Current Final

Category: Politics

  • Official, who banned books in Punjab over ‘blasphemous and anti-Pakistan’ content, is a ‘pervert and misogynist’

    Official, who banned books in Punjab over ‘blasphemous and anti-Pakistan’ content, is a ‘pervert and misogynist’

    Punjab Curriculum & Textbook Board (PCTB) Managing Director (MD) Rai Manzoor Hussain Nasir, who had on Thursday banned 100 books being taught in private schools for carrying “blasphemous and anti-Pakistan” content, has come under fire for being what Twitterati call is a “pervert and misogynist”.

    BOOKS BAN:

    Addressing a press conference, Nasir said that the PCTB had started critical review of 10,000 books being taught by private schools across the province and in the first phase had banned 100 books of 31 publishers including Oxford and Cambridge for blasphemous, immoral and anti-Pakistan content.

    The PCTB MD said that the board had formed 30 committees for this purpose. He said it was sad that nobody checked these books earlier and had no idea what was being taught to our kids in private schools against hefty fees. He said the banned books had distorted facts about Pakistan and its creation, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Allama Muhammad Iqbal while these books also carried blasphemous content. He said Pakistan was portrayed as an inferior country to India while Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK) was also shown as part of India in maps in some of these books.

    Rai Manzoor Nasir said that instead of including sayings of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Allama Muhammad Iqbal, etc. one of the books carried sayings of Mahatma Gandhi and some unknown people. He said in a book of Mathematics counting concepts were made explained to the young students showing pictures of pigs. He said one of the books by Cambridge tried to promote crime and violence among the students on the basis of unemployment in the country.

    The PCTB MD said that these 100 books had been immediately banned and the publishers had been directed to immediately stop publishing and selling the books. He said District Education Authorities (DEAs) across Punjab will visit private schools (after reopening of schools) to check if these books were still being taught. He said FIRs would be registered against the publishers for violation under the provisions of the Punjab Curriculum and Textbook Board Act 2015.

    ‘PERVERT AND MISOGYNIST’:

    Already under fire for what was criticised as a move to “crackdown on the future of children by banning books”, things took an uglier turn for the PCTB MD as Twitterati called him out over “hypocrisy” and being a “pervert and misogynist”.

    Besides calling him out for liking porn videos on Twitter, netizens also highlighted that Nasir was involved in moral policing over the social networking site.

    He was also criticised for being a racist and tweeting against Afghan refugees.

    Have something to add to the story? Let The Current know in the comments below.

  • ‘Demolish illegal buildings’: Court orders sealing Navy’s elite sailing club

    ‘Demolish illegal buildings’: Court orders sealing Navy’s elite sailing club

    The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has ordered the Capital Development Authority (CDA) administration to seal the newly-constructed Navy Sailing Club, declaring the sports complex’s construction illegal.

    Two weeks ago, the CDA had served a notice to the navy for its allegedly illegal and unauthorised construction of the club and directed to immediately stop the construction of the building.

    During the hearing on Thursday, a board member told the court that the CDA had not issued any allotment letter for the land in question. To which, IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah asked if the authority had taken any action to halt the construction. “We had issued notices to the Navy,” the CDA representative informed the judge.

    “What do you mean ‘you issued notices’,” asked Justice Minallah. “Demolish the illegal buildings,” he said.

    READ: Islamabad admin at odds with Navy over construction of elite sailing club

    Last week, the navy had clarified that the land in question was, in fact, allotted to it in 1994 for the development of a water sports centre. A statement issued at the time had asserted that navy divers are trained at the club who, then, take part in rescue operations in all four provinces and the federally administrative units, including Azad Jammu and Kashmir, as the club is the only such facility in the north of the country.

    Citing a 1994 order of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the CDA official informed the court that the permission to build the sports facility was granted by prime minister of the day, Benazir Bhutto.

    However, the judge ordered the CDA to seal the facility before the next hearing, saying in case the authority fails to comply, the court will summon Cabinet Secretary Ahmad Nawaz Sukhera. He also directed the issue to be presented before the cabinet.

    The judge wondered if the flagship military project was supported by any legal provision providing space for a purportedly commercial project.

    When a Pakistan Navy representative, who was present in the court, sought time to submit a response, Justice Minallah asked what did the navy need time for. “We respect you, appreciate your sacrifices and honour your martyrs but an illegal construction isn’t allowed,” he said.

