Current Final

Category: National

  • Taliban threaten to go after Aurat March participants

    Taliban threaten to go after Aurat March participants

    The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has threatened rights activists, who organised peaceful demonstrations to mark International Women’s Day in the country, accusing them of blasphemy and promoting obscenity.

    Read more – ‘Ek hee dafaa sari aurton ko ban ker do’: Meesha Shafi defends Aurat March

    The proscribed Afghanistan-based militant group’s statement followed a flurry of falsified images and doctored video clips on social media that suggested participants in the March 8 protests had insulted Islam, which they denied.

    “We want to send a message to those organisations who are actively spreading obscenity and vulgarity,” the statement said, addressing the marchers. “Fix your ways, there are still many young Muslims here who know how to protect Islam and the boundaries set by Allah.”

    Conservative groups held demonstrations on Friday in several cities to demand that the government prosecute the march organisers for blasphemy, and they threatened vigilante action.

    Messages spread on social media, in some cases shared by journalists and politicians with millions of followers, included false allegations that the French flag was waved at the Women’s Day march, while doctored video and audio showed participants chanting slogans viewed as blasphemous against sacred religious figures.

    ‘MALICIOUS CAMPAIGN’

    “Each and every one of these allegations are completely false and part of a malicious campaign to silence women from speaking out about their rights,” the march organisers said in a statement.

    The Women’s Democratic Front, a leftist group founded in 2018 and one of the organisers of the march, said their flag — with red, white and purple stripes — had been misrepresented as the French flag, which has blue, white and red stripes.


    Pakistan has seen violent nationwide protests against France over issues such as the blasphemous Charlie Hebdo cartoons and restrictions on the veil there for Muslim women.

    Hassan Abbas, a security expert at the National Defense University (NDU) in Washington, told Reuters that the Taliban statement should be a “wake-up call” for authorities.

    “[It is aimed at] creating fear, gaining the sympathy of religious radicals and recruiting extremists in urban centres of Pakistan,” he said.

  • COVID-19: Here’s what you can and cannot do amid lockdown in Punjab

    COVID-19: Here’s what you can and cannot do amid lockdown in Punjab

    Amid a drastic rise in COVID-19 cases in Punjab, the provincial government has decided to reimpose numerous restrictions in different districts of the province.

    Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar tweeted an update on the new restrictions, saying that COVID-19 cases, especially the UK variant, were spreading across the province rapidly.

    “According to the advice of health experts, starting from Saturday night, we have decided to implement strict coronavirus SOPs in districts with over 5% positivity rate for the next 15 days,” he wrote.

    Later, the Punjab health department issued a notification listing restrictions across the province.

    “The positivity rate in some cities is constantly rising and third wave is looming, which poses a serious and imminent threat to public health,” read the notification, adding that the restrictions are being put in place under the Punjab Infectious Diseases (Prevention and Control) Act 2020.

    Meanwhile, here’s what you can and cannot do during the lockdown:

    • All commercial activities, establishments and markets will close by 6 pm on weekdays and completely closed on weekends.
    • This excludes medical services, general stores, bakeries, milk and meat shops, tire puncture shops, fruit and vegetable shops, tandoors, petrol pumps, oil depots, LPG outlets and filing plants, agriculture machinery workshops and spare parts shops, printing press, call centres (with 50% staff and no public dealing).
    • Complete ban on indoor and outdoor dining in Lahore, Rawalpindi, Sargodha, Faisalabad, Multan, Gujranwala and Gujrat and only takeaway/ home delivery will be allowed in these cities. Only takeaway and home delivery from restaurants will be allowed.
    • Wedding halls are to remain closed in Lahore, Rawalpindi. Sargodha, Faisalabad, Multan, Gujranwala and Gujrat from March 15. Only outdoor functions will be allowed with a maximum of 300 guests.
    • Parks will close at 6 pm.
    • Offices are to follow a 50% work from home policy.
    • Cinemas and shrines will stay closed.
    • Indoor gatherings have been banned. Outdoor gatherings are allowed with a maximum of 50 people in Lahore, Rawalpindi, Sargodha, Faisalabad, Multan, Gujranwala and Gujrat and 300 persons (outdoor) in the rest of the province for a maximum of two hours.
    • Sports and all cultural activities will still be banned.
    • Industrial activities and establishments are exempt from these restrictions

  • Punjab government to reimpose COVID restrictions to curb virus spread

    Amid a drastic increase in COVID-19 cases in Punjab, Chief Minister Usman Buzdar has announced that Covid-related restrictions will be reimposed in the province.

