The US has accused Pakistan’s Federal of Board of Revenue (FBR) of using ‘pirated’ version of its software. According to Business Recorder, the US has urged Pakistan to refrain from engaging in such practices. Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Alice Wells raised this piracy issue during her recent visit to Pakistan.
According to sources, Wells maintained that FBR was using the pirated version of VMware illegally. Ms Wells urged Pakistan to buy the software instead of illegally using it. FBR denied these allegations and officials said this is simply not true. Shabbar Zaidi is currently serving as Chairman FBR.
VMware, Inc. is a publicly traded software company listed on the NYSE under stock ticker VMW. Dell Technologies is a majority shareholder. VMware provides cloud computing and virtualisation software and services. VMware’s desktop software runs on Microsoft Windows, Linux, and macOS, while its enterprise software hypervisor is for servers.
The Senate on Monday passed ‘The Maternity and Paternity Leave Bill, 2018’ that was moved on private members’ day by Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Senator Quratulain Marri.
According to the details, while the bill was passed by the Upper House with a majority, the treasury benches opposed it. The bill will now go to the National Assembly for a vote.
The said bill increases paid maternity leave of working mothers both in public and private sectors, and for the first time in the country, also grants paid paternity leave to fathers.
The bill says that employees of every establishment should be provided six months paid maternity and three months paternity leave as and when applied by employees, separately from their leave account, commencing from the date as applied by the applicant in the application and supported by a medical certificate.
It adds that the employees shall also be provided with an additional three months optional unpaid maternity and one-month paternity leave, separately from their leave account, if required by the employee.
The Maternity and Paternity Leave Bill
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government opposed the bill saying that such long maternity leave was not allowed anywhere in the world. Economic Affairs Minister Hammad Azhar said mothers can get 90-day maternity leave under the already-existing law.
PTI government decided to delete over 800,000 names from the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) last month as it had come to their notice that some government officers and their families were also BISP beneficiaries. Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Social Welfare and Poverty Alleviation Sania Nishtar explained that they did this by utilising forensic data as these people were ‘undeserving’.
I wish to thank the Cabinet for approving my proposal: exiting 820,165 @bisp_pakistan beneficiaries. Using forensic data analysis, we found they were ineligible for support based on the crtieria below. This translates into saving of PKR 16 billion for the government annually. pic.twitter.com/diwEzQ1IGq
The more astounding part is that over two thousand top officials of provincial and federal governments were also BISP beneficiaries. According to details shared by ARY News, 2,543 government officials of Grade-17 to Grade-21 were receiving the BISP income support tri-monthly handouts, meant for the poor segments of society.
Sania Nishtar confirmed the news on Twitter.
True: 2,543 exited from @bisp_pakistan are government officers/their spouses Grade 17 and above. We have written to Chief Secretaries and Ministries officially. At @bisp_pakistan disciplinary action is underway. Safeguards built for future under @Ehsaas_Pk governance reform
Some officers were receiving money in the name of their wives and other members of families, which were registered in the list of the people entitled for income support.
The highest number of undeserving beneficiaries were in Balochistan where 741 registered officials were registered.
In Sindh, 342 officials of grade-18 gained profit from the scheme.
The decision to exclude more than 800,000 people from BISP list was criticised by the PPP. Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto had demanded the government to retract from the decision.
Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday lost his way in Parliament House.
After attending a meeting of the PTI parliamentary committee, PM Khan started walking towards his chamber in the Assembly. PM Khan was so busy talking to Interior Minister Ijaz Shah that he suddenly found himself in unknown territory.
He asked his security official where he was. “Where are you taking me?” asked a perplexed prime minister in a corridor. His security officer then told him that this secret passage will also take him to the Assembly Hall.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Pobhe8BLIw
Meanwhile, Pakistani Twitter did not leave a chance to troll the PM.
PM IK once again lost in parliament. This is so not fair on him. Why must he be expected to know how to enter and exit parliament?
Interestingly, PM Imran wasn’t the only one who lost his way in parliament yesterday. PML-N MNA Maiza Hameed went to the room where PTI parliamentary committee was being held instead of PML-N meeting.
مائزہ حمید غلطی سے تحریک انصاف کی پارلیمانی پارٹی اجلاس میں پہنچ گئیں
Minister for Water Resources Faisal Vawda had said on Monday that Ahsan Iqbal should be hanged for three days.
