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Category: National

  • Shah Mahmood Qureshi rubbishes rumours of his death after Wikipedia page edited

    Shah Mahmood Qureshi rubbishes rumours of his death after Wikipedia page edited

    Foreign Minister (FM) Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who contracted COVID-19 last week, has rubbished rumours of his death after his Wikipedia profile was edited, and said there was no truth to them.

    In a statement issued on Thursday, the Foreign Office (FO) said that “mischievous” elements had edited Qureshi’s profile on the site. “Many complications were created, and it caused distress to my loved ones and family members,” FM Qureshi said in a separate statement, adding that he also started receiving phone calls.

    “There is no truth to these reports, and I am doing well,” he said.

    While Qureshi did not specify the changes that were made, the page’s history showed that the edits were made on July 5 to reflect that the foreign minister had died on July 4.

    “We strongly condemn attempts by mischievous elements to hack [the] Wikipedia page of the foreign minister and spread rumours on social media about his health and well-being,” said FO spokesperson Aisha Farooqui in a tweet.

    “By the grace of Almighty Allah, [Qureshi] is recovering fast. Everyone’s prayers, from Pakistan and abroad, are deeply appreciated.”

    The FM had tested positive for coronavirus on July 3 and announced quarantining himself.

  • VIDEO: PPP leader tries to hit Murad Saeed with headphones in National Assembly

    In yet another unusual occurrence in the National Assembly, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Shazia Soomro on Thursday tossed her headphones towards Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and Federal Minister for Communication and Postal Services Murad Saeed as the latter read out the confessional statement of Lyari gang war kingpin Uzair Baloch, who was allegedly affiliated with the PPP.

    As per the details, the minister, during the session of the Lower House, delivered a speech on the joint investigation team (JIT) report related to criminal gang war leader Baloch. In its response, Soomro attempted to hit him with her headphones but missed.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    https://twitter.com/Khaista90/status/1281153858522288128

    Earlier, while addressing the assembly, Saeed read out the confessional statement and said the Lyari gang war kingpin harassed people around Bilawal House and vacated 40 houses.

    “Uzair Baloch used three police officers and a mobile phone in a murder,” he said, adding that Baloch had confessed that extorted money, as well as that obtained through other illegal means, was transferred to former president Asif Ali Zardari and his sister Faryal Talpur.

    Earlier, the Sindh government made public the JIT reports on infamous Lyari gang war leader Baloch, Baldia Factory tragedy and Nisar Morai.

    JIT report of Lyari gang war leader Uzair Baloch consists of 36 pages that include the names of dozens of accomplices, including Ahkhana, Habib Jan, Habib Hassan, Saif Ali and Noor Mohammad. According to the report, Baloch has also confessed to killing 198 people.

  • Metro, causing ‘Rs3.6 million loss a day’, remains shut for over three months

    Metro, causing ‘Rs3.6 million loss a day’, remains shut for over three months

    The Punjab Mass-Transit Authority’s (PMA) deficit has reached Rs375 million due to the closure of the metro bus service for 105 days while officials believe that a single-day shutdown of metro bus causes a loss of Rs3.6 million, Pakistan Today reported.

    According to reports, while no decision has been taken to restore the service by the government so far, the Punjab government had earlier also cut subsidy of PMA by Rs1 billion and the fourth quarter’s funds were not fully released in the last fiscal year (2019-2020).

    “Due to non-issuance of funds, there have been problems in payment to contractors,” reports quoted officials as saying.

    They lamented that the government’s policies were beyond understanding as it had allowed intra-city and inter-city transport to operate but had not yet restored the metro bus service since after the first coronavirus lockdown.

    “An average of 130,000 commuters were benefiting from the metro bus service daily. The authority is currently facing the worst financial crisis. No strategy has been formulated to restore the financial damages nor has it been decided how the foreign company which is operating the metro bus will be supported.”

    Due to the outbreak of coronavirus, the Punjab government had decided to close Lahore, Rawalpindi and Multan metro bus service in March. However, local transporters were later allowed to operate inter and intra-bus service while following certain guidelines.

