Tag: corruption

  • What can the govt do, will have to go to IMF again if exports don’t increase, says PM Khan

    What can the govt do, will have to go to IMF again if exports don’t increase, says PM Khan

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan while addressing the inaugural ceremony of the 14th International Chambers Summit 2022 organised by the Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry said that tax collection and exports are the main drivers of boosting the economy.

    Saying that Pakistan has an “improving economy”, PM Khan said that all economic indicators were showing upward trends despite inherited economic crunch and the impact of Covid-19.

    “Will have to go to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) again if we do not enhance our exports,” said PM Khan.

    “In the past, no attention was paid to these sectors of the economy which are vital for wealth creation. The exports sector was stagnant in the past, but the incumbent government is providing all facilitation to the exporters,” he said.

    “We realise that people are worried, there is imported inflation in our country, dollar rate has gone up due to smuggling of dollar to Afghanistan, still Pakistan is a cheap country, US President Joe Biden has also been criticised by Donald Trump on inflation in the country.”

    PM Khan said commodity prices have increased all over the world and Pakistan also imported inflation which hurt its people badly but asked what the government could do in the circumstances.

    Claiming that the steps taken by his government to combat coronavirus and keep businesses open were being followed by United Kingdom’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson. “We did not let people die due to Covid-19 and lockdowns,” he added.

    The prime minister said corruption would assume the role of cancer. “Corruption is a symptom of lack of rule of law in society. Our fight is for the rule of law in Pakistan. It is a difficult one because of different cartels and mafias which do not want the rule of law,” he said, terming it a jihad against the mafias to secure the future of the country.

    Contrary to the claims, Pakistan lost $250m worth of textile exports in December 2021 when the gas supply was suspended for 15 days in the Punjab textile sector. Executive Director of All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA), Shahid Sattar also confirmed the loss of millions of dollars by saying that it will “never be recovered.”

  • PTI in trouble? ‘Corrupt, liar, conspiratorial’, Opposition hits out at PM Khan

    PTI in trouble? ‘Corrupt, liar, conspiratorial’, Opposition hits out at PM Khan

    The Opposition has heavily criticised the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan after a scrutiny committee of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) reported that the party did not disclose millions of rupees worth of funds to the constitutional body.

    Lashing out at the premier, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice-President Maryam Nawaz said Imran Khan had not only “stolen and hidden money, but also plundered the people”.

    Maryam said the “constant leaks, revelations, and evidence, are more than enough to bring down the PTI, including Imran Khan.”

    “Has there been such a corrupt, liar, and conspiratorial ruler like Imran Khan in the history of Pakistan?” she asked.

    PML-N Secretary General Ahsan Iqbal during a media briefing said that the scrutiny committee’s report had “washed away Imran Khan’s make up of honesty”.

    “Imran Khan acts as the champion of transparency in the country, but in the foreign funding case, he is making lame excuses to stop the hearing; PTI is resorting to mudslinging to cover its own theft,” he said.

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Central Information Secretary Shazia Marri, berating PM Khan tweeted, “Imran Khan talashi do (give yourself up for examination).”

    Meanwhile, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry termed the report “inaccurate” and called for a public comparison of all the parties’ foreign funding so people knew where they all stood.

    Fawad said that there were “two relevant transactions of Rs150m and Rs160m, which had been duplicated and therefore counted twice by the committee”.

    “In the same way, Rs150m transferred from the centre to the provinces from a PTI subsidiary was also counted twice.” He said these facts would be laid before the ECP during arguments in the case.

    The minister said the report showed that the PTI had 26 accounts out of which eight were inactive.

    “Out of the remaining 18 accounts, eight are functional and have transactions and also show funds coming in,” he added.

    He said that 10 of the accounts in question did not actually belong to the PTI, while six were subsidiary accounts, while the party has distanced itself from the remaining four.

    The report compiled by the ECP revealed the party under-reported an amount of Rs312 million over a four-year period, between 2009-10 and 2012-13. Year-wise details show that an amount of over Rs145m was under-reported in 2012-13 alone.

  • PM Khan tells ulema sex crimes main evil in Muslim society

    PM Khan tells ulema sex crimes main evil in Muslim society

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan during a discussion with top scholars on how the youth can be protected from the invasion of social media on faith, religious and ethical values said that corruption and sex crime s are two main evils of the Muslim world.

    “There are two sorts of crime in society, one is corruption and the other is a sex crime. Sex crime has risen sharply in our society, i.e. rape and child abuse, and only one per cent of this is reported,” said PM Khan.

    “The other 99 per cent, I believe, society has to fight it. The same is the case with corruption… society has to make corruption unacceptable. Unfor­tunately, when you have leadership which is corrupt over time, they make corruption acceptable,” he said.

    The prime minister stressed the need to save the Muslim youth from being inundated with obscenity and pornographic material available on the internet.

