ISLAMABAD: The campaign of Islamabad Traffic Police (ITP) launched to check major violations on roads and ensure safe road environment and traffic discipline in the city is in full swing.
Following directions of Inspector General of Police (IGP) Islamabad Qazi Jamil ur Rehman Senior Superintendent of Police (Traffic) Muhammad Umar Khan has constituted special squads to check major violation on various roads and ensure smooth flow of traffic in the city.
During this campaign, 64,754 motorcyclists were issued fine tickets over various violations while 51,521 others were fined for not using helmets during ride on bikes. Moreover, 495 motorcyclists were fined over lane violation,1500 for not having number plates, 1701 for violating one-way and 12 for involvement in one-wheeling. As many as 2862 bikes were also impounded at various police stations.
Police spokesman said that special campaign is underway to check violations while various teams headed by Senior Superintendent of Police (Traffic) Muhammad Umar Khan are performing duties at main roads of the city and taking action against the violators.
SSP Traffic has said that strict action would be taken during campaign against those involved in violation of traffic rules. He said that the purpose of this campaign is to ensure better traffic discipline through cooperation of citizens and create traffic sense among them.
The force issues traffic violation tickets not as a punitive measure but the purpose is to ensure safe road environment in the Capital and secure the lives of the people, the SSP (Traffic) added.
ISLAMABAD: The UK Prime Minister’s Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Nigel Casey, reached Pakistan on a three-day visit to Islamabad and Karachi.
Nigel Casey held meetings with the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa, National Security Adviser Moeed Yusuf, Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood, and Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Muhammad Sadiq to cover matters related to Afghanistan.
He discussed the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, for which the UK has already pledged £50m of funding for 2.5m Afghans, most of them women and girls, drawn from the UK’s £286 million aid commitment to Afghanistan this year.
Nigel also discussed areas of mutual concern, including inclusive politics, women’s rights, and the security situation.
In addition to his discussions on Afghanistan, the Special Representative will meet business leaders in Karachi to discuss trade opportunities between the UK and Pakistan.
The UK and Pakistan share strong business and people-to-people ties which are bolstered by the 1.6 million Pakistani diaspora in the UK.
The Special Representative Nigel Casey said UK has doubled its humanitarian and development aid to Afghanistan, which will provide urgent life-saving assistance to millions of people suffering from the conflict, drought and COVID-19.
This takes the total UK aid to Afghanistan this year to £286 million, one of our largest bilateral program. It means the UK’s total aid contribution to the country since 2001 is now around £3.5 billion, he added.
The new funding will build on previous support to Afghanistan which has already helped almost 10 million more children go to school compared with 2001, helped to reduce maternal mortality by more than 42%, and helped to clear more than 8 million landmines and other unexploded munitions.
“I am grateful to Pakistan for support to our efforts to evacuate at-risk Afghans affiliated to the UK from Afghanistan, Nigel Casey said, adding that the UK is committed to doing everything it can to ensure stability in Afghanistan, and our policy is one of pragmatic engagement. “We will continue to work together with Pakistan on matters of shared concern, including providing humanitarian support to the people of Afghanistan and to prevent Afghanistan from becoming a place where terrorism flourishes”, he added.
This is the third UK high-level visit to Pakistan in three months, after the then Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab came in September and the visit of the UK Home Office’s Permanent Secretary Matthew Rycroft last week. The Minister of State for South Asia and the Commonwealth Lord Tariq Ahmad of Wimbledon also visited Pakistan in June this year. HRH Prince Charles, The Prince of Wales, spoke to Prime Minister Imran Khan on the telephone last month.
Nigel Casey was appointed as the Prime Minister’s Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan in May 2021. He was previously the British High Commissioner to South Africa from April 2017 to May 2021. He was the Prime Minister’s Private Secretary for Foreign Affairs from 2014-2016 and British Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina from 2011 to 2014.
ISLAMABAD: Kashmir Institute of International Relations (KIIR) strongly condemned the illegal arrest of renowned Kashmiri human rights activist Khurram Pervaiz by India’s notorious National Investigation Agency (NIA).
Chairman KIIR, Altaf Hussain Wani on Tuesday took strong exception to the arrest of Khurram Pervaiz by NIA and termed it as the latest flagrant violation of international law and basic human rights.
“KIIR strongly condemns the ongoing persecution and reprisals by the Indian occupation authorities against civil society and human rights defenders, who played key role in highlighting the rights situation in the region in the aftermath of 5th August 2019 when the valley was turned into an information black-hole for the outer world”, Wani said, adding that Khurram has been one of those leading voices who refused to succumb under pressure tactics, risked their lives and tore into shreds India’s false and fabricated normalcy narrative on Kashmir by bringing to the fore the on-ground-realities in Kashmir.
