'Art has no boundaries,' says Pakistan's Ali Xeeshan on designing wedding dress for Indian actress

The combination of photos shows Pakistani designer Ali Xeeshan, left, and Bollywood actress Swara Bhasker. (Photo credits: @alixeeshantheaterstudio & @reallyswara/Instagram)
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Updated 23 March 2023
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'Art has no boundaries,' says Pakistan's Ali Xeeshan on designing wedding dress for Indian actress

  • Bollywood actress Swara Bhasker bought the dress for a whopping Rs1,800,000 ($6,359) from Ali Xeeshan
  • Bhasker, who married an Indian politician last month, wore the dress at her Valima reception this week

KARACHI: Top Pakistani designer Ali Xeeshan, who recently designed a wedding outfit for famous Bollywood actress Swara Bhasker, spoke about their collaboration on Thursday, saying art had no boundaries and the people of India and Pakistan had "the same DNA."

Bhasker, a prominent Indian actress who has starred in Bollywood flicks such as Raanjhanaa, Tanu Weds Manu, Veere Di Wedding, Manto, and Prem Ratan Dhan Payo, tied the knot with Indian politician Fahad Ahmad last month. 

Earlier this week, the two held a Valima reception in the Indian city of Bareilly. In a Twitter post, Bhasker revealed Xeeshan had designed her dress, saying that the Pakistani designer had it delivered to her all the way from Lahore to Bareilly, via Dubai, Bombay and New Delhi.

Bhasker said in her Twitter post that she had "long marveled" at Xeeshan's talent, adding that his "warmth and generosity" made her admire him.

Arch-rivals India and Pakistan have fought three wars over the past seven decades, two times over the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir that both sides claim in full but administer only parts of. 

Cultural exchanges between the two nations have almost entirely ceased since August 2019, when India revoked the autonomy of Indian-administered Kashmir, prompting Islamabad to cut diplomatic and trade ties.

“We [Pakistan and India] have the same DNA, we eat the same food, we breath the same air, we are cut from the same cloth,” Xeeshan told Arab News on Thursday. 

“I’m an artist, I am [a] visual person. Art has no boundaries," he said, adding that tensions between the two countries exist due to political reasons. "Our family systems are the same. We are both very passionate nations.” 

Xeeshan says he has a lot of Sikh, Muslim and Hindu clients based in Canada and other parts of the world. 

“Because of internet and social media, the world has become so small. I don’t think these boundaries will last forever," he said. "The passion is there; the mutual admiration is there. This [the boundary] is mostly in our heads.” 

Speaking about the process of getting the dress made, Xeeshan said Bhasker reached out to him a month earlier to discuss the dress. 

“I liked Swara [Bhaskar] anyway. I liked how gutsy and bold she was. Unafraid, unapologetic,” he said, adding that the Bollywood actress informed him she was getting married to a "Muslim boy."

"We just connected. It was easy."

The ivory gold outfit worn by Bhasker on her big day was mutually finalized by Xeeshan, his team and Bhasker. He went to Dubai to deliver the dress and since the actress couldn't travel, Xeeshan's team managed to deliver it to her in India. 

According to Xeeshan, Bhasker bought the dress for a whopping Rs1,800,000 ($6,359).

"It [the outfit] was understated and yet it was flamboyant. I loved how the dupatta was wrapped around her. It was a very Muslim nikkah outfit,” Xeeshan said. “We have named this design Rajkumari so it has that grandeur, that old school charm to it. It wasn’t trying to be a statement outfit.” 

Xeeshan asked Swara to give him a few lines to write on the dupatta (long scarf) for the groom. 

The designer said the dress was hand-made, adding that his team had to bring its most senior artisans on board "whose generations are working with us.” 

The dress, Xeeshan said, was 70% ready when Bhasker placed her order. Usually, he said such "star articles" take about six months to make hence the base is usually prepared while the order is customized according to the client's needs. 

“It was designed and curated considering her personality,” he said. “She just wanted it to be warm. This is something she could give to her next generation, it could be her heirloom piece," Xeeshan added. 


