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  • KYA BOLA? (Jul 30): ‘Sciencedaan Fawad Chaudhry’ to ‘Imran Khan k aglay 6 maah ki ahmeeyat’

    KYA BOLA? (Jul 30): ‘Sciencedaan Fawad Chaudhry’ to ‘Imran Khan k aglay 6 maah ki ahmeeyat’

    Following are some snippets that stood out from Urdu newspapers on July 30, 2020, which The Current takes no responsibility for.

    ‘Sciencedaan Fawad Chaudhry’

    It was reported by Daily Jang that Ruete Hilal [Moon-Sighting] Committee Chairman Mufti Muneebur Rehman has said, “Fawad Chaudhry ko calendar banaa kr denay walay humaray members hain. Hum 25 saal se Ruet chalaa rahay hain, Fawad Chaudhary kahaan se sciencedaan aa gaye?”

    The statement comes days after yet another war of words erupted between the cleric and the science and technology minister over moon-sighting, this time for the Islamic month of Zil Hajj.

    ‘Tania Aidrus aur Zafar Mirza’

    According to Daily Jang, Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry has said, “Wazire Azam shayad Zafar Mirza k kaam say mutmayin nahi thay. Dono isteefo’n ka dual nationality se koi taaluq nahi tha.”

    A day earlier, special assistant to the prime minister on health, Dr Zafar Mirza, and on digital Pakistan, Tania Aidrus, had announced having submitted their resignations, saying it was over criticism following the assets and dual nationality report of PM’s aides. Pundits had, however, hinted at possible trouble in Islamabad and said that there was more to the resignations.

    ‘Imran Khan k aglay 6 maah ki ahmeeyat’

    Senior journalist and analyst Hamid Mir, in his column for Daily Jang, has said,“Imran Khan ne 2 saal tou jaisay taisay mukamal kr liye lekin Eid k bad inka asal imtehaan shuru honay wala hai. Agly 6 maah in k liye aham hain aur buhat mushkil bhi… yeh 6 maah nikal gaye to Imran Khan k liye paanch saal mukammal krna asaan hojayega.”

  • ‘Army chiefs should serve as president of Pakistan after retirement’

    ‘Army chiefs should serve as president of Pakistan after retirement’

    Twice former prime minister (PM) of the Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK) region Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan has suggested that every chief of army staff (COAS) should be allowed to serve as the country’s president after retirement so as to enhance Pakistan’s foreign policy while keeping in view the defence and strategic significance of the country.

    “Pakistan has a lot of enemies and our politicians are unable to realise that the country’s defence is a lot more important than economy or democracy,” he said while speaking to a private media outlet.

    Ahmed said that the current parliamentary system had failed and it needed to be fixed while enhancing cooperation between different institutions. “Army’s help is sought every time the country faces any major challenge. The difference between help and interference must be made clear.”

    WATCH VIDEO:

    He maintained that the constitution should be amended so as to help the executive branch and accompany any elected PM with a president who is an ex-army chief.

    “I believe the chemistry between the serving and the now-president-for-four-years army chiefs would benefit Pakistan’s defence and foreign affairs,” Ahmed said and also cited the example of former United States’ (US) secretary of state Colin Luther Powell.

    An American politician, diplomat and retired four-star general, Powell served as the 65th US state secretary from 2001 to 2005.

    Ahmed also said such steps were needed to strengthen the constitution and not individuals.

    While many differ on the ex-AJK PM’s statement, it merits a mention that experts believe the military is already continuing to shape Pakistan’s security and foreign policies.

    According to a forecast report released by The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) and cited by Dawn in November last year, Pakistan Army was likely to continue shaping the country’s foreign and security policy while the government was expected to largely amenable to this arrangement.

    While the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) boasts of civil-military relations in Pakistan being at their historic best — a claim verified by the military’s media wing as well — the report had also outlined Pakistan’s political and economic outlook for the period of 2020 to 2024 and forecast that the PTI would serve its full term while opposition parties would remain in a state of disarray owing to legal challenges facing their leaders.

  • KYA BOLA? (Jul 28): ‘Sindh k barsaati maindak’ to ‘Aglay aath dino ki ehmiyat’

    KYA BOLA? (Jul 28): ‘Sindh k barsaati maindak’ to ‘Aglay aath dino ki ehmiyat’

    Following are some snippets that stood out from Urdu newspapers on July 28, 2020, which The Current takes no responsibility for.

    ‘Sindh k barsaati maindak’

    It has been reported by Daily Jang that Bakhtawar Bhutto-Zardari has thanked the Sindh government for its hard work in draining out rainwater from different areas of Karachi.“Saari raat sarrko’n ki nigraani krnay pr Sindh government ka shukriya adaa krti hun. Sab saaf hogya lekin badqismati se hum barsaati maindako’n k masaail hal nahi kr saktay jo baarish hotay he nikal aatay hain.”

