Current Final

Category: Politics

  • Khawaja Asif supports phone tapping to deal with terrorism in country

    Khawaja Asif supports phone tapping to deal with terrorism in country

    Defense Minister Khawaja Asif strongly supports intelligence agencies tapping the phones of citizens, stressing that it is necessary at the moment to fight terrorism in the country.

    On the other hand, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Omar Ayub criticized tapping citizens’ mobile phones.

    “We are in the midst of war against terrorism. I will support phone tapping in the current situation,” the Defense Minister told Arab News.

    “When Imran Khan was on good terms with the establishment, every legitimate and illegitimate thing seemed acceptable to him. Today, his followers find the same thing hateful,” Khawaja Asif pointed out.

  • ‘After the sun sets, terrorists rule the area’: ANP’s Mian Iftikhar Hussain

    ‘After the sun sets, terrorists rule the area’: ANP’s Mian Iftikhar Hussain

    In an interview with Aaj News, President of the Awami National Party Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mian Iftikhar Hussain sounded alarm bells over the precarious security situation in KP province, saying, “In southern districts, terrorists rule once the sun goes down.”

    He stressed that the government has no writ in the areas. “Police hide in their stations in the evening. They [militants] come out openly on the roads as the sun goes down and prove to people that they’re the ones ruling.”

    The ANP leader stressed that the security environment of the province was deteriorating with increasing cases of target killings, extortion, and religious extremism.

    “They do whatever they want to do at night. As the sun rises, the writ of state comes back,” criticised Hussain.

  • Court rejects Khan’s bail petition in May 9 cases

    Court rejects Khan’s bail petition in May 9 cases

    An anti-terrorism court has turned down the bail petition of incarcerated former Prime Minister Imran Khan in three cases related to the May 9 violent protests, GEO News reported on Tuesday.

    Judge Khalid Arshad of Lahore ATC announced the reserved verdict after hearing Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) founder bail pleas in the May 9 violent protest cases.

    The riots occurred last year after Imran Khan was arrested in a corruption case.

    Several PTI supporters attacked multiple state buildings, including Jinnah House Lahore and GHQ Pakistan Army Rawalpindi.

    The incarcerated former Prime Minister was ousted from office through a no-confidence motion in April 2022, and currently, he is in Adiala jail facing corruption and terrorism cases.  
     
    Imran Khan also secured relief in multiple cases, including a £190 million reference and the Toshakhan case. However, he will remain behind bars due to his conviction in the Iddat case.

  • Wave of Terror: Pakistan mourns eight killed in separate attacks across KP

    Wave of Terror: Pakistan mourns eight killed in separate attacks across KP

    The security situation in Pakistan has gotten grim as eight people – five security officials and three children – lost their lives in three separate terror attacks in Lakki Marwat, North Waziristan, and South Waziristan yesterday.

    In North Waziristan, Captain Muhammad Osama Bin Arshad, 24, who belonged to Rawalpindi district, embraced martyrdom during an intense clash between forces and terrorists.

    The military’s media wing has stated that a sanitisation operation was underway to eliminate any remaining militants in the area.

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir attended the Captain’s funeral on Tuesday.

    Meanwhile, in South Waziristan, three soldiers lost their lives, and 12 others were injured in a militant attack in the district.

    A police officer and his three minor nephews lost their lives in Lakki Marwat district.

  • Nobody has whined as much as Qaidi no 804 on facing cases: Bilawal Bhutto

    Nobody has whined as much as Qaidi no 804 on facing cases: Bilawal Bhutto

    Chairman Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto Zardari addressed a press conference yesterday in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Governor House, criticising former Prime Minister Imran Khan for “whining so much” about his incarceration.

    “Shouldn’t the law be the same for everyone in the country? Who was that person who used to say, ‘If NAB files a case against me, I’ll fight it myself,’” said Bilawal, referring to Imran Khan.

    “When he’s [Khan] in power, he tries to catch everyone, but when you [Khan] yourself are caught [in legal cases], then you make so much of a hue and cry that we can hear your cries from the USA to Pakistan,” remarked the PPP Chairman.

    Bhutto argued that there isn’t a politician in Pakistan, from Union Council members to prominent political party leaders, that haven’t faced legal cases but “Nobody has whined as much as your Qaidi 804.”

