Tag: politics latest

  • 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.

  • ‘Maryam distances herself from NAB judge’s scandalous video’

    The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has informed the Supreme Court (SC) that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President (VP) Maryam Nawaz has “distanced herself” from the video scandal of ex-accountability court judge Arshad Malik, Express Tribune reported Thursday.

    Maryam on July 6 had presented to journalists a secretly recorded video of judge Arshad Malik and claimed that he was “forced to give the verdict against Nawaz Sharif in the Al-Azizia reference case”.

    According to latest reports, FIA presented before the court a 105-page report, wherein it said that Maryam has now distanced herself from the video and placed burden of the details and specifics of the video upon Nasir Mehmood Butt.

    Butt is the person who reportedly recorded the conversation during which Malik had allegedly confessed convicting Nawaz under pressure.

    The FIA report further said that PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif has also distanced himself from the videotapes.

    The Islamabad High Court (IHC) had on July 12 removed Malik as a judge and directed the registrar to repatriate him to his parent department, the Lahore High Court (LHC).

  • Pak-India social media war ensues as India tries to ban Pakistani anchor

    Pak-India social media war ensues as India tries to ban Pakistani anchor

    There’s something fishy going on Twitter. Pakistan’s Telecommunication Authority (PTA) said that they have contacted Twitter after the social media forum blocked over 150 Pakistani accounts for raising their voice for the Kashmiri people. PTA also said that Twitter “blocked Pakistani accounts under the influence of Indian lobbies”.

    PTA’s press release via Twitter

    The PTA made clear to Twitter that 178 accounts had been blocked for “advocating Kashmiri rights and condemning Indian forces’ atrocities in Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir,” and also said that, “It appears that the Twitter administration is under influence of Indian lobbies is depriving Pakistani users.”

    ARY’s prime time anchor, Arshad Sharif, also faced Indian social media aggression when India tried to get Twitter to ban his account.

    ARY Anchor Arshad Sharif gives details on Twitter

    The notice said that Arshad had been posting content that violates the law of India and requested him to remove the content.

    Notice from Twitter to ARY Anchor Arshad Sharif

    Arshad refused to do so and his Twitter account is banned in India.

  • PIA, Railways among other state entities’ losses rose to record Rs191.5bn under PML-N

    PIA, Railways among other state entities’ losses rose to record Rs191.5bn under PML-N

    Net losses faced by Pakistan’s State Owned Enterprises (SOEs) rose to mammoth Rs191.5 billion during the fiscal year (FY) 2016-17 of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government, The News has reported.

    According to reports, during FY2014-15, Pakistan’s SOEs were running into net profits of Rs52 billion, but they later turned into net losses of Rs44.7 billion during FY2015-16, followed by whopping losses of Rs191.5 billion — witnessing a record surge by over 330 per cent — in just one year.

    A report, prepared and released by the Ministry of Finance, admitted that among the top loss-making public sector entities were the National Highway Authority (NHA) by incurring that of Rs 133.488 billion, followed by Pakistan Railways (PR) with losses worth Rs40.702 billion and Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) with Rs39.5 billion.

    Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM), that is now being revived through a public-private partnership, also clinched a spot among the top ten loss-making SOEs for suffering those worth Rs 14.852 billion during FY2016-17.

    Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO), Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (HESCO), Peshawar Electric Supply Company (PESCO), Quetta Electric Supply Company (QESCO) and Multan Electric Power Company (MEPCO) were also among the entities that faced the most losses.

  • Govt begins revival of Pakistan Steel Mills, aims to boost production to 3 million tonnes

    Govt begins revival of Pakistan Steel Mills, aims to boost production to 3 million tonnes

    The government has initiated the revival process of Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM) and is aiming to enhance its production capacity from 1.1 million to 3 million tonnes a year, Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported.

    According to the details, the government, under the new revival plan, wants to make PSM a profitable organisation through public-private partnership.

    For the purpose, the government is inviting applications for PSM’s new chief executive officer (CEO) and is looking for a dynamic, results-oriented leader with immaculate credentials and experience.

    Currently, PSM is the largest industrial mega-corporation. The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) had put PSM on the privatisation list, but the government had later decided against it and initiated the process of reviving the steel mills through a public-private partnership.

  • Moeed Pirzada gets robbed in London; loses passport, travel bags

    Moeed Pirzada gets robbed in London; loses passport, travel bags

    Renowned anchorperson and analyst Dr Moeed Pirzada has been robbed on his London trip, a tweet by the journalist revealed Wednesday.

    “I was in London, experienced a high street robbery, lost travel bags & passports, just reached back after getting travel documents, will resume TV programs from Friday, Insha Allah [sic]!” he tweeted when asked by a follower about his absence from the micro-blogging website.

    Sharing if he had ever experienced such an incident in Pakistan, Pirzada wrote:

    “Had you ever experienced such a thing in Pakistan?” another user had asked.