Current Final

Author: News Desk

  • ‘Not just one’: How many properties does Dar have?

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Ishaq Dar doesn’t own just one property as claimed by him in a BBC News show.

    The politician, who is in self-imposed exile for three years now after graft charges were brought against him, owns at least 20 properties in and outside Pakistan. According to the NAB documents and government officials, the N-League senior leader owns a house in Lahore in addition to seven plots.

    In Islamabad, the former finance minister owns six acre of land, three plots in AlFalah Housing Society, and two plots in Parliamentarian’s Enclave. He also has a plot in the Senate Cooperative Housing Society.

    He also has six bank accounts on his name.

    Dar and his wife Tabassum Ishaq have three land cruisers, two Mercedes and one corolla in their name.

    During the interview, Dar had claimed that his sons owned a villa in Dubai, but NAB says that Dar also owns two apartments in the United Arab Emirates as well as two luxury vehicles. He also has investments in two companies in Pakistan and three abroad.

    DAR ON HARDTALK:

    Dar, who is in a self-imposed exile after corruption cases were filed against him, appeared on BBC News to talk about corruption charges, PML-N fight against the government, and NAB.

    During the show, the host asked Dar: “Is it your contention that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has no integrity? To this, Dar responded that NAB has lost its integrity. “It is an institution that has been used against political opponents.”

    Dar said the prime allegation in the Panama Papers Joint Investigation Team report on which the Supreme Court directed NAB to file a reference against him was that he didn’t file his tax returns in Pakistan for 20 years i.e. 1981-2001. Dar said as a chartered account, he had never missed filing his tax returns while living in the UK and North America, as he called these “blatant allegations”.

    At this the host asked Dar about the number of properties owned by his family. The PML-N leader responded, “It’s all in my tax returns.”

    Upon the insistence of the host, he said: “I have my main residence in Pakistan which has been taken over by this regime… I haven’t got too many properties.”

    “How many properties do you and your family own,” the host asked him again. At this, Dar said: “One.” At this, the show host asked him about the news reports in the Pakistan press that claim that the former PML-N minister owned multiple properties in and outside Pakistan. “You are sitting in London and you don’t own anything here,” the host asked Dar.

    Dar responded that he doesn’t own any property in London or anywhere else as claimed by the media reports.

    However, he went on to admit that his sons recently acquired a villa in Dubai. “They are adult and are in the business for the past 17 years,” he clarified.

    Dar, 69, is currently in London, “undergoing medical treatment”. He is absconding from several cases in Pakistan since 2017 and has been declared a proclaimed offender by the courts. He is facing charges of accumulating assets beyond known sources of income.

  • Pakistan to host maiden e-sports tournament in March: Fawad Chaudhry

    Pakistan to host maiden e-sports tournament in March: Fawad Chaudhry

    Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry, in a recent interview with Waqar Zaka, hinted towards Pakistan’s first e-sports tournament. The minister added that the tournament will be held in March with the help of private sponsorships.

    In the interview, Fawad said that e-gaming is a big industry worth 90 billion dollars.

    “Through the e-sports tournament, the gaming industry in Pakistan will also get a boost on the international level,” he stated.

    Chaudhry went on to add that “gaming is a high earning industry and has a 20 per cent growth per annum”.

    He further said that his ministry will give financial support to gamers who want to go abroad to participate in international tournaments.

    “A separate link will be generated by the science and tech ministry where gamers can send their profiles”, he added.

  • Maya Ali starts shooting for ‘ABG’ with Shoaib Mansoor

    Maya Ali starts shooting for ‘ABG’ with Shoaib Mansoor

    Shoaib Mansoor’s upcoming film ABG starring Maya Ali and Emmad Irfani in the lead has finally gone on floors. The real name of the film is not known as yet, but its acronym is ABG, as per Maya.

    Maya announced the news by sharing a picture from the first day on set on her Instagram.

    “First day on the set of ABG. Blessed to have gotten a chance to work with the great Shoaib Sahab,” she wrote in the caption.

    Emmad also shared a picture of himself with the director at the Pakistan Air Force and sent him his best wishes for the shoot.

    Does this mean that PAF and patriotism will be a central theme in the film?

    We’ll have to wait and find out because details about the film are being kept tightly under wraps.

    The film will be the first time the Maya and Emmad will be seen together on the big screen. Maya was last seen in the film Parey Hut Love and Emmad is currently making waves with his ongoing drama Jalan. The actor was supposed to make his film debut with Gawah Rehna this year. However, its release got delayed due to the pandemic.

    ABG will also mark Mansoor’s return to the director’s seat after a break of almost three years – his last film was the Mahira Khan starrer Verna, which released in November 2017.

    An official release date for ABG has not been announced yet.

