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Tag: Prime Minister Imran Khan

  • Dr Firdous reveals her favourite makeup brand

    Dr Firdous reveals her favourite makeup brand

    Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan has a tough schedule. Apart from attending various meetings throughout the day with the Prime Minister, Dr Firdous also has to address press conferences to brief the media and public about daily happenings. For all this, Dr Firdous maintains an impeccable appearance and is always on top of her game.

    In an exclusive interview with The Current, when asked about her favourite makeup brand, Dr Firdous revealed that it is Clinique.

    “Because my skin remains in painting all day, Clinique is good at all this denting-painting,” the SAPM had said.

    Apart from that, Dr Firdous also revealed the one thing she admired about her predecessor, former federal minister for information Fawad Chaudhry. She said that she liked his “struggle to always stay in headlines”.

    According to the details, with cracks continuing to emerge within the ranks of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and rumour having it that both Awan and Chaudhry are not the best of friends ever since the latter was sacked and replaced by the former, the SAPM when asked what she liked the most about Chaudhry, she said, “His [Fawad Chaudhry’s] struggle to always stay in headlines.”

    To another question, Awan, who is not an elected member of the parliament, said that election defeat under Imran was not a defeat. “It’s a victory for my ideology,” she said.

    “Social media is an unguided missile with warheads but no target,” the SAPM said when asked what was that she disliked the most about social media.

    Awan also said that she was not a misogynist — her verbal attacks “were for people and not genders” and those who criticised her for not being an elected representative, “lacked sense”.

    WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW:

  • Imran’s ‘blue-eyed’ Shabbar Zaidi resigns as FBR chairman?

    Imran’s ‘blue-eyed’ Shabbar Zaidi resigns as FBR chairman?

    In a rather expected development, Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Chairman Syed Shabbar Zaidi on Tuesday resigned from the post, a private media outlet claimed.

    A prominent chartered accountant and former caretaker provincial minister for Sindh, Zaidi was named by Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan in May last year as his choice for the new FBR chief.

    Adviser to the PM on Finance Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh had last week hinted that the federal government may change the FBR chief if his health did not improve any time soon.

    Shaikh, in an interview with a private news channel, had shared that the government may decide to change the FBR chairman if he did not recover quickly as the government also planned to introduce a mini-budget.

    “The FBR chairman is ill and we hope he recovers quickly,” Shaikh had said. His statement had come weeks after Zaidi had sought an indefinite period of leave from his official duties on grounds of poor health.

    Earlier, Zaidi had gone on sick leave from January 6 to January 19. This had led to rumours that there was a rift in the government’s economic team. However, those rumours were rejected by the FBR.

    Meanwhile, another media outlet has rubbished the claims regarding Zaidi’s resignation.

    “I am not resigning from my post as chairman FBR. I have just not been performing my duties due to my health,” Zaidi told Geo News.

  • Naya Pakistan: Govt to set up 50,000 shops to sell daily-use items on subsidised rates

    Naya Pakistan: Govt to set up 50,000 shops to sell daily-use items on subsidised rates

    The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government has reportedly decided to provide jobs and daily-use items to people on subsidised rates under which 50,000 new retail shops will be opened.

    Reports quoted sources as saying that Rs25 billion have been allocated for the programme in the first phase, citizens will get loans up to Rs500,000 for opening retail shops and 1,500 such shops will be opened immediately.

    The Utility Stores Corporation (USC) will reportedly supply 60 per cent items to retails shops, while shop owners will get remaining items from the open market. This plan of the government will provide jobs to 50,000 families.

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has also directed to continue the Rs7 billion relief package to Utility Stores till the end of Ramzan. The premier was informed that Utility Stores need up to Rs10 billion funds after which he had directed the ministries concerned to make arrangements for the same.

    Meanwhile, PM Imran has said that his government would announce various measures to reduce the prices of basic food items for the common man.

    He explained that the government departments concerned had also begun doing an in-depth probe into the flour and sugar price hike.

    In a series of tweets, the premier said he was aware of the difficulties being faced by ordinary people, including the salaried class, and had decided to announce a number of measures for giving relief to them come what may.

  • PTI: Firdous admires Fawad Chaudhry’s ‘struggle to always stay in headlines’

    Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan has admired her predecessor, former federal minister for information Fawad Chaudhry, for his “struggle to always stay in headlines”.

    According to the details, with cracks continuing to emerge within the ranks of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and rumour having it that both Awan and Chaudhry are not the best of friends ever since the latter was sacked and replaced by the former, the SAPM, in an exclusive interview with The Current, was asked what she liked the most about her predecessor.

    “His [Fawad Chaudhry’s] struggle to always stay in headlines,” she said.

    Chaudhry has time and again been accused of “pulling political gimmicks” as the federal minister for science and technology and an aide of PM Imran Khan, by the general public, leaders of his own party as well as those belonging to the opposition.

