Current Final

Category: Politics

  • Opposition infighting: PPP’s Khokhar calls spade a spade

    Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar has said the recent decisions taken by the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) have not gone down well in the public.

    “The people are sick and tired of rising inflation. Unemployment rate is at an all-time high. They want to get rid of this government,” he said in a statement issued on Wednesday.

    The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader maintained that the infighting between opposition parties had given breathing space to an anti-people government.

    “On the issue of resignations, the other parties had a weak argument. But at the same time, the PPP’s decision on the leader of opposition in Senate was also not correct,” said Khokhar.

    He added that the pressure on the PPP to resign was unnecessary while the party, too, should not have taken support from Balochistan Awami Party (BAP).

    “I believe that taking votes from the ruling alliance has damaged our ideological narrative. If we want to take back space in other provinces, we have to give priority to the issues of the people rather than indulging in power politics.”

    Senator Khokhar said he hoped the Central Executive Committee (CEC) would look into these issues. “Difference of opinion is a democratic right and I hope my statement will also be taken in the same light.”

    Tensions have been brewing between opposition alliance members ever since PPP’s decision to nominate former premier Yousuf Raza Gilani for the slot of opposition leader in Senate.

    The PML-N believed it deserved to nominate one from its ranks, and Gilani’s successful election only made things worse.

    Now other members of the PDM are mulling refusing to accept Gilani as their leader, which might serve yet another blow to the anti-government alliance.

  • Abbasi, Haideri of PDM decide to not accept Gilani as Senate Opp leader

    Abbasi, Haideri of PDM decide to not accept Gilani as Senate Opp leader

    • PPP sources share a counter strategy

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Abdul Ghafoor Haideri of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) have refused to accept ex-prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani as the leader of opposition in Senate.

    According to reports, the two, during a meeting, said that the behaviour of opposition alliance’s Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) had disappointed all others.

    “Seeking support from Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) was disappointing,” they said and added that a new huddle would decide future course of action in light of PPP’s backstabbing.

    They, however, announced the decision to not accept Gilani as the opposition leader in the Upper House.

    Abbasi also inquired after the health of JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman during the meeting.

    Meanwhile, PPP sources told The Current that if the other members of the opposition alliance decide to sit on separate benches in Senate and not accept Gilani as the leader of opposition, the party would also have to take drastic measures.

    “If it stays like this, they should also know that we could sit separately in the National Assembly and not recognise Shehbaz Sharif as the leader of opposition in the National Assembly.”

  • ECC allows import of cotton, sugar from India

    ECC allows import of cotton, sugar from India

    The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the cabinet has approved two summaries of the commerce and textile ministry to lift ban on import of cotton and white sugar from India.

    According to reports, there were 21 items on the agenda of the ECC meeting to be chaired by newly appointed Finance Minister Hammad Azhar. Commerce and Textile divisions had submitted five crucial summaries for approval besides others.

    At the agenda no. 16, the Textile Division summary sought permission from the ECC to lift ban on import of cotton and cotton yarn from India in a bid to bridge raw material shortfall for the value-added textile sector.

    In addition to this, another summary of the commerce ministry at agenda no. 20 also sought permission to allow import of white sugar from India through the Trading Corporation of Pakistan and commercial importers.

    The resumption of import of these goods will lead to partial revival of trade relations. On Aug 9, 2019 Pakistan downgraded trade relations with India in reaction to the latter’s decision to revoke Article 370 of its Constitution that granted occupied Kashmir a special status.

    In May 2020, Pakistan lifted the ban on import of medicines and raw material from India to ensure there is no shortage of essential drugs amid the COVID-19 pandemic. This was the first step of reversing of complete suspension of trade with India.

    However, Indian premier’s letter to Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan on Pakistan Day was the first step in the right direction amid reports of UAE Royals brokering peace.

    On Tuesday, PM Imran replied to Modi’s letter, saying Pakistan also desired peaceful relations with India.

    “The people of Pakistan also desire peaceful, cooperative relations with all neighbours, including India,” he said in his reply.

    “I thank you for your letter conveying greetings on Pakistan Day.”

  • VIDEO: Model, baffled federal minister in hot water over out-of-turn vaccine allegations

    VIDEO: Model, baffled federal minister in hot water over out-of-turn vaccine allegations

    The Natio­nal Com­mand and Operation Centre (NCOC) has decided to conduct a probe to reveal facts regarding the video clip wherein family members of Federal Minister for Hou­sing Tariq Bashir Cheema were seen allegedly getting vaccinated out of turn.

    Model Iffat Omar could also be seen in the video.

    Cheema belongs to the Pakis­tan Mus­lim League-Quaid (PML-Q) that is an ally of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

    “We have learnt that a number of seg­ments of society are involved in such practice. People are vaccinated and they are included in the list of hea­lthcare workers. Du­­r­ing a meeting of the NCOC it was decided to first inqu­ire that whether the family members of the minister were vaccinated in Islam­a­bad or Punjab,” federal Mi­n­i­s­ter for Planning and Deve­l­o­p­ment Asad Umar said while talking to a news channel.

