Author: newsdesk

  • ‘Bilawal wants to overthrow Imran’s govt, but doesn’t know how to’

    ‘Bilawal wants to overthrow Imran’s govt, but doesn’t know how to’

    Senior journalist Asha’ar Rehman has said that Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chief and heir of the late former prime ministers (PM) Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto’s political dynasty, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, wants to overthrow the PM Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, but doesn’t really know how to.

    In his column for Dawn, Rehman wrote:

    “Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has his task cut out for him. In Lahore, on one of his ‘I am around’ visits, he made no secret of his express desire to get rid of the Imran Khan setup. Only he did not know the objective could be achieved. The resultant frustr­ation had him asking the journalists he came across in the most imaginative old Punjab capital about ways and means to dislodge the target. Seriously? Is it the journalists’ job to decide who should stay in power and who should be removed and how?”

    He went on to say that the PPP chief “was on a planet of his own” and thought he was justified in exploring avenues that would fast-track the “unwanted PM and his equally suspect team out of power”.

    “He [Bilawal] does hasten to add that his methods will ultimately have to be within the democratic ambit, but besides this, the PPP chairman has little by way of a plan which will free his countrymen from the yoke of the current rulers,” Rehman stated.

    Adventurous, unprofessional souls among journalists who might be enticed to advise Bilawal on ways and means to remove this government might be inclined to suggest an opposition alliance, he wrote, adding that the pundits insist that so long as a comprehensive alliance is missing, PM Imran “has no one to fear — not himself”.

    “Obviously, this is one reality that BBZ [Bilawal] or his guru in practical politics, Asif Ali Zardari, would be aware of. Then why would the PPP chairman try and act so frank at the risk of sounding so empty?” Rehman stated further as he wrote about the PPP’s failure to make up its mind regarding the alliances it should or should not form in order to survive outside Sindh and send the PTI government packing.

    The write-up by the veteran journalist comes after Bilawal, while speaking to a group of senior media persons on Wednesday, made it clear that his party would not become part of any undemocratic move to oust the PTI government.

    Bilawal had said he would continue to fight economic injustices in the country, and expressed hope that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Shehbaz Sharif would soon return and play his part as the opposition leader.

    He had maintained that “elected, not selected, representatives” could resolve issues of the people, and the PPP would continue to highlight the “economic slaughter of the poor” under the PTI government.

  • Weekend events in your city

    Weekend events in your city

    Lahore

    Lahore Literary Festival

    Date: 21-23 Feb, Fri-Sun

    Time: 11am – 5pm

    Venue: Alhamra Hall, Mall Road, Lahore.

    Sahir Ali Bagga Concert

    Date: 21Feb, Friday.

    Time: 3 PM – 7 PM

    Venue: 51-B, Mian Mehmood Qasoori Road, Hussain Chowk, Gulberg III

    All Breed Dog Show

    Date: 23rd Feb, Sunday.

    Time: 10 AM – 6 PM

    Venue: DHA Phase 12, EME, Multan Road.

    Islamabad

    Pet Show 2020

    Date: 22nd Feb, Saturday.

    Time: 6 PM – 10 PM

    Venue: GIGA MALL, Main GT Road, DHA Phase II, Islamabad.

    Concert by Hadiqa Kiani

    Date: 23rd Feb, Sunday.

    Time: 8 PM – 10 PM

    Venue: Pakistan National Council of the Arts – PNCA F-5/1, Islamabad.

    Karachi

    Itsy Bitsy Tales: Ten Red Apples by Pat Hutchins

    Date: 23 Feb, Sunday.

    Time:  2 PM – 3 PM

    Venue: British Council Karachi.

    Karachi Kings vs Peshawar Zalmi

    Date: 21 Feb, Friday.

    Time: 6 PM – 9 PM

    Venue: National Stadium, Karachi.

  • Here is everything that happened at the opening ceremony of PSL V

    Here is everything that happened at the opening ceremony of PSL V

    After a long wait, cricket, in particular, PSL has officially returned to Pakistan. The fifth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) will be played entirely here and it goes without saying that excitement levels are high.

    The opening ceremony was promised to be a glittering affair with more than 350 artists expected to perform. However, Pakistanis were not impressed with the final product.

    Here’s everything that happened at the opening ceremony of PSL 5 at the National Stadium Karachi.

