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  • Fact Check: Dozens of people have died in NAB custody

    Fact Check: Dozens of people have died in NAB custody

    Claim: Several people have died under NAB custody

    Fact: At least 12 people who died in NAB custody have been reported on by mainstream media

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader and former finance minister Ishaq Dar has not only claimed that dozens of people died in the custody of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) but also told HARDtalk presenter Stephen Sackur to “Google it”.

    Speaking to BBC, he brought the journalist’s attention to the human rights condition in Pakistan. “What’s happening in Pakistan… dozens of people have died in NAB custody.”

    When Sackur asked him if he was claiming that people had died during detention by NAB, Dar reiterated his claim and told the presenter to head to Google to verify it.

    https://twitter.com/WaraichHaider/status/1333666178250788864

    But is there any truth to the claims made by the ex-finance minister?

    Amid conflicting reports, NAB maintains that not even a single person has died in its custody, at least not because of torture and in recent times.

    One of the most recent cases remains that of the former chief executive officer (CEO) of the University of Sargodha’s Lahore campus, Mian Javed Ahmed, who was in Camp Jail in connection with a NAB inquiry.

    He died in prison reportedly of cardiac arrest in late 2018. With pictures of his dead body still in handcuffs sending shockwaves across the nation, NAB said the teacher was not in the bureau’s but in judicial custody.

    Earlier in 2004, the then NAB chairperson had ordered an inquiry into the death of a former divisional engineer of PTCL, Agha Mohammad Sajjad, who died in NAB custody.

    A NAB spokesperson had said the former PTCL official who was taken into custody on the charges of corruption from Lahore was brought to NAB police station, where he suffered a heart attack. The official died on the way to hospital, he had said and rejected allegations that the death was caused by torture.

    Former Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) senator Sehar Kamran, however, says that “NAB custody is worse than the United States’ (US) infamous military jail, the Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp”.

    The scattered data of alleged rights violations by NAB was compiled by Kamran in a brief she reportedly sent to Federal Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari among other authorities concerned earlier this year.

    According to the brief, 11 NAB suspects, minus Mian Javed, have lost their lives while in custody or “as a direct result of the harassment by the agency”.

    Aslam Masood

    Aslam Masood, the chief financial officer (CFO) of Omni Group, was arrested through Interpol when he was boarding a flight from London to Jeddah in October 2018. He was subsequently extradited to Pakistan from Saudi Arabia in February 2019. He died of a cardiac arrest on August 17, 2020 while in NAB custody.

    Engineer Aijaz Memon

    Aijaz Memon, an executive engineer serving in Sindh government’s Works and Services Department, was accused of misappropriation of Rs90 million development funds for Jacobabad. He was kept in the Sukkur Central Prison, where he suffered a heart stroke, and passed away during treatment at the local Civil hospital on May 31, 2020, less than three months after being placed in NAB custody.

    Advocate Zafar Iqbal Mughal

    Advocate Zafar Iqbal Mughal was a leader of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and district bar member from Layyah. He was detained by NAB authorities on October 11, 2019, in a bogus housing scheme case (a non-registered housing colony on 254 acres in Layyah). He remained in NAB custody for 86 days and after severe deterioration of health, he was transferred to the hospital only four days before death. He died in NAB custody on January 6, 2020, a few days before his hearing scheduled for January 17, 2020.

    Raja Asim

    Raja Asim was arrested in the stock exchange corruption case on March 26, 2014. After five years in custody without sentencing, his case remained inconclusive, while other accused individuals in the same cases were not pursued. Due to delayed provision of healthcare/medication for
    pneumonia, Raja Asim passed away in NAB custody at the age of 42. His death was declared after a delay of five days.

    Brigadier (r) Asad Munir

    Former Military Intelligence officer and prominent defense analyst Brig (r) Asad Munir committed suicide after the emergence of media reports that NAB had decided to file a reference of abuse of office against him. His body was found hanging from a ceiling fan in his apartment in Diplomatic Enclave on March 16, 2019.

    He left a suicide note, addressed to the chief justice of Pakistan (CJP), seeking action against NAB’s conduct against those who have not even been convicted.

