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  • Billionaire Taj Afridi richest senator; PML-N’s Zafarul Haq has Rs50,000 in bank accounts, no properties

    Senator Taj Muhammad Afridi is the richest member of the Senate with assets worth Rs1.22 billion, as the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) issues details of assets owned by the members of the Senate in 2019-20.

    According to details, Taj Muhammad Afridi owns assets worth Rs1.22 billion which also included over Rs160 million worth assets abroad.

    Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani owned assets worth Rs106.3 million which included properties in Pakistan worth over Rs50 million, besides owning four vehicles. Deputy Chairman Saleem Mandviwalla owns assets worth Rs67.7 million.

    According to details of the assets owned by members of the treasury benches, Federal Minister Azam Swati owns assets worth over Rs810 million, followed by Farogh Naseem, who possesses assets worth Rs400 million.

    Information Minister Shibli Faraz has assets up to Rs46.7 million, Leader of the House in Senate Shehzad Waseem owns assets worth over Rs200 million while his wife also possesses assets worth Rs170 million. Senator Faisal Javed holds assets worth Rs10 million, whereas Muzafar Hussain Shah of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-F) owns assets worth Rs30 million.

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senator Chaudhry Tanveer owns agricultural land of Rs36.7 million, non-agricultural land of Rs47.4 million, besides having Rs37.9 million in bank accounts and furniture worth Rs2.5 million.

    Mushahidullah Khan possesses plots worth Rs7.5 million, shares of Rs65,000 in stocks and jewellery worth Rs0.8 million. He also owns Rs3.1 million in bank accounts.

    Senator Abdul Qayyum owns assets including land worth Rs86.4 million. Senator Pervaiz Rasheed does not own any assets in the country and abroad and only has Rs3.3 million in bank accounts. Senator Raja Zafarul Haq showed only Rs50,000 in the bank accounts without having any property in his name.

    PPP Senator Rehman Malik owns foreign assets worth 1.3 million pounds while his wife also possesses 50 tolas of jewellery worth Rs2.7 million.

    Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar owns immovable properties worth Rs120 million, besides having shares of Rs5 million in stocks, vehicles worth up to Rs38.4 million and Rs23.4 million in bank accounts.

    Raza Rabbani revealed assets worth millions of rupees including Rs15.3 million investments in the business, Rs6.2 million worth gifted property, besides owning millions in bank accounts. He also paid an income tax of Rs1.5 million.

    Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Senator Sirajul Haq is amongst the poorest Senators as he has inherited 12 kanals of land, investments of Rs361,000 in a business and Rs600,000 in bank accounts.

    Senator Talha Mahmood of the JUI-F owns Rs90 million in bank accounts, vehicles worth Rs44.8 million, besides properties worth Rs160 million. He also has investments of Rs27 million and further had other assets worth Rs33 million.

    Abdul Ghafoor Haideri of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) has revealed assets worth over Rs6.3 million.

  • ‘Notification rejected’: Nawaz refuses to trust army probe

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supreme leader Nawaz Sharif has refused to accept an inquiry report pertaining to the involvement of the Rangers and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) officials in the arrest of Capt (r) Safdar, saying the report shied away from naming the “real culprits”.

    In a tweet, the former prime minister, who has been in s self-imposed exile in London for almost a year now for medical reasons, termed the report as a “cover-up”.

    “Inquiry report on Karachi incident is a cover-up scapegoating juniors and shielding the real culprits. Report “Rejected”,” the ousted premier tweeted.

    It may be noted here that only Nawaz Sharif from the PML-N has commented on the inquiry report.

    As for the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), its spokesperson Mian Iftikhar Hussain termed the development in the inquiry “a victory of the democratic forces”. The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chairman, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, also welcomed the report.

    In a statement on Tuesday, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) had said that the court of inquiry constituted to redress the grievances of the Sindh IG, on the orders of COAS Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa, had been completed.

    “The court of inquiry has established that on the night of Oct 18/Oct 19, officers from Pakistan Rangers (Sindh) and ISI sector Headquarters Karachi were considerably seized with the fall out of the desecration of Mazare Quaid [Jinnah’s mausoleum],” read a statement issued by the military’s media wing.

