Current Final

Category: Politics

  • British PM mocked for confusing farmers protest with India-Pakistan conflict

    British PM mocked for confusing farmers protest with India-Pakistan conflict

    British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was labelled “absolutely clueless” after a parliamentary faux pas on Wednesday when seemed to confuse ongoing farmers’ protest in India with a dispute between India and Pakistan.

    British Sikh Labour MP Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi addressed Johnson during the weekly Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) session about the protests in India, prompting Johnson to give an off-the-mark response.

    “Many constituents, especially those emanating from Punjab and other parts of India, and I were horrified to see footage of water cannons, teargas and brute force being used against peacefully protesting farmers. However, it was heart-warming to see those very farmers feeding those forces who had been ordered to beat or suppress them. What indomitable spirit and it takes a special kind of people to do that,” the opposition lawmaker said.

    “So, will the Prime Minister (Johnson) convey to the Indian Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) our heartfelt anxieties, our hopes for a speedy resolution to the current deadlock and does he agree that everyone has a fundamental right to peaceful protest,” he questioned Johnson.

    Johnson, in his brief response, went on to address a completely unrelated matter instead.

    “Our view is that of course, we have serious concerns about what is happening between India and Pakistan but these are pre-eminently matters for those two governments to settle and I know that he (Modi) appreciates that point”, said Johnson.

    Dhesi, who looked visibly perplexed, was quick to take to social media as he posted the exchange on Twitter, adding: “But it might help if our PM actually knew what he was talking about!”

    Shortly after his comments, Twitter users mocked him for his confusing statement with British member of Parliament Afzal Khan calling it “a new low even for Boris Johnson”.

    “The issue has nothing to do with India and Pakistan. Incredible,” Khan said.

    https://twitter.com/Afzal4Gorton/status/1336667817131859968

    Another parliamentarian Zahra Sultana pointed out that Johnson seemed to confuse the farmers protest with the international conflict between India and Pakistan over the disputed region of Kashmir.

    The UK government has so far refused to be drawn into the ongoing protests in India, with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) saying the matter of handling protests was an internal one.

    The police handling of protests is a matter for the government of India, an FCDO spokesperson said last week, following a letter initiated by Dhesi and signed by 35 other UK MPs over the issue.

    Meanwhile, Canada has already denounced the use of force against the protesting farmers.

    Thousands of farmers from Punjab, Haryana and several other states have been protesting on various borders of Delhi since November 26, seeking repeal of the three farm laws enacted in September.

    Dubbing these laws as “anti-farmer”, these farmers say that the newly enacted legislation would pave the way for the dismantling of the minimum support price system, leaving them at the “mercy” of big corporations. However, the government has claimed that the new laws will bring farmers better opportunities and usher in new technologies in agriculture. 

  • High-tension video shows police ‘forcefully picking up’ DJ Butt ahead of Opp’s Lahore jalsa

    High-tension video shows police ‘forcefully picking up’ DJ Butt ahead of Opp’s Lahore jalsa

    A high-tension video doing the rounds has shown Punjab Police personnel detaining popular disc jockey and political activist DJ Butt.

    According to journalist Munizae Jahangir, Butt, who is responsible for the sound system arrangements at the Pakistan Democratic Movement’s (PDM) anti-government protest in Lahore on December 13, was “forcefully taken to Model Town police station”.

    https://twitter.com/MunizaeJahangir/status/1336582648488226817?s=19

    The video that shows Butt resisting arrest and seeking the reason behind his detention comes at a time when tensions run high among the country’s political quarters.

    The joint opposition is determined to send the Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government packing with its protests.

    The government, on the other hand, has refused to let the opposition “blackmail the state into giving them a clean chit in corruption cases”.

    While the government has also not allowed the PDM member parties to gather in Lahore amid the second wave of COVID-19, leaders of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) among other joint opposition parties say the gathering will be held come what may.

    Meanwhile, the premier has also announced to hold by-elections on vacant seats if PDM leaders go forth with plans of resigning from assemblies.

  • ‘Don’t overstep limits,’ SC judge tells Sarina Isa for questioning ‘impartiality’ of CJP

    ‘Don’t overstep limits,’ SC judge tells Sarina Isa for questioning ‘impartiality’ of CJP

    Supreme Court (SC) Justice Umar Ata Bandial took exception to the remarks made by Sarina Isa, wife of SC judge Qazi Faez Isa, and warned her not to “overstep her limits”.

    Sarina, who appeared in the top court in a case pertaining to the review plea against the June 19 verdict in the Justice Isa case, said that Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmad should be impartial. “Why didn’t the CJP order the formation of a full-bench to hear review pleas against a judgement of a seven-member bench,” she asked, questioning the “objectivity” of CJP Gulzar in the matter.

    “You should be careful while talking about the CJP and the institution,” Justice Bandial responded, adding that as the head of the institution, the chief justice left the matter related to the inclusion of three judges to this larger bench.

