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In yet another unusual occurrence in the National Assembly, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Shazia Soomro on Thursday tossed her headphones towards Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and Federal Minister for Communication and Postal Services Murad Saeed as the latter read out the confessional statement of Lyari gang war kingpin Uzair Baloch, who was allegedly affiliated with the PPP.
As per the details, the minister, during the session of the Lower House, delivered a speech on the joint investigation team (JIT) report related to criminal gang war leader Baloch. In its response, Soomro attempted to hit him with her headphones but missed.
Earlier, while addressing the assembly, Saeed read out the confessional statement and said the Lyari gang war kingpin harassed people around Bilawal House and vacated 40 houses.
“Uzair Baloch used three police officers and a mobile phone in a murder,” he said, adding that Baloch had confessed that extorted money, as well as that obtained through other illegal means, was transferred to former president Asif Ali Zardari and his sister Faryal Talpur.
Earlier, the Sindh government made public the JIT reports on infamous Lyari gang war leader Baloch, Baldia Factory tragedy and Nisar Morai.
JIT report of Lyari gang war leader Uzair Baloch consists of 36 pages that include the names of dozens of accomplices, including Ahkhana, Habib Jan, Habib Hassan, Saif Ali and Noor Mohammad. According to the report, Baloch has also confessed to killing 198 people.
The Punjab Mass-Transit Authority’s (PMA) deficit has reached Rs375 million due to the closure of the metro bus service for 105 days while officials believe that a single-day shutdown of metro bus causes a loss of Rs3.6 million, Pakistan Today reported.
According to reports, while no decision has been taken to restore the service by the government so far, the Punjab government had earlier also cut subsidy of PMA by Rs1 billion and the fourth quarter’s funds were not fully released in the last fiscal year (2019-2020).
“Due to non-issuance of funds, there have been problems in payment to contractors,” reports quoted officials as saying.
They lamented that the government’s policies were beyond understanding as it had allowed intra-city and inter-city transport to operate but had not yet restored the metro bus service since after the first coronavirus lockdown.
“An average of 130,000 commuters were benefiting from the metro bus service daily. The authority is currently facing the worst financial crisis. No strategy has been formulated to restore the financial damages nor has it been decided how the foreign company which is operating the metro bus will be supported.”
Due to the outbreak of coronavirus, the Punjab government had decided to close Lahore, Rawalpindi and Multan metro bus service in March. However, local transporters were later allowed to operate inter and intra-bus service while following certain guidelines.
The report also quoted sources in the Punjab government as claiming that the metro bus service was a white elephant. “The service had been subsidised by the previous government but it is very difficult for the present government to subsidise the bus service further.”
PMA General Manager (Operations) Uzair Shah said the decision to reactivate the bus service would be taken by the Punjab government whereas no order had so far come from the government. “The authority is facing problems due to non-receipt of subsidy,” he added while also requesting the government to release funds.
Egypt’s parliament on Monday approved amendments allowing active or former military personnel to run for the presidency and parliament pending the army’s approval, AFP reported.
The legislative changes come a year after Egyptians overwhelmingly voted in favour of constitutional amendments that potentially allow President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, a former army chief, to stay on until 2030.
Since it became a modern republic, all but two of Egypt’s presidents have hailed from a military background.
The army is highly visible in Egypt’s public life, with former top brass currently serving as ministers and heading governorates as well.
The nationalist institution boasts a sizeable business portfolio ranging from massive construction projects to most recently producing protective masks.
Sisi, the former general-turned-president, led the army’s overthrow of elected president Mohamed Morsi in 2013 following mass protests against the Islamist leader’s rule.
He won his first term as president in 2014 and was re-elected in March 2018 with more than 97 percent of the vote, after standing virtually unopposed.
The amended law also prohibits officers from divulging information during their service publicly or joining political parties without the Supreme Council of Armed Forces’ permission.
SCAF is a military council comprised of the country’s most senior generals. It ruled Egypt following the toppling of long-time autocrat Hosni Mubarak in 2011.
