Category: Politics

News stories of Politics, for the topics that matter the most to young professionals and college students, political news reported with a different angle.

  • UN chief to visit flood-affected areas on Sept 9

    UN chief to visit flood-affected areas on Sept 9

    United Nations (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres will pay a ‘solidarity visit’ to the flood-affected areas of Pakistan on September 9.

    “With the tragic situation facing millions of men, women and children impacted by historic floods in Pakistan, the Secretary-General will travel to the country next week for a solidarity visit,” said UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric.

    According to Dujarric, the UN secretary-general will arrive in Islamabad and will go to the areas most impacted by the unprecedented climate catastrophe. He will also have conversations with displaced families and humanitarian agencies working on the ground.

    He is expected to remain in the country for two days and will leave on September 11.

    Foreign Office (FO) Spokesperson Asim Iftikhar Ahmad said it will contribute in a big way to our collective effort to highlight the impact of this disaster.

    On Tuesday, the UN appealed to the world to collect $160 million in aid for the Pakistani flood victims.

    UN Secretary-General António Guterres called upon the international community to take more steps to fight global warming and its impacts.

    “Let’s stop sleepwalking towards the destruction of our planet by climate change. Today, it is Pakistan. Tomorrow, it could be your country.”

    During the ongoing monsoon season, Pakistan received about 186 per cent higher rainfall than its 30-year national average.

    One-third of Pakistan has been completely submerged by unprecedented floods and the overall death toll is now more than 1,100.

  • Last USSR Leader Mikhail Gorbachev dies

    Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet Union, died at the age of 91. He ended the Cold War without bloodshed but failed to prevent the collapse of the Soviet Union.

    “Gorbachev died this evening after a serious and long illness,” the Central Clinical Hospital in Moscow said late on Tuesday. He died after a long illness.

    Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed “deep sympathies” over Gorbachev’s death.

    The official news agency of Russia reported Gorbachev will be buried at Moscow’s Novodevichy Cemetery next to his wife.

    United Nations (UN) chief Antonio Guterres in a statement praised Gorbachev as “a one-of-a-kind statesman who changed the course of history” and “did more than any other individual to bring about the peaceful end of the Cold War”.

    The spokesperson of the Russian government said that Putin had an ambiguous relationship with Gorbachev. Putin had referred to the end of the Soviet Union as “the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the century”.

    Gorbachev led the USSR from 1985 until its collapse in 1991 and is seen as one of the most important figures of 20th century history. However, while he enjoys a positive reputation outside of the country, he is viewed differently inside Russia. 

    In a 2021 poll, more than 70 per cent of Russians said their country had moved in a negative direction during Gorbachev’s rule, while he was previously ranked as the most unpopular Russian leader of the past century, a state-run pollster said.

  • ‘WhatsApp calls are being tapped’: Shaukat Tarin

    ‘WhatsApp calls are being tapped’: Shaukat Tarin

    Former Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin has said that he wants to tell Pakistanis that now their WhatsApp calls are also being tapped.

    “It was a WhatsApp call. I am disappointed that a WhatsApp call was being recorded. We can take up this matter legally,” said Tarin while speaking on a political talk show on Express News.

    His remarks were in relevance to his recent audio leaks where he asked Punjab Finance Minister Mohsin Leghari and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Finance Minister Taimur Jhagra to write letters withdrawing from the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) deal.

    Read more: ‘Yeh ab tai hogaya hai Imran Khan Pakistan aur 22 crore logo se zyada eham hain’: Twitter reacts to leaked audio

    Tarin was questioned that primarily a WhatsApp call cannot be recorded, so is there a possibility that the people he was conversing with leaked the call.

    Read more: Leaked audio: PTI’s Shaukat Tarin allegedly advising finance ministers in Punjab, KP to sabotage IMF deal

    “There is an institution [behind this]. The conversation cannot be leaked from either Leghari, Taimur or myself. So Pakistanis should know that now WhatsApp calls are being tapped,” said Tarin.

  • Floods in Pakistan: Govt to establish ‘National Flood Response and Coordination Centre’

    Floods in Pakistan: Govt to establish ‘National Flood Response and Coordination Centre’

    The government has decided to establish the ‘National Flood Response and Coordination Centre’ to deal with the situation of floods in the country and the rehabilitation of flood-affected people.

    The decision was made during a meeting of allied parties on August 29 in Islamabad, which was presided over by Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif.

