Current Final

Tag: Shehbaz Sharif

  • Khan or Shehbaz: Who should be blamed for the massive petrol bomb?

    Khan or Shehbaz: Who should be blamed for the massive petrol bomb?

    The incumbent government on Thursday unleashed another massive gasoline bomb on the country after another hike of Rs30. In less than a month, the price of petrol has risen by Rs60 to Rs209.86. The recent hike has been made to meet the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) conditions.

    The latest petrol price hike came just hours after the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) approved a power tariff hike of Rs7.91 per unit.

    The question remains who should the Pakistanis blame for the burden the governments of the past and present putting them?

    The interfering ex-prime minister is distracting the government with his constant threats

    The Economist magazine in its recent article titled, “Imran Khan is jeopardising Pakistan’s attempts to fix its economy” has blamed the former Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan as the reason for what is happening in Pakistan.

    “The reserves are at their lowest level since 2019, when Pakistan last sought help from the IMF. Only half the $6bn bail-out agreed at the time has been disbursed. Mr Khan, then prime minister, originally agreed to cut subsidies and reform the economy but reduced fuel prices instead. The country is running deficits on both its budget and its current account. It needs some $37bn worth of financing for the fiscal year beginning in June, reckons the finance minister,” writes The Economist.

    The Economist further writes about how the federal capital witnesses a protest once every year where the state gets questioned and those in power are demanded answers. But this time it was a former premier whose continuous marches and threats are creating instability. “The interfering ex-prime minister is distracting the government with his constant threats.”

    “Mr Khan does not appear to be giving up hope. He is petitioning the Supreme Court to guarantee safe passage for potential follow-up marches. The coming spate of painful economic moves will supply him with plenty of excuses to paint the government as American stooges and enemies of the people. The appointment of a new army chief, due in November, will add yet more uncertainty to the political balance. To fix its economy, Pakistan badly needs stability. It will spend the coming months with anything but,” writes The Economist.

    Hesitation to get cheap oil from Russia

    The Current reached out to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) Spokesperson on Economy and Finance, Muzzammil Aslam and he said, ” First international markets, second lack of planning by the current government, and the hesitation to get cheap oil from Russia is the reason for the recent petrol bomb.”

    “The price pass-through could be lower if they cut the refinery margins. Lastly, it is not necessary to raise prices, one can make up subsidies by imposing windfall taxes, wealth taxes etc,” says Aslam.

    Read more: Fact Check: Imran Khan did not arrange a 30% cheaper oil deal with Russia

    Decreasing prices was a selfish political move by PTI, but PMLN led-govt should have fixed it immediately

    The Current reached out to Geo News’ Anchorperson Shahzad Iqbal to ask for his point of view on the present conditions being faced by the people. Commenting on the issue Iqbal said, “Decreasing prices was a selfish political move by the PTI government to either survive or to create hurdles for the incoming government. But Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) led government should have fixed it immediately.”

    “The delay by the sitting government cost Pakistan Rs150 billion,” said Iqbal.

  • Salman or Suleman: What is the real name of Shehbaz Sharif’s son?

    Salman or Suleman: What is the real name of Shehbaz Sharif’s son?

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif’s son who is in the limelight for accompanying his father on his official Turkey trip, got us all confused this morning. As the editor of the story sat to write the news story, she noticed that various newspapers had addressed Shehbaz’s son differently. Some had written that he is ‘Salman Shehbaz’ and some called him ‘Suleman’.

    Below are screenshots of the news stories.

    Newspaper The News called the premier’s son, “Salman”. The headline read, “(Money-laundering case)..Non-bailable arrest warrant issued for Salman.”

    Dawn, in a story published on September 28, 2021, while writing about the premier’s son wrote, “A UK court has ordered unfreezing of the bank accounts of PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif and his son Suleman Shehbaz after the country’s National Crime Agency (NCA) did not find evidence regarding ‘suspicious bank transactions’ against them.”

    Former Minister Ali Zaidi too seemed to not know and addressed him as Salman.

