Current Final

Tag: Prime Minister Imran Khan

  • ‘Salary not enough to pay for my expenses’ says PM Imran Khan

    ‘Salary not enough to pay for my expenses’ says PM Imran Khan

    Addressing the business community in Islamabad, Prime Minister Khan stated that the business community needs to pay taxes if the country is going to get out of the present economic crisis. He urged them to work with the government and help in collecting more taxes.

    He also said that people didn’t want to pay taxes because former rulers had looted the country and lost the trust of the people. “When leaders live lavishly on public expense, who will pay taxes?” he asked.

    Prime Minister House in Islamabad

    He said that he had slashed the expenses of the PM house by 40 percent and that he lived in his own home and paid his own expenses. “My salary is not enough to fulfil by own household expenses,” he said, adding that he did not start any business after becoming the Prime Minister and that the expenses of his foreign tours were 10 times less than previous rulers.

    PM Khan is leaving for Davos today where he will be speaking at the World Economic Forum.

  • PM Imran shares his thoughts on Megxit

    PM Imran shares his thoughts on Megxit

    Prime Minister Imran Khan, who was a close friend of Lady Diana and has strong ties with the United Kingdom, said that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were young and had a right to live their life as they wished.

    In a wide-ranging interview with German broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW), when the PM was asked about his thoughts on the matter [Megxit], he replied, “You know what, I have so many issues in Pakistan to deal with. It doesn’t seem to be a huge issue to me. I think, it’s their life. If that’s how they want to lead it, then why should people interfere?”

    When probed further and asked if he thought Diana would have understood their decision, PM Khan responded, “I guess so. Frankly, I haven’t really looked into it deeply. I think they are a young couple who want to lead their own life, so it’s up to them.”

    Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on January 8 had announced that they intend to divide their time between North America and the UK to carve out a “progressive new role” and step back from their senior positions.

    After much deliberation and reports of a royal tiff, the Queen gave the couple her blessings and allowed them to split their time between Canada and Britain during a “transition period” in which the family will figure out how to deal with their shock resignation from front-line royal duties.

    “My family and I are entirely supportive of Harry and Meghan’s desire to create a new life as a young family,” the 93-year-old queen had said in a statement.

    Earlier, PM Imran’s former wife and mother of his two sons Jemima Goldsmith had also extended her support to Meghan and said that she understood “what it’s like to marry a national hero from another country and be attacked by the media for your ethnicity.”

    https://twitter.com/Jemima_Khan/status/1217469320105791488?s=20
  • ‘Qabr mein sakoon?’ Twitter asks PM after ‘400% increase’ in death certificate cost

    ‘Qabr mein sakoon?’ Twitter asks PM after ‘400% increase’ in death certificate cost

    The cost of death certificate has reportedly been increased by 400 per cent, compelling netizens to take to Twitter and call out the Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan-led government in light of a statement by the premier from last week.

    According to a private media outlet, the cost of death certificate has been increased from Rs300 to Rs1,200. The hike comes a week after PM Imran said that life was not a fairy tale, and “one gets peace only in his or her grave”.

    With the increase in death certificate’s cost making headlines, Twitterati took to the social network to ask if “death actually is when one gets peace”.

    Meanwhile, some pointed out that the deceased would actually be resting in peace and the hike would only be a problem for his or her survivours.

    “Happily ever after is a myth. It’s there only in fairy tales. In real life, one gets peace only when he or she lies in their grave,” the premier had said last Friday as he addressed the inauguration ceremony of a skills development programme called “Hunarmand”.

    It wasn’t later that his statements broke the internet as a majority trolled him, and some criticised his government for its “flawed” policies.

    The Current is attempting to independently verify the report pertaining to the increase in cost of death certificates

  • Sarmad Khoosat appeals to PM, President to facilitate his film’s release

    Sarmad Khoosat appeals to PM, President to facilitate his film’s release

    Sarmad Khoosat’s award-winning film Zindagi Tamasha seems to have run into trouble once again.

    As the film gears up for release in Pakistan, the filmmaker took to social media to reveal that “a few troublemakers” were creating hurdles in its release “for their political ends.”

    https://twitter.com/KhoosatSarmad/status/1217818381149229062?s=20

    In an open letter addressed to Prime Minister Imran Khan, President Dr Arif Alvi, Chief Justice of Pakistan, Chief of the Army Staff and Minister for Information, Khoosat detailed the problems his film was facing in its release.

    Along with that, he clarified that “As a law-abiding citizen and with full conviction that there is nothing offensive or malicious in the film, in response I submitted the film for another review to the censor board. It was cleared once again with a few cuts to appease the complainants.”

    “I launched the promotional campaign and now, just a week before the film’s release, another attempt is being made by the same group to stop the release of the film and this time they are hell-bent on using pressurising tactics,” he said, adding that he is bringing this issue to their notice because “these series of episodes undermines a state institution like the Central Board of Film Censors.”

    Written by Nirmal Bano and directed by Sarmad Khoosat, Zindagi Tamasha starres Arif Hassan, Samiya Mumtaz, Eman Suleman and Ali Qureshi in the lead. The film is centred around a naat khwan Rahat Khawaja (played by Hassan) and his family who are outcast from the society when a secret of Khawaja’s is leaked.

