From street vendor to ‘Top Food Creator’: Pakistani BaBa Jee’s journey to online stardom

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Updated 03 February 2023
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From street vendor to ‘Top Food Creator’: Pakistani BaBa Jee’s journey to online stardom

  • Rizwan Chaudhary sold samosas and burgers at roadside stall before son convinced him to shoot a cooking video
  • The poor family of five now runs the widely popular BaBa Jee RRC YouTube channel, owns their own home in Narowal

KARACHI: It all began on a summer afternoon in 2019 when Ramish Rizwan Chaudhary, the 18-year-old son of a roadside samosa vendor, shot a cooking video of his father Rizwan Chaudhary on his cell phone and posted it on YouTube.

The recipe for restaurant-style Kofta curry amassed 260,000 views instantly. There was no kitchen, no studio — just an easy-to-make and well-explained recipe taught in Chaudhary’s unique style of delivery.

Four years later, the family’s BaBa Food RRC page has 3.78 million subscribers on YouTube and in a ceremony in December last year, it won the award for Pakistan’s ‘Top Food Creator’ from the video-sharing giant TikTok.

Based on the earnings from his social media fame, Chaudhary and his family of five that once lived in a small rented house in Multan now own their residence in the city of Narowal, complete with a recording studio and sophisticated editing equipment. Their kitchen alone is worth Rs500,000, and since 2019, the family says it has been able to donate up to Rs25 million to poor families to help them set up their own food businesses.

“This journey started in 2019 from a small kiosk from where we produced the first video for the BaBa Food RRC YouTube channel,” Ramish told Arab News, saying his father used to sell savory snacks and burgers at the roadside stall at the time.

“The first hurdle was that there was no money to buy a camera, no money to purchase lights, no money to buy mics, and beyond that, the biggest hurdle was that there was no money to create the recipes,” Ramish, who produces all the content for the family’s page with is brother Ali, said.




Ramish Rizwan is seen recording a video of his father explaining a recipe for his YouTube channel from his kitchen in Narowal, Pakistan on February 2, 2023. (AN Photo)

“My family and I have witnessed poverty and unemployment very closely.”

But Chaudhary had no complaints about his difficult path to fame and wealth.

“Sometimes, Allah passes a person from the worst conditions to eventually bless him with the best,” the food creator told Arab News, giving credit for his success to his children and wife.

“Usually parents teach their children, but this didn’t happen in our case,” he said. “I taught my children and my children taught me [back] and that’s how we have taken this system ahead.”

Chaudhry’s wife Shahida added:

“Behind these two, rather three [successful] men, there is the hand of a woman and a mother ... I have worked hard with my husband and my children, I have worked hard day and night and the recipes I have given them, every recipe of mine has gone into millions [of social media views].”




Rizwan Chaudhary (right) and his son Ramish Rizwan pose with their YouTube top creator gold and silver shields in Narowal Pakistan. (Photo courtesy: BaBa Food RRC/Facebook)

“THERE’S NOTHING TO IT

The key to the family’s success, Ramish said, was his father’s unique style, his diction, and the way he engaged with followers and responded to comments, teaching easy-to-make recipes that other beginner cooks, especially women, could try at home.

Another factor owing to his popularity was that Chaudhary frequently shared recipes for commercial food — everything from Russian salad to KFC-style nuggets to pulao that tastes like that from the Savour franchise. Even his recipe for a homemade oil that allegedly turns gray hair black has over seven million views, his most popular video by far. His fifth most popular video is about how to make an anti-wrinkle cream at home, and his pages are filled with herbal remedies for everything, including colds, coughs and joint pains.

Chaudhary’s fans also agreed that his appeal was in the practical demonstration of his refrain ‘there’s nothing to it,’ making any recipe easy to execute.

Mahnoor Maqsood, a resident of Peshawar who has been following Chaudhary’s channel for two years, described the chef’s attraction thus:

“He has a very sweet way of explaining his recipes, like one of your own parents is explaining them.”

