Tag: Senator Sherry Rehman

  • ‘Three crore people have become homeless due to floods’: Ahsan Iqbal

    ‘Three crore people have become homeless due to floods’: Ahsan Iqbal

    Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Reforms Ahsan Iqbal said that 55 lakh households were affected, while more than three crore people became homeless due to the devastating floods and rains across Pakistan.

    “A safe analysis suggests that 55 lakh poor households have been affected, while more than three crore people have been displaced due to the floods. We need more than one million tents for these people,” said Iqbal while speaking on Dawn News programme, ‘Live with Adil Shahzeb’.

    At least 151 people lost their lives in rains and flash floods in Punjab, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) says in its report.

    Four more people have died in the rain and flood-related incidents in Balochistan during the last 24 hours, according to PDMA.

    Read more: Here is how you can help flood victims

    A report issued by the PDMA Balochistan said the death toll since June 1 in the rain-destructed province has reached 234. The deceased include 110 men, 55 women and 69 children.

    Federal Minister for Climate Change, Sherry Rehman said that death toll in Pakistan has gone up to 903.

  • Twitter demands govt to disclose agreement made with TLP

    Various people on Twitter have demanded and questioned the government following the state’s claim about reaching an ‘agreement’ with the proscribed Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) in order to end the nearly two-week-long protests.

    The details of the negotiations have yet not been made public.

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar tweeted: “The people of this country have a right to know about the agreement made with a proscribed group, which caused loss of life and property and disrupted citizens’ lives for weeks.”

    While recalling the Hazara community’s protest, he demanded to know whether the martyrdom of Punjab police officials was in vain and if the perpetrators will be punished.

    PPP’s Senator Sherry Rehman questioned the decision to disclose details at an appropriate time. “Peace with the state on what terms?” she tweeted.

    Former Member of National Assembly (MNA) and rights activist Bushra Gohar said: “Yet another surrender agreement to be signed with the alleged Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) funded banned religious extremist group TLP,” with hashtag #GayaPakistan.

    Lawyer and activist Jibran Nasir asked the media and all stakeholders to question the government why TLP chief Saad Hussain Rizvi was not formally arrested.

    He expressed his concerns on Twitter and said, “TLP is being kept alive and will be kept alive to be the political nuisance it was intended to be, a variable in Punjab used as a when establishment wants it to.”

    Legal adviser for the International Commission of Jurists, Reema Omer tweeted: “Nothing in this press conference inspired confidence, least of all the ‘secret’ agreement”

    Journalist Yusra Askari mocked the government and labelled the agreement between the state and banned outfit as “horrors of this Halloween” that will haunt us forever.

    The protests by the banned outfit led to the deaths of five police officials and injured more than 250 others.

  • ‘Petroleum products prices in Pak are still lower than other countries’: Shaukat Tarin

    ‘Petroleum products prices in Pak are still lower than other countries’: Shaukat Tarin

    Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin on Friday said the rates of petroleum products in Pakistan are still lower when compared to several regional countries.

    Tarin said Pakistan ranks 17th in the region when it comes to petrol prices.

    “There are only 16 other countries that have lower petrol prices than ours. They are oil producers and have their own oil,” said Tarin.

    “Prices in the international market have increased recently forcing the government to hike local prices,” he said after petrol prices were increased by Rs4 per litre and that of high-speed diesel (HSD) by Rs2 per litre.

    Shaukat Tarin said Prime Minister Imran Khan stopped the ministry from increasing the levy as he wanted to lessen the burden on the masses. “This is the reason we want to give direct subsidy to the lower-income group.”

    “We are not even charging [petroleum] levy even though we have kept a target of Rs600 billion for it in the budget. But we and the prime minister didn’t care for it.”

    Meanwhile, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Senator Sherry Rehman has criticised the government for dropping a “petrol bomb” on the masses in times of extreme inflation.