Current Final

Category: Politics

  • Ishaq Dar ‘enjoyed intense interview’, believes BBC HARDtalk host

    Stephen Sackur, the host of the BBC News HARDtalk show, said that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Ishaq Dar “appeared to enjoy and appreciate the intense conversation at times” during the show that many say had left Dar ‘redfaced’.

    Dar had appeared on the BBC show last month, where he was grilled by the show host for allegedly owning assets beyond means. He had failed to give straight answers, a fact celebrated by the government officials.

    BBC Urdu interviewed Sackur, who told them that he “enjoyed” interviewing the former finance minister of Pakistan. “I was delighted that Ishaq Dar wanted to be on the show. We are making conscious efforts to cover Pakistan more thoroughly on HARDtalk,” the journalist told BBC Urdu.

    According to Sackur, his show is “supposed to be an intense interview” and Dar was no exception,” he added. Sackur said he has enough experience to ensure that high-profile figures don’t dodge the questions. “The trick is you ask the same question so many times to get the straight answer,” he said.

    The BBC anchorperson said HARDtalk was not a “boxing match where he treated the interviewee like an opponent”.

    He also praised Dar for being a “direct speaker”.

    DAR ON HARDTALK:

    Last month, Dar, who is in a self-imposed exile after corruption cases were filed against him, appeared on BBC News to talk about corruption charges, PML-N’s fight against the government, and NAB.

    During the show, the host asked Dar: “Is it your contention that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has no integrity? To this, Dar responded that NAB has lost its integrity. “It is an institution that has been used against political opponents.”

    Dar said the prime allegation in the Panama Papers Joint Investigation Team report on which the Supreme Court directed NAB to file a reference against him was that he didn’t file his tax returns in Pakistan for 20 years i.e. 1981-2001. Dar said as a chartered account, he had never missed filing his tax returns while living in the UK and North America, as he called these “blatant allegations”.

    At this the host asked Dar about the number of properties owned by his family. The PML-N leader responded, “It’s all in my tax returns.”

    Upon the insistence of the host, he said: “I have my main residence in Pakistan which has been taken over by this regime… I haven’t got too many properties.”

    “How many properties do you and your family own,” the host asked him again. At this, Dar said: “One.” At this, the show host asked him about the news reports in the Pakistan press that claim that the former PML-N minister owned multiple properties in and outside Pakistan. “You are sitting in London and you don’t own anything here,” the host asked Dar.

    Dar responded that he doesn’t own any property in London or anywhere else as claimed by the media reports.

    However, he went on to admit that his sons recently acquired a villa in Dubai. “They are adult and are in the business for the past 17 years,” he clarified.

    Dar, 69, is currently in London, “undergoing medical treatment”. He is absconding from several cases in Pakistan since 2017 and has been declared a proclaimed offender by the courts. He is facing charges of accumulating assets beyond known sources of income.

  • ‘Sh Rasheed is like a brother to me,’ says Hareem Shah, advises him to get married soon

    TikTok star Hareem Shah on Monday termed recently-appointed Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed as “her brother” and even advised him to tie the knot soon.

    Harim Shah has 4.9 million followers on the video-streaming platform TikTok.

    Addressing a press conference in Karachi, Hareem said that it is in Sheikh Rasheed’s best interest to get married now.

    “Sheikh Rasheed Sahib should tie the knot, otherwise who knows how many more videos will emerge,” she said in reference to a recent controversy surrounding the minister.

    The TikTok celebrity announced she is not going to marry right now, saying, “My dream boy has not yet landed on planet earth. When I see him, I will marry him.”

    Last year, several videos of Federal Minister for Railways Sheikh Rasheed on live calls with TikTok stars Hareem and Sundal Khatak had gone viral on social media.

  • Senior journalist says PPP ‘creating problems’ for PDM, may quit Opp alliance

    Senior journalist says PPP ‘creating problems’ for PDM, may quit Opp alliance

    It seems the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) is in two minds about staying in the Pakistan Democratic Movement because the party is allegedly responsible for holding the anti-government movement back over its key demands, claims senior journalist Saleem Safi.

    Speaking in Geo TV’s Shahzeb Khanzada show, Safi said the PPP was “creating problems” for the PDM by not agreeing to mass resignations and the long march towards Islamabad. Instead, it wanted to hold small rallies in different cities of Pakistan to “buy more time”, he claimed.

