Sirajul Haq demands Islamic system as PDM, PTI ‘pursuing agenda of British imperialism’
SARAI NAURANG: The Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) “demands” an Islamic system in Pakistan as the ruling PTI, as well as the Opposition-led Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), are “pursuing the agenda of British imperialism”, party chief Sirajul Haq said Sunday.
Speaking at a rally in Qila Ground in Sarai Naurang town, Lakki Marwat, Senator Sirajul Haq said the JI did not believe in caste, ethnicity or heredity but that “we are trying to implement the Islamic system” and that his party’s politics was different from that of the PDM.
“Islam cannot be implemented” if there was PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on one side and PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz on the other, he said, adding that the biggest reason the JI did not join the Opposition’s coalition and its campaign against the PTI regime was because they “deceive the people”.
In Pakistan, killers were not punished but rather protected by the system, Haq added, lambasting the authorities for failing to arrest to date the killers of “honourable and courageous Naqeebullah Mehsud”, a 27-year-old native of Waziristan shot dead during a “police encounter” in Karachi in January 2018.
“The police killed 400 people in Karachi. This system is for the killers, the oppressors, the sugar mafia, the land mafia, and the flour thieves,” he noted. “No one can punish these oppressors here.
“We want an Islamic system where the law is the same for all,” he added.
‘Ignoramus student failing despite cheating’
Blasting Prime Minister Imran Khan, Sirajul Haq termed him an “ignoramus student [who is] failing despite cheating” and underlined that when the PTI chief had confessed to not being prepared, “then why did he sit for the exam”?
“If he was not prepared, then why did he take the Prime Minister’s Office? This ignoramus student Imran Khan and his cabinet have failed despite cheating.”
The JI chief said that “clouds of danger hung above Pakistan,” as the country, according to him, has been “under the pressure to recognise Israel”.
‘Will eliminate interest system from Pakistan’
“Imran Khan had said he would become the ambassador of Kashmir [but] the ambassador of Kashmir has handed over Kashmir to [Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi],” he said.
The senator added that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) was putting pressure on Pakistan due to which electricity and gas were becoming more expensive by the day.
“The government stands with its feet on people’s necks. If we get a chance, we will eliminate the system of interest from the country,” Haq vowed.
First International day of Epidemic Preparedness
DNA
ISLAMABAD, DEC 27 – On the first International day of Epidemic Preparedness, commemorated today, Pakistan expresses its firm resolve to strengthen national mechanisms and capacities, as well as global partnerships for robust health systems, to prevent and respond to all diseases and epidemics.
This day also reminds us of the importance of reducing poverty, inequality and of achieving sustainable development for all, by targeted interventions and investments in health, education, environment and water and sanitation, with a view to combating all diseases and epidemics, including the ongoing COVID pandemic.
As a country of 200 million people, Pakistan’s state and society have shown tremendous resilience against myriad of health challenges and pandemics.
Under the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan, Pakistan’s comprehensive national response to the COVID pandemic is characterized by efficient and seamless coordination among all stakeholders through National Command Operation Centre (NCOC), pragmatic policy of smart lockdowns and effective healthcare management through the ‘Pakistan Preparedness and Response Plan for COVID-19’.
Various streams of the Ehsas Programme are providing social safety nets against the ravages of the pandemic to the poor and the most vulnerable.
These measures constitute important elements of lessons learnt by the country to combat future epidemics.
The ongoing COVID pandemic has underscored the importance of strengthening and leveraging international cooperation as well as multilateralism.
Pakistan stresses the significance of partnership and solidarity among State, regional and international organizations in all stages of epidemic management and its associated socio economic challenges.
In this regard, the needs of developing countries should be prioritized in terms of equitable distribution of vaccines and medicines and building their fiscal space to combat the pandemics, including through debt relief. The World Health Organization also requires political and financial support to enable it to enhance its capability for early identification, better coordination and prevention of diseases and epidemics.
On this first International day of Epidemic Preparedness, Pakistan stands ready to contribute to all such endeavors and initiatives at relevant UN and WHO platforms.
