Tag: politics latest

  • 220 posts eliminated in the National Assembly Secretariat

    220 posts eliminated in the National Assembly Secretariat

    The National Assembly Secretariat has abolished 220 positions from grades 1 to 19 by implementing an austerity plan approved by the Senate finance committee.
    The plan, authorised by Speaker of National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, will be implemented in three phases, two of which have already been completed, saving PKR 56 crore. The first phase resulted in savings of PKR 25 crores, while the second recorded PKR 31 crore savings annually.

    The plan aims to save Rs 1 billion annually.
    By implementing the third phase, 40 crore additional savings would be possible.
    A press release stated that the Finance Committee has also barred further appointments in the National Assembly.

  • Call between Absar Alam- General Faiz Hameed leaks online

    Call between Absar Alam- General Faiz Hameed leaks online

    An aggressive conversation during a call allegedly between former Chairman of Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) Absar Alam and former Director General Inter Service Intelligence (ISI) Faiz Hameed has leaked online.
    ‘’I am complaining to you for not listening to us despite our best efforts, I don’t know what is the matter,’’ says Faiz Hameed to Absar Alam in the call.

    “I will send Brigadier Ghaffar to you. We sold out old channels whose licences are stuck. Do a special favour to resolve the issue,’’ he told Absar.
    ‘’You don’t listen to us, so I thought to request you on my own,’’ said the former spymaster in an aggressive tone.
    ‘’I don’t know channel names, although our brigadier will brief you,” Faiz concluded when Absar asked the channels names.

  • Hammad Azhar remains adamant about quitting PTI even after Omar Ayub rejects resignation

    Hammad Azhar remains adamant about quitting PTI even after Omar Ayub rejects resignation

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Hammad Azhar yesterday resigned from his party position—president of PTI’s Punjab chapter—due to “lack of access” to Imran Khan. The party’s Secretary General, Omar Ayub, rejected Azhar’s resignation.

    “Hammad Azhar, you have worked tirelessly for the party and PM (sic) Imran Khan, sahib. Resignation not accepted,” Ayub wrote on X.

    However, Hammad remained adamant in his initial decision, quoting Ayub’s tweet, writing, “I am humbled by your confidence in me. But it is my firm decision not to continue under circumstances where I have zero authority but complete responsibility.”

    Hammad yesterday expressed his grievances, including not being consulted in decisions taken within PTI’s Punjab organisation. He said, “most of these decisions were based on lobbying” instead of merit.

    He recalled Chaudhry Asghar’s removal as PTI’s Lahore president as an example of “lobbying”, saying that the lobbyists succeeded by giving Khan the “wrong facts.”

  • Woman claiming to be foreigner actually from Rawalpindi

    Woman claiming to be foreigner actually from Rawalpindi

    A woman who claimed to be a Belgian national and alleged that she had been kept in captivity for months while being raped, has been found to be a permanent resident of Rawalpindi by the name of Farwa Kiyani.

    The Belgium embassy has confirmed that she is not their citizen.

    National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has revealed that Farwa Kiyani’s facial recognition and finger impression revealed her to be Pakistani national. Meanwhile, medical reports have shown no evidence of rape.

    She has no document verification nor was international arrival and departure record found pertaining to her. Farwa spoke Pothohari, police sources claim

    Farwa Kiyani was found at Islamabad G-7/1-3 on the roadside and claimed to have been raped and declared herself a Belgian citizen.

  • Khan calls Faiz Hameed ‘an asset’ that was wasted

    Khan calls Faiz Hameed ‘an asset’ that was wasted

    Founder Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan, while talking to journalists in Adiala Jail, broke his silence on the recent arrest of former ISI chief Faiz Hameed, saying, “I have no connections with Faiz Hameed’s arrest.”

    On Monday, the military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), announced that it had taken Hameed into custody over allegations of land grabbing and stealing valuables from the owner of Top City Housing Society.

    It also stated that court-martial proceedings had been started against the former spymaster, who was once considered very close with former prime minister Khan.

    Khan also criticised this military’s treatment of Gen Faiz, calling him an “asset that was wasted.”

    He suggested that accountability is good but should be “across-the-board accountability.”

    Khan recalled that ex-army chief Gen Bajwa removed Hameed at the behest of Nawaz Sharif and Shehbaz Sharif, and after that, a heated exchange occurred between Khan and Bajwa.

