Author: newsdesk

  • BBZ follows ZA Bhutto, becomes Foreign Minister in 30s

    BBZ follows ZA Bhutto, becomes Foreign Minister in 30s

    Following in the footsteps of his grandfather Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has taken oath as 30th Foreign Minister of Pakistan today (Wednesday).

    The 33-year-old minister joined Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif-led cabinet in an oath-taking ceremony held at Aiwan-i-Sadr, Islamabad.

    He was elected as a Member of the National Assembly (MNA) in the general elections 2018. It is for the first time he will be serving as a member of the federal cabinet.

    Former PM Zulfikar Ali Bhutto first took the charge of the Ministry of Foreign Ministry in 1963 at the age of 35 during the regime of General Ayub Khan.

    As foreign minister, Bhutto significantly transformed Pakistan’s hitherto pro-Western foreign policy. Moreover, he began asserting a foreign policy course for Pakistan that was independent of the United States (US) influence.

    Bhutto worked to establish stronger relations with China. Bhutto also signed the Sino-Pakistan Boundary Agreement on March 2, 1963, which transferred 750 square kilometers of territory from Azad Kashmir to Chinese control. 

    Moreover, Bhutto advocated hardline and confrontational policies against India over the Kashmir conflict and other issues.

  • Female suicide bomber is a double masters, mother of two: Who is Shari Baloch?

    Female suicide bomber is a double masters, mother of two: Who is Shari Baloch?

    The 30-year-old Shari Baloch committed a suicide bombing near the Confucius Institute of Karachi University on April 26. In the suicide attack, she targeted four people including Chinese nationals and a van driver, reports Independent Urdu.

    She was an educated woman who belonged from Kech, Balochistan. She had been with Balochistan Students Organisation-Azad (BSO Azad) since college. She later joined the separatist movement of the Majeed Brigade of the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA). She completed her master’s degree in education from Allama Iqbal Open University in 2014

    However, as per Urdu news reported that he completed a bachelor’s in Education (B.Ed) in 2014 and earned a Master’s degree in education in 2018. Later, she also earned a master’s degree in Zoology. As per her allegedly Twitter account, she has done M.Phil in education as well. She was married to a doctor and have two children together, one son and a daughter. She was teaching in a government school in Balochistan but the school did not confirm it yet.

    Her relative revealed to a reporter that most of the family members are part of the bureaucracy.

    According to her relative, “It is being said on social media that some members of Shari Baloch’s family went missing so she took such a step to take revenge but not a single person in her family has gone missing to date. She was ideologically committed to it, so maybe she took such a step.”

    Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) Raja Umar Khattab also confirmed that it was the suicide attack that was carried out by a female clad-in-burqa. Police also released CCTV footage in which Shari Baloch was standing near the gate of the Confucius Institute. She blew up when a van was about to enter the institute at 1:52 pm.

    [TRIGGER WARNING] VIDEO MAY BE SENSITIVE TO SOME AUDIENCE

    https://twitter.com/Irumf/status/1518929328502890496

    Four people lost their lives including three Chinese nationals and a driver while three people survived from injuries including Ranger personnel, one Chinese national, and a security guard. The injured people were taken to a nearby hospital

    The deceased three Chinese nationals are identified as Prof. Huang GuiPing, Ding Mufang, and Chen Sai while Wang Yuqing received injuries.

    Later, Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) took the responsibility for the suicide attack near the Confucius Institute.

    A spokesperson of BLA spokesman said, “Shari joined the Majeed Brigade two years ago and six months ago she confirmed that she was determined to carry out the attack. She has been active in her mission ever since.”

    A tweet from her husband, Habitan Bashir Baloch also came to light for appreciating his wife’s selfless act.

    He penned down, “Shari Jan, your selfless act has left me speechless but I am also beaming with pride today. Mahroch and Meer Hassan will grow into very proud humans thinking what a great woman their mother was. You will continue to remain an important part of our lives.

    https://twitter.com/HabitanB/status/1519041873691791362?t=-m4FM_PQuDEQQYY2WTSe1g&s=08

    “The police had received reports regarding security threats to Chinese nationals and security was also provided to them, however, no intelligence report of suicide attack through a female bomber was received,” the top police official said while speaking on Geo News program Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Saath.

