Current Final

Category: National

  • Govt for legal action against PML-N leader ‘for weakening state’

    Federal Minister for Information Shibli Faraz has hinted at legal action against former National Assembly speaker Ayaz Sadiq for accusing the government of releasing Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman of the Indian Air Force (IAF) under pressure, fearing Indian attack.

    “What Ayaz Sadiq said is not forgivable,” he tweeted, adding that law will take its course now.

    Faraz asserted that “weakening the state” was an “unpardonable offense”, and promised that Sadiq and his followers will be punished for it.

    The statement by the government’s premier spokesperson comes a day after Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General (DG) Major General Babar Iftikhar set the record straight about the events surrounding February 27 — the day Pakistan downed two IAF planes and captured Abhinandan.

    “Yesterday such a statement was given in which facts were attempted to be twisted surrounding the events that day,” the military spokesperson said during a media briefing that had come a day after Sadiq among other senior Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) parliamentarians accused the government of taking the decision to release the pilot under pressure.

    READ: Army breaks silence after PML-N leader accuses govt of releasing Abhinandan fearing Indian attack

    Earlier, Sadiq had said that FM Qureshi “was present in the meeting, which Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan had refused to attend”.

    “India never attacked Pakistan but the government nonetheless handed over Abhinandan to the Indian authorities,” he had said, adding that it was the PTI government and not the opposition that had passed an ordinance to “facilitate” Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav.

    Reacting to his claims, the FM regretted how “responsible people were making irresponsible statements”.

    He said he had not expected the former NA speaker to say Pakistan let go Abhinandan under pressure and that his comments were “contrary to the truth”.

    Qureshi explained that in the meeting, the government had taken all parliamentary leaders into confidence regarding the intelligence reports it had received but made no mention of the captured Indian pilot. “Highly irresponsible statements are being issued for political gains,” he lamented while also slamming the opposition for its stance on Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav.

    “These people are misleading the nation on the issues of Kulbhushan and Abhinandan,” he had maintained.

    Ahead of the military’s version, Sadiq had also questioned PM Imran’s motives behind delaying a meeting related to Abhinandan on the day of his capture.

    He lambasted the Indian media for “distorting” his comments from the National Assembly session a day earlier when he had alleged that the government took the decision to release the IAF pilot under pressure.

    “One thing is clear: Abhinandan did not come to Pakistan to distribute sweets; he had attacked Pakistan,” the PML-N leader said.

  • Historical British-era tunnel restored and reopened in Ayubia

    Historical British-era tunnel restored and reopened in Ayubia

    Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Climate Change, Malik Amin Aslam, on Thursday, reopened a 129-year old historical ‘Motto Tunnel’ at Ayubia National Park.

    Read more – Sindh Govt comes under fire for ‘painting ancient archaeological sites white’

    The tunnel has been reopened for tourists after almost 20 years. Restoration work on it has been done by the Ministry of Climate Change in collaboration with the Department of Wildlife.

    According to a press release, Aslam while inaugurating the tunnel said that unsustainable and exploitative tourism practices in various parts of the country, particularly in biodiversity-rich and environmentally-sensitive areas, over last several years have badly harmed local fragile ecosystems that house wildlife species and their habitats.

    The special assistant said: “Given the realisation, the incumbent government is taking all-out measures to usher in sustainable models of eco-tourism in consultative with local partners and communities as a part of Prime Minister’s vision for Clean and Green Pakistan.”

    Sharing details about the tunnel, Aslam said that the tunnel was built in 1891 between Ghora Dhaka (presently Ayubia) to Khaira Gali (Murree) beneath the road and residential area in Ayubia Town. The tunnel had remained in terrible condition due to lack of maintenance over the last several decades.

    He said that this tunnel is 12 kilometres long and has a flat track. This track was 4 kilometres long before 12 more kilometres was added to it – it is now 16 kilometres in total.

    “Besides, reopening and renovation of the different segments of the tunnel, the tunnel site has also been provided with various facilities for tourists including paved track to the tunnel, information centre, guiding facilities, sitting and resting areas and coffee shop,” highlighted Aslam.