    “They were under increasing public pressure to ensure prompt action as per the law. Assessing the response of police authorities against this developing yet volatile situation to be slow and wanting, in a charged environment, the concerned officers decided to act, rather overzealously,” the ISPR statement had said.

    “They were indeed experienced enough to have acted more prudently and could have avoided creating an unwarranted situation that led to the misunderstanding between the two state institutions.

    “Based on the recommendations of the court of inquiry, it has been decided to remove the concerned officers from their current assignments for further departmental proceedings and disposal at GHQ,” the statement had added.

    KARACHI INCIDENT:

    Last month, the ISPR had said the army chief had taken notice of and ordered an immediate inquiry into the “Karachi incident”, Dawn reported.

    At the time, the ISPR did not specify which incident it was referring to. However, the statement came minutes after PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari called on Gen Bajwa and ISI Director General (DG) Faiz Hameed to investigate the circumstances surrounding the arrest of the PML-N leader, who was in Karachi for an anti-government rally of the joint opposition.

    On October 19, Safdar, who was staying at a hotel with his wife, PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz, was arrested for “violating the sanctity of Jinnah’s mausoleum” by raising political slogans at the venue, surrounded by hundreds of party workers.

    Following Safdar’s arrest, a purported voice message by PML-N leader and former Sindh governor Muhammad Zubair was shared by a journalist in which Zubair alleged that the IG was kidnapped and forced to register the FIR [First Information Report] against Maryam, her husband Safdar and 200 others for violating the sanctity of the tomb.

    In the audio clip circulating on Twitter, Zubair said that Sindh Chief Minister (CM) Murad Ali Shah confirmed to him that police were pressured into making the arrest. “When they [police] refused to do that, Rangers kidnapped [the IGP],” Zubair had said.

    Maryam had also alleged that the Sindh police chief was forcibly “taken to the sector commander’s office and asked to sign on the arrest orders”.

    The statement by the military’s media wing comes days after PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif said that the inquiry into the “alleged abduction” of the Sindh IG and additional IG, and the “storming of Maryam’s room” had not been made public despite Gen Bajwa’s “personal assurance”.

  • ISI, Rangers officials removed over Sindh IG incident that PM Imran termed ‘comedy’

    Officials of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Sindh Rangers involved in the “Karachi incident” that was termed by Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan as a “comedy”, have been removed pending further departmental proceedings for acting “overzealously”.

    “I believe it is a comedy. When I think about that, I laugh. What is happening? It is unfortunate that all the enemies of Pakistan, including India and Israel, are with them,” the premier had said while referring to the incident wherein Sindh Inspector General (IG) Mushtaq Mahar had allegedly been coerced to issue arrest warrants against Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Capt (r) Safdar.

    The humiliating treatment meted out to the top cop, however, had led to senior officials asking the government for 60 days leave, and chairperson of Sindh’s ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) demanding Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa to hold an inquiry into the incident. The army chief had subsequently ordered Karachi corps commander to conduct an immediate probe into the incident.

    In a statement on Tuesday, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that the court of inquiry constituted to redress the grievances of the Sindh IG, on the orders of COAS Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa, had been completed.

    “The court of inquiry has established that on the night of Oct 18/Oct 19, officers from Pakistan Rangers (Sindh) and ISI sector Headquarters Karachi were considerably seized with the fall out of the desecration of Mazare Quaid [Jinnah’s mausoleum],” read a statement issued by the military’s media wing.

    “They were under increasing public pressure to ensure prompt action as per the law. Assessing the response of police authorities against this developing yet volatile situation to be slow and wanting, in a charged environment, the concerned officers decided to act, rather overzealously,” the ISPR statement said.

    “They were indeed experienced enough to have acted more prudently and could have avoided creating an unwarranted situation that led to the misunderstanding between the two state institutions.

    “Based on the recommendations of the court of inquiry, it has been decided to remove the concerned officers from their current assignments for further departmental proceedings and disposal at GHQ,” the statement added.

