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.

  • VIDEO: ‘Ch Nisar secretly facilitated Imran, Qadri’s 2014 Islamabad sit-ins against PML-N govt’

    VIDEO: ‘Ch Nisar secretly facilitated Imran, Qadri’s 2014 Islamabad sit-ins against PML-N govt’

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Javed Latif has claimed that former interior minister Chaudhry Nisar secretly facilitated the 124-day-long demonstration jointly organised by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) in 2014 against the PML-N government.

    Latif, who was part of a three-guest panel at anchorperson Hamid Mir’s show on Monday, said that Nisar released the “violent protesters” who attacked the parliament and state-owned broadcaster Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV).

    According to him, Nisar facilitated the entrance of protesters in the heavily guarded Red Zone that houses the president and prime minister houses in addition to several other highly-sensitive secretariats.

    “Nisar’s disagreement with Nawaz Sharif’s GT Road rally was also part of his plan. He continuously opposed the party policy on certain important matters and today we all know about his current political standing and reputation,” Latif said.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    It merits a mention here that since his association with former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in the mid-80s, Nisar was Sharif’s go-to man in matters involving the country’s powerful establishment — until he fell out of favor as a result of his advocacy of a non-confrontational policy with the military following Sharif’s judicial ouster in 2017. 

    Hailing from a respected military family himself, Nisar had allegedly played a key role in the appointment of retired General Pervez Musharraf as the Chief of the Army Staff in 1998. 

  • Punjab govt gives 25-acre army land to 47 civilian officials

    Punjab govt gives 25-acre army land to 47 civilian officials

    An approval has been given for the allotment of up to 25 acres of state land, which was meant for the families of the martyred soldiers and war veterans under the Army Welfare Scheme (AWS), to 47 civilian government officials instead.

    According to Dawn, the Punjab government has made the allotments without legal sanction on the orders of former military ruler Gen (r) Pervez Musharraf in contravention of merit and law. The report also quoted two officials at the Chief Minister’s (CM) Secretariat also confirming this on the condition of anonymity.

    The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government had cancelled the allotment, which had been ordered by the former dictator during January 2004 and May 2008 in alleged violation of the Colonisation of Government Land (Punjab) Act 1912 and the allotment policy framed in 1962 under it for the AWS.

    After the cancellation order, the PML-N government had also rejected multiple summaries put up to former CM Shehbaz Sharif for ratification. The land branch of General Headquarters (GHQ) had first approached the Punjab government in April 2009 to not revoke the allotments. The military was of the opinion that the “allotments made to the civil officials may be treated as closed chapter” and offered to work out allotment modalities for the future in consultation with the provincial government and the provincial Board of Revenue (BoR). However, Shehbaz had not obliged.

    CM Secretariat reportedly said that around 837 acres of the AWS land had been allotted to civilian officials without consulting the provincial government. The land had been allotted in districts of Bahawalpur, Pakpattan, Khanewal, Sahiwal, Muzaffargarh, Bahawalnagar, Rahim Yar Khan and Sadiqabad.

    The former CM rejected another summary prepared by the BoR in February 2012, as the then Punjab chief secretary noted that it didn’t augur well for the civil service and the overall good governance.

    According to the fresh summary approved by the Usman Buzdar government to restore and validate the allotments, the Shehbaz government had cancelled the allotments and retrieved the allotted land from the beneficiary officials in 2010, because the land was actually allotted to the military for a specific purpose under the law.

    Those who had sold the land allotted to them were told by the Shehbaz administration to deposit the sale proceeds to the provincial treasury. The provincial officials who had benefited from the GHQ’s decision were suspended while the matter of the three DMG officers who got the land was sent to the Establishment Division. Apparently, the Establishment Division did not take any action against them.

    The prominent beneficiaries include DMG officers – Sardar Ahmed Nawaz Sukhera (currently the federal cabinet division secretary), Dr Faisal Zahoor and Syed Imtiaz Hussain Shah. Ex-PCS officials who will benefit from the government decision include Mohammad Zahid Ikram, Sikandar Ali Bokhari, Syed Najaf Abbas Bokhari, Malik Mohammad Ramzan, Mohammad Ashraf Yousufi, Abdul Ghafoor Virk, Dur Mohammad Khan, Irshad Mohyuddin, Syed Zahid Hussain Jilani, Mohammad Ashfaq, Mohammad Akram Bhatti, Amir Karim Khan (currently PSO to CM Buzdar), Mushtaq Ahmed Anjum and Mohammad Azam Khan. The remaining officials mostly included district revenue officials.