    Daughter of the late former prime minister (PM) Benazir Bhutto and former president Asif Ali Zardari was taking a dig at the critics of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) led Sindh government who had been raising their voices after Karachi was flooded following heavy moonsoon rains.

    ‘Churrailo’n ne Pakistan k dou tukrray kiye’

    Prominent senior journalist and analyst Suhail Warraich, in his column for Daily Jang, has written, “Yeh churrailei’n he theen jinho’n ne Mashraqi aur Maghrabi Pakistan mein ghalat fehmiya’n paida ki aur humein judaa kr dia. Agar churrailei’n larraayi naa krwatee’n to Ziaul Haq 90 din mein election krwa kr chalay jatay.”

    ‘Aglay aath dino ki ehmiyat’

    According to Daily Dunya, Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid has said, “Agly aath [8] din buhat eham hain. Agar halaat theek rahay to tamaam cheezei’n khol di jayein gi.”

    The minister’s statement comes as the Punjab government imposes a province-wide smart lockdown ahead of Eidul Azha. It will remain in place until August 5.

  • Did you know Diamond Supreme Foam has an ‘Islamic mattress’?

    Did you know Diamond Supreme Foam has an ‘Islamic mattress’?

    One of Pakistan’s leading mattress manufacturers, Diamond Supreme Foam, has an ‘Islamic mattress’, which the bedding industry giant boasts is the first in Pakistan.

    According to details available on the company’s website, the mattress called ‘Saha’ has “scientifically been developed and balanced for every body type based on Islamic principles”.

    “The Saha is Pakistan’s first Islamic mattress engineered for people who sleep on their back or their right side which is the Islamic way for sleeping,” says the description of the mattress that costs around Rs17,000.

    Medical science tells us that that the best healthy sleeping position is to sleep on your back or on your right side which is also the Islamic way of sleeping, practiced and taught 1400 years ago, it adds.

    “Sleeping on the right side does not let the weight of stomach and intestine to suppress the heart, hence blood circulation is not affected.  By sleeping on the right side, the heart remains in the topside, and aids the process of rising early before sunrise to perform Fajr: the prayer that starts off the day with the remembrance of God.”

    What do you think of the mattress and the manufacturer’s pitch? Let The Current know in the comments below.

  • Official, who banned books in Punjab over ‘blasphemous and anti-Pakistan’ content, is a ‘pervert and misogynist’

    Official, who banned books in Punjab over ‘blasphemous and anti-Pakistan’ content, is a ‘pervert and misogynist’

    Punjab Curriculum & Textbook Board (PCTB) Managing Director (MD) Rai Manzoor Hussain Nasir, who had on Thursday banned 100 books being taught in private schools for carrying “blasphemous and anti-Pakistan” content, has come under fire for being what Twitterati call is a “pervert and misogynist”.

    BOOKS BAN:

    Addressing a press conference, Nasir said that the PCTB had started critical review of 10,000 books being taught by private schools across the province and in the first phase had banned 100 books of 31 publishers including Oxford and Cambridge for blasphemous, immoral and anti-Pakistan content.

    The PCTB MD said that the board had formed 30 committees for this purpose. He said it was sad that nobody checked these books earlier and had no idea what was being taught to our kids in private schools against hefty fees. He said the banned books had distorted facts about Pakistan and its creation, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Allama Muhammad Iqbal while these books also carried blasphemous content. He said Pakistan was portrayed as an inferior country to India while Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK) was also shown as part of India in maps in some of these books.

    Rai Manzoor Nasir said that instead of including sayings of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Allama Muhammad Iqbal, etc. one of the books carried sayings of Mahatma Gandhi and some unknown people. He said in a book of Mathematics counting concepts were made explained to the young students showing pictures of pigs. He said one of the books by Cambridge tried to promote crime and violence among the students on the basis of unemployment in the country.

    The PCTB MD said that these 100 books had been immediately banned and the publishers had been directed to immediately stop publishing and selling the books. He said District Education Authorities (DEAs) across Punjab will visit private schools (after reopening of schools) to check if these books were still being taught. He said FIRs would be registered against the publishers for violation under the provisions of the Punjab Curriculum and Textbook Board Act 2015.

    ‘PERVERT AND MISOGYNIST’:

    Already under fire for what was criticised as a move to “crackdown on the future of children by banning books”, things took an uglier turn for the PCTB MD as Twitterati called him out over “hypocrisy” and being a “pervert and misogynist”.

    Besides calling him out for liking porn videos on Twitter, netizens also highlighted that Nasir was involved in moral policing over the social networking site.

    He was also criticised for being a racist and tweeting against Afghan refugees.

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

  • Coronavirus: Pakistan’s secret to ‘flattening the curve’

    According to a report published by The Washington Post on July 19, “Pakistan has flattened its coronavirus curve” as the past several days have seen fewer than 1,500 cases and 40 deaths on an average.

