Tag: Fawad Chaudhry

  • ‘Thai Airways never stopped operating from Pakistan’, Sherry Rehman ridicules Fawad

    ‘Thai Airways never stopped operating from Pakistan’, Sherry Rehman ridicules Fawad

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Senator Sherry Rehman has ridiculed Federal Minister for Science & Technology Fawad Chaudhry over his claim regarding Thai Airways’ operations in Pakistan.

    “Thai Airways to start operation from Lahore to Bangkok and beyond with four flights a week starting July 16, 2019,” the minister had tweeted Tuesday.

    While a lot of people praised the “restoration” of Thai Airways’ operations after British Airways, that operated its first flight to the country in eleven years on June 2; some users, including Sherry, pointed out what was wrong with the claim.

    “Err, Thai Airways has been flying from Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi several times a week for over ten years. The Islamabad and Lahore flights were suspended due to [the] closure of air space recently. Islamabad flights have still not resumed,” she tweeted.

    Pakistan closed its airspace following an aerial engagement with the Indian Air Force (IAF) along the Line of Control (LoC) on February 27. On June 28, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) announced that the closure for overflight and transit flights will continue till July 12.

  • Video of Fawad Chaudhry slapping journalist Sami Ibrahim emerges

    Video of Fawad Chaudhry slapping journalist Sami Ibrahim emerges

    Days after Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry slapped senior anchorperson Sami Ibrahim, a video of the incident has emerged.

    The incident took place last week at a wedding in Faisalabad, where the minister slapped Ibrahim “after getting angry” in wake of the ongoing spat between the two.

    Earlier in June, the senior anchorperson had alleged that some elements within the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) were hatching a conspiracy against Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan to oust him and to weaken the Pakistan Army.

    He had alleged that Fawad was a part of the group conspiring against the government.

    The minister had responded by using slurs against the anchorperson, drawing widespread criticism from politicians, civil society and members of the journalist community.

    He had also accused Sami of blackmailing him when he was the information minister for refusing to put his channel, Bol TV, into category A for advertisements.

    Last Friday, Fawad tweeted that he had initiated criminal proceedings against the senior anchorperson and he would teach him a lesson in accordance with the law.

    However, later that night when both of them met at the wedding function in Faisalabad, they had a bitter argument, which led to the minister slapping him on the face.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    The incident had led to PM Imran speaking to the journalist and telling him “his party doesn’t encourage any individual acts that intentionally or unintentionally undermine someone’s self-esteem.”

  • ‘Important decisions are made without us knowing’, Fawad loses it during TV interview

    ‘Important decisions are made without us knowing’, Fawad loses it during TV interview

    Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry, who was sacked by Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan as the information minister in April, has broken silence on the alleged rift widening within the government.

    “At times, some important decisions are taken and we don’t even know. I still believe that we have some political weaknesses in decision-making,” he said during an interview to a private media outlet.

    Earlier, sources had informed The Current that tensions are about to reach the boiling point within the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) as a cold war continues between elected and non-elected people in the government.

    Fawad too was replaced by non-elected Firdous Ashiq Awan, who was handed the reins of the Information Ministry in the capacity of special assistant to the PM (SAPM) on information and broadcasting.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    The former information minister, however, wasn’t the only one to be sacked as part of the major cabinet reshuffle. The then finance minister Asad Umar was also replaced by another non-elected member, SAPM for Finance Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh.

    Hinting at the war going on within the ruling party, Fawad said that “non-elected people had the power to change portfolios of ministers”.

    “As I have maintained before, there were too many people trying to manage it [Information Ministry],” he said and added that one can’t do much when so many people are involved.

    “Your real strength is the parliament and the elected people, and you cannot leave them,” Fawad said. “You’re not going to redo the party and hand it over to those who have not even been a councillor.”

  • Fawad Chaudhry announces Eid on June 5, launches Islamic calendar

    Fawad Chaudhry announces Eid on June 5, launches Islamic calendar

    Fulfilling his promise, Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry launched the country’s first moonsighting website and Hijri Calendar on Sunday.

    He also announced that Eid will be celebrated on June 5 as per the lunar observations.

    The minister shared that the five-year Hijri Calendar has been sent to the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) and will be presented before the cabinet on Wednesday.

    The CII will review the lunar calendar and decide if under Islamic laws, the only evidence acceptable for moon-sighting is with the naked eye or if it can also be sighted with equipment.

    Fawad added he “personally believes that there is no need to have Rueti Hilal Committee [moon-sighting committee] in the country.”

    He said that the moonsighting website and calendar have been created with the efforts of several departments and provide all relevant information.

  • ‘Game of Thrones’ quotes for Pakistani politicians

    ‘Game of Thrones’ quotes for Pakistani politicians

    Game of Thrones may be over but the hype of the series is far from dying down anytime soon. If you’ve been following the news closely, you’ll understand that Pakistan’s political arena is no less than any drama. Here are GOT’s famous sayings that perfectly fit our politicians.

    Prime Minister Imran Khan

    Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz

    Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar

    Federal Minister for Railways Sheikh Rasheed

    Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry

    Asad Umar

    Nawaz Sharif

    Minister for Water and Power Resources Faisal Vawda

    Pakistan Peoples Party co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari

    Altaf Hussain

    Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Ali Amin Gandapur

  • Fawad says ‘Science & Tech Ministry has nothing to do with science’

    Fawad says ‘Science & Tech Ministry has nothing to do with science’

    Federal Minister for Science & Technology Fawad Chaudhry has said that his ministry has “nothing to do with science”.

    In a recent interview with Independent Urdu, the minister was asked what relation was there between his law degree and science.

    There is no connection, he said, adding: “In fact, the Science and Technology Ministry itself has no relation with science.”

    Earlier, in an interview to The Current, Fawad, who was sacked as the federal minister for information and broadcasting in last month’s cabinet reshuffle, had said he himself had chosen the Science and Technology Ministry.

    “I was offered two or three ministries by Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan and I voluntarily chose this ministry because science and technology is the way forward,” he had said.

    WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW HERE:

  • Fawad Chaudhry’s French Toast

    Fawad Chaudhry’s French Toast

  • Salary reveal: Fawad Ch was earning more as anchor, lawyer than as minister

    Salary reveal: Fawad Ch was earning more as anchor, lawyer than as minister

    Federal Minister for Science & Technology Fawad Chaudhry
    has revealed that he was earning way more as a television anchor and by practicing
    law in the past than at present as a minister.

    “A minister’s salary is Rs345,000, out of which the house rent is Rs90,000. We are paid Rs255,000 after that,” he tweeted while replying to a person who had asked him his salary amid massive budget cuts by the government.

    His salary at present is way less than the one he received as a television anchor for a private media outlet, as a known fact is how stalwarts like Fawad earn in millions while hosting shows.

    The same has been confessed by Fawad himself earlier. Speaking to a private media outlet in October 2018, he had said his income as a minister is way less than what he was getting as an anchor.

    When asked if he has any regrets after assuming office as a
    minister now that he doesn’t get any time to perform other duties, Fawad had said,
    “It is true that we have hefty engagements as ministers but our salaries are
    also very low.”