Current Final

Category: Politics

  • Man in Muzaffargarh punished for evicting, beating parents

    A man has been punished under Parents Protection Ordinance, 2021, Geo News has reported. The man was sentenced to one month in jail with a fine of Rs50,000 for maltreating his parents.

    He is the first person to be punished under the new law. According to details, Deputy Commissioner (DC) Muzaffargarh Amjad Shoaib Khan took action after a complaint was filed by the parents of the accused for beating and evicting them from their home last year.

    “A year ago, Mukhtar forced us to leave home and since then we have been managing by doing domestic work at people’s homes,” said Ghulam Fatima in the complaint.

    DC summoned both the parties at his office to resolve the matter but the parents refused to forgive the son after which the DC took action against him under the law.

    “The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government has provided a credible protection shield to elderly parents by virtue of this law,” said PTI MPA Sardar Abdul Hayee Khan Dasti.

  • Derek Chauvin sentenced to 22.5 years in prison for George Floyd murder

    Derek Chauvin sentenced to 22.5 years in prison for George Floyd murder

    A judge sentenced former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin to 22 years and six months in prison on Friday for the murder of George Floyd during an arrest in May 2020. Floyd’s murder galvanised a national protest movement against racism, reports Reuters.

    A jury found Chauvin guilty on April 20 of unintentional second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter in the death of Floyd. The verdict was widely seen as a landmark rebuke of the disproportionate use of police force against Black Americans.

    Chauvin’s sentence was one of the longest ones to be given to a former police officer for using unlawful deadly force in the United States, said Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, whose office prosecuted the case. Successful prosecutions of police officers in such cases have been rare.

    “Today’s sentencing is not justice but it is another moment of real accountability on the road to justice,” Ellison said outside the courtroom, calling on law enforcement leaders around the US to see it as a moment for reform.

    Hennepin County District Judge Peter Cahill said it was important to recognise the pain of the Floyd family.

    “I’m not basing my sentence on public opinion,” Cahill said. “I’m not basing it on the attempt to send any messages. The job of a trial court judge is to apply the law to specific facts and to deal with individual cases.”

    In a 22-page sentencing memorandum, Cahill gave weight to prosecution arguments that Chauvin acted with cruelty and abused his position of authority, aggravating factors that allowed him to give a harsher sentence than would be indicated by state sentencing guidelines for first-time offenders.

    Prosecutors had asked for a 30-year prison sentence, double the upper limit indicated in sentencing guidelines.

    Video of Chauvin kneeling on the neck of the handcuffed Floyd for more than nine minutes on May 25, 2020, caused outrage around the world and led to one of the largest protest movements seen in the US in decades.

  • ‘Pakistan wants a civilised relationship with the US’: PM Khan

    Prime Minister Imran Khan recently gave an interview to The New York Times about Pakistan’s planned future strategy once the United States (US) leaves Afghanistan and said that in the past, the US kept expecting more from Pakistan, while previous governments “tried to deliver what they were not capable of”.

    The interview was published on June 25, when US President Joe Biden had his first face-to-face meeting with his Afghan counterpart, Ashraf Ghani, at the White House.

    Replying to a question related to Pakistan’s future relationship with the US after the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan, PM Khan said that Pakistan has always had a closer relationship with the United States than neighbouring India.

    “After 9/11, Pakistan again opted to join the US war on terror. Now, after the US leaves Afghanistan, basically Pakistan would want a civilised relationship, which you have between nations, and we would like to improve our trading relationship with the US,” he said.

    Mr Khan recalled that Pakistan has had a closer relationship with the United States than other nations in the region, such as India, and was a US partner in the war against terrorism, an argument used by previous Pakistani rulers as well without much success.

    “Now, after the US leaves Afghanistan, basically Pakistan would want a civilised relationship, which you have between nations, and we would like to improve our trading relationship with the US,” the prime minister replied.

    “Unfortunately, the relationship during the war on terror was a bit lopsided,” he said, adding, “It was a lopsided relationship because [the] US felt that they were giving aid to Pakistan, they felt that Pakistan then had to do US’s bidding. And what Pakistan did in terms of trying to do the US bidding cost Pakistan a lot … 70,000 Pakistanis died, and over $150 billion were lost to the economy because there were suicide bombings and bombs going on all over the country.”

    Asked if Pakistan was still using its leverage with the Taliban to move the peace talks towards a deal, Mr Khan said: “Pakistan has used the maximum leverage it could on the Taliban.”

