Tag: Asad Umar

  • PPP plans protest against PTI in Islamabad, PTI retaliates with own protest in Sindh

    PPP plans protest against PTI in Islamabad, PTI retaliates with own protest in Sindh

    Addressing a press conference in Karachi, federal Minister for Marine Affairs Ali Haider Zaidi along with federal Minister for Planning and Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar, said that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) will launch a mass movement from February 26 from Ghotki towards Karachi, a day before Pakistan People’s Party’s (PPP) planned long march towards Islamabad on February 27.

    The PTI leaders said that the march would lead to the fall of the “Zardari mafia” and put PTI in charge of the provincial government in 2023.

     “Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan is clear about this and confident that this bandit rule in Sindh should end. And for that, the PTI Sindh is going to launch a massive movement from February 26 to reach out to every single person in the province and unite the people against this unjust rule of corruption and bad governance,” said Zaidi.

    “The PPP government has only promoted the culture of corruption, bribery, and incompetence. From water supply to farmers to jobs for youngsters, every segment of life is marred by corruption,” said Zaidi.

    “The PPP administration in Sindh is not a government but a mafia”, said Zaidi, adding that the key example of this corrupt system was the chief minister, who was actually an accountant of former president Asif Ali Zardari and was given the role only to serve his master.

    Earlier this month, PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari announced that he will lead a “long march” against the PTI government from Karachi to Islamabad on February 27.

    Bilawal said that the nation wants to get rid of the “selected” government and a transparent election is the only solution.

  • ‘I also voted to let him go’, Asad Umar clarifies comment that PM sent Nawaz to London

    ‘I also voted to let him go’, Asad Umar clarifies comment that PM sent Nawaz to London

    Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar has clarified his previous statement about Prime Minister’s (PM) decision to send Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif to London. He said his statement was taken out of context.

    “Spin being given to an answer of mine regarding Nawaz Sharif exit abroad, the discussion was about whether the PM takes decisions or someone else imposes decisions. I stated that the PM takes decisions as I was asked about the Nawaz Sharif exit decision in that context,” Umar tweeted.

    Further, he added that sending Nawaz to London was a “collective decision and was decided in the Cabinet”.

    Previously, while on a TV program the federal minister revealed that it was “100% Imran Khan’s decision” to send the former PM to London for his medical treatment. “This was first discussed in a cabinet meeting,” he said, adding that the decision was entirely made by the prime minister and the premier did not say that the decision was not his. 

  • ‘Nation stands with PM Khan, Opposition can’t harm him’, claims Asad Umar

    ‘Nation stands with PM Khan, Opposition can’t harm him’, claims Asad Umar

    Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar dismissed the news of factionalism within the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and said no one could be Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s substitute within the party.

    While talking to Geo News’  programme “Naya Pakistan”, Umar stated that 99 per cent of the PTI’s vote bank belongs to PM Khan.

    “I reiterate that the nation stands with Imran Khan and this is the only reason that the Opposition has been unable to harm him,” he said while referring to Opposition claims that allied parties are not with the government.

    The federal minister also seconded his party fellow Fawad Chaudhry’s statement about Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) members being “hell-bent on removing Nawaz Sharif from their party”.

    Despite inflation and new taxes that have been imposed, Asad Umar claimed that the country’s economy is progressing.

  • COVID-19: Pakistan ranks number 2 in performance for measures taken against the virus

    COVID-19: Pakistan ranks number 2 in performance for measures taken against the virus

    Pakistan has been ranked number two in The Economists’ world normalcy index, that measures recovery and opening up of society and economy post COVID-19. The Economist has compiled data from January 2021 to January 2022.

    Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives and head of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), Asad Umar, while sharing the screenshot of the report wrote. “Pakistan ranked number 2 in the world in Economist global normalcy index measuring recovery post covid opening up of society & economy. Pak was 3rd in the first evaluation and number 1 in the second. Pakistan is the only country in the world to be in top 3 in all three rankings.”

    Read more- NCOC bans indoor events in cities with Covid positivity rate over 10%

    Yesterday, NCOC announced a ban on indoor gatherings and events have been banned in the districts and cities with Covid-19 positivity rate exceeding 10 per cent. 

  • NCOC to decide on closing schools after checking positivity rates

    NCOC to decide on closing schools after checking positivity rates

    After the much-awaited meeting today about the schools’ closure, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) did not make a decision on whether schools will be closed or not in the wake of the highly transmissible Omicron variant.

    The NCOC had called a meeting of the provincial health and education ministers on Monday.

    In a statement, they said, “Decision about education institutions will be taken on data of positive cases of various institutions for which massive testing in educational institutions is being carried out.”

    Punjab health minister Dr Yasmin Rashid informed the ministers that 85 per cent of the students in Punjab have been fully vaccinated and the Covid-19 situation in the province is under control.

    In Sindh, Chief Minister (CM) Murad Ali Shah decided that educational institutions will continue in the province despite an alarming surge in cases as Karachi has reached a 40 per cent positivity rate.

