Tag: Pakistan

  • ‘No evidence that Nawaz Sharif’s medical reports were fake’: Attorney-General of Pakistan

    ‘No evidence that Nawaz Sharif’s medical reports were fake’: Attorney-General of Pakistan

    Attorney-General of Pakistan (AGP) Barrister Khalid Javed Khan has said that there is no evidence to support that Nawaz Sharif’s medical reports are fake.

    Speaking on Geo News show ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’, the AGP Javed said they do not want to initiate contempt of court proceedings against Shehbaz Sharif over the subject of Nawaz Sharif’s return. Instead, he said, they want the situation to be settled amicably.

    AGP Khalid Javed said that Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid too said that the medical reports of Nawaz Sharif were not fake.

    AGP said that he is waiting for a decision made by the medical board constituted to further comment on the reports. Until they don’t submit an authentic and comprehensive report, he will wait.

    He also said that he has requested Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif to cooperate and submit Nawaz’s recent medical reports so that the due proceedings can happen. He also said that the medical board will then examine Nawaz’s reports once again and will plan out further accordingly.

    Earlier this week, the AGP had written a letter to the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif to bring back his brother Nawaz Sharif to Pakistan.

    The AGP had instructed Shehbaz to submit Nawaz’s medical reports within the next 10 days. In case he fails to do so, contempt of court petition will be filed against Shahbaz, he had said.

    Federal Minister for Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives Asad Umar had previously revealed that it was “100 per cent Imran Khan’s decision” to send the former PM to London for his medical treatment. “This was first discussed in a cabinet meeting,” he said, adding that the decision was entirely made by the prime minister and the premier did not say that the decision was not his. 

  • Government ally PML-Q’s Chaudhry Shujaat advises govt to focus on inflation instead of Nawaz

    Government ally PML-Q’s Chaudhry Shujaat advises govt to focus on inflation instead of Nawaz

    Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) leader Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain has advised the government to focus on national issues instead of Nawaz Sharif’s return to Pakistan.

    Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain said that Nawaz will not come back. “It seems rather funny when PTI’s members make comments about his return.”

    He further stated that if the government keeps focusing on Sharif’s return, then Pakistan is in the hands of Allah. According to him, the government has spent a large amount of money on his [Nawaz] proceedings.

    While talking about the issues in the country, he also pointed out that no one gives any sort of solution to solve inflation because they [govt] are busy in the leg-pulling of others.

  • Pakistan to mark one year polio-free

    Pakistan to mark one year polio-free

    Pakistan will mark one year of being polio-free tomorrow. The last infection of the poliovirus in Pakistan was recorded on January 27, 2021, according to officials, and Friday marks the first time in Pakistan’s history that a year has passed with no new cases, reports AFP.

    Lahore became the first polio-free city in the country back in April 2021.

    A five-day anti-polio campaign kicked off on Monday all over Pakistan. About 150,000 health workers are taking part in the five-day anti-polio drive to inoculate 22.4 million children under five years of age, according to a statement issued by Shahzad Beg, the coordinator for polio programme. 

    Hamid Khan, a police constable who was escorting polio vaccinators, was martyred in a terrorist attack in Kohat on Tuesday.

    Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two countries where polio has not yet been eradicated. To formally eradicate the disease, a nation must be polio-free for three consecutive years. Nigeria was declared free from wild polio in August 2020.

  • Schools to close in Lahore if more than three Covid cases found, 5,000 school tests a day

    Schools to close in Lahore if more than three Covid cases found, 5,000 school tests a day

    The Punjab government has decided to start widespread coronavirus testing in Lahore schools and colleges. As per the Punjab Health and Education Departments, students above the age of 12 years will be tested for Covid-19.

    5,000 daily tests will be conducted in different educational institutes of Lahore. If three cases of Covid-19 are reported in an educational institution, it will be shut down immediately.

    If two Covid cases are reported in a classroom, it will be sealed.

    As per NCOC, Pakistan recorded 5196 new cases of Covid-19 in the last 24 hours with 15 people losing their lives to the deadly virus.

  • ‘Jinnah se jo kare pyaar, wo Pakistan se kaise kare inkaar,’ BJP member accuses Akhilesh Yadav of being pro-Pakistani

    Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Sambit Patra accused Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav of showing his love to Pakistan and its founder, Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

    “Jinnah se jo kare pyaar, wo Pakistan se kaise kare inkaar (Those who love Jinnah, how can they reject Pakistan),” said Patra on Monday.

    Opposition party chief Akhilesh Yadav recently shared his views on China’s investment in India during an interview with The Economic Times and said that China, not Pakistan was India’s real enemy.