    The prime minister said Pakistan has been emphasising to the Taliban that they should not go for a military victory because it would only lead to a protracted civil war. And since the Taliban are primarily a Pashtun movement, this will have two effects: Another influx of refugees into Pakistan and upset Pakistan’s efforts to lift its economy through trade, he explained.

    ‘We have signed very good trade deals with the Central Asian republics, but we can only go there through Afghanistan. If there is a civil war, all that goes down the drain,’ he said.

    “Let me assure you, we will do everything except use military action against the Taliban. I mean, we will do everything up to that,” Mr Khan said, adding: “All sections of our society have decided that Pakistan will take no military action.”

    The premier was also questioned whether Indo-Pakistan relations would improve if the Modi government leaves power. In response, he said that he “knows India better than any other Pakistani”.

    He said that he has had “love and respect from India [more] than anyone because cricket is a big sport”.

    “And the best way would be if India and Pakistan had a normal, civilised trading relationship. It would benefit both countries,” the PM said he told Modi.

    “So we tried. Didn’t get anywhere. I think that it is a particular ideology of the (Hindu nationalist group) Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), which Narendra Modi belongs to, which just came up against a brick wall. And therefore the answer to your question is yes. Had there been another Indian leadership, I think we would have had a good relationship with them. And yes, we would have resolved all our differences through dialogue.”

    When asked if Pakistan would consider it an Indian win if Kashmir’s status quo remains the same, PM Imran Khan said that it would be a “disaster for India.”

    “[That is because] it will just mean that this conflict festers on and on. And so as long as it festers, it’s going to stop there being any relationship — normal relationship — between Pakistan and India.”

    The premier was questioned about Pakistan’s relationship with China and how it affects both the US and India. In response, he said that he finds it “very odd” that China and the US would become great rivals. 


  • ‘If the US President doesn’t want to talk with Pakistan, Goodluck, no one is waiting here’: Moeed Yusuf

    ‘If the US President doesn’t want to talk with Pakistan, Goodluck, no one is waiting here’: Moeed Yusuf

    National Security Adviser Moeed Yusuf said that if US President Joe Biden doesn’t want to talk with Pakistan, then “good luck” as no one is waiting here for his call either.

    Speaking on Geo News programme, ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’, Moeed Yusuf said that the current Afghanistan situation is not good.

    Yusuf complained about the lack of coordination among the Pakistani and US officials in Afghanistan, saying we came to know about the withdrawal of foreign troops from the media.

    “We don’t want anyone to insult the US but if the finger is pointed at Pakistan, then it will be responded to,” Yusuf said.

    He was responding to a question asked about Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s comments about Biden. In a recent interview, PM Khan had said that US President Joe Biden has not spoken to him since assuming office as president.

    “Whenever he has time he can speak to me. At the moment, clearly, he has other priorities,” he had told Axios anchor Jonathan Swan

    Yusuf said Pakistan’s prime minister was of the view that a military solution was not possible in Afghanistan, adding that had that advice been taken, things would have been much different.

    “Everyone wants stability in the country,” he said.

  • PM was informed about the meeting between Asif Ali Zardari and Pervaiz Elahi

    PM was informed about the meeting between Asif Ali Zardari and Pervaiz Elahi

    Speaker Punjab Assembly Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi said on Thursday that Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan was informed about his meeting with Asif Ali Zardari.

    Speaking to anchorperson Muneeb Farooq on Geo News programme ‘Capital Talk,’ the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) leader said his party is a coalition partner of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and had never betrayed their ally.

    “Before going to see Zardari sahab, I asked Moonis [Elahi] to inform PM Imran Khan about it [the meeting],” Elahi told Muneeb Farooq when asked about rumours following his surprise meeting with the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader.

    Elahi said that he went to thank Zardari for his cooperation in holding unopposed Senate elections in Punjab.

    “I had talked to him before the polls on Nawaz Sharif’s request that the PPP should withdraw its candidates. We knew what were the weaknesses of all parties and what was their due share in the Senate seats. So on the basis of it, Tariq Bashir Cheema, Moonis Elahi, and I worked on it and thankfully we achieved the goal of holding an unopposed election in Punjab,” added Elahi. 

    Earlier, Minister of Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry had confirmed on the Geo News show ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’ that Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi had informed the government about his meeting with Asif Ali Zardari.

    The meeting between the two leaders that took place earlier this week at Lahore’s Bilawal House. The Punjab government termed the meeting between the two leaders as a “storm in a teacup”.

  • Fourth wave of coronavirus ‘could emerge in Pakistan in July’, warns Asad Umar

    Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar has warned that a fourth wave of coronavirus could emerge in Pakistan in the month of July.