  • ‘I am requesting Khan Saab to see how his ministers are making money’: PTI MNA

    ‘I am requesting Khan Saab to see how his ministers are making money’: PTI MNA

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MNA Noor Alam Khan heavily criticised his government while speaking on Geo News programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’. Alam said, “I have to raise the voice for the people of Pakistan. I don’t care about the political seats, they are temporary.”

    Noor Alam Khan further said that he made certain promises to the people of Pakistan. He reiterated the party manifesto of providing sufficient gas, combating load shedding, and said that people voted for the party for the promises it had made in the past.

    Talking about competence, Noor Khan said, “You have to deliver, people will reject you if you don’t perform. The people who vote for us require good performance and if we don’t deliver, we are the ones to blame. I am sorry if it’s our incompetence, then we will blame Noor Alam, Shahzeb, or some institution for the shortcomings but not ourselves.”

    “The fault and blame will always be directed towards the government, we are the ones who make the policy. [Government] is the provider. Do not pat the ones who curse others and say you did well, pat the ones who serve your people,” said Noor Khan.

    “[PM] Imran Khan should look at the people on his right and left to know about their assets and how they grew their assets,” said the PTI MNA.

    “If he closes his eyes [and condones what is happening around him], it will not set the affairs in order. He will have to solve the problems of inflation, power outages, and gas shortage.”

    “The people around PM Khan report ‘all is good’ to him. But, all is not well today,” he stressed, urging the PM to shove away those who are corrupt.

    “Who says there is no corruption in the country at present? You can deceive [the] masses once or twice. However, when it is the third time, people will reject you,” said Noor Khan.

    “If I vote and forget the people, will I blame others? No one in the party speaks clearly. Everyone is scared.”

    “I am requesting Khan Saab to look around and see how his ministers are making money and assets. How did a person shift from car to land cruiser to later a helicopter? How did one person make additional houses and sugar mills?” questioned Noor Alam.

    Replying to a query about the party tickets, Noor Alam said the PTI did not take anyone on board for tickets and doled them out to the members of the family. “So, what happened [in the LG elections] was an evident outcome,” he said.

    Commenting on a way out for the PTI from its absolute defeat in the LG elections, the PTI leader said the PTI-led government will have to push down the prices of commodities and utilities.

  • Police and judiciary most corrupt institutions in Pakistan, reveals National Corruption Perception Survey 2021

    Police and judiciary most corrupt institutions in Pakistan, reveals National Corruption Perception Survey 2021

    The National Corruption Perception Survey 2021 conducted by Transparency International (TI) Pakistan finds the police and judiciary are the most corrupt institutions in the country, reports Ansar Abbasi for The News.

    The police department has been ranked at number one with 41.4 per cent votes while the judiciary comes at number two with17.4 per cent votes. According to the Judicial Statistics of Pakistan 2020 report by the National Judicial (Policy Making) Committee, there are 46,698 cases pending in the Supreme Court and 1,772,990 cases pending in the District Judiciary.

    In 2021, TI Pakistan conducted the NCPS 2021 in all four provinces. The survey was conducted from October 14, 2021, to October 27, 2021. It reflects the perception of the general public on governance issues. 

    According to the survey, the three most important causes of corruption are weak accountability (51.9 per cent), the greed of powerful people (29.3 per cent) and low salaries (18.8 per cent).

    40.1 per cent of Pakistanis say an increase in/stringent punishments is a way to reduce corruption while 34.6 per cent Pakistanis say accountability of public officers by expediting NAB’s handling of corruption cases, and 25.3 per cent say a complete ban on those convicted of corruption from holding public office are key to combat corruption in Pakistan.

    Moreover, the vast majority of people think the federal government’s self-accountability is unsatisfactory.

    In the report, a total of 89.1 per cent of Pakistanis claim that they did not pay any bribe to any government official during the federal government’s Covid-19 relief efforts for deserving citizens.

  • Malik Riaz and son’s 10 years UK visit visa revoked due to possible corruption

    Malik Riaz and son’s 10 years UK visit visa revoked due to possible corruption

    United Kingdom (UK) courts have decided to revoke a 10-year multi-entry visit visa to real estate tycoon Malik Riaz, and his son Ahmed Ali Riaz.

    Lady Justice Nicolas Davies, in her judgment against the appeal of Riaz and his son, wrote, “Whilst there has not been a criminal conviction against you I am satisfied on probabilities that you have been involved with corruption and financial/commercial misconduct.”

    “As a result, having regard to the UK’s commitment to combat corruption and financial crime, I believe that your exclusion from the UK is conducive to the public good due to your conduct, character, and associations,” wrote Justice Nicolas.

    The UK High court on Malik Riaz case cited, “The appellants [Malik Riaz and Ahmed Ali] have been involved with corruption and financial/commercial misconduct was founded on their involvement in the affairs of a company, Bahria Town. The company is wholly owned and run by the appellant’s family and is described as the largest property developer in Asia. At all relevant times, Mr Malik was the Chairman of Bahria Town, Mr Ali was the CEO.”

