Current Final

Category: Politics

  • ‘Board exams to be held after July 10,’ says Shafqat Mahmood

    ‘Board exams to be held after July 10,’ says Shafqat Mahmood

    Federal Minister for Education Shafqat Mahmood said on Wednesday that board exams for students of classes nine and 10 would be held only for elective subjects and mathematics while exams for students of classes 11 and 12 would be held for elective subjects only.

    Mahmood’s press conference came after he chaired a meeting of provincial education ministers and officials from education departments.

    Mahmood said that the issue of resolving the complaint of non-completion of courses by the students was discussed in today’s meeting. “Several months ago, we reduced the curriculum by 40 per cent to make it easier for teachers and students to prepare,” said the minister.

    “It has been decided in the meeting of inter-provincial education ministers that the ninth, 10th, 11th, and 12th examinations will start after July 10,” stated Mahmood. He further added that in this regard, the 10th and 12h examinations will be held first.

    “This decision is taken as students have different streams and directions so they will sit in exams related to their particular subject of interest,” he said.

    “We have also asked boards to keep some gap between the exams,” he said, as he explained the government had taken several steps to ease the process on the students as the educational institutions could not complete the course work.

    Mahmood said that the 10th and 12th classes are currently underway. “We have decided to open schools and colleges for the ninth and 11th classes so that they can prepare,” said the minister. “If we do not conduct the exams, then students will not even employ minimum efforts to study,” said the federal minister.

    “No student will be awarded grades without attempting examinations this year,” the education minister added.

    Mahmood further stated that the teachers conducting the board examinations need to be fully vaccinated.

    “There will be no review of the decision to take the exams. Children must prepare for their examination. We have been very lenient with the legitimate demands of the students,” concluded Mahmood.

  • ‘A conspiracy could be hatched against Pakistan from abroad if social media not controlled’: CJ Lahore High Court

    ‘A conspiracy could be hatched against Pakistan from abroad if social media not controlled’: CJ Lahore High Court

    Lahore High Court (LHC) Chief Justice (CJ) Muhammad Qasim Khan, while hearing a case on offensive content on social media, observed that a conspiracy could be hatched against Pakistan from abroad if social media was not controlled.

    CJ LHC asked if a person could be tried in Pakistan for uploading hate material on social media from abroad or if a person was killed in Britain, could a trial be held in Pakistan. According to a report in The News, when the petitioner’s lawyer said that the law does exist under which a person could be tried in Pakistan for uploading objectionable material on social media while sitting abroad, CJ Qasim Khan got angry. He asked the lawyer to complete his preparation before coming up with arguments.

    CJ LHC observed that people can be instigated to rebel if social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram were not controlled.

    In April, CJ Khan had observed that civil servants should submit details of their cellular numbers and social media accounts to their relevant departments. He also asked departments to make a code of conduct for civil servants for social media use. He was hearing a petition against running a social media campaign against the judiciary after the arrest of an assistant commissioner on the orders of a civil judge in Sahiwal. Back in February, CJ LHC had ordered the director general FIA to constitute a committee to examine all YouTube channels as well as other social media accounts with videos against the judiciary and asked that proceedings against them should be initiated.

  • ‘You asserted yourself as rightful stakeholders,’ Jibran congratulates students after some exams are cancelled by govt

    ‘You asserted yourself as rightful stakeholders,’ Jibran congratulates students after some exams are cancelled by govt

    After the government announced that only elective exams and math papers would be taken by students, Pakistani Civil Rights Activist and Lawyer, Jibran Nasir, thanked the government for its prudent decision and congratulated students on gaining ‘relaxation from their exams’.

    Prior to the government’s announcement, Jibran strongly defended students against the government’s stance of having physical exams on schedule.

    Federal Minister of Education Shafqat Mahmood said that the issue of resolving complaints of non-completion of courses by the students was discussed in a meeting on Wednesday.

    “Several months ago, we reduced the curriculum by 40 per cent to make it easier for teachers and students to prepare,” said the minister.

