Tag: Prime Minister Imran Khan

  • Pakistan delivers flowers to 10 Downing Street as British PM fights coronavirus

    Pakistan delivers flowers to 10 Downing Street as British PM fights coronavirus

    Pakistan High Commission in London on Tuesday delivered flowers to 10 Downing Street, the official residence of British Prime Minister (PM) Boris Johnson who was admitted to the hospital two days ago after testing positive for the coronavirus, The Guardian reported.

    Johnson tested positive for the virus on Mar 27, following which he went into self-isolation at his official residence. On Sunday, he was admitted to an undisclosed hospital in London and a day later shifted to the intensive care unit as, reports said, his condition worsened.

    On Tuesday, PM Imran Khan also wrote to his British counterpart, wishing him “earliest recovery” and “good health”.

    According to a statement issued by the PM’s Office (PMO), the premier, in the letter, underscored the importance of Pakistan and the United Kingdom (UK) working together to overcome the formidable challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic.

  • Tareen & sugar crisis: ‘Imran feeling betrayed, thinking he bet on the wrong horse’

    Tareen & sugar crisis: ‘Imran feeling betrayed, thinking he bet on the wrong horse’

    With the damning investigation report on the recent sugar crisis making headlines and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senior leader Jahangir Khan Tareen being named as one of the people who allegedly benefited from the economic disaster, Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, to whom Tareen has always been more than just a colleague, is feeling betrayed, The News has reported.

    Earlier this year, following the shortage of wheat flour in the country and the subsequent price hike, sugar had also gone missing from the market. Taking notice of the situation, the premier had formed a committee to find out those responsible for the crises.

    On Saturday, the inquiry report on sugar crisis had named PTI bigwig Tareen, Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid’s (PML-Q) Moonis Elahi and a relative of then minister for national food security Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiar as the beneficiaries of the price hike.

    On Sunday, PM Imran had said that he was waiting for the detailed forensic reports, slated to come out on April 25, before taking any action against those responsible and on Monday he had reshuffled the federal cabinet which saw Bakhtiar being replaced. Tareen was also removed from the Agriculture Task Force among other changes.

    Soon after the reshuffle, reports claimed that the premier was “feeling betrayed by once his closest aide Tareen”, who, despite having been disqualified by the apex court, was given the informal role of deputy PM to help the PTI government deliver.

    “Tareen was given immense power, informally, to reform the agriculture sector, his choice men were appointed in the cabinet as well as in the bureaucracy both in the Centre and Punjab. But, it all ended up not only in failures but caused major scandals of wheat and sugar,” the report said and further claimed that Tareen had “thoroughly disappointed Imran, who now thinks that he had bet on a wrong horse”.

    The latest reshuffle in the cabinet and bureaucracy, these report said, was a clear message for all and sundry both within the PTI and in the government that Tareen was out and so was his influence. “With these changes, the PTI Jahangir Tareen group meets its end.”

    It also said that what happened on Monday was not the climax and “a lot will happen after April 25 when the Sugar Commission will submit its report on how the sugar mafia operates”.

    “There will be criminal proceedings, possible arrests and institutional actions by [the] FBR [Federal Board of Revenue], SECP [Securities & Exchange Commission of Pakistan] etc,” it added.

  • Coronavirus: Top judge slams PTI govt, says ‘nothing being done on ground’

    Coronavirus: Top judge slams PTI govt, says ‘nothing being done on ground’

    Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Gulzar Ahmed has rebuked the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) led federal government for its “insufficient” measures to contain the new coronavirus, declaring that “nothing is being done on ground”.

    The top judge’s remarks came as COVID-19 infections in Pakistan crossed 3,500 with at least 52 deaths on Monday.

    Hearing an appeal against the verdict announced by the Islamabad High Court (IHC), the CJP directed the government to grant bail to low-risk under-trial prisoners (UTPs) during the pandemic.

    At the outset of the hearing, he said that the government had closed the out-patient departments (OPDs) of all hospitals, leaving no place for patients to seek treatment at such a crucial time.

