Category: Uncategorized

  • Fact Check: ‘Shah Mahmood Qureshi slaps principal secretary for not letting him see PM Imran’

    Claim: Shah Mahmood Qureshi (SMQ) slapped PM Khan’s Principal Secretary Azam Khan.

    Fact: SAPM Shabaz Gill, PTI Focal Person on Digital Media Arsalan Khalid and SMQ have refuted the claim.

    Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Political Communication Dr Shahbaz Gill has rebutted news reports claiming that Foreign Minister (FM) Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who is reportedly in hot water over his statement that strained ties between Islamabad and Riyadh, has slapped a top bureaucrat over his refusal to let the minister into PM Imran Khan’s office.

    A private media outlet had earlier in the day claimed that a scuffle broke out between FM Qureshi and PM Imran’s Principal Secretary Azam Khan after the latter, earlier this week, barred the minister from entering the premier’s office, leading to a spat.

    Citing sources, Abb Tak news had reported that Qureshi slapped the senior bureaucrat and entered PM Imran’s office. “He also complained to the premier about the principal secretary’s behaviour,” the report had claimed.

    With the claim going viral on Tuesday evening, Dr Gill broke silence, saying that the government would also be approaching the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) against the television channel.

    He also tweeted to urge the channel to act responsibly when it came to reporting about prominent individuals such as the FM and the principal secretary.

    Qureshi has also reportedly rebutted the claim. “I have not slapped Azam Khan,” he was quoted as saying by a private media outlet later in the day.

    It is pertinent to note that the report comes a day after a foreign media outlet claimed that Qureshi was likely to lose his post and be replaced by Federal Minister for Human Rights Dr Shireen Mazari as the government and military mend ties with Saudi Arabia.

    The claim had been denied by Focal Person to the PM on Digital Media Dr Arslan Khalid.

    VERDICT: MISLEADING

  • KYA BOLA? (Aug 18): ‘Idaaron ko dhamkiyan’ to ‘Hukoomat aur corona ki beemari mein koi farq nahi’

    KYA BOLA? (Aug 18): ‘Idaaron ko dhamkiyan’ to ‘Hukoomat aur corona ki beemari mein koi farq nahi’

    Following are some snippets that stood out from Urdu newspapers on August 18, 2020, which The Current takes no responsibility for.

    ‘Idaaron Ko Dhamkiyan’

    Daily Jang has reported that Federal Minister for Communication Murad Saeed has accused PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari of threatening institutions. He said “Chori ka hisaab denay k liye bulaya jata hai tou karkuno ko dhaal banaa kr idaaron ko dhamkanay k liye aa jatay hain.”

    ‘Shikayat Ka Mauqa Nahi Milega’

    It has been reported by Daily Dunya that Nawaz Sharif has called Fazlur Rehman up. “Nawaz Sharif ne Maulana Fazlur Rehman ko bharpoor opposition ka kirdaar adaa krnay ki yakeen dahani krwatay huay kahaa hai k inhein ainda shikayat ka mauqa nahi milega.”

    ‘Hukoomat Aur Corona Ki Beemari Mein Koi Farq Nahi’

    Daily Dunya has quoted PML-N Secretary General Ahsan Iqbal as saying, “Wazire Azam Imran Khan Pakistan ko ujaarna, jab k Nawaz Sharif taraqqi dena jantay hain. PML-N taraqqi ki jamaat hai aur PTI tabahi ki jamaat. Hukoomat aur corona ki beemari mein koi farq nahi.”

  • VIDEO: On-air Zartaj Gul mistakes Ziaul Haq’s death anniversary for his birthday

    VIDEO: On-air Zartaj Gul mistakes Ziaul Haq’s death anniversary for his birthday

    Minister of State for Climate Change Zartaj Gul Wazir is once again in the crosshairs of trolls after saying former dictator General Ziaul Haq was born on August 17, which is actually the day he died in a plane crash.

    Speaking during a talk show at a private TV channel, Gul, in what became a failed jibe at the Pakistan Muslim Lague-Nawaz (PML-N) said she wanted to congratulate Mian Javed Latif on the birth anniversary of his party’s “founder”, Zia.

    “I want to congratulate Mian Javed Latif for it’s probably the birthday of Gen Ziaul Haq — who created this party [the PML-N] — as far as I remember,” the PTI minister said.

    The anchor and other participants in the show were left dumbfounded on the state minister’s lack of knowledge about the political history of Pakistan, Geo reported.