    Eight beneficiary officers then filed a petition with the Lahore High Court (LHC) against the cancellation order of the Punjab government. In June 2013, the court directed the BoR member (colonies) to set aside the cancellation order and decide the matter afresh in accordance with the law after considering all the legal and factual submissions made by the parties and after following the due process as per law.

    The GHQ then cancelled the allotments in October 2013 in its papers.

    Officials at the CM Secretariat said as long as Shehbaz was there, no one dared to bring the matter up again.

    Later in November 2019, the DG Lands at GHQ wrote to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government led by Usman Buzdar for the restoration of the allotments, stating that “all the orders of president/chief executive of Pakistan were subsequently given constitutional protection and also upheld by the Supreme Court of Pakistan in the Tikka Iqbal case”.

    Strangely enough the DG Lands did not mention that the said judgement was overturned by a 14-member bench in July 2009 in the PCO Judges case.

    Two days after the receipt of the DG Lands’ letter, the BoR member (colonies) initiated a fresh summary for the Punjab CM, requesting Buzdar to “take an explicit decision whether to withdraw the order cancelling the impugned allotments”. The CM referred the matter to the standing committee of the cabinet on legislative business that in February endorsed the viewpoint of the DG Lands, GHQ.

    The CM later approved the allotments “as recommended by the standing committee subject to ratification by the cabinet” given last week.

  • VIDEO: Trouble for Buzdar as coronavirus patients in Lahore come out to protest

    VIDEO: Trouble for Buzdar as coronavirus patients in Lahore come out to protest

    As Punjab retains its position as the worst-hit province with over 6,800 coronavirus infections, Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Usman Buzdar-led administration faces another challenge as patients at the Expo Field Hospital in Lahore come out in protest, complaining against the hospital’s inefficient management and testing.

    A video available with The Current showed the patients bashing the government as they claimed that the services being provided at the hospital were inadequate and not up to basic health standards. They also claimed that due to the incompetence of the government officials, it could not be determined if many people at the centre even had coronavirus.

    “Sometimes we test positive, sometimes negative… it is going on for over 20 days. The only people who have been allowed to leave this jail are the ones who have paid Rs8,000 to a private lab for testing.”

    WATCH VIDEO:

    https://twitter.com/fatah_pak/status/1255926871734312960

    They appealed to the government to take action against the staff that had made the facility a living hell for them.

    Washrooms at the hospital are extremely dirty and don’t even have soap let alone sanitiser, Samaa quoted a patient as saying.

    Another complained that the food provided to patients was either stale or bad. “We have complained to the government multiple times but they haven’t even acknowledged our concerns,” he added.

    The patients have demanded that the government let them go home if they can’t be taken care of. Quarantining at home is better than staying here, they said, adding that living in these conditions will never pull them out of the disease.

    Previously, due to similar complaints, CM Buzdar had taken notice of the hospital, however, no changes seem to have been made yet.

    The provincial government had in April has set up a 1,000-bed field hospital in Expo Centre Lahore due to rapidly increasing number of COVID-19 cases.

    Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid had directed setting up Triage Centre at the Expo Center Field Hospital.

    Triage Centre serves as the point where patients are prioritised for different sections based on the severity of symptoms and their condition in emergencies. The government has set up a field hospital at the Expo Center where emergency arrangements have been made for COVID-19 patients.

  • Ultimatum for Saudi Arabia: Trump tells MBS to cut oil supply if Kingdom wants US military support

    Ultimatum for Saudi Arabia: Trump tells MBS to cut oil supply if Kingdom wants US military support

    With the United States (US) continuing to press Saudi Arabia to end its oil price war with Russia, President Donald Trump has given the Kingdom an ultimatum.

    According to Reuters, in an April 2 phone call, Trump told Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that unless the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) started cutting oil production, he would be powerless to stop lawmakers from passing legislation to withdraw US troops from the Kingdom.