    The official synopsis states: “The film is an intimate portrait of a family as well as a scorching political commentary on little gods on this earth who police our private passions.”

    The film premiered at the Busan International Film Festival held in October 2019 where it also won the prestigious Kim Ji Seok Award.

    Read more – Sarmad Khoosat’s ‘Zindagi Tamasha’s’ trailer mysteriously disappears from Youtube

    Meanwhile, Sarmad’s colleagues including Meesha Shafi and Ali Gul Pir stepped forward to support the filmmaker and his film.

  • Have seen Nawaz’s photo, they’re all fraudsters: PM

    Have seen Nawaz’s photo, they’re all fraudsters: PM

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has said he had seen the viral photograph of ex-premier Nawaz Sharif dining out in London, adding that “all of them were fraudsters”.

    According to The News, the federal cabinet on Tuesday discussed Nawaz’s photograph that showed him at a London restaurant. During the course of the cabinet meeting, some of the members reportedly asked PM Imran if he had seen the photograph.

    “With a smile, the premier said he had seen the picture, and exclaimed ‘all are fraudsters’,” the report said.

    Ex-PM Nawaz, who is currently in London on bail for medical treatment, was on Sunday spotted out and about with Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Shehbaz Sharif, his son Hussain and other party leaders, including former finance minister Ishaq Dar.

    With netizens not going easy on Nawaz, who was allowed to travel abroad for medical treatment despite his conviction and subsequent jail sentence in a corruption case, and Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry also criticising him for dining out while being “seriously ill”, Hussain on Monday stepped up to clarify the situation.

    Speaking to reporters outside Avenfield Apartments, the ailing former premier’s son said that Nawaz had been taken to the restaurant on his doctor’s recommendation as the ex-PM felt claustrophobic at home.

    “We insisted that father visited a restaurant so he could get acclimatised… he left the residence on our insistence,” said Hussain.

  • PM Imran orders to publicly reveal names of officers ‘stealing’ BISP funds

    PM Imran orders to publicly reveal names of officers ‘stealing’ BISP funds

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has reportedly ordered to publicly reveal the names of 2,543 senior government officers who had added either their own names, or those of their spouses, to the list of beneficiaries of the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP).

    In a tweet, Sania Nishtar, who serves as the BISP head as well as the special assistant to the prime minister (SAPM) on social protection and poverty alleviation, had last week said that 2,543 government officers of Grade-17 and above had availed the BISP and had now been “exited” from the programme.

    According to official data, which was also posted on Twitter by Science and Technology Minister Fawad Chaudhry, the highest number of government officials availing the BISP was from Sindh. Per the detailed breakdown, 1,122 officers of Grade-17 and above from the province had been BISP beneficiaries.

    The second highest number came from Balochistan, where 741 government officials were signed up for the poverty alleviation scheme. From Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), 403 government officials availed the BISP, while 137 did so from Punjab.

    From the federal government, 62 officers availed the programme. Additionally, 1 officer of the Pakistan Railways, 22 of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, and 49 of Gilgit Baltistan were also marked as undeserving recipients of the BISP. From within the BISP itself, six officers were listed among the beneficiaries.

    With the federal cabinet taking up the matter on Tuesday, PM Imran ordered to publicly reveal the names of the officers benefiting from the programme. “No leniency should be there for those who deprive the poor of their rights,” the premier reportedly said.

    “It is very regretful for us and damaging for the image of the country that officers of grade-17 to grade-20 officers were receiving funds meant for the poor deserving people,” SAPM on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan had said earlier in the day as she announced that a report on the matter would be presented to the premier in the federal cabinet meeting.

    She had also said that a strict action would be taken against those involved.

  • PTI-MQM alliance hanging in balance because of Google’s Tania Aidrus: report

    PTI-MQM alliance hanging in balance because of Google’s Tania Aidrus: report

    Future of the coalition government in centre hangs in balance ever since the resignation of Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) leader Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui as the federal minister for information technology and telecommunication, which reportedly came because of former Google executive, Tania Aidrus.

    The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) led federal government on Sunday suffered a severe blow as Siddiqui of MQM-P — an ally of the PTI — announced his decision to leave the federal cabinet over “unfulfilled promises” on part of the ruling party.

    Amid speculations over the fate of the ruling party that is in power owing to the support of its allies, reports have claimed that Siddiqui’s resignation came because he “was extremely unhappy with his ministry due to continuous intervention by Aidrus”.

    Aidrus had resigned from Google for Pakistan and is currently heading Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s Digital Vision programme in the country.

    According to The News, while PTI has strongly rejected the allegations leveled against Aidrus, and sources in the ruling party have said that she is acting within the rules and regulations; people close to Siddiqui have said he felt like a stranger in his ministry while Aidrus had started holding meetings with the premier and heads of other institutions directly.

    “Besides that, she also issued directions to institutions responsible for running the affairs of the ministry and Federal Secretary Shoaib Siddiqui had complained about it to the minister several times in this regard.”

