PML-N has awarded tickets to political orphans, says Ch Nisar

ISLAMABAD: Former Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar has announced that he will run as an independent candidate in the upcoming general elections. Nisar made the announcement while addressing a corner meeting of supporters at Adiala Road on Monday. Speaking on this occasion, he said that if PTI has 10 flaws, his own party PML-N has more than 100. “I have a lot to say, but every time I try to say something, my 34-year association with the PML-N comes into my mind,” he said, adding the party has awarded tickets to political orphans. Nawaz Sharif, who was opposed to women’s rule, has now handed his party to Maryam Nawaz, he lamented. The former interior minister said that he would run as an independent instead of contesting on PML-N’s ticket. “We need to work harder now,” he said.

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Azerbaijan envoy meets COAS

RAWALPINDI: Azerbaijan’s ambassador to Pakistan called on Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa, the military’s media wing Inter-Services Public Relations said in a statement on Monday.Ambassador Ali Alizada and COAS General Bajwa exchanged ideas on matters related to regional peace and stability and bilateral interests, the statement said.The ambassador acknowledged Pakistan Army’s role and efforts towards regional peace and stability and expressed desire that his country wishes to play a role towards regional prosperity. 

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Female PTI worker detained after scuffle at election commissioner?s office

KARACHI: A female PTI worker was detained on Monday following a scuffle at the office of Election Commission in Karachi. Sindh Election Commissioner Yousuaf Khattak called police and ordered the arrest of PTI worker Asma Rizvi accused of breaking the glass of his office's door. Ms Rizvi was accompanying PTI candidate Dr Seema Zia when the fight took place. “Whoever is involved should be arrested,” Khattak told media persons. He said that he would take a strict action if police did not act against the protesters. According to sources, PTI workers tried to force their way into the office of commissioner but they were stopped by his guard. Imran Ismail, Firdous Shamim Naqvi and other PTI leaders also reached the commission’s office to resolve the matter. “We have been called by the election’s commissioner,” SP Tauqir Naeem told Geo TV. “Whoever is involved in the violence will be deal with according to the law,” he said. 

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IHC extends jail term of suspended judge, wife in Tayyaba torture case

ISLAMABAD: Islamabad High Court (IHC) has ordered a three-year extension in jail term of a suspended judge and his wife who were found guilty of torturing their child maid.The ruling came out following an order by Chief Justice Saqib Nisar on June 4 where he urged the IHC to settle on the appeals filed by suspended Additional and Sessions Judge Raja Khurram Ali Khan and his wife Maheen Zafar, who had sought to overturn their sentence that sent them one year behind the bars for torturing their underage maid Tayyaba. The appeal of the convicts was dismissed by a division bench consisting of Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb who instead extended their jail time to three years and imposed a fine of Rs0.5 million as well. A 46-page judgment was released by the bench regarding the case. The statement had read: "Keeping in view the above principles and law and the facts and circumstances of the instant case, we are satisfied that there is no mitigating factor which would call for handing down the lesser sentence. The appellants are not worthy of any sympathy because the ill treatment and neglect was willful and cannot be justified on any ground whatsoever. They were aware and they deliberately and consciously made an innocent and helpless child to suffer tremendously."It went on to add, "While parting we cannot restrain ourselves from recording our observations regarding the failure of the criminal justice system in protecting the most weak and vulnerable members of the society."The judgment had also read that the concerned police station's in-charge Khalid Mehmood Awan had not complied with the orders of "putting the legal process into motion" after he was informed about Tayyaba's case."The Inspector General of Police, Islamabad Capital Territory is, therefore, expected to probe the role of Khalid Mehmood Awan, PW16, particularly regarding the making of the video placed on record as Ex DA. The Inspector General is also expected to take urgent and appropriate measures to ensure that professional officers, specially trained to deal with victims who are children, are entrusted with cases relating to them," it stated."If rule of law is to prevail and the criminal justice system is to be made responsive to the weak and against alleged offences committed by the stronger and privileged segments of the society then even the slightest dereliction of duty by officials inevitably has to be dealt with sternly," it further added.The one-year sentence to the convicts was previously announced on June 16th by IHC Justice Aamer Farooq, for inflicting abuse on Tayyaba under Section 328-A (cruelty to a child).The convicted couple was also fined Rs50,000 each for the felony of employing a child below the age of 12. The two had, however received bail soon after the declaration of the judgment. Later on April 23rd justices Azharmanullah and Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb comprised two-member bench dismissed their sentences.Ten-year-old domestic helper Tayyaba was recovered on December 29th 2016 from the residence of the judge following complaints filed by neighbors of torture.Consequently, the judge and his wife had an FIR filed against them at the I-9 police station.Reports by the police suggested that the wife was found guilty of inflicting torture whereas the judge was found responsible for criminal negligence. Soon after, the offenders were forgiven by Tayyaba's parents as a compromise on January third 2017.The CJP however took suo moto notice of the negotiation accord and demanded another trial to be carried out by IHC of the case. After the incident, the judge was given suspension and was made an officer on special duty (OSD) by IHC.The case was inclusive of a total number of 19 witnesses out of which 11 were from civil servants and eight of private witnesses which also included parents of the victim.

