Tag: politics-stories

  • After administration accused of sexual harassment, uniforms enforced in Balochistan University

    After administration accused of sexual harassment, uniforms enforced in Balochistan University

    A month after Balochistan University’s Vice Chancellor Dr. Javed Iqbal stepped down to allow an inquiry into allegations that the administration used surveillance videos to blackmail students, the university has come up with a ‘solution’ for sexual harassment.

    Vice Chancellor Javed Iqbal resigned from his post after blackmail allegation protests

    According to a notice by the university, “Strict compliance to all students admitted in BS/Masters Study Programmes, that wearing of student uniforms…shall be mandatory.” This notice will be in effect for March 1st 2020.

    “After March 1, 2020 no student (boy/girl) will be allowed to enter into the university premises without wearing the prescribed uniform,” the statement added.

    RELATED: Shahzeb Khanzada destroys advisor to CM in KP over imposing dress code

    The protests started in October when 20 students filed complaints that the university administration allegedly blackmailed students with video recordings from CCTV cameras. The administration then asked for sexual favours, marriage proposals and “friendship messages”, students told SAMAA TV.

    Female students protesting the administration-led alleged blackmailing of students

    Women left their hostels to go back home since they weren’t feeling comfortable at the university.

    The Federal Investigation Authority (FIA) was ordered by the Balochistan High Court to investigate the matter.

    Public outrage led to protests across the country in October

    The FIA said that the investigation is in the final stages but not a single employee of the university has been arrested. Balochistan parliament set up a 10-member committee to also monitor the issue but no further details have been given since October.

  • ‘Naya Pakistan’: Tomatoes beat dollar as price jumps to Rs320/kg

    ‘Naya Pakistan’: Tomatoes beat dollar as price jumps to Rs320/kg

    Tomato prices have jumped to Rs320 a kilogram (kg) under the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, sending a shockwave to consumers with a massive jump from Rs160 per kg within a week.

    “Only two consumers bought half a kg of tomato each out of 12 to 15 customers as most of them purchased 250 grams because of the high rates,” Dawn quoted a Karachi-based vendor as saying.

    He reportedly blamed the hike on the soaring wholesale rate of tomato to Rs260-270/kg from Rs120-140 last Friday.

    According to the report, the vendor was of the view that the arrival of tomato from Quetta and Swat had slowed down drastically because of the winter wave that has affected tomato crop.

    The city government had quoted Saturday’s consumer price of Rs199 per kg for tomato which was Rs147 on Friday. However, neither tomato nor any other such items were available at official rates in the city.

    Yet there is some stability in the prices of other vegetables such as capsicum, whose price dropped to Rs240 from Rs280-320 per kg of last week.

    Falahi Anjuman Wholesale Vegetable Market New Sabzi Mandi President Haji Shahjehan said the arrival of Iranian tomato had also come to a halt followed by the slow arrival of Balochistan crop.

    While disagreeing with Rs276-270 per kg wholesale rate at the mandi, he said vegetable dealers quoted very high wholesale rates to justify their retail price as tomato’s actual wholesale rate on Saturday was Rs220 per kg.

  • President resigns amid protests after army chief tells him to

    President resigns amid protests after army chief tells him to

    Bolivian President Evo Morales has resigned after nearly 14 years in power, amid turmoil following his disputed re-election last month, BBC reported.

    According to reports, the head of the army had also called on him to go after protests broke out against his election win and auditors found irregularities with the poll. Morales, however, said he had been the victim of a coup.

    He said he was leaving to help protect families of political allies after their homes were burned down. In a televised address, he urged protesters to “stop attacking the brothers and sisters, stop burning and attacking”.

    The 60-year-old also aimed criticism at what he called the “civic coup” which led to his resignation. Morales ally and Senate President Adriana Salvaterria later said she too would step down shortly after the president.

    Morales later tweeted that a police officer had told him they were in possession of an “illegal” warrant for his arrest and that his home had been attacked by violent groups.

    https://twitter.com/evoespueblo/status/1193702186024361985

    But police commander, Yuri Calderon, denied that authorities were seeking Morales, saying that such reports were “fake news.”

  • Azadi March: Police unhappy with govt over improper food, living conditions

    Azadi March: Police unhappy with govt over improper food, living conditions

    The Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl’s (JUI-F) anti-government Azadi March has entered its third week and while Maulana Fazlur Rehman seems determined to continue the sit-in, cops deployed across the capital are reportedly not happy at all.

    According to Samaa, the police personnel deployed for the protection of protesters have complained that “they are not getting proper food and their living arrangements are lesser than ideal”.

    Moreover, a police constable deployed for the security of the sit-in attempted to harm himself on Monday morning after his request for leave was rejected.

