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Tag: Shehbaz Sharif

  • Nawaz, Maryam go filterless, say ‘nation expected Lt Gen (r) Asim Bajwa to be arrested, not Shehbaz’

    Nawaz, Maryam go filterless, say ‘nation expected Lt Gen (r) Asim Bajwa to be arrested, not Shehbaz’

    Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has said the nation was expecting the arrest of PM’s aide Asim Saleem Bajwa but the authorities instead apprehended his brother Shehbaz Sharif.

    “This is oppression and this is injustice,” Nawaz said, referring to Shehbaz’s arrest in a money laundering case. “This is not acceptable and we will not accept it.”

    The National Assembly opposition leader was arrested Monday morning after the Lahore High Court rejected his bail plea.

    Referring to Bajwa, the former premier told reporters in London that the nation wanted to know how a person made such big properties and assets in just 15 or 20 years.

    Opposition parties have been demanding an investigation against Bajwa after the publishing of a story that claimed that Bajwa’s family had set up 99 companies in four countries, including a pizza franchise with 133 restaurants.

    The website, FactFocus, claimed that his wife is a “shareholder” in at least 86 companies. Of them, 71 were set up in the US, seven in the UAE and four in Canada.

    Bajwa has rejected the story on his family’s assets as “incorrect” and “false”.

    Meanwhile, Maryam Nawaz, who was addressing a press conference in Lahore, said that if there was accountability and justice in country, Bajwa would have been arrested.

    Maryam said the anti-government movement would not stop with the arrest of Shehbaz Sharif, rather the unjust act would add fuel to fire. “This movement will not suffer a setback due to Shehbaz Sharif’s arrest,” she insisted.

    She said even if the entire PML-N leadership, including her, was arrested, the movement would not stop. Terming the arrest extremely unfortunate, Maryam said she had no doubts that the PML-N president had been picked up because he chose not to betray his brother, Nawaz Sharif.

    “He [Shehbaz Sharif] not only stood with his brother but his loyalty to his brother’s cause and the party remained unwavering. “His wife has been declared an absconder; his son, my brother Hamza, has been sent to jail, though no case has been proven against him.

    “During the last week, Shehbaz gave two to three statements, saying that if they want to arrest him, they can , but the party will implement 100% of the directions given in Nawaz Sharif’s speech at the APC,” she said, referring to a statement made by the PML-N supremo at the opposition’s multiparty conference last week.

    The PML-N leader said the party had all its options open including resignations from all assemblies as well as launching a long march, and the party was deliberating on all options. “Those who are talking about birth of ‘Sheen’ from ‘Noon’ are now screaming because Sheen and Noon are completely united and can’t be separated,” she said, adding that Shehbaz was arrested though nothing was proved against him.

    Questioning the accountability and justice system, she said those who stood for justice were behind the bars or were submitting their financial details.

  • Cracks once again emerge among opposition ranks before being able to take on Imran govt

    Cracks have yet again emerged among opposition leaders before they could execute their plans of giving a hard time to the Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government.

    According to reports, this time it wasn’t the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), differences among which have led to the opposition’s failure to take on the ruling party ever since the formation of the current government.

    But this time, Sunday’s all parties conference (APC) witnessed an unpleasant situation when Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who had earlier played a pivotal role in bringing both the PML-N and PPP to talks table, registered a protest for not airing his speech.

    “The government used to censor my speech but now in the APC my speech was also censored and this is highly unreasonable,” he complained.

    PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari clarified it was on the request of a JUI-F lawmaker as they kept it an in-camera session and would hold a press conference later on; however, Maulana was not convinced.

    Senator Sherry Rehman of the PPP said the party was told to arrange for an in-camera address by the JUI-F leader, to which Maulana said, “We did not make such a request.”

    Later on during the presser, PPP senior leader Qamar Zaman Kaira said that Maulana’s address was streamed on social media and electronic media may air it by extracting it from the internet.

