Category: National

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  • Maulana Tariq Jamil breaks silence on what he took to officiate ‘Pakistan’s most expensive wedding’

    Maulana Tariq Jamil breaks silence on what he took to officiate ‘Pakistan’s most expensive wedding’

    Renowned preacher Maulana Tariq Jamil has rubbished claims that he received a hefty amount to officiate what is being dubbed as “Pakistan’s most expensive wedding ceremony”.

    The Master Tiles-Jalal Sons wedding from earlier this month has been making headlines for its extravagant style and featuring several Pakistani celebrities in addition to a troupe of foreign gymnasts.

    “By the tawfīq of Allah, I have traveled around 6 continents to preach the message of Allah and I have been preaching the life of our Prophet ﷺ to the Ummah for a very long time. The hurdle in our advancement is our moral decline,” Jamil said in a Facebook post.

    “My message for those who accused me of taking money for performing Nikāh is that in the journey of preaching the message of Allah I have performed Nikāh of thousands of boys and girls for the sake of Allah,” he added.

    Jamil went on to say that Sheikh Mahmood of Master Tiles was an old friend of his. “How can I take money for performing Nikāh of his daughter on his invitation? May Allah protect us all from distrust and false accusations.”

    Earlier, it was reported that the preacher was paid Rs1 million rupees (Rs10 lacs) for his services.

    The claim had come as owner of Master Tiles landed on the Federal Board Revenue (FBR) radar for spending Rs2 billion on the wedding ceremony.

    A probe was conducted by the FBR into the “service providers involved in the lavish arrangements” to detect possible tax evasion. The document shared by the FBR said that Rosa Blanca Country Club, the venue of baraat located on Raiwind Road in Lahore, was paid Rs150 million for the premises.

    It, however, was just the tip of the iceberg.

  • ‘Marry three widows and I’ll get you a fourth wife… one 16yo, two eight-year-olds or four four-year-olds’

    ‘Marry three widows and I’ll get you a fourth wife… one 16yo, two eight-year-olds or four four-year-olds’

    Renowned religious leader Mufti Tariq Masood has come under fire over a sermon wherein he is endorsing child marriages and paedophilia, guaranteeing his followers a minor bride as their fourth wife if they marry three widows or divorcees.

    “Change my name if I don’t get you a fourth and virgin wife after you marry three widows or divorcees,” he was heard as saying in an undated video doing the rounds on social media.

    https://twitter.com/Shehzad89/status/1327342661620129792

    “Mufti Tariq Masood will find you a 16-year-old or two eight-year-olds or four four year-olds,” he tells his followers after which they, as well as the cleric himself, start laughing.

    The video surfaces as Pakistan reports over 90 rape cases within a single month, most of which involved minors.

    The latest case that shook the entire nation remains that of a four-year-old who, along with her mother, was repeatedly subjected to sexual assault in the Kashmore district of Sindh.

    The minor girl is currently admitted to a hospital battling for her life.

    Meanwhile, here’s what Twitterati have to say about Mufti Tariq’s statement:

    https://twitter.com/nishaa_z/status/1327358024663638022

    Have something to add to the story? Let The Current know in the comments.

  • PM wants to ‘kiss forehead’ of Kashmore ASI over exemplary courage in arrest of rapist

    PM wants to ‘kiss forehead’ of Kashmore ASI over exemplary courage in arrest of rapist

    Prime Minister Imran Khan has called Kashmore police senior superintendent police and assistant sub-inspector and lauded their action in the recovery of a 4-year-old minor held by an alleged rapist.

    In a tweet, the prime minister said that he spoke to ASI Mohammad Bux Buriro to appreciate him and daughter’s “exemplary initiative & courage in the arrest of Kashmore rapist”. He said he wanted to kiss his forehead and embrace him for his courageous action.

