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.

  • Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index 2021: Pakistan scores 28 out of 100

    Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index 2021: Pakistan scores 28 out of 100

    Pakistan has been ranked 140 out of 180 countries, slipping further down to 16 spots over the last year, on the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2021 by Transparency International, reports The News.

    Pakistan’s score dropped by three points to 28 on the global corruption index. Last year, the country’s score was 31.

    “It shows that corruption has increased in Pakistan as compared to the last year,” said the anti-graft watchdog in its report.

    “The index, which ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption according to experts and businesspeople, uses a scale of zero to 100, where zero is highly corrupt and 100 is very clean,” the organisation said.

    The top countries on the index are Denmark (88), Finland (88), and New Zealand (88), all of which also rank in the top 10% in the world on the Democracy Index civil liberties score.

    However, Somalia (13), Syria (13), and South Sudan (11) remain at the bottom of the CPI. Syria is also ranked last in civil liberties.

    Of the 23 countries whose CPI score significantly declined since 2012, 19 also declined on the civil liberties score.

    Moreover, out of the 331 recorded cases of murdered human rights defenders in 2020, 98% occurred in countries with a CPI score below 45, read the statement.

  • Contempt of court petition to be filed against Shehbaz if he fails to submit Nawaz’s medical report: AGP

    Contempt of court petition to be filed against Shehbaz if he fails to submit Nawaz’s medical report: AGP

    The Attorney-General for Pakistan (AGP) has written a letter to the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly (NA) Shehbaz Sharif to bring back Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif to Pakistan.

    The AGP has instructed Shehbaz to submit Nawaz’s medical reports within the next 10 days; in case he fails to do so, contempt of court petition will be filed against Shehbaz.

    The AGP also mentioned that according to media reports, Nawaz is in good health, while when he was leaving the country, his condition was described as critical.

    The letter further said that as soon as Nawaz reached London, “his condition improved”.

    “After reaching London, Nawaz did not stay in the hospital for a single day and remained involved in his political activities,” the letter stated.

    The AGP highlighted that the affidavit and the court order were “violated as Shehbaz did not submit Nawaz’s medical reports”.

    In line with the federal cabinet’s decision, the Punjab government formed a medical board to examine Nawaz Sharif’s health reports submitted in the Lahore High Court (LHC).

  • ‘Inflation has benefitted traders and industrialists’: Hammad Azhar

    ‘Inflation has benefitted traders and industrialists’: Hammad Azhar

    Federal Minister for Energy Hammad Azhar has said that inflation has increased in Pakistan because it is a global trend. He added that “inflation has benefitted traders and industrialists”.

    “Our competition is with inflation, not with the Opposition,” said Hammad.

    Azhar was addressing a press conference in Lahore along with Punjab Minister for Local Bodies Mian Mehmood-ur-Rasheed. Hammad, while talking about the local government elections, said, “To win the local body elections, we will benefit from the experience of senior leaders like Mian Mehmood-ur-Rasheed and give honest leadership to Lahore.”

    “In order to win the elections, the internal differences of the party will be eliminated. The party’s organisation in Lahore will be announced in the next few days. We will win the local bodies’ elections through hard work and make Lahore a stronghold of PTI,” he added.

    On January 22, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf nominated Hammad Azhar as the party’s candidate for the mayorship of Lahore.

    

    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    Taliban meet Afghan women activists and journalists in Oslo
    
			
    Taliban meet Afghan women activists and journalists in Oslo
    
			
    A delegation of the Afghan Taliban, led by Foreign Minister (FM) Amir Khan Muttaqi, met women activists and journalists in Oslo, Norway.
    

    “It was a positive icebreaking meeting,” feminist activist Jamila Afghani told AFP. 
    

    “They listened patiently and responded to most of our concerns. Let’s see what their actions will be, based on their words,” she added. 
    

    Anas Haqqani, a leader of the most violent faction of the Taliban movement, is also a part of the delegation. 
    

    Following the talks, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid tweeted: “Afghanistan is the shared home of all Afghans. They need to work together for the political, economic and security prosperity of the country.” 
    

    

    


    

    

    

    Taliban representatives will meet delegations from other western nations [United States (US), France, Britain, Germany, Italy and the European Union (EU)] today (Monday) and will be certain to press their demand to unfreeze $10 billion by the US and other western countries as the country is currently facing a humanitarian crisis. 
    