    Anchorperson Nadeem Malik then corrected her, saying “today is August 17 when Gen Zia and many others were killed in a plane crash in 1988”.

    Despite being corrected, Zartaj tried to save the crumbling pieces of her sarcastic comment, saying, “Okay, whatever, even if it was an accident, they should celebrate it because he created the party. They should commemorate the anniversary of his martyrdom.”

    WATCH VIDEO:

    Fellow talk show guests — Sindh government spokesperson Senator Murtaza Wahab and Latif, the PML-N leader — were speechless, with the former putting his head in his hands and the latter showing an expression of contempt.

    This isn’t the first time that Gul had to face embarrassment for her remarks as earlier she had been brutally trolled for an ill-informed comment regarding COVID-19.

  • Remittances rise to record single month high of $2.77 billion in Pakistan

    Remittances rise to record single month high of $2.77 billion in Pakistan

    Remittances rose to $2.77 billion in July, which is the highest ever level of remittances in a single month in Pakistan, according to data released by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Monday.

    That represents a year-on-year growth of 36.5pc when compared with July 2019, and 12.2pc when compared to June 2020. Last month, remittances were recorded at $2.47 billion, which the SBP had dubbed as ‘historic’ at the time.

    Most of the remittances in July were received from Saudi Arabia, at $821.6 million; followed by UAE, at $538.2 million; UK, at $393.9 million; and the US, at $250.6 million.

    The central bank also noted that the growth rate in remittances compared to the same month in the previous year is around twice as high as the Eid-ul-Adha related seasonality typically experienced over the last decade.

    “Given the impact of COVID-19 globally, this increase in worker’s remittances is encouraging,” the SBP said.

    Overall, there are two main factors that explain the rise in remittances, along with some minor reasons.

    The first is that it seems the use of official channels to send remittances has increased, and there has been a decline in traditional hawala and hundi methods of sending cash home.

  • Cambridge agrees to revise O/A Level grades

    Cambridge agrees to revise O/A Level grades

    The Cambridge Assessment International Education (CAIE) has agreed to revise the grades issued for the June 2020 series and has announced that the grades will not be lower than the predicted grade submitted by the school, adding that “if a grade that was issued last week higher than the predicted grade, the higher grade will stand”.

    Federal Minister for Education Shafqat Mahmood announced the decision on social media and expressed his relief over the matter.

    Mahmood also shared that Prime Minister Imran Khan was “deeply concerned about this issue and asked me to help resolve it”.

    Read more – APS attack survivor Ahmad Nawaz is heading to Oxford University

    Similarly, Education Minister for Punjab Dr Murad Raas tweeted the official statement of Country Director CAIE which read: “We have decided that grades we issue for the June 2020 series will not be lower than the predicted grade submitted by the school. Where a grade we issued last week was higher than the predicted grade, the higher grade will stand.”

    The coronavirus pandemic and subsequent lockdown this year had forced CAIE to cancel its May/June 2020 exams worldwide. The examination board later announced that certificates would be awarded without exams under a new four-step assessment mechanism which included teachers’ predicted grades, ranking order, school review/approval and standardisation.

    However, after the results were announced last week, students started raising concerns and protested against the grades which were lower than their expectations and previous performance. They believed that Cambridge’s grade prediction system downgraded their qualifications, causing many to lose university placements and essential scholarships. Following the outrage, the government stepped in to assist students and Mahmood on Friday shared that Cambridge agreed to review its grading procedure.

    Meanwhile, in a statement issued Friday, CAIE said it had been listening to feedback and suggestions from schools and students and had been “looking carefully at how to act on it.”

    “Since we released our results on August 11, we’ve been listening to the feedback and suggestions from our schools and students. We know schools have been pleased that we were able to provide grades in challenging circumstances,” it said.

    It added, “We have also heard your concerns about some aspects of our process, and we understand the real anxieties Cambridge students are facing at the moment. We have been looking carefully at how to act on your feedback, and at the same time make sure schools, universities and employers continue to trust our qualifications.”

    “On Tuesday, August 18, we will let you know the actions we will take,” it added.

    It is pertinent to mention here that the issue at hand was not limited to Pakistan alone. According to a report in BBC, approximately 40% of A-Level results of students in England were downgraded after the exams regulator Ofqual used an algorithm based on a schools’ previous results. This sparked outrage among the public following which the UK government, after discussing the matter, announced that A-level and GCSE students in England will be given grades estimated by their teachers, rather than by an algorithm.

