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  • Govt allows Nawaz to travel abroad, for four weeks only

    Govt allows Nawaz to travel abroad, for four weeks only

    Federal Minister for Law and Justice Farogh Naseem announced that former prime minister Nawaz Sharif will be allowed to travel abroad for medical treatment. He added that Sharif can only go abroad for four weeks.

    “This permission will be subject to Nawaz or Shehbaz Sharif submitting an indemnity bond to the tune of roughly Rs7-7.5 billion to the satisfaction of additional secretary to the Ministry of Interior.”

    This will be one-time permission only.

    The law minister announced this on Wednesday at a press conference after a meeting of the federal cabinet’s sub-committee. The meeting has decided to remove Nawaz Sharif’s name from the Exit Control List (ECL) on the basis of his critical medical condition.

    Farogh Naseem and Shahzad Akbar making the announcement

    Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Accountability Shahzad Akbar said that it was the federal government’s responsibility to ensure a guarantee from Nawaz Sharif.

    “The bond is only over surety, not any political gain,” Akbar said the Ministry of Interior will issue the letter of permission. He reminded everyone that Mian Nawaz Sharif had been sentenced in a corruption case while an investigation is still underway in other cases.

    Nawaz had refused this conditional permission to
    travel abroad on Tuesday.

  • Maulana Dharna is over

    Maulana Dharna is over

    Maulana Fazalur Rehman has announced that he is ending the Azadi March dharna and is going ahead with Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F)’s Plan B.

    Plan B consists of blocking highways across Pakistan, in every province and major cities.

    After the announcement of ending the sit-in, Azadi March participants have dismantled their tents and have started leaving the H-9 venue in Islamabad.

    Memories the Azadi Marchers are leaving behind

    Plan B has already begun as dharna protests have begun on the Quetta-Chaman highway. They are also planning to block highways in Lower Dir and the Indus Highway. In Punjab, they will be blocking G.T. Road. The motorway to Sukkur and the road linking Ghotki to Punjab will also be closed.

    The blocking of roads will officially start on Thursday at 2PM. JUI-F representatives say that they will not carry sticks and ambulances will be allowed to pass through.

  • Edhi Foundation receives $1mn award for Service to Humanity

    Edhi Foundation receives $1mn award for Service to Humanity

    The Kingdom of Bahrain on Tuesday conferred the Isa Award for Service to Humanity to the Edhi Foundation for their tireless efforts towards humanity. The award includes a US$1 million reward, a medal made of pure gold and a certificate of appreciation.

    Faisal Edhi received the award on behalf of the foundation.

    According to reports, the Edhi Foundation received the award at a grand royal ceremony attended by King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain in Manama, the capital.

    An international jury recommended the foundation which was selected after shortlisting several qualifiers.

    A press release issued by the awarding committee said that the honour, which is given every two years, was established in 2008 by a Royal Decree in memory of Emir Sheikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa after whom the award is named. It recognises individuals who have dedicated their lives to humanitarian work.

    The Edhi Foundation, founded by the late Abdul Sattar Edhi, is the largest Pakistani charity foundation, known worldwide for its humanitarian work. It serves all human beings, regardless of race, religion or nationality. Edhi runs several shelter houses, old homes, an ambulance network, orphanages, soup kitchens, morgues along with multiple other welfare services.

    Until his death on July 8, 2016, Edhi dedicated his life and that of all his family members to the service of people. The award honours him, and the work that is still being done by the foundation for the betterment of the people across Pakistan.

  • Right to appeal: Army Act to be amended for relief to Indian spy

    Right to appeal: Army Act to be amended for relief to Indian spy

    The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Isnaf (PTI) government has decided to amend the Army Act so as to allow Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav to appeal against his conviction on charges of espionage before a civilian court, Dunya News reported.

    Jadhav of India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) was arrested from Balochistan three years ago. In 2017, he was convicted by a military court in Pakistan and sentenced to death on charges of espionage and terrorism.

    The punishment was awarded by the Field General Court Martial (FGCM), a military court consisting of Pakistan Army officers.

