LONDON: Singer Zayn Malik is reportedly facing new challenges in his career comeback after claims emerged that he has parted ways with his management, adding to a series of recent setbacks.
The Sun reported, citing a source, that the former One Direction star has split from Zenkai Management, the agency that had managed his career since 2022. The reported departure comes after last year’s alleged fallout involving former bandmate Louis Tomlinson.
According to the report, Zayn isn’t the easiest character to work with and his team stood by him through in all circumstances. However, things reached a point where his management felt they couldn’t do anything else, and they recently resigned. Now Zain is looking for the third manager of his career.
Neither Malik nor Zenkai Management has publicly commented on the reports.
Dispute with Louis Tomlinson
Earlier reports claimed that Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson clashed while filming a proposed travel series in 2025.
According to those reports, the show would have followed the former One Direction bandmates on a journey across the United States, where they planned to reflect on their careers, personal lives, and memories from their time in the globally successful boy band.
The reports alleged that tensions escalated during filming after Malik reportedly became difficult to work with, leading to a heated argument. It was further claimed that Malik remarked on Tomlinson’s late mother, Johannah Deakin, who died of leukaemia in 2016 at the age of 43.
Following the reported dispute, two of Tomlinson’s sisters, Phoebe and Lottie, unfollowed Malik on Instagram.
The reports also alleged that the confrontation turned physical, with sources claiming Malik punched Tomlinson, causing a head injury. However, these allegations have not been independently verified.
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LAHORE – The Suthra Punjab Agency Lahore (SPAL) deployed its sanitation operational teams across the city on the 9th Muharram-ul-Haram to ensure cleanliness at religious gatherings and along procession routes. According to a press release issued here on Thursday special cleaning measures were undertaken on the routes of the Ashura procession originating from Nisar Haveli, where sanitation workers and machinery remained active to maintain a clean environment for mourners and visitors. SPAL also carried out extensive cleanliness operations during the 983rd annual Ghusl ceremony of Hazrat Data Ganj Bakhsh Ali Hajveri (RA). More than 150 workers participated in the cleanliness operation around Data Darbar, supported by 2 washer vehicles, 3 compactors, 1 mechanical sweeper and 2 loader dumpers. Six supervisors, 2 zonal officers and the town manager personally monitored the operation in the field. Mechanical sweeping was conducted on roads and streets surrounding the Darbar, while pathways leading to the Data Darbar were washed and sprayed with a mixture of phenyl and rose water to maintain hygiene and improve the environment for devotees. On the instructions of Suthra Punjab Authority DG Babar Sahib Din, 10 additional waste containers were installed around the Darbar. Roads, markets and adjoining streets were cleaned and washed, while lime was also sprinkled on routes leading to the Darbar. As part of the Muharram sanitation plan, workers were engaged in manual sweeping and waste clearance in ‘Lakri Mandi’ and Main Bazaar Mochi Gate, while cleanliness measures were also ensured in Mughal Haveli, Taveela Nawab Sahib and Mohalla Shian. Waste containers placed along all procession routes were cleared regularly to facilitate mourners and residents. DG Babar Sahib Din said all available resources had been utilised to provide a clean and hygienic environment for visitors and devotees. He also thanked citizens for cooperating with Suthra Punjab teams and disposing of waste in designated bins.
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Elaborate security arrangements have been made countrywide today as scores of mourners take out Muharram 10 processions in observance of Yaum-i-Ashura.
Yaum-i-Ashura is observed every year with mourning processions and religious gatherings to commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Husain (RA) and his companions in the Battle of Karbala in 680AD.
The central procession in Karachi departed from Nishtar Park at around 9:30am. It will conclude at Imambargah Hussainia Iranian after passing through its traditional routes.
In Hyderabad, the central procession emerged from Qadam Gah Maula Ali off Station Road and will culimate at Karbala Dadan Shah.
Meanwhile, 12 processions are planned for Peshawar. Among them, the first one departed Imambargah Agha Syed Ali Shah near Meena Bazaar at around 11am. The remaining are schedule to depart from various locations at varying times between 12pm and 3pm.
No procession would be taken out in Islamabad, but the main procession in Rawalpindi was planned to be taken out from Imambargah Ashiq Hussain in Taili Mohallah and culminate at Imambargah Qadeemi.
In Lahore, the central procession emerged from Nisar Haveli.
