Tag: Top News

  • Who are the cabinet members in caretaker government?

    Who are the cabinet members in caretaker government?

    Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar’s 24-member cabinet comprising of politicians, TV artists and anchors, retired bureaucrats, and servicemen has been sworn in by the President of Pakistan, Dr. Arif Alvi, on Thursday.

    Of the 24 members cabinet, 16 are federal ministers, three are advisers to the prime minister, and five are Special Assistants to the Prime Minister (SAPMs). Most of them are new faces, not seen before in a government set-up.

    Dr. Shamshad Akhtar, the 14th former governor of the State Bank of Pakistan, who has also served in Asian Development Bank (ADB) as its Director General of the Southeast Asia Department, has been given the portfolios of Finance, Revenue, Economic Affairs and Privatization.

    The portfolios of Defense and Defence Production have been given to Anwar Ali Hyder, a retired lieutenant general, who formerly served as chairman Naya Pakistan Housing and Development Authority and has an association with Army Welfare Trust.

    Jalil Abbas Jilani, a former foreign secretary, who has served as Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States, Belgium, Luxemburg and the E.U, and Australia, has been appointed the foreign minister.

    Former Balochistan minister for Home, Tribal Affairs, Prisons and PDMA, Mir Sarfaraz Bugti, has been given three portfolios — federal minister for Interior, Overseas Pakistanis and Narcotics Control.

    The information ministry has gone to senior journalist Murtaza Solangi, who has served as director general of the Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation and has been in journalism for over 30 years.

    The ministries of Law and Justice, Climate Change and Water Resources were given to Ahmed Irfan Aslam, a senior lawyer who has served as a member of the Supreme Court’s International Arbitration Cell . His significant contribution is facilitating Pakistan’s successful resolution of the Karkey and Reko Diq cases through out-of-court settlements.

    The ministries of Power and Petroleum have been given to Muhammad Ali, a former SECP chairman, who has also served as a Director on the Boards of reputable companies like Engro Corporation Limited, Karachi Stock Exchange (Guarantee) Limited, Dawood Bank Limited, etc.

    The portfolios of Commerce, and Industries and Production have been given to industrialist Dr. Gohar Ejaz, chairman of All Pakistan Textile Mills Association, a recipient of Sitara e Imtiaz, who has also been awarded an Honorary Doctorate in management from the Uniersity of Punjab, Lahore.

    Dr Umar Saif, a former Chairman of the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB), has been given two portfolios of Information Technology and Telecom, and Science and Technology. Dr. Saif served on the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Pakistan between 2013-14. He has served on the Boards of several government and semi-government organizations, including Aitchison College, Bank of the Punjab, Technical Education & Vocational Training Company (TEVTA), Engineering Consultancy Services of the Punjab, Urban Sector Planning and Management Services Unit, Lahore Parking Company, Punjab Municipal Development Fund Company and Punjab Educational Endowment Fund.

    The portfolio of Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives has been given to Muhammad Sami Saeed, a former federal secretary and former director of Asian Development Bank representing Kazakhstan, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Mongolia, Pakistan, Philippines and Timor-Leste. He joined the Civil Service of Pakistan in 1980 and has extensive experience in public finance and development.

    Prominent TV artist and former Director General, Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA), Jamal Shah has been picked up as federal minister for National Heritage and Culture. Jamal is also the founder of Artists Association in Pakistan and Hunerkada College of Visual and Performing Arts.

    Madad Ali Sindhi — a famous Pakistani writer, columnist and journalist, who has written numerous Sindhi books — has been given the portfolio of federal Education and Professional Training.

    The portfolio of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination has been given to prominent health expert Dr. Nadeem Jan, a professional for 24 years who has worked with UN, USAID, World Bank, EU, DFID, INGOs and national Governments.

    Khalil George of the Balochistan Awami Party, former Parliamentary Secretary for Minority Affairs, has been awarded the Human Rights ministry.

    Religious scholar, TV anchor, host on Dunya Tv, popular for his religious show Peyam-E-Subh, Aneeq Ahmed, graduated from Karachi University in International Relations and started his career from PTV in 1999, joined GEO in 2002 and then moved to ARY in 2005. He has been with DUNYA TV since June, 2011. Aneeq Ahmed has been appointed as the minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony.