    While Jadhav had confessed to working for the covert agency to destabilise Pakistan, India had rejected the charges and maintained that he was a former Indian Navy officer “kidnapped by Pakistani forces”.

    The Indian spy’s death sentence had later been challenged in the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

    After a long battle, the court, in its verdict, had rejected a number of Indian demands, including the annulment of the military court’s decision, Jadhav’s release and safe passage to India.

    It had, however, directed Pakistan to provide appropriate remedies to the spy, such as providing him effective review and reconsideration of his conviction and sentences according to its own justice system.

    The Army Act forbids any individuals or groups being tried in a military court from filing an appeal and seeking justice from a civilian court, but a special amendment is now reportedly being made for Jadhav.

  • ‘PTI govt recovers Rs10.8 bn looted in Hazara motorway construction,’ claims Murad Saeed

    Minister for Communication and Postal Services, Murad Saeed has claimed that the government has recovered embezzlement worth Rs10.8 billion in the Hazara motorway project done by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

    Addressing the National Assembly (NA) session on Monday the minister said that PML-N made changes in the design of the motorway and added a suspicious bridge in the project that caused the delay and escalated the cost as well.

    Murad said that he requested the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to look into the matter and launched an inquiry, which led to recoveries of Rs10.8 billion.

    The minister informed the parliament that inordinate changes were also made in Hakala-Dera Ismail Khan, Sukkur-Multan, and Lahore Abdul Hakeem motorway sections.

    He later demanded an apology from those who caused substantial damages to the national exchequer and announced that the design changes have been completed, and the motorway will be open for the public on November 15.

    Watch Video:

  • Fawad lashes out at Sanjay Dutt’s ‘Panipat’ for ‘trying to rewrite history under RSS influence’

    Fawad lashes out at Sanjay Dutt’s ‘Panipat’ for ‘trying to rewrite history under RSS influence’

    Minister for Science and Technology, Fawad Chaudhry doesn’t mince words when it comes to expressing his thoughts.

    Recently, while responding to a tweet about the upcoming Bollywood historical saga Panipat, Fawad wrote on Twitter, “When idiots try to rewrite history under RSS influence this is minimum one should expect, agay agay dekheiye hota hai kiya…”

    Panipat which features Sanjay Dutt, Arjun Kapoor and Kriti Sanon in the lead is directed by ace filmmaker Ashutosh Gowariker (Lagaan, Swades, Jodha Akbar). The film reportedly depicts the story behind the Third Battle of Panipat, which was fought between the Maratha Empire and the King of Afghanistan, Ahmad Shah Abdali in 1761.

    While Arjun will be playing Maratha warrior Sadashiv Rao Bhau, Dutt will essay the role of the Afghan ruler Abdali.

    Read more: ‘Another anti-Pakistan project’: Mehwish Hayat lashes out as SRK’s ‘Bard of Blood’ stirs controversy

    The film has not only irked Pakistanis for misrepresentation of Muslim rulers but according to The Print, the Embassy of Afghanistan has also expressed concerns to New Delhi and sought a meeting with the Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar to discuss the film.

    The Afghans are critical of the way the former Afghan emperor Ahmad Shah Abdali has been portrayed in the period drama. Abdali is a revered figure in Afghanistan and is regarded as the founder of the modern state of Afghanistan.

    The Afghanistan Embassy in New Delhi also wrote to the Ministry of External Affairs regarding the matter, while the ex-Afghan ambassador to India tweeted directly to Dutt over the portrayal.

    Panipat is scheduled to hit the screens on December 6. The demolition of the Babri Masjid in the city of Ayodhya, in Uttar Pradesh, took place on the same date in 1992.

    Previously Ranveer Singh’s portrayal of Alauddin Khilji in last year’s Padmaavat left many historians aghast and irked the Muslims who felt that the great emperor was turned into a vile villain.

    Read more: Arts vs Politics: A contentious debate engulfing India

    Watch trailer here:

  • VIDEO: ‘Peas being sold for Rs5/kg,’ claims Imran govt

    VIDEO: ‘Peas being sold for Rs5/kg,’ claims Imran govt

    As rising vegetable prices spell misery for people under the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) for Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan has claimed that peas are being sold in the market for only Rs5 per kilogram (kg).

