Tag: politics-stories

  • Fawad says ‘Science & Tech Ministry has nothing to do with science’

    Fawad says ‘Science & Tech Ministry has nothing to do with science’

    Federal Minister for Science & Technology Fawad Chaudhry has said that his ministry has “nothing to do with science”.

    In a recent interview with Independent Urdu, the minister was asked what relation was there between his law degree and science.

    There is no connection, he said, adding: “In fact, the Science and Technology Ministry itself has no relation with science.”

    Earlier, in an interview to The Current, Fawad, who was sacked as the federal minister for information and broadcasting in last month’s cabinet reshuffle, had said he himself had chosen the Science and Technology Ministry.

    “I was offered two or three ministries by Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan and I voluntarily chose this ministry because science and technology is the way forward,” he had said.

    WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW HERE:

  • VIDEO: Saudi Arabia intercepts missiles headed for Makkah

    VIDEO: Saudi Arabia intercepts missiles headed for Makkah

    Saudi Arabia has intercepted two missiles headed for Makkah, the kingdom announced on Tuesday night.

    According to an official statement, the ballistic missiles, reportedly intercepted over Taif, were fired by Yemeni Houthi rebels and were headed for the holy city as well as Jeddah, a port city on the Red Sea.

    In a tweet, Saudi Arabia’s embassy in Washington confirmed the reports.

    PAKISTAN CONDEMNS:

    Meanwhile, Islamabad has condemned the reported firing of ballistic missiles.

    The Foreign Office, in a statement, issued its condemnation and also commended Saudi forces for their “vigilant” defence.

    “Pakistan condemns the firing of ballistic missiles by Houthis towards Makkah province and commends the vigilant Saudi defence forces for intercepting the missiles,” read the statement.

    “Pakistan reaffirms its solidarity with Saudi Arabia and reiterates its support against any threat to the security of the kingdom.”

    Saudi Arabia is leading a coalition of Muslim states that intervened in Yemen in 2015 to try to restore the internationally recognised government that was ousted from power by Houthi rebels in late 2014.

    The Houthis, on the other hand, denied that their missiles were targeting Makkah, roughly 70 km (40 miles) from Jeddah and 50 km (30 miles) from Taif. The group called the claim “a tactic by Saudi Arabia to rally support for its war”.

  • United opp divides people: All you should know about Bilawal’s Iftar

    United opp divides people: All you should know about Bilawal’s Iftar

    As leaders of major opposition parties joined hands to attend an Iftar dinner hosted by Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Sunday, their united stance against the government left social media divided.

    ATTENDANCE:

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz, PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) senior leader Liaquat Baloch, Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) Chairman Aftab Sherpao and Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) leaders Ali Wazir and Mohsin Dawar were all in attendance for the event organised at Zardari House in Islamabad.

    AGENDA:

    Bilawal is working to unite all opposition parties and his Iftar was an opportunity for them to reach consensus on launching an anti-government movement after Ramzan.

    The grand show of around ten political parties discussed strategies against the government. Sources had earlier informed The Current that the meeting was set to unite opposition leaders against the country’s economic crisis — falling rupee value and inflation.

    It was decided that solutions will be found to the issues the country is facing and all opposition parties will launch a protest inside and outside the parliament after Eid.

    They also agreed that the government has failed in running the affairs of the country and after Eid, an All Parties Conference (APC) would be held where a joint strategy would be formulated.

    The meeting also expressed concerns over “political victimisation” by the National Accountancy Bureau (NAB).

    PM IMRAN’S REACTION:

    Meanwhile, Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan hit out at the opposition and said, “Today certain people have gathered for an event but we really know that it is because of them that Pakistan has not moved forward.”

    He said that the economy was being used “as a source of blackmail by corrupt political mafia”.

