Current Final

Category: National

  • NA body approves bill seeking criminal proceedings against anyone defaming military

    A bill seeking criminal proceedings against anyone who defames the military, has been approved by National Assembly Standing Committee on Interior.

    The bill, under which the said act is punishable by up to two years in prison or a fine of Rs500,000 or both, will now be presented before the lower house of the parliament.

    According to sources, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) have opposed it as a violation of right to freedom of expression.

    However, it received the votes of a majority during the NA body’s meeting.

    Last year, the National Assembly had introduced the Criminal Law Bill, 2020, to make intentional defaming and insulting the armed forces as a punishable felony.

    According to an insertion 500A in the Pakistan Penal Code Act 1860, anyone who deliberately ridicules or slanders the armed forces or member of the armed forces shall be found guilty.

  • Mufti Abdul Qavi taken to court for advising transgender persons to get married

    Mufti Abdul Qavi taken to court for advising transgender persons to get married

    A seemingly hardliner lawyer has taken to court controversial cleric Mufti Abdul Qavi for advising transgender persons to get married.

    In his petition, the lawyer has termed the cleric’s statement purely “unnatural”, adding that “such sinful acts would trigger vulgarity in the society”.

    In a recent interview, Qavi had advised transgender persons to get married. In an ambiguous statement, he had said that members of the transgender community “can tie the knot like anyone else if they claimed to have either male or female abilities”.

    Transgender people have a gender identity or gender expression that differs from the sex that they were assigned at birth.

    Reacting to legal action against him, Qavi has maintained that whatever he has said “is also mentioned in the Holy Quran” and if he has said something wrong he is ready to apologise.

    He said that a case could not be registered against him over the said statement.

  • Karachi shop owner shares CCTV footage of robbery with police, gets robbed again

    Karachi shop owner shares CCTV footage of robbery with police, gets robbed again

    A shop owner in Karachi was robbed by the same robber after the owner released his CCTV footage.

    As per reports, a man who robbed half a dozen shops on University Road in Karachi over the course of a few days was captured on CCTV footage during a robbery at a juice centre the other day. He then robbed the same shop again after the owner released the CCTV footage of the incident.

    “You shared the CCTV footage of robbery with police that’s why I am here again to loot [your] shop for the second time,” the robber told the shop owner.

    A man camouflaged as a cop was recorded on camera robbing a juice center owner on Tuesday.

    In the CCTV footage, an armed man wearing a police trouser along with using the number plate of the Sindh police can be seen looting numerous shops on the city’s University Road.

    One of the video clips shows him entering the shop and threatening the cashier with a gun as the latter hands him the money.

  • JKT reacts to reports of joining PPP, seeks ‘insaf from Tehreek-e-Insaf’

    JKT reacts to reports of joining PPP, seeks ‘insaf from Tehreek-e-Insaf’

    Disgruntled Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Jahangir Khan Tareen has said that his loyalty to Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan was being tested, but he is not parting ways with the ruling party.

    Speaking to the media after he arrived at a banking court to attend his bail hearing, he was reacting to claims by Shehla Raza of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).

    Raza had a day earlier claimed that Tareen was soon joining the PPP.

    “Not one, not two but three FIRs have been registered against me,” he said on Wednesday. “Out of the 80 sugar mill owners, all they could see was Jahangir Tareen,” he said, questioning why he was being subjected to “revenge”.

    The PTI leader said his “loyalty was being tested”. He added that an inquiry against him, relating to the sugar crisis, has been going on for the last year.

    He lamented that his accounts as well as those belonging to his son, Ali Tareen, had been frozen. “Why have my accounts been frozen? Who is doing this? Who benefits from this?” he asked. Tareen said he was “asking for justice from (PTI) [League of Justice]”, adding that he was a friend, but being “pushed towards enmity”.

    In response to a question, Tareen said it was time to expose those involved in a conspiracy against him. He said PM Imran could expose the person who was hell-bent on exacting revenge against him.

    Despite his grievances against the ruling party, Tareen said he was not parting ways with the PTI. “I am a member of the PTI and will remain so,” he said.

    When a reporter asked Tareen whether he was about to meet former president and PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari, he said the reports were baseless.