    China has strongly condemned the recent suicide attack on Karachi University and extended deep condolences and sympathies to the families of the victims.

    In a statement, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said, “The government of the People’s Republic of China expresses strong condemnation and indignation over this major terrorist attack and extends deep condolences to the victims and sympathies to the injured and bereaved families.”

    Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs Wu Jianghao called the Pakistan Ambassador to China Moinul Haque and demanded that Pakistan should immediately make a thorough investigation into the tragic incident, and apprehend and punish the perpetrators to the full extent of the law. “We expect that Pakistan will take all possible measures to ensure the safety of Chinese citizens living across Pakistan and to avoid the recurrence of such cowardice incidents happening again.”

    Moin ul Haque, in a message, said, “The entire nation is in shock and mourns the loss of these precious lives including our Chinese friends.”

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif also visited the Chinese Embassy in Islamabad after the incident to offer condolence over the incident.

    PM said, “The blood of the Chinese people should not be shed in vain, and those behind this incident will surely pay the price.”

  • Rawalpindi faces water shortage amid repeated power outages

    Rawalpindi faces water shortage amid repeated power outages

    Water supply from Rawal Dam and Khanpur Dam has been disrupted, causing severe water shortages in the city.

    The water crisis has been attributed to long hours of unscheduled load shedding by Islamabad Electric Supply Company (Iesco), which cuts the electricity every hour and on a regular basis, according to the Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) Managing Director.

    Wasa claims that the water supply from Khanpur Dam and Rawal Dam has been severely impacted and that it is insufficient to meet demand.

    On a daily basis, the city requires around 60 million gallons of water. It is, however, only supplied with 30 million gallons per day.

    All tube wells remained closed due to long and unexpected load shedding, according to Wasa Managing Director Raja Shaukat Mehmood. In this situation, he stated, getting water from Rawal Lake Filtration Plant was impossible.

    He stated that we are not receiving enough water from Khanpur Dam to meet demand. Due to persistent load shedding, we were unable to store water in tanks, he said. He said that hardly half of the water from Rawal Dam is delivered to the city and cantonment board districts.

    Read more: Shopkeepers fined in Islamabad for not adhering to DC rates

    Mehmood further stated that due to low voltage and tripping, some motors have been burned. He has pleaded for the provision of uninterruptible electricity in order to deliver water to the inhabitants.

  • 4th bench: Maryam Nawaz withdraws passport return plea

    4th bench: Maryam Nawaz withdraws passport return plea

    PML-N Vice President on Wednesday withdrew her petition filed in Lahore High Court (LHC) for the return of her passport so that she could travel abroad to perform Umrah.

    According to ARY News, the fourth bench – special division bench comprising Justice Ali Baqar Najafi and Justice Sardar Ahmed Naeem had taken up the petition Wednesday morning.

    During the hearing, Counsel for Maryam Nawaz Advocate Amjad Pervez, told the LHC that the PML-N leader wished to withdraw her plea.

    Maryam’s withdrawal comes after four benches were formed to hear the petition due to judges recusing themselves one after the other.

    Last week, a bench comprising Justice Ali Baqar Najafi and Justice Farooq Haider was hearing the petition when the former remarked that his colleague was not willing to hear the case due to unknown reasons.

    The matter was then sent to Chief Justice Muhammad Ameer Bhatti to place it before another bench. Later, another bench was constituted under the stewardship of Justice Najafi and comprising Justice Asjad Javed Ghural as a member.

    Shortly after the proceedings started, Justice Najafi said that Justice Ghural was not willing to proceed ahead with the case. The matter was once again sent to the LHC chief justice with a request to constitute a new bench.

    Before that, a two-judge bench headed by Justice Shehbaz Rizvi had refused to hear the case on April 21.

    It is worth mentioning here that former premier Nawaz Sharif’s daughter had submitted her passport in the court after it approved her bail in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills case.

  • Exclusive: PM Shehbaz says next army chief will be appointed as per rules, regulations

    Exclusive: PM Shehbaz says next army chief will be appointed as per rules, regulations

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday called the PM House a ‘Jamhoori House’ (Democratic House) and said that his government believed in media freedom. In an interaction with journalists at the PM House on April 26, Sharif said that the previous government was not just incompetent and corrupt but had damaged the country’s economy and foreign relations. PM Shehbaz talked about several issues.

