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Category: Politics

  • ‘IMF programme will be revived soon’: Miftah Ismail

    ‘IMF programme will be revived soon’: Miftah Ismail

    Pakistan and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) evolved a broader agreement on the budget 2022-23 to revise upward the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) target and slash down the expenditures to achieve a revenue surplus in the next fiscal year.

    Federal Minister for Revenue and Finance Miftah Ismail had already indicated the revival of the agreement with IMF within a day or two.

    “I am very hopeful that the IMF programme will be revived soon,” said the finance minister. “Pakistan and the IMF locked the budget details and achieved substantial progress on finalising budgetary targets for 2022-23.”

    “Now the Memorandum of Economic and Financial Policies (MEFP) will be shared by the IMF soon,” the minister said.

    “Discussions between the IMF staff and the authorities on policies to strengthen macroeconomic stability in the coming year continue, and important progress has been made over the FY23 budget,” Esther Perez Ruiz, the IMF’s resident representative in Islamabad, told Reuters.

    Miftah said that the government would target raising 96 billion rupees from privatisation in 2022/23. In the current fiscal year, the government did not raise any funds from privatisation.

  • ‘Can be arrested’: Law minister says Nawaz will have to surrender if he fails to secure transit bail

    ‘Can be arrested’: Law minister says Nawaz will have to surrender if he fails to secure transit bail

    Federal Minister for Law Azam Nazeer Tarar said Tuesday that if Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif does not secure transit bail while coming back to Pakistan, he can be arrested.

    The law minister said that if Nawaz fails to secure transit bail, then he will have to surrender himself and the “courts should provide [relief] to the people who are handing themselves over to the law voluntarily”.

    Speaking on the issue, Tarar said that former prime minister Benazir Bhutto also secured transit bail when she came back to Pakistan.

    It is pertinent to mention here that the Lahore High Court (LHC) allowed Nawaz to go to London for medical treatment in November 2019.

  • Usman Buzdar, brothers’ houses raided

    The Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) team raided to arrest former Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Usman Buzdar and his brothers’ houses in Dera Ghazi (DG) Khan and Taunsa Sharif over the matter of the illegal transfer of state-owned 900 kanals of land.

    However, Buzdar and his brothers were not at their houses at the time. It is pertinent to mention that the former CM and his siblings shared protective bail with the raiding team earlier, which they had been granted by the Lahore High Court (LHC) till June 30.

    Following the raids, Buzdar said that the Punjab government is carrying out retaliatory actions, adding that they [his family] can’t be intimidated. He took a jibe at the incumbent Punjab CM Hamza Shehbaz, saying that the police and administration have become puppets.

    “I did not take any kind of revenge during my tenure. We will not make excuses for illness or flee the country,” he added.

    What is the case?

    Earlier, ACE registered cases against Buzdar and his brothers for the illegal transfer of state-owned 900 kanals of land.

    The state-owned lands are reportedly worth millions of rupees. They were seized in Taunsa, DG Khan.

    Cases against Buzdar were registered after Deputy Commissioner DG Khan submitted an inquiry report in this regard. DG Khan ACE is investigating the case in detail.

    According to the police complaint, on September 4, 1982, around 474 kanals and 12 marlas of state land in DG Khan was “bogusly mutated” in favour of Fateh Muhammad Buzdar’s sons, which are Usman Buzdar and his two younger brothers, reports Geo News.

    The transfer was illegal, as all three brothers at the time were minors. Usman Buzdar was 13, Umar Buzdar was 12 and Tahir Buzdar was 3.

    As of the year 2021, the cost of the land has been estimated to be Rs4,98,83,641.

    Last month, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Attaullah Tarar said that the incumbent government has decided to move ACE against the former Punjab CM. He had alleged that Buzdar had acquired assets worth Rs10 billion when he was chief minister from 2018 to 2022.

  • ‘Our democracy is poorer without her’: Twitter remembers Benazir Bhutto on her 69th birth anniversary

    ‘Our democracy is poorer without her’: Twitter remembers Benazir Bhutto on her 69th birth anniversary

    The 69th birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto is being celebrated in a befitting manner on June 21. It is pertinent to mention that Benazir Bhutto was not only the first woman Prime Minister of Pakistan but also the first woman Prime Minister in the Muslim World.

    Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari tweeted, “In life she was Benazir, in death she is Benazir. To her assassins we say; Tum zinda ho kr murda ho, wo mar kr phir bhi zinda hai.”

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif tweeted, “Our democracy is poorer without her & the void left by her martyrdom will never be filled. She fearlessly & staunchly advocated the causes she believed in. May Allah rest her soul in peace.”

    Federal Minister Sherry Rehman tweeted, “Our journey together is still unfinished. Your redemptive light still guides many of us on a path you trod with infinite grace and courage. May you shine on forever.”

    Mushaal Hussein Mullick wished Benazir tweeted, “Beauty Brains and Bravery Personified.”

    Here is a look at the pictures from the time when Benazir Bhutto was alive.

  • CM Punjab Hamza owns over Rs410 million assets: ECP report

    CM Punjab Hamza owns over Rs410 million assets: ECP report

    The Election Commission Pakistan (ECP) has revealed the details of assets held by lawmakers of the Punjab Assembly.

    Hamza Shehbaz

    The ECP reported that Chief Minister (CM) Punjab Hamza Shehbaz owns assets worth more than Rs410 million, out of which Rs130 million is attributed to 11 houses that the CM owns.  He also owns 3 agricultural properties that are valued at Rs30 million with another 2 gifted to him by his brother, Suleman Shehbaz.

    The CM’s first wife Mehrunnisah owns assets worth Rs3.5 million while his other wife, Rabia owns assets worth Rs37.5 million. Hamza, according to the documents submitted to ECP, is also in debt of nearly Rs100 million.

    Sardar Usman Buzdar

    The former chief minister of Punjab, Sardar Usman Buzdar, has over a dozen properties to his name valued at Rs35 million reports the ECP. He is also the owner of 3 tractors and 2 cars, one that was passed down from his father.

    Aleem Khan

    Ex-provincial minister Aleem Khan has assets valued at over Rs700 million to his name.

    Chaudhary Pervaiz Elahi

    The ECP reports that Punjab Assembly speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi owns assets worth over Rs200 million and non-agricultural land valued at over Rs60 million. According to the documents submitted to the ECP, Pervaiz Elahi owns a flour mill that was valued at Rs9.9 million while his wife holds assets worth Rs100 million.

  • Counter-Terrorism Department warns of assassination threat against Imran Khan

    Counter-Terrorism Department warns of assassination threat against Imran Khan

    The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD)’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) wing has issued a warning that terrorists are planning the assassination of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, reports Daily Jang.

    According to the publication, terrorists have given the responsibility to an Afghan assassin to target Khan. However, the assassin handed over the responsibility to others.

    Several PTI leaders have expressed concerns about the threat to Khan’s life.

    Former Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry tweeted in April that a plot to assassinate Khan was reported by security agencies. Therefore, Khan’s security was also increased.

    PTI leader Faisal Vawda had also said that a conspiracy was being hatched to assassinate the then-premier over his refusal to “sell the country”.

    Vawda made these claims on ARY News show “Off the Record” in response to a question about a letter that Khan brandished at the PTI’s March 27 power show in Islamabad and claimed it contained “evidence” of a “foreign conspiracy” to topple his government.

    He also said that the then prime minister was told multiple times that bulletproof glass needed to be installed before his dais at the March 27 rally. “But as always and as usual, he said my [death] will come when Allah wills. Don’t worry about it,” Vawda quoted Khan as saying.

  • PTI foreign funding case: ECP reserves verdict

    PTI foreign funding case: ECP reserves verdict

     The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday reserved the verdict in the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) “foreign funding” case.

    ECP concluded the case after seven years of trial, which started in 2014 when PTI’s founding member Akbar S Babar filed it. The date when the verdict will be announced is yet to be revealed.

    PTI hid funds worth millions of rupees from the ECP, the report of an ECP scrutiny committee probing the party’s funds had revealed on January 4.