  • US opposes ‘violent actions, looting, arson’ during May 9 riots

    US opposes ‘violent actions, looting, arson’ during May 9 riots

    United States’ State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Monday that the US supported the right of the public to protest, adding that it opposes violent actions, looting, and arson, while addressing a news briefing in Washington, DC.

    “We support legitimate, free expression, including the right to protest, the right to peaceful assembly, and we oppose violent actions, we oppose vandalism, looting, arson,” the spokesperson added.

    Miller replied to a journalist’s question on May 9 riots, saying, “Governments should deal consistently with the rule of law and free speech.”

    On May 9, 2023, riots were triggered across the country when former Prime Minister Imran Khan was arrested from the premises of Islamabad High Court (IHC).

    Following the attacks on military and civilian installations, scores of PTI workers and leaders were put behind bars for their involvement in thr violence.

  • Punjab govt to give solar panels to households using 50-500 units

    Punjab govt to give solar panels to households using 50-500 units

    Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has approved the provision of solar panels to households consuming 50 to 500 units of electricity monthly under the provincial government’s “Roshan Gharana Programme.”

    The Chief Minister presided over a meeting of the Energy Department on Monday, saying, “The Punjab government will provide solar systems to crores of consumers consuming electricity from 50 to 500 units, and 90 percent of the solar panels’ cost will be paid by the provincial government and 10 percent by consumers.”

    Furthermore, she also said that the government will not leave people alone in difficult situations. “Programme beneficiaries will pay the government-provided amount in easy instalments in five years,” she stated.

    “Through a transparent procedure, solar systems will be given to the poorest families in phase-I”, the Chief Minister clarified.

  • Arshad Sharif’s killing not a result of mistaken identity: Kenyan High Court

    Arshad Sharif’s killing not a result of mistaken identity: Kenyan High Court

    A High Court in Kenya has ordered payment of Rs. 2 crore 17 lakh as damages to the family of slain Pakistani journalist Arshad Sharif, while also declaring his assassination unconstitutional and illegal. It emphasized that his killing was not a case of mistaken identity and held those government institutions named in the petition responsible.

    The court also ordered relevant departments to initiate criminal proceedings against the two police officers involved in the shooting, ruling on the petition filed by the journalist’s wife.

    The court also found that the victim’s rights were violated by the failure of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and the Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA) to prosecute two police officers for the fatal shooting. It ordered them to conclude the investigation and charge both officers, along with paying ten million local currency in interest until full payment to the petitioner.

    In 2022, Pakistani anchor and journalist Arshad Sharif was killed in Kenya on October 23. Subsequently, Kenyan police admitted that Arshad Sharif’s car was mistakenly hit by police bullets.

    Officials stated that the involved policemen were initially detained but later reinstated. Following this, Arshad Sharif’s wife Jawaria Siddique filed a petition against the involved police officers in the Kenyan court.

  • Govt determined to ban X, a threat to ‘national security’

    Govt determined to ban X, a threat to ‘national security’

    The federal Interior Ministry has categorically stated that X (formerly Twitter) cannot be restored due to “national security” reasons, keeping it suspended indefinitely.

    The ministry said in a written response submitted to the Sindh High Court that there was content on the social media platform that targeted national institutions, which undermined the national security of Pakistan.

    It has also doubled down in its defence of banning the social media platform saying, “The job of the Ministry of Interior is to protect the rights of the people of Pakistan.”

    According to the ministry, the ban on X does not violate Article 19 of the Constitution, which guarantees freedom of speech and expression.

  • No WhatsApp call; court rejects Imran Khan’s petition to talk to his sons

    No WhatsApp call; court rejects Imran Khan’s petition to talk to his sons

    A Rawalpindi court has rejected incarcerated former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s petition for weekly WhatsApp call with his sons, as reported by ARY News on Monday.

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan had submitted a plea to talk with his sons on WhatsApp once a week.

    However, jail authorities didn’t allow Khan to talk to his sons, explaining that they can’t allow prisoners to speak with their relatives via WhatsApp.

    A court, established under the Official Secret Act, had previously allowed former Prime Minister to talk to his sons on the phone twice a month.