    The premier’s son’s Twitter handle cleared the confusion as his name there is “Suleman Sharif”

    We also spoke to someone close to the Prime Minister’s son who clarified that his name is indeed Suleman and not Salman.

  • ‘In what capacity did Shehbaz take his son to a state dinner?’ Twitterati question Suleman Shehbaz’s presence in Turkey

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif’s son Suleman Shehbaz has been in the limelight ever since his picture with President Tayyip Erdogan and the first lady from his father’s recent trip surfaced on the internet.

    Suleman Shehbaz, who has been accused of money laundering and assets beyond means, was present in Turkey, along with his father Shehbaz. His wife shared the picture of their dinner on Twitter which was heavily slammed by netizens.

    Twitterati questioned Suleman’s presence on an official trip.

    https://twitter.com/rabiaisrar38/status/1532374495306076161?s=20&t=AqOHY81s9F53RgIcK62vmQ

    Shehbaz’s three-day visit to Turkey too gathered criticism and was deemed that the duration and timing of the trip is rather unnecessary.

    The government before leaving gave ads of the trip to various newspapers. Twitterati questioned whether it was necessary to give ads

  • Khan says Pakistan ke teen hissay hongay, Shehbaz warns him not to cross limits

    Khan says Pakistan ke teen hissay hongay, Shehbaz warns him not to cross limits

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif warned Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Thursday, saying that his recent remarks on Pakistan make him “unfit for public office”.

    Khan in an interview with Sami Ibrahim for Bol News programme ‘Tajzia’ said that if Pakistan goes bankrupt, then the country will have to face denuclearisation, predicting that the country would then be divided into three parts.

    Do your politics but don’t dare to cross limits & talk about division of Pakistan

    PM Shehbaz tweeted: “While I am in Turkey inking agreements, Imran Niazi is making naked threats against the country. If at all any proof was needed that Niazi is unfit for public office, his latest interview suffices.”

    “Do your politics but don’t dare to cross limits and talk about [the] division of Pakistan,” he warned the PTI chairperson.

    Pakistan will have to face de-nuclearisation, the country would then be divided into three parts

    Imran Khan in an interview aired on Wednesday said that the establishment needs to make the right decisions and if they don’t, “the army will be destroyed”.

    Khan questioned what would happen if the country went bankrupt, saying the army will be the worst hit. And if Pakistan goes bankrupt, then according to Khan, Pakistan will have to face de-nuclearisation, predicting that the country would then be divided into three parts.

    Khan said that the current political situation was an equal problem for the establishment and the country.

    He said, “If the establishment doesn’t make the right decisions then I can assure you in writing that the army and they will be destroyed. Pakistan is going towards default. If right decisions aren’t made, then the country will be on a suicidal path.”

    Imran also added that as prime minister, he didn’t have absolute power. “Everyone knows where the real power lies.”

  • ‘Nani, diesel, cherry blossom, baby’: Khan has a name for all his political rivals

    ‘Nani, diesel, cherry blossom, baby’: Khan has a name for all his political rivals

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan quite frequently comes up with names for his fellow politicians. From names like cherry blossom, kukri, diesel, and nani, Khan has repetitively used these names to demean his political rivals.

    Cherry blossom:

    Khan has started addressing Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Shairf as ‘cherry blossom’ and often calls him “boot polishiya” [someone who polishes boots].

    In the same public address, Khan also called Shehbaz as “chooha” [mouse/rat].

    Geedar- Nawaz Sharif

    The PTI chairman called Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif a “geedar” [jackal] and said, “Geedar (jackal) cannot be a leader.”

    Maryam Nani

    Imran Khan called PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz “nani” [Grandmother].

    Later addressing Maryam as “bachi” [child], Khan said she does not have a political standing.

    ‘Baby Bilawal- Bilawal Sahiba’

    Khan during his jalsa in 2015 addressed Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari as “beta [son] and baby”. The former premier said, “Bilawal beta this is not how politics is done. Politics is not done by putting pictures of your grandfather and mother in the back ground. We are going to make a Naya Pakistan baby Bilawal.”

