12/25/13 - News

You would love this little man in Pakistan Idol....

You would love this little man in Pakistan Idol....

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25Dec2013

Housemaid caught on camera mixing her urine with family food

Housemaid caught on camera mixing her urine with family food

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25Dec2013

Tuk Tuk (Misbah ul Haq) breaks ‘Sixes’ record of Boom Boom

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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; text-align: start;">SHARJAH: Pakistan Skipper Misbah ul Haq has set the most sixes record as a captain in one-day International in a calendar year. <br /><br />Misbah had hit 33 sixes so far in 2013 including the sixes in third ODI against Sri Lanka at Sharjah Cricket Stadium. <br /><br />As a Pakistan Captain, Misbah has broken the Shahid Afridi’s 32 sixes record in a calendar year. <br /><br /><br />Former Skipper, Shahid Afridi had hit 32 sixes record in 2012 in one year.</span></h4>

Tuk Tuk (Misbah ul Haq) breaks ‘Sixes’ record of Boom Boom

SHARJAH: Pakistan Skipper Misbah ul Haq has set the most sixes record as a captain in one-day International in a calendar year. Misbah had hit 33 sixes so far in 2013 including the sixes in third ODI against Sri Lanka at Sharjah Cricket Stadium. As a Pakistan Captain, Misbah has broken the Shahid A…

25Dec2013

PAKISTANI FILM 'ZINDA BHAAG' OUT OF OSCAR RACE

PAKISTANI FILM 'ZINDA BHAAG' OUT OF OSCAR RACE

Zinda Bhaag was the first Pakistani nomination for the Oscars in five-decades. PHOTO: FILE LOS ANGELES: ‘Zinda Bhaag’, the first Pakistani movie to be nominated for an Oscar, was left out of the best foreign language Oscar short list, but nine other movies made the cut, organisers announced on Frid…

25Dec2013

INTRODUCING THE MUSCLE MAN

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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: left;">Shehraz’s fitness regime in preparation for his role has him working out thrice a day. PHOTO: FILE</span><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', times-roman, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;">
<strong class="location" style="color: #555555; display: block; float: left; font-size: 13px;">LAHORE: </strong><div style="border: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0.3em; margin-top: 7px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<strong style="color: #555555; font-size: 13px;">Actor Shehraz is a man of few words. He is not your typical leading man, with conventional good looks. Instead, he is rugged and buff because of intense workouts.<i>The System</i>, a Lahore-based action thriller that released its teaser trailer last week, is bound to add to the growing hype surrounding the actor.</strong></div>
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“I have always been interested in staying in shape, but for this film, I felt I had to transform myself,” says Shehraz. The trailer introduced the actor, who is making his debut.</div>
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Getting the perfect body has resulted in a rigorous diet and health regimen for Shehraz, who plays the lead role in the film, which is being directed by veteran Lollywood producer Ghafoor Butt’s son (and) Shehraz’s brother Shehzad Ghafoor. The film was first announced in the summer and began production in fall.</div>
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The trailer introduces Shehraz, a talented actor who, according to legendary actor Nadeem, along with other seniors connected to the film, grows in stature with every scene. Transforming his body meant developing a custom workout schedule, which began six months before the film’s shooting, and had Shehraz doing up to three workouts a day.</div>
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“My diet is very strict and I didn’t eat salts the last three months, so I would get quick and good results for my role.”</div>
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Set in Lahore, the film will explore how different forms of corruption at the local level permeate into everyday lives of middle-class families. The production team, which prides itself on being part of the revivalist cinema movement, looks to bring productions different from traditional Lahore-based ones that have been made in the past.</div>
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The film has been made with an approximate budget of Rs5 million and is shot with RED 2 cameras. Two songs have been shot in Norway and the film includes actors such as Shafqat Cheema, Nadeem Baig and Nayyer Ijaz. Three new female actors will be making their debut in the film.</div>
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This is not Shehraz’s first attempt at acting; he was previously seen in the film <i>Khamosh Raho</i>, which was produced by his father. The movie, unfortunately, was a cinematic failure — now known as the debut of Juggun Kazim in Lollywood. The film was directed by veteran director Altaf Hussain and featured Shehraz as the second lead behind Shaan.</div>
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“It was a learning process for me, which was important as I learnt a lot of things from that movie. I feel now, that as a newcomer, the role was maybe a wrong choice,” says Shehraz.</div>
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The experience has pushed him to work hard on his own acting skills and become more selective about the roles he chooses. “In the end, it gave me motivation to work much harder. I waited for a script that was different and suited my personality better,” says Shehraz.</div>
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“I am not really allowed to discuss my role, but it’s not a stereotypical or traditional role of a hero. The character is multi-dimensional and has to adapt to various situations in the film, which has made the character challenging to play.”</div>
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The film has finished its first cut and will be undergoing its final phase of production, including colour-grading, in India. The film’s associate director Awais Ahmed says the teaser trailer attempts to project a new feel when it comes to cinema from Lahore.</div>
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“We wanted to show that films can be made that are not dependent on one hero, so we have gone with new faces in the lead roles. Now, the question is whether the public will like it or not,” says Ahmed.</div>
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INTRODUCING THE MUSCLE MAN

