Tag: Firdous Ashiq Awan

  • Govt to file reference against Kashmala Tariq over deadly Islamabad accident

    Govt to file reference against Kashmala Tariq over deadly Islamabad accident

    Punjab Chief Minister’s Special Assistant on Information Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan has claimed that a reference will be filed against federal ombudsperson Kashmala Tariq after her protocol vehicles crushed four men to death and injured two in a road mishap earlier this week.

    The CM’s aide said Kashmala will be removed through a reference filed by the president and the cabinet has asked the Law Ministry to move forward with the process.

    “Unfortunately, four people lost their lives due to the protocol of Kashmala Tariq,” Firdous said, calling her the “legacy” of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-) government. Tariq was appointed as the ombudsperson to adjudicate cases pertaining to women’s workplace harassment in Feb 2018 for a period of four years.

    Meanwhile, Islamabad Police has summoned Tariq and her husband Waqas Khan to record their statement in the case. The decision to summon the couple was taken after their son Azlaan failed to appear before the police to record his statement in the case. The police have also made the statement of the sole survivor of the crash as a part of the record, who alleged Azlaan was behind the wheel when the accident took place.

    FOUR DEAD IN ACCIDENT:

    Four people were killed while two were injured after a vehicle reportedly driven by the son of Federal Ombudsperson Kashmala Tariq jumped a red light and rammed into a Mehran car on Kashmir Highway.

    It was reported that five speeding vehicles, part of Kashmala’s protocol, broke a traffic signal in G-11 and crashed into two vehicles. It also claimed that one of the vehicles had a government number plate. The ombudsperson’s son and husband were travelling with their protocol when the incident happened.

    The first information report said that five men, who came from Mansehra to Islamabad to take an exam for the Anti-Narcotics Force, were travelling in a Mehran which was hit by a Lexus at the G-11 traffic signal. The FIR alleged that the vehicle was driven by the son of the ombudsperson. A bike was also hit and the rider was taken to the hospital by the people who gathered at the site of the accident.

    The complainant, who was the only one to survive the crash, said when he was rescued, people who had gathered at the site were naming Tariq’s son as the driver of the car that hit them.

  • Firdous says ‘ready for boxing match’ with Maryam Nawaz

    Firdous says ‘ready for boxing match’ with Maryam Nawaz

    Special Assistant to the Punjab Chief Minister on Information Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan has said that she was ready to have a boxing match with Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Maryam Nawaz.

    In a press conference in Lahore alongside British-Pakistani boxer Amir Khan, Firdous said she was ready to fight anyone.

    “I want to have a match with people who will come up to my level,” said the Punjab CM’s aide. At this, Amir Khan, who is in Pakistan on a visit, challenged the politician to defeat Maryam Nawaz in a boxing match. Firdous accepted the challenge, likening the PML-N vice president to a “broiler chicken”.

    The comments by Firdous irked the PML-N. “Baji, you’re quite aware that she is a Rajkumari,” PML-N’s Azma Bokhari tweeted in reply to Firdous’s comments. “Also, she is protecting the masses from your punches of inflation, unemployment and corruption.”

    Earlier this month, Firdous Ashiq Awan broke a stack of tiles with a punch, saying it was her response to the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM). “The PDM has been throwing punches at Imran Khan’s government, so now this was her response to them,” she had said.

    “I was afraid that I would be made fun of in front of the media if I don’t punch through [the tiles],” she said. “I don’t know Karate nor have I ever done anything like this. Of course, my knuckles were in severe pain… they aren’t made of steel after all,” she told Samaa TV in a subsequent interview.

  • Punjab Govt to issue health cards to deserving artists

    Punjab Govt to issue health cards to deserving artists

    Special Assistant to Chief Minister Punjab Usman Buzdar on Information, Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan has announced that the Government of Punjab will issue health cards to all artists across the province. In a press conference, Dr Firdous said that the provincial government will also bear all health-related expenses of deserving artists.

    Read more – Punjab Govt to give Rs 2,000 per month to citizens above 65

    Explaining the scheme, Dr Firdous said that a biometric system will be introduced through social protection authority which will ensure a transparent system of providing the fund. All the funds will be transferred through the banking channel.

    The SAPM told media that 1600 artists who were affected by the coronavirus were given relief by the Punjab government under the artist support fund, while 1500 deserving artists in Punjab received financial assistance worth Rs. 5000 each.

    Dr Firdous made these comments outside the residence of famous singer Shaukat Ali. She also presented Ali a cheque worth Rs 200,000 on behalf of CM Buzdar, adding that the Punjab government has already given him Rs 300,000.

    Ali reportedly has multiple medical issues, including diabetes and liver problem. He is famous for the patriotic songs he sang during the wars of 1965 and 1971. He is also the recipient of the Pride of Performance award.