A former chief of staff of the armed forces, Sami Anan, was jailed in January 2018 after contesting the presidential elections against Sisi without the military’s explicit approval.
He was released nearly two years later.
A military court jailed another former soldier in December 2017 for six years for announcing his decision to enter the presidential race as a potential candidate in a video he posted on YouTube.
Six-star Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has been downgraded to one star by AirlineRatings.com after the recent revelation of 150 fake pilot licences.
The European Union (EU) has banned the airline from member states — costing one star –, while AirlineRatings.com has stripped the airline of three stars for the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) besides one star for the ICAO country audit.
The rating downgrade to the lowest safety standards could further dent PIA’s business because customers will avoid travelling through it while other countries may close their airports for Pakistan’s national carrier.
AirlineRatings.com Editor-in-Chief Geoffrey Thomas said, “Clearly there needs to be an investigation into possible bribery and falsifying related to the pilot licences. This is deeply disturbing as the IOSA audit and ICAO country audit should pick this up.”
In a statement, IATA said, “We are following reports from Pakistan regarding fake pilot licences, which are concerning and represent a serious lapse in the licensing and safety oversight by the aviation regulator. We are trying to obtain more information on the matter.”
Earlier, PIA sacked 150 pilots over cheating on their exams in the wake of the Karachi crash of an A320 that killed 98 people in May.
The sacking had come in the wake of the statement by Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan that 262 out of 860 Pakistani pilots had “fake” licences through bribing other qualified pilots to take the exams.
The federal government has removed Nausheen Amjad from the post of Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) chairperson, replacing her with Javed Ghani.
Amjad, a BS-22 officer of Inland Revenue Service (IRS), had in April been appointed as FBR chairperson after then chief Shabbar Zaidi could not continue his duties due to health conditions.
Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan had handpicked Zaidi as his man to achieve the goal of collecting Rs5.5 trillion in taxes during the previous fiscal year and Rs8 trillion by the end of his term.
Zaidi was good in policymaking but he could not handle the FBR’s operations well. The former chairman also could not appoint competent members at the top and transferred thousands of people of low ranks without replacing the top hierarchy.
His successor, Nausheen was the second woman to lead the organisation of 25,000 people and the fourth chairperson in the past 20 months.
The government had approved her appointment by having the federal cabinet circulate a summary instead of bringing the matter in a regular cabinet meeting.
Nausheen faced and her successor faces a gigantic task of stopping the nosediving tax revenues, restructuring the top FBR hierarchy and improving the tainted image of the tax machinery.
Ghani will also have to address the issue of rampant corruption, particularly fresh reports regarding some officers receiving kickbacks from taxpayers for putting their names on the list of those who will receive tax refunds on a priority basis under the PM’s COVID-19 relief package, and achieve targets set by the government in the new budget.
Indian occupied Kashmir (IoK) has seen at least 229 killings during more than 100 military operations since January, a rights group has reported.
The Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS), which operates in the region, said in its bi-annual report that from January 1 to June 30, the region witnessed the extrajudicial executions of at least 32 civilians and the killing of 54 armed forces personnel.
It also saw 55 internet shutdowns and the destruction of 48 structures, it said.
The report said three children and two women were also killed, while at least “107 cordon-and-search operations and cordon-and-destroy operations were conducted in the region”.
In addition, during search operations and encounters, “vandalism and destruction of civilian properties were reported”.
The report said that in the first six months of 2020, the media continued to be at the receiving end of pressure, intimidation and harassment by authorities, with several incidents involving the beating of journalists.
“Besides physical assaults, a few Kashmir-based journalists were also booked under stringent charges and cases were filed against them,” it said.
The report noted that the police filed cases against two Kashmiri journalists under the Unlawful Activities Act, which clearly infringes on the right to freedom of expression and freedom of the press as “such tactics signal a forewarning for media personnel to adhere to the state narrative”.
