Tag: Pakistan

  • Fazl to host dinner for Zardari to discuss no-confidence motion today

    Fazl to host dinner for Zardari to discuss no-confidence motion today

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari will meet Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman in Islamabad to discuss the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, reports Geo News.

    According to the media outlet’s sources, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) chief will also host a dinner in honour of the former president.

    The two leaders are also likely to discuss a plan of action regarding the no-confidence motion, which will be tabled by Opposition parties to oust PM Khan’s government.

    Zardari has been staying in the capital for a couple of days and holding low-profile meetings. 

    It is pertinent to mention that the meeting of the two leaders will be the first since PPP’s exit from PDM. 

  • PM’s aide Razak Dawood encourages trade with India, calls it ‘need of the hour’

    PM’s aide Razak Dawood encourages trade with India, calls it ‘need of the hour’

    Adviser to Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan on Commerce, Textile, Industry, and Production, and Investment Abdul Razak Dawood said that trade with India is the need of the hour and beneficial to both countries.

    Dawood said “As far as the ministry of commerce is concerned, its position is to do trade with India. And my stance is that we should do trade with India and it should be opened now.”

    “Trade with India is very beneficial to all, especially Pakistan. And I support it.”

    Earlier this month, business tycoon Mian Muhammad Mansha claimed that he is aware of backchannel diplomacy being pursued by India and Pakistan.

    Mansha further insisted that the two countries need to resolve their issues and increase trade.

    “If things improve between the two neighbours, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi could visit Pakistan in a month,” said Mansha.

  • Former DG ISI had around $12.9million in offshore accounts in the1980s: Swiss Leaks

    Former DG ISI had around $12.9million in offshore accounts in the1980s: Swiss Leaks

    A leak from a Swiss bank has revealed that around 1,400 individuals residing in Pakistan are linked with around 600 accounts opened in Credit Suisse.

    The average maximum balance in accounts held by Pakistanis was 4.42 million Swiss francs (Rs841 million) compared with the overall average of the leaked data, which stood at 7.5 million Swiss francs (Rs1.42 billion). Almost 200 clients found in the data are worth more than 100 million Swiss francs (Rs19 billion) and more than a dozen had accounts valued in the billions, reports The News.

    Senior intelligence officials and their offspring from several countries that cooperated with the United States (US) in the war on terrorism also had money stashed at Credit Suisse.

    General Zia-ul-Haq’s closest aide and former Director-General (DG) of the Inter-Services Intelligence Agency (ISI) General Akhtar Abdur Rahman Khan’s name was also part of the list.

    “As the head of the Pakistani intelligence agency, General Akhtar Abdur Rahman Khan helped funnel billions of dollars in cash and other aid from the United States (US) and other countries to the mujahedeen in Afghanistan to support their fight against the Soviet Union,” reports The New York Times (NYT).

    According to the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project’s (OCCRP) report, the Saudi Arabian and US funding for mujahideen fighters battling Russia’s presence in Afghanistan would go to the Central Intelligence Agency’s (CIA) Swiss bank account. “The end recipient in the process was Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence group (ISI), [at the time] led by Akhtar,” the report said.

    “The report states that by the mid-1980s, Akhtar was adept at getting CIA cash into the hands of Afghan jihadists. It was around this time that Credit Suisse accounts were opened in the names of his three sons.”

    OCCRP’s report stated that one of the two Akhtar family accounts at Credit Suisse — held jointly by three of Akhtar’s sons — was opened on July 1, 1985. That same year, US President Ronald Reagan would raise concerns about where the money intended for the mujahideen was going. By 2003, this account was worth at least five million Swiss francs ($3.7 million at the time). A second account, opened in January 1986 in Akbar’s name alone, was worth more than 9 million Swiss francs by November 2010 ($9.2 million at the time).”

    Two of the general’s sons, Akbar and Haroon Khan, did not respond to requests for comment from the reporting project. In a text message, a third son, Ghazi Khan, called information about the accounts “not correct,” adding, “The content is conjectural.”