Minister promises free corona vaccine for most population
LAHORE, Dec 27 (DNA): Federal Minister for Science and Technology
Chaudhry Fawad has said that the government will try its best to
cover big chunk of population with free-of-cost coronavirus vaccine.
Addressing a press conference here on Sunday, he said that private
companies would be given permission to import coronavirus vaccine. He
said efforts would be made to provide vaccine free of cost or at minimum
price to maximum number of people, adding that vaccine would be
administered to front-line workers and senior citizens on priority.
The minister said that comprehensive model for administration of corona
vaccine was being prepared in that regard. Fawad, while criticising
leadership of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), said Shaheed Benazir
Bhutto was a personality who kept intact all the federating units of the
country and added that unfortunately when the party went into the hands
of Zaradaris, it lost its credibility.
He said that now the PPP was led by those who had confined the party to
interior Sindh. He said that kingdom system was also diminishing in
countries like Bhutan and Austria, adding that it was very unfortunate
that in Pakistan hereditary characters were in politics in the lust of
power. He said that the creation of Pakistan was the outcome of a
democratic struggle.
Whether premiership was a slot for internship which could be given to
children, he questioned. He said that Maryam Nawaz had never managed her
kitchen, adding that she just enjoyed the empire of her father which was
established after looting public money.
He said that today the country was facing inflation due to poor economic
policies of the previous governments. In two years, Rs 1600 billion had
been transferred to the Sindh government by Centre, he added. The
minister said that Bilawal Bhutto Zaradri should hold long march against
Murad Ali Shah and must ask him where he spent Rs 1600 billion.
There were numerous problems which people of Karachi were facing
including non-availability of clean drinking water, lack of health and
education facilities and others, he added. Chaudhry Fawad said that the
Sharif family enjoyed maximum concessions which no one else in the
country ever availed. DNA
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Govt days numbered, claim PDM leaders
Former President Asif Zardari also addresses the gathering; Bilawal and Maryam Nawaz say Imran Khan has to go in the larger good of the country
Naziry Siyal/DNA
LARKANA: Various political leaders of the Pakistan Democratic Movement addressed crowds gathered at Garhi Khuda Bakhsh in Larkana to commemorate the 13th death anniversary of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.
The 11-party Opposition alliance has once more asked Prime Minister Imran Khan “to step down” or face the movement’s long march to Islamabad with the aim to “dethrone him”.
PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that if by December 31, the premier does not resign, the jiyalas (party loyalists) will march down to the capital and “shove him off off his seat”.
‘You are mistaken if you think we will back off’ — Bilawal Bhutto Zardari
PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said the government and any naysayers who think the Opposition will back off, need only look to the Bhutto mausoleum in Garhi Khuda Bakhsh.
He recounted the struggles of his grandfather and his uncles, all who “sacrificed their lives” but “did not sway from their democratic beliefs”. “Look at Benazir Bhutto’s life, spent in the service of the people,” he said.
“Benazir is alive today in the hearts of everyone, and those who clashed with her, their names are forgotten. “Ziaul Haq’s grave lies unattended, and Gen Pervez Musharraf is living a life of disgrace abroad,” Bilawal said.
‘Running country not like managing cricket team’ — Asif Ali Zardari
PPP President Asif Ali Zardari in his address said running a country is “not the same as managing a cricket team”.
“This government will collapse on its own,” said Zardari. He challenged the government to hold elections and see who the people stand behind. Zardari said that the National Accountability Bureau has started to “blackmail” people.
“I said in the assembly on the first day — run the country or run NAB,” he said.
“There was not a single political prisoner in the PPP government,” the party president said. He said in the PPP tenure, prices of commodities were low. “We ran the country carefully, like raising a child,” he added.
Zardari said that when the rule ended and the PML-N came into power “they were welcomed”. He promised to “meet everyone soon” when he feels better. “This government will not last any longer. A government of your choosing will come,” he said. The former president said that he had “removed Musharraf from parliament”. “What is Imran Khan, in comparison?”
“We can remove Imran Khan Niazi. We just need to change our approach,” he told the crowds. “We must fill up the jails and we are ready to do that,” Zardari said.
