Current Final

Category: Politics

  • VIDEO: PTI’s Gandapur spotted letting minor kid drive his car

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs (AJK) & Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) Ali Amin Gandapur has been spotted letting a minor kid drive a car.

    A video tweeted by senior journalist Mansoor Ali Khan showed at least two other people accompanying Gandapur as the fourth individual in the car, the kid, cruised off the road at an unknown location.

    “Ali Amin Gandapur letting a kid drive the car,” he wrote along with a dig at ruling PTI’s loyalists.

    While there has been no official reaction to the video, amid criticism, a netizen has quoted Gandpur as asking why would the video bother anyone.

    “Just spoke to Ali Amin Gandapur and this is what he had to say: ‘Why does it bother anyone when it is my land, my son and my car?’,” he claimed.

    Later, Gandapur tweeted the same:

    Although Gandapur is not new to controversy, it merits a mention that number of incidents of underage kids driving in Pakistan have recently shot up.

    Earlier, a viral video showed a five-year-old boy standing behind the wheel of a black Toyota Land Cruiser V8.

    According to Dunya News, the boy was cruising through Bosan, one of the busiest roads in Multan “to go and buy ice cream”.

    Despite putting his own and others’ lives at risk, he was pardoned by the police upon his father’s assurances.

  • PDM at war

    PDM at war

    The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) is at war with itself, it seems. The opposition alliance that was formed last year as an anti-government alliance now seems to be fighting a battle within its ranks.

    The two largest parties — Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) — have had a falling out of sorts in recent weeks.

    While we saw over the months since the formation of the PDM that the PML-N leadership took a rather strong stand on the establishment meddling in politics, the PPP was being cautious when it came to naming anyone directly. The strategies of both parties also seemed to be different, which is understandable given the fact that PDM is a mix of different parties with different ideologies. But one of their common goals was to get rid of the government.

    There were of course differences in strategies as to how to do it: the PML-N and Maulana Fazlur Rehman believed in resignations but the PPP believes that it should be done within the democratic framework while remaining in the system. It is understandable that the PPP would not want to resign given that it is the only Opposition party that is in power in a province. It has more at stake in parliamentary system at the moment than other parties of PDM.

    These issues have now come back in public again after the recent PDM meeting where former president Asif Zardari asked former premier Nawaz Sharif to return to Pakistan when the issue of resignations from assemblies was proposed once again by the latter. What ensued was a public war of words. From a tweet by Maryam Nawaz warning PM Imran to be wary of a ‘substitute’ being fostered, to Bilawal Bhutto saying he will not respond to a PML-N vice president’s statement and his party VP could respond.

    Then Bhutto-Zardari said a family from Lahore has a track record of being selected, quite obviously taking a jibe at the Sharifs. Things escalated even faster when the PPP went against the consensus decision of PDM on the Leader of the Opposition in Senate being from the PML-N. First they said they do not agree on the name of Azam Nazeem Tarar as he is defending two police officers accused in Benazir Bhutto’s assassination case, who have been accused of negligence after her murder.

    The PML-N says that if the PPP could have a deputy PM who was directly nominated in BB’s letter, then why would they have an issue with Tarar’s name who is not defending any murderers. The PPP’s Yousaf Raza Gilani recently became the Leader of Opposition in Senate after securing votes from the government’s ally, BAP. Apart from the ANP and Jamaat-e-Islami, the rest of the Opposition parties supported Tarar in Senate.

    Now it remains to be seen whether the PDM decides that PPP will remain part of the Opposition alliance or not. The government, it seems, is having fun at the PPP’s expense. However, it is important that instead of this infighting, the Opposition parties should sit with the government and work on electoral reforms, accountability reforms, judicial reforms, among other things. Every democratic government must complete its tenure and bring about reforms.

    It is high time that the PDM stop thinking about a change in government and think long term so that it can benefit the system. Any elections without proper reforms would lead to finger-pointing by those who lose. It is important that all parties put aside their differences for the greater good of democracy.