  • ‘Rape is an act of violence’: Pakistanis educate PM Imran on rape

    ‘Rape is an act of violence’: Pakistanis educate PM Imran on rape

    Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday held an interactive session with the general public via phone calls in which he answered their questions and responded to their concerns.

    During the session, while responding to a question about what the federal government is doing to curb the recent surge of rape cases and sexual violence especially against children, PM Khan instead of laying out his government’s plans blamed the rising cases on vulgarity.

    The premier’s comments caused an uproar on social media, prompting Pakistanis to not only bust myths related to rape but also call him out for his insensitive remarks. Some even shared their own personal experiences to make it more clear that why rape happens and why it is never okay to blame the victim.

  • Did Gilani just throw Bilawal under the bus?

    Did Gilani just throw Bilawal under the bus?

    Former prime minister (PM) and incumbent leader of the opposition in Senate, Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has said it was Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s decision to seek the support of Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) lawmakers for his election to the post.

    “They approached that we, a four-member group headed by Dilawar, want to join you. They didn’t approach me, they approached chairman sahib [Bilawal],” he said.

    He made the revelation in an interview with a private media outlet, where he also said he was neither interested in the seat of the Senate chairmanship nor leader of the opposition, but it was Bilawal who made the decision.

    His nomination for the slot and ultimate win despite joint opposition’s reservations is what is the latest and apparently the biggest bone of contention between the PPP and PDM so far.

    Gilani, who was in a straight contest with PML-N candidate Azam Nazeer Tarar, had earlier denied using the votes of BAP senators, saying he had secured the seat with the support of 30 “opposition” senators.

    These included 21 members from the PPP, two from the Awami National Party, one from the Jamaat-e-Islami, two independents from erstwhile Fata (Hidayatulla and Hilalur Rahman) and four from the independent group of Dilawar Khan, who had been supporting the PML-N in the past. Other members of the group include Kaira Babar, Naseebullah Bazai and Ahmad Khan.

    Speaking in the programme on Monday, Gilani expressed support for the decision to secure votes from BAP senators and said they were disgruntled members who approached Bilawal for the post of leader of the opposition in the Senate.

    “But what is wrong in taking their support?” he questioned.

    Gilani further said that the PDM must stay intact but the decision to resign from assemblies had come out of the blue.

    He questioned what would be the next move after the resignations came, adding that this was what the PPP’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) would ask them.

    Gilani’s son and PPP member Kasim Gilani, however, has lamented “spread of disinformation” regarding the interview.

    Taking to Twitter he clarified his father’s statement.

    Meanwhile, ANP has reportedly withdrawn from the PDM after show-cause notices were issued to the party to explain their actions during the recently-held Senate polls.

    They had voted for Gilani in a move deemed betrayal by the opposition alliance but democratic right by the PPP and ANP.

  • Sarwar says cabinet ‘only listens to businessmen’ as PTI ministers attack own govt

    Sarwar says cabinet ‘only listens to businessmen’ as PTI ministers attack own govt

    Federal Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan has accused the Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan-led cabinet of “only listening to businessmen” while paying no heed to its own members.

    As per the details, the minister attacked his own government during a meeting of the National Assembly’s Special Committee on Agriculture. He, however, wasn’t the only one expressing concerns as Fehmida Mirza also pointed out high prices of agricultural inputs and low rate of output.

    Expressing his dissatisfaction with the government’s policies, Sarwar, the aviation minister said that within the past two and a half they had not been able to do anything for the agricultural sector. Mirza, the inter-provincial coordination minister, said that no relief had been given to growers.

    However, Finance Minister Hammad Azhar and Food Security Minister Fakhar Imam defended the government policies.

    According to The Express Tribune, Azhar said that the price of DAP fertiliser had been increased because of the hike in international price, adding that increasing support price of wheat would affect the flour price.

    The meeting was chaired by National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser, which was also attended by Usman Dar, Shandana Gulzar and others. Gulzar informed the committee that the government would initiate ‘Kamyab Kisan’ programme.

    “We could not give any relief to the agricultural sector. The government gave relief to industry and services but not to agriculture. The voice of the people for sectors other than agricultural is more powerful,” Sarwar lamented.

    “We are importing wheat but the government is not ready to give anything to its own growers. Imported wheat costs Rs2,400 [pre 40 kilogrammes] but we’re are giving Rs1,800 to the growers [in the shape of support price],” he told the committee.

