Tag: politics-stories

  • Govt announces action against Fazlur Rehman’s stick-wielding platoon

    Govt announces action against Fazlur Rehman’s stick-wielding platoon

    The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has announced initiating legal action against Jamiat Ulemae Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s stick-wielding army, the constitution of which it says is in “violation of both the law of the land and the National Action Plan (NAP)”.

    Volunteers of the religio-political party’s Salar Force earlier this week presented a guard of honour to Fazl, taking an oath to safeguard their leadership even at the cost of their lives.

    The demo came as the JUI-F gears up to take on the federal government as part of its Azadi March to Islamabad on October 31; with plans of locking down the capital in protest against the “fake” Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    Reacting to the march and the creation of the force, KP Information Minister Shaukat Yousafzai on Wednesday warned the JUI-F against stick-wielding, uniformed workers marching on the roads.

    “When you are marching on roads in uniforms it means that you are erecting a force. This is a violation of the NAP and will not be tolerated,” Yousufzai said.

    “I know who is pushing [Fazlur] Rehman; money is pushing him. He is threatening institutions, he is trying to use seminary students,” the minister said.

    The information minister added that the JUI-F chief was struggling to get incarcerated former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and former president Asif Ali Zardari out of jail.

  • VIDEO: Journalist trolls Imran Khan for ‘another broken promise’

    VIDEO: Journalist trolls Imran Khan for ‘another broken promise’

    Journalist and anchorperson Shahzeb Khanzada has tolled Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan over “another broken promise”, and it’s hilarious.

    Khanzada, in his show last night, aired an old video of PM Imran promising that he will create such opportunities in Pakistan that people from foreign countries will be seeking jobs in the country.

    He also said that former Finance Minister Asad Umar had earlier claimed that people from foreign countries were already seeking executive positions in Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM), but in reality, the positions were still vacant and PSM was still inoperational.

    Continuing his brutal trolling of premier and his aides, Khanzada also aired a video of Finance Adviser Abdul Hafeez Sheikh saying, “Our government’s target is to increase foreign employment of Pakistani citizens”.

    He was heard as adding that this year from January to August, the government had sent around 373,000 people from Pakistan to foreign countries for employment.

    Shahzeb then said that the government instead of providing job opportunities was now taking credit for sending people abroad for jobs.

  • Fawad Chaudhry tells nation not to look towards government for jobs

    Fawad Chaudhry tells nation not to look towards government for jobs

    Science and Technology Minister Fawad Chaudhry created a stir once again when he said that the nation should not look towards the government for jobs.

    Addressing a conference in Islamabad on Tuesday, the minister said that the government is, in fact, going to disband 400 departments.

    “If you start looking towards the government for jobs, our economy will collapse,” he stated.

    Chaudhry explained that his statement was taken out of context and was being misinterpreted. In a tweet, he explained that jobs are provided by the private sector while the government’s responsibility is to create an environment where jobs are created. But the government cannot accommodate everyone in government departments.

    Meanwhile, PTI’s manifesto states otherwise:

    Create 10 million jobs and strengthen the labour market

    PTI will strengthen the labour market and create 10 million jobs over 5 years in key sectors: SME, housing, ICT, health, education, green economy and tourism.

    Article 38 of the constitution states that the “state shall provide for all citizens, within the available resources of the country, facilities for work and adequate livelihood”. Approximately two million additional youth enter the labour force each year, which totals to 10 million over the next 5 years. We believe Pakistan’s youth can become its biggest asset. However, if we do not take action, the youth dividend can also become our biggest challenge and lead to drastic economic and social consequences.

    Meanwhile, Minister for Water and Resources, Faisal Vawda, in early April had said that there will be a burst of jobs in Pakistan in the coming weeks.

    Six months later we have seen no burst. Is the PTI going back on its promises?

  • ‘60% of recent railways appointments from minister, his nephew’s own constituencies’

    ‘60% of recent railways appointments from minister, his nephew’s own constituencies’

    The Lahore High Court (LHC) has issued a stay order on 845 recent appointments in Pakis­tan Railways (PR) through “balloting” — a move that had earlier been challenged by PR Employees (PREM) Union, journalist Asad Malik tweeted Tuesday.

    According to Dawn, the PREM Union had last week pointed out that a majority of the newly appointed staff belonged to the two Rawalpindi constituencies of Railways Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed and his nephew Sheikh Rasheed Shafiq.

    Filing the petition before the Rawal­pindi bench of the LHC through its counsel Imran Shafique, the union had requested the court to set aside the inductions.

    PR authorities had advertised 322 posts of different categories in BS-1 to BS-5 in October 2018, according to the petition. Another advertisement was published only a month later, with the number of vacant positions being increased from 323 to 845, the court was informed.

