Tag: Shehbaz Sharif

  • Low salary, high inflation: FBR officer seeks PM’s permission to engage in corruption

    A Grade 17 officer of the Inland Revenue Service (IRS) in Pakistan’s Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has allegedly written a letter to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif requesting permission to start engaging in corrupt activities from April 1.

    The officer claims that he has faced difficulties in meeting his expenses due to his low salary and the current high inflation in the country. In the letter, the officer says that he has been working with the FBR for the last four years and has never committed a single rupee of corruption, despite earning below the table money on several occasions.

    However, he now feels left with no option but to look for illicit means to make ends meet, and seeks permission from the Prime Minister to engage in corruption. The officer also shared his salary, which is Rs122,922, and his general expenses, which amount to Rs110,500, not including petty expenses as a husband and father.

    https://twitter.com/amudasar333/status/1639548814255169537?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1639548814255169537%7Ctwgr%5E24bc7e0b5d5e7bde95c41afae6c181dd528bc39c%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fen.dailypakistan.com.pk%2F25-Mar-2023%2Fpakistani-public-officer-seeks-permission-to-start-corruption-in-letter-to-pm

    He promises not to cause huge losses to the national exchequer and take the minimum possible, as he is not a habitual corrupt person but has been forced by the circumstances and consequent disregard from his own Prime Minister.

  • ‘Ensure Punjab, KP polls to avoid contempt of court’: President tells PM to safeguard rights of citizen

    ‘Ensure Punjab, KP polls to avoid contempt of court’: President tells PM to safeguard rights of citizen

    President Dr Arif Alvi in a letter written to Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif, has urged him to ensure the implementation of Supreme Court’s orders about the elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).

    Alvi in his letter emphasised that all relevant executive authorities of the federal and provincial governments should be directed to refrain from abuse of human rights and assist the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to hold the election in two provinces within the constitutional time-frame, in compliance of orders of the apex court, to avoid further complications, including contempt of court.

    The president said that the prime minister, being head of the government, was responsible for safeguarding human rights as well as the fundamental rights of every citizen of Pakistan as enshrined in the Constitution.

    President Alvi maintained that elections of provincial assemblies, in case of their dissolution under Article 105 or Article 112, were required to be held within 90 days under Article 224 (2) of the Constitution.

    The top court in its order dated March 1, had directed the electoral watchdog to propose date(s) to the president for holding the poll within 90 days or on a date that deviates to the barest minimum from the aforesaid deadline, he added.

    The president said that KP Governor Haji Ghulam Ali was also directed by the SC to appoint a date for holding the general election for the provincial assembly as per the time frame.

    “Subsequently, ECP had proposed holding of general elections between 30th April – 7th May, 2023 and general elections for the Provincial Assembly of Punjab were announced to be held on 30th April, 2023 and the same was notified by the ECP,” read the letter.

  • Energy ministry announces uninterrupted power supply during sehr, iftar and taraweeh in Ramzan

    Energy ministry announces uninterrupted power supply during sehr, iftar and taraweeh in Ramzan

    The Ministry of Energy announced on Wednesday that no loadshedding will take place during sehr, iftar and taraweeh in the holy month of Ramzan, in accordance with the instructions of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

    The Prime Minister has directed for an uninterrupted supply of electricity during Ramzan, and the ministry has subsequently issued directives to power distribution companies to ensure this.

    The ministry has requested that DISCOS ensure the supply of electricity during sehr, iftar, and taraweeh, with zero load management an hour before and after sehr, and one hour before iftar and three hours after.

    According to Geo, control rooms will be established at the operation circle level to guarantee an uninterrupted supply of power. Additionally, special teams have been formed to address grievances at division and sub-division levels.

    In the event of transformer failure, additional transformers and trolleys will be made available. Today (Wednesday), the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee will convene in Peshawar for the sighting of the Ramzan ul Mubarak 1444 AH moon.

  • What was happening when the earthquake came in Pakistan?

    What was happening when the earthquake came in Pakistan?

    A powerful 6.8 magnitude earthquake jolted parts of Pakistan on Tuesday night.

    The epicentre of the earthquake was Afghanistan’s Hindu Kush region, while its depth was 180 kilometres, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD).

    According to reports, tremors were felt in Islamabad, Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Lahore, DI Khan, Swabi, Bahawalpur, Quetta, Parachinar, Skardu and other cities of the country. 

    The tremors continued for 30 seconds, and people came out of their homes in panic.

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif ordered the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and other institutions to be ready to deal with any emergency.

    Below are scenes as to what was happening in different parts of the country when the earthquake came in Pakistan.

  • ‘Group of trained militants’; PDM calls for strict action against Khan’s PTI

    ‘Group of trained militants’; PDM calls for strict action against Khan’s PTI

    The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) on Monday called for strict action against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf  (PTI).

    According to an official statement, the decision was made during a six-hour meeting of the PDM, heads of coalition parties with Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif in the chair.

    The meeting also decided to take action against those involved in maligning state institutions, including the armed forces and judiciary, through a “smear campaign”.

