Current Final

Category: Politics

  • Inflation hike up to 11.5pc, highest in 20 months

    An increase in consumer prices continued as inflation rises up to 11.5 per cent from 9.2 per cent in November, the highest increase in the past 20 months due to a record hike in fuel prices last month, reports Dawn. This has been revealed by Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) data.

    Inflation measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased to its highest level in 20 months.

    Prices of fresh vegetables, fruits, and meat have also shown a significant increase in major urban and rural centres.

    The average inflation during the July-November period rose to 9.32 per cent on a yearly basis.

    Currently, the government aims to increase agriculture productivity for food security and self-sufficiency to counter food inflation by offering Agri-loans.

    The finance division in its recent report claimed that taking into account new price impulses in November and the low base effect, inflation would remain between 8.5 and 9.5 per cent, but the November inflation has already surpassed the projected figure.

  • ‘Sorry’: Model apologises after criticism on photo-shoot at Kartarpur

    ‘Sorry’: Model apologises after criticism on photo-shoot at Kartarpur

    Pakistani model Sauleha, who received immense amount of criticism after she posed ‘bareheaded’ in Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib, has apologised for her actions as it hurt the sentiments of the Sikh community.

    Taking to Instagram, Sauleha posted her apology, saying that she did not intend to hurt anyone and the pictures were supposed to be a memory of her visit to Kartarpur Sahib.

    “Recently I posted a picture on Instagram that was not even a part of a shoot or anything. I just went to Kartarpur to learn about the history and know about the Sikh community. It wasnt done to hurt anyone sentiments or anything for that matter. However, if I have hurt anyone or they think that I dont respect there culture. I am Sorry,” she wrote.

    Both the brand and the model also clarified that the pictures were not part of a photo-shoot.

    In her apology note, Sauleha also said that she “respects the Sikh culture” and will be more mindful and responsible in future.

    Shiromani Akali Dal spokesperson Manjinder Singh Sirsa and other users shared the photos pointing that the model was bareheaded.

    Covering one’s head in a gurdwara is mandatory and considered as a way of showing respect for the revered place.

    Following the tweet by Sirsa, police initiated a probe into the incident. The police said that they are investigating all aspects relating to the photo-shoot and will take strict legal action against those responsible.

    Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry also said that the designer and model must apologise to the Sikh community.

    “Kartarpur Sahib is a religious symbol and not a film set,” he tweeted.

  • ‘Poor judgment’, President Alvi reacts to promoting own family business

    ‘Poor judgment’, President Alvi reacts to promoting own family business

    President Dr Arif Alvi has regretted the choice of the place where his son Dr Awab Alvi signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Bringing Smiles Unites States of America (USA) signatory ceremony. The MoU was signed at the Governor’s House.

    Taking to Twitter Alvi said, “For the signing ceremony of an MOU between Dr Awab [his son] and his friend in my presence, the venue selection was a matter of poor judgment.”

    Taking the president’s side, federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry tweeted, “The President is a very respected person, his honesty and personality is witnessed by everyone who knows him.”

    Earlier today, President Alvi’s son announced about the MoU on social media along with a picture in which Dr Arif Alvi and his wife can be seen standing along with their son.

    Despite Dr Awab’s clarification, an online debate was generated on whether there was a conflict of interest for the president or not.

    When the official website “Alvi Dentals” was checked, the president is still enlisted as a dentist and part of the Alvi Dental team. The website also provides an option to “schedule an appointment” with the president.

  • ‘Law did not allow land meant for defence purposes to be used for commercial gains’: CJP Gulzar

    ‘Law did not allow land meant for defence purposes to be used for commercial gains’: CJP Gulzar

    Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Gulzar Ahmed on Tuesday said that the law did not allow land meant for defence purposes to be used for commercial gains, reports Dawn.

    CJP Gulzar further said that such land should be returned to the government once its strategic use has ended. He said this during the hearing on the issue of military lands being used for commercial purposes.

