Current Final

Category: Politics

  • Indian PM Modi to attend regional summit along with PM Shehbaz

    Indian PM Modi to attend regional summit along with PM Shehbaz

    Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi and Pakistani Premier Shehbaz Sharif will take part in Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit which is due to take place on September 15 and 16 in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

    New Delhi has not yet specified whether Modi would hold bilateral talks with his Pakistani counterpart, Russian President Vladimir Putin or Chinese President Xi Jinping.

    Earlier, in the SCO foreign ministers’ meeting, all of the ministers reiterated that the heads of SCO states would attend the summit.

    Foreign Minister (FM) Bilawal Bhutto, who had attended the meeting in Tashkent, said that a bilateral meeting between the Pakistani and Indian leaders is not scheduled.

    “There are no plans of any meetings between Indian and Pakistani prime ministers in September”, Bilawal revealed, adding that both India and Pakistan are part of the SCO and the two countries are only engaged in the context of the broad-based activities of the organisation.

    The foreign minister had said: “India is our neighbouring country. While one can decide on a lot of things, one cannot choose its neighbours, therefore, we should get used to living with them.”

    Other than this, it has been reported that Russian Putin and Chinese Xi would meet at the summit. China has refused to condemn Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and has ramped up purchases of Russian oil.

  • Exclusive: Apple user or Samsung loyalist? What phone does PM Shehbaz use?

    Exclusive: Apple user or Samsung loyalist? What phone does PM Shehbaz use?

    Android or iOS—which one is better? We have heard this never-ending debate many times. Now, the debate has turned towards the power corridors of Islamabad. The question being asked on social media is, what phone does our Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif use?

    Earlier in the day, PM’s Focal Person on Digital Media, Muhammad Abubakar Umer, shared a video of the Premier who was sitting with United Nations (UN) Chief Antonio Guterres. They both visited the flood-affected areas of Sindh.

    In the video, PM Shehbaz pulled out his phone which appears to be an iPhone 7.

    Abubakar has also mentioned the model of the phone in the caption. He said, “PM Shehbaz doesn’t normally carry/use his mobile phone in public. This is probably the first time he pulled out his phone during a meeting—to show a flood-related video to UN Secretary-General— and guess what? It’s not iPhone 14, not even X or 9. It looks more like iPhone 7.”

    Upon asking the reason behind PM not upgrading his phone, Abubakar told The Current, “He [PM Shehbaz] uses the phone only for necessary functions and not for entertainment or luxury. He would use the phone as long it serves the basic purpose of call or text and sometimes video message or call.”

    The focal person also revealed that when he met PM Shehbaz back in 2011 he [PM] was carrying a phone that “looked like Nokia 3310”. He said that it was a very “basic” phone.

    “PM has all the resources to afford a new phone but he is doing great even without keeping up with the latest phone models”, he added.

  • Imran Khan’s plane escapes an accident

    Imran Khan’s plane escapes an accident

    A plane carrying Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan escaped an accident. Khan was en route to Gujranwala for his jalsa from Chaklala.

    Khan was set to travel on a private plane when some technical problem was detected.

    According to media reports, the former prime minister couldn’t travel because of the weather situation as well.

    After the incident, Khan had to travel by road for his jalsa.

    The news was confirmed by PTI’s Salman Ahmad. He said that a technical fault was discovered in time.

    “We are extraordinarily lucky that Imran Khan plane’s technical fault was discovered in time before it took off,” he tweeted.

    A day earlier, Khan announced that he would share the “next critical phase” of his party’s “Haqiqi Azadi movement” during his Gujranwala rally on Saturday.

  • Punjab CM Pervaiz Elahi increases financial assistance for flood victims to Rs10 lac

    Punjab CM Pervaiz Elahi increases financial assistance for flood victims to Rs10 lac

    Chief Minister (CM) Punjab, Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, has increased financial assistance for families of deceased victims from Rs. 0.8 million to 1 million (Rs 8lac to Rs10 lac).

    CM Elahi had a meeting with Provincial Minister Muhammad Muneeb Sultan Cheema in which they discussed the current political situation of the country and relief activities for flood affectees.

    Elahi was of the view that Pakistan has been greatly affected by climate change, with massive destruction caused by unusual rains and floods. For this purpose, the government has to take extraordinary measures, reports Geo Urdu.

    Commissioner Dera Ghazi Khan (DG Khan) said that Rs75,000 will be given for the loss of large animals due to floods.

    The aid for those who lost their cemented houses has been increased from Rs. 100,000 to Rs. 400,000. Similarly, the aid for those who lost their mud houses has been increased to Rs. 200,000 from Rs. 40,000.

    On Friday, Foreign Minister (FM) Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari presented a cheque of Rs15 million to PM Shehbaz as a contribution from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs towards the PM’s Flood Relief Fund.

