Current Final

Category: National

  • PTI to hold rally in solidarity with Pakistan army

    PTI to hold rally in solidarity with Pakistan army

    Days after security forces successfully carried out a rescue operation after last week’s Jaffar Express hijacking in the Bolan district of Balochistan, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has announced that it will hold a rally to express solidarity with martyred Pakistan army personnel and victims of the train attack, a leading English Newspaper reported on Sunday.

    In a video statement, PTI Punjab’s Vice President Akmal Khan Bari, while condemning the attack, called it “an extreme act of brutality.” He added, “This was an attack on Pakistan, and we will never forget it.”

    As per the media report, the rally is scheduled for Tuesday, March 18, and will begin at the General Post Office (GPO) Chowk in Lahore and conclude at the Punjab Assembly.

    PTI’s Punjab Vice President said, “We urge the Punjab government not to create any obstacles. This will be a peaceful rally to honour the martyrs of the Jaffer Express tragedy and the brave soldiers who lost their lives.”

    Furthermore, he called on PTI workers, lawyers, and civil society members to join in great numbers.

    The party believes that a strong turnout will send a clear message of unity and support for the nation’s armed forces. “This is not just about PTI. It’s about Pakistan and its people standing together,” Bari said.

    Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) chief Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry last week announced that the Bolan Green rescue operation was successfully completed after nearly 30 hours as all attackers were eliminated and hostages freed.

     
    Speaking to a private news channel, Chaudhry confirmed that the complex operation had been completed by units from the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), Special Services Group (SSG), army and Frontier Corps (FC).

     
    He said that all 33 terrorists had been killed while confirming that no passenger was harmed during the clearance operation. However, he added that before the clearance operation, 21 passengers were martyred by the terrorists.


    At least four FC soldiers were also martyred during an exchange of fire, he said.


    The attack, the most brazen one carried out by the outlawed Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) to date, began on Tuesday afternoon when terrorists attacked the train near the Mashkaf tunnel, about 150 kilometres out of Quetta, taking hostage all 400 passengers on board. 

    Meanwhile, on Sunday, a security forces convoy in Nushki district of Balochistan came under attack when a vehicle-borne suicide bomber attacked it, leaving three Frontier Corps (FC) soldiers and two civilians martyred, said the ISPR.

    “In the ensuing sanitisation operation, the terrorists were pursued, and after [an] intense fire exchange, three terrorists were effectively neutralised by the security forces,” said the military media wing.

    Read More: Pakistan accuses India of involvement in Jaffar Express attack

  • ‘You have changed history’; Maulana Tariq Jamil on what he would say to Imran Khan

    ‘You have changed history’; Maulana Tariq Jamil on what he would say to Imran Khan

    Renowned religious cleric Maulana Tariq Jamil, during an appearance on Journalist Irshad Bhatti’s YouTube channel on Sunday, expressed admiration for incarcerated former premier Imran Khan, saying that the latter has “changed history.”

    “If I get a chance to meet him [Imran Khan] in jail, I will say, ‘Well done. You have changed history,” the cleric said in reply to a question about what Jamil would say to the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Imran Khan if he were permitted to meet him in jail.

    Asked whether the cleric was certain that Imran Khan would endure imprisonment, he said, “I was 100 percent certain… my meetings with him led me to conclude that he will never make a deal.”

    The host then said that Jamil had been an advocate for Imran Khan’s vision of Riyasat-e-Madina, asking what the cleric noted in Imran Khan’s character. In response, Jamil said, “Imran Khan is an honest, truthful, and faithful man.”

    On being asked whether he is optimistic about Imran Khan’s return to power, Jamil said that he is certain that Pakistan’s situation will change in the future.

    The host then shifted the topic to the number of cases against Imran Khan. On the Iddat case against former Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, Jamil stated that in over 14 centuries, no such case had ever existed. “A lie has neither feet nor a head. How can iddat even be a case where only a woman’s testimony is accepted,” he questioned.

    The cleric went on to further inquire with the host to tell him about a single legitimate case against Imran Khan. When the host informed Jamil about the ToshaKhana case, the cleric said, “He [Imran Khan] paid the money. A man who has already transferred his entire property to Shaukat Khanum Hospital—would he sell himself for a mere watch? Think for yourself.”

