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Waqas Dar

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Blog Entries posted by Waqas Dar

  1. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: Chairman Pakistan Tehreeke-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan on Thursday called for Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to step down until an investigation team ordered by the Supreme Court completes its probe.
    Speaking to reporters following the Supreme Court verdict in the Panama Leaks case, Khan said Sharif no longer had any moral authority to continue as prime minister of the country.
    "What respect will he have when a government officer calls the prime minister for a criminal inquiry," he said.
    Terming the apex court verdict "a historic judgment in Pakistan's history", he said that all five members of the bench had has rejected PM Sharif's explanation into his source of income and money trail that led to his children's offshore holdings.
    "I demand Nawaz Sharif to resign today. Sharif should resign because he will not allow an impartial investigation," he said.
    "If Sharif is cleared in 60 days after the joint investigation team's report, he can continue to serve as the prime minister, but at the moment he has no ethical right to serve on this position," said the chairman of the PTI, which has been a major stakeholder in the Panama Leaks case.
    Imran said that only two of the institutions whose members will be part of the JIT fall under the Chief of Army Staff, while the rest come under the prime minister.
    "Hence, he must resign immediately in order for an impartial investigation to be conducted," said the PTI chairman.

    View the full article
  2. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan delivered the long-awaited verdict in the Panama Case and ordered an investigation into how money was transferred to Qatar, a year after a Panama Papers revelations linked the prime minister's family to offshore businesses.
    The apex court ruled against the disqualification of the prime minister with a 3:2 ratio and ordered the formation of a Joint Investigation team (JIT) to carry out the investigation, which should present its report every two weeks before the five-judge bench.
    Speaking to the media outside the Supreme Court PMLN leaders declared the ruling as a victory. 
    "Mian Nawaz Sharif had written the letter asking for a commission to be formed to investigate the matter, and, the Supreme Court has delivered the same order that Mian Nawaz Sharif had six months ago," said Khawaja Asif
    Ahsan Iqbal termed the Supreme Court verdict was a clear defeat to those who were trying to move against the mandate of the Pakistani people. 
     
    Khawaja Saad Rafique
    PML-N leader, Khawaja Saad Rafique, while addressing the members of press outside the Supreme Court said, “Today, once again, Nawaz Sharif, his team, PML-N, our voters, and all Pakistanis who are advocates of democracy won.”
    Rafique emphasised that the order to create a joint investigation team was the victory of the PM’s point of view.
    "The PMLN caravan under the chairmanship of Nawaz Sharif will continue forward," Rafique told journalists. 
    “One is a constitutional court, and the other was created on the roads. Another one was created on some television channels. Our opponents conspired against us and tried to defame us, but they were defeated today,” the PML-N leader said. “Nawaz Sharif is Alhamdulilah both ‘sadiq’ and ‘ameen’.”
    Rafique further stated that the PTI chief “should stop getting jealous and stop crying.” He said there is still time for Imran Khan to go back and deliver his promises to the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. 
    “With Nawaz Sharif leading the party, the PML-N will win in the people’s court in 2018. Not only will we establish our government in all four provinces, we will also get a two-thirds majority,” he said.
    The cursing culture was defeated today, Rafique said as PML-N supporters chanted the “Go Imran go” slogan
    Anusha Rahman
    PML-N leader and Minister of State of Information Technology and Telecommunication Anusha Rehman said the PTI was able to fool its followers but failed to do the same in front of the Supreme Court.
    "Imran Khan must be held accountable for wasting the public’s time," Rahman said. "He will pay for this in the 2018-election. Khan will lose the 20-25 seats that he presently has." 
    Khawaja Muhammad Asif
    "Mian Nawaz Sharif wrote a letter to the SC to put together a commission and probe into the matter, and today the SC, by a majority, announced the same decision that the PM suggested six months ago," PML-N leader and the Minister of Defence and Power said.  
    He stated that the SC's verdict established that the proofs and witness accounts that PML-N's opponents presented before the court were insufficient, and further investigation was required into them.
    "I want to tell all those people who wanted or want the PM to be disqualified that Sharif will serve on his position till 2018, and we are confident that he will get re-elected for the next five years as well," Asif told the journalists. 
     

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  3. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: Maryam Nawaz, the daughter of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, hailed the Supreme Court’s verdict in the Panama Leaks case on Thursday and said the petitioners failed to prove any of the allegations.
    Taking to Twitter following announcement of the eagerly-awaited verdict, Maryam Nawaz said the apex court’s order to form a JIT for further investigation spelled out a defeat for the petitioners.
    She also praised Allah and extended her felicitations to the Prime Minister and PML-N, after a split decision by the apex court to not disqualify the Prime Minister and form a JIT to probe the money trail.
    “Mubarik ! Wazir-e-Azam Nawaz Sharif ..... Alhamdolillahi Rab-al-Aalameen,” she tweeted.
    “Praise & glory be to Allah alone.  Shukrana & mubariks,” she continued.
    The PM’s daughter also shared pictures of the Prime Minister embracing his brother CM Punjab Shehbaz Sharif and standing with her, along with interior minister Chaudhry Nisar and other dignitaries.
    Earlier today, in the hours leading up to the much-awaited verdict, Maryam Nawaz had appeared overwhelmed by the support shown for the Prime Minister and expressed her delight at the support.
    "Whatever the verdict, am amazed & humbled to see the overwhelming support for Nawaz Sharif. For a leader, that's the most prized possession," she had tweeted.
    Maryam Nawaz had been actively tweeting out supportive messages for the Prime Minister on the days leading up to the verdict, which politicians said would be 'historic'.
    On Wednesday, she said that in her entire life she had never seen her father or any of her family members anxious or concerned, as they had entrusted their matters to Allah.
    In one of her tweets, she had written that the premier is well loved.
    In her other tweets, she had taken a jibe at the opposition parties and written: “When all your plans have miserably failed and your precarious future hinges on and your best bet is a court decision.”

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  4. Waqas Dar
    Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif celebrated the verdict in the Panama Leaks case with family, government officials and leadership from the Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz (PML-N).  
    In its verdict, the apex court ordered the formation of a JIT to further probe the money trail in the case but did not disqualify Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

    PM Nawaz Sharif embraces his brother Shehbaz Sharif following the SC verdict

    PM pictured with PML-N leaders
     

    PM Nawaz pictured with brother Shehbaz Sharif and daughter Maryam Nawaz 
     
    PM Nawaz pictured with Shehbaz Sharif and Hanif Abbasi
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     


