Tag: topnews

  • ‘CM Buzdar likely to lose his job’

    ‘CM Buzdar likely to lose his job’

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has held one-on-one meetings with Punjab information and culture as well as higher education ministers, fueling rumours that Chief Minister (CM) Usman Buzdar’s job might be at risk, Pakistan Today has reported.

    According to reports, Info Minister Mian Aslam Iqbal and Higher Education’s Raja Yasir Humayun Sarfraz are being considered for the slot of Punjab CM in Buzdar’s place.

    Some powerful circles in the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) are making efforts to elevate Iqbal to the top slot and it is quite likely that he will be appointed as the next provincial chief executive, reports said.

    “I talked to the PM about information technology and Iqbal must have talked to him about his own ministry,” the English daily quoted Yasir as saying. “The premier is satisfied with the provincial cabinet’s performance and there are no changes expected soon.”

    Meanwhile, sources also confirmed The Current that no such development was on cards.

    The representative of Dera Ghazi Khan’s PP-286 constituency since his 2018 electoral win, Buzdar was nominated as PTI’s candidate for the office of Punjab CM in August last year.

    His nomination by PM Imran had surprised many within the party and subsequent election as the provincial chief executive had left the opposition stunned. Despite criticism, PM Imran has time and again reiterated his support for CM Buzdar.

  • Information warfare: Indian army chief accepts defeat against Pakistan

    Information warfare: Indian army chief accepts defeat against Pakistan

    Expressing fear over Pakistan’s strategy on information warfare, Indian army chief General Bipin Rawat has admitted India’s defeat, Dunya News reported Tuesday.

    According to reports, days after operational information of the Indian army was leaked, Gen Rawat said that such incidents had compelled him to warn former army officials to be careful while using social media.

    An ex-general of the Indian Army, Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain, said that Pakistan’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) — military’s media wing — had “outclassed the Indian army in information war” by connecting with the masses.

    He said that India started losing the narrative in occupied Kashmir after ISPR smartly ensured detailed alienation of Kashmiris against Indian armed forces.

    “Our army has made several tactical mistakes over the past 30 years and using military operations for psychological warfare was India’s fatal mistake,” the former military general added.

  • Govt launches WhatsApp polio helpline

    Govt launches WhatsApp polio helpline

    The Prime Minister’s Focal Person Babar Bin Atta announced the launch of a first-ever WhatsApp helpline where people can ask questions about the polio program, report on children missed out on anti-polio campaigns in any part of the country and can also lodge complaints.

    Taking to the twitter, he wrote:

    Soon after the tweet, he again tweeted, “Dear brothers & sisters this is a WhatsApp text helpline, since my tweet, there is a flurry of calls on the number. Please do not call, just send your query via WhatsApp Text”

  • India loses it after ISPR chief’s posters surface in held Kashmir despite curfew

    India loses it after ISPR chief’s posters surface in held Kashmir despite curfew

    Posters and handbills with pictures of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General (DG) Major General Asif Ghafoor have surfaced in Indian occupied Kashmir (IoK) despite a lockdown in the troubled valley.

    According to Kashmir Media Service, the posters and handbills with pictures of Pakistan army’s spokesperson popped up in the disputed valley with the message that Pakistan would continue fighting for Kashmiris till its last soldier and bullet.

    In the posters, pro-independence Hurriyat activists also announced that the people of majority-Muslim IoK would jointly push India out of their homeland, which is a paradise on earth.

    The posters are reportedly being removed by Indian security forces.

    The valley is under strict lockdown since August 5 when the Narendra Modi-led government stripped IoK of its special status by repealing Article 370 of the Indian Constitution and robbing the region of its autonomy.

    The occupation forces have converted the valley into a garrison by deploying hundreds of thousands of troops and paramilitary personnel in every street, line and by-lane to stop people from staging demonstrations against the abrogation of the special status of the territory.

  • Naya Pakistan: FBR collects Rs580bn, petrol price decreased by Rs4.59

    Naya Pakistan: FBR collects Rs580bn, petrol price decreased by Rs4.59

    In two rare but good developments, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has collected Rs580 billion within the first two months of the new fiscal year whereas the price of petrol has been slashed by Rs4.59 after successive escalation over the past few months.

    As per the details, FBR collected Rs297.4 billion this month, despite 8-10 non-working days. “So far, FBR’s target for FY2019-20 has been achieved to the extent of 90 per cent. Rs580 billion against the target of Rs644 billion,” the FBR chief was quoted as saying.

    “The positive aspects for the two months of FY2019-20 are that imports during the two months decreased by $1 billion,” he said, adding that the positive effect is taken into account, collection during the past two months is in line with the target.

    Meanwhile, according to a statement issued by the Finance Ministry, the prices of high-speed diesel, kerosene oil and light diesel have been lowered by Rs5.33, Rs4.27 and Rs5.63 per litre, respectively.

    The notification (effective September 1) came amid confusing statements by some cabinet members. The government had earlier issued a notification, stating ‘mistakenly’ that the price of high-speed diesel has been reduced by Rs7.67.

  • India wants me dead: Sheikh Rasheed

    India wants me dead: Sheikh Rasheed

    Federal Minister for Railways Sheikh Rashid has said that “Indian politicians have been wishing for his death”, Khaleej Times reported.