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Women?s role in politics critical to nation-building: Shehbaz

LAHORE: PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif has called for the participation of women in active politics according to the vision of Quaid-e-Azam. “Role of women in politics is critical to nation-building project. As a follower of Quaid-i-Azam, I have always believed that Pakistan can't move forward unless it takes its women along,” the former chief minister tweeted. “They are as much capable and talented as their male counterparts. They need to be further empowered,” he maintained. 

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Imran Khan's close aide stopped at Nur Khan Airbase

ISLAMABAD: A close aide of PTI chairman Imran Khan was stopped by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) from going to Saudi Arabia. He was to accompany Imran Khan who is leaving for the kingdom on a chartered plane from Nur Khan Airbase in Rawalpindi. An FIA source told Geo TV that Syed Zulfi Bukhari, who is considered a close friend of Imran Khan, wasn’t allowed to board the plane as his name was said to be the exit control list (ECL). Sources add that Imran Khan’s chartered flight was yet to fly due to Zulfi Bukhari.It is not yet  clear why Bukhari was placed on the ECL. Some media reports suggested that Bukhari was stopped for incomplete travel documents."FIA officials are verifying the travel documents of Zulfi Bukhari," a source added. 

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Hamza Shehbaz, Ayesha Ahad withdraw cases against each other

LAHORE: Hamza Shehbaz and Ayesha Ahad, the woman who claims to be the wife of PML-N leader, have withdrawn all cases against each other. The dramatic Supreme Court's verdict came shortly after the duo met Chief Justice Saqib Nisar in his chamber for an hour on Monday. According to the chief justice, both the sides have agreed to end their dispute amicably and the condition for their patch up cannot be discussed on media. The chief justice said both Hamza Shehbaz and Ayesha Ahad will not issue statements against each other. When asked by media if he was happy, Hamza Shehbaz replied: "Alhamdolillah."Earlier, Chief Justice Nisar suggested Hamza Shehbaz divorce Ayesha Ahad if they are married.Ahad and Hamza were summoned to the court on Monday over the case filed by the former accusing him of violence, issuing threats to life and usurpation of possessions, including jewelry, a mobile phone and her purse, Geo TV reported. She had alleged that people sent by Hamza forcefully took her laptop, nikahnama (marriage contract), and other documents.During a hearing in Supreme Court’s Lahore registry, the chief justice told Hamza that Islamic constitution allowed him to divorce Ahad.However, Hamza denied of ever being married to Ahad. But the latter told the court she married him in 2010.To this, the chief justice said he could play the third party’s role if parties to the case wanted him to.The chief justice stopped Hamza’s counsel Zahid Hassan Bukhari from presenting his arguments, observing he wanted to hear what Hamza and Ahad had to say.On Sunday, the chief justice had summoned Hamza and Ahad to appear before the apex court. During the hearing of Ahad's case at Supreme Court's Lahore Registry, her counsel had said that arrests had yet to be made despite the fact that a case had been registered.To this, the chief justice had responded, “If Hamza Shehbaz is in town then he should appear before the apex court’s Lahore Registry tomorrow.”

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Pak rupee slumps 3.8 pct against dollar

KARACHI: The Pakistani rupee slumped 3.8 percent against the dollar on Monday before slightly recovering in what appeared to be the third currency devaluation in seven months by the central bank, traders said, as Pakistan faces a balance of payments crisis.At 0830 GMT, the rupee was at 119.25 per US dollar after opening at 115.63. Earlier in the day, it had traded close to 120 per dollar, currency traders said."It was expected. So far no intervention seen by State Bank. It is expected that the central bank’s intervention may come soon just to keep the dollar within the rage of 120," Fawad Khan, head of research at BMA Capital, said.A spokesman for the central bank didn’t respond to Reuters’ request for comment.In December and in March, the rupee was devalued, each time by about 5 percent, by the central bank.Pakistan’s economy is expanded to expand by close to 6 percent this year, the fastest pace in more than a decade, but a widening of the current account deficit has fuelled speculation the country will need its second International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout since 2013.The current account deficit now stands at $14 billion, around 5.3 percent of gross domestic product, a State Bank of Pakistan official said.The economic outlook has been hurt by the fast depletion of Pakistan’s foreign currency reserves, which now stand at just over $10 billion, or two months worth of imports.Pakistan is currently in discussions with China for loans to ease pressure on its foreign currency reserves.Over the weekend, the shortage of foreign currency widened the spread at which the rupee is traded in the open market and the interbank market to 4 rupees.