  5. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered further investigations into corruption allegations levelled by the opposition against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, saying there was insufficient evidence to order his removal from office.
    "A thorough investigation is required," Justice Asif Saeed Khosa said, announcing the highly anticipated decision following a months-long hearing stemming from the Panama Papers leak last year that linked PM Sharif´s children to offshore businesses.
    Announcing the verdict, Justice Khosa ordered the formation of a Joint Investigation team (JIT) to carry out an investigation into how funds were transferred to Qatar, which the prime minister's children said led to assets held by his sons through the offshore businesses in Panama.
    The Supreme Court ordered the JIT to present its report every two weeks before a Supreme Court bench. The court also ordered Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, and his sons Hasan and Hussein to appear before the JIT.
    The detailed decision by the apex court comprised a total of 540 pages, with the verdict split 3-2 between the five-member apex court bench.
    Two dissenting judges on the five-member bench were of the opinion that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had not been honest to the nation and that he should have been disqualified.
    Announcing the detailed verdict, Justice Khosa said that the chairman of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had failed to carry out his duties.
    The committee comprising of one senior official each from the FIA, NAB, SECP, SBP, ISI, and MI, will be tasked to probe the assets, he announced.
    The five-member bench led by Justice Asif Saeed Khosa had reserved its verdict in the case on February 23. The decision comes ahead of general elections scheduled to be held next year.
    PM celebrates decision
    The ruling Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N) called the Supreme Court verdict a victory for the party. 
    Maryam Nawaz, the prime minister's daughter, tweeted photographs of Sharif in a celebratory mood with his family, embracing his brother Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif.Another picture showed the prime minister with Shahbaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam, Senator Pervaiz Rashid, and other senior PML-N leaders.
    Speaking to media following the decision, PML-N leader Khawaja Saad Rafique said that today Nawaz Sharif, his team, PML-N, our voters and all Pakistanis who are advocates of democracy won.
    "The order to create a joint investigation team is the victory of the PM’s point of view,” Rafique added.
    He added that with Nawaz Sharif in the lead, the PML-N will win in the in the people’s court in 2018. “Not only will we establish our government in all four provinces, we will also get two-thirds majority.”
    'PM should resign'
    Speaking to the media outside the courtroom, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) spokesperson Fawad Hussain called for the prime minister's resignation.
    "If the prime minister has any shame, he should resign today. The prime minister of this country will be presented in front of joint controller of the FIA," he said.
    Two judges "have reached the conclusion that the PM should be disqualified," he said, referring to the dissenting opinion in the 3-2 split verdict.
    Eagerly-anticipated verdict
    The controversy erupted with the publication of the so-called Panama Papers last year, 11.5 million secret documents from Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca which documented the offshore dealings of many of the world's rich and powerful.
    Panamagate: A timeline of how it unraveled
    Among the global elite implicated were three of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's – his daughter Maryam, and his sons Hasan and Hussein.
    At the heart of the matter was the legitimacy of the funds used by the prime minister's children to purchase several high-end London properties via offshore companies.
    Sharif's ruling PML-N party had insisted the wealth was acquired legally through family businesses in Pakistan and the Gulf.
    But the opposition parties, including the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), argued the paper trail for the funds was non-existent, and that the onus was on PM Nawaz Sharif to prove his relatives did not engage in money laundering.
    The case took the country by storm and dominated headlines in the country for over a year now, with all eyes set on the Supreme Court in Islamabad for the much-anticipated verdict.
    Security had been beefed up around the Supreme Court at Islamabad's Constitution Avenue, with additional barriers placed and barbed wires laid around several buildings. 
    Around 1000 police, Rangers and security personnel were deployed inside and outside the apex court building. A senior police official said entry of irrelevant persons in the Red Zone was blocked, while VIPs' security guards would also not be able to carry arms with them.
    Read: PM says not waiting for any decision
    Separately, around 2,500 police officers were deployed in the provincial capital Lahore ahead of the verdict, according to a Punjab police spokesperson. The security force included six superintendents, 29 deputy superintendents, 83 SHOs, 165 upper subordinates, and around 2,400 lower subordinates.
    PTI, PML-N workers barred from going to SC
    Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had barred his party activists from going to the apex court, on the occasion of the announcement of a much-awaited verdict in the Panama leaks case. He said that no irrelevant person needs to go to the Supreme Court.
    PTI chairman Imran Khan had also restricted his workers from coming to the apex court. He said only central leaders of the party would go to the SC.

    PTI to accept any verdict by SC
    Leaders from the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, which has been a major stakeholder in the case, were optimistic for a positive judgment. 
    Speaking to reporters outside the Supreme Court, PTI central information secretary Naeem ul Haque said his party would accept the Supreme Court's verdict.
    "Imran Khan has repeatedly said that the party will accept the SC’s verdict. We respect Pakistani courts and the SC is the highest court in Pakistan’s judicial hierarchy," Haque said.
    "The SC's verdict on this case will be in favor of all Pakistani citizens," the PTI leader added.
    Earlier on Wednesday, PTI leader Asad Umar said it was clear to him what the verdict would be.
    "The evidence we saw during the last 12 months, the facts that were put before the nation, and what was presented to the Supreme Court. All facts and evidence are against Mian sb. When the nation sees that [Prime Minister] Nawaz Sharif could not bring anything other than the one Qatari letter, it is clear to us what the verdict will be," said PTI leader Asad Umar.
    Read: PTI to hold rally after Panama Leaks verdict

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  6. Waqas Dar
    WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump and his daughter Ivanka will call the International Space Station next week to congratulate Peggy Whitson, a NASA astronaut who is setting a new record in space, officials said Wednesday.
    Whitson, 57, is the current ISS commander and, on April 24, will surpass NASA astronaut Jeff Williams' 534-day record for the longest cumulative stay in space.
    The call by Trump, his daughter, and NASA astronaut Kate Rubins is scheduled for 10 AM (2 PM GMT) Monday and will be broadcast live on NASA television, the US space agency said.
    The special Earth-to-space call will be placed from the Oval Office at the White House, the statement said. During the 20-minute call, Trumps plans to "personally congratulate" Whitson for her record-breaking stay at the orbiting outpost, it added.
    The call will air live on Facebook and "will be made available to schools, museums, and other organisations across the nation and globally", NASA said.
    Whitson is the first woman to command the space station twice, the oldest woman ever to travel in space, and holds the record for most spacewalks conducted by a female astronaut. Her latest stint began when she arrived at the space station on November 19.
    Whitson's original six-month mission has been extended an additional three months, and she is scheduled to return to Earth in September.

