Current Final

Category: Politics

  • NAB grills Bushra Bibi for over two and a half hours

    NAB grills Bushra Bibi for over two and a half hours

    The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) grilled former First Lady, Bushra Bibi, for over two and a half hours during the investigation of the Toshakhana case.

    Bushra Bibi has been accused of keeping a bracelet, earrings, a chain, a pendant and two rings from state gifts while her husband Imran Khan was the Prime Minister. She has also been charged with keeping a watch and gold and diamond jewellery during the same time period, not getting their value assessed fairly or submitting them to the Toshakhana.

    Bushra Bibi appeared before NAB Rawalpindi office where a team questioned her for over two and a half hours.

    Bushra Bibi is currently on bail in the Toshakhana case, after Judge Abul Hasnat of an accountability court granted her bail in the Toshakhana case till September 12, in exchange of surety bonds worth Rs5 lacs.

  • ‘Shujaat sent me to PTI’, says Parvez Elahi

    ‘Shujaat sent me to PTI’, says Parvez Elahi

    President of Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Chaudhry Parvez Elahi, has stated that his cousin, Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) leader Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, had given him the go-ahead to me to join the PTI, Geo has reported.

    “Chaudhry Shujaat himself sent me to PTI,” the former Punjab chief minister said on Wednesday at a local court in Islamabad.

    According to Elahi, PTI Chief Imran Khan pledged to name him party president in recognition of efforts made during difficult times for the party.
    Elahi, currently facing several cases including ones relating to corruption charges, attack on the judicial complex, has been behind bars for months as liberty eludes him every time he gets released from custody.

    He was detained by the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) on Tuesday, shortly after being released by the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) police on the Islamabad High Court’s (IHC) ruling. He had been detained numerous times during the previous few months.
    “Shujaat Hussain did not join PTI due to [his son] Salik Hussain because he was very fond of becoming a minister,” Elahi said.

    Shujaat and Pervez had spent their entire political careers as a duo before breaking up to go their own ways in 2022.

  • IG Punjab promises ‘good news’ soon in ongoing search for missing journalist Imran Riaz

    IG Punjab promises ‘good news’ soon in ongoing search for missing journalist Imran Riaz

    Punjab Inspector General (IG) Dr Usman Anwar, during a court hearing addressing a plea concerning the whereabouts of anchorperson Imran Riaz, asserted on Wednesday that the police were poised to deliver “good news” in the coming days. As a result of this statement, the court granted an extension for additional time to locate the missing journalist.

    Imran Riaz has remained untraceable since his apprehension at Sialkot airport on May 11, a mere two days following widespread protests triggered by the arrest of PTI Chairman Imran Khan on May 9. His last known location was the Cantt police station immediately following his arrest, and subsequently, he was transferred to Sialkot prison.

    It’s worth noting that Imran Riaz was among several journalists taken into custody in the aftermath of the May 9 protests. Following these events, a First Information Report (FIR) was filed on May 16 by the anchorperson’s father, Muhammad Riaz, alleging the abduction of his son. 

    According to Dawn, the FIR listed “unidentified persons” and police officials as suspects under Section 365 of the Pakistan Penal Code, pertaining to kidnapping or abducting with the intent to secretly and wrongfully confine a person.

    In parallel, the journalist’s father initiated legal proceedings by submitting a plea to the Lahore High Court for the recovery of his son. 

    Today, Chief Justice Muhammad Ameer Bhatti presided over the case and was apprised by the Punjab IG of positive progress in the ongoing investigation. 

    In his statement, the IG assured the court of forthcoming positive developments within the next 10 to 15 days and requested additional time for their efforts to locate Imran Riaz.

  • ‘I am not just hopeful, I am certain’: Kakar on elections

    ‘I am not just hopeful, I am certain’: Kakar on elections

    Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar has confirmed that general elections will be held in the next three to four months, adding that polls are “certain”.

    To a question about his plan of action if the caretaker Prime Minister gets an extension, he told a local TV station that he could see the country going to polls in the next three to four months, The News reported on Wednesday.

    “I think within a few months… a few months can be translated into three, three-and-half or four…that needs to be seen…this will conclude and we will go to the electoral process,” he commented.

    On asking the same question on elections, he replied, “I am not just hopeful; rather, I am certain”.

    He stated that because of the short time, the caretaker government is giving priority to policy matters to make the journey of the future government smoother.

  • Fact Check: Did the Army Chief say ‘No political party is sincere with Pakistan?’

    Fact Check: Did the Army Chief say ‘No political party is sincere with Pakistan?’

    On Sept 4, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir pledged unwavering efforts to attract foreign investment and rejuvenate the economy during an extensive meeting with members of the business community. In the meeting, he engaged openly and candidly with them.

