Author: newsdesk

  • ‘FIA was told to file FIRs against Jahangir Tareen, son on WhatsApp,’ senior journalist claims

    The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has booked estranged Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Jahangir Tareen and his son, Ali Tareen, for fraud and money laundering after it was told to do so by someone over WhatsApp, senior journalist and analyst Arif Hameed Bhatti has claimed.

    According to Bhatti, he possesses details of who sent the WhatsApp message, at what time and when did the other person respond to that message.

    “Even the language used in the draft is not that of the investigation officer,” he said, further saying that the case was registered back on March 22 but the news was leaked over a week later.

    Bhatti’s claims came after Tareens, who are rumoured to be at odds with Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan over probe into their alleged involvement in the sugar crisis, were booked by the FIA.

    According to the FIRs dated March 22, two separate cases were registered under sections 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating of public shareholders) and 109 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), read with sections 3/4 of the Anti Money Laundering Act.

    Responding to the development, Tareen lashed out at the FIA and said the accusations against him and his family were “totally fabricated”.

    One of the complaints states that Tareen fraudulently misappropriated shareholder’s money after his company — JDW group — transferred Rs3.14 billion to an associated private company identified as Farooqi Pulp Private Limited (FPML). The FIR stated that the private company is owned by his sons and close relatives.

    “The transfers, especially after FY 2011-2012, were patently fraudulent investments which ultimately translated into personal gains for the family members of the JDW CEO,” the FIR said.

    According to Dawn, it said that during this period, Tareen, his son and other family members purchased cash (US$) from the open market in Lahore in a “structured manner”.

    “Subsequently, in 2016, Ali Khan Tareen remitted approximately US$7.4 Million to the United Kingdom for purchasing properties (to be investigated in detail during the course of investigation) which makes them liable for Anti-Money Laundering investigation,” it said.

    The FIA stated that Tareen, his son, son-in-law Waleed Akbar Faruki and Shahid Akbar Faruki beneficially controlled FPML and personally benefitted from this scheme.

    In the second FIR, the investigation agency said “voluminous withdrawals amounting to at least Rs2.2 billion were fraudulently and dishonestly made through a trusted cash rider.” It noted that Amir Waris, employed as a cashier at JDW’s Corporate Head Office, deposited large amounts into the personal and business accounts of Tareen and his family members.

    “This modus operandi of cash-based misappropriation and money laundering was employed to break the onwards money trail of deposits into personal and business accounts of the accused Tareen and family,” it said.

    It also stated that Rana Nasim Ahmed, JDW CEO, was also given large amounts from the company’s accounts to the tune of Rs600 million. “He claims these humungous amounts as salary, bonuses and ‘gentlemanly-agreed’ benefits.”

  • PML-N offers Gilani Senate chairmanship if he brings his ’31 votes’ to table

    PML-N offers Gilani Senate chairmanship if he brings his ’31 votes’ to table

    Amid deteriorating ties between the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) over former premier Yousuf Raza Gilani’s election as the leader of opposition in Senate, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has put forth a rather interesting offer.

    Speaking to media, PML-N bigwig Rana Sanaullah has offered Gilani to bring his 31 votes in the Upper House to the table and get elected as the chairman with 27 others of the PML-N in the 104-member house.

    While the PPP is yet to respond to the offer, here’s what you need to know about Gilani becoming the opposition leader in Senate…

    Last week, Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani notified Gilani as the opposition leader in the Senate after the PPP submitted a list of 31 senators to him.

    PML-N’s Azam Nazir Tarrar had the support of 21 opposition senators while Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), which has five senators, did not support any candidate.

    “In pursuance of Rule 16 (3) of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Senate 2012, the chairman Senate has been pleased to declare Senator Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani as leader of the opposition in the Senate, with effect from March 26, 2021,” read a notification issued by the Senate Secretariat.

    The list carried the signatures of 30 senators; 21 PPP senators, two from the Awami National Party (ANP), one from the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), two from the erstwhile Federally Administrated Tribal Areas (FATA) and five from independent Senator Dilawar Khan Group.

    With the appointment of Gilani as the opposition leader in the Senate, the gulf between the PPP and PML-N widened, putting the 10-parties PDM alliance on the rocks.

  • IN PICTURES: Imran Ashraf celebrates son’s birthday

    Imran Ashraf recently celebrated his son Roham’s second birthday with a star-studded party. Many celebrities including Humayun Saeed, Urwa Hocane, Amar Khan, Iqrar ul Hassan, Feroze Khan and Kinza Hashmi were spotted at the occasion.

