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.

  • Early signs of fourth Covid wave in Pakistan, warns Asad Umar

    Federal Minister for Planning Asad Umar Friday said there are clear early signs of the fourth Covid-19 wave starting in Pakistan due to poor compliance of SOPs and the spread of the Delta variant.

    The federal minister, who is also the chief of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), said that he had warned two weeks back that the government’s artificial intelligence models are showing possible emergence of the fourth wave in July.

    Asad Umar added that field reports were showing a complete disregard of the condition of vaccination for those attending indoor weddings, and going to indoor restaurants and gyms.

    “If the owners of these facilities do not show responsibility and ensure compliance, there will be no choice but to shut them down,” said Umar.

    Pakistan recently recorded a positivity rate of 3.27 per cent. The last time the positivity rate was 3 per cent was in June.

    The present positivity rate of the virus is 3.6 per cent.

    Asad Umar expressed displeasure over non-compliance with the Covid-19 protocols and warned of shutting down sectors not adhering to the directives issued by the health authorities.

  • An alcoholic concoction takes over KPK, becoming a new cause of death

    After the General Atomics US ‘Predators’ and ‘Reapers’, the unmanned aerial vehicles that caused death in the tribal regions, now an alcoholic concoction is becoming a new cause of death in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KPK).

    The alcoholic drink is aptly named, ‘Drone’, concocted by moonshiners in the remote Tirah Valley of the Khyber tribal district, which was once infamous for militancy and poppy cultivation. “The ingredients of this alcoholic drink are easily available over-the-counter drugs, syrups, and cold drinks,” reports The Express Tribune.

    A Tirah-based doctor confirmed that the brew originated in Tirah and escalated quickly to the settled districts of KP. “It has been given this funny name because it instantly makes you high and you start feeling light,” the doctor said, while speaking to The Express Tribune on the condition that he would not be identified.

    Economic depression and instability have reportedly led to an increase in the use of ‘Drone’ – a cure-all elixir – by the youth in the area.

    “Several kinds of sleeping tablets are dissolved in a popular soft-drink along with two types of sedative cough syrups, along with easily available cheap drugs to make this drink, which is sold for a few hundred rupees,” the doctor said.

    However, the explosive flooding of the drink prompted distress among members of the local Aman Committee who had to announce a ban on certain cough syrups to rein in the uncontrolled spread of the drugging drink.

    “Any shopkeeper found selling these cough syrups will be penalised with a fine – and a warning.”

  • Faisal Vawda case ‘a waste of time’, says petitioner

    Faisal Vawda case ‘a waste of time’, says petitioner

    Talking to The Current, Pakistan People’s Party’s (PPP) Qadir Mandokhel said that he has been pursuing a petition against Faisal Vawda for 2 years 9 months. “Now it’s just a waste of time.”

    Mandokhel gave the example of an illegal building and a petition against it. “Agar building hee masmaar kar di toh kya faida abb iska” (If the illegal building has been demolished, what’s the use of pursuing a case against it). Mandokhel is referring to the fact that Vawda is no longer an MNA but a Senator now.

    Mandokhel says he has high hopes from Sindh High Court where the petition on senatorship is still pending. Mandokhel says he wrote to the US Consulate but he was told by them that they do not reply to individual queries.

    Mandokhel says Vawda hasn’t submitted his reply and questions why. He also questioned why the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is not doing much about this case.

    On Thursday, none of the petitioners appeared before the ECP, meanwhile, Faisal Vawda did.

    Vawda, while talking to senior journalist Matiullah Jan, seemed confident and said, “This seems more of a political case, and a political case has no standing. Everyone seems to have backed off for now.”

    “The ECP is fully looking into the details of my case and is also providing me with a lot of chances to my rivals. But my all rival parties have disappeared,” added Vawda.

    The ECP has three petitions related to the disqualification of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) Faisal Vawda, who is a former member of the National Assembly as well as a recently-elected Senator. The commission is yet to make a decision.

    Petitioners against Vawda contend that he had dual citizenship when he filed his nomination papers in the 2018 general elections, a fact that he had concealed at the time. Therefore, they say that he should be disqualified.

  • CM Punjab’s aide harasses man by sending him sexually explicit videos

    CM Punjab’s aide harasses man by sending him sexually explicit videos

    A sessions court in Islamabad on Thursday ordered registration of a first information report (FIR) against Special Assistant to Punjab Chief Minister on Investment Sardar Tanveer Ilyas for harassing a man through WhatsApp and sending him “sexually explicit videos”, reports Dawn.

    The orders were issued by Additional Sessions Judge Muhammad Ata Rabbani while hearing a petition filed by complainant Khawaja Faheem.

    According to the petitioner’s counsel, Imran Feroz Malik, his client met Ilyas at the Centaurus Mall in October 2019 during the launching ceremony of a private project. Ilyas who according to the petitioner is the owner of Centaurus Mall, invited him to his residence for Iftar dinner which Faheem accepted considering it a business meeting.

    Following the meeting, the CM’s adviser sent a few messages along with “sexually explicit videos” to Faheem from his WhatsApp number, which the latter found disturbing, and which caused him “mental agony and trauma”, according to his lawyer.