  • VIDEO: PML-N takes credit for construction of Sialkot motorway while talking about gang-rape

    VIDEO: PML-N takes credit for construction of Sialkot motorway while talking about gang-rape

    President of the former ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Shehbaz Sharif, has sought credit for his party and brother, former prime minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif, for the construction of the Lahore-Sialkot Motorway while mentioning the gang-rape that took place there last week.

    “I request that an investigation be carried out… the motorway… because this horrible incident took place on the Sialkot motorway, I think it won’t be inappropriate to mention that it was also constructed under the leadership of Mian Nawaz Sharif,” Shehbaz said on the floor of the National Assembly (NA).

    WATCH VIDEO:

    Earlier, Monday’s session of the NA saw heated arguments between members of the government and opposition over the horrifying incident of gang-rape of a mother of three after her car ran out of fuel on the motorway past midnight last Tuesday.

    As per the details, the woman, along with her three children, was driving to Gujranwala in her car when she was forced to stop at the Gujjarpura section of the motorway after running out of fuel at around 1:30 am.

    She immediately called a relative and sent him her location. He asked her to also dial the Motorway Police helpline 130 but she was reportedly refused help.

    In the meantime, two robbers approached the car, broke the window and took the woman and her children to nearby bushes where they raped her repeatedly in front of the children. They also snatched her purse that had cash around Rs100,000, one bracelet, car registration and three ATM cards. 

    The Gujjarpura police have registered a case, while motorway police spokesperson said they had not been able to take action as the incident did not occur in the limits of Motorway Police.

    The authorities’ failure to protect the masses has drawn a strong reaction from the public as countrywide protests demand that justice is served at the earliest.

  • KYA BOLA? (Aug 25): ‘Aale Sharif’, ‘Shahid Khaqan Abbasi ka moo torr deingay’, ‘Mulk ko lootnay walay wajibul qatl hain’

    KYA BOLA? (Aug 25): ‘Aale Sharif’, ‘Shahid Khaqan Abbasi ka moo torr deingay’, ‘Mulk ko lootnay walay wajibul qatl hain’

    Following are some snippets that stood out from Urdu newspapers on August 25, 2020, which The Current takes no responsibility for.

    ‘Aale Sharif’

    It has been reported by Daily Jang that Punjab Information Minister Fayazul Hasan Chohan has said, “Shehbaz Sharif ki aik dhelay ki corruption naa krnay ki baat darust hai kyun k Aale Sharif ne aik dhelay ki corruption nahi ki balkeh qaum ko arabo ka teeka lagaya aur iss corruption k dhairo saboot JIT aur NAB k pass hain.”

    ‘Shahid Khaqan Abbasi Ka Moo Torr Deingay’

    According to Daily Jang, Federal Minister of Water Resources Faisal Vawda has said, “Shahid Khaqan Abbasi ne assembly mein ghatiya zubaan istemal ki, speaker ko kahaa ‘bakwaas band karo’… speaker ki sharafat hai Shahid Khaqan k moo pr thappar nahi mara… agar ainda aisi baat ki to tumhara moo torr deingay.”

    ‘Mulk Ko Lootnay Walay Wajibul Qatl Hain’

    It has been reported by Daily Dunya that Federal Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan has said, “35 saal se jamhooriyat k naam pr mulk lootnay walay wajibul qatl hain… itna zulm Halaku Khan aur Chingiz Khan ne nahi kia jitna inn 2 jamaato ne kia.”

  • KYA BOLA? (Jul 29): ‘Bilawal k jawaan kandhay’ to ‘Coronavirus k khilaf Allah ki ghayebi maddad’

    KYA BOLA? (Jul 29): ‘Bilawal k jawaan kandhay’ to ‘Coronavirus k khilaf Allah ki ghayebi maddad’

    Following are some snippets that stood out from Urdu newspapers on July 29, 2020, which The Current takes no responsibility for.

    ‘Bilawal k jawaan kandhay’

    It has been reported by Daily Jang that Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, in a press conference with opposition bigwig Shehbaz Sharif, said,“Ab Shehbaz Sharif tandrust hain aur hukoomat mukhalif tehreek ki inqalabi qiyadat krnay k liye tayaar hain.” Shehbaz, in response to this, said, “Bilawal k jawaan kandho par zimadari dali hai… yeh humein lead karein ge.” 

