then it is hard to dismiss it lightly, “merely on account of a bald denial by ISI.”

“Therefore, from the overwhelming material available on record, the commission is convinced that there are sufficient reasons to believe that the agencies, including ISI, have been using coercive and intimidating tactics in dealing with those journalists who antagonise the agency’s interest.”

Finally, the commission noted that the strong perception in journalist community that the ISI has had a motive to kill Saleem Shahzad may hold some weight, but there is no tangible evidence to establish that fact.

It may be noted that various allegations of excesses by the agencies, including ISI, have been leveled by journalists, politicians and others.

Striking similarities between Taliban, FARC Like Pakistan, Colombia is talking to its rebels too

LAHORE: As is the case in Pakistan where the sitting Nawaz Sharif regime is talking to the warring Taliban for the sake of peace, the incumbent Colombian government is also holding a dialogue with a violent guerilla organization at war within the territory of this Spanish-speaking South American state since 1964.

However, numerous Colombian politicians and military commanders stand divided over holding peace parleys with this terrorist outfit known as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. Locally, this militant group is called the “Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia” or FARC.

While a former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe is known as a fierce opponent of the on-going talks, two dissenting Army generals were relieved of duty for the duration of the investigation quite recently in February 2014, according to the esteemed news agency “Reuters.” One of these two generals was the head of the Colombian Army intelligence.

According to a study by Colombia’s National Centre for Historical Memory, over 220,000 people have died in this conflict till date, most of them being civilians.From 1999 to 2008, the FARC, together with the ELN guerrilla group, was estimated to control up to 40 per cent of the territory in Colombia. This insurgent group, which claims to be a peasant army, has often said it was just striving to help country’s farmers get their due rights.

The FARC has been alleged by the June 17, 2002 edition of the BBC and the January 27, 2011 edition of a prestigious globally-prescribed American magazine “The Economist” to have been involved in kidnappings for ransom, illegal gold mining, killing innocent civilians, production and distribution of illicit drugs.

However, as history has it, the dispossession of Colombian farmland had produced 40,000 landless families by 1961 and by end 1969; their number had crossed the 400,000 mark throughout Colombia.

But these figures neither justify FARC’s claims of being a farmer-friendly revolutionary force, nor do these statistics allow it to wage a war against the state and play havoc with the lives of the local citizens and the law enforcement agencies.

While the violent FARC has been classified as a terrorist organization by the governments of Colombia, the United States, Canada, Chile, New Zealand and the European Union. It still derives a lot of moral support from the governments of Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador and Nicaragua etc.

The extent of support that FARC enjoys from the neighboring countries can be gauged from the fact that in 2008, the late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez had recognized it as a proper Army and a belligerent force that was fighting against the state for a right cause.

On the contrary, successive Colombian regimes have condemned this organization for kidnapping numerous government ministers, governors and senators etc, and killing many in captivity.

For example, in 2003, FARC had assassinated a governor called Guillermo Gaviria Correa, his advisor for peace and a former defense minister Gilberto Echeverri Mejia.In December 2009, another local state governor Luis Francisco Cuellar was killed by FARC.

And now, since November 2012, it is involved in yet another round of peace talks with the Colombian state.Research shows that for the last many decades, many talks were held between Colombian governments and the FARC militants, but then the dialogue process had somehow hit snags and communication had broken down.

As it is happening in Pakistan currently, numerous Colombian governments over the years and the FARC commanders have been agreeing upon the exchange of prisoners held in captivity on either side.

Just to cite one example in this context, in December 2004, the government of Colombia had announced to pardon 23 FARC prisoners in a bid to encourage a reciprocal move. Earlier in November 2004, the FARC had rejected a state proposal to hand over 59 of its captives in exchange for 50 guerrillas imprisoned by the government.

The year 2006 had seen FARC releasing a few civilian hostages including a German citizen, after holding him captive for five years.In November 2012, the FARC had released four Chinese oil workers. The hostages were working for the Emerald Energy oil company, a British-based subsidiary of China’s renowned Sinochem Group.

And in January 2008, former Colombian vice presidential candidate Clara Rojas and a former Congresswoman Consuelo Gonzalez were freed after nearly six years in captivity.In February 2008, innumerable rallies were held in Colombia and across the world, whereby FARC was slated by the protestors and was pressed to release hundreds of hostages.

In November 2013, the Colombian government and FARC had announced that they had come to an agreement regarding the participation of political opposition and would begin discussing their next issue, the illicit drug trade.But talks continue to be held despite an acute shortage of trust and belief on both sides.

Pakistan play like children, crash out of World T20

DHAKA: Pakistan played like children as defending champions West Indies easily defeated them by 84 runs in a key Super-10 match of the World Twenty20 in Dhaka on Tuesday and sailed into the semi-finals.

