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Tag: Prime Minister Imran Khan

  • Prime Minister Imran Khan: the leader we deserve

    Prime Minister Imran Khan: the leader we deserve

    PM Imran’s efforts are opening doors to the world – be it in terms of image-building or investment; with his farsightedness and consistent efforts, Khan is marking a time in history.

    From the chants of Capital One Arena to the high-end meetings with the United States (US) president, members of the US congress, business tycoons and investors, it goes without saying that Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s US visit was a resounding success.

    His achievements resonated across the globe with worldwide Twitter trends, which astounded the international audience for a good three days. On the one hand, the Pakistani nation lauded his assertive meeting with President Trump, highlighting sensitive issues like Kashmir and the Afghan war.

    He was also admired for his honest and charismatic personality, which conveniently attracted overseas Pakistanis as well as the US business community.

    For decades, investors avoided Pakistan due to lack of trust in its leadership. However, Khan’s one visit has altered that perception.

    One can see that in the confidence reflected by US Senator Lindsay Graham’s tweet, which said: “Khan and his government represents the best opportunity in decades to have a beneficial strategic relationship with US.”

    In his next tweet, he said: “Tremendous business opportunities exist between Pakistan and the US through a free trade agreement tied to our mutual security interests.”

    In addition to government level summits, meeting with senior American business executives from Bower Group and US-Pakistan Business Council also took place. Discussions on business plans and investment opportunities in Pakistan were carried out, which further assured investor’s faith in Khan’s leadership.

    Businessmen, who previously never considered investing in Pakistan, expressed their inclination towards the very same country. For example, business tycoon Shahid Khan, who is the owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL), Fulham F.C. of the English Football League Championship, and runs Flex-N-Gate (an automobile parts manufacturer company), had a meeting with the premier.

    Bearing in mind that Shahid Khan had been frequently approached by Pakistan’s former leadership, both Nawaz and Zardari, for talks but were denied attention, this very well-known and well-respected businessman not only exchanged his suggestions with PM Imran, but on his way out, shared his pleasure and belief in Khan’s honest efforts for the country in the following words:

    “I have hope, I think the future of Pakistan is going to be fabulous with Imran Khan. It is proud to be Pakistani again. Imran Khan is greater than life and the best thing that happened to Pakistan, at least in my lifetime.”

    PM Imran’s efforts are opening doors to the world – be it in terms of image-building or investment; with his farsightedness and consistent efforts, Khan is marking a time in history.

    Uniting the Muslim nations, showing solidarity with Kashmiris, instigating social justice and ensuring people’s prosperity, these are only a few accomplishments that are painting an image of Pakistan which will benefit generations to come.

    Any author’s views do not reflect that of The Current

  • ‘Petrol should be sold at Rs58 per litre, demands Imran Khan’

    ‘Petrol should be sold at Rs58 per litre, demands Imran Khan’

    With Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan approving the Rs5.15 hike in petrol price, yet another tweet from the past has come back to haunt the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

    On Wednesday night, the premier approved an Oil and Gas Development Authority (OGRA) summary recommending an increase in per litre prices of all petroleum products.

    The prices of petrol, diesel, kerosene oil and light diesel were jacked up by Rs5.15, Rs5.65, Rs5.38 and Rs8.90, respectively.

    With people starting to express their frustration over the development that could result in yet another inflation bomb, some took to Twitter to share a statement by the premier from back when he sat in the parliament on opposition benches.

    “Petrol should be sold at Rs58 per litre, demands @ImranKhanPTI [sic],” the 2015 tweet on PTI’s official handle read.

    This isn’t the first time an old tweet has come back to bite the PTI government.

    “All over the world, just on an incident of railway accidents, minister resigns. This is real democracy, says Imran Khan [sic],” a tweet from August 2014 stated.

    It had started making rounds last month after the tragic train accident in Sadiqabad, which claimed over 20 lives.

    Prior to this, as PM Imran reached China amid Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan’s (TLP) nationwide protests last year, a 2012 tweet of his, went viral. In the tweet, he had criticised the then premier for traveling abroad as the country “burned”.

    It was aimed at criticising former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gillani, who had traveled to China for the Boao Forum while violence linked to sectarian, ethnic and political tensions continued in different parts of the country.

  • PM Imran’s US trip cost taxpayers Rs11 million

    PM Imran’s US trip cost taxpayers Rs11 million

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s visit to the United States (US) has cost the national treasury around Rs11 million ($67,180), it was revealed Thursday.

    According to the breakdown of expenses released by the government, Rs1.35 million were spent on accommodation for PM’s 27-member delegation, while the PM chose to stay at Pakistan Embassy.

    An amount of Rs92,120 were incurred on transport, Rs142,000 on gifts, Rs6,075,800 on airfare, miscellaneous expenditures stood at Rs1,287,460, tips at Rs706,001 and meals at Rs1,389,077.

    There was no TA/DA for any official and the ministers accompanying PM Imran.

    WAY LESS THAN NAWAZ, ZARDARI’S EXPENSES:

    The premier set an example of simplicity and austerity by saving millions of rupees of the national exchequer as he spent much less than the visits of former PM Nawaz Sharif and former president Asif Ali Zardari.

