Category: Pakistan

NUT desk- SUKKUR: The Accountability Court Sukkur on indicted five food officials in a Rs197.84 million corruption reference who were allegedly involved in financial embezzlement in the procurement of wheat. The NAB prosecutor on Thursday pleaded the Accountability Court Sukkur for indicting the former deputy director food Shikarpur Rafiq Ahmed Rajper, district food controller Shikarpur Ashraf Keerio and three others for embezzling Rs197.84 million in procurement of wheat. The court indicted them, while the criminals denied their guilt.

NUT desk- LAHORE: Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu has said that the Pakistan Air Force is a professional force, and it is capable of timely and forcefully responding to enemy”s nefarious design against the country. Addressed the course members and faculty of 50th PN Staff Course at Pakistan Navy War College (PNWC) here on Thursday, he appreciated the quality academic stimulus and level of training imparted at Pakistan Navy War College. The Chief of the Air Staff also commended Pakistan Navy’s valuable services to safeguard the maritime frontiers of the country. About the prevailing security challenges and technological advancements, the Air Chief expressed his confidence in the combat potential of Pakistan armed forces. He emphasized that our armed forces were ever ready to defend the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the nation. Earlier, on his arrival at the PNWC, Chief of the Air Staff was received by Commandant Pakistan Navy War College Rear Admiral Muhammad Zubair Shafique.

NUT desk- LAHORE: At least four people were killed and 972 injured in 877 accidents in Punjab during the last 24 hours. According to the Rescue 1122, 409 drivers, 26 underage drivers, 166 pedestrians and 401 passengers were among the victims of the accidents. The statistics showed that 243 accidents were reported in Lahore which affected 266 people placing the provincial capital top of the list followed by 65 in Multan with 67 victims and third Faisalabad with 61 accidents and 66 victims. According to the data, 787 motorcycles, 120 rickshaws, 84 cars, 37 vans, four buses, 22 trucks and 103 other vehicles besides slow-moving carts were involved in the accidents.

NUT desk- ISLAMABAD: The Establishment Division Thursday issued notification of transfers and postings of high ranking officers. According to a notification Capt. (Retd. ) Saeed Ahmad Nawaz, a BS-21 officer of Pakistan Administrative Service, presently posted as Additional Secretary, Industries and Production Division, is transferred and posted as Additional ”Secretary, Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division, with immediate effect and until further orders. Likewise Ishtiaq Ahmed Malik, a BS-19 officer of the Secretariat Group, presently awaiting posting, Establishment Division is transferred and posted as Deputy Secretary, Cabinet Division, with immediate effect and until further orders. While, Muhammad Akram (OMG/BS-18) presently posted at the disposal of Government of Sindh, on deputation basis, is repatriated and directed to report to Establishment Division, with immediate effect and until further orders.

SLAMABAD: All hectic but delayed efforts by Speaker Asad Qaiser to bring back normalcy to the National Assembly proved futile, as legislators on both sides of the aisle continued their noisy protest in the house when the treasury members again interrupted the budget speech of leader of the opposition Shehbaz Sharif through sloganeering for a third consecutive day.

The speal(er, who had come to the house after meeting Prime Minister Imran Khan and banning the entry of seven unruly members including three from the ruling Pakistan Tehreelei-Insaf (PTI), later announced that he would notrun the house till the time an understanding was reached between the government and the opposition over a strategy for the ongoing budget session asking each side to nominate six representatives for their inclusion in a parliamentary committee for the purpose.

However, the speaker`s actions of banning the lawmakers` entry, separate phone calls to Mr Sharif and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and his offer to form a parliamentary committee for further action against troublemakers could not pacify the angry opposition, which decided not to hold any talks with the government and announced moving a no-confidence motion against him.

The opposition had already moved a no-confidence motion against NA Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri for allegedly bulldozing legislation in the house last week.

Sources said the voting on the no-trust motion against the deputy speaker would be held on Friday (tomorrow).

The speaker had to suspend the proceedings when Mr Sharif, protected by the sergeants-at-arms mal(ing a human wall between the two sides, had spol(en only for five minutes or so after an unidentified opposition member from the backbenches threw a sanitiser bottle at the treasury benches that hit PTI MNA from Karachi Akram Cheema.

`Who has hit him? Expel him from the house. Please note down (the name). I can`t run the house this way. Mian Sahib this is not the way, Speaker Qaisersaid before suspending the house for 15 minutes.

Later, the speaker came to the house and adjourned the sitting till Thursday noon.

Before announcing the adjournment, the chair said the opposition had so far not nominated any of its members for inclusion in a parliamentary committee to ensure smooth conduct of the proceedings during the budget session.

Earlier, the session resumed nearly two hours behind the schedule mainly due to the hectic activities and political engagements outside the assembly that had witnessed unprecedented scenes on Tuesday when the members had come to the blows, used abusive language and attacked each other with books and budgetary documents, causing injury to some members and security personnel.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Imran Khan has convened a meeting of the parliamentary party on Thursday (today) to discuss the strategy for the budget session and vote of no confidence against the deputy speaker.

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday allowed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to proceed against the suspects allegedly involved in the Rs290 million EOBI investment scam.

Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri of the IHC dismissed four petitions filed against the ongoing inquiry by the FIA into purchase of Rs290m worth of shares of a loss-making entity by the Employees Old-Age Benefits Institution. The petitions were filed by Amtex Private Limited owner Khurram Iftikhar, Khurram Shahzad and two market securities.

Khurram Iftikhar, being chief executive of the company, appeared before the FIA and got his statement recorded on Dec1, 2011, in connection with the EOBI investment in shares of his company. The directors of the company again received notices from the FIA in 2013. The petitioners again appeared before the FIA in the second inquiry and got their statements recorded.

The FIA started the third inquiry and consequently registered an FIR under Sections 409, 109 and 34 of the Pakistan Penal Code, read with Section 5(2)(47) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947, against them on December 31, 2015, at the FIA police station, Karachi, over allegations of causing a loss of Rs290m to the public exchequer/EOBI.

The petitioners had challenged the FIA inquiry and secured arestraining order.

Petitioners` counsel Hasnain Kazmi and Salman Aslam Butt argued before the IHC that their clients were being unnecessarily harassed by various public functionaries and the FIA was causing substantial pecuniary damage and loss to the reputation and good will of the companies.

They contended that in terms of FIA rules, more specifically Rule 5 thereof, initiation of any inquiry and registration of any criminal case by the FIA involving any public servant over BPS-19 requires prior authorisation, approval and permission of the Federal AntiCorruption Council.The allegations levelle d in the FIR can only be dealt with under special enactments and not general law of the land. The SECP Ordinance provides the machinery for dealing with the matters related to securities, including prosecution of offences, the counsel argued.

SECP`s counsel also challenged the jurisdiction of the IHC on the grounds that the subject matter of sale of shares took place in Karachi within the territorial jurisdiction of the Sindh High Court.

The EOBI also contended that since the inquiry had been conducted in Karachi, the FIR registered in Karachi and the challan submitted to the court of competent jurisdiction in Karachi, the IHC had no jurisdiction to adjudicate upon the matter.

The FIA, on the other hand, informed the court that the petitioners had neither joined the investigation nor surrendered themselves before the court of competent jurisdiction.

Final challan was submitted on May 22, 2017, to the court of Special Judge Central-II, Karachi.