    “Coronavirus, especially the UK- variant is spreading alarmingly in some cities of Punjab,” stated the Punjab CM, adding that strict SOP’s will be implemented in regions where positivity rate is more than 5 percent, for the next 15 days, starting from Saturday night.

    According to the notification, indoor weddings and dining will be banned in those regions, whereas educational institutes, parks, shrines will be closed in areas with high positivity rate. In addition to that, markets will close at 6pm.

    CM Buzdar further added that a detailed notification in this regard will be issued by health department later.

    Buzdar added that he has advised the health department to speed up the process of vaccination for old age citizens.

    The notification was issued after CM Buzdar chaired the meeting of the cabinet committee for the eradication of corona and expressed concern over the increase in the number of patients in Lahore and other districts, reported APP.

  • Pakistan’s first bicycle-sharing system launched in Peshawar

    Pakistan’s first bicycle-sharing system launched in Peshawar

    TransPeshawar, which manages the bus rapid system in Peshawar, on Thursday launched a public sharing bicycle system, ZU Bicycle to further facilitate citizens traveling through Bus Rapid Transit (BRT).

    Read more – KP health coverage: PM announces Rs10 lacs per family every year

    The launch ceremony, held at the University of Peshawar, was attended by Finance Minister Taimur Khan Jhagra, KP Minister for Transport Shah Muhammad Wazir, Advisor to Chief Minister on Science and Technology Ziaullah Bangash, Special Assistant to Chief Minister on Information Kamran Bangash and other officials of TransPeshawar.

    Sharing pictures from the launch on social media, Jhagra encouraged citizens to use the first public sharing bicycle system.

    “Pakistan’s first bicycle sharing system is now open for public use in Peshawar. If you live in Hayatabad, or work or study in the University Campus area, use any of 360 bikes at 30+ stations to get around, be green, and be healthy. Remember to take care of public assets responsibly,” said the minister, adding: “I tried it out. So should you.”

    All the required arrangements have been made and as many as 360 bicycles have been stationed at the transit centers across the city.

    Interested riders may register for the ZU Bicycles at TransPeshawar’s sharing system as follows:

    • Get their CNICs verified at a NADRA E-Sahulat Center.
    • Sign an agreement of the terms and conditions for the use of the bicycles.
    • Bring their original CNICs with photocopies.
    • Deposit a refundable security fee of Rs. 3000.
    • Deposit a membership fee at a ZU station.
    • Only one registration is permissible under one CNIC.

    The following membership fare breakdown will be applicable on single-day/bi-weekly/monthly passes.

    The membership fee expires in accordance with relevant packages as per the BRT regulations.

    Individuals who are members of the ZU bicycle Sharing System can use the facility as per the following:

    • A single-day pass is valid for 24 hours.
    • A bi-weekly pass is valid for 14 days.
    • A monthly pass is valid for 30 days.

    Fare Deduction Mechanism

    • The amount in the ZU card or in the ZU mobile app can be used for both the bus fare (BRT) and bicycle usage.
    • With the ZU card, a passenger will be able to release a bicycle from the dock by simply tapping on the Validator/Dock (system) at the transit center.
    • For docking, passengers will be required to tap their ZU cards on the Validator/Dock (system).

    The system will measure the time of use and will deduct the fare/usage fee in accordance with the chosen payment plan. If the available balance is less than the deductible amount, passengers are allowed a one-time option to dock the bicycle and pay the remaining amount the next time.

    Travel Condition

    • Passengers must have a minimum balance of Rs 50 in their ZU cards.
    • The ZU card is to be tapped during entry and exit from the service to complete a transaction.

    Meanwhile, TransPeshawar reserves the right to block ZU cards in case of unpaid loans. In this regard, passengers looking to reinstate/reset their cards are required to visit the KIOSK website and pay their pending loans with penalties.

    When using the ZU app, customers must tap the Entry while releasing a bicycle from the dock. If a user loses a bicycle in their possession, they will have to pay Rs. 60 per hour until the full amount is paid in compensation to TransPeshawar.