Chaudhary’s tips and tricks for everything from peeling vegetables, or hard boiled eggs, more quickly and easily, have also won him a loyal following.

“He once said that if you put oil in boiled macaroni after you strain out the water, they won’t stick to each other after they’re cooked,” Maqsood told Arab News. 

Macaroni, where each narrow curved tube sits separately, is the dish that Maqsood said she now cooks most often.

But the seemingly easy videos take hours, even days, of painstaking work in recipe creation and production.

Ramish, who learnt to create and produce videos with the help of online guides, said even seven-minute-long clips could take days of hectic work to complete.

“The recipe is first written down, it is then tried and discussed,” Ramish said. “The background of recipes is discussed: when was it invented, when did it start, how was it made then, and how is it made now?”

“Mostly it happens that we have to make the video of a recipe ten times,” he said, smiling, “since it did not turn out the way we want to show it.”


Pakistan envoy urges Trump administration to help resolve Kashmir amid tensions with India

Updated 6 sec ago
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Pakistan envoy urges Trump administration to help resolve Kashmir amid tensions with India

  • Pakistan envoy tells Fox News world must address root causes of India-Pakistan tensions
  • He says President Trump can build a peacemaker legacy by resolving the Kashmir dispute

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s envoy to the United States has urged Washington to move beyond crisis management and support efforts to resolve the Kashmir dispute, saying President Donald Trump came build a legacy by addressing the issue following last month’s deadly attack in the region.
The April 22 gun attack at a tourist hotspot in Indian-administered Kashmir left 26 people dead, prompting New Delhi to blame Pakistan, though Islamabad denied the charge forcefully.
India expelled Pakistani nationals and diplomats in the wake of the incident, closed a major border crossing, suspended a decades-old river water sharing treaty and imposed trade and shipping restrictions. Pakistan took reciprocal steps but also sought a neutral and impartial international investigation. Islamabad also warned that any military action by India would elicit a major response despite its desire to avoid escalation.
In an interview with Fox News on Friday, Ambassador Rizwan Saeed Sheikh said the risk of such crises would persist unless the global community moved beyond “band-aid solutions” and tackled the root cause of tensions.
“What we would urge the US leadership is to not only afford de-escalatory support in this situation but also to look at the broader issue of the disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.
India and Pakistan have fought several wars over the disputed Himalayan region, which both countries claim in full but rule in part.
“This is one nuclear flash point. There’s nothing flashier than this in terms of the impact on a large chunk of humanity that any misadventure, any miscalculation, any war here can cause. So, it would be an important part, it could be an important part of President Trump’s legacy to attend to this situation,” Sheikh added.
The Pakistani envoy noted that in previous crises, the international community had often intervened only to pull back before tensions were fully defused.
“This time ... it would be reasonable and perhaps even timely ... to perhaps not afford a band-aid solution, but to address the broader problem, the major disease that is there, and try and have a durable solution to the Jammu and Kashmir dispute,” he said.
Sheikh emphasized what he described as the “disproportionate responsibility” of the United States, as a preeminent global power, to help maintain and establish international peace and security.
He warned that the current crisis should not be allowed to fade without meaningful diplomatic solution.
“There is an opportunity in this situation, which we believe should not be squandered by the international community,” he added.


Over 8,800 Pakistani pilgrims in Madinah with 3,300 more expected today — state media

Updated 03 May 2025
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Over 8,800 Pakistani pilgrims in Madinah with 3,300 more expected today — state media

  • The first groups of Pakistani pilgrims are scheduled to depart for Makkah on May 7
  • Pilgrims going directly to Makkah will visit Madinah after performing Hajj rituals