    ‘KARACHI INCIDENT’:

    Last month, the ISPR had said the army chief had taken notice of and ordered an immediate inquiry into the “Karachi incident”, Dawn reported.

    At the time, the ISPR did not specify which incident it was referring to. However, the statement came minutes after PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari called on Gen Bajwa and ISI Director General (DG) Faiz Hameed to investigate the circumstances surrounding the arrest of the PML-N leader, who was in Karachi for an anti-government rally of the joint opposition.

    On October 19, Safdar, who was staying at a hotel with his wife, PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz, was arrested for “violating the sanctity of Jinnah’s mausoleum” by raising political slogans at the venue, surrounded by hundreds of party workers.

    Following Safdar’s arrest, a purported voice message by PML-N leader and former Sindh governor Muhammad Zubair was shared by a journalist in which Zubair alleged that the IG was kidnapped and forced to register the FIR [First Information Report] against Maryam, her husband Safdar and 200 others for violating the sanctity of the tomb.

    In the audio clip circulating on Twitter, Zubair said that Sindh Chief Minister (CM) Murad Ali Shah confirmed to him that police were pressured into making the arrest. “When they [police] refused to do that, Rangers kidnapped [the IGP],” Zubair had said.

    Maryam had also alleged that the Sindh police chief was forcibly “taken to the sector commander’s office and asked to sign on the arrest orders”.

    The statement by the military’s media wing comes days after PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif said that the inquiry into the “alleged abduction” of the Sindh IG and additional IG, and the “storming of Maryam’s room” had not been made public despite Gen Bajwa’s “personal assurance”.

    “Despite Gen Bajwa’s personal assurance, result of inquiry into abduction of IG/AIG Sindh & storming of Maryam Nawaz’s room hasn’t been made public. Does this nation have the right to know the reasons for delay?,” he tweeted.

  • PM believes his popularity is rising, opposition is propagandising inflation

    PM believes his popularity is rising, opposition is propagandising inflation

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has said the opposition was just propagandising inflation as all economic indicators were highlighting a positive trend, The News reported.

    He expressed these views while chairing a meeting to review the overall political situation in the country as well as the government’s media strategy. Imran directed his economic team to highlight the successes achieved by the government in the media.

    He said the political leaders responsible for the current economic mess were misleading the masses to save their face and politics. He maintained that it was due to the policies of the previous governments that the masses were suffering, say media reports.

    “We have overcome the effects of their economic decisions after two years of work and finally the economy is witnessing stability,” he added. The premier said the benefits of growing economy would soon be shifted to the masses.

    “The economic team should tell the masses as to how the previous governments ruined the economy,” he said.

    The premier added that the public gatherings in Swat and Hafizabad had once again proved that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) enjoyed the confidence of masses.

    “PTI will also clean sweep the Gilgit-Baltistan elections as the support of the people at the rallies prove the rise in our popularity,” he said.

  • ‘Pakistan got no reason to celebrate Pfizer vaccine’

    A day after Pfizer, a US pharmaceutical company, announced 90 per cent effective coronavirus vaccine, Pakistan’s anti-coronavirus task force head Dr Attaur Rahman said that it was “too early to celebrate the success” for multiple reasons.

    In a statement on Monday, Pfizer said that an early peek at the data suggested the shots may be a surprisingly robust 90% effective at preventing COVID-19. “We’re in a position potentially to be able to offer some hope,” Dr Bill Gruber, Pfizer’s senior vice president of clinical development, told The Associated Press. “We’re very encouraged.”

    Reacting to the celebrations, Dr Rahman said the vaccine would not be suitable for Pakistan owing to multiple problems, especially the storage issue.

    According to the task force chairman, the vaccine needs to be kept at a temperature of -80 °C, which was a major problem for third world countries, including Pakistan.

    “We should not think much about this vaccine, instead focus on other vaccines that are being developed and have seen similar results but haven’t been announced with fanfare. They are working quietly,” said Dr Rahman.

