Current Final

Category: Politics

  • ‘Not everyone can take revolutionary decisions as PTI’: PM Khan

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan during the launch of the Naya Pakistan Sehat Card for all citizens, stated that each family would be eligible for medical treatment of up to one million rupees per year under the universal health coverage programme.

    PM Khan stated that not everyone can take such revolutionary decisions as the PTI did, citing the example of the health card.

    “None of the governments in the past took such a bold decision of providing Rs1 million health insurance to the entire population,” the PM said.

    “The Punjab government has moved on a course that will uplift the country in pursuance of the forefathers’ vision to make Pakistan an Islamic welfare state,” he said.

    “Our forefathers had dreamed to make Pakistan an Islamic welfare state but unfortunately it could not be developed on that course,” PM Imran said.

    In a dig at the PML-N’s mantra of transforming Pakistan into an Asian Tiger, the premier stated, “Asian Tiger is nothing in comparison to the State of Madina; we are attempting to put Pakistan on a path of prosperity.”

    He stated that now the government will not spend money on building hospitals because private individuals will build them instead.

    “We want to ensure that everyone in rural areas has access to health care, and by March 2022, all families in Punjab will have health cards.”

  • Video: Female MNAs physically fight during the mini-budget session

    The ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) lawmakers got involved in a physical fight during the National Assembly’s session at the time of the presentation of the controversial finance bill i.e. mini-budget.

    In a video, PTI’s Ghazala Saifi and PPP’s Shagufta Jumani can be seen shouting and pushing each other when the protesting opposition members had gathered in front of the seats of ministers.

    However, immediately after that the members of the treasury and the Opposition separated the two members of the National Assembly.

    PTI’s Saifi issued a statement claiming that she had got her thumb fractured. She said, “I am appalled at the way Shugafta Jumani has conducted herself. To behave in such a way, in a space which has such specific codes of ethics, a place for us to voice the concerns of the people we represent, for it to be reduced to this sort of brawl-like behaviour should be a cause of intense shame for Ms Jumani.”

    On the contrary, according to PPP’s Jumani and other party members, Jumani was attacked by Saifi and she only retaliated.

    PPP MNA Raja Pervez Ashraf said that Jumani had come to him complaining that a PTI lady had attacked her. He claimed that she also received a minor injury and termed the incident unfortunate, reports Dawn.

  • FIA to create list of sexual offenders in Pakistan

    FIA to create list of sexual offenders in Pakistan

    The Cyber Crime Wing of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has decided to create lists of culprits involved in sexual offenses, reports Geo News.

    Director of Operations Cyber Crime, Babar Bakht Qureshi has directed cybercrime officers to compile a list of sex offenders, following the passing of the Anti-Rape Act.

    The director of operations stated that the records of those accused of rape, child pornography, and filming obscene videos of women will be collected and the information would aid the court in sentencing the perpetrators.

    Apart from habitual rapists, he said, records of women who have been involved in blackmailing would also be compiled with data collected on a regular basis under the Anti-Rape Act.

    The FIA has also asked police to provide a list of rape suspects.

  • Hindu religious leader arrested for congratulating Gandhi’s murderer, says Gandhi destroyed India

    Hindu religious leader arrested for congratulating Gandhi’s murderer, says Gandhi destroyed India

    Indian police on Thursday arrested a Hindu religious leader for allegedly making a derogatory speech against India’s independence leader Mahatma Gandhi and praising his assassin.

    Kalicharan Maharaj was arrested in central Madhya Pradesh state on Thursday for allegedly promoting hatred between religious groups in a speech earlier this week, the Press Trust of India news agency cited police officer Prashant Agrawal as saying.

    According to media reports, Maharaj said “Gandhi destroyed the country … salutations to Nathuram Godse, who killed him.”

    He will be formally charged in court after the police complete an investigation. If convicted, he can be jailed for up to five years.

  • Federal government to present mini-budget of Rs350 billion today

    The federal government will present the mini-budget worth Rs350 billion today.

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan summoned a meeting of the federal cabinet that will approve the mini-budget at noon today. The federal cabinet, with PM Khan in the chair, will give a go-ahead to the Finance (Supplementary) Bill 2021.

    The Finance Amendment Bill 2021 will directly be presented in the National Assembly (NA) as part of the government’s effort to get the IMF package worth $6 billion.

    Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin will introduce the bill in the house to amend certain laws relating to taxes and duties.

    The Opposition has already vowed to block the passage of the bill during the NA session. The opposition has claimed that the bill will further increase inflation and add to people’s misery.

  • Is Bilawal Bhutto next in line to get married?

    Is Bilawal Bhutto next in line to get married?

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari is one bachelor whose marriage is being widely discussed.

    The wait is over as the provincial minister of Sindh for Agriculture, Manzoor Wassan, reveals the answer to this much-anticipated question.

    The minister on Wednesday predicted that Bilawal will tie the knot in either 2022 or 2023.

    “Bilawal will get married in 2022 or 2023 after he becomes the prime minister of Pakistan,” Wassan said while addressing a press conference in Karachi.