    Shahid Ashraf Tarar, a retired captain, has been given three portfolios — Communications, Maritime Affairs, and Railways. Shahid Ashraf is also the Chairman of Federal Public Service Commission. He formerly served as Executive Director World Bank Group where he led HR Committee as Chairman for two years. He also worked as Federal Secretary Communication, Chairman NHA, Secretary Excise & Taxation, Director General NAVTEC, Deputy Commissioner, Director to the President and Head of Economic Sector Los Angeles, USA.

    Advisers

    Retired air marshal, Farhat Hussain, a recipient of Sitara-i-Imtiaz (Military), Hilal-i-Imtiaz (Military) , and Sitara-i-Basalat, has been made an adviser to the premier on aviation with the status of a federal minister. He is the Chairman of Scaled Aviation Pvt Ltd and President of Centre for Aerospace and Security Studies.

    Ahad Khan Cheema, a confidant of former prime minister Shehbaz Sharif, has been appointed as an adviser on establishment, also with the status of a federal minister. Cheema joined the District Management Group (now called Pakistan Administrative Service) in 2001 and had served under former chief ministers Punjab Chaudhry Pervaiz Ellahi and Shehbaz Sharif on various welfare and development projects. He was the first high-profile arrest in Punjab by the NAB before the 2018 general elections. A BPS-19 PAS officer, he became the head of the Lahore Development Authority, in 2013, during the last PML-N government and was conferred the award of Tamgha-e-Imtiaz in recognition of his services for carrying out the Lahore Metro Bus Service Project.

    Former federal secretary for Finance Division, an eminent economist with wide-ranging experience of both public and private sectors, Dr Waqar Masood will perform as a special adviser on finance, with the status of a state minister. He has held several prestigious positions in the Federal Government including Special Secretary to the Prime Minister, Secretary Finance Division, Secretary Economic Affairs Division, Secretary Petroleum & Natural Resources and Secretary Textile Industry.

    Special Assistants

    The caretaker PM also appointed five special assistants, with the portfolio of adviser on human rights and women empowerment going to Mishal Hussain Malik, wife of the Kashmiri freedom movement leader Yasin Malik. She is the chairperson of Peace and Culture Organisation which highlights the plight of people of Kashmir in IIOK&K.

    Jawad Sohrab Malilk, a qualified lawyer and businessman, has become an SAPM for overseas Pakistanis. He was formerly SAPM for Shehbaz Sharif. He has been successfully running a vast business empire stretched to Lon¬don, Pakistan and Dubai and has good contacts inter¬nationally including with the Ameri¬can members of Congress, British parliamentarians, global business elite, Gulf royal families and political parties in Pakistan across the board.

    Retired vice Admiral Iftikhar Rao has been made the adviser on maritime affairs, He has more than 40 Years of Maritime Experience. He has served on board and commanded ships and is also a Naval Aviator.

    TV anchor and writer Wasih Shah has been made advisor on tourism. He is famous for his poetry and contribution to literature and has been hosting TV shows for a while now.

    Syeda Arfa Zehra has been made advisor on federal education and professional training. She is a Pakistani educationist and urdu language expert. Zehra is also a former caretaker provincial minister of Punjab. She is recognized for her knowledge on the Urdu language and literature and is specialized in intellectual history and South Asian social issues; outside of the university sphere, she speaks at language conferences and televised forums.

  • Elections delay inevitable as ECP announces delimitation schedule

    Elections delay inevitable as ECP announces delimitation schedule

    The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has announced the schedule of delimitation of constituencies as required by Article 51 of the constitution of Pakistan and section 17(2) of the Elections Act 2017, in accordance with the official results of the 7th Population and Housing Census-2023. The schedule makes it almost impossible to conduct elections in the next 90 days, as per constitutional requirements.

    According to the given schedule, the final publication of the delimitation will be on December 14th, 2023.

    As per the schedule, boundaries of administrative units across the country will stand frozen from today (August 17) and delimitation committees for all the provinces and the federal capital will be formed by Aug 21.

    In another notification, the ECP has directed its provincial chief secretaries, chief commissioner, the federal government, and the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics to provide assistance in the process.

  • Caretaker cabinet likely to take oath today

    Caretaker cabinet likely to take oath today

    Anwaar ul Haq Kakar, the Caretaker Prime Minister, is likely to take oath from his cabinet today, following an official announcement disclosing the names of the selected members, Geo News has reported. Speculations are rife that notable figures will take up significant roles within the interim administration.

    Dr. Shamshad Akhtar, the former Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), is rumoured to become the finance minister, as reported by The News. Additionally, Ambassador Jalil Abbas Jilani, a former foreign secretary, is likely to be the interim foreign minister.