    View the full article
  7. Waqas Dar
    WASHINGTON: The White House raised the possibility Wednesday of Donald Trump meeting Pope Francis during the US president's trip to Italy in late May, although it stressed nothing has been scheduled.
    "We will be reaching out to the Vatican to see if an audience with the pope can be accommodated," White House spokesman Sean Spicer said. "We would be honoured to have an audience with his holiness."
    Vatican spokesman Greg Burke said Pope Francis would welcome a request for an audience and do his best to ensure it happened.
    "As of the end of last week we had not had an official request for an audience but for sure we would welcome it," Burke told AFP, adding that he did not anticipate any scheduling clashes which could prevent a meeting taking place around the dates Trump is due to be in Italy.
    Trump is scheduled to participate in the G7 summit of leaders on May 26-27 in Taormina, Sicily. Prior to that, he is expected to attend a NATO summit in Brussels.
    World leaders normally give the Vatican at least several months notice of requests for a papal audience, which are almost invariably granted if logistically possible.
    In Trump's case, the request will be coming in barely a month before he is due in Sicily for the G7 summit and after months of 'will-he, won't-he' speculation about a possible meeting centred on the two men's very different world views.
    While campaigning in February 2016 to become the Republican Party's nominee for the White House, Trump and the pontiff had a heated and extraordinary exchange through the media.
    "Anyone, whoever he is, who only wants to build walls and not bridges is not a Christian," Pope Francis told journalists, responding to a question about the real estate mogul's anti-immigrant stance.
    "For a religious leader to question a person's faith is disgraceful," Trump retorted.
    Trump later softened his tone, saying the pope was misinformed, unaware of the impact of the drugs coming into the United States and a range of security issues that made it necessary to build a wall along the southern US border.
    On a visit to Mexico in February 2016 Francis held an open-air mass on the US-Mexico border, where he described forced migration as "a human tragedy".
    When he was sworn in as president on January 20, Pope Francis offered his "cordial good wishes" and hoped that Trump would be granted "wisdom and strength in the exercise" of his office.
    But he also implored the former reality TV star to continue to help those who suffer the most – "the poor, the outcast and those in need who, like Lazarus, stand before our door".

    View the full article
  8. Waqas Dar
    This story was published prior the to the Supreme Court's verdict. For the latest coverage of the Panama Leaks verdict visit the link below. 
    Panama leaks: PM not disqualified, SC orders JIT to probe money trail
    ISLAMABAD: The day of judgement is upon us. All eyes are set on the Supreme Court, with less than an hour left for a scheduled announcement in the Panama leaks case, which took the country by storm over a year ago.
    At 2:00 PM today, the apex court will announce "not a short but a long detailed judgement" on the Panama Papers revelation that the prime minister's children owned offshore companies dealing in millions of dollars in property transactions.
    The case had drawn widespread media attention over the past year.
    On Thursday, the apex court could take a range of steps. It could clear the prime minister, or order a further judicial commission of inquiry or even declare him ineligible to hold office, as it did in 2012 with then-Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani over a contempt of court case.
    Panamagate: A timeline of how it unraveled
    Imran Khan arrives at SC
    PTI chairman Imran Khan has arrived at the Supreme Court minutes before the announcement of the verdict. Imran Khan told reports that whatever the decision was it would be beneficial as he made his way to courtroon No 1. 

    Imran Khan arrives at Supreme Court
    Courtroom No 1 fills up
    Courtroom No 1 where the Supreme Court will announce the verdict in the case has filled up. Only those people who have a pass signed by the deputy registrar have been allowed inside the room.
    Leaders from the PML-N, PTI and other political parties are inside the courtroom.
    Security beefed up
    Meanwhile, security has been beefed up around the Supreme Court at Islamabad's Constitution Avenue. Additional barriers have been placed and barbed wires laid around several buildings.
    Around 1000 police, Rangers and security personnel will be deployed inside and outside the apex court building, said SP Security.
    The official said that no will be allowed to enter the court building without CNIC and special entrance pass.
    He added that entry of irrelevant persons in the Red Zone will be blocked, while VIPs' security guards would also not be able to carry arms with them.
    Read: PM says not waiting for any decision
    Approximately 2,500 police officers have been deployed in the provincial capital Lahore ahead of the Panama verdict, according to a Punjab police spokesperson. The security force includes six superintendents, 29 deputy superintendents, 83 SHOs, 165 upper subordinates, and around 2,400 lower subordinates.

    Additional security deployed at Supreme Court
    Nawaz, Imran bar workers from going to SC
    Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif barred his party activists from going to the apex court, on the occasion of the announcement of a much-awaited verdict in the Panama leaks case. He said that no irrelevant person needs to go to the Supreme Court.
    PTI chairman Imran Khan also restricted his workers from coming to the apex court. He said only central leaders of the party will go to the SC.

    ‘Historic day for Pakistan’
    Awami Muslim League (AML) President Sheikh Rashid said this was a historic day for Pakistan. The AML chief emphasized that the nation should not be worried no lose hope.
    “This is a war against the corrupt system where the masses are at a disadvantage.”
    Hope judiciary brings end to corruption
    Jamaat-e-Islami chief, Sirajul Haq hoped the judiciary would bring an end to corruption.
    “After the Panama Papers surfaced, the prime ministers of many other countries resigned, but nothing happened in Pakistan, which is why we took to the court.”
    ‘Amazed to see overwhelming support’
    Maryam Nawaz, the daughter of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, appeared overwhelmed by the support shown for the Prime Minister ahead of the much-awaited Panama leaks case verdict.
    The PM’s daughter took to Twitter earlier today, mere hours before the verdict is due, to express her delight at the support.
    PM's disqualification not likely
    Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) President, Rasheed A Rizvi said he did not believe that the apex court would decide in favour of the PM’s disqualification.
    Speaking to Geo News, Rizvi said corruption was the biggest problem in Pakistan. “The entire nation wants corruption eliminated.”
    The SCBA president added that a comment regarding if this verdict would be remembered for centuries could be made after the announcement.
    PTI to accept any verdict by SC
    Leaders from the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, which has been a major stakeholder in the case, were optimistic for a positive judgment. 
    Speaking to reporters outside the Supreme Court, PTI central information secretary Naeem ul Haque said his party would accept the Supreme Court's verdict.
    "Imran Khan has repeatedly said that the party will accept the SC’s verdict. We respect Pakistani courts and the SC is the highest court in Pakistan’s judicial hierarchy," Haque said.
    "The SC's verdict on this case will be in favor of all Pakistani citizens," the PTI leader added.
    Earlier on Wednesday, PTI leader Asad Umar said it was clear to him what the verdict would be.
    "The evidence we saw during the last 12 months, the facts that were put before the nation, and what was presented to the Supreme Court. All facts and evidence are against Mian sb. When the nation sees that [Prime Minister] Nawaz Sharif could not bring anything other than the one Qatari letter, it is clear to us what the verdict will be," said PTI leader Asad Umar.
    Read: PTI to hold rally after Panama Leaks verdict
    Some people wishing for popular decision: PML-N
    Hitting out at the opposition, ruling Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) lawmaker Talal Chaudhry said "some people are wishing for a popular decision".
    "The court works according to the Constitution, and the decision will be based on evidence and not lies. This was a political case built up on lies. This case was not for accountability; it is for power," he said.
    Chaudhry claimed the opposition had subjected the ruling party to a media trial during the past one year.
    "But, God willing, with the verdict tomorrow, the world will know that all these accusations and all those petitions were based on lies, had no evidence, and that this was a political case," he said.
    PML-N senior leader Khawaja Asif, who is a member of the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's cabinet, said there would always be some who would not react positively to the court's ruling.
    "Based on the apex court's record from the past few years since it was freed from external pressures, I believe they have also given some historic verdicts. And it has had a positive effect on our politics, the government's performance, and the supremacy of the Constitution.
    "But there is always more than one stakeholder in a decision, so some may appreciate it positively while others not so positively," he said.