    The report also quoted sources in the Punjab government as claiming that the metro bus service was a white elephant. “The service had been subsidised by the previous government but it is very difficult for the present government to subsidise the bus service further.”

    PMA General Manager (Operations) Uzair Shah said the decision to reactivate the bus service would be taken by the Punjab government whereas no order had so far come from the government. “The authority is facing problems due to non-receipt of subsidy,” he added while also requesting the government to release funds.

  • Jadhav refuses Pakistan’s offer to challenge conviction in IHC

    Jadhav refuses Pakistan’s offer to challenge conviction in IHC

    While refusing Pakistan’s offer to file an appeal in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) against his conviction, Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav has decided to apply for a mercy petition, the Foreign Office (FO) has said.

    Jadhav alias Hussein Mubarak Patel — a serving commander of the Indian Navy associated with Indian spy agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) — was arrested on March 3, 2016, from Balochistan while attempting to crossover into Pakistan through the country’s border with Iran. Subsequently, in April 2017, a Field General Court Martial (FGCM) handed him death sentence on charges of espionage and terrorism.

    In a press conference in Islamabad on Wednesday, Additional Attorney General (AAG) Ahmed Irfan and Director General (DG) (South Asia & SAARC) Zahid Hafeez Chaudhry said that an ordinance was promulgated by the government on May 20, which allowed the Indian government, Jadhav and his legal representative to file a review petition in IHC within 60 days, which expire on July 19.

    According to Dawn, they said Indian authorities had requested to appoint an Indian lawyer to advocate for Jadhav but if an appeal is filed in the IHC, only a lawyer that holds a license of the respective court would be able to represent the spy. Therefore, an Indian lawyer cannot advocate for the convicted spy but they may be allowed to assist Jadhav’s counsel.

    The Pakistani government had allowed consular access to Jadhav twice in the past and has offered to do so again, the officials said. Authorities have also offered to arrange Jadhav’s meeting with his father and wife, they added. The AAG and DG (South Asia & SAARC) expressed hope that the Indian government will respond positively to this offer.

    Both officials recalled that Pakistan had earlier allowed Jadhav’s mother and wife to meet him and said that the government had complied with the verdict of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) passed last year.

    They said Pakistan had provided evidence of Indian state terrorism to the international community multiple times and will continue to do so.

  • News producer allegedly tortures wife to death after she confronts him about blackmailing women

    News producer allegedly tortures wife to death after she confronts him about blackmailing women

    News program producer Ali Salman Alvi has been arrested and put behind bars for allegedly torturing his wife Sadaf Zahra to death for confronting him about affairs and blackmailing women for money. According to the FIR registered against Alvi, there are signs of torture on his wife’s body. Initial post-mortem report suggests that Zahra was strangulated to death. The police have sent the evidence to Lahore’s Forensic Lab for further inquiries. Alvi has claimed that his wife committed suicide whereas the family has accused him of murdering his wife.

    Zahra’s death and the circumstances surrounding it was brought to light by her friend who took to Twitter to give details on the case. She tweeted that Zahra and Ali had a love marriage and had met on Twitter but soon after they were married, Zahra found evidence that Ali was blackmailing other women.

    She also mentions that Zahra tried to leave her husband but tried to save the marriage after he promised to change and since they had a young daughter, she felt it was necessary to give it a shot.

    Zahra, herself had taken to Twitter to talk about domestic violence and how it affects a person and a marriage. She said that a friend of hers was going through it but people are now assuming that she was talking about herself.

    Twitter has taken it upon itself as well to get #JusticeforZahra as the hashtag has started trending online.

    Rawalpindi police has vowed to take up the case and make sure that justice is served.

    Ali Salman Alvi was producer of Asma Shirazi’s program. Asma took to Twitter to condemn the murder. She tweeted that she was shocked and numbed the moment she found out about this incident and the FIR against Alvi. “Not just myself but the media group I’m working with strictly condemned & terminated accused.” She hopes that justice must prevail.