    “Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi made a big mistake by revoking the autonomy of Indian-held Kashmir (IHK),” he said while addressing a press conference.

    “Modi’s main agenda is to destroy Pakistan,” the minister said, adding that Muslims were treated as second-class citizens in India.

    He warned Indian soldiers that if they move towards Lahore or Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), they should know that Pakistan’s “smart bombs will welcome them”.

    “Our army is ready,” said the minister. However, he said it would be better for both nations to resolve the issue through dialogue.

  • Abhinandan returns to cockpit, flies MiG-21 with Indian air chief

    Abhinandan returns to cockpit, flies MiG-21 with Indian air chief

    Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, who was captured after Pakistan Air Force (PAF) downed his MiG-21 aircraft during a stand-off with intruding Indian jets in February, has returned to the cockpit.

    Responding to Indian Air Force’s (IAF) violation of Pakistani airspace on February 26, PAF had hit back by sending fighters to strike Indian targets the following day. In the pursuit, a PAF fighter jet had downed at least one Indian MiG-21 aircraft and captured Abhinandan, who had ejected and landed within Pakistani territory.

    He was handed over to India by Pakistani authorities as a goodwill gesture within 60 hours of the standoff.

    “Both of us have two things in common. First, both of have ejected and second, both of us have fought Pakistanis. I fought in Kargil, he fought after Balakot. Third, I’ve flown with his father,” IAF chief BS Dhanoa, who flew his last sortie with Abhinandan, said Monday.

    The flight came after the wing commander was recently cleared to fly after treatment for injuries sustained in action. Earlier, in an ironical development, Abhinandan was conferred with the Vir Chakra, India’s third-highest wartime medal, on its Independence Day.

  • ‘No one asked Imran for an NRO,’ says Aseefa in maiden interview

    ‘No one asked Imran for an NRO,’ says Aseefa in maiden interview

    Former president Asif Ali Zardari’s daughter, Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari, has said that no one even ever asked the Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan-led government for a National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) and her father “would not be striking any deals to avail it”.

    NRO is an ordinance issued by former military ruler General (r) Pervez Musharraf in 2007. It grants amnesty to politicians, political workers and bureaucrats who are accused of corruption, embezzlement, money laundering or even murder.

    In her maiden solo interview to BBC Urdu, the late PM Benazir Bhutto’s daughter on Sunday said that her father spent over eleven years in jail where he was tortured without conviction and he didn’t make any deals even back then.

    “People of Pakistan are living in abhorring conditions, while the government is continuously insisting that it won’t give an NRO to anyone,” she said.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    “…but the question is that who even asked the government for one?”

    To a question regarding joining politics, Aseefa said it was not a compulsion, but one could raise his or her voice for the masses by entering politics. “I will continue to be their voice along with my brother.”

    She also said that family members of the jailed former president were not satisfied with the healthcare facilities being provided to the latter in prison.

  • Women snipers to undertake Muharram security duty with commandos

    Women snipers to undertake Muharram security duty with commandos

    A fresh batch of women cops has completed snipe shooting training to perform security duty along with already trained police commandos, The Express Tribune reported Monday.

    According to reports, the 50-women batch was imparted training at Qila Gujjar Singh Police Lines, during which they were taught to insert bullets in the magazine of an SMG rifle and pistol.

    After this, the women officers were trained to load and unload weapons and also encouraged to practice by the trainer by taking their positions to fire at their targets.

    All-female personnel engaged in this snipe shooting training fired 50 bullets from the SMG rifle and 50 bullets from the pistol, reports said and quoted an official as saying that training women police personnel had become important in the current wave of terrorism.

    “A large number of men and women will participate in the upcoming processions and gatherings of Muharram. Women police officers are being deployed equally as men on the entrances of processions and meetings for police checking.”

    The police official also said that there were difficulties in deploying male police officers on the roofs of several houses along the procession routes. “Local people used to complain that there were women in their houses and they could not allow male officers in their homes due to personal reasons.”

    He explained that women police force was trained in snipe shooting to address these complaints and added that women shooters will be deployed on the roofs of houses that fall under the routes of the procession.

  • FBR serves ARY tax evasion notice, demands Rs992 million

    The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has served a notice to ARY News, demanding Rs992 million which the channel owes to the tax body, The News has reported.

    The entity has evaded millions of rupees in taxes through misrepresentation, concealment and misuse of exemptions, causing a substantial loss to the national exchequer, reports quoted FBR as saying.

    The body also claimed that in a bid to escape the fresh tax demand, the media house allegedly tampered with previously-submitted official agreement documents — which was discovered by the authorities.

    The investigation from FBR states that “an offshore related party (co-owned) entity ARY FZLLC undertook transactions with the other two companies, ARY COMM and ARY Films and TV Productions Pvt, which by, virtue of section 85 of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001, were its associates”.

    The investigation further revealed that the tripartite agreement was used to allow the three companies to settle their receivables and payables in Pakistan on behalf of ARY FZLLC.

    The media group’s tax assessment showed that it obtained exemptions by claiming to export locally-produced content to the offshore entity in order to evade local taxes.

    However, ARY Communications has accused the FBR of conducting a fishing expedition and also added that the proceedings were “based on whims, assumptions, and guesswork”.

    Reports further revealed that FBR served the tax notice to the channel despite facing a lot of pressure from influential quarters to withdraw any such demand.