    The constable wanted to go back to Swat and had earlier filed a request for leave. Later, after his application got rejected, he attempted to hurt himself in the bathroom of a building in the H-9 sector.

    The constable was rushed to PIMS where doctors initially said that his condition was critical, but later downgraded it out of danger. The police officer later told people that he harmed himself after his application was rejected.

    Islamabad DIG Waqaruddin Syed has taken notice of the incident and told SP Zubair Sheikh to investigate.

    It is pertinent to note that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government has deployed around 20,000 to 25,000 security officials across the federal capital for the protection of JUI-F’s Azadi March that entered the city on October 31.

  • Sikhs demand Nobel prize for Imran over Kartarpur opening

    Sikhs demand Nobel prize for Imran over Kartarpur opening

    As praises pour in for Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan over the opening of the Kartarpur Corridor despite deteriorating Pakistan-India ties, a group of Sikhs has demanded Nobel Prize for the premier.

    According to reports, several Sikh organisations, including “Sikhs for Justice”, have decided to launch a campaign seeking the Nobel Prize for Imran in a bid to make the world recognise his peace efforts.

    The Sikh community, in this regard, will write a letter to the Nobel committee — a body responsible for most of the work involved in selecting Nobel laureates — wherein it will highlight the details pertaining to Kartarpur opening amid heightened Pakistan-India tensions.

    It also plans to shed light on how the Imran-led government in Islamabad ignored all political differences between the two countries to facilitate Indian Sikh minorities and indicate Pakistan’s efforts for regional peace.

    PM Imran on Saturday formally inaugurated the Kartarpur Corridor at a star-studded ceremony, paving way for Indian Sikh pilgrims to visit their second-most holiest site — Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan — without a visa.

    “I am happy we could do this for you,” he told a gathering of over 12,000 devotees, including former Indian PM Manmohan Singh and cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu.

    “Believe me, I had no idea of the importance this place holds; I found out a year ago,” Imran said. During his brief address, he also raked up the Kashmir issue and said it had resulted in 70 years of hatred between Pakistan and India.

  • ‘No NRO for corrupt,’ Imran tells Rehmatullil Alameen Conference as Nawaz packs bags

    ‘No NRO for corrupt,’ Imran tells Rehmatullil Alameen Conference as Nawaz packs bags

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has said that those who looted the nation deserved no leniency, and no National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) or other relaxations could be given to the corrupt.

    “People have said that I should forgive those who have looted the country, but it is not my money that they have looted,” the premier said as he addressed the International Rehmatullil Alameen Conference in Islamabad while his political nemesis and convicted former PM Nawaz Sharif packed bags for London.

    Imran added that people donated to charities, but did not pay taxes. “If they don’t give taxes, how will the country move forward? Those who plundered the wealth of the nation deserve no right to be spared.”

    The statements came soon after reports claiming that the Imran-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government had allowed Nawaz to travel abroad for medical treatment after his health deteriorated in jail.

    The convicted former premier was earlier granted bail during his stay at Lahore’s Services Hospital following a critical decline in his platelet count.

    NAWAZ’S TICKET CANCELLED:

    Nawaz, accompanied by his brother Shehbaz Sharif and family physician Dr Adnan, was scheduled to leave for London on Monday via Qatar Airways’ commercial flight QR-629 from Lahore.

    His ticket, however, was canceled as his name remains on the Exit Control List (ECL) despite Shehbaz’s request seeking its removal for medical treatment abroad.

    Soon after the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief’s request, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had opposed the removal of ailing Nawaz’s name from the no-fly list whereas government sources had hinted at possible foreign travel permission to the ex-PM.

    While Imran’s government had also allowed the premier to travel abroad for medical treatment, the premier had reportedly said that Nawaz’s removal from the ECL was subject to NAB’s approval.

    The statements had come despite Federal Interior Minister Brig (r) Ijaz Shah on October 31 saying that Nawaz’s name was not on the list in the first place.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    “I checked the record and we did not put him [Nawaz Sharif] on ECL,” he had said while addressing a joint press conference with Special Assistant to the PM on Information and Broadcasting Firdous Ashiq Awan.

    What do you think of the entire episode? Let us know in the comments

  • Blacklisted American woman lies on floor in Islamabad Airport to protest deportation

    An 80-year-old woman, Murray Maude, flew in from Manchester via Pakistan International Airlines to Islamabad on Sunday and was intercepted by the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) immigration officers.

    She was told that she was on the blacklist and had to be deported back to the United States. After being told of her deportation she refused to fly back and started screaming. Lying down on the floor of the airport, she insisted that she be allowed to remain in Pakistan.

    Reported by ARY News

    US Embassy officials were called and they tried to convince Murray to go back but she refused to listen.

