Tag: Miftah Ismail

  • ‘Please don’t go out in the heat to get tanks filled’: Miftah Ismail

    ‘Please don’t go out in the heat to get tanks filled’: Miftah Ismail

    Finance Minister Miftah Ismail said on Sunday that the government has no plans to raise the price of petroleum goods for the time being.

    Addressing a press conference, the finance minister said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had rejected the proposal of increasing petroleum prices today, adding that the government could not burden the people any further.

    “We are not increasing prices today. Please do not go out in this heat to get your tanks filled,” said Miftah Ismail.

    However, Miftah later tweeted, “But due to changing circumstances and international oil prices, we may have to revisit our decision soon.”

    The finance minister stated that he will be part of a delegation travelling to Qatar for talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) next week and he hoped the negotiations would be productive for the country.

  • ‘Sub nay aapnay paison se ticket li hai’: Miftah Ismail on tax money for London trip

    ‘Sub nay aapnay paison se ticket li hai’: Miftah Ismail on tax money for London trip

    Finance Minister Miftah Ismail, in a video, has said that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) delegation who is currently in London has gone at their own expense.

    Miftah said, “We all have come at our own expense and bought our airline tickets ourselves. Some of us have come in business class and some via economy and all have bought their own tickets.”

    “This is what Imran Khan does, he lies but we are living at our own expense in the hotel as well. We are not like PTI who move around on the government’s expenses,” said Miftah.

    PML-N’s visit received a lot of backlash from PML-N’s opponents to the general public. The timing of the PM and his top leadership’s visit to London is being questioned, with observers asking why such a trip is necessary when the country is in dire straits.

    The PML-N was criticised that the entire cabinet was going to meet a ‘corrupt and convicted’ person, that too on taxpayers’ money.

  • ‘Enjoying free ride on tax money’: PM Shehbaz’s London visit receives criticism

    ‘Enjoying free ride on tax money’: PM Shehbaz’s London visit receives criticism

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif and the senior leadership of the main government party, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), have gone to London where they are due to meet with party supremo Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday.

     PM Shehbaz Sharif departed for London via a British Airways flight shortly after midnight. It is expected that he will remain in London for two to three days.

    The 10-member delegation consisting of PM Sharif, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Power Minister Khurram Dastagir, Finance Minister Miftah Ismail, and Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafiq, Attaullah Tarar, among others have gone to London.

    Their visit has received a lot of backlash from PML-N’s opponents to the general public. The timing of the PM and his top leadership’s visit to London is being questioned, with observers asking why such a trip is necessary when the country is in dire straits.

    Former PM Imran Khan said in a jalsa in Jehlum on Tuesday that the entire cabinet was going to meet a ‘corrupt and convicted’ person, that too on taxpayers’ money.

    “This entire cabinet is going to London on your [tax] money — they won’t spend their own money.”

    Later Twitter reacted to the news when Deputy Secretary-General PML-N Attaullah Tarar shared a picture of the delegation visiting London.

  • Zulfi Bukhari mocks Miftah Ismail for not knowing about Web 3.0

    Zulfi Bukhari mocks Miftah Ismail for not knowing about Web 3.0

    Following Finance Minister Miftah Ismail’s admittance of being unaware of the third generation internet, or Web 3.0, Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI) leader Zulfikar Bukhari offered him “free consultation and training” on Web 3.0.

    “We’ll give you free consultancy services & coaching on Web 3.0 Miftah, but please don’t embarrass Pakistan like that next time,” Zulfi Bukhari said in a tweet quoting a video of the Atlantic Council.

    In the viral video, Miftah is asked about the rise of Web 3.0, which the questioner believes will be a $100 billion dollar export opportunity for Pakistani talent in the next 20 years.

    He also inquired what he felt about providing new economic prospects for Pakistanis, citing the potential of digital currency.

    “Let me simply declare that I genuinely don’t know what Web 3.0 is,” Miftah said bluntly and “shamelessly..I don’t know much about this, but I do know that Pakistani fintech and new technology businesses garnered a lot of money last year and from a very low starting point”.

    He added that we want them to thrive as much as possible, I’m not sure how much we can do to assist them.

    What is Web 3.0?

    Web 3.0 is a new kind of internet that not only accurately translates what you type, but also understands what you say, whether through text, voice, or other media, and where all of the content you consume is more personalised than ever before.

    There are a few early-stage Web 3.0 applications that exist today, but their true potential cannot be seen until the new internet is fully integrated into the web infrastructure.

    Web 3.0 refers to the next generation of the internet, in which websites and apps will be able to handle data in a clever human-like manner using technologies such as machine learning (ML), Big Data, and decentralised ledger technology (DLT), among others.

    Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the World Wide Web, dubbed Web 3.0 the Semantic Web, with the goal of creating a more autonomous, intelligent, and open internet.