It also said that high-speed mobile internet services have remained banned since August 5, 2019, noting that in the last six months, there were 55 instances of internet blockades.
The report said India is paving the way for demographic change in occupied Kashmir on a large scale, thus institutionalising a system of domination over indigenous populations.
“The order is a clear violation of the 4th Geneva Convention,” it noted.
The report cited observers as warning that the new domicile law could permanently alter the demography of the disputed region.
It also touched on the recently introduced new media policy wherein the government will examine the content of the media.
According to the policy, the government will decide what is “fake,” “unethical” or “anti-national” news and take legal action against the journalist or media organisation concerned, including sharing information with security agencies.
Amid controversies surrounding the licences of several Pakistani pilots, which have also led to the suspension of Pakistan International Airlines’ (PIA) authorisation to operate in European Union (EU) member states and the United Kingdom (UK), a newspaper clipping pertaining to the launch of army’s Askari Airline has left Twitterati in doubts.
“Preparations for the launch of Askari Airline completed; licence issued,” read the undated Urdu newspaper clipping making the rounds on the internet.
The undated Urdu newspaper clipping making the rounds on the internet
It added that “the chief of army staff (COAS) would inaugurate the project that was in its final stages owing to the efforts of the Army Welfare Trust (AWT)” — Pakistani conglomerate also known as Askari Group of Companies — and mentioned details of the airline’s fleet.
The clipping drew the ire of a majority of netizens who attempted to draw a link between the downfall of the national carrier and the alleged impending launch of Askari Airline, compelling The Current to look into the claims.
According to prominent aviation journalist Tahir Imran, Askari Airline was given approval a few years ago, which suggests that the clipping is not a recent one.
Askari airline was given approval few years ago. Along with few other operators. For record Shaheen foundation failed to run Shaheen air, sold it to ex Air Force guy whose children eventually ran it down to the ground. Note: This is not recent news item. pic.twitter.com/DxM9qDkyow
When contacted, Imran said that Askari Airline was among six new airlines that had applied to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) for regular public transport (RPT) licences in 2018.
“These airlines are Liberty Air owned by Chaudhry Munir and Mian Amir, Go Green Airways owned by Elahi Group, Askari Air owned by AWT, United Airways Pakistan Limited owned by Adnan Tabani, AirSial owned by the Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Afeef Zara Airways owned by Rashid Siddiqui,” he said, adding that even though they had been granted licences, no other airline except AirSial was for now in a position to launch flight operations.
“But even AirSial faces an uncertain future as its launch scheduled for May 2020 has indefinitely been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic among other reasons. It might see the light of day by 2020’s end… but everything depends on how the current situation pans out.”
To a question regarding the fate of Askari Airline, Imran said that no appointments in this regard had so far been reported, let alone any progress towards its launch. “Askari, as well as other upcoming airlines except AirSial, lack the required infrastructure for now and their launch within the ongoing year doesn’t seem possible.”
ASKARI AVIATION SERVICES:
Speaking of Askari Aviation Services (AAS), he said it was run by AWT and its activities included domestic and international travel as well as transportation by Askari Charter Services (ACS), ground handling services at Islamabad airport by Askari Airport Services (AAPS), domestic and international air travel ticketing by Askari Travel & Tour (AT&T), ground, cabin and flying training of fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft by Askari Flying Academy (AFA) beside aircraft and helicopter maintenance and operation services through Askari Aviation (Pvt) Ltd (AAL).
“In addition to its integral fleet of helicopter and aircraft, AAS also enjoys the backing of Pakistan Army Aviation and is providing international charter services to the army for its United Nations (UN) peacekeeping troops deployed around the world,” he said.
Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has been called out by Twitterati for once again mimicking Pakistan People’ Party (PPP) chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, this time on the floor of the National Assembly (NA).
“When you’re made the chairperson of a political party without struggle, you say things like ‘jab baarish aata hai tou paani aata hai (more water comes when it rains more)’,” the leader of the house said during another rare appearance in the NA.
