Category: Uncategorized

  • PIA & 150 pilots ‘with fake licences’

    PIA & 150 pilots ‘with fake licences’

    The Supreme Court (SC) has taken notice of reports of pilots allegedly flying planes in Pakistan without licences.

    Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Gulzar Ahmed has summoned a reply from the director general (DG) of civil aviation within two weeks, directing him to explain how and why these fake licences are issued and what action is being taken against the people who issue them.

    Putting passengers’ lives at risk is a major crime, the CJP said and also summoned the heads of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), Air Blue and Serene Air at the next hearing, directing them to submit reports verifying the licences of their respective pilots.

    PIA GROUNDS 150 PILOTS:

    In a related development, PIA announced on Thursday that it will be grounding nearly 150 out of its 426 pilots amid an inquiry that they hold “dubious” licences.

    A day earlier, Minister for Aviation Ghulam Sarwar Khan said 262 pilots, out of total 860 in the country, have suspicious flying licences and would be grounded immediately.

    Talking to media in Islamabad, he said licences of these pilots are dubious.

    The minister stated that there are some pilots, who did not appear in any paper but managed to get the licences.

    He informed that the government has decided that all such pilots would be issued show cause notices and charge sheets so that they could not fly any plane.

    Sarwar said criminal proceedings would also be initiated against pilots with fake licences as the government could not allow anyone to put the lives of its citizens at risk.

    The decision comes at a time when an initial inquiry into a PIA plane crash was presented before the parliament by the country’s aviation minister, who also highlighted irregularities at the national carrier.

    PIA’S REACTION TO MINISTER’S CLAIM:

    Earlier, PIA asked the Aviation Division to provide a list of all quack pilots associated with the airline.

    PIA Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Air Marshal Arshad Malik wrote a letter to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) DG in reference to the minister’s claim that out of 264 fake or suspicious licences, around 150 belonged to PIA pilots.

    As an operator as well as the national flag carrier, he said, “It is a grave concern for us as many out of these 150 pilots must be flying PIA aircraft, which cannot be allowed after disclosure of fake/suspicious licences scam by [the] aviation minister”.

    Arshad Malik reminded the top CAA official that he had penned a similar letter to the aviation secretary for the provision of a list of those PIA pilots having fake or suspicious licences but no response had so far been received.

  • Iffat Omar asks Pakistani artists to talk about ‘nepotism in your own backyard’

    Iffat Omar asks Pakistani artists to talk about ‘nepotism in your own backyard’

    Iffat Omar is not one to hold back and her show Say it All with Iffat Omar is proof.

    In a recent Twitter update, the model turned talk show host, fired some shots after she told Pakistani industry to focus on nepotism in their own backyard instead of sharing news of “coffee in Karan in hot water”.

    “Ever wondered how many actors we have in our industry?” questioned Omar.

    Following the untimely death and suicide of Sushant Singh Rajput, audiences and fans are lashing out at Bollywood bigwigs for endorsing star kids and not giving the same number of chances to ‘outsiders’. Koffee with Karan, in particular, has come under fire, because of the catty and insensitive remarks that are occasionally passed on the couch. Moreso, Karan Johar’s production company, Dharma Productions, usually launches these star kids placing the director in the direct line of fire.

    Read more – Sushant Singh Rajput’s death exposes the toxic side of Bollywood

    Iffat did not elaborate her tweet further, but we wonder what sort of nepotism she is referring to. Because, in the Pakistani entertainment industry, star kids are a rarity.

  • Imran reminded of Pakistanis and armed forces’ sacrifices as he calls Osama bin Laden a ‘martyr’

    Imran reminded of Pakistanis and armed forces’ sacrifices as he calls Osama bin Laden a ‘martyr’

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s words have yet again landed him in crosshairs of the general public as well as opposition leaders, who are training guns at him for calling notorious terrorist and al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden a “martyr”.

    Making a rare appearance in the National Assembly (NA), Imran on Thursday took the floor and among other things, elaborated how Pakistan had been humiliated despite having sacrificed lives in the war against terrorism.

    “The way we helped America in the war on terror and the humiliation that my country had to face. I don’t think there has ever been any other country that supported war on terror and had to face criticism from them. If they are not successful in Afghanistan, Pakistan is held responsible for that too,” he said.

    The premier went on to add that the United States (US) “martyred” bin Laden in Abbottabad.

