Current Final

Category: National

  • Army called to assist govt in dealing with Karachi flooding

    Army called to assist govt in dealing with Karachi flooding

    Pakistan Army has been called to assist the civil administration in dealing with the urban flooding situation in the business hub of the country, announced the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

    According to the military’s media wing, the armed forces have been summoned in the city to assist the civil administration in dealing with the urban flooding situation.

    Separately, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Chairman Lieutenant General Muhammad Afzal called on Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Thursday after Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan tasked him to clean rain-hit Karachi.

    According to the CM House spokesman, the meeting was also attended by Local Government Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah.

    They discussed the situation developed in the city in the aftermath of the two-day rainfall that saw urban flooding in parts of the city.

    It is pertinent to mention here that  Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday asked NDMA to extend help in cleaning rain-battered Karachi.

    Taking to Twitter, the prime minister directed the NDMA chairman to reach Karachi immediately and oversee the cleanliness drive.

    “I have asked the Pak Army to also help in cleaning up the city,” he said.

    Sindh Minister Saeed Ghani at that time responded to the move saying that he does not know why the premier has asked Pakistan Army to assist the cleanliness of the metropolis.

  • Naya Pakistan: Matric pass PTI MPA becomes new chairperson of Punjab Education Foundation

    The recent “election” of the new chairperson of the Punjab Education Foundation (PEF) has attracted widespread social media attention after it was revealed that he himself holds only a matriculation or secondary school certificate.

    Established in 1991, PEF is an autonomous statutory body to encourage and promote education on non-commercial/non-profit basis. Since then, it has come a long way to arrange free quality education for the deserving children at their doorsteps.

    On July 27, the first meeting of the newly-constituted Board of Governors (BoG) of the PEF was held in which the members, through consensus, elected Sardar Aftab Akbar as the new chairperson.

    According to the Punjab Assembly’s official website, the academic qualification of Akbar, a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MPA from PP-23 (Chakwal-III), is matriculation. He has served as the tehsil nazim in Chakwal from 2005 to 2010, while still serves as a member of the Primary and Secondary Healthcare as well as Committee on Privileges of the Punjab Assembly.

    It is pertinent to mention here that the PEF has been in the limelight these days for non-payment to its partner schools across Punjab. The owners and teaching and non-teaching staff of PEF partner schools had protested recently outside the Punjab Assembly and the Governor House. They had even tried to reach Zaman Park over the non-payment issue that has made them unable to pay salaries to teaching and non-teaching staff besides clearing building rents and utility bills etc.

    Punjab School Education Minister Dr Murad Raas, with regard to non-payments, says that PEF had already paid 50 per cent of the payment to the schools and remaining payment would be made only after verification of the students enrolled in these schools. He said previously some 250,000 fake enrolments were detected at many PEF partner schools and since millions of rupees were to be paid to the schools, verification of students was a must.

    The minister said many PEF partner schools were in fact beneficiaries of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the government would not waste public money on fake enrolments. He said the PEF initiative was aimed to bring out of school children into schools and not to financially support fake enrolments. Dr Muard Raas further said he had also apprised Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan about the issue in a recent meeting who had assured full support.

  • KYA BOLA? (Jul 30): ‘Sciencedaan Fawad Chaudhry’ to ‘Imran Khan k aglay 6 maah ki ahmeeyat’

    KYA BOLA? (Jul 30): ‘Sciencedaan Fawad Chaudhry’ to ‘Imran Khan k aglay 6 maah ki ahmeeyat’

    Following are some snippets that stood out from Urdu newspapers on July 30, 2020, which The Current takes no responsibility for.

    ‘Sciencedaan Fawad Chaudhry’

    It was reported by Daily Jang that Ruete Hilal [Moon-Sighting] Committee Chairman Mufti Muneebur Rehman has said, “Fawad Chaudhry ko calendar banaa kr denay walay humaray members hain. Hum 25 saal se Ruet chalaa rahay hain, Fawad Chaudhary kahaan se sciencedaan aa gaye?”

    The statement comes days after yet another war of words erupted between the cleric and the science and technology minister over moon-sighting, this time for the Islamic month of Zil Hajj.

    ‘Tania Aidrus aur Zafar Mirza’

    According to Daily Jang, Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry has said, “Wazire Azam shayad Zafar Mirza k kaam say mutmayin nahi thay. Dono isteefo’n ka dual nationality se koi taaluq nahi tha.”

    A day earlier, special assistant to the prime minister on health, Dr Zafar Mirza, and on digital Pakistan, Tania Aidrus, had announced having submitted their resignations, saying it was over criticism following the assets and dual nationality report of PM’s aides. Pundits had, however, hinted at possible trouble in Islamabad and said that there was more to the resignations.