    It may be noted here that the number of coronavirus cases are soaring across Pakistan amid resurgence of the virus. On Monday, Pakistan registered over 1,500 infections and over a dozen deaths.

    The government, as a result, has tighten restrictions to curb the infection rate.

    PFIZER VACCINE:

    Dr Anthony Fauci, the US government’s top-infectious disease expert, said the results suggesting 90% effectiveness are “just extraordinary,” adding: “Not very many people expected it would be as high as that.”

    “It’s going to have a major impact on everything we do with respect to COVID,” Fauci said.

    Pharmaceutical companies and various countries are in a global race to develop a vaccine against the virus. Fauci said that the Pfizer vaccine and virtually all others in testing target the spike protein the coronavirus uses to infect cells, so the results validate that approach.

    Monday’s announcement doesn’t mean a vaccine is imminent: This interim analysis, from an independent data monitoring board, looked at 94 infections recorded so far in a study that has enrolled nearly 44,000 people in the US and five other countries. Some participants got the vaccine, while others got dummy shots.

    Pfizer Inc. did not provide any more details about those infections and cautioned that the initial protection rate might change by the time the study ends. Even revealing such early data is highly unusual.

    Authorities have stressed it’s unlikely any vaccine will arrive much before the end of the year, and initial supplies will be rationed.

  • Military officials to brief parliamentary leaders on national security

    Military officials will this week be briefing parliamentary leaders from both the National Assembly (NA) and Senate on national security issues.

    According to a statement issued by the NA, the military officials will brief the parliamentarians in a meeting called by NA Speaker Asad Qaiser, who will also be the chair. It will take place in Committee Room Number 2 at 2 pm on Wednesday.

    According to the NA’s Twitter account, invitations have been sent to PTI’s Parliamentary leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi, PML-N’s Khawaja Asif, PPP’s Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, MMA’s Asad Mahmood and PML-Q’s Tariq Bashir Cheema.

    Furthermore, BNP-M’s Akhtar Mengal, MQM’s Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddqui and BAP’s Khalid Hussain Mangi have also been invited.

    The NA also said that invitations have been sent out to GDA’s Ghous Bakhsh Khan Mehar, Awami Muslim League’s Sheikh Rashid Ahmed and ANP’s Amir Haider Azam Khan.

    From Senate, invites have been sent to Mushahidullah Khan, Sherry Rehman, Muhammad Ali Khan Saif, Mir Akber Ahmed, Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haderi, Muhammad Usman Khan Kakar, Sirajul Haq, Sitara Ayaz, Dr Jahanzaib Jamaldini, Anwar ul Haq Kakar and Aurangzeb Khan.

    The NA further said that federal ministers Pervaiz Khattak, Ijaz Ahmed Shah, Ali Amin Gandapur, Shafqat Mahmood, Asad Umar, Shibli Faraz. PM’s adviser Babar Awan and SAPM Dr Moeed Yusuf have also been asked to attend the session.

    Meanwhile, Attorney General Khalid Javed, interim CM of GB Mir Afzal, AJK President Masood Khan and AJK PM Raja Farooq Haider have also been sent special invitations.

  • ‘She is counting minutes’: Melania to divorce Donald Trump?

    Donald Trump, who recently lost his presidential re-election campaign to Democratic challenger Joe Biden, could soon find himself facing divorce proceedings, it has emerged. 

    British tabloid Daily Mail quoted a former aide to the first lady of the United States (US), Omarosa Manigault Newman, as saying that the 15-year marriage of Trump and Melania Trump is over and the latter is “counting the minutes until he is out of the office and she can divorce him”.

    “If she [Melania] were to try to pull the ultimate humiliation and leave while he’s in office, he would find a way to punish her,” he said when asked as to why did Melania not divorce Trump earlier.

    The report quoted another former aide, Stephanie Wolkoff Senior, who was the advisor to the first lady, as saying that Trump and Melania had separate bedrooms in the White House and a “transactional marriage”.