    Read more: ‘Sasta Ramzan Bazaar’ fails to provide relief in third Ashra

    Data will be interconnected in a decentralised form, which would be a big leap ahead from our present generation of the internet (Web 2.0), where data is largely housed in centralised repositories.

    Users and machines will be able to engage with data as well. However, programmes must be able to comprehend information both conceptually and culturally in order for this to happen. With this in mind, the semantic web and artificial intelligence are the two cornerstones of Web 3.0. (AI).

  • Miftah Ismail reacts to ‘hate campaign’ against him by former PTI ministers

    Miftah Ismail reacts to ‘hate campaign’ against him by former PTI ministers

    Finance Minister Miftah Ismail has reacted to a hate campaign launched against him by former minister for human rights Shireen Mazari and former Prime Minister’s spokesperson Shahbaz Gill.

    Mazari accused Miftah of using ‘religion card’ against Imran Khan. Miftah, while reacting to the organised hate campaign, said: “Imran Khan used religion for politics but now his ministers have also resorted to this method. And in order to do so, they also have to lie.”

    In a video clip shared on social media, Miftah said: “The former prime minister essentially then started talking about some Quranic verses, Amr bil Maroof wa Nahi anil Munkar (promotion of virtue and prevention of vices). Somehow, we (the Opposition) were the standard-bearers of vice and he was the standard-bearer of virtue.”

    Twitter users are condemning Mazari’s tweet.

    Mazari’s daughter, without naming anyone, also came forward to condemn the hate campaign and putting people’s lives in danger.

  • PML-N’s Miftah Ismail fact-checked by PTI’s Hammad Azhar on load-shedding, Miftah acknowledges

    PML-N’s Miftah Ismail fact-checked by PTI’s Hammad Azhar on load-shedding, Miftah acknowledges

    Miftah Ismail, General Secretary of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) in Sindh, recently took to Twitter, saying that Pakistan State Oil (PSO) has restricted fuel supplies to Independent Power Projects (IPPs), potentially resulting in significant load shedding in the coming week.

    He directly accused Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan of the impending power outage, writing that it is the result of his incompetence, corruption, falsehoods, and “lust for power: that has gotten the country into such a mess.

    After an hour, Former Energy Minister, Hammad Azhar responded to Ismail’s tweet, calling it “Fake news” and claiming that he had checked with PSO and there had been no such supply cuts notified for IPPs.

    “My statement regarding IK’s corruption (Farah), incompetence (Buzdar), lying (Sh Rasheed) & hunger for power (Suri) is valid,” Ismail responded with a strange tweet to cover up his incorrect finding about PSO.

    It is worth noting that PSO serves a diverse range of customers, including Pakistan’s industrial sector, several power projects, aviation, and maritime sectors. On a daily basis, the company meets the POL needs of millions of clients.

    Apart from selling oil to Pakistan’s power utilities, such as K-Electric and Wapda, PSO is the primary supplier of furnace oil to all IPPs in the country, with a local market share of more than 80 per cent.

  • 50 per cent Pakistanis think Maryam Nawaz is the next PM: Miftah Ismail

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Miftah Ismail said that half of the people in the country think that Maryam Nawaz should be the next prime minister (PM) instead of Shehbaz Sharif.

    Miftah, while speaking on a Geo News programme “Jashan-e-Cricket”, said that Nawaz Sharif should not return to the country. He also claimed that PM Imran Khan is not going to complete his tenure because the establishment and the government are not on the same page.

    During the show, the former finance minister revealed that nowadays Mohammad Rizwan is his favourite cricketer and that he will support every team Rizwan plays for.

    Miftah was asked about the number of ‘Cocomos’ (chocolate-filled round biscuits) in one packet, as his family owns Ismail Industries Limited. The PML-N leader said if they were in power today, the number of Cocomos would have been 5 in one packet (which is currently 4).

    Shahzad Iqbal asked Miftah: “Would there be 7 Cocomos if people vote for you in the next elections?”

    “Then don’t vote for us,” quipped Miftah.

    Miftah Ismail also revealed that former PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi is a miser. “Even more than me,” said Miftah.

    Talking about Hammad Azhar, Miftah said that Hammad is not corrupt.

  • Forward bloc in PML-N: Will Nawaz Sharif be replaced by another party member?

    Forward bloc in PML-N: Will Nawaz Sharif be replaced by another party member?

    Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry has claimed that four Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders were “hell-bent on removing the party supremo Nawaz Sharif from the party.”

    Addressing a gathering in Lahore, Fawad said that there is a “rat race going on among senior PML-N members as to who would lead the party next,” adding that, “four top-most party leaders want to remove PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif in a bid to take over the party’s leadership.”

    The federal minister even claimed that the four members he was referring to “even went out to meet someone and confessed that since Nawaz had treated the country in a bad manner, they should instead be given a chance to lead the party.”

