Current Final

Category: Politics

  • President Zardari will not take salary as president

    President Zardari will not take salary as president

    The newly elected president, Asif Ali Zardari, has decided that he will not take salar in light of the economic crisis in Pakistan.

    President Zardari took the decision as the country is passing through a difficult time and the economy is not stable.

    President House said that Asif Ali Zardari has decided not to burden the national treasury and prefers not to take a salary.

    Zardari took the oath as the 14th president in a ceremony held at the President’s House on Sunday, with his children and grandson in attendance.

    The Chief Justice of Pakistan, Qazi Faez Isa, took the oath from the newly elected president. Political and military leaders, along with foreign ambassadors, attended the ceremony.

    A guard of honour was presented to the new president on the day after the swearing-in ceremony.

  • No more meetings with Imran Khan in Adiala Jail but who ordered the ban?

    No more meetings with Imran Khan in Adiala Jail but who ordered the ban?

    The Punjab Home Ministry has implemented a temporary prohibition on incarcerated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan from conducting meetings within Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail.

    Imran Khan, currently serving a cumulative sentence of 31 years in multiple cases, has been utilizing his time in the Rawalpindi facility since September 2023 for meetings with his legal team, family members, and party officials.

    The ban has been slapped on for two weeks, sources within the Punjab home department said, while media coverage is also prohibited in front of Adiala Jail’s gate 5.

    A security officer stated that media coverage is not allowed and directed that the media teams would stay a minimum of two kilometers away from Adiala jail.

    Tuesday and Thursday were reserved by the Adiala Jail administration for meetings with the PTI founder on the orders of the court, but now the meetings have been banned for two weeks.

    As per sources of The Current Ali Amin Gandapur, Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and a prominent leader of PTI, was supposed to meet Imran Khan on Monday but later the meeting was shifted to Tuesday. According to the souce, Jail authorities claimed that barring Gandapur from meeting Imran would create rifts between provinces and ‘it wouldn’t be a nice message across the board’.

    The source said that after some hesitation, the meeting was allowed and in reaction, Maryam Nawaz, Chief Minister of Punjab and a prominent leader of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN), retaliated and said that the jail has been converted into “Zaman Park” and this should stop.

    We reached out to Marriyum Aurangzeb for a comment on this matter but we haven’t got a response yet.

    Recently, the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) announced the apprehension of three terrorists and the confiscation of a map of Adiala Jail, a hand grenade, and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) from their possession. Rawalpindi City Police Officer (CPO) Khalid Hamdani reported the recovery of automatic weapons and ammunition from the detained individuals, who were identified as Afghan nationals.

    In a separate incident last November, law enforcement discovered a suspicious bag containing an explosive device near Adiala Road in Gorakhpur, Rawalpindi, merely a kilometer away from the correctional facility.

    In January, the former Prime Minister, alongside Shah Mahmood Qureshi, received a 10-year sentence in the cipher case for the unauthorized disclosure of confidential communications sent by the country’s ambassador in Washington to the government in Islamabad.

    This was succeeded by a 14-year verdict imposed on Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, by an accountability court in the Toshakhana reference, for their alleged misuse of official privileges to trade gifts received during foreign visits while holding office from 2018 to 2022, collectively valued at over Rs140 million ($635,000). Additionally, the couple was fined a total of Rs1.57 billion.

    After these rulings, Khan and Bushra were further sentenced to seven years in the “un-Islamic nikah” case, along with a Rs500,000 penalty each, for their marriage before the completion of the 90-day iddat period following Bushra’s divorce.

    Moreover, both Khan and his spouse faced indictment in the £190 million case during the jail trial conducted at Adiala jail.

    PTI and Khan’s associates have persistently urged for his release, denouncing the charges as “fabricated” and expressing concerns for his safety while incarcerated.

  • Asfand Yar Wali’s wife passes away in Charsadda

    Asfand Yar Wali’s wife passes away in Charsadda

    Awami National Party (ANP) President Asfand Yar Wali’s wife and mother of Aimal Wali Khan, has passed away on Monday in Charsadda.

    Funeral prayers were held in the ancestral home Wali Bagh. The deceased was buried near the graves of Khan Abdul Wali Khan and Begum Naseem Wali Khan.

    Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Haji Ghulam Ali Khan, former chief minister Amir Haider Khan Hoti, Haji Ghulam Ahmad Bilor, Sardar Hussain Babak, former senator Farhatullah Babar, former federal minister Khwaja Mohammad Khan Hoti, former and current parliamentarians, and a large number of ANP workers attended the funeral prayers.

    Aimal Wali Khan lowered his mother’s body in the grave.

    The ANP president didn’t attend the funeral prayers due to illness.

  • Which federal portfolio are the ministers getting?

    Which federal portfolio are the ministers getting?

    The portfolios of the newly appointed federal cabinet were announced on Monday as four-time finance minister Ishaq Dar became foreign minister this time. Banker Muhammad Aurangzeb, one of the highest paid heads of a financial institute in the country, took charge as finance minister.

    The notification was issued after 19 members of the cabinet were sworn in on Monday. There are some new faces included in the newly formed cabinet.

    Ex-caretaker chief minister of Punjab, Mohsin Naqvi, who is also being tipped to be elected as a member of the upper house of Parliament, has been appointed the interior minister, while Ahad Khan Cheema who had also served during the interim setup was allotted the portfolio of Economic Affairs with the additional portfolio of Establishment Division.

    Khawja Asif has been allotted the defence ministry, and he will also see to matters of defence production and aviation. Ahsan Iqbal will keep control of the ministry for planning, development, and special initiatives.

    On Monday, State Minister Shaza Fatima Khwaja didn’t receive a specific job, but on Tuesday morning, Prime Minister Shehbaz gave her the Ministry of Information Technology.

  • Shebaz Sharif wants uninterrupted gas, power supply during Ramazan

    Shebaz Sharif wants uninterrupted gas, power supply during Ramazan

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed authorities on Monday to ensure uninterrupted gas and power supply, aiming to help people during the holy month of Ramazan.

    In a high level meeting on the petroleum sector, the premier instructed officials to give all possible support to private sector, local, and foreign investors in exploring and refining gas and oil, as well as distributing these natural resources.

    Addressing the participants, Shehbaz said that the government is not meant to do businesses, rather its responsibility is to extend all kinds of facilities to the private sector and ensure protection of the rights of consumers, especially the vulnerable segments of society.

    The chief executive asked for steps to promote global investment in exploration of tight gas and undersea oil and gas reserves, regretting that Pakistan’s maritime area was huge in size when compared with Balochistan province, but no steps were taken to explore its hidden natural resources.

  • White chiffon dupatta, backcombed hair and green silk Shalwar Kameez; where have we seen this before?

    White chiffon dupatta, backcombed hair and green silk Shalwar Kameez; where have we seen this before?

    White chiffon dupatta, backcombed hair, and a green silk Shalwar Kameez; where have we seen this before? We saw it once when the late Benazir Bhutto took oath as the first female Prime Minister of the country and the world. And we saw the same image again when her husband Asif Ali Zardari took oath as President. The former Prime Minister’s youngest daughter Aseefa Bhutto Zardari who seems to have morphed into a doppelganger of her beloved mother.

    The resemblance was so stark that renowned journalist Hamid Mir tweeted the picture with the caption, “A picture is worth of thousand words.”


    The pictures went viral as netizens start pointing out that Benazir Bhutto’s youngest resembles her.

    Ramsha Quttab Uddin Khan posted about the “uncanny resemblance” of mother and daughter.


    Another user commented, “Daughter as first lady and then her enormous resemblance with Shaheed BB is indeed heartening!”


    A user posted that the resemblance is beautiful and lamented that Pakistan really lost a gem when she was assasinated.


    President Asif Ali Zardari, elected President for the second time, has taken the decision to make his daughter Aseefa Bhutto Zardari the first lady.
    The declaration was made through the party’s official Twitter handle.


    Aseefa will be given First Lady protocol and she will be the first First Lady who is the daughter of the President. Usually, the status goes to the wife but here the decision was made because Aseefa Bhutto Zardari campaigned for her party in general elections and supported her brother Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, reports Geo.


    Born on February 3, 1993, Aseefa Bhutto Zardari is part of a traditional political family of Pakistan. She is the youngest daughter of former Prime Minister of Pakistan Benazir Bhutto Shaheed and former President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari. Aseefa is also the younger sister of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Bakhtawar Bhutto Zardari and granddaughter of Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the former Prime Minister of the country and the founder of Pakistan Peoples Party.


