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.

  • ‘FIA was told to file FIRs against Jahangir Tareen, son on WhatsApp,’ senior journalist claims

    The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has booked estranged Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Jahangir Tareen and his son, Ali Tareen, for fraud and money laundering after it was told to do so by someone over WhatsApp, senior journalist and analyst Arif Hameed Bhatti has claimed.

    According to Bhatti, he possesses details of who sent the WhatsApp message, at what time and when did the other person respond to that message.

    “Even the language used in the draft is not that of the investigation officer,” he said, further saying that the case was registered back on March 22 but the news was leaked over a week later.

    Bhatti’s claims came after Tareens, who are rumoured to be at odds with Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan over probe into their alleged involvement in the sugar crisis, were booked by the FIA.

    According to the FIRs dated March 22, two separate cases were registered under sections 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating of public shareholders) and 109 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), read with sections 3/4 of the Anti Money Laundering Act.

    Responding to the development, Tareen lashed out at the FIA and said the accusations against him and his family were “totally fabricated”.

    One of the complaints states that Tareen fraudulently misappropriated shareholder’s money after his company — JDW group — transferred Rs3.14 billion to an associated private company identified as Farooqi Pulp Private Limited (FPML). The FIR stated that the private company is owned by his sons and close relatives.

    “The transfers, especially after FY 2011-2012, were patently fraudulent investments which ultimately translated into personal gains for the family members of the JDW CEO,” the FIR said.

    According to Dawn, it said that during this period, Tareen, his son and other family members purchased cash (US$) from the open market in Lahore in a “structured manner”.

    “Subsequently, in 2016, Ali Khan Tareen remitted approximately US$7.4 Million to the United Kingdom for purchasing properties (to be investigated in detail during the course of investigation) which makes them liable for Anti-Money Laundering investigation,” it said.

    The FIA stated that Tareen, his son, son-in-law Waleed Akbar Faruki and Shahid Akbar Faruki beneficially controlled FPML and personally benefitted from this scheme.

    In the second FIR, the investigation agency said “voluminous withdrawals amounting to at least Rs2.2 billion were fraudulently and dishonestly made through a trusted cash rider.” It noted that Amir Waris, employed as a cashier at JDW’s Corporate Head Office, deposited large amounts into the personal and business accounts of Tareen and his family members.

    “This modus operandi of cash-based misappropriation and money laundering was employed to break the onwards money trail of deposits into personal and business accounts of the accused Tareen and family,” it said.

    It also stated that Rana Nasim Ahmed, JDW CEO, was also given large amounts from the company’s accounts to the tune of Rs600 million. “He claims these humungous amounts as salary, bonuses and ‘gentlemanly-agreed’ benefits.”

  • Abbasi, Haideri of PDM decide to not accept Gilani as Senate Opp leader

    Abbasi, Haideri of PDM decide to not accept Gilani as Senate Opp leader

    • PPP sources share a counter strategy

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Abdul Ghafoor Haideri of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) have refused to accept ex-prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani as the leader of opposition in Senate.

    According to reports, the two, during a meeting, said that the behaviour of opposition alliance’s Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) had disappointed all others.

    “Seeking support from Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) was disappointing,” they said and added that a new huddle would decide future course of action in light of PPP’s backstabbing.

    They, however, announced the decision to not accept Gilani as the opposition leader in the Upper House.

    Abbasi also inquired after the health of JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman during the meeting.

    Meanwhile, PPP sources told The Current that if the other members of the opposition alliance decide to sit on separate benches in Senate and not accept Gilani as the leader of opposition, the party would also have to take drastic measures.

    “If it stays like this, they should also know that we could sit separately in the National Assembly and not recognise Shehbaz Sharif as the leader of opposition in the National Assembly.”

  • ECC allows import of cotton, sugar from India

    ECC allows import of cotton, sugar from India

    The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the cabinet has approved two summaries of the commerce and textile ministry to lift ban on import of cotton and white sugar from India.