    DIVIDED SOCIAL MEDIA:

    Some social media users lauded Bilawal and Maryam as the new faces behind the two biggest opposition parties in the country, “taking forward the ideas of their parents” — former PMs Benazir Bhutto and Maryam Nawaz.

    https://twitter.com/always_opposed/status/1130139351558631424

    Meanwhile, some others stepped up to criticise the “unholy alliance”.

    https://twitter.com/FawadPTIUpdates/status/1130080776899452928

    https://twitter.com/Faisal_Kp01/status/1130382713062678528
  • Pakistani millionaire who lost everything, became labourer in UAE

    Pakistani millionaire who lost everything, became labourer in UAE

    An overseas Pakistani has gone from owning a million-dirham business in Sharjah to becoming a labourer at a junk yard after he lost over Dh500,000 in an alleged scam, Khaleej Times reported.

    As per the details, Asghar Hussain and his family’s lives
    were turned upside down in late 2008, when an Indian con artist forged his
    signatures on legal company papers and fled the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

    Asghar, his wife and four kids, aged 15 to 23, have had to
    live with the dire consequences that followed the incident. By 2013, Asghar was
    no longer able to keep his business going as he was unable to pay bank loans.

    His children were kicked out of school in 2014 for not
    paying the fees – they remain without an education till this day.

    Their residence, which used to be a large two-bedroom
    apartment, is now a small, unfurnished room. They sleep on the floor, hang
    their clothes on a dirty ladder, and have their belongings stored away in
    worn-out cardboard boxes.

    “My children haven’t been to school in almost five years,” the
    mother, Farah Gull, told Khaleej Times.
    “I have knocked on so many doors, asking charities if they can at least help us
    with school, but we were turned away.”

    The family still owes the school, the Pakistan Islamia
    Higher Secondary School in Sharjah, about Dh20,000.

    “My mother died when I was living here illegally, so I
    couldn’t even go to see her one last time. My wife’s parents died and she
    couldn’t go either. It really breaks our hearts,” Ashgar said.

    Going back home to Lahore was not an option for them as the
    parents sold their home and all of their belongings to pay for their failing
    business, rent and school fees.

    Asghar has managed to secure a temporary job at a junk yard,
    where he and his 23-year-old son work as labourers, earning less than Dh500 per
    month.

    “It’s not a life I imagined for myself and my kids, but we
    have to produce some kind of income for the home. I have a wife, three
    daughters and a son that I have to take care of. I refuse to beg on the
    streets, but I will do a job of a labourer if I have to earn cash for my
    family,” he said.

  • The Current’s favourite political gimmicks

    The Current’s favourite political gimmicks

    Earlier this week, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi was spotted visiting different areas of Multan as a pillion rider on a motorbike, without any protocol and listening to the problems of his constituents.

    Hardly anyone is not familiar with the lines our political leaders can cross while trying to score attention or approval of the masses.

    Here are four of The Current’s favourite Pakistani political stunts.

    4. Shehbaz Sharif’s overenthusiastic address to party workers:

    Shehbaz and his signature “mic drops”. Here’s a private news channel’s report on it.

    3. Imran Khan burning a utility bill against inflation under PML-N rule:

    Fulfilling his promise to burn his electricity bill at the infamous 2014 sit-in, the PTI chief set fire to a piece of paper on night of his call to celebrate the “Day of Deliverance”.

    2. Sheikh Rasheed on the run across Rawalpindi:

    Despite orders for his arrest, Awami Muslim League chief Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed made it to a rally of his supporters in Rawalpindi’s Committee Chowk on a motorbike while beating the cops after him.

    1. Imran’s ‘civil disobedience campaign’ against PML-N government:

    The disobedience movement was a no-confidence public campaign against the government of PML-N. It was launched by the PTI chief in 2014 to protest against the alleged corruption of Sharif family members.

  • Railways suffer losses worth over Rs28bn in PTI’s first eight months

    Railways suffer losses worth over Rs28bn in PTI’s first eight months

    In contradiction to Federal Minister for Railways Sheikh Rasheed’s claims, Pakistan Railways (PR) has suffered a loss of Rs28.62 billion within the first eight months of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, it was revealed Friday.

    Just last month, Rasheed had claimed that PR has generated a profit of Rs43 billion ever since he was handed the reins of the department.

    However, according to a report submitted to the National Assembly Standing Committee on Railways, the department’s total expenditure stands at Rs72 billion, while six of the 10 new trains inaugurated by Rasheed are suffering losses.