    Prominent textile industrialist Dr. Gohar Ejaz is a contender for interim federal minister for commerce and industries.
    Syed Muhammad Ali, a defense analyst, is being considered for the information ministry while Senator Sarfraz Bugti is likely to be the interior minister.

    Some earlier reports indicated that the interim prime minister would retain three senior aides from his predecessor, Shehbaz Sharif’s team. The Principal Secretary to the prime minister (PSPM), Dr. Syed Tauqir Hussain Shah and Press Secretary to the PM, Abdul Akbar, are expected to remain in office. Ahad Cheema, the former advisor to the PM, will likely get a role equivalent to a federal minister.

    Furthermore, Arshad Muneer Khan is likely to become the principal information officer (PIO) while Brigadier Tajdeed Mumtaz, will also continue to work as Military Secretary (MS) to the Prime Minister.

    It is predicted that the caretaker federal cabinet will be relatively concise, comprising only reputable individuals who will be assigned specialized tasks in accordance with their respective portfolios by the caretaker prime minister.

  • ‘Potli main raakh aur taweez milay’; DIG who arrested Imran reveals details of strange findings

    ‘Potli main raakh aur taweez milay’; DIG who arrested Imran reveals details of strange findings

    Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Lahore, Imran Kishwar, has said in an interview that after receiving the order to arrest former Prime Minister Imran Khan, when police reached Zaman Park, the doors were locked, thus requiring the need to break them down.

    The DIG told Geo News that while searching the premises, he found ash and taweez in a box. He further said that when I touched them, Imran Khan’s wife, former First Lady Bushra Bibi, resisted and said, “You should not touch them; they are sacred things”. 

    Bushra Bibi misbehaved with the police officials and said, “Police walay hain, Paisy lainy aye hoon gay,” [They are policemen. Must have come to take money], the DIG narrated. 

    Imran Khan got arrested in the Toshakhana case on August 5 and was transferred to Attock jail for a 3-year sentence on the same day.

  • Exclusive: Man who made fake bomb threat on Malaysian flight is former Pakistani model Arif Ali

    Exclusive: Man who made fake bomb threat on Malaysian flight is former Pakistani model Arif Ali

    On August 14th, a Malaysia Airlines flight from Sydney to Kuala Lumpur was forced to turn back when an agitated man claimed he had “explosives” in his backpack, Australian police said.

    The 45-year-old was arrested after the plane returned to Sydney and has been charged with one count of making a false statement about a threat to damage an aircraft.

    Videos of the man went viral where he can be seen praying on a prayer mat in the airplane’s aisle and repeatedly asking people if ‘they are a slave of Allah’.

    The Current has confirmed with multiple sources that the man is a former Pakistani model and actor, Muhammad Arif Ali. According to his LinkedIn profile, he graduated from NCA in 2002. He worked as an architect at a number of firms in Karachi and Lahore from 2002-2016.

    He was also featured in renowned Pakistani singer Abrar-ul-Haq’s song, “Preeto” and as an actor he was in a Pakistani sitcom, “Kollege Jeans”, which revolves around the campus life of the National College of Arts, directed by Jawad Bashir.

    Most of his entertainment industry friends say that they lost contact with him while one of our sources confirmed that, “I lost contact a long while ago but I heard that he has developed extremist views”.

    We followed his social media and here is what we found:

    His Behance profile as an architect was made in January 30th, 2012, where he shared different projects he worked on during his career.

    His Facebook profile is open and shows that he lives in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. People have started commenting on his public posts.

    His YouTube channel “food for thought” is made up of shorts and videos, mostly based on his religious views. The last video on August 12 2023.

    His Instagram profile was made in June 2014 and has a throwback video with his “Kollege Jeans” co-actors. His former colleagues and his lawyer say they hope he is given a psychological assessment and is dealt with in a fair manner, saying that he likely suffers from mental health issues.

  • Life in Afghanistan: Two years since the Taliban takeover

    Two years since the Taliban stormed back to power on 15 August 2021 after two decades of war against the US and its allies, life has changed dramatically for many Afghans. A businesswoman, a former Taliban fighter and a farmer tell AFP how the changes have impacted them.