    Pro-Nawaz banners appear in Lahore ahead of Panama case verdict
    Related: Stock market rises ahead of key Supreme Court verdict
    PPP to form grand opposition alliance after verdict
    Pakistan People's Party (PPP) has decided to form a grand opposition alliance after the verdict.
    Sources said that PPP co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari chairing a party meeting on Wednesday said that they don’t have high expectations from the verdict.
    The sources said that PPP had decided to form a grand opposition alliance after the Panama verdict. Zardari said that the PPP would not take solo flight but take all the opposition parties into confidence after the Panama decision.
    The former president said that a befitting response would also be given to the decision.
    During the meeting, it was decided to launch a mass contact drive in the country while a formal approval was also given to start protests against load-shedding.
    Pakistan People's Party senior leader Syed Khursheed Shah said the it was a testing time for the judges on the apex court bench who had heard the case.
    Referring to decisions from the last 70 years, he said the country had witnessed several key apex court verdicts "from Justice Muneer to Anwarul Haq", but the world today was not the same.
    "The world appears to be a global village now. It has shrunk, and nothing can be hidden anymore. The situation today is very different. This decision can either strengthen the State or weaken it as well," he said.
    'Unanimous decision' to bring out 'coffins of corruption'
    The opposition Awami Muslim League leader Shaikh Rasheed, who has also been one of the petitioners in the case, said he was looking forward to a historic verdict that "will be remembered forever in the history of the judiciary".
    "A decision that will ascertain the right path for this country, tighten the noose around corrupt people, and become a hurdle for anti-democratic forces. I am sure this decision will have a long-lasting effect and one that everyone will have to accept," he said.

    Rasheed said those who refuse to accept the verdict will be at great loss.
    "Inshallah, we will win this match by 0-5. It will be a unanimous decision that will bring out the coffins of corruption and, between 'Noon' and 'Qanoon', the law will be victorious," he said.
    'Need to move forward'
    Awami National Party leader Afrasiab Khattak said the case had garnered a lot of attention, but there was also a need to learn from the case and move forward.
    "This is a high-profile case, not an ordinary case. Because [it concerns] the country's prime minister and his family, expectations are high. We believe that, whatever the decision, it should be according to the law, and upholds the Constitution," he said, speaking to Geo News.  
    "After this, we should move forward. There is a year to the elections, there are several other problems in the world, and there is a need to bring our attention to those problems as well."

    View the full article
  9. Waqas Dar
    By now, we have read a lot about of the many firsts and as many misses at the 16th Lux Style Awards, which were held Wednesday night in Karachi. But what took us by surprise was how well-versed the big names of Pakistan’s entertainment space are of the country’s political situation (or not!).
    “Chal dil mere, chorr yeh phere…”
     

     
    Yes, that’s exactly what Ali Zafar responded with first when asked what he thinks of the Panama Leaks ruling scheduled for 2 PM today. Jokes apart, he believes that the decision should be in favour of Pakistani people and their “growing, progressive Pakistan… for children and everyone.”
    “I hope we’re not celebrating April Fools' Day on April 20,” joked Faysal Qureshi.
     

     
    However, Noman Ijaz was very serious about it. “Our country has been the subject of many an evil eye,” he said, adding that measures are needed to counter that.
     

     
    Sanam Saeed prefers not to dip her hands into anything related to the politics, explaining that she has “zero interest” in that field.
     

     
    Accountability, Sheheryar Munawar believes, is very crucial. “I consider myself to be a common man. We pay taxes and that money should be spent well,” the 28-year-old said hinting at some “big, expensive apartments” around the world.
     

     
    "I’m a very positive person. I like that space," Atif Aslam told Geo.tv.
     

     
    Syra Shehroz was actually quite unaware of why April 20 is significant for Pakistan.
     

     
    This is how the conversation went:
    “Do you know what’s happening tomorrow [April 20]?”
    “Nope.”
    “Panama case verdict will be announced tomorrow.”
    “Really?”
     

     
    And we will let you hear the Meera Jee’s answer yourself in the video above!
     

     

    View the full article
  10. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: The Awami Muslim League leader Sheikh Rasheed said the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz will emerge victorious in Supreme Court's verdict on the Panamagate, however, he immediately corrected himself by saying the opposite.  
    Either the N-League or the law will die, he said, adding N-League will win if God wills. But the AWL chief realised the slip of his tongue soon, therefore, immediately corrected his statement. 
    While speaking on the sets of Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Saath, Rasheed had predicted the Supreme Court`s decision on the Panama Leaks case would be against PML-N.
    He said the coffin of corruption would come out of the courtroom.
    “I have prepared one speech and I am sure that tomorrow will be the day of the political funeral for the PML-N,” he said. "We will accept the decision even if it is against us.”
    Rasheed said he suggested Nawaz distance himself from incompetent people.
    The AWL chief manages to make to stay in the limelight through his antics.
    Last year in October, when Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairperson Imran Khan had announced to lock Islamabad down, Rasheed managed to navigate through the streets of Rawalpindi to address the public. He had to dodge his way as arrest orders were issued for him.   
     
     
     
     

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  11. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: Pictures released on Thursday showed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan exercising at his Bani Gala residence ahead of the Panama leaks case verdict.
    The PTI chairman said corruption would be eliminated after the Supreme Court’s verdict.
    The Supreme Court will announce its verdict in the case at 2 PM. Imran Khan has restricted party workers from coming to the apex court. Khan said only central leaders of the party will go to the apex court.

    Earlier speaking to the media, PTI leader Naeem-ul-Haque said his party would accept the Supreme Court’s verdict in the case. “Imran Khan has repeatedly said that the party will accept the SC’s verdict. We respect Pakistani courts and the SC is the highest court in Pakistan’s judicial hierarchy,” Haque said.
    “The SC’s verdict on this case will be in favour of all Pakistani citizens,” the PTI leader added. 
     

    View the full article
  12. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: Attorney General of Pakistan Ashtar Ausaf Ali, on Thursday, said that none of the parties in the Panama case should react emotionally towards the Supreme Court’s verdict on the Panama case.
    While talking to members of the press outside the Supreme Court, the Attorney General said that the SC is the most important institution in the country and the civil society, the media, and political parties must respect the court’s decisions.
    Panama case verdict
    All eyes are set on the Supreme Court, with barely hours left for a scheduled announcement in the Panama leaks case, which took the country by storm over a year ago.
    At 2:00 PM today, the apex court will announce "not a short but a long detailed judgment" on the Panama Papers revelation that the prime minister's children owned offshore companies dealing in millions of dollars in property transactions.
    Read more: Panama case money trail
    The case had drawn widespread media attention over the past year.
    On Thursday, the apex court could take a range of steps. It could clear the prime minister, or order a further judicial commission of inquiry or even declare him ineligible to hold office, as it did in 2012 with then-Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani over a contempt of court case.
    PTI to accept any verdict by SC
    Leaders from the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, which has been a major stakeholder in the case, were optimistic for a positive judgment. 
    Speaking to reporters outside the Supreme Court, PTI central information secretary Naeem ul Haque said his party would accept the Supreme Court's verdict.
    Read more: Pakistan stock market registers gains ahead of Panama Leaks verdict
    "Imran Khan has repeatedly said that the party will accept the SC’s verdict. We respect Pakistani courts and the SC is the highest court in Pakistan’s judicial hierarchy," Haque said.