    On Tuesday, Cheema came under fire after video clips surfaced on social media showing him and some people of less than 60 years of age being vaccinated.

    He maintained that a team of the University of Health Sciences (UHS) had visited them to administer vaccine during a clinical trial, however, he seemed rather baffled while speaking to a private media outlet on Tuesday night.

    https://twitter.com/zarahatkay_dawn/status/1376980858364657667?s=21

    According to Umar, unfortunately it is the psyche of the people that they try to grab things by violating the law. “However on the other hand we have examples that President of Pakistan Dr Arif Alvi waited for his turn and got the jab when it was due,” he said.

    Dawn quoted Umar as saying during the NCOC meeting that it was decided that the Punjab government, in case the people were vaccinated in Punjab, would take action and if they were vaccinated in Islamabad, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Faisal Sultan and Secretary Health Aamer Ashraf Khuwaja would take action.

    Meanwhile, an official of the Ministry of National Health Services (NHS) said that unfortunately a large number of people were being vaccinated without being in the queue.

    They maintained that Cheema had dragged UHS in to diffuse the situation.

  • Pakistani-American likely to become first Muslim federal district judge

    Pakistani-American likely to become first Muslim federal district judge

    A Pakistani-American has been nominated by President Joe Biden for the position of a federal judge on the United States (US) District Court for New Jersey.

    If confirmed, Zahid Quraishi will be the first Muslim American to serve as a federal district judge.

    Hailing from New Jersey, Quraishi was ppointed in 2019 to be a magistrate judge in the District of New Jersey by the judges he now seeks to join on the bench.

    He is of Pakistani descent and got his law degree from Rutgers Law School, where he currently serves as an adjunct professor.

    An army veteran, Quraishi was a military prosecutor with the JAG Corps and did deployments in Iraq in 2004 and 2006, according to his Rutgers bio page.

    He later worked with the Department of Homeland Security then served as a federal prosecutor in the District of New Jersey.

  • ‘Desire peaceful relations’ – Khan replies to Modi’s letter

    ‘Desire peaceful relations’ – Khan replies to Modi’s letter

    Prime Minister Khan has responded to the letter written by his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on Pakistan Day, telling Modi that the Pakistani people “also desire peaceful, cooperative relations with all neighbours, including India”. The letter is dated March 29, a week after PM Khan received the letter from Modi.

    PM Khan started the letter by saying, “I thank you for your letter conveying greetings on Pakistan Day. The people of Pakistan commemorate this Day by paying tribute to the wisdom and foresight of our founding fathers in envisioning an independent, sovereign state where they could live in freedom and realise their full potential,” clearly stating that Pakistan is a place where people live in freedom.

    Letter written by Imran Khan to Narendra Modi

    PM Khan said Pakistan was convinced that “durable peace and stability in South Asia is contingent upon resolving all outstanding issues between India and Pakistan, in particular the Jammu & Kashmir dispute” . He also added that the “creation of an enabling environment is imperative for a constructive and result-oriented dialogue.”

    “Please accept, Excellency, the assurances of my highest consideration,” PM Khan concluded, after conveying his best wishes to the Indian people in the fight against coronavirus.

    It should be noted that in Modi’s letter to Khan, the same phrase was used to end the letter.

    In the letter that Modi wrote to Khan, Modi stated that, “an environment of trust, devoid of terror and hostility” was necessary if both countries were to move forward.

    Social media was abuzz after the news of the letter broke, with details emerging that Pakistan and India were going to resume trade.

    Others were hopeful that maybe this time Pakistan and India might commit to a new peace.

    While some are apprehensive.

    A separate message was also sent by President Ram Nath Kovind to his Pakistani counterpart Arif Alvi. Indian government officials have told the Indian press that it is a routine letter sent every year.

  • NA-249 by-poll: Candyland owner candidate of PML-N introduces new candy

    With crucial NA-249 by-poll in Karachi on April 29 just around the corner, candidate of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), who is the owner of Ismail Industries — parent company of Candyland and Bisconni — has a surprise for constituents.

    Ismail, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) Amjad Afridi and Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) chief Mustafa Kamal among others are the candidates for the lower house seat that fell vacant after Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Faisal Vawda resigned from the same.

    Amid intense electioneering, Ismail, who believes that former prime minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif is the most popular leader in the constituency, has introduced his favourite product in limited-time packaging for locals and colleagues.

    The pictures of a white wrapper bearing Ismail, his constituency and party’s name went viral on social media on Monday.

    But what candy is it?

    Amid mixed reactions by netizens, sources told this scribe that the candy inside the wrapper was none other than Ismail’s personal favourite.

    Speaking to The Current last week, the PML-N leader had mentioned the very popular and old Fanty as his favourite product produced by his company.

    He had gone on to explain how the product had beaten the lifecycle of any other and retained its position as a widely-loved candy through decades.

    WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW:

  • Pakistan Day Parade: Army headquarters awards Rs10 lacs to Punjab Police

    Punjab Police has been awarded Rs1 million (Rs10 lacs) by General Headquarters (GHQ) over its spectacular demonstration at the Pakistan Day Parade.

