Tag: home-politics

  • Student arrested for posing as PRO to CM Buzdar

    Student arrested for posing as PRO to CM Buzdar

    A university student, posing as the public relations officer (PRO) to Chief Minister Punjab Usman Buzdar was arrested and sent to Adiala jail.

    According to police sources, Hamza Feroz, a resident of Gulraiz Colony, Rawalpindi, wanted police protocol for his parents who returning from Hajj. In this matter, he called the police security branch and introduced himself as the chief minister’s PRO and asked for police deployment along the route starting from Golra Mor to Soan Camp.

    Feroz’s demand made the chief security officer (CSO) of Special Branch suspicious, who then verified details and found them to be fake. The CSO then informed the city police officer and alerted the police.

    Hamza along with his brother was going to the Islamabad International Airport (IIA) in a luxury car with a flashing blue revolving light and Pakistan’s flag on its front to receive their parents when the police intercepted them for driving recklessly. Upon investigation, it was revealed that he was the same person posing to be the CM’s PRO. The police then took them into custody.

    It was further revealed that the vehicle the brothers were driving was not verified and no customs had been paid on it. The car was seized by the customs staff while the student claiming to be the PRO to the chief minister was sent to Adiala jail. Hamza’s brother obtained pre-arrest bail.

    Chief Minister Usman Buzdar has already directed all administrative departments and divisional and district police chiefs not to entertain requests made in person or on phone by unknown persons posing themselves as his relatives and to double-check anyone who claims to be. The directives were issued after some people had falsely represented themselves as relatives of the chief minister in order to get favours.

  • CM Buzdar sends mangoes as gifts to TV anchors and party workers

    Chief Minister (CM) Punjab Usman Buzdar has been alleged of using public money to send mangoes as gifts to T.V anchors, ministers and party workers.

    A Daily Times writer, Zeeshan Khan Niazi from his Twitter account had yesterday posted pictures of the list including names of Pakistan Tehreeke Insaf (PTI) party workers, ministers, T.V anchors from ARY News channel, among else, to whom mangoes were being sent as a gift.

    Further proving those pictures to be authentic, Arshad Sharif, who is a programme host on ARY news channel has posted pictures of courier boxes and wrote that he has returned the gift and urged Usman Buzdar to give them to “deserving people”, instead.

    Furthermore, in another tweet, he wrote that he has received multiple calls from the chief minister’s staff from different numbers and told them that he “does not accept gifts from government officials”.

    However, chief minister’s spokesperson Dr. Shahbaz Gill has rejected claims of using public money and clarified that CM Buzdar has used his own money to buy these gifts, that are worth a few hundred only.

  • Breaking all records, tax filers number increases by 69% under PTI

    Breaking all records, tax filers number increases by 69% under PTI

    The number of income tax-filers in Pakistan has jumped to 2.5millions recording a rise of 69% during the current fiscal year, ARY News has reported.

    According to the details, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has reported that over 1.36 million people have been added to the number of income tax filers in the country.

    FBR also aims to achieve a target of 4 million tax returns by the end of tax year 2019.

    Chief In-Land Revenue (Operations) of FBR Bakhtiar Muhammad said that according to the facts and figures, the number of income tax filers reached over 2.5 million till August 21, while the number of income tax return filers was over 1.5 million last year.

    Earlier in July, FBR Chairman Shabbar Zaidi had said all measures are being taken to include more people in the tax net, adding that “We cannot have stabilized and equitable society unless we have a fair taxation system”.

  • VIDEO: PTI MNA calls fellow MPA a ‘jew’, accuses him of ‘stealing funds’

    VIDEO: PTI MNA calls fellow MPA a ‘jew’, accuses him of ‘stealing funds’

    Calling an MPA of his own party a “jew”, an MNA of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has accused the provincial lawmaker of “stealing his constituency’s funds”.

    As per the details, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Finance Minister Taimoor Saleem Jhagra and MNA Noor Alam Khan have come face-to-face on Twitter over a dispute on development funds.

    In an August 3 Twitter thread, that has now gone viral over the micro-blogging website — Jhagra said that his attention was drawn towards a video of Khan, wherein he has used inappropriate language against him.