    Check out pictures from the celebrations below:

    It was a cartoon themed birthday party.

  • Ban on TikTok lifted in Pakistan: Fawad Chaudhry

    Ban on TikTok lifted in Pakistan: Fawad Chaudhry

    Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry on Thursday said that Peshawar High Court (PHC) has lifted the ban on TikTok as it was ordered by a single-member bench of the same court.

    “Peshawar High Court has suspended the operation of single bench judgement, ban on TikTok has been lifted. We need a framework to encourage international companies to make Pakistan their investment hub,” tweeted the federal minister.

    In March, PHC ordered Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to ask service providers to block users access to TikTok immediately in the country.

    “In respectful compliance to the orders of the Peshawar High Court, PTA has issued directions to the service providers to immediately block access to the TikTok App,” the PTA said.

    PHC Chief Justice (CJ) Qaiser Rashid Khan heard the petition filed by a citizen and ordered the ban on Tiktok.

    This is the second time when TikTok faced a ban in Pakistan.

    In October last year, the PTA had blocked TikTok after the company “failed to fully comply” with its instructions for the “development of an effective mechanism for proactive moderation of unlawful online content”.

    The moves had, however, led to outcry over “bars on digital advancement” in the country.

  • Top PPP leaders also unhappy over reason behind differences with Opp alliance

    Top PPP leaders also unhappy over reason behind differences with Opp alliance

    Former Senate chairman and senior leader of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Senator Mian Raza Rabbani has said that the party should not have taken the support of Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) and Dilawar Khan group in the Senate for the post of opposition leader in the upper house of Parliament.

    The move, that has also been spoken against by PPP’s Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, is the latest bone of contention among members of the joint opposition, the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM).

    “Though the slot of the opposition leader in the Senate was right of the PPP being a largest single party at the opposition benches, it should not take n the support of the BAP Senators Dilawar group for the slot of opposition leader in the Senate,” he said while answering a query of The News on Wednesday.

    Rabbani said the support of BAP in the Senate was not good for the ideological foundations of the PPP, adding that rules of the Senate were clear that the slot goes to the single largest party at the opposition benches.

    He advised the opposition to keep its unity intact for broader object of supremacy of the constitution and parliament and objectives of supremacy of the constitution could not be achieved without unity in the ranks of the opposition.

    “It’s time to stand united to achieve the objectives,” he said.

    Earlier, Khokhar also said that the party should not have sought the support of BAP and led to this infighting that is only benefitting the government.

  • Mosques to remain open in Ramzan; Pakistan’s daily COVID-19 cases at eight-month high

    Mosques to remain open in Ramzan; Pakistan’s daily COVID-19 cases at eight-month high

    Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (PM) on Religious Harmony Maulana Tahir Ashrafi has said that mosques across the country will remain open during the holy month of Ramzan amid the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Statement of the premier’s aide coincided with the country reporting highest daily rise in the number of coronavirus infections in eight months as 4,974 cases in 24 hours took the tally to 672,931.

    At least 98 deaths in a day took the total number of fatalities in the country to 14,530.

    “There is decree of religious scholars that people should get themselves vaccinated against COVID-19,” Ashrafi told reporters in Islamabad on Wednesday.

    He further said that scholars from various schools of thought have assured their full support to follow COVID-19 SOPs during prayers timings in Ramazan.

    There are currently 3,303 critical patients of COVID-19 admitted at different hospitals in the country.

    The country has so far conducted 1,02,47,374 coronavirus tests countrywide.

    The positivity ratio reported in the last 24 hours is 9.93%.

    While complete lockdown is time and again being ruled out by authorities, it merits a mention that last year’s months-long closure of all businesses had come while positivity ratio stood below 8%.

  • Summer hair inspo ft. Mawra Hocane, Saboor Aly

    Summer hair inspo ft. Mawra Hocane, Saboor Aly

    Though the coronavirus pandemic continues to unleash its wrath, summer’s almost here and we’re craving some excitement in life. And there’s no better way to welcome the summer than with a trip to the hairstylist to refresh our hair. Our favourite celebrities have been doing the same so take some inspiration from them for your summer look.

    Mawra Hocane

    Mawra decided to go for a completely new look which is making her feel “fresh as a daisy”. The actor kept her long locks but went for a heavy fringe, which is making her look super cute.