    Back in 2016, Melania had burst into tears when Trump won the presidential election as, one friend said, “she never expected him to win”. However, Melania waited five months before moving to Washington from New York allegedly because their son, Barron, had to finish school.

    However, Wolkoff said Melania was negotiating an agreement so that Barron could have an equal share of Trump’s fortune. “Now, four years later, she is going forth with her plan.”

    Reports also say that Trump’s inner circle, including his wife Melania, wants the 45th US president to accept his loss and concede defeat to President-elect Biden and exit the office “gracefully”.

  • Raheel Sharif asked Nawaz Sharif for extension thrice, says ex-general

    Former army chief Gen Raheel Sharif had asked then prime minister Nawaz Sharif to extend his tenure as the chief of army staff thrice, revealed former minister Gen (r) Abdul Qadir Baloch in a talk show.

    Baloch, who was a SAFRON [ministry of states and frontier regions] minister during the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz government, recently parted ways with the party over its supreme leader Nawaz Sharif’s aggressive stance towards the military establishment, especially the incumbent army chief.

    During the TV show, the retired general claimed that as per Nawaz Sharif the former COAS had requested him for an extension thrice. “It was a great disappointment for me as I had expected Raheel Sharif to retire gracefully like a true soldier,” he added.

    Last week, Baloch decided to bid goodbye to the Nawaz league for allegedly speaking against the army. He said that he was leaving the party with “heavy heart” over anti-army rhetoric of the PDM leadership. The ex-general was referring to the speeches made by the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) leadership during its rallies.

    “I am a product of the army and cannot stand by the narrative of disobedience since it would be extremely injurious to the country. I have taken the decision of parting ways with heavy heart,” said the retired general who had also served as Corps Commander in Quetta.

  • Passenger arrested for carrying quail in pocket on Peshawar flight

    Passenger arrested for carrying quail in pocket on Peshawar flight

    A passenger at the Bacha Khan International Airport was arrested for bringing a quail bird with him on a flight on Sunday.

    According to details, a passenger entered the plane carrying the bird in his pocket and took it out during the flight, flying from Jeddah to Peshawar and started playing with it.

    When an air hostess questioned him about it, he became angry with her, stated officials.

    The passenger was arrested by the Airport Security Force (ASF) on arrival at the Peshawar Airport. ASF officials took the quail into their custody. However, the passenger was later released after a written apology.

  • Medical test proves Arzoo Raja is a minor

    Medical test proves Arzoo Raja is a minor

    A medical test has proven that Arzoo Raja, the teenage Christian girl who was allegedly abducted before being forcefully converted and married to a Muslim man, is around 14 years of age, social activist and lawyer Jibran Nasir announced on Monday.

    According to Jibran, who is part of the legal team fighting the case on behalf of Arzoo’s parents, the Sindh High Court (SHC) has also recognised NADRA (National Database & Registration Authority) documents stating Arzoo’s age to be 13 as true.

    “[The court] declares prima facie [at first sight] she contracted child marriage. Arzoo to remain in shelter home till next hearing,” he tweeted.

    In a subsequent tweet, Jibran added that the court has not disposed off the petition and the next hearing will be held after two weeks.

    “Court is yet to determine whether #Arzoo is sui juris [of one’s own right] to convert religion of free will given her age of 13. At this stage, only question of child marriage has been addressed and resolved,” he said further.

    Earlier, amid public outrage, Sindh government spokesperson Murtaza Wahab had announced Arzoo’s recovery.

    Speaking to Dawn, acting Karachi police chief Additional IG Arif Hanif had confirmed that the 13-year-old girl had been recovered safely and her purported husband had also been arrested.

    The city police chief had said the girl would be sent to a shelter home as per the directions of the SHC while the suspect would be presented before the court.

    “The judge has ordered the girl be recovered by police and relevant agencies and shifted to a shelter home. Next hearing fixed for Thursday morning [November 5]. My lawyer has informed the court that an intervener will be filed on my behalf,” Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari had said in a tweet.

    Officials, including Sindh Governor Imran Ismail, have been reiterating resolve of the authorities concerned to resolve Arzoo’s case at the earliest.