The West Indies recovered from a top-order meltdown to post 166-6 after electing to take first strike, before three wickets each by spin twins Samuel Badree and Sunil Narine skittled Pakistan for 82 in 17.5 overs.

The West Indies, who finished second behind unbeaten India in group two, will clash with group one champions Sri Lanka in the first semi-final in Dhaka tomorrow (Thursday).India, who won all their four league matches, meet South Africa at the same venue on Friday. The final will take place in Dhaka on Sunday.

It was the first time Pakistan, finalists in the inaugural World T20 in 2007 and champions in 2009, failed to reach the knock-out rounds in the five editions of the tournament.

Ileana D’Cruz: Kareena and I bonded like sisters!

Ileana D’Cruz bonded with Kareena Kapoor while shooting for Happy Ending, which stars Kareena’s husband Saif Ali Khan. And she says she has great fun with the Pataudi Begum.

“We chill a lot together, go out for dinners and movies,” she beams. “We met on the sets of Happy Ending in LA and since then have bonded like long lost sisters.”

When asked about her upcoming film Main Tera Hero, she says “I’ve always been fond of masala entertainers and my filmography down South is a testimony to that. I’ve laughed the hardest watching David Dhawan entertainers so when he called me to be a part in his next, I was ecstatic!” asserts the actress, adding that David’s Biwi No 1 is her fave comedy.

Sanaya Irani: I’d like to first put colours on Mohit Sehgal –

The Rangrasiya actor has big plans to celebrate Holi with her friends this year Sanaya Irani wants to be the first one to apply colour on her beau Mohit Sehgal…awww… how romantic! The actor who is busy rehearsing and shooting for the Colors channel’s Holi programme loves the festival and like every year will be celebrating it in grand style with her near and dear ones.

When asked if the actor has ever had a drunken episode on Holi, she said, “I’ve always wanted to. In fact, once someone told us during the Holi party that the thandai has bhaag in it, so we drank that. Then someone told us that the paan is spiked, so we ate that. But nothing really happened. I guess we were being fooled.”
Sanaya adds that among all the colours out there, her personal favourite is pink… that’s so BollywoodLife, no?
We wish the actor a grand, safe and happy Holi this year!

Philippines has ’right’ to defend its territory like China: PM spokesman

MANILA: The Philippines also has the right to defend every inch of its territory, President Benigno Aquino's spokesman said on Sunday, after China made a similar warning.
Spokesman Herminio Coloma's remarks came after China's foreign minister Wang Yi said on Saturday said his country would vigorously defend its sovereignty against "unreasonable demands from smaller countries".
Although he was referring to Japan, which has its own territorial dispute with China, his remarks could also cover China's other territorial dispute with the Philippines and other countries over parts of the South China Sea.
"It is the right of every country to defend its national territory. That is also the principle we are following," Coloma told reporters, commenting on the Chinese minister's remarks.
Coloma added that the Philippines was basing its position on the principles of international law like the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea or UNCLOS.
The Philippines and China, along with Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam are all claimants to parts of the South China Sea, a major sea lane and rich fishing ground which is believed to sit on vast mineral deposits.
The Philippines has also expressed growing concern at the increased aggressiveness of the Chinese in pressing their claim to almost all of the waters, even up to the coasts of its neighbours.
The Philippine government has sought UN arbitration under UNCLOS to settle the dispute but China has rejected the move.
Last month the Philippines lodged a protest after the Chinese coastguard allegedly attacked Filipino fishermen off a disputed South China Sea shoal with water cannon on January 27. Beijing rejected the protest.

Philippines has ’right’ to defend its territory like China: PM spokesman

MANILA: The Philippines also has the right to defend every inch of its territory, President Benigno Aquino's spokesman said on Sunday, after China made a similar warning.
Spokesman Herminio Coloma's remarks came after China's foreign minister Wang Yi said on Saturday said his country would vigorously defend its sovereignty against "unreasonable demands from smaller countries".
Although he was referring to Japan, which has its own territorial dispute with China, his remarks could also cover China's other territorial dispute with the Philippines and other countries over parts of the South China Sea.
"It is the right of every country to defend its national territory. That is also the principle we are following," Coloma told reporters, commenting on the Chinese minister's remarks.
Coloma added that the Philippines was basing its position on the principles of international law like the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea or UNCLOS.
The Philippines and China, along with Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam are all claimants to parts of the South China Sea, a major sea lane and rich fishing ground which is believed to sit on vast mineral deposits.
The Philippines has also expressed growing concern at the increased aggressiveness of the Chinese in pressing their claim to almost all of the waters, even up to the coasts of its neighbours.
The Philippine government has sought UN arbitration under UNCLOS to settle the dispute but China has rejected the move.
Last month the Philippines lodged a protest after the Chinese coastguard allegedly attacked Filipino fishermen off a disputed South China Sea shoal with water cannon on January 27. Beijing rejected the protest.