  • Girl from viral obscene video of Indian youngsters, her mother commit suicide

    A 40-year-old woman and her 22-year-old daughter have allegedly committed suicide in India after an obscene video showing the latter went viral on social media in both India and Pakistan.

    Gonda police of India’s Uttar Pradesh (UP) said the incident took place in Nagrasen village. “The duo was upset ever since the video of the young girl and her lover went viral.”

    Villager Pappu Paswan told police that the 22-year-old had gotten married in December. However, Satyam, a former partner of hers from a caste deemed superior, used to harass the woman even after marriage. On the night of March 22, Satyam sent an obscene video of him and the woman to the her husband and made it viral on social media.

    The video also went viral in Pakistan with people on this side of the border widely sharing it.

    “This affected her relationship with her husband and the woman and her mother were devastated. They did not come out of their house all of Tuesday and on Wednesday, we spotted them hanging,” said the villager.

    Satyam has been arrested and booked for abetment of suicide and under the Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 that prohibits discrimination, prevent atrocities and hate crimes against scheduled castes and tribes.

    “The accused was blackmailing the woman by saying he would tell the husband about their relationship. He also misbehaved with her and made an obscene video. Thereafter, he started blackmailing her with the video, asking her to live with him. When the woman refused, he sent the video clip to her husband,” said Gonda cop Shailesh Pandey.

  • Gilani becomes Senate’s Opp leader

    Gilani becomes Senate’s Opp leader

    Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani has notified newly-elected Senator Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani as leader of the opposition in the Upper House of the parliament after the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) nominated him for the slot with the support of 30 of his colleagues.

    “In pursuance of Rule 16 (3) of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Senate 2012, the Chairman Senate has been pleased to declare Senator Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani, as Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, with effect from 26th March, 2021,” read the notification issued by the Senate Secretariat.

    Former premier Yousaf Raza Gillani had earlier in the day filed nomination papers for the slot, according to pictures shared by PPP Senator Rubina Khalid on Twitter.

    PML-N’s Azam Nazir Tarrar, according to reports, had the support of 21 opposition senators while five-senator-strong Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) did not support any candidate.

    Talking to the media after submitting the request, Senator Sherry Rehman said the PPP’s request has the signatures of 21 senators from the party, two from the Awami National Party (ANP), one from Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), two from erstwhile Federally Administrated Tribal Areas (FATA) and four members from Dilawar Khan’s independent group.

    To a query about what this would mean for the opposition alliance the fate of which was in the balance over the tussle now won by the PPP, she said it wasn’t the funeral of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) but a right of the PPP.

  • VIDEO: Zardari is life-long chairman of son-in-laws’ union, I am the general secy, says Capt (r) Safdar

    As both the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) reportedly pour in efforts to save the sinking ship of the opposition alliance amid growing differences, a statement by PML-N’s Capt (r) Muhammad Safdar has left netizens in fits of laughter.

    Speaking to journalists on Thursday, Safdar said the media shouldn’t expect him to comment over the straining relations between the PPP and the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM).

    “[PPP chief] Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari is like a brother to me while his father [and PPP co-chairperson] Asif Ali Zardari is the life-long president of the son-in-law’s union. I am the general secretary,” said the son-in-law of former prime minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif.

    So, Safdar went on to say, he shared a lot of relations with the PPP leadership and wouldn’t give any statement.

    Earlier, his wife and PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz also refused to answer a journalist’s query regarding reports of the PPP backstabbing the opposition alliance.

    ZARDARI & SAFDAR:

    The son of Hakim Ali Zardari, a landowner from Sindh, Zardari rose to prominence after his 1987 marriage to PPP founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s daughter Benazir Bhutto, who became the PM of Pakistan after her election in 1988.

    After his wife’s assassination in 2007, Zardari, the new co-chairperson, led the PPP to victory in the 2008 general election.

    Safdar, on the other hand, married Maryam Nawaz in 1992 while he was serving as a captain in the Pakistan Army and had been the military secretary to then PM Nawaz Sharif.