    “The meeting strongly condemned attacks on police and Rangers, who were obeying court orders, and called it an enmity against the state,” the statement said.

    “All evidences and proofs are available, under which stern action will be taken against those involved in the unrest,” it added.

    PDM strongly condemned the attacks on the police and Rangers personnel who were complying with the court’s orders on the direction of the PTI chairman and termed it “unacceptable”.

    Expressing solidarity with officers and jawans, the meeting resolved that strict action should be taken against the law-breaking elements as per the law. The session also termed the attacks on the law enforcers as enmity with the state which cannot be tolerated.

    “The entire nation witnessed that the PTI is not a political party but a group of trained militants,” the declaration read, adding that given the evidence and proof, it has been decided to take action as per the law.

  • State should handle PTI in the same way it handles terrorist organisations: Maryam Nawaz

    Senior Vice-president of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Maryam Nawaz, has said that the state should handle arch-rival Imran Khan and his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in the same manner that it handles terrorist organisations.

    The PML-N leader sat down with Mansoor Ali Khan for a long interview about a host of topics including her promotion in the party, PTI’s clashes with the police outside Zaman Park in Lahore and judiciary, the first part of which has gone on air.

    “I stood by Hamza when he became Chief Minister”

    When asked whether she deserves the spot of Chief Organiser of the party, Maryam referred to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s interview with Hamid Mir. “I spent 5-6 years working very passionately for the party. This is an acknowledgment of my relation with the people that was forged in what was the toughest period of my life and for the party,” she observed.

    Mansoor pointed out that she is now holding a position above her cousin Hamza Shehbaz. “When he became Chief Minister, which is a big post, I stood by him like an elder sister,” Maryam pointed out.

    Dispelling a question about whether Hamza was upset with the decision, Maryam Nawaz said that he has only one daughter who has heart problems and had surgery for it two years ago. “His daughter is unwell,” she revealed. The host asked that if the two cousins both win their respective seats to reach Punjab Assembly, who will be the candidate for Chief Minister. Maryam demurred and said the party will decide.

    On the matter of PML-N losing the 2022 by-elections, Maryam said that their own workers did not accept the candidates who were from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). She also rejected that the Vote of No Confidence was a mistake, implying that there was a 12-year-long plan to rig multiple elections.

    “The entire front line of PML-N was put in jail. I spent five months in jail once and then give months again. Whoever was put in jail could not come out before six months,” she reminded the anchor.

    “Let’s build a bullet-proof court inside Zaman Park”

    Dismissing the 84 cases filed against Imran Khan, Maryam Nawaz said that if he was innocent, he should prove it in court. “We showed up in court for 200 hearings,” she reminded Mansoor.

    About whether it was fair to use pictures of sitting judges while criticising the judiciary, she said, “When the law will have double standards, then it is Maryam Nawaz’s right to speak up about it.”

    Referring to Imran Khan’s reluctance to attend court proceedings, she said that she went again and again to court hearings herself when she was facing a trial. “If his life is under threat, are his workers also not facing the same who fight outside?” The host said that was there a need for such vindictiveness when Pakistan had already lost a former Premier, Benazir Bhutto, to an assassination. “Let’s then build a bullet-proof court inside Zamam Park,” she sarcastically replied.

    “State should handle Imran Khan and PTI in the same way it does terrorist organisations”

    She did not hold back when it came to the Supreme Court bench that disqualified her father Nawaz Sharif when asked about the “atmosphere of civil war” at Zaman Park when police clashed with PTI protestors. “Justice Khosa who led the Panama bench must have realised who is ‘Don’, ‘Sicilian Mafia’ and ‘Godfather’.” She said that terrorists were hiding inside the house in Zaman Park while police from Gilgit Baltistan was also there. Pointing out that this is the first time any political party had used petrol bombs to fight the police, Maryam Nawaz said only terrorists and proscribed organisations do so. “I think the state should handle Imran Khan and PTI in the same way as it does terrorist organisations,” she stressed.

    “This is cowardice”

    When Mansoor Ali Khan asked her why her party was reluctant to name former Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa, Maryam Nawaz said that he himself had admitted to mistakes in interviews. “No he hasn’t,” the host said. The PML-N leader responded that her father had named General Bajwa in a rally and she had given an application against the then Director General of Inter-Services Intelligence General (retd) Faiz Hameed in court. Stating that she does not agree with Imran Khan’s criticism of Bajwa, she reminded viewers that he used to praise the former army chief when he was prime minister. “Till one day before his retirement, they were meeting him, to ask him to bring them back into power” she stated, adding that now Imran Khan was demanding court martial for General Bajwa. “This is a huge dichotomy, this is cowardice. I do not take a coward’s statements seriously,” she firmly said.

    However, Maryam Nawaz did not give a direct reply when Mansoor Ali Khan asked whether her govt will court martial Generals Bajwa and Hameed. “Bravery is to challenge cruelty when it is in full might,” she said.

  • Will Shehbaz and Imran sit together for talks? PTI gives green signal

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senior leader Fawad Chaudhry has claimed that party chairman Imran Khan is open to negotiating with the incumbent government.