    While opposition alliance is once again gearing to get rid of the government, many believe this attempt too wouldn’t be successful for the PPP and the Pakistan Muslims League-Nawaz (PML-N) won’t be able to work together.

    ‘Ab kya gul khilayga?’

    According to Daily Jang, Punjab Information Minister Punjab Fayazul Hasan Chohan has termed the meeting between Shehbaz and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazulur Rehman as the between “political orphans”. “Sindh mein Maulana ki Asif Ali Zardari aur Bilawal se mulaqaat ka chand Ziaur Rehman ki bataur deputy commissioner tayinaati ki surat mein charrha tha… ab dekhein Maulana ki Shehbaz se maulaqaat kia gul khilati hai.”

    Fazl’s brother had been appointed the deputy commissioner of Karachi’s District Central despite not being a qualified CSS officer. Amid severe backlash and criticism, the federal government on Monday approved a letter by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government requesting the repatriation of his services back to the province.

    ‘Coronavirus k khilaf Allah ki ghayebi maddad’

    Daily Dunya has quoted the Corona Expert Advisory Group as saying that, “Corona cases aur amwaat mein kami Allah ki ghayebi maddad hai kyun k kami ki hatmi waja samnay nahi aa saki.”

    The statement comes as both COVID-19 cases and deaths in Pakistan continue to drop over the past three weeks. While some are praising the government for its efforts aimed at curbing the outbreak, others believe lower testing and people choosing to stay back home is the actual reason.

  • Opp announces APC to get rid of govt, again

    Opp announces APC to get rid of govt, again

    The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) have announced to hold an ‘All Parties Conference’ (APC) after Eidul Azha in order to discuss strategies to “get rid of this government”.

    Addressing a joint press conference, PPP’s Qamar Zaman Kaira and PML-N’s Ahsan Iqbal said that a coordination committee meeting will be held this week to discuss the APC agenda.

    The presser was held after a meeting between PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and a three-member PML-N delegation at Bilawal House, Lahore. The PML-N delegation included Iqbal, Khawaja Saad Rafique and Ayaz Sadiq, while PPP’s Kaira, Chaudhry Manzoor and Hasan Murtaza also attended the meeting.

    Addressing reporters, Kaira said that opposition parties will “complete our homework” before Eidul Azha and discuss strategies to oust the government in the APC.

    “The opposition feels that Pakistan will face several external and internal dangers [if] this government remains in power,” Iqbal said. “[Considering] what is happening in our region, we need internal unity but this government only has a vengeful agenda with which it is disintegrating the country.

    “In this situation, the country’s two biggest opposition parties agree that to get rid of this incompetent government will be representative of this country’s 220 million people.”

    Ahsan also criticised the government for trying to introduce a law that is “twice as bad” as the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in order to put an end to terror financing and comply with Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) guidelines. The law, he said, would allow authorities to arrest a suspect for 90 days without getting a remand and the detention can be extended without allowing the suspect to obtain a bail.

    “FATF members are not telling Pakistan to turn the country into a fascist state through legislation [to stop terror financing],” the PML-N MNA said and added that the move was “defaming FATF, the international community and the United Nations”. He said that while the opposition was in favour of compliance with FATF guidelines, it would not allow the government to curb individual rights and freedom.

    He accused the government of making people’s lives difficult by pushing them into poverty, throttling the media and isolating the country in the international community.

    In response to a question regarding Maryam Nawaz’s participation in the upcoming meetings, Iqbal said that “no one has played as huge a role in public mobilisation than” the former premier’s daughter. He added that she will play her role when it came to public mobilisation.

    Separately, Ahsan Iqbal, in a conversation with The Current, said that the APC would provide opposition parties a chance to present a unified stance on how to bring change in the government, which the entire opposition believes has thoroughly been exposed for its “incompetence and making irreparable damage to country’s economy and governance”.