    Last week, Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif announced that PM Flood Relief Fund will be audited by the Accountant General Pakistan Revenues (AGPR) and a private audit firm to ensure transparency.

    Devastating floods in Pakistan have wreaked havoc across the country, leaving a path of destruction and loss in their wake. More than 1,400 people have lost their lives, one-third of whom are children.

    Record monsoon rains and melting glaciers triggered the disaster. The United Nations (UN) and Pakistan have linked the extreme weather to climate change; some 600,000 people have fled their homes.

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  • King Charles officially proclaimed as Britain’s new monarch

    King Charles officially proclaimed as Britain’s new monarch

    King Charles was officially proclaimed as Britain’s new monarch on Saturday at a ceremony in St. James’s Palace. The former Prince of Wales ‘Has become lawfully and rightfully Lord of Britain and Commonwealth’ on September 10.

    Charles, 73, succeeded his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, immediately after her death on Thursday but an Accession Council met on Saturday to proclaim his succession, with his son and heir William, wife Camilla, and Britain’s new prime minister, Liz Truss, among those to sign the proclamation.

    Making his personal declaration, Charles said: “My Lords, Ladies, and Gentlemen. It is my most sorrowful duty to announce to you the death of my beloved Mother, The Queen,” said Charles.

    “I know how deeply you, the entire Nation – and I think I may say the whole world – sympathise with me in the irreparable loss we have all suffered.”

    “In carrying out the heavy task that has been laid upon me, and to which I now dedicate what remains to me of my life, I pray for the guidance and help of Almighty God.”

    “In taking up these responsibilities, I shall strive to follow the inspiring example I have been set in upholding constitutional government and to seek the peace, harmony, and prosperity of the peoples of these Islands and of the Commonwealth Realms and Territories throughout the world.”

    “In this purpose, I know that I shall be upheld by the affection and loyalty of the peoples whose Sovereign I have been called upon to be and that in the discharge of these duties I will be guided by the counsel of their elected parliaments.”

    In his address, he bestowed upon Prince William and Kate Middleton the titles of the Prince of Wales and Princess of Wales.

    Charles is now the King and head of state of the United Kingdom and 14 other realms including Australia, Canada, Jamaica, New Zealand, and Papua New Guinea.

  • Khan pleads innocence: ‘Threats to female judge don’t fall under terrorism’

    Khan pleads innocence: ‘Threats to female judge don’t fall under terrorism’

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan said on Friday that the threats he issued to a female judge in a rally do not fall under “terrorism” and the case should be dismissed as he is “innocent”.

    “I am the chairman of Tehreek-e-Insaf, I have been the prime minister of Pakistan. This government tortured [my aide] Shahbaz Gill due to political opposition. The report filed in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) proved that Gill had been tortured,” Khan told the Joint Investigation Team (JIT), calling for the dismissal of his case in the written reply submitted.

    Khan was asked to appear before the JIT at the Margalla Police Station on Friday but he did not show up.

    Last week, an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Islamabad extended the interim bail of the PTI chairman till September 12 in the terrorism case related to his controversial remarks about the female sessions court judge Zeba Chaudhry and the capital city police.

    The court directed the ex-prime minister to submit Rs100,000 as surety against the bail.

    A case was registered against the former prime minister under the Anti-Terrorism Act for threatening the additional sessions judge and senior police officers of the Islamabad Police during a public rally.

  • ‘Matter of justice’: UN chief appeals to the world to support Pakistan

    ‘Matter of justice’: UN chief appeals to the world to support Pakistan

    United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday, September 10, urged the international community to support disaster-hit Pakistan as the country needed massive financial help to overcome post-flood crises.

    “It is not a matter of generosity, but a matter of justice,” he said reiterating the United Nation’s commitment, strong support, and solidarity with the flood-affected populace of Pakistan.

    Guterres said that huge damages and losses were caused to human lives and properties. The Secretary General further said that the UN absolutely supported Pakistan and requested richer nations to generously help the country so that it could face the future challenges of climatic changes and save its people.

    He stressed that the international community must realize the serious impacts of greenhouse emissions as nature was striking back in the form of natural calamities.

    He continued that greenhouse gases had accelerated climatic changes and that nations with larger greenhouse emission footprints must understand these issues. Citing scientific estimates, the UN secretary-general emphasized that now was the right time to reduce greenhouse emissions.

    He said it was also a fact that they were living in a climatic changing era and have to make efforts to rebuild communities and to enable countries to resist and face future disasters that could be wrought by the natural calamities.

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb, provincial ministers, and the relevant authorities were present on the occasion.

    Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah gave a detailed briefing on the damages and loss of lives in the province.

    He said during the current monsoon season, different districts of the province had received unusual rainfall never witnessed in the past.

    He said that 30 districts of the province were affected, displacing about 12 million, adding that a total of 578 people lost their lives. A total of 3 million houses were destroyed and crops grown on an area of about 3.3 million acres were damaged while 500,000 livestock had been swept away.

