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  • ‘NAB forcing me to become approver against Shehbaz,’ former LWMC MD tells court

    ‘NAB forcing me to become approver against Shehbaz,’ former LWMC MD tells court

    A senior bureaucrat and former managing director (MD) of Lahore Waste Management Company (LWMC), Waseem Ajmal has told an accountability court that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) is forcing him into becoming “approver” against former chief minister (CM) Shehbaz Sharif, Dawn reported.

    According to the details, NAB had earlier arrested Waseem, BS-20 officer, on charges of embezzling Rs1 billion in LWMC project and presented him before the court to seek his physical remand as he was arrested the other day.

    During his appearance, Waseem stated before the court that the investigating officer, during the interrogation, kept persuading him to become an approver against the former CM.

    He added that the NAB possessed complete record of the case but it wanted to extract a ‘confessional’ statement from him.

    “The NAB had also put same pressure on me in Saaf Pani case,” said Ajmal adding that the bureau previously kept him in custody for 48 days in the Saaf Pani case but did not interrogate him beyond two hours.

    He further claimed that the NAB wasted precious time of his career and found nothing against him. The Lahore High Court (LHC) had earlier released Ajmal on bail in the Saaf Pani case on January 30 last.

    The NAB prosecutor had argued that then CM Shehbaz Sharif awarded the contract of LWMC project to a Turkish company-Al-Bayrak on inflated rates which caused a loss of over Rs1 billion to the national exchequer.

    The prosecutor said that Ajmal being MD and team leader of the LWMC held a meeting on April 26, 2014, in which he intentionally concealed details from other board members.

    Ajmal’s counsel Mian Ali Ashfaq opposed the remand and said his client had to attend a three-month course for promotion in next grade. The court, however, granted 10-day physical remand of the accused to the NAB and sought his appearance again on Nov 30.

  • Chief justice warns Imran against blaming judiciary for Nawaz’s departure

    Chief justice warns Imran against blaming judiciary for Nawaz’s departure

    Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Asif Saeed Khan Khosa has said that it weren’t the courts that allowed ailing former prime minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif to leave the country and PM Imran Khan should refrain from making such statements.

    “The PM should not blame the courts for Nawaz’s departure by saying we wrapped up the case of an influential person because, for us it is only the law that is all-powerful,” the top judge said while addressing a gathering in Islamabad.

    He said that the premier had mentioned “powerful and the weak” in his speech without realising that the judiciary had wrapped up around 3.6 million cases of those who were neither powerful nor influential.

    CJP Khosa further said that both the powerful and the weak were equal for the judiciary and these were the same courts that had sentenced one PM and disqualified another.

    “Only the law is powerful to us,” the top judge said, adding that he would not comment over any subjudice matter unlike the premier, but “whoever left the country was allowed by PM Imran himself”.

    “Another verdict is about to come,” he said in what appeared to be a hint at the forthcoming ruling on former military ruler Gen (r) Pervez Musharraf’s high-treason case.

  • ‘Left suppressed Pakistan because my followers wanted me to be safe,’ Altaf tells Indian media

    ‘Left suppressed Pakistan because my followers wanted me to be safe,’ Altaf tells Indian media

    Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) founder Altaf Hussain, who has been declared an absconder by Pakistan in murder, terrorism and hate-speech cases among others, has called the country a suppressed nation where his life is in danger.

    Speaking to a India’s Republic TV, Altaf said he was compelled to leave Pakistan as “there existed a nexus of the military and politicians in the country and assassins had been hired to kill him”.

    The 66-year-old politician is living in London for more than two decades now and was recently banned from appearing on any form of media in the UK or Pakistan by the Westminster Magistrates’ Court, after Scotland Yard charged him with a terrorism offence in the incitement speech inquiry against him.

    Altaf was charged with encouraging terrorism after a 2016 address to supporters in Karachi that was followed by violent protests. 

    He faces several years imprisonment for the speech which was “likely to be understood” as encouraging supporters to acts of terrorism, or was “reckless” of the possible consequences.

    Altaf had earlier requested Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi to help him by giving him asylum in India besides financial help to him and his companions. Meanwhile, Lawyers are assessing whether Hussain has breached his bail conditions by asking the Indian premier to let him stay in India while he awaits trial of his case.

    WATCH VIDEO:

  • Australia bans female cricketer for leaking team news on social media

    Australia bans female cricketer for leaking team news on social media

    Cricket Australia have banned wicketkeeper Emily Smith of Hobart Hurricanes for revealing team news on Instagram before of its official release time, Samaa reported.

    According to the details, Emily had posted the team line-up on her personal Instagram handle ahead of the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) match against Sydney Thunder on November 2, leaking the news one hour before its official publication time.