    He reported the matter to the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) Cyber Crime Cell, Faheem’s lawyer said.

    After the case was taken to the sessions court by the complainant, the FIA submitted its reply, saying the forensic analysis was conducted on the mobile phone of the petitioner and it transpired he had in fact received the video.

  • Mufti Taqi Usmani escapes knife attack in Karachi

    Mufti Taqi Usmani escapes knife attack in Karachi

     Mufti Taqi Usmani survived a knife attack on Thursday after his guards arrested a man carrying a knife. 

    Usmani was walking with his guards by his side after Fajr prayers at Dar ul Uloom Korangi when a suspicious man started to follow him. 

    The scholar’s guards captured the suspect, who has been identified as a 35-year-old man named Asim Laeeq. It was found that Asim was carrying a knife, confirmed Dar ul Uloom sources. 

    SSP Korangi Shahjahan said the suspect did not attack Usmani. He said the suspect had asked for a meeting with the scholar after Fajr prayers. 

    “The suspect has been taken into custody, we are continuing with further investigation into the incident,” said SSP Korangi. 

    Shortly after the incident, Mufti Taqi Usmani released an audio message in which he confirmed most details of the incident, reassuring his followers that he is safe. 

    “A suspect came to me after the Fajr prayers and asked to speak to me in private,” he said. “I had just gotten up to speak to him when the suspect pulled out a knife from his pocket,” revealed the scholar. 

  • ‘Won’t go to any private function with protocol to save taxpayer money’, PM Khan

    ‘Won’t go to any private function with protocol to save taxpayer money’, PM Khan

    Announcing on Twitter, PM Khan has decided that to save taxpayers’ money, the prime minister will not go to any ‘private function with protocol and security. He also stated that he is reviewing protocol guidelines for ministers, governors, and PTI Chief Ministers to decide how expenditure can be reduced.

    He also tweeted that in the coming days, his “Cabinet will decide on a comprehensive policy in this regard”.

    “We will put an end to the colonial legacy of pomp & glory used to overwhelm the people.”

    Speaking to the Gwadar business community earlier this week, when visiting Balochistan, the Prime Minister said if it wasn’t for his sincere intentions, he would be spending summers in London and shopping from Harrods since he did not win the election from the province.

    Twitter reacted to the series of tweets, with some supporting the PM’s move and others saying that as the prime minister, Khan needed added security.

  • Man arrested for blackmailing and assaulting couple in Islamabad

    Man arrested for blackmailing and assaulting couple in Islamabad

    Police arrested Usman Mirza in Islamabad after a disturbing video went viral on social media where he could be seen torturing and assaulting a couple. He was also seen stripping a woman in the video.

    The video sparked outrage across Pakistani Twitter, with #ArrestUsmanMirza appearing in the top trends.

    The incident took place within Golra police station limits at an apartment building in sector E-11/2. The case was registered on the complaint of a sub-inspector.

    “The video of the incident went viral on social media. In the video, five to six men can be seen keeping the victims in custody under gunpoint. The accused also stripped the man and the woman naked while threatening them,” the FIR said, adding that the suspects indulged in “vulgar acts”.

    Islamabad Deputy Commissioner said that the culprit had been arrested after police efforts. “His accomplices are also being arrested. It is once again requested to please delete the videos which show the victims,” he said.

    Later, the deputy commissioner said that all the suspects had been arrested.

    Mirza reportedly threatened the young man and woman when some people tried to stop him.

    Mirza is reportedly a property dealer.

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MNA Maleeka Bokhari tweeted that the Islamabad IG is leading the investigation.

    “I have received numerous messages of women feeling unsafe and angry. The State is here to protect you & will not spare such barbarians,” Bokhari wrote.

    Journalist Reem Khurshid asked people not to post or reshare the video. She tweeted, “The young woman and man were subjected to a horrific assault. “Don’t compound their trauma by circulating images of what is likely one of the worst moments of their lives.”

    https://twitter.com/ReemKhurshid/status/1412506174268846087

    “The fear in eyes of the victim in the video reflects pervasive fear faced by women in our society,” said activist Ammar Ali Jan.

  • ‘Do I look like a terrorist to you,’ Nadeem Malik responds to FIA

    ‘Do I look like a terrorist to you,’ Nadeem Malik responds to FIA

    The Counter-Terrorism Wing of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has summoned SAMAA TV’s senior anchorperson Nadeem Malik and asked him to disclose his sources in the Judge Arshad Malik video leak scandal case.

    Nadeem Malik has said that he will not appear. “The notice has been issued by the terrorism wing. Do I look like a terrorist to you?”

    The notice demands that Malik reveal his sources. “There is no law across the globe that can force a journalist to quote their sources,” the anchorperson said.

    On April 28, Nadeem Malik during his show ‘Nadeem Malik Live’ said that he had a chance to meet with two members of the FIA team that was investigating the video leak scandal against late accountability court judge Arshad Malik.