    The premier said the nation was proud of the father-daughter duo, adding the ASI through his actions enhanced the prestige of the provincial police. “Next week we are bringing a stringent, holistic anti-rape ordinance closing all loopholes,” the PM added.

    The Kashmore police had nabbed Rafique Malik — who was later killed in an alleged shootout — for allegedly raping a woman and her daughter hailing from Karachi. Malik had allegedly promised the woman a job at a toll plaza in Kashmore, and raped her when she visited him a week later, looking for work.

    The woman approached the Kashmore police, accusing the suspect of sexual assault. She said the suspect handed her over to another man, Khairullah Bugti, after the assault, who also raped her and took her daughter hostage.

    “The woman told police that the suspect held her minor daughter hostage, saying he would only let her go when she brought him another woman from Karachi,” reported Dawn newspaper.

    In order to nab the alleged rapist, the Kashmore police came up with a plan, wherein the ASI agreed to use his minor daughter as bait to make the arrest. The police successfully arrested Malik, who then led them to the address of Bugti.

    During a raid at Bugti’s hideout, Malik was killed in an alleged shootout between the police team and Bugti. “As soon as the accused Rafique Malik along with police reached at the spot, the co-accused Khairullah started firing in which Malik died and co-accused [was] arrested with weapons,” the Larkana DIG quoted by Dawn said.

  • PTI spokespersons make conflicting remarks on ‘Karachi incident’

    Prime Minister’s Special Assistant on Political Communication Shahbaz Gill has contested a statement made by Firdous Ashiq Awan, Punjab CM’s aide on information, on the Karachi incident, wherein the police chief was pressurised by the military officials to register a case against Capt (r) Safdar.

    Last month, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Muhammad Safdar was arrested from his hotel room in Karachi for raising slogans on the mausoleum of Quaid-e-Azam. The Sindh government subsequently distanced itself from the arrest. Reports later emerged that Sindh police chief Mushtaq Mahar was pressurised by the army men to register a case against Safdar.

    Subsequently, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari asked COAS Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa for an inquiry into the incident. The probe resulted in the removal of the Inter-Services Intelligence and army officials.

    Referring to the inquiry, Firdous said the army chief ordered an inquiry into the incident on the directives of the prime minister so that a “crisis” could be contained. She added the investigations into the “Karachi incident” and final outcome proved that Pakistan Army was a disciplined force.

    However, soon after the statement, Gill posted a statement on his Twitter account, saying the PM didn’t call the army chief in this regard. According to Gill, “Dr Awan’s statement is either her personal analysis or her statement has been run out of context. In order to set the record straight, Dr Awan’s statement is not correct.”

    It may be noted here that the PM Imran Khan had termed the abduction of the Sindh IG an incident “that made him laugh”.

  • 22 wedding guests killed in DI Khan rickshaw accident

    22 wedding guests killed in DI Khan rickshaw accident

    Twenty-two wedding guests were killed when the rickshaw they were riding in fell into a canal in northwestern Pakistan, police said Wednesday at the end of a recovery mission.

    The three-wheeler was overloaded with 29 people when the accident happened on Monday, near the city of Dera Ismail Khan.

    “We have recovered 22 bodies which include 16 women and six children”, Muhammad Ramzan, a senior police official, told AFP.

    The victims were from the same extended family, and at least seven of them were from the same household, he added.

    Seven people were rescued.

    Bilal Muhammad Faizi, a spokesman for the local rescue agency, confirmed the death toll and said the last bodies were retrieved on Wednesday.

    Rickshaws are a common mode of transport across Pakistan, and accidents occur frequently.

    Pakistan has one of the world’s worst records for fatal traffic accidents, mostly blamed on poor roads, badly maintained vehicles and reckless driving.

  • Judge, who wanted Musharraf hanged at D-Chowk, succumbs to COVID-19

    Judge, who wanted Musharraf hanged at D-Chowk, succumbs to COVID-19

    Peshawar High Court Chief Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth, 59, has passed away due to coronavirus on Friday.