    The PM’s aide hoped that the glorious cultural icon would add value to the natural beauty of the national park and provide added attraction to tourists.

    He said: “We are taking practical steps to promote tourism. The restoration of this tunnel is also a link to the same series.”

  • ‘Pulwama attack’: Fawad says Indian media twisted his words to malign Pakistan

    ‘Pulwama attack’: Fawad says Indian media twisted his words to malign Pakistan

    Science and Technology Minister Fawad Chaudhry has slammed Indian media for taking his remarks on Pakistan’s response to the Balakot airstrikes out of context and twisting his words to “malign” Islamabad.

    In a statement, the minister said that the Indian media “acted with gross irresponsibility by misrepresenting the context of the speech” he delivered during a session of the National Assembly on Thursday. During his address, the federal minister gave his two cents on the controversy surrounding the release of Indian pilot Abhinandan after the Balakot strikes.

    “Humne Hindustan ko ghus ke maara (India was given a beating on its own turf). Our success in Pulwama, is the success of the people under the leadership of Imran Khan. We are all part of that success,” Fawad Chaudhry had said.

    Following these remarks, the Indian media said that the minister admitted Pakistan’s involvement in the Pulwama bombing that left at least 40 Indian soldiers dead in Feb 2019. Some Indian outlets used these statements to link Pakistan with deadly Pulwama bombing, allegations that Pakistani denies.

    Reacting to thes reports, the minister issued a rebuttal, saying the media was twisting his words, as it was obvious he meant the dogfight that resulted in Abhinandan’s capture. “The India jets that entered the Pakistani airspace and got shot down by the Pakistan Air Force. The PAF also captured a pilot, who was returned by the government as a gesture of peace.

    “As a matter of fact, [Fawad] Hussain referred to the ‘Operation Swift Retort’ which was a successful military response by the PAF to the transgression by the Indian airforce into Pakitan’s territory, as a result of which two Indian jets were shot down, not to mention the arrest of the widely discussed pilot, who was later released by the government of Pakistan as a diplomatic gesture of peace,” said the statement issued by the spokesperson of the Science and Technology Ministry.

    “It is reiterated that Pakistan has always upheld the international norms of peace and tranquility, and believes in mutual co-existence and cordial relations with its neighbouring countries,” said the minister, as he cleared the “gross” misinterpretation.

    The Indian media should promote peace with Pakistan instead of trying to capitalise on polarising rhetoric, the statement concluded.

    WAS ABHINANDAN RELEASED UNDER PRESSURE?

    This all started when former National Assembly speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq among other senior Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) parliamentarians accused the government of taking the decision to release the India pilot under pressure. Foreign Minister (FM) Shah Mahmood Qureshi had “begged the opposition to release Abhinandan, otherwise, according to the FM, India would have attacked Pakistan at 9 pm that day,” the lawmaker said during a session of the National Assembly.

    In response, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General (DG) Major General Babar Iftikhar held a press conference to set the record straight about the events surrounding the capture and release of the Indian wing commander, Abhinandan.

    “Yesterday such a statement was given in which facts were attempted to be twisted surrounding the events that day,” the military spokesperson said during the media briefing.

    Reacting to the claims that have been made a mountain of by Indian media, Maj Gen Iftikhar said that after the Pulwama incident, on February 26, India violated all international principles and attacked Pakistan. “They not only faced defeat but humiliation all over the world,” Geo News quoted him as saying.

    “Our timely response derailed their efforts. Their planes and the explosives they had come to rain down on the Pakistani people, they instead dropped on empty mountains. They left in a panicked state after being confronted by our planes.”

  • ‘Stay out of our domestic affairs,’ French minister tells Pakistan and Turkey

    Turkey and Pakistan should not meddle in France’s domestic affairs, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin has said after Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan denounced French President Emmanuel Macron’s “anti-Islam” agenda and called for a boycott of French goods.

    The comments from Erdogan and Imran were the latest expression of anger in the Muslim world over blasphemous images being displayed in France of the Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him).