    She was seen walking beside her father during the oath-taking ceremony in the President’s House with her arm in his arm.

  • Chief Justice wants to send contempt of court notice to FIA in Asad Toor case

    Chief Justice wants to send contempt of court notice to FIA in Asad Toor case

    Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa expressed concerns on Monday on the use of the Supreme Court’s name in initiating action against journalist and vlogger Asad Toor, highlighting discrepancies in the First Information Report (FIR) filed by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

    “The inquiry notice [sent to Asad Toor] stated that he is being summoned in an inquiry related to an anti-judiciary campaign whereas the FIR didn’t even mention as such,” CJP Isa said.

    During a hearing of a suo motu case, a three-member Supreme Court bench, comprising CJP Isa, Justice Muhammed Ali Mazhar, and Justice Mussarat Hilali, addressed issues of journalists’ harassment over FIA summons related to the Joint Investigation Team’s (JIT) probe into an alleged anti-judiciary campaign.

    On January 17, the then-caretaker government formed a JIT to investigate a social media campaign targeting Supreme Court judges following a verdict on the election symbol of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). However, the court intervened after FIA summons were sent to journalists and prohibited action against individuals criticizing the apex court.

    Despite the court’s intervention, Toor was arrested by the FIA on February 26 in connection with the alleged smear campaign against the Supreme Court and CJP and is currently in custody.

    During the hearing, Barrister Salahuddin Ahmed, representing the Press Association of the Supreme Court (PAS) and the Islamabad High Court Journalists Association (IHCJA), informed the court of Toor’s incarceration.

    The CJP questioned the reasons behind Toor’s imprisonment, prompting the lawyer to refer to the FIR against the journalist and request the court to invalidate the government’s notification forming the JIT.

    CJP Isa raised concerns about the charges in the FIR against Toor, particularly those related to sensitive information, questioning their relevance and applicability.

    Highlighting the discrepancies in the FIA’s notice and the FIR against Toor, CJP Isa said: “Neither any SC judge nor the registrar had filed any complaint to the FIA”.

    “The officials of FIA are bringing disrepute to the judiciary,” the chief justice observed while lamenting the prospects of the judiciary’s image being tarnished before the public.

    “Why shouldn’t we send a notice to the FIA for contempt of court?” he questioned.

    Furthermore, the top judge admonished the Inspector General Police (IGP) Islamabad for failing to make progress in apprehending suspects despite video evidence, hinting at the possibility of the IGP’s dismissal for inadequate performance.

  • ‘PTI will continue protests till restoration of mandate,’ Latif Khosa

    ‘PTI will continue protests till restoration of mandate,’ Latif Khosa

    Dozens of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers were reportedly arrested in Lahore amidst allegations of violent protests, prompting PTI leader Latif Khosa to vow continued demonstrations until their “mandate” is recognized.

    Speaking to the media in Lahore, Khosa emphasized the party’s singular demand for an audit of election results, stating that the government must address this issue before progress can be made.

    Khosa also called for the release of PTI founder Imran Khan, leaders, especially female leaders, and workers, asserting that the party will persist in its protests to defend the people’s right to self-governance and elect their representatives.
    “I will register an FIR against them for kidnapping. We’ll see how this government can run,” he said referring to police’s arrest of PTI workers as abduction.

    He asked the police to tell on whose order they were carrying out action against the political activists.
    Khosa revealed his own experience at the police station where he was detained for six hours, highlighting that although he wasn’t mistreated, he asserted his immunity as a sitting MNA against arrest without permission from the National Assembly speaker.

    Regarding the charges against PTI’s Salman Akram Raja for blocking roads, Khosa insisted that their protest was peaceful and demanded surveillance camera footage to verify if arteries were indeed obstructed.

    Earlier, around 40 PTI leaders and workers were booked under serious charges including terrorism, abduction, interference in public affairs, and harassment, following protests on Mall Road in Lahore against alleged election rigging.

    The FIR alleged that PTI leader Hafiz Farhat Abbas incited activists to damage public property and that Abbas, along with others, opened fire and assaulted a police constable.