    Justice Seth had tested positive for COVID-19 on October 22 and was subsequently moved to a hospital in Peshawar, a report in Dawn said. The judge was later shifted to to a private hospital in Islamabad in a critical condition.

    He leaves behind a wife and a daughter.

    Justice Seth took oath as chief justice of the PHC on June 28, 2018. During his tenure as the CJ, he issued important verdicts, specifically the acquittal of over 70 convicts most of whom were handed down death sentences by military courts.

    The deceased jurist was also the head of a special court that had sentenced former military dictator Gen Pervez Musharraf to death by hanging in a high treason case.

    Both the government and the army had expressed “anger” over a specific paragraph 66 of the detailed judgement and termed it “unlawful”, “inhuman” and “unconstitutional”.

    Para 66 of the verdict read: “We direct the law enforcement agencies to strive their level best to apprehend the fugitive/convict [Pervez Musharraf] and to ensure that the punishment is inflicted as per law and if found dead, his corpse be dragged to the D-Chowk [in front of the Parliament House], Islamabad, Pakistan, and be hanged for three days.”

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    Prime Minister Imran Khan expressed grief on the demise of the judge.

  • Fawad, Sanaullah favour live coverage of corruption trials

    Fawad, Sanaullah favour live coverage of corruption trials

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Fawad Chaudhry and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) lawmaker Rana Sanaullah have endorsed the live broadcast of graft trials for greater transparency.

    The lawmakers were participating in a talk show hosted by senior journalist Hamid Mir. During the show, Mir asked Fawad if he would support the plea of PML-N leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi seeking live coverage of his trial in an accountability court. At this, Fawad said he would fully support it.

    According to the science and technology minister, the live coverage of trials was standard practice in the UK. “Pakistan follows many practices and laws of the UK, why can’t it do it in terms of trials,” he added.

    He said the people must know what are the charges and what is defence.

    At this, Sanaullah said he also supported the idea of the televised trials, adding that his narcotics case should also be aired.

    On Wednesday, former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi filed a petition in an accountability court of Islamabad, seeking live media coverage of his trial proceeding in LNG-Terminal project reference.

    The plea argued that Article 19-A grants the public the right to know factual information about a trial. People would get the authentic information about the trial through live coverage, he added.

    “There are other public benefits; let the people know whether their representatives are innocent or corrupt or they have been involved in false and politically motivated cases; let the people see whether complaints are ‘stock witnesses’, whether the case is politically motivated,” the application quoted by Dawn newspaper said.

  • Calling rivals ‘traitors’ easiest trick in politics playbook, says Firdous

    Adviser to Punjab Chief Minister Firdous Ashiq Awan, while talking about the practice of labelling political opponents ‘pro-India’, said politicians use such statements because it’s easy to manipulate “anti-India sentiments” of people.

    She made these comments in a TV show in response to a question about the use of terms “traitor”, “Modi’s friend” and “Indian agent” by government officials to discredit political rivals.

    According to Firdous, it’s easy for politicians to exploit the “anti-India” sentiments of people, which was why treason allegations have remained an integral part of Pakistani politics.

    When asked if the government was using these trick to malign its opponents, Firdous said this practice is allegedly employed by all political parties, not just the government.

    However, the government has accused the opposition of peddling the pro-India narrative multiple times. In Sept this year after the opposition blocked an anti-terror legislation, the prime minister had said that by blocking Financial Action Task Force (FATF) legislation the opposition was serving Indian interests.

    Also, after the formation of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) and its aggressive stance towards the army establishment, the ministers have accused the opposition leaders, especially former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, of harming Pakistan to favour his “Indian friend”.

  • After Pakistan issues new map, Nawab of Junagarh says princely state will soon become its part

    Months after Islamabad issued a new political map that also included occupied Kashmir among other erstwhile princely states currently under Indian rule, Nawab of Junagarh Muhammad Jahangir Khanji has said that the city in the Indian state of Gujarat “will soon become a part of Pakistan”.

