Current Final

Category: Politics

  • India invites Pakistani FM Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari to SCO

    India invites Pakistani FM Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari to SCO

    In a surprise move, India has invited Pakistan’s Foreign Minister (FM) Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari to attend an upcoming meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) scheduled to be held in Goa in May, The Indian Express has reported.

    The invitation to the meeting of SCO ministers has been sent by the office of S Jaishankar, the Minister for External Affairs and has been forwarded by the Indian High Commission in Islamabad.

    Were Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari to accept the invitation, the visit would mark the first visit of a Foreign Minister to India in 12 years. The last minister to visit the neighbouring country was Hina Rabbani Khar who travelled to India in July 2011.

    The unexpected development comes a few weeks after Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif expressed hope that relations between the two arch rivals will improve. In an interview with a UAE-based media outlet, the Pakistani Premier asked for “sincere and serious” talks with India.

    The SCO moot in Goa will also be attended by China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

  • Govt to disclose Toshkhana gifts publicly

    Govt to disclose Toshkhana gifts publicly

    The federal government has decided to publicly disclose the details and records of gifts received and deposited in the Toshakhana over the past two decades.

    The decision was taken in a cabinet meeting after the government faced backlash for it’s reluctance to disclose the list of gifts.

    The Toshakhana was established in 1978. All public officeholders, including parliamentarians and bureaucrats, are bound to report the gifts they have received from foreign dignitaries to the Cabinet Division, whereafter they are to be deposited at the Toshakhana.

    Earlier, the incumbent government told Lahore High Court (LHC) that public disclosure of Toshakhana details could cause unnecessary media hype and could be potentially damaging to Pakistan’s foreign relations.

    Former Prime Minister (PM) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has been accused of not sharing details of the state gifts which he received during his tenure as the head of government.

    Last year, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) also disqualified the PTI chief as Member of the National Assembly (MNA) in the Toshkhana case.

  • PM Shehbaz regrets ‘inconvenience’ to Pakistanis from major power outage

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif has addressed Monday’s major power breakdown that left most of the country without electricity for more than 12 hours.

    In a tweet, the Premier expressed his “sincere regrets”. He wrote, “On behalf of my government, I would like to express my sincere regrets for the inconvenience our citizens suffered due to the power outage yesterday.”

    He added that an inquiry is going on to determine what led to the sudden blackout.

    A day after the power outage, Minister for Energy Khurram Dastgir said that electricity has been fully restored at grid stations across the country. However, the minister pointed out that there will be a shortage of electricity for the next two days.

    Residents complained of increased load-shedding even after the restoration, laying doubt on the government’s claims that power was fully restored.

    In a televised address on Tuesday, the minister explained said that there was a “delay in synchronisation” between Tarbela and Mangla power plants.

  • Rao Anwar and all accused acquitted of Naqeebullah’s murder

    Former Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Rao Anwar and 17 other police officers have been acquitted in the high-profile Naqeebullah Mehsud murder case.

    Naqeebullah, a young aspiring fashion model from Waziristan, was killed in Karachi on January 13, 2018, during an encounter allegedly staged by Anwar. Rao and his colleagues were charged with the killing of Naqeeb and three others after falsely accusing them of being militants linked to ISIS and Taliban.

    On Monday, the court said that the prosecution had failed to submit sufficient evidence and failed to prove that the victims were kidnapped and murdered in a fake encounter by Rao Anwar and his 14 subordinate officials. However, a detailed verdict in the case is awaited.

    Speaking to Geo TV after the acquittal, Anwar said that “fake allegations” against him had been proven wrong.

    He claimed that the person killed was a “wanted terrorist” whose name was Naseemullah and not Naqeebullah. “He was a wanted militant about which advertisements were also given in the media,” he said.

    When asked whether he would like to rejoin the police force, the former police official said one year of his service is left and he “would like to serve Karachi”.

    Following the verdict, lawyer Jibran Nasir who is representing the case of Naqeebullah said the victim’s family would appeal this judgement before the high court.

  • Fact Check: No, the person with Gen Bajwa is not Mohsin Naqvi

    Claim: Former Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari took to Twitter and posted a picture of former Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa and said that the person standing next to him was the newly appointed caretaker Chief Minister Punjab, Mohsin Naqvi.

    Taking to Twitter, Mazari said, “Election Commission never disappoints viz its partisan approach. Selects Mohsin Naqvi as caretaker CM Punjab, seen here on a recent Emirates flight to Dubai with General retd Bajwa. Assume his credentials below carried by a dark cloud seem to have impressed the ECP!”

