Current Final

Category: Politics

  • Afghan Taliban’s Doha deal statement ‘disturbing’ for Pakistani leaders

    Afghan Taliban’s Doha deal statement ‘disturbing’ for Pakistani leaders

    A statement made by Taliban government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid, stating that the Afghan rulers signed the Doha deal with USA and not Pakistan, has proved worrisome for Islamabad.

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Farhatullah Baba expressed concern, while
    Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, a stalwart of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), also agreed with the concerns of the PPP leader.
    In an interview with BBC Pashto, the Taliban spokesperson had stressed that they didn’t sign a peace accord with Islamabad. However, he also mentioned that Afghan soil was not being used for terrorism in Pakistan, as the nation was “a Muslim and brother country”.
    “Taliban signed the Doha agreement with the US, not with Pakistan and its policy towards Pakistan is different.”


    Last week, in an unusual statement, Pakistan Army said that it is also very concerned that militants of the banned terrorist organisation Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) have found safe havens in Afghanistan. “It is expected that in­terim Afghan Govern­ment would not allow the use of its soil to per­petrate terror against any country, in the real sense and in line with commitments made in Doha Agreement,” the statement said.
    Pakistan Army also said that terrorist attacks in Pakistan are intolerable and the country’s security forces have the ability to give effective response to these attacks.

    Farhatullah Babar raised the question that, “Does it mean the Doha agreement binds the Taliban to rein in only some militants, not all?”
    Khawaja Asif meanwhile said that irrespective of Afghanistan stance, Pakistan will wipe out terrorism from the country.

  • I will not be the caretaker prime minister: Mohsin Baig

    I will not be the caretaker prime minister: Mohsin Baig

    Journalist Mohsin Biag on Sunday has denied rumors in Saleem Safi’s programme Jirga that he will be the next caretaker Prime Minister of Pakistan, stating that he would not assume the coveted position.

    Rumours of Baig becoming caretaker Prime Minister had been circulating in media and political circles for the past few weeks.

    The journalist criticised former Prime Minister Imran Khan by accusing him of being corrupt, alleging that Europe and Israel are behind the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman and are using him against Pakistan.

    The well-known journalist said that the attacks on military installations on May 9 were planned by Imran Khan to weaken the state.

    He also mentioned that Imran Khan didn’t give PTI tickets to eligible candidates and made a lot of money in this way

  • Hareem Shah says she’s looking for Shehzad Akbar in London

    Hareem Shah says she’s looking for Shehzad Akbar in London

    Hareem Shah has said in a video that she came to London to seek answers from former accountability chief government, Shehzad Akbar, about why he tried to ruin her life and why he asked Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA) during the tenure of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf led government to arrest her in a money-laundering case.

    Hareem Shah said that she will question Akbar about why he misused his power, when he was a powerful person in Pakistan in Imran Khan’s government.

    The Tiktoker was referring to a 2022 video leak, in which she was seen showing thousands of pounds to the camera and claimed that she brought this money from Pakistan without facing any issue.

    After that, Shehzad Akbar ordered the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to start a money-laundering case against Hareem Shah. The FIA also wrote to the NCA against the Tiktoker.

    Shah said, “It’s karma that Shahzad Akbar has run away from Pakistan and is now hiding in London. I have information that he has assets in London and is hiding here to avoid corruption cases in Pakistan. Shahzad Akbar wanted me deported from London. He wrote to the UK authorities to get me arrested to put me in trouble. He did everything to ruin my life, but look what has happened to him.”

    She has also said that Shehzad Akbar is an arrogant man who ruined many lives when he was working in Imran Khan’s government.

  • Aleeza Arshad, daughter of Arshad Sharif, makes debut as reporter

    Aleeza Arshad, daughter of Arshad Sharif, makes debut as reporter

    Aleeza Arshad, the daughter of slain journalist Arshad Sharif, has entered the field of journalism as a reporter.

    Aleeza decided to enter the profession because she was inspired by her father’s passion for investigative journalism.

    Her decision to choose journalism as a profession has been welcomed by admirers and colleagues of her late father, who was killed in 2022 by unknown gunmen in Kenya.