    New army chief

    PM said that he has the constitutional right to appoint a new army chief. He added that he will appoint the new army chief as per the constitution and rules and regulations when the time comes for his appointment. This was in response to a question about the appointment of a new army chief since General Bajwa will not take an extension as per DG ISPR.

    Pak-US relations

    While answering a question about Pakistan’s relationship with the US, PM said that the US is a superpower so we need to maintain good relations with them. “Amreeka dushmani hamaaray waaray nahin” (we cannot afford enmity with the US). He added that we need to do some stock-taking regarding Pak-US ties and improve relations with the US.

    Foreign Policy

    Talking about foreign relations, PM Shehbaz said that the previous government had alienated allies and friends. “How can we say that we can raise the Kashmir issue without Saudi Arabia?”

    PM said that the members of the previous government had lied about loans on 8% by China apart from allegations of corruption against Chinese investment by Pervez Khattak and several others in PTI. “China helped us get rid of load shedding by investing in power plants.”

    Saudi Visit

    PM will be visiting Saudi Arabia tomorrow (April 28-30) on the invitation of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz. PM Shehbaz said that he is likely to meet the Saudi leadership during his visit.

    Load shedding

    He said that there there is no other reason for frequent load shedding other than the negligence of previous government for not buying LNG and furnace oil on time. He also criticised the previous government for its baseless allegations against the LNG contract signed by the previous PML-N government. He said that Qatar must have been amazed that instead of thanking them for such a good deal, PTI indulged in “ilzaam taraashi” [allegations].

    Economic crisis

    “Pakistan is going through one of the most difficult times. We are trying to take the country in the right direction. We have seen how Japan and Germany rebuilt their economies after tough times. We have the examples of South Korea and Bangladeshi economies too. Once upon a time, Pakistan had a better per capita income than China but look at us now. Our currency was better than India’s. When India was ahead of us in the steel industry, we were ahead of them in textiles.”

    “There is no point crying over spilt milk but now it is time to rebuild our economy,” said PM Shehbaz. He said that it will be a difficult challenge but is not impossible to bring back our lost place in the comity of nations by strengthening our economy. “Rome was not built in a day.”

    “If we were economically strong, our foreign policy would have been stronger.”

    PECA

    The PM was asked if roll back of PECA was on the cards, to which he said that his government believes in freedom of media and media will not have to face any curbs but they need to differentiate between truth and fake news. “Media should highlight our mistakes. We welcome that. But it should not spread fake news.”

    Missing files

    When asked that there are reports that some files have been taken by the previous government from the PM House regarding sugar scandal and other scandals, Shehbaz said that if he is given evidence about the missing files, he will find them.

    Accountability

    He said that in the name of accountability, there will be no revenge. “Ehtesaab ke naam par intiqaam nahin leinge,” said PM Shehbaz. He said that businessmen say they will not invest here because the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) will either arrest them or harass them. “Businessmen kehte hain ya NAB giraftaar kar leinge ya zaleel kareinge unko.”

    Elections

    The PM said that we will go for elections after carrying out necessary reforms, especially electoral reforms.

    Threat letter

    PM Shehbaz said that the National Security Committee meeting issued a clear statement that there was no conspiracy. “The punchline of the statement was that there is no saazish, no conspiracy.”

    Shehbaz said that if the threat letter was received on March 7, why did the PTI government talk about it on March 28? “March tak moonh mein taalay kyun laga kar baithay thay?” He asked when did the previous government turn this letter into a conspiracy. “When they knew they were going to lose in parliament. There is no question of a conspiracy whatsoever.”

    Karachi attack

    “The attack in Karachi University is a huge tragedy where three Chinese nationals died. China is our friend. I went to the Chinese Embassy in Islamabad for solidarity,” said PM. He added that Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah will go to Karachi on Wednesday (today) and help and coordinate with the Sindh government. “After our Saudi visit, we will hold a comprehensive meeting on security.”