  • Kamran Khan claims Punjab CM Buzdar ‘skipped interview to avoid tough questions’

    Kamran Khan claims Punjab CM Buzdar ‘skipped interview to avoid tough questions’

    Senior journalist and analyst Kamran Khan has claimed that Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Sardar Usman Buzdar “skipped a scheduled interview with him after some tough questions were shared with Buzdar’s team beforehand”, drawing a strong reaction from the government as officials explained the “real story” behind the postponement.

    “CM Usman Buzdar wanted me to interview him and it was scheduled for today. Moments before the recording, he and his team disappeared. They had sought the topics [to be discussed during the interview] beforehand, which were shared, and we even told them the questions,” the journalist tweeted while also sharing the questions that he said Buzdar “couldn’t deal with”.

    Kamran, who is visibly irritated ever since he was ditched, also tweeted a video likening Buzdar to “the student with whom all questions are shared before the exam and is even promised grace marks for every right answer but still cuts and runs from the examination hall”.

    But the journalist’s claims did not sit very well with officials of the Punjab government.

    “Both you and your producer were called at 5:40 pm today and requested to reschedule the interview because CM Buzdar had to chair an emergency law and order meeting. Rescheduling an interview is not that big a deal,” Focal Person to Punjab CM on Digital Media Azhar Mashwani tweeted in response to Kamran’s claims on Monday.

    He went on to say that CM Buzdar had addressed dozens of press conferences wherein he had dealt with all sorts of difficult questions. “This overreaction on a rescheduling request is beyond my understanding.”

    Mashwani on Tuesday also tweeted a video of Buzdar chairing a similar meeting a day later as well:

    Kamran, however, hit back with the screenshot of a message that was sent to Buzdar’s team around 6:30 pm on Monday.

    While Twitterati are divided on claims made by both sides, what is that you think? Let The Current know in the comments.

  • Employment opportunities for Pakistani doctors, nurses and paramedics in Kuwait under new agreement

    Kuwait has signed a government-to-government bilateral framework agreement with Pakistan to hire its healthcare professionals on a regular basis, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development (OP&HRD) Sayed Zulfikar Abbas Bukhari has said.

    “We [have] signed an agreement with the government of Kuwait to send an increased number of Pakistani doctors, nurses and paramedics to work there,” Bukhari tweeted.

    He also expressed gratitude to the government of Kuwait for recruiting Pakistani medical professionals on a priority basis. “I thank our Kuwaiti brothers for preferring Pakistani healthcare professionals. This is a big step towards bringing our two great countries further closer,” the SAPM said.

    He also shared the news release of Pakistan’s Embassy in Kuwait, which confirmed the development.

    According to the release, the agreement was signed by Kuwaiti Undersecretary Ministry of Health Dr Mustafa Ridha and Pakistani Ambassador Syed Sajjad Haider on behalf of Overseas Employment Corporation (OEC) at the Ministry of Health of Kuwait.

    The cooperation agreement would institutionalise the recruitment of healthcare professionals from Pakistan for Kuwait on a regular basis as per the requirements of Kuwait’s Ministry of Health.

    Meanwhile, Kuwait’s International Health Relations Department Director Dr Rehab Al Watyan was quoted by Kuwait’s state news agency as saying that the agreement would enhance cooperation between the medical community of Pakistan and Kuwait and “would provide an opportunity to benefit from their experiences in dealing with disasters and epidemics, and to address the COVID-19 epidemic”.

  • Six-star PIA downgraded to one star on fake licences issue

    Six-star PIA downgraded to one star on fake licences issue

    Six-star Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has been downgraded to one star by AirlineRatings.com after the recent revelation of 150 fake pilot licences.

    The European Union (EU) has banned the airline from member states — costing one star –, while AirlineRatings.com has stripped the airline of three stars for the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) besides one star for the ICAO country audit.

    The rating downgrade to the lowest safety standards could further dent PIA’s business because customers will avoid travelling through it while other countries may close their airports for Pakistan’s national carrier.