  • Indians are having a meltdown over Aamir Khan’s meeting with Turkish first lady Emine Erdoğan

    Aamir Khan, who is currently in Turkey for the shooting of his film ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’, has met the Turkish first lady, Emine Erdoğan, drawing strong reactions from Indians, who are not happy with the meeting that took place Saturday, India’s Independence day. 

    According to reports, Aamir had requested the meeting, as he wanted to update Erdoğan about the work of Paani Foundation, a non-profit organisation set up by the actor and his wife Kiran Rao.

    The main reason behind Indians’ outrage was that Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan has always condemned Indian brutality in occupied Kashmir and extended his support to Pakistan and Kashmiris following the troubled valley’s illegal annexation.  

    The Kashmir conflict can be solved not by conflict or oppression, but on the basis of justice and fairness, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had said in his address to Pakistani parliament in Islamabad.

    The Turkish leader had also called President of Pakistan on Eidul Azha and shared their views on different issues.

    A tweet by the president’s office read, “President Dr Arif Alvi and President Erdoğan exchanged Eidul Azha greetings in a telephonic conversation. Important matters, including Kashmir and COVID-19 were discussed.”

     With Aamir meeting Erdoğan, Indians called him “anti-national” and expressed their disappointment.

    https://twitter.com/tarun_priyanshu/status/1295260188228771842?s=20
    https://twitter.com/Bhavana17851510/status/1294998721143476227?s=20
    https://twitter.com/Gyana46465996/status/1294995521082241024?s=20

    Some also came forward in the defence of the actor and posted pictures of Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi with the Turkish leader.

    https://twitter.com/Nadeem_gaur92/status/1295076278769455109?s=20
  • Foreign Minister Qureshi likely to be replaced by Shireen Mazari as govt, army mend Riyadh ties: report

    Foreign Minister Qureshi likely to be replaced by Shireen Mazari as govt, army mend Riyadh ties: report

    Rumours regarding the removal of Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, ever since his statement regarding ditching Saudi Arabia for Kashmir’s sake, have gone rife in the federal capital as reports claim he is likely to be replaced by Federal Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari amid Islamabad’s attempts to mend ties with Riyadh.

    Qureshi had earlier this month accused the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) of dilly-dallying on the Kashmir issue in remarks that were seen by Riyadh as an attack on its leadership of the organisation.

    “I am once again respectfully telling OIC that a meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) is our expectation. If you cannot convene it, then I’ll be compelled to ask Prime Minister Imran Khan to call a meeting of the Islamic countries that are ready to stand with us on the issue of Kashmir and support the oppressed Kashmiris,” Qureshi had said during an interview.

    Days after his statement, as diplomatic strains occur between Islamabad and Riyadh over the Kashmir issue, it was announced by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) that Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa will be visiting Saudi Arabia to discuss regional security issues and Kashmir dispute with the Saudi leadership.

    “Yes, he [Gen Bajwa] is travelling,” the Pakistan Army spokesperson told the foreign media outlet, adding that the visit was pre-planned and “primarily military affairs oriented”.

    However, reports had said that while the two countries are traditionally close and Saudi Arabia in 2018 gave Pakistan a $3 billion loan and $3.2 billion oil credit facility to help its balance of payments crisis, Riyadh is irked by criticism from Islamabad that Saudi Arabia has been lukewarm on the Kashmir territorial dispute, motivating COAS Bajwa’s fence-building visit Sunday.

    Meanwhile, Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari publicly criticised Qureshi, saying his statements had let down both the Kashmiris and PM Imran.

    While her statement was seen as the first step to replace Qureshi in a bid to pacify the Saudis, it suggests that the Imran Khan government is publicly distancing itself from the actions and statements of the incumbent foreign minister.

    If there is any truth to the claims, it won’t be the first time cash-strapped Pakistan will be prioritising relations with Saudi Arabia, as most recently, Islamabad had also pulled out of a Muslim nations’ forum in Malaysia at the last minute on insistence by Riyadh, which saw the gathering as an attempt to challenge its leadership of the OIC.

    Saudia Arabia had already made Pakistan pay back $1 billion two weeks ago, forcing it to borrow from another close ally, China, and Riyadh is yet to respond to Pakistan’s request to extend the oil credit facility.

  • ‘Pyar Ke Sadkay’: All’s well that ends well

    ‘Pyar Ke Sadkay’: All’s well that ends well

    Hum TV’s much-loved rom-com Pyar Ke Sadkay came to close Thursday night with a happy ending that left viewers satisfied.