    “Why are you defending something which is indefensible [according to relevant laws],” he questioned.

    “Islamabad is the country’s capital, not a tribal area. No one is above the law. Not even this court.”

  • Punjab passes bill to protect Islam; crackdown on printing presses, publishers, book stores to follow

    The Punjab Assembly has passed the Punjab Tahaffuze Bunyade Islam Bill 2020, which Law Minister Raja Basharat says will prevent blasphemy of Holy Prophets (AS), Companions (RA) of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), Ahle Bait (RA) and Umhatul Momineen (RA).

    According to the minister, it will also prevent blasphemy of holy figures of other religions and the holy personalities of all religions beside helping to eradicate sectarianism and religious hatred.

    The printing and publication of objectionable material have been prohibited under the bill that also bars publishers, editors or translators from printing or publishing any books and material that consists of photographs or pictures of suicide bombers, terrorists, except as required by law enforcing agencies for purposes of investigation.

    Moreover, the new law has also made it mandatory that “the blessed name of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) be preceded by the title Khataman Nabiyyin or Khatamun Nabiyyin followed by ‘Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam’ in Arabic text”.

    The law has also empowered Directorate General Public Relations (DGPR) to visit and inspect the premises of printing presses, offices of publication houses and book stores.

    After the passage of the bill in the Punjab Assembly, Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi said it was a historic one. “I am highly thankful to Almighty Allah on its passage. This bill will prove a milestone in the protection of Islam and its supremacy. The federation and provinces should follow us in this regard. A similar one should also be passed by Centre and all provinces, and enforced all over Pakistan. The Section Number 3/F of this bill should be Article 295 of Pakistan Penal Code 1860,” the speaker said.

    He also thanked National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser for taking personal interest in this matter while praising Hafiz Ammar Yasir as well as Opposition Leader Hamza Shehbaz among other provincial lawmakers who played their full role in the passage of the bill.

  • Naya Pakistan: US report says Pakistan ‘most improved’ country in nuclear security

    Naya Pakistan: US report says Pakistan ‘most improved’ country in nuclear security

    A leading United States (US) non-proliferation watchdog has ranked Pakistan as the most improved in the security of those countries holding nuclear materials, improving its overall score by seven points.

    In its annual report, the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) said, “Pakistan’s improvements in the Security and Control Measures category are significant because strengthened laws and regulations result in durable boosts in Pakistan’s score as well as provide sustainable security benefits.”

    The NTI Nuclear Security Index is a public benchmarking project of nuclear security conditions on a country-by-country basis in 176 countries. Laura Kennedy, a former American diplomat, also commended Pakistan’s improvement in security ranking.

    “One welcome bit of news reported by #NTIindex is that #Pakistan ranked as most improved in security of those countries holding nuclear materials,” she tweeted.

    The report stated that the majority of Pakistan’s improvements are in the Security and Control Measures category because of its passage of new regulations. The country also improved in the Global Norms category.

    It said that Pakistan improved its score with the passage of time with eight points in 2014, two in 2016, and six in 2018 owing to new regulations for on-site physical protection.

    “In 2016, it passed new cybersecurity regulations. In 2018, it improved its insider threat protection. Its newest regulations mark a much larger shift.”

    The report further stated that Pakistan’s score improvement for regulatory measures is the second-largest improvement for regulations in the Index since 2012.

    Among countries with weapons-usable nuclear materials, Australia ranked first for the fifth time. It also ranks first in the sabotage ranking for the third time. Despite its repeated position at the top of the ranking, Australia continues to better its score, improving by +1 in both rankings.

    The report stated that among countries with weapons-usable nuclear materials, Canada and Switzerland tie for second, Germany is fourth, and the Netherlands and Norway tie for fifth.

    Among countries with nuclear facilities in the sabotage ranking, Canada, Finland, and the United Kingdom rank second, third, and fourth, respectively, and Germany and Hungary are tied for fifth.

    New Zealand and Sweden tie for first in the theft ranking for countries without weapon-usable nuclear materials, followed by Finland (third), Denmark and South Korea(tied for fourth), and Hungary and Spain (tied for sixth).

    In the ranking for 153 countries and Taiwan without materials, New Zealand and Sweden tie for first.

  • Supreme Court criticises NDMA over lack of transparency in expenditure

    Supreme Court criticises NDMA over lack of transparency in expenditure

    The Supreme Court (SC) has criticised the National Disaster Management Authority’s (NDMA) failure to ensure transparency in expenditures pertaining to the coronavirus pandemic and locust control.