    The threat to upend a 75-year strategic alliance, which has not been previously reported, was central to the US pressure campaign that led to a landmark global deal to slash oil supply as demand collapsed in the coronavirus pandemic — scoring a diplomatic victory for the White House.

    Trump delivered the message to the crown prince 10 days before the announcement of production cuts. The kingdom’s de facto leader was so taken aback by the threat that he ordered his aides out of the room so he could continue the discussion in private, according to a US source who was briefed on the discussion by senior administration officials.

    The effort illustrated Trump’s strong desire to protect the US oil industry from a historic price meltdown as governments shut down economies worldwide to fight the virus. It also reflected a telling reversal of Trump’s longstanding criticism of the oil cartel, which he has blasted for raising energy costs for Americans with supply cuts that usually lead to higher gasoline prices.

    Now, Trump was asking OPEC to slash output.

    A senior US official told Reuters that the administration notified Saudi leaders that, without production cuts, “there would be no way to stop the US Congress from imposing restrictions that could lead to a withdrawal of US forces”. The official summed up the argument, made through various diplomatic channels, as telling Saudi leaders: “We are defending your industry while you’re destroying ours.”

  • From interior to info, health, telecom, power, civil aviation among others: Military men serving Pakistan

    From interior to info, health, telecom, power, civil aviation among others: Military men serving Pakistan

    With former military bigwig Lieutenant General (r) Asim Bajwa being appointed as the special assistant to the prime minister (SAPM) on information and broadcasting earlier this week, the list of military men discharging their duties in various sectors to serve Pakistan has been added to.

    The development falls in line with the beliefs of various members of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), including PM Imran Khan and his federal ministers such as Fawad Chaudhry, who have time and again praised the armed forces of the country for being the most powerful and well-organised national institutions.

    While some elements appear bothered by the increasing list of both former and serving military officials working with the government at a time when civil-military relations in the country “stand at their historic best”, here is what you should know about those working to revamp different sectors for the cause of ‘Naya Pakistan’.

    Interior Minister Brigadier (r) Ijaz Shah:

    The Ministry of Interior, which is primarily responsible for implementing the internal policies, state security and administration of internal affairs involving the state, is being led by Brig (r) Ijaz Ahmed Shah. Prior to entering politics, Shah has served as a spy military officer of the Pakistan Army. He has also served as the minister for parliamentary affairs.

    SAPM on Information & Broadcasting Lt Gen (r) Asim Bajwa:

    Lt Gen (r) Bajwa, who replaced former information minister Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan as the premier’s media aide on Monday, is a retired three-star general. During his military career, he has served as the director general (DG) of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) as well as the commander of Pakistan Army’s Southern Command. He is also the chairman of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Authority.

    NDMA Chairman Lt Gen Muhammad Afzal:

    Lt Gen Muhammad Afzal of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) — a federal authority mandated to deal with disasters and their management in the country — has risen to the occasion over the past few weeks as the coronavirus situation in Pakistan started worsening. Other than his experience with the Frontier Works Organization (FWO), he is qualified in international law of conflict with a special focus on civilian casualties and displaced persons.

    FROM CIVIL AVIATION TO HEALTH AND BEYOND:

    Among other not so familiar names are Squadron Leader (r) Shahrukh Nusrat, who is serving as an executive at the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) after he was reappointed as the authority’s DG last year; National Institute of Health (NIH) Executive Director Maj Gen Dr Aamer Ikram, Air Marshal Arshad Malik, who is serving as the chief executive officer (CEO) of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA); Water & Power Development Authority (WAPDA) Chairperson Lt Gen (r) Muzammil Hussain and Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) chief Maj Gen (r) Amir Bajwa.

  • PM’s spokesperson ‘confuses’ Lt Gen (r) Asim Bajwa with Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor in congratulatory message

    PM’s spokesperson ‘confuses’ Lt Gen (r) Asim Bajwa with Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor in congratulatory message

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s spokesperson on trade and investment for the United Kingdom (UK) and Europe, Sahibzada Jahangir, has confused two of the military’s former spokespersons while congratulating one of them over his appointment as the special assistant to PM (SAPM) on information and broadcasting.

    Former Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) director general (DG) Lt Gen (r) Asim Bajwa on Monday replaced Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan as the premier’s media aide while Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senator Shibli Faraz was appointed as the new federal minister for information.