Meanwhile, commuters in various cities have been advised to take alternative routes, in line with traffic plans devised in view of closure of roads while the processions are held. Elaborate security arrangements are also in place to ensure mourners’ security.
Karachi
Karachi police chief Azad Khan said on Thursday that mobile phone and internet services would likely be suspended along the route of the main procession today. He said around 6,500 policemen would be deployed to secure the main procession, while the overall deployment across the city would stand at 20,000 personnel.
Earlier, traffic police shared a plan for alternative routes for commuters. “Due to security reasons, M.A. Jinnah Road will be closed to traffic from Gurumandir to Tower,” the traffic police’s statement said.
Sindh CM Murad Ali Shah joined a mourning procession on Friday, where he said while speaking to the media that 60,000 police and Rangers personnel had been deployed for the processions’ security in Sindh, where over 1,600 processions are taken out in Muharram.
Rawalpindi
Security arrangements have also been put in place in Rawalpindi, with the deployment of five Army companies, seven Rangers companies and thousands of police personnel.
On the recommendation of intelligence agencies, the Punjab government has suspended the Metro Bus Service between Rawalpindi and Islamabad as officials said the mourning procession would pass along Murree Road from Bhabra Bazaar to Committee Chowk beneath the metro track, giving rise to security concerns.
Two video monitoring control rooms, one at the Punjab Safe Cities Authority and another at the Rawalpindi Municipal Corporation, will monitor the processions, gatherings and sensitive locations.
Section 144 has also been imposed in the Rawalpindi district, and Rawalpindi police said more than 8,000 personnel would perform security duties during Muharram, including 5,500 deployed for the main Ashura procession.
According to a police spokesman, roads and streets along procession routes have been sealed, snipers have been deployed on rooftops, and participants would undergo body searches before entering processions.
More than 2,000 Safe City and other CCTV cameras are monitoring the city, with surveillance continuing from Safe City and the central control room. Special pickets have also been established at entry and exit points of the city.
Police have also developed a mobile application for the identification and scanning of identity cards at pickets and bus terminals.
A total of 475 processions and 2,201 majalis are scheduled to be held across the Rawalpindi district during Muharram.
Punjab
In Punjab, medical and emergency services, including Rescue 1122, Civil Defence personnel, mobile health units, field hospitals and volunteers, have been deployed to assist mourners, officials said,
Sanitation workers have also been assigned to ensure cleanliness along procession routes and around religious sites.
A three-tier security plan has been implemented province-wide, under which more than 125,000 police personnel have been deployed while 61 companies of the Pakistan Army and 76 companies of Rangers have been requisitioned to support security arrangements.
In addition, over 30,000 trained volunteers are assisting law-enforcement agencies.
The authorities are using modern surveillance technologies, including artificial intelligence-based monitoring systems, CCTV cameras, body-worn cameras and geo-tagged video monitoring.
The Provincial Intelligence Centre is also conducting round-the-clock monitoring of processions and majalis through a digital surveillance wall.
Over 5,600 CCTV cameras are operational for Muharram monitoring, while more than 1,000 4G event cameras have been installed at sensitive locations.
A statement issued by the Punjab Home Department said mobile phone services would be partially suspended in 24 districts of Punjab, namely Rawalpindi, Attock, Chakwal, Sargodha, Khushab, Bhakkar, Hafizabad, Gujrat, Narowal, Faisalabad, Toba Tek Singh, Jhang, Chiniot, Multan, Sahiwal, Okara, Pakpattan, Dera Ghazi Khan, Rajanpur, Muzaffargarh, Layyah, Kot Addu, Bahawalnagar and Rahimyar Khan.
The service would remain suspended at the locations of religious gatherings until 10pm, the statement said.
KP
In Peshawar, police had chalked out a plan to deploy 12,000 personnel in the city for security during Muharram processions.
A statement by police said that personnel from the city police, rapid response force, quick response force, ladies traffic police and bomb disposal units were to be deployed for security in Muharram.
It added that three-layered security would be provided to all mourning processions, while marksmen would be set up at high-rise buildings along the procession routes. In addition to this, 1,000 traffic personnel were also to be deployed to ensure the smooth flow of traffic across the city.
Similarly, bomb disposal units and sniffer dogs were to be deployed to sweep imambargahs, majalis and procession routes, the statement said, adding that personnel in plain clothes had also been deployed at sensitive locations and places of worship across the city.
