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Category: National

  • Medical test proves Arzoo Raja is a minor

    Medical test proves Arzoo Raja is a minor

    A medical test has proven that Arzoo Raja, the teenage Christian girl who was allegedly abducted before being forcefully converted and married to a Muslim man, is around 14 years of age, social activist and lawyer Jibran Nasir announced on Monday.

    According to Jibran, who is part of the legal team fighting the case on behalf of Arzoo’s parents, the Sindh High Court (SHC) has also recognised NADRA (National Database & Registration Authority) documents stating Arzoo’s age to be 13 as true.

    “[The court] declares prima facie [at first sight] she contracted child marriage. Arzoo to remain in shelter home till next hearing,” he tweeted.

    In a subsequent tweet, Jibran added that the court has not disposed off the petition and the next hearing will be held after two weeks.

    “Court is yet to determine whether #Arzoo is sui juris [of one’s own right] to convert religion of free will given her age of 13. At this stage, only question of child marriage has been addressed and resolved,” he said further.

    Earlier, amid public outrage, Sindh government spokesperson Murtaza Wahab had announced Arzoo’s recovery.

    Speaking to Dawn, acting Karachi police chief Additional IG Arif Hanif had confirmed that the 13-year-old girl had been recovered safely and her purported husband had also been arrested.

    The city police chief had said the girl would be sent to a shelter home as per the directions of the SHC while the suspect would be presented before the court.

    “The judge has ordered the girl be recovered by police and relevant agencies and shifted to a shelter home. Next hearing fixed for Thursday morning [November 5]. My lawyer has informed the court that an intervener will be filed on my behalf,” Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari had said in a tweet.

    Officials, including Sindh Governor Imran Ismail, have been reiterating resolve of the authorities concerned to resolve Arzoo’s case at the earliest.

  • SC releases Geo chief Mir Shakil on bail

    Jang group CEO Mir Shakilur Rahman, who was in jail for almost one year in a graft case, has been released on bail by the Supreme Court.

    As the top court took up the bail plea of the editor-in-chief of the Jang/Geo group on Monday, the bench accepted the petition, asking the media mogul to submit surety bonds worth Rs100 million.

    Earlier, the Lahore High Court (LHC) had dismissed his post-arrest bail petition in a case relating to a property transaction that took place 34 years ago. After which, he moved the SC.

    Mir Shakil was called to the NAB office in Lahore in March for submitting his answers to the questionnaire attached with a call-up notice; however, he was detained. A reference was also approved against him and other accused by the NAB chief earlier this year.

  • Bank official fired, arrested after sexual harassment video goes viral

    Bank official fired, arrested after sexual harassment video goes viral

    A private bank official, who was caught harassing a woman on camera has been arrested and removed from his position following a backlash on social media prompted by the video of the incident.

    In a video that went viral on social media, the bank official was seen harassing a woman. The video had prompted a strong response, with people asking the government to initiate action against the bank official.

    Subsequently, Usman Gohar, who is a credit initiation unit manager at a private bank in F-10 Markaz, was issued a “letter of dismissal” from service, confirmed Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari in a tweet.

    Islamabad DC Hamza Shafqaat said Gohar has been dismissed from service by the bank over harassment. “He cannot be hired by any other bank as per State Bank regulations,” he added.

    Following the arrest, the deputy inspector-general of police for operations had noted that “further legal action [was] being taken”.

    Faysal Bank also issued a clarification, distancing itself from the official. Usman Gohar “has been terminated effective immediately” but stressed that though an employee, he was not a branch manager.

    In the statement, the bank termed the harassment an “individual act” that goes against the standards set by the bank.

  • Maryam owes her beauty to taxpayers’ money, Gandapur claims

    Maryam owes her beauty to taxpayers’ money, Gandapur claims

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Ali Amin Gandapur has claimed that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Maryam Nawaz “owes her beauty to cosmetic surgeries performed at the expense of taxpayers”.

    Speaking in a public gathering, the lawmaker went on a sexist tirade against the PML-N vice president. He said the PML-N leader became “beautiful” by spending tax money on her alleged plastic surgeries.

    Addressing the people in the crowd, he said you people could also look like “Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt if you spend even a fraction of amount spent by Maryam on her facial surgeries”.