    ‘Imran Khan k aglay 6 maah ki ahmeeyat’

    Senior journalist and analyst Hamid Mir, in his column for Daily Jang, has said,“Imran Khan ne 2 saal tou jaisay taisay mukamal kr liye lekin Eid k bad inka asal imtehaan shuru honay wala hai. Agly 6 maah in k liye aham hain aur buhat mushkil bhi… yeh 6 maah nikal gaye to Imran Khan k liye paanch saal mukammal krna asaan hojayega.”

  • Elderly blasphemy accused shot dead in court

    Elderly blasphemy accused shot dead in court

    An elderly man was killed during the hearing of a blasphemy case against him at the Peshawar Judicial Complex on Wednesday.

    A case had been registered against the deceased under blasphemy laws. The accused was brought to court from Peshawar Central Jail.

    Tahir Ahmed Naseem, 47, a resident of Pishtakhara, appeared before the court of Judge Shaukatullah when a man barged in and opened fire on him.

    He was a US citizen and the US State Department’s Twitter account for South Asia tweeted about the incident.

    https://twitter.com/State_SCA/status/1288668684936974337?s=19

    “During the hearing of the case, the complainant said that the accused was an Ahmadi and asked him to recite the Kalima-e-Tayyaba,” according to a lawyer who was present in the courtroom at the time of the incident. He added that the complainant then fired at the elderly man and killed him.

    The 24-year-old shooter, Khalid, was arrested by the police on the spot. He is said to be a resident of Board Bazaar.

    The judicial complex is situated in a high-security zone on the main Khyber Road in the cantonment area where the provincial assembly building, the Peshawar High Court, chief minister’s secretariat and Governor House are also situated. Security at the main gate and inside the judicial complex is also high.

    Peshawar Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Mohammad Ali Gandapur and SSP (Operations) Mansoor Aman visited the courtroom where the man was killed.

    “At the moment we have little information but we have started investigation into the killing,” the CCPO said. Aman added that the weapon has also been recovered.

    Police shifted the body of the deceased to the Khyber Medical University for post-mortem.

    They said a first information report (FIR) had been registered against the deceased in 2018.

    According to the FIR, the complainant alleged that the deceased belong to the Ahmadi community and “befriended him on Facebook” and in subsequent conversations, claimed that he was the “fourteenth Mujaddid”.

    “He then invited me to have a discussion with him at a mall in the city where he started talking about his belief,” the complainant said in the FIR, going on to make more allegations.

    The deceased was charged under Section 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups), Section 295-A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs), Section 295-B (defiling etc. of the Holy Quran), Section 295-C (use of derogatory remarks against Prophet Muhammad PBUH) and Section 298 (uttering words etc., with deliberate intent to wound religious feelings) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

  • Imran’s aides succumb to criticism

    Imran’s aides succumb to criticism

    — While Tania Aidrus has resigned amid criticism for holding dual nationality, Dr Zafar Mirza has stepped down over ‘negative discussion about the role of SAPMs’

    Dr Zafar Mirza and Tania Aidrus, special assistants to the prime minister (SAPM) on health and e-governance, respectively, stepped down from their posts on Wednesday.

    The resignations come days after the Cabinet Division made public the details of the assets and dual nationalities of 20 advisers and special assistants, rocking the country’s political landscape.

    In a tweet, Aidrus, the head of the much-touted Digital Pakistan Vision initiative, cited recent criticism levelled against her and the government due to her dual nationality as the reason behind her decision to resign.

    “[The] criticism levied towards the state as a consequence of my citizenship status is clouding the purpose of Digital Pakistan,” she said, adding that she was resigning “in the greater public interest”.

    In the resignation letter, Aidrus stated that she had returned to Pakistan with the “singular intent to contribute and develop the vision of a Digital Pakistan”.

    “I always was and shall be a Pakistani,” she wrote, adding that “it is unfortunate that a Pakistani’s desire to serve Pakistan is clouded by such [dual nationality] issues”.

    While the letter points to criticism on Aidrus’ foreign nationality being the chief reason for her resignation, reports say that the former Google executive was in fact forced to resign.

    READ: What we know about Tana Aidrus’s resignation

    Meanwhile, Mirza also took to Twitter to announce stepping down.

    He said that he had come to Pakistan on the personal invitation of the premier after leaving the World Health Organization (WHO).

    “I worked hard and honestly. It was a privilege to serve Pakistan. I am satisfied that I leave at a time when COVID-19 has declined in Pakistan as a result of a grand national effort,” Mirza said.

    He added that he had made the decision over the “negative discussion about the role of SAPMs and criticism of the government”.