    A five-member bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Gulzar Ahmed, heard the coronavirus suo moto case, during which the CJP suggested abolishing the NDMA over the authority’s failure to explain its expenses.

    NDMA has yet to submit crucial documents, observed the CJP. “Where are the documents permitting imports of machinery from Al-Hafeez Crystoplast (Pvt) Ltd?” he asked. The CJP also inquired why the documents have not been submitted despite directives being issued thrice in this regard. Where are the details pertaining to chartering the aircraft and its payments, he asked further.

    The director of NDMA maintained before the court that the authority did not import machines from Al-Hafeez company.

    The owner of the company has yet to appear, noted the CJP. The real issue is non-compliance with customs and other laws, he remarked.

    Meanwhile, Justice Ijazul Hasan noted that the cost of the machinery has not been disclosed in the documents.

    Over Rs10.7 million was paid for the charter, observed the CJP. How were the payments made according to the charter agreement, he asked. How can someone give this much cash in Karachi, asked the CJP.

    Where are the documents pertaining to imports of vaccine and the medicines, asked the CJP

    The relevant authorities will have to satisfy the court, said the Attorney General.

    The CJP observed that it appeared that the NDMA would have to be abolished as its chief has failed to provide explanations.

    Perhaps a lot has gone wrong and attempts are being made to cover up, observed the CJP. Should contempt of court notices be issued to the NDMA chief, he asked.

    The institutions of the country should be run in a transparent manner, said the chief justice.

    The NDMA was given a free hand and hefty amounts to deal with the coronavirus pandemic, said Justice Hasan. The authority is answerable to the court and the people, he added.

    The NDMA is acquiring planes and machinery for locust control, noted the CJP. Transparency will have to be ensured through documents and not just verbal statements, he remarked, adding that it was not comprehensible how billions of rupees were being spent.

    From corona to floods to locusts, everything has been handed over to the NDMA, remarked Justice Hasan. But the NDMA’s admin member himself does not know anything, he added.

  • Opp announces APC to get rid of govt, again

    Opp announces APC to get rid of govt, again

    The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) have announced to hold an ‘All Parties Conference’ (APC) after Eidul Azha in order to discuss strategies to “get rid of this government”.

    Addressing a joint press conference, PPP’s Qamar Zaman Kaira and PML-N’s Ahsan Iqbal said that a coordination committee meeting will be held this week to discuss the APC agenda.

    The presser was held after a meeting between PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and a three-member PML-N delegation at Bilawal House, Lahore. The PML-N delegation included Iqbal, Khawaja Saad Rafique and Ayaz Sadiq, while PPP’s Kaira, Chaudhry Manzoor and Hasan Murtaza also attended the meeting.

    Addressing reporters, Kaira said that opposition parties will “complete our homework” before Eidul Azha and discuss strategies to oust the government in the APC.

    “The opposition feels that Pakistan will face several external and internal dangers [if] this government remains in power,” Iqbal said. “[Considering] what is happening in our region, we need internal unity but this government only has a vengeful agenda with which it is disintegrating the country.

    “In this situation, the country’s two biggest opposition parties agree that to get rid of this incompetent government will be representative of this country’s 220 million people.”

    Ahsan also criticised the government for trying to introduce a law that is “twice as bad” as the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in order to put an end to terror financing and comply with Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) guidelines. The law, he said, would allow authorities to arrest a suspect for 90 days without getting a remand and the detention can be extended without allowing the suspect to obtain a bail.

    “FATF members are not telling Pakistan to turn the country into a fascist state through legislation [to stop terror financing],” the PML-N MNA said and added that the move was “defaming FATF, the international community and the United Nations”. He said that while the opposition was in favour of compliance with FATF guidelines, it would not allow the government to curb individual rights and freedom.

    He accused the government of making people’s lives difficult by pushing them into poverty, throttling the media and isolating the country in the international community.

    In response to a question regarding Maryam Nawaz’s participation in the upcoming meetings, Iqbal said that “no one has played as huge a role in public mobilisation than” the former premier’s daughter. He added that she will play her role when it came to public mobilisation.

    Separately, Ahsan Iqbal, in a conversation with The Current, said that the APC would provide opposition parties a chance to present a unified stance on how to bring change in the government, which the entire opposition believes has thoroughly been exposed for its “incompetence and making irreparable damage to country’s economy and governance”.

