Current Final

Category: Politics

  • Malaysian PM proposes freeing East Asia of US dollar for trade

    Malaysian PM proposes freeing East Asia of US dollar for trade

    Malaysian prime minister (PM) has said that East Asia should consider a common regional trading currency to promote commerce and free the region from relying on dollar transactions, a private media outlet reported Thursday.

    According to reports, Mahathir Bin Mohamad said the proposed currency could be used for regional trade, but would not replace national currencies for use at the domestic level.

    “In the Far East if you want to come together, we should start with a common trading currency, not to be used locally, but for the purpose of settling of trade,” he was quoted as saying.

    “At the moment, we have to depend upon the United States (US) dollar but it is also not stable. So the currency that we propose should be based on gold as it is much more stable.”

    Mahathir, who is serving his second term in office, has a reputation of being a financial maverick.

  • Fayyazul Hassan Chohan appointed Punjab govt’s spokesperson

    Fayyazul Hassan Chohan appointed Punjab govt’s spokesperson

    In a rather shocking development, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MPA and former Punjab information minister Fayyazul Hassan Chohan has been appointed as the provincial government’s mouthpiece.

    Chohan was removed as the provincial information minister following his derogatory remarks against Hindus in March this year.

    Taking notice, Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan had said, “There is no place for such derogatory remarks against minorities in Islam.”

    However, according to a notification dated May 28, 2019, a copy of which is available with The Current, Chohan has now been appointed as one of the 38 spokespersons of the Usman Buzdar-led Punjab government.

    Punjab Information Minister Sumsam Ali Shah, PM’s Special Assistant Usman Dar, PTI Information Secretary Omer Sarfraz Cheema, Punjab Law Minister Raja Basharat among others have also been notified as the provincial government’s spokespersons.

  • PM Imran Khan proposes death penalty as law for raping kids

    PM Imran Khan proposes death penalty as law for raping kids

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has proposed that death penalty be fixed for all those involved in child sexual abuse cases, a private media outlet quoted PM’s Special Adviser on Information Firdous Ashiq Awan as saying.

    She said that the premier, during a meeting of the federal cabinet on Tuesday, expressed concern over the rise in misuse of internet for child pornography and subsequent increase in incidents of child sexual abuse.

    “He [PM Imran] addressed the ministries of human rights, law and interior in detail and gave them the responsibility of analysing the existing juvenile laws regarding sexual exploitation, rape of children and other violent behaviours,” she said.

    Awan added that all three ministries have been instructed to prepare an implementation plan and bring it before the cabinet so that the growing menace can be curbed with an effective law besides a mechanism of deterrence and awareness.

    CHILD ABUSE IN PAKISTAN:

    A recent minor rape and murder case is of 10-year-old Farishta, who was abducted from Islamabad earlier this month. The culprits are still at large, while at least two police officials have been arrested for negligence on PM Imran’s orders.

    According to a report released by NGO Sahil last month, cases of child abuse increased by 11 per cent in 2018 as compared to 2017, with more than 10 children suffering from some form of abuse every day in Pakistan.

    Last year had begun with the horrific rape and murder of six-year-old Zainab Ansari, sparking widespread outrage and protests across the country after the minor’s body was found in a trash heap in Kasur on January 9.

    ‘#JusticeforZainab’ became a rallying cry for an end to violence against children and Imran Ali, who was convicted for the rape and murder, was executed nine months after the child’s death.

  • Blasphemy accusations against Hindu doctor lead to violence in Sindh

    Blasphemy accusations against Hindu doctor lead to violence in Sindh

    A Hindu veterinary doctor has been arrested over blasphemy accusations in the Mirpurkhas district of Sindh.

    According to reports, Ramesh Kumar was taken into custody on Monday while angry protesters burnt tyres to block roads and set ablaze shops owned by Hindus in the Phuladyon town of the city.

    Reports quoted Zahid Hussain Leghari, the Station House Officer (SHO) of the local police station, as saying that a case was registered against the doctor.