    To another question, Awan, who is not an elected member of the parliament, said that election defeat under Imran was not a defeat. “It’s a victory for my ideology,” she said.

    “Social media is an unguided missile with warheads but no target,” the SAPM said when asked what was that she disliked the most about social media.

    Awan also said that she was not a misogynist — her verbal attacks “were for people and not genders” –, shared how she thought that parliamentarians should not get a pay raise, and those who criticised her for not being an elected representative, “lacked sense”.

    WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW:

  • Naya Pakistan? Irregularities worth over Rs6 billion detected in PIA accounts

    Naya Pakistan? Irregularities worth over Rs6 billion detected in PIA accounts

    The Directorate General of Commercial Audit and Evaluation (South) Karachi — a department of the Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) — has pointed out 16 irregularities worth whopping Rs6.85 billion in the accounts of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), The News reported.

    According to the report, besides financial irregularities, numerous serious violations of rules and regulations have also been noticed and reported in hiring, promotions and postings of staffers of the national carrier, 87 per cent shares of which are owned by the government of Pakistan.

    The Directorate General of Commercial Audit and Evaluation has audited PIA’s accounts and scrutinised its affairs after receiving several complaints regarding accounts of PIA Corporation in Islamabad and Karachi.

    It has observed that PIA suffered an operating loss worth Rs5,282 million, noticing that the appointment of the national airliner’s chief executive officer (CEO) was irregular and dual benefits worth Rs2.9 million were awarded to him against rules, PIA had suffered a loss of Rs71.866 million due to illegitimate elevation of allowances and benefits of officers on deputation from Pakistan Air Force (PAF).

    It further pointed out that the national flag carrier had suffered another loss of Rs1.24 million due to the holding of dual jobs/services by a regular employee of PIACL and withdrawal of unjustified salaries from both sides, and the fraudulent settlement of advances paid to the district managers of PIA, Rawalpindi, had inflicted a loss of Rs 1.638 million to the organisation.

  • VIDEO: PM Imran enjoying basant in Lahore

    VIDEO: PM Imran enjoying basant in Lahore

    An old video of Prime Minister Imran Khan is doing the rounds on social media in which he is celebrating basant. The location is likely to be Yousaf Salauddin’s iconic haveli with Lahore’s famous Badshahi Masjid in the background.

    Watch video:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeYK6SpFlyE&feature=youtu.be

  • ‘Thank you for being there as we live yet die every day,’ Love, Kashmir

    Dear Pakistan,

    Over six months ago, we woke up like it was yet another day for caged birds that sing to the deaf in a dark and lonely corner of a pet shop. It wasn’t that bad. You get used to never feeling free, able to be outside, go to school, get groceries with soldiers watching your every move. We were used to it but we would always wish to get what we deserve.

    We deserve to live and breathe as freely as you… yes you… dear Pakistan.

    We would like to thank you for standing up for us when we need it the most. And also for not limiting your support to what you call ‘Kashmir Solidarity Day’.

    We pray that you never have to live through the pain of losing a loved one, but do you have any idea how it feels to lose one when you aren’t even sure if they’re gone forever? Do you have an idea what it feels like to lose touch indefinitely?

    We had woken up to a bright August morning. It was just another Monday, and like the rest of the world, Mondays are hard for us too. Little we knew, that this Monday was going to rob us of even the paltry autonomy we had struggled to achieve for decades.

    The government led by fascist Narendra Modi announced abrogating Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, revoking the special status of this troubled heaven, spelling misery for us yet again. We weren’t sure what would follow, some of us had no idea what even it meant, but it wasn’t later that we realised how it was the beginning of the end.

    As protests gripped the valley, Indian forces stooped to a new low. While activists and political leaders were arrested, kids were tortured; communication blackouts were set in place and certain parts of the disputed territory still remain under lockdown.

    Of the 4,000 people, one of the 144 children picked up by Indian occupying forces between August 5 and September 23 last year, was a nine-year-old. His mother had passed away and he was abandoned by his father. He was detained when he went out to get a loaf of bread, and had to spend two days in detention until he was set free by the sweet relief of death.

    In a village in southern Kashmir, a 22-year-old was picked up in a midnight raid and tortured for more than an hour along with a dozen other Kashmiris. He was beaten with sticks, rifle butts and they kept asking him why he went for a protest march. He kept telling them he didn’t, but they didn’t stop. After he fainted, they used electric shocks to revive him.

    While some mothers have lost their children to Indian brutality, others have lost their unborn babies to the lockdown. Besides that, pellet guns being shot in abdomens of pregnant women and eyes of infants, is but the terrible tale of every other Kashmiri family.

    Within minutes of the abrogation, the internet was blocked. People were expecting mobile networks to be shut by the government as well in order to restrict communication in the valley. Our social media accounts have been deactivated due to inactivity, and our loved ones we managed to send out of Kashmir for a better life, don’t even know if we’re dead or alive.

