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Category: National

  • Hafizabad girl hires assassin to kill best friend for getting married

    Hafizabad girl hires assassin to kill best friend for getting married


    A girl in Hafizabad hired an assassin to kill her best friend for breaking a promise regarding living and dying together, and not getting married.

    According to reports, the victim was left critically injured after the hitman attacked her on the orders of her best friend.

    The accused had planned the murder to seek revenge when the victim decided to move on.

    She stole jewellery worth around Rs250,000 from her friend’s house and gave it to the assassin.

    A conversation between the accused and the hired contract killer has also surfaced after the incident. In the audio clip, the girl could be heard as telling the killer about the time of the attack and the victim’s whereabouts.

    The assassin reportedly broke into the victim’s house at midnight and opened fire.

    The accused girl is still at large.

  • ‘Cracks between Imran, establishment over letting Maryam leave country,’ claims journalist

    Senior journalist Haroonur Rasheed has claimed that the establishment has agreed to let Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz go abroad like her father Nawaz Sharif, but Prime Minister Imran Khan has refused to let her leave Pakistan.

    In a TV show, Rasheed claimed that Maryam Nawaz wants to travel abroad but she cannot do so because her name is on the no-fly list due to her alleged involvement in Chaudhry Sugar Mills case. According to the journalist, Maryam approached the powers-that-be for relief.

    The establishment agreed to grant Maryam’s wish but PM Imran Khan flatly denied her request, he claimed, hinting at an alleged rift between the prime minister and the establishment.

    As per Rasheed, Imran has told the establishment that it will stop Maryam from leaving Pakistan at all costs. “I will stop her from travelling abroad even if it costs me my government or freedom,” the PM was quoted by Rasheed as saying.

    Recently, Maryam Nawaz said that she had a medical condition that couldn’t be treated in Pakistan, but she would never ask the incumbent regime for relief.

    Last week, former minister and PML-Zia chief Ijazul Haq claimed that establishment and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif struck a deal after which the PML-N supreme leader was allowed to travel to London.

    In an interview with Samaa, the ex-minister claimed the change in platelets count was an NRO deal. “Certainly, there was establishment involved,” Haq had claimed. He had claimed that he knew the “platelets and blood report of Sharif was changed to facilitate his escape from Pakistan”.

    “I know that the platelet or blood report was something else and the report on paper was something else,” he said. Haq said the information is “authentic” and he has “proof” to substantiate his claim, reported Samaa.

    It may be noted that the former premier was rushed to hospital from jail after a drastic decrease in his platelets. Subsequently, he was allowed to go abroad for treatment in Nov 2019 after submitting an assurance in the court.

    Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif is in London for more than one year due to medical reasons and his passport is also expired.

  • Maulana Tariq Jamil reveals reason behind launch of his own fashion brand


    After the news of Maulana Tariq Jamil starting circulating on social media, he was criticized over starting his own clothing brand despite being a religious cleric after which he shared a video message on his social media accounts. “Since 2000, I had been thinking about starting a business for my religious activities, especially to run a madrassa. During COVID-19’s lockdown, I have the opportunity to put that idea into practice.”

    “That was my intention [to make the madrassas self sufficient] and a few of my friends collaborated with me, after which we launched a brand with my name,” he added.

    Responding to criticism Maulana Tariq Jamil said, “I don’t understand where this idea of clerics running such businesses isn’t righteous came from. A lot of religious personalities we follow have been successful businessmen.”

    A LinkedIn page with the name of “MTJ – Tariq Jamil” has been created for the soon-to-be-launched brand.

    According to the brand’s LinkedIn page, “MTJ is being supervised directly by Maulana, is dedicated to weave people’s beliefs and convictions into reality. Provides a garment shopping platform to discover and re-associate with that lost identity that is ingrained in all of us.”

  • NA-75 by-polls: Maryam joins in on ‘Pawri ho rahi ha’ trend, uses it to call out ‘rigging’

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz has also joined in on the ‘Pawri Ho Rahi Ha’ trend, as she used it to call out alleged rigging reportedly carried out by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government during the NA-75 by-polls in Daska, Sialkot.

