Current Final

Category: National

  • RAW behind Lahore blast, says Moeed Yusuf

    Adviser to the Prime Minister on National Security Moeed Yusuf on Sunday said that the mastermind of the attack, which killed three people and left 24 others injured, “is an Indian citizen and [Indian intelligence agency] RAW is in touch with hum”.

    Yusuf was addressing a press conference alongside the Punjab police chief and Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry.

    Yusuf added that the IG has said we have the intelligence that a foreign intelligence agency was involved. “Today without a doubt I want to say, [the circumstances] of this entire attack lead to Indian-sponsored terrorism.”

    “I want to make sure that our message is heard very clearly, that this particular incident on June 23 in Lahore…we have concrete evidence and intelligence, including financial and telephone records that point to direct Indian sponsorship of these terrorists,” Moeed Yusuf added.

    “Through forensic analysis, electronic equipment that has been recovered from these terrorists, we have identified the main mastermind and the handlers of this terrorist attack and we have absolutely no doubt or reservation in informing you that the main mastermind belongs to RAW, the Indian intelligence agency, is an Indian national, and is based in India,” he said.

    The National Security adviser also talked about the attempts of cyberattacks against Pakistan’s intelligence agencies, adding, “We have no doubt that the Johar Town and cyber attacks are linked. And the number in which [the cyber attacks] were done, there is no doubt that there was state involvement of our neighbour.”

    On June 23, a powerful blast near the residence of Jamaatud Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed killed three people and injured 24 others, including a police constable.

  • Fawad Chaudhry welcomes Sindh High Court’s decision to withdraw TikTok ban

    The Sindh High Court (SHC) has lifted the ban on the video-sharing app, TikTok. The ban was imposed on June 28 for spreading immorality and obscenity in the country. The case has been adjourned till July 5.

    Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry has welcomed the decision by the SHC. “Technology war is being fought in the world right now.”

    “The regulatory bodies and judiciary should stay away from such fights and the investors wanting to invest in Pakistan should be welcomed,” Chaudhry added.

    Senator Faisal Javed Khan has urged youth to utilise social media platforms in a responsible and productive manner. The senator further added that PTA has promised to dispose of the complaints by July 5.

    The recent ban on TikTok was imposed for the third time in Pakistan. Earlier this year in March, the Peshawar High Court (PHC) banned TikTok over immoral content, but the ban was later lifted in April.

    Last year, Pakistan blocked the app on October 9, 2020. The ban was lifted after the TikTok management assured the Pakistani authorities that it will block all accounts repeatedly involved in spreading obscenity and immorality.

  • Guard sentenced to death for killing bank manager on blasphemy allegations

    Guard sentenced to death for killing bank manager on blasphemy allegations

    An anti-terrorism court in Sargodha has sentenced a security guard involved in the murder of bank manager Imran Hanif to death on blasphemy allegations.

    The court also sentenced the convict to 12 years imprisonment and a fine of Rs1.15 million.

    Last year in November, security guards killed a bank manager on charges of alleged blasphemy.

    A seven-member ulema committee was formed in connection with the incident in Quaidabad area of Khushab district of Punjab. They declared that the bank manager had not committed blasphemy and this was a false accusation against him. The ulema committee declared the dead bank manager innocent.

  • DG ISI to brief lawmakers on Kashmir, Afghanistan, and security challenges

    DG ISI to brief lawmakers on Kashmir, Afghanistan, and security challenges

    “A meeting of the National Security Committee will be held today (Thursday). Army chief and heads of security institutions will participate in the meeting. A briefing on Kashmir, Afghanistan and internal security challenges will be discussed,” Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry tweeted on Thursday.

    Speaker National Assembly (NA) Asad Qaiser had summoned a session of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security on July 1 for an in-camera briefing on the latest regional situation in light of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. Director-General of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed will brief the lawmakers.