    On August 5, 2023, Imran Khan was arrested from his residency at Zaman Park Lahore shortly after his conviction in the Toshakhana case and had been held in Attock jail. He has been in prison since then on multiple charges.

    Following the Islamabad High Court (IHC) order, the PTI founder was shifted to Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi on September 27, 2023. Currently, he is held in Jail under high security and with B-class facilities due to his status as a former premier.

  • PTI leaders to complain to Imran Khan against misuse of party’s social media for anti-army statements

    PTI leaders to complain to Imran Khan against misuse of party’s social media for anti-army statements

    The political committee of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has decided to take up the issue of the party’s official social media accounts being used irresponsibly against army and national interests with its incarcerated founder Imran Khan, The News reported on Saturday.

    As per the report, the opposition party’s top brass, including Chairman PTI Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, Chief Minister (CM) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Ali Amin Gandapur, party Secretary General Salman Akram Raja, Opposition leader in the Senate Shibli Faraz, KP party president Junaid Akbar, ex-PTI Information Secretary Raoof Hasan, former speaker of the National Assembly Asad Qaiser, Amir Dogar and Hafiz Farhat attended a meeting of the political committee meeting which held in KP House, Islamabad.

    During the meeting, concerns were raised over aggressive and unregulated content posted on PTI’s official social media platforms.

    It was decided that senior party leaders, in their forthcoming visit to Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, will urge Imran Khan to implement oversight mechanisms to prevent the misuse of these platforms, including those directly associated with him.

    As per insiders, top leaders will advise the founder of PTI to establish a committee comprising key PTI leaders to vet all content before it is posted on the party’s official accounts, including “X” (formerly Twitter) and Facebook. The main objective of this proposal is to curb the influence of overseas individuals who are allegedly using these accounts for anti-military campaigns and posts that could harm Pakistan’s interests.

    One senior party source stated that nearly all top party leaders agreed that stricter controls are necessary.

    PTI’s senior leadership has no control over the party’s social media apparatus, which is reportedly managed from overseas. Even Barrister Gohar, Salman Akram Raja, and Shiekh Waqas Akram have no influence over the content being posted. Efforts to engage PTI’s US chapter to curb controversial narratives have reportedly been ignored in the past.

    The News further reported that psrty leaders complain that their statements and press conferences are ignored by PTI’s official accounts, which instead focus on the posts and statements of some YouTubers living abroad.

    Such is the pressure from PTI’s social media and select diaspora groups that party leaders hesitate to contradict propaganda, even when it is false or exaggerated. Many believe that only Imran Khan can bring the party’s digital platforms under structured editorial control. 

    However, past attempts to convince the jailed party founder have been unsuccessful, as he has consistently praised and endorsed the content disseminated by PTI’s official social media accounts.

  • Internal memo reveals details of Trump’s potential visa ban on Pakistan, other countries

    Internal memo reveals details of Trump’s potential visa ban on Pakistan, other countries

    United States (US) is considering issuing broad travel restrictions for the citizens of dozens of countries as part of a new ban, Reuters has reported.

    The internal memo lists a total of 41 countries divided into three separate groups. Afghanistan, Iran, Syria, Cuba and North Korea, among others, are in the first group of 10 countries that would face full visa suspensions.

    In the second group, five countries—including Eritrea, Haiti, Laos, Myanmar and South Sudan—would face partial suspensions affecting tourist and student visas as well as other immigrant visas, with some exceptions.

    In the third group, Pakistan and 25 countries, including Belarus, Chad and Turkmenistan, are being considered for potential partial suspension of U.S. visa issuance. This action would be considered if their governments fail to address identified deficiencies within 60 days, according to Reuters.

    A U.S. official told Reuters on the condition of not being named that there could be changes on the list and that it had yet to be approved by the administration, including U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

    The move harkens back to President Donald Trump’s first-term ban on travelers from seven majority-Muslim nations, a policy that went through several iterations before it was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2018.

    On January 20, Trump issued an executive order requiring intensified security vetting of any foreigners seeking admission to the U.S. to detect national security threats.