    ‘Pawri‘ trend went viral earlier this month, with celebrities from across the sub-continent adding to its popularity.

    During her address in Daska, Maryam said: “Yeh dhund hai, yeh Daska hai, aur Imran Khan awam ka vote chori kartay huay range haathon pakra gya hai [This is fog, this is Daska, and this is Imran Khan getting caught red-handed while stealing votes].”

    Speaking to reporters on Sunday, the PML-N vice president said that the events that transpired in the aftermath of voting in Daska have exposed the PTI government. She said the government’s alleged plan to steal votes was foiled by people who guarded their vote.

    The PML-N vice president accused the ruling party of taking the “20 presiding officers” hostage. She questioned why out of the 361 polling stations, the staff of only 20 polling stations had to go missing during the “fog” and why were the results of these polling stations suddenly changed when the officers returned after 12 hours.

    On Friday, at least two people were shot dead as both PML-N and the PTI alleged irregularities during the by-election on the National Assembly seat in Daska. Subsequently, the Election Commission of Pakistan withheld the results, saying it suspected irregularities in 20 polling stations.

    The commission said results of the NA-75 constituency were received with “unnecessary delay”, adding that it tried to contact the presiding officers several times but with no success.

  • Lahore’s King Edward establishes new dept only to accommodate Dr Yasmin Rashid’s daughter?

    Reports in the local press have claimed that one of the country’s oldest and most prestigious medical colleges, the King Edward Medical University (KEMU), has set up a new department only to accommodate the daughter of Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid.

    It was alleged that KEMU established a sub-specialty within the maternity department for the sole purpose of accommodating Dr Ayesha Ali as an assistant professor of maternal-fetal medicine in grade 19.

    Maternal-fetal medicine, also known as perinatology, is a branch of medicine that focuses on managing health concerns of the mother and fetus prior to, during, and shortly after pregnancy.

    “She was appointed as a permanent employee while new appointments are usually made on a contractual basis,” a KEMU official was quoted as saying. Immediately after her appointment on January 12, she sought time off from her duties and flew to London, the official added.

    Reports further claimed that initially, a new department of fetal medicine was created at the Fatima Jinnah Medical University (FJMU) to accommodate the health minister’s daughter.

    “Dr Ayesha was even selected for the post of assistant professor [at FJMU], but the appointment was never notified amid outcry over favouritism,” reports claimed and added that the new department was then created at KEMU instead.

    AUTHORITIES RESPOND TO ALLEGATIONS:

    This scribe reached out to the varsity for an official version of events surrounding the appointment allegedly made only to accommodate the minister’s daughter.

    Speaking to The Current, KEMU Registrar Dr Riasat Ali did not comment on Dr Ayesha’s appointment in particular but clarified the establishment of the sub-specialty at the medical institute.

    “As many as four sub-specialties were created at the KEMU maternity department but there is no controversy in it since all departments, over the passage of time, witness advancements,” he said, adding that a sub-specialty was also established at the department of medicine earlier.

    The appointments for all four sub-specialties were made while following due procedure, on merit, and in light of the approval of the relevant authorities, including the varsity’s senate and syndicate, the registrar said.

    While Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid did not respond to The Current’s queries despite repeated attempts to contact her, Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Usman Buzdar’s focal person on digital media, Azhar Mashwani, has tweeted to clarify the establishment of the new sub-specialties in both KEMU and FJMU.

    “Dr Yasmin Rashid’s daughter is a fetal medicine specialist practicing in England. She was appointed as an associated professor on one of the eight positions at KEMU on merit and contractual basis,” he said in a subsequent tweet.

    Mashwani added that Dr Ayesha was quitting her job in the United Kingdom (UK) to come to Pakistan where she will officially join KEMU a month later.

  • Woman employed by in-laws of Pakistani media mogul alleges labour trafficking

    Rehana Bibi, who was reportedly hired by Geo/Jang CEO Mir Shakilur Rahman as a servant for his sister-in-law’s family in Virginia, has accused the Yahya family, whose home and children she cared for, and their Pakistan relatives, Mir Shakil and others, of engaging in human trafficking, according to a report in The Washington Post.