WATCH VIDEO:
Apparently the biggest struggle for #ImranKhan is to remain dignified… which he fails miserably at each time… embarrassing and pathetic that this is the Leader of our country…
Very low and disgusting from IK. This man doesn’t deserve to be a PM. Standing in NA mocking his political opponents shows his mental illness and fear of getting ditched anytime. He is the Punjabi version of Altaf obsessed with Sharif phobia and annoyed with Bilawal speeches
Utterly disgusting the way Imran Khan mocked Bilawal in the NA . The man who cannot speak Urdu coherently himself mocking someone young enough to be his grandson and whose mother tongue is not Urdu yet he has learned it well and speaks it well. Kudos @BBhuttoZardari
This, however, was not the first time that PM Imran made fun of Bilawal’s “rain theory”.
Addressing the inauguration ceremony of the Havelian-Thakot motorway under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in November last year, he had mimicked Bilawal and said that his theory had startled scientists across the globe.
“Bilwal has startled scientists worldwide by saying ‘jab barish hoti hai to pani ata hai’ (water pours when it rains). But Einstein rolled over in his grave when he [Bilawal] went on to say ‘Jab ziada barish hota hai to ziada pani ata hai’ (more water comes when it rains more),” the premier had quipped.
One of the martyred security personnel who thwarted the attack on Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) in Karachi on Monday, was due to retire from service two days later, SAMAA reported.
Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Muhammad Shahid of Lyari recruited 33 years ago in 1987, was due to retire on July 1.
Senior police officials have paid tribute to the martyred officer. They say the city owes its peace to such valiant police personnel.
Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa among others have also paid tribute to the brave cops and security guards who laid down their lives to foil the attack by killing all four gunmen affiliated with the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) before they could enter the compound.
… and integrated response of Pak Rangers & Sindh Police, eliminating terrorists in shortest possible time. “With support of our resilient nation, we will foil all efforts of enemies aimed at destabilizing hard earned peace achieved through sacrifices of our martyrs” COAS. (2/2)
Constable Muhammad Rafiq Soomro and Constable Khalil Jatoyi are also being praised for their valour and the critical role they played in thwarting the attack within eight minutes of its launch.
Earlier, panic and fear swept across Karachi after four terrorists tried to storm the PSX building on I I Chundrigar Road Monday. The assailants came in a car and tried to enter the building, according to the police.
They were intercepted by security guards after which the militants threw a hand grenade at them and opened gunfire. All four attackers were killed after a brief encounter with commandos of the Sindh Police’s Rapid Response Force.
The first audit report of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government has unveiled irregularities and corruption to the tune of Rs270 billion in 40 departments and ministries.
According to Dawn, the Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) has unearthed misappropriation and embezzlement of public funds to the tune of over Rs12 billion, with irregularities of government funds amounting to Rs258bn.
The AGP’s report covers the fiscal year 2018-19 — the first year of the PTI government — and recommends strict action, including references, to investigation agencies against those responsible. The AGP has finalised its report on audit year 2019-20 and it would be submitted to parliament and the president in a couple of days.
The report also disclosed that record for a number of entities and accounts was not given to audit teams in violation of rules.
The audit revealed corruption and fake receipts in ministries and departments to the tune of Rs12.56 billion. It stated that recovery cases of Rs79.59 billion in federal ministries were reported and a record of Rs17.96 billion was not provided to the auditor general by government departments.
The report further said that Rs8.89 billion in corruption cases had been recorded owing to weak internal controls and cases worth Rs152.20 billion were reported due to poor financial management.
The AGP recommended that government institutions not be allowed to undertake expenditures unless approved from the parliament and similarly, to not allow supplementary grants to these institutions without the parliament’s approval.
He recommended that corruption cases be handed over to investigative agencies.
A government minister while commenting on the audit report said that such irregularities during the period of past governments used to involve up to Rs1,000 billion. Geo quoted Minister for Industries Hammad Azhar as saying the graph had come down by 80 per cent but added that the PTI government needed to improve it further.