    That order directed several cabinet members to submit by March 21 a list of countries from which travel should be partly or fully suspended because their “vetting and screening information is so deficient.”

    Trump’s directive is part of an immigration crackdown that he launched at the start of his second term.
    He previewed his plan in an October 2023 speech, pledging to restrict people from the Gaza Strip, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Yemen and “anywhere else that threatens our security.”


    The memo categorizes 41 countries into three distinct groups.

    Countries that would face complete visa restrictions:

    Afghanistan
    Cuba
    Iran 
    Libya
    North Korea
    Somalia
    Sudan
    Syria
    Venezuela
    Yemen

    Countries that would face partial visa suspension:

    Eritrea
    Haiti
    Laos
    Myanmar
    South Sudan

    Countries recommended for a partial suspension if they do not address deficiencies:

    Antigua and Barbuda 
    Angola 
    Bhutan 
    Belarus 
    Benin 
    Burkina Faso 
    Chad 
    Cabo Verde 
    Cambodia 
    Cameroon 
    Democratic Republic of the Congo 
    Dominica 
    Equatorial Guinea 
    Gambia 
    Liberia 
    Mauritania 
    Malawi 
    Pakistan 
    Republic of the Congo 
    Saint Kitts and Nevis 
    Sierra Leone 
    Saint Lucia 
    Sao Tome and Principe 
    East Timor 
    Turkmenistan 
    Vanuatu

    However, as per the New York Times, Pakistan, along with Russia, Belarus, and Turkmenistan, is on the proposed Orange list of the Trump Administration, where only citizens holding business visas would be allowed to enter the US. Immigrant and tourist visas would not be allowed to enter the US.

  • Imran Khan likely to be presented at Islamabad High Court today

    Imran Khan likely to be presented at Islamabad High Court today

    An important development has taken place in the case regarding Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and former Special Assistant to the KP Chief Minister, Mashal Yousafzai, regarding her alleged obstruction of a meeting with former premier Imran Khan at Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi.

    As per details, the Islamabad High Court summoned the Superintendent of Adiala Jail at noon on Friday (today). Justice Sardar Ijaz Ishaq Khan, while issuing the order, directed the Jail Superintendent to meet the PTI founder in jail to confirm whether Yousafzai is his legal counsel, adding that the Superintendent must then report back to the court.

    He ordered, “If the court is not satisfied with the statement of the Jail Superintendent, then produce Imran Khan in court at 3 pm.” He further instructed the Inspector General (IG) of Islamabad to make arrangements for Imran Khan’s court appearance.

    Meanwhile, PTI leaders have written to the jail superintendent over being denied permission to meet Imran Khan, calling it contempt of court, according to media reports.

    This comes as, on Thursday, Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Omar Ayub Khan, Sunni Ittehad Council Chief Sahibzada Hamid Raza, Opposition Leader in the Senate Shibli Faraz, Senator Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, former MNA Colonel (retd) Amirullah Marwat, PTI Khyber Pakhtunkhwa President Junaid Akbar, and Advocate Khalid Yousaf Chaudhry arrived at Adiala Jail to meet Imran Khan but were denied permission.

    In the request submitted, former ruling party leaders stated that the authorities were violating the orders of the IHC, which amounted to contempt of court. “We were present at Gate No. 5 since 2 PM. The founder has repeatedly requested the meeting, and the list of visitors was also submitted to the jail authorities as per SOPs, but despite that, we were not allowed to meet him,” the letter stated.

    The letter further claimed that the authorities were violating Khan’s fundamental rights by preventing the meeting.

    It was signed by Omar Ayub Khan, Shibli Faraz, Sahibzada Hamid Raza, Junaid Akbar, and Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, while the text was written by PTI founder’s lawyer, Khalid Yousaf Chaudhry.

    The letter also reaffirmed that the Islamabad High Court had been assured multiple times that PTI leaders would be allowed to meet the party founder.

  • JIT head of May 9 cases resigns from police

    JIT head of May 9 cases resigns from police

    Head of the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) probing May 9 cases and Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Admin Lahore, Imran Kishwar, has tendered his resignation from the Police Services of Pakistan (PSP) on Thursday.