    When asked for names Fawad said that their names will soon be out and that the four of them sit in the front row.

    Energy Minister Hammad Azhar took to Twitter and asked the PML-N leadership to show courage and come forward with their ambitions.

    “It is a good thing that there are four members in the Noon League who have the courage to consider themselves more qualified and entitled to lead than the Sharif family,” said Hammad.

    “However, they should express this commitment openly, not behind closed doors. Will you spend your whole life in fear?” tweeted Hammad.

    Confirming what Fawad had said, Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s Special Assistant on Capital Development Authority (CDA), Ali Nawaz Awan, while speaking on Geo News programme, ‘Captial Talk’ said, “The entire city is talking about [replacement of Nawaz Sharif.]”

    I will name two members [out of the four hinted by Fawad] Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Khawaja Asif,” said Awan.

    Prior to this, Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed had hinted on a minus Sharif leadership and said, “They [Opposition] want that the hand [protecting] Imran Khan should be on their head as well,” adding, ” this hand can be on their [Opposition] neck but never on their head.” Rasheed’s words hint towards the establishment.

    “I would like to say a historical sentence that all four Sharif’s are minus from the politics of Pakistan,” said Rasheed.

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Faisal Vawda, while speaking on ARY News programme, ‘Off the Record’ was questioned about the four names who wanted to replace Nawaz Sharif.
    “Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Ayaz Sadiq, Ahsan Iqbal, and Miftah Ismail are the names who wish to replace Nawaz,” said Vawda.

    Anchorperson Kashif Abbasi asked Vawda as to where did the above-mentioned people go and whom did they meet? Vawda said, “Any door can be knocked, one can go and meet anyone.

  • PML-N’s Ahsan Iqbal baton-charged at symbolic opening of Karachi bus project

    PML-N’s Ahsan Iqbal baton-charged at symbolic opening of Karachi bus project

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Ahsan Iqbal and other party members came face to face with the Rangers on Thursday when the paramilitary troops prevented the members of the PML-N from performing ‘symbolic opening’ of the Green Line bus service in Karachi.

    The confrontation led to a brawl and scuffle between the two sides. It all began when a number of workers of the PML-N Karachi chapter, in line with the plan to hold a symbolic opening of the project, started to gather at one of the bus stations in North Nazimabad. The protestors were later joined by senior leaders, including former interior minister Ahsan Iqbal, former Sindh governor Mohammad Zubair, and former federal finance minister Miftah Ismail.

    The PML-N workers faced resistance from the Rangers who were carrying sticks. The situation turned tense when Iqbal came forward and started arguing and insisted on exercising his democratic and legal rights.

    In the process, the PML-N claimed, Rangers also resorted to baton-charge that left Iqbal and a female worker injured.

    “But we don’t know under which law we were stopped by the Rangers. It didn’t end here. When we questioned their move, they restored to the worst state of terrorism. I hope that military leadership would take notice of the Ranger’s action,” said Iqbal.

    Showing bruises over his left hand due to the baton charge, Iqbal called it political vendetta of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, which had ordered the paramilitary force to attack PML-N workers and media.

    Twitterati condemned the act and reminded that no one deserves this treatment.

    Journalist Raza Rumi tweeted, “Shameful reminder of this terrible episode and tactic employed to undermine an elected representative and a member of the cabinet where all executive power (theoretically) resides.”

    Senior journalist Fahd Husain tweeted, “This photo is wrong for so many reasons: symbolically, optically, figuratively, and literally. No elected representative, regardless of political affiliation, should be treated like this, let alone someone as senior & respected as @betterpakistan Ahsan Iqbal.”

    Journalist Hasan Zaidi tweeted, “Meanwhile, why were the Rangers so invested in stopping a symbolic ceremony? Are they a political force?”

  • Miftah Ismail steps down as PML-N Sindh General Secretary, blames ‘badmash tola’

    Miftah Ismail steps down as PML-N Sindh General Secretary, blames ‘badmash tola’

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Sindh General Secretary Miftah Ismail has resigned from his party post arguing that politics became difficult in the presence of ‘badmash tola’ (mafia) in Karachi. According to details, Miftah resigned after no action was taken over vandalism by party workers at PML-N House in Karsaz.

    Dunya News reported that a few weeks ago, enraged workers of the PML-N in Karachi stormed into their own provincial party office and vandalised the facility, smashed windows, and tore posters of the party’s provincial leadership, in protest over “unjustified” distribution of party tickets for the upcoming local government elections in cantonment boards in the metropolis. 

    Reportedly, Miftah Ismail has tendered his resignation to the top leadership of the party due to the presence of “a gang of goons” who were making politics difficult for the former finance minister. He also contested the by-election in NA-249 in Karachi recently and lost a close contest to Qadir Mandokhel of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).