    “Pakistanis were deeply embarrassed when Americans killed Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad. Shaheed kar diya [was martyred]. But what happened after that? The entire world hurled abuses at us. Our ally [the US] entered our country and killed someone without even telling us. It was a big humiliation,” he said before going on to describe the drone attacks as the second set of incidents that embarrassed the country.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    https://twitter.com/ventdeInde/status/1276144510121148417

    Osama bin Laden was killed in a military operation by US Navy Seals in 2011 in Abbottabad — a few kilometres away from the Pakistan Military Academy (PMA) — and ended a nearly 10-year search for bin Laden, following his role in the 9/11 attacks on the US.

    “Whose side are you on? The head of al-Qaeda, a terrorist organisation, who died in Abbottabad or the 70 to 80 thousand Pakistani civilians and military men who laid down their lives in the war on terror?” Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader and former Sindh governor Muhammad Zubair said while reacting to Imran’s statement.

    He, however, wasn’t the only one the premier’s speech attracted a strong reaction from. Here’s what Twitterati have to say:

    Meanwhile, a viral clip showed former foreign minister Khawaja Asif also calling Imran out in his speech on the floor of the Lower House.

    Addressing the NA, he reminded the premier that Osama bin Laden was responsible for instability in the region, especially Pakistan, and was nothing but a terrorist.

  • Fawad vows not to resign as ministers urge Imran to take action against him

    Fawad vows not to resign as ministers urge Imran to take action against him

    Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry has said that politics is not for the “weak-hearted” and vowed not to resign for as long as he has the confidence of Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan.

    “I will stay on as a minister till I have the trust of Prime Minister Imran Khan. There is no question of resigning on someone else’s wish,” Fawad tweeted Thursday, referring to Punjab Information Minister Fayazul Hasan Chohan, who had asked the federal minister to step down following the former’s claims pertaining to rifts among the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

    In an interview from earlier this week, Fawad had claimed that the PTI failed to bring “tabdeeli” [change] due to the in-fighting between Asad Umar, Jahangir Tareen and Shah Mahmood Qureshi after the formation of its government, which was followed by the ouster of the political class from PM Imran’s core team.

    “This political vacuum was then filled by new and non-elected people who did not have anything to do with politics,” the minister had said while also making other explosive revelations that did not sit well with many.

    READ: Tareen got Asad Umar fired; Asad settled score by getting rid of him: Fawad Chaudhry

    With Fawad drawing criticism from his colleagues for also disclosing that the premier had warned his ministers to perform within six months, many reportedly approached PM Imran, urging him to take action against the science and technology minister.

    It was followed by the PM telling his cabinet members to maintain unity within the party. Addressing a presser after a meeting of the federal cabinet chaired by PM Imran, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Shibli Faraz said that Fawad’s interview with the Voice of America came under discussion during the cabinet meeting.

    “Fawad Chaudhry’s interview was discussed in the cabinet [meeting] and the prime minister said we should maintain unity within the party,” Faraz said.

    During the cabinet meeting, the information minister said that the prime minister has instructed the ministers and party leaders not to talk about things that “affect” the party or the government.

    READ: ‘Hold your tongues’: Imran tells cabinet members to not say things that affect PTI, govt

    According to reports, the premier has now also held separate meetings with federal ministers. Those who held meetings with Imran included Minister for Water Resources Faisal Vawda, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Minister for Planning, Development & Special Initiatives Asad Umar.

    During the meetings, the PM discussed the disorder and heat during the federal cabinet meeting.

    On the occasion, Umar and Qureshi apprised the premier on their respective positions and offered explanations.

    Umar reportedly raised before PM Imran the issue of Fawad’s statements, to which the premier directed his cabinet members to exercise caution and maintain unity.

    Vawda, on the other hand, openly criticised policies of Umar, Adviser to PM on Commerce and Investment Abdul Razak Dawood as well as Special Assistant to PM on Petroleum Division Nadeem Babar. He also reportedly accused some people of “conspiring from within the cabinet”.

    “There is a game being played here and we cannot sit silent,” he said, adding that people thought that they had become the prime minister.

  • Man throws wife from fifth floor after she tests positive for COVID-19

    Man throws wife from fifth floor after she tests positive for COVID-19

    An Egyptian man threw his wife from the fifth floor of the apartment because she had coronavirus.

    According to reports, the 25-year-old woman survived the fall and was shifted to a hospital, where she had surgery for spinal injuries. The husband has been apprehended while an investigation is underway.

    The man told officers that he and his wife were already arguing and had decided to separate. The tension became worse when he found out she had contracted COVID-19.

