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  • ‘NAB forcing me to become approver against Shehbaz,’ former LWMC MD tells court

    ‘NAB forcing me to become approver against Shehbaz,’ former LWMC MD tells court

    A senior bureaucrat and former managing director (MD) of Lahore Waste Management Company (LWMC), Waseem Ajmal has told an accountability court that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) is forcing him into becoming “approver” against former chief minister (CM) Shehbaz Sharif, Dawn reported.

    According to the details, NAB had earlier arrested Waseem, BS-20 officer, on charges of embezzling Rs1 billion in LWMC project and presented him before the court to seek his physical remand as he was arrested the other day.

    During his appearance, Waseem stated before the court that the investigating officer, during the interrogation, kept persuading him to become an approver against the former CM.

    He added that the NAB possessed complete record of the case but it wanted to extract a ‘confessional’ statement from him.

    “The NAB had also put same pressure on me in Saaf Pani case,” said Ajmal adding that the bureau previously kept him in custody for 48 days in the Saaf Pani case but did not interrogate him beyond two hours.

    He further claimed that the NAB wasted precious time of his career and found nothing against him. The Lahore High Court (LHC) had earlier released Ajmal on bail in the Saaf Pani case on January 30 last.

    The NAB prosecutor had argued that then CM Shehbaz Sharif awarded the contract of LWMC project to a Turkish company-Al-Bayrak on inflated rates which caused a loss of over Rs1 billion to the national exchequer.

    The prosecutor said that Ajmal being MD and team leader of the LWMC held a meeting on April 26, 2014, in which he intentionally concealed details from other board members.

    Ajmal’s counsel Mian Ali Ashfaq opposed the remand and said his client had to attend a three-month course for promotion in next grade. The court, however, granted 10-day physical remand of the accused to the NAB and sought his appearance again on Nov 30.

  • ‘With more inflation, comes more poverty,’ PM Imran pulls a Bilawal

    Two days after Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan mocked Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari for his “rainwater” gaffe, the premier himself has pulled a Bilawal.

    “With more inflation, comes more poverty,” ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief and the country’s chief executive reportedly said while addressing a ceremony to distribute Rs30 billion refund cheques of sales and income tax among prominent exporters at the PM Office in Islamabad.

    He also said that the country had not been able to make significant economic progress due to the absence of long-term economic policies. “China is progressing by adopting long-term strategies… now we are heading towards adopting the same approach.”

    The premier said that the country’s South Asian competitors, including India and Bangladesh, had also moved ahead of Pakistan by sticking to this approach and urged the business community to consider the payment of taxes as their national obligation

    “The government is firm to uplift the masses and check poverty through wealth creation, tax collection and industrialisation,” he said.

    ‘WITH MORE RAIN, COMES MORE WATER’:

    On Monday, PM Imran had made fun of PPP’s Bilawal over the latter’s “rain theory”.

    Addressing the inauguration ceremony of the Havelian-Thakot motorway under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), he had mimicked Bilawal and said that his theory had startled scientists across the globe.

    “Bilwal has startled scientists worldwide by saying ‘jab barish hoti hai to pani ata hai’ (water pours when it rains). But Einstein rolled over in his grave when he [Bilawal] went on to say ‘Jab ziada barish hota hai to ziada pani ata hai’ (more water comes when it rains more),” the premier quipped.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    Bilawal had earlier this year made the statement while trying to explain urban flooding in Karachi amid heavy rains.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrqNAITOKw8

  • “Wow” says Jemima when asked a question about Imran

    Imran Khan’s former wife Jemima Khan is no stranger to answering questions about her ex-husband, even years after their divorce. She’s quite active on Twitter and was recently involved in another twitter controversy.

    In her latest tweet, Jemima addressed Islamaphobia and religion by quoting a quote by British Comedian Ahir Shah.

    She expected some backlash on her views so she said that she’ll delete her tweet if she gets “too much flak.”

    Many people did comment on her tweet, asking her not to debate religion .

    But the most interesting replies of them all was a user asking her if she had “ever cried badly for Imran Khan.”

    To this, Jemima responded:

    Jemima is no stranger to having to answer questions about Imran Khan, even when she is tweeting about other things but it seems like this time, it really took the wow cake.

  • VIDEO: Altaf sings ‘Sare Jahan Se Acha’ on Indian channel

    Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) founder Altaf Hussain, who has been declared an absconder by Pakistan in murder, terrorism and hate-speech among others cases, has sung an the popular Indian national song “Sare Jahan Se Acha” on an Indian news channel.

    Speaking to India’s Republic TV, Altaf said there was no difference between people of Pakistan and India, “We used to visit each other on Eid and Diwali and share each others’ pain.”

    WATCH VIDEO:

    The MQM founder further said that he was compelled to leave Pakistan as “there existed a nexus of the military and politicians in the country and assassins had been hired to kill him”.

