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Tag: Fawad Chaudhry

  • Shehbaz involved in Nawaz leaving fraud, bring him back or face investigation says, Fawad Chaudhry

    Shehbaz involved in Nawaz leaving fraud, bring him back or face investigation says, Fawad Chaudhry

    Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry, while addressing a press conference after a cabinet meeting, said that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif is not seeking medical treatment for the past 17 months.

    “Shehbaz Sharif was the guarantor of Nawaz Sharif,” said the minister.

    “The drama of Nawaz Sharif’s health was created here,” said Fawad, adding that Nawaz went out of Pakistan through fraud.

    Fawad further stated that the High Court ordered that Nawaz Sharif would remain in touch with the Pakistani embassy in London, adding, “the Pakistan embassy contacted Nawaz twice, but he did not respond.”

    “[PML-N President] Shehbaz Sharif is involved in this fraud. According to his statement, Shehbaz Sharif should take steps to bring Nawaz Sharif to Pakistan,” said Fawad.

    “The Federal Cabinet has decided to approach the High Court on the false affidavit of Shehbaz Sharif,” said the minister.

  • ‘If five thousand guests come to someone’s house without telling him what he can do’: Fawad on Murree

    ‘If five thousand guests come to someone’s house without telling him what he can do’: Fawad on Murree

    Federal Minister for information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry addressed the tragic Murree incident and said when tens of thousand vehicles enter an area simultaneously there would be chaos.

    According to him, all the vehicles entered Murree within 24 hours despite several warnings from the administration.

    In a press conference along with the Federal Minister of Education Shafqat Mahmood, Fawad said, “If five thousand guests come to someone’s house without telling him what he can do.”

    Referring to Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s statement, “We are looking into the situation. We should learn from such incidents.”

    The federal minister also defended his previous statement that the common man traveling to Murree shows they’re getting rich by saying that the economy is getting “stronger”.

    He urged the media to advise people, not to go to northern areas as they are already full. Moreover, he updated that Express Highway is cleared and the evacuation process is underway.

    Talking about the Opposition’s criticism, he said they just did politics and pointed out Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz and leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi.

    As of now, 22 deaths have been reported in Murree. Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid said the authorities would evacuate 1,000 vehicles by today evening, while the roads would remain closed to Murree till tomorrow 9pm.

  • PM Khan special adviser, donor awarded multi-million dollar hotel deal in Nathiagali: report

    PM Khan special adviser, donor awarded multi-million dollar hotel deal in Nathiagali: report

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) received funding from an individual Mumtaz Ahmed Muslim who owns an offshore company named Dreshak Security Solutions Inc. The security firm claims it has provided around 15,000 specialised non-combat security personnel to the American forces in the Iraq war, reports The News.

    The PTI-led government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) returned the ‘favor’ to its donor by awarding a multi-million dollars contract to build a luxury hotel in the tourist destination Nathiagali in October 2021.

    The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP)’s scrutiny committee report reveals that Mumtaz Ahmed Muslim is one of the party donors who gifted $24,979 to the PTI.

    Mumtaz Muslim is the president and owner of the hotel chain. Mumtaz is not just a party donor but he also has close ties with PTI leadership.

    On April 15, 2018, he met Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan at his Banigala residence. After this meeting, PM Khan decided to appoint him as his special adviser. On April 26, 2018, the PTI chief signed a notification to appoint Mumtaz Muslim as a special adviser to the chairman on special projects on April 26, 2018. Mumtaz’s name also appeared in the media as a PTI leader when the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) released a list of Pakistanis who own properties in the UAE.

    The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) recently released the Pandora Papers containing around 12 million confidential files from 14 offshore services firms. One of the leaked files contains Mumtaz Ahmed Muslim’s name who owns an offshore company Dreshak Security Solutions Inc.

    The Pandora Papers documents reveal that on August 06, 2006, Mumtaz Ahmed Muslim incorporated an offshore company Dreshak Security Solutions Inc. in the British Virgin Islands (BVI) jurisdiction. As per the documents, Mumtaz Ahmed Muslim and Imtiaz Ahmed Muslim are the officers and shareholders of the company. Imtiaz Ahmed Muslim is also the managing director of Dreshak Security Solutions Inc.

    Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry, while talking to The News, said he has no information about Mumtaz Muslim’s security company. About the hotel contract, he said Mumtaz Muslim won it in open bidding.

    When asked about Mumtaz Muslim’s meeting with Chief Minister KP a month prior to the contract awarding, he said as far as he knows, the KP government did not award the contract but the army did. Talking about his affiliation with Imran Khan, the information minister said Mumtaz Muslim is a staunch party supporter and a former party member.

  • Common man travelling to Murree shows they’re getting rich, says Fawad Chaudhry

    Common man travelling to Murree shows they’re getting rich, says Fawad Chaudhry

    Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry has said that a rise in tourism indicates prosperity as it shows the income of the common man has increased.

