Current Final

Category: Politics

  • ‘Agreement will be signed this week with IMF’ : Shaukat Tarin

    ‘Agreement will be signed this week with IMF’ : Shaukat Tarin

    Advisor to the Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue Shaukat Tarin has stated that all issues have been settled with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and an agreement will be signed this week.

    While addressing the launch ceremony of the Pakistan Single Window (PSW) Tarin said, “We are giving targeted subsidies to control inflation. It is a global problem and prices in the international market are out of my control,” assuring that there will be no delay in the salaries of government employees.

    He said that the world economy is recovering and business activities would not only resume but also grow at a much faster pace.

    “The worst seems to be over and as economies begin to recover globally, we expect business activity to resume and in fact grow at a much faster pace. Pakistan and Pakistani businesses have to be ready to take advantage of new opportunities,” he added.

    According to the advisor, PSW would help accelerate the digital transformation of the public sector agencies connected to international trade.

    Moreover, he said that it is a priority of the government to facilitate businesses, including small and medium-sized ones, by providing a suitable enabling environment for growth and innovation.

    Talking about the recent cyberattack on the National Bank server, he said that the enemy is ‘sitting in our neighbourhood’.

    Earlier, it was reported that an official said the government was considering an increase of petroleum levy by Rs4 per litre. This would depend on its engagements with the IMF for the revival of its programme.

    Last month, Saudi Arabia agreed to revive its financial support to Pakistan which includes about three billion dollars in safe deposits.

    Tarin was in Washington last month to lead the Pakistani delegation in talks with the IMF for the revival of the 6 billion dollars Extended Fund Facility (EFF).

  • Twitter demands govt to disclose agreement made with TLP

    Various people on Twitter have demanded and questioned the government following the state’s claim about reaching an ‘agreement’ with the proscribed Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) in order to end the nearly two-week-long protests.

    The details of the negotiations have yet not been made public.

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar tweeted: “The people of this country have a right to know about the agreement made with a proscribed group, which caused loss of life and property and disrupted citizens’ lives for weeks.”

    While recalling the Hazara community’s protest, he demanded to know whether the martyrdom of Punjab police officials was in vain and if the perpetrators will be punished.

    PPP’s Senator Sherry Rehman questioned the decision to disclose details at an appropriate time. “Peace with the state on what terms?” she tweeted.

    Former Member of National Assembly (MNA) and rights activist Bushra Gohar said: “Yet another surrender agreement to be signed with the alleged Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) funded banned religious extremist group TLP,” with hashtag #GayaPakistan.

    Lawyer and activist Jibran Nasir asked the media and all stakeholders to question the government why TLP chief Saad Hussain Rizvi was not formally arrested.

    He expressed his concerns on Twitter and said, “TLP is being kept alive and will be kept alive to be the political nuisance it was intended to be, a variable in Punjab used as a when establishment wants it to.”

    Legal adviser for the International Commission of Jurists, Reema Omer tweeted: “Nothing in this press conference inspired confidence, least of all the ‘secret’ agreement”

    Journalist Yusra Askari mocked the government and labelled the agreement between the state and banned outfit as “horrors of this Halloween” that will haunt us forever.

    The protests by the banned outfit led to the deaths of five police officials and injured more than 250 others.

  • Authority to remove NAB chairman taken back from SJC, given to president

    Authority to remove NAB chairman taken back from SJC, given to president

    The power to remove the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairman from office has been withdrawn from the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) and given to the president, as per the National Accountability (Third Amendment) Ordinance, 2021, which has been approved by President Arif Alvi, reports Geo News.

    The NAB chairman’s tenure, as per the new ordinance, will be of four years. The criteria for the removal of a NAB chairman will be the same as the one for the removal of a Supreme Court judge, according to the new Ordinance.

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif criticised the new Ordinance and said that the government had spared no efforts to push the Opposition to the wall. He claimed that the government had introduced a new NAB ordinance to give itself National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO).

  • ‘Ghani promised to fight till death but fled’: Antony Blinken

    United States (US) Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said that the former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani promised to fight till death but when the Taliban came, he fled, reports Dawn.

    In a show, Blinken was asked if he had personally tried to persuade Ghani to stay in Kabul. To which he replied that he was on the phone with the former President on the night of August 14 (a day before the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul). Blinken said that he was pressing him to accept a plan for transferring power to a new government.

    Secretary Blinken said that Ghani told him that, “he was prepared to do that, but if the Taliban wouldn’t go along, he was ready to fight till death. And the very next day, he fled Afghanistan.”

    This government would have been “led by the Taliban but would have included all aspects of the Afghan society,” he added while answering the question.

    Blinken claimed that he had engaged with the former President Ghani over many weeks and months.

  • Govt successful in negotiating with TLP, maintain secrecy over details

    Govt successful in negotiating with TLP, maintain secrecy over details

    Officials from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government on Sunday claimed that they had reached an ‘agreement’ with the proscribed Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) in order to end the nearly two-week-long protests.

    The government’s negotiating team members Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser, and Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Mohammad Khan, along with Mufti Muneeb-ur-Rehman were present at the press conference.

    “The government of Pakistan and the TLP held detailed negotiations in an environment of mutual trust and an agreement has been reached between the two sides,” said Mufti Muneeb.

    The details of the negotiations have yet not been made public, Mufti Muneeb said its details would be made public at an ‘appropriate time’. He, however, said its ‘positive results’ would be visible to the nation next week or during the next 10 days.

  • Govt negotiating with Saad Rizvi to end banned TLP’s protest

    Govt negotiating with Saad Rizvi to end banned TLP’s protest

    In a press release by Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), it is reported that the government is negotiating with the banned outfit head Saad Hussain Rizvi.