  • Imran’s nephew, Hassan Niazi arrested in Abbotabad

    Imran’s nephew, Hassan Niazi arrested in Abbotabad

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and Imran Khan’s nephew Hassan Niazi got arrested in Abbotaabad late on Sunday night. Hassan Niazi’s father, political analyst Hafeez Ullah Niazi, confirmed the arrest in a tweet.
    Sources have told Daily Pakistan that Hassan Niazi, who is also a lawyer, got arrested from his friend’s house in Abbotabad. Hassan Niazi had been in hiding since May 9, to avoid arrest.
    In footage recorded outside Lahore’s Corps Commander’s House, aka Jinnah House, Hassan Niazi could be seen holding the Corp Commander’s uniform that he had stolen from inside the premises.

    Two of Imran Khan’s sisters and Hassan Niazi were named as declared offenders in a case involving the attack on the Jinnah House by a court last month.
    Hafeez Ullah Niazi, Hassan’s father, has said in a tweet that he “hopes no law would be violated.”

    Following Imran Khan’s arrest from the Islamabad High Court on May 9, a mob of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) supporters set fire to and vandalised the Corps Commander House in Lahore. The house, originally a property of Quaid-e-Azam, is also known as Jinnah House.

    Hassan Niazi has been handed over to Quetta Police by Abbottabad Police. Lahore police have also written a letter to the Ministry of Interior Quetta office to bring the accused to Lahore in light of the cases against him regarding the May 9 incidents.

    According to the details provided by ARY News, Hassan Niazi’s case has now been forwarded to the military court. However, police have said that Hassan Niazi was transferred from Quetta to Rawalpindi to face the military trial.

    The court directed the IG, CCPO, and SHO to present Hassan Niazi before the court if they had him.

    Hassan’s father, Hafeezullah Niazi, had requested the Lahore High Court to seek the release of his son. It is mentioned in the petition that Hassan Niazi should be presented before the court.

  • Hina Parvez Butt’s son protects her after she is attacked in London

    Hina Parvez Butt’s son protects her after she is attacked in London

    Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) leader Hina Parvez Butt has been attacked by supporters of political arch-rivals Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) during a trip to London. The former legislator took to X (formerly known as Twitter) on August 14, at 1:13am PST, posting a video in which she can be seen coming under attack by PTI supporters in front of her son, as they threw bottles at her and hurled abuses. She questioned whether such people are defaming Pakistan or not.

    In the video she shared, her son can be seen protecting her by holding her and gently patting her back.

    She has decided to take the matter of assault in London up with the city’s police and press charges against the harassers today as reported by Murtaza Ali Shah.

    Journalist Ailia Zehra condemned the act of violence by mentioning that attacking a woman in front of her child is a despicable act.

    Broadcast Journalist Najia Ashar stated this act is disgusting and there is no justification for such behavior.

    Digital Journalist Saadia Ahmed also questioned the act.
    https://twitter.com/khwamkhwah/status/1690887290590314497?s=20

    No matter what one’s political ideologies are or what political party one supports, attacking and abusing has no justification ever.

  • Pakistan beat China to register first win in Asian Hockey Champion trophy

    Pakistan beat China to register first win in Asian Hockey Champion trophy

    Pakistan Hockey team have won their first match 2-1 against China in Asian Hockey Championship taking place in India.
    In the first half, the Pakistani team played aggressively, with Shayan Ali scoring the first goal in the 19th minute, setting a match-winning lead for Pakistan. However, in the in the 33rd minute of the second half, China scored to make the lead equal on both sides. Pakistan’s Afraz then scored another goal in the 39th minute which was the match-winning goal for Pakistan.
    Earlier, the Pakistani team had drawn their match with Japan by 3-3 and with Korea by 1-1. Pakistani team lost to Malaysia by 1-3.
    Pakistan will play the highly anticipated match with India on 9 August. If the Pakistani team wins, they will have a solid chance to enter the semi-finals. Pakistan and India both won the Asian Champion trophy thrice.
    All the teams will play five matches to try and make a place in the top 4 to reach the semi-finals. Final will be played on August 12.

  • Arslan Ash wins EVO Tekken 7 Championship for 4th time

    Arslan Ash wins EVO Tekken 7 Championship for 4th time

    Pakistani Tekken master Arslan Ash has won the EVO Championship held in Las Vegas (USA) on Sunday. He has won the EVO title for the 4th time; twice in Japan, and twice in the USA. He is still undefeated in EVO Championship.
    Arslan Ash also won the EVO Japan Combo breaker this year. His winning percentage with ZAFINA is 76% while with KUNIMITSU, it stands at 72%.
    In the top 6, Arslan beat Ulsan where he was so close to a upset but at the last moment, he prevailed. Then he beat AO twice in finals and then in the grand finals by 3-0.
    His last obstacle in this year is the Tekken World Tour.