Saudi Arabia’s digital Hajj system ‘highly stable, foolproof’ — Pakistan Hajj organizers’ association

Updated 10 sec ago
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Saudi Arabia’s digital Hajj system ‘highly stable, foolproof’ — Pakistan Hajj organizers’ association

  • Association says Hajj organizers have been transferring funds to Office of Pilgrims Affairs Pakistan account since 2024
  • Saudi Arabia’s digital Hajj system has been operating transparently and securely for a long time, says association

KARACHI: The Hajj Organizers Association of Pakistan (HOAP) this week described Saudi Arabia’s digital Hajj system as “highly stable” and “foolproof,” crediting the Kingdom for operating it transparently for a long time. 
Local news outlets this month published reports stating Pakistani pilgrims could face delays in their Hajj journey as millions of Saudi Riyals meant for their expenses were mistakenly sent to an account linked to the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). An official at Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah on Tuesday rejected the reports, reiterating the Kingdom’s electronic Hajj system operated with the “highest standards of transparency.”
HOAP clarified that local media reports had misreported the briefing its representatives had given to the Senate and National Assembly Standing Committee on Religious Affairs on Apr. 23. HOAP said its representatives had referred to the Office of the Pilgrims Affairs Pakistan (OPAP) account, not OPEC. It further said Hajj organizers have been transferring their funds to OPAP’s account since last year. 
“The Hajj Organizers Association of Pakistan would like to clarify that the digital system of Saudi Arabia is highly stable and foolproof, leaving no room for any kind of ambiguity,” the association said on Wednesday. “The Hajj system of Saudi Arabia has been operating transparently and securely for a long time, and we continue to benefit from it.”
The association clarified it has never been a part of any “political campaign,” alleging that local media’s misreporting is the “outcome of a conspiracy, which is equivalent to harming the long-standing relations between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.”
“We have religious harmony and heartfelt affiliation with Saudi Arabia. We and our Government of Pakistan have longstanding relations with Saudi Arabia, of which we are proud,” it added. 
This year’s annual pilgrimage will take place in June, with nearly 89,000 Pakistanis expected to travel to Saudi Arabia under the government scheme and 23,620 Pakistanis through private tour operators. The total quota granted to Pakistan was 179,210, which could not be met. 
Pakistan kicked off its Hajj flight operations on Tuesday morning with the first batch of 442 pilgrims departing from Islamabad for Madinah.


Pakistan slashes petrol, diesel prices by Rs2 per liter till next fortnight

Updated 54 min 48 sec ago
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Pakistan slashes petrol, diesel prices by Rs2 per liter till next fortnight

  • Price of petrol after reduction is Rs252.63 per liter, high-speed diesel Rs256.64 per liter
  • Fuel prices in Pakistan are reviewed fortnightly owing to fluctuations in global oil prices

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani government has reduced the price of petrol and high-speed diesel by Rs2 per liter each for the next fortnight, state media reported on Thursday.

Fuel prices in Pakistan are reviewed and adjusted on a fortnightly basis. This mechanism ensures that changes in import costs are reflected in consumer prices, helping to sustain the country’s fuel supply chain.

The latest price reductions were undertaken due to the fluctuations in global oil prices. After the latest revision, a liter of petrol will now cost Rs252.63 while high-speed diesel will be sold at Rs256.64 per liter, according to a notification from the Ministry of Finance.

“The government has reduced prices of petroleum products for next fortnight,” Radio Pakistan said. “New prices are effective from today (Thursday).”

Petrol is primarily used in Pakistan for private transportation, including small vehicles, rickshaws and two-wheelers. Diesel, on the other hand, powers heavy vehicles used for transporting goods across the country.

Pakistan significantly increased fuel prices after securing a short-term, $3 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in 2023. The rising rates also led to spiraling inflation in the country, though the government started offering relief to the people by gradually bringing down the petroleum prices subsequently.

Since then the government has undertaken financial reforms and registered some economic gains in its quest to ensure Pakistan achieves sustainable economic growth. 
 


