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Category: National

  • VIDEO: Sindh governor’s dog enjoying police protocol in Karachi?

    It seems even pets of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and Sindh Governor Imran Ismail enjoy police protocol in Karachi.

    According to a video that went viral on social media, a dog can be seen enjoying a ride in a government SUV on the roads of the provincial capital, with its head hanging out of the window.

    A police vehicle is also seen tailing the Prado as a part of its security protocol. No one can be seen accompanying the dog in the video, but the governor says that his family members were travelling in the vehicle when the video was shot.

    The video was posted by Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Taimoor Talpur. Talpur said that he filmed the video after he came out of the Chief Minister House following a meeting, as per a report in Geo News.

    Subsequently, a clarification was issued by the governor on Twitter. Ismail clarified the police mobile was accompanying the vehicle to protect his family that was also travelling in it. “The police van was not there for protocol but to protect the family,” he said, adding that it is a “frivolous move” to make such videos.

    “The person [Talpur] who made the video is part of a corrupt government,” he alleged.

  • PTI’s Pakistan more corrupt than PML-N’s Pakistan for second consecutive year: Transparency International

    PTI’s Pakistan more corrupt than PML-N’s Pakistan for second consecutive year: Transparency International

    Transparency International (TI) — a Berlin-based international non-governmental organisation combating global corruption — on Thursday released a new report, according to which, the country under the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, for the second consecutive year, has witnessed more corruption than it did in the outgoing year of the former ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

    According to TI’s global report on the 2020 Corruption Perception Index (CPI), while Pakistan’s ranking and CPI score in 2019 dropped from 117 to 120 and from 33 to 32, respectively, the ranking has now fallen down to 123 and CPI score to 31 in 2020.

    The report comes at a time when the Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan-led government boasts of the success of its promised accountability drive against opposition lawmakers and government officials. The same has time and again been termed as “political victimisation” by those on the radar of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

    Before the second consecutive drop, Pakistan witnessed a slight improvement in the 2018 CPI, scoring a point higher than in 2017 but remaining unchanged in the rankings. The country scored 33 out of 100 on the index — one point better than its score of 32 in 2017 and 2016. Its ranking, however, remained unchanged at 117 out of 180 countries, in 2018.

    TI’s annual report on CPI is formulated on the basis of input from 13 international agencies. In the case of Pakistan, however, the assessment of eight agencies is taken into account. These include the World Economic Forum Executive Opinion Survey; the World Bank Country Policy and Institutional Assessment; the World Justice Project Rule of Law Index; the Bertelsmann Stiftung Transformation Index; the Economist Intelligence Unit Country Risk Service; the Global Insight Country Risk Ratings; the IMD World Competitiveness Center World Competitiveness Yearbook Executive Opinion Survey; and the Varieties of Democracy project’s findings.

    Pakistan in the last 11 years had improved its index score from 23 in 2010 to 33 in 2018. However, never in the said time period had Pakistan been assessed to have performed negatively when compared to the previous year, which has now happened twice.

  • VIDEO: Visibly annoyed info minister stops Shahbaz Gill from speaking to media after PTI meeting

    Federal Information Minister Shibli Faraz was on Wednesday caught visibly annoyed on camera when he expressed displeasure over his colleague and Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s special assistant, Dr Shahbaz Gill, having an informal conversation with media persons.

    As per the details, PM Imran chaired the parliamentary party meeting of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) following which Gill was seen speaking to journalists before the information minister could hold his scheduled press conference.

    In videos of the episode doing the rounds on social media, Faraz was seen asking Gill as to what he was doing.

    “I was just giving them [journalists] economy-related points,” PM’s aide tells the government spokesperson over which the latter tells him that he was headed for the scheduled post-meeting presser.

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    “If you want to talk to journalists, join me for the press conference,” the information minister can be heard as adding after saying that it was his job but Gill had been doing so for quite some time.

    “I won’t join you [for the presser],” Gill says after continuing to explain for a while that he was only updating journalists on facts and figures regarding the country’s debts.

    “Then don’t,” the information minister says and storms out, leaving Gill rather embarrassed in front of media persons.

    It may be noted that Faraz is the third information minister after Fawad Chaudhry and Firdous Ashiq Awan, who discharged her duties as the pemier’s special assistant on information in the absence of a minister.

    Gill, on the other hand, was called to centre after spending some time in Punjab as Chief Minister (CM) Usman Buzdar’s spokesperson.

  • PTI leader asks PM to bring Tareen back ahead of Senate polls

    The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmaker Raja Riaz has asked the prime minister to make estranged PTI leader Jahangir Khan Tareen the chairman of the committee formed to choose candidates for the upcoming Senate elections.

    During a parliamentary party meeting on Wednesday with PM Imran Khan in the chair, the PTI lawmaker, who hails from Faisalabad, said that Tareen’s services for the PTI cannot be ignored and demanded that the senior leader be made the head of the committee.