    “A joint opposition coordination committee comprising of senior leaders from all parties has been formed to work out options for the APC to be meaningful,” he said.

  • KYA BOLA? (Jul 21): Foreign Ministry’s $25,000 for bathroom decor to ‘Peeth mein chura ghonpnay wala Shehbaz’

    KYA BOLA? (Jul 21): Foreign Ministry’s $25,000 for bathroom decor to ‘Peeth mein chura ghonpnay wala Shehbaz’

    Following are some snippets that stood out from Urdu newspapers on July 21, 2020, which The Current takes no responsibility for.

    Foreign Ministry’s approval of $25,000 for bathroom decor

    It has been reported by Daily Jang that the Foreign Ministry has approved $25,000 for the decor of bathroom of Pakistan’s permanent representative to the United Nations (UN). An amount of $50,000 has already been spent on the renovation of the official’s residence.    

    ‘Judges ko phone kr k marzi k faislay lenay walay‘

    Daily Jang has quoted Federal Minister for Communication Murad Saeed as saying,“Judges ko phone kr k marzi k faislay lenay walay humein jamhooriyat ka dars de rahay hain.”

    ‘Peeth mein chura ghonpnay wala Shehbaz’

    According to Daily Jang, Punjab Information Minister Fayazul Hasan Chohan has said, “Barray bhai aur bhateeji ki peeth mein chura ghonpney walay Shehbaz Sharif pr Bilawal aitebaar krnay se hichkacha rahay hain.”

    His statement came as PML-N President and Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Sunday spoke to each other over the phone and discussed the prevailing political situation and the possibility of holding an All Parties Conference (APC) after Eid.

  • Company responsible for Peshawar BRT’s construction gets another three projects in Islamabad

    Company responsible for Peshawar BRT’s construction gets another three projects in Islamabad

    The firm responsible for the construction of Peshawar Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project that lies in limbo amid several delays and rising costs, has won the contracts for three mega projects of the federal capital by submitting the lowest bids, much below the estimated cost, The News reported.

    According to reports, Maqbool Associates-Calsons joint venture has been awarded by the Capital Development Authority (CDA) the construction of the Rawal Dam interchange (Rs1.2b, 11pc less than the estimated cost); expansion of Korang Bridge (Rs628.5m, 17pc less than the estimated cost) and the PWD Underpass (Rs420m, 19pc less than the estimated cost). These constructions will cost Rs2.248b.

    The official record shows that in its case against Shehbaz Sharif in the Ashiana Housing Scheme, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has been betting on Calsons. The NAB has portrayed Calsons as a well-meaning firm that had won a contract on merit to develop the Ashiana Iqbal Housing Scheme, but was wronged by the Shehbaz Sharif administration. The then chief minister was alleged to have secured Calsons’ Ashiana contract cancelled in order to give it to a choice party.

    Officials said Calsons came into prominence when it won the contract to remodel and widen the Kashmir Highway, a major artery of Islamabad. Because of delays, the project became a festering wound during the tenure of the last Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) government in 2008-2013 and the capital’s residents faced untold hardships. The project was finally completed by the subsequent government.

    According to officials, the Calsons fell on the wrong side of the Punjab government under Shehbaz Sharif when, in 2013, the then chief minister received electronic evidence of the illegal award of the Ashiana contract to a joint venture involving Calsons by the Punjab Land Development Company (PLDC).

    Shehbaz Sharif referred the case to a committee, led by the then Punjab secretary finance Tariq Bajwa, who later became governor of the State Bank of Pakistan. The committee sought a further probe into the matter, following which Shehbaz Sharif referred the matter to the Punjab Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE). Consequently, the Ashiana contract awarded to Calsons was also cancelled.

    The cancellation was done by the PLDC Board in September 2013. Calsons approached the Lahore High Court (LHC) against the PLDC decision. The LHC ordered arbitration as per the contract between the two parties. As a result, the contractor was awarded Rs5.9 million as compensation. Hence the first contract ended.