Pakistan reaffirms commitment to promote safe, dignified conditions for laborers on May Day

Updated 01 May 2025
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Pakistan reaffirms commitment to promote safe, dignified conditions for laborers on May Day

  • Labor Day, observed on May 1, is a global celebration of workers’ rights and the labor movement
  • Laborers in Pakistan often work in dangerous places and exploitative conditions in mines, factories

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday reaffirmed his government’s commitment to ensure safe and dignified working conditions for laborers in Pakistan, as the world marks May Day to recognize the struggles of low-income workers.
Labor Day, observed on May 1, is a global celebration of workers’ rights and the labor movement. It honors the struggles and achievements of workers in securing fair wages, safe working conditions and dignity in the workplace. In many countries, including Pakistan, it serves as a reminder of the importance of social justice and the ongoing need to protect labor rights in the face of economic and social challenges.
Labor laws are rarely implemented in Pakistan, where laborers often work in dangerous and exploitative conditions at construction sites, mines and factories. In most instances in Pakistan, especially in the informal jobs sector, laborers are hired below the minimum wage set by the government and not provided proper safety equipment.
“Today, as the nation observes Labor Day, Pakistan reaffirms its unwavering commitment to promoting safe, healthy and dignified conditions for its workers — the real driving force behind our nation’s growth and resilience,” Sharif said in a message shared by his office.
“The protection of fundamental labor rights is enshrined in our Constitution and fully aligns with the International Labour Organization’s core conventions.”
Sharif noted Pakistan had undertaken legislative and administrative reforms in recent years to strengthen the protection of workers. He said the government took steps to broaden the coverage of the Employees’ Old-Age Benefits Institution (EOBI) and the Workers Welfare Fund.
Pakistan’s labor class has suffered immensely as the South Asian country desperately tries to escape a prolonged economic crisis. Inflation reached a record high of 38 percent in 2023 as Islamabad scrapped fuel and food subsidies to comply with the International Monetary Fund’s demands for a financial bailout package.


Heartbreak at the border: India-Pakistan tensions tear mother apart from her family

Updated 01 May 2025
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Heartbreak at the border: India-Pakistan tensions tear mother apart from her family

  • Muhammad Imran visited New Delhi last month with his wife, an Indian national, for his son’s treatment for spinal injury
  • Imran was forced to leave India with children but without wife after India, Pakistan suspended visas for each other’s nationals

KARACHI: When Muhammad Imran arrived in neighboring India last month, he thought the journey would culminate in his son recovering from an unfortunate spinal injury. Little did he know that he would be forced to head back to Pakistan. That too, without his wife.
Imran, 43, traveled to India with his wife Nabeela Imran, an Indian national, and children in March clinging to the hope that doctors at New Delhi’s Apollo Hospital would help his 17-year-old son Muhammad Ayan walk again. Ayan was left paralyzed in 2023 after he suffered a gunshot wound in his spine after getting in the crosshairs of a gunfight between police and street criminals in Karachi.
However, ties between India and Pakistan deteriorated after New Delhi blamed Islamabad for being involved in a militant attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir on Apr. 22 that killed 26 people. Islamabad denies involvement.
Both nations downgraded ties, with India suspending visas for almost all Pakistani nationals and Islamabad responding with tit-for-tat measures. The move triggered panic among visiting families — including Imran’s, who had married his maternal cousin Nabeela, a resident of New Delhi, 18 years ago.
Since then, Nabeela had been living in Pakistan on a visa that was intermittently renewed without her ever needing to acquire Pakistan’s nationality. But the suspension of visas meant Imran and his Pakistani children’s 45-day medical visa was no longer valid, and Nabeela was left behind in India.
“She was separated from us while crying and we also came here with great difficulty, crying,” an emotional Ayan told Arab News.
Imran said he arrived in India after spending “every single rupee” with the hope that his son would walk again. However, bilateral tensions between India and Pakistan, and the ensuing atmosphere in India made his family “very scared.”

