Latest news with #Afreen
Time of India
21-05-2025
- Time of India
Man ‘marries' wife again to get Mukhyamantri Nikah Yojana grant
Indore: A woman's complaint about domestic violence during public hearing in Burhanpur led to district administration uncovering a fraud in Mukhyamantri Nikah Yojana . The woman's husband had allegedly forced her to 'marry' him again at a mass marriage ceremony under Mukhyamantri Nikah Yojana to get the govt grant. The couple have a one-and-a-half-year-old daughter. "The victim approached us in a public hearing, and based on her complaint, a probe revealed the fraud," Collector Harsh Singh said. The woman, Afreen, said that she had married the man on Dec 30, 2021. "My husband, Salman, constantly demanded dowry and would beat me. Distressed by this, I returned to my parental home. A settlement was reached in the family court, but his violent behaviour resumed. In Jan, he assaulted me and forcibly made me sit in the marriage ceremony so that he could receive the govt grant," she said. The woman said that her husband then allegedly demanded Rs 50,000 and threatened to kill her. On April 7, she informed her family about the continued assault. On Tuesday, she lodged another complaint during a public hearing. The Collector said that the probe also brought forth the negligence in scrutiny of the applicant for Mukhyamantri Nikah Yojana, and as such officials responsible would be served notice. "We will also approach the police to take legal action against the accused for the attempt to defraud the govt scheme," he said. The municipal corporation has cancelled the Rs 49,000 grant that couple was eligible to under the scheme. Senior officials said that this was the first such case of fraud under the scheme, which provides Rs 49,000 to eligible couples.
Mint
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Mint
Instagram bans Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi in India after Pahalgam terror attack, ‘…goes against local law'
Instagram has blocked the accounts of prominent Pakistani cricketers Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi in India. The social media platform has cited legal reasons for it. 'Account not available in India. This is because we complied with a legal request to restrict this content,' it shows when someone from India tries to access their accounts. 'We received a legal request to restrict this content. We reviewed it against our policies and conducted a legal and human rights assessment,' it says. 'After the review, we restricted access to the content in the location where it goes against local law,' it adds. The Indian government has already blamed Pakistan for the terror attack in Pahalgam that killed at least 26 people. The Centre has banned 16 Pakistani YouTube channels for spreading harmful content. Earlier, popular Pakistani stars like Hania Aamir, Mahira Khan and Ali Zafar had their Instagram accounts blocked in India. This happened days after the Pahalgam terror attack in Kashmir. Actress Hania Aamir reacted to the Pahalgam terror attack. 'My heart is with the innocent lives affected by the recent events. In pain, in grief, and in hope-we are one. When innocent lives are lost, the pain is not theirs alone-it belongs to all of us. No matter where we come from, grief speaks the same language. May we choose humanity, always," she wrote. Many other Pakistani celebrities have faced Instagram bans in India. Such names include athlete Arshad Nadeem, singer Momina Mustehsan (the singer known for Afreen song on Coke Studio), actress Sanam Saeed (known for Zindagi Gulzar Hai) and actor Bilal Abbas (known for Ishq Murshid). Pakistani actor Arsalan Naseer jokingly blamed Fawad Khan for the Instagram blocks in India. According to Arsalan, Khan is unlucky, like the squirrel from the Ice Age movie. Khan's Bollywood comeback Abir Gulaal, also starring Vaani Kapoor, got banned in India after border tensions following the Pahalgam terror attack. After the Pahalgam terror attack, the bilateral relations between India and Pakistan have taken a major hit. India blames Pakistan for the attack while Islamabad denies its involvement. India has closed its airspace to Pakistani planes. Meanwhile, the US has urged India and Pakistan to reduce tensions. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke to leaders of both nations while condemning the attack. Rubio asked Pakistan to help India investigate the incident. Pakistan, on the other hand, urged the US to calm India's reaction. First Published: 2 May 2025, 05:39 PM IST
Khaleej Times
24-04-2025
- Khaleej Times
UAE: India, Pakistan cross-border couples face uncertainty, cancel travel plans amid tensions
Nazneen, a Pakistani living in the UAE who is married to Faisal, an Indian from Uttar Pradesh, was eagerly looking forward to the summer holidays. For the couple, this was not just a regular vacation, it was a long-awaited trip to meet their families, whom they have not seen since the pandemic. 'This was going to be our first proper visit after Covid,' said Nazneen, who got married in India in 2014. 'We had everything planned, a few weeks in India, a few in Pakistan. We wanted to see everyone and attend family gatherings.' But those plans came crashing down when visa services between India and Pakistan were suddenly suspended due to the ongoing crises. Both countries stopped issuing visas to each other's citizens, after the recent attack on tourists in Pahalgam in the Indian-administered Kashmir. 'We had applied for our visas and were hopeful to receive it before the summer vacations. But now, we are stuck. We can't travel to either country together,' said Faisal. Faisal and Nazneen belong to a community that shares cultural and emotional roots on both sides of the border. Their families speak the same language, follow the same traditions, and celebrate the same festivals. 'Even though our passports are from different countries, we are from the same place,' said Faisal. 'We just want to see our parents and relatives all together for a few days.' Now, the couple said they are waiting and watching for any good news. 'We have not cancelled our leave yet. There is still a tiny hope things might change,' said Nazneen. Afreen and Imran, another couple living in Dubai, are facing a similar situation. Afreen, an Indian, was preparing for her brother's wedding in September. Her husband, Imran, who is from Pakistan, had never been to India. 'We were really looking forward to this trip. It would have been his first time meeting my entire family. They were planning a special welcome ceremony for him in my hometown,' said Afreen. The couple tied the knot in Dubai in 2022. 'We decided to get married in Dubai because we have a lot of family members here and it is the ideal place for us to work and live in,' said Afreen. 'We had just started the visa process,' Imran said. 'It hasn't been easy. We had even tried to apply for a visa for me last year. But it got rejected. There are so many documents, checks, and waiting times. But at least there was a chance this time. Now, we don't even have that.' The couple is positive things will settle down in the near future, and the wedding, which is scheduled in September, will not be cancelled. 'Maybe things will settle down. We just don't want to give up without trying,' said Afreen. For these couples, the current situation feels like an emotionally draining moment. What was meant to be a family reunion and celebration has now become a time of waiting. 'We have made the UAE our home but our hearts still belong to the places we come from,' said Nazneen.
