Current Final

Category: Politics

  • ‘Kabhi petrol bomb phainknay waalon se mazaakraat nahin hotay: Javed Latif calls PTI ‘terrorist’

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Javed Latif, has expressed disapproval of the ongoing talks between the government and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), saying that dialogue should never be held with a “terrorist wing” and the “ones who throw petrol bombs”.

    Addressing a press conference, Latif, who is considered close to PML-N head Nawaz Sharif, went on to say that dialogue could never be held with a person who “is spreading anarchy in the country, especially at a time when Pakistan’s economy is stabilising and the country is progressing without IMF’s aid”.

    He urged “individuals in institutions” to take responsibility for “producing” a person like Imran Khan, Chairman of PTI, and for the consequences of their actions. He also claimed that some people are trying to reinstate the PTI chairman as Prime Minister.

    The PML-N leader said that the elections won’t be held without the participation of his party supremo Nawaz Sharif.

    The third and final round of talks will be held tomorrow. As of yet, no census is in sight.

  • ‘Backbone of our economy’: President, PM Shebaz pay rich tribute to workforce on Labour Day

    ‘Backbone of our economy’: President, PM Shebaz pay rich tribute to workforce on Labour Day

    On Monday, President Dr. Arif Alvi remarked that the observance of this year’s International Labour Day is an opportunity to reaffirm the significance of labour and recognise the brave and heroic struggle of workers to secure their basic rights. He also paid tribute to the workers who fought for their rights with great courage and dedication. The President’s statement emphasizes the importance of upholding the dignity of labor and acknowledging the efforts of workers in achieving their rights.

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif in a sperate message stated that ensuring labour rights and providing people with a stake in the system are still significant challenges for the global economy.

    “While we pay rich tributes to the working classes & celebrate their contributions today, the fact is that the disruption in global markets has led to a severe cost of living crisis. Together with increase in commodity prices, the working people find themselves under tremendous stress,” he wrote.
    “The edifice of material development that stands on the foundation of hard work will come crumbling if those who made it possible are excluded from its benefits. Fulfilling the labour rights & making people shareholders in the system remains a fundamental challenge for the global economy,” he added.

  • Washington doc leak says Pakistan doesn’t want to appease West anymore

    Washington doc leak says Pakistan doesn’t want to appease West anymore

    Several documents regarding the declining support of key allied countries to the United States (US) have been leaked, a report published by Washington Post has stated.

    According to one of the leaked documents, Hina Rabbani Khar, Pakistan’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, argued in March that her country can “no longer try to maintain a middle ground between China and the United States.”

    In an internal memo she titled “Pakistan’s Difficult Choices,” Khar cautioned that Islamabad should avoid giving the appearance of appeasing the West. She said that in order to preserve Pakistan’s partnership with the United States, the country will be sacrificing the full benefits of a “real strategic” partnership with China.

    According to another leaked document, Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif’s aide ask him to remain neutral in the Ukraine conflict because it could jeopardise the country’s ties with Russia.

    India, likewise, appeared to avoid taking sides between Washington and Moscow during a conversation on February 22 between Indian national security adviser Ajit Kumar Doval and his Russian counterpart, Nikolay Patrushev, another of the leaked documents indicates.

    The leaked documents have surfaced when the US is no longer the unchallenged sole superpower in the world, as its former allies make strategic ties with China and Russia while the Middle East goes through its own course correction as former rivals reconcile with deals brokered by China.

  • Iranian minister impeached over rising inflation

    Iranian minister impeached over rising inflation

    Iranian lawmakers have voted to impeach Minister of Industry, Mines and Trade Reza Fatemi Amin over his poor performance.

    The country is under a financial crisis because of international sanctions and rising inflation.

    Reza Fatemi Amin failed to gain enough support in a vote of confidence that saw 162 MPs vote in favour of his removal and 102 against it.

    The development took place due to the rising price of domestically manufactured vehicles after foreign imports dried up because of sanctions.

  • Fawad or Marriyum: Whose idea was PTV Flix anyway?

    Federal Minister for Information Marriyum Aurangzeb on Sunday announced the launch of the online platform PTV Flix, which will allow users to access thousands of movies, television shows and documentaries online. In a tweet, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) politician revealed that the was an initiative quite close to her heart, as countless iconic shows like ‘Dhoop Kinaray’, ‘Tanhaiyaan’ and ‘Ainak Wala Jin’ can now be easily accessed online.

    Aurangzeb also thanked the team at PTV and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, who had helped in making this idea in to a reality:


    “I would like to thank and congratulate the team at PTV and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting for all their hard work which has made this idea a reality. I would also like to thank our entertainment legends Bushra Ansari Sba, Javed Sheikh Sb and Khalid Abbas Dar Sb for joining me at the launch event.”

    However, many tweeps began tagging Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and former Information Minister, Fawad Chaudhry, crediting him for the initiative. Chaudhry later put up a tweet revealing that this was a project he had began during his tenure.

    To which Aurangzeb had a cheeky response, but really who was the person to kickstart PTV Flix?

    If we look back, it was Chaudhry who during his tenure as the Minister of Science and Technology, had announced in 2020 in a tweet that his team was working on setting up Pakistan’s version of Netflix, and had already asked regulatory authorities to draft a guideline about the content.