    After retiring from the military, he joined the civil service. He joined politics after returning to Pakistan from exile in 2007 along with the Sharif family and is now a key PML-N leader.

  • Irresponsible? COVID-infected PM Imran spotted in meeting ‘with media team’

    Irresponsible? COVID-infected PM Imran spotted in meeting ‘with media team’

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, who tested positive for COVID-19 last week, was on Thursday spotted holding a meeting with his “media team”.

    In a picture tweeted by Information Minister Shibli Faraz, the premier was seen sitting with him as well as Senator Faisal Javed Khan among others.

    Netizens reacted to the picture rather strongly over the fact that the picture showing infected PM with at least seven others was taken in the midst of a global pandemic.

    As a result, Senator Faisal Javed, who had also tweeted the same picture, deleted it. He, however, retweeted a party worker, saying that the premier was “doing well” and “holding meetings following [coronavirus] SOPs”.

    https://twitter.com/FaisalJavedKhan/status/1375031814998405121

    When approached for a comment over the potential risk the meeting posed to the health of attendees, premier’s digital media aide Dr Arslan Khalid said that he wasn’t part of it so couldn’t exactly comment on the duration of the meeting or what kind of precautions were taken.

    “But from the released pictures it appears that doors and windows of the room were open with at least 10 feet or more distance between participants and the PM, that too with everyone in masks.”

    To a question regarding sharing such pictures with media considering the third wave of COVID-19, he said public messaging was very important and it should have been avoided. “Even though all SOPs must have been followed, a picture alone can’t convey all details,” he added.

    Speaking to The Current, one of the attendees of Thursday’s meeting, Senator Faisal Javed, said that it was likely that the premier contracted the virus while holding meetings with parliamentarians ahead of Senate elections.

    “This means that it remained undetected but it has been quite a lot of days since he got infected and is probably healthy now.”

    When asked as to what message the picture sent to the nation at a time when awareness on social distancing and isolation needs to be raised during a deadly third wave of the virus, the senator said that to him it showed how SOPs were being followed and the premier was still working.

    It merits a mention that PM Imran had tested positive for COVID-19 last Saturday. However, reports suggest that he had been showing symptoms for quite some time.

  • New pro-IMF State Bank law would leave country bankrupt, lead to Pakistan’s collapse: prominent economist

    Renowned economist Dr Kaiser Bengali has warned that the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Ordinance, which is likely to be introduced soon, is anti-national and could lead to no accountability of central bank officials besides ultimately resulting “in the collapse of the country”.

    Speaking to a private media outlet, he said that the law would leave the federal government and subsequently the state paralysed.

    “There would be no money to pay salaries because the top priority would be paying back loans for which new loans will be sought,” Dr Bengali said.

    To a query by host Asma Shirazi, he said the law had no parallel in the modern world, however, a similar one dating back to the Ottoman Era played a key role in the downfall of the House of Osman.

    “They didn’t have any money to fight wars or deal with the rebellion after handing control of all the money to the central bank.”

    “This would dissolve Pakistan because there won’t even be enough money to pay the police,” Dr Bengali maintained, adding that it was a bleak picture.

    “The opposition alliance should put its other demands on hold and work towards stopping this legislation,” he concluded. The same was stated by him in a tweet as well.

    Earlier, Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) Secretary General Ahsan Iqbal also claimed the government was enacting such a law which would hand over the State Bank of Pakistan’s (SBP) control to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and other international financial institutions.

    Addressing a press conference, he said that with the new legislation, the SBP would not be accountable to the parliament, the prime minister or any institution of the country and it would only be answerable to the international institutions.

    He said National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) or any other institution would not be able to ask the SBP governor and other officials for any corruption.

    “If the prime minister of Pakistan can appear before NAB, then why can’t the SBP governor?” Ahsan said adding it was only to mortgage Pakistan’s economy with the international institutions.

  • Pakistani who attacked French magazine’s office says PM Imran, Khadim Rizvi influenced him

    The Pakistani man who attacked the former offices of French satirical magazine, Charlie Hebdo, last September was radicalised by videos of preachers in his home country and anti-France demonstrations at the time, AFP reported, citing a local newspaper.