    She shared the picture of Gen Bajwa standing with a man in a plane, whom she called Naqvi. She also shared another template which has Mohsin Naqvi’s picture, which stated that Naqvi was an important person during the regime change of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, he runs a news channel without license that spreads fake news for blackmailing, and that he is the front man for all of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-Chairperson Asif Ali Zardari’s illegal work.

    According to senior journalist Hamid Mir, the person in the picture is not Mohsin Naqvi but a lawyer, Zahid Jameel.

    Mir tweeted that Mazari should stop spreading disinformation. “First of all this Bajwa was given extension by the great @ImranKhanPTI in 2019 and the whole political elite including PTI, PML-N and PPP were on one page , secondly the person in the picture is not Mohsin Naqvi but a lawyer Zahid Jameel.”

    Verdict: FALSE

  • Journalist who was allegedly involved in Gen Bajwa’s tax data leak returns home

    Journalist who was allegedly involved in Gen Bajwa’s tax data leak returns home

    Senior investigative journalist Shahid Aslam took to Twitter to announce his release from the custody of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) for his alleged part in leaking the personal tax data of former army chief General (retired) Qamar Javed Bajwa.

    In a series of tweets, he thanked his colleagues within the media community.

    He said, “Thanks everybody including the media community particularly @UmarCheema1 @AzazSyed @matiullahjan911 @Fahdshehbazkhan @AmirZia1 @AnsarAAbbasi @AsadAToor and my lawyer @MianAliAshfaq for the unprecedented support on my illegal arrest by @FIA_Agency and those who had ordered.”

    After Aslam’s arrest, many journalists came forward for his defence.

    On January 18, the Islamabad sessions court granted bail to him after being in custody for four days.

    On January 14, Aslam was sent on a two-day physical remand to FIA over his alleged involvement in this matter.

    ‘Dehshatgardon ki tarhaan mujhe uthwaya hai’; journalist who was allegedly involved in Gen Bajwa’s tax data leak lashes out

    Bol News journalist Shahid Aslam, talking to the media, has categorically said that he has nothing to do with former army chief General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa’s tax data leak.

    The journalist directly blamed Director General (DG) Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Mohsin Butt for picking him up from his house “like a terrorist”. According to him, 20-25 men were sent to pick him up.

    “They [FIA] have mentally tortured me”, Aslam said.

    Aslam alleged that Mohsin Butt was given orders from higher up that he had to bring the journalist in.

    On Monday, a local court in Islamabad sent Aslam to jail on judicial remand.

    Journalist who was allegedly involved in Gen Bajwa’s tax data leak is handed over to FIA

    On Saturday, Aslam was sent to a two-day physical remand to FIA over his alleged involvement in this matter.

    Judicial Magistrate Umar Shabbir of the District and Sessions court announced the decision to hand over the journalist to the agency. During the proceedings, the reporter denied all charges against him, saying that there is no evidence against him.

    However, the prosecutor said the proof is in Aslam’s mobile phone and laptop, which he is not providing to the investigators. He claimed the journalist played the role of “facilitator” in the leak.

    Earlier that day, the agency arrested Aslam from Lahore and produced him in court.

    In November, a report by investigative news website FactFocus accused the army chief and his family of amassing assets worth Rs12.7 billion over the past six years. FactFocus has claimed that after the publication of the story, the traffic on its site was “disrupted” and the website had been “banned”.

    At the time, Finance minister Ishaq Dar had said that the leak was “clearly violative of the complete confidentiality of tax information that the law provides”.

    He also shared that he has received the interim report related to the leak of Gen (retd) Bajwa’s income tax records, adding that the authorities had traced some of the people involved in the act.

  • PTI decides to take back resignations of remaining MNAs: Asad Umar

    PTI decides to take back resignations of remaining MNAs: Asad Umar

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Secretary-General Asad Umar has said on Monday that 44 party lawmakers have decided to withdraw their resignations from the National Assembly (NA).

    Taking to Twitter, Umar announced that the remaining 44 MNAs of the party, whose resignations are yet to be accepted, have decided to take back their decision to leave the national assembly.

    “An email has been sent to the speaker,” said the PTI leader in his tweet. He also shared the names of the MNAs who have withdrawn their resignations.

    Meanwhile, PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry said 45 lawmakers had decided to withdraw their resignations so that the party could take back the post of the leader of the Opposition and parliamentary party leader.

    He added that the aim of the move was to get rid of the “fake” NA opposition leader and prevent “turncoats” from voting for Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in a vote of confidence.