    Grilling Defence Secretary Lieutenant General (Lt Gen) Mian Mohammad Hilal Hussain, CJP Gulzar said, “The law’s intention is not that defence land is used for any other purpose,” Justice Gulzar reiterated. “If [the land] is not being used for defence then it will go back to the government.”

    “This is government land,” CJP Gulzar said, further taking notice that cinemas, petrol pumps, housing societies, shopping malls and marriage halls were being constructed on land meant for defence.

    “General sahib, these are not defence purposes,” he told the defence secretary, asking the attorney general to explain how the defence ministry would “limit the land’s use to defence”.

    Justice Qazi Mohammad Amin Ahmed, one of the judges present on the bench during the hearing, said, “The army should not compromise on its bigger objectives for petty business.”

    The CJP further said that “allotting houses to senior army officers does not fall under defence purposes”.

    “How can the army carry out commercial activities on state land?” he questioned, emphasising that state land should not be “exploited”.

  • ‘Schedule a dental appointment’ with the President of Pakistan

    ‘Schedule a dental appointment’ with the President of Pakistan

    President Dr Arif Alvi’s son, Dr Awab Alvi, recently took to Twitter to announce that his family business, Alvi Dental, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Bringing Smiles USA. 

    With the president in attendance, a debate started amongst netizens questioning if it was a direct conflict of interest for Alvi to be a president and promote the family business as well.

    After receiving backlash from Twitterati, Dr Awab Alvi clarified that his father had resigned from the family business after he became president.

    “The President resigned from Alvi Dental when he became President. This venture is between me & my Pakistani US diaspora dentist-alumnus friend,” tweeted Awab.

    Awab further tweeted, “President encourages all startups much smaller than ours & is on record to have hosted a startup in dentistry at Presidency last year.”

    However, when we checked the official website of “Alvi Dentals”, the president is still enlisted as a dentist and part of the Alvi Dental team. The website also provides an option to “schedule an appointment” with the president.

    Screengrab from the official website of Alvi Dental

    The Current talked to Shiagan Ijaz, a Lahore-based lawyer, to know if the matter was a conflict of interest for the president. “Yes, the perception that is being created very much puts the present scenario as a conflict of interest for the president.”


    “Even if it was a private venture, the president was present there, which certainly gives the impression and can be perceived as misuse of his office. So there has been a misuse of his authority here,” said Shaighan.

    The presidential oath also says, “As a President of Pakistan, I will not allow my personal interest to influence my official conduct.”

  • Pakistan offers to host OIC summit to discuss Afghan crisis

    Pakistan offers to host OIC summit to discuss Afghan crisis

    Foreign Minister (FM) of Pakistan Shah Mahmood Qureshi has announced that Pakistan fully endorses Saudi Arabia’s move to request an extraordinary session of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to discuss the current Afghanistan situation after the Taliban takeover.

    Qureshi said, “Afghanistan is a founding member of the OIC. As part of the Islamic Ummah, we are bound by fraternal bonds of amity and brotherhood with the people of Afghanistan,” he said stressing that, “today, our Afghan brothers and sisters need us more than ever before.”

    In a video message, shared by the Foreign Office (FO), the minister also announced that Pakistan has offered to host the meeting in Islamabad on December 17.

    Saudi Arabia also made the call for the session on the same day, as per the state-run Saudi Press Agency.

    According to the minister, the arrival of winter has worsened the humanitarian crisis in the worn-torn country. ​He emphasised the need for the OIC to “step in to help our Afghan brothers.”

    According to Qureshi, the first extraordinary session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers was held in Islamabad in January 1980, also on the situation in Afghanistan at that time.

    “Next month, we would, once again, gather in Islamabad, to reaffirm our abiding solidarity with and support to the Afghan people,” Qureshi concluded.

    Since the Taliban takeover, the country has been facing obstacles in the face of violations of human rights and economic collapse.