Last week, KP IG Zulfiqar Hameed directed police officials to enhance daily coordination with district administrations and peace committees at the district level to prevent any unpleasant incident during Muharram.
Separately, a police statement said Muharram processions and religious gatherings on Ashura would be monitored through the Safe City camera network in Peshawar.
It further stated that 43,317 police personnel would be deployed across the province to perform security duties during Muharram, and Section 144 had been enforced in various districts of KP.
The statement said that out of 614 imambargahs across the province, 127 had been declared highly sensitive, 262 sensitive and 225 normal and that a total of 907 Muharram processions were expected to be taken out across the province, with 286 being highly sensitive, 190 sensitive and 431 normal.
Balochistan
The Balochistan government also finalised stringent security arrangements for Muharram 10, deploying more than 32,000 security personnel to ensure the safety of Ashura processions.
The main procession routes are to be monitored continuously through aerial surveillance and a comprehensive network of CCTV cameras while all shops, markets, plazas, and commercial centres along the procession routes have been sealed.
According to official sources, more than 17,000 personnel have been deployed exclusively in Quetta. These forces will guard the main procession routes, key public spaces, and all entry and exit points of the city. The deployment includes personnel from the District Police, Balochistan Constabulary, Rapid Response Force (RRF), Anti-Terrorist Force (ATF), Frontier Corps (FC), and the Anti-Riot Force.
As part of the security protocol, mobile phone services and internet connectivity have been suspended across Quetta and other sensitive areas of Balochistan while the procession is taken out.
Australia booked their place in the World Cup’s round of 32 on Thursday with a cagey 0-0 draw against Paraguay that delighted pragmatic coach Tony Popovic but left the South Americans with a nervous wait to see if they will advance.
In a physical, scrappy contest at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium, Paraguay pushed late after being dominated early but it ended with the Socceroos holding on to make the tournament’s knockout phase for a third time, four years after reaching the last 16 in Qatar.
Popovic’s team sealed second place in Group D behind the United States and will head to Dallas to meet the second-placed team in Group G, which remains wide open before Egypt face Iran and Belgium meet New Zealand on Friday.
It was hardly a performance that will have Australia’s next opponents shaking in their boots, but players and staff celebrated with hugs and back-slapping, and soaked up a warm ovation from thousands of lingering Aussie fans.
“I’d like to think that we dominated the game in a crucial World Cup qualifier with a very young squad in the third match, when everything’s on the line, and the players showed composure, patience, quality, and resilience,” Popovic told reporters.
“Well, now go to Dallas and try and do something special.
“Overall we deserved it. We were very good today.”
Paraguay, on four points, may have done enough to advance as one of the eight best-finishing, third-placed sides but the 2010 quarter-finalists will need to wait for other results in the final group matches.
“Well, the feeling I have is that that was not enough, that was not the result we were aiming for,” said Paraguay coach Gustavo Alfaro.
“Now we have to wait, there is some uncertainty … I’m very optimistic, however, and I think that we will go to the knockout stage and we will continue in the World Cup.”
Popovic made six changes to his starting 11 in a bold shake-up, bringing back livewire Nestory Irankunda and Connor Metcalfe, while adding Cristian Volpato to his forward line in a signal of attacking intent.
The changes came after he was roundly criticised for benching Irankunda and Metcalfe for the 2-0 defeat against the US, with both having scored goals in the 2-0 win over Turkiye.
With Jordan Bos switching from left back to right to cover for the injured Jacob Italiano, Australia made promising raids down the right but the finishing touch proved elusive. Minutes after kickoff, Volpato set up Jackson Irvine on the right of the penalty area but he thumped an angled shot straight at Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill.
Bos and Volpato drew saves from Gill late in the half without genuinely testing him. With Paraguay restricted to one shot in the half, Alfaro injected Mauricio at the break, and the Brazilian-born attacker blazed fruitlessly from distance five minutes after the restart.
The Paraguayans grew into the contest with the help of the energetic Julio Enciso, who repeatedly sliced through Australia’s defence.
He blew one of Paraguay’s better chances with a low shot that flashed well wide of the left post eight minutes from time.
In an end-to-end finish, Bos had Socceroos fans rising from their seats in the 89th minute as he split two defenders, charged into the box from the right and sent his shot fizzing by the far post.
Mauricio gave Beach a late test when he found a sliver of room on the edge of the area but his tepid, low shot was easily dealt with and Australia held on to advance with more substance than style.
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