Shehraz’s fitness regime in preparation for his role has him working out thrice a day. PHOTO: FILE LAHORE: Actor Shehraz is a man of few words. He is not your typical leading man, with conventional good looks. Instead, he is rugged and buff because of intense workouts.The System, a Lahore-based ac…

25Dec2013

WAAR HITS THE BULLSEYE

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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #f2f0e6; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 23px; text-align: left;">Shaan Shahid in a still from pakistrani movie waar</span></td></tr>
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Bullseye: That is what I thought of <em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Waar</em> hitting the target as the credits rolled out at the end of my first viewing of a Pakistani film in Dubai. The hype surrounding<em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Waar</em>, starring Pakistani actor Shaan Shahid, had been building up a considerable extent long before the film premiered in Dubai last Thursday. Its record performance in Pakistan, surpassing even Shah Rukh Khan’s <em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Chennai Express</em>, had everyone flocking to the cinemas to see what had turned the tide. And so the legend of <em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Waar</em> was spun.</div>
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A packed house on a weeknight in the film’s opening week may not be the only barometer for how well it’s doing; what matters is the story, the satisfaction of seeing something worthwhile in those few hours assigned for the magic of living celluloid dreams in a darkened theatre, the emotions generated and of course the response of the audience while exiting. As for that, there were some very interesting comments to be heard. “Great job for a Pakistani film, good effort!” etc...</div>
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There was also the odd “too much violence, and bad language” comment drifting over the excited chatter of the moviegoers as they walked out but considering the subject being portrayed and the fact that violence and sex sell almost as much as a good plot, one could excuse the faint disapproval, which did come from two senior couples, to be honest.</div>
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So does <em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Waar</em> mark a turning point in Pakistani cinema, which has been struggling for survival, more so after the advent of cineplexes and the lure of the sirens from across the border? While <em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Bol</em> and <em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Khuda Kay Liye</em> (two movies I did have the pleasure of seeing at home, the latter also starring Shahid) may appeal more for their content and appeal to the intellect and for their ability to evoke awareness and empathy for issues that society has more or less swept under the carpet and failed to address, <em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Waar</em> strikes a different chord.</div>
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The turning point is that it comes in a very slick cinematic package raising the benchmark for subsequent films for Pakistan cinema. Yet, it’s not all gloss for it succeeds in delivering a core message that resonates among Pakistanis by visualising their suffering at the hands of terrorism — a fact that is now part of daily life and has affected a wide spectrum of society, whether civilians or security officials at the forefront.</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Anti-state activities</strong></div>
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While the Indian External Intelligence Research and Analysis Wing’s (RAW) role in hatching sinister plots, instigating terrorist acts and brainwashing children in madrassahs by funding the Taliban may sound far-fetched to even some sections of the Pakistani audience, it is not something that is incomprehensible. A patriotic movie in Pakistan about a terrorism plot is hardly going to show Martians or even the North Koreans sneaking in from across the very penetrable Line of Control to carry out their dark mission or funding anti-state activities. Naturally it had to be the Indians as is the case for myriad Indian films showing the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) and Pakistani militant groups allegedly supported by the ISI carrying out their nefarious activities in India. <em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Waar</em> does not need to defend itself on that account. But it would have fared better to pace the plot to uncovering the terrorist attack for the climax as the police academy attack was dealt with.</div>