    “A joint opposition coordination committee comprising of senior leaders from all parties has been formed to work out options for the APC to be meaningful,” he said.

  • VIDEO: Journalist Matiullah Jan goes missing

    VIDEO: Journalist Matiullah Jan goes missing

    Journalist Matiullah Jan, who is a vocal critic of the government among other quarters, has gone missing from Islamabad, his family said on Tuesday, according to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP).

    According to Jan’s wife, Kaneez Sughra, who was speaking to Independent Urdu, his car was found with keys still inside.

    Jan was due to appear in the Supreme Court (SC) this week after it took suo motu notice of a contemptuous tweet by the journalist.

    Amnesty International South Asia called for authorities to “establish [Jan’s] whereabouts immediately”.

    In a tweet, the organisation said it was “extremely concerned for the fate and wellbeing” of the journalist, who it said has been the subject of “physical attacks and harassment for his journalism”.

    Meanwhile, a CCTV footage showed Jan’s car being intercepted. It also showed a scuffle breaking out between the journalist and the reportedly armed men who took him away.

    He can also be shown throwing his phone away, which a woman was seen handing over to one of the unidentified men.

    Federal Minister for Information Shibli Faraz, later in the day, said the government was aware of the abduction and efforts were underway for the journalist’s safe return. The development was also confirmed by Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari, who said that she was in contact with the capital city’s police in this regard.

    Chief justice of the Islamabad High Court (IHC), on the other hand, has reportedly taken notice of the abduction and directed authorities to present Jan before the court on Wednesday.

  • PM Imran refuses to accept Aamir Liaquat Hussain’s resignation

    PM Imran refuses to accept Aamir Liaquat Hussain’s resignation

    Televangelist and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmaker in the National Assembly, Aamir Liaquat Hussain, has claimed that Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has rejected his resignation letter.

    “After a long meeting with PM Imran Khan, my four-page resignation was rejected. I opened my heart told the PM everything. The PM hailed my efforts for raising my voice for Karachi’s issues and said thinking about the public was the role of an elected leader,” he tweeted on Monday.

    Earlier in the day, Hussain had posted on social media that he was on his way to the PM House to submit his resignation.

    Last week, he had announced resigning as an MNA from Karachi over prolonged unannounced power outages in the port city.

    “I confess that I am a helpless MNA of Karachi. I am unable to provide electricity to the people of my city. I cannot see the people of my city suffer. I will ask the prime minister for time and submit my resignation,” he had said.

    A spike in power outages is spelling misery for a major chunk of the metropolis’ residents with some areas having interrupted electric supply for weeks now.

    This, however, is not the first time that the PTI MNA has been in the news for being upset at his party.

    In 2018, a month after the general election, reports had emerged of differences between Hussain and the PTI after he had expressed anger with the party over failure to invite him to a dinner hosted at the Governor’s House.

    According to reports, Liaquat left a WhatsApp group comprising PTI Sindh’s leaders over the issue.

  • KYA BOLA? (Jul 20): ‘Opposition Corona Ka kirdar ada na kary’

    KYA BOLA? (Jul 20): ‘Opposition Corona Ka kirdar ada na kary’

    Following are some of the best snippets from Urdu newspapers on July 20, 2020, which The Current takes no responsibility for.

    “Tamam Amla un sy zubani hadayat aur akhkamat leta hai“

    It is reported by Daily Jang  (20 July 2020) that Farogh Naseem who resigned as law minister last month, still sits in the law minister’s office and runs the ministry informally “Tamam Amla un sy zubani hadayat aur akhkamat leta hai” . He had resigned in June to represent the government in the Supreme Court (SC) in the presidential reference against Justice Qazi Faez Isa.

    “Opposition corona ka kirdar ada na kary”

    It is reported by Daily Dunya (20 July 2020) that Governor Punjab, Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar  said,”opposition Corona Ka kirdar ada na kary” .

    WATCH: The Current Life with Chaudhry Sarwar

    “Hukmaron ko jagany key liye horn bajana kafi nahi…”

    It is reported by Daily Jang (20 July 2020) that, Journalist Hassan Nisar said that ” Hukmaron ko jagany key liye horn bajana kafi nahi is k liye Sur- e-israfil phoonk dia jaye tab bhi shayad na jagain”.

