Current Final

Category: National

  • Fawad Ch disqualification case: IHC chief justice wants people to be the judge

    Fawad Ch disqualification case: IHC chief justice wants people to be the judge

    Islamabad High Court (IHC) Chief Justice Athar Minallah has said that the judiciary has faith in decisions made by the people, who are responsible even if they elect to power the wrong representatives.

    “If eligibility or disqualification are to be decided, do so outside courtrooms,” the top Islamabad judge said while hearing a petition seeking the science and technology minister’s disqualification for allegedly hiding his assets.

    Justice Minallah was due to hear the plea on February 1 (today). The court had already issued notices to Fawad and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for the hearing.

    The petitioner has claimed that the minister did not disclose details of the land he owns in Jhelum in his nomination papers for the 2018 general elections. “He is no longer ‘sadiq and ameen’ and should be disqualified,” the petitioner had argued.

    During the course of proceedings on Monday, the IHC ruled that it will hear the disqualification petitions against all MNAs and MPAs together and give a combined ruling on it.

    The combined cases will be heard on March 9. The cases will be wrapped up together so that the court can listen to other petitioners, the court remarked.

    The court has a clear stance on hearing cases against the representatives of the government. Courts should not be used for political motives, said Justice Minallah. “Why should we hear cases that will eventually lead to the criticism of the courts?”

    The petitioner said that the court has to make a decision if the law is violated anywhere, the petitioner said, adding that former PM Nawaz Sharif was also disqualified by the courts.

    Former CJ of Pakistan Asif Saeed Khosa had said that Parliament should amend Article 62 (1)(f). If it remains the same, then all of us could be disqualified under it, the court added.

    Article 62 (1)(f) of the Constitution is a provision requiring elected officials to be ‘sadiq and ameen’ or honest and righteous. Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and PTI leader Jahangir Tareen were disqualified under this clause.

    Fawad, who attended the hearing, said that whatever has been presented in court is nothing but a classic example of blackmailing. “Courts are supposed to protect us from being blackmailed.”

    Responding to Fawad, Justice Minallah said that the politicians should play their role in changing the blackmail culture. “People hurl abuses at judges on social media,” he remarked, adding that MPAs and MNAs should try to change this culture too.

  • VIDEO: Robbers steal 12kgs of ‘Sohan Halwa’ after finding cash insufficient

    Robbers in Multan robbed a shop renowned for its Sohan Halwa. What made this loot unique is that the robbers ran off with 12 kilograms of Sohan Halwa after they felt the cash to be inadequate.

    CCTV footage of the incident widely circulated on social media shows two robbers snatching valuables and cash from the shop manager at gunpoint. Another man was spotted waiting on the bike while the crime was being committed.

    When the robbers failed to find sufficient amount of valuables, they asked the shop owners to pack sohan halwa for them.

    The two reportedly took 12 kilograms of halwa with them.

  • VIDEO: Minor spotted driving SUV ‘again’ in Multan

    VIDEO: Minor spotted driving SUV ‘again’ in Multan

    Another video clip of a minor from Multan driving an SUV has gone viral on social media.  In the video, the boy can be seen driving a car with his friend sitting in the passenger seat.

    The MPA plate on the car is also visible in the video. As per details, the minor boy recorded the video and posted it on TikTok.

    Earlier, a video of the same child driving a Land Cruiser on Multan’s Bosan Road went viral on social media. The police traced the vehicle and seized it under the Motor Vehicle Ordinance (MVO).

    It is unclear whether the video shared recently on social media was recorded before or after the police warning.

    The father of the minor was fined Rs 1,000 for negligence. He also submitted an affidavit to the police stating that the incident occurred due to his negligence and will not happen again.

    The boy had reportedly told the police that he took the vehicle out for a ride because he felt like having ice-cream. When asked by a reporter, the kid said he drove to several places to get the ice cream but couldn’t find any, so he decided to head back home. According to the minor, this was not the first time that he drove this vehicle.

  • KP health coverage: PM announces Rs10 lacs per family every year

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

    The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has announced to provide universal health coverage to all its residents.

    With the insurance, people will now be able to avail free treatment up to Rs1 million (Rs10 lakh) at over 400 government and private hospitals across the country.

    Prime Minister Imran Khan in a tweet on Monday also congratulated the provincial government. The PM said that KP has become the first province in Pakistan to provide its citizens with free health care.