    The series of tweets came after a viral video showed Khan criticising his own party’s MPA. He called Jhagra a “jew”, adding that he was not a popular politician and had come from former ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

    Khan was also heard accusing Jhagra of misappropriating funds of his constituency and that he would go to the village of the provincial finance minister and “deal with him there”.

    Reacting to the accusations, Jhagra responded by sharing clips from Khan’s speech and translating his words before clarifying his position.

    The clips were followed by tweets wherein Jhagra shared “how he had promised Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan to ensure financial discipline”.

    In his last tweet of the thread, the provincial minister wrote:

    While the spat reveals the rift that appears to be widening within the ruling party, it has not yet attracted an official response. PTI activists from PK-70, however, have reportedly held a rally to condemn the use of objectionable language by the MNA.

  • Indian Air Force finally admits ‘accidentally’ shooting down its own helicopter

    Indian Air Force finally admits ‘accidentally’ shooting down its own helicopter

    After six long months, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has finally confirmed that Mi-17 V5 helicopter crash in Budgam on February 27, which killed seven people, including six uniformed personnel, was caused by friendly fire, The Print has reported.

    According to reports, the investigation has discovered that the crash was a result of system failure, while the IAF has blamed two officers: the chief operations officer (COO) and the senior air traffic control officer (SATCO), who can face court-martial proceedings as a punishment.

    The report further said that the helicopter was shot down by IAF’s Israeli-made Spyder Air Defence System following the failure of command and control.

    The Russian-made chopper had crashed near Srinagar on the same day Pakistan Air Force (PAF) downed two intruding IAF fighter jets, killing one pilot while capturing another, Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman.

    Budgam is a town located in Indian occupied Kashmir’s (IoK) district of the same name. The helicopter had crashed in an open field near Garend Kalaan village at around 10 am on February 27.

  • PM Imran likely to appoint Fawad Chaudhry as his spokesperson

    PM Imran likely to appoint Fawad Chaudhry as his spokesperson

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has reportedly decided to appoint Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry as his spokesperson in Nadeem Afzal Chan’s place.

    According to reports, the minister will serve as the premier’s spokesperson in addition to managing his science and technology portfolio.

    The current spokesperson, Chan, who is also the PM Imran’s special assistant on parliamentary coordination, wants to step down citing his “inability to carry on holding the post”.

    The premier has requested Fawad, a media affairs expert, to replace Chan, The Express Tribune reported, adding that the PM’s Office will issue a formal notification within a few days.

  • Kashmir crisis: Sri Lanka rejects claims, says ‘it never supported Pakistan’

    Kashmir crisis: Sri Lanka rejects claims, says ‘it never supported Pakistan’

    In what is being termed as an embarrassment for the country, Sri Lanka has rejected Pakistan’s claims of enjoying President Maithripala Sirisena’s support against Indian decision to revoke Article 370 of its constitution in held Kashmir.

    “The president acknowledged that Jammu and Kashmir is a disputed territory and expressed his desire that this dispute should be resolved according to wishes of Kashmiris under UN [United Nations] Resolutions,” read a statement issued following Pakistani High Commissioner Maj Gen (r) Dr Shahid Ahmad Hashmat’s meeting with the Sri Lankan president Tuesday.

    According to the statement, President Sirisena “also offered Sri Lanka’s mediation and facilitation of dialogue between Pakistan and India to re-activate the SAARC [South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation] forum”.

    The Pakistani High Commission’s claims, however, were rejected by the Sri Lankan president on Thursday.

    “The President’s Media Division wishes to state that the said meeting took place at the request of the High Commissioner of Pakistan and during which he briefed the president about the recent developments with regard to India’s abrogation of Section 370 and annulling of Article 35A of the Constitution of India.”

    It added that the president gave a patient hearing to the high commissioner’s views and said that both Pakistan and India have excellent friendly relations with Sri Lanka, adding that the country’s interest is to see the growth of regional cooperation.

    “The president did not make any other comment on the issues pertaining to Pakistan and India,” it concluded.