    It has been confirmed by Norwegian FM Anniken Huitfeldt that the meetings are not for legitimation or recognition of the Taliban. 
    

    So far, the Taliban have visited Russia, Iran, Qatar, Pakistan, China and Turkmenistan.
    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    Overseas Pakistanis used like ATM in PTI, says former information secretary
    
			
    Overseas Pakistanis used like ATM in PTI, says former information secretary
    
			
    Former central information secretary of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Ahmad Jawad on Sunday announced that he will file a lawsuit against the party for terminating his membership.
    

    The ruling PTI had expelled Jawad from the party for “violating the party’s constitution” on social media and “slandering” senior leadership.
    

    Talking to Geo News, Jawad said that his termination from the party’s membership is “illegal”, adding that, “PTI voters and workers have seen the true colours of Imran Khan now.”
    

    The ex-PTI member said that in the last 74 years, “No one ha deceived the nation like PTI did, while overseas Pakistanis were used like Automated Teller Machines (ATM).”
    

    Taking to his Twitter, Ahmad said, “Imran Niazi Sahib your assumption will be proved wrong. The nation will not be fooled again, your container role will never be successful again in this country.”
    

    

    


    

    

    

    According to a statement issued by the PTI’s Standing Committee on Accountability and Discipline (SCAD) on January 12, a show-cause notice was served to Ahmad Jawad, asking him to explain his position within seven days of the receipt of the notice but the disgruntled leader did not respond to the notice.
    

    

    


    

    

    

    ” A House of garbage which started as an ideology of Change A deception which wasted two decades of this nation You can walk on toughest path with open eyes, but you will fall on a flat path with closed eyes,” tweeted Ahmad to the accusations written in the show-cause notice.
    

    

    


    

    

    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    Jamaat-e-Islami warns that it will block entry points to Karachi
    
			
    Jamaat-e-Islami warns that it will block entry points to Karachi
    
			
    

    Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Karachi Chief, Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman has warned that the party will block the five entrance points to Karachi if their demands are not met.   
    

    JI has been staging sit-in protests for the past 24 days in Karachi and last night the JI Karachi chief addressed the gathering and gave a two-day ultimatum to the provincial government to accept their demands for the withdrawal of a local government act recently passed by the Sindh Assembly. 
    

    JI Chief, Siraj-ul-Haq has also addressed the activists sitting in the protests on Sunday night. 
    

    He said that the battle over this issue would damage the Pakistan People’s Party. 
    

    He warned that there would be a high possibility that people would start marching on Bilawal House when Bilawal Bhutto Zardari himself would initiate his long march towards Islamabad on February 27. 
    

    Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman also warned that when the party’s sit-in protest begins at the entry points to Karachi, they would not allow any vehicles to pass the road except ambulances. 
    

    The bill was passed with amendments to the Sindh Local Government Act of 2013 last December 2021.  In this bill, financial independence, which was allocated to the Karachi Municipal Corporation, would be taken back to the provincial government.  
    

    JI’s stance is that these amendments which were made under the local government act would weaken the local government organisation in the province.  
    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    Journalist Kamran Khan posts robbery video, Sindh govt says it’s a drama recording
    
			
    Journalist Kamran Khan posts robbery video, Sindh govt says it’s a drama recording
    
			
    Journalist Kamran Khan on Sunday shared a video of an alleged robbery incident taking place in Karachi. Khan, while sharing the video requested Karachi police and Rangers to take action. He further added that such incidents have happened 2500 times in the first 22 days of 2022.
    

    

    


    

    

    

    Karachi, City Administrator Barrister Murtaza Wahab took to Twitter to inform Kamran Khan that the video he shared was from a shoot of a drama serial.
    

    

    


    

    

    

    People on Twitter are sharing their opinion on the video, and while some are making fun of the video, others are questioning Murtaza Wahab about the increase in street crimes in Karachi.
    

    

    


    

    

    

    

    


    

    

    

    

    


    

    

    

    

    


    

    

    

    

    


    

    

    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    New Zealand PM cancels own wedding due to Omicron restrictions
    
			
    New Zealand PM cancels own wedding due to Omicron restrictions
    
			
    New Zealand Prime Minister (PM) Jacinda Ardern has cancelled her own wedding as the nation imposes new restrictions in the wake of the Covid-19 Omicron variant.
    