    The trains running to further ruin the crippling department include Dhabeji Express, Shah Latif Express, Mohenjodaro Express, Rohi Passenger Train, Thal-Mianwali Express, Faisalabad Non-Stop Train and Rawalpindi Express.

  • Aamir Liaquat believes Bermuda Triangle is ‘Dajjal’s eye’

    Aamir Liaquat believes Bermuda Triangle is ‘Dajjal’s eye’

    Televangelist Aamir Liaquat Hussain has claimed that Bermuda
    Triangle, also known as the Devil’s Triangle, is “actually the right eye of Dajjal
    (Antichrist)”.

    Liaquat revealed the “reality” behind the loosely-defined region
    of the North Atlantic Ocean while hosting a Ramzan show on Pakistan Television
    (PTV).

    A number of aircraft and ships are said to have disappeared under
    mysterious circumstances in the area.

    While the TV host — also an elected representative — is
    not the first person to have such a theory about the region, most reputable
    sources dismiss the idea that there is any mystery.

    Several people believe that the Bermuda Triangle and the
    surrounding areas are either haunted or occupied by aliens.

  • Shehbaz Sharif applies for political asylum in UK?

    Shehbaz Sharif applies for political asylum in UK?

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Shehbaz Sharif has applied for political asylum in the United Kingdom (UK), a private media outlet reported on Wednesday night.

    According to BOL News, the opposition leader in the National Assembly, who is facing multiple National Accountability Bureau (NAB) cases of corruption and misuse of power as Punjab chief minister, has applied for political refuge.

    Soon after the report was aired, other media outlets made similar claims as another popular channel explained why one seeks humanitarian protection outside his or her home country.

    Social media was abuzz with conflicting reports when Shehbaz’s spokesperson Attaullah Tarar took to Twitter to clarify the situation.

    Rubbishing the claims, Tarar said Shehbaz will be returning to Pakistan before the budget session for the fiscal year 2019-20 in the National Assembly and Senate on May 24.

    He said that the younger Sharif had an appointment with a cancer specialist on May 8 in London and another one on May 14. “It is likely that he may be suggested a few more tests after which he will be returning to Pakistan,” he said.

    Earlier, Shehbaz himself had also said he would be back in Pakistan in a matter of days.

    “I have a few medical check-ups to attend to in the next few days and I will be returning to Pakistan after that. It could be much sooner than the budget session,” he had told a media outlet earlier this month.

    Shehbaz, a cancer patient, has been in London for over three weeks now. He has reportedly undergone various tests as part of his medical check-ups, especially for the pain he had developed while in NAB custody.

  • Usman Buzdar outclasses Balochistan, KP, Sindh chief ministers

    Usman Buzdar outclasses Balochistan, KP, Sindh chief ministers

    Despite the ire that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has drawn for its economic policies and questionable performance of some of its lawmakers, Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Usman Buzdar has outperformed all his counterparts.

    According to the latest survey conducted by Gallup Pakistan, CM Buzdar has topped performance charts against the chief ministers of Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Sindh.

    The survey was conducted on the holistic performance of all
    chief ministers in the previous year. As many as 37 per cent people termed CM Buzdar’s
    performance good, followed by KP CM at 34 per cent, Balochistan CM at 30 per cent
    and then Sindh CM at 27 per cent.

    A total of 60 per cent of Pakistanis (those who voted for him
    as very good, good and appropriate) are satisfied with CM Buzdar’s performance.

    A large chunk (65 per cent) of youngsters are among those satisfied
    with the Punjab CM.

    ‘WE LOVE IMRAN KHAN’:

    Meanwhile, a majority of Pakistanis have a favourable
    opinion of Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s performance after his first nine
    months in power.

    According to the same survey, 58 per cent people are
    satisfied with his individual performance as prime minister.

    The survey, however, showed that the performance of the PTI
    government in the field of economy was weaker than the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz
    (PML-N) government. According to 51 per cent people, the PML-N government’s
    performance in the field of economy was better than the current government.