    “Hospitals have been closed when we need them. Up till now, 10 hospitals with 1,000 beds each should have been made operational,” he said.

    “Everyone is talking about funds, no one is doing anything. The public has been left at the mercy of God,” he remarked. The chief justice also criticised the government’s efforts to encourage people to stay indoors in order to curb the spread of the disease.

    The attorney general (AG) said that the federal government is taking best possible measures to fight the deadly contagion. He further stated that another report, apprising about the situation in the country has also been submitted before the court.

    The top judge said that Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari filed a reply that the Peshawar High Court has ordered the release of 3,200 prisoners.

    The AG replied that no such verdict was given by the (PHC), adding that the human rights minister might be mistaken.

    The chief justice also questioned the competence of State Minster for Health Dr Zafar Mirza, saying that he is just being given coverage on media on a daily basis.

    The top court remarked that no one has come from the Defence Ministry. “The court needs to inquire about what the Defence Ministry is up to,” the SC remarked.

    To this, the AG responded that no one from the ministry was summoned yet.

    On Saturday, senior lawyer Khawaja Haris had urged the top court to reconsider its decision of revoking the IHC ruling. In a set of recommendations submitted to the apex court, Haris said that the IHC had announced the verdict in line with the law due to the ongoing crisis.

    He had said that it is imperative that measures are taken to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

  • Imran vows to go after profiteers as he delivers on promise of probing sugar, wheat crises

    Imran vows to go after profiteers as he delivers on promise of probing sugar, wheat crises

    Fulfilling his promise of ensuring transparency and accountability in governance, Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has not only made the inquiry reports into the sugar and wheat shortage public but also ordered the formation of a commission to conduct a forensic audit of the sugar mills, including JDW that is owned by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senior leader Jahangir Tareen.

    As per the details, a report by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Saturday claimed that top PTI members were among those who gained from the recent sugar crisis in the country. An investigation into the crisis had been ordered by Prime Minister Imran Khan in February.

    Among the people named in the FIA report are Tareen and Makhdum Omer Shehryar, a relative of Minister for National Food Security Khusro Bakhtiar, Geo reported.

    According to the report, sugar price was increased from Rs 55 per kg in December 2018 to Rs 71.44 per kg in June 2019, despite the fact that the General Sales Tax (GST) increase was implemented from July 1, 2019. After the export of sugar in January 2019, its price started increasing immediately in the local market.

    The major beneficiaries of the subsidy offered by the government on export of sugar include RYK Group, owned and controlled by Shehryar, which availed 15.83 per cent of the total export subsidy amounting to Rs3.944 billion. Chaudhry Munir and Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) senior leader Moonis Elahi are also partners in this group.

    JDW Group owned and controlled by Tareen availed 12.28 per cent of the total export subsidy amounting to Rs3.058bn, while Hunza Sugar Mills availed 11.56 per cent of the total subsidy amounting to Rs 2.879bn. Hunza Sugar Mills is owned by Muhammad Waheed chaudry, Idrees Chaudhry and Saeed Chaudhry.

    Sugar mills owned by the Sharif family availed 5.91 per cent of the total export subsidy amounting to Rs1.472bn.

    The document does not mention under whose influence the Punjab government issued subsidies to sugar mills or why the Economic Coordination Council (ECC) approved the decision to export sugar.

    Reacting to the report, Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar said he has faith that whatever the situation, PM Imran “will ensure justice”.

    Tareen, PTI’s former general secretary, said that out of the Rs3 billion subsidy to the sugar mills, Rs2.5 billion were given when the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) was in power.

    Meanwhile, it has been reported that the commission due to submit its report on April 25 has started working and nine teams are already on the ground for carrying out forensic analysis of 10 sugar mills, including Alliance Sugar mills Ghotki, Al-Arabia Sugar Mills Sargodha, Al-Moiz 1 Sugar Mills DI Khan, Al-Moiz 2 Sugar Mills Mianwali, Hamza Sugar Mills RY Khan, Hunza 1 and Hunza 2 Sugar Mills Faisalabad and Jhang, and JDW 1,2, and 3 Sugar Mills RY Khan and Ghotki.