    At this, Muneer A Malik, counsel representing Justice Isa, quoted precedents to make his case for the inclusion of the three judges. Similarly, Rashid A Rizvi, counsel for Sindh High Court Bar Association, said that a lack of inclusion of the three judges could harm the public perception.

    To this, Justice Qazi Amin Ahmed remarked that the court decides cases in accordance with the law and the constitution rather than on the basis of public perception.

    Hearing of the case is adjourned until Thursday.

    On Friday, Justice Qazi Faez Isa had submitted a petition seeking an additional review of the ruling on the presidential reference filed against him, wherein he had requested that an order be passed for the hearing of the petition to be broadcast live on television.

    He had demanded at the time that Justices Maqbool Baqar, Mansoor Ali Shah, and Yahya Afridi also be made part of the bench to hear the petition and that his petition be declared admissible in Justice Afridi’s ruling.

  • Govt will hold by-polls in case of Opp’s mass resignations, says PM

    Govt will hold by-polls in case of Opp’s mass resignations, says PM

    Prime Minister Imran Khan has announced holding by-elections on vacant seats if joint opposition’s lawmakers step down as part of anti-government protests.

    “The government will hold by-elections if they leave the assemblies. If the opposition is confident, then so am I,” he said while speaking to senior journalists on Tuesday.

    The premier was referring to threats by opposition parties to resign from the parliament as part of the Pakistan Democratic Movement’s protests against the government.

    While a decision in this regard is yet to be taken by the opposition parties, it is being said that mass resignations could lead to a full fledged general election.

    Speaking to journalists, PM Imran also said he was aware of the fact that the opposition has support from abroad.

    “Some countries do not want to see Pakistan progress. Muslim countries around the globe have been destabilised under a well-conceived conspiracy, which is being replicated in Pakistan,” he alleged.

    The premier said that whenever the government sat down with the opposition, their leaders brought up their cases. “The opposition wants to disband NAB so that their cases can be disposed of.”

    PM Imran also admitted that his biggest mistake was not going to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) earlier. He said that the IMF wants to raise electricity prices but the government is not in favor of it.

  • Shehbaz is losing PML-N to Maryam: report

    Shehbaz is losing PML-N to Maryam: report

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz is practically steering the PML-N in the absence of party president Shehbaz Sharif, who is not even consulted on important political decisions.

    According to a report in The News, Maryam, due to her hawkish stance, has gained popularity in the party and the public. Her control on the party is strengthened to such an extent that she has stopped “consulting him [Shehbaz] for political advice”.

    Quoting an unnamed N-League leader, the report stated that Maryam doesn’t discuss “party’s confrontational approach towards the establishment” with Shehbaz because both stand poles apart on the issue.

    But it is Maryam’s word against Shehbaz because it’s supported by her father Nawaz Sharif and Maryam’s the real crowd puller.

    Shehbaz Sharif, the party president facing imprisonment on graft charges, is not happy with this new arrangement. He still insists on a “national dialogue to steer the country out of the present crisis”, the report adds.

    “Shahbaz Sharif is extremely worried that the outcome of the confrontational strategy could be ugly and could benefit someone else,” the report quotes an aide of Shehbaz as saying. The PML-N president also relayed his reservations to the senior leadership of the party in a meeting.

    Also, Shehbaz “firmly believes that PM Imran Khan is targeting him because he is the only acceptable alternative to the establishment”.

    “And if there is a process of forming a national government or any future national dialogue, he will be a key player,” the report added.

    However, Shehbaz, due to his non-confrontational approach, is losing grip on the party. Whereas, Maryam has proved her as the future leader of the PML-N and the party stalwarts, who don’t agree with her approach, also acknowledge her as de facto president.

  • Anti-govt protests: PML-N’s Khokhar brothers resign as lawmakers

    After MPA Rana Munawar Ghous, Lahore’s Khokhar brothers of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) have also handed over their resignations from respective assemblies to the party leadership.

    As per the details, MNA Malik Afzal Khokar and MPA Saiful Malook Khokhar submitted their letters amid talks of mass resignations by opposition lawmakers in protest against the government.

    PML-N leader Azma Bukhari has said that the party has not asked lawmakers to hand in their resignations but they are submitting them on their own.

    On the other hand, the leadership of the 11-party opposition alliance, Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), will meet in Islamabad today to devise strategy for the second phase of the anti-government movement.

    Resignations from the assemblies by PDM lawmakers will also be discussed in the meeting.

  • KP govt orders inquiry after six patients die due to lack of oxygen supply

    At least six COVID-19 patients died after “criminal negligence” resulted in a delayed supply of oxygen to a hospital in Peshawar, prompting the provincial government to order an inquiry into the incident.

    More than 200 patients — including nearly 100 with coronavirus — were left for hours with limited supplies of oxygen at government-run Khyber Teaching Hospital.