    The
    anti-corruption code of Cricket Australia restrains “disclosing inside
    information to any person (with or without reward) where the participant knew
    or might reasonably have known that such disclosure might lead to the
    information being used in relation to betting in relation to any match or
    event”.

    Cricket Australia head of integrity and security Sean Carroll has said, “Since the commencement of the WBBL, Cricket Australia has had in place a robust anti-corruption programme”, adding that “We have been working with Emily throughout the process and Emily now realizes the mistake she made. Unfortunately, in this instance, Emily’s actions breached the anti-corruption code.”

    Nine months of the ban have been suspended, meaning that Smith is
    likely to miss only three months of action.

  • Former PM Nawaz spotted in his air ambulance

    Former PM Nawaz spotted in his air ambulance

    Ailing former prime minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif, who is currently travelling from Lahore to London for medical treatment, was on Tuesday evening spotted in his air ambulance along with his younger brother Shehbaz Sharif and personal physician Dr Adnan Khan.

    Seven people are travelling with Nawaz, who was granted special permission by the court to seek medical treatment abroad despite his conviction in the Al-Azizia reference case and subsequent jail term. He had earlier been granted bail on humanitarian grounds while he sought treatment at Lahore’s Services Hospital.

    He had been shifted to the hospital from Kot Lakhpat jail after a precarious drop in his platelet count last month and later diagnosed with acute immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), an immune disorder that leads to an abrupt and sharp drop in blood platelet.

    The air ambulance that arrived at 8:45am at Lahore Airport on Tuesday, had Qatar as its first destination, from where it will continue its journey towards London. At least 21 senior Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders saw off their party supremo from the Hajj Terminal of the Lahore Airport earlier in the day.

    Since Nawaz’s name remains on the Exit Control List (ECL) even after the court allowed him to go abroad for medical treatment, he produced the court order to get past immigration officials. According to reports, his name will remain on the no-fly list as per the law, but his exemption according to the court order was mentioned in the computerised record.

    LHC VERDICT:

    The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Saturday permitted to remove Nawaz’s name from the ECL without any conditions for a time period of four weeks.

    On Friday, the LHC called the plea admissible regarding the removal of former premier’s name from the ECL on a conditional basis — the government had said it would allow a “one-time permission”, provided Nawaz deposited surety bonds worth Rs7-7.5 billion.

    In its decision, the LHC said that in case Nawaz’s health doesn’t improve then the time-period can be extended, adding that the government officials will be able to contact Nawaz through the Pakistani Embassy.

  • 23 Pakistani Origin women running for office in England

    23 Pakistani Origin women running for office in England

    More than 1,000 women will be running for elections in the United Kingdom in the general elections on December 12. Out of the 1,000, 23 women have Pakistani or Kashmiri roots.

    Naz Shah is a Labour Party MP. She was appointed to a junior Shadow Ministerial role as  Shadow Minister of State for Women and Equalities.

    Nine of the Pakistani origin women are running for a parliamentary seat for the Labour Party. Three out of the nine women – Yasmin Qureshi, Naz Shah and Shabana Mahmood – were members of the previous two Parliaments.

    Yasmin Qureshi is with the Labour Party. She headed the criminal legal section of the UN Mission in Kosovo
    Shabana Mahmood is a British Labour Party politician and barrister, who has been the Member of Parliament since 2010

    Five Pakistani origin women are running for a parliamentary seat on a Conservative Party ticket. One of them – Nusrat Ghani – has been elected twice before and was also a minister in the previous two cabinets.

    Nusrat Ghani, also known as Nus Ghani is with the Conservative Party.  She currently serves as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Transport and Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

    Two candidates – Irum Altaf Kiyani and Humera Kamran are contesting as independents.

  • Railways staff destroys all my hard work: Shiekh Rasheed

    Railways staff destroys all my hard work: Shiekh Rasheed

    Federal Minister for Railways Shiekh Rasheed has blamed the railway staff for destroying his efforts that he has done for the betterment of railway, Geo reported.

    According to the details, the minister has said that due to increasing number of accidents, railway staff always waste his efforts, adding that such accidents should be avoided.

    He said, “I had done a lot about education in Pakistan, adding that soon there will be four universities in Rawalpindi.

    At least 74 people were killed and dozens injured on Thursday after cooking gas cylinders exploded near Rahim Yar Khan’s Liaqatpur area.

    The Tezgam train was on its way from Karachi to Rawalpindi when the gas cylinder carried by a passenger exploded, killing and injuring passengers. The fire destroyed three of the train’s carriages, including two economy class carriages and one business class carriage.

    The railways minister had also announced a Rs1.5 million compensation for the families of the deceased in the Tezgam incident and Rs0.5 million for those injured.