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Expression of Interest (EOI) - Participation in Training Program on "Backgrounding in Beef Production

Expression of Interest (EOI) - Participation in Training Program on "Backgrounding in Beef Production (Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture (CNFA)) -

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Project Coordinator

Project Coordinator (USAID Punjab Enabling Environment Project (PEEP)) - Lodhran, Bahawalpur

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Accountants/Computer Operators

Accountants/Computer Operators (USAID Punjab Enabling Environment Project (PEEP)) - Lodhran, Bahawalpur

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SC suspends tax deduction on mobile cards

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan has suspended tax collection on mobile cards.Last month, Chief justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar had taken notice of the high levy charged on mobile phone cards in the country as he asked under which law Rs40 were being deducted from Rs100 mobile cards.The chief justice questioned as to why such a huge amount was deducted by the private mobile companies and under what tax heads. The CJP issued notices to all the mobile telephone operators in the country and summoned the attorney general over the issue.At present, as per some reports, on the charge of a Rs100 pre-paid mobile card, a 19.5 percent Federal Excise Duty (FED) is charged along with 12.5 percent withholding tax and 10 percent service/maintenance charge.According to statistics revealed by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority in January this year, the number of mobile phone users stands at 144 million as compared to 142.5 million in October 2017.

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CJP summons Hamza Shehbaz, Ayesha Ahad to appear at SC tomorrow

LAHORE: Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Saqib Nisar on Sunday summoned Hamza Shehbaz and Ayesha Ahad Malik, who claims to be the wife of Shehbaz Sharif’s son, to appear at the Supreme Court’s Lahore Registry on Monday.The directives came after Ayesha Ahad approached Justice Nisar against the delay in her cases, and threats to her and her daughter’s lives.Ayesha Ahad had registered a complaint against Hamza and Shehbaz Sharif's son-in-law Ali Imran.According to a first information report (FIR) lodged against Hamza Shehbaz and five others at the Islampura police station on June 2, her complaint stated violence, robbery, usurpation, vandalism, threats to life and attempted rape.The usurpation of possessions includes jewelry, a mobile phone and her purse. Ayesha Ahad alleged that people sent by Hamza forcefully took her laptop, nikahnama (marriage contract) and other documents.Her counsel issued that no arrests were made despite the fact that a case was registered on June 3.Responding to which, the CJP remarked, “If Hamza Shehbaz is in town then he should appear before the apex court’s Lahore Registry tomorrow.”Moreover, the CJP directed IG Punjab to register a case by midnight against those allegedly involved in abusing Ayesha Ahad.A police official had said the case had been filed under the Pakistan Penal Code sections 342 (wrongful confinement), 506 (criminal intimidation), 337 (hurt and injuries), and 354 (molestation with sexual motive), as well as the Code of Criminal Procedure sections 149 (rioting armed with deadly weapon) and 511 (attempting to commit punishable offences).On the other hand, Hamza has denied all allegations, terming them “baseless”, he said same accusations were raised in 2014 in the court of law but she was unable to present any evidence.Ahad's previous complaint, filed in 2011, was also made part of the latest FIR

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Appeal against Khadija?s assailant transferred to Justice Khosa by SC

LAHORE: Justice Asif Saeed Khosa will be hearing the appeal against Lahore High Court (LHC)’s decision to acquit the man accused of stabbing Khadija Siddiqi 23 times with a knife.Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Mian Saqib Nisar headed a two-judge bench at the Lahore registry of the apex court, where he took a suo moto against the acquittal of the accused named Shah Husaain, after which the decision to transfer the appeal to Justice Khosa was delivered.The case’s record was summoned by the CJP a day after LHC’s Justice Sardar Ahmed Naeem had ordered acquittal of Hussain, after accommodating his appeal opposing the seven-year sentence handed to him by a sessions court.Hussain’s father was questioned by the CJP during the session where he stated: "How did you run a campaign against the apex court and pass a resolution against it?"The comment by the CJP had been put forth following an undisputed Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) decision passed by the convict’s father in opposition to the suo moto notice by the CJP of his acquittal. The CJP had further inquired: "Had something similar happened to the daughter of a lawyer, would your attitude have been the same?"Appearing in front of the Lahore Registry today, law student Khadija Siddiqi stated “I have become a target of character assassination. Justice should be served in my case.”Verdict delivered by the LHC had left the nation appalled for granting acquittal to the offender who stabbed Khadija 23 times in Lahore in 2016.After the judgment was declared Khadija had announced that she would be taking her case in the top court.

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