    He said that both Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) believe that the PPP was in contact with the powers-that-be to reach a deal. “Both parties are not reacting to this development because of the alliance, but the PPP has been told that if it wants to gain results via backdoor talks, it can go ahead,” he claimed, adding that PML-N and JUI-F are not happy with the PPP.

    According to Safi, the PPP was at the forefront when the PDM was formed, but the party has been gradually moving away from the 11-party alliance. He said the statement by PPP chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari –in response to PML-N supreme leader Nawaz Sharif taking names of the army chief and intelligence chief in a jalsa — wherein he expressed shock was a part of a well-thought strategy. “Bilawal gave this statement to appease the establishment and distance the PPP from the PML-N,” he claimed.

    The senior journalist further claimed that the opposition parties wanted to resign in December and hold a sit-in in Islamabad, but this idea, too, was opposed by the PPP.

    He said the PPP’s decision to participate in the by-polls has also damaged the cause of the PDM and the Election Commission of Pakistan decided to hold bypolls on the vacant seats following the insistence of the PPP.

    Safi further said that the PDM leadership knows that if the PPP ditches the PDM after signing the resignation letters then the party will be reduced to just one province, Sindh.

    “Maulana Fazl thinks that PPP will not give up its status as a national party to save its skin and will remain a part of the PDM,” he added.

  • CM Buzdar tests positive for COVID-19 two days after attending high profile wedding

    Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Usman Buzdar on Monday tested positive for COVID-19, sources in the CM House confirmed to The Current two days after the provincial chief executive attended a high profile wedding in Lahore.

    “The CM was tested for coronavirus after after he complained of symptoms,” a CM House official said.

    “The chief minister had quarantined himself after feeling sick on Sunday,” the official version maintained.

    Over the weekend, Buzdar was spotted at a high profile event held to mark the baraat of former Punjab governor Muhammad Latif Khosa’s daughter Sehr Khosa.

    Among other guests at the two-day wedding ceremony were Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Gulzar Ahmed, Governor Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, former CJP Asif Saeed Khosa and ex-prime minister (PM) Yousaf Raza Gillani.

    Ex-CJP Saqib Nisar also reportedly attended the event.

  • PM paid Rs1.2m fine for regularisation of Banigala house

    PM paid Rs1.2m fine for regularisation of Banigala house

    Prime Minister Imran Khan paid a fine to the tune of Rs1.2million to get his 300-kanal residence in Banigala, Islamabad, approved by the Capital Development Authority (CDA) under the new bylaws.

    It was approved under the amended regulation on March 5 this year but was not disclosed publicly. The Islamabad Capital Territory Residential Sectors Zoning (Building Control) Regulations 2020 were finalised by a commission constituted by the cabinet in Dec 2018 for revision of Islamabad’s master plan, according to a report in Dawn.

    However, the master plan was supposed to be revised by a consultant firm, which hasn’t happened as of yet.

    As per CDA, the residence is situated in sub-zone B of zone IV, where construction took place without permission but “falls in the permissible area” where houses can be regularised.

    The CDA officials said the move was not “discriminatory treatment” and complied with the new bylaws.

     According to the CDA officials, the house was regularised only after the PM fulfilled all the requirements for its legalisation. The approval letter issued by the CDA said that the PM “paid Rs1.206 million to the CDA on account of approval charges and scrutiny fee”.

    “CDA is pleased to approve the building plans for the building be constructed on Khasra No. 1939, Khewat no, 960, Khatooni no, 1652,1654,1656,1658,1660 & 1674 Mouza Mohra Noor, Islamabad,” read the approval letter quoted by the newspaper.

  • ‘Pakistan, Israel on cusp of making ‘secret ties’ official,’ claims journalist Ahmed Quraishi

    ‘Pakistan, Israel on cusp of making ‘secret ties’ official,’ claims journalist Ahmed Quraishi

    Amid controversial reports that Pakistan was mulling to establish ties with Israel, Pakistani journalist Ahmed Quraishi claimed that Pakistan and Israel are on the “cusp of making their decades-old secret ties public” by the establishment of the diplomatic ties on the official level.

    Pakistan has repeatedly denied the existence of ties with Israel and called such reports “baseless”. It says that there will be no normalisation of ties with Tel Aviv till the resolution of the Palestinian issue.