    WATCH: WHERE DOES HASSAN NISAR LIVE?

  • Friendship ended with India, now China is Iran’s best friend?

    Friendship ended with India, now China is Iran’s best friend?

    After being “dropped” from a key rail project in southeastern Iran along the border with Afghanistan, India is also set to lose an ambitious gas field project in the country that had been in the pipeline for the past 10 years. 

    India’s Ministry of External Affairs has said in a statement that Tehran would develop the Farzad-B gas field in the Persian Gulf region “on its own” and might engage India “appropriately at a later stage”.

    Last week, Masoud Karbasian, managing director of National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), told reporters that a new operator had been roped in to develop the gas field, replacing India’s ONGC.

    The field, estimated to possess 21.7 trillion cubic feet of natural gas reserves, 12.8 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and 212 million barrels of gas condensates, was discovered in 2008 by a consortium of three Indian companies — ONGC, Oil India Limited and Indian Oil Corporation.

    According to the deal, the Indian side was supposed to develop the field but they abruptly stopped work in 2012, following the intensification of sanctions against Iran.

    After sanctions were eased in 2015 following the signing of a nuclear deal between Iran and Western countries, India showed its willingness to return to the project.

    However, things again fell apart amid the reinstatement of US sanctions on Iran in May 2018, which further “discouraged” India from making headway in the project, said sources familiar with the issue who requested not to be named.

    “By May 2018, the two sides had made tremendous progress and agreed on key details of the project,” the sources said. “However, the US sanctions played the spoilsport.”

    The two sides had disagreements among themselves as well, particularly on the number of pipelines to be laid and financial investment in the development plan, according to reports.

    In May 2019, Iran’s oil minister, Bijan Namdar Zanganeh, said his ministry had devised a plan to finance the development of the Farzad-B gas field.

    The NIOC had asked the Indian side to submit a financial plan for the field’s development. However, Tehran was “not impressed” with the plan and asked for a new one, said the sources. India had reportedly made a $5.5 billion investment plan

    In August 2019, after slow progress by the Indian side to submit a new plan, Karbasian said Iran would proceed with another operator for the project.

    India’s External Affairs Ministry, however, said the “follow-up bilateral cooperation” was impacted by “policy changes on the Iranian side”.

    This was, however, not the only blow that Iran has served to India as just earlier this week it had “dropped” India from a rail project after the Indian side showed reluctance to start work due to US sanctions.

    The memorandum of understanding to construct the 628-kilometre railway line from the port city of Chabahar to Zahedan was first discussed between the two sides in May 2016.

    It came on the sidelines of the signing of a trilateral agreement between India, Iran and Afghanistan to develop a transport and trade corridor from India to Afghanistan through the Chabahar port in southeast Iran. The port has been operational since 2016 and has been exempted from US sanctions.

    India’s External Affairs Ministry dismissed the reports that Iran excluded it from the rail project as “speculative,” saying Tehran was to “nominate an authorised entity to finalise outstanding technical and financial issues”. The matter, it said, was “still awaited”.

    “IRCON was appointed by [the] Government of India to assess the feasibility of the project. It was working with CDTIC, an Iranian company under their Ministry of Railways in that regard. IRCON has completed the site inspection and review of the feasibility report,” the ministry said in a statement on Thursday, referring to the state-run Indian infrastructure firm undertaking the project.

    “Detailed discussions were thereafter held on other relevant aspects of the project, which had to take into account the financial challenges that Iran was facing. In December 2019, these issues were reviewed in detail at the 19th India-Iran Joint Commission Meeting in Tehran.”

    An official from Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organisation has also denied the reports. However, he said Iran “has not inked any deal with India” for the construction of the Chabahar-Zahedan railroad.

    Both the developments come amid China-India tensions over a territorial dispute in the Ladakh region and as Beijing, sensing America’s internal political difficulties amid social justice protests and poor COVID-19 response, reportedly approves a $400 billion economic and security deal with Tehran.

    In addition to massive infrastructure investments, the agreement envisions closer cooperation on defense and intelligence sharing, and is rumored to include discounts for Iranian oil. If finalised, China would gain massive influence in this geopolitically critical region.

    The US is likely to push back against this partnership, which threatens its security and energy interests in the Middle East and Eurasia. According to Forbes, it is an open secret that Washington’s foreign policy interests constantly clash with those of Tehran and Beijing.