    View the full article
  13. Waqas Dar
    KARACHI: As the curtain fell on the annual award ceremony held Wednesday night here at the Expo Centre, the 16th edition of Lux Style Awards will be remembered as a night of many firsts as well as unexpected surprises.
    Often dubbed the 'Pakistani Oscars', the Lux Style Awards are the oldest, most prominent, and the most talked-about award show since their inception in 2002.
    Featuring almost 30 categories of film, fashion, music, and television, the event – commonly known as the LSAs – marked the debut of fashion’s much-admired star and showman Hasan Yasin Shehryar (HSY) as an award show director. Internationally-renowned singing sensation Atif Aslam also took the stage for the first time as a host.
    The front row was lined of industry legends, such as Nadeem Baig and Usman Peerzada, alongside other experienced actors like Faisal Qureshi and Mikaal Zulfiqaar. They appreciated the LSA's importance as the nation’s premiere award show that has recognised local talent consistently over the years.
    A winner of five LSAs and multiple others, including a Pride of Performance, seasoned actor Noman Ejaz was also in attendance. However, he is not a big fan of such ceremonies and said he is in the audience to support HSY's efforts.
    Reema returns
    Atif kicked off the event with his power-packed performance, which was followed by one of LSA 2017's biggest surprises: the return of yesteryear’s silver screen queen Reema to the limelight. Having refrained from extended appearances since her marriage, the stunning icon made a magical comeback, sharing the stage with one of the newcomers – Mawra Hocane.
    VJ-turned-actor Mahira Khan, who recently made her Bollywood debut with film Raees, rapped on stage in a seemingly one-sided rap battle with actor Osman Khalid Butt and left the audience spellbound.
    Who won, who lost?
    Actor In Law bagged the year's best actor, best director, and best picture awards.
    Mahira, on the other hand, received the best actress LSA for her lead performance in Ho Man Jahaan.
    The much-loved singer Tina Sani and celebrity hairstylist Tariq Amin were recipients of the Lifetime Achievement and Unilever Chairperson awards, respectively. Being rewarded for his decades-long contribution to the fashion industry, Amin was honoured to be the youngest and first male award recipient and appreciated the recognition.
    Two new Lux girls were also revealed during the night.
    After Ali Zafar performed with his Teefa in Trouble costar Maya Ali, Atif Aslam’s befitting tribute to the late Junaid Jamshed as the closing act was one of the main highlights of 16th Lux Style Awards.
    An early night
    With a bigger and much more visually-impressive stage, the award ceremony, which had started after 11 PM last year, astonishingly wrapped up by midnight, marking another unprecedented highlight of the LSA 2017.
    Fariyha Subhani, Unilever Pakistan's Marketing Director, described LSA 2017 as one with many "first-evers" in the fifteen-year history of the LSAs.
    Lux Style Awards 2017 are scheduled to air on Geo TV next month.
    (Edited by Haseem uz Zaman)

    View the full article
  14. Waqas Dar
    ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Central Information Secretary Naeem-ul-Haque said on Thursday that his party would accept the Supreme Court’s verdict on the Panama Leaks case.
    “Imran Khan has repeatedly said that the party will accept the SC’s verdict. We respect Pakistani courts and the SC is the highest court in Pakistan’s judicial hierarchy,” Haque said. “The SC’s verdict on this case will be in the favour of all Pakistani citizens.”
    “Their [PML-N] reign is drawing near its end, and [placing banners across the country] are [PML-N] tactics to deal with the situation,” the PTI leader said.
    Read more: PM should resign if Panama case verdict is against him: Zardari
    The Supreme Court will announce its judgment in the case at 2 PM today. Security has been increased around the Supreme Court and Islamabad’s Constitution Avenue, with additional barriers and barbed wires laid around several buildings.
    Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and PTI Chairman Imran Khan have restricted party workers from coming to the Supreme Court.                       


  15. Waqas Dar
    Britain will lose more than the European Union from its decision to leave the bloc, the EU's top diplomat said on Thursday, and talks with London were expected to be difficult.
    Prime Minister Theresa May formally began Britain's divorce from the EU last month, declaring there was no turning back, ushering in a tortuous exit process that will test the bloc's cohesion and pitch her country into the unknown.
    Britain now has two years to negotiate the terms of the divorce before it comes into effect in late March 2019.
    The EU's foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, said during a visit to Beijing the negotiations would be difficult.
    "They will have to dismantle their belonging to a community. We will lose an important member state," she told students at the elite Tsinghua University.
    "Let me tell you that to me all member states are important, equally, because one can be contributing more on some policies than others. But I think our British friends will lose more than what we lose," she said.
    Brexit negotiations will start as planned in June, after Britons vote in a snap general election, the EU said on Wednesday. Britain's parliament has endorsed May's call for a vote on June 8.
    "It's clear in our treaties that it is two years, only two years, from when the negotiations start, that was March this year. This cannot be delayed. I do not expect that it will be faster than that," Mogherini said.
    China has looked on with some concern at the Brexit process, nervous about instability in the bloc that is China's largest trading partner. It will lose around a sixth of its economic output when Britain leaves the EU.
    "The European Union, even after the UK will be out, will continue to be the first market in the world, the second largest economy in the world," Mogherini said.
    "I am seeing all our partners in these months telling us that the European Union is needed, and this is the message I also get from here in China that the European Union is an indispensable partner in the world today," she said.


  16. Waqas Dar
    Lana Del Rey's latest song 'Lust for life' with The Weeknd is released now and the internet just can't get over it!
    The highly anticipated song was aired on Mistajam’s BBC Radio 1 show on Wednesday.
    Amazing vocals of the song with Lana's mesmerizing voice and The Weeknd's noir musical collaboration have left the internet in awe of the song.

    The song which was released on Wednesday is already leading the Billboard and Twitter trend.
    After the song was premiered on BBC Radio 1, its official audio clip was posted to YouTube, where it has jumped to 400,000 global views so far.
    Lana in an interview with an international magazine said, "“Maybe that’s kind of weird to have a feature on the title track, but I really love that song and we had said for a while that we were gonna do something; I did stuff on his last two records.”
    Lana and The Weeknd also sang together on the 2015 song "Prisoner" and Del Rey made a scene-stealing appearance on the short "Stargirl Interlude" off last year's Starboy.

    Check out the song below!