Pakistani citizen Muhammad Ayan cries, as his mother, who is an Indian citizen couldn’t accompany him and his father, as they prepare to leave India after India revoked visas issued to Pakistani citizens, at the Attari-Wagah border crossing near Amritsar, India on April 27, 2025. (REUTERS)

“I told them, ‘I am married [to her],’ I pleaded with them, cried, and showed a lot of humility,” Imran said about his interaction with Indian authorities. “But they said, ‘No, write an exit and leave.’“
‘PEOPLE SHOULDN’T BE DIVIDED BY BORDERS’
For Ayan, the shock of being separated from his mother compounded the trauma of his paralysis and incomplete treatment.
“I went for treatment with a hope but that hope shattered because of that accident and then the fact that my mother was not coming with us,” he said.
“I was completely separated from a mother’s love. We were far apart; it made me cry.”
The ordeal is also tough for Imran, who is the sole caregiver to Ayan now that Nabeela is in India.
“Should I go to work or take care of my child,” Imran asked. “Because his mother used to handle everything — feeding him, taking care of him, and everything else.
“Now that she’s not here, I am facing a lot of distress,” he added.
Back in India, Nabeela is consumed by the same worry for her son.
“Over there, my child is paralyzed and in distress, and I am the one who takes care of everything for him,” she told Arab News via a video call.
“Now, his father will be going to work— who will take care of him? Who will look after him?“
Nabeela appealed to governments in India and Pakistan to reunite her with her children.
“I am in a lot of distress; I cannot live without my children,” she said. “My child is helpless, what should I do?“
Robbed of his mother’s affection, Ayan had the same plea.
“I appeal to both the Pakistani and Indian governments to reunite me with my mother as soon as possible,” he said.
 “And I also appeal to the Pakistani government to help me with my treatment,” he added. “Please reunite me with my mother.”
Imran recalled how he saw with his own eyes when many families were separated from their loved ones and sent to the border.
“Borders may exist but people shouldn’t be divided by them,” he said.


US urges Pakistan to cooperate in Kashmir attack probe, re-establish direct communications with India

Updated 01 May 2025
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US urges Pakistan to cooperate in Kashmir attack probe, re-establish direct communications with India

  • US Secretary of State Marco Rubio calls Shehbaz Sharif, urges Islamabad to de-escalate tensions with New Delhi
  • Fears of war loom after Delhi accused Islamabad of being involved in Apr. 22 attack in Indian-administered Kashmir

ISLAMABAD: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio this week spoke to Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, urging his administration to cooperate in investigating an Apr. 22 attack in Indian-administered Kashmir and to re-establish direct communications with New Delhi amid soaring bilateral tensions.
Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif last week said Islamabad is willing to cooperate with “any investigation which is conducted by international inspectors” of the Apr. 22 attack in Pahalgam, a popular tourist resort in Indian-administered Kashmir, in which 26 tourists were killed. 
India has said there were Pakistani elements to the attack but Islamabad has denied any involvement. Fears of a wider conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbors breaking out loom as India has vowed to punish the backers of the Kashmir attack. Pakistan, on the other hand, has vowed a “strong” response to any military strike. 
Rubio spoke to PM Sharif on Wednesday, urging the need to condemn the Pahalgam attack, the US State Department said the same day. 
“The Secretary urged Pakistani officials’ cooperation in investigating this unconscionable attack,” the State Department said. “He also encouraged Pakistan to work with India to de-escalate tensions, re-establish direct communications, and maintain peace and security in South Asia.”
It added that both leaders reaffirmed their continued commitment to “holding terrorists accountable for their heinous acts of violence.”
According to Sharif’s office, the Pakistani premier asked Washington to impress upon India to “act responsibly” and “dial down the rhetoric.”
“He [Sharif] categorically rejected Indian attempts to link Pakistan to the incident and pointed to his call for a transparent, credible, and neutral investigation to bring out the facts,” the PMO said. 
Sharif told Rubio that India’s recent behavior is “deeply disappointing and worrisome,” saying it would only serve to distract Pakistan from its ongoing efforts to defeat militants, particularly those based in Afghanistan. 
Rubio also spoke to India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Wednesday, expressing sorrow for the loss of lives in the Apr. 22 attack. 
He also encouraged India to work with Pakistan to de-escalate tensions and maintain peace and security in South Asia, the State Department said. 
Several countries such as China, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Turkiye and the UK have also called upon both India and Pakistan to exercise restraint and avoid a military confrontation.