    Meanwhile, friends and colleagues of Maya sent her best wishes in the comments section of her post, with Mahira telling her that she is “working with the best”.

  • Sindh to develop 10 tourist spots

    Sindh to develop 10 tourist spots

    The Sindh Government has decided to develop 10 potential tourist sites in the province through a public-private partnership.

    According to reports, the provincial government will conduct feasibility at 10 such sites across the province to develop them into tourist spots. These areas include Gorakh Hill Station in Dadu district, Ranikot Fort in Jamshoro district, Keenjhar Lake in Thatta, Nagarparkar in Tharparkar, Achhrro Thar in Sanghar, Mohenjo Daro in Larkana, Sehwan, Bhit Shah, Drigh and Langh Lakes in Kambar-Shahdadkot, Lab-e-Mehran / Sadhbelo in Sukkur and coastal belt of the province.

    The decision was announced after a meeting of the provincial Tourism and Culture Department, which was chaired by Sindh Chief Secretary (CS) Syed Mumtaz Ali Shah.

    Expressing that the province had great tourism potential, the Chief Secretary said: “Sindh government wants to develop facilities for tourists so that tourism can flourish not only at the already existing sites but at several other sites which have so far been neglected.”

    Such sites would be surveyed with the help of private sector, he added.

    Shah also instructed the Works and Services Department to repair the roads going towards Ranikot and Nagarparkar to make the route for tourists easier.

    Sindh Culture and Tourism Secretary Akbar Laghari in his briefing shared that the feasibility study of Lab-e-Mehran and Gorakh Hills had already been done. He added that they also plan to build a theme park at Mohenjo Daro and aim to construct low-cost hotels in the area.

    Meanwhile, Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday inaugurated two national parks in Gilgit-Baltistan to protect endangered wildlife and promote eco-tourism in the area.

  • Harbhajan Singh trolled for saying ‘Indians don’t need COVID vaccine’

    Harbhajan Singh trolled for saying ‘Indians don’t need COVID vaccine’

    Former Indian off-spinner Harbajahan Singh, in a recent tweet, wondered if India needs a coronavirus vaccine as its recovery rate is much better than the efficacy being provided by the drugs.

    The cricketer took to Twitter to express his thoughts and even shared data of Pfizer and Biotech vaccine’s accuracy.

    Soon after he posted his tweet, netizens began to roast him for posting ‘nonsense’ and advised him to not ‘post such tweets’.

  • PTI issues list of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ journalists, deletes tweet after backlash

    PTI issues list of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ journalists, deletes tweet after backlash

    In another attack on press freedom, an official Twitter handle of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Lahore issued a list of ‘bad’ journalists on social media, calling them “anchors/mediamen building narratives for the corrupt”.

    “Let take these name loud and clear,” read the tweet with hashtag ‘HardTalkNotCapitalTalk’.

    A little context of the tweet: the said hashtag started trending on social media site after an interview of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader Ishaq Dar, wherein he was grilled by Stephen Sackur in his characteristically inquisitorial style.

    The trolls subsequently took to Twitter to celebrate the humiliation meted out to Dar and launched attacks on Pakistani mediapersons, especially Hamid Mir who hosts Capital Talk on Geo, for ostensibly being ‘too lenient to the corrupt’ Sharifs and other opposition politicians.

    So, who are these ‘bad journalist’ accused by the ruling party of promoting ‘corrupt narratives’? According to the list, Hamid Mir, Asma Shirazi, Naseem Zahra, Najam Sethi, Talat Hussain, Mansoor Ali Khan, Gharidah Farooqi, Javed Ch, and Saleem Safi are the ‘bad journalists’.

    Most of the mentioned journalists are critical of government policies and other transgressions.

    ‘GOOD JOURNALISTS’

    But the PTI Lahore account also shared a list of journalists who they thought were “fighting the war of truth and justice” i.e. “good journalists”.

    These journalists are Imran Khan, Maleeha Hashmey, Sabir Shakir, Kashif Abbasi, Ghulam Hussain, Sami Ibrahim, Shifa Yousafzai, Mooed Pirzada, Abdul Qadir, and Waqar Malik.

    The official handle asked its followers to “appreciate brave and bold journalists fighting the war of truth and justice” instead of the ‘bad’ journalists who promote corruption.

    The journalists and media organisations took exception to the tweets by the official handle of the PTI’s Lahore chapter. The Coalition For Women In Journalism condemned the “vicious attacks of PTI trolls against these brave women journalists”.

    The list was also condemned by Mansoor Ali Khan, who said such lists put journalists in the harm’s way. Whereas Amber Rahim Shamsi commented on the list of “good journalists”, saying: “When those in power become comfortable with a journalist, it’s because the journalist isn’t asking uncomfortable questions.”