    Previously, in a Twitter post, Gandapur had made sexist comments about PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and Maryam Nawaz. In a post, he had said Bilawal is a man without any “masculine attributes” whereas Maryam was a woman who didn’t have “feminine qualities”.

    In past, the PTI ministers have targetted Maryam for being a woman, but this is the first time that someone has claimed that she underwent cosmetic surgery.

    Last month, Information Minister Shibli Faraz in an unfounded criticism said that “shoes, dresses and makeup do not make one a leader”.

    Maryam owed her career to dynastic politics and thought of herself as the late prime minister (PM) Benazir Bhutto, he had said.

    “Benazir was a well-educated lady […] shoes, dresses and makeup do not make you a leader. To be one, you need to live like a common person,” he said in his tirade. Maryam has time and again been criticised for her luxurious lifestyle and rather expensive dresses, footwear as well as accessories.

  • Bilawal’s opposition to Nawaz’s narrative is fine with Maryam

    Bilawal’s opposition to Nawaz’s narrative is fine with Maryam

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz has come forward to defend Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari after comments made by the latter stirred controversy regarding his party’s role in the joint opposition alliance.

    In an interview to BBC Urdu, the PPP chairman said he didn’t agree with PML-N supreme leader Nawaz Sharif over his decision to name the army generals during a rally in Gujranwala.

    Bilawal said the statement “shocked” him because the use of such language during public gatherings was unprecedented.

    The statement was taken by many as an indication that the PPP would jump the ship and leave the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) — a joint opposition alliance — in a lurch. The impression, however, was contested by the PPP leadership, as it expressed commitment to the anti-government alliance.

    Responding to these reports, PML-N VP Maryam Nawaz said the statement made by Bilawal didn’t stand in contrast to the narrative peddled by the PDM. She said attempts to create rifts in the PDM will fail, adding that the party has no issues with the PPP chief’s remarks.

    Previously, the rumours regarding the PPP’s role in PDM started making rounds in the mainstream and social media after Capt (r) Safdar, Maryam’s spouse, was arrested from his hotel room by the Karachi police.

    The PPP had distanced itself from the arrest, demanding an inquiry into the episode. The arrest was dubbed by the PDM leadership as an attempt to damage the multi-party alliance.

  • PML-N leader calls Imran Khan ‘Trump junior’

    PML-N leader calls Imran Khan ‘Trump junior’

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senior leader Ahsan Iqbal has likened Prime Minister Imran Khan to US President Donald Trump, saying like Trump, Imran was also a “polarising figure” in the politics.

    In a tweet, Iqbal said it’s time to get rid of Imran Khan, whose politics is based on “hate” like his American counterpart. “Pakistan will unite again like it was in 2018,” he claimed, referring to the reign of the PML-N government.

    The statement by the PML-N leader came amid reports of Democrat Joe Biden’s projected victory in the US elections. The Democrat nominee is in the clear lead, as he needs only 6 votes to win the polls.

    Donald Trump has proved to be one of the most polarising presidents in the American history. Not only he played down the coronavirus pandemic in the country that has claimed over 200,000 lives, he has also refused to condemn the white supremacist groups, such as Proud Boys.

    According to a USA Today report, “President Trump has undermined Black Lives Matter protesters, calling them ‘thugs’. He has made Asian-Americans the target of hate crimes, calling the deadly coronavirus the ‘Chinese virus’.”

    It may be mentioned that an alliance of opposition parties against Imran government is in full swing. These parties have joined hands for oust the prime minister in the wake of inflation and other economic issues.

  • Pakistan & India to go to war over Basmati rice rights

    Pakistan is all geared up to thwart India’s attempt to obtain branding rights for Basmati rice, The News reported.

    Advisor to PM on Commerce Abdul Razza Dawood said on Friday that the government had prepared a detailed response in the matter and would submit it before the European Union (EU) Commission on December 10. 

    He hoped the Indian’s claim on Basmati rice would be rejected in totality. “The decision is expected within a one-year period,” he added.

    We are in possession of many documents which we will present as documentary proof to the EU Commission to prove Basmati rice is our brand, the advisor told The News. 

    Dawood said India’s stance on Basmati rice was impossible to prove since Pakistan possessed every proof to foil their attempt. “The first statement will be submitted on December 19, the application will be submitted in the second round.”

    “I met with the attorney general yesterday to ensure we hire a good law firm to present our Basmati case before the EU commission.”