  • Pak ‘least costly’ country claims Shaukat Tarin, website he refers to says cost of living is 171 thousand rupees per month

    Pak ‘least costly’ country claims Shaukat Tarin, website he refers to says cost of living is 171 thousand rupees per month

    Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin, while sharing a table with the title “The Cost of Living Index by Country 2021 Mid-Year”, has claimed that Pakistan is the “least costly” country across the globe.

    In the chart, Pakistan has been ranked on 139th number among 139 countries with only 21.88 cost of living. The table Tarin shared was taken from the website NUMBEO.

    https://twitter.com/shaukat_tarin/status/1495274739991867401?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1495274739991867401%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Ftribune.com.pk%2Fstory%2F2344435%2Fpakistan-cheapest-country-says-tarin

    However, according to the website, this is the summary of Pakistan. The ranking comes with comparison to other countries.

    • Family of four estimated monthly costs are 171,936.39Rs. without rent.
    • A single person estimated monthly costs are 51,837.84Rs. without rent.
    • The cost of living in Pakistan is, on average, 71.36% lower than in the United States.
    • Rent in Pakistan is, on average, 90.59% lower than in the United States.

    Last month, the Quarterly Performance Evaluation Survey (QPES), a Pulse Consultant’s indigenous tracking tool of public perceptions and opinions about the government’s performance and current political situation, stated that 84 per cent of Pakistanis consider inflation as the biggest problem of the country.

  • ‘Harraser exposed, disgusting’: Komal Aziz grills Ali Noor amidst harassment controversy

    ‘Harraser exposed, disgusting’: Komal Aziz grills Ali Noor amidst harassment controversy

    Actor Komal Aziz has shared her stance on the on-going harassment scandal of singer Ali Noor. She termed the entire controversy as ‘disgusting’,

    Journalist Ayesha Binte Rashid has accused singer Ali Noor of sexual harassment. She took to her Instagram handle to share screenshots of an alleged WhatsApp conversation with the singer.

    “You emotionally manipulated me and what happened in the back of my car while driving to the airport was sexual harassment. You’re a sexual harasser and a predator,” she wrote in her message to Ali Noor.

    “Womaniser with a God complex who is all talk yet doesn’t have the proactiveness to break out of his toxic patterns,” one of the messages read.

    Ayesha also shared Ali’s reply to her messages in which he thanked Ayesha for the “Wakeup call.”

    The crooner took to his Instagram stories to respond to the allegations and has claimed that Ayesha hasn’t shared all of his replies to her.

    “Today, I put the teaser and release date of the video and the son but as I was doing that, I got a message from newspapers that I have been accused of #MeToo by Ayesha Binte and my screenshots and apologies have been put up. She didn’t put all of them and that’s sad.”

    ‘

     “I even suggested I should be hanged and executed publicly. She simply wasn’t taking me seriously. Anyway, I am so glad she finally put it out,” he added.

    Ali, also said that he wants to release his song in “peace”.

    “After deeply deliberating various responses, I came to the conclusion that the only right right response is that i am truly deeply sorry.”

  • Gloria Jeans and La Montana closed due to court order

    Gloria Jeans and La Montana closed due to court order

    A month after the closure of Monal Restaurant, the Ministry of Climate Change and Pakistan Environment Protection Agency issued notices to two other hilltop eateries, La Montana and Gloria Jeans, to immediately stop operating in the National Park.

    The restaurants were established without environmental approvals while the managements didn’t provide plans for solid waste management, sewerage water, and drinking water supply despite several notices.

    “The Islamabad High Court, in its orders dated January 11, 2021, observed that protection of ecosystems and natural habitat is a constitutional obligation of the state, its institutions, and public dignitaries,” it stated. “The destruction of the national park is violative of the fundamental rights of the people of Pakistan and saving it from harm is the inviolable duty of the State.”

    The notification issued under section 16 (2) of EPA Act 1997 cited.

