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  • Govt to remove Nawaz’s name from ECL: sources

    Govt to remove Nawaz’s name from ECL: sources

    After months of denying reports regarding relief to ailing former prime minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government has decided to remove his name from the Exit Control List (ECL), The Current has learnt.

    “His name will be removed from the no-fly list within the next 72 hours,” sources said and added that the convicted Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo would subsequently be allowed to travel abroad.

    The development comes hours after Nawaz’s brother and PML-N chief Shehbaz Sharif approached the Interior Ministry for the removal of the former premier’s name from the ECL.

    Nawaz, who was discharged from Lahore’s Services Hospital two days ago, was taken to his residence, Jati Umra, on Wednesday — 16 days after he was shifted to the hospital from jail in critical condition. With a precarious drop in his platelet count, the premier was also granted bail during his stay at the hospital.

    On Thursday, media reports claimed that the former premier had been convinced by his brother to leave the country for some time and seek medical treatment abroad.

    With Nawaz reportedly agreeing to leave, his daughter and PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz, who was also granted bail earlier this month, on Friday was seen agreeing with the decision.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    In an informal conversation with journalists outside an accountability court, she had said that her father’s health was critical and he must be allowed to travel abroad if that was the only option.

    “Politics will go on, but parents will not always be around. I am only focused on Nawaz Sharif’s health for now,” she said while responding to a question regarding her plans to join Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s sit-in in Islamabad.

    Commenting on whether she would accompany her father if he leaves the country for medical treatment, Maryam said that she could not travel immediately as her passport was with the court.

  • The Current Wala reviews Shezan Family Restaurant

    The Current Wala reviews Shezan Family Restaurant

  • Weekend events in your city

    Weekend events in your city

    Lahore

    Lahore eat

    Date: 8th-10th Nov

    Time: 4 PM – 11 PM (Friday), 12PM (Saturday, Sunday)

    Venue: Jillani Park

    Multi Brand Wedding Special Exhibtion

    Date: Nov 9th, Saturday

    Time: 12 PM – 10 PMTomorrow 

    Venue: H-block, Phase-1, Commercial Market Defense, Lahore

    Karachi

    Millenium Mall Exhibition

    Date: 8th-10th Nov

    Time: 12PM onwards

    Venue: Millenium MallRashid Minhas Rd, Guslhan-e-Iqbal

    Hop On Hop Off Art Attack

    Date: 9th Nov, Saturday

    Time: 11:30 AM – 3:30 PM

    Venue: Super Savari Express,Room 119, Central Hotel Annexe, Abduallah Haroon Road

    Islamabad

    November’s Evening With Crafters

    Date: 9th Nov, Saturday

    Time: 3 PM – 8 PM

    Venue: Al-Babar Centre, Park Rd, F-8 Markaz, Islamabad.

  • Sunny Deol to attend Kartarpur opening ceremony

    Sunny Deol to attend Kartarpur opening ceremony

    Indian actor and politician Sunny Deol has announced that he will attend the Kartarpur opening ceremony on November 9.

    As per reports, Chief Minister of India’s Punjab Captain Amarinder Singh confirmed the arrival of the actor.

    The actor turned politician is a BJP lawmaker from India’s Gurdaspur district.

     “If I won’t go who will? I will go, it is my area and my home,” the BJP MP was quoted as saying by Indian news agency ANI.

    Read More: Navjot Singh Sidhu to join for Kartarpur opening ceremony

    Deol is not the only famous Indian who will be joining the ceremony. Former prime minister Manmohan Singh, Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh and Congress lawmaker Navjot Singh Sidhu will also be joining the ceremony.

    The inaugural ceremony for the Kartarpur Corridor will be held on both sides of the border on Saturday, November 9.

    The
    corridor will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Imran Khan on the Pakistani
    side, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi will do the opening on the other side
    of the border.

    Thousands of Sikh pilgrims arrive in Pakistan every year by a special train to participate in the three-day festival marking the birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism.

    However, this year is special as it is not only the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak but also marks the opening of Kartarpur Corridor between Pakistan and India that allows Sikh pilgrims to visit Gurdwara without a passport.

  • Viral image: Woman commando guards Indian Sikh pilgrims

    Viral image: Woman commando guards Indian Sikh pilgrims

    An old image of a woman commando guarding Indian Sikhs as they arrive in Pakistan for a religious tour has gone viral over the internet.

    Captured at Wagah Railway Station back in 2015, the startling picture reflects many things, but respect is the common emotion one can feel out of it.

    Serving two purposes, while the image dissolves religious differences between the two countries, it also buries stereotypes about Pakistan regarding women.