     
     
     


  17. Waqas Dar
    KASUR: Chief Minister Punjab Shehbaz Sharif said the verdict on the Panama leaks case, scheduled to be announced at 2 PM today, will be in accordance with the law and Constitution of Pakistan.
    While inaugurating a wheat harvesting campaign in Kasur’s Fatahpur district, mere hours before the much-awaited Panama verdict, Sharif said the Supreme Court’s decision will be in line with the law.
    “Mian Nawaz Sharif is our prime minister today, he will remain our prime minister tomorrow,” the chief minister said.
    He stressed that civilised nations accept decisions of the judiciary.
    “But those who rob the poor rant about corruption,” he said, alluding to the opposition.
    At 2 PM today, the apex court will announce "not a short but a long detailed judgement" on the Panama Papers revelation that the prime minister's children owned offshore companies dealing in millions of dollars in property transactions.
    The case had drawn widespread media attention over the past year. Today, the Supreme Court could take a range of steps. It could clear the prime minister, or order a further judicial commission of inquiry or even declare him ineligible to hold office, as it did in 2012 with then-Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani over a contempt of court case.
    Politicians have expressed mixed reactions, but almost all have pinned their hopes on a decision they said could be 'historic'.
    Read: Expert Opinion: What will the Panama Judgment entail?
    Meanwhile, security has been beefed up around the Supreme Court at Islamabad's Constitution Avenue. Additional barriers have been placed and barbed wires laid around several buildings.
    Around 1,000 police, Rangers and security personnel will be deployed inside and outside the apex court building, said SP Security.
    Read: Security beefed up around Supreme Court as all eyes on Panama verdict
    Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has barred his party activists from going to the apex court on the occasion of announcement of the Panama verdict.
    PTI chairman Imran Khan has also restricted his workers from coming to the apex court. He said only central leaders of the party will go to the Supreme Court.


  18. Waqas Dar
    SYDNEY: With a twist of lime and a dash of salt, Sydney chef Nowshad Alam Rasel flavours a hot pan full of crickets, tossing them over a flaming stove.
    The savoury snack, which would not be out of place at a Mexican cantina or a Bangkok street stall, is creeping onto menus at Australian boutique eateries such as El Topo, challenging the inhibitions of diners.
    "When they come for the first time, the customer very much wants to know what it is," says sous-chef Rasel, as he neatly plates up the fried critters, topped with slices of fresh chilli.
    Roasted cockroach, honey-flavoured ants, mealworm, and chocolate-coated popcorn are now available to try and buy – and while the cuisine remains a novelty, there are signs it is growing in popularity.
    Consumer attitude toward eating insects are usually split explains Skye Blackburn, owner of Australia's largest insect supplier, the Edible Bug Shop in Sydney.
    "The first kind of people are completely grossed out and they really can't change their mind and they kind of just want to come and have a look and don't want to try it really," the entomologist says.
    "And then we get the second kind of people that really want to learn more and some of them will try edible insects and some of them won't, but they will go away and talk about insects and they'll spread the word about what they have seen that day," she adds.
    High in protein, cheap to produce, and with a much lighter carbon footprint than meat or dairy farming, bugs are already part of the diet for more than two billion people worldwide, according to the United Nations.
    Advocates of increased consumption say it will help feed a bulging global population as land becomes scarce and climate change threatens conventional food supplies like fish.
     

    Fried crickets, roasted cockroach, honey-flavoured ants, mealworm and chocolate-coated popcorn are now available to try and buy in Australia's cities – and while the cuisine remains a novelty, there are signs it is growing in popularity (AFP Photo/ANDREW MURRAY)
     
    'Lovebugs'
    Insects such as beetles, caterpillars, crickets, and even spiders are common in diets across parts of Asia, Latin America, and Africa, while Australia's Aborigines have eaten bush tucker including ants, moths, and larvae for thousands of years.
    But they are a difficult sell in the Western world where people struggle to disassociate the nutritional value from the source, with most insects considered pests.
    "You have to name them something else," suggested one El Toro patron when asked about overcoming fears of eating insects in Australia.
    "We don't eat cow, we tend to eat steak and sausages," he says. "With pig, we eat pork and bacon, so you have to start by naming them something else."
    Blackburn is leading the charge to change the perception of edible insects.
    She runs Australia's only commercial bug farm, supplying a growing number of restaurants across the country, breeding hundreds of kilogrammes of insects each week, including savoury crickets, dehydrated ants, and even a "special" kind of roasted cockroach "that don't have any germs on them".
    Australia's trendy urban farmer's markets too are a popular spot for her produce, with inquisitive foodies sampling creations like mealworm and chocolate-coated popcorn, and green tea and honey-roasted black ants.
    "I'm going to go a big gob," says 53-year-old market goer Guy McEwan, putting a handful of a savoury mix of mealworms, ants, crickets, and popcorn into his mouth. "It's great. I love 'em, I love bugs," he adds, likening the texture and flavour to crisps.
    Others at the crowded Saturday market in the hip Sydney suburb of Redfern are drawn to the novelty.
    "Sometimes when you move the packet it looks like they're alive," says Danny Stagnitta, 42, while giving his snack box a shake.
    Back at El Topo, while the bugs remain a hot item among Sydney's experimental diners, it may be some time yet before it becomes a staple in Australian homes.
    Nine-year-old diner Alexandria winces as she samples the fried crickets.
    "It feels awkward and weird that you're eating an insect. You would normally eat meat," she concludes.


  19. Waqas Dar
    Australia pace spearhead Mitchell Starc and batsman Chris Lynn have been named as part of a formidable squad for next month's Champions Trophy in England and Wales despite nursing injuries.
    Starc was forced to pull out midway through the India tour last month with a fractured foot while Lynn has been sidelined with a shoulder injury during the Indian Premier League.
    Both are expected to be fit for Australia's opener on June 2 against New Zealand.
    "Our medical staff will continue to monitor Mitchell and Chris’s recovery from their respective injuries but we are hopeful they will be fit in time for the team’s departure on May 18,” selector Trevor Hohns said in a media release.
    James Faulkner, man-of-the-match in the 2015 World Cup final against New Zealand, has been omitted from the 15-man squad named on Thursday, with selectors opting for all-rounders Moises Henriques, Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis.
    Young fast bowler Pat Cummins and James Pattinson, on the comeback trail after suffering stress fractures in his back, were included in an imposing pace battery along with Josh Hazlewood and John Hastings.
    "Both James and John have made very good returns from injury and are bowling well for their respective teams in the English county competition as well as both contributing well with the bat," Hohns said.
    "When you also add Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins to the fast bowling artillery it becomes a very exciting proposition for Australian cricket."
    Legspinner Adam Zampa is the sole specialist spinner in the squad, while batsmen Usman Khawaja, George Bailey and Peter Handscomb have missed out.
    World champions Australia, who lost their top ranking to South Africa earlier this year, will bid for their third win in the quadrennial one-day international tournament after back-to-back triumphs in 2006 and 2009.
    Squad: Steve Smith (captain), David Warner, Pat Cummins, Aaron Finch, John Hastings, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Moises Henriques, Chris Lynn, Glenn Maxwell, James Pattinson, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, Adam Zampa


  20. Waqas Dar
    WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump will host Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas at the White House May 3 for talks on efforts to revive the Middle East peace process, the White House said Wednesday.
    "They will use the visit to reaffirm the commitment of both the United States and Palestinian leadership to pursuing and ultimately concluding a conflict-ending settlement between the Palestinians and Israel," White House press secretary Sean Spicer said.
    The meeting would be Trump's first with Abbas and follows a series of US contacts with the Palestinian leader.
    Israeli-Palestinian peace talks have repeatedly run aground despite periodic US efforts to revive them, most recently by former secretary of state John Kerry.
    But Abbas, who met in Ramallah recently with CIA chief Mike Pompeo and Trump's special representative Jason Greenblatt, has said Trump is "seriously considering a solution to the Palestinian issue".
    The US president held talks last week in Washington with Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Jordan's King Abdullah.
    Shortly after taking office, Trump alarmed Palestinians by calling into question his administration's support for a two-state solution, a bedrock of US policy.
    But he has since warned Israel against "unrestrained" building of settler homes in the occupied West Bank.