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Shehbaz Gill shared Aliza’s TV report on his Twitter account and expressed best wishes for her future.

    Social media users also welcomed Aliza to the realm of journalism.

  • Fact Check: Were liquor bottles recovered from Saad Rizvi’s car?

    Fact Check: Were liquor bottles recovered from Saad Rizvi’s car?

    Claim: Bottles of liquor were recovered from the car of Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) Chief Saad Rizvi.

    A screenshot of 24 News HD has been circulating online, stating that bottles of liquor were recovered from Saad Rizvi’s car.

    It has been clarified by 24 News that no such information was shared by the channel and the screen shot is fake. “The news about Saad Rizvi is based on lies… False propaganda against 24 News,” clarified the channel.


    Many on Twitter have also shared the fabricated screenshot, wondering if the news is true, while some used a sarcastic tone. One person tweeted, “According to a news report, 5 bottles of alcohol were stolen from Saad Rizvi’s car #ChalochaloLahoreChalo.”

    On the other hand, some termed it as ‘another horrendous political’ hoax. “Another horrendous politics is being played by the ones who are in power in #Pakistan Whatsoever you do, remember one thing! We don’t believe you. I am not a supporter of #SaadRizvi, but this can’t be truth,” tweeted another.

    Verdict: 24 News screenshot being randomly shared on social media with claims of alcohol recovered from TLP chief Saad Rizvi’s car is fabricated. No such incident took place.

  • Khurshid Shah sends friend request to Imran, but there’s a catch

    Khurshid Shah sends friend request to Imran, but there’s a catch

    Khurshid Shah, senior leader of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), has extended an olive branch to embattled political opponent Imran Khan, however, there’s a catch.

    “If Imran Khan let’s go of his ego and says that he is going to meet Asif Ali Zardari, then PPP will cooperate with him and bring him back into the political fold,” Shah said during a conversation with WE News.

    The federal minister stressed that his party has never backed off from dialogue. “We will teach Imran about democracy and politics, we will tell him about Pakistan’s sovereignty,” Shah stated.

    Accusing the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman of “running away from dialogue,” the PPP leader said that Khan has never negotiated with anyone.

    Pointing out that the government offered PTI a charter of democracy, Khurshid Shah recalled that Khan turned them away, terming their offer an attempt to get an NRO.

    “Whoever calls PTI a political party is naive,” he told WE News.

  • Ulema are not allowing Zakat funds to be spent on the education of the needy: Shehbaz

    Ulema are not allowing Zakat funds to be spent on the education of the needy: Shehbaz

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif addressed a ceremony at the National University of Technology, Islamabad, and said that the government faces hurdles in using Zakat funds to spend on the education of the needy as the Ulema had issues with using these funds for educational purposes.

    Shehbaz Sharif also said that if the Zakat funds can’t be used for the education of the needy students, then what is the logic in spending this money on other necessities for the students.

    The prime minister also said that if we want to progress, we should not create issues over very small things.

    Addressing the ceremony, Shehbaz Sharif also mentioned that the promotion of skilled and technical education should be a priority.

    He further stated that technical education is the key to the success of any country.

  • EU parliament urges Indian PM Modi to protect minorities

    EU parliament urges Indian PM Modi to protect minorities

    On Thursday, the European Parliament urged Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to end ethnic violence in Manipur, and to do more to protect ethnic and religious minorities in India. Modi is currently on an official visit to France, having been invited to attend the country’s annual Bastille Day national festival as a guest of honour. 

    However, between the ceremony and the diplomatic courting, EU parliamentarians in Strasbourg approved a motion that urged India to end violence in the country’s northeastern Manipur state, and to protect the minorities there. 

    The motion also criticised the ‘national rhetoric’ of the local state government, run by Modi’s right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). EU parliamentarian Pierre Larrouturou released a statement on his Twitter, with an accompanying video.

    In his tweet, Larrouturou stated that Modi and Macron can “pretend that everything is going well in India”,however, the EU parliament is recalling facts, and strongly condemns the human rights violations that take place in India.