    The government delegation includes Minister of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan Asad Qaiser, and Member of National Assembly (MNA) Ali Muhammad Khan.

    According to the press release, the final decision will be made later today.

    Prior to this, President Dr Arif Alvi reportedly asked for the Ulema’s help in addressing the ongoing chaos in the country due to TLP’s protests.

    In a meeting with a delegation of Ulema of Ahle-e-Sunnat Wal Jamaat, President Alvi stated that the Ulema have always played a significant role in providing moral and religious guidance to people besides standing with the state in difficult times.

    The meeting deliberated upon various options to address the current situation peacefully and emphasised resolving the matter through negotiations.

    At the meeting, the Ulema expressed concern over the reports of violence which have caused harm to the general public.

    The consultative meeting at the President’s House had taken place after a National Security Committee (NSC) meeting in Islamabad, which resolved to guard the sovereignty of the state from all internal and external threats.


  • Ex-General’s son convicted of provoking rebellion in Army

    Ex-General’s son convicted of provoking rebellion in Army

    A military court has convicted the son of a retired major general of the Pakistan Army to a five year prison term for trying to incite anarchy in the army. He wrote a letter questioning the extension given to Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa and demanded his resignation, reported BBC Urdu.


    BBC reports that Hassan Askari, son of Maj Gen (R) Zafar Mehdi Askari, a computer engineer by profession, was convicted under Section 131 of Pakistan Penal Code for criticising Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa’s extension in a letter to him. The conviction was served by the Field General Court Martial in Gujranwala Cantt.

    Askari was defended by a military officer deputed by the military court. The trial was conducted in July and he was shifted to the high-security prison in Sahiwal.

    Section 131 of the Pakistan Penal Code covers inciting army officers to treason. The First Investigation Report (FIR) charges Askari of criticising the army’s top command and senior officers to spread anarchy in the army at the behest of external enemies, reports BBC.

  • Another Rs8 hike in petroleum prices on the cards, again

    The government is likely to increase petroleum prices by up to Rs8 per litre for the next 15 days if it decides not to increase existing tax rates, reports Dawn.

    On the basis of existing tax rates, the Oil & Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) and Petroleum Division have worked out about Rs6 per litre increase in the price of petrol and of high speed diesel (HSD) by about Rs8 per litre. The increase for other products, which includes kerosene and light diesel oil, was also estimated to be in the same range.

    An official said the government was considering an increase of petroleum levy by Rs4 per litre, either on Sunday or November 16. This would depend on its engagements with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for the revival of its programme.

    However, no official decision has been made yet. The official announcement would be made after consultations with Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan on Sunday.

    Currently, the government is charging about Rs5.62 per litre petroleum levy on petrol and Rs5.14 per litre on HSD. In addition, it is also charging about Rs9.29 per litre and Rs8.81 per litre customs duty on petrol and HSD respectively besides Rs9 and Rs13 per litre GST on these two products.

    Energy Minister Hammad Azhar had said that the government was coming under pressure for giving up taxes on petroleum products.

    At present, the price of petrol stands at Rs137.79 per litre and the price of HSD is at Rs134.48 per litre.

    Earlier, the Finance Ministry of Pakistan warned the public about increasing the prices and transportation costs in the country.

  • Right-wing Hindus arrested for disrupting Jummah prayer in India

    Right-wing Hindus arrested for disrupting Jummah prayer in India

    Dozens of people, many from Hindu right-wing groups, were arrested on Friday in India for disrupting Friday Muslim prayer, reports Dawn.

    Hindu groups have been pressuring authorities for weeks in Gurgaon to stop Muslims from offering Friday prayers in open spaces.

    Critics have accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of oppressing minorities.

    However, Modi’s government rejects having a Hindu agenda and insists that people of all religions have equal rights.

    In September, a harrowing video went viral on social media, where Indian police officers could be seen beating Muslims in Assam. In the video, several Assam cops were beating a man with sticks even as he lay motionless on the ground.

    In October, another video went viral where a mob in India forced a Muslim woman to remove her burqa in public.

    The mob harassed the girl for wearing the burqa, after which she was forced to take it off.

    “Take the burqa off, you are giving a bad name to the nation,” one of the members from the group could be heard telling the woman.

  • ‘TLP’s actions have boosted morale of other terrorist outfits seeking to challenge state’s writ’: National Security Committee

    ‘TLP’s actions have boosted morale of other terrorist outfits seeking to challenge state’s writ’: National Security Committee

    The National Security Committee (NSC) was convened under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday.

    The NSC received a detailed briefing on the country’s internal security situation and the ongoing agitation by the Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP).

    The Prime Minister stressed that “no group or entity will be allowed to cause public disruption or use violence to pressure the government”.

    Taking serious note of the unprovoked violent attacks committed by TLP members, the Committee resolved not to tolerate any further breach of law by this proscribed group.

    While emphasising that the government recognised the right of peaceful protest of all Pakistanis, NSC members were unanimous that TLP was deliberately employing violence against public property, state officials, and ordinary citizens to create instability in the country and that this shall not be tolerated.

    All organs of the state stood ready to act as per the law to protect the life and property of citizens.

    The Prime Minister and Committee members expressed condolences at the loss of life of policemen and committed to compensating and looking after their families.

    Participants decried TLP’s misuse of religion and the issue of Namoos-e-Risalat for political gains, which was misleading the common man and creating internal discord within society.

    Participants recalled that TLP had adopted the ploy of violent street agitation on numerous occasions since 2017 and made unrealistic demands each time, solely as a tool to gain political strength.

    In the process, TLP’s actions have caused public disorder, serious economic losses to the country, besides boosting the morale of other terrorist outfits seeking to challenge the state’s writ.

    The Committee unanimously resolved to guard its sovereignty from all internal and external threats and to not allow TLP to challenge the writ of the state in any way.