  • ‘Affidavit was sealed, don’t know how it was leaked’: Rana Shamim’s response on Saqib Nisar

    ‘Affidavit was sealed, don’t know how it was leaked’: Rana Shamim’s response on Saqib Nisar

    The former chief judge of Gilgit-Baltistan Rana Shamim on Tuesday told the Islamabad High Court (IHC) that the affidavit he had signed accusing former Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Saqib Nisar was leaked.

    “My affidavit was sealed and only [kept] with my family. I don’t know how it was leaked,” said Rana Shamim.

    Chief Justice IHC Justice Athar Minallah had previously taken notice of the story published in The News, in which Judge Shamim in a signed affidavit wrote that he was a witness to Nisar giving directions to a high court judge, not to release Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz on bail at any cost before the 2018 general elections. The report was written by senior journalist Ansar Abbasi.

    IHC judge had directed the ex-judge to submit his response.

    Presiding over the hearing, Justice Minallah said the case was related to his court and its accountability, adding, that the judiciary’s freedom was dependent on the freedom of the press.

    Justice Minallah asked Shamim whether he had submitted his response as asked by the court earlier to which the latter replied that there had been a tragedy in his family and requested the court to give him time till December 12 and schedule the next hearing after that.

    The IHC chief justice gave Shamim five days to submit his written response.

    “I have not yet seen my affidavit,” the ex-GB judge informed the court.

    “You must have recorded the affidavit for some purpose. You will inform in the written response how the affidavit was revealed after three years,” pressed IHC judge, inquiring whether Shamim had given the affidavit or not.

    Attorney General of Pakistan (AGP) Khalid Jawed Khan, who was also present in today’s hearing, requested the court to direct Shamim to present the “original” affidavit in the IHC, stating, “This case is related to Article 19 and Article 19-A of the Constitution. The media’s role is secondary, responsibility lies on Rana Shamim.”

    “Maybe his son leaked the affidavit,” he contended, referring to Ahmed Hassan Rana, Shamim’s son and lawyer.

    Shamim said he had only one son, reiterating that he had not seen the affidavit himself.

    At this, Justice Minallah directed Shamim to submit his affidavit in court.

    When Shamim sought time to submit the affidavit, the AGP countered that the document was not 10 years old.

    The former GB chief judge repeated his statement that he had not seen the affidavit, and read it in the news report published.

    “Does he not remember [what happened on] November 10? If he has not written [the affidavit], who has?” the AGP questioned. “Every day is very important,” he added, referring to Shamim’s requests for more time.

    The IHC chief justice remarked that he does “not believe in contempt of court”, adding that judges should be held in higher regard.

    “Rana Shamim’s statement today has further complicated the case. Judges should not be used for political narratives,” said Minallah.

    The IHC adjourned proceedings of the case till December 7.

  • Twitterati say President Alvi promoting own family business is ‘conflict of interest’

    President Dr Arif Alvi’s son, Awab Alvi took to Twitter to announce that Alvi Dental [ a family business] signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Bringing Smiles Unites States of America (USA).

    He further added, “[We will] open a chain of dental practices, bring affordable dental care to Pakistan with no compromise in quality of treatment or sterilisation but focus on the best treatment possible at affordable rates.”

    President Alvi congratulating his son tweeted, “Congratulations @DrAwab Wish you success in this collaboration with your friends who are also bringing in foreign investment.”

    In the picture shared on Twitter, president Alvi along with his wife can be seen standing along with their son as he signs the MoU.

    Reacting to the news, Twitter reminded the president of a conflict of interest that this promotion has with his holding the position he does in Pakistan.

    Journalist Adil Shahzeb took to Twitter and wrote, “As a President of Pakistan, I will not allow my personal interest to influence my official conduct.”

    Journalist Waseem Abbasi tweeted, “Is [it] not [a] conflict of interest for the President to promote his family business in official capacity??”

    Journalist Bashir Chaudhry tweeted, “Keep in mind that the private business function of the President was held at Governor House, Sindh.”

    A Twitter user wrote, “Why is this guy using a public office for his personal matters?”