    Afghanistan

    Afghanistan is not just our neighbour but our “baraadar mulk” (brother country). “If there is peace in Afghanistan, there will be peace in Pakistan. What is good for Afghanistan is good for Pakistan.”

    PTI resignations

    PM said that they have found out that many resignations were taken by force from PTI MNAs and were not given voluntarily. “We will know the truth when the legal process has been completed.” He was asked whether the government could convince PTI to take back its resignations to be an effective Opposition.

    PTI long march

    While answering a question about Imran Khan’s call for march to Islamabad, PM said that if they won’t do anything unlawful, nothing will happen to them but he won’t allow anyone to spread anarchy on the roads.

    Pak Army

    The PM said that the Pak Army has given a lot of sacrifices for this country. “It is wrong to say anything negative about Pakistan’s army. It is condemnable,” said the PM when responding to a question about social media trends against the army.

  • ‘First time a PM is using Boeing 777, Khan used commercial flights’: Faysal Qureshi calls out Shehbaz Sharif

    ‘First time a PM is using Boeing 777, Khan used commercial flights’: Faysal Qureshi calls out Shehbaz Sharif

    Actor Faysal Qureshi called out Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif after the news riffed that he will be using Boeing 777 for his Umrah trip with family. The Fitoor star shared some details behind the usage of PIA’s Boing 777 after 4 years for PM Shahbaz Sharif Foreign tour.

    He also compared him to former PM Imran Khan and appreciated him for travelling in a cost-effective way.

    Soon after these rumours floated Federal Minister for Information Marriyum Aurangzeb denied reports of Shehbaz Sharif going for Umrah at government expense and said that the Prime Minister is not going to Saudi Arabia by a chartered plane.

    Politics over Sharif's illness deplorable: Marriyum Aurangzeb

    Marriyum while replying to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Fawad Chaudhry on social networking site Twitter, said that Fawad Chaudhry should be ashamed of making such nonsensical statements against journalists.

    She further bashed the PTI leader saying that fake news is an attribute of his identity. Before tweeting, you should know that no journalist is going at government expense, she said.

    She wrote that after coming out of power in disgrace, now they are firing on allegations. Sometimes they accuse journalists of involvement in conspiracies and sometimes they make false tweets of visits.

    The PMLN leader brutally criticized Fawad Chaudhry for targeting journalist exclaiming that in four years, those who have consumed the flour, sugar, medicine, employment, economy, electricity, oil and gas (the essential rights of people). They are having trouble with the food of journalists.

    The Federal Minister said that a tweet should also be done on the watch, necklace and rings of Tosha Khana but for that the condition is awakening ones of conscience.

    She even taunted the PTI leader over their display of refraining from extra expenditure and termed it to be a frugal drama.

    Earlier the Dil-e-Momin hero schooled Sharif for his choice of words while discussing the motorway rape case in Parliament.

    Faysal Qureshi schools Shehbaz Sharif over choice of words

  • Shopkeepers fined in Islamabad for not adhering to DC rates

    Shopkeepers fined in Islamabad for not adhering to DC rates

    On April 27, special teams led by the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration issued fines of up to Rs40,000 to shop owners for overcharging consumers.

    During surprise raids conducted by magistrates and assistant commissioners, shops from several marketplaces were penalised, according to an ICT administration spokesperson.

    Irfan Memon, the Deputy Commissioner of Islamabad, said the administration was enforcing strict adherence to the rate list of food goods in marketplaces during Ramadan in order to prevent profiteering.

    He stated that strict action was being taken against racketeers in the federal capital and that violators were being fined heavily on the spot for overbilling. During the holy month, he claimed, daily price-checking would continue unabated.

    After investigating 628 shops across the city, officials sealed five shops and arrested 12 vendors, according to details.

    Read more: Pakistan’s energy crisis worsens, resulting in ten hours of load shedding

    The AC secretariat inspected dairy, poultry, and milk shops, as well as general stores, bakeries, and fruit and vegetable shops, for quality, general hygiene, expired products, and compliance with notified pricing and the exhibition of the DC rate list of necessary commodities.

    Three merchants were detained for refusing to exhibit the rate list and overcharging, while others who broke the law were fined and warned.