    His spendings were 11 times less than Zardari and eight times less than Nawaz, who spent $752,688 and $549,853 on their visits to the US, respectively.

    Earlier, PM Imran travelled to the US on a commercial flight instead of a special aircraft. He stayed at the residence of Pakistan’s ambassador in Washington DC instead of a 7-star hotel, while he bore his family’s expenditure himself.

    His visit was termed a success owing to the mammoth crowd he pulled at Washington’s Capital One Arena and his meeting with President Donald Trump wherein the two leaders forged good chemistry.

  • PTI govt excludes ‘most corrupt govt of last 19 years’ from its investigation: report

    PTI govt excludes ‘most corrupt govt of last 19 years’ from its investigation: report

    The ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has excluded from its probe the country’s “most corrupt government of the past 19 years” as it investigates foreign loans obtained by previous governments, The News reported.

    As per the details, the Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan-led government has formed a high-powered commission to probe Rs24,000 billion loans acquired during the past 10 years.

    While the PTI is only focusing on the last 10 years of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) governments, last 19 annual reports of Transparency International (TI) — a Berlin-based global watchdog — show that corruption was at its peak in Pakistan during General (r) Pervez Musharraf’s military rule.

    According to The News, TI, which publishes annual Global Corruption Barometer and Corruption Perception Index (CPI) to give a comparative listing of corruption worldwide, shows more corruption in Musharraf’s tenure as compared to the latest of the two former ruling parties.

    The least corruption in terms of the best CPI score was attained by Pakistan in 2018, the year which was shared by the rule of the outgoing PML-N, caretaker setup and the PTI.

    Although the last tenure of the PPP was generally dubbed the most corrupt in the country’s history, the TI annual reports record shows that the lowest score during the last PPP regime has been 24 out of 100 (2.4/10) in 2009 as against 21 under Musharraf.

    It means that the last PPP tenure’s lowest score is three points better than Musharraf’s lowest score.

    HIGH-POWERED COMMISSION:

    The ruling PTI recently formed a high-powered commission, headed by National Accountancy Bureau (NAB) Deputy Chairman Hussain Asghar, to probe the soaring loans piled up over the past 10 years.

    The 12-member commission includes officials from NAB, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), Intelligence Bureau (IB), Military Intelligence (MI), Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP).

    According to a government notification, the federal government would hire national and international experts to conduct forensic audits of investment and expenditure of the past governments during the last 10 years.

    The commission will have to submit interim reports of progress every month and a final report within six months.

    It would also probe all development projects, kickbacks and contracts during 2008-2018. Embezzlement of government funds and alleged corruption in the development projects would also be investigated.

  • PM Imran unfollows Hamid Mir on Twitter, journalist says he’s ‘honoured’

    PM Imran unfollows Hamid Mir on Twitter, journalist says he’s ‘honoured’

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has unfollowed veteran journalist and analyst Hamid Mir on Twitter, a development that Mir says is no less than an “honour”.

    The episode that follows Mir’s anti-government tirade ever since his interview of arrested former president Asif Ali Zardari was taken off the air, has left the micro-blogging website divided as people argue if it proves the premier’s “inability to take criticism”.

    It surfaced on social media on Monday evening through an account called Siasat Bot that keeps track of the Twitter handles of major politicians and political parties.

    Earlier, Mir’s video had also gone viral on social media wherein he demanded his arrest which was termed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) supporters as propaganda against the government under the guise of freedom of media.

    Following this, supporters of the ruling PTI had been carrying out a campaign against the journalist who has now been unfollowed by the premier on Twitter.

    PM Imran reportedly had 19 followers before clicking the “unfollow” button on Mir. The 18 accounts that he still follows include those of organisations that he himself heads, such as the PTI, Shaukat Khanum Hospital and Namal University.

    The other accounts he follows include that belonging to his party’s senior leaders.

    Mir himself took to Twitter to indirectly address the development. Retweeting an old post, he shared how “he had become unfavorable to PTI after he started criticising them”.

    Speaking to a private news website, Mir said that he was “honoured” to be unfollowed by the chief executive of the country.

  • Who exactly designed PM Khan’s outfit for his White House meeting?

    Who exactly designed PM Khan’s outfit for his White House meeting?

    As Prime Minister Imran Khan returns from his maiden trip to the United States, everyone can’t help but gush over him, his speeches, media interviews and interactions with President Donald Trump.

    Pakistanis were also appreciative of his choice of attire for his White House visit. Undoubtedly, the premiere was looking graceful in a dark blue shalwar kameez and waistcoat.

    Sharing a picture of PM Khan with Trump, Pakistani brand Mohtaram had claimed that the premiere was dressed in an outfit designed by them. The brand, which has dressed a plethora of A-list celebrities, has previously designed several outfits for PM Khan.

    The founder of the brand, Fahad Saif, made multiple appearances on media channels and discussed how he designed the outfit for the prime minister.