    It is pertinent to add here that Ali was treated at a Sindh government facility on special instructions of PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari after reports of his ailment and inability to afford treatment were circulated on social media.

    Commenting on this Dr Awan said that she was sorry to learn that the singer had to go outside the province for his treatment while the Punjab government was distributing health cards across the province.

  • ‘PDM on mind’: Firdous breaks tiles with a punch

    ‘PDM on mind’: Firdous breaks tiles with a punch

    Punjab Chief Minister’s Special Assistant on Information Firdous Ashiq Awan recently broke a stack of tiles with a punch.

    Firdous, who participated in a ceremony organised by Mashal-e-Rah Foundation in Lahore, said she broke these tiles with the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) on her mind. According to the CM’s aide, the PDM has been throwing punches at Imran Khan’s government, so now this was her response to them.

    As she broke the tiles to pieces, she was applauded by the host and the people who had gathered to watch Firdous’s feat of strength.

    Firdous is not the one to shy away from a fight. Last month, she had an altercation with Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader Azma Bukhari on a TV show. The argument between the two politicians lasted well after the show and Firdous almost hit Bukhari. But, the staffers intervened to placate the CM’s aide and cooled things down.

    Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan was appointed as the Punjab CM’s aide months after she was removed from the federal cabinet as PM Imran’s aide on information. She replaced Fayyazul Hassan Chohan in the Punjab cabinet.

  • Firdous Ashiq destroyed for saying Sharifs ‘parceling mother’s body to Pakistan through cargo’

    Twitterati are training guns at Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Sardar Usman Buzdar’s aide Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan for saying that the Sharifs were “parceling the body of their mother back to Pakistan through cargo”.

    Begum Shamim Akhtar, 90, breathed her last in London on Sunday and her dead body is being brought back to Pakistan. According to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Information Secretary Marriyum Aurangzeb, her funeral prayers will be offered on Saturday at the Sharif Medical City in Raiwind.

    “It is painful to see how those who used chartered flights to transfer cuisines are now parceling their mother’s body back to the country through cargo,” she was heard as saying during an informal media talk.

    With the government spokesperson also tweeting the same, her statement didn’t set very well with a number of netizens, who said:

    Meanwhile, Qul would be held on November 29 which would be attended only by members of the Sharif family.

    PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif and President Shehbaz Sharif have appealed to the people and workers to offer Fateha for their mother on the day of Qul in their respective areas.

  • VIDEO: Firdous, Azma come to blows after on-air fight

    VIDEO: Firdous, Azma come to blows after on-air fight

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Azma Bukhari and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) spokesperson Firdous Ashiq Awan had traded barbs at a Geo News show earlier this week, forcing the host to end the programme.

    However, their disagreement did not end even after the show, as both politicians almost came to blows on the news channel’s premises. The PML-N leader can be heard saying that she would slap Firdous for using abusive language towards her.

    A person present at the scene of the brawl told The Current that things got uglier when Firdous was about to hit Azma. However, the staffers intervened to placate the CM’s aide and the Punjab lawmaker.

    The fight between the politicians started after Azma took a jab at PTI leader Ali Amin Gandapur for making sexist remarks against PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz in a rally in Gilgit-Baltistan last week. This didn’t go down well with Firdous, who criticised the PML-N for being corrupt among other things.

    The politicians also accused the rival parties of stealing people’s mandate and kept on arguing even after the show ended.

    Responding to Azma Bukhari’s allegations, Firdous — who was appointed as chief minister’s information aide last week — said Nawaz Sharif was in cahoots with the military establishment in past. She gave examples of IJI [Islami Jamhoori Ittehad] — an alliance funded by the powers-that-be against then PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto in the late ’80s.

    The CM’s aide also referred to a Supreme Court judgement in the Asghar Khan case. She asked how did Nawaz Sharif become the prime minister for three times?

    Responding to claims that Imran Khan was a ‘selected’ prime minister, Firdous said Nawaz had become the PM after going through the same process — getting a two-third majority in parliament.

    “Whose mandate did he steal to become the PM?” Firdous asked Azma, saying they didn’t question the results when their party had won the elections.

  • PTI spokespersons make conflicting remarks on ‘Karachi incident’

    Prime Minister’s Special Assistant on Political Communication Shahbaz Gill has contested a statement made by Firdous Ashiq Awan, Punjab CM’s aide on information, on the Karachi incident, wherein the police chief was pressurised by the military officials to register a case against Capt (r) Safdar.

    Last month, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Muhammad Safdar was arrested from his hotel room in Karachi for raising slogans on the mausoleum of Quaid-e-Azam. The Sindh government subsequently distanced itself from the arrest. Reports later emerged that Sindh police chief Mushtaq Mahar was pressurised by the army men to register a case against Safdar.

    Subsequently, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari asked COAS Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa for an inquiry into the incident. The probe resulted in the removal of the Inter-Services Intelligence and army officials.