  21. Waqas Dar
    KABUL: US troops are still battling suspected Daesh fighters near the site where a massive bomb was dropped in eastern Afghanistan last week, a US military official said on Wednesday.
    Nicknamed "the mother of all bombs", the GBU-43 Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb was dropped last Thursday from an American MC-130 aircraft in the Achin district of Nangarhar province, bordering Pakistan.
    Since then questions have surrounded the decision to use the weapon, which is one of the largest conventional bombs ever used in combat by the US military.
    Afghan estimates of heavy militant losses and no civilian casualties have been impossible to verify in the remote region, with access to the area where the bomb fell still blocked.
    The strike drew condemnation from some prominent figures, including former Afghan president Hamid Karzai and Afghanistan's ambassador to Pakistan.
    After arriving at the site the day after the strike, US troops fighting alongside Afghan forces have since left, but continue to conduct operations in the broader area, said US military spokesman Captain William Salvin.
    "Access has been restricted but that's because it's a combat zone," he told Reuters. "We are in contact with the enemy."
    Echoing initial estimates, Salvin said the US military has "high confidence" that no civilians were harmed.
    Some Afghan officials have complained of a lack of information about the effects of the bomb.
    "We were and we are kept in the dark and still we haven’t been able to go to the site," said one senior Afghan security official, who declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue.
    "We are confused ourselves and we wonder what MOAB could have caused."
    Information ‘black hole’
    In meetings of the Afghan security council, some ministers told President Ashraf Ghani they feared the lack of information from the US side could be exploited by Daesh, which has continued radio broadcasts claiming none of its fighters were killed.
    Salvin would not comment on claims by Afghan defense officials that nearly 100 Daesh fighters died in the strike.
    The attack was aimed at destroying an "extensive" complex of fortified tunnels and mines and not any particularly large concentration of fighters, he said.
    "Our assessments are ongoing," Salvin said, noting that the strike appeared to have collapsed many tunnels, destroyed mines, and "reduced" several nearby structures.
    US troops have continued to use explosives to collapse other tunnel entrances not destroyed by the bomb, he said.
    For at least a month before the strike, the US military had broadcast radio messages warning of coming operations by American and Afghan troops in southern Nangarhar, and leaflets were dropped on areas affected by the operation, Salvin said.
    One leaflet seen by Reuters in a village near the strike shows a picture of a drone with an Afghan army emblem and reads: "We ask residents to leave as soon as possible to save their lives."
    Several villages near the blast site have been largely abandoned for months as fighting increased between Daesh and the US-backed Afghan forces, locals said.
    "There were daily bombings and fighting," said Khan Afzal, a local policeman on a recent patrol in the village of Abdul Khil, less than a mile from the strike.
    "Afghan forces used to fire artillery, bombs were dropped by foreign aircraft, and even Daesh fired rockets at us and at the villagers," he added.
    Residents in Achin district say that they knew of no civilians still living voluntarily in the areas near the Daesh stronghold, but it is still not clear if other non-combatants may have been involved.
    "The people who'd normally be talking have fled, and there have been very few reports from inside Daesh territory," said Kate Clark, a senior researcher for the Afghan Analysts Network. "The jury's still out on many things with this strike."
    Some local residents suggested there may have been prisoners held in the tunnel complex, she added, but the area has been something of an information black hole since Daesh militants were first confirmed there in 2015.
    The Afghan offshoot of the Middle East-based, extremist militant movement is small - presumed to number a few hundred fighters - and is battling foreign and government troops as well as rival insurgent groups, most notably the dominant Taliban.


  22. Waqas Dar
    SEOUL: Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the United States was looking at ways to pressure North Korea over its nuclear program as North Korean state media warned the Americans of a "super-mighty preemptive strike" and said don't "mess with us".
    US President Donald Trump has taken a hard line with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who has rebuffed admonitions from sole major ally China and proceeded with nuclear and missile programs in defiance of UN Security Council sanctions.
    Reclusive North Korea regularly threatens to destroy Japan, South Korea, and the United States and has shown no let-up in its belligerence after a failed missile test on Sunday, a day after putting on a huge display of missiles at a parade in Pyongyang.
    "We're reviewing all the status of North Korea, both in terms of state sponsorship of terrorism as well as the other ways in which we can bring pressure on the regime in Pyongyang to re-engage with us, but re-engage with us on a different footing than past talks have been held," Tillerson told reporters in Washington on Wednesday.
    US Vice President Mike Pence, on a tour of Asian allies, has said repeatedly the "era of strategic patience" with North Korea is over.
    US House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan, on a visit to London, said the military option must be part of the pressure brought to bear.
    "Allowing this dictator to have that kind of power is not something that civilised nations can allow to happen," he said in reference to Kim.
    Ryan said he was encouraged by the results of efforts to work with China to reduce tensions, but that it was unacceptable North Korea might be able to strike allies with nuclear weapons.
    North and South Korea are technically still at war because their 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty.
    ANTI-MISSILE SYSTEM
    South Korea's acting president, Hwang Kyo-ahn, at a meeting with top officials on Thursday, repeatedly called for the military and security ministries to maintain vigilance.
    The defence ministry said US and South Korean air forces were conducting an annual training exercise, codenamed Max Thunder, until April 28. North Korea routinely labels such exercises preparations for an invasion. 
    South Korean presidential candidates clashed on Wednesday night in a TV debate over the planned US-supplied Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-missile system, which has angered China. Frontrunner Moon Jae-in was criticised for leaving his options open before the May 9 election.
    On Monday, Hwang and Pence reaffirmed their plans to go ahead with the THAAD, but the decision will be up to the next Korean president. For its part, China says the system's powerful radar is a threat to its security.
    The North has warned of a nuclear strike against the United States if provoked. It has said it has developed a missile that can strike the mainland United States, but officials and experts believe it is some time away from mastering the necessary technology, including miniaturising a nuclear warhead.
    RUSSIA, US AT ODDS
    The United States and Russia clashed at the United Nations on Wednesday over a US-drafted Security Council statement to condemn North Korea's latest failed ballistic missile test. Diplomats said China had agreed to the statement. 
    Such statements by the 15-member council have to be agreed by consensus.
    Previous statements denouncing earlier missile launches "welcomed efforts by council members, as well as other states, to facilitate a peaceful and comprehensive solution through dialogue". The latest draft statement dropped "through dialogue" and Russia requested it be included again.
    "When we requested to restore the agreed language that was of political importance and expressed commitment to continue to work on the draft ... the US delegation without providing any explanations cancelled the work on the draft," the Russian UN mission said in a statement. 
    There has been some confusion over the whereabouts of a US aircraft carrier group after Trump said last week he had sent an "armada" as a warning to North Korea, even as the ships were still far from Korean waters.
    The US military's Pacific Command explained that the USS Carl Vinson strike group first had to complete a shorter-than-planned period of training with Australia. It was now heading for the Western Pacific as ordered, it said.
    China's influential Global Times newspaper, which is published by the People's Daily, the Communist Party's official paper, wondered whether the confusion was deliberate.
    "The truth seems to be that the US military and president jointly created fake news and it is, without doubt, a rare scandal in US history, which will be bound to cripple Trump's and US dignity," it said.
    North Korea did not refer to the mix-up but said the United States and its allies "should not mess with us".
    The Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the North's ruling Workers' Party, did not mince its words.
    "In the case of our super-mighty preemptive strike being launched, it will completely and immediately wipe out not only US imperialists' invasion forces in South Korea and its surrounding areas but the US mainland and reduce them to ashes," it said.