    The Chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) updated the participants of the meeting about the country’s flood situation and relief efforts.

    The participants of the meeting decided that the estimation of the damages should be conducted in a transparent way.

    “At the national flood emergency meeting today, we approved the establishment of the National Flood Response & Coordination Center to provide an institutional response to the flood calamity. Led by PM, this Center will comprise federal ministers, reps of armed forces, CMs, & experts,” tweeted PM Shehbaz.

    According to the data issued by NDMA, at least 1,136 people have died in floods caused by heavy rains in the country.

  • Imran Khan’s fund raising telethon secures Rs5 billion in pledges

    Imran Khan’s fund raising telethon secures Rs5 billion in pledges

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan held an international telethon for the flood-affected. In three hours, Khan collected Rs5 billion in pledges.

    Khan said entire Pakistan had been affected by the floods due to relentless rains. “More than 1,000 people have died due to devastating floods and the damages are expected to cross Rs1,000 billion,” he said.

    “The sole solution to prevent the catastrophes caused by a flood is to construct dams.”

     Read more: IK back on live TV: High Court suspends ban on IK’s speeches

    Khan also said that he is struggling for real independence besides assisting the flood victims across the country. 

    The PTI chairman took Twitter and thanked the people of Pakistan, and expats for donating so generously.

  • Modi extends condolences to families of the flood victims

    Modi extends condolences to families of the flood victims

    Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi extends his condolences to the families of the flood victims in Pakistan.

    “Saddened to see the devastation caused by the floods in Pakistan. We extend our heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims, the injured and all those affected by this natural calamity and hope for an early restoration of normalcy,” tweeted Modi.

    The devastating effects of floods across the country continue to rage on as monsoon rains have killed over 1,000 people and disrupted the lives of more than 5.7 million people.

    The federal and provincial governments are currently providing assistance to the displaced families and now the international community has also poured in their support.

    The Organisation of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Secretary General Hissein Brahim Taha expressed “deep sorrow over the casualties, massive destruction of property and loss of life resulting from floods in Pakistan”.

    The United Nations (UN) is set to launch a Flash Appeal in support of Pakistan. The international platform will reportedly launch a $160 million appeal.

    Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Asim Iftikhar said that the appeal will be launched on Tuesday, August 30.

    Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced that the country is currently providing support to Pakistan. “Like many Canadians across the country, I’m thinking of everyone affected by the devastating flooding in Pakistan. Canada is providing support through UNCERF and Red Cross Canada – to provide food, clean water, and other essential services as quickly as possible,” he tweeted.

    During a telephonic conversation between President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed with Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif, the UAE President offered condolences and sympathy to the victims of the floods.

    PM Sharif thanked Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan for their support. Both country leaders had telephonic conversations with the premier.

    President Raisi and President Erdogan conveyed solidarity with Pakistan and assured support in relief assistance in all areas affected by heavy floods and rains.

    Moreover, PM Sharif thanked French President Emmanuel Macron for his support for the flood affectees.

    In a tweet, he said, “Grateful for President Emmanuel Macron’s message of support for the people of faced with devastating floods. We appreciate France’s solidarity and offer of help for the affected people in this hour of need.”

  • Number of flood affectees may cross 33 million, warns Climate Change Minister

    Number of flood affectees may cross 33 million, warns Climate Change Minister

    Federal Minister of Climate Change Sherry Rehman warned on Sunday (August 28) that the number of those affected by the floods may cross 33 million as the devastating floods continue.

    She said that the government, supported by the United Nations (UN) and other humanitarian agencies, is leading the humanitarian action.

    “Kabul River is still at very high flood level at Nowshera as more than 300,000 cusecs of water was crossing the river,” she said, adding that with 500,000 cusecs, water levels in River Indus at Taunsa, Sukkur and Chashma are at “high flood level”.

    Calling the floods “a perfect storm”, Sherry Rehman added that as relentless rains had battered the southern parts of the country, the floods in the Indus River devastated the northern areas.

    Updating on the relief efforts, she said that as rain has subsided in some areas, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and Pakistan Army have amped up rescue efforts.

