Category: Others

The Current is Pakistan’s first digital news-lifestyle platform and others that simplifies news for Pakistani millennials.

  • What’s the importance of the leaf behind D.G. ISPR?

    What’s the importance of the leaf behind D.G. ISPR?

    Military Spokesperson Major General Asif Ghafoor did a briefing yesterday, updating the press of Pakistan’s fight for Kashmir’s rights. He spoke about how Kashmir was Pakistan’s “jugular vein” and how Pakistan would protect it at all costs. He also warned India of any “misadventure” and said that “nuclear countries do not go to war”. During his briefing, the background was of a green leaf.

    D.G. ISPR Asif Ghafoor’s press briefing

    The leaf is a chinar tree leaf and symbolizes Kashmir. The chinar tree is largely found in Kashmir or European countries and it is largely believed that the Mughal Emperor Akbar planted chinars in the Kashmir valley.

    A large chinar tree

    1,200 saplings of chinar were planted at the same time in a ‘Char Chinar’ pattern, which is four chinar trees planted in four corners of a piece of land.

    Chinar leaf in autumn

    The Char Chinar pattern creates overarching shade so a person standing in any part of the area would have shade during the whole day.

    Chinar trees in autumn in Srinagar

    For Indians, visiting Srinagar in autumn, is an attractive holiday since the chinar leaves turn golden before they fall.

  • ‘Pakistan even has atom bombs as small as 250 grams,’ Sheikh Rasheed warns India

    ‘Pakistan even has atom bombs as small as 250 grams,’ Sheikh Rasheed warns India

    Federal Minister for Railways Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad has warned India that Pakistan even has small nuclear bombs weighing 125-250 grams, which can hit and destroy targeted areas, The News reported.

    “We know if we want to use our 1-inch, 2-inch or half an inch [atomic bombs],” the minister said on Sunday, leaving netizens all cracked up.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    “India committed two blunders. The first one was carrying out atomic explosions while presuming that Pakistan would not do so and secondly, it scrapped special status of Kashmir on August 5 this year, believing Kashmiris won’t react”, the minister said further.

    Tensions soar on either side of the border ever since New Delhi on August 5 revoked Article 370 of the Indian constitution, robbing the people of the troubled valley of their autonomous state. India has since kept Kashmir under lockdown.

  • ‘Hide in a basement, take a bath’: Indian media airs tips on surviving nuclear attack

    ‘Hide in a basement, take a bath’: Indian media airs tips on surviving nuclear attack

    As tensions continue to soar between nuclear-capable Pakistan and India amid Kashmir crisis, an India media outlet has aired tips on how to survive a nuclear attack, Scroll.in reported.

    According to the details, a recent video clip from television channel Zee News, informing its viewers about what to do in case of a nuclear attack, has left people on social media in disbelief.

    News anchor Sudhir Chaudhary’s tips on surviving nukes include not looking directly at the explosion, running to the basement of the strongest building around you for shelter, taking a bath and sealing clothes exposed to radioactive waves to avoid them from being spread further.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    “The spe­c­ter of nuclear war haunts tensions between Pakistan and India, and the disputed territory of Kashmir could provide the spark that lights South Asia’s nuclear fuse,” warned a report published by a United States (US) think-tank last week.

    The report — by Stratfor, a geopolitical intelligence platform based in Austin, Texas — also disputed the classification of the Kashmir issue as India’s “internal affair” or a “bilateral” issue between the two neighbours.

    “It isn’t. A potential nuc­lear conflagration cannot be anything other than a matter of international peace and security,” the report warned.

    According to the report, the possibility of “the conflict going nuclear may have increased on Aug 16”, when Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh seemed to abandon India’s “no first use” doctrine.

    “India has strictly adhered to this doctrine. What happens in the future depends on the circumstances,” he had tweeted.

  • PTI govt waives off Rs228 billion dues of rich industrialists

    PTI govt waives off Rs228 billion dues of rich industrialists

    The Pakistan Tehreeke Insaf (PTI) government has waived off Rs228 billion of influential industrialists and owners of fertilizer, CNG and power sector companies through a presidential ordinance enforced with immediate effect from August 28 The News International has reported.

    As per the details, President Arif Alvi waived half of the outstanding liabilities of the said players of the amount collected from May 22, 2015 to December 21 2018.

    Furthermore, the government also reduced Gas Infrastructure Development Cess (GIDC) rates by up to 75%, which would push down prices of gas and fertiliser for the end-consumers.

    According to the Petroleum Division statistics, as of the end of December 2018, the total principal liabilities of these sectors stood at Rs416.3 billion and half of those were written off by the government.

    Cumulative GIDC collection since 2012 was recorded at Rs701.5 billion till the end of December 2018, out of which only Rs285 billion had been deposited.