    “Our real enemy is China. Pakistan is our political enemy. But BJP only targets Pakistan because of their vote politics,” said Yadav.

    He further added that China has intruded in the territory of India and its businesses.

    He commented, “The Indian government should think about this and consult opposition parties on how to deal with the situation.”

    Patra accused Yadav of “love” for Pakistan.

    Prior to this incident, BJP leaders also targeted Yadav over his remarks on Independence from the British rule last year at a public gathering.

    He was accused by the ruling government that he gave credit to Jinnah for India’s independence from British rule.

    Yadav apparently said in the video shared by BJP leaders, “Jinnah became a barrister after studying in the same institution. He obtained his education and served as a barrister in the same place. He got freedom for India. He did not back down from any struggle…”

    However, a fact-check by AltNews revealed that the clip was distorted and was actually a two-minute-long video.

    The Indian news agency, ANI, posted the complete video on Twitter on October 31, 2021.

    Yadav said, “Sardar Patel used to make decisions keeping in mind the situation on the ground. He would only make decisions after gaining a proper understanding of what was happening at the grassroots level. That’s why he is known as the Iron Man of India. Sardar Patel, Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, and [Muhammad Ali] Jinnah became barristers after attending the same institution. They got freedom for India. They did not back down from any struggles. It was Iron Man of India Sardar Patel who imposed a ban on an ideology (RSS).”

  • ‘Got a message from Pakistan PM to include Navjot Sidhu in Punjab cabinet’: Capt Amarinder Singh

    ‘Got a message from Pakistan PM to include Navjot Sidhu in Punjab cabinet’: Capt Amarinder Singh

    India’s former Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Captain Amarinder Singh during a press conference said that during his tenure as CM, he received a message from Pakistan asking him to reinstate Navjot Singh Sidhu in the Punjab cabinet.

    Soon after dropping Sidhu from his cabinet, he had received a call from a mutual acquaintance from Pakistan, Amarinder told reporters.

    “I got a message that Prime Minister (PM) of Pakistan has sent a request that if you can take Sidhu in your cabinet,” said Amarinder without taking names. “I will be grateful. He is an old friend of mine. If he does not work, you can remove him.”

    Navjot Singh Sidhu arrived in Pakistan to attend the oath-taking ceremony of PM Imran Khan in August 2018.

    Sidhu at the time said that he had come to Pakistan as a goodwill messenger and “with a message of love” to become a part of Khan’s happiness.

     Navjot Singh Sidhu again returned to Pakistan to attend the groundbreaking ceremony of the Kartarpur Corridor in Nankana Sahib, in November 2018.

    It is pertinent to mention here that Amarinder was also present during the inauguration of the Karatpur Corridor.

  • Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index 2021: Pakistan scores 28 out of 100

    Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index 2021: Pakistan scores 28 out of 100

    Pakistan has been ranked 140 out of 180 countries, slipping further down to 16 spots over the last year, on the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2021 by Transparency International, reports The News.

    Pakistan’s score dropped by three points to 28 on the global corruption index. Last year, the country’s score was 31.

    “It shows that corruption has increased in Pakistan as compared to the last year,” said the anti-graft watchdog in its report.

    “The index, which ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption according to experts and businesspeople, uses a scale of zero to 100, where zero is highly corrupt and 100 is very clean,” the organisation said.

    The top countries on the index are Denmark (88), Finland (88), and New Zealand (88), all of which also rank in the top 10% in the world on the Democracy Index civil liberties score.

    However, Somalia (13), Syria (13), and South Sudan (11) remain at the bottom of the CPI. Syria is also ranked last in civil liberties.

    Of the 23 countries whose CPI score significantly declined since 2012, 19 also declined on the civil liberties score.

    Moreover, out of the 331 recorded cases of murdered human rights defenders in 2020, 98% occurred in countries with a CPI score below 45, read the statement.

  • Bismah Maroof to lead Pakistan in Women’s World Cup

    Bismah Maroof to lead Pakistan in Women’s World Cup

    Bismah Maroof has become the captain of Pakistan’s cricket team for the ICC Women’s World Cup, which will be held in New Zealand. The tournament will be played from March 4 till April 3.

    The selection committee led by Asmavia Iqbal, which includes Saleem Jaffar and Taufeeq Umar, announced the complete squad.

    An experienced all-rounder, Nida Dar has been appointed as Vice-Captain for the ICC Women’s World Cup.

    The committee also announced the comeback of leg-spinner Ghulam Fatima and opener Nahida Khan in the national team.

    Bismah is returning from a two-year break after she gave birth to her daughter in December 2020.