    “It could be perceived from what they [members of the FIA team] told me that there was a video of Judge Arshad Malik. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) was banking on Judge Malik granting bail to Nawaz Sharif. He had contacts with the PML-N, so there were assurances,” the anchorperson said.

    “The other party, which I would not name, as many people can understand, they got their hands on that 30-year-old video of Judge Malik. It was an objectionable video that was recorded 30 years ago when Judge Malik was posted in Multan. There were other people too and the whole video is there.”

    According to the anchorperson, the late judge was called to a place at Constitution Avenue and was told that the video would be made public if a ‘favourable’ verdict was not given in cases against Nawaz Sharif.

    The judge gave the verdict and PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif was disqualified.

    “The PML-N got their hands on the same video and Judge Arshad Malik came to meet Nawaz Sharif and apologised, saying he couldn’t do anything as they had his video,” Nadeem Malik said.

    “They [PML-N leaders] told him that they have the same video too, and, while Judge Malik was narrating the events, he was recorded once again. It was recorded by Nasir Sahib who has gone to London.”

    The FIA is handling the case through its Counter-Terrorism Wing at its headquarters in Islamabad. It had told Nadeem Malik to appear on June 6, along with documents and evidence to support what he said on his show.

    “Please refer to your Nadeem Malik Live Programme on SAMAA NEWS dated 28-04-2021 revealed that you have important information which can be relevant for the agency to further investigate the above mentioned and to link some relevant persons with this case,” the notice says.

    Civil society and journalists condemned the notice.

  • Reporters Without Borders calls PM Khan a predator, Marriyum Aurangzeb agrees

    Reporters Without Borders calls PM Khan a predator, Marriyum Aurangzeb agrees

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) information secretary Marriyum Aurangzeb has claimed that the latest report of the Reporters Without Borders also known as Reporters Sans Frontiers (RSF), is a charge-sheet against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, reports Dawn.

    Reporters Without Borders categorically calls Prime Minister Imran Khan a ‘predator since taking oath’. The report has been published under the caption “RSF’s 2021: Press freedom predators gallery – old tyrants, two women and a European.”

    In a statement on Monday, Marriyum Aurangzeb said Imran Khan’s alleged “authoritarian attitude” and character was destroying Pakistan’s image abroad.

    “The report says that the PTI government is worse than military dictatorships in Pakistan when it comes to press freedom. The Human Rights Watch, Pakistan Press Freedom Report, and Freedom Network Report had already declared the Imran government as the worst media gagging administration in the history of the country,” said Aurangzeb.

    Aurangzeb said the latest report of the Reporters Without Borders had exposed the “predatory behaviour” of the government. She said the actions by the PTI government had not only reflected negatively on Pakistan’s journalism but also adversely affected the country’s position when it came to Financial Action Task Force and the GSP Plus status by the European Union.

    “It mentions that journalists are harassed, abducted, and assaulted for crossing the red lines defined by the state. The report also pointed out that freedom of expression on social media is also being curbed through new dark and draconian laws,” she said while quoting from the report.

    Meanwhile, Focal Person to the Prime Minister on Digital Media Dr Arslan Khalid took to Twitter and called the RSF report a “typical propaganda”.

    Arslan further added that it was comical that the RSF was talking about free speech and yet calling people trolls who “dare to disagree with journalists”.

    Reporters Without Borders has published a gallery of grim portraits on its official website. It includes 37 heads of state or government who crack down massively on press freedom. Some of these “predators of press freedom” have been operating for more than two decades while others have just joined the blacklist, which for the first time includes two women and a European predator.

    19 of these predators rule countries that are coloured red on the RSF’s press freedom map, meaning their situation is classified as “bad” for journalism, and 16 rule countries coloured black, meaning the situation is “very bad.” The average age of the predators is 66. More than a third (13) of these tyrants come from the Asia-Pacific region, says the report.

    Besides Prime Minister Imran Khan, the RSF list includes Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Chinese President Xi Jingping, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Tajik President Emamoli Rakhmon, Sri Lanka’s President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, King of Bahrain Hamed bin Isa Al Khalifa and Supreme Leader of North Korea Kim Jong-un.

  • Send domestic violence bill to Islamic council, suggests PM’s aide

    Send domestic violence bill to Islamic council, suggests PM’s aide

    Adviser to the Prime Minister on Parliamentary Affairs Babar Awan has written a letter to Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaiser suggesting that the Domestic Violence (Prevention and Protection) Bill 2021 should be sent to the Council of Islamic Ideology to check if the proposed law is or is not “repugnant to the Injunctions of Islam”.

    Journalist Ansar Abbasi shared the news on Twitter and congratulated Prime Minister Imran Khan for this step.

    Speaking on Geo News programme ‘Naya Pakistan’, Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari had asked, “Can someone tell me which clause in the bill is against our religion?”

    “This law is not only for women but men can also file a case using it,” Mazari added.

    Senate passed two key government bills related to human rights last month, which include the Domestic Violence (Prevention and Protection) Bill 2021 and the Islamabad Capital Territory Senior Citizens Bill 2021.

    Analyst Ansar Abbasi took to his Twitter account to oppose the bill.