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.

  • Making us proud: Meet Major Fozia Parveen, serving UN Peacekeeping Force

    Making us proud: Meet Major Fozia Parveen, serving UN Peacekeeping Force

    Among many other Pakistani female military and staff officers is Major Fozia Parveen, who is making the country proud by serving the United Nations’ (UN) Peacekeeping Force.

    Taking to social media, Pakistan’s Representative to the UN, Maleeha Lodhi, lauded Major Fozia’s services as a UN peacekeeper in Cyprus.

    “We are proud of our female (and male) peacekeepers who serve in UN missions. Major Fozia Perveen is serving in the UN Mission in Cyprus (UNFICYP), seen here on a patrol in the Buffer Zone. Picture thanks to the UN, [sic]” she said in an Instagram post.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BzMeC8_h_mI/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

    Pakistan earlier crossed the target set by the UN from zero to 15 per cent deployment of female military and staff officers in the peacekeeping mission within just 18 months.

    “We believe, increased participation of female peacekeepers, and encouraging more women to take up mediation roles helps in the stabilisation and reconstruction phases of conflicts,” Lodhi had said earlier in April while participating in a debate on ‘Women in Peacekeeping.’

    Maleeh Lodhi herself is the first woman to hold the position of Pakistan’s representative to the UN. Previously, she has served as the country’s envoy to the Court of St James and twice as its ambassador to the United States (US).

  • Private bank fires employee for abusing journalist on Twitter

    Private bank fires employee for abusing journalist on Twitter

    A private bank has fired an employee for abusing journalist Hasan Zaidi during a Twitter spat earlier this week.

    As per the details, the bank’s Financial Reporting Unit head Fazeel Tajammul was fired after Zaidi reported him for abusing.

    Tagging the bank in his tweets with screenshots of Tajammul’s abusive remarks, Zaidi had urged the bank to take action against him.

    Zaidi also shared multiple similar tweets by the bank employee, which took the micro-blogging website by storm with people urging the bank to sack Tajammul.

    The campaign followed an official statement from the bank, wherein it announced having taken the “appropriate action” against Tajammul.

    Meanwhile, Twitterati are criticising Zaidi as well as the bank for the move, calling it unfair.  They allege that the journalist “used his influence to get Tajammul sacked”.

    Some are also seeking Zaidi’s removal for some of his abusive remarks.

    https://twitter.com/azbkt1122/status/1139393829193179136

    Tajammul, for the time being, has deactivated his Twitter handle.

  • Rs410m approved for maintenance of two VVIP aircraft as PTI touts austerity

    Rs410m approved for maintenance of two VVIP aircraft as PTI touts austerity

    The federal government has approved an additional amount of Rs410 million for the repair and maintenance of two VVIP Gulfstream aircraft said to be in use of President Dr Arif Alvi and Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, The News reported.

    The supplementary grant, that comes as Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) touts austerity to lessen the burden on the national treasury, was sanctioned in March 2019 by the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC).

    It has now been reflected in the budget document for formal approval by the parliament.

    The report further said that the Defence Production Division is responsible for the maintenance of these aircraft, however, ECC had failed to resolve differences between Ministry of Defence Production and Pakistan Air Force (PAF) regarding the transfer of said funds.

    Directorate General Defence Procurement had purchased the two VVIP aircraft (one brand new and one used) at a cost of $58.55 million ($58, 550,924) in September 2005 on the directions of Ministries of Finance and Defence.

  • Sheikh Rasheed calls Naeemul Haque ‘sick’ for criticising VIP culture

    Sheikh Rasheed calls Naeemul Haque ‘sick’ for criticising VIP culture

    Federal Minister for Railways Sheikh Rasheed has called Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s close aide Naeemul Haque “sick” for criticising VIP culture and ministers who “have police squads accompanying them”.

    “Naeemul Haque is sick. Pray for him,” Rasheed said when asked to comment over PM’s special assistant on political affairs’ remarks during a press conference on Saturday.

    Earlier, Haque had tweeted to criticise protocol being used by VIPs and ministers.

    “A large number of VIPs and ministers are still promoting VIP culture by having police squads accompany them everywhere,” he had said, adding that it was against the directives of the premier.

    “Police squads are allowed to only those who face a real threat to their lives. This practice must stop.”

    The war of words is being termed as another episode of the tussle that is allegedly continuing between elected and non-elected members of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government.

    Elected members, including Federal Minister Fawad Chaudhry, have time and again expressed their concerns over the “interference of non-elected members in affairs of different ministries”.

  • Hindu mob beats up Muslim couple over beef rumour in India

    Hindu mob beats up Muslim couple over beef rumour in India

    Days after Narendra Modi’s hardliner Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was elected to power for a second consecutive term, a Hindu extremist mob has severely thrashed three Muslims, including a woman, over beef rumours.

    According to India Today, the incident took place in the Seoni city of Madhya Pradesh.