    Subsequently, a member of PTI social media issued “apologies”, saying it was done by a “regional account”.

    According to Human Rights Watch, “In Pakistan, arbitrary arrest, detention, and baseless criminal prosecutions are used as instruments of press censorship” among other things.

    In Aug this year, women journalists released a joint statement on attacks on women in media in Pakistan, which said that vicious attacks through social media were being directed at women journalists and commentators in Pakistan, making it incredibly difficult for them to carry out their professional duties.

    In the following month, daughter of late poet Fahmida Riaz, in protest against the alleged abduction and torture of journalists and writers by the state, declined the presidential award that the government had announced for her late mother.

  • Malala is now on TikTok

    Who would have thought but the world’s youngest Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai has joined TikTok.

    Malala has joined the popular video-sharing app to raise funds for her charity organisation. In her first video, Malala urged people to support Malala fund, an international, non-profit organisation that advocates for girls’ education.

    “Some of you might already know me, you might have heard my UN speech or might have read my book I am Malala, while some of you might not know me, so I’ll briefly introduce myself,” said Malala. “I am a recent graduate from Oxford University. I like shoes, comedy and reading books.”

    “I have also done campaigning and advocacy for 12 years for education and safe quality of education for all girls around the world,” she added.

    “On Giving Tuesday when you might be deciding to support different causes, I ask you to support Malala Fund and help us ensure that all girls can go to school,” she appealed.

    “In return I will be answering some of the questions you send today,” she said.

    Malala’s first video received thousands of likes and hundreds of comments.

  • PIA offers 30% discount on domestic flights

    PIA offers 30% discount on domestic flights

    Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has reduced its fares for domestic flights by 30% to facilitate passengers during the winter holidays. The airline has introduced special fares on domestic flights operating between Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Quetta, Faisalabad, Sialkot and Peshawar from December 3 (Thursday) onwards.

    Passengers would now be able to travel between these cities on a one-way minimum fare of Rs8,500 and a round trip minimum fare of Rs17,000. Previously, charges were Rs12,275 and Rs24,600 for the same.

    PIA Spokesperson Abdullah Khan said that the purpose of discounted fares is to facilitate the people travelling to their homes during holidays. He said people can benefit from these fares on a first come first serve basis.

  • ‘To new beginnings’: Sami Aslam call it quits with Pakistan cricket

    Pakistani test cricketer Sami Aslam has called it quits with Pakistan cricket by joining hands with USA Cricket.

    The 24-year-old opener, on his social media account, announced that he is in United States for a new beginning.

    According to reports, Aslam has struck a deal with USA Cricket that will see him spend two years and 10 months playing league cricket in the States and eventually represent the US.

    Aslam, 24, recently decided to quit Pakistan’s domestic cricket in favour of moving to the US as he was distraught at being demoted to Balochistan’s Second XI for the National T20 Cup.

    The Lahore-born cricketer was disgruntled after not being selected in the 35-member squad for the New Zealand tour despite his string of solid domestic performances in the previous campaigns.

    He has played 13 Tests and scored 758 runs at an average of 31.58 with seven half-centuries to his name.

    The left-hander’s last appearance for Pakistan came in a Test match against Sri Lanka back in 2017.

  • PML-Q leadership calls on Shehbaz to condole death of mother

    PML-Q leadership calls on Shehbaz to condole death of mother

    In an apparent thaw of frosty ties, a delegation of Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid led by Pervaiz Elahi called on Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif and vice president Maryam Nawaz to condole the death of Shamim Akhtar.

    Akhtar, the mother of Sharif brothers, died in London last month due to respiratory complication and her body was brought to Pakistan last week. Nawaz Sharif, who is in self-imposed exile in London, couldn’t come back due to “health reasons”.

    Whereas, the Punjab government released Shehbaz Sharif and his son Hamza Shehbaz on parole to attend the last rites of the Sharif family matriarch.

    According to media reports, the PML-Q delegation that called on Sharifs comprised Punjab Assembly Speaker Pervaiz Elahi, Moonis Elahi and Kamil Ali Agha.

    On the other hand, Maryam Nawaz, former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and other Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders were also present in the meeting.

    The meeting between the two parties come at a time when the anti-government campaign against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) — an ally of PML-Q– spearheaded by the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) is in full swing.

    A report in The News had claimed that there have been “informal contacts between the PML-Q and PML-N for cooperation in the Punjab Assembly against the PTI for quite some time”.

    The PML-Q is also unhappy with PTI over certain unfulfilled promises and had also skipped a luncheon organised by the prime minister last month. The PM had subsequently visited the PML-Q senior leader Chaudhry Shujaat — who is gravely ill — to salvage the alliance.