    He said that Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif and Law Minister Azam Tarar had stressed on holding talks and PTI welcomes these developments.

    “I hope Shehbaz Sharif will invite PTI for talks on the elections schedule. However, we have one proviso: we will not discuss their corruption cases and those have to be out of talks,” said Chaudhry.

    Moreover, Pakistan Bar Council urged all the political parties to set aside their differences and talk in order to solve the disputes which have plunged the country into a constitutional crisis.

    The bar council said that “they are “ready to call/arrange All Parties Conference (APC) and invite all the central leadership of parliamentary parties to reconcile their disputes through dialogue and to hold free, fair and transparent elections to all Assemblies on a mutually agress timeframe.”

    The bar council stressed that the reconciliation process should be held “for the sake of the country as it cannot afford to further linger on prevailing tensions.”

    Last month, in the wake of rising terrorist attacks, PM Shehbaz Sharif called for all parties conference and invited PTI chief Imran Khan as well. However, at the time Khan refused to take part in it.

  • Dar says assurance of funding from friendly countries is the final hurdle in securing IMF deal

    Dar says assurance of funding from friendly countries is the final hurdle in securing IMF deal

    On Thursday, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar announced that the assurance of funding from “friendly countries” was the final obstacle to securing an IMF deal that would provide critical support to Pakistan’s struggling economy and prevent an economic crisis.

    During a session of the country’s upper house of parliament, Dar revealed that several countries had previously made commitments to support Pakistan during IMF reviews, and the IMF was now requesting that these commitments be fulfilled.

    The delay in securing the deal, which involves a $1.1 billion bailout package from the IMF, has been ongoing since November due to issues surrounding fiscal policy adjustments. The package is part of a larger $6.5 billion bailout approved by the IMF in 2019, which is crucial for Pakistan to avoid defaulting on external payment obligations.

    The deal would also allow Pakistan to access other financing avenues to bolster its foreign exchange reserves, which currently only cover four weeks’ worth of imports.

    The IMF has asked Pakistan to secure assurance of up to $7 billion to cover this year’s balance of payments gap, while Dar believes that $5 billion would suffice.

    An IMF mission has been present in Islamabad since February to negotiate a set of policy measures for Pakistan’s struggling economy, ahead of the annual budget due in June.

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stated that all of the IMF’s conditions had been met, and expressed hope that a staff level agreement would be reached soon.

  • PM Shehbaz expresses concern over IMF conditions burdening people

    PM Shehbaz expresses concern over IMF conditions burdening people

    The Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, has shown worry that the terms set by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will result in an increased burden on the citizens.

    During an appearance on the Geo News program Capital Talk, the Prime Minister attributed the stringent conditions to the previous government, alleging that they had breached their commitments to the IMF.

    Consequently, the IMF is insisting that Pakistan fulfills all of the conditions regardless of the cost, according to the Prime Minister. He acknowledged that many people in Pakistan are having trouble putting food on the table, purchasing medication, and paying for their children’s education.

    The Prime Minister claimed that former Prime Minister Imran Khan almost defaulted on Pakistan and damaged the country’s relations with numerous friendly countries. However, he stated that his government had provided relief to underprivileged individuals through the Benazir Income Support Program.

    He further stated that inflation was caused by the increased cost of imported goods as commodity prices rose due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. In Pakistan, inflation is expected to reach its highest level in nearly 50 years.

    Additionally, Pakistan is struggling to obtain funding from friendly nations, resulting in a delay in the IMF bailout. The IMF Managing Director, Kristalina Georgieva, recently urged Pakistan to increase tax revenues and distribute subsidies only to those who truly require them. She emphasized that the IMF is dedicated to protecting the impoverished people of Pakistan.

  • Punjab govt to provide free flour to 15.8 million deserving households during Ramzan

    Punjab govt to provide free flour to 15.8 million deserving households during Ramzan

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif has announced a scheme to provide free flour to impoverished individuals during the holy month of Ramzan. The premier stated that the distribution of free flour will encompass 15.8 million households throughout Punjab from 25 Sha’ban to 25 Ramzan.

    To ensure effective implementation of the scheme, the Prime Minister directed the utilisation of 8,500 utility stores and the establishment of an additional 20,000 distribution points for public convenience.

    Moreover, PM Shehbaz stressed the need for the transparent and modern distribution of free flour among the poor while also emphasising that the quality of flour provided should be of the highest standards.

    Eligibility for the program can be confirmed through SMS, and the federal government will also support other provinces in this regard.

    During a review meeting to discuss the distribution of free flour under the Ramzan package, chaired by the Prime Minister himself, the Punjab government provided a detailed briefing on the program.

    The meeting was attended by the Caretaker Chief Minister Punjab Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi, Adviser to the Prime Minister Ahad Cheema, and other relevant senior officials.

    This decision is expected to bring much-needed relief to the underprivileged during the holy month of Ramzan. By utilising modern technology and additional distribution points, the distribution of free flour can be carried out efficiently and transparently, ensuring that the benefits reach those who are most in need.