    The 66-year-old politician is living in London for more than two decades now and was recently banned from appearing on any form of media in the UK or Pakistan by the Westminster Magistrates’ Court, after Scotland Yard charged him with a terrorism offence in the incitement speech inquiry against him.

    Altaf was charged with encouraging terrorism after a 2016 address to supporters in Karachi that was followed by violent protests. 

    He faces several years imprisonment for the speech which was “likely to be understood” as encouraging supporters to acts of terrorism or was “reckless” of the possible consequences.

    Altaf had earlier requested Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi to help him by giving him asylum in India besides financial help to him and his companions. Meanwhile, Lawyers are assessing whether Hussain has breached his bail conditions by asking the Indian premier to let him stay in India while he awaits trial of his case.

  • Chief justice warns Imran against blaming judiciary for Nawaz’s departure

    Chief justice warns Imran against blaming judiciary for Nawaz’s departure

    Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Asif Saeed Khan Khosa has said that it weren’t the courts that allowed ailing former prime minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif to leave the country and PM Imran Khan should refrain from making such statements.

    “The PM should not blame the courts for Nawaz’s departure by saying we wrapped up the case of an influential person because, for us it is only the law that is all-powerful,” the top judge said while addressing a gathering in Islamabad.

    He said that the premier had mentioned “powerful and the weak” in his speech without realising that the judiciary had wrapped up around 3.6 million cases of those who were neither powerful nor influential.

    CJP Khosa further said that both the powerful and the weak were equal for the judiciary and these were the same courts that had sentenced one PM and disqualified another.

    “Only the law is powerful to us,” the top judge said, adding that he would not comment over any subjudice matter unlike the premier, but “whoever left the country was allowed by PM Imran himself”.

    “Another verdict is about to come,” he said in what appeared to be a hint at the forthcoming ruling on former military ruler Gen (r) Pervez Musharraf’s high-treason case.

  • Week after Sheikh’s Rs17/kg claim, tomato prices reach record high of Rs400

    Week after Sheikh’s Rs17/kg claim, tomato prices reach record high of Rs400

    Over a week after Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s Adviser on Finance, Revenue and Economic Affairs Dr Abdul Hafeez Sheikh claimed that tomatos were “being sold for Rs17 per kilogram (kg) in Karachi”, latest reports have revealed that the prices have soared to Rs400/kg from Rs300-320/kg last week.

    Speaking to media personnel, the PM’s adviser had said that people were lying when he was told that tomatoes were being sold at Rs240/kg. He told reporters that they were being sold at Rs 17/kg at Karachi’s sabzi mandi [vegetable market].

    A journalist then asked, “Which sabzi mandi, sir?” To which, Dr Sheikh responded, “You go and check it out yourself!”

    WATCH VIDEO:

    According to Dawn, in the absence of any landed price of the Iranian tomato, greedy traders also brought the price of Swat and Sindh crop at par with the Iranian tomato rate to make huge profits. But the local administration, like its past practice, quoted an unrealistic retail rate of Rs253 per kg compared to Rs193 per kg.

    In the first week of November, the official retail rate of tomato was Rs117 per kg and Tuesday’s official price clearly indicated that the government itself was revising the price upward.

    Traders said a box containing 13-14 kg of tomato was available at Rs4,200-4,500 depending on the quality, thus forcing many traders to suspend purchasing.

    The government had last week issued a permit for importing 4,500 tonnes of tomato from Iran, but the arrival of the red fruit had yet to pick up pace in the market, resulting in a persistent hike in the rates in view of rising demand.

    Of the 4,500 tonnes, only 989 tonnes had arrived in the country so far, a trader said, adding that he could not confirm whether more quantities arrived at the Taftan border on Tuesday.

  • ‘Left suppressed Pakistan because my followers wanted me to be safe,’ Altaf tells Indian media

    ‘Left suppressed Pakistan because my followers wanted me to be safe,’ Altaf tells Indian media

    Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) founder Altaf Hussain, who has been declared an absconder by Pakistan in murder, terrorism and hate-speech cases among others, has called the country a suppressed nation where his life is in danger.

    Speaking to a India’s Republic TV, Altaf said he was compelled to leave Pakistan as “there existed a nexus of the military and politicians in the country and assassins had been hired to kill him”.

    The 66-year-old politician is living in London for more than two decades now and was recently banned from appearing on any form of media in the UK or Pakistan by the Westminster Magistrates’ Court, after Scotland Yard charged him with a terrorism offence in the incitement speech inquiry against him.

    Altaf was charged with encouraging terrorism after a 2016 address to supporters in Karachi that was followed by violent protests. 

    He faces several years imprisonment for the speech which was “likely to be understood” as encouraging supporters to acts of terrorism, or was “reckless” of the possible consequences.

    Altaf had earlier requested Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi to help him by giving him asylum in India besides financial help to him and his companions. Meanwhile, Lawyers are assessing whether Hussain has breached his bail conditions by asking the Indian premier to let him stay in India while he awaits trial of his case.