    Leader of the Opposition in NA Shehbaz Sharif, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Yousaf Raza Gillani, Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, and other lawmakers will attend the meeting. According to reports, Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, and Defence Minister Pervez Khattak will also be part of the in-camera meeting from the government’s side. Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani will also attend the meeting as well as other parliamentarians.

    Prime Minister Imran Khan will not attend the briefing.

    Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed said that Pakistan’s politics will change after today’s in-camera briefing on the situation in Afghanistan and other security issues. He said it will now centre on national security.

  • We accept the Chinese version on Uyghurs in Xinjiang: PM Khan

    We accept the Chinese version on Uyghurs in Xinjiang: PM Khan

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan on Thursday said that the relationship between Pakistan and China is very deep. “It’s not just the governments, but it’s a people-to-people relationship.”

    “Whatever will happen…[the] relationship between our two countries, no matter what pressure is put on us, is not going to change,” PM Khan said in response to a question.

    Speaking to Chinese journalists as Beijing marked the centenary of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC), the premier said the Chinese version about the treatment of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang was completely different from what was being reported in the western media.

    “Because of our extreme proximity and relationship with China, we actually accept the Chinese version,” added PM Khan.

    He said that it was hypocritical that while the Uyghur situation and Hong Kong were being highlighted, attention was not being given to the human rights violations in Indian-Occupied Kashmir.

    “It is hypocritical. There are much worse human rights violations taking place in other parts of the world such as in occupied Kashmir. But western media hardly comments on this,” he said.

    PM Khan praised the Communist Party. He said that until now, it was believed that electoral democracy is the best way to bring leaders on merit and hold them accountable.

    “But China’s process to hunt talent and then polish it is better than any electoral democracy.”

    PM Khan also praised President Xi for his success in the fight against poverty and corruption in China.

    “China has lifted 700 million people out of poverty in a few years, which is a great achievement. We want to further develop political, economic and trade relations between the two countries.”

    PM Khan said that Pakistanis are impressed by the Chinese president’s fight against corruption and consider him “a great politician of modern times”.

    “President Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption campaign is effective and successful.”

    PM Khan said that it is unfair of the US and western powers to expect countries like Pakistan to take sides. “Pakistan will not downgrade its relations with China.“

    “The United States expects Pakistan to choose a side. This is not appropriate,” he added.

  • Petrol price increased by Rs2 per litre

    The government on Wednesday increased the petrol price by Rs2 per litre and high speed diesel (HSD) by Rs1.44 per litre, starting from today (July 1).

    In addition, the prices of kerosene and light diesel oil (LDO) have been raised by almost Rs4, to Rs85.75 and Rs83.4 per litre, respectively.

    Special Assistant to the Prime Minister for Political Communication Dr Shahbaz Gill in a tweet said that due to a price increase in the international market, the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) had recommended an increase of Rs6.05. But Prime Minister Imran Khan rejected it and instead approved an increase of Rs2 per litre for petrol.

  • Sharmeen Obaid made film after three reported cases of acid attacks, says DG Rangers Sindh

    Director-General (DG) Sindh Rangers Major-General Iftikhar Hassan Chaudhary has said that Pakistan is not as bad it is portrayed in the international media, Geo News has reported. He was speaking at Dow University in an event to mark the International Day Against Drug Abuse day on Monday.

    He said that Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy’s Oscar-winning film Saving Face was made after three incidents of acid attacks were reported in Pakistan. He went on to add that more than 800 incidents of acid attacks were reported in London but no film was made and neither did the media report on it.

    DG Rangers further said, “There have been 10,000 knife attacks in the UK, but no one knows. Do you think London is safe? We are not as bad as we are portrayed, and we have also started to think negatively about ourselves due to the constant negative portrayal.”

    Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy’s production house SOC Films has been nominated in two Emmy Award categories.

    Sharmeen is a two-time Academy Award winning filmmaker who took home Oscars for 2015’s A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness, which explored the aftermath of an attempted honour killing, and 2012’s Saving Face, which highlighted acid attacks on women in Pakistan.