    He also asked the PM to include Punjab Governor Chaudhry Sarwar, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Amir Kiyani, and Ijaz Chaudhry in the body formed to choose Senate candidates.

    In November last year, Tareen, who had drifted away from Imran Khan after he was named in a sugar scam, had returned to Pakistan after spending five months in London.

    Tareen, once a close confidant of PM Imran Khan, had a falling out with the prime minister and party leaders after he was named in an inquiry ordered by the PM over hike in sugar prices. The report made public by the government had named other politicians as well.

    A news report claimed that Tareen took this decision to end his self-imposed exile after Imran assured him a free trial about the ongoing issues among other things.

    Following the report against Tareen, Raja Riaz had defended him at the time as well. He had warned of huge loss to the PTI if Jahangir Tareen parted his ways with the party. He had claimed that some people were providing wrong information to PM Imran Khan about Tareen.

  • Owner of Kapoor Haveli demands Rs 2 billion for property

    The owner of Kapoor Haveli in Peshawar has refused to sell the house to the government at the price set by the authorities.

    According to a report in The News, the owner of the mansion Haji Ali Qadir is asking for Rs 2 billion for the property whereas, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has set a price of Rs 15 million for the house.

    Speaking to the publication, Qadir had said that the price set by the government was ridiculous as “half a marla of land is not available in Dhaki Nalbandi near historical Qissa Khwani bazaar for Rs15 million and the government is giving us Rs15 million for a six marla house”. He added that the government has yet not made any formal contact for property and that he is getting news about it from the media.

    He further shared that his father Haji Khushal had bought the property in 1965 through a government auction.

    “When our father bought the house, the gold was Rs50 per tola,” said Qadir. “In this house, diyar wood has been used which is very expensive.”

    Read more – Rishi Kapoor’s unfulfilled wish: a visit to Pakistan

    On the other hand Director Archeology and Museum, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Dr Abdul Samad said the government has fixed the price of the house at DC rate as plots are bought and sold at DC rate in the area, adding that the government cannot pay more than the said price.

    Dr Samad further commented that if the owner has an objection to the price, he can submit an application to the Deputy Commissioner.

    Previously, when it had been reported that the owner is demanding at least two billion rupees for the historic haveli, the province’s archaeology department had said that it will use legal powers to purchase the Kapoor Haveli as well as Dilip Kumar’s house if needed.

    Read more – Dilip Kumar recalls memories of his ancestral home in Peshawar

    Meanwhile, Chief Minister KP Mahmood Khan recently approved funds of Rs 23.56 million to purchase the ancestral houses of Bollywood legends Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor in Peshawar. Both houses will be converted into museums after restoration work.

  • VIDEO: Minor spotted driving Land Cruiser in Multan

    VIDEO: Minor spotted driving Land Cruiser in Multan

    A video of a minor driving a Land Cruiser on Multan’s Boson Road has gone viral on social media.

    While it is not clear who the child is or whose car he is driving, social media users are calling out the minor’s parents for being irresponsible. Some users also thought that either someone is helping the kid drive the car or the vehicle is automatically operated.

    https://twitter.com/iSadiaSheikh/status/1354024626423214081?s=20

    One user said that she had witnessed the child drive a car herself.

    Meanwhile, other urged authorities to look into the matter.

    https://twitter.com/Engrabdullah98/status/1354322412247126017?s=20

  • US asks citizens to reconsider travel to Pakistan owing to terrorism, sectarian violence

    The United States has asked its citizens to reconsider travel to Pakistan in the light of the coronavirus outbreak, sectarian violence, and terrorism.

    In a travel advisory issued on Jan 25, the US administration said it “has limited ability to provide emergency services to US citizens in Pakistan due to the security environment”.

    The US also asked its citizens not to visit Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s tribal districts, and the areas in close proximity to the Line of Control due to militant threats.

    The advisory is “reissued after periodic review with edits regarding sectarian violence”.

    COVID-19 IN PAKISTAN:

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a Level 3 Travel Health Notice for Pakistan due to COVID-19, according to the advisory.

    “The government of Pakistan has lifted stay-at-home orders and allowed the resumption of intercity domestic travel and mass transit services in most cities. Travel restrictions, stay-at-home orders, business closures, and other restrictions can be reintroduced at any time within Pakistan due to COVID-19.”

    BALOCHISTAN AND KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA:

    The US asked its citizens not to travel to Balochistan due to “terrorist groups, an active separatist movement, sectarian conflicts, and deadly terrorist attacks against civilians, government offices, and security forces”. “In 2019, several bombings occurred in Balochistan province that resulted in injuries and deaths,” it said.

