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  • Watch: PTI’s Usman Dar copies Maryam Nawaz’s old speech, praises PM Imran

    Special Adviser to the Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, Usman Dar has copied Maryam Nawaz’s old speech in his address during Pakistan Tehreeke Insaf’s (PTI) “Kamyab Jawan Program” launch.

    Usman Dar was praising PM Imran for launching this program to provide loans to the students and he copied the exact same words, Maryam Nawaz had used for praising former PM Nawaz Sharif after winning elections.

    Maryam in her speech had said, “During elections campaign, your PM Nawaz Sharif had made some promises, and despite having a severe economic crisis, your PM has fulfilled this promise”.

    While Usman during his address said, “During elections, PTI had promised that they would make the youth of Pakistan independent, and despite having severe economic crisis your PM has fulfilled this promise in the shape of Kamyab Jawan Program”.

    Journalist Arshad Sharif during his talk show played both speeches from Usman and Maryam, side by side and asked from the special adviser whether he and Maryam have the same speechwriter.

    Replying to this question Usman replied, “You wrote this speech, If he knew Arshad Sharif had written Maryam’s speech also, he wouldn’t have asked him to write his speech”.

    Making a comeback to Usman’s answer Arshad said, “No, I am not such a cheap speechwriter”.

    Watch Video:

  • ‘It’s been fantastic’: Kate Middleton on Pakistan tour

    ‘It’s been fantastic’: Kate Middleton on Pakistan tour

    The Royals may have bid goodbye to Pakistan for now but we’re not getting over their visit anytime soon. And even more, after Duchess Kate told CNN that her trip to the country has “been fantastic.”

    In an exclusive news interview, apparently her first-ever ever since she became a royal, Kate Middleton said: “It’s been fantastic, we’ve seen a lot of Pakistan, a huge variety, it’s amazing seeing some of the geography but then to see some of the community activities like this [SOS Village] has been really special.”

    Kate was speaking CNN’s Max Foster after visiting an SOS children’s village in Lahore during the royal tour on Thursday.

    The Duchess, who set up an Early Years initiative last year, said: “I think William and I really wanted to come and see a SOS children’s village like this. There are so many vulnerable women here but they’ve really used their positivity and the support that the village here provides them really to support and protect the next generation, the children in their care and give them the best possible start to their future lives.”

    At the SOS village, a charitable organisation that provides orphaned children with a home and family structure, Kate and William interacted with the children and even celebrated the birthdays of three children.

    Kate also delivered the first speech of her tour there and impressed the gathered crowd by delivering the opening remarks of her speech in Urdu.

    The Duke and Duchess were so moved by the visit that they reportedly made a second trip to the village the next day after stormy weather caused a change in their plans and forced them to spend the night in Lahore.

  • VIDEO: Traffic policeman jumps on moving car

    VIDEO: Traffic policeman jumps on moving car

    A police
    constable has gone viral for putting his life in danger to ensure the
    implementation of traffic laws in Karachi.

    The video, which was shot by a motorist, shows a policeman trying to stop a car while sitting on its bonnet.

    The police confirmed that the incident happened near Nipa Chowrangi when constable Naveed Ali indicated a car to stop over an alleged violation of the law. However, the driver did not stop the car, and instead pushed the accelerator and hit the policeman. The constable landed on the bonnet of moving car after being hit by the vehicle.

    Despite seeing the constable on the bonnet, the car driver kept on driving to scare away the policeman. The driver stopped the car only when he realized that he was not going to escape the police.

    The traffic police imposed a challan of Rs 1000 on the car driver for irresponsible driving.

  • PCB tweets video of players dancing after Sarfaraz’s removal; apologises later

    Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) from its Twitter account on Friday posted a video of players dancing, moments after wicketkeeper-batsman Sarfaraz Ahmed was sacked as captain from T20 and Test format.

    Pakistan Cricket shared a GIF of batsman Fakhar Zaman dancing along with other players of the national team while Sarfaraz is leaving the scene.

    After getting massive hate on this insensitive tweet from Twitterati, PCB later removed the video and apologised for an ill-timed tweet, posted at the time of Sarfaraz Ahmed’s removal as captain of the national time.

    The board further clarified, “This was a pre-planned post as part of the one-year to go T20 WorldCup promotional campaign. The timing of this post clashed with the captaincy announcement for which the PCB offers its regrets.”

    Earlier today, Sarfaraz was removed as Test and T20I captain after a drop in his overall form during the past few series.

    Babar Azam has been appointed skipper until next year’s T20 World Cup in Australia, while Azhar Ali has been appointed as Test format captain for Pakistan’s World Test Championship matches in the 2019-20 season.

  • Royal Visit – Kate, William bid goodbye to Pakistan

    Royal Visit – Kate, William bid goodbye to Pakistan

    Prince William and Kate Middleton, after a short tour of the Army Canine Centre in Rawalpindi, left for the United Kingdom Friday afternoon. The couple was on a five-day visit to Pakistan for the first time.