    However, late Wednesday night, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister for Overseas Pakistanis Syed Zulfi Bukhari took to Twitter to clarify that the cloth of PM Imran’s outfit was bought by the First Lady and stitched by a local tailor and “whichever designer is trying to claim credit for it is not only a liar but a cheat.”

    Following Zulfi’s tweet, Mohtaram issued a clarification on their social media.

    Mohtaram refused to comment further on the matter when we reached out to them.

  • Govt asks IG prisons to remove jailed Nawaz’s air-conditioner

    Govt asks IG prisons to remove jailed Nawaz’s air-conditioner

    The Punjab government has asked inspector general (IG) of prisons to remove the air-conditioner installed in ex-prime minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif’s cell at Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat jail.

    “The following directions of PM [Imran Khan] have been intimated for implementation and report ‘No Preferential Treatment be Given to the Criminals and Money Launders in the Prison in Punjab’,” The Express Tribune quoted a July 17 letter, written by Punjab Home Department to the IG prisons, as saying.

    The letter asks the IG to take necessary action in the matter immediately and submit a report in three days.

    PM Imran, in his address to Pakistani-American community in Washington last Sunday, had announced to withdraw air-conditioning and television facilities provided to jailed former PM Nawaz as well as ex-president Asif Ali Zardari.

    However, the letter being dated July 17 suggests that the authorities had been ordered to take away the facilities long before the premier’s announcement.

    Meanwhile, according to the ex-PM’s daughter, Maryam Nawaz, doctors have advised that her father’s room temperature be maintained at a comfortable level to prevent dehydration and the possible deterioration of his renal function.

    The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader has also said that withdrawing the air-conditioning facility would be equivalent to putting Nawaz’s life in danger.

  • Twitter Theory: Why didn’t Bushra Bibi accompany PM Imran on US trip?

    Twitter Theory: Why didn’t Bushra Bibi accompany PM Imran on US trip?

    Since the first lady did not accompany Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan on his maiden trip to the United States (US), a theory to address the concerns of the people has been introduced by Twitterati.

    After meeting President Donald Trump as well as top US govt officials, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, PM Imran on Wednesday left for Pakistan, marking the end of his three-day visit to Washington.

    While some termed the premier’s trip as a “historic” one owing to the chemistry he forged with President Trump and the crowd he pulled for the event at Capital One Arena, a group of social media users pointed out that Bushra Bibi was not accompanying PM Imran.

    Multiple theories made their way to Twitter as people started guessing why the first lady was nowhere to be seen; however, the most popular one remained that the premier was actually “saving taxpayers’ money”.

    “I, as a taxpayer, do not want my taxes wasted on irrelevant persons’ airfare and accommodation,” wrote one user.

    “Because our PM saves taxpayers’ money. It’s not a family tour,” wrote another.

    https://twitter.com/DCOP_Says/status/1153606504538419200

    Some, on the other hand, seemed to believe that the first lady’s choice of attire was the reason behind her absence in Trump’s America.

    https://twitter.com/ahmadmuzaf/status/1153672736721559552

    No official statement regarding Bushra Bibi’s absence has yet been released.

  • VIDEO: Pakistani-American billionaire says Imran Khan ‘best thing to happen to Pakistan’

    VIDEO: Pakistani-American billionaire says Imran Khan ‘best thing to happen to Pakistan’

    Pakistani-American billionaire businessman Shahid Khan has said that Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan is “the best thing to happen to Pakistan”.

    “I think he is greater than life and the best thing that has happened to Pakistan in at least my lifetime,” he said in a video doing rounds over the internet.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    Earlier, Khan called on PM Imran at Pakistan House in Washington.

    According to reports, expressing pleasure to have met the premier, he said that the future of the country seemed bright and in safe hands under PM Imran’s leadership.

    Owner of Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL) and Fulham FC, Khan, as of May 2019, has a net worth of $6.8 billion. He is ranked 65th in the Forbes 400 list of richest Americans, and is overall the 224th wealthiest person in the world.

    He is also the richest person of Pakistani origin.

  • Who won at the White House: Modi or Imran? FLOTUS’ Instagram account reveals all

    Who won at the White House: Modi or Imran? FLOTUS’ Instagram account reveals all

    Melania Trump’s official account as First Lady of the United States (FLOTUS) is pretty interesting. This account has 3.2 million followers but only follows one account — that of her husband President Donald Trump.

    The account has 453 posts in total. The latest post says “Delighted to host PM and Mrs. Morrison of Australia for a State Visit at the White House”.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B0PAoZ_A2KD/

    Yesterday, she posted three pictures with Prime Minister Imran Khan at the White House.

    “Great to have Prime Minister Imran Khan of Pakistan at the White House today!”

    The post has 65,700 likes so far and 1,369 comments.

    In June 2017, she had posted a picture with Prime Minister Modi. It said: “Welcome to the White House Prime Minister Modi!”

    Flotus’ post with Modi has 43,281 likes and 639 comments.

    Three pictures with PM Khan vs one with PM Modi? PM Khan’s pictures got more likes and comments too! We think the Trumps (and the people) like PM Khan more. What do you think?