  • ‘PTI govt spent dams fund on its utility bills,’ journalist claims

    ‘PTI govt spent dams fund on its utility bills,’ journalist claims

    The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government has spent the Supreme Court (SC) and Prime Minister (PM) of Pakistan’s Diamer-Bhasha and Mohmand Dams Fund on utility bills, anchorperson Ayesha Bakhsh has claimed.

    “I have been told that billions of rupees raised for the dams have been spent on utility bills by the government,” the journalist alleged while hosting “Face To Face With Ayesha Bakhsh” on GNN.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    It wasn’t later that Bakhsh was called out for “spreading fake news” since the official fundraising webpage clearly states:

    “NBP [National Bank of Pakistan] has made investments in market treasury bills, as detailed above, in compliance with the Supreme Court of Pakistan orders in Case C.M.A. No. 6155 of 2018 in Constitution Petition No. 57 of 2016.”

    While the journalist seems to have confused investments in treasury bills with utility bills, people did not let go of the blunder easy.

    The allegations were also reported to the Pakistan Electronic Media Authority (PEMRA), which took action against the journalist and issued a press statement on its Twitter handle:

    “PEMRA has issued a show-cause notice over the false and baseless analysis aired on GNN,” the statement read. It added that the analysis was in violation of the SC’s orders as well as PEMRA regulations.

    Seeking the channel’s response, the media watchdog also warned of action under relevant laws.

    Meanwhile, Bakhsh has clarified:

    DAMS FUND:

    Established in July 2018 by then chief justice of Pakistan (CJP) Saqib Nisar, the dams fund is aimed at raising funds for the construction of Diamer-Bhasha and Mohmand dams.

    Later, PM Imran Khan also announced joining hands with the CJP for the cause, which resulted in the fund crossing the Rs10 billion mark after generous donations by both resident and overseas Pakistanis.

    After investments in treasury bills, the current account balance of the fund stands at Rs17 million.

  • Commando, who rescued Abhinandan from mob, martyred in Indian firing?

    Commando, who rescued Abhinandan from mob, martyred in Indian firing?

    A commando of the Special Services Group (SSG), “who had rescued Indian Air Force’s (IAF) Abhinandan Varthaman from the mob”, has embraced martyrdom, Indian media reports claimed Thursday.

    Wing Commander Abhinandan, who was piloting an intruding MiG-21 fighter jet downed by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) in February this year, was captured by villagers in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). They were trying to lynch the pilot before Pakistani troops had reached the site to rescue him.

    In a video that went viral on social media, Abhinandan had also praised Pakistan Army officials as “thorough gentlemen” for having saved him from the mob.

    With SSG Naib Subedar Ahmed Khan Awan recently embracing martyrdom in the Kel Sector as Indian army resorted to unprovoked firing across the Line of Control (LoC), media reports said he was among the personnel “who captured Abhinandan”.

    However, sources privy to the development informed The Current that there was no truth to the claims. They also hinted at the possibility of Indian media linking the two personnel merely on the basis of their beards.

    The claims come just days after Ahmed Khan was laid to rest in his native graveyard in Attock, with full military honours. The martyr has left his mother, wife, three sons and two daughters in mourning.

    Joining the army in 1998, Khan was recently deployed in the Kel Sector where he embraced martyrdom defending his motherland.

  • ‘NAB won’t let me see my kids if I speak to media’

    ‘NAB won’t let me see my kids if I speak to media’

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President (VP) Maryam Nawaz has been quoted as accusing National Accountability Bureau (NAB) officials of threatening her against speaking to media persons.

    According to a private television channel’s journalist, NAB authorities have warned the jailed PML-N leader that “she won’t be allowed to see her children if speaks to media”.

    “I was about to ask her [Maryam] about the current political situation in the country when she stopped me. ‘I have been told by NAB officials to not speak to media,’ she said,” the journalist claimed in his write-up.

    He further claimed to ask the PML-N leader if she had submitted herself to the demand, to which Maryam responded, “What [else] could I have done?”

    Maryam Nawaz was arrested by NAB authorities on August 8 when she arrived at Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat prison to see her jailed father and former prime minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif.

    She was taken into custody in connection with the Chaudhry Sugar Mills case against members of the Sharif family.