    Earlier, the prime minister along with the UN secretary general and the federal ministers took an aerial review of the flood-affected areas of the Sindh province.

  • Across borders: Rahul Gandhi extends heartfelt sympathies to Pakistan’s flood victims

    Across borders: Rahul Gandhi extends heartfelt sympathies to Pakistan’s flood victims

    The leader of India’s Congress party, Rahul Gandhi, has extended his heartfelt condolences and sympathies to the bereaved flood-affected families of Pakistan.

    In a tweet on Friday, Gandhi said, “The floods in Pakistan are a terrible tragedy. My heartfelt sympathies to all the people affected and deepest condolences to those who have lost their loved ones.”

    Earlier, Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi also offered condolences to Pakistan.

    In a tweet posted on August 29, Modi said he was, “Saddened to see the devastation,” of the floods, adding that he hoped to see an early return to normalcy.

    PM Shehbaz Sharif had replied to his Indian counterpart’s tweet, thanking him for his words of condolence.

    Devastating floods in Pakistan have wreaked havoc across the country, leaving a path of destruction and loss in their wake. More than 1,400 people have lost their lives, one-third of whom are children.

    Record monsoon rains and melting glaciers triggered the disaster. The United Nations (UN) and Pakistan have linked the extreme weather to climate change; some 600,000 people have fled their homes.

    As many as 33 million people of the 220 million South Asian nation have been affected in some way by the floods that swept away houses, roads, railways and bridges and submerged around 4 million acres of farmland.

    UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is currently in Pakistan and all set to visit flood-affected areas of the country today (Saturday).

    On Friday, Guterres said that Pakistan is one of the countries most affected by climate change despite its minimal contribution to the phenomenon.

    During a briefing at the National Flood Response Coordination Centre (NFRCC), the UN chief said, “Pakistan has had little contribution to climate change but it is one of the most dramatically impacted by the consequences of climate change.”

    Earlier this week, PM Shehbaz said that the financial impact of the biblical floods might be in the “trillions”.

  • ‘Tomorrow jalsa will be last of our present phase of Haqiqi Azadi Movement’: Imran Khan

    ‘Tomorrow jalsa will be last of our present phase of Haqiqi Azadi Movement’: Imran Khan

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan announced on Friday that he will share the “next critical phase” of his party’s “haqiqi azadi movement” (movement for real freedom) during his Gujranwala rally tomorrow.

    “Tomorrow our Gujranwala jalsa will be last of our present phase of Haqiqi Azadi Movement. I will announce the next critical phase at the jalsa,” tweeted Khan.

    Khan claimed that the incumbent government and “its handlers” are “petrified that nation is standing firmly behind PTI” which is why they are moving on a “minus 1 formula”.

    Prior to Khan’s tweet, PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry in a press conference said, “There are attempts being made to knock out Imran Khan politically. FIRs are being registered against him at a time when there are floods in the country,” said Fawad, claiming that the incumbent government does not have a “public mandate”.

    Chaudhry said that the government wants to push Imran Khan out of the “political arena”.

    “This government is a dummy and real decisions are being made somewhere else. There is only one political party that is in the opposition,” said Fawad, adding that the ECP delayed the elections when there were no floods.

  • Bushra Bibi’s closest friend’s case dropped by Anti Corruption Establishment Punjab

    Bushra Bibi’s closest friend’s case dropped by Anti Corruption Establishment Punjab

    The Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE), Punjab, has dropped a corruption case against Farah Khan, a close friend of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi, reports Geo News.

    Farah was accused of getting a 10-acre plot allotted in the Faisalabad Special Economic Zone for only Rs83 million when its actual worth was Rs600 million. A prerequisite was in place for any company interested in buying the plot to have a minimum valuation of Rs. 2 billion.

    The Additional Chief Secretary of the Home Department issued the order to dismiss the case after former Director-General of ACE l, Rai Manzoor Nasir, declared Farah innocent in the investigation.

    In May, Imran Khan said that the cases against Farah were “totally wrong.”

    “She [Farah] has been in the real estate business for 20 years,” said Imran Khan.

    “It was implied that Farah’s riches grew exponentially during three years […] real estate business has generated a lot of money during the last three years,” he explained.

    “They say that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) is independent. First of all, I ask NAB, can a case even be built against Farah Khan or not?” Imran questioned.

    He said that the term “wealth beyond known sources of income” applies to public office holders only.

    In June it was reported that Farah Khan and her husband Ahsan Jameel Gujjar were treated as residents of Imran Khan’s house in Bani Gala, which was declared the official PM House during his tenure.

    The records for 44 months showed that Farah alias Gogi and Gujjar’s visits to Bani Gala were not recorded in the registers maintained by the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Special Branch. The Special Branch of Islamabad Police controls the entry and exit points of PM House as part of the security provided to the PM.