    In 2019, Khan addressed Bilawal as “sahiba” [Madam]. He said, “Bilawal Bhutto sahiba ki tarhan mein koi kagazh ki parchi pay nahi aya tha.” [I did not come into politics on a piece of paper like Madam Bilawal Bhutto.]

    Later in 2020, he referred to Bilawal as a child and criticised him for not having done an actual job in his life.

    Diesel- Maulana Fazl

    Khan said that Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Major-General Qamar Javed Bajwa asked him not to call Jamiat-Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl’s (JUI-F) Maulana Fazlur Rehman “diesel”.

    “I was just talking to Gen Bajwa and he told me not to refer to Fazl as diesel. But I am not the one who is saying that. The people have named him diesel,” said Khan.

    Hamza Kukri

    The PTI chairman has often called Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz “kukri” [ chicken].

    Three stooges

    Khan called Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Shehbaz Sharif, and PPP co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari the “three stooges”, referring to a classic American programme. This address was before Khan was ousted from power. He told his party members that the no-confidence motion was a “blessing” as it had “lifted” Khan’s party.

  • ‘Is say zaida Allah ki kya lanat hogi ke Madina mein aap ke khilaaf naray lagay’: Khan

    ‘Is say zaida Allah ki kya lanat hogi ke Madina mein aap ke khilaaf naray lagay’: Khan

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Monday said that the incumbent government was cursed by Allah to the point that even when they [governemnt officials] were in Madina, people couldn’t stop themselves from chanting slogans against these corrupt leaders. Khan was addressing a lawyers’ convention in Peshawar.

    “What was our [PTI’s] fault if ordinary people chanted slogans against these people in Madina? We had kept a Shab-e-Dua on the day it happened. We came to know through social media that slogans had been chanted against them,” said Khan.

    I am the chief executive of the country. Who is being addressed by the US, saying that Imran Khan needs to be removed?

    Khan once again criticised the government and blamed it for conspiring with the United States (US) to take him out of power.

    “This is the first time a democratic government was taken out of power. Since our government was not removed because of corruption, people took to the streets instead of distributing sweets,” said Khan.

    Khan explained the conspiracy against him and said that the US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Donald Lu threatened the Pakistani ambassador to the US that you need to remove Imran Khan.

    “When I saw the cipher, I thought to myself: I am the prime minister of the country. I am the chief executive of the country. Who are they addressing when they say that Imran Khan needs to be removed?”

    “When they say that once he [Imran Khan] is removed, you will be forgiven. I immediately got to know that forgiveness was being given to Cherry Blossom [ Shehbaz Sharif].

    They are compromised bootlickers

    Khan said that Pakistan has been ruled by the military but two political families [Sharifs and Zardaris] monopolised the political arena and remained in power for the last 62 years.

    “They [the then opposition] comprised bootlickers, that’s why the US wanted to bring them back to power.”

    “I ruled for three-and-a-half years and they started having issues with my government just because Pakistan wanted to maintain friendly relations with other countries but refused to fight their wars,” he said.

    “We had no relation with 9/11. I will not give Pakistan’s bases to America.”

    Khan also said that Pakistan neither wanted bad relations with any country nor did it want to become their slave.

    I have never seen anyone more filthy than this family

    “I have never seen anyone more filthy than this family,” he said, adding that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif killed a record number of people between 1997-1998 in police encounters.

    Khan took a jibe at the PML-N and said that the Supreme Court had rightly called the Sharif family a “Sicilian Mafia”.

    ‘I will come back … this Jihad for me’: Khan

    “If these people stay in the government, the rule of law in the country will be destroyed,” said Khan.

    Talking about PTI’s Azadi March, Khan said that the party has approached the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP).

    “We are approaching the SC tomorrow. We will be taking a ruling from the Supreme Court and ask them if we have a democratic right to protest or not. Why were we stopped? How can they stop the chief minister of KP and Gilgit Baltistan?”

