Current Final

Category: National

  • Man climbs electric pole after angry wife demands divorce

    Man climbs electric pole after angry wife demands divorce

    A man in Sindh climbed a heavy voltage electric pole on Thursday following his wife’s decision to go to court to file for a divorce after an argument erupted between the couple.

    As per reports, the woman had married the man by choice. She had filed  for a divorce after a domestic dispute.

    He tried to convince his wife but was unable to change her mind. After the failed negotiation attempt outside of the court’s premises, the man decided to climb the electric pole to threaten his wife.

    Sukkur Electric Power Company cut the pole’s power off after they received the information.

    The police have now arrested the man for attempting to commit suicide.

  • Gen Bajwa ‘tolerating Nawaz’s tirades against army for sake of democracy’, says Imran

    Gen Bajwa ‘tolerating Nawaz’s tirades against army for sake of democracy’, says Imran

    Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that there is a lot of anger in the military over the tirades of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif against the army, but the army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, is putting up with it for the “sake of democracy”.

    The PM made these comments in an interview on Samaa TV. “I praise Gen Bajwa today. To attack an army chief in this manner definitely provokes a reaction from the army,” he added.

    The PM said that Gen Bajwa was “uncomplicated man”. “If someone else was at the helm of the army, there would have been a strong response by now,” Imran said.

    The PM said the opposition was accusing him of being a “puppet” of the establishment, yet they wanted to talk to the establishment. “This means they’re putting pressure on the army to remove a democratic government. This is [their] democratic movement,” he added.

    Imran said that asking the military to remove a democratically-elected government was a case of “treason”, as Article 6 applies to this. “The opposition’s second demand is that if the army and ISI chiefs do not remove me, then the army should remove them [the chiefs of army and ISI],” he added.

    According to the prime minister, the army was a state department that was subordinate to his government. He said the military has always stood by him in times of crisis.

    Speaking on the former government’s troubled relationships with the establishment, Imran said Nawaz was “manufactured by the army against the PPP”. He said he himself received a message from military ruler Gen Ziaul Haq in 1988 that he wanted to make him (Imran) the prime minister.

    He said the establishment had helped the PML-N supremo in the 2013 elections but their ties became strained because the establishment did not support him in 2018.

    The ex-PM, who is in a self-imposed exile in London, has called out the army many times for its involvement in manipulating the general elections in 2018 to bring Imran Khan to power. Addressing a rally in Gujranwala in Oct, the former PM had called out Gen Bajwa and ISI chief Lt Gen Faiz Hameed for alleged manipulation of election results.

  • Qureshi in UAE: India planning ‘surgical strike’ against Pakistan, says FM

    Qureshi in UAE: India planning ‘surgical strike’ against Pakistan, says FM

    Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Friday said India was planning to undertake a surgical strike against Pakistan to divert the attention of the world from its worsening domestic situation.

    Addressing a press conference in Abu Dhabi, Qureshi said that India’s irrational approach was driven by its frustration emanating from internal unrest due to the RSS-BJP regime’s policies.

    “India is planning a false flag operation … we are well aware of the Indian designs. We have intelligence reports about a potential false flag operation,” the FM said. “I want to share all this information with the UAE government and rest of the world,” Qureshi added.

    “Pakistan is a peaceful country, but it would give a befitting response in case India tried a military misadventure,” he warned. “We will do it […] as we did respond immediately and effectively in February 2019,” he added.

    Qureshi urged upon the world to take notice of India, which was playing a “dangerous game of targeting peace in the region”.

    He said the situation in Indian Occupied Kashmir had further deteriorated due to India’s oppression of Kashmiri people.

    He also mentioned the country-wide protest of Indian farmers and mishandling of coronavirus pandemic, that led to the agitation of citizens against the incumbent BJP government.

    Qureshi mentioned that Pakistan had exposed the nefarious designs of India to create instability and presented before the world the credible evidence in this regard.

    He said the Indian Chronicles report by EU DisInfo Lab was proof that India was misusing the platforms of international bodies, such as the United Nations and the European Union.

    The FM is on a visit to the United Arab Emirates, where he held meeting with his counterpart Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

    The FM said he held a wide-ranging meeting with his Emirati counterpart and discussed issues of bilateral importance. He said Pakistan and the UAE enjoyed close relations and stood by each other in difficult times.

  • Only Allah can bring Nawaz Sharif back: interior minister

    Only Allah can bring Nawaz Sharif back: interior minister

    As the debate surrounding convicted former prime minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif’s extradition to Pakistan from the United Kingdom (UK) intensifies, Federal Minister for Interior Sheikh Rasheed has said that “only Allah can bring Nawaz back to Pakistan”.