    Bibi has filed a case in a federal court in Alexandria, seeking damages. The case is in its early stages as of now, the US-based media outlet reported.

    Bibi was promised a “well-paying job as a maid” in Virginia, but after arriving in the US in 2013, she “spent the next five years effectively trapped in a Loudoun County home”.

    In a response submitted in the court by the Yahya family, they said the allegations are “as reprehensible as they are false”.

    “The conditions Bibi described would not amount to human trafficking,” the newspaper quoted the lawyer as saying. “Taking the allegations in the light most favorable to her, Ms Bibi was oppressed, not trapped,” he told the court.

    Mayfield notes that Bibi “was able to leave the first time she tried” and argues that “enduring unpleasant working conditions does not make someone a victim of trafficking or false imprisonment.”

    BIBI’s ORDEAL:

    Bibi, who has applied for asylum in the US because of potential threats she may face in Pakistan, told The Washington Post that she was considering suicide due to the treatment meted out by the Yayhas.

    “I have not seen anybody in my life, not even in Pakistan . . . treat anyone like that,” she said, adding her employer barred her from visiting Pakistan to attend the marriage of her daughters. “I couldn’t even watch the weddings on the family’s iPad.”

    The report said: “She slept on a mattress on the basement floor and kept her belongings in her suitcase, according to the complaint; for the first two years, she says, she was in a storage room infested with insects.”

    “Bibi maintains that she was confined because she spoke almost no English and was told she was in the country illegally. The visa she came to the country on was good for only one year. She says the family almost never let her out alone and warned her that if she went to the police, she would be arrested.”

    “I still have a lot of back pain from carrying heavy loads for the family. She also has gaps in her smile from the teeth she lost during her service,” she told the Post. “I was scared all the time,” she said. “I cannot forget these memories.”

  • US, France may oppose Pakistan’s bid to exit FATF grey list: report

    US, France may oppose Pakistan’s bid to exit FATF grey list: report

    France and some other European countries have recommended the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to continue to keep Pakistan on the grey list, saying Islamabad has allegedly failed to comply with the conditions set by the global watchdog, according to a report in Dawn newspaper.

    The virtual FATF plenary will be held in Paris from February 22 to 25 to consider cases of various countries on the grey list, including Pakistan. The final decision will be made at the conclusion of the meetings. If Pakistan fails to satisfy the FATF in the meeting, it will remain on the grey list till June, said reports.

    FATF had placed Pakistan on the list in June 2018.

    France and some other European countries believe that Islamabad has failed to fulfil the FATF criteria.

    Paris has reservations over Pakistan’s response to the blasphemous cartoons issue, said a journalist quoted by the newspaper. The report said that Pakistan and France do not enjoy good diplomatic ties, which is evident from the fact that Islamabad doesn’t even have an envoy in the European country.

    Meanwhile, the US is reportedly irked by the verdict in the Daniel Pearl case. Omer Saeed Sheikh, a prime accused in the murder of US journalist Pearl, was acquitted by the Pakistani Supreme Court much to the chagrin of Washington. It is feared that the US may oppose Pakistan’s bid to exit the grey list.

    On the other hand, Pakistan has said that it has complied with all the FATF recommendations to curb the terror financing and money laundering.

    In its last meeting held in Oct 2020, FATF had decided to keep Pakistan on the grey list till Feb 2021 because it failed to fulfill six out of 27 recommendations to combat terror financing.

    “Pakistan has already complied with the six recommendations and also submitted details to the FATF secretariat. The members would now evaluate Pakistan’s responses during the meeting…Pakistan had made significant progress in legislation as well as its implementation,” Dawn reported.

    In 2020, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government had got three laws — the Anti-Money Laundering (second amendment) Bill-2020, Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) (third amendment) Bill-2020 and Islamabad Capital Territory Waqf Properties Bill-2020 — passed in a joint sitting of parliament to fulfil the legal requirements of FATF.

    PROTEST OUTSIDE FATF OFFICE:

    Meanwhile, a protest was held outside the FATF office in Paris by dissident Pakistani activists and journalists, who are in self-imposed exile. In a press release, the protesters said that the FATF should not “be blackmailed by China” over the issue of terror financing.