    Thousands of Indian pilgrims arrive in Pakistan every year by a special train to participate in the three-day festival marking the birth anniversary of their spiritual leader Baba Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism.

    KARTARPUR CORRIDOR:

    Guru Nanak’s 550th birth anniversary is being observed this year and thousands of Sikhs from across the globe have converged in Nankana Sahib. What makes the occasion special this year is that it also marks the opening of Kartarpur Corridor between Pakistan and India.

    Notwithstanding a chill in bilateral ties over occupied Kashmir, the two countries, after tough negotiations, signed a landmark agreement last week, to operationalise the corridor allowing Indian pilgrims to visit the holy Sikh shrine.

    The three-day event will be held from November 10 to 12 in the Punjab district — the birthplace of Baba Guru Nanak — located around 80km from Lahore.

    According to The Express Tribune, it will coincide with a separate event in the border town of Kartarpur, which also houses a historic Gurdwara — Sikh house of worship — where Guru Nanak settled and died in 1539.

    The two neighbouring countries have decided that 5,000 pilgrims from India can visit this shrine daily without showing travel permits.

  • Imran’s PTI reluctant to let ECP audit its foreign funding

    Imran’s PTI reluctant to let ECP audit its foreign funding

    The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is reluctant to let the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) audit its foreign funding as the ruling party has petitioned the Islamabad High Court (IHC) against the top election watchdog’s decision.

    According to Dawn, through a petition filed in the IHC on Thursday, the ruling party has requested the court to restrain the scrutiny committee formed by the ECP from probing its foreign funding.

    On October 10 a three-member bench of the ECP, headed by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Justice (r) Sardar Mohammad Raza, had rejected four applications filed by the PTI against the audit of its accounts by the scrutiny committee and directed the panel to continue its work and submit a report as soon as possible.

    Akbar S Babar, a founding member of the PTI, had filed the case in 2014, alleging that the party had illegally collected about $3 million through two offshore companies, and that the money was sent through illegal channels from the Middle East to certain accounts of “PTI employees”.

    He also alleged that the foreign accounts used to collect the funds were not mentioned in the annual audit reports submitted to the ECP by the PTI.

    The party, in one of its petitions, took the plea that since the ECP which comprised the CEC and four members, was incomplete, an order passed by it lacked legal force.

    The scrutiny committee was formed last year to investigate the issue of foreign funding of the PTI in a month, but later the time-limit was extended to an indefinite period.

    During the hearing on October 1, a conversation took place between the CEC and the PTI’s counsel over the disclosure that the party was operating numerous undeclared accounts.

    The party’s lawyer argued that some of the PTI’s accounts might not be in the knowledge of the party’s central office and that the PTI could not be held responsible for its account in Azad Kashmir as it fell under another legal jurisdiction.

    On Aug 22, President Arif Alvi had appointed Khalid Mehmood Siddiqui from Sindh and Munir Ahmed Kakar from Balochistan as ECP members on the posts that had fallen vacant after the departure of Abdul Ghaffar Soomro and retired Justice Shakeel Baloch.

    However, the ECP chief refused to administer oath to the new members on the ground that the appointments had been made without fulfilling constitutional requirements.

    The ECP’s scrutiny committee is headed by the director general law and also comprises two auditors from the defence establishment.

    The ECP was of the view that President Alvi had made these appointments “in violation of clauses 2A and 2B of Article 213 of the Constitution” that made it mandatory for these appointments to be made with the consensus of the prime minister and the Leader of the Opposition.

    However, the committee could not make any significant progress as the PTI did not submit financial documents, particularly statements of its bank accounts, sought by the committee.

  • Russia to invest $8 billion in Pakistan as both countries resolve 40-year-old dispute

    Russia to invest $8 billion in Pakistan as both countries resolve 40-year-old dispute

    Russia has decided to invest $8 billion in Pakistan as both the countries finally agreed to settle a four-decade-old trade dispute, The Express Tribune reported.

    According to reports, during the 1980s, some companies in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) were importing textile products from Pakistan. For facilitating the trade process, USSR had opened two bank accounts in the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP).

    The Economic Affairs Division (EAD) deposited funds in these bank accounts through the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP). After the collapse of the USSR, numerous exporters didn’t get paid. The Pakistani companies claimed to have paid large sea freight fees for the unshipped goods.

    The exporters and Pakistani companies had to move their dispute to the Sindh High Court (SHC) that later issued a stay order stopping NBP from transferring $104.93 million to Russian banks.

    Since then, every effort to resolve the issue between the two countries was in vain.