  • Fawad Chaudhry slams Sindh High Court’s decision to ban TikTok

    Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry has criticised the Sindh High Court (SHC) for banning the video-sharing app TikTok. On Monday, SHC banned TikTok across the country till July 8 for spreading immorality and obscenity in the country.

    “Pakistan will never come out of its economic crisis if judicial reforms are not undertaken,” the minister wrote in a tweet.

    Fawad Chaudhry further added: “My head is spinning after reading yesterday’s verdicts on TikTok ban and the removal of the NBP president. What are our courts doing?”

    Chaudhry said that the country has already suffered losses worth billions of dollars due to judicial activism.

    TikTok ban has been imposed for the third time in Pakistan. Earlier this year in March Peshawar High Court (PHC) banned TikTok, over immoral content, but the ban was later lifted in April.

    Last year, Pakistan blocked the app on October 9, 2020. The ban was lifted after the TikTok management assured the Pakistani authorities that it will block all accounts repeatedly involved in spreading obscenity and immorality.

  • Registration of pet dogs starts in Karachi

    Registration of pet dogs starts in Karachi

    The Cantonment Board on Monday made registration of pet dogs compulsory, days after two dogs attacked a lawyer in the Karachi’s Defence area.

    The CBC, in a notification, said under section 119 and the Cantonment Act 1924, it is now mandatory for all dog owners to get their pets registered. The rate of the form has been fixed at Rs250 while the registration fee will be Rs2,000 per dog.

    The form requires the name of the dog owner, ID card number, address of the place where the dog is kept, mobile number, email ID, the colour of the dog, breed, sex, and why the owner is keeping it.

    As per details, the date of vaccination of the dog will also be written in the form.

    A vaccination card, with the signature of the dog owner, a photograph of the dog, a copy of the owner’s ID card, the vaccination report given by the doctors and a copy of the fee payment challan will be attached with the form.

    Once the form is submitted, it will be the choice of the CBC whether it will allow the citizens to keep the dog or not.

    The CBC said the non-registration of a dog will make it impossible for the board to determine whether the dog has been muzzled and is disease-free or not.

    Thus, keeping an unregistered dog will be illegal and it will lead to the detention or culling of the dog, imposition of fines, or legal actions.

    The dog registration form will be available at the cantonment board’s office.

    Last week, a video went viral that showed two dogs attacking a resident in DHA.

    On Saturday, a Karachi court had ordered the police to arrest the owner of two pet dogs who attacked a lawyer five days ago.

    The Additional District and Sessions Judge South issued the orders after rejecting the appeal for pre-arrest bail of the owner, Humayun Khan, whose two dogs had attacked the lawyer Mirza Ali Akhtar leaving him severely injured.

    The court said that “it was due to the negligence of the owner that the dogs attacked the lawyer, whose life is now in danger”.

  • Vegetable vendor arrested for selling vegetables at low rates

    A vegetable vendor in Lahore has been arrested for selling vegetables at low rates. As per details, no state-mandated price list was displayed at his shop.

    The FIR states that the vegetable vendor had been selling okra (bhindi) for Rs73 per kg instead of Rs95, tomatoes (tamatar) for Rs25 per kg instead of Rs50, eggplants (baingan) for Rs52 per kg instead of Rs60, bitter melons (karailay) for Rs52 per kg instead of Rs90, and onions (pyaaz) at Rs33 per kg instead of Rs40.

    https://twitter.com/arshdchaudhary/status/1409211106027966464?s=21

    The case was registered under the Price Control Acts 1958 and 1977 at the Raiwind City Police Station on the directions of Special Magistrate Chaudhry Kashif Bashir against the vegetable vendor, Waqas Majeed.

    Special Assistant to the Prime Minister for Political Communication Dr Shahbaz Gill has urged authorities to take action against the magistrate.