    With the new appointments being reported, congratulatory messages starting pouring in on Twitter, among which was that of Jahangir, who is also the elder brother of former PTI senior leader Fauzia Kasuri.

    The now-deleted tweet by Jahangir, a screenshot of which is available with The Current, congratulated Asim Bajwa while the picture attached along with the tweet showed the PM’s spokesperson with Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor instead.

    Ghafoor had replaced Bajwa as the ISPR chief in late 2016.

    The congratulatory message has once again been tweeted by Jahangir, but this time without a picture.

    https://twitter.com/ChicoJahangir/status/1254807812317855746

    “Congratulations to Lt.Gen Asim Saleem Bajwa on his desrved appointment as SAPM for Broadcasting & Information. I extend best wishes to him. @ImranKhanPTI @AsimBajwaISPR [sic],” it states.

    Jahangir, who is among PM Imran Khan’s oldest friends, was appointed as the premier’s spokesperson on trade and investment for the UK and Europe on an honorary basis in July 2019.

    PTI leaders say that Jahangir has always played a central role in raising funds for PTI, Shaukat Khanum Hospital and NAMAL University. They say his appointment was an acknowledgment of the loyal workers of PTI who have always stood by Imran.

    According to Jahangir, who had in 2018 refused to take charge as SAPM on foreign investment after criticism over social media, he does not take any salary or privileges while acting on behalf of the PM to take trade and business to Pakistan and generate more interest in investment in the country.

  • Hospital employee tests positive for coronavirus during PM’s visit

    After Edhi Foundation head Faisal Edhi tested positive for the new coronavirus less than a week following his meeting with Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, who, however, has tested negative for the same, concerns have been raised over another health risk that the premier may be facing as an employee of Coronavirus Care Hospital of Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS) in Rawalpindi tested positive for COVID-19 the same day Imran visited the facility.

    As per the details, Khaleeq Abbasi, who works at the Logistics Department, had been deputed at the hospital to take care of the logistics and was also involved in logistics provision for PM Imran’s visit along with other staff.

    “Abbasi was not feeling well for quite a few days. He tested for coronavirus on Monday which came positive on Wednesday,” reports quoted an official as saying.

    “After testing positive, Abbasi has been directed by the PRCS management to self-isolate,” they said, adding that as a follow-up measure, the management had also isolated the entire logistics department and sent samples of all of the department’s employees among a number of other persons for testing.

    According to a press statement issued by PM House, the premier during his visit was briefed in detail by PRCS Chairman Abrarul Haq on the measures taken by the organisation in the wake of the situation arising out of the COVID-19 outbreak and the facilities at the hospital.

    A video doing rounds over the internet also showed PM Imran and his delegation at the facility without any specific protective measures.

    Minister for Railways Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad, PM’s special assistants Dr Sania Nishtar, Dr Zafar Mirza and Member National Assembly (MNA) Amir Mehmood Kiyani were among those who accompanied Imran.

    PRCS spokesperson Rehal Ali has confirmed that an employee named Khaleeq Abbasi tested positive for COVID-19 the same day the premier visited the hospital. “Actually, Abbasi’s test sample had been sent on Monday and the confirmation came on Wednesday,” said the spokesperson, adding that Abbasi and all other staff members had been isolated at their homes as a safety measure.

    “We have tracked back around 10 people who had been in contact with Abbasi and isolated them at their homes. Their samples have also been taken and sent for tests,” he said, adding that all measures identified by the National Institute of Health (NIH) were being followed at the hospital as well as the national headquarters of the PRCS.

  • BJP threatens ‘Gulf News’ editor in Dubai

    BJP threatens ‘Gulf News’ editor in Dubai

    An Indian journalist working with Gulf News in Dubai has been threatened that his passport would be impounded and he would be arrested as and when he returns to India.

    Mazhar Farooqui, Features Editor looking after Special Reports, claims he was inundated with abusive and threatening messages forwarded to his e-mail, on WhatsApp, on Facebook Messenger and on Twitter. He also claimed that while some of the accounts have been deactivated and some tweets deleted, several threats were issued from verified accounts and by people followed by the Indian Prime Minister.