    But Jibran stated otherwise. Speaking on a morning show on HUM News, ‘Subah Say Agay’, Jibran said, “The primary issue faced by students is that they were previously examined for a nine-month course, when schools used to conduct exams for four months. At present, each student was offered only two months of classes, and students were asked to come to their respective institutions on alternate days.”

    Jibran further said that the government should take a decision that will allow students to get back to their institutions and complete their curriculum. “This debate is not for the private sector students but for the ones studying in public/government institutions, who do not have the facility or access to the internet,” added Jibran.

    Jibran compared the decision-making of the government by comparing the present conditions of the students of Pakistan to India. “With a much bigger student population, India still managed to develop a local alternative to exams like school assessed grades (SAG) and in Pakistan, we can’t even complete syllabus,” tweeted Jibran.

    Jibran took a jibe at the government and tweeted, “Pak Govt: Our students are lazy, they want a free ride, they don’t want to study.”

  • ‘Mild symptoms and quick recovery are because of vaccination’: Shafqat Mahmood

    ‘Mild symptoms and quick recovery are because of vaccination’: Shafqat Mahmood

    Federal Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood on Wednesday said that he has tested negative for the coronavirus and has resumed work from today.

    The minister shared the news on Twitter: “By the grace of Allah, I have fully recovered. My latest two tests are negative. Going back to work today.”

    “The mild symptoms and quick recovery are without a doubt because of the vaccination,” Mahmood tweeted. He stressed that “vaccines work and are the best defence against this horrible disease”.

    Last month, Shafqat Mahmood tested positive for coronavirus.

  • Govt takes back appeal against Shehbaz, name still on ECL

    The federal government has withdrawn its petition challenging the Lahore High Court (LHC) verdict, which allowed Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif to travel abroad for his medical treatment.

    Attorney General for Pakistan Khalid Jawed Khan informed the court that the government was withdrawing its appeal as Shehbaz had decided to take back his petitions against the government in the High Court.

    Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry told The Current that the government has not taken it back. “It is disposed of with the order of the Supreme Court (SC) that this order will still not be cited as a precedent in any case in the future and Shehbaz Sharif or anyone on his behalf cannot use it for contempt proceedings against the government. This is clearly in favour of the government.”

    “If this was a proper or legal order, why can it not be used or followed again and why its violation did not amount to contempt. This is the first time where Supreme Court has passed such an order even though the petition was withdrawn from the High Court. It completely vindicates the government’s stand’” added Fawad.

    Fawad further said, “You compelled them to withdraw from the Lahore High Court and even thereafter the Supreme Court did not approve such an order. In addition, the Supreme Court has also ordered expeditious trial of Shehbaz Sharif in the Accountability Court.”

    Chaudhry had earlier tweeted, “The government’s appeal in the apex court was no longer necessary as Shehbaz’s name had been placed on the Exit Control List (ECL) and he had withdrawn his petition from the High Court.”

    In May, the LHC had granted conditional permission to Shehbaz to travel abroad for medical treatment. However, when the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly attempted to leave the country on May 9, he was stopped by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). On May 17, the Interior Ministry placed the Opposition leader’s name on the no fly-list.

  • President Alvi stresses that Pakistan is not against Jews or Christians

    President Alvi stresses that Pakistan is not against Jews or Christians

    President Arif Alvi on Tuesday, in an address to the Second Conference of Parliamentary Assembly of the Economic Cooperation Organization (PAECO) countries, stressed that Pakistan is against genocide, not against Jews or Christians.

    “We are against genocide. We are not against Jews or Christians, but against all oppressors of humanity,” said Alvi.

    Alvi further added that Pakistan’s stance on Israel’s violations of human rights was “not anti-Semitic, but anti-Zionist.”

    “We will raise our voices against anyone who resorts to oppression,” the president said.

    He also said that labelling the freedom movement of Palestinians and Kashmiris as “terrorism” by Israel and India was an act of viewing the countries through the “prism of prejudice”.

    The president expressed confidence that the Muslim world would join hands in giving the world a strong message on Islamophobia.