    “Another grower, [Federal Minister for Aviation] Ghulam Sarwar Khan Sahab has told [me] that 20kg pea bags are being sold at the rate of Rs5/kg,” she said while addressing a press conference.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    Statement from PM Imran Khan’s aide, who seems to be totally unaware of the persisting sky-high vegetable prices in the country, made headlines a day after the premier’s finance adviser, Dr Abdul Hafeez Sheikh, told reporters that tomatoes were being sold for as low as Rs17 per kg across Karachi.

    “In Karachi, in the sabzi mandi (produce market), tomatoes are being sold for Rs17 per kg”.

    When some of the reporters present at the scene told him that tomatoes were, in fact, being sold at Rs240 per kg, he refuted saying “people were lying”.

    “That’s what is being run on the television,” Imran’s adviser noted, to which one of the reporters said, “But on the TV, it says tomatoes are being sold for Rs240 a kg.”

    Another journalist responded with a fresh personal story, “Sir, I myself bought tomatoes for Rs300 a kg.”

    “Oh but I am agreeing that prices of many commodities need to be controlled. Agriculture [industry] has seasonality,” the PM’s adviser explained, as someone from behind persistently tried to stop the person holding the phone from recording the video.

  • Teenage pacer Naseem Shah to not fly back home for mother’s funeral

    Teenage pacer Naseem Shah to not fly back home for mother’s funeral

    Pakistan’s 16-year-old pacer Naseem Shah, who is currently in the Test squad for the series against Australia, will not be traveling back to the country after the untimely demise of his mother on Monday, Cricket Pakistan reported.

    According to the details, the young pacer reportedly made had taken this decision after consulting with his family members in Pakistan. The Lower Dir native decided against going back due to the distance and time constraints involved.

    Naseem will stay with the national team in Australia however he has been pulled out of the ongoing three-day practice match against Australia A.

    Shah is part of the playing XI currently facing Australia A, however, he did not bat in Pakistan’s first innings, which concluded yesterday at the score of 428. He also did not take the field when the Australia A innings began.

    The first Test match between Pakistan and Australia will start on November 21 in Brisbane.

  • 10,000 jailed inmates like Nawaz, want bail

    10,000 jailed inmates like Nawaz, want bail

    After news of Nawaz Sharif’s relief from the court spread across the country, the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday referred a petition filed for the release of 10,000 sick inmates, like Nawaz Sharif, to Punjab chief secretary.

    Kot Lakhpat jail Lahore, where Nawaz was jailed

    The court asked the chief secretary to decide the plea after hearing the position of the petitioner. The petitioner had submitted that more than 10,000 ailing inmates were in different jails across the country and adequate health facilities and resources were not given to them .

    RELATED: Meat-lover Nawaz unhappy with ‘tasteless’ vegetarian meals in jail: report

    He also stated that since the constitution was equal for all, there should be no special service for Nawaz and if there was, other patients also have the same rights.

  • Azadi March Police Official slits his own throat

    Azadi March Police Official slits his own throat

    A policeman on duty at the Azadi march in Islamabad, slit his own throat with a blade when he was not given permission to go see his sick daughter in Swat.

    Head Constable Khan reportedly attempted to kill himself after his leave was rejected. He had gotten news that his daughter was seriously ill and asked his commanding officer for leave. The officer denied the leave and reportedly told Khan off for asking for leave during such a difficult time in the capital but Khan said that if he was in Swat with his daughter, he could get her the medical help she needed. He asked for leave again but was rejected once again and told that he could not go back to Swat until the Azadi March was over.

    RELATED: Azadi March: Police unhappy with govt over improper food, living conditions

    Upset, Khan went to the bathroom and slit his throat with a shaving blade. His roommates broke into the washroom after hearing him and and rushed him to the hospital. Express Tribune sources claim that although he has been operated on, his condition is still serious.

    A police probe has been initiated to investigate the issue.

    Khan was part of a police team that was called in from Swat to help monitor the Azadi March in Islamabad.