    Penalty Brief

    As per the company’s guidelines, a bicycle will be considered lost if it is not returned within 72 hours. If the bicycle is lost, the refundable security will be forfeited. For compensation, the customer will be required to pay service charges at the rate of Rs. 60 per hour for up to 200 hours.

    TransPeshawar also reserves the right to block cards if the service charges are not paid in full, or in the event of misuse.

  • Sadiq Sanjrani defeats PDM’s Yousaf Raza Gilani, re-elected as Senate Chairman

    The ruling party’s candidate, Sadiq Sanjrani, was on Friday elected as the Senate chairman, defeating joint opposition’s candidate Yousaf Raza Gilani by reportedly three votes.

    According to reports, Sanjrani received 48 votes against Gilani’s 42 whereas seven of the latter’s votes were rejected during count.

    Earlier, polling for the Senate chairman’s post started at 3 pm, presided over by officials from the Senate Secretariat.

    The process of voting completed at 4:40 pm, but counting started after the official time, i.e. 5 pm.

    Earlier in the day, the newly-elected members of the upper house had taken their oath of office shortly after the session began at 10 am.

  • Maryam Nawaz being threatened, says Nawaz

    Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and head of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on Thursday alleged that his daughter Maryam Nawaz Sharif is being threatened by some elements in the establishment that if she doesn’t stop, they will “smash” her.

    Besides Prime Minister Imran Khan, the PML-N chief also named three senior army generals.

    Later, Maryam tweeted that not only was she being threatened but she was being abused as well.

  • ‘MQM London faction planning killings to trigger sectarian violence,’ police say

    A US-based female member of the London faction of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) is planning assassinations on religious leaders to trigger sectarian violence in Pakistan, authorities said on Thursday.

    In a press conference in Karachi, Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Omar Shahid Hamid and a Rangers official played a video showing a woman giving instructions to an unidentified hitman and promising payment on successful completion of the killing.

    Read more – Fawad sees ‘woman version of Altaf Hussain’ in Maryam Nawaz

    The woman, identified as one Kehkashan Haider, has been residing in Texas since the 1990s and is a close aide of London-based MQM founder Altaf Hussain, the officials said.

    An audio recording of a telephonic conversation between Haider and a hitman was also played during the press conference wherein she tells the individual to “send his love” to the target and demanded confirmation of the attempt, adding “our life depends on it.”

    In a separate video, she further provided details of the payments to be made to the killer and arrangements for his security and transport while adding that he would be flown abroad after the successful assassination.

    Revealing Haider’s background, DIG Hamid said that she is a member of the party’s London faction (which is still loyal to Hussain) and has established target killer groups in collaboration with India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) and domestic ethnic-turned-terrorist groups, including Baloch separatist groups, to target law enforcement agencies, police and political and religious leaders in Pakistan, particularly in Karachi.

    VIDEO: Altaf sings ‘Sare Jahan Se Acha’ on Indian channel

    He revealed that an intelligence-based operation (IBO) began in 2017 when the Sindh Rangers arrested a team of target killers with links to MQM-L. The details of the plot were uncovered jointly by the CTD and the Pakistan Rangers during the interrogation of recently arrested alleged hitmen from Karachi and other parts of Sindh.

    The information collected during the course of interrogations revealed that assassination teams had been re-established under the directions of the MQM-L chief Hussain, DIG Hamid said.

    “These new targeted killing teams were being patronised by Kehkashan Haider,” he added.

    On the occasion, the Rangers official, Col Shabbir, said that the murder of the target identified by Haider possessed the potential to cause sectarian rifts.

    “We wanted to bring it to your [media’s] notice how these people are attempting to spread chaos in the country from abroad,” he said.

    The CTD has registered a case against Haider under Sections 11-H and 11-N of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 pertaining to terror financing, DIG Hamid said.

    He observed it was “alarming” that a woman based in the United States was coordinating such illicit activities in Karachi “like a mafia don”.

    He announced the Foreign Ministry will “take up this matter with the law enforcement institutions of the US government”.

    “A clear line of financial transactions is appearing when we traced bank accounts and transactions,” he said, adding that the evidence of financial transactions for terror financing made Islamabad’s case stronger.

    “If there is any aspect of money laundering in this, [then] it will be investigated according to the Anti-Money Laundering Act and looked at by the FIA [Federal Investigation Agency].”