Maryam says PDM united, ‘only one man alone’
PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz began her address in Sindhi much to the audience’s surprise. She thanked her hosts for their warmth and hospitality since her arrival in the city.
Maryam said it saddens her that Benazir Bhutto, the first female prime minister of the Muslim world, “had to lay down her life” during her struggle and for her beliefs. She said it is a pain that she too carries.
Maryam recalled how, on that dark day, Nawaz Sharif was among the first to be notified and how he had embraced PPP leaders and shared their grief that day.
She said she knows what it is to lose a mother. “The grief is still fresh from two and a half years ago”. “I still got to spend time with my mother but Bilawal lost his mother when he was still so young.”
EASA refuses to lift ban on PIA’s Europe flights
KARACHI, Dec 27 (DNA): A final attempt from Pakistan International
Airlines (PIA) to get relief from the EASA over a ban on its flight
operations to Europe has met with failure.
It is pertinent to mention here that the PIA CEO Air Marshall Arshad
Malik has written a letter to the European Union Aviation Safety Agency
(EASA) for giving provisional permission to the national flag carrier to
resume its Europe operation.
However, the European authorities rejected the proposal in a letter
written to the PIA CEO, conveying that pre-conditions to lift the ban
are not yet met as an audit will be necessary before any approval from
the EASA.
The agency said that their experts reviewed all submitted material and
additional supporting arguments related to the corrective actions
implemented to improve the PIA’s Safety Management System.
It said that regarding the lack of confidence in certification and
oversight activities performed by the Pakistani Civil Aviation
Authority, which was the second aspect that led to the suspension of
your Third Country Operator Authorisation, the investigations performed
by the European Commission and by the ICAO have not yet been concluded.
The EASA said that all pre-conditions to lift the suspension are not met
and, as an audit will be necessary.
“The Agency decided not to revoke your Third Country Operator
Authorisation but to extend the suspension period by an additional
3-month period,” it said adding that their legal framework does not
provide the possibility to grant provisional or conditional TCO
authorizations. DNA
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CDA dismisses dy director on corruption charges
Assistant Director, Senior Assistant, and Sub Assistant have been demoted. Directions have been issued to take back vehicle from Deputy Director
DNA
ISLAMABAD: Capital Development Authority (CDA) dismissed Deputy Director of Land Directorate over the charges of corruption against him on Sunday whereas Assistant Director, Senior Assistant, and Sub Assistant have been demoted. Directions have been issued to take back vehicle from Deputy Director.
According to detail, the current administration of CDA has fastened the pace of its operation against corrupt mafia. In a recent move, the authority has dismissed the Deputy Director of Land Directorate, Taimoor Ahmed from his job whereas Assistant Director, Muhammad Asghar; Senior Assistant, Malik Sajid Mehmood; and Sub Assistant Muhammad Latif have been demoted. These officers of CDA had illegally allotted 59 plots at sector D-13. These plots were supposed to be allotted by lucky draw but the mentioned officers allotted these plots by doing favoritism after taking bribe. An inquiry was held against them which proved them guilty due to which CDA took action against them.
Deputy Director, Taimoor Ahmed has been dismissed from his job and the authority has directed him to give back the vehicle which is in his use. Assistant Director Muhammad Asghar of Grade 17; Senior Assistant Sajid Mehmood of Grade 16; and Sub Assistant Muhammad Latif of Grade 14 have been demoted. However, the Deputy Director involved in the case has taken the prohibition order from court.
Few days back, the authority dismissed two Deputy Directors of Planning Department and made a Director an OSD.
FM Qureshi urges nation to unite against Indian design
ISLAMABAD, Dec 27 (DNA): Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi Sunday
urged the nation to unite against India’s nefarious designs against
Pakistan.
In a statement, FM Qureshi said that India wanted to destabilize
Pakistan and planning a false flag operation against the country.
India’s aggressive designs against Pakistan had been exposed, he added.
The foreign minister said that Pakistan achieved great success in the
war against terrorism. He said, “Pakistan’s armed forces are fully
prepared for a befitting response to any aggression or misadventure by
the enemies.”
Earlier on December 18, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi had said
that India along with its allies was preparing for a false flag
operation to divert the world’s attention from the inner situation.