The Indian occupation authorities, he said, have responded to the expression of dissent and the exercise of the rights to freedom of expression with arbitrary arrests, intimidation, and a campaign of misinformation aimed at discrediting the work of Kashmiri rights activists.
“Khurram Pervaiz is being victimized for his work and standing up for the rights of his own people, calling spade a spade and speaking truth to the power”, Wani said, adding the he has been under fire over the role he played in exposing India’s dodgy and destructive role in Kashmir.
Expressing his serious concern about the safety and security of Pervaiz, Wani said that the recent raids on the residence and office of the high-profile rights activist (Pervaiz) and his subsequent arrest was part of the Indian government’s nefarious game plan to enable complete silence on Kashmir.
Demanding urgent release of Khurram Pervaiz and other rights activists he said that it was high time the world human rights watchdogs should take effective cognizance of his unjustified and unwarranted arrest and play their due role in his early release.
ISLAMABAD: Senator Ayub Afridi of Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI) has resigned from the Senate to make way for the election of PM’s Adviser on Finance Shaukat Tarin as a member of the Parliament.
Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani has accepted Ayub Afridi’s resignation, who has now been inducted as a cabinet member.
The Senate Secretariat has declared Ayub Afridi’s seat vacant and issued a notification to which the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has also been informed.
As per the rules, when a seat falls vacant, the ECP is bound to hold elections on it within 30 days.
According to sources, Ayub Afridi has been appointed as PM’s Adviser on Overseas Pakistanis.
Commenting on the development, Ayub Afridi said he submitted his resignation to the prime minister earlier but was asked to wait because of the joint meeting.
“The prime minister entrusted me with the Senate seat and I returned it happily,” he said.
Afridi said he would have no objection if the prime minister did not give him any official responsibility.
“If given the opportunity by the prime minister I would serve the nation and the country,” Afridi added.
After failure to get Shaukat Tarin elected as a member of the Parliament within the stipulated six-month time-frame, the government had appointed him as Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance and Revenues with the status of Federal Minister on October 17.
A couple of months ago, the government had to face a severe political blow when PTI’s candidate from the federal capital Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh faced defeat against PPP candidate Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani.
Later, the prime minister replaced former Adviser to PM on Finance and Revenues Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh unceremoniously and then appointed Shaukat Tarin as Federal Minister for Finance with effect from April 17, 2021.
Under the Constitutional obligations, it was mandatory to elect Tarin as a member of the Parliament within the six month-period.
This deadline had expired on October 16, 2021 and the government could not decide to elect him.
The government was left with no other option but to appoint him as an Adviser to PM on Finance and Revenues as a stop-gap arrangement until his election as a Senator.
KARACHI: The Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) was stopped from carrying out the pre-demolition operation of Nasla Tower over safety concerns.
The SBCA had initiated the operation on the directives of Karachi Commissioner Muhammad Iqbal Memon, however, Ferozabad Assistant Commissioner Asma Batool stopped it on the grounds of safety concerns.
“The demolition process has been stopped for a while because of the safety concerns of the passers-by,” Asma Batool said, adding that huge blocks fell on the road during the demolition of the building.
She said that without proper safety measures, no demolition could take place because it could cause damage to human lives. After consulting with the high-ups, the demolition work would resume, she added.
Earlier, the anti-encroachment police of the Sindh Board of Revenue cordoned off the building, following which the SBCA’s demolition squad kicked off the pre-demolition work.
District East Deputy Commissioner Asif Jan Siddiqui told the media that the tower’s doors and windows were being removed. He said the anti-encroachment police had been summoned to maintain law and order in the area.
“Initially, removal of windows and doors of the building will take place,” said Siddiqui, adding that there had not been any decision regarding the issuance of a tender for the proper demolition of the building.
He said that until a decision was made regarding controlled blast or manual demolition of the residential-cum- commercial tower, it would be destroyed according to the normal procedure.
On June 16 the Supreme Court of Pakistan had ordered the tower’s demolition due to its illegal construction on a service road, telling the builders to refund the registered buyers of the residential and commercial units within three months.
On September 22 a three-judge SCP bench dismissed the review petition against the demolition of the 15-storey building.
The court said the petitioner’s counsel had failed to show any title or registered lease deed about the allotment of area in excess of 780 square yards.
ISLAMABAD: The US firm which carried out the forensic analysis of the audio clip attributed to the former chief justice Saqib Nisar is “confident of the integrity of the audio file”, according to the journalist who revealed the bombshell audio.