    Speaking to an Israeli TV channel, Quraishi said that he knew “for a fact that it was just a matter of time” before the two countries announced the formation of the ties.

    “It is a long history that goes back at least quarter of a century,” he said, adding that Islamabad and Tel Aviv have cooperated on international forum even though they do not enjoy official relations.

    He said that Pakistan and Israel don’t have any sort of “strategic conflict”, adding that because of the Palestinian issue their relationship is “suffering”. He also called it a “story of missed opportunities”.

    In 2005, the governments of both countries “established a very public, formal, political, and diplomatic contact in Ankara” that was mediated by then prime minister of Turkey Tayyip Erdogan.

    He said then president Gen Pervez Musharraf also called for a dialogue between the Jewish people and Muslims, adding that it was time to “revive” that.

    In response to question, he said Prime Minister Imran Khan is probably open to this idea, but he is caught up in the religious-dominated politics over the past few years. “I think he needs a little push to take this step,” the journalist claimed, adding that this push can from “within the country” or some friendly country can ask him to take this step.

    “The PM must be weighing his options, given Pakistan and Israel have same friends –the US, Gulf countries, Turkey, China, Nato, Azerbaijan — and share similar views on many security issues, e.g. Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict,” he added.

    In a recent interview with a TV channel, PM Imran denied all reports regarding talks of setting up ties with Israel. “Pakistan will refuse to recognise Israel until Palestinian rights are guaranteed,” he told the interviewer.

    “Pakistan is a democratic society — and our entire nation stands with the Palestinians,” he had said, denying reports of a meeting between his adviser and Israeli officials. “Why would anyone go from Pakistan when it’s our policy that we don’t recognize Israel?” he had questioned.

    “What’s a minister going to do there? This is absolutely fake news.”

  • Firdous says ‘ready for boxing match’ with Maryam Nawaz

    Special Assistant to the Punjab Chief Minister on Information Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan has said that she was ready to have a boxing match with Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Maryam Nawaz.

    In a press conference in Lahore alongside British-Pakistani boxer Amir Khan, Firdous said she was ready to fight anyone.

    “I want to have a match with people who will come up to my level,” said the Punjab CM’s aide. At this, Amir Khan, who is in Pakistan on a visit, challenged the politician to defeat Maryam Nawaz in a boxing match. Firdous accepted the challenge, likening the PML-N vice president to a “broiler chicken”.

    The comments by Firdous irked the PML-N. “Baji, you’re quite aware that she is a Rajkumari,” PML-N’s Azma Bokhari tweeted in reply to Firdous’s comments. “Also, she is protecting the masses from your punches of inflation, unemployment and corruption.”

    Earlier this month, Firdous Ashiq Awan broke a stack of tiles with a punch, saying it was her response to the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM). “The PDM has been throwing punches at Imran Khan’s government, so now this was her response to them,” she had said.

    “I was afraid that I would be made fun of in front of the media if I don’t punch through [the tiles],” she said. “I don’t know Karate nor have I ever done anything like this. Of course, my knuckles were in severe pain… they aren’t made of steel after all,” she told Samaa TV in a subsequent interview.

  • Indian troops target UN vehicle from across LOC: ISPR

    Indian troops target UN vehicle from across LOC: ISPR

    The Indian Army has deliberately targeted a United Nations (UN) vehicle carrying military observers along the Line of Control (LoC), the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) has said.

    ISPR tweeted that the Indian Army resorted to unprovoked firing in Chirikot sector of the LoC and “deliberately targeted a UN vehicle with two military observers on board”. “The military observers were en route to interact with victims of the ceasefire violations (CFVs) in Polas village in Chirikot sector,” it added.

    UN vehicles are clearly recognisable due to their distinct make and type and clearly visible markings, but they were still targetted. “While the vehicle was damaged, the two UNMOs luckily remained unharmed. They were safely rescued and evacuated by the Pakistan Army to Rawalakot,” the ISPR said.

    According to the ISPR, “Such illegal and unlawful acts against all established international norms, signify malintent of the Indian Army to target not only innocent civilians residing along the Line of Control but also the UN peacekeepers.”

    “This act only goes to show the Indian army’s complete disregard to principles enshrined in UN charter. It is indeed a new low for Indian Army,” it added.