  • ‘Spy cameras’ discovered in polling booth ahead of Senate chairman polls

    Senators Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Dr Musadik Malik of the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) have stated that they found spy cameras in the polling booth in Senate on the day of the Senate Chairman election.

    The opposition alliance has fielded Yousaf Raza Gilani as the joint candidate for Senate chairman while the government has fielded Sadiq Sanjrani.

    Senator Khokhar and Dr Musadik, in a series of tweets, posted pictures of cameras they found.

    https://twitter.com/DrMusadikMalik/status/1370235911255031808

    Responding to these tweets, Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry said that those cameras were “in all likelihood CCTV” cameras and not spy cameras.

    Senator Khokhar thanked Chaudhry for the lead and said “we will check for those too”.

    A few minutes later, Senator Khokhar tweeted he found a similar screw that the minister had mentioned and thanked Chaudhry for the lead. In response to this, Fawad wished Senator Mustafa good luck.

    Senator Khokhar questioned why a screw was there.

    Senator Musadik Malik also tweeted the same.

    https://twitter.com/DrMusadikMalik/status/1370270961136713728

    A video available with The Current shows the whole saga of uncovering the screw:

    https://twitter.com/TheCurrentPK/status/1370276132986179587

    Meanwhile, the government accused the opposition of planting those cameras.

    Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar tweeted that credible sources in Senate staff have disclosed that Sadiq Sanjrani left the Senate building at 5:30am in the morning.

    Fawad Chaudhry tweeted that Secretary Senate should form a committee to investigate the cameragate before Dr Musadik and Mustafa Nawaz destroy the entire wiring system in the Senate.

    Meanwhile, Twitter has dubbed the duo of Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar and Dr Musadik Malik as Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson.

    While those behind the installation of cameras are still unknown, it is worth mentioning that the elections for Senate chairman and deputy chairman are critical for both the government and opposition.

    Later, in a press conference Senator Mustafa and Dr Malik, detailed the events that transpired in the Senate as they discovered the hidden cameras.

    https://youtu.be/JIssfV4EJNc

  • Fawad Chaudhry wants an inquiry against creators of fake Aurat March video

    Minister of Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry has asked for an inquiry against those who committed the ‘grave offence’ of editing a fake Aurat March video, being widely circulated on social media.

    “Those who edited the video have committed a grave offence,” he wrote, “FIA should proceed against those responsible a trail will help agencies to trace who originated the fake video.”

    Meanwhile, female journalists and supporters are demanding a ‘public apology’ over ‘disinforminformation’ spread by some people.

    A document that is signed by female journalists and activists demands :

    1. “A public apology and immediate retraction by all the journalists and media houses who have shared disinformation about the Aurat Marches and that this is put out on the social media accounts, newspapers, television shows, etc”
    2. “That individual journalists and media organisations desist from spreading false and malicious information endangering the lives of Aurat March organisers and participants.”
    3. “That media houses stop inviting individuals with a history of repeatedly and deliberately spreading disinformation on their platforms”

    “These tweets with false information were shared by Ovais Mangalwala, Ansar Abbasi, and Orya Maqbool Jan,” stated the document.

    The hashtag #ApologizeToAuratMarch is trending on social media :

    https://twitter.com/auratnama/status/1370047841129918471
    https://twitter.com/SohaTazz/status/1370055220080828418

  • Race for Deputy Chairman Senate

    Prime Minister Imran Khan has nominated Mirza Mohammad Afridi as the PTI government’s candidate for the post of Deputy Chairman Senate, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Shibli Faraz has announced.

    “Prime Minister Imran Khan has nominated Senator Mirza Mohammad Afridi for Deputy Chairman Slot giving representation to ex-FATA PTI member,” wrote the Minister.

    Earlier, Defence Minister Pervez Khattak had offered the position of deputy chairman Senate to JUI-F’s Abdul Ghafoor Haideri. JUI-F had subsequently rejected the government’s offer.

    A day before the elections of Chairman Senate, PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz has alleged that their senators are being called and asked not to vote for PDM candidate.

    “Our senators are being called and asked not to vote for PDM candidate. Some of them have recorded the evidence,” wrote Maryam on social media.

    Meanwhile, the government has announced the candidature of Sadiq Sanjrani as its nominee for Senate chairman while the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) has nominated Yousuf Raza Gilani as its joint candidate for the position.