    The petition said thousands of people had applied for the posts, but the appointments were made through balloting rather than on the basis of merit.

    “The candidates who secured highest marks in the skill/written test and proved their mettle in the interviews deserved to be appointed on the basis of open merit, but the railways authorities, while changing the criteria, placed all successful candidates in the same position and decided their fate on the basis of draws/balloting,” it added.

    Informing the court that more than half of the so-called successful candidates belonged to the constituency of the incumbent railways minister and his nephew, MNA Shafiq, the petition said it was unfortunate how “secret balloting was staged to select the blue-eyed ones”.

    The LHC was informed that 58 per cent seats were to be filled on the basis of open merit, 20 per cent quota was reserved for the children of railways employees, 10 per cent was reserved for ex-employees, 5 per cent for orphans and handicapped, and 2 per cent for disabled persons.

    However, the petition maintained, even those quotas were not taken into consideration during the induction through balloting.

    When approached, PR Chairperson Sikandar Sultan Raja told Dawn that the directions to fill the vacancies from BS-1 to BS-4 through balloting were issued by the federal government.

  • Buzdar-led Punjab govt’s tax collection jumps 44%

    Buzdar-led Punjab govt’s tax collection jumps 44%

    Chief Miniter (CM) Sardar Usman Buzdar-led Punjab government has registered a 44% growth to Rs77 billion of tax collection in the first quarter of the ongoing fiscal year, The Express Tribune reported.

    According to the details, the Finance Department on Monday held a review meeting during which Finance Minister Makhdoom Hashim Jawan Bakht briefed the members about the performance of the provincial government.

    The meeting was told that despite the financial backlog left by the previous government, the incumbent government gave a surplus budget of Rs233 billion in order to meet financial requirements of the federal government to comply with conditions of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan programme.

    Meeting participants also noted that a revenue collection target of Rs388 billion was fixed for Punjab for the fiscal year 2019-20, which was 44% higher than the previous fiscal year.

  • KP girl becomes first woman PAF fighter pilot from province

    KP girl becomes first woman PAF fighter pilot from province

    Kainat Junaid has become the first woman from Khyber Pakthunkhwa (KP) to be selected for fighter pilot training in Pakistan Air Force (PAF), The Express Tribune reported Monday.

    According to reports, hailing from Lower Dir’s Balambat area, Kainat not only secured the top position in PAF’s test for GD pilot, but also became Pakistan’s first female fighter pilot to serve the country alongside her father.

    Kainat cleared her matric examinations by obtaining 1,030 marks from PAF College Badaber and aced her intermediate exams by obtaining 937 marks from Jinnah College, Peshawar.

    Kainat’s father, Squadron Leader Ahmed Junaid, has said that his longstanding desire of watching his daughter become a fighter pilot has been fulfilled.

    “I am so proud of my daughter… she is inspired by Marium Mukhtar, the first female pilot of PAF who sacrificed her life in the line of duty and embraced martyrdom,” he added.

    Flying Officer Marium Mukhtiar was a PAF fighter pilot who lost her life after her PAF FT-7PG aircraft crashed near Kundian in Mianwali district on November 24, 2015.

  • VIDEO: ‘Even my mother-in-law was looted in Karachi,’ regrets Sindh IG

    VIDEO: ‘Even my mother-in-law was looted in Karachi,’ regrets Sindh IG

    A video of Sindh Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kaleem Imam regretting how his own family members, including his in-laws, have also been looted in Karachi, is going viral over the internet.

    “My mother-in-law was looted… my nephews were looted, my sister and brother were also looted, but I am still smiling in front of you,” the IGP can be heard as saying in the video of his address at a seminar on community policing in Karachi.

    “Just imagine how my married life would be after my mother-in-law was forced to give up her jewelry,” he said, adding that unemployment and illiteracy were to be blamed for street crime in the port city.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    https://youtu.be/fAd89B2JuSo

    The IGP then claimed that police have largely overcome the menace of serious crimes in Karachi and it was now working hard to eliminate street crime.

    According to a recent survey, at least 31 people have been killed and 282 injured while resisting robberies in Karachi so far this year.

  • Pakistan Railways continues charging dams fund on train tickets

    Pakistan Railways continues charging dams fund on train tickets

    Despite setbacks and disinterest of the people in contributing to the Diamer-Bhasha and Mohmand dams fund, Pakistan Railways (PR) is continuing to charge passengers with a surcharge of up to Rs10 on all tickets.

    As per the details, the said surcharge was implemented by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government in September last year so as to collect money for the construction of dams while fearing a water crisis in the near future.

    PR had earlier decided to increase fares for all classes to contribute to the fund and the surcharge on tickets was imposed on the directives of Federal Minister for Railways Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed.