    Khan said he decided to stop because of police brutality and shelling. “I was afraid that there would be bloodshed and people will die.”

    “If the Supreme Court gives us the protection that is one strategy, otherwise I am telling you, I will use my other strategy. We plan ahead for all the hindrances being planted our way. We were not prepared this time. This is Jihad for me. I will not accept this imported and corrupt government.”

    “

  • PM says ‘no question of cut in HEC budget’, two days after educationist raises issue in Op-ed

    PM says ‘no question of cut in HEC budget’, two days after educationist raises issue in Op-ed

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said there is no question of a cut in the budget of the Higher Education Commission (HEC).

    “There is no question of a cut in the budget of Higher Education Commission. I am aware of the negative effect that cuts have had on higher education during the past four years. I have given clear directions to Planning Commission & Ministry of Finance in this regard,” he wrote in a tweet.

    Two days before PM’s statement, an opinion piece was published in The News titled ‘Abandoning higher education‘ by Dr Ayesha Razzaque.

    “For the next fiscal year, the HEC requested a recurrent budget of Rs104 billion. However, a few days ago an official letter (dated May 23, 2022) from the Finance Division regarding the 2022-23 budget emerged. It directs the HEC to prepare a new budget for next year that fits into Rs30 billion, – less than a third of what was requested and less than half of this year’s Rs65.25 billion. Here I would like to acknowledge that Federal Minister for Planning and Development Dr Ahsan Iqbal has voiced his opposition to this news.”

    https://twitter.com/Razzaque_Ayesha/status/1530407000709992450

    Dr Ayesha Razzaque took to Twitter to share PM’s statement.

    A thread by Dr Razzaque on the issue of HEC budget can be accessed here.

  • Independent candidates take lead in Balochistan LG polls

    Independent candidates take lead in Balochistan LG polls

    Local Government (LG) polls are being held in 32 of 34 districts in Balochistan after nine years.

    As per unofficial results, independent candidates were leading on around 1,487 seats, while Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) won 260 seats.

    Unofficial results: Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) 213 seats, National Party (NP) 100 seats, Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) 88, Balochistan National Party (BNP) 79, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) 58, BNP Awami 43, Awami National Party (ANP) 24, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) 23, Jamhoori Watan Party (JWP) 18, Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) 15 and Jamat-e-Islami (JI) 7, Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) 5 seats so far. Gwadar’s Haq Do Tehreek clinched 27 seats on the municipal committee out of the total 30.

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said democracy stands strengthened with LG elections in Balochistan.

    In a statement on Twitter Sunday, he said, “People’s active participation in polls shows their trust in state institutions to provide security & ensure smooth conduct of polls. I admire law enforcement agencies for their role.”

    Balochistan Chief Secretary Abdul Aziz Aqeeli said the elections were held in a peaceful, free, transparent, and impartial manner.

    Talking to the media on Sunday, he said voter turnout remained 60 per cent, the highest since the 1988 elections.

  • Justice (R) Maqbool Baqar being considered for NAB chairman slot: report

    Justice (R) Maqbool Baqar being considered for NAB chairman slot: report

    Justice (retired) Maqbool Baqar is on top of the candidates’ list that the government is considering for the position of the next National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairman, reports Geo News.

    According to the news report, Baqar’s name came up during the meeting between Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari.

    Justice Baqar had been promoted from the Sindh High Court to the Supreme Court and retired as a judge of the SC on Monday, April 4, 2022.

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Fawad Chaudhry commenting on Baqar said, “Justice (r) Maqbool Baqir is a reasonable man, hopefully, he will not be a part of this process.”

  • Inclusion of Rs28 billion relief package in upcoming budget: PM Shehbaz

    Inclusion of Rs28 billion relief package in upcoming budget: PM Shehbaz

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif said that the government would include a Rs28 billion package in the upcoming budget to provide relief to the masses. He was addressing the nation yesterday (May 27).