    Farooqui had written reports exposing Islamophobic social media posts by Indian expatriates working in the UAE and Gulf countries. The reports had led in some cases to police action and some of the Indian expatriates being sacked.

    Some of the threats Farooqui received were:

    • You are being closely watched by security agencies here; your future liberty in India is uncertain. U may have to go to jail if you return here.
    • Iss ki family kahan rahti hai? Should be picked up. Passport should be cancelled
    • You are on our list too. Along with your daughters.

    Messages were also sent to authorities and police in Dubai, asking whether they had carried out a thorough background check on Farooqui, who, they said, was a Shia Muslim from Lucknow and was working secretly for Iran.

    Asked to comment, Farooqui told the National Herald, “Well, it’s like a pandemic — I have got nearly 5,000 messages via e-mail, FB messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp from hundreds of such people. That said, many have deactivated their accounts or deleted their posts fearing action.”

    “In the midst of all this, BJP’s IT cell has launched a relentless, malicious campaign against me on Twitter. People with a verified account and many followed by the [Indian] PM are abusing me and threatening to revoke my passport and harm me and my daughters. They have even posted their pix on social media.”

    Farooqui had worked for Hindustan Times in Lucknow before moving to Gulf News in Dubai.

  • PM Imran’s Ehsaas Telethon collects Rs550 million

    PM Imran’s Ehsaas Telethon collects Rs550 million

    Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday raised Rs550 million through his Ehsaas Telethon bid for coronavirus affectees, a private media outlet reported.

    The telethon was held at Prime Minister House with journalists Mohammad Malick, Mansoor Ali Khan, Hamid Mir, Nadeem Malik, and Kashif Abbasi in attendance. Shiffa Yousafzai and Muniba Mazari were the hosts of the transmission.

    PM Imran urged people to adopt safety precautions against the coronavirus. “The virus spreads at a very fast rate,” he said. “There have been viruses and people have been infected with the flu before. But this is unprecedented,” he added. 

    Former cricketing greats, including Javed Miandad, Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis also called in the telethon to express their views and wished best of luck to the country and prime minister.

    Speaking about COVID-19, PM Imran said that “No single government can battle the pandemic. The entire nation needs to join hands to fight this virus, keeping in mind the times that are ahead.”

    Speaking on the occasion, PM Imran said, “I always tell this to my children and to others as well; whenever you spend in the way of Allah, it brings you a lot of other rewards, such as the feeling of contentment. He further added “one’s bank balance should not be the measure of his wealth. True wealth is what you feel inside.”

    Speaking about the lockdown, PM Imran said that the country will have to move towards a “smart lockdown.” The prime minister made it clear that an indefinite lockdown was not an option and any decision on a smart lockdown should be for all Pakistanis and not just the elite.

    On the conference of doctors from yesterday, he said that their concern for complete lockdown is valid but it is not sustainable in the long-term.

    The transmission was concluded with the special prayer by Maulana Taiq Jameel, who also advised the people to recite supplications like Ayat Kareema to seek Allah Almighty’s forgiveness and blessings in the distressing situation. 

  • Mian Mansha donates protective gear for medical staff worth Rs10 million

    Mian Mansha donates protective gear for medical staff worth Rs10 million

    Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid has received protective gear for coronavirus frontline workers, including doctors, nurses and paramedical staff, worth Rs10 million from MCB Bank Limited Chairman Mian Muhammad Mansha.

    According to the health minister, the donation comprises N95 masks, protective gear as well as gloves, goggles and shoes. The minister expressed gratitude to Mian Mansha for the donation for the frontline workers currently serving in dedicated hospitals amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

    “The philanthropists and organisations working to support the government in its battle against the coronavirus pandemic deserve appreciation from the government. In these testing times, we can win this battle by collective efforts. The MCB has displayed a good example of corporate social responsibility and I pray that the Almighty accepts this act of kindness and generosity,” Dr Yasmin said.

    Meanwhile, on the special instructions of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, the Sindh government distributed protective gear and kits to the hospitals of south Punjab.

    The contributions come as doctors and other medical staffers continue to protest against the unavailability of proper safety equipment at hospitals in major parts of the country and doctors contracting the virus.

    The number of coronavirus infections in Pakistan, by the time this report was filed, stood at 8,648 with 181 fatalities.