    ARY News reports that their sources say she she had visited in Pakistan in 2001 on a six month visa but remained in the country after her visa expired. She lived in Pakistan for 12 years, till 2013, after which she was put on the blacklist by the FIA.

    PIA Spokesperson said that Murray will be sent back on Monday. Until then she’s being taken care of by airport officials.

  • Nawaz to fly to London today if name taken out from ECL

    Nawaz to fly to London today if name taken out from ECL

    Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who has been granted bail on health grounds in the multiple cases against him, is scheduled to fly out to London for treatment Monday morning.

    According to the tickets booked in his name, Sharif will be flying out from Lahore on a commercial flight of Qatar Airways and 09:05 am in the morning. He will be accompanied by his brother Shehbaz Sharif and his personal doctor Dr Adnan Khan.

    Nawaz’s daughter Maryam Nawaz will not be able to accompany her father abroad as she had to surrender her passport in order to secure her release on bail in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills case.

    The return ticket has been booked for November 27.

    Despite the booking of tickets, media reports suggest that Nawaz’s name is still on the Exit Control List (ECL) and both the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and the Ministry of Interior couldn’t arrive at a decision regarding the removal of the name of the PML-N supremo from the ECL for one reason or another.

    Chairman PML-N Raja Zafarul Haq speaking to a private media outlet said, “All the arrangements for his [Nawaz Sharif’s] treatment abroad have been finalized, and we are now just waiting for the government to remove his name from the ECL [Exit Control List.”

    However, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi denied these allegations and said that the government had not created any hurdles to prevent Nawaz from travelling, adding that Sharif was allowed to go anywhere for his medical treatment.

    PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb asserted that Sharif’s condition was critical and it was pertinent that he be sent abroad for treatment. She revealed that a high dose of steroids had been administered to Nawaz in preparation for his expected departure on Monday.

    “Doctors have warned against giving him such high doses of steroids repeatedly,” she said. “They cannot risk any further damage in trying to get his platelet levels to rise.”

    Aurangzeb said that the drop in the former premier’s platelet levels continues to worry doctors and that if Nawaz’s health worsens any further, it will be “almost impossible to take him abroad”.

    Nawaz — who was previously hesitant to go abroad for treatment — is reportedly only going on the insistence of his ageing mother. As far as him flying out Monday morning is concerned, we’ll have to wait and watch.

  • Aneel Mussarat didn’t get a selfie with Manmohan but guess who all he did get one with

    Aneel Mussarat didn’t get a selfie with Manmohan but guess who all he did get one with

    One of PM Khan’s best friends, UK millionaire Aneel Mussarat is incredibly fond of taking selfies – whether the person with him knows or not. Aneel was also present at the Kartarpur Inauguration and in a widely circulated video of Former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Aneel is seen trying to take a selfie with Manmohan and is pushed aside by Manmohan’s guards.

    WATCH: Imran’s aide ridiculed by Manmohan’s guards

    If Aneel couldn’t get Manmohan he did find others.

    CM Punjab Usman Buzdar is all smiles (as smiley as he can get) for a picture with Aneel.

    Doesn’t qualify as a selfie but he got a money shot

    The picture with Indian Actor Sunny Deol isn’t a selfie but at least he got one big shot Indian in his stash of selfies on this trip

    The Bus Selfie with the PM and the foreign minister and is that Navjot Sidhu behind Imran Khan?

    Standing on the bus

    A smiling foreign minister on the side and the PM on the left, Aneel covered all the stars in this trip.

  • VIDEO: Imran’s millionaire aide ridiculed by Manmohan Singh’s guards

    VIDEO: Imran’s millionaire aide ridiculed by Manmohan Singh’s guards

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s aide and British-Pakistani businessman Aneel Mussarat on Saturday was ridiculed by former Indian prime minister (PM) Manmohan Singh’s security as the former approached the Indian National Congress (INC) leader for a selfie.

    In a video, widely being shared over the internet, Mussarat was seen introducing himself to Singh as he shakes his hand. He, however, is stopped from taking a selfie by the ex-Indian premier’s guards who push him back.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    KARTARPUR INAUGURATION:

    Earlier in the day, PM Imran Khan, his team, ex-Indian PM Singh, cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu and Bollywood actor Sunny Deol among other prominent Pakistanis and Indians reached the Kartarpur to attend the opening ceremony of the much-awaited corridor.

    Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, situated in Kartarpur, is the second holiest place for the Sikh community. Located 120 km away from Lahore, it is at a distance of only 4 kilometres from the Pakistan-India border.

    It has been said in the agreement reached between Pakistan and India — to fulfill the much-awaited demand of the Sikh community — that 5,000 Indian Sikh pilgrims will be allowed to visit the Gurdwara through the Kartarpur Corridor on a daily basis.