  • VIDEO: PM’s lawyer nephew makes headlines for ‘violence’, again

    VIDEO: PM’s lawyer nephew makes headlines for ‘violence’, again

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s nephew, Barrister Hassaan Khan Niazi, who is also nominated in the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) attack case, has once again made headlines for allegedly harassing a driver on Lahore’s Zafar Ali Road.

    According to media reports, Niazi on Friday was entering a private club located in the Jail Road area of the provincial capital when his car collided with another one. It was a minor accident, but Niazi lost his cool, headed over to the other vehicle, pulled out its key from ignition and started hitting the car, reports said.

    “He also abused the other driver and threatened him,” a private media outlet reported.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    A viral video of the incident

    Taking exception to the reports, Niazi took to Twitter and wrote:

    https://twitter.com/HniaziISF/status/1215601835953786881

    In a subsequent tweet, he said:

    “My car was hit. I got punched. I called the security. I filed the complaint. And media bashing me even after issue has been resolved. First they played news then decided to take my version,” Niazi tweeted.

  • ‘Sakoon sirf qabr mein’: Twitter trolls Imran, again

    ‘Sakoon sirf qabr mein’: Twitter trolls Imran, again

    Not coming down easy on him as usual, Twitterati are once again trolling Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan for saying that life is not a fairy tale, and “one gets peace only in his or her grave”.

    “Happily ever after is a myth. It’s there only in fairy tales. In real life, one gets peace only when he or she lies in their grave,” the premier said Friday as he addressed the inauguration ceremony of a skills development programme called “Hunarmand”.

    It wasn’t later that his statements broke the internet as a majority trolled him, and some called his government out for its “flawed” policies.

    https://twitter.com/qureshik74/status/1215505916705026048

    A few also took to the micro-blogging website to express their support for the premier:

    https://twitter.com/NawalAsif1xxx/status/1215330070325334017
    https://twitter.com/rayqaaf/status/1215332507631214592

    The Rs30 billion four-year Hunarmand programme will provide easy loans, capacity building and internships to the youth.

  • PM Imran praises Buzdar for project launched by Shehbaz

    PM Imran praises Buzdar for project launched by Shehbaz

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has admired Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Usman Buzdar for initiating the 115-kilometre (km) long Jalalpur Irrigation Project worth $360 million after a delay of 120 years, not knowing that the project was actually conceived, planned, negotiated and approved by his arch-rival and former chief executive of Punjab, Shehbaz Sharif, The News reported.

    “I congratulate you all. Today, I admire Punjab CM Usman Buzdar for initiating this project. This project has been delayed for the past 120 years. I am thankful that you started this project because these projects change the lives of the people,” the premier had said at the inauguration ceremony held in Jhelum in the last week of December 2019.

    However, official documents revealed that the project was entirely planned, initiated and negotiated by the Shehbaz administration back in 2009 when the then CM had ordered its construction.

    According to reports, the feasibility work for the project was completed in 2013 and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) was engaged. It takes three to four years in the processing of such projects’ planning, loan negotiation, environmental studies, population relocation plans among other.

    A mega project like the one in question needs years owing to all the necessary surveys and the completion of its designs, which were completed in 2017. All details are also documented on the ADB website.

    A copy of the loan agreement shows that it was signed by Pakistan and ADB in April 2018 by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government, ahead of which, the project agreement was signed in April 2017 by the then Punjab Irrigation Secretary Asadullah with Shehbaz’s approval.

    The Punjab Annual Development Plan (ADP) approved by the Shehbaz government in its budget for fiscal year 2017-18 also reflected the project. From 2013-2018, the Punjab government spent approximately Rs2,998 million to acquire land for this project, and the last allocation of Rs600 million was made in the ADP for 2017-18.

    At the planning stage, even alignment of canal was decided in consultation with locals through the lawmakers concerned. In 2016, a number of seminars were also held in Khushab to finalise alignment as per the needs of the farmers.

    In ADP for the year 2016-2017, the engineering designs were completed. As much as Rs70 million was spent on this project by PML-N government for engineering design in 2016-2017 and Rs230 million was allocated in 2017-2018. Total expenditure made on land acquisition by the then government was Rs3 billion. A total of 8,000 acres of land was acquired by the previous government, which was a huge administrative exercise while Rs497 million was spent on the engineering design of this project. Detail engineering design took 16 months.

    The canal will irrigate 160,000 acres of land in Pind Dadan Khan and Khushab tehsil and interestingly even the people, farmers and residents of these areas are fully aware that project was initiated by Shehbaz in 2013.

    As per the official documents, the loan agreement was signed by Shehbaz in 2017 and everything was finalised and commissioned by May 2018, but now the premier has been made to believe that incumbent Punjab CM Buzdar is behind the project.

    According to ADB documents, the project is located by the right bank of River Jhelum in Punjab. It will create new non-perennial irrigation services for enhanced agricultural production in Pind Daden Khan and Khushab districts. The project will increase kharif crop intensity by 50 per cent, improve crop yield and reduce land degradation. It will directly benefit over 200,000 rural people; mostly poor.