    Starring Bilal Abbas Khan, Yumna Zaidi, Atiqa Odho and Omair Rana among others, Pyar Ke Sadkay is a love story of two bawlas (simpletons) Abdullah (Bilal) and Mahjabeen (Zaidi) who end up getting married after fate throws them together. Over the course of the drama, they fall in love and overcome several obstacles along the way including an ex-crush Shanzay (Yashma), a manipulative father-in-law Sarwar (Omair Rana) and a weak mother-in-law Mansoora Begum (Atiqa Odho) before finally ending up together in the last episode.

    Though the last episode paid attention to all the subplots in the drama and ensured that there is no loose end left, I do wish it was not as rushed as it was. Throughout its run, the drama has been well-paced except in the last couple of episodes which were a bit of a drag. But that doesn’t mean the finale did not have its moments. In fact, there were plenty of them starting with Abdullah telling Shanzay to shut up, Mahjabeen’s mother refusing to take a settlement from Abdullah, Abdullah’s run-in with Sarwar and finally the confrontation between Mansoora Begum and Sarwar. The finale was packed with drama and had viewers hooked. Abdullah’s evolution in the last episode was brilliant and every time he stood up to his bullies, you couldn’t help but cheer.

    On the flip, I do wish that Pho and Washma were given more attention in the finale. Mahjabeen’s pregnancy was also forgotten and Sarwar’s moment with his mother just seemed forced and out of place. I really didn’t understand why Sarwar is upset with his mother and blames her for all his actions.

    Meanwhile, the performances were absolutely brilliant – whether it was Yumna, Bilal, Atiqa, Omair, Shra Asghar (Washma) or Salman Hassan – each one of them did complete justice to their characters. Credit for the amazing acting also goes to the director Farooq Rind who brought out the best from his actors.

    Zanjabeel Asim Shah’s script was solid and the characters very likeable. Some of the dialogues, especially those by Mahajabeen’s mother were powerful and thought-provoking.

    Pyar Ke Sadkay was one of those rare, well-written and well-produced drama which you enjoyed watching. Will definitely miss watching Abdullah and Mahjabeen’s shenanigans every Thursday but onto the next now.

  • Power plants installed during PML-N’s tenure helped end power crisis, says Razak Dawood

    Abdul Razaq Dawood, advisor to Prime Minister (PM) for Commerce, Textile, Industry, Production and Investment gave credit to former prime minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif for ending power crisis in the country.

    He said that the power plants that had been set up during PML-N’s previous tenure under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) have reduced power shortage.

    The adviser said that work on CPEC is going on in full swing adding that CPEC remains one of the top priorities of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government.

    He said that the next phase of CPEC will focus on the development of industries and agriculture in the country.

    “The IPPs which were set up under the 2002 Power Policy has now agreed to alter their existing contractual agreements and to ink new power purchase agreements,” says media reports.

    Earlier on Friday, to bring down the cost of electricity production and reduce circular debt, Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has signed a new agreement with the independent power producers (IPPs). A memorandum of understanding (MoU) containing 13 points was signed between the two parties.

    “I congratulate the nation because we are fixing the damaged structure we inherited in our power sector.”
    said Dawood.

    The prime minister promised that he would soon introduce a package that will focus on improving the distribution system by tackling line losses and theft.

    According to the MoU, the two parties have, in the larger national interest, voluntarily agreed to provide concessions.

    It was agreed that all projects will convert their contracts to a take-and-pay basis and until then, the existing take-or-pay will continue.

  • Australian man punches 10-feet great white shark to save wife’s life

    Australian man punches 10-feet great white shark to save wife’s life

    An Australian surfer repeatedly punched a 10-feet long white shark that had bit his wife until it released his wife’s leg.

    According to details, the couple was surfing at a beach near Port Macquarie on Saturday morning when the woman was bitten twice by the shark and her right leg got injured.

    “Her companion was forced to punch the fish until it let go,” police said in the statement.

    Paramedics gave the 35-year-old first-aid at the beach and then she was airlifted to a major hospital for surgery.

    One witness who was surfing nearby when the attack occurred called the man a “hero” for taking on what appeared to be a great white shark up to three meters (10 feet) long.
    “He started laying into the shark because it wouldn’t let go,” Jed Toohey told the Daily Telegraph. “He saved her life… He was really incredible.”

    The woman’s husband, Mark Rapley, said that “I did what anyone would have done at that moment”.

    Australia has one of the world’s highest incidences of shark attacks and there have been five fatal ones in the country so far this year.

    Just last month, a shark pulled a 10-year-old boy from a fishing boat off Tasmania. He survived after his father jumped in the water to save him.