    They were seen off at the Nur Khan airbase by British High Commissioner Thomas Drew and other officials.

    The couple arrived in Islamabad from Lahore earlier in the day. Their trip to Lahore was initially planned for a day only but stormy weather, rain and lightning played havoc with their schedule and forced the couple and their entire crew to spend the night in PC Hotel Lahore.

    They departed for Islamabad the next morning. Kate looked fresh and lovely in a black and cream embroidered kurta by fashion powerhouse Elan.

    According to the royal reporters who were present on the flight with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the jet flew into the storm and twice had to abort landing at the military base in Islamabad. They said that the unexpected turbulence shook the plane violently and forced everyone, including the aircrew, to strap themselves to their seats.

    Royal reporter Chris Ship added that there were many experienced pilots and aircrew (including Prince William) onboard but every one of them said they had never experienced turbulence like that before.

    Meanwhile, recounting her own experience, Duchess Kate said that though it was “a bumpy ride”, she had enjoyed the “adventure.”

    “I think it was quite an adventure really, it was pretty bumpy up there. But we were looked after so wonderfully by the RAF who did a great job liaising with everyone and got us home safely, so we are hugely grateful to them,” the Duchess said.

    Kate and William were reportedly scheduled to visit Khyber Pass and Landi Kotal (Afghan border) on the last day of their tour but due to their delayed return to Islamabad, their plan had to be cancelled. Instead, they visited the Army Canine Centre in Islamabad, where Britain provides support to a program that trains dogs to identify explosive devices.

    Pictures from the event showed the couple feeding and petting trainee bomb sniffer dogs. Kate looked regal in a black flora coat from Beulah London.

    Kate, who is dog-lover, appears to have had a blast with the canines.

    The couple was also treated to a dog show.

    For all the royal updates from Day 1, 2 and 3 click here, here and here.

  • PM Imran’s focal person for polio eradication resigns

    PM Imran’s focal person for polio eradication resigns

    Focal Person to Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan for Polio Eradication and former polio adviser Babar Atta to the United Nations (UN) on Friday resigned from office with immediate effect.

    “When I look back, I am proud to say that I made all possible efforts to create that enabling environment where polio eradication is a top priority,” Babar tweeted and added that he had asked the premier to relieve him of his duties due to “some personal reasons”.

    Atta said that that a call centre will soon be inaugurated to cater to complaints of people and answer their questions related to immunisation drive. The country’s first-ever perception management initiative will be rolled out by the end of October, he added.

    “A 24/7 call centre will soon be inaugurated to address all concerns of people who have questions related to the vaccine.”

    “I am leaving at a time when the low transmission season is about to commence. Pakistan is in a position that will finally eradicate polio once and for all. The opportunity should be capitalised and should not be lost from here. I forever remain indebted to the love and respect all of you have offered,” he said.

    Meanwhile, sources informed The Current that Atta has resigned from office since he is the only male child in his family and his ailing father needs him. “He doesn’t want to regret not being there for his parents.”

  • Larkana by-election: ‘Is Bhutto still alive?’ Zartaj Gul trolls PPP

    Larkana by-election: ‘Is Bhutto still alive?’ Zartaj Gul trolls PPP

    With Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) facing defeat in Thursday’s Larkana by-election, Minister of State for Climate Change Zartaj Gul Wazir has trolled the rival party with a jibe at its late founder, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

    By-poll in the PS-11 constituency — considered a stronghold of Sindh’s ruling PPP — had been announced by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) after the Supreme Court had de-seated Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) candidate Moazzam Ali Abbasi in August.

    With an apex court bench declaring the election tribunal’s decision void and ordering re-election in the constituency, voters on Thursday polled to elect Abbasi, unofficial results revealed.

    As per preliminary results from 138 polling stations that were set up for the by-election, Abbasi bagged 31,557 votes, while his rival Jamil Soomro of the PPP obtained 26,021 votes.

    Reacting to the results, PPP chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari vowed to challenge what he believes was “rigging” in the by-election.

    In a series of posts shared on Twitter, the PPP leader said he was proud of party workers for “fighting an honourable election,” which he claimed they did “despite immense pressure from the establishment”.

    The accusations, however, did not seem to bother GDA or its allies, one of which is the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

    “Wanted to ask if Bhutto is still alive or not,” PTI leader and minister Zartaj Gul tweeted.

    While many joined Wazir in her attempt to poke fun at the opposition party, others argued that the statement was in bad taste for speaking ill of the deceased.

  • Sarfaraz sent packing after PCB sacks as captain from all formats

    Sarfaraz sent packing after PCB sacks as captain from all formats

    The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has removed wicketkeeper-batsman Sarfaraz Ahmed as captain from all formats, with immediate effect, The Cricket Pakistan has reported.