    After the meeting, Qaiser said that the stance of Ghulam Sarwar in the meeting was his personal viewpoint.

  • Asad Umar among other passengers unhurt in emergency Karachi landing

    Asad Umar among other passengers unhurt in emergency Karachi landing

    A private airline flight made an emergency landing at Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport after developing a technical fault. 

    The development on Monday came after SereneAir’s Karachi-Islamabad flight ER-502 returned to the port city’s airport half an hour after taking off.

    According to reports, the airline issued a statement in this regard, saying that the plane developed a technical fault after takeoff, and the captain decided to land it back in Karachi after acquiring permission from the control tower.

    Reports further said that Federal Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar was also onboard.

    The aircraft’s engine had developed a fault, and engineers are working to fix it.

    It is being reported that another engine of the same plane had developed a fault earlier.

  • ‘In-person classes in schools for Grades 1-8 to be suspended till April 28’

    ‘In-person classes in schools for Grades 1-8 to be suspended till April 28’

    Minister for Education and Professional Training Shafqat Mehmood on Tuesday announced that there will be no on-campus classes for Grades 1 to 8 in areas affected by coronavirus till April 28.

    The minister made the announcement while addressing the media after a meeting of the National Command and Control Centre (NCOC) that reviewed the opening of the country’s educational institutions. Besides this, the meeting also discussed the schedule for exams including those for Grades 9, 10 and 11 as well as those for O’ and A’ Levels.

    “During today’s meeting it was decided that classes for grade 1 to 8 will not be held in districts that are affected [by Covid-19] and this will go on till April 28,” said the minister.

    Punjab Minister for Education Dr Murad Raas informed that 13 districts have been affected by the virus and therefore no on-campus classes will take place in these areas for grade 1 to 8 students. The minister added that this decision will be reviewed again in the last week of April, when the NCOC will decide on whether or not to close down educational institutions till Eid.

    The minister also said that classes for grade 9, 10, 11 and 12 will be allowed to continue with strict standard operating procedures (SOPs) from April 19 so that students can finish the syllabus and be prepared for their exams.

    He added, however, that universities in affected districts will remain closed and classes will shift online.

    “Otherwise, universities will function as per usual,” he said.

    Later, Mahmood also asserted that “decisions regarding [the] exams are final,” and told students to start preparing and working hard.

    “This decision will not be changed so no one should have any uncertainty in their mind,” added the minister.

  • PM tells spokespersons to ignore Opp, only highlight govt performance

    PM tells spokespersons to ignore Opp, only highlight govt performance

    Prime Minister Imran Khan has directed his spokespersons to highlight the government performance and has barred them from responding to the opposition’s statements.

    According to details, a meeting of government ministers and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) spokespersons was held under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Imran Khan, in which the current political, economic and COVID-19 situation in the country was discussed.

    PM Imran set up a special committee on media matters. According to Dunya News sources, the committee includes Federal Minister Fawad Chaudhry, Shibli Faraz, Faisal Vawda and Yousuf Baig Mirza.

    The committee will meet on a daily basis to discuss government performance and statements.

    During the meeting, the premier – in a bid to deal with the sugar satta mafia – directed the concerned authorities to bring a new law in the country.

    In order to ensure the availability of sugar at affordable rates, the prime minister directed to launch a countrywide crackdown on the sugar satta mafia. He directed the concerned authorities to take indiscriminate action against the aforementioned mafia to provide relief to the masses ahead of the holy month of Ramzan.

    In this regard, the session of all federal spokespersons and senior government huddle, chaired by Prime Minister Imran, decided on an agenda to bring down essential commodity prices ahead of the holy month.

    Speaking to the media after the session, Federal Minister for Interior Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad said that the PM has directed utmost relief to the people as the holy month inches closer.

    All edible and essential items must be made cheaper for the consumers and thus a direction has been made to Finance Minister Hammad Azhar to make it happen, Rasheed said.

    He added that the PM has instructed the government huddle not to be bothered in the least by the opposition as it poses no threat at all.

    The PM has instead ordered steps taken for cuts in the prices of sugar, flour, and lentil instead, he confirmed.

    We shall duly project all the steps taken by the government in this regard and the performance thereof, the minister vowed.