    Speaking to journalists in Islamabad, the minister said that the current government could bring neither Nawaz nor former finance minister Ishaq Dar back to Pakistan because there existed no extradition treaty between the two countries.

    “Now, only Allah can bring them back,” he said while speaking of the former chief executive of the country, Nawaz, and his finance minister, Dar.

    Dar had left the country for “medical treatment” in the midst of investigations by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) against him, whereas his ex-boss, ailing Nawaz, had left the country after bail on medical grounds while serving a jail term.

    While the government has been trying its best to bring the two back, they have managed to remain in London and appear on talk shows or at anti-government public gatherings via video link.

    Earlier this week, it was reported by a local English daily that British Home Secretary Priti Patel had written to PM Imran Khan’s adviser on accountability, Shahzad Akbar, pointing out that the UK government was subject to international law in the case of Nawaz.

    The home secretary had reportedly confirmed that the British government would give Pakistan’s extradition request full attention under the provision of UK law if a formal request were received. At the same time, Patel had stressed that the UK was subject to international law and could not go against the established legal principles.

    The report had quoted sources as saying that Pakistan had asked for the deportation of Nawaz in a letter sent via British High Commission but a formal extradition request had not been filed. The home secretary’s letter to Pakistan meant that the UK would not consider deporting Nawaz, acting on the deportation request made by Pakistan.

  • Man takes shop owner to court for selling poor quality shoes to his wife

    A man on Friday approached a consumer court for seeking action against a shop owner who allegedly sold his wife a pair of poor quality shoes.

    As per reports, the claimant stated that his wife bought a pair of shoes from a shop at Tariq Road worth Rs1,600. One piece of the pair broke into two pieces in a few days. The man also added that the shoes were his wife’s favourite ones.

    He said he contacted the shop owner to tell him about the broken show but he didn’t listen. He requested the court to take action against him. He further demanded that the court charge the shop owner with a heavy fine for selling low-quality shoes.

    After initial arguments, the court admitted his application for hearing and called in witnesses to record their testimonies.

  • Impossible to conduct Senate polls via ‘show of hands’, says attorney general

    Impossible to conduct Senate polls via ‘show of hands’, says attorney general

    Attorney General of Pakistan Khalid Jawed Khan has said that the government cannot hold the Senate election via ‘show of hands’ as it is not possible to conduct the polls through such an exercise.

    The top lawyer said that the government does want to abolish the secret ballot system, but it will bring in an ‘open ballot’ system for free and fair elections instead of opting for the ‘show of hands’ method being reported by the media.

    The comments from AG Khan came amid reports that the government has decided to approach the Supreme Court for advice on the issue. It was being reported that the government would seek the top court’s help and introduce the ‘show of hand’ system in the elections.

    On Tuesday, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Shibli Faraz said that the government was striving to make the Senate elections “free and fair”.

    “Controversies have always surrounded the Senate elections. It is such an old practice that it is assumed that in the elections, [horse trading] will surely take place,” he had said.

    He said the government has decided to move the apex court regarding the reforms in Senate elections. “The government seeks an election that is conducted through a “show of hands”, Faraz had said, adding that the government expects to get guidance from the SC long before the elections.

    “This is in favour of all parties,” he had said.

    The opposition, however, opposes the idea. It claims that the government’s decision to hold the Senate polls a month early reeks of a “conspiracy”.

    Maryam Nawaz, the PML-N vice president, has said that the party didn’t oppose the open ballot system, but it would resist the change of the elections’ date.

  • PM mad at Sheikh Rasheed for going easy on Opp

    Prime Minister Imran Khan is not happy with Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed for his lenient approach towards the opposition and directed him to go tough on its leadership.

    According to Sheikh Rasheed, the PM was unhappy after watching his interview wherein his tone was soft towards the opposition. “The PM told me that I have to get tough when it comes to the opposition,” said the minister. “But I told him that I am now the interior minister as well, so I have to be neutral sometimes,” Rasheed said.

    According to Rasheed, the PM has also given him an additional responsibility of dealing with media. He said the PM was impressed with his interview and told him that he will have to represent the government in the media as well.

    Speaking about the change of his portfolio, Rasheed said being an interior minister of the country was a difficult job than being a railways minister. “Railways is not a difficult ministry compared to the Interior, as the latter has more responsibilities,” as per the minister.

    The interior minister said that the prime minister will not give an NRO [National Reconciliation Ordinance] to anyone despite the protests by the opposition parties. He said that the government will complete its five-year term.