    Addressing a news conference in Islamabad, Nawab Khanji urged the United Nations (UN) to play its role in the liberation of Junagarh from Indian occupation. He also appealed to Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan to become its ambassador as he did in the case of Kashmir to highlight the issue of liberation from New Delhi’s illegal rule at all international forums.

    The Nawab said a secretariat of Junagarh should be established in Islamabad to bring the princely state closer to Pakistan and told the participants that November 9 was observed as a black day as on this day in 1947 India occupied the territory of Junagarh.

    “The occupation was against the international law and norms,” he said, adding that a living nation should remember its history and act accordingly.

    Junagarh, he said, had a territory of 4,000 square miles and a 100-mile coastline along the Arabian Sea with many ports. Among the 562 princely states in the sub-continent, Junagarh was the sixth richest and a welfare state which provided free education to its citizens and took responsibility to provide healthcare facilities to all of them, Dawn quoted him as saying.

    He recalled that in October 1947, during his visit to Pakistan his grandfather Nawab Mahabat Khan signed an agreement of accession to Pakistan. During the visit, his grandfather held a meeting with Quaide Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and decided to accede the state to Pakistan.

    The treaty of accession was ratified by the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan.

    In the absence of his grandfather, India landed its troops and occupied the territory of Junagarh on November 9, 1947, he said.

    The Nawab said that after the creation of India and Pakistan, the sovereign rulers of the states were given the right of choice to stay independent or accede to India or Pakistan.

    He said that Pakistan took the case of occupation of Junagarh to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

    He vowed to continue struggle for the liberation of Junagarh.

    “I will not rest and will not stay quiet till I have achieved my goal of the liberation of Junagarh,” he said.

    The Nawab said that Junagarh was part of Pakistan and it would remain so.

    He said that Hindu and Muslim communities in Junagarh still expressed their loyalties to the Nawab of Junagarh. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi should know that Junagarh would be part of Pakistan, he said.

    He said it was a dream of the Quaid-i-Azam and his grandfather that Junagarh should be part of Pakistan.

    In reply to a question, he said 2.5 million people belonging to Junagarh lived in Pakistan.

    He said his grandfather never claimed any property or benefits in Pakistan.

  • PTI likely to win GB polls: survey

    PTI likely to win GB polls: survey

    The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is expected to outperform its rivals, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), in Gilgit-Baltistan elections to be held on Nov 15, according to two surveys conducted in the region.

    As per Gallup Pakistan and Pulse Consultant, PM Imran Khan is the most popular leader in GB, followed by Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and Nawaz Sharif.

    Gallup survey says 27% respondents would vote for PTI on the election day, whereas 24% would vote for PPP. Only 14% respondents have supported the PML-N. The survey says 42% respondents have named Imran Khan as their favourite leader, 17% said Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, while 15% said it was Nawaz Sharif. Only 3% named Maryam Nawaz.

    Pulse Consultant says 35% of the respondents would likely to vote for PTI, 26% prefer PPP, whereas 14% would choose PML-N on Nov 15. At least 41% named Imran Khan as the most popular leader, 23% said Bilawal while 16% named Nawaz Sharif as the most popular leader, it added.

    The two polls also asked the GB people if the elections would be free and fair. To this, 29% voters told Pulse that they believed elections will be transparent; 20% said they will not be transparent.

    As per the Gallup survey, 31% said elections would be completely fair, 29% said they would be fair to some extent, 28% said they could not say anything.

    The PPP, PML-N and PTI leaders, including Maryam Nawaz and Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari are in Gilgit-Baltistan in an attempt canvass their supporters ahead of the elections in the region. The PML-N and PPP have claimed pre-poll rigging in the polls, whereas the GB election chief commissioner has assured “free and fair” polls.