    He added that a proper investigation would be carried out and the doctor had been shifted to a safe location amid all the unrest.

    https://twitter.com/timesofpak123/status/1132965562852810754?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1132965562852810754&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.indiatoday.in%2Fworld%2Fstory%2Fpakistan-hindu-doctor-blasphemy-charges-mirpurkhas-violence-1536222-2019-05-28

    Earlier, the head cleric of a local mosque, Maulvi Ishaq Nohri, had filed the complaint with the police alleging that the doctor had torn pages of a holy book and wrapped medicines in them.

    “I urge the government to intervene and ensure the safety of Hindu Sindhis who have lived peacefully here for centuries,” said Facebook user Syma Jafri.

    “Also, action must be taken against those who initiated these riots and incited violence. There is a proper lawful procedure for such cases. How can we think of killing someone, especially when it’s Youme Ali,” she added.

    Being 7.5 million in number, Hindus form the biggest minority community in the country. Pakistan Hindu Council has time and again complained of minority members being “targeted under the blasphemy law by people because of personal enmity”.

    According to Center for Social Justice, at least 1,490 people have been charged under the country’s blasphemy laws between 1987 and 2018.

  • Hindu mob beats up Muslim couple over beef rumour in India

    Hindu mob beats up Muslim couple over beef rumour in India

    Days after Narendra Modi’s hardliner Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was elected to power for a second consecutive term, a Hindu extremist mob has severely thrashed three Muslims, including a woman, over beef rumours.

    According to India Today, the incident took place in the Seoni city of Madhya Pradesh.

    A video of the incident, which shows self-claimed gau rakshaks [cow vigilantes] hitting the young Muslims with sticks, has gone viral. The video also shows the Muslim man being forced to thrash his wife with a slipper and say Jai Shree Ram.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    Five suspects have been arrested from Seoni city, 350 km from state capital Bhopal, the police was quoted as saying. Meanwhile, the victims have been identified as local residents Dilip Malviya, Taufik and Anjum Shama.

    Former Indian occupied Kashmir (IoK) chief minister Mehbooba Mufti took to Twitter to condemn the incident.

    “Horrified to see cow vigilantes thrash an innocent Muslim with such impunity in MP. Hope the chief minister will take swift action against these goons,” she said.

  • Indian election: Man cries after getting only five votes, says has nine family members

    Indian election: Man cries after getting only five votes, says has nine family members

    An electoral candidate in Indian Punjab on Thursday broke down in an interview after he received only five votes when “there are nine members in his own family”.

    According to reports, Neetu Shuttern Wala, who hails from Jalandhar, stood independently in the recently held general polls.

    When he was being interviewed, he started crying before the camera not because of the alleged five votes, but because there are nine people in his own family.

    The interview clip went viral, with some calling it the “biggest election story” of the day.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    “Sir there are nine votes from my family, but I have only received five,” he can be heard as telling the reporter in the viral video. When asked if his family hadn’t voted for him, he replied, “No sir, they have been dishonest in voting.”

    Meanwhile, Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) clinched its second consecutive term after receiving a huge mandate in the election.

    Far from falling behind its 2014 score of 282, which was a historic record at the time, BJP succeeded in climbing a new summit of 300 seats in the lower house of the Indian parliament.

  • Indian anchor says Sunny Leone instead of Sunny Deol during live election transmission

    Indian anchor says Sunny Leone instead of Sunny Deol during live election transmission

    Indian journalist Arnab Goswami found himself in an awkward position on Thursday after he accidentally referred to Bollywood actor and former porn star Sunny Leone instead of actor-turned-politician Sunny Deol on live TV.

    The blunder came during the ongoing heat of 2019 Indian general election counting on his channel. With the video of the incident going viral, it provided a moment of laughs in the heat of the counting day.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    https://twitter.com/TheGodWhispers/status/1131427436799774720

    His exact words were:

    “Sunny Leone… Sunny Deol is leading from Gurdaspur.”

    As social media went crazy over the blunder, Leone tweeted:

    Earlier, Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Deol made his debut with a bang, having cornered over 54 per cent of the votes polled in his constituency so far.