The alleged audio clip of former chief justice Saqib Nisar has triggered an intense debate among the political circles with Opposition parties demanding a thorough investigation into the matter, Geo News reported.
The government, however, has termed it a conspiracy against the judiciary and blamed the PML-N leadership for using dirty tactics against the institutions.
Ahmad Noorani, the journalist who broke the story, tweeted on Monday saying; “Each and every word said by any person can be found out in one’s previous speeches and talks. I have released the forensic report of audio by a credible organization. The only way to reject it is to come up with a forensic report of the audio I have released and prove it wrong.”
He told a web program that he had the tape for over two months and took every possible precaution to get it examined by the experts to rule out forgery.
Noorani said Garret Discovery, a leading American firm specializing in multimedia forensics, examined the tape.
He said the audio tape was released only after the firm’s experts were confident of the integrity of the audio file and gave a go-ahead saying “the audio has not been edited in any way.”
Meanwhile, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry is of the view that the “campaign” against judges started in a “haste”, indicating that the people did not do their homework properly.
Chaudhry shared a video of ex-chief justice of Pakistan Saqib Nisar Monday, in which he was saying: “Unfortunately, let me be a little blunt about it, let me be frank about it, let me be not aggressive, [but] loud about it.”
“Unfortunately, the orders that we are receiving are according to [some people’s] wishes,” the former CJP had said in the video.
In the video, ex-CJP could be heard uttering some words which were also mentioned in the viral video.
While talking to media senior PML-N leader and former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said the party was not behind the audio and demanded an impartial inquiry into it. “We are ready to face the consequences if the probe finds out that it is a conspiracy,” he said.
Abbasi said the Supreme Court should take suo moto notice of it.
Another major opposition party, Awami National Party (ANP) has said the chief justice of Pakistan should take notice of the alleged audiotape leak of former chief justice Saqib Nisar and deal with the issue as per the law.
Addressing a news conference at the Bacha Khan Markaz on Monday, ANP central secretary general Mian Iftikhar Hussain said the alleged leaked conversation of former chief justice had exposed the pre-poll rigging by helping a puppet to assume power as prime minister before the 2018 general elections in the country.
“A judge who had declared a politician Sadiq (truthful) and Amin (honest) in his judgment has been exposed to the public in his audiotape in which he says that Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz must be punished before the general elections,” Mian Iftikhar alleged.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA) on Monday exhibited “Beauty Alt Atrocity” a solo show by Aysiha Arshad Shahnawaz’s collection of intricately crafted paintings.
Through her works, Ayisha explored the innumerable sufferings and miseries which are caused in the process of creating something fantastical and worthy; the sacrifice every individual makes to achieve the desired on a very personal level as well as a societal level.
Ayisha Arshad Shahnawaz is a Canadian-Pakistani artist born in Lahore, Pakistan, in 1975. A graduate of the prestigious National College of Art, her work has been exhibited in six countries spanning three continents.
A profound thinker, she challenges the status quo with every stroke of her brush. The displayed artworks have been privately built up and are complex, diverse, and somehow both entirely contemporary and yet faithfully traditional.
Shafqat Mehmood, Minister of NH&C Division who inaugurated the exhibition, in his speech said, “Ayisha’s hard-work has made this show beautiful and I am glad after COVID-19 fun and healthy activities are getting organized again”. He mentioned that the PNCA will plan more such activities.
Ayisha has shown her mesmerizing paintings Nationally and Internationally on numerous platforms. She has presented her works as part of an EU art-exchange program with Canada. Her work was also shown in the ‘Vialful’ exhibit.
Arshad Shahnawaz was one of ten overseas Canadians selected by the Contemporary Art Galleries Association (Association des Galeries d’art Contemporain) to showcase their work during the Millennium Fair in Montreal.
She was among a handful of artists from around the globe invited by the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs to exhibit their work.
PNCA in a press statement said it is committed to promoting significant aspects arts and culture and encourages community participation in gallery activities. It fosters curatorial practice to artist’s own understanding of their work and encourages a healthy and sustainable local arts industry.
ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry on Monday submitted to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) an affidavit of a written apology over his allegations against the commission as well as the chief election commissioner (CEC).
The commission will now give its verdict on Fawad’s affidavit. The ECP had demanded from the minister an apology in writing following he appeared before it six days back on November 16, 2021 after the issuance of a show-cause notice to him and had said he regretted his remarks.
The minister, while arguing his case, had said that he appeared before the commission because he did not want to indulge in any kind of rejoinders. He had pleaded to the commission to close the case. He said he himself was a lawyer and he was also the mouthpiece of the government. “I did not abuse anyone. I’m also a lawyer. Accept my apology,” Fawad had pleaded.
Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry, at a press conference, he had addressed along with Railways Minister Azam Swati, accused the chief election commissioner (CEC) of acting as a “mouthpiece for the opposition parties”.
LAHORE: The Punjab government has decided to hold local body elections across the province in March or April 2022.
Well-placed sources in the provincial government said the provincial government will get the new Punjab Local Government Act 2021 passed from the assembly in the days to come.
As per the draft of the new local body act, at least 11 metropolitan corporations will be established in the province.
Besides the 11 metropolitan corporations, 15 municipal corporations and 35 district councils will also be set up in the province under the new local body act. All local representatives, from the councilor to the city mayor, would be elected through a direct vote.
In addition to this, over 6,000 village and neighbourhood councils will be established, while each village will have its own panchayat across the province.
Each village panchayat will comprise five members and it will be given powers as well as financial grant, sources said, adding that the body will decide minor disputes among villagers and will address other issues like street lights and provision of potable water to the people.
Earlier, the PTI had formed a consultative committee to decide tickets for the upcoming local government elections in Punjab.
Sources had said the committee on local body elections has been formed on the directions of Prime Minister Imran Khan, The News reported.
The committee comprised PTI chief organiser Saifullah Niazi, Secretary-General Amir Mehmood Kiani and Punjab Minister for Local Bodies Mian Mehmoodur Rashid. The committee would also consult regional presidents of the PTI.
The panel would furnish proposals on the distribution of tickets and the selection of candidates. It will also give suggestions on seat adjustments with like-minded parties.
Earlier, Prime Minister Khan directed Punjab Local Government and Community Development Department Minister Mian Mahmoodur Rasheed to hold Local Bodies elections in Punjab early and to complete all arrangements and legal proceedings in this regard.
The directives were issued by the prime minister during his meeting with the provincial minister who called on him at the Prime Minister’s House here on Sunday.
The meeting discussed the holding of Local Bodies elections in Punjab and other issues of national interest. The premier also instructed to get the Punjab Local Government Act 2021 passed by the Punjab Assembly soon.
ISLAMABAD: Justice (R) Javed Iqbal Chairman, National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has said anti-graft body has solid evidence of money-laundering of billions of rupees by a “big fish” which were laundered by opening fake accounts in the names of ‘falooda wala’, ‘chhabri wala’ and ‘papar wala’ etc.
“The learned accountability courts in which NAB had filed references against accused persons are the relevant authority to decide about the innocence of any accused person as per law,” he said in a statement.
The NAB chairman said the people who are claiming their innocence in media should better request the accountability court concerned to resume hearing of their cases on a daily basis so that they plead about their innocence where law will take its own course.
He said the NAB would continue performing its national duties without caring about any baseless media reports and propaganda against it as an institution per law. He said the NAB is committed to the logical conclusion of mega corruption cases by utilising all available resources as per law.
He said the NAB had constituted a Combined Investigation Team (CIT) to benefit from the collective wisdom of senior supervisory officers. He said the CIT had the services of director, additional director, investigation officer, legal counsel and experts of the monetary and land revenue department which is lending quality.
Javed Iqbal said the NAB was the focal institution of Pakistan under the UN Convention against corruption and the chairman of the Saarc Anti-Corruption Forum.
He said the NAB was considered a role model organisation in Saarc countries.
The NAB chairman said the anti-graft body has recovered Rs538 billion directly and indirectly from corrupt elements from October 2017 to October 2021, which is a record achievement as compared to other years. It shows the commitment and dedication of NAB’s officers towards the performance of their national responsibilities for eradicating corruption from the country, he said.
He said there are 1278 corruption cases, having an accumulative volume of approximately Rs1335 billion, which are under trial in various accountability courts of the country. The performance of the NAB has been lauded by reputed national and international institutions.
“Pakistan is the only country with whom China has signed an MoU for eradication of corruption,” he added. He said the performance of the NAB is being reviewed regularly on the basis of a monitoring and evaluation system so that it could be improved further.
He said youth is our future; the NAB has signed an MoU with Higher Education Commission to make the youth aware of the ill-effects of corruption in universities and colleges at an early age.
Under this initiative, it has successfully established more than 50,000 Character Building Societies in various universities and colleges besides constituting prevention committees in consultations with respective provincial and federal government departments to assist them to identify and plug loopholes in order to check corruption.
He said that as per Gillani and Gallup Survey, 59% of people have shown trust in the NAB. He said the NAB has devised a comprehensive Quantified Grading System to further improve the performance of NAB headquarters and all regional bureaus.