  • Jemima Khan sends love and salaams to Pakistan

    Jemima Khan sends love and salaams to Pakistan

    If there is one person Pakistanis unanimously and wholeheartedly love, it’s Jemima Khan, former wife of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

    Amid the coronavirus crisis which has shaken the entire world, Jemima sent “love and salaams” to Pakistan in a Twitter message.

    Pakistanis were quick to send their love back to her.

    https://twitter.com/SheemaMehkar/status/1246158785380524033?s=20

    Some people couldn’t resist from giving her updates about PM Khan and his efforts.

    https://twitter.com/RamlahSeraj/status/1246141968096387076?s=20

    With more than one million cases of coronavirus across the world, which is currently under lockdown, the situation appears to be dire. The UK is one of the worst-hit countries with 38,168 cases and 3,605 deaths. British PM Boris Johson and Prince Charles were also tested positive for the virus.

    Meanwhile Pakistan has reported 2708 cases and 40 deaths.

  • Did PM Imran just give the corrupt a chance to whiten their black money?

    Did PM Imran just give the corrupt a chance to whiten their black money?

    With Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan offering amnesty for the construction sector, netizens are expressing their “disappointment” at what they say is the premier “flip-flopping on his ideals to hold the corrupt accountable”.

    PM Imran on Friday gave the status of industry to the construction sector, as he announced opening of the sector along with a package of incentives to boost it with a view to keeping the wheels of economy moving and mitigate the impact of the lockdown on people.

    Speaking to reporters after a meeting of the National Command Centre, the PM said the government provided these exemptions to provide employment to the labourers so that they can be saved from “hunger and the coming difficult circumstances”.

    In line with the relief package, the government will not ask construction entities about their source of income for this year as well as approval of a fixed tax regime for the sector.

    The PM said: “This [move] will bring down the amount of tax to be paid. Also, if the investment is for the Naya Pakistan Housing Scheme, we will exempt 90% of the tax on it.”

    He announced an Rs30bn subsidy for the Naya Pakistan Housing Scheme, saying that on the one hand, it will regulate economic activity and on the other, ensure houses for the poor were also built.

    He also said that withholding tax on materials and services had been abolished in the informal sector. “Tax will be collected only on steel and cement, mainly because these are the formal sectors.”

    Here’s what Twitterati have to say in this regard:

    Meanwhile, some resorted to meme-ing it out:

    What do you think of the incentives announced by the PM? Let The Current know in the comments…

  • Inflation at seven-month low in March

    Inflation at seven-month low in March

    Pakistan’s Consumer Price Index (CPI)-based monthly inflation slowed to 10.24 per cent in March 2020 as compared to the previous month, Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) reported.

    This is the second month in a row that the CPI reading has eased by more than 2 per cent. The bureau had recorded CPI inflation at 12.4 per cent in February. Inflation at 10.2 per cent is the lowest reading in the past seven months.

    According to PBS data, commodity prices remained largely unchanged and markets functioned normally in March despite partial lockdown of the country to control the spread of coronavirus.

    In addition to fuel charges, the prices of food items, including pulses, fresh vegetables and wheat, which have been the main drivers of inflation, also saw a significant downtrend, the bureau said.

    However, it added, the real impact of slash in demand or short supply of commodities due to the shutdown of the market is yet to come.

    “The government’s move to keep the trade of groceries unaffected may support the fall of inflation even in the coming months.”

    The average inflation in the first nine months (July-March) of fiscal year 2020 stood at 11.53 per cent, which in the same period of the last year was 6.3 per cent.

    As per the data, the rate of inflation during the month under review slowed down both in urban and rural areas. Food inflation in urban areas that stood at 15.2 per cent in the preceding month eased to 13 per cent in March. Similarly, in rural areas, the food inflation pace slowed down from 19.7 per cent in February to 15.5 per cent last month.