    According to reports, there were 21 items on the agenda of the ECC meeting to be chaired by newly appointed Finance Minister Hammad Azhar. Commerce and Textile divisions had submitted five crucial summaries for approval besides others.

    At the agenda no. 16, the Textile Division summary sought permission from the ECC to lift ban on import of cotton and cotton yarn from India in a bid to bridge raw material shortfall for the value-added textile sector.

    In addition to this, another summary of the commerce ministry at agenda no. 20 also sought permission to allow import of white sugar from India through the Trading Corporation of Pakistan and commercial importers.

    The resumption of import of these goods will lead to partial revival of trade relations. On Aug 9, 2019 Pakistan downgraded trade relations with India in reaction to the latter’s decision to revoke Article 370 of its Constitution that granted occupied Kashmir a special status.

    In May 2020, Pakistan lifted the ban on import of medicines and raw material from India to ensure there is no shortage of essential drugs amid the COVID-19 pandemic. This was the first step of reversing of complete suspension of trade with India.

    However, Indian premier’s letter to Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan on Pakistan Day was the first step in the right direction amid reports of UAE Royals brokering peace.

    On Tuesday, PM Imran replied to Modi’s letter, saying Pakistan also desired peaceful relations with India.

    “The people of Pakistan also desire peaceful, cooperative relations with all neighbours, including India,” he said in his reply.

    “I thank you for your letter conveying greetings on Pakistan Day.”

  • VIDEO: Model, baffled federal minister in hot water over out-of-turn vaccine allegations

    VIDEO: Model, baffled federal minister in hot water over out-of-turn vaccine allegations

    The Natio­nal Com­mand and Operation Centre (NCOC) has decided to conduct a probe to reveal facts regarding the video clip wherein family members of Federal Minister for Hou­sing Tariq Bashir Cheema were seen allegedly getting vaccinated out of turn.

    Model Iffat Omar could also be seen in the video.

    Cheema belongs to the Pakis­tan Mus­lim League-Quaid (PML-Q) that is an ally of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

    “We have learnt that a number of seg­ments of society are involved in such practice. People are vaccinated and they are included in the list of hea­lthcare workers. Du­­r­ing a meeting of the NCOC it was decided to first inqu­ire that whether the family members of the minister were vaccinated in Islam­a­bad or Punjab,” federal Mi­n­i­s­ter for Planning and Deve­l­o­p­ment Asad Umar said while talking to a news channel.

    On Tuesday, Cheema came under fire after video clips surfaced on social media showing him and some people of less than 60 years of age being vaccinated.

    He maintained that a team of the University of Health Sciences (UHS) had visited them to administer vaccine during a clinical trial, however, he seemed rather baffled while speaking to a private media outlet on Tuesday night.

    https://twitter.com/zarahatkay_dawn/status/1376980858364657667?s=21

    According to Umar, unfortunately it is the psyche of the people that they try to grab things by violating the law. “However on the other hand we have examples that President of Pakistan Dr Arif Alvi waited for his turn and got the jab when it was due,” he said.

    Dawn quoted Umar as saying during the NCOC meeting that it was decided that the Punjab government, in case the people were vaccinated in Punjab, would take action and if they were vaccinated in Islamabad, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Faisal Sultan and Secretary Health Aamer Ashraf Khuwaja would take action.

    Meanwhile, an official of the Ministry of National Health Services (NHS) said that unfortunately a large number of people were being vaccinated without being in the queue.

    They maintained that Cheema had dragged UHS in to diffuse the situation.

  • Pakistani-American likely to become first Muslim federal district judge

    Pakistani-American likely to become first Muslim federal district judge

    A Pakistani-American has been nominated by President Joe Biden for the position of a federal judge on the United States (US) District Court for New Jersey.

    If confirmed, Zahid Quraishi will be the first Muslim American to serve as a federal district judge.

    Hailing from New Jersey, Quraishi was ppointed in 2019 to be a magistrate judge in the District of New Jersey by the judges he now seeks to join on the bench.