    WATCH VIDEO:

  • I hope Nawaz will return: Imran

    I hope Nawaz will return: Imran

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has expressed hope that ailing former premier Nawaz Sharif, who left the country for medical treatment Tuesday, will return as per the court’s instructions, saying that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had always respected the judiciary.

    “The indemnity bonds demand was only to ensure that Nawaz will return to face the cases against him,” Imran reportedly told a federal cabinet meeting wherein it was also decided that the government won’t be challenging the Lahore High Court’s (LHC) decision that allowed Nawaz to travel abroad.

    Last Tuesday, the federal cabinet had permitted the former premier to travel abroad for medical treatment with the condition that he should furnish indemnity bonds worth over Rs7 billion to ensure his return within four weeks.

    The amount was equal to the fine imposed on him at the time of his conviction by an accountability court of Islamabad in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills and Avenfield properties cases. However, the LHC allowed him to travel abroad without any such bond but with an undertaking that he would definitely return to Pakistan.

    Meanwhile, ex-PM Nawaz reached London on Tuesday night for medical treatment in a “high-end air ambulance” equipped with an intensive care unit and an operation theatre.

    Nawaz was accompanied by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif and personal physician Dr Adnan Khan. A team of doctors and paramedics were also on board to cope with any emergency situation.

    As soon as the former premier exited through the VVIP gate at Heathrow in London, he was welcomed by a convoy of party loyalists who took him home. In a statement, PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb said that Nawaz had safely landed in London and thankfully had not faced any medical complications during the flight.

    She also asked the nation to pray for Nawaz’s health.

    Ailing former premier was granted bail on humanitarian grounds while he underwent treatment at Lahore’s Services Hospital following a precarious drop in his platelet count last month.

    He was shifted to the hospital from Kot Lakhpat jail and later diagnosed with acute immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), an immune disorder that leads to an abrupt and sharp drop in blood platelet.

    On Saturday, LHC had permitted Nawaz to seek medical treatment abroad without any conditions for a time period of four weeks. In its decision, the LHC said that in case Nawaz’s health doesn’t improve then the time-period can be extended, adding that the government officials will be able to contact Nawaz through the Pakistani Embassy.

  • Fazl given ‘lollipop’ after failed Azadi March: Firdous

    Fazl given ‘lollipop’ after failed Azadi March: Firdous

    Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (PM) on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan has said that Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman was given lollipop upon his return from Islamabad to which he is happy, Dunya News reported.

    According to the details, Firdous while speaking in a News program “Nuqta e Nazar” said that all allied parties pose confidence on PM Imran’s leadership, however, every party has its own point of view in democracy.

    The allied parties have won elections on their own manifesto, she said adding that if all agreed, everyone would have contested elections on same manifesto.

    Regarding JUI-F chief’s Azadi March, the special assistant said that JUI-F supremo suffers from severe mental trauma and instead of being embarrassed, he is making false statements, adding that he only sees darkness ahead.

    She also stated, “Unfortunately, the JUI-F chief uses religion as a weapon and he is giving false reassurances to his party workers”.

  • ‘Have found nothing but goodwill and love in Pakistan,’ America’s senior bishop addresses interfaith gathering

    Anglican Archbishop of North America Most Reverend Dr Foley Beach has said that people in the United States (US) have mixed views about Pakistan; however, hitherto he had found nothing but goodwill and love wherever he went.

    He was speaking at a reception hosted in his honour by the National Council of Churches in Pakistan President and Bishop of Raiwind Dr Azad Marshall at the Saint Peter’s School in Lahore on Tuesday.

    Among those who attended the interfaith gathering were Pakistan Ulema Council (PUC) Chairman Hafiz Tahir Ashrafi, Badshahi Masjid Khateeb Dr Abdul Khabeer Azad, Jamia Naeemia’s Dr Ragheb Naeemi, Pir Ziaul Haq Naqshbandi Qadri, Maulana Asim Makhdoom and Bishop of Multan Leo Roderick Paul.

    Addressing the gathering, Bishop Dr Azad called for peaceful coexistence of all religious and ethnic groups living in Pakistan. He said that both Christianity and Islam preached peace and brotherhood and called for promoting tolerance.

    PUC chief Ashrafi highlighted the services of the council and other Islamic outfits for the country’s minorities, rejecting the impression of a divide between the minority and majority communities. “Everyone is an equal citizen under the constitution.”

    Clerics Khabeer and Naqshbandi said Pakistan was a diverse society and people belonging to all religions lived in harmony.

    Thanking the hosts, Archbishop Dr Beach said he was glad to see Islamic scholars propagating the need for interfaith dialogue. “Every society has its fair share of problems, but every religion preaches love and tolerance. And to overcome the ills of extremism and fundamentalism, there is a need to promote ideas of peace, love and tolerance.”