    Don’t take us wrong, dear Pakistan, we’re not scared. We never were. Death, torture or detentions are not new to us. Tens of thousands of us have been killed since the rebellion erupted 30 years ago. But we just want you to know what it means to us when you express your support.

    We just want you to know what it means for us, knowing that you are not forgetting us like many others.

    We have not lost hope, but only because neither of us has lost each other.

    Here’s to a new life… here’s to our love for you and your support for us…

    Here’s to freedom…

    Love,
    Kashmir

  • Imran regrets ditching Kuala Lumpur Summit ‘because of other friends’

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has regretted not attending December 2019’s Kuala Lumpur Summit in Malaysia, saying there were misconceptions among some friendly countries of Pakistan, which led to him and his team opting out of the moot, Dawn reported Tuesday.

    Addressing a joint press conference following talks with Malaysian Prime Minister (PM) Mahathir Mohamad in Putrajaya, the premier said he wanted to share how sad he was for not attending the conference in Kuala Lumpur in the middle of December.

    “Unfortunately, our friends, who are very close to Pakistan as well, felt that somehow the conference was going to divide the ummah. It was clearly a misconception because that was not the purpose of the conference as evident from when the conference took place.”

    In December last year, Pakistan had pulled out of the Kuala Lumpur Summit of some 20 Muslim countries reportedly due to pressure exerted by Saudi Arabia. At the time, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi had confirmed that Riyadh and the UAE had concerns about the summit.

  • VIDEO: ‘PM Imran wants ANF to stop burning charas, heroin, opium; make medicines instead’

    VIDEO: ‘PM Imran wants ANF to stop burning charas, heroin, opium; make medicines instead’

    Minister of State for Narcotics Control Shehryar Afridi has said that Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan wants the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) to stop burning seized drugs, and set up a factory where the same will instead be used to make medicines.

    In a video doing rounds over the internet, Afridi can be heard as saying that his department was working to set up a factory on the premier’s orders, where medicines will be made from seized drugs, thousands of kilograms (kg) of which are set ablaze every year at a drug-burning ceremony.

    “We are setting up a factory… we burn a huge cache of heroin, charas [hashish form of cannabis] and afeem [opium] every year, but other countries use them to make medicines. Now, on PM Imran Khan’s instructions, a factory will be established in Tirah [Valley] so that lives of locals can be improved,” he can be heard as saying while addressing a gathering.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    Several illegal drugs have been investigated for medical benefits such as treating hard-to-treat mental illnesses and chronic disorders.

    While cannabis or marijuana has long been known to provide pain relief, it also offers relief from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, controls nausea, and can minimise some symptoms of glaucoma and Crohn’s disease. In the United States (US) states where the drug is legalised, products for such things as period pain management are being made available to the public.

    As for heroin, a study at Hannover Medical School found opiate addicts — usually people addicted to painkillers like Vicodin, Percocet, Oxycontin, or Demerol — were able to better kick their opiate addiction after taking small dosages of heroin. Heroin is also commonly used in hospitalised pain management, particularly in palliative care.

    THE CURRENT AT ANF’S DRUG-BURNING CEREMONY:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YtZmJs56Ok
  • Pakistan, Turkey planning to provide dual nationality to citizens of both countries

    Pakistan, Turkey planning to provide dual nationality to citizens of both countries

    A plan is under consideration to sign an agreement with Turkey regarding providing dual nationality to the citizens of two countries, a private media outlet has reported.

    Reports quoted a statement issued by the Interior Ministry as saying that this came during a meeting between Interior Minister Brigadier (r) Ijaz Shah and Turkish Ambassador to Islamabad Ihsan Mustafa Yurdakul on Thursday.

    According to the statement, the Turkish ambassador on behalf of his government proposed that both the countries should sign an agreement regarding providing dual nationality to the citizens.

    “In response to this, the minister said that the draft is under consideration and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is on board with us, we hope to reach a mutual conclusion soon,” it added.

    Shah also welcomed the mutual training programmes and upgrading of equipment of law enforcing agencies with Turkey.

    “The interior minister welcomed the initiative of introducing a patrolling force in collaboration with Islamabad Police on the model of Dolphin Force introduced in Lahore,” the statement said.

    The ambassador and minister also mutually agreed on the continuity of the training programmes being held to improve the capacity of the workforce.

    Yurdakul also informed the minister that the Turkish president was scheduled to visit Pakistan soon.

    Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu is also expected to visit Pakistan in February and will meet Shah to discuss bilateral matters, the statement said.

    The interior minister was also informed that the Turkish consulate that is under construction in the southern city of Karachi is the largest one in the world by Turkey.

    Interior Minister Shah also extended condolences to the ambassador over the losses due to recent earthquake that killed at least 40 people and left over a thousand others injured.