  • LHC to Punjab governor: Either administer oath to Hamza or appoint anyone

    LHC to Punjab governor: Either administer oath to Hamza or appoint anyone

    Lahore High Court (LHC) Chief Justice Muhammad Ameer Bhatti on Wednesday directed Punjab Governor Omar Sarfraz Cheema to either administer oath to Punjab Chief Minister-elect Hamza Shehbaz or appoint anyone for it.

    According to ARY News, the chief justice while announcing a reserved verdict over delay in oath taking of the newly-elected chief minister directed the governor Punjab to hold oath-taking ceremony by tomorrow.

    The LHC CJ declared that the court’s order should immediately be conveyed to the governor and president, regretting that the province is being run without a chief executive for 25 days.

    The court further said in its order that currently Usman Buzdar is acting as chief minister and the governor as per the Constitution is bound to take oath from the newly elected chief minister.

    Earlier, the Lahore High Court (LHC) had directed President Arif Alvi to nominate another official to take oath from Punjab Chief Minister-elect Hamza Shehbaz after Governor Omar Sarfraz refused to administer oath to him.

    The court ruled that the governor could not refuse to administer oath to the chief minister-elect and the president should appoint another person to administer oath to Hamza Shehbaz.

    The court also directed to send a copy of the decision to the president for implementation on the orders within 24 hours.

    The PML-N had approached the LHC in a bid to have the governor of Punjab administer the chief minister’s oath to Hamza Shehbaz, the newly-elected chief executive of the province.

    Hamza Shehbaz stated that he had been elected as the Punjab chief minister on April 16, during a provincial assembly session held under the LHC’s direction and that he had secured 197 votes out of 371.

  • Man kills nephew after quarrel with boy’s mother

    Man kills nephew after quarrel with boy’s mother

    A nine-year-old child was murdered by his uncle after a quarrel with his mother in Mandi Bahauddin City of Punjab, reports ARY.

    The police said that the accused dumped the child’s dead body in a canal after the gruesome incident. According to police, the accused had a quarrel with mother of the minor child and after he murdered the minor to avenge on his mother.

    The police officials informed that the minor went missing from his home on Sunday evening. However, his dead body was recovered from a canal after the accused was arrested on suspicion.

    Read more- Man kills first-year student in Lahore for refusing to marry him

    Earlier, this month a man in Lahore killed a first-year student for refusing to marry him. After killing the victim, the man named Bilal shot at and injured himself.

    According to the police, the deceased’s body has been transported to a hospital for a post-mortem examination.

  • ‘Eid Shopping Festival’ will take place in Lahore from April 28 – May 2

    ‘Eid Shopping Festival’ will take place in Lahore from April 28 – May 2

    From April 28 to May 2, the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), the Tourism Development Corporation of Punjab (TDCP), and the Commissioner’s Office will jointly host “Eid Shopping Festival” in Lahore.

    LCCI President Mian Nauman Kabir announced the Eid Shopping Festival programme at a press conference held on April 26 at the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

    He told the media that the LCCI-TDCP major event’s main goal is to not only help revitalise trade and economic activity but also to highlight the country’s positive image.

    Kabir claimed that the event was planned in such a way that it would send a strong message to the international community.

    On the occasion, Senior Vice-President Mian Rehman Aziz Chan, Commissioner Lahore Capt (retd) M Usman, Secretary TDCP Asadullah Faiz, Mardan Ali Zaidi, Ashraf Bhatti, Sohail Butt, Mian Zahid Jawed, representatives from the district government, traffic police, and city markets spoke.

    The ‘Eid Shopping Festival,’ according to the LCCI President, includes a variety of economic and cultural activities such as Shopping Rides, Discounts on Shopping in Anarkali, Liberty, Mall Road, and other city markets, Special Gift Coupons, City Sighting at Night, Qawwali night, and other events.

    Read more: ‘Sasta Ramzan Bazaar’ fails to provide relief in third Ashra

    Commissioner Lahore expressed gratitude to the business community for their support to such initiatives. He stated that the project would continue and that further markets would be added in the future.

    Asadullah Faiz, the Secretary of the TDCP, stated that the TDCP is bringing new trends in the tourist and hospitality industries. He wished for the ‘Eid Shopping Festival’ to be a huge success.