    Erdogan, in his statement, also questioned Macron’s mental health, prompting Paris to recall its ambassador in Ankara.

    Joining Erdogan, Imran also denounced Macron’s remarks on the publication of caricatures, calling them “encouragement of Islamophobia”.

    “By attacking Islam, clearly without having any understanding of it, President Macron has attacked and hurt the sentiments of millions of Muslims in Europe and across the world,” the premier had said.

    “It should shock each one of us that foreign powers are meddling with what is going on in France,” Darmanin told France Inter radio earlier this week, adding he was referring to Turkey and Pakistan, where parliament passed a resolution urging the government to recall its ambassador from Paris.

    The National Assembly (NA) on Monday unanimously passed a resolution condemning the caricatures and the “resurgence of Islamophobic acts” in some countries.

    “Turkey should not meddle with France’s domestic affairs,” Darmanin added.

    The row has its roots in a knife attack outside a French school on October 16 in which a man of Chechen origin beheaded Samuel Paty, a teacher who had shown pupils blasphemous caricatures of Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) in a civics lesson on freedom of speech.

    Macron, who met representatives of France’s Muslim community on Monday, has pledged to fight “Islamist separatism”, saying it was threatening to “take over” some Muslim communities in France.

  • Army breaks silence after PML-N leader accuses govt of releasing Abhinandan fearing Indian attack

    Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General (DG) Major General Babar Iftikhar has set the record straight about the events surrounding February 27 — the day Pakistan downed two Indian Air Force (IAF) planes and captured an Indian pilot, Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman.

    “Yesterday such a statement was given in which facts were attempted to be twisted surrounding the events that day,” the military spokesperson said during a media briefing that came a day after former National Assembly speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq among other senior Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) parliamentarians accused the government of taking the decision to release the pilot under pressure.

    Foreign Minister (FM) Shah Mahmood Qureshi had “begged the opposition to release Abhinandan, otherwise, according to the FM, India would have attacked Pakistan at 9 pm that day,” they had claimed.

    Reacting to the claims that have been made a mountain of by Indian media, Maj Gen Iftikhar said that after the Pulwama incident, on February 26, India violated all international principles and attacked Pakistan. “They not only faced defeat but humiliation all over the world,” Geo News quoted him as saying.

    “Our timely response derailed their efforts. Their planes and the explosives they had come to rain down on the Pakistani people, they instead dropped on empty mountains. They left in a panicked state after being confronted by our planes.”

    WATCH FULL MEDIA BRIEFING:

    He said that in response, the Pakistan Army, in accordance with the people’s wishes, sought to “teach the enemy a lesson”.

    “On this decision, all civil and military leadership was on a single page. We responded with full might in the light of day and shot down two planes, along with arresting their pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan [Varthaman],” said the ISPR DG, recalling the events.

    He said that the enemy was in such a panicked state that it shot down its own helicopter.

    “We gave them a bloody nose and they are still hurting.”

    Maj Gen Iftikhar said that Pakistan secured a “clear victory” that day against India. He said not only was India’s hollowed state of preparedness exposed that day but the entire Pakistani nation’s heads were held high.

    He said this triumph was not only celebrated in Pakistan but the entire world recognised it. “India held its non-availability of Rafale jets accountable for the defeat,” he added.

    The ISPR chief said that the government of Pakistan, in a measured and responsible move, decided to “give peace a chance” and hand over the captured war prisoner Wing Commander Abhinandan over. “The move, which was in accordance with the Geneva Convention, was lauded by the entire world.”

    PML-N LEADER’S CLARIFICATION:

    Ahead of the military spokesperson’s briefing, Sadiq questioned Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s motives behind delaying a meeting related to Abhinandan on the day of his capture.

    He lambasted the Indian media for “distorting” his comments from the National Assembly session a day earlier when he had alleged that the government took the decision to release the IAF pilot under pressure.

    “One thing is clear: Abhinandan did not come to Pakistan to distribute sweets; he had attacked Pakistan,” the PML-N leader said.