    Later, in 2015, Calsons was accused of wrongdoings in the Orange Line train project. Officials said that Calsons was accused of violations of contract, leading to the termination of its joint venture with Maqbool Associates. The company was blacklisted and a penalty of Rs902 million was imposed on it by the Shehbaz Sharif administration.

    According to officials, the Maqbool-Calsons joint venture made a bid for Package II (Chauburji to Ali Town) of the Orange Line. The Punjab Mass Transit Authority (PMA) had entrusted the civil works of the project to the LDA. They said that the progress of work by the Maqbool-Calsons joint venture remained poor from the outset, and added that the contractor did not pay heed to repeated verbal and written instructions of the LDA and failed to meet its obligations under various contractual clauses. Resultantly, the provincial government terminated the contract and forfeited and en-cashed its bank guarantee of Rs903.289 million, the record showed.

    Officials said that Punjab administration, after terminating the contract, charged Maqbool-Calsons with violations, including refusal to hand over material (reinforcement bars, crush gravel, pre-stressing wire) worth Rs400 million, which had been purchased with the money advanced by the LDA. On the LDA’s complaint, the ACE lodged a first information report (FIR) with the police for building shorter piles. The Punjab government imposed a five-year ban on the contractors from participating in LDA tenders under Public Procurement Regulatory Authority rules. It also sent a reference to the Pakistan Engineering Council seeking the blacklisting of the firm.

    When contacted, Calson owner Chaudhry Amir Latif told The News that they would complete all the three projects of the federal capital within the stipulated time. He said the company won the contracts for being the lowest bidders.

    To a question, he said that the matters relating to the Ashiana scheme have been settled and closed. Amir Latif said the issues pertaining to the Orange Line train project including the forfeiture of their bank guarantee were being looked into by arbitrators as provided in the contract. The arbitration, which is in final stages, will sort out the contention between the company and the LDA, he said.

    To another question, the Calson owner said that they have concluded the work of the Peshawar BRT assigned to them and have been issued the completion certificate.

    He said the delay in the completion of the given work was not caused by them but it occurred due to frequent changes in the design by the consultant, which consumed almost a year. In addition, he said, the land acquisition was also a major issue. He pointed out that the caretaker government had also been in place after the award of contract to them, suggesting that this interregnum also affected the pace of work.

    Amir Latif said that the government authorities have taken over the completed work of the BRT and were doing the trial run of buses. He said the COVID-19 pandemic has also been a major reason behind the non-start of the full-fledged start of the bus service.

  • Rana Sanaullah stopped by police, refuses to let them check his vehicle in absence of media

    Senior Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader and lawmaker Rana Sanaullah was on Wednesday morning intercepted by police off Lahore’s The Mall. He, however, refused to step out of the vehicle and let the officials check it in the absence of media, The Current has learnt.

    According to sources, the PML-N stalwart was stopped by the police in the Regal Chowk area of the provincial capital in connection with the arrest of party president and Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly (NA) Shehbaz Sharif.

    The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) since Tuesday had been attempting to arrest Shehbaz in the assets beyond means case against him. The bureau had, however, failed to trace the PML-N chief despite raiding his Model Town and Jati Umra residences among other locations.

    READ: NAB arrest: Cat and mouse as Shehbaz not found

    Wednesday’s incident took place before a Lahore High Court (LHC) division bench granted pre-arrest bail to Shehbaz till June 17.

    “I will not let you check my vehicle in the absence of media because I fear being framed for carrying drugs once again,” Sanaullah, who had earlier been arrested by the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF), told the cops who stopped him to check if Shehbaz was also present in the vehicle.

    The ANF had last year detained the lawmaker after accusing him of carrying a cache of drugs in his vehicle and for “supplying it to drug dealers”.

    After months-long incarceration, Sanaullah had been granted bail amid lack of evidence. He had then accused the ANF of planting the drugs in his vehicle for the registration of a “bogus” case against him.

  • NAB arrest: Cat and mouse as Shehbaz not found

    NAB arrest: Cat and mouse as Shehbaz not found

    A team of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) accompanied by police on Tuesday reached the residence of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif to once again arrest him, this time in the assets beyond means case.