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Hajj mission in Saudi Arabia has received nearly 8,890 pilgrims in Madinah, state media reported on Saturday, adding that 3,300 more were expected to arrive by the end of the day.
Pakistan launched its Hajj flights on April 29. For the first 15 days of the operation, pilgrims will continue to arrive in Madinah. Afterward, incoming pilgrims will land in Jeddah and travel directly to Makkah.
“The Pakistan Hajj Mission has so far received approximately 8,890 intending Pakistani pilgrims in Madinah by Saturday, who arrived through 35 flights operated by various airlines from major cities of Pakistan to perform their religious obligation under the government scheme,” the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported.
“As many as 12 flights, carrying 3,300 more pilgrims, are scheduled to arrive in the holy City Madinah on Saturday,” it added.
Pilgrims from across the world are converging in Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj, which begins on the 8th of Dhu Al-Hijjah, the final month of the Islamic calendar.
The first groups of Pakistani pilgrims are scheduled to depart for Makkah on May 7 after completing their eight-day stay in Madinah. Departures will follow the sequence of their arrival in the city, according to the religious affairs ministry.
Under the single-route system, all Pakistani pilgrims arriving in Madinah will proceed to Makkah for Hajj before returning to Pakistan via Jeddah.
Pilgrims flying directly to Makkah will later visit Madinah before departing for home.
Upon reaching Makkah, pilgrims will perform their first obligatory Umrah, according to the ministry.


India bans imports from Pakistan amid tension over tourist killings

Updated 03 May 2025
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India bans imports from Pakistan amid tension over tourist killings

  • New Delhi has issued a notification barring goods coming from or transiting through Pakistan
  • Pakistani-flagged ships and Indian-flagged ships are barred from entering each other’s ports

NEW DELHI: India said on Saturday it had banned the import of goods coming from or transiting via Pakistan and barred Pakistani ships as tensions rise between the nuclear-armed neighbors in the wake of a deadly attack on tourists in the disputed Kashmir region.
India’s Directorate General of Foreign Trade said in a notification that the ban would take effect immediately.
“This restriction is imposed in the interest of national security and public policy,” it said.
Suspected militants killed at least 26 people in last week’s attack on a mountain tourist destination in the Pahalgam area of the Kashmir valley.
The Muslim-majority Himalayan region is claimed by both India and Pakistan, and has been the focus of several wars, an insurgency and diplomatic standoffs.
India has accused Pakistan of involvement in the attack, which Islamabad denies. Pakistan has said it has “credible intelligence” that India intends to launch military action.
Pakistan’s retaliatory measures have included halting all border trade, closing its airspace to Indian carriers and expelling Indian diplomats.
It has also warned that any attempt to prevent the flow of river water promised under a decades-old treaty would be considered an act of war.
On Saturday, India said Pakistani-flagged ships would not be allowed to visit any Indian port, and Indian flagged-ships would not visit any ports in Pakistan.
“This order is issued to ensure safety of Indian assets, cargo and connected infrastructure, in public interest and for interest of Indian shipping,” the Directorate General of Shipping said in an statement.
Trade between the two nations has dwindled over the last few years.


Türkiye reaffirms solidarity with Pakistan after Kashmir attack, urges restraint amid regional tensions

Updated 03 May 2025
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Türkiye reaffirms solidarity with Pakistan after Kashmir attack, urges restraint amid regional tensions

  • The Turkish envoy in Islamabad meets PM Sharif, says Ankara appreciates Pakistan’s position
  • Sharif says Pakistan’s focus remains on economic recovery, which requires regional peace

