Tag: The Economist

  • PTI says The Economist article was not written by Artificial Intelligence

    PTI says The Economist article was not written by Artificial Intelligence

    Update: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has just recently posted the clarification on the official X account stating that “the said piece has been authored by the PTI Chairman-for-life, Imran Khan, vindictively incarcerated at Central Jail, Rawalpindi. In no way, this has been compiled through the use of artificial means including artificial intelligence.”

    Founder Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan held an informal conversation with reporters in the courtroom at Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi, talking about the article that appeared under his name in The Economist, creating an uproar. “I take full responsibility for the article published in The Economist recently,” he said. However, he admitted that he himself had not written the piece, confessing that it was “dictated”.

    Embattled PTI founder and former prime minister Imran Khan made a surprising claim, saying that an essay recently published by The Economist under his name was actually “AI-generated”, reports Dawn.

    According to Geo’s Khalid Iqbal, Mr. Khan also shared that “next week” his party will share another of his fresh speeches on social media.

    When the Geo News reporter asked the former Prime Minister whether the speech would be audio or a video, Khan replied, “Today is the era of Artificial Intelligence.”

    To a question about elections, the PTI founder said nationwide polls should be held in the country on time, though the process of participation had been made very difficult for his party. He stressed that elections must be held in any case.

    “Elections are very important for the country’s economy and political stability.”

    “It has been made difficult for us to contest the elections, yet the elections should be held on time,” he added.

    Talking about the incidents of May 9, Khan called it a conspiracy against him and his party PTI.

    The former Prime Minister said: “These people are conducting an inquiry against me regarding the May 9 incidents. May 9 is a conspiracy against us. Who stole the CCTV footage of my arrest from the Islamabad High Court, the attack on GHQ and Corps Commander’s House? Find the CCTV footage thieves, and all will be revealed.”

    “It is a conspiracy to trap me; it’s a conspiracy against the PTI,” said the PTI founder.

    The caretaker governments in the federal capital and Punjab have claimed that The Economist piece was a “ghost article”.

    Caretaker Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Murtaza Solangi said that Adiala Jail comes under the Punjab government’s jurisdiction, so, the provincial government must be investigating.

    Saying that he believes the piece was a “ghost article”, the caretaker minister added that, “The federal government will approach The Economist and write [to] them that if Imran Khan sends an article/letter following due process and the jail manual then it is publishable. But according to my information, he hasn’t written any such article, and the foreign publication has misled its readers. We are working on it and will soon write a letter to The Economist.”

    In a recent post, he criticised the statement of Imran Khan of living in the age of Artificial Intelligence by saying that this should not be allowed to run amok.

    Journalist Gharidhah Farooqi posted on X that now that Imran Khan himself has admitted he did not write the article but AI did for him; A- It’s proven the article is in-fact “ghost writing”, B- being a journalist I’d like to know what a leading and reputable publication as The Economist say about publishing an article which is not the real work/writing of a political leader, the ethical and legal standards behind publishing such a piece of writing.

    Journalist Noreen Shams questioned the veracity of the fact generated by a machine.

    Omar Qureshi asked the question if The Economist has started accepting AI-generated articles.

  • Khan or Shehbaz: Who should be blamed for the massive petrol bomb?

    Khan or Shehbaz: Who should be blamed for the massive petrol bomb?

    The incumbent government on Thursday unleashed another massive gasoline bomb on the country after another hike of Rs30. In less than a month, the price of petrol has risen by Rs60 to Rs209.86. The recent hike has been made to meet the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) conditions.

    The latest petrol price hike came just hours after the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) approved a power tariff hike of Rs7.91 per unit.

    The question remains who should the Pakistanis blame for the burden the governments of the past and present putting them?

    The interfering ex-prime minister is distracting the government with his constant threats

    The Economist magazine in its recent article titled, “Imran Khan is jeopardising Pakistan’s attempts to fix its economy” has blamed the former Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan as the reason for what is happening in Pakistan.

    “The reserves are at their lowest level since 2019, when Pakistan last sought help from the IMF. Only half the $6bn bail-out agreed at the time has been disbursed. Mr Khan, then prime minister, originally agreed to cut subsidies and reform the economy but reduced fuel prices instead. The country is running deficits on both its budget and its current account. It needs some $37bn worth of financing for the fiscal year beginning in June, reckons the finance minister,” writes The Economist.

    The Economist further writes about how the federal capital witnesses a protest once every year where the state gets questioned and those in power are demanded answers. But this time it was a former premier whose continuous marches and threats are creating instability. “The interfering ex-prime minister is distracting the government with his constant threats.”

    “Mr Khan does not appear to be giving up hope. He is petitioning the Supreme Court to guarantee safe passage for potential follow-up marches. The coming spate of painful economic moves will supply him with plenty of excuses to paint the government as American stooges and enemies of the people. The appointment of a new army chief, due in November, will add yet more uncertainty to the political balance. To fix its economy, Pakistan badly needs stability. It will spend the coming months with anything but,” writes The Economist.

    Hesitation to get cheap oil from Russia

    The Current reached out to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) Spokesperson on Economy and Finance, Muzzammil Aslam and he said, ” First international markets, second lack of planning by the current government, and the hesitation to get cheap oil from Russia is the reason for the recent petrol bomb.”

    “The price pass-through could be lower if they cut the refinery margins. Lastly, it is not necessary to raise prices, one can make up subsidies by imposing windfall taxes, wealth taxes etc,” says Aslam.

    Read more: Fact Check: Imran Khan did not arrange a 30% cheaper oil deal with Russia

    Decreasing prices was a selfish political move by PTI, but PMLN led-govt should have fixed it immediately

    The Current reached out to Geo News’ Anchorperson Shahzad Iqbal to ask for his point of view on the present conditions being faced by the people. Commenting on the issue Iqbal said, “Decreasing prices was a selfish political move by the PTI government to either survive or to create hurdles for the incoming government. But Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) led government should have fixed it immediately.”

    “The delay by the sitting government cost Pakistan Rs150 billion,” said Iqbal.