    Referring to the inquiry, Firdous said the army chief ordered an inquiry into the incident on the directives of the prime minister so that a “crisis” could be contained. She added the investigations into the “Karachi incident” and final outcome proved that Pakistan Army was a disciplined force.

    However, soon after the statement, Gill posted a statement on his Twitter account, saying the PM didn’t call the army chief in this regard. According to Gill, “Dr Awan’s statement is either her personal analysis or her statement has been run out of context. In order to set the record straight, Dr Awan’s statement is not correct.”

    It may be noted here that the PM Imran Khan had termed the abduction of the Sindh IG an incident “that made him laugh”.

  • VIDEO: On-air fight between PTI’s Firdous, PML-N’s Azma goes viral

    VIDEO: On-air fight between PTI’s Firdous, PML-N’s Azma goes viral

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) spokesperson Firdous Ashiq Awan and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Azma Bukhari had engaged in a verbal spat during a talk show, as both sides accused each other of stealing people’s mandate in the general elections.

    The show host tried to calm the duo down, but his attempts remained futile.

    Responding to Bukhari’s allegations, Firdous — who was appointed as chief minister’s information aide last week — said Nawaz Sharif was in cahoots with the military establishment in past. She gave examples of IJI [Islami Jamhoori Ittehad] — an alliance funded by the powers-that-be against then PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto in the late ’80s.

    The CM’s aide also referred to a Supreme Court judgement in the Asghar Khan case. She asked how did Nawaz Sharif become the prime minister for three times?

    Responding to claims that Imran Khan was a ‘selected’ prime minister, Firdous said Nawaz had become the PM after going through the same process — getting 2/3 majority in parliament.

    “Whose mandate did he steal to become the PM?” Firdous asked Azma Bukhari, saying they didn’t question the polling when their party had won the elections.

  • Calling rivals ‘traitors’ easiest trick in politics playbook, says Firdous

    Adviser to Punjab Chief Minister Firdous Ashiq Awan, while talking about the practice of labelling political opponents ‘pro-India’, said politicians use such statements because it’s easy to manipulate “anti-India sentiments” of people.

    She made these comments in a TV show in response to a question about the use of terms “traitor”, “Modi’s friend” and “Indian agent” by government officials to discredit political rivals.

    According to Firdous, it’s easy for politicians to exploit the “anti-India” sentiments of people, which was why treason allegations have remained an integral part of Pakistani politics.

    When asked if the government was using these trick to malign its opponents, Firdous said this practice is allegedly employed by all political parties, not just the government.

    However, the government has accused the opposition of peddling the pro-India narrative multiple times. In Sept this year after the opposition blocked an anti-terror legislation, the prime minister had said that by blocking Financial Action Task Force (FATF) legislation the opposition was serving Indian interests.

    Also, after the formation of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) and its aggressive stance towards the army establishment, the ministers have accused the opposition leaders, especially former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, of harming Pakistan to favour his “Indian friend”.

  • Celebrities, politicians spotted at Master Tiles grand wedding

    Celebrities, politicians spotted at Master Tiles grand wedding

    A grand, extravagant wedding in Lahore has been making waves on social media the past week. As per details, the wedding is of the daughter of Master Tile’s owner and Jalal Sons’ owner’s son. Several notable personalities including celebrities and politicians were spotted at the events which have become the talk of the town.

    Among those present on the baraat were Special Assistant to Chief Minister Punjab on Information Dr Firdous Aashiq Awan and Maulana Tariq Jameel. Maulana Tariq also conducted the nikkah ceremony of the bride and groom.

    The decor of wedding was a sight to behold with countless flowers and cascading waterfalls. The decor was managed by KS Concepts, who shared that the theme behind the decor was ‘Floating Dreams’.

    Earlier on the mehndi and qawaali night, Atif Aslam, his wife Sara and Abrar ul Haq were spotted in the crowds.

    The

    After the lockdown in March and due to the COVID-19 pandemic wedding trends had transformed radically in Pakistan. The pandemic brought in a necessity to socially distance and that naturally puts a restriction on gatherings of all natures. In a country like Pakistan, where big fat weddings were the norm, people began to opt for small and intimate wedding functions.

    However, when the lockdown eased and things returned to a new normal, people once again began to indulge in grand, extravagant weddings.

    Meanwhile, to control the spike in COVID-19 cases, the National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) has banned indoor weddings and allowed up to 1,000 guests in outdoor functions. 

    Shaniera Akram has also urged people to avoid big wedding functions and opt for small ceremonies to “save lives and save some money”.

    “I understand that in the past big weddings were a thing. But we are mid pandemic, why not take the opportunity & use this time to your advantage, keep it small, save lives & save some money” , she said.

    In the latter half of the tweet the she added that she also had a small wedding.