    So far, 5,677 people have succumbed to COVID-19 in Pakistan, which is 2.1% of the total infected population while almost 79% (210,468) patients have recovered.

    The initial estimate of the World Health Organization (WHO) was that the infection fatality rate (IFR) for COVID-19 would be 3.4%, which means that for every hundred cases at three or four people would lose their lives. But as per the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, the IFR has turned out to be much lower — at a mere 0.65%

    READ: Did COVID-19 peak in Pakistan in June?

    Pakistan’s total number of deaths from COVID-19 in June was 2,835. Since the second week of June, an average of 80 to 100 people had been dying on a daily basis and the same trend continued till June 30. The highest single-day death toll was 153 on June 19.

    So far in July, the highest number of deaths was recorded on the fourth day while the daily death toll within the first week stood at around 80. The trend came down to 60 to 70 deaths a day in the second week and the latest trend suggests up to 30 or 40 COVID-19 fatalities a day.

    Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid says that due to the strict quarantine policy of the provincial government, the virus has not spread as expected. She also says most fatalities are of those who are older than 60 years of age or are suffering from certain other diseases.

    READ: Is coronavirus ending in Pakistan?

    The rate of COVID-19 infections and deaths seems to have dropped significantly in Pakistan but it is an open secret that the number of cases and deaths is also being grossly misreported.

    “I am aware of a few cases in which patients with COVID-19 symptoms were never taken to hospitals and in case of death were laid to rest at large funeral gatherings,” said Love for Data Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Syed Tajamul Hussain. He added that the country hadn’t had a mortality census in a while and it was highly likely that cases were being under-reported amid limited testing capacity.

  • People want Waqar Zaka to be PM after court orders to lift PUBG ban

    People want Waqar Zaka to be PM after court orders to lift PUBG ban

    With the Islamabad High Court (IHC) ordering Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to immediately lift the ban imposed on popular online multiplayer game PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG), Pakistanis are taking to social media to praise VJ-turned-television host Waqar Zaka’s efforts in this regard and seek his election as the country’s prime minister (PM).

    Pakistan’s ban on PUBG had been challenged in the Sindh High Court (SHC) by Zaka who had taken to social media to express his outrage as well as “expose” some shady conspiracy theories behind the ban.

    According to the YouTuber, the ban on PUBG, which the authorities said had come after PTA received “numerous complaints against PUBG wherein it was stated that the game is addictive, wastage of time and poses a serious negative impact on the physical and psychological health of children”, was “actually to prevent Pakistani youth from excelling in e-sports”.

    “These are the same people who don’t want our children to become famous around the world, who don’t want our country to generate revenue online, who want to send out a message to the e-sports providers around the world to prevent them from setting up their business here – reason why YouTube never did. These people will not allow us to evolve, a digital revolution needs to be brought,” Zaka had said in a video message.

    With the popular television personality continuing to raise his voice against the ban and separately the IHC on Friday finally ordering PTA to lift it, here’s what people have to say as ‘#ThankYouWaqarZaka’ trends on Twitter in Pakistan.

    https://twitter.com/Qasim6tweets/status/1286562678362779648

    On June 23, Lahore Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Zulfiqar Hameed had recommended a ban on the online game.

    The CCPO had taken up the matter with the higher authorities through a letter referring to the death by suicide of a teenage boy, who was an ardent player of the game. It had led to a temporary ban on the game, which was followed by a PTA statement on Thursday, according to which the ban was to stay in place.

  • ‘Demolish illegal buildings’: Court orders sealing Navy’s elite sailing club

    ‘Demolish illegal buildings’: Court orders sealing Navy’s elite sailing club

    The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has ordered the Capital Development Authority (CDA) administration to seal the newly-constructed Navy Sailing Club, declaring the sports complex’s construction illegal.

    Two weeks ago, the CDA had served a notice to the navy for its allegedly illegal and unauthorised construction of the club and directed to immediately stop the construction of the building.

    During the hearing on Thursday, a board member told the court that the CDA had not issued any allotment letter for the land in question. To which, IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah asked if the authority had taken any action to halt the construction. “We had issued notices to the Navy,” the CDA representative informed the judge.

    “What do you mean ‘you issued notices’,” asked Justice Minallah. “Demolish the illegal buildings,” he said.

    READ: Islamabad admin at odds with Navy over construction of elite sailing club

    Last week, the navy had clarified that the land in question was, in fact, allotted to it in 1994 for the development of a water sports centre. A statement issued at the time had asserted that navy divers are trained at the club who, then, take part in rescue operations in all four provinces and the federally administrative units, including Azad Jammu and Kashmir, as the club is the only such facility in the north of the country.