    The report stated that the PTI provided “false information” regarding the party’s funding to the ECP. It said that the State Bank of Pakistan’s (SBP) bank statement revealed that the party had received Rs1.64 billion in funding.

    Read more: ECP barred: IHC suspends 30-day deadline order in PTI foreign funding case

    The report of an ECP scrutiny committee probing the party’s funds revealed the following details.

    The committee’s report showed that the PTI had only disclosed 12 out of its 65 accounts, which are registered with the SBP.

    The report stated that in the years 2008/2009 and 2012/2013, the PTI disclosed funding worth Rs1.33 billion against an actual amount of Rs1.64 billion, which was reflected in SBP’s bank statement. Therefore, the party did not disclose funding worth Rs310 million.

    A scrutiny committee of the ECP constituted in March 2019 to audit foreign funds of the PTI had finally submitted its report to the commission on November 26, 2021.

  • PM Shehbaz decides to continue targeted subsidy on five essentials items

    PM Shehbaz decides to continue targeted subsidy on five essentials items

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif on Monday decided to continue a targeted subsidy on five essential items — wheat flour, sugar, ghee/edible oil, pulses, and rice — at Utility Stores for the next financial year.

    The prime minister also approved the expansion of a network of Utility Stores in Karachi.

    “The small number of Utility Stores in Karachi is not acceptable in any way and a comprehensive plan for raising the number of Utility Stores in the megacity should be presented within two weeks,” tweeted PM Shehbaz.

    The decision was taken at a high-level meeting regarding Utility Stores in the country, with the PM in the chair. Minister for Finance Miftah Ismail, Minister for Industries and Production Murtaza Mahmood, and other senior officials were also in attendance.

  • Considering significant medical, legal, and security challenges: Musharraf’s family

    Considering significant medical, legal, and security challenges: Musharraf’s family

    Former Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General (retd) Pervez Musharraf’s family on Sunday said that they are reviewing the medical, legal, and security challenges before deciding on his return to Pakistan.

    Musharraf’s family said that Pakistan lacks the required medicines and medical facilities, adding that a continuous supply of a drug called ‘daratumumab’ and treatment of amyloidosis is needed which is currently not available in the country.

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Chief Nawaz Sharif and Inter-Services Pub­lic Relations (ISPR) Director-Gen­eral (DG) Major General Babar Iftik­har both appear to be on the same page regarding Musharraf’s return to Pakistan.

    READ MORE: ‘Military leadership’s stance is that Pervez Musharraf should return’: DG ISPR

    DG ISPR said, “In such a situation, the institution and leadership’s stance is that Pervez Musharraf should return,” said DG ISPR in Dunya News programme, ‘On The Front with Kamran Shahid’.

    “Musharraf Saab is seriously ill. We have contacted his family. Once his family responds and the doctors allow him to travel, we can make the required arrangements.”

    On the other hand, Nawaz said, “I have no personal enmity or animosity towards Pervez Musharraf. I don’t want anyone else to suffer the traumas I have had to endure for my loved ones. I pray to Almighty Allah for his health. If he wants to return to Pakistan, the government should facilitate him.”

    Musharraf, 78, is critically ill these days as he is suffering from a condition called amyloidosis, his office said earlier this month.

  • French President Emmanuel Macron loses majority in parliament

    French President Emmanuel Macron loses majority in parliament

    In legislative parliamentary elections, French President Emmanuel Macron lost his legislative majority on Monday.

    Interim results show that Macron’s coalition (ENS) won 245 of the 577 seats in the National Assembly, the French Interior Ministry announced Monday morning after the vote count ended.

    He fell short of 289 seats to get an absolute majority.

    Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said in a televised statement: “This situation constitutes a risk for our country, given the challenges that we have to confront.” She also stated, “We will work from tomorrow to build a working majority.”

    Macron, 44, is now at risk of domestic troubles as he seeks to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and play a key role as an important figure in the European Union.
    The last time a newly elected president failed to win a clear majority in France was in the 1988 parliamentary elections.