  • Dar tells PTI that govt has nothing to do with raid at Elahi’s residence

    Finance Minister Ishaq Dar has talked to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senior Vice President Shah Mahmood Qureshi via telephone, discussing last night’s raid at former Chief Minister (CM) Pervaiz Elahi’s residence in Lahore.

    Dar distanced the federal government from the incident and blamed the Punjab government for it, while expressing grief over the raid that has been criticised for using excessive force.

    The minister said that he would forward PTI’s reservations to the ruling alliance and would get back to them.

    Meanwhile, Dar’s party fellow and Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal criticised the PTI leaders for “using women and children” as a shield to evade arrest.

    Apparently justifying the raid, the minister said both PTI Chairman Imran Khan and Elahi were not arrested when police conducted a raid at their residence.

    The raid has put talks between PTI and the government, to reach a consensus on a date for election, in jeopardy. The final and third round of negotiations will be held on May 2 (Tuesday).

  • UK Court rules that Murtaza Ali Shah was ‘defamed’ through a campaign by PTI leaders

    UK Court rules that Murtaza Ali Shah was ‘defamed’ through a campaign by PTI leaders

    A United Kingdom (UK) High Court Judge has ruled that the words used by three Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders against London-based journalist Murtaza Ali Shah are “defamatory” at common law and that he was defamed through a campaign.

    Murtaza had himself moved the court against PTI leaders Mohammad Imran, Shanaz Hussain (typically known as Shanaz Saddique) and Riaz Hussain after they launched a defamatory social media campaign against him in 2020. Shah’s reporting on Justice Qazi Faez Isa of the Supreme Court after the Assets Recovery Unit paid a spy agency to investigate Justice Isa’s children led to the defamatory campaign against the journalist.

    The former ruling party has distanced itself from the matter. A spokesman of PTI UK said the three were clearly told by PTI leadership that their campaign against the reporter is personal.

    It is pertinent to mention here that one of the PTI leaders—Shanaz Hussain— was found guilty of forging her husband’s signature in 2012.

    In March 2023, at a preliminary trial on the meaning of the defamatory words used by these leaders, a judge said that “these are serious allegations to make against a professional journalist”.

  • After Zaman Park, Punjab police raid Elahi’s house and arrest women

    After Zaman Park, Punjab police raid Elahi’s house and arrest women

    In the late hours of Friday night, a heavy contingent of officials from anti-corruption department and police reached the Gulberg residence of former Chief Minister (CM) Pervaiz Elahi in Lahore to arrest him in a corruption case.

    According to Elahi’s lawyer, pre-arrest bail had already been taken from a court until May 6 in the particular case. However, the team insisted that they need Elahi in a new case and they would not leave without arresting him.

    Sometime later, the raiding team used an armoured vehicle to break down the main gate of Elahi’s house, arresting multiple staff members. Female police officers also took women into custody.

    The plan was to arrest Elahi too, however, after a thorough search they couldn’t find him.

    They also tried to force their way into the adjoining residence of PML-Q President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, but they were resisted by Shujaat’s sons.

    After the episode, Elahi’s son moved the Lahore High Court (LHC) to stop the police. Many politicians, including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, strongly condemned the raid.

  • ISPR says Bajwa’s statement that Pak isn’t ready to fight India is taken ‘out of context’

    The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) has clarified that former Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Qamar Javed Bajwa’s statement about Pakistan army not being fully compatible to fight against India has been taken out of context.

    “To this end, views of the former army chief on the future threats to Pakistan, which he shared with media persons in an off-the-record interactive session, have been quoted out of context,” ISPR said.

    It added that the army “always took and will continue to take pride in our operational preparedness and utmost combat worthiness.”

    Earlier, Senior Journalist Hamid Mir said that Bajwa had told journalists in 2021 that the Pakistan Army is not capable of getting into combat against the rival country.

    He claimed that immediately after the ceasefire, Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi had to visit Pakistan in 2021 but the then-Foreign Minister (FM) Shah Mahmood Qureshi and former PM Imran Khan weren’t aware of it.

    When Khan demanded that details regarding Modi’s visit should be given to Foreign Office (FO) “Bajwa came to the FO with his entire convoy and gave a lecture”.

    “This was the same lecture that he gave in front of us once too that army tanks are not capable of running and there is no diesel for troop movement,” the journalist said.

    The journalist’s claims were picked up by Indian media and reported by major news outlets.

  • What is bhambhal bhoochiyan? PM Shehbaz left us all confused

    What is bhambhal bhoochiyan? PM Shehbaz left us all confused

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif not only comprehensively won a vote of confidence on Thursday but also unwittingly gave us a lesson in language.

    While addressing the House, the premier used a word that left the internet scratching its head.

    “Woh kaam humein karny diye jaye, humein in bhambhal bhoochiyoon mei na uljhaya jaye,” he said.

    As soon as he used the expression, Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique burst into laughter. PM Shehbaz turned around to look at the members seated closest to him. He asked if he pronounced the word correctly, to which they laughed and nodded.

    Former President Asif Ali Zardari can also be seen smiling up at Shehbaz Sharif from his chair.

    However, the exact meaning of the word eluded many. So we did some sleuthing on Twitter.

    According to one social media user ‘Bhambhal bhoochiyan‘ means putting someone in trouble or confusion.

    Another user suggested it may be the antonym of Bhool Bhulaiyaa. Another one said that it means leading someone on.