    “The sad incident happened due to lack of central oxygen supply in the hospital,” provincial health minister Taimur Saleem Jhagra told a press conference, confirming the deaths.

    “We will hold an inquiry and get to the bottom of the incident,” he added, promising action against those responsible “for this criminal negligence”.

    Hospital spokesman Farhad Khan told AFP a disruption in oxygen supplies affected some 200 people, “including 96 COVID-19 patients”.

    He blamed a private supplier, saying the Rawalpindi-based company had “failed to meet the growing demand”.

    Pakistan has reported more than 400,000 cases of coronavirus — including over 8,000 deaths — since the virus arrived in late February.

    Intensive care units in hospitals across the country are now almost full, with provincial governments struggling to deal with the soaring caseload.

  • Another U-turn? Mobile phones have destroyed society, says PM

    Another U-turn? Mobile phones have destroyed society, says PM

    Prime Minister Imran Khan used to call the mobile phones a necessary part of digital Pakistan until a couple of years ago, but it seems he has changed his opinion about them.

    In a recent interview with Hamza Ali Abbasi, the PM has held mobile phones responsible for the decadence in society. He said the government cannot curb sex crimes on its own, as society’s help is necessary to create awareness.

    The negative impact of mobile phones on teenagers is disastrous, the PM said, adding that the “teens can watch the stuff on their phones that no one has ever seen in the history of humankind”. He said the “sex-related material” on phones have posed unprecedented challenges to the teens.

    The PM held Hollywood and Bollywood responsible for the decadency. He said that’s why he asked Turkey for permission to broadcast their show because it contains “Islamic values”.

    In Dec 2018, the prime minister had praised the increased usage of mobile phones in Pakistan, saying they were a harbinger of a digital media revolution. The PM had said the government would use mobiles to disseminate information.

    “The government would use mobile phones to run an awareness campaign,” the PM had said while addressing a moot on overpopulation.

  • Maryam urges media houses to ‘unite against govt pressure’

    Maryam urges media houses to ‘unite against govt pressure’

    Amid increasing censorship in the country, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz has urged media houses to resist the government pressure, saying the media should stand united if it doesn’t want to become a tool for anyone.

    Addressing a social media workers convention in Lahore, the PML-N VP said no one would be able to cower the media into submission if the media houses stood united against repression.

    She said the government has pitched news channels and anchorpersons against each other, adding that those who had “courage to speak were asked to sack anchors if they didn’t want to get shut down”.

    It may be mentioned here that after the current government came to power, several journalists were sacked from their jobs. The journalists she is referring to could include Matiullah Jan, Nusrat Javed, Murtaza Solangi and Talat Hussain. But not all of the journalists were fired, Talat, for example, parted ways with Geo after mutual agreement.

    In a reference to the incarceration of Geo head Mir Shakilur Rehman, she said the heads of those channels who refused to capitulate were put into the NAB cell. She said media was even not free to run the name of a retired officer on TV, as it only broadcasts scripts approved by the authorities.

    “I understand that these channels are doing it under compulsion, but asked for how long they will endure this,” Maryam said, adding that “Geo News is nowadays against us [PML-N], but I know it is facing pressure”.

    According to the PML-N leader, journalists like Matiullah and Ali Imran were being abducted but the ‘fake’ prime minister had no idea about it when asked on TV.

    “If you don’t know who attacked Maryam’s room in Karachi and who kidnapped Captain (r) Safdar and Sindh IG then why people shouldn’t call you ‘Khaw Makhaw’,” she said alluding to the Karachi incident after the PDM rally in the port city.

    She asked the media for how long it would endure this attitude. Maryam said if the same situation continued then one day the journalists will be whisked away from their houses and then they will have to say that they went to the northern areas for ‘recreation’.

  • VIDEO: The tea is not fantastic? Ex-PM’s video chiding help goes viral

    A cup of tea served to former prime minister Nawaz Sharif disturbed him during his address via video-link at an event organised by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) media cell.

    “When you knew I was speaking then why did you keep it here,” the clearly perturbed three-time prime minister said in the footage.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    https://twitter.com/worldofjaved/status/1335591711964344320?s=19

    It is pertinent to mention here that the PML-N in accordance with its social mobilisation plan has announced holding seven workers conventions throughout Punjab to build the momentum for running a decisive movement against the government from the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) platform.

    The decision regarding holding workers conventions was announced during a PML-N Punjab chapter meeting presided over by party provincial President Rana Sanaullah and attended by senior leaders, including all divisional and district presidents and general secretaries.

    On the other hand, Shahbaz Gill, Adviser to PM on Political Communication, shared the footage of Nawaz Sharif with the caption, “Nothing but parchee (script) during the speech.”

    PML-N leader Hina Parvez Butt hit back at Gill, saying, “So, secretly you watch Nawaz’s speeches.”