    The law permits:

    • Immediate to stoppage, preventing, lessening or controlling the discharge, emission, disposal, handling, act or omission, or to minimize or remedy the adverse environmental effect.
    • Installation, replacement or alteration of any equipment or thing to eliminate or control or abate on a permanent or temporary basis, such discharge, emission, disposal, handling, act or omission.
    • Action to remove or otherwise dispose of the effluent, waste, air pollutant, noise, or hazardous substances.
    • Action to restore the environment to the condition existing prior to such discharge, disposal, handling, act or omission, or as close to such condition as may be reasonable in the circumstances, to the satisfaction of the Federal Agency or Provincial Agency.

    Last month, the Islamabad High Court ordered authorities to seal Islamabad’s Monal Restaurant.

    The National Park’s land belongs to the state and no commercial activities can be carried out here, the court ruled.

  • Nawaz Sharif more popular than PM Khan in provinces: survey

    Nawaz Sharif more popular than PM Khan in provinces: survey

    Former Prime Minister (PM) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif is ahead of all other party leaders in terms of popularity, reveals Gallup Pakistan’s latest survey, which was conducted from December 22, 2021, to January 31, 2022, and includes 5,000 participants from across the country.

    According to the survey, there is a noticeable drop in PM Imran Khan’s popularity in all the provinces.

    In Punjab, PM Khan’s popularity rate has dropped from 51 per cent in December 2018 to 33 per cent in January 2022 while Nawaz Sharif’s popularity has jumped from 35 per cent in December 2018 to 58 per cent in January 2022.

    The survey has also included the popularity statistics of PML-N President and former Chief Minister (CM) Punjab Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari. CM Sharif’s popularity rose from 46 per cent in December 2018 to 58 per cent in January 2022 in Punjab. Meanwhile, Bilawal Bhutto’s popularity increased in Punjab from 18 per cent back in December 2018 to 24 per cent in January 2022.

    In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), there is a significant increase in the level of satisfaction with PM Khan, which was only five per cent in December 2018 but is now 44 per cent, while Bhutto’s popularity mildly increased from 23 per cent in December 2018 to 24 per cent in January 2022. Nawaz Sharif managed to gain in KP from his 14 per cent approval rating in December 2018 to 46 per cent in January 2022.

    Coming to Sindh, both Sharifs are ahead of the PPP. Nawaz Sharif’s popularity in Sindh increased from 12 per cent in December 2018 to 51 per cent in January 2022. Shehbaz Sharif’s approval rating also went up in Sindh from 12 per cent in December 2018 to 41 per cent in January 2022. Meanwhile, PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto’s popularity significantly dropped in Sindh, where the PPP is in power, from 54 per cent in December 2018 to 37 percent in January 2022. PM Khan remained at 33 per cent both in December 2018 and January 2022 but remains the least popular of all four leaders in Sindh.

    According to the survey, this is the first time that the popularity of the former PM has risen after December 2018. Shehbaz Sharif also managed to get similar ratings.

  • EXCLUSIVE: Which senior army official was photoshopped from Bill Gates meeting picture?

    EXCLUSIVE: Which senior army official was photoshopped from Bill Gates meeting picture?

    Yesterday, a picture was released by the Prime Minister’s Office of a luncheon hosted by PM Imran Khan in honour of Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, and co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF). Gates was on a one-day visit to Pakistan yesterday, which was also his first-ever visit to the country.

    The picture in which PM Khan and Bill Gates are sitting with Fawad Chaudhry, Asad Umar, Mahmood Khan, Azam Khan, Shaukat Tarin, Shah Farman, Khalid Khurshid and several others at the main table sparked a debate on Twitter for a missing link. If one looks at the picture closely, someone between Dr Faisal Sultan and Mahmood Khan seems to be ‘missing’.

    Twitter users wondered who had been photoshopped out of the picture while some Twitter users tried to guess the name of the person.