    AirlineRatings.com Editor-in-Chief Geoffrey Thomas said, “Clearly there needs to be an investigation into possible bribery and falsifying related to the pilot licences. This is deeply disturbing as the IOSA audit and ICAO country audit should pick this up.”

    In a statement, IATA said, “We are following reports from Pakistan regarding fake pilot licences, which are concerning and represent a serious lapse in the licensing and safety oversight by the aviation regulator. We are trying to obtain more information on the matter.”

    Earlier, PIA sacked 150 pilots over cheating on their exams in the wake of the Karachi crash of an A320 that killed 98 people in May.

    The sacking had come in the wake of the statement by Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan that 262 out of 860 Pakistani pilots had “fake” licences through bribing other qualified pilots to take the exams.

  • FBR chief replaced again

    FBR chief replaced again

    The federal government has removed Nausheen Amjad from the post of Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) chairperson, replacing her with Javed Ghani.

    Amjad, a BS-22 officer of Inland Revenue Service (IRS), had in April been appointed as FBR chairperson after then chief Shabbar Zaidi could not continue his duties due to health conditions.

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan had handpicked Zaidi as his man to achieve the goal of collecting Rs5.5 trillion in taxes during the previous fiscal year and Rs8 trillion by the end of his term.

    Zaidi was good in policymaking but he could not handle the FBR’s operations well. The former chairman also could not appoint competent members at the top and transferred thousands of people of low ranks without replacing the top hierarchy.

    His successor, Nausheen was the second woman to lead the organisation of 25,000 people and the fourth chairperson in the past 20 months.

    The government had approved her appointment by having the federal cabinet circulate a summary instead of bringing the matter in a regular cabinet meeting.

    Nausheen faced and her successor faces a gigantic task of stopping the nosediving tax revenues, restructuring the top FBR hierarchy and improving the tainted image of the tax machinery.

    Ghani will also have to address the issue of rampant corruption, particularly fresh reports regarding some officers receiving kickbacks from taxpayers for putting their names on the list of those who will receive tax refunds on a priority basis under the PM’s COVID-19 relief package, and achieve targets set by the government in the new budget.

  • Channel boasts getting construction of first Hindu temple in Islamabad stopped, backtracks later

    Channel boasts getting construction of first Hindu temple in Islamabad stopped, backtracks later

    A private media outlet that had claimed credit for getting stopped the construction of Islamabad’s first Hindu temple later retracted its story amid severe backlash.

    As per the details, the construction of the first Hindu temple in the federal capital has been stopped by the authorities after fierce opposition from religious hardliners as well as an ally of the ruling party, Chaudhrys of Gujrat’s Pakistan Muslim League (PML).

    The Capital Development Authority (CDA) on Friday stopped construction of the boundary wall on the plot meant for the temple citing legal reasons.

    A joint team of the CDA’s enforcement and building control departments reached the site of the temple in Sector H-9/2 and directed workers to stop constructing the boundary wall.

    According to reports, a CDA official said that the building control laws of the civic authority clearly stated that no activity could take place on a plot until the building plan was approved.

    However, according to another CDA official, it was possibly the first time that this clause had been enforced as all owners were allowed to construct boundary walls and ensure possession of their plot while formalities regarding approval of the map continue.

    READ: Islamabad to get its first Hindu temple

    Meanwhile, a private media outlet, 92 News, claimed the credit for stopping the construction of the temple.

    “Owing to successful efforts of 92 News, the CDA stopped the construction of a temple in Islamabad on Friday,” the news channel said in a report titled “92 News Efforts Bear Fruit As CDA Stops Construction Of Temple In Islamabad“, which has now been retracted.

    Earlier, the construction of the temple had been opposed by religio-political among other right-wing organisations.

    A leading religious school had issued a fatwa against construction of the temple, calling it “un-Islamic”, while parties like Jamiat Ulemae Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) had voiced their concerns over the same for they said it was “against Pakistan’s ideology”.

    PML leader and Punjab Assembly Speaker Pervaiz Elahi had also said that Pakistan was created in the name of Islam and construction of a temple on its soil “was against the very spirit of Islam”.