    The protesters said China has defended Pakistan at various multilateral forums on the issue of terrorism, urging FATF to take action against Pakistan over alleged support to the banned terror outfits.

  • Iqrar ul Hassan defends Maulana Tariq Jamil’s upcoming fashion brand

    According to reports, religious scholar Maulana Tariq Jamil is launching his own clothing brand. The news of the launch of his clothing brand received mixed reactions from the masses with some people criticising Maulana Tariq Jamil for launching his own brand being a religious cleric.

    TV anchor, Iqrar ul Hassan, has defended Maulana Tariq Jamil’s decision of launching a clothing brand by saying, “It is learned that Maulana Tariq Jamil or his son has started a clothing brand. Trade is also Sunnah and there is no problem in it according to Shariah.”

    He concluded by saying: “I offer my heartfelt congratulations and best wishes to them and ask the critics to come up with a logical or shar’i argument or remain silent.”

    According to some reports, a LinkedIn page with the name of “MTJ – Tariq Jamil” has been created for the soon-to-be-launched brand.

    According to the brand’s LinkedIn page, “MTJ being supervised directly by Maulana, is dedicated to weave people’s beliefs and convictions into reality. Provides a garment shopping platform to discover and re-associate with that lost identity that is ingrained in all of us.”

  • PM to meet representative committee of missing persons in March: Mazari

    PM to meet representative committee of missing persons in March: Mazari

    Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari has said that Prime Minister Imran Khan would meet a three-member representative committee of the missing persons who have been staging a sit-in in Islamabad for more than a week.

    The families of the Baloch missing persons, who have been raising their voice for the recovery of their loved ones for decades, are staging a sit-in in the federal capital against the enforced disappearances.

    On Saturday, the human rights minister visited the protest camp and assured that their reservations will be relayed to the prime minister.

    “On instructions from the PM, Human Rights Minister Dr Shireen Mazari met with the missing persons’ families this afternoon,” said a statement shared by Mazari on her Twitter account.

    According to the statement, Mazari told them that the PM wanted them to “end their dharna”.

    “He [PM] would meet a three-member representative committee from amongst them in March and Dr Mazari would arrange this meeting,” the statement said, adding that the families have been asked to “hand over the list of their missing persons to Dr Mazari so that their status could be ascertained and conveyed to the PM before the meeting with the families’ representatives”.

    “The families requested that priority be given to the missing persons of the 13 families present at the dharna,” the statement added.

    Earlier this week, a meeting of the federal cabinet had expressed concern over the longstanding issue of missing persons and directed the authorities concerned to make prompt legislation in the parliament to ensure that there was no missing person in the present government.

    Earlier this week, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Vice President Maryam Nawaz visited the camp of the Baloch families. At the time, she urged the army chief and Inter-Services Intelligence chief to play their role to address the issue.

    She criticised the government for not reaching out to the protesters, saying that it was the duty of the state to take care of its citizens.

    A bill seeking criminalisation of enforced disappearances was proposed by the Human Rights Ministry in 2018. It was sent to the Ministry of Law, but the ministry has yet to clear the proposed legislation despite the passage of a considerable amount of time.

  • JUI-F lawmaker accused of marrying minor girl

    JUI-F lawmaker accused of marrying minor girl

    Chitral police have started an investigation after reports of a marriage between Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) leader Maulana Salahuddin Ayyubi, who is a National Assembly lawmaker hailing from Balochistan, and a 14-year-old girl from Chitral, reported Jang.

    On Feb 18, a local organisation, Anjuman Dawat-o-Azeemat, requested police to conduct an inquiry into whether the girl had attained the marriageable age of 18, and if not, take action against all those responsible under the Prevention of Child Marriage Act, reported Dawn.

    Chitral police station SHO Inspector Sajjad Ahmed said that the family of the girl is not in town yet, but the police will start an investigation into these reports once they come back to Chitral.

    According to reports, the girl is a student of a government school in Jughoor and her date of birth is recorded as Oct 28, 2006. And if the record is accurate, then the girl is considered a minor in Pakistan and such marriages are criminalised.

    According to police, the father of the girl denied the reports of the marriage and even signed an affidavit to this effect.