    In his resignation letter circulating online, the grade 19 police officer addressed the Inspector General (IG) to describe that his conscience has been weighed down by the stark realities of service. 

    Kishwar wrote: “I have upheld my oath with unyielding resolve, often at great personal cost, which has left me grappling with many unanswered questions, creating the unsettling internal dissonance”.

    As the former head of the Lahore Organised Crime Unit (OCU), Kishwar held several important positions, including Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Investigation Lahore and DIG Investigation Lahore, as well as commanding roles in Kasur, Sheikhupura, Narowal, and Muzaffargarh. 

    “I find myself at a crossroads where my continued service is neither feasible nor desirable. The reasons, though mine alone, are potent enough to sever the bond I once held sacred,” says the resignation.

    Hinting at feeling unappreciated and betrayed, he explained, “Loyalty, when met with indifference or betrayal, ceases to be an obligation.”

    The outgoing DIG announced his decision to transition from law enforcement services to writing. Kishwar said, “Having devoted the best years of my life to enforcing the law, I now choose to embrace a long-subdued calling-one that wields the power of words over weapons of ink over insignia.”

    He emphasised that his passion for writing now demands its due, and he shall surrender to it with the same conviction he once dedicated to this uniform.

    Kishwar concluded by saying in his resignation, “With a mind unchanged and a heart unburdened. I close this chapter. Let it be recorded that I served with honour; I shall not serve in silence,” stressing that his resignation must be accepted.

    Meanwhile, sources told The Current that Kishwar’s resignation from PSP was yet to be formally processed, given that high-ranking officers cannot resign through social media.

  • ‘White shirt guy’ from viral assault video breaks silence

    ‘White shirt guy’ from viral assault video breaks silence

    The victim of a viral assault video has broken his silence after an undated clip showing a confrontation between private security guards and a citizen at Dharmapura Beijing Underpass in Lahore began circulating on social media this week.

    The video shows the moment a private security guard from the motorcade of an unidentified person opened fire at a citizen in Lahore.

    The man can be seen stepping out of the vehicle to confront one of the armed security guards, who, along with other members of his squad, then flees the scene.

    As the video made rounds on social media, netizens demanded that Punjab’s Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif take strict action against the security guard and the team.

    DIG Operations Faisal Kamran then took strict notice of the incident, ordering a case to be registered under the Anti-Terrorism Act on the complaint of the police.

    According to police reports, the victim has been identified as Imran.

    In a video statement, Imran details the incident to the police, explaining that he was coming from Raiwind Road, heading to the market to run errands when security guards stopped him on Canal Road and opened fire, hitting his car. The second shot, he explains, was aimed at him until people intervened, with some starting to record the scene. After that, the guards eventually backed down and fled, leaving behind a car and guns.

    According to Imran, there were five men in one car while 10 to 15 were in another one. 

    The police report details that the Dolphin team responded immediately at the time of the incident. However, the suspects took advantage of the traffic on Canal Road and fled the scene.

    Dolphin police recovered three SMG rifles and three loaded magazines from the spot, which were then handed over to SHO Mughalpura and ASI Abdul Sattar.

    DIG Operations has formed a special team to arrest the accused and has also ordered action against the security company of the guards involved in the incident.

    As of now, four suspects have been arrested.

    DIG Operations has stated that action has also been initiated against the owner of the vehicle and that Safe City cameras are being used to arrest the accused immediately.

    “No one is above the law for causing a breach of peace,” Faisal Kamran said, adding that strict action will be taken against those involved in the incident.

  • Punjab, rains are coming your way

    Punjab, rains are coming your way

    A rain-bearing system, likely to enter Pakistan on Thursday night, will bring the possibility of rain to Punjab from March 14-16, the Metereological Department has predicted. 

    The Provincial Disaster Management Authority had earlier predicted rains from March 9 to 16, however, despite bringing cloud cover, the system failed to produce significant rains. 

    Despite cloud cover and windy conditions, temperatures are steadily rising across the province. 

