Tag: US congress

  • Fact Check: Bilawal Bhutto arrested in New York?

    Fact Check: Bilawal Bhutto arrested in New York?

    Claim: Unverified reports have claimed that Foreign Minister (FM) Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari had been arrested in New York during his visit to the United States (US), which lasted for almost a week— from December 14 to 21.

    Rumors were spread across social media platforms.

    Fact: Foreign Office (FO) Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch dismissed the authenticity of all such reports.

    Responding to a question by a journalist in a briefing, the spokesperson cleared the air, rejecting the news as fake. She termed the report a “lie” and “contrary to facts”.

    She termed Bilawal’s visit “very productive” and said that he had a busy schedule.

    Calling the visit, “another important step towards further strengthening Pakistan’s broad-based bilateral ties” with the US, she clarified that the FM had engagements with the Biden Administration and members of the US Congress, interacted with Pakistani-American community leaders and Washington DC-based think-tank community as well as had interviews with leading media outlets.

    Verdict: FALSE

  • US forms a commission of to investigate their failure in Afghanistan

    The US Congress has formed a commission to look into what mistakes were made during the 20-years war in Afghanistan.

    “The Commission shall conduct a comprehensive assessment of the war in Afghanistan and make recommendations to inform future operations with tactical and strategic lessons learned, including the impact of troop increases and decreases and date-certain deadlines,” the legislation said.

    President Joe Biden also reiterated that issue should be investigated within three years.

    The commission will also examine the steps taken by Biden’s three predecessors and what mistakes they might have made in handling Afghan crisis.

    The US Congress has also recommended a $768 billion defense package approved by the House of Representatives and the Senate. It would include nearly $28 billion for a nuclear weapons programs, training, equipment, command and control, advisory efforts and situational awareness.