  • PPP leader Khursheed Shah granted bail, name to be placed on ECL

    PPP leader Khursheed Shah granted bail, name to be placed on ECL

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Khursheed Shah was granted bail from the Supreme Court (SC) of Pakistan today (Thursday) in the assets beyond means case, reports Geo News.

    The court has directed Shah to submit bail bonds worth Rs10 million as the surety against his bail and ordered that his name be placed on the Exit Control List (ECL).

    Justice Umar Atta Bandial, who chaired the hearing of Shah’s bail plea, also directed the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to continue its investigations but not keep Shah permanently in jail.

    In July, the Sindh High Court (SHC) dismissed Shah’s request for bail. Later, he challenged the local court’s decision in the apex court.

    NAB had arrested Khursheed Shah on September 18, 2019, accusing him of allotting himself an amnesty plot illegally from a cooperative society in Sukkur.

    NAB also accused Shah of acquiring assets worth some Rs700 million in the names of his frontmen through illegally acquired money.

  • 48 per cent Pakistanis happy with PTI’s performance

    48 per cent Pakistanis happy with PTI’s performance

    Seven in 10 Pakistanis believe that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) will complete its five-year term, according to a survey.

    A survey, ‘Gallup Pakistan’ was conducted with over 1200 respondents across urban and rural areas, covering over 100 districts in the country. The sample comprised a cross-section of age and socio-economic classes.

    The survey conducted was based to evaluate the performance of the PTI government.

    Performance of PTI:

    Public opinion is split on the issue of performance of the PTI government with slightly more than 48 per cent saying performance is good over the past three years. A sizeable 45 percent believe the performance has been bad.

    In the largest province of Punjab, a majority are unhappy and say that Imran Khan’s government’s performance isn’t good. Highest support in Balochistan at 74 per cent rating positively and KP where 62 per cent rated Imran Khan’s performance positively.

    Who is better Imran Khan vs Nawaz Sharif:

    When the survey crafted a comparison between Khan’s Rule vs Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Nawaz Sharif rule?

    Public Opinion split equally with 37 per cent each saying Imran Khan rule is better and 37 per cent saying Nawaz Sharif rule was better. 18 per cent of people believe that the performance of PM Khan’s government is the same as that of Nawaz’s.

    Economy:

    When it came to the economy, 45 per cent said they were satisfied with where it stands, whereas 44 per cent expressed dissatisfaction.

    Prevention of corruption:

    In efforts to prevent corruption, 48 per cent were of the view that the government has been successful, whereas 40 per cent were of the view it has failed.

    Performance on Foreign Affairs:

    A majority of Pakistanis, 58 per cent, have also indicated they are satisfied with the government’s foreign policy efforts. Of these, 18 per cent said the performance has been “very good”, while 40 per cent said it has been “good”.

  • 46% unhappy, 32% satisfied with Punjab govt: Survey

    46% unhappy, 32% satisfied with Punjab govt: Survey

    46 per cent of the people in Punjab are rating the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) provincial government’s performance as bad, while the PTI still enjoys the support of a good 32 per cent who are satisfied with their performance, reported The News.

    The Institute for Public Opinion Research (IPOR) conducted an all-Punjab survey to gauge the feelings of voters and measure their understanding of the current political situation.

    The voters had a mixed reaction to the situation, on the one hand, half of the voters (49 per cent) were not happy with the rising prices of daily essentials and (57 per cent) declaring things were not heading in the right direction, while on the other hand, despite all these problems, majority 52 percent of the voters said they are still willing to let the current government complete its five-year term.

    49 per cent of the respondents reported inflation as the most important issue they are facing these days, while 19 per cent said unemployment, followed by 13 per cent poverty, and another 09 per cent said corruption.

  • VIDEO: Firdous Ashiq Awan slaps PPP’s Qadir Mandokhel

    VIDEO: Firdous Ashiq Awan slaps PPP’s Qadir Mandokhel

    A video of Special Assistant to Chief Minister Punjab on Information Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan slapping Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) MNA Qadir Khan Mandokhel has gone viral. The incident took place off-air after the two were seen brawling with each other on Express News‘ talk show, ‘Kal Tak with Javed Chaudhry’.

    https://twitter.com/Zohaib_Kibzai1/status/1402738011872321536

    In a verbal fight during the show, Mandokhel accused Awan of being corrupt, which led to a heated scuffle between the two. Firdous slapped Mandokhel after the argument.

    Awan claimed in a tweet that Mandokhel had used foul language which angered her, and that only a one-sided story was being shared in the viral video.

    She said that after consultation, legal action will be taken against Mandokhel.

    No statement has been issues by Mandokhel so far.

    Twitterati reacts to the slap

    Raza Rumi tweeted, “Is it a TV show or a madhouse with no warden?”

    “These are senior politicians. She is the face of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI),” tweeted another Twitter user.

    “She is taking advantage of being a woman. What if a man slapped her?,” read another tweet.

    https://twitter.com/mahey_nadeem/status/1402804442714476544