    Muhammad Nasir Sheikh

    Muhammad Nasir Shaikh, additional director (land) of KDA was arrested by NAB on November 27, 2015, for alleged China-cutting and land grabbing. With his death in April 2019, he became the second KDA official held without prosecution and to pass away in custody.

    Professor Dr Tahir Amin

    Professor Dr. Tahir Amin, a renowned educationist, international relations expert and the vice chancellor of Bahauddin Zakariya University (BZU) Multan was accused of nepotism and financial malpractice. NAB chief initiated a probe against him on the complaint of a former colleague. Under tremendous stress, he also made an abortive attempt to commit suicide and later died of a heart attack on April 5, 2019.

    Qaisar Abbas

    Qaisar Abbas was arrested in Nandipur Power Project Case on August 30, 2018, he was shifted to the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) after complaining of chest pain. He passed away on October 1, 2019.

    Chaudhry Arshad

    Chaudhry Arshad, chairperson of Members Welfare Committee of Ministry of Commerce Employees Cooperative Housing Society (MOCECHS), was arrested by the anti-graft watchdog over charges of corruption allegedly leveled by corrupt officials with nexus of land mafia.

    According to reports, Chaudhry Arshad was under severe pressure to sign documents in a bid to occupy the housing society when he suffered a heart attack and passed away on August 7, 2018.

    Muhammad Saleem

    Muhammad Saleem, deputy director (revenue) of the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) was apprehended by NAB in September 2017 in connection with LDA commercialisation fee corruption case on the basis of an anonymous complaint.

    Despite suffering from liver disease, he was sent to Camp Jail on judicial remand by an accountability court. When his health deteriorated, he was shifted to Services Hospital where he died in NAB custody on December 24, 2018.

    Abdul Qavi Khan

    Abdul Qavi Khan, another KDA officer was arrested on November 27, 2015, he was accused of illegal construction and sale/purchase of plots in a housing scheme named “University Hill Villas”. He died under mysterious circumstances at Central Jail Karachi.

    “NAB’s little respect for human rights is widely known. The extent to which human rights are violated by NAB can only be established by documentation, a process in which this institution is obviously not interested. Surprisingly, NAB victims too have not attempted a record-based assessment of this important institution’s performance. In this situation a fact sheet prepared by former senator Sehar Kamran can only be welcomed. The first shocking fact presented in this report is that NAB is allegedly responsible for causing 12 deaths,” writes human rights champion IA Rehman.

    VERDICT: TRUE

  • Humayun Saeed, baby Mustafa Abbasi all smiles as they meet each other for the first time

    Humayun Saeed, baby Mustafa Abbasi all smiles as they meet each other for the first time

    Humayun Saeed with wife Samina paid a visit to Hamza Ali Abbasi in Islamabad, meeting his son Mustafa Abbasi for the first time.

    Both Humayun and Mustafa were beaming as they met each other for the first time.

    “MashAllah the most adorable and chilled out kid Mustafa Hamza Abbasi,” wrote Humayun in the caption.

    He added that he had the” strangest yet happiest feeling” when he held Mustafa and realised that Hamza is not only married but also has a child now.

    Humayun’s sister-in-law Sana Shahnawaz also shared pictures from their meeting and both Humayun and Mustafa were all smiles in these photographs also.

    Abbasi and Naimal Khawar welcomed their first child on July 30 this year.

  • Newlyweds in Multan walk 6km due to PDM jalsa roadblocks

    Newlyweds in Multan walk 6km due to PDM jalsa roadblocks

    A newlywed couple on Monday had to walk six kilometres due to road blocks due to the Pakistan Democratic Movement’s (PDM) jalsa in Multan.

    According to reports, the couple were at Lodhran’s Dunyapur tehsil when they encountered several barriers with police and other security personnel, asking them to stop their vehicle. The groom with his ‘barat’ had to park their cars on the side of a road from where they went to their destination on foot. 

    Shipping containers and heavy vehicles were parked at different spots around Multan as a security measure, while mobile phone services were also suspended inconveniencing locals.