    The National Stadium was lit

    The ceremony was opened by Karachi-based VJ Ahmed Godil who instantly became meme material.

    Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah and Chairman Pakistan Cricket Board Ehsan Mani said a few words before the performances began

    Whirling dervishes performed to the Sufi serenades of Sanam Marvi, Abu Mohammad, Fareed Ayaz, and rock band Soch

    Sajjad Ali, Abrar ul Haq, Aima Baig and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan were among those who performed at the event. However, fans did not appreciate them lip-syncing instead of performing live. Ali Azmat, Arif Lohar, Asim Azhar and Haroon sang the PSL V anthem ‘Tayyar Hain‘.

    The opening ceremony concluded with a spectacular display of fireworks which was also possibly the best part of the ceremony

    It was Islamabad United vs Quetta Gladiators. Quetta won the toss and opted to bowl

    Azam Khan won hearts with his performance on the field

    People were not happy with Ramiz Raja for ‘fat-shaming’ Azam

    The first day of the PSL 5 ended with Quetta Gladiators winning the match

  • Pakistan secures four-months to comply with FATF agenda

    To exit the grey list of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), Pakistan has been given another four months (until June 2020) to achieve a 27-point action plan, DAWN reported.

    As measures taken by Pakistan in relation to the action plan have been appreciated at the group meetings, according to the report, all members are satisfied with the progress so far and there is no case at all for Pakistan to be blacklisted.

    Pakistan has been given an eight-point action plan to comply in the foreseeable future:

    1. Demonstrate that remedial actions and sanctions are applied in cases of AML/CFT (anti-money laundering/combating the financing of terrorism) violations relating to terrorist financing (TF) risk management and TF standard obligations
    2. Demonstrate that competent authorities are cooperating and taking action to identify and take enforcement action against illegal money or value transfer services
    3. Demonstrate the implementation of cross-border currency and BNI controls at all ports of entry, including applying effective, proportionate and dissuasive sanctions,
    4. Demonstrate that law enforcement agencies (LEAs) are identifying and investigating the widest range of TF activity and that TF investigations and prosecutions target designated persons and entities and those acting on behalf or at the direction of the designated persons or entities
    5. Demonstrate that TF prosecutions result in effective, proportionate and dissuasive sanctions
    6. Demonstrate effective implementation of targeted financial sanctions (supported by a comprehensive legal obligation) against all 1,267 and 1,373 designated terrorists and those acting for or on their behalf, including preventing the raising and moving of funds, identifying and freezing assets (movable and immovable) and prohibiting access to funds and financial services
    7. demonstrate enforcement against TF standard violations, including administrative and criminal penalties, and provincial and federal authorities cooperating on enforcement cases
    8. Demonstrate that facilities and services owned or controlled by designated persons are deprived of their resources and the usage of the resources.

    To swiftly comply with the benchmarks, meetings are already being held at the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), the National Counter Terrorism Authority (Nacta) and the Ministry of Interior, and an implementation strategy has been shared with Islamabad’s delegation in Paris.

  • PM House’s conversion into university to cost taxpayers over Rs35 billion

    PM House’s conversion into university to cost taxpayers over Rs35 billion

    The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government’s plan of converting the Prime Minister (PM) House into a modern university is likely to cost over Rs35 billion as new buildings will be constructed over 50 acres of land.

    According to a report in Profit, Pakistan Science and Technology Task Force, which is looking into the proposed university project, estimated an initial cost of over Rs35 billion for the university, however, a feasibility study for the said project is yet to be conducted.

    The report quoted officials at the Ministry of Planning and Development as saying that an important meeting on the planned project was held at the ministry on Thursday, which was chaired by Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar.

    The meeting was also attended by Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry, Pakistan Science and Technology Task Force Chairperson Prof Dr Attaur Rehman, Member Science and Technology Dr Hussain Abidi and senior officials from the Higher Education Commission (HEC).

    According to the officials, Prof Dr Rehman briefed the participants about the latest developments in the establishment of the university at the PM House. The ministers were informed that the planned university will have three centres of excellence and eight departments with a special focus on innovation and technology development. The university will accommodate more than 1,000 PhDs and PostDoc fellows along with 200 faculty members.

    He also elaborated that a budget of Rs200 million was required to conduct an initial feasibility study.

