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Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Sharjeel Inam Memon wrote on X that the Sindh government is going to start Peoples Bus Service in MirpurKhas district of Sindh very soon. He also praised chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in his post.
He wrote on X that “Inshallah from today Peoples Bus Service will start their operation in #Mirpurkhas. This is the vision of Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and President Asif Ali Zardari. CM Murad Ali Shah is also focusing on spreading the service throughout the province. Many more coming soon.”
National Assembly (NA) Speaker Ayaz Sadiq took action against two lawmakers on Friday for making inappropriate gestures during a joint parliamentary session . He suspended the membership of Jamshed Ahmad Khan Dasti and Muhammad Iqbal Khan, who are backed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) after they used abusive language during President Asif Ali Zardari’s speech.
PTI-SIC lawmakers staged a strong protest and created a ruckus during the maiden joint sitting of parliament on Thursday after the February 8 nationwide elections, which was addressed by President Zardari in which he stressed the need for political reconciliation.
The NA speaker introduced a motion in the lower house of parliament to suspend two members.
The motion, which was read by Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, stated that both MNAs used “abusive language” and approached the dais of the speaker in a “threatening manner”, which was an “unacceptable” action.
Punjab has requested the interior ministry on Saturday to shut down mobile networks and internet services in 13 districts and tehsils of the province on April 21, citing security concerns.
The request has been made to maintain law and order in the province and avoid any untoward incidents.
The provincial home department wrote a letter to the interior ministry for the suspension of internet on April 21 as multiple districts and constituencies are set to witness the conduct of by-polls after more than two months of February 8 general polls.
On April 17, social media was in an uproar with the news of Advisor to the Chief Minister (CM) of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) Mashal Yousafzai requesting the government for luxury cars worth more than Rs 27 million on provincial government’s expenditure.
Social media users were quick to criticise the move as the government is implementing austerity measures due to poor economic environment.
Geo News reported on the issue, led by their Peshawar reporter Nadia Saboohi who sent Yousafzai messages on whatsapp to ask about her version. Soon after Geo reported on the story, Yousafzai alleged in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that Saboohi tried to extort money from her and when Yousafzai refused to give in, ‘propaganda’ was done against her.
The Current spoke with Saboohi to find out what happened.
“I had access to the document detailing the request for luxury cars, but since there are many fake documents on social media, I waited to get a confirmation from the relevant authorities about the authenticity of the document,” Saboohi said over the phone. “After the document was authenticated by proper authorities, I reached out to advisor sahiba for an explanation and her point of view.”
Interestingly, according to the document, Yousafzai had asked for a Toyota Fortuner for herself, listed at a price of over Rs. 1.7 crore and a KIA Sportage for her secretary worth Rs. 73 lakhs.
DOCUMENT
Saboohi remarked that she simply asked the advisor for her perspective, saying that she also asked if the move was wise in such a difficult economic climate, adding that “Even advisor sahiba’s own department has not paid seven to eight hundred employees their salaries.”
Saboohi also pointed out that the Chief Minister of KP Ali Amin Gandapur, implemented an austerity program and no government official is allowed to get any new cars or go abroad for medical treatment.
“In the beginning of our conversation, advisor sahiba flatly denied the existence of any such summary,” Saboohi recalled, “When she was sent the document, she changed her statement and said, ‘This summary is from March 29 and I stopped it.’”
When Geo News broke the story, it went viral, generating immense backlash against Yousafzai. The advisor then tweeted that she had taken back the request for luxury cars.
TWEET
But the issue did not die down. Yousafzai took to X again and criticised the journalist and posted a serious allegation on X against Saboohi.
‘You’re taking money from the ‘boys’ and Muazzam Butt,” read Yousafzai’s tweet.
She also posted screenshots of the conversation she had with the journalist and revealed Saboohi’s phone number to the public. However, in the screenshots posted in her tweet, there is no evidence that Saboohi had extorted money from the advisor.
Yousafzai later deleted the tweet.
Deleted Tweet
“I made it clear to advisor sahiba that, being a journalist, I have no interest in taking sides,” Saboohi said. “I also told her that I have no personal grudge against you but the story was important to break because given the tough socio-economic environment the people of KP are facing, people deserved to know that luxury vehicles might be purchased using taxpayers’ money.”
According to Saboohi, Yousafza has issues within her own party, specifically with senior advocate Muazzam Butt in Insaf Lawyers Forum. Butt was also mentioned in the tweet against Saboohi, as someone who Yousafzai alleged, was paying off the journalist. Yousafzai said to Saboohi, “Because Muazzam was unable to become the advocate general so he started propaganda against me with your help.”
Saboohi said that it was her job as a journalist to report stories about the government in KP and the CM had said that he wanted news outlets to openly report and criticise his government’s actions if needed. In return, “[Yousafzai] released my contact information on social media just because she didn’t approve of my story”.
KP GOVERNMENT’S RESPONSE
“The CM house rejected the summary when it was sent to them as told by the CM social media wing representative Yar Muhammad Niazi,” revealed Saboohi. Niazi told her that the document might have been circulated but it was always going to be rejected.
Saboohi also pointed out that the advisor neither holds the authority to send such a document nor put a stop to it because the ministry belongs to CM.