    About KP, it said that “active terrorist and insurgent groups routinely conduct attacks against civilians, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), government offices, and security forces”. “Assassination and kidnapping attempts are common, including the targeting of polio eradication teams,” it said, asking the citizens to avoid these areas.

    LINE OF CONTROL:

    It also mentioned the Line of Control, saying “militant groups operate in the area”.

    “India and Pakistan maintain a strong military presence on both sides of the border. Indian and Pakistani military forces periodically exchange gunfire and artillery fire across the Line of Control (LoC),” it said, asking the citizens to avoid the border.

  • Sit back LDA? Lahore to get another land authority with retired/serving military or civil officers as DG

    Sit back LDA? Lahore to get another land authority with retired/serving military or civil officers as DG

    The Punjab government has approved the establishment of another development authority to develop its posh neighbourhoods, with Chief Minister Usman Buzdar as the chairman.

    The Lahore Central Business District (CBD) Development Authority will be set up under the Lahore Central Business District Development Authority Ordinance 2021 and the ordinance would also pave the way for the appointment of retired/serving military officers or civil servants as the director general of the authority.

    As per the drafted legislation, the authority will have the power to acquire and hold property, both movable and immovable, and to carry out development in posh areas.

    Though Lahore already has a development authority that is in charge of planning and development in the district, the new authority is said to be an autonomous body that is tasked with the commercialisation and promotion of vertical construction in the city.

    According to Geo News, the idea of setting up a Central Business District in Lahore was first proposed by the Lahore Development Authority in 2009 for the development of Jail Road, Main Boulevard, M M Alam Road, Hali Road and Gulberg.

  • GDP growth in 2021: Pakistan likely at par with Nigeria at 1.5%; India at 11.5%, China at 8.1%

    GDP growth in 2021: Pakistan likely at par with Nigeria at 1.5%; India at 11.5%, China at 8.1%

    The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has raised its forecast for global economic growth in 2021 but warned that there was still “extraordinary uncertainty” about the outlook.

    According to the latest World Economic Outlook forecast, the IMF projects global growth at 5.5%, which is higher than their previous forecast in October. Global growth will moderate to 4.2% growth in 2022, the IMF said.

    As per the forecast, Pakistan’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth in the ongoing year will stand at 1.5% that it shares with Nigeria, while neighbouring India and China are likely to stand at staggering 11.5% and 8.1%, respectively.

    GDP is the total monetary or market value of all the finished goods and services produced within a country’s borders in a specific time period. As a broad measure of overall domestic production, it functions as a comprehensive scorecard of a given country’s economic health.

    Malaysia’s growth is likely to stand at 7%, Turkey: 6%, Spain: 5.9%, France: 5.5%, the United States (US) 5.1%, Indonesia: 4.8%, the United Kingdom (UK): 4.5%, Mexico: 4.3%, Brazil: 3.6%, Canada: 3.6%, Germany: 3.5%, Japan: 3.1%, Russia: 3%, Italy: 3%, while the GDP growth of Saudi Arabia has been predicted to stand at 2.6%.

    The upgrade for this year reflects the positive effects from the start to vaccinations in some countries, additional fiscal support in the US and Japan, and at least a partial return to business and consumer normality as the health crisis wanes.

    “Much now depends on the outcome of this race between a mutating virus and vaccines to end the pandemic, and on the ability of policies to provide effective support until that happens,” said IMF chief economist Gita Gopinath in a blog post accompanying the updated forecast.

    The global economy contracted by 3.5% in 2020, the worst peacetime contraction since the Great Depression of the 1930s, the agency said.

    Close to 90 million people are expected to enter extreme poverty in 2020 and 2021, reversing the trends of the past two decades, the IMF said.

    Altogether, the COVID-19 pandemic will cost the global economy $22 trillion over 2020-2025 relative to pre-pandemic projected levels.

  • VIDEO: PIA pilots spot and record UFO above their plane in Karachi

    VIDEO: PIA pilots spot and record UFO above their plane in Karachi

    Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) pilots have spotted and unidentified flying object (UFO) flying at 35,000 feet above Karachi.

    According to ProPakistani, the “foo fighter” — a term used by Allied aircraft pilots during World War II to describe UFOs or mysterious aerial phenomena seen in the skies over both the European and Pacific theaters of operations — was a white round object above the jet which the plane’s captain noticed on Sunday.

    The flight crew immediately started filming the object and after landing found that similar sightings had been reported in the past across the world.

    The flight captain said that the round object had a metal ring around it and was emitting white light from the center.

    He added that it was difficult to determine whether the object was hovering or moving slowly due to relative motion.

    Sharing the video of the incident, UFO hunter and blogger Scott Waring said that PIA pilots had provided the most focused photo of a foo fighter in the history of UFO research.

    He added that it “proved that aliens follow planes and keep a close eye on human activities”.

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