ISLAMABAD: Türkiye has reaffirmed its solidarity with Pakistan following the April 22 attack at a tourist hotspot in Indian-administered Kashmir while calling for de-escalation and restraint to preserve peace in South Asia, the Prime Minister’s Office in Islamabad said on Saturday.
The assault in Pahalgam, a popular destination in the disputed Himalayan region, killed 26 tourists last month. India accused Pakistan of orchestrating the attack, an allegation Islamabad has since denied repeatedly.
The Pakistani administration has also called for an international investigation into the incident, warning that India’s claims risk further inflaming tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.
With Islamabad engaged in active diplomacy to project its stance over the issue, Turkish Ambassador Dr. Irfan Neziroglu met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and conveyed Ankara’s appreciation for Pakistan’s response earlier today.
“The Turkish Ambassador informed the Prime Minister that Türkiye appreciated Pakistan’s position and expressed its solidarity with Pakistan while calling for de-escalation and urging restraint in the current crisis to maintain peace and security in South Asia,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.
During the meeting, Sharif reiterated Pakistan’s offer for a credible, transparent and neutral international probe into the Pahalgam attack and welcomed Türkiye’s potential participation in such an inquiry.
Last month, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had urged both India and Pakistan to exercise restraint after the attack.
Pakistan and Türkiye share close diplomatic, economic and defense ties.
Turkish defense firms have helped modernize Pakistan’s Agosta 90B-class submarines and supplied military equipment including drones and targeting systems.
The two countries also hold regular joint military exercises, most recently the Ataturk-XIII drills aimed at enhancing interoperability.
Sharif also told the Turkish envoy that Pakistan’s focus remained on economic recovery and growth, which required peace and stability in the region.
He highlighted Pakistan’s longstanding struggle against militant violence, pointing out the country had sacrificed 90,000 lives and incurred $152 billion of losses.


Five militants killed, two apprehended in separate operations in Pakistan’s northwest

Updated 03 May 2025
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Five militants killed, two apprehended in separate operations in Pakistan’s northwest

  • A paramilitary troop was killed in Balochistan amid reports of attacks on a passenger bus and government buildings in the province
  • Pakistan has been battling twin insurgencies in its western provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan that border Afghanistan

ISLAMABAD: Five militants, belonging to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), were killed and two others were apprehended in three separate operations in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, the Pakistani military said on Saturday.
Pakistani security forces killed three militants, including a high-value target, in an intelligence-based operation in KP’s Bajaur district, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing.
Two TTP militants were killed in the second operation in the North Waziristan district, while security forces busted a TTP hideout in the Mohmand district and arrested two members of the outlawed group.
“Weapons, ammunition and explosives were also recovered from these khwarij (TTP militants), who remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities,” the ISPR said in a statement.
“Sanitization operations are being conducted to eliminate any other kharji found in the area.”
Pakistan has struggled to contain surging militancy in KP in recent years, where the Pakistani Taliban, or the TTP, have mounted their attacks against security forces and police since their fragile, months-long truce with Islamabad broke down in late 2022.
Late last month, the Pakistani military said it had killed 71 militants in three days of operations in the North Waziristan district that borders Afghanistan.
The number was usually high in Pakistan’s battle against militancy and instability along its border with Afghanistan during the nearly four years since the United States withdrew its military support from the country and the Taliban took over Kabul.
Islamabad has frequently accused Afghanistan of supporting the Pakistani Taliban and other militant groups, an allegation denied by Kabul.
Pakistan is also facing an intensifying separatist insurgency in the southwestern Balochistan province.
On Friday, a Levies paramilitary troop was killed in an attack on a check-post in Balochistan’s Kalat district, while there were reports of militant attacks on government buildings in Mangochar city, according to a Levies official.
“One Levies soldier was killed after gunmen targeted a Levies check-post in Kot Langove, an area of Kalat district,” Levies official Muhammad Ramzan told Arab News.
“Many armed militants obstructed the Quetta-Karachi highway in Mangochar and there are reports that many government buildings were torched in Mangochar Bazaar.”
The official said they were gathering more details about the incidents.
In another attack, armed men targeted a passenger bus heading to Karachi from Quetta in Khad Kocha area near Mastung.
“Six passengers were injured in the attack who were later shifted to Nawab Ghosh Bukhsh Memorial Hospital,” Mastung Deputy Commissioner Raja Atthar Abbas told Arab News.
“They were the same militants who attempted to take control of the highway in Kalat, but couldn’t succeed in blocking the road.”
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attacks, but suspicions are likely to fall on Baloch separatists.
In March, fighters from the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) separatist group hijacked the Jaffar Express train in Balochistan’s Bolan region, holding hundreds of passengers hostage.
The military launched a rescue operation in which 354 passengers were freed and 33 militants were killed. Officials said the hijacking killed 31 soldiers, railway staff and civilians.