    Journalist Cyril Almeida tweeted: “A day later, the mystery of who was photoshopped out of this pic continues… but if rumour is to be believed…”

    https://twitter.com/cyalm/status/1494569851595206678
    Who was photoshopped?

    The Current reached out to its sources and confirmed that it was the Director-General (DG) of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lieutenant General Nadeem Anjum who had been photoshopped from the luncheon meeting picture.

    Ansar Abbasi had reported for The News in December 2021 that the new DG ISI has asked all authorities concerned not to release to the media his picture or video footage made during an official meeting. As per The Current’s sources, it was due to this policy that he had to be taken out of the official picture released by the PM Office yesterday.

    It’s a standing instruction for all concerned from the incumbent DG ISI not to release any of his pictures or video footage of any official meeting that he attends.

    Read More: New spy chief says no to the media

    Lt Gen Nadeem Ahmed Anjum was appointed as new DG ISI in October 2021. The post was previously held by Lt Gen Faiz Hameed who is now Corps Commander Peshawar.

  • Pakistan rescues woman in love gone wrong, saves wife left in Indian jail by husband

    Pakistan rescues woman in love gone wrong, saves wife left in Indian jail by husband

    Pakistan has issued a nationality certificate, which will lead to becoming a citizen of Pakistan, to a stateless woman, Sumaira who has been stranded in India for four years. It was issued after verification by National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) and her family. Pakistan Interior Minister has sent her nationality certificate to Foreign Ministry.

    Pakistan High Commission in India, New Delhi will issue travel documents and she will be able to come to Pakistan with her daughter who is four-years-old.

    According to her lawyer, Sohana Biswapatna, Sumaira was born in Qatar to Pakistani parents who moved from Karachi for employment. She married an Indian Muslim for love in Qatar without the consent of her parents. She illegally moved to India with her husband in 2016.

    Sumaira and her husband were arrested in 2017. However, her husband, who faced the charges of facilitating a foreign intruder, was released on bail after a few months. She remained in jail.

    She gave birth to a daughter in prison.

    The message she sent through her lawyer to BBC, “I have been punished by law for the mistake I made, but my sorrows and pains are not diminishing. The family had already separated, but now the husband in India has also turned away. At the moment, my only recourse is my country, Pakistan.”

    According to Sumaira, she wanted to confess her crime but her husband stopped her from giving a statement. The husband thought that India would deport her if she confessed. He was trying to find a way to release her from jail and settle her in India.

    Her case was stalled in India for three years as she did not confess to her crime.

    Her husband stopped visiting her and attending her calls without any explanation around after two to three years. After losing hope of reunion, she confessed to her crime.

    She was sentenced to a three year imprisonment, which she has already completed.

    Currently, she is living in a state shelter in Bengaluru, Karnataka, a state of India.

  • ‘Chief Justice should not be deciding samosa or sugar prices’: Bilawal

    ‘Chief Justice should not be deciding samosa or sugar prices’: Bilawal

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, in an event organised by the Lahore High Court Bar Association, criticised the former Chief Justices of Pakistan (CJPs).

    Bilawal took a jibe at CJPs Mian Saqib Nisar and Gulzar Ahmed. He stated, “Some judges took it upon themselves to busy themselves, the courts and the legal community on deciding which building should be demolished and which should stay. The judiciary of Pakistan is a place for the battle of legal ideas, it is not a place for us to decide where or where not to build a dam.”

    In 2018, Justice Nisar had launched the initiative of collecting donations for the construction of the Diamer-Bhasha. Meanwhile, Justice Gulzar decided on several high-profile cases last year including the demolition of buildings in Karachi i.e. Nasla Tower and Tejori Heights.

    “CJP should be deciding constitutional issues instead of samosa or sugar prices”, said Bilawal. However, he made it clear that despite this, he had the utmost respect for the legal community and judges.

    He also called on the legal community to support his party’s planned anti-government long march on February 27.

    According to him, Pakistan needs a system of accountability that is fair and non-discriminatory instead of the present “witch hunt and persecution” of opponents and those who exposed the government’s failings.