    Taking to Twitter, the minister said that more than 100,000 tourist vehicles have entered Murree this year, due to which fares of hotels and guest houses have soared.

    “These statistics show that an increase in tourism in the country indicates prosperity as well as an increase in the income of the common man,” he said.

    Fawad added that in the current year, 100 big companies in the country have earned a profit of Rs929 billion, while all major media outlets have earned 33 per cent to 40 per cent in profits.

    Recently, Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan asked his party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) spokespersons to inform the masses that there is no inflation in the country, as he expressed satisfaction over the economic team’s performance.

    Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin had also assured that inflation has come down in December as compared to November and next month inflation will come down further as global commodity prices are declining.

  • PTI in trouble? ‘Corrupt, liar, conspiratorial’, Opposition hits out at PM Khan

    PTI in trouble? ‘Corrupt, liar, conspiratorial’, Opposition hits out at PM Khan

    The Opposition has heavily criticised the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan after a scrutiny committee of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) reported that the party did not disclose millions of rupees worth of funds to the constitutional body.

    Lashing out at the premier, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice-President Maryam Nawaz said Imran Khan had not only “stolen and hidden money, but also plundered the people”.

    Maryam said the “constant leaks, revelations, and evidence, are more than enough to bring down the PTI, including Imran Khan.”

    “Has there been such a corrupt, liar, and conspiratorial ruler like Imran Khan in the history of Pakistan?” she asked.

    PML-N Secretary General Ahsan Iqbal during a media briefing said that the scrutiny committee’s report had “washed away Imran Khan’s make up of honesty”.

    “Imran Khan acts as the champion of transparency in the country, but in the foreign funding case, he is making lame excuses to stop the hearing; PTI is resorting to mudslinging to cover its own theft,” he said.

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Central Information Secretary Shazia Marri, berating PM Khan tweeted, “Imran Khan talashi do (give yourself up for examination).”

    Meanwhile, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry termed the report “inaccurate” and called for a public comparison of all the parties’ foreign funding so people knew where they all stood.

    Fawad said that there were “two relevant transactions of Rs150m and Rs160m, which had been duplicated and therefore counted twice by the committee”.

    “In the same way, Rs150m transferred from the centre to the provinces from a PTI subsidiary was also counted twice.” He said these facts would be laid before the ECP during arguments in the case.

    The minister said the report showed that the PTI had 26 accounts out of which eight were inactive.

    “Out of the remaining 18 accounts, eight are functional and have transactions and also show funds coming in,” he added.

    He said that 10 of the accounts in question did not actually belong to the PTI, while six were subsidiary accounts, while the party has distanced itself from the remaining four.

    The report compiled by the ECP revealed the party under-reported an amount of Rs312 million over a four-year period, between 2009-10 and 2012-13. Year-wise details show that an amount of over Rs145m was under-reported in 2012-13 alone.

  • EXCLUSIVE: Accused journalists, Fawad Chaudhry respond to leaked audio allegations by Maryam Nawaz

    EXCLUSIVE: Accused journalists, Fawad Chaudhry respond to leaked audio allegations by Maryam Nawaz

    In a 2022 first, another leaked audio conversation between Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz and PML-N Leader Pervaiz Rashid has come to the surface.

    Audio leak: “There is not one single person [journalist/analyst] whom we can call a spokesperson for the party,” Rashid

    As per the leaked audio, Pervaiz Rashid, referring to how criticism was directed towards PML-N on a political talk show on Geo News, said to Maryam Nawaz, “They have a programme called ‘Score Card’ [Report Card], Hassan Nisar is a part of its [panel] he abuses us a lot.”

    “They have added Irshad Bhatti as well,” added Maryam Nawaz. “Irshad Bhatti whom they have added gives derogatory remarks [against us],” said Rashid.

    “Mazhar Abbas has a tilt against us in his comments. He criticises us and sometimes spins the conversation and makes fun of us, but it is primarily against us,” said PML-N leader Rashid.

    Rashid lamented the fact that there was not one single person [journalist/analyst] whom they could call a spokesperson for the party.

    “Sattar Babar [Babar Sattar] has his independent opinion,” said Rashid. “He [Babar Sattar] generally isn’t in our favour,” interjected Maryam.

    “There was another one who didn’t give our point of view. Just like these people abuse us, he used to do the same to [Prime Minister (PM)] Imran Khan,” said Pervaiz Rashid. “Niazi [Hafeezullah Niazi]”, added Maryam Nawaz. “Yes, Niazi,” replied Rashid. “They have removed him and are not publishing his columns as well.”

    “This is really unjust and cruel [behaiour] towards us,” said Rasheed.