    The planning minister noted that the manufacturing sector in Pakistan needs to be supported through cutting edge and latest technologies in order to make them more competitive. He directed the Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) to form a special committee to ensure that the university focuses on relevant technologies that can support the manufacturing industry in Pakistan. He said that there should be no delay in the establishment of the University as it is a high priority project.

    The planning minister was also briefed about the scholarships that will be offered at the university.

    Sources said that since the premier wants fast-track progress on the project, the concerned ministries and authorities have expedited initial work on the proposed university. The university was among PM Imran Khan’s election promises and was also included in the manifesto of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), which was released before 2018’s general election.

    Initially, the incumbent government faced great difficulty in going ahead with the proposal because the PM House is located in a highly sensitive area and red zone of the federal capital, but the premier insisted that the university be built there.

    To build the new university, the government also needed to change the master plan of the capital for carrying out new/additional construction on the land adjacent to the PM House. To deal with this, the federal cabinet approved a specific change to the master plan of Islamabad last year.

  • PPP Senator Rehman Malik is making a movie

    PPP Senator Rehman Malik is making a movie

    Former Interior Minister and a prominent member of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Rehman Malik has announced that he is working on a film to highlight Indian atrocities in Indian-occupied Kashmir (IoK).

    According to reports, Malik will not only produce a full feature film but he will also be penning the script for it. The film will be based on his book Bleeding Kashmir that was launched on Tuesday.

    Speaking to The Current, the Senator shared that a script is being finalised.

    When asked who he wants to cast in his film, he shared that he is working with his contacts “abroad and local”.

    “I will continue to fight for oppressed Kashmiris,” remarked Malik, when asked why he is making the film.

    Further details regarding the film have not yet been revealed as of now.

    Meanwhile, Malik’s book Bleeding Kashmir aims to present an unfiltered account of bloodshed in IoK. The book has been dedicated to the martyrs of Kashmir and the victims of Indian brutalities especially Insha Mushtaq who lost her eyes as a result of the injuries sustained due to the aggression by Indian Armed Forces in held Kashmir but did not discontinue education.

    Malik also announced that the proceeds from the book will go to the Shuhadas (martyrs) Foundation.

  • VIDEO: President forgets names of Balochistan governor, CM during speech

    VIDEO: President forgets names of Balochistan governor, CM during speech

    In a rather embarrassing development, President Dr Arif Alvi has forgotten the names of Balochistan Governor Amanullah Khan Yasinzai and Chief Minister (CM) Jam Kamal Khan, calling them Amanullah Khan Yousafzai and Jamal Khan Aliani instead.

    The blunder by the president came as he greeted attendees at the inaugural ceremony of the historic Sibi Mela 2020, but went unnoticed by many until Twitterati pointed it out and said it was “just the ignorant attitude of the people of Pakistan towards the country’s southwestern region of Balochistan”.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    https://twitter.com/sardarjamali/status/1230300542301331456

    Earlier, addressing the inaugural ceremony, the president said that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) would open up new avenues of progress and prosperity and change destiny of the country, especially Balochistan.

    He said the construction of Gwadar deep seaport, airport, oil refinery, important corridors and economic zones would provide job opportunities to the people of Balochistan, which would end poverty and bring prosperity to them.

    He said that Gwadar would emerge as a new developed part on the world’s map.

    President Alvi said that Balochistan was the most-affected area in the war against terrorism where the local people suffered a lot, adding the federal government was paying special attention to the construction and development of the province to end the sense of deprivation of the local people.

    He also said security forces of the country valiantly fought the war against militancy and terrorism and brought peace to the motherland, adding the terrorists would not succeed in their nefarious designs. Alvi said promotion of agriculture and livestock was need of the hour and the present government was fully concentrating on it as these two sectors were a big source of employment to the local people.

  • The Lahore Literary Festival: What’s it all about?

    The Lahore Literary Festival: What’s it all about?

    The Current’s special contributor, senior journalist Razeshta Sethna, spoke to Razi Ahmed, the founder of the Lahore Literary Festival about the ethos behind the fest and the challenges overcome in making it successful for the past eight years.

    Q) What’s the overall ethos/or underlying theme for LLF this year?

    LLF is a civil society initiative which stands for intellectual stimulation and honouring Lahore’s rich literary and cultural traditions. It is an entirely private event, with no government support, run for the city of Lahore as a free and open-to-public event.