    On Monday, Rasheed had asked the opposition who exactly they wished to speak to if not Imran Khan. “We don’t want to close the doors for dialogue. The opposition says it does not want to talk to Imran. Tell us who you wish to speak to so that we can arrange it,” he was quoted by Dawn as saying.

  • ‘Dear Mian Sahib’: Modi’s letter to Nawaz emerges

    ‘Dear Mian Sahib’: Modi’s letter to Nawaz emerges

    Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi wrote a letter to former premier Nawaz Sharif to offer his condolences after the death of the latter’s mother Begum Shamim Akhtar, it has emerged.

    Begum Shamim passed away last month.

    The letter, dated November 27, was delivered to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz by the Indian High Commission in Islamabad last week. Charge d’ Affairs of Indian High Commission Gaurav Ahluwalia asked her to convey the letter to her father Nawaz.

    In the letter itself, Modi shared a personal memory of meeting Sharif’s late mother during his visit to Jati Umra residence back in 2015.

    “I am deeply saddened to learn about the demise of your mother Begum Shamim Akhtar on November 22 in London. My heartfelt condolences are with you in this hour of intense grief,” wrote the Indian premier.

    “I recall my interaction with her during my brief visit to Lahore in 2015. Her simplicity and warmth was indeed very touching,” Modi wrote, expressing his personal bond with the Sharif family.

    “In this moment of profound grief, I pray to the Almighty to bestow strength upon you and your family to bear this irreparable loss. May the departed soul rest in peace,” Modi added.

    It may be noted that it was Nawaz who started developing a personal relationship with Modi soon after he was elected PM in 2014 by personally making a visit to his oath-taking. Nawaz also sent a white sari for Modi’s mother, who had gifted a shawl to Nawaz’s mother when he had visited India.

  • After backlash, Maryam deletes tweet on alleged meeting between Pakistani, Israeli officials

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Maryam Nawaz has deleted a Twitter post pertaining to an alleged meeting between the prime minister’s aide and Israeli officials after backlash on the social media platform.

    The PML-N vice-president had retweeted the tweet of Noor Dahri, the founder and executive director of UK-based Islamic Theology of Counter Terrorism (ITCT), who gave an interview to Israeli TV channel i24TV.

    The PML-N leader shared the post because it implicated the incumbent premier for his alleged efforts to normalise ties with Israel.

    But, the post backfired as the video shared by Maryam also implicated her father Nawaz Sharif, who has served as three-time prime minister, tried to establish ties with Tel Aviv.

    Subsequently, she deleted the tweet, but not before screenshots started making rounds on social media. The official Twitter handle of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) also shared a screen recording of her deleted tweet.

    A PTI supporter shared that the PML-N VP deleted the tweet because it “implicates Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto”.

    Meanwhile, Special Assistant to Prime Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development Zulfi Bukhari rejected the reports about any visit to Israel. According to Bukhari, he was with the deputy commissioner in Rawalpindi that day.

    Bukhari said the Indian and Israeli sponsored media and the frustrated opposition wanted to “create some controversy”.

    “If it is directed against me, I would like to clarify that I was in Rawalpindi with the deputy commissioner on the day, and pictures of the event are also available,” said Bukhari.

    The report had claimed that an adviser of PM Imran Khan, who is a British national, went to Israel with a message from the prime minister.

    An Israeli media outlet reported that the unnamed adviser was welcomed by the Israeli officials at the airport as the visit was approved by the US.

    The adviser was escorted to the “foreign ministry of Israel where he met several political officials and diplomats and delivered the message of the Pakistani PM”, the reports claimed.

  • Maryam says doctors haven’t stopped Nawaz from eating pizza

    Maryam says doctors haven’t stopped Nawaz from eating pizza

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Maryam Nawaz has defended father Nawaz Sharif after his picture eating pizza went viral on social media, inviting criticism from the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and others.

    Addressing a press conference in Lahore, the PML-N vice president said that the former prime minister eats pizza once in a while. She made these remarks in response to a question wherein the reporter asked her to comment on the criticism that the photo of the former premier invited for eating pizza despite being a heart patient.

    She asked whether any doctor had forbidden a heart or platelets patient from eating pizza. She further said that she did not know Nawaz Sharif to have any particular fondness for pizza.

    Maryam also talked about the Senate election. She termed the government’s decision to hold early Senate polls a ‘controversy’. According to Maryam, she was not opposed to the amendment pertaining to the secret ballot, but she would oppose the early polls.

    The PML-N leader also warned Prime Minister Imran Khan against pressurising the state institution, saying the PM will have to be answerable to the people of Pakistan for his acts.