Current Final

Tag: Punjab government

  • ‘CM Buzdar likely to lose his job’

    ‘CM Buzdar likely to lose his job’

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has held one-on-one meetings with Punjab information and culture as well as higher education ministers, fueling rumours that Chief Minister (CM) Usman Buzdar’s job might be at risk, Pakistan Today has reported.

    According to reports, Info Minister Mian Aslam Iqbal and Higher Education’s Raja Yasir Humayun Sarfraz are being considered for the slot of Punjab CM in Buzdar’s place.

    Some powerful circles in the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) are making efforts to elevate Iqbal to the top slot and it is quite likely that he will be appointed as the next provincial chief executive, reports said.

    “I talked to the PM about information technology and Iqbal must have talked to him about his own ministry,” the English daily quoted Yasir as saying. “The premier is satisfied with the provincial cabinet’s performance and there are no changes expected soon.”

    Meanwhile, sources also confirmed The Current that no such development was on cards.

    The representative of Dera Ghazi Khan’s PP-286 constituency since his 2018 electoral win, Buzdar was nominated as PTI’s candidate for the office of Punjab CM in August last year.

    His nomination by PM Imran had surprised many within the party and subsequent election as the provincial chief executive had left the opposition stunned. Despite criticism, PM Imran has time and again reiterated his support for CM Buzdar.

  • Punjab govt removes name of Hamid Mir’s father from underpass

    Punjab govt removes name of Hamid Mir’s father from underpass

    The Punjab government has renamed the Waris Mir Underpass on the provincial capital’s Canal Bank Road near the Punjab University (PU), where the late writer and intellectual taught journalism for about 25 years.

    The name of Waris Mir, a Hilale Imtiaz recipient, was removed from the underpass on Saturday and renamed the Kashmir Underpass in a sudden and mysterious move that has been condemned by the Waris Mir Foundation.

    Senior journalist and anchorperson Hamid Mir’s father, Waris, taught for 30 years at the PU’s Mass Communication Department.

    He was not the only one to be honoured by the state in March 2013, since all newly-constructed underpasses, which tallied up to more than a dozen across the city, were named after outstanding intellectuals and prominent personalities, including Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Ashfaq Ahmed, Habib Jalib, Justice A R Cornelius, Ustad Daman, Chaudhry Rehmat Ali, Khushaal Khan Khatak, Liaqat Ali Khan, Chakare Azam Rind, Justice A R Kiyani and Patras Bokhari.

    The names had been decided through a procedure in several meetings of the City District Government, headed by a former judge of the Supreme Court (SC).

    Commenting on the move, Waris Mir Foundation spokesperson said “it was nothing but an act of aversion, not against Waris Mir alone, but a sequence of hatred and uncalled-for enmity towards the Pakistani media, in general, which seems to be a line of action of the government”.

    “This act, in general, has only been secretly carried out to hurt the sentiments of hundreds of Waris Mir’s students, readers and his posterity,” the spokesperson added.

  • Punjab bids farewell to English as Urdu declared new medium of instruction at primary level

    Punjab bids farewell to English as Urdu declared new medium of instruction at primary level

    Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Sardar Usman Buzdar on Saturday announced that the province will take up Urdu as the medium of instruction at the primary level from the year 2020.

    Taking to Twitter, the provincial chief executive wrote that time of both teachers and students was wasted in translation instead of comprehension due to the current medium of instruction, which is English.

    As a result, he added, the students fail to learn anything new.

    CM Buzdar revealed that a survey, with the help of teachers, parents and students, was conducted in 22 districts of the province, and over 85 per cent people in every category preferred Urdu over English as the medium of instruction.

    He further said that English will only be taught as a language from March next year.

  • SAPM Shabaz Gill corrects false information about new taxes on graves

    SAPM Shabaz Gill corrects false information about new taxes on graves

    Spokesperson to Punjab Chief Minister (CM), Dr Shahbaz Gill, has debunked reports claiming a new tax has been imposed on burial services.

    “The Punjab government is planning to impose tax on the purchase of new coffins and graves in Lahore. A tax of Rs1,000 would be imposed on smaller ones (for children) and Rs1,500 on bigger ones (for adults),” a private media outlet had claimed Tuesday.

