Veena Malik: Shocked Over Conviction For Blasphemy

November 27, 2014

BlasphemyNew Delhi, Nov 27: Reacting to a court's decision of sentencing her to 26 years in prison for blasphemy, Pakistani actor Veena Malik said she has done nothing wrong and will appeal against the verdict in higher courts.

"I am shocked to hear about the decision. This is probably the fastest court trial because it started two months ago when I was in the US. I wasn't even present in the court when it gave the decision. But higher courts are available in Pakistan and I have full faith in higher courts. I am going to fight my case," Ms Malik said.

The court in Gilgit-Baltistan region yesterday sentenced Ms Malik, 30, along with the owner of the country's biggest media group Geo TV to 26 years in prison for broadcasting a show it said was blasphemous.

In the show broadcast live on Geo TV in May, Ms Malik danced with her husband while a group of Sufi musicians sang a devotional song about the wedding of the Prophet Muhammad's daughter. The court termed the act as "malicious".

"The malicious acts of the proclaimed offenders ignited the sentiments of all the Muslims of the country and hurt the feelings, which cannot be taken lightly and there is need to strictly curb such tendency," the order said.

The four people convicted were also ordered to pay a fine of Rs 1.3 million, sell their properties and surrender their passports, according to a copy of the court order.

But the order is unlikely to be implemented because verdicts by courts in the region do not apply to the rest of the country, Gulf News reported.

"The court which has delivered the verdict is not even under Pakistan Constitution. That Qawwali is played during weddings, it was not for the first time that it was played. My husband and I feel we presented ourselves in a respectable manner. The host of the programme has already apologised. We haven't done anything wrong," Ms Malik said.

The broadcast of the programme had set off a storm of controversy on social media, though similar routines by other channels in the past have largely gone unnoticed.

Many observers at the time suspected Pakistan's military establishment of engineering the blasphemy campaign against Geo TV.

The channel was then caught up in a struggle with the all-powerful military.

The blasphemy case was registered on May 26 in a police station in Gilgit by a hardline Sunni cleric Himayatullah Khan, deputy chief of the anti-shia organisation Ahl-e-Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ) formerly known as Sipah-e-Sahaba.

Also Read: Pak court awards 26-year jail to Veena Malik, husband, Geo TV owner

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News Network
January 9,2020

Mumbai, Jan 9: Actor Juhi Chawla on Wednesday said instead of constantly criticising the government, one should reflect on own conduct and talk about uniting rather than dividing.

The actor attended an event which aimed to counter "Free Kashmir (narrative), anti-India slogans, false propaganda and clear the misconception."

Juhi said as artistes, it's unfair to be questioned about incidents "just for a reaction" when they should be given time to truly understand the situation.

"We are going to work, thinking how to execute our task, then some incident happens somewhere and suddenly the media asks, 'what do you think about this?' We haven't understood the matter, people haven't understood the matter but you need a reaction.

"Let people understand, whether it's NRC or CAA, and what's is it about, why is this being talked about," Juhi told reporters.

The actor said it is sad that people talk about division more than unity.

"Everyone is quick to talk about dividing. Why don't we talk about uniting? Why does everyone say 'what is the government doing, why is it doing this?' but I say if you point one finger there then three fingers are at you.

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Agencies
July 19,2020

Mumbai, Jul 19: Mumbai Police have registered an FIR against two Instagram account holders for allegedly threatening actor Rhea Chakraborty, an official said on Sunday.

The location of the two accused is yet to be traced, the official said, adding that the investigation in the case is at primary stage.

Chakraborty on Thursday requested the cyber crime cell to look into the rape and murder threats she has been receiving ever since the death of close friend, actor Sushant Singh Rajput.

Rajput, 34, was found dead in his apartment in suburban Bandra here on June 14, leaving people in the film industry and audiences shocked.

Chakraborty, in particular, was subjected to online hate with users blaming her for Rajput's suicide.

"We registered the First Information Report (FIR) on Saturday under Indian Penal Code Sections 507 (criminal intimidation by an anonymous communication), 509 (intending to insult modesty of any woman) and relevant provisions of the Information Technology Act," Santacruz police station's senior inspector Shriram Koregaonkar said.

"No arrest has been made so far. We are conducting an investigation in the case," he added.

On Thursday, sharing a screenshot of a hate message she received on Instagram, Chakraborty said while she had ignored many abusive texts sent to her in the past month, the harassment was now unbearable.

The 28-year-old actor eventually disabled the comments section of her Instagram page.

Chakraborty, known for films such as "Mere Dad Ki Maruti" and "Jalebi", had tagged the cyber cell and requested the authorities to look into the threats.

On June 18, she was called to the Bandra police station to record her statement in connection with Rajput's death.

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News Network
June 24,2020

Mumbai, Jun 24: Veteran choreographer Saroj Khan has been admitted to a hospital here after she complained of breathing problems.

According to a source close to her family, the 71-year old choreographer was rushed to Guru Nanak Hospital in Bandra on Saturday.

Following her hospitalisation, a mandatory Covid-19 test was done, which turned out to be negative.

"She is fine now and recovering. She had breathing issues and was taken to hospital for that. Her Covid test was done which turned out negative. She doesn't have any symptoms. She is likely to be discharged in a day or two," the source told PTI.

In a career spanning over four decades, Khan is credited with choreographing more than 2,000 songs.

The three-time National Award winner has choreographed for some of the most memorable tracks, including "Dola Re Dola" from Sanjay Leela Bhansali's "Devdas", "Ek Do Teen" from Madhuri Dixit-starrer "Tezaab" and "Ye Ishq Haaye" from "Jab We Met" in 2007.

She last choreographed for "Tabaah Hogaye", featuring Madhuri from filmmaker Karan Johar's production "Kalank" in 2019.

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