    He noted that PM Imran Khan had convened a meeting of parliamentary leaders pertaining to the Indian pilot but it saw a considerable delay in starting. “The prime minister, through Foreign Minister [Shah Mahmood Qureshi], had said that Abhinandan should be handed over to India immediately.

    “What was the reason for a delay in the meeting?” Sadiq asked. “Was he taking dictation from Modi?”

    “Did he not consider it appropriate to share with us [the reason for a delay]?” he inquired.

    ‘GOVT FEARED INDIAN ATTACK’:

    Sadiq on Wednesday had said that FM Qureshi “was present in the meeting, which PM Imran had refused to attend”.

    “India never attacked Pakistan but the government nonetheless handed over Abhinandan to the Indian authorities,” he had said, adding that it was the PTI government and not the opposition that had passed an ordinance to “facilitate” Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav.

    Reacting to his claims, the FM regretted how “responsible people were making irresponsible statements”.

    He said he had not expected the former NA speaker to say Pakistan let go Abhinandan under pressure and that his comments were “contrary to the truth”.

    Qureshi explained that in the meeting, the government had taken all parliamentary leaders into confidence regarding the intelligence reports it had received but made no mention of the captured Indian pilot. “Highly irresponsible statements are being issued for political gains,” he lamented while also slamming the opposition for its stance on Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav.

    “These people are misleading the nation on the issues of Kulbhushan and Abhinandan,” he had maintained.

  • EXCLUSIVE: Bilawal’s Urdu tutor says he makes her proud

    EXCLUSIVE: Bilawal’s Urdu tutor says he makes her proud

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, who has become apt at addressing political rallies and press conferences in Urdu after initial hiccups, is taking language lessons from party stalwart Shehla Raza.

    The PPP chairman had had teething problems at the outset of his political career has a much stronger grip on the language.

    The PPP leader and former Sindh Assembly speaker, who was featured in The Current Life, said it was true that Bilawal was taking Urdu lessons from her.

    “My heart grows every time I see him speak Urdu. Yesterday (while addressing Gujranwala rally), you must’ve seen that when he was delivering his speech, he had noted down his points in English. He used to take a look at his points and then talk,” said Shehla.

    According to the former speaker, the PPP chief used to speak Urdu as a kid but having stayed away from the country for such a long time, his ability to speak the national language suffered.

    Shehla Raza said she couldn’t stand Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Fayyazul Hasan Chohan, Railways Minister Sheikh Rasheed and would never appear on TV show alongside them.

    The PPP leader also revealed that she had gotten her leg fractured twice during her career as a politician.

  • Teenage Christian bride to stay with ‘kidnapper’, rules court

    Teenage Christian bride to stay with ‘kidnapper’, rules court

    In spite of the parents’ plea seeking the return of their underage girl, the Sindh High Court handed the custody of a 13-year-old Christian girl child to a Muslim who allegedly coerced the teenager into marriage after her abduction and forced conversion.

    Newsday Pakistan, an outlet focused on minority rights, reported the court as saying that Arzoo Raja had converted to Islam and married 45-year-old Ali Azhar out of her own free will; therefore, she was allowed to live with her husband. The court also ordered the police not to arrest Azhar and the other persons nominated in the FIR [First Information Report] by the girl’s family and to ensure the security of the couple.

    Ghazala Shafique, a rights activist based in Karachi, said the Sindh High Court’s refusal to take into account the documented age of Arzoo Raja, 13, and the falsification of documents had shocked the family and the entire Christian community.

    “According to the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) records, Arzoo’s age is 13, as she was born on July 31, 2007,” she said. Sexual intercourse with a girl below the age of 16 is statutory rape and carries a death sentence or a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison in Pakistan.

    This is the second case of forced conversion of underage Christian girls in Karachi in a year. In October 2019, 14-year-old Huma Younas was kidnapped and forcibly converted to Islam, according to reports.

    In Faisalabad, Punjab province, 14-year-old Maira Shahbaz was kidnapped and forcibly married and converted to Islam earlier this year.