    According to Le Parisien, police investigation has revealed the 26-year-old had spent the days leading up to his knife attack watching extremist preachers on YouTube and TikTok denouncing France and Charlie Hebdo.

    “I couldn’t eat. I was crying watching the videos,” Zaheer Hassan Mahmood told investigators.

    Weeks before, the magazine had republished sketches of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), which were considered blasphemous by Muslims, to mark the start of a trial of men linked to a 2015 attack on its offices.

    Mahmood said he did not realise the magazine had moved offices after the 2015 attack and presumed the two people he slashed with a meat cleaver were employees of the publication, the report said.

    Both victims, who worked for a TV production company with no links to Charlie Hebdo, sustained serious injuries.

    Mahmood, from the village of Kothli Qazi in Punjab province, had entered France with false papers showing him as an unaccompanied minor, enabling him to claim asylum.

    Islamist groups organised demonstrations in Pakistan in September against Charlie Hebdo and French President Emmanuel Macron, who defended freedom of expression and blasphemy, which is legal in France.

    Mahmood watched videos by Khadim Hussain Rizvi, the late founder of the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) party, and other radical preachers.

    He was also influenced by Prime Minister Imran Khan, who accused Macron of “attacking Islam”, the newspaper said.

    Blasphemy is a criminal act in Pakistan, where laws allow death penalty for anyone deemed to have insulted Islam or Islamic personalities.

    Mahmood said he initially intended to damage the office building, rather than attack people, and has offered to apologise to his victims.

    Investigators have found a video he sent to a friend the day before his attack which called for the decapitation of blasphemers, and he received a call from Greece the same day which appeared to refer to a pre-meditated assault.

    He has been charged with “attempted murder with relation to a terrorist enterprise”.

  • Nearly 100,000 trees cut down in Multan to pave way for DHA?

    Nearly 100,000 trees cut down in Multan to pave way for DHA?

    Netizens are fuming ever since it was claimed that over 90,000 trees were cut down in the City of Saints to pave way for Defence Housing Authority (DHA) Multan.

    However, it has emerged that the trees were chopped and mango orchards destroyed but not for the military-run locality.

    According to a report by BBC Urdu, the multiple videos doing the rounds on social media were recorded last year when culling actually took place. It was carried out by the City Housing Society near Bosan Road among other locations.

    Another media outlet reported that the Mango Growers Cooperative Society had also then demanded a complete ban on mango orchard cutting as the growers were perturbed by the rapid annexation of thousands of acres of mango plantation in the district.

    But with the videos going viral over the internet with the false claim, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) among others, including activists and senior journalists, has expressed grave concern over reports of denuding of mango orchards and conversion of them into an urban property over the past years by DHA, and sought a transparent inquiry into the matter.

    “Reckless conversion of mango orchards and farmlands into urban property will have a disastrous impact on agriculture, food security and the environment,” said PPP secretary general and former senator Farhatullah Khan Babar in a statement.

    “Food security is far more important than building housing authorities,” Babar said while calling for a transparent inquiry into these reports.

  • ‘Apni dukaan pr baith k ehtijaaj kaisay karoo?’: Firdous Ashiq on not getting paid

    Special Assistant to Punjab Chief Minister (CM) on Information Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan has revealed that she is not getting paid.

    “How can I protest at my own shop?” she said when suggested to do so by host Muhammad Shoaib during a rather light-hearted interview that aired on Wednesday morning.

    Firdous and the host were seen having quite a day with jet-skiing among other water-related activities in Karachi.

    The government official was also spotted sailing a boat and taking digs at the opposition alliance, Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM).

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHu2TG4dnkA

    “It has run out of fuel like the PDM,” she could be heard as telling the host when her jet ski stopped working.

    Firdous also spoke about how Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan didn’t have any favourites, she wanted to do parasailing but the winds were too strong, and she has been quite a lot into water sports since forever.