    The controversy started when a renowned businessman Zubair Motiwala appeared in Nadeem Malik’s program on Samaa TV and said during the live show that the Army Chief said that no political party is sincere with Pakistan. Motiwala was unable to complete his statement as his line was disconnected. A clip of his statement went viral online soon after.

    Today, senior journalist and anchorperson Saleem Safi took to X (formerly Twitter) and said that his sources have revealed that the Army Chief did not said anything like this. He stated that the Chief’s actual words were, “Every political party has good and bad people.”

    The Current reached out to Safi to get a confirmation about his tweet. He said that he confirmed with three people who were present at the meeting that the statement was not said. He said that ISPR also confirmed that the statement was not said by the Army Chief. He also predicted that Motiwala would clarify his statement himself in a few hours.

  • India to be renamed soon?

    A proposal to officially change India’s name to Bharat may be tabled by the Narendra Modi-led government during the upcoming special session of the Parliament from September 18-22.

    Speculation about the name change was fuelled amid reports that Rashtrapati Bhawan has sent an invite for a G20 dinner on September 9 in the name of “President of Bharat” instead of the usual “President of India”.

    The Constitution of India currently refers to the country as “India, that is Bharat…”, but there is a growing call among the ruling party’s right-wing support base to amend this to simply “Bharat”.

    Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Parliament Parvesh Verma has also prepared a private member’s bill seeking to amend the Constitution’s preamble to remove the word India even as lawmakers have been informed that there will be no private members’ day or zero question hours during the special session.

    Verma’s bill says the name Bharat has been widely recognised internationally as an alternate name for India as reported by Hindustan Times.

    “By officially adopting ‘Bharat’ as the formal name of our nation, we will establish a unified identity in global forums, promoting India’s cultural and historical heritage on the international stage. Renaming India as ‘Bharat’ will reinforce our cultural identity, foster national unity, and project a more authentic representation of our country’s rich heritage on the global stage.” It adds this move will align with the aspirations of the citizens seeking to embrace and “celebrate our cultural roots.”

    There was no official confirmation of the introduction of the renaming bill even as the Opposition Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc constituents linked the reference to the Bharat in the G20 invite to the BJP’s nervousness over the formidable challenge they pose to the ruling party.

    On the previous Thursday, the government announced a special session, triggering speculation that it has been convened for a Uniform Civil Code legislation, the celebration of India’s G20 presidency, and the new Parliament building, etc.

    BJP’s ideological fount, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), has been pushing for the change in name from India, using Bharat in its communication.

    Congress leader Jairam Ramesh hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Rashtrapati Bhawan’s invite for the G20 dinner on September 9 in the name of “President of Bharat” instead of the usual “President of India”. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), he cited the Constitution’s Article 1 that “Bharat, that is India, shall be a Union of States” and added now even this “Union of States” is under assault.

    Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal asked the BJP whether it would change the name of Bharat if the opposition alliance INDIA renamed itself Bharat.
    “There is no official information about it but I have heard rumours. Why is this happening? Some parties have come together to form the INDIA bloc. If the INDIA alliance changes its name to Bharat, will they rename Bharat?” Kejriwal said. “This is treason.”

    People took to X to question the alleged decision by the BJP. Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, M.K.Stalin, said, “After Non-BJP forces united to dethrone the fascist BJP regime and aptly named their alliance #INDIA, now the BJP wants to change ‘India’ for ‘Bharat.’”

    Member of Parliament for Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, since 2009 and writer Shashi Tharoor and said, “I hope the government will not be so foolish as to completely dispense with “India”

    Investigative Journalist Saurav Das took a rather humorous take and questioned why ‘Prime Minister of India’ isn’t being called ‘Emperor of Bharat’.

    Journalist Nidhi Razdan questioned whether every stakeholder was contacted in this regard or not stating that India belongs to all instead of one political party.

  • Shehbaz, Dar should return to Pakistan immediately, says Khawaja Asif

    Shehbaz, Dar should return to Pakistan immediately, says Khawaja Asif

    Khawaja Asif, senior leader of the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N), has said that despite the fact that former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s return is not possible until October, party president Shehbaz Sharif and senior leader Ishaq Dar should come back to Pakistan immediately as the public is angry about the economic crisis and inflation in the country.

    “There is no doubt there are countless [causes of unrest] for the people, and there is only one solution to this. We must constantly… constantly stay in touch with the people, so they can see us,” Asif stressed, adding that keeping distance from the public is not a solution.

    The former defence minister said this while talking on Geo News’ programme, ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Saath’.

    Khawja Asif said that Shehbaz Sharif and the former finance minister should come back and tackle the criticism the party has been facing.

    He also mentioned that the PML-N Vice President is constantly in touch with the public.