    North-eastern Balochistan, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Kashmir/Gilgit-Baltistan are also predicted to receive rainstorms while high mountainous regions may receive light snow fall. Parts of Sindh are also set to receive showers along with winds on Friday night.

  • Pakistan accuses India of involvement in Jaffar Express attack

    Pakistan accuses India of involvement in Jaffar Express attack

    Foreign Office (FO) Spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan on Thursday accused India of being behind Tuesday’s deadly terrorist attack on the Jaffar Express in the Bolan district of Balochistan.

    Addressing his weekly briefing in Islamabad, the FO spokesperson claimed that intelligence suggests the terrorists were in contact with their associates in Afghanistan.

    He stated that intercepted calls confirmed a connection between the attackers and Afghanistan.

    “The terrorists have safe havens in Afghanistan, and Pakistan has repeatedly urged the Afghan interim government to prevent groups like the BLA from using its soil for terrorism,” he said.

    The FO spokesperson’s remarks came a day after Pakistan’s security forces successfully conducted the two-day-long Green Bolan rescue operation, eliminating all 33 terrorists who had hijacked the Jaffar Express.

    On Tuesday at noon, a group of terrorists launched an attack on a train en route to Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), from Quetta, the capital of Balochistan, carrying over 400 passengers. Following the assault, the terrorists took passengers hostage.

    In a statement, the ISPR said that intelligence reports have unequivocally confirmed that the attack was orchestrated and directed by terrorist ringleaders operating from Afghanistan, who remained in direct communication with the attackers throughout the incident.

    Director General (DG) Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, while speaking to a private media channel minutes after the completion of the rescue operation, claimed that security forces had eliminated all 33 Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) terrorists who had hijacked the Jaffar Express. However, 21 passengers were martyred by the terrorists before the clearance operation commenced, he said.

    The military’s media wing spokesperson stated that the army, air force, Frontier Corps (FC), and Special Services Group had participated in the operation and successfully recovered the hostages.

    He also mentioned that Pakistan does not discuss diplomatic contacts on public forums but has consistently shared detailed evidence of such incidents with Afghanistan.

    On Thursday, Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun alleged in a statement that India’s notorious intelligence agency, Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), was behind Tuesday’s terrorist attack on the Jaffar Express in Balochistan.

    Urging international organisations to take action against India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and RAW, Pannun warned that if India was not held accountable, their next attack could claim even more innocent lives.

    Pannun claimed that the Balochistan train attack is evidence of India’s aggressive defence doctrine, adding that India seeks to destabilise neighbouring countries through covert terrorist operations and is involved in the assassinations of opponents abroad, extremism, and cross-border terrorism.

  • Bilawal recalls kidnapping attempt from when Benazir was PM

    Bilawal recalls kidnapping attempt from when Benazir was PM

    Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said that when he was one year old, an attempt was made to kidnap him from the Prime Minister’s House while his mother, the late Shaheed Benazir Bhutto, was the Premier of the country. 

    Speaking in the National Assembly session on Thursday (today), Chairman PPP said, “I have been witnessing terrorism since childhood. I was the son of the Prime Minister. When I was one year old, an attempt was made to kidnap me from the Prime Minister’s House.”

    He said that following the unsuccessful kidnapping attempt, his mother kept him in London under protection.

    He also spoke about terrorism, stating that terrorism has damaged both Pakistan and the PPP. “Benazir Bhutto was martyred in a terrorist incident,” he added.

    He asserted that the country has lost all its success against terrorism, adding that at this moment, Pakistan is going through a time more dangerous than any in the past.

    “Terrorists have no ideology, no politics. Religious militants have no religion. Whether it is religious extremism or Baloch insurgents, their sole purpose is to spread fear, shed blood, and derail Pakistan’s progress,” Bilawal stated.

    Recalling the Army Public School (APS) tragedy, he highlighted how all political parties had set aside their differences to implement the National Action Plan (NAP), which had significantly weakened terrorist networks in the past. “But unfortunately, we have lost the gains we made against terrorism. The flames of militancy have reignited, and we are facing a more dangerous period than before,” he stressed. 

    Bilawal said that Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif created the first NAP to combat terrorism, so there is no reason why incumbent PM Shehbaz Sharif cannot formulate the second one.