RANBIR WANTS TO PLAY A CHARACTER LIKE ‘QUEEN’

Everyone praising Vikas Bahl's 'Queen' has become a trend now a days and now the heartthrob of Bollywood, Ranbir Kapoor has also joined the league.

Kangana Ranaut has carried the role of Rani very well and Ranbir hopes that he gets a character like ‘Queen’ to play onscreen.

Ranbir says, “I wish I get to play a character as strong and entertaining as Queen. I couldn't think of one thing to change and totally loved the film.”

‘Queen’ is hitting the screens today.

Sonam Kapoor: I don’t have power like Anushka and Deepika

According to the Press Trust of India Bollywood actress Sonam Kapoor expressed her admiration for Deepika Padukone and Anushka Sharma's work, saying they are doing "amazing" job.

The Press trust of India quoted Sonam as saying, “I think Deepika and Anushka do that (profit share). I am happy for my colleagues…they are doing fine work. I am proud of them…it is amazing. I don’t have the power (like them). Changes are coming in the industry and it is a good thing.”

The 28-year-old actress, who will next be seen in ‘Bewakoofiyaan’, admitted the portrayal of women in Bollywood is changing and directors are offering better and more meaning roles to them.

“Today in films the kind of roles and films are written for women is good. I am too getting good roles,” she added.

‘Bewakoofiyaan’ is romantic comedy which is being directed by Nupur Asthana and being produced by Aditya Chopra under the banner of Yash Raj Films. The film will feature Ayushmann Khurrana in the lead opposite Kapoor.

It is slated to release on March 14^th, 2014.

Getting nominated is like 'making love,' says Palestinian director Hany Abu-Assad

JERUSALEM — Ever wonder what it feels like to be nominated for an Oscar — not once, but twice?
It feels pretty damn good, according to Hany Abu-Assad, the director of the movie Omar, who is in exactly that position.
"It's a funny thing," he said, in a phone interview from Los Angeles, where he is preparing for the ceremony. "It's exactly like the first time you make love. The first time you don't really know what you are doing  and you feel some responsibility, but the second time you know what's coming, and you get more joy in making love."
"Few people have been nominated twice," he added, "So it is quite an honor."
Hany Abu-Assad, who holds Israeli and Dutch citizenship, is the only Palestinian ever nominated for an Oscar — first for his 2005 film Paradise Now and now for Omar, which was released in 2013, both in the category of Best Foreign Film.
Omar has already won the "Un Certain Regard" special jury prize at the Cannes Film Festival.
Paradise Now followed two young Palestinian men as they prepare for a suicide mission in Tel Aviv. Omar tells the arc of another young Palestinian man, the almost impossibly noble Omar, (played by the almost impossibly handsome Adam Bakri) caught in a treacherous and very sticky web of nationalism, desire, and self-discovery. The humanity of suicide bombers isn't a topic most directors would touch, but in both films, Abu-Assad tackles tough topics with a surprisingly delicate hand.
Much has been made of the fact that an Israeli film also released last year, Bethlehem, tells a similar story, both films portraying an Israeli secret service handler and his Palestinian informant.

A romcom set in Nazareth: now there’s a thought to give the local archbishop agita.

Abu-Assad saw Bethlehem. "It is good to see the matter from an Israeli point of view, even though politically we are not on the same page,” he said. “But films are about the quality of the movie. This is how you learn about others. The acting was great and I appreciate it because it is well done."
The films actually differ in most respects. Non-actors act in Bethlehem, giving it a gritty, hard-knuckle realism, whereas experienced professionals grace the screen in Omar. But they both touch on eerily similar themes of the corrosive effects of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian areas. The two films also come to almost identically explosive ends.
So it is rather shocking to hear, in a GlobalPost exclusive, that Abu-Assad's next film will be a romantic comedy.
What?
"Yes, it's not a joke," Abu-Assad laughs, enjoying the surprise.  "Set in Nazareth, where I was born."
A romcom set in Nazareth: now there’s a thought to give the local archbishop agita.
But it turns out Abu-Assad’s project is a Romeo and Juliet story involving a poor boy and a girl with a rich father. "I call them the new generation," Abu-Assad explains, "more interested in themselves than in others. But the most important obstacle in the way of any love story is our inability to understand the other."
"I like movies that keep a space in which the audience can think, and not to give them all the answers. I like movies that open questions, and I try to do what I like. I want you to be engaged and be part of the story and I want to manipulate your emotions — but not your thinking. I want it to be your thinking."