    “Pakistani people deserve better healthcare. I have worked sincerely to contribute to this cause. Pakistan will Inshallah emerge out of COVID-19 with a stronger healthcare system.”

    While PM Imran has not yet accepted the resignations, rumour has it that another aide of his will shortly be resigning.

  • KYA BOLA? (Jul 29): ‘Bilawal k jawaan kandhay’ to ‘Coronavirus k khilaf Allah ki ghayebi maddad’

    KYA BOLA? (Jul 29): ‘Bilawal k jawaan kandhay’ to ‘Coronavirus k khilaf Allah ki ghayebi maddad’

    Following are some snippets that stood out from Urdu newspapers on July 29, 2020, which The Current takes no responsibility for.

    ‘Bilawal k jawaan kandhay’

    It has been reported by Daily Jang that Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, in a press conference with opposition bigwig Shehbaz Sharif, said,“Ab Shehbaz Sharif tandrust hain aur hukoomat mukhalif tehreek ki inqalabi qiyadat krnay k liye tayaar hain.” Shehbaz, in response to this, said, “Bilawal k jawaan kandho par zimadari dali hai… yeh humein lead karein ge.” 

    While opposition alliance is once again gearing to get rid of the government, many believe this attempt too wouldn’t be successful for the PPP and the Pakistan Muslims League-Nawaz (PML-N) won’t be able to work together.

    ‘Ab kya gul khilayga?’

    According to Daily Jang, Punjab Information Minister Punjab Fayazul Hasan Chohan has termed the meeting between Shehbaz and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazulur Rehman as the between “political orphans”. “Sindh mein Maulana ki Asif Ali Zardari aur Bilawal se mulaqaat ka chand Ziaur Rehman ki bataur deputy commissioner tayinaati ki surat mein charrha tha… ab dekhein Maulana ki Shehbaz se maulaqaat kia gul khilati hai.”

    Fazl’s brother had been appointed the deputy commissioner of Karachi’s District Central despite not being a qualified CSS officer. Amid severe backlash and criticism, the federal government on Monday approved a letter by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government requesting the repatriation of his services back to the province.

    ‘Coronavirus k khilaf Allah ki ghayebi maddad’

    Daily Dunya has quoted the Corona Expert Advisory Group as saying that, “Corona cases aur amwaat mein kami Allah ki ghayebi maddad hai kyun k kami ki hatmi waja samnay nahi aa saki.”

    The statement comes as both COVID-19 cases and deaths in Pakistan continue to drop over the past three weeks. While some are praising the government for its efforts aimed at curbing the outbreak, others believe lower testing and people choosing to stay back home is the actual reason.

  • Bilawal wants Rehman Malik to explain his meeting with Gen Bajwa

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has said he will seek an explanation from Senator Rehman Malik over his meeting with Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa.

    “I will seek an explanation from Rehman Malik Sahib,” said Bilawal when a reporter asked him about the meeting between Malik and General Bajwa on Monday.

    He added that the senator may have met the army chief as the chairperson of the Senate Committee on Interior. “But I will certainly ask him,” said Bilawal while speaking to reporters with Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman.

    On Monday, PPP’s Senator Rehman Malik met the army chief in Rawalpindi. According to the military’s media wing, the two men discussed “matters related to defence and internal security”.

    “Rehman Malik appreciated Pakistan Army’s success in bringing peace to the country and pledged support of the Senate Committee on Internal Security towards consolidating the gains,” the army said a statement.

    Meanwhile, Bilawal on Tuesday had a busy day in Lahore as after meeting Fazl, he also went to see Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif.

    Among other things, the two discussed the current political situation in the country and the opposition’s plans of launching another anti-government campaign after Eid.

  • ‘Army chiefs should serve as president of Pakistan after retirement’

    ‘Army chiefs should serve as president of Pakistan after retirement’

    Twice former prime minister (PM) of the Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK) region Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan has suggested that every chief of army staff (COAS) should be allowed to serve as the country’s president after retirement so as to enhance Pakistan’s foreign policy while keeping in view the defence and strategic significance of the country.

    “Pakistan has a lot of enemies and our politicians are unable to realise that the country’s defence is a lot more important than economy or democracy,” he said while speaking to a private media outlet.

    Ahmed said that the current parliamentary system had failed and it needed to be fixed while enhancing cooperation between different institutions. “Army’s help is sought every time the country faces any major challenge. The difference between help and interference must be made clear.”

    WATCH VIDEO:

    He maintained that the constitution should be amended so as to help the executive branch and accompany any elected PM with a president who is an ex-army chief.

    “I believe the chemistry between the serving and the now-president-for-four-years army chiefs would benefit Pakistan’s defence and foreign affairs,” Ahmed said and also cited the example of former United States’ (US) secretary of state Colin Luther Powell.