    The prime minister was rumoured to be planning to marry her longtime partner Clarke Gayford.
    

    “My wedding will not be going ahead,” she said.
    

    In a briefing, Ardern said, “I just join many other New Zealanders who have had an experience like that as a result of the pandemic and to anyone who’s caught up in that scenario, I am so sorry.”
    

    

    


    

    

    

    She also urged citizens to get booster and reduce contact with others to avoid the spread.
    

    In a video, she was asked by a reporter how she felt about the postponement of her wedding, Ardern replied: “Such is life.”
    

    The “red setting” of the country’s pandemic response includes heightened measures such as mask-wearing and limits on gatherings which will go into effect on Monday.
    

    The latest curbs come after nine cases of Omicron were detected in a single family that flew to Auckland for a wedding earlier this month.
    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    Alert issued after Lahore and Islamabad terror attacks
    
			
    Alert issued after Lahore and Islamabad terror attacks
    
			
    

    The Interior Ministry of Pakistan has issued a notification on Saturday in which it directed the Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) to exercise “extreme vigilance”.
    

    The notification alert has asked LEAs of all provinces, Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan to tighten security measures to prevent any unforeseen terror attacks.
    

    “… In view of recent terrorist attack in Anarkali Bazar, Lahore and threat posed by activities of anti-state elements, all provincial and special area governments/Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) are requested to exercise extreme vigilance and be on alert to deal with any untoward situation,” the notification said.
    

    On January 17, militants opened fire on a police checkpoint in the vicinity of the Karachi Company Police Station in Islamabad. The incident resulted in a policeman’s death and two injuries. The Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility.
    

    After this incident, Interior Minister, Sheikh Rasheed has also warned of more terrorism-related incidents in Islamabad and said that the capital’s police and other forces are on alert.
    

    However, another terror attack on January 20 took place in which terrorists targeted the famous Anarkali market in Lahore. Three people died and 28 people got injured in the Lahore bomb blast. An investigation is still underway.
    

    Sheikh Rasheed also faced criticism from the Opposition for rising terrorism activities in the country. One of the senators from the Opposition commented that he “not seen the interior minister in the House for any briefing during the last nine months”.
    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    ‘Onus lies on India to take steps for constructive dialogue’: Pakistan
    
			
    ‘Onus lies on India to take steps for constructive dialogue’: Pakistan
    
			
    Pakistan Foreign Office (FO) Spokesperson Asim Iftikhar Ahmed, during a weekly media briefing, said, “On multiple occasions, the prime minister and the foreign minister have expressed our position on this matter (dialogue). But India has vitiated the environment — the conditions are not there. We have repeatedly said that the onus lies on India to take necessary steps for an environment conducive for constructive dialogue.”
    

    Recently, Indian Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane had said that India was not averse to the possible demilitarisation of the Siachen Glacier provided Pakistan accepted the 110-km Actual Ground Position Line (AGPL) that separates the positions of both Pakistan and India. 
    

    FO spokesperson was asked about Pakistan’s reaction to any possibility of India’s demilitarisation of the Siachin Glacier.
    

    “Pakistan has a policy, which is derived from the principle of a friendly neighbourhood. We want peace and friendship in our neighbourhood, good relations with all including India,” the FO spokesperson said.
    

    “But you have seen how the developments have unfolded in our region; you have witnessed the very hostile Indian attitude especially during the last couple of years and since the illegal and unilateral actions of August 5, 2019, in IIOJ&K, the situation has further deteriorated and in this context, we have to see how we can move forward,” he added.
    

    Talking about law firm Stoke White submitting a report based on over 2,000 testimonies taken between 2020 and 2021, providing extensive evidence to the Metropolitan Police’s War Crimes Unit documenting how Indian military and civil leadership were responsible for the torture, kidnapping, and killing of activists, journalists and civilians, he added: “It is self-evident that India can no longer escape international and legal censure for its rampant human rights violations in IIOJ&K, and we call upon the international community, particularly the United Nations and international human rights and humanitarian organisations to hold India accountable.”