  • Sindh High Court reminds PCB of players’ sheesha controversy, seeks answer

    Sindh High Court reminds PCB of players’ sheesha controversy, seeks answer

    The Sindh High Court (SHC) has resent a notice to Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on a petition regarding its inaction against former national team skipper Shoaib Malik and other cricketers for violating team rules, Geo News reported. 

    Prior to a crucial match against arch-rivals India at the World Cup 2019, batsman Malik was snapped at a cafe in London along with two other players — Wahab Riaz and Imamul Haq, as an unidentified person consumed sheesha on their table. 

    According to the details, petitioner Abdul Jalil Marwat had claimed that the players were spotted consuming sheesha at a cafe in England the night before the match with India on June 16. 

    He further alleged that Malik, Wahab and Imam performed poorly, perhaps as a result of their disregard for rules and regulations, which resulted in Pakistan’s loss.

    After the cricket board had failed to take any action against these players, Marwat had requested the court to direct the PCB to explain why the players were not punished for violating the team management rules and regulations.

    A division bench of the high court, headed by Justice Mohammad Ali Mazhar, observed that no one had appeared in court on behalf of the PCB despite the issuance of notice.

    The court has now resent the notice to PCB through a district and sessions judge in Lahore and adjourned the hearing of the case till a later date that is yet to be determined. 

  • VIDEO: JUI-F leader claims Azadi March ruined Israel’s 40 years of investment in Pakistan

    The Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) leader Rashid Mehmood Soomro has claimed that Israel has said that JUI-F’s Azadi March has ruined their 40 years investment in Pakistan.

    Rashid Somroo made these claims in a talk show with journalist Hamid Mir when the Azadi March protest was still active, the video of which has now gone viral over the internet.

    JUI-F leader said, “The Israeli newspapers have reported this that Azadi March has managed to ruin their 40 years investment in Pakistan”, adding that the protest also suppressed the talks about Pakistan accepting Israel as a state.

    Hamir Mir on this claim made by Rashid remarked that no government official had made any statement regarding the acceptance of Israel.

    To which JUI-F leader claimed that “top government officials were engaged in backdoor talks with Israel and were ready to accept it, but JUI-F successfully managed to stop these talks”.

    Watch Video:

    The protests, led by JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, began with the ‘Azadi March’ on October 27 from Karachi. Thousands of supporters reached Islamabad on October 31, holding a two-week sit-in on the city’s main highway.

    On November 13, Fazl ordered his supporters to disperse across the country to block roads, in what he termed as ‘Plan B’ to topple Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan.

    On Thursday protesters blocked the Grand Trunk Road between Islamabad and Afghanistan’s capital Kabul, causing lengthy delays. Similar disruptions were reported in Jacobabad — a city in Sindh linking the province with Balochistan and Punjab.

  • ‘Babar Azam is Jinnah’s grandson’ among other statements attributed to JUI-F leader

    Ever since Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) leader Mufti Kifayatullah has made a statement about Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s former wife, Jemima Goldsmith; that ‘Wiki of Wikileaks’ is her cousin, social media is flooded with funny quotes.

    Dr Farhan Virk, a social worker from Pakistan Tehreeke Insaf (PTI) had recently started a Twitter trend called “KifayatQuote” after Wiki-Jamima blunder and asked its followers to come up with funny quotes that they can attribute to JUI-F leader.

    Soon after Dr Farhan began the trend by sharing a meme on his Twitter handle which said, “Kartarpur is the cousin of Faryal Talpur” and wrote, “Guys, Grab your keyboards and start trending KifayatQuotes as it is now time to pay a tribute to this great legend of social media and Azadi March”.

    Since then the Twitter users across Pakistan are sharing funny quotes and attributing all of them to Mufti Kifayat.

    One of the users wrote that Pakistan Cricket team’s skipper and batsman Babar Azam is the grandson of Quaide Azam.

    https://twitter.com/Shaziaa24/status/1193963917141262336

    Another wrote that “Babar Azam and PM Imran are cousins”.

    https://twitter.com/saadiraja183/status/1193963531957362691?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1193963531957362691&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fpublish.twitter.com%2F%3Fquery%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Ftwitter.com%252Fsaadiraja183%252Fstatus%252F1193963531957362691%26widget%3DTweet

    While the rest of the users are making all kinds of random hilarious quotes and they are funny.

    https://twitter.com/umama86/status/1193965849750777856?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1193965849750777856&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fpublish.twitter.com%2F%3Fquery%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Ftwitter.com%252Fumama86%252Fstatus%252F1193965849750777856%26widget%3DTweet
    https://twitter.com/qijalali/status/1193963853782102017
    https://twitter.com/Arman2k3/status/1193963690703433729