In a tweet, Mr. Vawda said: “Ahsan Iqbal alias Aristotle alias hypocrite is a bigger thief than Nawaz Sharif. He should have been arrested first but he was caught so late. I will bring forward the list of his front companies and relatives. Their looting [corruption] has brought our country to the edge of destruction. Such people should be hanged for at least 3 days.”
احسن اقبال عرف ارسطو عرف منافق نواز شریف سے بھی بڑا ڈاکو ہے۔ اس کو سب سے پہلے پکڑنا چاہئے تھا لیکن بہت بعد میں پکڑا گیا۔ اس کی فرنٹ کمپنی اور رشتہ داروں کی فہرست جلد سامنے لاونگا۔ ان کی لوٹ مار نے ملک کو تباہی کے دہانے پر لا کھڑا کیا۔ ایسے لوگوں کو کم از کم 3 دن لٹکانا چاہئے
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Ahsan Iqbal was arrested on Monday by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in relation to the Narowal Sports City Complex case
Ahsan Iqbal is accused of using funds of the federal government and the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) for a sports city being established in Narowal, which is a multi-billion-rupee project.
Iqbal while speaking to the media before heading to NAB had said that when the PML-N came to power in 2013, he, as planning minister, had taken up several projects that were incomplete and sports city was one of them.
He said that the funds spent on NSC were approved by the cabinet, parliament and the National Economic Council (NEC).
On International Human Rights’ Day, former Malir SSP Rao Anwar was blacklisted by the United States. Rao Anwar was blacklisted on Tuesday for engaging in “serious human rights abuse” by carrying out alleged fake police ‘encounters’ in which scores of individuals including Naqeebullah Mehsud were killed.
Rao Anwar is among 18 individuals from six countries that the Trump administration has imposed economic sanctions on for suspected human rights violations.
“During his tenure as the Senior Superintendent of Police in District Malir, Pakistan, Rao Anwar Khan (Anwar) was reportedly responsible for staging numerous fake police encounters in which individuals were killed by police, and was involved in over 190 police encounters that resulted in the deaths of over 400 people, including the murder of Naqeebullah Mehsood,” the US Treasury said in a statement.
It said Rao Anwar “helped to lead a network of police and criminal thugs that were allegedly responsible for extortion, land grabbing, narcotics, and murder”.
According to the press release, Rao Anwar has been designated “for being responsible for or complicit in, or having directly or indirectly engaged in, serious human rights abuse.”
The leaders of Britain, Canada, France and the Netherlands have been caught on camera at a Buckingham Palace reception mocking US President Donald Trump’s lengthy media appearances ahead of Wednesday’s Nato summit.
The footage, shot by the British host’s camera pool on Tuesday evening and spotted and subtitled by Canada’s CBC, set the tone for the allies’ summit in Watford, just outside London.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson can be heard asking France’s President Emmanuel Macron: “Is that why you were late?”
Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau interjects: “He was late because he takes a 40 minute press conference off the top.”
In the video, Macron appears to tell an anecdote about his encounter with Trump, as Britain’s Princess Anne and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte look on, but the French leader’s back is to the camera and he is inaudible amid the hubbub.
“Oh, yeah, yeah, he announced…” an amused Trudeau declares, adding: “You just watched his team’s jaw drop to the floor.”
Watch video:
Following the video, Trump responded by reviving his feud with Trudeau, labelling him “two-faced” over his leading role in the exchange.
The prickly president’s honour was apparently satisfied by this, as he was later overheard on a second hot mic boasting: “That was funny when I said that guy was two-faced.”
And in a final irony, Trump cancelled his scheduled press conference at the end of the summit, concluding not unreasonably that he had already said all he had to say during his ad hoc Q&As.
….When today’s meetings are over, I will be heading back to Washington. We won’t be doing a press conference at the close of NATO because we did so many over the past two days. Safe travels to all!
It could have gone very differently, and Nato diplomats admitted that they feared the worst on Wednesday morning when video footage emerged of the leaders laughing about Trump at a Buckingham Palace reception.
Meanwhile, in another press appearance, Trump told reporters, “He’s two-faced.”
“With Trudeau, he’s a nice guy. I find him to be a nice guy, but the truth is, I called him out on the fact that he’s not paying two percent and I guess he’s not very happy about it,” he said.