  • PM ‘worried’ about the Opposition

    PM ‘worried’ about the Opposition

    Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday, while speaking at a ceremony in Ziarat said, “I am worried, whether they [Opposition] will remain as an alliance or not.”

    Khan took a jibe at the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), which faced a setback after the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the Awami National Party (ANP) left it.

    The premier said the country was “getting out of a very difficult time”, adding that the Opposition parties had been “making noise” that his government would fail ever since it came to power.

    “Our opponents have created hue and cry. Even when Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) had formed the government in 2018, our opponents said that we were bound to fail,” said Khan.

    The Opposition kept reiterating that the country’s economy would suffer, but now, when the growth rate’s statistics were made public, they rejected them, he said.

    “Our opponents want us to fail,” he said, as he stressed the government was doing everything in its power to uplift the economy.

    The premier, shedding light on how his government achieved growth in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, said the PTI-led government promoted tourism, launched health cards for nearly half of the population.

    Moreover, till this year’s end, Punjab’s population will have a health card and soon enough, all of Pakistan will have this facility. “Even in Balochistan, every family will have a health card.”

    Prime Minister said his government “considers Balochistan ours” in a way that previous governments did not. Previous governments had not spent money on the province’s development, he said, adding that his government would “use all of our resources in this difficult time” to ensure progress.

    The premier said there was a gas issue in Ziarat, and a member of the provincial assembly (MPA) had told the premier that a gas line would be installed to overcome this problem.

    Installing an LPG plant is more feasible in Ziarat, he said, adding in the next fiscal year, he would try his best to get an LPG plant installed in the city.

    “Balochistan is a large province, so developing streets here is quite expensive …. Pakistan’s development will actually take place when the entire country develops,” he said.

    The premier said despite reservations from Punjab and KP that he was being “too generous with Balochistan”, it was the government’s “responsibility to make full efforts” because the province had been ignored in the past.

    “Pakistan’s development will only be in real terms when it is inclusive [and] when the whole country develops,” he reiterated.

    “I will keep coming here and checking the progress. We are giving another package for roads. We will give funds wherever there is room,” the premier concluded.

  • Know of water theft in Sindh? WhatsApp here

    Know of water theft in Sindh? WhatsApp here

    Sindh Irrigation Minister Sohail Anwar Siyal has shared a WhatsApp number for the masses, ARY News reported on Tuesday. This was done in order to tighten the noose around the people involved in water theft by the Sindh Irrigation Department.

    Siyal, while releasing the WhatsApp number of the Irrigation Department, urged the masses to record videos of water theft and share them with the Sindh Irrigation Department.

    The video, along with the date and time highlighting the irrigation water theft, should be forwarded to 03330291781, the minister said.

    Siyal ensured that action would be taken against the guilty within three days.

    Last week, Sindh Irrigation Minister Sohail Anwar Siyal met with Prime Minister Imran Khan in Islamabad.

  • EXCLUSIVE: ‘I did the speech knowing I would lose my job,’ Hamid Mir

    EXCLUSIVE: ‘I did the speech knowing I would lose my job,’ Hamid Mir

    Hamid Mir doesn’t sound like he’s down. On the contrary, the seasoned journalist sounds energised and alive. His phone was dead (or switched off) for the past two days, when The Current tried to reach out to him. Eventually when we got through, he didn’t pause for a second and gave us his version of the event that led to his removal from his flagship show, ‘Capital Talk’ on Geo News.

    “What will Geo probe?” he said when asked that Geo News had stated that they would “check for violation of policy and law” in a speech given by Hamid Mir “that resulted in backlash from different segments of society”.

    “My speech did not air on Geo News, it was not published in the newspaper,” Mir said categorically, “so how is Geo responsible when it never appeared on their television screens?”