    “Every day in India, thousands of Muslims, Christians, and members of ethnic minorities see their rights repressed,” the statement read. “To remain silent on the situation would have been a humiliation for all those who fight for their fights and suffer every day from the Hindu nationalism imposed by the Modi government.”

    In May, CNN reported how residents of Manipur say there has been a breakdown of law and order. This was after a spell of violence that left at least 58 dead and tens of thousands more homeless.

    In a speech to the public, Larrouturou went on to point out, “In Manipur, for the past two months, we have seen monstrous violence. Over 120 people have died and 1700 homes have been devastated, 250 churches have been destroyed, 40,000 people have fled for their lives.”

    Despite differences over the war in Ukraine, namely India’s continued support to Russia, as well as tensions over human rights violations in the country, Western democracies are courting Modi and what is currently the world’s most populous country, as a counterweight to China’s influence in Asia.

    India is also one of the largest global buyers of French arms. On Thursday, India approved in principle the purchase of 26 French marine Rafale jets and three Scorpene-class submarines, news agency ANI reported. 

    During Modi’s last visit to Paris in 2015, he announced a landmark deal for 36 Rafale fighter jets worth around €4 billion ($4.48 billion).

  • Taliban praises Twitter’s freedom of speech and credibility amidst Threads launch

    Taliban praises Twitter’s freedom of speech and credibility amidst Threads launch

    Twitter’s challenges in attracting advertisers, maintaining site functionality, and retaining users have been widely discussed. However, amidst these struggles, an unexpected endorsement has emerged from an unlikely source—the Taliban. Anas Haqqani, a prominent figure within the Taliban, recently expressed his appreciation for Twitter in light of Meta’s Threads, a rival platform that gained over 100 million users within a few days of its launch.

    Haqqani, in justifying his decision to remain active on Twitter, highlighted two key advantages the platform offered. “The first privilege is the freedom of speech,” he stated. “The second privilege is the public nature & credibility of Twitter. Twitter doesn’t have an intolerant policy like Meta. Other platforms cannot replace it.”

    Meta, the parent company of Threads, has made it clear that the new platform will adhere to the same content guidelines as its sister app, Instagram. This includes a stipulation that explicitly prohibits support or praise for terrorism, organised crime, or hate groups.

    Elon Musk’s involvement in Twitter’s operations has been marked by a series of seemingly arbitrary policy decisions, the loosening of moderation guidelines and enforcement capabilities, resulting in chaotic circumstances, and a focus on prioritising paying users. Under Musk’s leadership, instances of hate speech have surged, and ad sales for the platform have experienced a significant decline of 59% since the previous year.

    It is difficult to argue that having members of the Taliban celebrate the extent to which they can exploit the platform does not present a compelling case for potential ad buyers. Twitter, grappling with these challenges, must now confront the task of restoring confidence in its ability to provide a safe and appealing environment for both users and advertisers alike.

  • Court declares Imran-Bushra marriage case admissible

    Court declares Imran-Bushra marriage case admissible

    Additional District and Session Judge (ADSJ), Islamabad, Muhammad Azam Khan, has on Thursday declared a case pertaining to the alleged illegal marriage of Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan with Bushra Bibi during iddat admissible.

    The judge has remanded back the case by dismissing the civil court’s verdict. Earlier, the civil court had declared the case of illegal marriage of the former Prime Minister inadmissible.

    The petitioner, Muhammad Hanif, claimed that Bushra Bibi got divorced in November 2017 and married Imran Khan on January 1, 2018, which means that her Iddat period had not ended, “which is against the Sharia and Muslim norms.”

    Muhammad Hanif also submitted the statements of Mufti Muhammad Saeed, who conducted the marriage between Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi, and Auwn Chaudary, a former close friend of Imran Khan. Auwn Chaudhary was also one of the witnesses at the wedding.

    The petitioner said that Bushra Bibi moved to Islamabad soon after their nikah, which is the reason for filing a case in Islamabad.

    After the completion of arguments, the ADSJ declared the case admissible and returned it to civil court for hearing.