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  • Fawad says his ministry has developed e-voting technology for fair polls

    Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry has said that his ministry has developed a technology for electronic voting which would be transferred to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) soon to ensure transparency.

    Last week, Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan had ordered the relevant authorities to expedite efforts to introduce the e-voting system.

    According to APP, the Science and Technology Ministry has developed the e-voting technology in collaboration with the National Institute of Electronics (NIE), National University of Science and Technology (NUST), and COMSATS University.

    “Electronic voting can help get rid of rigging in elections,” Fawad said in a reference to the new technology. According to Fawad, the government had also presented election reform bill for adopting electronic voting system in elections to end malpractices. 

    The minister stated that the opposition complained of rigging in the by-polls only in the constituency where Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidate allegedly won. However, their own candidates won in Nowshera and Wazirabad which they accepted happily, he added.

    The minister further said, “Although we had spent crore of rupees in the past in by-elections in each union council during the whole week, but when late Kalsoom Nawaz contested by-election [in Lahore], Rs3 billion were spent in a single constituency without any audit.

    Rejecting the baseless claims of Maryam Nawaz regarding a delay in results in Daska, Chaudhry Fawad said “We do not live on Mars and are well aware of the fog situation in the area.” He demanded the ECP issue a formal notification about the winning of PTI candidate, Ali Asjad Malhi from NA-75 (Daska).

  • Khalil-ur-Rehman once again misbehaves with a female panelist

    Khalil-ur-Rehman once again misbehaves with a female panelist

    The controversial Pakistani writer, Khalil-ur-Rehman Qamar, has once again come under fire for using foul language with a female panelist in a talk show. During the show, Qamar lost his cool during a debate and misbehaved with a lady panelist Ailia Zehra.

    During a panel discussion on divorce rate and child marriages, Qamar began to use inappropriate language while attacking a fellow panelist. Upon being told by the host, Awais Iqbal, to speak respectfully, he went on an outburst and left the show while shouting.

    Sharing the video clip on Twitter, Ailia said: “Just had a horrible encounter with toxic masculinity. Khalilur Rehman Qamar lost his marbles during a talk show when I called him out over his hateful rhetoric. He left the show while yelling at the top of his lungs. Called me a RAW agent and spewed sexist slurs.”

    It was also reported that in his fit of anger, Qamar also told the producer of the show that his action was justified because Ailia had not greeted him when he entered the studio for the show.

    This is not the first time Qamar has behaved inappropriately on TV. In March last year, Qamar had abused activist Marvi Sirmed during a TV discussion on ‘Aurat March’ and the slogan ‘Mera Jism Meri Marzi’ (my body, my choice).

    Earlier, the Mere Paas Tum Ho writer reprimanded women writers for humiliating relationships in dramas.

    In an interview when Rehman was asked what was the reason that people in showbiz are so afraid of him, he said: “People are afraid of me because I am honest with my work. They will be afraid of dishonesty.”

    He added: “Female writers have stigmatised relationships like that of a sister-in-law, mother-in-law and brother-in-law.” He said that there are 99.9 per cent of women who are writing in the industry but they only write about family politics and stigmatise sacred relationships.

  • Foreign experts to arrive in Pakistan to revive PIA

    A delegation of foreign experts will arrive in Pakistan on Monday (today) to devise a five-year corporate business plan for cash-strapped Pakistan International Airline (PIA).

    According to reports, the four-member team is arriving in Pakistan on the invitation of Dr Ishat Hussain, advisor to Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan on institutional reforms. They will stay in the country for 12 days to develop the plan for the national carrier.

    The team will review the business model and also meet government officials at the finance ministry as well as the airline’s chief executive officer (CEO), Air Marshal Arshad Malik.

    They will devise a business plan for the airline to make it profitable and sustainable. “We will be following the government’s directives on restructuring and reforms in the airline,” reports quoted them as saying.

    It is pertinent to note that Dr Hussain is supervising the reforms in PIA. Back in November 2019, the airline had sought the services of a reputed international firm with extensive aviation consulting experience to prepare a five-year corporate business plan through a tender.

    The objective was to revive PIA as a leading international airline, and enable it to play an important role in the country’s struggling economy.

  • Hafizabad girl hires assassin to kill best friend for getting married

    Hafizabad girl hires assassin to kill best friend for getting married


    A girl in Hafizabad hired an assassin to kill her best friend for breaking a promise regarding living and dying together, and not getting married.

    According to reports, the victim was left critically injured after the hitman attacked her on the orders of her best friend.

    The accused had planned the murder to seek revenge when the victim decided to move on.

    She stole jewellery worth around Rs250,000 from her friend’s house and gave it to the assassin.

    A conversation between the accused and the hired contract killer has also surfaced after the incident. In the audio clip, the girl could be heard as telling the killer about the time of the attack and the victim’s whereabouts.

    The assassin reportedly broke into the victim’s house at midnight and opened fire.

    The accused girl is still at large.