    Videos available with The Current showed a contingent of police’s anti-rioting force also reaching the PML-N chief’s Model Town residence in Lahore to make the arrest that comes after Shehbaz, being a cancer survivor, once again avoided appearing before the anti-graft watchdog amid the coronavirus outbreak.

    The teams, however, had to return empty-handed as the leader of opposition in the National Assembly (NA), who has also sought pre-arrest bail in the case, was not at home.

    The teams were headed to the Sharif family’s Jati Umra residence near Raiwind by the filing of this report.

    PRE-ARREST BAIL AND THE CASE:

    Earlier in the day, Shehbaz filed a bail plea in the Lahore High Court (LHC) to avoid arrest in the assets beyond means and money laundering cases against him, which is to be taken up by the court tomorrow (Wednesday).

    NAB had summoned the PML-N president to record his statement in both cases today (June 2) as the bureau needs Shehbaz’s statement to bring the cases to their logical conclusion.

    It had also provided the ex-Punjab chief minister (CM) with a detailed questionnaire as per its standard operating procedure (SoPs), which the PML-N says was submitted by the younger Sharif’s lawyers.

    However, Shehbaz on Monday filed a petition in the LHC requesting the court to grant him bail before arrest in both the cases “in the interest of justice”. He requested that he might also be admitted to ad-interim pre-arrest bail till the decision of the petition.

    The petitions said the power to arrest was permissive and not obligatory and the arrest was not desirable even in most heinous offences so long as the accused cooperated and kept joining the investigation.

    According to The Express Tribune, The PML-N president contended that on October 31, 2017, a complaint was made to various authorities including NAB chairman against management of the public limited companies in Punjab. The complaint claimed that the companies were incorporated and operated in violation of the Constitution and law.

    On November 15, 2017, NAB director general (DG) ordered an inquiry into the complaint “in a slipshod and mechanical manner, without application of judicious mind”.

    On January 10, 2018, the director general passed an order under section 18(C) of NAO 1999 for an inquiry into against management/officers/officials of Punjab Land Development Company (PLDC), management /owners of M/s Lahore CASA Developers (JV) and officers/officials of the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) in Lahore’s Ashiana housing scheme.

    Shehbaz said the above-said order was passed on the basis of an anonymous complaint and neither the complaint nor the order for inquiry mentioned the name of the petitioner or his office “yet under its cover”, NAB officials embarked upon “a fishing and sniffing expedition” against him.

    On October 5, 2018, when Shehbaz appeared before a NAB team in response to call up notice in the matter of Saaf Paani Company but he was arrested in Ashiana case.

    READ: ‘NAB forcing me to become approver against Shehbaz,’ former LWMC MD tells court

    During his 64 physical remand, the PML-N chief was also arrested in Ramzan Sugar Mills/Construction of Sullage Carrier case. He was still in NAB’s custody when NAB authorized yet another inquiry against the petitioner and others in assets beyond means case.

    Later, the petitioner was granted bail after arrest in both the above said cases but just after one week’s time of his bail, NAB put his name in the Exit Control List (ECL) – the country’s no-fly list.

    “The petitioner assailed the above said memorandum February 21, 2019 before this court and his petition was allowed.” He contended that NAB served him another call up notice requiring his appearance before the CIT on April 17, 2020.

    Shehbaz said he did not appear before NAB team in view of his ill health and the lockdown. Later NAB again issued call up notice requiring his presence on April 22, 2020.

    “However, hectic efforts were made and a comprehensive reply was submitted within time with an assurance of personal appearance after the holy month of Ramazan subject to lifting of the lockdown.”

    Later, the petitioner appeared before the CIT whereupon he was interrogated for about 2 hours, however, he could not be confronted with any evidence worth name on record to show any act of commission or omission by him to attract the mischief of any offence under NAO 1999.

    “That now the petitioner has again been served with a call up notice for June 2, 2020 requiring his personal appearance and written reply before CIT,” it added.