  • We now know the names of the officers arrested with Faiz

    We now know the names of the officers arrested with Faiz

    Sources have revealed the names of the three most senior retired military officers who were taken into army custody for acting as messengers between former Chief of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Faiz Hameed and senior politicians.

    The officers identified are Brigadier (retd) Ghaffar and Brigadier (retd) Naeem and Colonel Asim, who were allegedly involved in a communication network with politicians.

    Both Brigadiers are from Chakwal and are considered close associates of the former spymaster.

    Earlier, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) issued a statement claiming that three senior-ranking officers had been taken into custody for compromising military discipline.

  • No, Khawaja Asif, there are no global firewalls to restrain social media

    No, Khawaja Asif, there are no global firewalls to restrain social media

    Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has claimed that safety firewalls are being implemented to ensure checks and balances on uncontrolled social media sites. He made this statement during his appearance on the talk show ‘Faisla Aap Ka’ with journalist Asma Sherazi.

    ‘’Everything will be fine after some days,’’ he said.

    Khawaja Asif added that developed, democratic countries like the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States (US) also have protective systems to filter out content and websites deemed anti-state and anti-society.

    “Many Internet Service Providers (ISPs) also have filters or use different technologies to address spam, phishing attacks, and other unwanted content, but these are all private companies,” explains Jason Pielemeier, the executive director of the US-based Global Network Initiative (GNI), in a conversation with Geo Fact Check.

  • Three more retired army officers taken into military custody: ISPR

    Three more retired army officers taken into military custody: ISPR

    Three more retired army officers have been taken into custody by Pakistan’s Army in connection with the recent arrest of Lieutenant General (retd) Faiz Hamid, according to a statement released by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

    This comes after the arrest of former spymaster Faiz Hamid earlier this week.

    “In connection with the FGCM proceedings of Lt Gen (Retd) Faiz Hameed, three retired officers are also in military custody for their actions prejudicial to military discipline,” noted the ISPR press release.

    The ISPR further stated that the retired officers were arrested for violations of military discipline.

    “Further investigations of certain retired officers and their accomplices for fomenting instability at the behest of and in collusion with vested political interests are continuing,” the press release read.

    Faiz Hameed was taken into custody by the army on August 12, over allegations of land grabbing and seizing valuables from the owner of Top City Housing Society.

  • COAS holds a reception for Army veterans, but netizens notice some ‘missing officers’

    COAS holds a reception for Army veterans, but netizens notice some ‘missing officers’

    The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General Asim Munir, hosted a reception in honour of Pakistan Army veterans on Independence Day that brought together many retired army officers and soldiers.

    In a press release, the military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) stated, “COAS paid heartfelt tribute to the contributions of the retired personnel, lauding their dedication and instrumental role in shaping the nation’s history.”

    “COAS also cautioned against the insidious threat of fake news and propaganda being perpetrated by inimical elements to weaken the bond between the people of Pakistan and the Armed Forces,” said the ISPR press release.

    However, in an interesting development, netizens noticed a peculiar absence of some officers in the pictures circulating on social media.

    Former COAS Gen (retd) Bajwa was not seen in the picture even though Gen (retd) Raheel Sharif and Gen (retd) Kayani were present.

    Likewise, General (retd) Ahmad Shuja Pasha and Gen (retd) Zaheer-ul-Islam were also noticeably absent from the reception.

    This comes after the Pakistan Army arrested former spymaster Gen (retd) Faiz Hameed, in charge of corruption and misuse of authority.

  • LEAs arrest former Adiala Jail deputy superintendent for allegedly acting as messenger for Khan

    LEAs arrest former Adiala Jail deputy superintendent for allegedly acting as messenger for Khan

    Law enforcement agencies have arrested Muhammad Akram, the former deputy superintendent of Punjab prisons, who was transferred from Adiala Jail in June this year, on charges of “facilitating Imran Khan as a messenger,” Dawn News reported.

    He was reportedly picked up from the jail colony.

    The arrest follows the military’s detention of retired Lt Gen Faiz Hameed, the former head of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), on charges of violating the Army Act.

    The founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has been imprisoned for over a year, with multiple cases filed against him, including the Toshakhana case, the cypher case, and the un-Islamic marriage case.