  23. Waqas Dar
    Pakistan Peoples Party co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari said last night that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif should resign from office if the Panama verdict, to be announced today, is not in his favour.
    The former president, in an interview, remarked that the PM is habitual of not accepting things which go against him, adding if he does not accept the decision it will disrupt the democratic process.
    On increase in power outages across the country, he remarked that the party will protest until the government resolves the burgeoning problem.
    The leader also spoke about Hussain Haqqani and remarked, “I consider him [Hussain Haqqani] a traitor. If we [PPP] come in power in the next elections, I assure you Haqqani will be punished in one way or another.”
    Sharing his plans regarding the elections, Zardari said, “I will contest elections in Sindh on a MNA seat.” 
    On his aides’ disappearance issues, he said those who are involved in the disappearance of my aides would not better why they are being targeted.
    “During my tenure, I worked on building institutions [for the betterment of the country],” he remarked.
    “I don’t even consider Shehbaz Sharif as an equal to my wit,” he added.
    Later, PPP leaders met for a consultative session, which was chaired by Zardari and Bilawal Ali Bhutto. 


  24. Waqas Dar
    1936: Mian Mohammad Sharif set up a steel mill, Ittefaq Foundry, which had a branch in East Pakistan too.
    1979: The mill in Lahore was denationalised after being nationalised
    1973: Mian Mohammad Sharif set up Gulf Steel Mills in Dubai with the help of government and bank loan. It was sold in 1980.
    1990: Mian Sharif distributed assets among seven families. Steels mills remained the only joint asset; sugar, textile, other mills were distributed.
    1990-93: Sharif family set up Hudaibiya Papers Mill, Chaudhry Sugar Mills, Hudaibiya Engineering, Mehran Ramzan Textile Mills, a hospital and educational institutes.
    1994-96: Ittefaq Foundries, Ittefaq Brothers, Brothers Steel Mills were again closed down in PPP’s tenure. Loans of Rs5.76 billion were paid after selling these mills.
    1999: Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf declared coup. He had Sharif family sent in exile to Saudi Arabia, confiscated all of their business documents, which were never returned.
    2001: Hasan Nawaz started real estate business in London.
    2001: Mian Mohammad Sharif sets up Al-Azizia Steel Mills in Makkah.
    2006: The mills were bought by Al-Taufiq Group.
    2004: Mian Mohammad Sharif passed away on October 29.
    Mian Mohammad Sharif had told Hussain Nawaz in his lifetime that he had used 12 million dirhams received from mills in a Dubai investment with Prince Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani of Qatar. Tariq Shafi, a cousin of Premier Nawaz Sharif, is a witness to this. Mian Mohammad Sharif told Sheikh Jassim that Hussain Nawaz is the heir to this amount.
    2001-2003: Mian Sharif received $5.4 million from Al-Thani family for investment in Azizia steel mills. Azizia steel mills were sold in 63mn Saudi riyal in 2006.
    2005: At the end of the year, Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al-Thani offered Hussain Nawaz to settle long-term deposit issue.
    Co-incidentally, Al-Thani family, apart from the $3.257mn, would pay high-return rate according to London inter-bank offer rate after 1980.
    Al-Thani family’s representative told Hussain Nawaz that $8mn have been paid to Al-Taufiq company in 2000 for investment fund. Apart from that, Al-Thani family owed Hussain Nawaz $8mn.
    It was later agreed shares in Al-Thani family’s two offshore companies, Nelsen and Nescol, will be given in exchange of this amount of $8mm.
    Nelson and Nescol own Park Lane apartments located in London. The flat numbers are: Flat 16, 16A, 17, 17A, A-one Field House, flats 118-127.
    2006: Transaction of the companies was completed in January, 2006, by representatives of the parties in London.
    Hussain Nawaz made his sister Maryam Nawaz his representative for overseeing matters of the two companies. Minerva Trust was established for this reason.
    Hussain Nawaz gave this power to Maryam so that in the event anything untoward happens to him, Maryam may decide inheritance between Hussain’s two wives and seven children.
    Two trust deeds were created and agreed upon between Hussain Nawaz and Maryam Nawaz on February 2 and 4, 2006, in Jeddah and London, respectively.
    2007: Hussain Nawaz set up another steel business in Jeddah, through which he sent money to his father as well, so that Nawaz Sharif could focus on his political activities.
    Hasan, Hussain Nawaz were residing in Mayfair apartments during their studies, but the apartments weren’t owned by Sharif family then.
    Maryam Nawaz was right in saying that she has no offshore property.
    Hasan, Hussain Nawaz presenting the money trail rejected allegations of tax theft, hiding assets or money laundering.
    Both sons of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif submitted complete money trail of London flats and their business in the Supreme Court.
    The documents submitted in the apex court included details of their Dubai factory, Azizia Steel Mills in Saudi Arabia, Mian Sharif's investment settlement with Al-Thani family, Hudaibiya Paper Mills audit report, loan acquired for Al-Taufiq Trust, taking over control of Nescol and Nelson companies.
    The second letter by the Qatari prince and an affidavit by Tariq Shafi was also made part of the money trail.

    View the full article
  25. Waqas Dar
    KARACHI: Ten people were wounded in different incidents of violence in Karachi late Wednesday, while two suspects were held, police said.
    A shooting incident took place in Mominabad area of Orangi Town in which five people were wounded, officials said. The wounded persons reportedly had an altercation with assailants, Arshad, Shahid, Rana Akram and others.
    Police said they were conducting raids for the arrest of suspects.
    A search operation was conducted in FB Industrial Area near Sohrab Goth, however, no suspect was arrested during it.
    Four others were injured in firing incidents in Baldia Town, Manghopir and Sajawak areas.
    Meanwhile, the law enforcers rounded up two suspected street criminals from Shah Latif Town, and seized weapons and a motorbike from them.
    Another man was wounded after a weapon was accidentally fire in his house in Ferozabad.

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