    “I was afraid of becoming infected,” he told police. “My wife took three tests, which all confirmed she was infected. So I asked her to leave the house. When she refused, I pushed her.”

    Also Read: VIDEO: Belgian company prints the wearer’s face on their mask

    The police is now waiting for the wife’s recovery and quarantine time so she can give her statement.

    Meanwhile, Dr Aly Mazyad, who is treating the patient, said that the hospital had set up a special operating theatre in its quarantine department because the woman was infected with the coronavirus. The infection was stable but she remained in critical condition and could take months to fully recover, he said.

  • T-Series removes Atif Aslam’s ‘Kinna Sona’ from YouTube, issues apology

    T-Series removes Atif Aslam’s ‘Kinna Sona’ from YouTube, issues apology

    Two days after releasing Atif Aslam’s rendition of Kinna Sona, T-Series removed the video and song from their YouTube channel and apologised to Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray for releasing it in the first place. The Federation of Western India Cine Employees’ (FWICE) has strictly forbidden Bollywood from featuring Pakistani artists.

    Read more- Indian media mistakenly names Atif Aslam’s son as ‘Alhumdulilah’, apologises later

    According to a report in The Indian Express, #TakeDownAtifAslamSong started trending on Twitter soon after the music label released Atif’s version of the song.

    The issue also caught the attention of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and MNS Cinema Wing president Ameya Khopkar issued a warning to T-Series and ordered them to take down the song immediately.

    Following the warning and backlash, T-Series removed the song and issued an apology.

    “It has been brought to our notice that the said song has been sung by Atif Aslam and this song was put up on the YouTube channel of T-Series by one of our employees from the promotion team. He was unaware of his action and erred while putting up the song,” stated the apology letter.

    It added, “We condemn our mistake and apologise for the same. We assure you that henceforth we will neither release, nor promote the song on any platform of T-Series. Meanwhile, we are removing the said song from our YouTube channel.”

    “We also assure you that henceforth we will not be releasing or promoting work by any Pakistani artistes,” the letter concluded.

    Kinna Sona first featured in 2019 film Marjaavaan, starring Sidharth Malhotra and Tara Sutaria.

  • Justice Qazi Faez Isa receiving death threats, wife tells police; CJP takes notice

    Justice Qazi Faez Isa receiving death threats, wife tells police; CJP takes notice

    The wife of Supreme Court’s (SC) Justice Qazi Faez Isa, Sarina Isa, has informed the police that her husband has received a death threat via a video, prompting Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Gulzar Ahmed to take suo motu notice.

    In an application seeking the registration of an FIR [First Information Report] at Islamabad’s Secretariat Police Station, Sarina claimed that the person threatening Justice Isa said whoever was caught involved in embezzlement, whether it be Faez Isa or anyone else, should be executed through a firing squad.

    “Those who indulge in such activities must be hanged and the entire city should be invited to watch it,” the person in the video said, according to Justice Isa’s wife.

    Sarina said that many powerful people were not happy with her husband and she suspected the death threat was in continuation of what they have been facing.

    She said that a complaint against her husband was also submitted by a person named Abdul Waheed Dogar.

    “My husband asked who Abdul Waheed Dogar is but no one in the government disclosed that for whom Dogar worked,” she said, claiming that Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Accountability Shahzad Akbar had met Dogar, urging the police officials to investigate the whereabouts of Dogar, who, according to her, was being used by “some very powerful people”.

    She urged the police officials to arrest those “powerful people” who wanted to get rid of Justice Isa, calling it the “worst kind of terrorism”.

    SUO MOTU NOTICE:

    Meanwhile, the top judge has taken suo motu notice of the video containing derogatory and scandalous remarks about members of the judiciary.

    According to a notification, a copy of which is available with The Current, the CJP will be taking up the case for hearing tomorrow at the SC.

    The CJP has taken notice of the viral video containing derogatory, contemptuous and scandalous language against the institution of judiciary and judges, read the notification, adding that the case will be heard by a bench of the apex court on June 26 (tomorrow).

    REFERENCE AGAINST JUSTICE ISA QUASHED:

    The threats come days after the top court on Friday quashed the presidential reference filed against Justice Isa as well as the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) proceedings that were started on the basis of the reference.

    A 10-judge full court had issued the verdict after hearing for over six months multiple petitions filed against the reference that claimed that Justice Isa had committed misconduct by not disclosing his family members properties in the United Kingdom (UK) in his wealth statement.