    Adeel a Twitter user wrote, “@ImranKhanPTI sir, with all due respect how is that even legal? Personal business is thriving under the supervision of excellency?”

  • PM Khan takes offence at Nawaz Sharif’s presence at conference

    PM Khan takes offence at Nawaz Sharif’s presence at conference

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan while talking about the Asma Jahangir (AJ) Conference that took place in Lahore last week, pointed out how the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo was allowed to address the event, reports Geo News.

    Speaking at the inauguration ceremony PM Khan further said, “Unfortunately, due to colonialism, Muslims suffered from mental slavery around the world,” he said.

    He further added that Pakistan’s youth was confused about it in today’s world and said that the young Pakistanis studied the Western culture and were misled by it.

    The premier urged universities to research the disastrous effects that Western culture was having on family life, and spoke out against how pornographic material was widely available on smartphones these days.

    PM Khan said, “A seminar happened in Lahore where Supreme Court (SC) judges were invited. But the chief guest there was an absconder, convicted by the very judges present there.”

    “This person had escaped abroad after lying,” he said while adding that if our society doesn’t consider corruption an evil, it can’t progress.

    However, the AJ Foundation in a press statement clarified the rumours surrounding Sharif’s closing speech.

    “Nawaz Sharif, has addressed gatherings previously and it is entirely regrettable not to say embarrassing, that internet cables were disabled to blackout his speech. This act in itself is an indication of the state of freedom of expression in the current regime where Pakistan is ranked as 145 out of 180 countries,” reads the statement.

    They also revealed that several prominent members of the ruling party were invited to all three conferences, many of whom spoke at all three conferences, and others declined the invitation.

    Furthermore, they argued that the “ruling regime is diverting attention from the real threat to institutions, the state of the economy and freedom of expression in the country” while adding that the platform will not follow vendettas of political parties when inviting speakers and they will remain an open and uncensored platform.

    In response to this, Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari termed the foundation’s statement “bizarre” and tweeted, “AJ Foundation claiming that convict Sharif being asked to address the conference did not show a political bias because I [Mazari] had been invited to the first conference to address closing session is absurd. I was invited as Human Rights Minister. I was not and am not a convict or a fugitive.”

     

  • ‘Who has the capability to record the chief justice of Pakistan?’ Asks Justice Athar Minallah

    ‘Who has the capability to record the chief justice of Pakistan?’ Asks Justice Athar Minallah

    Islamabad High Court (IHC) Chief Justice Athar Minallah said that the courts cannot risk “opening up of the floodgates” by ordering inquiries into “anything that goes viral on social media”, remarking that vigorous judicial activism had caused a lot of damage to the judiciary, reports Dawn.

    “Anything goes viral on social media. How many can the court order inquiries into?” the high court chief justice questioned during a hearing on Monday.

    Justice Minallah’s remarks come during a hearing of a petition asking for a Commission of Inquiry to investigate an alleged audio clip of former Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Saqib Nisar.

    The judge wondered who was behind the audio leak. “Who has the capability to record the chief justice of Pakistan? Did that person release it or someone sitting in America?”

    Questioning the petitioner,  Sindh High Court Bar Association (SHCBA) President Salahuddin Ahmed, Justice Minallah asked, “Tell [the court] how this petition is maintainable. What writ should we issue?”

    To the question asked on the writ of the state, Ahmed responded that the court’s power regarding the enforcement of fundamental rights was very extensive and it could exercise this right under Article 199-C of the Constitution.

    “The court cannot play into the hands of political entities trying to build narratives rather than approach the court themselves,” responded Justice Minallah.

    “When they do not approach the court, the court also has to see what their intentions are,” he added. “Who released the audiotape and to whom?”

    Questioning the authenticity of the audio clip, Justice Minallah remarked: “Suppose this audio is legitimate, where is the real clip? Tomorrow, anybody will bring a clip and ask for an inquiry.”

    The court subsequently issued a notice to Attorney General Khalid Jawed Khan to argue on the maintainability of the petition and adjourned the hearing till December 8.