    “Reviewed the artificial intelligence based disease modeling analysis today in NCOC,” wrote the minister in a tweet.

    “In the absence of strong SOP enforcement and continued strong vaccination program, the 4th wave could emerge in Pakistan in July,” he added.

    The minister concluded by advising people to follow Covid-related SOPs, “Please adhere to sop’s and vaccinate as soon as possible.”

    As per the national tally on Thursday, Pakistan recorded 1,052 new cases of Covid-19 , while 44 people lost their life to the deadly virus.

  • PM Khan asks Bill Gates to set up a Microsoft incubation lab in Pakistan

    PM Khan asks Bill Gates to set up a Microsoft incubation lab in Pakistan

    Prime Minister Imran Khan (PM) encouraged Microsoft to expand its footprint in Pakistan and set up a Microsoft incubation lab in the country.

    PM spoke with Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), in a telephonic conversation on Thursday.

    During the phone call, views were exchanged on the ongoing polio eradication campaign in the country as well as on Pakistan’s response to the public health challenges arising from the Covid-19 pandemic.

    PM Khan reaffirmed that polio eradication remained a key national priority for the government and earnest efforts were afoot to further intensify the anti-polio campaign across the country, despite the challenges imposed by the Covid-19 crisis, in order to achieve a polio-free Pakistan.

    Bill Gates expressed his appreciation for PM Khan’s leadership for this national cause. He added that while progress is encouraging, keeping up pressure will be the key to ending transmission for good.

  • ‘Punjab police will soon arrest culprits behind Lahore blast’: Sheikh Rasheed

    ‘Punjab police will soon arrest culprits behind Lahore blast’: Sheikh Rasheed

    Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed on Thursday said that the Punjab Police were close to arresting the culprits responsible for the Johar Town blast.

    The minister tweeted that officials had achieved “great success” during the investigation process. “Punjab police will soon arrest the suspects and give good news to the people,” he said.

    Rasheed said that Pakistan’s enemies could not tolerate the economic and political stability in the country under the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan and had started adopting “terrorist routes”.

    A powerful blast near the residence of Jamaatud Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed killed three people and injured 24 others, including a police constable.

  • Zardari-Elahi meeting: possibility of a future coalition?

    Zardari-Elahi meeting: possibility of a future coalition?

    Punjab Assembly Speaker and senior leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi had a meeting with former president Asif Ali Zardari on Tuesday.

    A press release issued after the meeting said both sides discussed matters of mutual interest and the national political scene without giving any more details.

    However, as per a report in Dawn, “a close aide to the Chaudhrys of Gujrat said that some quarters were seeing snap polls by the year-end and the meeting should be taken in the context of exploring possibilities of political cooperation in that scenario. He claimed that Prime Minister Imran Khan canceled his scheduled UK visit knowing the political storms in the making, both within his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and in the ruling coalition.”

    The PML-Q is presently an ally of the PTI in Punjab.

    Though officially Pervaiz Elahi denies any differences with the PTI, his son Moonis Elahi has criticised various policies of the government publicly, particularly on social media.

    Asif Zardari has summoned the party’s chief organiser in Punjab Raja Pervez Ashraf to Bilawal House in Lahore.

    A PPP leader, who requested not to be named, said Zardari had taken on to himself the task of bargaining for a future alliance strong enough to form the next government, directing his son and PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari to look after other matters for the time being.

    However, the Punjab government has termed the meeting of Elahi and Zardari a “storm in a teacup” and rubbished rumours of any differences between the coalition partners.

    Special Assistant to the Punjab Chief Minister Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan said, “The PML-Q is an experienced political party and an important ally of the PTI government.”

    “Under the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan, we have defeated the worried Opposition — due to the successes achieved by the government — at every front,” added Awan.

  • ‘Linking women’s clothing to rape reflects PM’s criminal mindset’: Maryam Nawaz

    ‘Linking women’s clothing to rape reflects PM’s criminal mindset’: Maryam Nawaz

    Criticising Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s recent comments on women’s clothing and rape, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz on Wednesday said that linking women’s clothing to rape reflects the criminal mindset of the PM, adding that his words would only encourage the perpetrators.

    She further questioned if the young children who were sexually abused were also molested due to their clothes.

    “[He is] a person who validates rape and holds the victim responsible. Pakistan needs to be rid of this mindset of rape apologists,” she said. The PML-N leader went on to question whether Zainab’s rape and the motorway incident were a consequence of what the victims were wearing.

    Maryam said the prime minister “should be ashamed over such a statement”. She added that through his remarks in the interview, the PM had “insulted rape victims”.