  • ‘Cracks between Imran, establishment over letting Maryam leave country,’ claims journalist

    Senior journalist Haroonur Rasheed has claimed that the establishment has agreed to let Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz go abroad like her father Nawaz Sharif, but Prime Minister Imran Khan has refused to let her leave Pakistan.

    In a TV show, Rasheed claimed that Maryam Nawaz wants to travel abroad but she cannot do so because her name is on the no-fly list due to her alleged involvement in Chaudhry Sugar Mills case. According to the journalist, Maryam approached the powers-that-be for relief.

    The establishment agreed to grant Maryam’s wish but PM Imran Khan flatly denied her request, he claimed, hinting at an alleged rift between the prime minister and the establishment.

    As per Rasheed, Imran has told the establishment that it will stop Maryam from leaving Pakistan at all costs. “I will stop her from travelling abroad even if it costs me my government or freedom,” the PM was quoted by Rasheed as saying.

    Recently, Maryam Nawaz said that she had a medical condition that couldn’t be treated in Pakistan, but she would never ask the incumbent regime for relief.

    Last week, former minister and PML-Zia chief Ijazul Haq claimed that establishment and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif struck a deal after which the PML-N supreme leader was allowed to travel to London.

    In an interview with Samaa, the ex-minister claimed the change in platelets count was an NRO deal. “Certainly, there was establishment involved,” Haq had claimed. He had claimed that he knew the “platelets and blood report of Sharif was changed to facilitate his escape from Pakistan”.

    “I know that the platelet or blood report was something else and the report on paper was something else,” he said. Haq said the information is “authentic” and he has “proof” to substantiate his claim, reported Samaa.

    It may be noted that the former premier was rushed to hospital from jail after a drastic decrease in his platelets. Subsequently, he was allowed to go abroad for treatment in Nov 2019 after submitting an assurance in the court.

    Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif is in London for more than one year due to medical reasons and his passport is also expired.

  • Maulana Tariq Jamil reveals reason behind launch of his own fashion brand


    After the news of Maulana Tariq Jamil starting circulating on social media, he was criticized over starting his own clothing brand despite being a religious cleric after which he shared a video message on his social media accounts. “Since 2000, I had been thinking about starting a business for my religious activities, especially to run a madrassa. During COVID-19’s lockdown, I have the opportunity to put that idea into practice.”

    “That was my intention [to make the madrassas self sufficient] and a few of my friends collaborated with me, after which we launched a brand with my name,” he added.

    Responding to criticism Maulana Tariq Jamil said, “I don’t understand where this idea of clerics running such businesses isn’t righteous came from. A lot of religious personalities we follow have been successful businessmen.”

    A LinkedIn page with the name of “MTJ – Tariq Jamil” has been created for the soon-to-be-launched brand.

    According to the brand’s LinkedIn page, “MTJ is being supervised directly by Maulana, is dedicated to weave people’s beliefs and convictions into reality. Provides a garment shopping platform to discover and re-associate with that lost identity that is ingrained in all of us.”

  • Karachi to gets its own IT park in two years

    Karachi to gets its own IT park in two years

    A private company will be establishing a state-of-the-art technology park in Karachi to boost Information Technology (IT) sector in Pakistan.

    The park will have high-end technological facilities for local software houses and companies, and it will be the first technology park in the port city, the commercial hub of Sindh.

    According to the official notification to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX), the company has acquired 10,002 square yards of land in the Korangi Industrial Area.

    The IT park is likely to be completed within two years, inclusive of the planning and designing phases.

    According to the reports, the purpose of establishing technology parks is to boost their productivity by creating a helpful environment and available facilities.

    A special technological zone was recently set up in Islamabad to promote Pakistan’s IT sector. The government is working to promote the IT industry and services while catering to both the local and international markets.

    The sector had a remarkable performance over the last six months in terms of exports and the development of e-commerce at the local level while pushing the limits of the innovation of products and services.

    One of the reasons why the IT sector boomed in India and the Philippines is that many IT parks have been established in these countries, which resulted in a robust increase in productivity and exports in this sector.

  • NA-75 by-polls: Maryam joins in on ‘Pawri ho rahi ha’ trend, uses it to call out ‘rigging’

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz has also joined in on the ‘Pawri Ho Rahi Ha’ trend, as she used it to call out alleged rigging reportedly carried out by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government during the NA-75 by-polls in Daska, Sialkot.

    ‘Pawri‘ trend went viral earlier this month, with celebrities from across the sub-continent adding to its popularity.

    During her address in Daska, Maryam said: “Yeh dhund hai, yeh Daska hai, aur Imran Khan awam ka vote chori kartay huay range haathon pakra gya hai [This is fog, this is Daska, and this is Imran Khan getting caught red-handed while stealing votes].”

    Speaking to reporters on Sunday, the PML-N vice president said that the events that transpired in the aftermath of voting in Daska have exposed the PTI government. She said the government’s alleged plan to steal votes was foiled by people who guarded their vote.

    The PML-N vice president accused the ruling party of taking the “20 presiding officers” hostage. She questioned why out of the 361 polling stations, the staff of only 20 polling stations had to go missing during the “fog” and why were the results of these polling stations suddenly changed when the officers returned after 12 hours.