    Basmati is a variety of long, slender-grained aromatic rice that is traditionally grown in Pakistan and India. As of 2018-19, India accounted for 65% of the international trade in basmati rice, while Pakistan accounted for the remaining 35%.

    Many countries use domestically grown basmati rice crops; however, basmati is geographically exclusive to certain districts of Pakistan and India.

  • Public holiday in Hafizabad on PM’s visit

    Public holiday in Hafizabad on PM’s visit

    Hafizabad administration has announced a public holiday in the district to mark the arrival of Prime Minister Imran Khan in the city.

    In a notification, Hafizabad’s Deputy Commissioner Naveed Shahzad Mirza said all the offices of local and provincial departments will remain closed across the district on Nov 7.

    “This order shall be applicable only to the offices of local and provincial departments,” read the notification shared by Samaa.

    Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar will also accompany the prime minister on his visit.

    During his one-day visit to the district, the prime minister will lay the foundation stone of a university and district headquarters hospital in the district. He will also announce Sehat Insaf Card for residents of the area as well.

    Meanwhile, the district admin has also completed arrangement for a public address of the premier at the Municipal Stadium, with at least 10,000 chairs placed at the venue. The admin has also installed four gates at the venue, including a gate for the VIPs.

    The admin has also put CCTV cameras on the routes of the jalsa. Samaa reported that ahead of the PM’s visit, the district administration has also repaired the roads overnight.

    The media reports quoted local Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders saying that the public gathering will be bigger than the ones organised by the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) — an anti-government alliance of opposition parties — over the month.

  • Federal and provincial companies owe K-Electric Rs170 billion

    Federal and provincial companies owe K-Electric Rs170 billion

    Federal and provincial corporations’ failure to pay K-Electric (KE) has resulted in outstanding dues of Rs170 billion.

    The huge receivables have made the country’s sole vertically integrated power provider financially unviable, and affected its future investment plans, said KE’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Muhammad Aamir Ghaziani.

    The company has declared an approximate Rs2.96 billion loss in FY-2020, primarily due to soaring receivables and higher debt servicing cost.

    “Financial viability is critical for continued investment. If KE is rendered financially unviable, sustainable investments may be constrained,” he said.

    Responding to a query, he answered that KE’s total receivables from government entities, including Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KW&SB), National Transmission & Despatch Company (NTDC), and Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC), are close to Rs170 billion.

    KE owes a principal amount of Rs13.7 billion to SSGC while the remaining is markup which is still awaiting final adjudication by the court. He said KE has honoured its payment obligations to Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC), Pakistan State Oil (PSO) and Independent Power Producers (IPPs), although it has declared a loss of Rs2.96 billion for FY-2020.

    “If the long-standing receivables issue continues to remain unresolved, KE’s ability to serve Karachi’s growing power needs would be constrained with serious implications for citizens and industries,” he added.

    The financial statements showed that the company had been driven back into financial losses after eight years of profitable operations on account of a 166% increase in financing cost and an exponential surge in borrowing to bridge working capital requirements in the wake of unpaid dues.

  • Nawaz naming Gen Bajwa in Gujranwala jalsa ‘shocked’ Bilawal

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has distanced himself from a statement by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif accusing Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa of “hijacking elections”.

    The PPP chief alluded to remarks made by Nawaz during a rally in Gujranwala held by the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) last month. During the speech, the former PM had called out Gen Bajwa and ISI chief Lt Gen Faiz Hameed for alleged manipulation of election results.

    In an interview with BBC Urdu, Bilawal said the statement “shocked” him because the use of such language during the public gathering was unprecedented. “But if Nawaz Sharif names these generals, he must have evidence to back these claims up,” said the PPP chief, adding that hopefully, the PML-N supreme leader would bring forward relevant evidence.

    The PPP chief said the PDM was not in favour of naming generals, so a consensus was reached to use the term “establishment”. However, it is Nawaz Sharif’s right to call these people out if he wants to, added Bilawal.

    He said the deployment of the military inside and outside the polling was wrong, so was the dam fund campaign of former chief justice Saqib Nisar in the lead-up to the polls. “So, due to the prevalence of such activities, we can not say Imran was brought to power by an individual.”

    The PPP chief also shot down reports regarding his party’s lack of interest in the PDM. He said the PPP stood by the commitments made at the time of the formation of the joint opposition alliance.