    PM Shehbaz said that aside from the relief package, the government would immediately provide Rs2,000 for around 85 million people to help them fight the effects of inflation.

    “This is aside from the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) monetary assistance they are already getting. This relief package will be included in the next fiscal budget,” the premier said.

    The premier added that he has directed the Utility Stores Corporation (USC) to provide 10kg of wheat to people for Rs400.

    ‘It was you who signed tough deals with IMF, not us’

    Criticising ex-PM Imran Khan and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, PM Shehbaz said it was Khan who struck a deal with the IMF, not the current government.

    “We did not agree to the strict conditions laid forth by the IMF; you burdened the masses with heavy inflation, not us; you buried the country under heavy debts, not us; international institutions said that corruption increased during your tenure, not ours; electricity load shedding was brought back during your tenure and you are responsible for the economy’s suffering.”

    If Imran Khan thinks his “ego” is bigger than the state, then it is his misconception

    PM Shehbaz said if Imran Khan thinks his “ego” is bigger than the state, then it is his misconception as Pakistan will function in line with the Constitution and not upon following the direction of one person.

    Without naming Imran Khan or the PTI directly, he said one man had fabricated an international conspiracy on the basis of foreign correspondence, even though the National Security Committee (NSC) and Pakistan’s ambassador to the US had repeatedly refuted such claims.

    “For his personal political gain, he is harming Pakistan’s diplomatic relations. Pakistan will be governed by the constitution, not one man’s whims,” the PM asserted.

    “Due to the faulty policies of the previous government, our friendly countries are upset. We will restore fraternal relations with them,” he said, adding Pakistan wanted peace in South Asia and urged India to withdraw its Aug 5, 2019 decision on Kashmir and then sit with Pakistan for dialogue to resolve all issues.

    Khan has repeatedly blamed the US for backing the no-confidence motion that leads to his ousting and has refused to accept the newly-elected government.

    Shehbaz added that Khan claimed that the US Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu had threatened Pakistan’s ambassador for removing his government.

    “This person, when Pakistan was progressing under prime minister Nawaz Sharif, staged dharnas. At that time, Chinese President Xi Jinping had to come to Pakistan, but due to [Khan’s] arrogance, the agreement that was scheduled to take place was delayed.”

    The prime minister said that taking up the challenge of coming into power was not easy as the country’s situation was gloomy, and the nation was plagued with hatred during the previous government’s tenure.

    ‘PTI govt announced petroleum subsidy for political gains’

    Explaining the reason for the increase in petroleum prices, Shehbaz said,” From oil-producing countries to developed countries, everyone was gripped with economic turmoil. But for political gains, the previous government announced a petrol subsidy for which there was no room in the national exchequer,” the premier said.

    Govt to provide targeted subsidies to 14 million families, says Miftah Ismail

    Finance Minister Miftah Ismail said that the government would provide targeted subsidies to 14 million deserving families as announced by PM Shehbaz Sharif in his address to the nation.

    Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, Miftah shared the criteria for availing of the ‘Sasta Petrol, Sasta Diesel’ relief package.

    “Women, whose household income was less than Rs40,000 per month, could text their Computerised National Identity Card (CNIC) numbers on 786 or call that number to receive Rs2,000”, said Miftah.

    “We cannot provide complete relief as we do not have the resources but we will do all we can to dress the wounds [of poor people].”

    Miftah further added: “7.3 million beneficiaries of Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) are already getting Rs2000, and the government is planning to add 7 million more people to the database who would receive Rs2,000 in terms of fuel subsidy.”

    Pakistan People’s Party’s (PPP) Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar tweeted, “The decision to go to IMF should be taken by a government with a fresh mandate.”

    Agreeing with Khokhar, Miftah said, “He is right, the new government will strike a new deal with the IMF after taking a fresh mandate next year, but this is a coalition government and our priority is to steer the country out of economic crisis and maintain an economic stability.”

    “Therefore, we are continuing with the previous IMF programme, which was finalised by the PTI government,” he said.