  • UK Government wants Netflix to classify ‘The Crown’ as fiction

    UK Government wants Netflix to classify ‘The Crown’ as fiction

    The Culture Secretary of the United Kingdom Oliver Dowden has suggested that each episode of The Crown should begin with a disclaimer stating that the show is not factual.

    “It’s a beautifully produced work of fiction, so as with other TV productions, Netflix should be very clear at the beginning it is just that,” Dowden said in an interview. “Without this, I fear a generation of viewers who did not live through these events may mistake fiction for fact.”

    He added that will write to Netflix this week to express his view.

    The fourth season of The Crown follows the life of the royal family during the late 1970s and the 1980s, which means many of the main characters’ real-life counterparts are still living. Charles and Princess Diana’s rocky married life and the Charles-Diana-Camilla love triangle is one of the main storylines in the season. It is pertinent to add here that the creators of the show have clarified that creative liberty has been taken while making the show. This season also shows Margaret Thatcher’s years in office as prime minister.

    Read more – Season Four of ‘The Crown’ is a Pakistani arranged marriage nightmare

    Meanwhile, Dowden is not the only one who thinks that The Crown should be classified as a work of fiction. Earl Spencer, brother of the late Princess Diana, has also said that he believes the series should warn viewers that it takes artistic license with actual events.

    “I think it would help The Crown an enormous amount if, at the beginning of each episode, it stated that: ‘This isn’t true but it is based around some real events,’” Spencer had said in an interview.

    Season 4 of The Crown is now streaming on Netflix.

  • Rajkummar Rao’s ‘Ludo’ rap ‘Paneer Tikka’ is winning the internet

    Rajkummar Rao’s ‘Ludo’ rap ‘Paneer Tikka’ is winning the internet

    After Yashraj Mukhate’s ‘Woh Rashi Thi’, Rajkummar Rao’s Paneer Tikka in a retro style beat is going viral on social media.

    The song Paneer Tikka has been made into a rap by composer Mayur Jumani. Rao said the dialogue in the film Ludo, where his character is telling the menu very fluently. The new composition is catchy and has gone viral on social media.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNWOrSNat94

    Ludo is a multi-starrer Netflix movie directed by Anurag Basu. Apart from Rao, it also features Pankaj Tripathi, Abhishek Bachchan, Aditya Roy Kapur, Sanya Malhotra and Fatima Sana Sheikh in the lead.

    Watch the movie review here:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5QHhnFbh_g
  • KYA BOLA? (Dec 1): ‘Lekin Banda Emandaar Ha’, ‘PDM Ky Barwain Khilari’, ‘Facebook Ki Her Larai Py Parcha’

    KYA BOLA? (Dec 1): ‘Lekin Banda Emandaar Ha’, ‘PDM Ky Barwain Khilari’, ‘Facebook Ki Her Larai Py Parcha’

    Following are some snippets that stood out from Urdu newspapers on Dec 1, 2020, which The Current takes no responsibility for.

    ‘Lekin Banda Emandaar Ha’

    Maryam Nawaz has taken a jibe at Prime Minister Imran Khan for his allegedly involvement corrupt practices, as per a report in Daily Jang. “Kehty thy Imran Khan banda emandaar ha, Niazi Services banai tax bachany ky liye, lekin banda emandaar ha; Aleema Baji ny salai machine sy arabon rupee kamaye, lekin banda emandaar ha.”

    ‘PDM Ky Barwain Khilari’

    Information Minister Shibli Faraz has compared JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman to an extra player in a cricket team. Daily Jang reported Faraz as saying: “Maulana Fazlur Rahman Pakistan Democratic Movement ky barwain khilari hain. Maulana logon ko tashadud per uksaa rahy hain.”

    ‘Facebook Ki Her Larai Py Parcha?’

    According to Dunya News, the Islamabad High Court has asked whether the FIA will file a complaint on every Facebook fight. Dunya News quoted the Islamabad High Court as saying, “Mehz darkhwast per accounts block, internet laraion per karwaion hony lagi tou kaam kon kary ga. Aj tou her baat internet ky zareay hoti ha. Kiya FIA her case py PECA lagaye gi?”