    The government further waived the late payment surcharge, which was supposed to be paid at the rate of 4% plus three-month Karachi Interbank Offered Rate (Kibor), which currently stands at 13.7%, meaning the government has written off 17.4% mark-up, which brings the total to over Rs300 billion.

    The ordinance also did not address the issue of how to refund 50% GIDC to those companies that timely discharged their legal obligations and paid the entire amount of GIDC.

  • PM Imran, UN chief made respondents in petition seeking ‘jihad in Kashmir’

    PM Imran, UN chief made respondents in petition seeking ‘jihad in Kashmir’

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan and United Nations (UN) Secretary General António Guterres among others have been made respondents in a petition seeking “jihad in Indian occupied Kashmir (IoK)”.

    As per the details, lawyer Muhammad Sharif Sabir has moved the Islamabad High Court (IHC) for directions to the government to “declare jihad” in the troubled valley.

    While the court has dismissed the plea “as non-maintainable”, among other respondents were the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) PM, ministries of defence, foreign affairs and Kashmir affairs.

    Emotions run high ever since New Delhi abrogated Article 370 of its constitution and robbed IoK of its autonomy. Pakistan has been protesting on all fronts against the move that can pave way for a Muslim genocide in the disputed territory.

    “Kashmir Hour” on Friday is also being observed across the country on PM Imran’s call for solidarity with Kashmiris.

  • PM Imran’s office likely to lose electricity over non-payment of bills

    PM Imran’s office likely to lose electricity over non-payment of bills

    The supply of electricity to the Prime Minister’s (PM) Secretariat is likely to be snapped over non-payment of bills running into millions, Khaleej Times has reported.

    According to reports, the Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO) has also issued a notice in this regard as the secretariat currently owes the distributor over Rs4 million in power bills.

    “This is a recurrent problem with the secretariat. We will cut off the power supply if dues are not paid,” reports quoted sources in the IESCO as saying and added that the dues had not been cleared despite several reminder notices being sent.

    Meanwhile, the country’s annual fiscal deficit has reportedly risen to the highest in the last three decades at 8.9 per cent for the financial year 2018-19.

    Fiscal deficit is the difference between revenues and expenditures of a federal government. According to reports, the deficit that increased to 8.9 per cent of Pakistan’s gross domestic product in the financial year that ended in June, was recorded at 6.6 per cent last year.

    The figure that depicts the situation of the country’s crippling economy, coincides with one-year completion of the Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government.

  • Dutch oil company to invest $2.8 billion in Pakistan

    Dutch oil company to invest $2.8 billion in Pakistan

    The famous Dutch oil company, Royal Vopak is going to invest $2.8 billion in Pakistan after improvement in investment regime under Pakistan Tehreeke Insaf (PTI) government, Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) has reported.

    According to the details, a delegation of Royal Vopak called on Adviser to Prime Minister on Commerce, Textile, Industries and Production, and Investment, Razak Dawood and discussed new opportunities for investment related to Terminal and Storage Facilities of Liquefied Natural Gas ( LNG) in Pakistan.

    Royal Vopak is a Dutch company that stores and handles various oil, chemicals, edible oils and natural gas-related products all over the world.

    The Adviser to the PM urged the delegation to invest in Pakistan owing to its improved global ranking in Ease of Doing Business Index by 11 points.

    In this regard, Pakistan has launched a program titled Regulatory Guillotine to ease the business regulations to facilities investors.

  • PML-N MPA caught stealing electricity

    Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz MPA Rahila Khadim Hussain has been caught stealing electricity in Larex Colony, Mughal Pura, Lahore.

    According to a newspaper clipping shared by journalist Mansoor Ali Khan on Twitter, MPA Rahila is involved in stealing electricity over Rs500,000 with a fake meter that is installed at her house.

    The clipping further reveals that the authorities from eastern circle area under direction’s from Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO) Chief Mujahid Parvez conducted the raid in Angoori bagh’s sub-division with superintendent Engineer Muhammad Rasheed and caught MPA stealing electricity.

  • Imran Khan says ‘became PM by taking U-Turns’

    Imran Khan says ‘became PM by taking U-Turns’

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has said that he became the prime minister of Pakistan by taking “U-turns”.

    He was speaking at the inauguration of a new academic block at the Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute (GIKI) of Engineering Science and Technology in Topi, where he said his opponents often accused him of taking U-turns from a particular stance.

    PM said “I make compromises for achieving my goals, rather than compromising on my goals”, adding that “The opponents are raising hue and cry so that I give them NRO. This is simply out of question”.

    This is not the first time Imran Khan has said something like that. Last year in November 2018, PM Imran on Twitter wrote that “Doing a U-turn (sic) to reach one’s objective is the hallmark of great leadership just as lying to save ill-gotten wealth is the hallmark of crooks”.