    READ MORE: The LLF schedule is out and here is what we are most excited about

    The popular Hall One where all the big sessions take place

    Q)In the past eight years, LLF has come a long way despite the challenges, so what’s been the hardest one you’ve had to contend with and why?

    LLF has faced hardships which are common to many platforms in places like India and Bangladesh too. It is collective teamwork, indeed, coupled with a strong mission to serve and contribute to the society that have enabled the team at LLF to surmount the challenges.

    RELATED: LLF organisers respond to criticism ‘for blocking certain Twitter handles’

    We have over eight years of LLF honoured the great Pakistani writers and poets, including, among others, Intizar Hussain, Bapsi Sidhwa, Abdullah Hussein, Zehra Nigah, Amjad Islam Amjad and Asghar Nadeem Syed.

    Q) What sessions will you be going to this year? Your top three picks?

    All.

    *LLF will commence on Friday Feb 21st at the Alhamra Arts Center on Mall Road,

    The three-day event, culminating on February 23, 2020, will continue its tradition of hosting eminent writers, historians, artists and opinion makers from Pakistan and abroad with over a hundred speakers and 63 sessions.

    This year’s festival will include Pakistani author Fatima Bhutto, Winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature Orhan Pamuk, Oyinkan Braithwaite, who was long-listed for the Man Booker 2019; author Musharraf Ali Farooqi, who will launch his latest book, The Merman and the Book of Power; novelist and poet Nitasha Kaul, who has written on the plight of Kashmir in Modi’s India; and Adrian Hayes, who will launch One Man’s Climb, a book about his journey to reach the summit of K2.

    DOWNLOAD THE FULL SCHEDULE HERE:Download
  • Mobile accessory prices rise in Pakistan as coronavirus grips China

    Mobile accessory prices rise in Pakistan as coronavirus grips China

    Markets that depend on Chinese imports are running out of supplies as production in China hasn’t resumed due to coronavirus fears.

    Electronics importers in Pakistan are concerned since most of the supplies they imported from China are almost finished. This includes mobile phone hardware, accessories and spare electronic parts.

    The market has responded to the lessening supplies by raising prices. LCD screens for mobile phones that cost between Rs900 and Rs1,000 now cost Rs1,800. Supplies are also running out.

    A 30% price hike has been recorded for mobile accessories but so far, there are enough supplies for a month.

    A notification by New Asia International Electronic & Digital City, said the delay was “in order to ensure the health and life safety of merchants and customers”.

    Many business-to-business dealers are concerned as supplies were to resume on February 22, which they say would have lightened the demand pressure. Instead, they received messages from their suppliers in China saying that the goods would be delayed indefinitely.

    One of the importers said, “I think we will not get any supplies now until March 6. That, too, if we are lucky.”

    He facilitates all types of imports, including garments, jewelry and electronics. He said that even now the production units in China have not reopened as coronavirus fears are rampant.

    “People are still concerned and production units are empty in China as the virus has not been contained,” he said.

    He also said that a phone brand with a customer base in Pakistan has totally run out of its phones since all its assembly units are in China.

  • Former Bollywood actor Shatrughan Sinha attends a wedding in Lahore

    Former Bollywood actor Shatrughan Sinha attends a wedding in Lahore

    Amid heightened Indo-Pak tensions, former Bollywood actor and ex-BJP member Shatrughan Sinha was spotted attending a wedding in Lahore. Videos and pictures of him have gone viral on social media.

    Reema was also seen sharing the frame with him in the video.

    Further details regarding his visit have not yet been revealed. However, some media outlets have reported that the former actor is here on a two-day visit on the invitation of prominent businessman Mian Asad Ehsan, who is the father of the groom. Mian Ehsan, a celebrated filmmaker, is the grandfather of the groom. The filmmaker is associated with iconic films such as Mukhra (1958) Insaan (1966), and Mahal (1968). It is also being reported that Sinha will be meeting key political persons in the country.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B8wkDotA0wA/

    Sinha’s visit comes as a surprise, especially considering that last year, the All India Cine Workers Association (AICWA) had banned and boycotted Mika Singh from the film industry after the singer performed at a wedding in Pakistan. Since then, Bollywood and Indian actors have refrained from interacting with Pakistani artists or people.

    The relationship between the two neighbouring countries went from bad to worse after the Modi government scrapped Article 370 stripping Indian-occupied Kashmir of its special status. The valley has been under lockdown ever since.