    At this point in the alleged audio, Maryam says she would first ask Niazi the reason for his removal from the panel and then take up the matter with Jang Group owner Mir Shakeel-ur-Rehman.

    “I will request you to ask Mir Shakeel-ur-Rehman, that why is this happening, in this way the programme will be unbalanced. There was one check on Imran Khan, you have stopped that and you have imposed barking dogs on us,” Rashid continued.

    “You are absolutely right uncle, this is biasness towards us,” said Maryam Nawaz.

    Towards the end of the clip, Maryam allegedly passes instructions that a pair of baskets that former prime minister Nawaz Sharif brought from Azerbaijan should be sent to journalists Nusrat Javeed and Rana Jawad.

    “Maryam Nawaz has been trying to dictate the media in a rather stupid manner”: Fawad Chaudhry

    The Current contacted Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry to provide the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) stance on the leaked audio.

    “Many anchors consider themselves as God when they sit on TV channels. They speak against people,” said Fawad, adding “Language is very important. When one sits to analyse or critique on someone they should be careful with their words.”

    “PML-N has been mananging the editorial policy. Maryam Nawaz has been trying to dictate the media in a rather stupid manner,” said Fawad.

    In an exclusive conversation with The Current, the journalists and analysts who have been called out by the PML-N leadership had rather interesting revelations to make.

    “I am not surprised. I stand by words and comments”, Journalist Mazhar Abbas

    Senior Journalist Mazhar Abbas, while talking to The Current, said, “I am not surprised, be it Maryam Nawaz, Pervaiz Rashid, Fawad Chaudhry or anyone from Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), I stand by my words and comments.”

    Responding to the allegations of PML-N Abbas said, ” I do not spin my words, though I have been a left-arm leg spinner in my earlier days and that has nothing to do with my journalism.”

    “I have been a journalist for 40 years and I am not bothered by the criticism of these politicians.”

    Agreeing with Fawad Chaudhry, Abbas said that the use of proper language is very important but the minister needs to tell this to his party fellows as well.

    Taking a jibe at PML-N, Abbas said, “The PML-N should also ponder on their own actions and the way they talk. I will not comment on the way they do it. I have my way of criticism. However, I shall want to correct Rashid Saab, the show he is talking about is called ‘Report Card’, not Score Card.”

    “Fawad Chaudhry publically slaps anchors and now he is schooling us about language,” Columnist Hafeezullah Niazi

    Columnist Hafeezullah Niazi while commenting on the leaked audio said, “This conversation is from 2017 after former PM Nawaz Sharif’s visit from Azerbaijan.”

    “In 2017 Maryam Nawaz was handling the PML-N media cell. And this audio is of a private conversation. Whatever is being said in this audio is absolutely correct,” said Niazi.

    “They have said the right thing about me. I used to come hard on Imran Khan. Unfortunately, some loose talk does take place on private news channels political talk shows,” said Niazi.

    Reacting to the words of Fawad Chaudhry, Hafeezullah said, “Fawad Chaudhry publicly slapped anchors and now he is schooling us about language. Why didn’t he remember ethics and language then? He is taking out some old grievances with PML-N.”

    Talking about the remarks of Pervaiz Rashid, and his derogatory words, Hafeezullah said, “Pervaiz Rashid talks like this. It’s his private style of talking. These talks weren’t for the public,” adding that Maryam Nawaz has never denied these conversations.

    “Maryam’s fame in politics started with her managing the media cell of PML-N. Her career is from social media,” said Niazi.

    The Current has also reached out to senior Journalist Hassan Nisar, Irshad Bhatti, and Geo News and we are still waiting for a response.

  • ‘Legal action will be taken against you if Nawaz doesn’t return’: Fawad warns Shehbaz

    ‘Legal action will be taken against you if Nawaz doesn’t return’: Fawad warns Shehbaz

    The Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry said that either Shehbaz Sharif asks Nawaz Sharif to return to Pakistan or legal action will be taken against him [Shehbaz] for providing a fake affidavit.

    In a press conference, the minister said that Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has directed the Attorney-General of Pakistan (AGP) to ensure Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif is brought back to Pakistan.

    Following Fawad’s statement claimed that the PML-N secretary-general Ahsan Iqbal Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI)-led government is suffering from “Nawaz phobia.”

    “The government holds cabinet meetings only to discuss Nawaz Sharif, which shows that it is suffering from Nawaz Sharif phobia,” he said.

    Meanwhile, PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb said that “Nawaz Sharif had gone abroad for treatment after seeking permission from the country’s judiciary.”

    “Issuing statement against Nawaz and Shahbaz on a daily basis shows how panicked the government is,” Marriyum said.

    She went on to say that instead of telling the attorney general to ensure Nawaz’s return to Pakistan, the government should direct him to take action against those who steal wheat, sugar, electricity, gas, and medicines.