It is a known fact that Trump loves to dominate an international summit with impromptu, rambling press briefings that leave his fellow world leaders struggling to stick to their agenda.
Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s ‘Azadi March’ which took place from October 31 to November 13 cost the government over Rs240 million, Rs248 million to be exact.
According to a report in Dawn, this amount is payable to contractors/vendors whose services were hired for security and other arrangements which included lodging, meal and transportation of police called from other districts.
As many as 5,000 from the capital police along with 3,000 Frontier Constabulary, 1,500 Punjab Constabulary, 2,000 from KP police and 500 from Kashmir and railway police were deployed in Islamabad during the sit-in. 550 containers were also arranged to block roads as a part of security measures and 105 vehicles, including 88 buses, were used to transport the security personnel.
The rent of a 40-foot container was Rs20,000 a day and Rs14,000 for a 20-foot container. On the other hand, the rent of a bus was Rs25,000 per day and Rs15,000 of a wagon/truck. The fuel for these vehicles cost the police Rs 20 million.
The capital police also purchased anti-riot gears to deal with confrontations, though none took place in the 13-day sit-in.
Other expenses included the rent of nine buildings hired for the force requisitioned from other provinces.
Meanwhile, Rs695.6 million were spent during PTI and PAT’s dharna in 2014.
Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday had a telephonic conversation with US President Donald Trump.
According to PTI’s official Twitter account, PM Khan had a telephone conversation with President Trump, during which bilateral and regional issues were discussed.
Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Telephone Conversation with President Donald Trump
PM Imran conveyed that the release of Western hostages in Afghanistan was a positive development and Pakistan was happy that they were safe and free. President Trump thanked the PM for Pakistan’s efforts in facilitating this positive outcome.
The Prime Minister re-affirmed Pakistan’s commitment to the advancement of Afghan peace and reconciliation process for a peaceful and stable Afghanistan. Both leaders agreed to continue to work together for the promotion of this shared objective.
The Prime Minister apprised President Trump of the current situation in IOJ&K, underscoring that over 8 million people remained under siege for over 100 days now.
Appreciating President Trump’s continued engagement as well as mediation offer, PM Imran stressed that the President must continue his efforts for facilitation of a peaceful solution of the Jammu & Kashmir dispute.
Recalling their conversations in Washington and New York, the two leaders agreed to deepen bilateral collaboration, including in relevant multilateral fora.
The two leaders further agreed to remain in close contact.
Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif met with doctors after he arrived in London via an air ambulance for medical treatment late on Tuesday.
Shehbaz Sharif took Nawaz Sharif to Guy’s hospital today for check-up, along with Hasan and Hussain Nawaz.
Nawaz will be treated at Hasan Nawaz’s flat and a room has been reserved for him, equipped with the necessary equipment as advised by doctors.
PM tells govt spokespersons not to react to CJP’s remarks: report
In a meeting with government spokespersons, Prime Minister Imran Khan has said, “The government decided to send Nawaz Sharif abroad on humanitarian grounds and after consulting doctors’ reports” and directed them not to react or respond to CJP remarks.
Imran Khan also reportedly said that people were watching Nawaz’s activities in London. He said that the PTI would not play politics over Nawaz’s health.
Talking about the foriegn funding case the premier reportedly told participants of the meeting,”No need to worry about the foreign funding case. PTI’s audit reports are there for all to see”.
PM reportedly said that opposition parties were using the case to keep their politics alive and build a narrative against the PTI.
NA approves Shehbaz Sharif’s resignation as PAC chairperson
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president Shehbaz Sharif had earlier stepped down reportedly owing to his personal engagements and now PML-N’s Rana Tanveer is likely to be nominated as the PAC chairperson in place of Shehbaz.
The PAC primarily oversees the public expenditure and, in case of a suspicion of malpractice or corruption, the committee has the authority to investigate the matter and refer the issue to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
Shehbaz’s nomination was unanimously supported after the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) came into power.
Pakistan beat India to qualify for ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup final
Pakistan on Wednesday qualified for the final of ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2019 after beating India by three runs in the first semi final in Dhaka.
Pakistan — who were defending a total of 267 — restricted India to 264 for eight in 50 overs, as Pakistani bowlers displayed great control on nerves and outstanding death-overs skills.
Pakistan’s opponent in the Saturday’s final of ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup will be decided after the second semi final between Afghanistan and Bangladesh on Thursday.