    According to reports, Personnel Services & Provost Marshal Director General (DG) Colonel Anjum Mumtaz has directed the Army HQ to award the amount to the soldiers of Punjab Police.

    The cheque to Punjab Police was signed by Brigadier Muhammad Raheel Saleem and the amount will be distributed among the members of the force who participated.

    The March 23 parade that was postponed until March 25 due to bad weather conditions last Thursday featured a spectacular display of military might as well as law enforcement discipline.

    President Arif Alvi attended the parade as the chief guest, while Defence Minister Pervez Khattak, Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (JCSC) Chairman General Nadeem Raza, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Zaheer Ahmad Babar Sidhu and Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Amjad Khan Niazi were also present.

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan was unable to attend as he was in quarantine after testing positive for COVID-19.

    The ceremony kicked off with the fly past of the Pakistan Air Force and Pakistan Navy fighter jets, led by Air Chief Zaheer Ahmad Babar Sidhu, which saluted the president.

    F-16, JF-17, Mirage, AWACs, P-3C Orion and ATR aircraft formation participated in the fly past.

    The parade also showcased the local cultures of the four provinces as floats from Sindh, Punjab, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Azad Kashmir were featured during the ceremony.

    Contingents of the Pakistan Army, Pakistan Navy, Pakistan Air Force, Special Services Groups, Frontier Corps, Rangers, Islamabad Police, Frontier Constabulary, Airport Security Force and Boys Scouts, marched past the dais while saluting the chief guest, Radio Pakistan reported.

    JF-17 and Sherdils performed acrobatic manoeuvres, painting the sky a myriad of colours as an enthralled audience cheered them on.

    As a mark of the strong bond between Pakistan and Turkey, a Turkish fighter jet also presented a range of dazzling manoeuvres, the report added. A Turkish military band also surprised the audience by playing national songs.

  • VIDEO: PM admits flouting COVID-19 SOPs, which led to him getting infected

    VIDEO: PM admits flouting COVID-19 SOPs, which led to him getting infected

    Disclosing how he got infected during the third wave of the coronavirus pandemic in Pakistan, Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has admitted flouting SOPs during the recently-held Senate elections.

    Saying that the third wave of COVID-19 was more severe than any previous ones, the premier, in a televised message, urged people to strictly follow government-issued SOPs as the country could not afford complete lockdown.

    “We should strictly adhere to the SOPs, including wearing masks and avoiding gatherings as we did in the past,” he said and added that the number of COVID-19 patients was rising at a very fast pace.

    Admitting he flouted SOPs during the upper house polls and that was how he and the first lady got infected, the premier said both his wife and him, with the blessings of Allah, were now feeling much better.

  • PDM hype dies down further after Fazl, Maryam fall sick

    PDM hype dies down further after Fazl, Maryam fall sick

    Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Maryam Nawaz are suffering from fever and have suspended all political activities for four days, their parties have said.

    Fazl, who also heads Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), has been suffering from the fever for the past two days,” a report said citing JUI-F sources. “He is currently residing at his Dera Ismail Khan residence.”

    It further said Fazl had sent his sample for coronavirus testing but the result came back negative.

    “He has suspended political activities [for the time being] as he is unwell,” said sources. “Doctors have advised him to rest.”

    On the other hand, Maryam too has caught “high fever” and is experiencing severe pain in her throat, said the PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb.

    “Maryam has suspended her political activities for four days,” she said in a statement. “She has also gotten herself tested for coronavirus.”

    The PML-N spokesperson said Maryam has been advised by her doctor to take rest, adding she attended a Lahore High Court (LHC) hearing the other day despite being sick.

    CRACKS IN PDM:

    Responding to Maryam’s comments against their party, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leaders on Sunday said that the PML-N VP’s tone was regrettable but their party knows how to respond to taunting remarks.

    Addressing a joint press conference with Shazia Marri and Maula Bux Chandio, Sherry said that while PPP Chairman Bilawal-Bhutto Zardari adopted a “political tone”, the PML-N VP’s tone in her Saturday’s press conference was “regrettable”.

    “We were sorry to see the word ‘selected’ being used to describe the PPP,” Marri said. “However, the PPP knows how to respond to every taunting remark.”

    “There are people in PML-N who understand the delicacy of the occasion. We will continue democratic traditions inside and outside the parliament,” she said.

    The PPP leader said that her party had reservations against Azam Nazeer Tarar, PML-N’s candidate for leader of the opposition slot in the Senate.

    Advising Maryam, Sherry said that the PML-N VP must “reorient her political objectives” and “stick to [the aim of] ousting the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led government [instead of issuing controversial statements]”.

    “We do not want the PDM to dissolve, therefore, the PML-N should refrain from issuing remarks that would empower the selected government,” she stressed.

    Adding to the comments, Maula Bux Chandio said that the PDM is neither “anyone’s property” nor “a child’s play.”

    “Therefore, saying that the long march will not take place is [inappropriate],” Chandio said.