  • ‘Riasat-e-Madina is one where you demolish Hindu temples’: JUI-F’s Secretary General Abdul Ghafoor

    ‘Riasat-e-Madina is one where you demolish Hindu temples’: JUI-F’s Secretary General Abdul Ghafoor

    Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam’s (JUI-F) secretary-general Senator Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, during a press briefing, incited people to demolish Hindu temples.

    Ghafoor was explaining his interpretation of what Riasat-e-Madina looks like and said, “The main idea of Riasat-e-Madina is one where you demolish Hindu temples, destroy idols and build mosques.”

    “These people are making temples and idols,” said Ghafoor, adding, “When Babri Masjid was unlawfully desecrated, a lot of criticism was lamented on India. Protests took place against the attack. The ones who did this are kafir [non-believers].”

    “Today in Pakistan, one respected judge, whom I feel ashamed calling chief justice, he too should feel ashamed. On whose directives did he pass the order?” remarked Ghafoor.

    “For 40 years the court and chief justice were blind. Karachi is his city as well. He is an extremist,” added Ghafoor.

    “I would like to take names, the government minister Fawad Chaudhry when he won the election gave a statement that JUI-F is an extremist party. I [Ghafoor] want to put a mirror in front of him [Fawad], I want to tell him, his leadership and [prime minister] Imran Khan when you staged a dharna in Islamabad, you addressed the parliament from D-chowk and cursed the people sitting in the parliament, you cursed the parliament and army, and you didn’t stop here,” lamented the JUI-F leader.

    Ghafoor further criticising the government said, “Sheikh Rasheed who fits into every boot is the interior minister and this is such cruelty. We too came out from Karachi and held a march no one complained about us, their protest was a drama, we had a million people, and no one complained about us. My tehreek [movement] is in front of the country and so is their’s. My extremism and equality are in front of the people and your character is in front of the country as well.”

    “The country has to decide who is a terrorist the [government] or myself,” said Ghafoor.

  • ‘Reduce bitterness in 2022’: Fawad Chaudhry urges the Opposition

    ‘Reduce bitterness in 2022’: Fawad Chaudhry urges the Opposition

    Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry on Saturday extended a proverbial hand of friendship to the Opposition as he acknowledged the need to “reduce bitterness” in the country’s politics.

    “At the beginning of the new year 2022, I think we need to reduce bitterness. The government and the Opposition should talk on elections, economy, political and judicial reforms,” tweeted Fawad.

    “Pakistan is a great country. We need to understand our responsibilities. It diminishes the prestige of politicians. Ruckus in the parliament lowers the repute of politicians in the eyes of the common man.”

  • 2021: Not-so-silly government blunders of the year

    The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) has completed three years of its mandated constitutional term. During these years, ministers and officials including the Prime Minister (PM) himself have made countless blunders.

    Here is a list of top blunders made by the sitting government.

    1- PM Imran Khan

    ‘Human rights and women rights are different’

    At the platform where PM Imran Khan was supposed to talk about the Afghanistan crisis, he said human rights and women’s rights are different. The speech resulted in a lot of backlash as a series of severe discriminatory rules were already enacted by the Taliban across Afghanistan.

    Blamed rape cases on vulgarity

    A sensitive topic in Pakistan, the premier commented on rape in Pakistan and later was schooled not only by Pakistanis but also his ex-wife Jemima Goldsmith. While responding to a question about what the federal government is doing to curb the recent surge of rape cases and sexual violence especially against children. Khan instead of laying out his government’s plans blamed the rising cases on vulgarity.

    2- Punjab CM Usman Buzdar

    The Chief Minister (CM) of Punjab Usman Buzdar hardly remains in limelight. But when he does something he makes sure to be in the headlines. Just like previous Punjab CM Shehbaz Sharif, Buzdar paid a “surprise visit” to the tourism office and transferred the additional secretary “for being absent from duty” while not being aware that the officer held the additional charge of the Tourism Development Corporation of Punjab (TDCP) Managing Director. She was at her other office. His government termed it as a ‘deliberate attempt’ to malign the CM.

    3- Fawad Chaudhry

    Quick question: ‘Adrak Garlic hota ha ya Lasan Ginger’. Well, if you are confused you gotta listen to our federal minister.

    Addressing a press conference on inflation, Fawad had a brain-freeze moment, when he couldn’t exactly recall what garlic meant in Urdu. The incident happened as the minister was talking about the decrease in price for garlic and onions. The minister was heard saying, “Garlic is adrak (ginger).” Isn’t it relatable?

    4- Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan

    In a horrific event that resulted in the loss of 65 lives. PTI’s leader Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan made a shocking statement. She said, “By the grace of Almighty Allah, ever since the government came into power, this is the first train accident that happened in this year 2021″. Later, she termed it out of context.