Author: newsdesk

  • ‘PPP is asking for share’: Another Shehbaz Sharif audio leak

    ‘PPP is asking for share’: Another Shehbaz Sharif audio leak

    Another audio leak of Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif has surfaced in which he can allegedly be heard talking about the appointment of a Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) with an unknown person.

    The unknown person is allegedly telling the premier that Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) is asking for their “shares” for SAPM as well. PM Shehbaz then asks to share a document adding that “It’s not just PPP but others as well”.

    Context of the audio:

    In the transcript, we have written the unidentified person as “person”.

    Person: [Federal Minister For Economic Affairs of Pakistan] Ayaz Sadiq is saying PPP is asking for shares for SAPM as well.

    PM Shehbaz: Yes, Bilawal had spoken to me about it.

    Person: We have to appoint Zafar Mehmood and Jahanzaib. I will tell you the final number today.

    PM Shehbaz: Share the document, it’s not just People’s Party (PPP) but other parties as well.

    Person: Then Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) will also ask for it. MQM is naming Malik Ahmed Ali, saying that he had a critical role in this deal

    PM Shehbaz: Who?

    Person: Sir, he hails from Karachi.

    PM Shehbaz has formed a high-power investigation committee to probe the issue, particularly the leaks that involved the PM House.

    Earlier this week, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said that the matter of the audio leaks is not related to an agency, but a few people, who have been identified. He added that these people were from among the staff of the PM House.

    Last month, PM Shehbaz and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders’ audios got leaked. The party didn’t deny the authenticity of the audio leaks. In one of the audio leaks, PM Shehbaz and an unidentified person talks about a power plant to be imported from India for PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz’s son-in-law.

  • PTI Senator Azam Swati arrested for tweeting against Gen Bajwa

    PTI Senator Azam Swati arrested for tweeting against Gen Bajwa

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senator Azam Swati was arrested in the early hours of Thursday morning for tweeting against Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa.

    Swati tweeted, “Mr Bajwa congratulations to you and few with you. Your plan is really working and all criminals are getting free at cost of this country. With these thugs getting free, you have legitimised corruption. How you predict now the future of this country (sic).”

    Speaking to reporters outside a sessions court later in the day, Swati said that he was arrested for “taking one name — of Bajwa — and that is the violation”.

    When asked who arrested him, he said it was the FIA. When pressed about the case, he alleged he was tortured by “agencies”. “A parliamentarian has been unclothed,” he said. “I am telling the nation.”

    Swati’s tweet came after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his son Hamza Shehbaz were acquitted in a high-profile money laundering case yesterday.

    The first information report registered at the FIA’s Cyber Crime Reporting Centre in Islamabad, mentions that Swati tweeted with “Malafide intentions & ulterior motives” against “State Institutes of The Islamic Republic of Pakistan and its Senior Government Functionaries including Chief of The Army Staff of Pakistan Army”, reports Dawn.

    The FIR adds that such “Intimidating tweet/s of blaming and naming through Twitter account i.e., @AzamKhanSwatiPK, is a mischievous act of subversion to create a rift between personnel/s of The Armed Forces and an attempt to harm the State of Pakistan”.

    Through the aforementioned tweet, the criminal complaint says, the accused “undermined the Judicial System of the country and also attempted to seduce Army Personnel/s from their allegiance to their duties as subordinates.

    “This is calculated attempt to create hatred in the mind of people and Army Personnel/s against COAS and Pakistan Army and also created distrust towards Judicial System. In such intimidating Tweet/s, the accused Muhammad Azam Khan Swati has attempted to provoke general public and Personnel/s of Armed Forces by trying to create a feeling of ill-will among pillars of the State,” it said.

    It alleges Swati violated privacy and intimidated state institutions, by using false information, “Which is likely to incite, any officer, soldier, sailor, or Airman in the Army, Navy or Air Force of Pakistan to mutiny or otherwise disregard or fail in his duty as such and is also likely to cause fear or alarm in the public and may induce / incite anyone to commit an offence against the State or the State Institution/s or public tranquillity”.

  • Pakistan can face Ebola outbreak warns NIH

    Pakistan can face Ebola outbreak warns NIH

    The National Health Organization (NIH) has voiced concerns that the Ebola virus could travel from the African nation of Uganda to Pakistan.

    The NIH recently released a warning on a potential Ebola outbreak in Pakistan, advising institutions that might be affected to be on high alert.
    It stated that last month, Uganda reported 36 Ebola cases, resulting in 23 fatalities.

    The Central Health Establishment will keep an eye on travellers travelling from Uganda, and the NIH will be informed of any suspected Ebola cases arriving in Pakistan.

    The most recent outbreak of Ebola in humans has been triggered by the SUDV virus, said the advisory.

    The advice claims that regional and international authorities are concerned about the spread of Ebola.