  • ‘Revise your course, do homework, these aren’t holidays,’ Shafqat Mahmood to students

    Pakistan’s educational institutions had to be closed down because coronavirus infections were rising very fast, Federal education Minister Shafqat Mahmood tweeted Tuesday morning.

    He said it was done with a heavy heart, Geo reported.

    “I request all students to use this time not as a holiday but to revise their courses, do homework,” he said.

    The federal education minister asked students to continue with their studies “as much as possible”.

    Mahmood had made similar remarks last week while talking to Geo Pakistan. He had said the decision to close down educational institutes was taken due to non-compliance with government-issued coronavirus SOPs.

    “The SOPs were not being followed as they should have been,” he had said, adding that health department data showed rapid virus transmission in education institutes.

    Stressing that children’s health cannot be taken lightly, Mahmood said there were around 50 million students across the country i.e. one-fourth of our population. “They can become carriers. So it was necessary to shut down schools.”

  • LPL 2020: Shahid Afridi’s clash with Afghanistan’s Naveenul Haq goes viral

    LPL 2020: Shahid Afridi’s clash with Afghanistan’s Naveenul Haq goes viral

    Former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi’s clash with Afghanistan’s Naveenul Haq has gone viral over the internet.

    As per the details, the clash followed a heated exchange of words between Pakistan’s Mohammad Amir and Haq during a match of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) on Monday.

    Haq’s Kandy Tuskers beat Afridi and Amir’s Galle Gladiators by 25 runs.

    As the match continued, Haq misbehaved with Amir during the latter part of the game. Everyone tried to stop him, including India’s Munaf Patel, but he continued hurling abuses even after winning the match.

    It had all started when Naveen was bowling to Amir and he hit a six.

    During final fist-pump, Afridi asked him angrily “Kia hogya hai [what’s the matter]?” while also giving him the now viral death stare.

    Naveen was also seen saying something to Afridi.

    Meanwhile, Gladiators lost their third match in a row. Their next match is on Thursday.

  • Ishaq Dar says owns just one property

    Ishaq Dar says owns just one property

    Former finance minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Ishaq Dar, who is in a self-imposed exile after corruption cases were filed against him, has said that he and his wife own only a single property that’s located in Pakistan.

    Dar made these comments during his appearance in BBC show, HardTalk.

    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.

  • Sajal Aly wins big at DIAFA for her contribution to film and television

    Sajal Aly wins big at DIAFA for her contribution to film and television

    Sajal Ahad Mir (Aly) achieved another milestone as she received the prestigious Distinctive International Arab Festivals Award for her contribution to Film and Television.

    Distinctive International Arab Festivals Award (DIAFA), which is held annually in Dubai, honours distinguished international and Arab figures for their annual achievements and contributions towards communities and societies betterment.

    According to DIAFA’s official website, “DIAFA is a unique and prestigious annual event that honours distinguished international and Arab personalities in recognition of their annual achievements and contributions towards communities and societies betterment. These personalities are selected by a qualified committee and honorees are chosen from all fields such as music, arts, culture, business, humanitarian services, etc.”

    Sharing a picture of herself with her golden trophy, Sajal said: “This award is special to me not just as an artist, but as a proud Pakistani. Thank you DIAFA and Thank you Dubai for honouring artists from around the world.”

    While receiving the award, Sajal on-stage said: “I am really honoured to be here with such amazing actors and amazing people. I really want to thank all my fans for believing in me. Thank you DIAFA, Thank you so much for this honour.”

    Soon after Sajal shared her picture with her award, congratulotory messages poured in from fans and colleagues.

    “Proud of you,” said husband Ahad Raza Mir, while sister Saboor Aly called her the “pride of Pakistan”.

    Sajal wore a black outfit for the function and tied her hair in a bun. She accessorized her look with small earrings.

    Meanwhile, it is pertinent to add her that Sajal shared the table with the star of 365 Days: Italian actor Michele Morrone, who was also recognised for his contribution to the film and television. Morrone also performed at the ceremony.