    But Mir does admit that the pressure is intense on the management of his channel, which ultimately falls on him. “I am always prepared for pressure,” he says calmly, “I offered to leave the channel on Friday night when I was asked to clarify my statement. I told the management that when I never spoke on your channel, why do I need to issue a clarification? I was then told not to tweet on the issue and also that I should not take part in any other programmes,” Mir explained. “I was going to go on different news channels and said that I am not going to discuss my speech but to discuss the media ordinance. I was asked not to do so and therefore, I didn’t. I did tell them [management] that ‘they’ will ask you to remove me from the programme in a day or so and that’s exactly what happened.”

    When asked what it was about this particular case that drove Mir to give the speech, he said it was because of a man in a wheelchair.

    “When I was about to speak, if you notice in the video, there is a man on my right side sitting on a wheelchair. The man is an old journalist Qaiser Butt and he randomly said, ‘Larki ka bhai ho sakta hai‘ (it can be the girl’s brother) implying that Toor was part of an illicit relationship. That made me angry since Asad was standing right there as well. I got de-tracked and said, ‘larki ki maa bhi ho sakti hai jo General Rani hai‘. But it’s not just that.”

    Mir says the biggest reason for speaking out had been building up for the past three weeks. “In the past two, three weeks, some female colleagues were complaining that they were being threatened and one told me that ‘they’ came to her house. They didn’t cause her any harm but gave her a message.” He added that two female journalists also wanted to file a case but they have restrictions that are different. “Their husbands tell them not to report the cases; they face problems with their in-laws.”

    Mir is hopeful for change this time. “I did the speech knowing I would lose my job and I was prepared for that,” he says. “Right now, as I am speaking with you, I am at a meeting with the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP). Hina Jilani is also here and the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) is going to be releasing a white paper on the new cases that have come up. I can’t tell you, I have been swamped with calls of people that are now finally coming forward with cases and want to raise their voice.”

    “Lots of people are taken off air, but there has never been such a big reaction,” Mir says, explaining that in this particular case, the local and international reaction is bigger than he expected. “I am getting a lot of calls from international networks wanting to cover the story and because of this interest, I believe that some pressure will be put on the political government for accountability.”

    “Lots of ministers are messaging me in private, lending their support,” Mir said. “Perhaps this time, we might see some actual change.”

    Hamid Mir was taken off air on Monday.

  • Woman who complained to PM Khan gets justice

    Woman who complained to PM Khan gets justice

    Ayesha Mazhar, a resident of Lahore, had explained her ordeal to Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday when the premier was taking live calls from citizens to hear about their issues and concerns.

    Ayesha received her Rs 472,000 from the brother of a police officer who was unwilling to pay pending rent and maintenance expenses, Punjab Police said on Monday, after the institution helped her resolve this issue.

    A video shared by the Punjab Police on Twitter said both parties had reached an agreement, and the person has paid the outstanding amount and agreed to withdraw the case against her.

    https://twitter.com/OfficialDPRPP/status/1399352217623269376

    While talking to PM Imran Khan over the phone, Ayesha said SSP Zeeshan Asghar’s  [former Lahore SSP Investigation who is now posted in Balochistan] brother, Imran Asghar, was not paying her the due amount, and police were not taking action against him either.

    She said Imran first illegally occupied her house and then refused payment of rent. She said her mother, who was pursuing the case, developed cancer and she (Ayesha) took up this challenge and used to travel from Quetta to Lahore to seek help from local politicians and respective police officers but to no avail.

    A tweet from the Punjab Police said Ayesha, back in December 2020, had lodged a complaint with the police about her tenant Imran Asghar regarding the illegal occupation of her house and non-payment of rent.

    “On the very next day, the house was vacated. However, the tenant did not pay her rent and damages to the house amounting to Rs 5,00,000,” the tweet said.

    Punjab Police said the lady submitted an application to the police regarding the recovery of her remaining rent, but the other party went to a civil court and obtained a stay order. “Her issue to the extent of payment of rent is still pending due to the stay issued by the court …. IGP Punjab will personally try to resolve it.”

    During the live telephonic call, the woman asked PM Imran Khan to take up the matter with the Chief Justice of Pakistan as to why courts were granting ‘unnecessary’ stay orders in such cases.