    Ebola is a potentially deadly virus that can kill up to 90 per cent of affected patients. It’s symptoms include fever, diarrhea, body aches and eventually internal and external bleeding. The highly contagious virus was first reported in 1976 in Africa. It can be spread through contact with an affected person’s bodily fluids.

  • Major power outages hit Sindh and Punjab due to a fault in southern transmission system

    Major power outages hit Sindh and Punjab due to a fault in southern transmission system

    The Ministry of Energy said that a “fault in the country’s southern transmission system” caused a significant power outage on Thursday that affected Sindh and Punjab.

    In addition to Karachi, Hyderabad, Thatta, Jamshoro, Sujawal, Badin, Mirpurkhas, Umarkot, Sanghar, Nawabshah, Matiari, Tharparkar, and Larkana, electricity service has been interrupted throughout Sindh.

    Additionally, the power has been cut off in a number of Punjabi cities, including Rahim Yar Khan and Rajanpur, according to Geo.

    “Due to an accidental fault in the country’s southern transmission system, several southern power plants are tripping in stages, which is disrupting the transmission of electricity in the southern part of the country,” said the Ministry of Energy in a tweet post.

    “The Ministry of Energy is diligently investigating the cause of the outage and the power system will be fully restored as soon as possible,” it added.

    According to reports, a technical issue has caused the Guddu Thermal Power Station in Kashmore to stop producing electricity. Technical issues at the power plant prevent the 600MW and 747MW units from running.

    The 500-KV system nationwide is not functioning, according to sources at National Transmission and Despatch Company (NTDC). They claimed that the causes are still being determined.

    The southern port city’s many neighbourhoods, including Malir, Sarjani Town, and Saddar, experienced power outages. Since 10:00 am, there has been no electricity in these neighbourhoods.

    Meanwhile, there were power disruptions in places including Gulshan-e-Maymar, Federal B Area, Liaquatabad, and Superhighway.

    Baldia, Orangi Town, North Nazimabad, and North Karachi are all without electricity. In addition to this, several places, notably the SITE Industrial Area, lack electricity.

    K-Electric is looking into reports of many outages from various areas of the city, K-Electric spokesperson Imran Rana wrote in a tweet.

    There are currently efforts being made to restore power. K Electric claims that all residential areas have had electrical supply restored, adding that 1,600 of Karachi’s 1,900 feeders are now operational.

    Even though it has been more than eight hours since the breakdown started, the remaining 300 feeders have still not been powered up, leaving some areas without power.

  • Hira Mani reacts to her viral meme with Naseem Shah

    Hira Mani reacts to her viral meme with Naseem Shah

    Actor Hira Mani recently garnered praise for doing fundraising events in America for the flood victims of Pakistan. However there is more that keeps her trending, including several memes by her fans and admirers.

    A netizen recently made a meme of Hira which also featured the acclaimed cricketer Naseem Shah. The meme read, “Naseem Shah please instead of this ball, throw me nearby Hira Mani.”

    The Sun Yaara diva was quick to respond to the meme on her Instagram story, “Wow wow, you guys should keep being creative like this.”

    Naseem is not new to the world of memes, earlier this year, netizens flooded social media after his morphed clip with Bollywood actor Urvashi Rautela surfaced on the web.

    Internet on fire after Urvashi posted edited video with Naseem
  • IMF expects Pakistan’s govt gross debt to decline by 6.7%

    IMF expects Pakistan’s govt gross debt to decline by 6.7%

    According to projections made by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Pakistan’s government gross debt will decrease from 77.8 per cent of GDP in 2022 to 71.1 per cent in 2023.

    The predictions for Pakistan’s fiscal year 2022–2023, however, are made using data as of the end of August 2022 and do not take the current floods’ effects into account.

    The net debt for Pakistan is predicted to decrease from 71.5 per cent of GDP in 2022 to 66.1 per cent in 2023, according to the IMF study “Fiscal Monitor, Helping People Bounce Back.”

    According to projections, government revenue will represent 12.4 per cent of GDP in 2023 and 12.8 per cent of GDP in 2024, compared to 12.1 per cent during the same time in 2022.

    The primary balance of the government was predicted by the Fund to be 0.2 per cent in 2023 as opposed to -3.0 per cent in 2022. Furthermore, compared to 2022, 2023 is expected to see a decrease in the government’s overall balance of 4.8 per cent.

  • 21,900 women raped in Pakistan in four years

    21,900 women raped in Pakistan in four years

    Almost 21,900 women were reported to have been raped in Pakistan from 2017 to 2021, Zahid Gishkori has reported for Samaa. The data has been complied by SAMAA TV Investigation Unit (SIU) from the Punjab home department and Ministry of Human Rights (MoHRs).

    This meant that approximately 12 women were raped every day, or one every two hours, throughout the country.

    As many as 305 rape cases were reported nationwide in 2022, in media, while 57 cases were reported in May, June (91), July (86) and August (71).