  • Video: Pakistani soldiers play Sidhu Moose Wala’s songs, Indian soldiers dance their hearts out

    Video: Pakistani soldiers play Sidhu Moose Wala’s songs, Indian soldiers dance their hearts out

    Indian singer-politician Sidhu Moose Wala passed away on May 29th this year. He was shot dead in his which had a connection with his famous song, 295 that he created for his enemies. Canada-based gangster Goldy Brar has taken responsibility for his murder, and Lawrence Bishnoi and others are involved. Now his father Balkaur Singh claims his ‘brothers’ turned out to be his enemies.

    A lot has happened ever since Sidhu passed away. A statue has been erected at his cremation site in Mansa and his father inaugurated it. He broke down and even expressed how hard it was to see his son in that form at the age of just 28. Police continue their investigation and several linked to the case have been arrested.

    The Punjabi rapper was very famous for his songs and now those same songs are now bringing cheer across the Indian-Pakistan border. The popularity of his songs is not just restricted to India but his magic also spreads worldwide, and now it has managed to make the two boundaries (India and Pakistan border) bond.

    Recently, Indian IPS officer HGS Dhaliwal shared a heartwarming video on Twitter. In the video, Indian Army personnel are seen grooving to Sidhu Moose Wala’s Bambiha Bole, which was being played on speakers by Pakistani soldiers across the border.

    The IPS officer captioned his post, “Sidhu’s songs playing across the border! bridging the divide!”

    The sight of it was indeed delightful to see!

  • Jhagra responds after Miftah accuses KP govt of jeopardising IMF deal

    Jhagra responds after Miftah accuses KP govt of jeopardising IMF deal

    After Finance Minister Miftah Ismail accused the KP government of plotting to derail the IMF deal in a late-night press conference, KP Finance Minister Taimur Khan Jhagra stated that the province is currently dealing with a flood scenario that takes precedence over everything else.

    In a previous letter to Miftah, Jhagra connected the payment of the Rs100 billion in alleged liabilities with the clearance of the provincial cash surplus for this fiscal year, which is a requirement of Pakistan’s agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

    This occurs just three days prior to the revival of IMF’s multibillion dollar credit programme. The K-P government has already agreed through a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to achieve the Rs117 billion cash surplus that is required by the IMF arrangement. Ismail is a co-signatory of the Letter of Intent (LoI) that was recently sent to the IMF in order to revive the programme.

    “Please note that in these conditions [floods], and without the resolution of the issues highlighted previously, for the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to actually leave a surplus will be next to impossible,” Jhagra wrote in the communique sent to Miftah on Friday.

    Miftah Ismail’s call, according to Jhagra, was “interesting,” and the two will now meet on Monday to resolve their issues. However, the provincial finance minister stated it was “sad” that in Pakistan, one needed to “shout to be heard.”

    Jhagra confirmed in a series of tweets that he had actually addressed a letter to the federal finance minister and not the IMF. The provincial minister sent a letter that included images as well.

    Jhagra went on to say that despite raising the same issues with Miftah at their meeting on July 5, they decided to return the IMF MoU to Islamabad within 24 hours with the approval of the chief minister of KP.

    Jhagra added that the KP administration would never back down from advocating for a strong federation or from bringing up its concerns at the centre.

    At a late-night press conference, Miftah called the letter “deplorable.” He labelled the letter as a “conspiracy to derail the IMF programme and sink the rupee.”

    He questioned whether PTI Chairman Imran Khan, who was seeking to obliterate Pakistan and its economy out of a desire for power, had any set parameters.

  • Imran Khan to hold a telethon to raise funds for flood relief efforts

    Imran Khan to hold a telethon to raise funds for flood relief efforts

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan will be holding a telethon on Monday for the flood-affectees in the country.

    ” Our senior leadership met and we decided I would do [an] international telethon to raise funds for flood affectees on Monday night,” tweeted Khan.

    However, Khan also made clear that his quest for Haqeeqi Azadi will continue alongside his flood relief work.

    Earlier PTI leader Asad Umar tweeted said Khan will hold the telethon Sunday.

    Imran Khan visited the flood-affected areas in DI Khan. He said that he is being pressurised to collect funds but he is not doing so because he wants to be sure how this money will help the affectees.

    “When I take on a project, the first thing I think about is whether I will be able to honestly spend the money on the cause,” said Khan.

    Khan further added that currently he was assessing the damage caused by the floods and once he knows how much money is needed to cover the loss, then he will give people a call to raise funds.

    The PTI Chairman also said that the federal government and the provincial governments in Sindh and Balochistan, respectively, should leave everything and fully dedicate themselves to helping the people who have been affected by the devastating floods.