Current Final

Category: Politics

  • Fawad Chaudhry, Shireen Mazari condemn attack on journalist

    Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry and Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari on Wednesday condemned the attack on journalist Asad Ali Toor, by unidentified men.

    As per the official account of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, SSP Islamabad has been directed to probe the attack and bring the perpetrators to justice.

    As per Asad Ali Toor’s video statement, three unidentified men broke into his apartment and tortured him. The three assailants can be seen leaving Toor’s apartment in the CCTV footage, reported BBC Urdu. Journalist Shahbaz Zahid also posted the CCTV footage on Twitter.

    Chairman Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari also called for a full and transparent inquiry of the incident.

    Amnesty International has also urged authorities to take urgent steps for the safety of media workers in Pakistan.

    Journalists from around the country have condemned the attack and expressed solidarity with Toor.

    The federal cabinet in April approved the Protection of Journalists and Media Professionals Bill. Last year, journalist Matiullah Jan was abducted in Islamabad but was released after 12 hours while last month, senior journalist Absar Alam survived an assassination attempt in Islamabad. The Freedom Network’s annual state of press freedom report released in April 2021 highlighted a dramatic escalation in the climate of intimidation and harassment of journalists and the media in Pakistan.

  • ’PDM is not Shahid Khaqan’s bonded slave’: Kaira

    ’PDM is not Shahid Khaqan’s bonded slave’: Kaira

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Qamar Zaman Kaira said that the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) is not Shahid Khaqan Abbasi’s personal slave or bonded labour that he can impose his views on the Opposition alliance.

    Kaira was talking to anchorperson Shahzeb Khanzada on Geo News’ programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Saath’.

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi had said he would quit PDM if PPP was allowed to rejoin the Opposition alliance unconditionally.

    Kaira also said that while Shehbaz Sharif is making efforts to unite the Opposition, Shahid Khaqan was tearing it apart.

    Maryam Nawaz on Tuesday said Shehbaz Sharif’s dinner had nothing to do with PDM.

    PPP leadership also urged Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman to take back his words against the party.

    Fazl on Tuesday said the PPP and the Awami National Party (ANP) could rejoin the PDM if they apologie to the Opposition alliance for going against its decisions.

    Fazl said both the PPP and ANP had been given sufficient time to get back to the PDM leadership, but they have not done so.

    “There are currently no proposals to invite PPP and ANP at the PDM meeting on May 29,” Fazl said. He added that during the upcoming PDM meeting, the Opposition leaders will decide the future of the PPP and ANP in the alliance.

  • Pakistan to open vaccine registration for citizens aged 19 and above

    Pakistan to open vaccine registration for citizens aged 19 and above

    Pakistan will start registering persons aged 19 and above for coronavirus vaccination from tomorrow, May 27.

    Asad Umar tweeted that National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) has decided to open vaccination registration for all citizens aged 19 and above.

    Registration will start tomorrow. “So now registration will be open for the entire national population which is approved by health experts for Covid vaccination,” tweeted Asad Umar.

    Registration for citizens aged 30 and above started on May 16.

  • ‘Shehbaz Sharif’s dinner had nothing to do with PDM’: Maryam Nawaz

    ‘Shehbaz Sharif’s dinner had nothing to do with PDM’: Maryam Nawaz

    PML-N Vice-President Maryam Nawaz on Tuesday said her party president Shehbaz Sharif’s dinner had nothing to do with the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM). Shehbaz held a dinner on Monday for Opposition leaders, including those from the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the Awami National Party (ANP).

    “He hosted the dinner as the leader of Opposition, as they had to devise a strategy for the budget session,” said Maryam. “Shehbaz Sharif is the Opposition leader [in National Assembly]. He hosted the dinner for parliamentarians. My presence was not needed,” she said when asked about her absence from the dinner.

    Maryam said PDM had not received any response from the PPP regarding the party’s return to the alliance. She said that when the PPP addresses PDM’s concerns, the alliance will deliberate over the matter.

    Meanwhile, PDM Secretary-General Shahid Khaqan Abbasi stated that there was no place for the PPP within the opposition alliance until it restored the trust it had broken.

    Speaking to the media in Islamabad, the PML-N leader said that  the opposition alliance was formed for a particular purpose. “If you are not committed to the movement, then there is no place for you within the PDM.”

    “The PPP can’t just rejoin the movement. They can only do so once they restore their trust in the PDM. The alliance does not have a revolving-door policy that you break its trust, leave the movement and try to come back again when you face difficulties,” added Khaqan.

    “The door is closed. The door will only open when you rebuild trust,” he said.

    Maryam Nawaz’s media talk

  • TLP ban: federal cabinet approves formation of a review committee

    TLP ban: federal cabinet approves formation of a review committee

    Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said in a press conference that a committee has been formed in line with the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA). It will hear the appeal by Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) and send its recommendations to the cabinet.

    CPEC visas, electronic voting, Palestine issue, and economy were some of the few agendas discussed during the federal cabinet meeting.