    He is of Pakistani descent and got his law degree from Rutgers Law School, where he currently serves as an adjunct professor.

    An army veteran, Quraishi was a military prosecutor with the JAG Corps and did deployments in Iraq in 2004 and 2006, according to his Rutgers bio page.

    He later worked with the Department of Homeland Security then served as a federal prosecutor in the District of New Jersey.

  • ‘Desire peaceful relations’ – Khan replies to Modi’s letter

    ‘Desire peaceful relations’ – Khan replies to Modi’s letter

    Prime Minister Khan has responded to the letter written by his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on Pakistan Day, telling Modi that the Pakistani people “also desire peaceful, cooperative relations with all neighbours, including India”. The letter is dated March 29, a week after PM Khan received the letter from Modi.

    PM Khan started the letter by saying, “I thank you for your letter conveying greetings on Pakistan Day. The people of Pakistan commemorate this Day by paying tribute to the wisdom and foresight of our founding fathers in envisioning an independent, sovereign state where they could live in freedom and realise their full potential,” clearly stating that Pakistan is a place where people live in freedom.

    Letter written by Imran Khan to Narendra Modi

    PM Khan said Pakistan was convinced that “durable peace and stability in South Asia is contingent upon resolving all outstanding issues between India and Pakistan, in particular the Jammu & Kashmir dispute” . He also added that the “creation of an enabling environment is imperative for a constructive and result-oriented dialogue.”

    “Please accept, Excellency, the assurances of my highest consideration,” PM Khan concluded, after conveying his best wishes to the Indian people in the fight against coronavirus.

    It should be noted that in Modi’s letter to Khan, the same phrase was used to end the letter.

    In the letter that Modi wrote to Khan, Modi stated that, “an environment of trust, devoid of terror and hostility” was necessary if both countries were to move forward.

    Social media was abuzz after the news of the letter broke, with details emerging that Pakistan and India were going to resume trade.

    Others were hopeful that maybe this time Pakistan and India might commit to a new peace.

    While some are apprehensive.

    A separate message was also sent by President Ram Nath Kovind to his Pakistani counterpart Arif Alvi. Indian government officials have told the Indian press that it is a routine letter sent every year.

  • NA-249 by-poll: Candyland owner candidate of PML-N introduces new candy

    NA-249 by-poll: Candyland owner candidate of PML-N introduces new candy

    With crucial NA-249 by-poll in Karachi on April 29 just around the corner, candidate of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), who is the owner of Ismail Industries — parent company of Candyland and Bisconni — has a surprise for constituents.

    Ismail, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) Amjad Afridi and Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) chief Mustafa Kamal among others are the candidates for the lower house seat that fell vacant after Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Faisal Vawda resigned from the same.

    Amid intense electioneering, Ismail, who believes that former prime minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif is the most popular leader in the constituency, has introduced his favourite product in limited-time packaging for locals and colleagues.

    The pictures of a white wrapper bearing Ismail, his constituency and party’s name went viral on social media on Monday.

    But what candy is it?

    Amid mixed reactions by netizens, sources told this scribe that the candy inside the wrapper was none other than Ismail’s personal favourite.

    Speaking to The Current last week, the PML-N leader had mentioned the very popular and old Fanty as his favourite product produced by his company.

    He had gone on to explain how the product had beaten the lifecycle of any other and retained its position as a widely-loved candy through decades.

    WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW:

  • VIDEO: PM admits flouting COVID-19 SOPs, which led to him getting infected

    VIDEO: PM admits flouting COVID-19 SOPs, which led to him getting infected

    Disclosing how he got infected during the third wave of the coronavirus pandemic in Pakistan, Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has admitted flouting SOPs during the recently-held Senate elections.

    Saying that the third wave of COVID-19 was more severe than any previous ones, the premier, in a televised message, urged people to strictly follow government-issued SOPs as the country could not afford complete lockdown.