He was addressing the Pakistani Business Community in the UAE. “India
preparing for a surgical strike over Pakistan and waiting for a green
signal from its allies to attack”, FM Qureshi had been quoted as saying.
Qureshi had said he wanted to aware the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and
the International of the heinous designs of India against Pakistan. DNA
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Fayyaz Khokhar greets DG Anti-Corruption Gohar Nafees for action against govt servants
GUJRANWALA, DEC 27 (DNA) – Central Deputy Secretary Digital Media Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Youth Wing Muhammad Fayyaz Khokhar congratulated excellent performance of Anti-Corruption Department headed by Director General Anti-Corruption Gohar Nafees which had successfully conducted legal action against a large number of government servants for receiving illegal gratification from citizens during the year 2020.
Appreciating the excellent performance of the Anti-Corruption Department, he said that bribery and elements in government institutions are being discouraged and the problems of the citizens are being solved on the basis of merit.
He said that the Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan has already started campaign against corrupt mafia and efforts were being.made for establishment of a system based on justice and.merit. Mr.Fayyaz Khokhar said that campaign gaining momentum and the elements who looted national wealth and caused irreparable damage to the public exchequer are now in the grip of NAB.
He said DG Nafees Gohar is also trying to eradicate bribery in the province under the vision and mission of the Prime Minister of Pakistan and as per his instructions, the officers of the anti-corruption department in the province are also cracking down on government employees seeking bribes for legitimate work. A large number of arrests have been made this year and cases have been registered against such employees.=DNA
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Steel Industry rejects false statements of ABAD against steel sector
ISLAMABAD, DEC 27 (DNA) – The steel sector of Pakistan strongly rejects the irresponsible statements made by the Chairman, Association of Builders and Developers (ABAD) and Builders and the baseless claim of accusing steel sector for cartelization or conspiring against the PM’s Naya Pakistan Housing Scheme.
Pakistan Association of Large Steel Producers (PALSP) wants to make it clear that the most recent increase in the prices of steel bars is a result of drastic increase in steel melting scrap prices internationally. This phenomenon is not confined to Pakistan as it is happening the world over and is due to shortage of scrap in the international market caused mainly by Covid related supply chain disruptions.
Due to COVID and severe winter and heavy snowfalls, the collection of scrap in the world has reduced sharply. It is also a fact that the Steel Melting Scrap is NOT MANUFACTURED IN A FACTORY but is a result of collections of scrap manually and mechanically. Resultantly, the prices of raw material internationally have shot up from USD 305 in August 2020 to current bookings of USD 470. This price may further rise in the international market.
“Statements made by ABAD are completely illogical. How can an industry where there are over 300 manufacturers of steel bars collude to fix prices? Due to intense competition, steel prices are normalized very efficiently and this is evident in industry margins, which are as low as 3% currently. Those who resort to cartelization do so to have abnormally high profit margins, which is clearly not the case in the steel industry”.
Over the past two years, steel manufacturers have absorbed massive cost increases on account of PKR depreciation, energy costs and taxation measures that have brought industry profit margins to bare minimum and many times in the negative territory in order to provide cost effective material to government and housing projects. However, the latest increases in raw material are too large to absorb and will have to be passed on to the consumer.
“We will file defamation cases in the honorable courts against members of ABAD if such false and baseless claims continue. In fact, we believe construction projects of national importance will only be achieved if all stakeholders support each other rather than exhibit such childish behavior as some members of ABAD are currently doing” stated a senior official of PALSP.
“We believe the current hike in raw material prices is temporary and may only last for a shorter span of time. We have also approached various ministries in the government to apprise them of such a temporary phenomenon and how we can work together to mitigate the impact.”
The Association of Large Steel Producers (PALSP) have approached all the Ministries, FBR, etc to take cognizance of this phenomenon and have suggested temporary measures by reducing taxes and sales tax on all imported raw materials and all consumables to zero levels for a period of one year to promote the PRIME MINISTER’S HOUSING SCHEMES AND CONSTRUCTION SECTOR. This is the only way to reduce prices of steel bars and steel products in the country.=DNA
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