    In November 2015, both countries initiated a dialogue at the 3rd Pakistan-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission session. Both governments reached an agreement that Islamabad will return $93.5 million in 90 days after officially signing the agreement.

    Chairman of Board of Investment negotiated a deal with the exporters in October 2016. However, the Pakistani companies never withdrew their petitions from the SHC. As a result, the agreement was never officially signed.

    In 2017, the Pakistani companies reached an agreement with the government and withdrew their cases. This included Tabani Group, Mercury Group, ABS Group, Fateh Industries/Fateh Sports and Fateh Jeans.

    On October 4, 2019, SHC dismissed the case as the involved parties reached an out of court agreement, paving way for the agreement to be officially signed.

    Pakistan’s ambassador to Russia will now sign the agreement on behalf of Islamabad. Under the agreement, Russia will get the pending $93.5 million within 90 days, while exporters and companies will receive $23.8 million as agreed.

    After this agreement, Russia will go ahead with its plan of investing $8 billion in different energy projects and Pakistan Steel Mills. Russia was unable to invest in Pakistan during the dispute since Russian laws prohibit investment in countries with pending disputes.

  • Chilgoza heist proves that pine nuts are Pakistan’s Bitcoin

    Chilgoza heist proves that pine nuts are Pakistan’s Bitcoin

    If you have seen memes regarding chilghozaas (pine nuts) recently, it shouldn’t surprise you. Pine nuts cost a whopping Rs 8,000 per kg now. Can you imagine that?!

    No wonder then that in South Waziristan, a gang of robbers stole 23 sacks of pine nuts worth over Rs 12 million.

    According to news reports, a group of robbers sneaked into a warehouse in Wana and held workers and security guards hostage at gunpoint.

    Now that’s what you can a ‘Chilghoza Heist!’

    Meanwhile, Twitter is having a field day with the news.

    https://twitter.com/arbab_idrees/status/1192519063756562434?s=21

  • PICTURES: Special ICU set up for Nawaz Sharif at Jati Umra

    PICTURES: Special ICU set up for Nawaz Sharif at Jati Umra

    Sixteen days after being treated at the Services Hospital in Lahore, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif arrived at Jati Umra where a special ICU has been set up for him.

    According to a statement issued by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb, a special medical unit has been prepared at Sharif’s Jati Umra residence and he will be treated at home.

    “An intensive care unit (ICU) has been prepared under the supervision of Dr Adnan (his personal doctor),” Aurangzeb said adding that an ICU ventilator and cardiac facilities have also been provided.

    Sharing pictures of the unit on social media, Dr Adnan said that “a specialised HDU” has been established for Nawaz’s treatment “which is appropriately equipped and staffed 24/7.”

    The doctors have banned visitors and will ensure that Nawaz remains under intensive care. The doctors have also advised Maryam Nawaz to take precautionary measures for the health of her father.

    Meanwhile, Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry took a jibe at the PML-N supremo and said that he was the first patient to move home from the hospital despite being sick.

    On October 29, the Islamabad High Court suspended Sharif’s sentence in the Al-Azizia corruption reference for eight weeks on medical grounds.

  • ISPR chief wishes India ‘get well soon’ over cow dung fight for ‘good health’

    In yet another trolling episode, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General (DG) Major General Asif Ghafoor has wished neighbouring India “get well soon” over cow dung fight for “good health”.

    As per the details, customary annual Gore Habba festival was recently held in the Gumatapura village of southern India. In a viral video, villagers were seen holding massive cow dung fights, believing it has a healing effect.

    While getting smeared in moist bovine discharge is hardly a pleasant experience for most, each year after the Diwali holiday, the villagers – and anyone willing to join them – partake in the faecal festival that is all about excrement-throwing.

    “Get well soon…” the ISPR chief tweeted while reacting to the video on Thursday.

    While it might look quite unsanitary to smear your whole body in faeces, the devotees believe it is not only harmless, but actually cures diseases.

    “Cow dung is very natural and has a lot of medicinal benefits. Others might say if we throw cow dung at each other we will get some infections or even some disease. But with the trust of our god Beereshwara, we are playing in the cow dung, so nothing happens to us,” RT quoted one of the villagers as saying.

    The villager further said that the festival was all about equality and anyone regardless of their caste or religion can participate. Still, women are barred from the excrement-throwing part, yet they are free to watch the show.

    The tradition comes from the belief that remains of a saint were placed in a pit in the village, and took the shape of a Linga (an abstract phallic representation of Shiva), which became covered by cow excrements over time. The deity of the village is believed to value cow excrements too, thus the villagers dump the substance in abundance behind the local temple.