    The authorities had decided to charge Rs1 on Rs100 economy class tickets and Rs2 on tickets worth more than Rs100. An additional amount of Rs10 is being charged on air-conditioned class tickets as no category has been exempted from the surcharge.

  • Fazl offered ‘tempting political package’ to call off Azadi March

    Fazl offered ‘tempting political package’ to call off Azadi March

    Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has rejected a “tempting political package” offered to call off his upcoming anti-government ‘Azadi March’, The Current learnt Saturday.

    The right-wing political party leader and a vocal critic of Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, has announced taking to the roads of the capital on October 31 against the incumbent government’s “selection to power” after “fake election”.

    With the announcement stirring up the country’s dormant political scene overnight and forcing the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to devise a counter-strategy against the challenge, sources have informed The Current of a covert offer recently made to Fazl.

    “Maulana [Fazl] was offered a tempting political package to call off his upcoming protest,” they said.

    Refusing to answer this scribe’s queries pertaining to the details of the offer, sources said that while some leaders had urged the JUI-F chief to consider it, others, including Fazl himself, were against striking any deals and his refusal had also led to “threats from certain quarters”.

    “But the threats didn’t deter him, in fact, he is more determined than ever. The main reason behind his determination remains the fact that the people trying to convince him have backstabbed him in the past.”

    “This is why Fazl has now told the people urging him to call off the march to fulfil their promises first,” sources added.

    To a question pertaining to the motive behind the offer, they said, “Maybe the ruling party fears that opposition will resort to actions similar to those carried out by its workers and leaders during its infamous 126-day siege led by Imran [Khan].”

    “But Maulana has clarified that it will be a peaceful campaign as he doesn’t want any clashes with state institutions.”

    Sources also quoted Fazl as saying that he was ready to join hands with any political leader except PM Imran. “Maulana told this to a close aide of the premier because he believes Imran has made their rivalry a personal one,” they said, adding that PTI government’s actions towards the JUI-F chief and his companions had also played a major role in it.

    ‘NO COMPROMISES NOW’:

    Speaking to The Current, Fazl’s brother and JUI-F Senator Attaur Rehman said that the party had given the federal government an August deadline to step down some three months back, but the warning wasn’t taken seriously.

    “Fazl had demanded Imran Khan to step down or be ready for a long march to Islamabad. Now we’re all set for it,” he said.

    Adding that he was not aware of any offers being made to his party chief, Rehman further said that the government had lost its chance to strike a deal. “We won’t make any compromises now.”

    AZADI MARCH:

    Voicing his concerns against the alleged rigging that marred the country’s last general election, Fazl has announced staging a sit-in at D-Chowk in the federal capital’s red zone — the same place where Imran had demonstrated for five months against then PM Nawaz Sharif in 2014.

    Fazl was earlier approached by leaders of the two major opposition parties — Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) — and requested to postpone the lockdown plan and Azadi March till November, but he has made it clear that it was not his individual decision and he was obliged to stand by that of JUI-F’s Central Working Committee.

    The march — earlier scheduled for October 27 — will now be held three days later on October 31 as according to Fazl, his party would now join Kashmiris in observing the previously announced date as black day in protest against the Indian occupation of Jammu and Kashmir.

  • VIDEO: Sheikh Rasheed claims discussing ‘nuclear attack’ with ISPR chief

    VIDEO: Sheikh Rasheed claims discussing ‘nuclear attack’ with ISPR chief

    Federal Minister for Railways Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed has claimed having discussed with Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General (DG) Major General Asif Ghafoor what “fireworks” to use and when.

    “In Beijing, I told [the] ISPR DG that I wittingly made the statement regarding the use of quarter or half kilogram fireworks when the time comes,” he said while speaking to journalists on Saturday.

    The minister had earlier warned India that Pakistan “even has small nuclear bombs weighing 125-250 grams”, which can hit and destroy targeted areas.

    “We know if we want to use our 1-inch, 2-inch or half an inch [atomic bombs],” the minister had said last month, leaving netizens all cracked up.

    “My information is more accurate than most of the people… and Pakistan doesn’t want war. But I stand by my words that it would be the last war. I told Asif Ghafoor that I understand better as to what is to be said in public,” he said Saturday.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    He further said that the nation cannot remain silent while Indian atrocities continue in held Kashmir. “We’re standing with Kashmiris. Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan is standing with Kashmiris and so are the country’s armed forces.”

    “India committed two blunders. The first one was carrying out atomic explosions while presuming that Pakistan would not do so and secondly, it scrapped special status of Kashmir on August 5 this year, believing Kashmiris won’t react”, the minister had said last month.

    His statements had come as tensions started to soar on either side of the border ever since New Delhi on August 5 revoked Article 370 of the Indian constitution, robbing the people of the troubled valley of their autonomous state.

    India has since kept Kashmir under lockdown.