    He added that he doesn’t see a bright future for Prime Minister Imran Khan.

    “PM Imran Khan will not get to form a government now. He will become Gorbachev [former Soviet Union president Mikhail Gorbachev] of Pakistan,” Wasan said.

    He said that the premier wants to run Sindh the way he runs the country.

  • ‘Stationery, makeup, mobiles’, mega price hikes set through mini-budget

    Through the mini-budget, the government plans to roll back tax exemptions worth Rs350 billion which will result in several items getting expensive, reports Samaa.

    The budget and the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Autonomy Bill are set to be tabled on Thursday in Parliament. According to officials, these changes are being done at the demands of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

    Mobile phones, stationery items, packaged foods and makeup items are likely to get expensive as tax exemptions would be withdrawn after almost two months of its implementation.

    The tax on the import of luxury items will also be raised. However, prices of several items are likely to remain unchanged i.e. food items and medicine. A temporary or permanent ban or hiking sales tax from 12.5 percent to 17 percent on imported vehicles is also proposed.

    The tax collections target for the coming year is also being raised to Rs6100 billion from Rs5829 billion.

    Earlier, it was reported that government might pass the budget through a presidential ordinance. But IMF rejected this government’s proposal and insisted on legislation through the Parliament. 

    The exemptions need to be reverted before the IMF’s executive board meeting on January 12.

  • France orders shutdown of mosque for inciting hatred against Jews and homosexuals

    The government of France has decided to shut down a mosque located in the north of a country, Beauvais on Tuesday as the Imam was allegedly inciting hatred and violence.

    Government officials claim that the sermon was based on violence against non-Muslims and sexual minorities and provoking Jihad.

    The Interior Minister, Gerald Darmanin took the decision to close down the mosque because the Imam “is targeting Christians, homosexuals, and Jews” in his sermons. The minister said that it is totally unacceptable to incite such hatred among people.

    Local authorities were legally bound to observe 10 days of information gathering before taking action. However, the closure of the mosque will be scheduled within two days.

    It was reported by the local newspaper that the imam recently converted to Islam this month.

    The lawyer for the association managing the mosque, Samim Bolaky filed the case to overturn the banning of the mosque which would be heard by a court within 48 hours.

    The association claimed that the Imam occasionally preached in the mosque. The suspension of the Imam and closure of the worship place was made due to his regular presence, according to the official document citing the reasons for the shutdown.

    According to the official document, the Imam allegedly called for the war against enemies of Islam and allegedly glorified heroes who protected religion against Western influencers. He also labelled non-Muslims as enemies of Islam.

    The document said, “The terrorist threat remains at a very high level” and the closure had “the aim of forestalling acts of terrorism being committed.”

    Earlier this year, France President, Emmanuel Macron announced a crackdown on religious extremism after a teacher, Samuel Paty was killed because of alleged blasphemy. He pledged that he would not compromise on the secular values of the country.

  • ‘Nawaz won’t come back, we will bring him back’: Fawad Chaudhry

    ‘Nawaz won’t come back, we will bring him back’: Fawad Chaudhry

    Federal Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed has said that Nawaz Sharif’s arrival to Pakistan has been hyped for no reason. It does not make any difference whether he comes or not.

    “We have prevented the mafia group from establishing a foothold in any city,” he said.

    “We will contest the next elections with full force under the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan,” he added.

    Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry on Tuesday said that the government will bring Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif back after the finalisation of an agreement with the United Kingdom (UK) government and ruled out the possibility of Nawaz’s voluntary return to the country.

    “We will bring back the PML-N leader and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif because he himself will never return,” said Fawad.

    “We have been addressing the legal lacunas relating to the matter for the last two years. Rest assured, he will not return, but we will bring him back,” Fawad said emphatically.

    Fawad emphasised that the opposition was not capable of toppling the government, as it required leadership which they did not have.

    “They are only issuing statements to appease their workers. Everybody knows that Imran Khan gave them [the] toughest time while in [the] Opposition,” he noted.

  • PM Imran praises India tech, says India $150 billion, Pak $2 billion

    PM Imran praises India tech, says India $150 billion, Pak $2 billion

    Prime Minister Imran Khan, while addressing the inauguration ceremony of the Lahore Technopolis, a special technology zone (STZ) on December 23, praised India’s IT sector.

    “Unfortunately, Pakistan lagged behind in the sector despite having ideal conditions, including a huge population of young people,” he said, adding that within 15 to 20 years, Indian tech exports boomed to $150 billion while Pakistan’s could reach only $2 billion.

    PM continued by talking about the involvement of overseas Pakistan’s investing in Pakistan. “China and India had also first attracted their own firms operating abroad to invest at home,” he said, “Pakistani individuals, as well as the firms operating abroad including the Silicon Valley, were interested to invest in Pakistan which necessitated incentives and ease of doing business.”

    Talking about the project, PM said that the project would help provide incentives to the tech industry and bring ease for the businessmen, in accordance with the government’s vision.

    Exemplifying Amazon, Google and other tech giants, the prime minister said during COVID-19, all other businesses had faced a slump but the profits of the tech companies multiplied during the pandemic.