    An American politician, diplomat and retired four-star general, Powell served as the 65th US state secretary from 2001 to 2005.

    Ahmed also said such steps were needed to strengthen the constitution and not individuals.

    While many differ on the ex-AJK PM’s statement, it merits a mention that experts believe the military is already continuing to shape Pakistan’s security and foreign policies.

    According to a forecast report released by The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) and cited by Dawn in November last year, Pakistan Army was likely to continue shaping the country’s foreign and security policy while the government was expected to largely amenable to this arrangement.

    While the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) boasts of civil-military relations in Pakistan being at their historic best — a claim verified by the military’s media wing as well — the report had also outlined Pakistan’s political and economic outlook for the period of 2020 to 2024 and forecast that the PTI would serve its full term while opposition parties would remain in a state of disarray owing to legal challenges facing their leaders.

  • KYA BOLA? (Jul 28): ‘Sindh k barsaati maindak’ to ‘Aglay aath dino ki ehmiyat’

    KYA BOLA? (Jul 28): ‘Sindh k barsaati maindak’ to ‘Aglay aath dino ki ehmiyat’

    Following are some snippets that stood out from Urdu newspapers on July 28, 2020, which The Current takes no responsibility for.

    ‘Sindh k barsaati maindak’

    It has been reported by Daily Jang that Bakhtawar Bhutto-Zardari has thanked the Sindh government for its hard work in draining out rainwater from different areas of Karachi.“Saari raat sarrko’n ki nigraani krnay pr Sindh government ka shukriya adaa krti hun. Sab saaf hogya lekin badqismati se hum barsaati maindako’n k masaail hal nahi kr saktay jo baarish hotay he nikal aatay hain.”

    Daughter of the late former prime minister (PM) Benazir Bhutto and former president Asif Ali Zardari was taking a dig at the critics of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) led Sindh government who had been raising their voices after Karachi was flooded following heavy moonsoon rains.

    ‘Churrailo’n ne Pakistan k dou tukrray kiye’

    Prominent senior journalist and analyst Suhail Warraich, in his column for Daily Jang, has written, “Yeh churrailei’n he theen jinho’n ne Mashraqi aur Maghrabi Pakistan mein ghalat fehmiya’n paida ki aur humein judaa kr dia. Agar churrailei’n larraayi naa krwatee’n to Ziaul Haq 90 din mein election krwa kr chalay jatay.”

    ‘Aglay aath dino ki ehmiyat’

    According to Daily Dunya, Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid has said, “Agly aath [8] din buhat eham hain. Agar halaat theek rahay to tamaam cheezei’n khol di jayein gi.”

    The minister’s statement comes as the Punjab government imposes a province-wide smart lockdown ahead of Eidul Azha. It will remain in place until August 5.

  • Pakistan cricket team’s equipment could be siezed by company NAB owes money to

    Pakistan cricket team’s equipment could be siezed by company NAB owes money to

    The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has played down reports that a company based in the Isle of Man may seize assets owned by the Pakistan team currently in the United Kingdom (UK), as part of an old legal dispute between the firm and the Pakistan government.

    A report quoted a letter from Broadsheet LLC to the Pakistan government in which it said it would “seize the assets of the Pakistani cricket team” because of longstanding dues owed to it by the government.

    The PCB has been in touch with the Pakistan Embassy in the UK and is believed to have been satisfied that there is little prospect of this actually happening. That belief lies in the legal opinion that the Pakistan team is representative of the PCB, an autonomous body, and not of the Pakistan state or government, and so is not a party to the case or liable for the damages.

    In the letter, Broadsheet says that the Pakistan team is “by the very nature, an asset of the defendant and that monies due to the team and assets of the team are assets of the defendant to the litigation”.

    The legal dispute dates back to the early 2000s, when Broadsheet was hired by General (r) Pervez Musharraf, who was the head of state of Pakistan then, to trace out hidden assets of Pakistan nationals in foreign countries. Pakistan’s National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had signed an agreement with Broadsheet, which was eventually terminated in 2003. The termination had led to a legal dispute, one resolved in 2018, when an international arbitration court in London ruled in favour of Broadsheet, and established that the NAB was liable to pay damages. It is this payment that remains outstanding.

    The letter quoted by the report was written by Broadsheet to Allen & Overy, the firm that represented the Pakistan government and the NAB in the case, and said that Broadsheet was owed “more than $33 million” after it won the arbitration.

    ESPNCricinfo reached out to NAB for a comment, but the body has not confirmed or denied any threat to the cricket team’s equipment being seized.

    The Pakistan team will play three Tests and three T20 International (T20I) matches against England, with the first Test scheduled to start on August 5 in Manchester. The final T20I will take place on September 1.