    On Friday, at least two people were shot dead as both PML-N and the PTI alleged irregularities during the by-election on the National Assembly seat in Daska. Subsequently, the Election Commission of Pakistan withheld the results, saying it suspected irregularities in 20 polling stations.

    The commission said results of the NA-75 constituency were received with “unnecessary delay”, adding that it tried to contact the presiding officers several times but with no success.

  • Lahore’s King Edward establishes new dept only to accommodate Dr Yasmin Rashid’s daughter?

    Reports in the local press have claimed that one of the country’s oldest and most prestigious medical colleges, the King Edward Medical University (KEMU), has set up a new department only to accommodate the daughter of Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid.

    It was alleged that KEMU established a sub-specialty within the maternity department for the sole purpose of accommodating Dr Ayesha Ali as an assistant professor of maternal-fetal medicine in grade 19.

    Maternal-fetal medicine, also known as perinatology, is a branch of medicine that focuses on managing health concerns of the mother and fetus prior to, during, and shortly after pregnancy.

    “She was appointed as a permanent employee while new appointments are usually made on a contractual basis,” a KEMU official was quoted as saying. Immediately after her appointment on January 12, she sought time off from her duties and flew to London, the official added.

    Reports further claimed that initially, a new department of fetal medicine was created at the Fatima Jinnah Medical University (FJMU) to accommodate the health minister’s daughter.

    “Dr Ayesha was even selected for the post of assistant professor [at FJMU], but the appointment was never notified amid outcry over favouritism,” reports claimed and added that the new department was then created at KEMU instead.

    AUTHORITIES RESPOND TO ALLEGATIONS:

    This scribe reached out to the varsity for an official version of events surrounding the appointment allegedly made only to accommodate the minister’s daughter.

    Speaking to The Current, KEMU Registrar Dr Riasat Ali did not comment on Dr Ayesha’s appointment in particular but clarified the establishment of the sub-specialty at the medical institute.

    “As many as four sub-specialties were created at the KEMU maternity department but there is no controversy in it since all departments, over the passage of time, witness advancements,” he said, adding that a sub-specialty was also established at the department of medicine earlier.

    The appointments for all four sub-specialties were made while following due procedure, on merit, and in light of the approval of the relevant authorities, including the varsity’s senate and syndicate, the registrar said.

    While Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid did not respond to The Current’s queries despite repeated attempts to contact her, Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Usman Buzdar’s focal person on digital media, Azhar Mashwani, has tweeted to clarify the establishment of the new sub-specialties in both KEMU and FJMU.

    “Dr Yasmin Rashid’s daughter is a fetal medicine specialist practicing in England. She was appointed as an associated professor on one of the eight positions at KEMU on merit and contractual basis,” he said in a subsequent tweet.

    Mashwani added that Dr Ayesha was quitting her job in the United Kingdom (UK) to come to Pakistan where she will officially join KEMU a month later.

  • Woman employed by in-laws of Pakistani media mogul alleges labour trafficking

    Rehana Bibi, who was reportedly hired by Geo/Jang CEO Mir Shakilur Rahman as a servant for his sister-in-law’s family in Virginia, has accused the Yahya family, whose home and children she cared for, and their Pakistan relatives, Mir Shakil and others, of engaging in human trafficking, according to a report in The Washington Post.

    Bibi has filed a case in a federal court in Alexandria, seeking damages. The case is in its early stages as of now, the US-based media outlet reported.

    Bibi was promised a “well-paying job as a maid” in Virginia, but after arriving in the US in 2013, she “spent the next five years effectively trapped in a Loudoun County home”.

    In a response submitted in the court by the Yahya family, they said the allegations are “as reprehensible as they are false”.

    “The conditions Bibi described would not amount to human trafficking,” the newspaper quoted the lawyer as saying. “Taking the allegations in the light most favorable to her, Ms Bibi was oppressed, not trapped,” he told the court.

    Mayfield notes that Bibi “was able to leave the first time she tried” and argues that “enduring unpleasant working conditions does not make someone a victim of trafficking or false imprisonment.”

    BIBI’s ORDEAL:

    Bibi, who has applied for asylum in the US because of potential threats she may face in Pakistan, told The Washington Post that she was considering suicide due to the treatment meted out by the Yayhas.

    “I have not seen anybody in my life, not even in Pakistan . . . treat anyone like that,” she said, adding her employer barred her from visiting Pakistan to attend the marriage of her daughters. “I couldn’t even watch the weddings on the family’s iPad.”

    The report said: “She slept on a mattress on the basement floor and kept her belongings in her suitcase, according to the complaint; for the first two years, she says, she was in a storage room infested with insects.”

    “Bibi maintains that she was confined because she spoke almost no English and was told she was in the country illegally. The visa she came to the country on was good for only one year. She says the family almost never let her out alone and warned her that if she went to the police, she would be arrested.”

    “I still have a lot of back pain from carrying heavy loads for the family. She also has gaps in her smile from the teeth she lost during her service,” she told the Post. “I was scared all the time,” she said. “I cannot forget these memories.”