    Meanwhile, earlier today a total of 4,340 new cases have been reported in the country.

  • ‘No lockdown for now,’ says NCOC chief despite rising cases

    ‘No lockdown for now,’ says NCOC chief despite rising cases

    The National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) chief Asad Umar said that the government has no intentions of imposing a coronavirus lockdown for now in the country.

    According to Geo News, Asad highlighted that instead of lockdowns, the government is focusing on ramping up vaccinations and strict implementation of the bans placed earlier on certain activities if one is not vaccinated.

    50 per cent of the cases in Sindh are of Omicron and the statistics show that the city’s positivity ratio reached 9.23 per cent on Wednesday.

    Jinnah Sindh Medical University (JSMU) Acting Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Shahid Rasul said, “Coronavirus cases of the Omicron variant are going up in Karachi because of a lack of vaccinations.”

    Meanwhile, Pakistan’s coronavirus positivity ratio exceeded 2 per cent for the first time since October 14 last year, as 1,085 new infections were detected.

  • FBR data 2019: CM Buzdar paid Rs2,000 tax, PPP’s Yousuf Raza Gillani paid zero tax

    FBR data 2019: CM Buzdar paid Rs2,000 tax, PPP’s Yousuf Raza Gillani paid zero tax

    The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) released its 2019 tax directory for parliamentarians. According to the document, the directory complied tax returns filed manually and electronically till January 3, reports Dawn.

    Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin said that special efforts were made by FBR to make the directory more informative “which will help not only in educating taxpayers but also in encouraging compliance with tax laws as a national duty.”

    According to the data, Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan paid Rs98 lakh. Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly (NA) Shehbaz Sharif paid Rs82 lakh while Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari paid Rs5 lakhs 30 thousand.

    Former president Asif Ali Zardari paid Rs22 lakhs. Finance minister, Shaukat Tarin paid Rs2 crore 66 lakhs while former PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi paid Rs49 lakhs.

    Sindh Chief Minister (CM) Murad Ali Shah paid Rs11 lakhs while Punjab CM Usman Buzdar paid a minimal Rs2,000.

    Current Balochistan CM Abdul Qudoos Bizenjo Rs11 lakhs and his predecessor Jam Kamal Khan paid Rs11 lakhs 80,000. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa CM Mahmood Khan paid Rs66,258.

    Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi paid Rs9 lakhs while Planning and Development Minister Asad Umar paid Rs43 lakhs. Energy Minister Hammad Azhar paid Rs 1 crore 80 lakhs.

    Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) Senator Faisal Subzwari, Punjab Education Minister Murad Raas, and Punjab Prisons Minister Fayyazul Hassan Chohan were among several lawmakers that paid Rs2,000.

    Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Yousuf Raza Gillani and PML-N’s Azma Zahid Bokhari did not pay anything in taxes.

  • 46% of Pakistanis are fully vaccinated against Covid-19

    National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) Cheif Asad Umar has revealed 46 per cent of Pakistan’s eligible population has been fully vaccinated against coronavirus.

    In a tweet, the federal minister said, “Amongst the federating units, Islamabad leads with 77 per cent fully vaccinated persons. Punjab is at 51 per cent, Gilgit-Baltistan 46 per cent, Azad Jammu and Kashmir 45 per cent, Balochistan 42 per cent, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 41 per cent, and Sindh at 37 per cent.”

    Umar also confirmed that 63 per cent of the country’s population has been administered the first dose of the vaccine.

    The country reported over 500 covid cases in a day on Friday, positivity rate stands at one per cent.

    Health experts have linked the rise in Covid-19 cases with the Omicron variant as nearly 89 cases of the new strain have been reported alone in Karachi.

  • NCOC lowers age limit for Covid-19 booster shot to 30

    NCOC lowers age limit for Covid-19 booster shot to 30

    The National Command and Control Centre (NCOC) announced its decision to lower the age limit for the administration of Covid-19 booster shot for people who got both their shots six months back. Pakistanis aged 30 or above can now get a booster shot of their own choice across Pakistan from January 1, 2022.

    Only Sinopharm, Sinovac, and Pfizer will be given as booster shots. The booster shot will be administered free of cost.

    Health workers, immunocompromised people and anyone above or of the age of 30 years is eligible for a booster shot.

    Earlier this month, NCOC had approved a booster shot of Covid-19 vaccines for healthcare workers, those aged over 50 years, and immunocompromised people.

  • Omicron Variant: ‘Need for vaccination even more urgent,’ says Asad Umar

    Omicron Variant: ‘Need for vaccination even more urgent,’ says Asad Umar

    Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives and head of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), Asad Umar, has stressed upon the need of getting vaccinated with the arrival of the Omicron variant. “With arrival of omicron variant the need for vaccination even more urgent. So far 8 crore 75 lakh Pakistani’s have taken at least one dose and 6 crore people are fully vaccinated,” the minister wrote in a tweet.

    On December 13, the NCOC confirmed the first case of the Omicron variant in Pakistan.

    NCOC also stressed upon the importance of getting vaccinated to stay safe from new variants.