    On Sunday, KP CM Mahmood Khan said that the entire population of the province start receiving free healthcare facility with the extension of Sehat Card Plus scheme.

    He had said that a free healthcare facility was a big step towards achieving the dream of a welfare state. Being executed through the Health Department in the province, the Sehat Card Plus scheme would immensely benefit over 6.5 million families and 40 million citizens of KP, reported APP news agency.

    He had said that under his directives kidney and liver transplant facility was also included in the scheme to benefit the deserving families at large.

    On Dec 7 last year, at least six COVID-19 patients had died after “criminal negligence” resulted in a delayed supply of oxygen to a hospital in Peshawar. More than 200 patients — including nearly 100 with coronavirus — were left for hours with limited supplies of oxygen at government-run Khyber Teaching Hospital.

  • Faisalabad man refuses to marry daughter into family that praised PM Imran

    Faisalabad man refuses to marry daughter into family that praised PM Imran

    A man in Faisalabad rejected a marriage proposal for his daughter after the other side praised Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, an undated Urdu newspaper clipping claimed.

    According to the report, the man, namely Hameed of Mamu Kanjan town in Tandlianwala, lost his temper when his potential son-in-law’s family praised the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and PM Imran.

    Done of inflation, Hameed lost his cool when Kamalia’s Ramzan and his wife praised the Imran-led PTI as the two families met to discuss the kids’ engagement, the report said.

    “He [Hameed] kicked the guests out of his house and refused to forge relations with them,” read the clipping.

    A massive loyalty shift has been reported among the supporters of the now ruling PTI as the opposition continues to support people against the government’s economic policies.

    Pakistan’s inflation rate, which was until recently at a record high, was 10.58% for 2019, a 5.5% increase from 2018.

    The premier claimed on Sunday that inflation had currently declined from the level of 2018 when the PTI came to power.

    “The government’s efforts are coming to fruition as both the consumer price index and core inflation had touched lower than the time of government’s formation,” he tweeted.

    “More good news on the economic front. Consumer price index and core inflation are both now lower than when our government was formed,” he said.

    Planning Minister Asad Umar also said on Twitter that inflation during January was down to 5.7% while core inflation was at 5.4%.

    “In July 2018, prior to the PTI government’s formation, CPI [consumer price index] was 5.8% and core inflation was 7.6%,” the minister said in his tweet.

    However, the Economic Survey 2019-20 released by the government as part of the current fiscal year’s budget documents and the current official data of the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) depict a contrary picture about food inflation as the prices of essential items have gone up to between 50% and over 80% in the retail market as compared to prices in 2017-18.

  • ICC falls in love with ‘picturesque’ Gwadar stadium

    The scenic cricket stadium in the port city of Gwadar has also caught the eye of the International Cricket Council (ICC).

    In a tweet, the ICC shared photo of the cricket stadium, located in Balochistan, asking people if they have seen “a more picturesque sports venue”.

    The stadium was inaugurated by the chief minister of Balochistan in November last year. “The government is planning to extend the newly-built stadium in Gwadar by establishing a cricket ground meeting international standards,” Jam Kamal had said on the occasion.

    Fakhr-e-Alam, an actor and TV host, also uploaded a video of the stadium on his Twitter handle, calling it as the “most beautiful cricket ground” he had ever seen. 

    In a short video clip, Alam asked leagues to come out and play cricket in the Gwadar cricket ground. “To all #cricket playing friends everywhere in the world….come visit us…come play cricket with us here in Gawadar cricket ground….it’s the most beautiful cricket ground I have ever seen……,” he tweeted. 

    The stadium is located in Gwadar that holds prime importance for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project. However, due to the security reasons, the provincial government had decided to fence the city that was criticised by all quarters and subsequently halted.

  • KP govt offers job to Pakistan’s ‘Charlie Chaplin’

    KP govt offers job to Pakistan’s ‘Charlie Chaplin’

    The Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has announced that it will offer legendary comic actor Charlie Chaplin’s Pakistani doppelgänger Usman Khan a job to encourage talent in the province.

    According to details, KP Minister for Labour and Culture Shaukat Yousafzai invited Khan to his home and offered him a job.

    Talking to the media, Yousafzai said the provincial government will offer Khan a suitable job and ensured that they will support him at every level. The minister added that he had forwarded Khan’s videos to the chief minister.

