Tag: home-politics

  • Abbasi apologises to nation for appointing NAB chief

    Abbasi apologises to nation for appointing NAB chief

    Former prime minister (PM) Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has apologised to the nation for having appointed Justice (r) Javed Iqbal as the chairman of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), The News reported.

    A jurist and professor of law, Iqbal has served as a senior justice of the Supreme Court (SC). He was appointed as the NAB chief on October 8, 2017, by then Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government led by Abbasi.

    “The name of NAB chairman had come from Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the appointment was made with consensus,” the former premier said in an informal talk with media outside an accountability court Thursday.

    The PML-N leader said the “main aim of NAB was to break the PML-N” and questioned the bureau’s actions for having “instituted the case after arresting an ex-PM”.

    Abbasi said he was accused of using a vehicle of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as the PM and had he knew about such allegations beforehand, he would have hired a tonga or taxi for reaching the PM Office.

    “NAB is conducting investigation against me and remand is also continuing for 55 days, but it doesn’t know anything about the case,” he said further.

    Earlier in the day, an accountability court extended the physical remand of former PM Abbasi and former finance adviser Miftah Ismail in the LNG case. Both the leaders were presented before the court that approved NAB’s plea for remand extension and asked it to present the suspects once again on September 26.

  • VIDEO: Indian minister credits Einstein for discovering gravity

    VIDEO: Indian minister credits Einstein for discovering gravity

    Indian Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal made a rather outlandish comment on Wednesday. He said that “maths never helped Einstein discover gravity”.

    Mr. Goyal was rubbishing TV reports that India’s economy wasn’t doing well given the statistics about India’s economic growth.

    “Don’t go by all these calculations you see on TV, that if the country has to become a $5 trillion economy, it will have to grow at 12% but right now it is currently growing at 6-7%,” said Mr. Goyal.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    https://twitter.com/bhayankur/status/1172068601995522048?s=21

    “Don’t get into those maths; those maths never helped Einstein discover gravity,” Mr. Goyal added. “If he had only gone by structured formulae and what was past knowledge, I don’t think there would have been any innovation in this world.”

    Twitter had a field day following these remarks. Many were quick to point out that Einstein indeed didn’t discover gravity; it was Newton!

    Memes and jokes followed after that.

    https://twitter.com/roshankrrai/status/1172074577075171328?s=21

    https://twitter.com/supariman_/status/1172142047462977537?s=21

    https://twitter.com/coldmine3/status/1172099226219597824?s=21

  • Deal struck, Nawaz to get bail on Sept 18, leave country: analyst

    Deal struck, Nawaz to get bail on Sept 18, leave country: analyst

    With the Islamabad High Court (IHC) set to hear former prime minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif’s appeal against his conviction, an analyst has claimed that “a deal has been struck” and the former “will soon be leaving the country”.

    Earlier this week, IHC constituted a two-member bench to hear the appeal filed by Nawaz against his conviction in the Al-Azizia reference. The bench, comprising Justice Aamir Farooq and Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, will hear the appeal on September 18.

    This will be the first hearing of Nawaz’s appeal since the controversy regarding the leaked video of accountability court judge Arshad Malik surfaced in July.

    The video, purportedly showing the judge “confessing” that he had convicted Nawaz under duress, was made public by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President (VP) Maryam Nawaz.

    Malik had in December 2018 sentenced the former premier to seven years imprisonment in Al-Azizia reference. After the removal of the judge over the controversy, IHC had ordered to attach Malik’s affidavit with Nawaz’s plea against his sentence.

    Amid rumours that a deal was being struck between the government and jailed Nawaz, analyst and former Balochistan government adviser Jan Achakzai has claimed that the former PM and his daughter will soon be leaving the country.

    “Deal is done as earlier I claimed. Nawaz Sharif will be flying out of the country after bail. Maryam Nawaz will likely join him. Big hurdle in front of stressed govt is almost over. Expect Interesting political roller coaster and fireworks after November [sic],” he tweeted.