    Saboor Aly

    Saboor is rocking that bob with such finesse, that it makes us want to chop off all our hair and opt for a hairstyle just like hers. Have to say, it’ll be ideal for the summer.

    Mansha Pasha

    Mansha also chopped off her long locks opting for shoulder length hair and looking absolutely fabulous in them. This hairstyle is perfect for those who want a bit of change but don’t want to experiment too much.

    Neelam Muneer

    Neelam opted for rounds layers to make her hair look more voluminous and give them a bounce.

    Aamna Ilyas

    Aamna Ilyas, chopping her long locks went for a flaunting new look. Aamna’s bobs are complimenting her and frames her face in a much more flattering way.

  • Boy from Pakistan’s Sikh community dancing on Pashtun song goes viral

    A young boy from Pakistan’s Sikh community took the internet by storm with his performance of traditional Pashtun dance, ‘Attan’, during a wedding in Pakistan.

    According to details, the boy, Jagraj Singh from Pakistan’s Sikh community in Peshawar danced to the beats of the rubab played by local musician Gurmeet Singh

    The viral video shows the boy wearing a blue kurta, white pants and a black patka showing his dance skills as the audience cheers on him.

  • 12 luxury vehicles registered under the name of labourer, gatekeeper

    12 luxury vehicles registered under the name of labourer, gatekeeper

    The Anti-Benami Zone of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) caught 12 luxury vehicles in Karachi worth millions of rupees under the name of a gatekeeper and a labourer.

    Reportedly, a Land Rover and a BMW are registered under the name of Zahid Iqbal from Faisalabad. Moreover, around ten vehicles are registered under the name of a gatekeeper.

    The officials of the Anti-Benami Zone revealed that the name of a car dealer had also been used for the Benami vehicles, and the purchase of the vehicles had been conducted under the Benami Transaction Act.

    Zahid Iqbal was clueless about ownership of the cars when he was asked by the authorities to provide necessary documents to the revenue board.

    Meanwhile, the Anti-Benami Zone has initiated an investigation of the matter, and notices have been issued to the suspected labourer, gatekeeper, and car dealer.

    What is benami transaction?

    1) When a property is transferred to, or is held by, a person but it has been paid for by another person – a trustee and wife, child, brother or sister

    2) A transaction or arrangement of a property made in a fictitious name, or a transaction or arrangement of a property where the owner is not aware of, or denies knowledge of, such ownership

    3) A transaction or arrangement of a property where the person providing the consideration is not traceable or is fictitious.

    Types of benami properties

    Such properties can be plots, houses, shopping plazas, shops, housing schemes, bank accounts, vehicles, business shares, jewellery, foreign currency, legal documents and intangible properties, having financial value.

  • #BegumsforBegums: Pooja Bhatt sends love to Pakistani journalists

    #BegumsforBegums: Pooja Bhatt sends love to Pakistani journalists

    Pooja Bhatt has sent love to Pakistani journalists Mehmal Sarfaraz, Benazir Shah, Reema Omer and Natasha Zai for appreciating her latest web series Bombay Begums. The four journalists host the Aurat Card, a wide-ranging show which discusses everything from politics to Netflix, from a female perspective.

    “Thank you Begums. Loved this,” said Pooja, while responding to their review on the series.

    In another tweet, the Bollywood actor, while talking about the Pakistani journalists, said: “Asli Begums toh yeh hain!”

    The actor also coined the hashtag ‘#BegumsforBegums’ for the hosts of the Aurat Card.

    Bhatt also thanked fashion designer Deepak Perwani for appreciating her performance, saying: “Thank you my friend. Means so much coming from you.”

    Featuring Shahana Goswami, Amruta Subhash, Plabita Borthakur and Aadhya Anand besides Bhatt, Bombay Begums is a series about five women from different parts of society trying to get ahead in modern Mumbai, formerly called Bombay. Bhatt plays Rani in the series, who is the CEO of The Royal Bank of Bombay. A former bank teller from Kanpur, Rani is a self-made woman who has seen the dark side of life. The show deals with a variety of issues faced by women, including menstruation, menopause, sexual harassment, fertility issues and infidelity.

    The show earlier ran into controversy after India’s National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) demanded a ban on the show for normalising minors indulging in casual sex and drug abuse and objected to a scene showing “minors having cocaine”.

    Bombay Begums released on International Women’s Day (March 8) on Netflix and was trending at the number one spot in Pakistan for a few weeks.