Another ‘P’ Added to PTI

Pervez Khattak, former chief minister and PTI stalwart, has launched a new political party under the name of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Parliamentarians (PTIP). Adding another P to the PTI, Khattak seems to follow the examples led by the likes of Nawaz Sharif of PML-N, Faisal Saleh Hayat of PPP-P, Shujaat Hussain and Mian Muhammad Azhar of PML-Q, Maulana Fazlur Rahman of JUI-F, and the list goes on. Given that the general elections in Pakistan are, reportedly and hopefully, around the corner, one may expect more new political parties are being formed to join the political fray with more creative acronyms and interesting initialism, that too in the guise of bringing political stability and turning the fate of the nation, once again.

A Hat Trick by Pakistani Passport

Pakistan has, of late, emerged as the most unfortunate part of the modern world, as the country has consistently been making headlines in international media for all the wrong reasons. For the third consecutive year, the Pakistani passport has been ranked the ‘fourth worst’ by the Henley Passport Index of 2023. The index is a yearly ranking of the world’s 199 passports according to the number of destinations their owners can access without a prior visa. Pakistan’s passport is only ranked higher than war-torn countries such as Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan, as per the latest ranking. Making a hat trick this year, one hopes Pakistan’s travel document will fare considerably well in the next year’s rankings since hope is the only thing stronger than fear.

Masterpiece or a Mockery?

One often wonders about the standards of success the TV drama industry sets today. This is because a low-grade drama serial, ‘Tere Bin,’ starring Wahaj Ali, Yumna Zaidi, and Murtasim, has been cited as a blockbuster masterpiece, but on what parameters? As per the self-praising comments posted online by Asad Qureshi and Abdullah Kadwani of 7th Sky Entertainment, “The exceptional performance of our lead Wahaj Ali and Yumna Zaidi and Murtasim-Meerub’s magical on-screen chemistry has played a pivotal role in making Tere Bin a masterpiece, which has touched the hearts of billions of viewers and has been appreciated worldwide.” Is it really the case? In marked contrast, the drama was more than a mockery to the standards earlier set by Pakistan Television of the 1980s and early 90s. If Tere Bin can be considered a huge success, then there must be something wrong with today’s TV audience or those running the TV industry.

Grapevine