  • VIDEO: ‘Troops ready to make Azad Kashmir part of India,’ army chief says

    VIDEO: ‘Troops ready to make Azad Kashmir part of India,’ army chief says

    Amid heightened tensions and Narendra Modi-led Indian government’s threats of “invading” Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) region of the country, Indian Army chief General Bipin Rawat has said his “troops are ready to make the territory a part of India”.

    “Indian troops are ready to retrieve Pakistan occupied Kashmir and make it a part of India, but it is the government which takes decisions in such matters,” Gen Rawat said while speaking to an Indian news agency.

    He said that the institutions of the country will work as per the orders of the government, but the army is always ready.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    Earlier, a similar statement was made by Indian Union Minister Jitendra Singh, who had said that after the abrogation of Article 370 in India Held Kashmir (IHK), the next agenda of the government was to “retrieve Pakistan-administered Kashmir”.

    Singh, however, was brutally trolled by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General (DG) Major General Asif Ghafoor, who suggested him “to consult Indian Air Force (IAF) before taking any such steps”.

    https://twitter.com/peaceforchange/status/1171493626024587270

    He had ridiculed the Indian minister while mentioning failed Indian airstrikes from February 2019, which resulted in two IAF jets being shot down by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) and capture of pilot Abhinandan Varthaman.

  • Officer, who raided Lahore’s Café Aylanto, removed

    Excise and Taxation Officer (ETO) Masood Bashir Warraich, who conducted a raid on Lahore’s Café Aylanto, has been made an Officer on Special Duty (OSD), The News International reported.

    According to reports, the development comes days after he raided the elite restaurant on MM Alam Road for allegedly allowing its customers to consume alcohol.

    The raiding party, led by Warraich and Model Town assistant commissioner, had claimed recovering imported liquor from the restaurant. But interestingly, the FIR [First Information Report] did not include the restaurant owner’s name and only 13 employees — mostly waiters — were arrested.

    Warraich had earlier been accused of deliberately delaying the renewal of liquor licences of four hotels in Lahore after their managements allegedly refused to pay him 30 per cent commission from daily liquor sales.

    “I am being accused of corruption just because I implemented the rules,” Warraich said while rejecting the claims, adding that before he took charge, all four hotels were selling over 100,000 liquor bottles each illegally every day which reduced to about 8,000 each after he intervened.

    “Rumours about my character are being spread by the liquor mafia to discredit me.”

    Meanwhile, an Excise Department official has claimed that Warraich’s transfer is not linked with last week’s raid. “The summary for the transfer of the ETO was sent three days prior to the raid,” reports quoted the official as saying.

  • Consult Indian Air Force before ‘invading’ Azad Kashmir, ISPR chief trolls Indian minister

    Consult Indian Air Force before ‘invading’ Azad Kashmir, ISPR chief trolls Indian minister

    Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General (DG) Major General Asif Ghafoor has trolled Indian Union Minister Jitendra Singh by asking him “to consult Indian Air Force (IAF) before invading Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK)”.

    “After Article 370, Pakistan occupied Kashmir is our next agenda,” the Modi-led Hindu nationalist government’s minister had been quoted as saying.

    Taking to Twitter to ridicule Singh while mentioning failed Indian airstrikes from February 2019 — which resulted in two IAF jets being shot down by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) and capture of pilot Abhinandan Varthaman — the ISPR chief wrote:

    https://twitter.com/peaceforchange/status/1171493626024587270

    “Please always consult IAF before talking about such agenda. As regard 370…. and siege, what you couldn’t suppress through overt & covert physical efforts for 72 years, this paper work can’t do that either. You shall see the just struggle succeeding. IA [sic].”

  • ‘The world believes India, not us,’ says interior minister

    ‘The world believes India, not us,’ says interior minister

    Federal Minister for Interior Brigadier (r) Ijaz Ahmed Shah has said that the world believes India, not Pakistan.

    “Who is responsible for earning this name, that people don’t believe us [Pakistan] in the international community?” the former spy asked in an interview to a private media outlet.

    “We say India has enforced a curfew in Kashmir, it is not providing medicines, is killing people, there is nothing to eat. People don’t believe us. They believe India, even though we are right.”