    “All of us MNAs are sitting in our constituencies,” he added.

    The former defence minister stated that the PML-N was part of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), so one party could not be held responsible for the economic crisis in the country.

  • Bushra Bibi files petition to avoid possible arrest

    Bushra Bibi files petition to avoid possible arrest

    Bushra Bibi, the wife of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, has moved the Lahore High Court (LHC) to stop authorities from arresting her, asking for details of all the cases including undisclosed first information reports (FIRs) registered against her.

    The petition, filed through Advocate Mushtaq Ahmad Mohal on Monday, states that after the illegal removal of the petitioner’s husband from the office of the prime minister, political victimization of the petitioner, her husband and other family members has been initiated by federal and provincial governments as well as law enforcement agencies, all of whom are respondents in the petition.

    Bushra Bibi has pleaded that FIRs against her have been kept secret by the respondents to bar her from seeking pre-arrest bail. The respondents include the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Anti Corruption Establishment (ACE) Punjab, and police.

    “That act of the respondents regarding lodging false, frivolous, baseless and concocted FIRs against the petitioner and to conceal the FIRs numbers, police stations, districts, dates and provinces clearly indicates that the respondents intend to arrest the petitioner without providing an opportunity to get the relief from competent courts of law in the shape of anticipatory bails and pre-arrest bails and to get the FIRs secret against the petitioner at the behest of the respondents is not warranted by law, so law and justice demand that the respondents be directed to submit list of all criminal cases registered against the petitioner throughout in Pakistan, so that the petitioner may approach the competent courts of law, for redress of her grievances,” the petition read.

    It further requested for an order against arresting Bushra Bibi in any case till the provision of the details of case. The hearing of the petition is fixed before the court of Justice Alia Neelum.

    READ MORE: PDM is not ready to talk with Imran

  • Islamabad High Court orders Parvez Elahi’s release

    Islamabad High Court orders Parvez Elahi’s release

    The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Sept 5 suspended the detention of PTI President and former chief minister Punjab, Parvez Elahi, under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO), ordering his release.

    On Friday, the Lahore High Court (LHC) had ordered that the former Punjab chief minister be released.

    However, hours after he was released from Adiala Jail, Islamabad Police arrested Chaudhry Parvez Elahi from Canal Road in Lahore, leaving with him for the federal capital. Earlier that day, the Lahore High Court (LHC) ordered the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to release Parvez Elahi, along with a restraining order against his possible arrest by any agency or preventive detention, after the accountability watchdog’s decision to arrest the former chief minister of Punjab was challenged in court through a petition.

    The visuals of his arrest went viral on social media.

    According to the capital police, Elahi was taken into custody on orders of the district magistrate under Section 3 of the MPO.

    Section 3 of MPO empowers the government to arrest and detain suspected persons. It states: “The government, if satisfied that with a view to preventing any person from acting in any manner prejudicial to public safety or the maintenance of public order, it is necessary to do, may, by an order in writing, direct the arrest and detention in such custody […] and [the] government, if satisfied that for the aforesaid reasons, it is necessary so to do, may extend from time to time the period of such detention, for a period not exceeding six months at a time.”

    After being moved to Attock jail, Parvez Elahi had approached the IHC against his detention, urging the court to declare it as “patently illegal, unlawful and without lawful authority”.

    In the petition, Elahi had requested the IHC to set aside the detention order and issue directives for his release. Interior secretary, district magistrate, the Islamabad police chief and the Adiala Jail’s superintendent were made respondents in the case.

    On Tuesday, Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri took up Elahi’s plea. The court suspended the PTI leader’s detention order and also ordered his release. The court also issued a notice to the duty magistrate who ordered Elahi’s detention.

    Further, the court also summoned Elahi at the next hearing and ordered him to not issue any kind of statement until the next hearing. The hearing was subsequently adjourned till Tuesday (September 12).

  • PDM is not ready to talk with Imran

    PDM is not ready to talk with Imran

    Central leaders of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) have mutually decided not to talk with former Prime Minister Imran Khan about any political matter.

    Sources privy to inside details have told Jang that PDM leaders called Imran Khan responsible for inflation in the country as well term him the mastermind of the incidents of May 9.

    Sources also confirmed that PDM will contact the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) within 48 hours to discuss the matter of talking to Imran.

    Earlier, Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said after meeting Imran Khan in Attock jail that the former prime minister was ready to talk to institutions and political parties about elections, stressing that he wants free and fair polls in the country.

    In a tweet, the lawyer said that he met Imran Khan at Attock Jail along with his colleagues. “Alhamdulillah, he is in great spirit but concern about ongoing uncertainty, inflation, and terrorism. He is willing to talk to all BUT about election,” he stated.