    Following the announcement, the PTI lawmakers staged a sit-in outside the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) headquarters after being barred from entering the speaker’s house.

    However, authorities restricted the MNAs from entering the building by placing barbed wires on the road leading to the ECP.

    The development comes about after the National Assembly Speaker Pervez Ashraf, in a surprise move accepted the resignations of 69 MNAs during the previous week.

  • ‘Deeply disrespectful act’: Swedish PM condemns desecration of Holy Quran

    Swedish Prime Minister (PM) Ulf Kristersson has condemned the abhorrent act of desecration of the Holy Quran in Stockholm.

    On Saturday, far-right politician Rasmus Paludan set fire to a copy of the Holy Quran in front of the Turkish embassy.

    PM Kristersson reacted to the abhorrent incident, tweeting: “Freedom of expression is a fundamental part of democracy. But what is legal is not necessarily appropriate. Burning books that are holy to many is a deeply disrespectful act.”

    “I want to express my sympathy for all Muslims who are offended by what has happened in Stockholm,” he said.

    Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif has also condemned the incident.

    In a tweet, the Premier said: “No words are enough to adequately condemn the abhorrable act of desecration of the Holy Quran by a right-wing extremist in Sweden.”

    Shehbaz emphasised that “the garb of freedom of expression” was used to hurt the religious sentiments of the 1.5 billion Muslims across the world, calling the act “unacceptable”.

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan also condemned the incident as he highlighted the steps his government took against Islamophobia.

  • ‘Was a freshman at Oxford’, Bilawal gets candid about his whereabouts when his mother was assassinated

    ‘Was a freshman at Oxford’, Bilawal gets candid about his whereabouts when his mother was assassinated

    Foreign Minister (FM) Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari recently got candid while talking about his mother’s legacy, assassination, and his foray into politics.

    In a wide-ranging interview on Thursday with The Washington Post’s Lally Weymouth, Bilawal, who is currently representing Pakistan at World Economic Forum in Davis, agreed that if his mother Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto had lived Pakistan would have been a different place.

    “I think that not only would Pakistan be a different place, but our region would have gone in a different direction. She had a vision and clarity that no one had at the time,” he said of his mother, the first female Muslim Prime Minister in the world.

    Responding to a question about where he was when his mother was assassinated in 2007 in Karachi, he said, “I was a freshman at Oxford”. Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in an attack in Rawalpindi in 2007, right before she was to lead her party to the polls.

    Speaking about his early stages in politics, Bilawal—who is also chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP)— said that his party thought that it was important for him to take a “ceremonial role leading the party to keep them united”.

    When asked whether he could become prime minister this year, FM Bilawal said he would have to win an election first.

    “Obviously, my party will be hoping that we win,” he said, hinting towards a coalition government if his party wins the most seats in the general elections scheduled for later this year.

    During the interview, the young minister reiterated that Pakistan’s new leadership, both political and military, will hold no talks with terrorist organisations who don’t respect the country’s laws and constitution.

    He said that former PM Imran Khan gave the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) a place to hide; not only did he release prisoners who were in Pakistan’s custody, but also engaged in a dialogue with them. “He [Imran Khan] has always been ideologically sympathetic to their point of view,” he added.

  • Imran cites British PM Rishi Sunak fine for not wearing seatbelt as ‘rule of law’

    Imran cites British PM Rishi Sunak fine for not wearing seatbelt as ‘rule of law’

    British Prime Minister (PM) Rishi Sunak was fined by the police on Friday for not wearing a seatbelt in the car while filming a social media video.

    Lancashire Police announced on Twitter that they have issued Sunak “with a conditional offer of fixed penalty”.

    In the video that went viral on Thursday, the seatbeltless Conservative leader speaks from the back seat of a moving car about his policies for boosting growth during a trip to Lancashire in England’s north.

    According to BBC, passengers caught failing to wear a seat belt when one is available can be fined £100 (PKR 28,475).

    Reacting to the news, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman and former PM Imran Khan highlighted the rule of law in Britain.

    In a tweet, Khan said, “This is rule of law where no one is above it; this differentiates prosperous nations from poor ones.”

    “No NROs, no qabza GPS, no custodial torture for tweeting the truth about the powerful because the justice system protects the weak. Justice was the bedrock of Riyasat e Madina,” he added

    However, Sunak apologised afterward and called it a “brief error of judgement”.

    It is the second time Sunak has received a fixed penalty notice while in being in the government.

    Last April, he was fined along with the-then PM Boris Johnson and his wife Carrie for breaking Covid lockdown rules by attending a gathering in Downing Street in June 2020.