    WATCH VIDEO:

    When asked by the interviewer about who was responsible for it, Ijaz blamed the ruling elite of the country. “This is not the work of a single day,” he said. “Over a period of time, the ruling elite destroyed the country. The people thought we are not a responsible nation. That is what we are facing.”

    “It is very unfortunate that we worked hard, and we made the most sacrifices in the war on terror,” he said further.

    “We became a frontline state. Around 80,000 of our people were martyred. Are we getting the same response from the world community? No. We must have a soul-searching. You [the media] should also think about it.”

  • ‘Punjab cops were never like Swiss police,’ CM’s spokesperson says

    ‘Punjab cops were never like Swiss police,’ CM’s spokesperson says

    Amid rising numbers of police brutality cases, the spokesperson to Punjab chief minister (CM), Dr Shahbaz Gill, has said that the personnel of the provincial police department “were never like those in Switzerland”.

    “Changing the culture of any department takes time. Be it exploiting or improving, it does not happen overnight,” said Gill, whose ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had been elected to power after promises to reform Punjab police, among others.

    Referring to the recent spike in police brutality cases and custodial deaths in the province, Gill said that Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan had told CM Usman Buzdar to revamp service-related institutions of Punjab, specifically the police department.

    “He [PM] also appreciated the role played by Punjab police on Ashura and gave clear directions that the police should serve its people as it did in Muharram, rather than being violent and torturing its citizens.”

    WATCH VIDEO:

    “Was it [Punjab police] like Swiss police a year ago? We should know it takes time to change the culture of any department,” he said, adding that it had taken over two years to reform the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) police.

  • ‘Will reform Punjab police first after assuming power’, vows Imran Khan

    ‘Will reform Punjab police first after assuming power’, vows Imran Khan

    With the increase in the number of police brutality cases in Pakistan, yet another statement from the past has come back to haunt the Prime Minister (PM), Imran Khan.

    Last year during his speech at Bahawalpur city, Imran Khan vowed that his first act after assuming power as PM will be to “bring reforms in Punjab police”. He said that he will make Punjab Police exactly like the one in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa free from political influence.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLIEgIpYoaA

    But with the recent appearance of two torture and murder cases of Punjab police in Lahore, it seems that Pakistan Tehreeke Insaf (PTI) government has failed to complete another promise it made to its supporters.

    Last month in August, officials from the anti-corruption department unearthed a private torture cell in a forest near Karol village, set up by the station house officer (SHO) and constables of Gojjar Pura police to torture people illegally.

    Similarly, a few days ago the ATM robber identified as Salahuddin Ayubi who went viral for making faces on the CCTV camera while robbing an ATM passed away in police custody.

    The police claimed that Ayubi was behaving like a “mad man” in lockup when he suddenly became unwell. They added that the deceased was reportedly suffering from a health condition.

    Both these cases have sparked outrage on social media and people are demanding justice from the Punjab Government.

    This is not the first time police has been accused of brutally torturing or murdering people.

    Previously, on January 19, four people were killed in an alleged shootout in Sahiwal, with the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) personnel claiming they had killed a local commander of militant organisation Daesh and three others in the operation.

    However, the eyewitnesses had claimed that the police recovered no explosives from the alleged militant’s vehicle. The case is still pending in the court.

  • VIDEO: If the PM doesn’t perform, ‘he has to go home’, says Dr Firdous

    VIDEO: If the PM doesn’t perform, ‘he has to go home’, says Dr Firdous

    Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan said that whoever doesn’t perform will be sent home.

    Addressing a media gathering alongside Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid and Punjab Information Minister Mian Aslam Iqbal, Dr Firdous said that whoever doesn’t perform, “whether it is the Prime Minister or the Chief Minister”, will be sent home.

    “There is only one criterion or benchmark – you have to perform. If you perform, you will stay. But if you don’t you will have to go.”

    She asserted that everything comes down to performance and if the lawmakers are loyal to the people their “parameter will be performance.”

    Soon after, Dr Awan’s comments began circulating on social media with many users commenting that she was warning PM Imran Khan.

    As a result, Dr Firdous took to Twitter to state that her statement was being blown out of context and that PM Khan is a man of principles. She reiterated that whoever does not perform will be let go.