    A video of the incident, which shows self-claimed gau rakshaks [cow vigilantes] hitting the young Muslims with sticks, has gone viral. The video also shows the Muslim man being forced to thrash his wife with a slipper and say Jai Shree Ram.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    Five suspects have been arrested from Seoni city, 350 km from state capital Bhopal, the police was quoted as saying. Meanwhile, the victims have been identified as local residents Dilip Malviya, Taufik and Anjum Shama.

    Former Indian occupied Kashmir (IoK) chief minister Mehbooba Mufti took to Twitter to condemn the incident.

    “Horrified to see cow vigilantes thrash an innocent Muslim with such impunity in MP. Hope the chief minister will take swift action against these goons,” she said.

  • Indian election: Man cries after getting only five votes, says has nine family members

    Indian election: Man cries after getting only five votes, says has nine family members

    An electoral candidate in Indian Punjab on Thursday broke down in an interview after he received only five votes when “there are nine members in his own family”.

    According to reports, Neetu Shuttern Wala, who hails from Jalandhar, stood independently in the recently held general polls.

    When he was being interviewed, he started crying before the camera not because of the alleged five votes, but because there are nine people in his own family.

    The interview clip went viral, with some calling it the “biggest election story” of the day.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    “Sir there are nine votes from my family, but I have only received five,” he can be heard as telling the reporter in the viral video. When asked if his family hadn’t voted for him, he replied, “No sir, they have been dishonest in voting.”

    Meanwhile, Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) clinched its second consecutive term after receiving a huge mandate in the election.

    Far from falling behind its 2014 score of 282, which was a historic record at the time, BJP succeeded in climbing a new summit of 300 seats in the lower house of the Indian parliament.

  • PM wants to make spiritualism a ‘super science’

    PM wants to make spiritualism a ‘super science’

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has announced making rohaniyaat [spiritualism] a “super science”, saying that the doctrine needs research.

    “I had been thinking about creating this university for the past 23 years and telling the students about the Ideology of Pakistan,” he said while laying the foundation stone of Al-Qadir University in the Sohawa town of Jhelum district.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    The premier further said the varsity was named after Abdul Qadir Jilani, who linked science and spirituality. “Research on spirituality will be conducted here,” he added.

    Here’s what Twitterati had to say about PM Imran’s statement:

    Meanwhile, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz also took a jibe at PM Imran.

    “There is craft in daubing. He who used to criticise [others] for reading off a paper was neither able to read out his own oath nor deliver a speech,” she tweeted.

    Maryam further said that he [PM Imran] reading off a paper was a spectacle, and so was he delivering an unprepared speech.

  • Ayesha Gulalai offers Bilawal to merge his ‘small party’ with PTI-G

    Ayesha Gulalai offers Bilawal to merge his ‘small party’ with PTI-G

    Disgruntled former Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MNA and PTI-Gulalai (PTI-G) Chairperson Ayesha Gulalai has advised Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari “to merge his small party with PTI-G”.

    “I would suggest you merge your small party [PPP], which is now limited to Sindh, with PTI-G,” she said in a video message making rounds on the internet.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    Gulalai further said her message was a “free and very sincere advice” to Bilawal.

    The PPP leadership is yet to respond to Gulalai’s offer.

  • Imran Khan spies on us using robot rats: PPP leader

    Imran Khan spies on us using robot rats: PPP leader

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Nabil Gabol has claimed that Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan keeps an eye on members of the opposition using “robot rats” in the parliament lodges.

    Speaking to a private media outlet earlier this week, he said that the premier has released these robots to monitor the opposition’s activities.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    “I have been informed by the National Assembly secretary that Imran Khan has released these robot rats with the help of the Intelligence Bureau (IB),” he claimed, adding that the rats later report to PM Imran.

    Gabol further claimed that a couple of these robot rats have also been deployed in Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Rana Sanaullah’s room.

  • Indian troops use Kashmiris as human shields in latest operation: report

    Indian troops use Kashmiris as human shields in latest operation: report

    At least four civilians were used as human shields by Indian troops as they launched an 18-hour-long operation in the Pinglan village of Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK), Reuters reported.

    According to the report, by the time the operation ended, one civilian, three freedom fighters and five members of the Indian forces were dead, a row of houses was reduced to rubble and more than 120 villagers had sought treatment for exposure to tear gas, assault and mental trauma.

    Eyewitnesses were quoted as saying that soldiers forced at least four villagers to act as human shields. The civilians were sent first into a building where the fighters might be hiding, using a phone to record a video that could be viewed by soldiers present nearby.

    Human rights lawyers say such tactics — which are meant to deter local fighters from firing on soldiers carrying out the raids — are highly questionable and could even be a war crime under international law.

    But they would not be illegal under Indian law.

    “[The] Indian army has never used civilians as human shields,” said military spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Mohit Vaishnava while speaking to Reuters.

    However, he said that during encounters, local people are sometimes asked to mediate between the army and freedom fighters.