    The media wing said that Pakistan Army stands in solidarity with the United Nations Military Observer Group in India And Pakistan (UNMOGIP) officials and appreciates the selfless services rendered by all members of UNMOGIP in the discharge of their UN-mandated duties.

    Yesterday, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that India was planning to undertake a surgical strike against Pakistan to divert the attention of the world from its worsening domestic situation.

    Addressing a press conference in Abu Dhabi, Qureshi had said that India’s irrational approach was driven by its frustration emanating from internal unrest due to the RSS-BJP regime’s policies.

    “India is planning a false flag operation … we are well aware of the Indian designs. We have intelligence reports about a potential false flag operation,” the FM said. “I want to share all this information with the UAE government and the rest of the world,” Qureshi had added.

  • Gen Bajwa ‘tolerating Nawaz’s tirades against army for sake of democracy’, says Imran

    Gen Bajwa ‘tolerating Nawaz’s tirades against army for sake of democracy’, says Imran

    Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that there is a lot of anger in the military over the tirades of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif against the army, but the army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, is putting up with it for the “sake of democracy”.

    The PM made these comments in an interview on Samaa TV. “I praise Gen Bajwa today. To attack an army chief in this manner definitely provokes a reaction from the army,” he added.

    The PM said that Gen Bajwa was “uncomplicated man”. “If someone else was at the helm of the army, there would have been a strong response by now,” Imran said.

    The PM said the opposition was accusing him of being a “puppet” of the establishment, yet they wanted to talk to the establishment. “This means they’re putting pressure on the army to remove a democratic government. This is [their] democratic movement,” he added.

    Imran said that asking the military to remove a democratically-elected government was a case of “treason”, as Article 6 applies to this. “The opposition’s second demand is that if the army and ISI chiefs do not remove me, then the army should remove them [the chiefs of army and ISI],” he added.

    According to the prime minister, the army was a state department that was subordinate to his government. He said the military has always stood by him in times of crisis.

    Speaking on the former government’s troubled relationships with the establishment, Imran said Nawaz was “manufactured by the army against the PPP”. He said he himself received a message from military ruler Gen Ziaul Haq in 1988 that he wanted to make him (Imran) the prime minister.

    He said the establishment had helped the PML-N supremo in the 2013 elections but their ties became strained because the establishment did not support him in 2018.

    The ex-PM, who is in a self-imposed exile in London, has called out the army many times for its involvement in manipulating the general elections in 2018 to bring Imran Khan to power. Addressing a rally in Gujranwala in Oct, the former PM had called out Gen Bajwa and ISI chief Lt Gen Faiz Hameed for alleged manipulation of election results.

  • Qureshi in UAE: India planning ‘surgical strike’ against Pakistan, says FM

    Qureshi in UAE: India planning ‘surgical strike’ against Pakistan, says FM

    Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Friday said India was planning to undertake a surgical strike against Pakistan to divert the attention of the world from its worsening domestic situation.

    Addressing a press conference in Abu Dhabi, Qureshi said that India’s irrational approach was driven by its frustration emanating from internal unrest due to the RSS-BJP regime’s policies.

    “India is planning a false flag operation … we are well aware of the Indian designs. We have intelligence reports about a potential false flag operation,” the FM said. “I want to share all this information with the UAE government and rest of the world,” Qureshi added.

    “Pakistan is a peaceful country, but it would give a befitting response in case India tried a military misadventure,” he warned. “We will do it […] as we did respond immediately and effectively in February 2019,” he added.

    Qureshi urged upon the world to take notice of India, which was playing a “dangerous game of targeting peace in the region”.

    He said the situation in Indian Occupied Kashmir had further deteriorated due to India’s oppression of Kashmiri people.

    He also mentioned the country-wide protest of Indian farmers and mishandling of coronavirus pandemic, that led to the agitation of citizens against the incumbent BJP government.

    Qureshi mentioned that Pakistan had exposed the nefarious designs of India to create instability and presented before the world the credible evidence in this regard.

    He said the Indian Chronicles report by EU DisInfo Lab was proof that India was misusing the platforms of international bodies, such as the United Nations and the European Union.

    The FM is on a visit to the United Arab Emirates, where he held meeting with his counterpart Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

    The FM said he held a wide-ranging meeting with his Emirati counterpart and discussed issues of bilateral importance. He said Pakistan and the UAE enjoyed close relations and stood by each other in difficult times.