    It claimed that PTI leader Hafiz Farhat Abbas incited the party activists to damage public properties. Henceforth, they damaged a government vehicle too, it added.

    Abbas along with four to five other unidentified persons opened fire and manhandled a police constable tearing his uniform, the FIR said adding police detained the PTI leader and recovered a pistol from him. The FIR mentioned that batons and clubs were recovered from 42 suspects arrested by police.

    Meanwhile, several PTI leaders, including Latif Khosa and Salman Akram Raja, were taken into custody during police actions in various cities as the party staged nationwide protests against alleged election manipulation and theft of its mandate in the recent elections.

    PTI supporters rallied in cities like Rawalpindi, Karachi, Kandhkot, and Tank, responding to the party’s call for demonstrations against what they perceive as electoral malpractice.

  • Who does Shehbaz Sharif want to be in cabinet?

    Who does Shehbaz Sharif want to be in cabinet?

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has recommended 19 names to President Asif Ali Zardari to be inducted into the federal cabinet, according to a summary forwarded to the Aiwan-e-Sadr on Monday.

    As per Geo news, the federal cabinet is expected to take oath today at 3 pm at the President House.

    The list of recommendations for federal ministries includes several prominent names from the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N), such as Ahsan Iqbal, Khawaja Asif, Ishaq Dar, and others. Additionally, Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui from MQM-P and Abdul Aleem Khan from Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party are also among those recommended.

    Furthermore, Senators Ishaq Dar and Musadik Malik have been recommended for appointment as federal ministers under clause 9 of Article 91 of the Constitution, as their Senate term is set to end on March 12.

    The clause permits the prime minister to appoint individuals outside of parliament to the federal cabinet for a period of six months.

    Three additional names recommended for induction as federal ministers under clause 9 of Article 91 are Muhammad Aurangzeb, Ahad Khan Cheema, and Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi.

    Shaza Fatima is the sole woman recommended for inclusion in the federal cabinet. She is slated to take oath as a state minister under clause 1 of Article 92 of the Constitution, according to the summary.

    Sources indicate that while the Prime Minister initially plans to keep the cabinet small, more ministers will likely be inducted in the second phase.

    The swearing-in of the federal cabinet follows Prime Minister Shehbaz’s oath-taking as the 24th premier of the country a week ago, and President Zardari’s inauguration as the head of state a day earlier, attended by all dignitaries.

  • Asif Zardari elected as the 14th President of Pakistan

    Asif Zardari elected as the 14th President of Pakistan

    Lawmakers across Pakistan, the Senate, National Assembly, and the four provincial assemblies, cast their votes to elect the 14th president of the country and Asif Ali Zardari won by securing 411 votes.

    His opponent, Mehmood Khan Achakzai, secured 181 votes.

    The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) orchestrated the process, which unfolded between 10 am and 4 pm, with meticulous arrangements in place.

    The presidential race sees former President Asif Ali Zardari, representing a coalition of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), and other allied parties, vying for a potential second term. He faces stiff competition from Mahmood Khan Achakzai, President of the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party and the joint candidate of the opposition.

    Polling stations were set up within the respective houses of parliament, where the election took place through a secret ballot. The Parliament House in Islamabad accommodated senators and MNAs, while the four provincial assemblies served as polling stations for provincial lawmakers.

    During the voting process, PPP Senator Sherry Rehman acted as Zardari’s polling agent, while Senator Shafiq Tareen represented Achakzai. Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Aamir Farooq presided over the proceedings at the Parliament House, with notable figures like Zardari’s children, Bilawal, Bakhtawar, and Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari, in attendance.

    However, not all political parties participated in the election. JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Jamaat-e-Islami decided against voting, citing concerns over the credibility of the process.

    The newly elected president of Pakistan is slated to be sworn in on Sunday at 4 pm at the President’s House. Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Qazi Faez Isa will administer the oath, with invitations already issued to guests for the ceremony.

    In the provincial assemblies, strict security measures were enforced to ensure a smooth and transparent electoral process. Election Commission members oversaw proceedings, guaranteeing fairness and peace throughout the voting.

    Despite tension and security concerns, the Election Commission upheld its decision to proceed with the scheduled polling, dismissing requests for postponement from opposition candidate Mahmood Achakzai. This commitment underscores the commission’s dedication to upholding democratic principles and adhering to electoral timelines.