“The spokesperson of KPK government, Barrister Saif, said that the document was given by Yousafzai in her individual capacity, when I asked him about the issue,” Saboohi said, “after which I asked him if that meant that any common person can request the government to buy them cars? Because this was an official government document”.
WHAT HAPPENED NEXT
Khyber Union of Journalists Peshawar Press Club condemned the advisor for making unsubstantiated remarks and sharing the female journalist’s information on social media.
According to Saboohi, a Jirga in her community has also vowed to support her, adding that, “anyone is welcome to prove these kinds of allegations in her entire 26 years of career.”
Peshawar Press Club had given Yousafzai 24 hours to delete the tweet or provide evidence of her claims. Yousafzai has since deleted that tweet.
When asked about problems she’s faced due to her contact information being publicised by the KPK official, Saboohi remarked, “I am facing a lot of harassment and threats due to this and she [Yousafzai] is responsible for this.”
SOCIAL MEDIA RESPONSE
Interestingly, PTI supporters on X are also criticising the advisor on her tweet.
The Current has reached out to Yousafzai for her version of the story and a comment and have not heard back yet.
The Director of International Monetary Fund (IMF) Middle East and Central Asia has said that Pakistan must focus more on the implementation of structural reforms instead of a loan.
“I think what is important at this stage is to accelerate the reforms, double down on the structure of reforms in order to provide Pakistan with its full potential of growth,” Jihad Azour told a press conference on the sidelines of the IMF 2024 Spring Meetings.
The statement comes as Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, who is currently in Washington DC, to finalise yet another bailout package that the country is seeking from IMF.
Pakistan is nearing the end of a nine-month, $3-billion SBA with the IMF designed to tackle a balance-of-payments crisis, which brought it to the brink of default last summer.
The Finance Minister in a recent interview, had mentioned that Pakistan would need two to three years of to implement the structural reforms.
Fourteen members of the Balochistan cabinet took oath today in a ceremony held at the Governor’s House in Quetta.
Those who took the oath include Sadiq Umrani, Ali Madad Jattak, Zahoor Buledi, Noor Muhammad Dumar, Sardar Faisal Jamali, Sarfraz Domki, Abdul Rehman Khetran, Saleem Khosa, Asim Kurd Gello, Bakht Kakar, Tariq Magsi, Shoaib Nosherwani, Raheel Durrani, and Zia Langau.
On March 2, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Sardar Sarfraz Bugti took oath as the Chief Minister (CM) of Balochistan.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Omar Ayub Khan has declared the head of state, Asif Ali Zardari, “illegal” after the President’s first speech in parliament on Thursday.
Zardari stressed the importance of meaningful dialogue between political parties to reduce the political crisis in Pakistan in his speech.
The PTI leader raised questions on Article 41 of the Constitution, which states that a President is a representative of the federation, pointing out that Asif Ali Zardari hasn’t resigned as co-chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) as of yet.
“Law is being violated in this House,” the PTI leader said that he tried to raise a point being a leader of the opposition, but he was denied the floor.
“As per the law, the floor is given to the opposition leader whenever he asks,” he added.
On the other hand, PTI chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan also criticized him, saying that “We do not recognize this president [Zardari]. [Not only this president, but Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the entire cabinet are also illegal.”
A speeding vehicle of Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz’s motorcade reportedly caused the death of a motorcyclist at the Chandowal Stop on Shakargarh Road, Narowal, Dawn reported on Friday.
The CM was heading to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur to join in the three-day Baisakhi festival celebrations. As her motorcade travelled from Narowal to Kartarpur, an Elite Force vehicle collided with a motorcyclist coming from the opposite direction. The motorcyclist, 23-year-old Abubakar from Jassar Town, lost his life on the scene.
The CM’s motorcade did not stop to take the injured to the hospital.
Ali Rizwan, a cousin of the accident victim, told Dawn that Abubakar was on his way to the gas station where he worked. He expressed frustration that no officials stopped their car to help the injured Abubakar, nor did they call Rescue 1122. Instead, he noted with disappointment that police officers arrived at the scene after the incident and washed away the blood from the road to eliminate the evidence.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has ordered the National Database Registration Authority (NADRA) to block all phone SIMs that are registered on an invalid or expired identity card.
The security czar visited the NADRA headquarters on Thursday in Islamabad and directed authorities to establish NADRA offices all over Pakistan, just as the model police stations were established in Punjab.
He also stated that by establishing model NADRA offices, service delivery will be enhanced.
Local police have confirmed on Thursday that a firing incident in the Dera Ismail Khan district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) claimed the lives of six people, including five customs officers.
Police officials stated that unknown attackers targeted the officers at Sago Road in Daraban tehsil of the district.
Five customs officers and one passer-by were killed in the firing incident, police added.
Attackers armed with weapons hid in bushes, then attacked the vehicle and quickly escaped on motorcycles without being stopped.
Due to the attack, the driver of the customs vehicle lost control and collided with another vehicle, resulting in the death of the citizen.
The bodies of the six individuals were shifted to the district headquarters hospital (DHQ).
Police officials cordoned off the area of the incident, and investigations have started.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur strongly condemned the incident, expressing regret over the deaths