    Citing a 1994 order of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the CDA official informed the court that the permission to build the sports facility was granted by prime minister of the day, Benazir Bhutto.

    However, the judge ordered the CDA to seal the facility before the next hearing, saying in case the authority fails to comply, the court will summon Cabinet Secretary Ahmad Nawaz Sukhera. He also directed the issue to be presented before the cabinet.

    The judge wondered if the flagship military project was supported by any legal provision providing space for a purportedly commercial project.

    When a Pakistan Navy representative, who was present in the court, sought time to submit a response, Justice Minallah asked what did the navy need time for. “We respect you, appreciate your sacrifices and honour your martyrs but an illegal construction isn’t allowed,” he said.

    “Why are you defending something which is indefensible [according to relevant laws],” he questioned.

    “Islamabad is the country’s capital, not a tribal area. No one is above the law. Not even this court.”

  • Punjab passes bill to protect Islam; crackdown on printing presses, publishers, book stores to follow

    The Punjab Assembly has passed the Punjab Tahaffuze Bunyade Islam Bill 2020, which Law Minister Raja Basharat says will prevent blasphemy of Holy Prophets (AS), Companions (RA) of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), Ahle Bait (RA) and Umhatul Momineen (RA).

    According to the minister, it will also prevent blasphemy of holy figures of other religions and the holy personalities of all religions beside helping to eradicate sectarianism and religious hatred.

    The printing and publication of objectionable material have been prohibited under the bill that also bars publishers, editors or translators from printing or publishing any books and material that consists of photographs or pictures of suicide bombers, terrorists, except as required by law enforcing agencies for purposes of investigation.

    Moreover, the new law has also made it mandatory that “the blessed name of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) be preceded by the title Khataman Nabiyyin or Khatamun Nabiyyin followed by ‘Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam’ in Arabic text”.

    The law has also empowered Directorate General Public Relations (DGPR) to visit and inspect the premises of printing presses, offices of publication houses and book stores.

    After the passage of the bill in the Punjab Assembly, Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi said it was a historic one. “I am highly thankful to Almighty Allah on its passage. This bill will prove a milestone in the protection of Islam and its supremacy. The federation and provinces should follow us in this regard. A similar one should also be passed by Centre and all provinces, and enforced all over Pakistan. The Section Number 3/F of this bill should be Article 295 of Pakistan Penal Code 1860,” the speaker said.

    He also thanked National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser for taking personal interest in this matter while praising Hafiz Ammar Yasir as well as Opposition Leader Hamza Shehbaz among other provincial lawmakers who played their full role in the passage of the bill.

  • Naya Pakistan: US report says Pakistan ‘most improved’ country in nuclear security

    Naya Pakistan: US report says Pakistan ‘most improved’ country in nuclear security

    A leading United States (US) non-proliferation watchdog has ranked Pakistan as the most improved in the security of those countries holding nuclear materials, improving its overall score by seven points.

    In its annual report, the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) said, “Pakistan’s improvements in the Security and Control Measures category are significant because strengthened laws and regulations result in durable boosts in Pakistan’s score as well as provide sustainable security benefits.”

    The NTI Nuclear Security Index is a public benchmarking project of nuclear security conditions on a country-by-country basis in 176 countries. Laura Kennedy, a former American diplomat, also commended Pakistan’s improvement in security ranking.

    “One welcome bit of news reported by #NTIindex is that #Pakistan ranked as most improved in security of those countries holding nuclear materials,” she tweeted.

    The report stated that the majority of Pakistan’s improvements are in the Security and Control Measures category because of its passage of new regulations. The country also improved in the Global Norms category.

    It said that Pakistan improved its score with the passage of time with eight points in 2014, two in 2016, and six in 2018 owing to new regulations for on-site physical protection.

    “In 2016, it passed new cybersecurity regulations. In 2018, it improved its insider threat protection. Its newest regulations mark a much larger shift.”

    The report further stated that Pakistan’s score improvement for regulatory measures is the second-largest improvement for regulations in the Index since 2012.

    Among countries with weapons-usable nuclear materials, Australia ranked first for the fifth time. It also ranks first in the sabotage ranking for the third time. Despite its repeated position at the top of the ranking, Australia continues to better its score, improving by +1 in both rankings.

    The report stated that among countries with weapons-usable nuclear materials, Canada and Switzerland tie for second, Germany is fourth, and the Netherlands and Norway tie for fifth.

    Among countries with nuclear facilities in the sabotage ranking, Canada, Finland, and the United Kingdom rank second, third, and fourth, respectively, and Germany and Hungary are tied for fifth.

    New Zealand and Sweden tie for first in the theft ranking for countries without weapon-usable nuclear materials, followed by Finland (third), Denmark and South Korea(tied for fourth), and Hungary and Spain (tied for sixth).

    In the ranking for 153 countries and Taiwan without materials, New Zealand and Sweden tie for first.