    Sarfaraz Ahmed was under massive criticism for his poor performance both as captain and batsman in the latest T20 series against Sri Lanka.

    A few days ago, seeking Sarfaraz’s removal from the team, a member of Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz (PML-N) submitted a resolution in the Punjab Assembly and also demanded an investigation into Pakistan’s whitewash against a comparatively inexperienced team like Sri Lanka.

    The former skipper has earlier been trained guns at also for his poor performance at the 2019 World Cup, which was followed by a campaign seeking his removal as the captain.

  • Imran govt denies entry to Committee to Protect Journalists coordinator

    Imran govt denies entry to Committee to Protect Journalists coordinator

    Pakistan’s immigration authorities have barred entry of Committee to Protect Journalists’ (CPJ) Asia Programme Coordinator Steven Butler, saying that his name had been placed on a “stop list”.

    “Last night [Wednesday], Pakistani immigration authorities denied entry to CPJ Asia Programme Coordinator Steven Butler, citing a blacklist managed by the Ministry of Interior,” the CPJ said in a statement issued Thursday as journalists across the country accuse the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) of placing bars on media.

    “A border officer at Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore told Butler that his journalist visa was valid, but it was voided because his name was ‘on a stop list of the Interior Ministry’,” it quoted Butler as saying.

    According to the statement, Butler’s passport was “confiscated” by airport authorities and he was forced to board a flight bound for Doha. When he arrived in Doha, authorities there placed him on a flight to Washington, the statement read further.

    While on the flight, Butler told the CPJ that the flight crew had seized his passport and boarding pass and that he was in “a kind of restrictive custody”.

    “Pakistani authorities’ move to block Steven Butler from entering the country is baffling and is a slap in the face to those concerned about press freedom in the country,” the statement quoted CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon as saying.

    “Pakistani authorities should give a full explanation of their decision to bar Butler from entering and correct this error. If the government is interested in demonstrating its commitment to a free press, it should conduct a swift and transparent investigation into this case.”

    Butler had landed in Lahore to participate in the Asma Jahangir Conference — Roadmap for Human Rights in Pakistan, said the statement.

    BARS ON MEDIA:

    The development came two days after Geo News, one of Pakistan’s major news channels, took off the air a press conference of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman with its anchor explaining it was because the Pakistan Electronic Media Authority (PEMRA) has banned a live telecast of the event.

    Veteran journalist and analyst Hamid Mir also tweeted on October 12 that PEMRA has “forced TV channels not to show” Fazl’s press conference. He said that the government was showing weakness by “imposing unannounced censorship” in Pakistan.

    The incident is not the first of its kind as channels have been barred from airing press conferences or interviews of opposition leaders especially ever since the Imran Khan-led PTI government rose to power.

    Asif Zardari, former Pakistani president, and Maryam Nawaz, the daughter of jailed former prime minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif, have faced similar restrictions.

    “The current wave of censorship is not very current,” journalist Munizae Jahangir was quoted as saying by SAMAA.

    “Unfortunately, this has been going on for a while,” Jahangir said. “I would even say that during the time of Nawaz Sharif it started even then.”

    When asked if the government was behind it, Jahangir said, “If the government is not behind this current wave of censorship, then why is it still happening? It should stop.”

    She pointed a finger at “undemocratic forces” for censorship in the media and added, “If you do have undemocratic forces influencing democracy, then you will see censorship in the media.”

  • VIDEO: Ex-wife accuses PM Imran of receiving illegal foreign funds

    VIDEO: Ex-wife accuses PM Imran of receiving illegal foreign funds

    Reham Khan, former wife of Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, has once again stepped forth to level allegations against the premier; this time of receiving illegal funds from a foreign company.

    “Two companies registered in the United States (US) under the signatures of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan for illegal funding from the US. One company registered in Australia with the title: Insaf Australia Inc.,” Reham Khan tweeted.

    She said that any funds received from internationally incorporated companies were prohibited under the law.

    Continuing her tirade against the PTI leadership, Reham accused them of being involved in illegal transaction of money to Pakistan and being subjected to “moral corruption for hiding accounts from the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP)”.

    She asserted that the PTI had declared only eight accounts in the ECP against 23, the rest of which “are hidden”, adding that that the discovered fake accounts of the Imran-led ruling party showed foreign currency worth billions of money deposited in them.

    Reham, however, did not quote the amount of the money allegedly hoarded in these accounts.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    She further said that Akbar S Babar has also alleged that besides a registered account of PTI United Kingdom (UK), there are two hidden functional accounts of the party at Lloyds Bank London, which are used for transmitting millions of money in Pakistan to the PTI leadership.

    Akbar S Babar is the person who has moved the petitions against PTI in its foreign funding case.