    The use of electronic voting machines has been approved by the cabinet. Chaudhry said that members of Bar associations and press clubs told him they want to use this technology for their elections. He said the government will help them.

    https://twitter.com/FawadPTIUpdates/status/1397142494803070976

    A special procedure has been approved for visas for Chinese citizens who want to invest in CPEC projects. These work visas will be valid for two years and will be issued within 48 hours. Separate immigration counters will be established for their facilitation.

    https://twitter.com/FawadPTIUpdates/status/1397150396074930176

  • Punjab to vaccinate students of universities, medical institutions

    Punjab to vaccinate students of universities, medical institutions

    The Punjab government has decided to vaccinate students of medical colleges and universities, to ensure the safety of all and protection from the virus.

    The decision was taken during a meeting chaired by Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid. The government discussed a possible move to vaccinate people employed in 30 other sectors where the dangers of contracting the virus are high. 

    “Strict implementation of SOPs led to reduction in coronavirus tests. As of today, 901 cases emerged across the province. For the first time, less than a thousand cases have been reported across the province,” Dr Yasmin Rashid had said. 

    There is a total of 905,852 confirmed cases of Covid- 19 in the country, with a positivity rate of 4.8 per cent.

  • Protection of Journalists Bill

    Protection of Journalists Bill

    The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI ) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) have both prepared two bills for the protection of journalists in Pakistan.

    The federal cabinet in April approved two bills – the Protection of Journalists and Media Professionals Bill, and the Forced or Involuntary Disappearance (Criminal Law Amendment) Bill.

    Meanwhile, the bill for the protection of media persons was presented in the Sindh Assembly by the PPP government. The bill enables the provincial government to take effective steps to ensure that every journalist and media practitioner’s right to life, safety and security as provided under Article 9 of the Constitution are safeguarded.

    The Freedom Network’s annual state of press freedom report released in April 2021 highlighted a dramatic escalation in the climate of intimidation and harassment of journalists and the media in Pakistan.

  • Bangladesh drops ‘except Israel’ from passports

    Bangladesh drops ‘except Israel’ from passports

    The Bangladeshi passport had a note written on it that said it was acceptable for travel to all countries of the world except Israel.

    But a few months ago, Bangladesh dropped the words “except Israel” from the new electronic passports.

    Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen confirmed the country’s support for the struggle of Palestinians and condemned the Israeli aggression against civilians.

    Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Bangladesh Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen said the words “except Israel” have been withdrawn from the passports for “administrative convenience”.

    “This move will not affect our position . We are strong supporters of Palestine,” said Momen.

    Gilad Cohen, the Israeli foreign ministry’s deputy director-general for Asia and the Pacific, said on Twitter: “Great news! #Bangladesh has removed travel ban to Israel. This is a welcome step.”

    The Bangladeshi foreign ministry statement, however, clarified that the removal of the observation has been done to maintain global standards.

    “The ban on travel of Bangladeshi passport holders to Israel remains unchanged. The Government of Bangladesh has not deviated from its position on Israel and Bangladesh remains firm on its long-standing position in this regard,” it added.

  • Accountability to continue without any discrimination: PM Khan

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan on Sunday said that he will not be blackmailed by anyone, adding that even if the government has to dissolve, the process of accountability will continue.

    According to sources, Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar informed the PM about his meeting with the Tareen Group after which it was decided that the just demands of the group would be accepted.

    PM Khan, according to a source, told the party leaders that he will not let Jahangir Tareen get away if he is involved in the sugar scam.

    The meeting also discussed the Azad Kashmir elections and Minister for Kashmir Affairs Ali Amin Gandapur briefed the committee about the amendments in the relevant laws.

    The premier stressed that in order to make the process of elections fair and transparent, seeking technological assistance in the form of electronic voting is essential. He said that in the next elections, electronic voting will ensure that rigging does not take place.

    PM Imran said immediate steps should be taken to remove obstacles in the issuance of long-term visas to foreign investors, especially Chinese investors, and consider introducing a separate category for those involved in the CPEC project.

    The prime minister said that CPEC was not only a harbinger of economic growth for Pakistan, but also a path to development for the entire region.

  • Former Israeli defense minister shows Islamabad’s Shifa Hospital as Hamas headquarters

    Former Israeli defense minister shows Islamabad’s Shifa Hospital as Hamas headquarters

    Israel’s former defence minister Naftali Bennett, in a video posted to YouTube on the Gaza situation, referred to Pakistan’s Shifa International Hospital as Hamas Headquarters where the Al-Qassam Brigade of Hamas has been operating.


    “Ever heard of Shifa Hospital? It is the largest medical complex in Gaza. It’s also where Hamas’ headquarters is located while they are conducting terror actions against Israel”, he explained while showing a picture of the Shifa Hospital building in the background.

    Read more – Gaza’s largest bookshop destroyed by Israeli airstrikes

    Shifa International Hospital is a care healthcare facility in Islamabad providing medical services to local as well as international patient communities for over 25 years.

    Social media users soon started calling out the ex-minister for the blunder.

    https://twitter.com/nazir_geelani_/status/1395843984480555008?s=20