    Khan thanked the minister and the provincial government for the appreciation and job offer.

    Earlier, videos of ‘Peshawar’s Charlie Chaplin‘ went viral on social media due to his comic expressions and style. His objective was to bring smiles to people’s faces amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

    The stand-up comedian wears Chaplin’s trademark oversized shoes and baggy pants, and holds a cane and black bowler hat as he performs across the city.

  • If you have questions, PM is just one call away

    In a first, Prime Minister Imran Khan has decided to answer the questions of the public via telephone on Monday.

    According to a Twitter post by the Prime Minister’s Office: “Talk directly to Prime Minister Imran Khan on telephone. […] Your questions, the prime minister’s answers.”

    People Members of the public can dial this number, 051-9210809, to speak to the prime minister, starting 4pm.

    This will be the first time that the PM will available to the public to answer its questions. Earlier, he had launched the Pakistan Citizen Portal.

    “It is an integrated citizens grievance redressal system connecting all government organisations both at federal and provincial levels. The App will serve as a complementary channel between citizen and government.”

    After coming to power, the PM had also promised to answer questions of parliamentarians during Prime Minister’s Question Hour. “Twice every month I will answer to the people during the question-answer session in the assembly,” he said at the time. But the promise never materialised.

  • VIDEO: Lawyers interrupt PM Imran during speech

    VIDEO: Lawyers interrupt PM Imran during speech

    Prime Minister Imran Khan was interrupted twice while he was addressing a ceremony in Sahiwal on Friday.

    During a cheque-distribution ceremony under the Ehsaas programme in Sahiwal, a lawyer interrupted the premier and asked for permission to make a request.

    He subsequently asked the PM for the formation of a high court bench in Sahiwal so that they don’t have to go to Multan or Lahore for cases in the high court.

    His request was followed by another lawyer asking the PM for permission to ask “three-four questions”. However, the PM shot down his request, saying he would have allowed him to speak had he decided to ask just one question. The lawyer could be heard saying just “two questions” but to no avail.

    The PM went on to say that he doesn’t have time for “three-four questions”. The PM said that his government was planning to industrialise Pakistan so that youth can find jobs.

    Imran said Sahiwal would be provided best facilities in the fields of health, education, road infrastructure and social welfare, adding that Punjab had immense potential for development in agriculture and livestock sectors.

    “The Ehsaas programme is meant to provide a safety net to the lower-income households,” the premier said. He maintained that his PTI-led government under the welfare programme is aiming to provide universal health care.

  • ‘An unparalleled humanitarian’: Bilquis Edhi declared ‘Person of the Decade’

    Bilquis Eidi has been selected as the Person of the Decade by an international web based organisation ‘Impact Hallmarks’.

    As per details, the finalists were shortlisted out of over 1.6 million notables with diverse backgrounds and from over 190 countries. According to the organisation’s website, the finalists were then presented to the global audience to pick out the person of their choice by voting.

    In a statement, the organisation said: “As per the domino effect verdict, concerning the IH international opinion poll outcomes, Stephen Soldz, an upright ethicist and moralist from the US, Ms Bilquis Edhi, an unparalleled noted humanitarian from Pakistan and Prof Yanghee Lee, the fabled unsurpassed human rights rapporteur of the UN, have evidently stretched and segmented the top of the decade’s impact hallmarks and the opinion poll’s top ‘tri-archy’ as well.”

    Bilquis Bano Edhi is a professional nurse, who heads the Bilquis Edhi Foundation. She has spent more than six decades of her life serving humanity in need. Her charity has saved over 42,000 unwanted babies so far by placing ‘jhoolas’ [cradles] at the Edhi Homes and centres across the country.

    Called the Mother of Pakistan, Bilquis Edhi has already been given various national and foreign awards including Hilal-e-Imtiaz, the Lenin Peace Prize, Mother Teresa Memorial International Award for Social Justice (2015), and the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service, she received along with her husband Abdul Sattar Edhi in 1986.

    Besides the three topmost ‘Persons of the Decade’, the verdict announcement called seven other persons “true patrons of change, the flag-bearers of righteousness and the domino effect architects of the Top-10 of the impact hierarchy of the decade,” which includes Prof. Aurangzeb Hafi from Pakistan.