    According to reports, Lahore Metropolitan Corporation had forwarded a request to the Local Government Department, seeking approval for the tax on graveyards that come under its jurisdiction.

    Lahore Mayor Mubashir Javid had distanced himself from the reports, saying that he had nothing to do with it.

    “The Punjab government has dissolved the rights of the mayor as well as the local bodies and assigned administrative powers to the commissioner,” he had said while speaking to a private media outlet, adding that the tax “was proposed by the commissioner”.

    However, all claims were rubbished by Punjab CM’s spokesperson, who questioned if the reports were nothing but an “attempt to malign the government and tax culture”.

  • Buzdar beats Shehbaz in social sector reforms, increases education budget to Rs89.8bn

    Buzdar beats Shehbaz in social sector reforms, increases education budget to Rs89.8bn

    Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Sardar Usman Buzdar has beaten his predecessor Shehbaz Sharif in reforming the social sector, as an amount of Rs89.8 billion has been earmarked for the provincial education sector.

    As per the details, presenting the provincial budget on Friday, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government enhanced the education budget, which under the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) rule stood at Rs52.35 billion.

    In its last provincial budget for the fiscal year 2017-18, the outgoing PML-N government had allocated Rs52.35 billion for school education and Rs28 billion for providing basic facilities at government schools.

    An amount of Rs6.03 billion had been fixed for the construction of new classrooms in Punjab schools.

    According to the budget presented by the Buzdar administration, health stands second in the social sector with Rs47.5 billion. Water supply & sanitation will gain Rs22.4 billion, local governments Rs6.3 billion, social welfare Rs1 billion and women development Rs0.8 billion.

    Meanwhile, Rs350 billion have been allocated for the Annual Development Programme (ADP) 2019-20, which stood at Rs635bn under the Shehbaz administration in 2017-18.

  • Fayyazul Hassan Chohan appointed Punjab govt’s spokesperson

    Fayyazul Hassan Chohan appointed Punjab govt’s spokesperson

    In a rather shocking development, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MPA and former Punjab information minister Fayyazul Hassan Chohan has been appointed as the provincial government’s mouthpiece.

    Chohan was removed as the provincial information minister following his derogatory remarks against Hindus in March this year.

    Taking notice, Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan had said, “There is no place for such derogatory remarks against minorities in Islam.”

    However, according to a notification dated May 28, 2019, a copy of which is available with The Current, Chohan has now been appointed as one of the 38 spokespersons of the Usman Buzdar-led Punjab government.

    Punjab Information Minister Sumsam Ali Shah, PM’s Special Assistant Usman Dar, PTI Information Secretary Omer Sarfraz Cheema, Punjab Law Minister Raja Basharat among others have also been notified as the provincial government’s spokespersons.

  • PM Imran’s nephew, journalist survive gun attack ‘by PTI minister’s goons’

    PM Imran’s nephew, journalist survive gun attack ‘by PTI minister’s goons’

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s nephew and reporter of a private media outlet have escaped in Lahore a gun attack “by the goons of a minister of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)”.

    As per the details, lawyer Hassaan Khan Niazi and journalist Rai Saqib Kharral were attacked in the Gullo Kot area of the provincial capital, where Darul Hikmat (DuH), a Christian education centre, has been illegally occupied by land mafia.

    “At least four shots were fired at us as we reached the charity school to meet the person in charge,” Hassaan Khan told The Current, alleging that the attackers are related to a Punjab minister.

    “Norez, one of the people responsible for the attack, is a provincial minister’s son-in-law,” he said further.

    CM TAKES NOTICE:

    Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Usman Buzdar has taken notice of the incident and illegal occupation of the school.

    According to a private media outlet, CM Inspection Team Chairman Malik Asad Khokhar has sought a report from the Lahore Capital City Police Officer (CCPO).

    Owned by the Darul Hikmat Trust, the community school was established in 1986 and houses hostels for both boys and girl, besides multiple lawns as well as a football ground.

    The administrative affairs of the institute are now being run by the minister’s relatives.

    Meanwhile, several deserving students from nearby localities who were studying at the institution have started leaving the school amid the catastrophic situation that’s prevailing there.

    No official version of the incident had been released by the time this report was filed.