  • ‘Corona se darna nahi, larrna hai’ declared un-Islamic as top religious body says virus is Allah’s will

    ‘Corona se darna nahi, larrna hai’ declared un-Islamic as top religious body says virus is Allah’s will

    The popular anti-coronavirus slogan “Corona se darna nahi, larna hai [we have to fight, not fear corona]” has been declared un-Islamic by the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) that says the virus outbreak is Allah’s will.

    According to Dawn, the Lahore High Court (LHC), while hearing a petition filed by a lawyer against the use of these words in national print and electronic media and official sources of communication, was on Wednesday informed that the top religious body has advised the government against using the slogan.

    The petitioner-lawyer, Salman Idrees, had argued that no one could fight against God’s will but the national media and government communication sources had been using “un-Islamic” and “immoral” words challenging the supremacy of God. He asked the court to ban the use of the words “corona se darna nahi, larrna hai”.

    In the last hearing, LHC Chief Justice Muhammad Qasim Khan had directed the CII to give its opinion on the choice of words in the anti-COVID-19 slogan.

    On Wednesday, a government lawyer informed the court that the CII after considering the slogan had stopped the government from using it.

    The council had advised the government to refer the matter to the federal cabinet to come up with a new anti-virus slogan, Deputy Attorney General Asad Ali Bajwa said.

    An official at the CII told the English daily that the reason the council had opposed the slogan was that in its view, humans could not fight God’s will and the term “fighting corona” should be replaced with “protecting against corona”.

    The hearing has been adjourned until next week.

  • Top Islamic council allows construction of Hindu temple in Islamabad

    Top Islamic council allows construction of Hindu temple in Islamabad

    The Council of Islamic Ideology, a top constitutional body responsible for giving legal advice on Islamic issues to the government, has ruled that there were no constitutional or sharia constraints against constructing a Hindu temple in Islamabad or any other place in the country.

    The CII, in a meeting on Wednesday, also allowed the government to hand over the temple site as well as its adjoining Dharamshala (community centre) in Saidpur village of Islamabad to the Hindu community “so that it can offer religious rites as per their beliefs”.

    However, briefing media about the recommendations of the three-day CII meeting, council chairman Dr Qibla Ayaz said that there was no tradition of constructing places of worship with public money so the Hindu temple could not be constructed with public money.

    The CII recommended to the government to establish a ‘special welfare fund’ for minorities which they can utilise without any outside hindrance.

    The constitution provides right to all citizens to practice their religion freely and perform last rituals of members of their community in accordance with their religious belief, it said.

    The Hindu community was allowed to perform last rituals of a deceased person in shamshan ghat (a mortuary where corpses are cremated).

    The CII contended that the Hindu community was allowed to construct a community centre to perform their religious rituals and marriage ceremonies and there was no harm in it as per the sharia.

  • Imran gets clean chit in PTV, Parliament House attack case

    Imran gets clean chit in PTV, Parliament House attack case

    Prime Minister Imran Khan has been acquitted by an Islamabad anti-terrorism court (ATC) in a case pertaining to an attack on Parliament House in 2014.

    The verdict announced by ATC judge Raja Jawad Abbas Hassan absolved the prime minister of all the charges filed against him by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government. The court said it would indict Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Asad Umar, Pervaiz Khattak, Shafqat Mahmood at the next hearing on Nov 21.

    The court had on October 26 reserved its verdict on the PM’s acquittal plea in the case. The prime minister through his counsel Babar Awan had pleaded that court to quash the case against him. He had said the prosecution was no longer interested in pursuing the case.

     Awan had maintained that there was no evidence proving the involvement of the prime minister in the case. He had also mentioned that no eyewitness has come forward regarding this.

    In September 2014, hundreds of PTI and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) workers had attacked parliament premises and the PTV office in Islamabad during the 126-day protest against the then PML-N government.

    During the riot, at least 50 people were injured, including police officer Asmatullah Junejo. Subsequently, the government pressed terror charges against the PTI chairman and PAT chief Dr Tahirul Qadri.