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Shahid’s role as a retired counter-terrorism specialist coming to grips with the loss of his family at the hands of the arch villain Rumal, played by Shamoon Abbasi, is convincing in the portrayal of the pain he goes through while reliving the incident. As an action hero he checks all the right boxes. The chemistry between him and Javeria (Ayesha Khan) could have been tapped into, surely lending a frisson of excitement to an otherwise all-action thriller. But keeping in mind his mission to foil Rumal’s plan to wreak havoc in the country and seek revenge for his family’s deaths, the budding romance was probably deliberately kept in check.</div>
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As for the other protagonists, one was left yearning to learn more of visionary politician Aijaz Khan’s (Ali Azmat of Junoon fame) relations with Laxmi, the RAW embed played by Meesha Shafi, the siren songstress who enthralled audiences with her rendition of <em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Jugni</em> and <em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Dashte Tanhai</em> in Coke Studio. She does play it raw with her earthy whispers and delight at witnessing the carnage orchestrated at her behest in the Police Academy, a bullet-pumping whiplash who can also tango with the devil (Rumal), a cold, ruthless player who has no qualms in disposing of her ex-lover Aijaz Khan and his pregnant wife.</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Comic relief</strong></div>
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Ali Azmat deserves more than a mention, playing the leader-with-a-vision convincingly, however his lack of remorse for cheating on his wife falls short in endearing him to the audience.</div>
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The Taliban are there, the good and the bad, and of course it is the bad who prevail over the good. But temporarily. The ruthless Mullah Siraj with his long locks and kohl-ed eyes inadvertently offers comic relief with his punchline “Ao Kana” (“Oh yeah!”) before aiming his gun at the counter-terrorist forces and his mockery of his father’s death. But he also chills. The ease with which terrorist acts are carried out and how the naked power struggle among the militants impacts the security situation is well-depicted, to say the least. The police academy attack in Lahore is a chilling reminder of the tenacity, capability and lethality of the terrorists. The only jarring factor was the women suicide bombers in the attack. Not that women have not factored in suicide attacks in Pakistan, but two things stood out that could have been avoided.</div>
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First, since when do two women, after having been handed their very thin muslin suicide vests and congratulated for their imminent ascension to heaven, calmly walk into the packed dining room of the all-male Police Academy and stand around with beatific expressions before blowing themselves up without being checked or questioned about what they are doing there in the first place? Second, the police trainees are sitting eating while a massacre is going on outside with gunfire loud enough to wake the dead from their eternal slumber!</div>
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But then this is, after all, a movie and one can excuse an oddity or two since even in the best of Hollywood thrillers the most unnatural happenings are shrugged at.</div>
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What could have been avoided and which has struck me, as a Pakistani, as odd is that the whole movie is in English with some scattered dialogues in Urdu. Why could it not have been predominantly in Urdu, even if it was aimed at an English audience — subtitles would have filled the gaps. The accents as well could have been done away with, why the highly Americanised English accents, the awful Pushto-accented Urdu by Mullah Siraj’s father, Siraj’s lack of a Pushto accent? But then the redemption came with Siraj’s “Ao Kana!”, my favourite line in the movie.</div>
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So how does <em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Waar</em> fare? Despite the shortfalls <em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Waar</em> deserves a big hand. A more balanced narrative would fine-tune the gaps, maybe a debate between the protagonists looking inward at Pakistan’s role and responsibility in allowing things to degenerate to this extent would have raised the film higher. But this is something hopefully future films will incorporate. <em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Waar</em> clearly stands out and sets a precedent for Pakistani films lending hope that one could expect some good films coming this way.</div>
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WAAR HITS THE BULLSEYE