    Narendra Modi’s BJP is now leading in 300 constituencies, according to result trends. The main opposition party, Indian National Congress (INC), on the other hand, is leading in 50 constituencies.

    No seats have officially been declared, but if the trends turn into concrete results, it would mean a thumping win for Modi — and defy many pre-election predictions that it would be a tight race.

  • PM Imran’s nephew, journalist survive gun attack ‘by PTI minister’s goons’

    PM Imran’s nephew, journalist survive gun attack ‘by PTI minister’s goons’

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s nephew and reporter of a private media outlet have escaped in Lahore a gun attack “by the goons of a minister of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)”.

    As per the details, lawyer Hassaan Khan Niazi and journalist Rai Saqib Kharral were attacked in the Gullo Kot area of the provincial capital, where Darul Hikmat (DuH), a Christian education centre, has been illegally occupied by land mafia.

    “At least four shots were fired at us as we reached the charity school to meet the person in charge,” Hassaan Khan told The Current, alleging that the attackers are related to a Punjab minister.

    “Norez, one of the people responsible for the attack, is a provincial minister’s son-in-law,” he said further.

    CM TAKES NOTICE:

    Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Usman Buzdar has taken notice of the incident and illegal occupation of the school.

    According to a private media outlet, CM Inspection Team Chairman Malik Asad Khokhar has sought a report from the Lahore Capital City Police Officer (CCPO).

    Owned by the Darul Hikmat Trust, the community school was established in 1986 and houses hostels for both boys and girl, besides multiple lawns as well as a football ground.

    The administrative affairs of the institute are now being run by the minister’s relatives.

    Meanwhile, several deserving students from nearby localities who were studying at the institution have started leaving the school amid the catastrophic situation that’s prevailing there.

    No official version of the incident had been released by the time this report was filed.

  • Fawad says ‘Science & Tech Ministry has nothing to do with science’

    Fawad says ‘Science & Tech Ministry has nothing to do with science’

    Federal Minister for Science & Technology Fawad Chaudhry has said that his ministry has “nothing to do with science”.

    In a recent interview with Independent Urdu, the minister was asked what relation was there between his law degree and science.

    There is no connection, he said, adding: “In fact, the Science and Technology Ministry itself has no relation with science.”

    Earlier, in an interview to The Current, Fawad, who was sacked as the federal minister for information and broadcasting in last month’s cabinet reshuffle, had said he himself had chosen the Science and Technology Ministry.

    “I was offered two or three ministries by Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan and I voluntarily chose this ministry because science and technology is the way forward,” he had said.

    WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW HERE:

  • VIDEO: Saudi Arabia intercepts missiles headed for Makkah

    VIDEO: Saudi Arabia intercepts missiles headed for Makkah

    Saudi Arabia has intercepted two missiles headed for Makkah, the kingdom announced on Tuesday night.

    According to an official statement, the ballistic missiles, reportedly intercepted over Taif, were fired by Yemeni Houthi rebels and were headed for the holy city as well as Jeddah, a port city on the Red Sea.

    In a tweet, Saudi Arabia’s embassy in Washington confirmed the reports.

    PAKISTAN CONDEMNS:

    Meanwhile, Islamabad has condemned the reported firing of ballistic missiles.

    The Foreign Office, in a statement, issued its condemnation and also commended Saudi forces for their “vigilant” defence.

    “Pakistan condemns the firing of ballistic missiles by Houthis towards Makkah province and commends the vigilant Saudi defence forces for intercepting the missiles,” read the statement.

    “Pakistan reaffirms its solidarity with Saudi Arabia and reiterates its support against any threat to the security of the kingdom.”

    Saudi Arabia is leading a coalition of Muslim states that intervened in Yemen in 2015 to try to restore the internationally recognised government that was ousted from power by Houthi rebels in late 2014.

    The Houthis, on the other hand, denied that their missiles were targeting Makkah, roughly 70 km (40 miles) from Jeddah and 50 km (30 miles) from Taif. The group called the claim “a tactic by Saudi Arabia to rally support for its war”.