    According to media reports, approximately 350 rape instances were recorded in Punjab, between May 2022 and August 2022, however there was no information available for the first four months of the year.

    The Current records the tally of rape cases that are reported in news outlets on a daily basis to highlight the alarming situation. We have used many different sources as listed. When will it stop?

  • Former Governor Omar Cheema is new Punjab Home Advisor

    The name of former Governor of Punjab, Omar Sarfraz Cheema, has been approved by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan for the slot of adviser to the Chief Minister (CM) Punjab on home affairs.

    This decision came about after the resignation of Punjab Home Minister Hashim Dogar, who reportedly left his post after differences with Imran Khan.

    Punjab Home Minister resigns as IK reportedly not happy with him

    Punjab Home Minister Hashim Dogar has stepped down from his office, citing personal commitments and health issues.

    On Tuesday, Dogar shared his resignation on Twitter with a caption saying: “Today I have resigned from my post due to my personal reasons. Inshallah, I will continue to work as a regular worker of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).”

    His resignation states: “It was a great pleasure to have served as Minister for Home and Prison Department under your able command. I feel regretted to inform you that I shall not be able to continue due to my personal commitments and some health issues.”

    “I was and will always be available to serve you and my party chairman for times to come”, he added.

    However, Journalist Hamid Mir, on Geo News’ programme “Capital Talk”, claimed that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan called Dogar and asked for his resignation. Reportedly, he was not happy with the provincial minister.

    “Imran was told that Dogar belongs to the unit of a senior officer of the establishment and often meets him”, he said.

    Mir claimed that the PTI chairman had been getting information about Dogar. It is yet to be proved whether the information was correct or not.

    Earlier, Dogar said, “If Imran Khan announces a long march then the Punjab government will not become part of it. We will not facilitate the participants of the long march but security will be provided”.

    He also said that government resources will not be used and called Khan’s long march a “political matter”.

    On the contrary, reacting to Dogar’s statement, Chief Minister (CM) Punjab Pervaiz Elahi said, “That is, as such, no matter”.

  • PM Shehbaz, Hamza acquitted in money laundering case

    PM Shehbaz, Hamza acquitted in money laundering case

    A special court in Lahore on Wednesday acquitted Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his son, Hamza Shehbaz, in a Rs. 16 billion money laundering case.

    During Tuesday’s hearing, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) told the court that no direct transaction had been made in the bank accounts of PM Shehbaz and his son from benami accounts [hidden accounts].

    Reacting to the verdict, the PM thanked the Almighty for this day in a tweet. “Despite the worst practices, use of state force and holding institutions hostage, we stand successfully before the court, the law and the people,” he wrote.

    In the previous hearing, Special Court Judge Ejaz Awan asked about the number of bank accounts owned by the Malik Maqsood — also known as Maqsood Chaprasi.

    FIA prosecutor Farooq Bajwa responded that the late Maqsood had eight bank accounts to his name.

    The prosecutor further stated that no money was either directly deposited or withdrawn from the accounts of the suspects, including Shehbaz and Hamza.

    The judge asked what evidence was there to substantiate that the entire money dealing was being done at Hamza’s behest. In response, FIA’s prosecutor said the agency does not have “any evidence” linking him to money laundering.

    FIA had booked Shehbaz and his two sons, Hamza and Suleman, in November 2020 under Sections 419, 420, 468, 471, 34 and 109 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, read with Section 3/4 of Anti-Money Laundering Act.

    The FIA had in December 2021 submitted the challan against Shehbaz and Hamza to a special court for their alleged involvement in laundering an amount of Rs16bn in the sugar scam case.

    “The investigation team has detected 28 benami accounts of the Shehbaz family through which money laundering of Rs16.3bn was committed during 2008-18. The FIA examined the money trail of 17,000 credit transactions,” said an FIA report submitted to the court.

    The amount was kept in “hidden accounts” and given to Shehbaz in a personal capacity, the report added.

  • Meghan and Prince Harry may split in two years, says Author Tom Bower

    Meghan and Prince Harry may split in two years, says Author Tom Bower

    Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle may return to King Charles III to negotiate some sort of deal to break the marriage with Prince Harry in two years.

    In a video shared by Daily Mail, Royal expert and author Tom Bower told Page Six that as the couple’s money woes mount, the Duchess of Sussex may be tiring of Harry and seeking an exit plan within two years.

    Tom Bower, per Daily Star, told Page Six: “There are many now in London who say that [Meghan] is tiring of [Harry].”

    “They speculate that in two years she will say, ‘This is enough’ and should be able negotiate some sort of deal with [King] Charles to break the marriage,” said the Author of Revenge: Meghan, Harry And The War Between The Windsors.

    Meghan Markle and Prince Harry got married on May 19, 2018 and have two children Archie and Lilibet.