    “We should strictly adhere to the SOPs, including wearing masks and avoiding gatherings as we did in the past,” he said and added that the number of COVID-19 patients was rising at a very fast pace.

    Admitting he flouted SOPs during the upper house polls and that was how he and the first lady got infected, the premier said both his wife and him, with the blessings of Allah, were now feeling much better.

  • Irresponsible? COVID-infected PM Imran spotted in meeting ‘with media team’

    Irresponsible? COVID-infected PM Imran spotted in meeting ‘with media team’

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, who tested positive for COVID-19 last week, was on Thursday spotted holding a meeting with his “media team”.

    In a picture tweeted by Information Minister Shibli Faraz, the premier was seen sitting with him as well as Senator Faisal Javed Khan among others.

    Netizens reacted to the picture rather strongly over the fact that the picture showing infected PM with at least seven others was taken in the midst of a global pandemic.

    As a result, Senator Faisal Javed, who had also tweeted the same picture, deleted it. He, however, retweeted a party worker, saying that the premier was “doing well” and “holding meetings following [coronavirus] SOPs”.

    https://twitter.com/FaisalJavedKhan/status/1375031814998405121

    When approached for a comment over the potential risk the meeting posed to the health of attendees, premier’s digital media aide Dr Arslan Khalid said that he wasn’t part of it so couldn’t exactly comment on the duration of the meeting or what kind of precautions were taken.

    “But from the released pictures it appears that doors and windows of the room were open with at least 10 feet or more distance between participants and the PM, that too with everyone in masks.”

    To a question regarding sharing such pictures with media considering the third wave of COVID-19, he said public messaging was very important and it should have been avoided. “Even though all SOPs must have been followed, a picture alone can’t convey all details,” he added.

    Speaking to The Current, one of the attendees of Thursday’s meeting, Senator Faisal Javed, said that it was likely that the premier contracted the virus while holding meetings with parliamentarians ahead of Senate elections.

    “This means that it remained undetected but it has been quite a lot of days since he got infected and is probably healthy now.”

    When asked as to what message the picture sent to the nation at a time when awareness on social distancing and isolation needs to be raised during a deadly third wave of the virus, the senator said that to him it showed how SOPs were being followed and the premier was still working.

    It merits a mention that PM Imran had tested positive for COVID-19 last Saturday. However, reports suggest that he had been showing symptoms for quite some time.

  • New pro-IMF State Bank law would leave country bankrupt, lead to Pakistan’s collapse: prominent economist

    Renowned economist Dr Kaiser Bengali has warned that the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Ordinance, which is likely to be introduced soon, is anti-national and could lead to no accountability of central bank officials besides ultimately resulting “in the collapse of the country”.

    Speaking to a private media outlet, he said that the law would leave the federal government and subsequently the state paralysed.

    “There would be no money to pay salaries because the top priority would be paying back loans for which new loans will be sought,” Dr Bengali said.

    To a query by host Asma Shirazi, he said the law had no parallel in the modern world, however, a similar one dating back to the Ottoman Era played a key role in the downfall of the House of Osman.

    “They didn’t have any money to fight wars or deal with the rebellion after handing control of all the money to the central bank.”

    “This would dissolve Pakistan because there won’t even be enough money to pay the police,” Dr Bengali maintained, adding that it was a bleak picture.

    “The opposition alliance should put its other demands on hold and work towards stopping this legislation,” he concluded. The same was stated by him in a tweet as well.

    Earlier, Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) Secretary General Ahsan Iqbal also claimed the government was enacting such a law which would hand over the State Bank of Pakistan’s (SBP) control to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and other international financial institutions.

    Addressing a press conference, he said that with the new legislation, the SBP would not be accountable to the parliament, the prime minister or any institution of the country and it would only be answerable to the international institutions.

    He said National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) or any other institution would not be able to ask the SBP governor and other officials for any corruption.

    “If the prime minister of Pakistan can appear before NAB, then why can’t the SBP governor?” Ahsan said adding it was only to mortgage Pakistan’s economy with the international institutions.