    “Reference No 1 of 2019 is declared to be of no legal effect whatsoever and stands quashed, and in consequence, thereof the proceedings pending in the SJC against the petitioner [Justice Isa] including the show-cause notice dated 17.07.2019 issued to him stand abated,” said a short order.

    In the split verdict, announced by the presiding judge Umar Ata Bandial, seven out of the 10 judges referred the matter to the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) for initiating tax proceedings against Justice Isa’s spouse and children for not disclosing their UK properties to the tax authorities while filing their returns.

  • Punjab Police wants to ban PUBG after 2 suicides

    Punjab Police wants to ban PUBG after 2 suicides

    Punjab Police wants to ban the popular video game ‘Players Unknown’s Battlegrounds’ (PUBG) after two young people in Lahore committed suicide over the game.

    According to reports, a 16-year-old boy took his own life on Tuesday when his parents stopped him from playing PUBG. His parents called the Hanjarwal police in Gulshan-e-Abbas’s Phase 2 when they found his body.

    The parents refused to allow a post-mortem autopsy. Police have registered this as a case of suicide and further investigation is in process.

    In a similar incident, another 20-year-old boy also committed suicide in Saddar Bazaar in North Cantonment when his parents told him to stop playing the online game.

    As per reports, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police (Operations Wing) Lahore, Ashfaq Khan has decided to write a letter to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to ban PUBG.

    PUBG is a battle royale game developed by a South Korean company. The game involves multiple players that are connected online as they face off and kill each other to become the last survivor.

  • Hafeez, who tested positive for coronavirus at PCB, tests negative at private lab a day later

    A day after testing positive for coronavirus at Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Mohammad Hafeez says he has tested negative at a private facility.

    On Tuesday, Hafeez was announced as one of ten Pakistani national cricket team players who tested positive for the virus as the entire 29-man squad due to fly out to England on June 28 underwent COVID-19 testing.

    Hafeez, however, got himself tested from a different lab in Lahore for a “second opinion” for him and his family. That result, he said in a tweet, was negative.

    https://twitter.com/MHafeez22/status/1275689746765840395

    All of PCB’s tests were conducted by Shaukat Khanum Laboratory.

    Other players who tested positive for the virus include Fakhar Zaman, Imran Khan, Kashif Bhatti, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Rizwan, and Wahab Riaz.

    Apart from the seven players, one support personnel — the masseur — also contracted the illness after the cricket body had 35 tests carried out for COVID-19 in Karachi, Lahore, and Peshawar.

    Pakistan’s Test and limited-overs squads will tour England for three Tests and three T20 internationals.

    England director of cricket Ashley Giles has said that the tour is expected to go ahead.

  • ‘Hold your tongues’: Imran tells cabinet members to not say things that affect PTI, govt

    ‘Hold your tongues’: Imran tells cabinet members to not say things that affect PTI, govt

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has told his cabinet members to maintain unity within the party, a day after Federal Science and Technology Minister Fawad Chaudhry said in an interview that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was failing to bring promised change due to a lack of political leadership amid rifts among leaders such as Jahangir Khan Tareen, Planning Minister Asad Umar and Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi.

    Addressing a presser after a meeting of the federal cabinet chaired by PM Imran, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Shibli Faraz said that Fawad’s interview with the Voice of America came under discussion during the cabinet meeting.

    “Fawad Chaudhry’s interview was discussed in the cabinet [meeting] and the prime minister said we should maintain unity within the party,” Faraz said.

    In the interview, Fawad had said there were rifts among Tareen, Umar and Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, which hurt the party and forced the PTI’s “political class” to part ways.

    “As soon as the PTI government was formed, quarrels among Qureshi, Umar and Tareen began. Tareen used his influence to get Umar removed from the cabinet and later Umar got Tareen out,” Fawad had said.

    During the cabinet meeting, the information minister said that the premier has instructed the ministers and party leaders not to talk about things that “affect” the party or the government.

    Faraz also spoke about a recent interview of Climate Change Minister Zartaj Gul in which she said that Covid-19 means that the virus has 19 points that can be applied to any country based on its respective immunity levels.

    Her remarks were widely shared on social media and she was criticised for not knowing that Covid-19 is actually an acronym for the coronavirus.

    “It was a slip of the tongue and people make mistakes,” the information minister said, referring to Gul’s remarks. “It should not have happened and I completely agree with you.”

    The information minister said that Gul is an “outstanding” minister “who is doing great work”.

    “We should ignore the mistakes because people make mistakes,” Faraz added.