    According to the new parental policy of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), a support person will be responsible for taking care of her child to keep her focus on the tournament.

    Bismah Maroof said, “It is a great honour for me to lead my country into another World Cup. I am thrilled to be back in action and do what I love and have dedicated my life to.”

    She added, “The recent selection matches proved to be fruitful for me and the whole side as we got some match practice under competitive and challenging environment leading into the mega event. The aim is to reach the World Cup semi-finals and I believe this team has the potential to pull it off.”

    Pakistan Women’s cricket team will start their preparations for the pre-departure camp of 10 days in Karachi from January 27 and will leave for New Zealand on February 8.

    Pakistan squad: Bismah Maroof (captain), Nida Dar (vice-captain), Aiman Anwar, Aliya Riaz, Anam Amin, Diana Baig, Fatima Sana, Ghulam Fatima, Javeria Khan, Muneeba Ali, Nahida Khan, Nashra Sandhu, Omaima Sohail, Sidra Amin, and Sidra Nawaz

    Traveling reserves: Iram Javed, Najiha Alvi, and Tuba Hassan

    Pakistan’s fixtures at ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022:

    6 March – Pakistan v India at Bay Oval, Tauranga

    8 March – Pakistan v Australia at Bay Oval, Tauranga

    11 March – Pakistan v South Africa at Bay Oval, Tauranga

    14 March – Pakistan v Bangladesh at Seddon Park, Hamilton

    21 March – Pakistan v West Indies at Seddon Park, Hamilton

    24 March – Pakistan v England at Hagley Oval, Christchurch

    26 March – Pakistan v New Zealand at Hagley Oval, Christchurch

  • New terrorist wave

    New terrorist wave

    A new wave of terrorism seems to be gripping the country in recent months, with the Lahore blast being the latest in a series of attacks that have targeted security forces, policemen, and civilians. From Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to Balochistan, from Sindh to the capital city to the heart of Punjab, there is a rise in such attacks across the country.
     
    Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police chief Moazzam Jah Ansari told Dawn and Geo News that the Islamic State group’s Khorasan chapter (IS-K) is a different and bigger threat than even the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Coming from the police chief of a province that has been one of the worst victims of terrorism in the country, his statement should raise alarm bells for the state. Pakistan has given immense sacrifices in its war against terrorism – 70-80,000 people lost their lives at the hands of terrorist attacks. The APS attack is a tragedy that can never be erased from our memories. Our security forces and police officials have fought bravely against terrorist outfits and now for terrorism to make a comeback, it is even more important that the state should build a consensus on this issue and tackle the hydra of terrorism.
     
    A study conducted by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Study (PICSS) says that the rise in militant attacks in Pakistan coincided with the Afghan Taliban’s military offensive and their eventual takeover of Kabul. Many had been pointing out to the Pakistan government that a government that does not believe in the rule of law and does not abide by any international covenants cannot bring any stability in the region and will in fact lead to instability in the neighbouring countries when Pakistan was celebrating the takeover of Kabul by the Afghan Taliban.
     
    With the withdrawal of the US and NATO troops from Afghanistan, the fall of Kabul and the rise of the Afghan Taliban were inevitable. However, the support that they got from Pakistan has led to many problems, including the tensions between the US and Pakistan when it comes to diplomatic ties. But the most critical consequence of the new government in Afghanistan is the rise of militant outfits who are rearing their heads once again in neighbouring Pakistan.

    The rise of the Afghan Taliban has given new ideas and strength to militant outfits that had gone underground since the security forces defeated the TTP and crushed other terrorist outfits some years ago. We hope that the state will not let them wreak havoc with the country’s future again. Pakistan needs peace and stability, not chaos. 

  • Only vaccinated individuals will be allowed to enter mosques: NCOC

    Only vaccinated individuals will be allowed to enter mosques: NCOC

    The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) issued a notification on Saturday with new Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for mosques and other places of worship. NCOC, during a meeting today, revised the SOPs amid a sharp increase of Covid-19 cases in the country.

    Following are the new restrictions for mosques:

    • Only fully vaccinated individuals will be allowed to mosques/worship places
    • Masks have been made mandatory in places of worship
    • Carpets to be removed
    • 6 feet distance to be maintained
    • Elderly, people with flu-like symptoms, and children to offer prayers at home
    • Short sermon for Jumma prayer
    • Minimal attendance for prayers
    • Doors and windows of mosques to stay open for ventilation.
    • It is better to perform wudhu at home

    On January 21, Pakistan reported the highest number of Covid-19 cases in the country since the Covid-19 pandemic began. In 24 hours, 7,678 cases were reported.