Shaan Shahid in a still from pakistrani movie waar Bullseye: That is what I thought of Waar hitting the target as the credits rolled out at the end of my first viewing of a Pakistani film in Dubai. The hype surroundingWaar, starring Pakistani actor Shaan Shahid, had been building up a considerable …

25Dec2013

PAKISTANI FILM WAAR LOOKS AT RECENT HISTORY FROM A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE

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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbZKyNtAcCdzPY7Dbtf2HObrZvcHp0kSyrvTzivaOO-miIQ5_dcWMkBV0lIpeTRuQm6kPWS2yQ2YCZ4qgJEyVSqIVzw3Dy9UCRLtVBB5TZdYqhYJqx4FG_tWCzl3D4ec3rTFYiwS2cFpKn/s1600/Capture.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbZKyNtAcCdzPY7Dbtf2HObrZvcHp0kSyrvTzivaOO-miIQ5_dcWMkBV0lIpeTRuQm6kPWS2yQ2YCZ4qgJEyVSqIVzw3Dy9UCRLtVBB5TZdYqhYJqx4FG_tWCzl3D4ec3rTFYiwS2cFpKn/s1600/Capture.PNG" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; line-height: 23px;">When it comes to films about contemporary events, Pakistan is not an unfamiliar name to audiences.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; line-height: 23px;"><br /></span><br />
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“In all the movies you watch – be it Iron Man or Thor or whatever else – there is always a mention of Pakistan,” says the Pakistani singer and actor Ali Azmat. “That mention is always in a negative capacity and that irritates me. I wanted to play a part in showing the world what our point of view is, as Pakistanis, and Waar has allowed me to do that.”</div>
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Azmat was speaking at a press conference preceding the Dubai International Film Festival screening of his latest film, Waar, on Thursday. The movie is currently playing in cinemas across the country.</div>
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The film, whose title can be translated as “strike” or “blow”, is Pakistan’s first English-language action thriller and looks at what is happening as the country is caught in the crossfire of an international war on terror.</div>
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“We live in confusing, interesting times. When Pakistan is depicted in a negative light, it’s not any one single country that does that, but it’s the war industry as a whole,” explains Azmat. “This is my chance to step up and show the audience why these games are being played.</div>
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“We need to have our narrative out in the world and show everyone that we are not just terrorists. We need to show them that we are a normal as any one in New York and that we have fears and hopes like other people do. We are hoping to get our narrative out to combat the established mindset about Pakistan.”</div>
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<b>Breaking records</b></div>
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Azmat plays a politician in the film and shares the screen with the actors Shaan Shahid and Shamoon Abbasi, as well as newer talent including Meesah Shafi, Hamza Ali Abbasi and Ayesha Khan.</div>
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The film – directed by Bilal Lashari (who also acts in the film) and produced by Hassan Waqas Rana – received tremendous public support and financial success in its home country since its release on the first day of Eid Al Adha.</div>
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It broke the box office record for first-day collections, previously held by the recent Bollywood film Chennai Express. Today, with a total box office of almost Dh7 million, it is the highest-grossing Pakistani film of all time. Despite the commercial success, film critics in Pakistan have taken Waar to task by applauding its technical finesse but criticising its narrative.</div>
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“Waar is primarily a work of entertainment,” says the director Lashari. “You can choose to agree with the narrative or you can choose to disagree. The former will walk out happy and the latter will not. I never said this film will change your life. It’s not even intending to.”</div>
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<b>Cinematic revival</b></div>
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The general reception of the film by Pakistanis in the UAE has so far been positive.</div>
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“The story is of absolute relevance, portraying the geopolitical situation Pakistan is currently facing, with Hollywood-style action sequences using real army gunships, which has never been done before, making Waar a must-watch for all action lovers,” says the Pakistani diplomatic consultant Mobisher Rabbani, a UAE resident.</div>
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“Pakistan is seeing a revival of its cinema, where young producers and directors who have learnt all the tricks of the trade abroad are returning to Pakistan to make movies.</div>
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“Ever-growing talent combined with the frustration that international media is not giving Pakistan its due [for its] sacrifices – in fact, is portraying it in a negative light – is bringing out such vocal movies and that is a good thing.”</div>

<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Qarz-e-Hasana is a financial loan granting scheme introduced by the PML-N government with an objective of equipping as many as 5 million people with sound financial conditions in the next 5 years. Increasing industrial access for the common people is the prime goal of the program.</span><br />
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Eligibility Criteria:</span></strong></div>
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Vulnerable rural and urban poor with a poverty score of up to 40.</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Women’s Share in the Program:</span></strong></div>
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Identifying the gender equality need in the country, women will account 50 % share in the program. Empowering the feminine class through micro finance loan to national development, is an initiative in this regard.</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Geographical Spread:</span></strong></div>
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No geographical boundary is restricted for the program. However, the undeveloped areas would be considered as priority for the upgrading process.</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Pricing:</span></strong></div>
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The attractive feature of the program is its ‘interest-free based structure’, making it more an accessible loan structure.</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Size and Number of Loans:</span></strong></div>
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25 lacs rupees have been allocated for the program. Average amount of Rs. 25,000 would be given to each applicant.</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Government Grant 2013-2014:</span></strong></div>
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The Federal government would invest Rs. 3.5 billion in the program.</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Executive Agency:</span></strong></div>
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Under PPAF agency, the execution of the scheme would occur.</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Recycling:</span></strong></div>
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The borrowers will be encouraged to pay back the loan to make the program a success. The invested amounted would be re-utilized for future planning.</div>

Prime Minister’s Qarz-e-Hasana Scheme Details

Qarz-e-Hasana is a financial loan granting scheme introduced by the PML-N government with an objective of equipping as many as 5 million people with sound financial conditions in the next 5 years. Increasing industrial access for the common people is the prime goal of the program. Eligibility Criter…

25Dec2013

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