  • Pakistani billionaire announces Rs1 billion for COVID-19 battle

    As Pakistan wages war on the coronavirus pandemic, chairperson of Dawood Hercules Corporation — parent organisation of Pakistani multinational conglomerate Engro Corporation — and billionaire Hussain Dawood has announced pledging a contribution in services, kind and cash of Rs1 billion for a short, medium and long-term basis, on behalf of Dawood Hercules, Engro and his family.

    “We are committed to help solve some of the most pressing issues of our time and it is incumbent upon us to serve our nation best when it needs us most.  These are our fundamental values that continue to be at the core of what we strive to achieve,” Hussain said in a press release issued Thursday

    “We must work on several fronts concurrently. The need of the hour is to target on reducing the spread and impact of this virus,” he emphasised.

    The group further said it would focus on disease prevention, with a major focus on testing and diagnostics, protecting and enabling healthcare practitioners and other key workers, who are at the frontline of the fight against this pandemic, enabling patient care and facilities; and to bolster livelihoods and sustenance of the most deserving in society.

    The company also welcomed the efforts by the government and other organisations who have stepped up to this challenge.

    The contribution comes a day after Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan announced a relief fund to fight the coronavirus epidemic and urged everyone to donate.

    “Prime Minister’s COVID-19 Pandemic Relief Fund-2020 has been set up to help us fight this pandemic. I want everyone to donate towards this fund which will be used to take care of all those who have been made destitute by the lockdown,” he had tweeted.

  • Coronavirus: Atif Aslam, Mahira Khan appreciate PM Khan for his efforts

    Superstars Mahira Khan and Atif Aslam are thanking Prime Minister Imran Khan and praising him for his efforts towards managing the COVID-19 outbreak, given that it is spreading at an alarming speed.

    In a video posted to social media, the singer said, “I just wanted to appreciate PM Imran Khan for taking the necessary precautions and measures to deal with this pandemic. I want to tell everyone to look after themselves and the people around them in the capacity that they can.”

    He continued, “I don’t want anything from the government, I don’t want anything from anyone… But I just wanted to appreciate our PM for everything that [he’s] doing, for the steps that [he’s] taking.

    “At this time, we are all with you and if you ever need our help, whatever we can do, we’ll be there. Long live Pakistan,” he concluded.

    Earlier, Mahira Khan and Mawra Hocane had also praised PM Khan and extended their support to him.

  • Coronavirus: ‘Military sidelined PM Imran to enforce countrywide lockdown,’ NYT claims

    A report in The New York Times has claimed that the military “sidelined Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan to enforce a countrywide lockdown” last week as the coronavirus pandemic in Pakistan worsened while the premier rejected calls from healthcare workers and provincial officials to enforce the same, saying it would ruin the economy.

    “[Imran] Khan rejected calls from healthcare workers and provincial officials to enforce a lockdown, saying it would ruin the economy. Instead, he urged citizens to practice social distancing and ordered everyone back to work, many returning to the sweltering, cramped factories that are the backbone of the economy,” the report said.

    It added, “Finally, the military stepped in on Sunday and sidelined Khan, working with provincial governments to deploy across the country and enforce a lockdown. They erected a maze of military checkpoints in cities like Karachi and sent baton-wielding police officers to violently disperse crowds.”

    While the report suggested that the action might be too late, it is pertinent to note that governments of Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Punjab had last Sunday sought the army’s help in dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, asking it to assist civil institutions as the number of confirmed cases in the country crossed 600. The requests had come a day after the Sindh government’s decision to impose a complete lockdown and seek military help under Article 245 of the Constitution.

    The 18th Amendment provides the provinces with significant decision-making autonomy. While Sindh imposed a lockdown on March 23 and requisitioned the army to help carry it out, other provinces followed with varying levels of the halt.

    The Interior Ministry had approved the deployment of the army across the provinces and Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General (DG) Major General Babar Iftikhar had on Monday confirmed Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa’s directions for troops and medical resources to be deployed “as per need” in order to contain the spread of the new coronavirus.

    Addressing a press briefing, the military spokesperson had said that the government summoned army for assistance in accordance with the constitution. “This is the time to take tough and difficult decisions on an individual, familial and societal basis.”

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