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Pakistan anti-graft watchdog declares PM Sharif ‘innocent’ in housing scam case

This file picture, taken on June 17, 2017, shows Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, during a media talk outside the National Assembly in Islamabad. (Photo courtesy: REUTERS/FILE)
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Updated 20 May 2023
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Pakistan anti-graft watchdog declares PM Sharif ‘innocent’ in housing scam case

  • In its report, the National Accountability Bureau says “no evidence” of misuse of powers found against PM Sharif
  • The anti-graft body recently cleared Sharif, others in two cases involving money laundering, assets beyond means
Updated 20 May 2023
Arab News Pakistan

LAHORE: Pakistan’s anti-corruption watchdog on Saturday declared Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif “innocent” in the Ashiana-i-Iqbal housing scheme case, local media reported, adding that “no evidence” of misuse of powers was found against him.

The scandal first emerged in January 2018, accusing then opposition leader Sharif of ordering cancelation of a contract given to successful bidder, M/s Chaudhry Latif and Sons, for the Ashiana-i-Iqbal housing scheme, that led to the subsequent award of the contract to Lahore Casa Developers, a proxy group of the Paragon City Private Limited, resulting in a loss of Rs193 million.

Sharif was also accused of directing the Punjab Land Development Company to assign the Ashiana-i-Iqbal housing project to the Lahore Development Authority (LDA), which awarded the contract to Lahore Casa developers, causing a loss of Rs715 million and the ultimate failure of the project.

But the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in its report on Saturday said that no loss was made to the national kitty, neither did PM Sharif get any financial benefit from the project, according to local media reports.

“It is proved beyond any doubt that the treasury didn’t suffer any loss,” Pakistan’s Geo news channel quoted NAB as stating in its report.

“No evidence of misuse of powers was found against Shahbaz Sharif.”

NAB also cleared co-accused, including bureaucrats Fawad Hasan Fawad and Ahad Khan Cheema, and Kamran Kiani, brother of former army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kiani, of any wrongdoing in the matter.

Last month, an accountability court had issued notices to NAB seeking its reply on Sharif and Cheema’s pleas for acquittal in the case.

In its reply submitted to the accountability court on Saturday, NAB stated that Sharif had referred the matter of awarding the Ashiana-i-Iqbal project to M/s Chaudhry Latif & Sons to the Punjab Anti-Corruption Establishment “in accordance with law with no malafide intent,” which ultimately led to the cancelation of the contract.

“The accountability court should decide on Shehbaz Sharif’s plea for acquittal according to the law,” the NAB report concluded.

The development comes more than a week after the anti-graft body cleared Sharif, his family members and others in two cases registered against them for laundering money and possessing assets beyond their known sources of income.

Former premier Imran Khan has repeatedly accused the shaky coalition government of PM Sharif of using influence to get the names of treasury members cleared by the authorities in graft cases.

The latest report is expected to spark a controversy in the South Asian country, which has already been embroiled in political and economic crises for months.

Topics: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif National Accountability Bureau (NAB)

Pakistan tells UN India politicizing river flows by halting Indus treaty

Updated 6 sec ago
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Pakistan tells UN India politicizing river flows by halting Indus treaty

  • Ambassador Usman Jadoon calls access to clean water a fundamental human right
  • He says India announced treaty suspension to cut off the lifeline of 240 million people
Updated 6 sec ago
Usama Iqbal Khawaja

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan told a United Nations forum this week India was using river waters as a political weapon by suspending the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), warning that Islamabad would not allow New Delhi to cut off the lifeline of 240 million people or turn water into a tool of coercion.

The remarks came during an Arria-formula meeting of the UN Security Council, an informal session allowing open discussion on pressing international issues. The forum was held as tensions escalated following India’s decision to suspend the 1960 IWT.

While New Delhi has cited a recent militant attack in Indian-administered Kashmir to justify the move, Islamabad has denied any involvement and warned that blocking Pakistan’s access to river waters threatens regional stability and violates international law.

Addressing the forum on Friday, Ambassador Usman Jadoon, Pakistan’s deputy permanent representative to the UN, emphasized that access to clean water was a fundamental human right. He condemned India’s actions, pointing out the suspension of the IWT constitutes a grave violation of international law.

“India’s decision to illegally and unilaterally suspend the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, aiming to impede the flow of water guaranteed to Pakistan under the Treaty, is a grave violation of international law, including human rights law, the treaty law and customary international law,” Jadoon said.

He further criticized statements from Indian leadership suggesting intentions to “starve the people of Pakistan,” describing such rhetoric as dangerous and perverse.

Jadoon called upon India to adhere to its legal obligations and refrain from actions that could disrupt the flow of rivers vital to Pakistan’s population.

“We strongly condemn India’s unlawful announcement to hold the Treaty in abeyance and call upon India to strictly abide by its legal obligations and refrain from stopping, diverting or restricting rivers that are a lifeline for 240 million people of Pakistan,” he continued. “We will never accept any such moves.”

The IWT, brokered by the World Bank in 1960, has been a cornerstone of water-sharing between the two nations. Its suspension marks a significant escalation in India-Pakistan relations, with potential implications for regional stability and humanitarian concerns.

Topics: Indus Waters Treaty Pakistan India standoff Ambassador Usman Jadoon

Pakistan to cancel passports, register cases against deported citizens

Updated 24 May 2025
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Pakistan to cancel passports, register cases against deported citizens

  • Move follows Middle East complaints over Pakistani nationals involved in begging
  • A committee has also been tasked with strengthening passport rules and regulations
Updated 24 May 2025
NAIMAT KHAN

KARACHI: Pakistan’s federal government on Saturday decided to take stringent measures against its citizens deported from other countries for illegal activities by canceling their passports and registering criminal charges, in a bid to curb a growing issue that officials say is tarnishing the country’s international image.

The move follows mounting complaints, particularly from Middle Eastern countries, about public begging and undocumented migration involving Pakistani nationals.

The decision was made at a high-level meeting chaired by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi in Islamabad.

“It was decided during the meeting that FIRs [First Information Reports] would be registered against deported individuals and their passports would also be canceled,” an official statement released after the meeting said. “The deportees would be placed on the Passport Control List for five years.”

Earlier this year, Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) said approximately 4,000 beggars had been deported by Saudi Arabia from 2022 until the end of 2024.

“Deportees are causing embarrassment for Pakistan at international level,” Naqvi said. “Thus, no leniency will be shown to them in the future.”

To further tighten passport regulations, the interior ministry also formed a committee led by the interior secretary.

According to the statement, the committee has been tasked with proposing reforms to strengthen the passport issuance process and enforce stricter scrutiny.

Last month, over 100 Pakistanis deported from various European countries arrived in Islamabad, with officials indicating that many had been involved in fraudulent or undocumented migration.

The latest measures build on earlier actions by the interior ministry aimed at discouraging illegal migration and curbing human trafficking.

Naqvi had previously announced plans to block the issuance of new travel documents to deportees and crack down on travel agents implicated in human smuggling.

Topics: interior Minister

Pakistan’s army chief hosts dinner for political leadership, praises their ‘foresight’ during India standoff

Updated 24 May 2025
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Pakistan’s army chief hosts dinner for political leadership, praises their ‘foresight’ during India standoff

  • The dinner was attended by President Zardari and Prime Minister Sharif along with other top officials
  • Field Marshal Asim Munir hails the military’s performance and the public’s resilience during the war
Updated 24 May 2025
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s army chief praised the political leadership’s “strategic foresight” during a four-day military clash with India, according to an official statement on Saturday, as he hosted a dinner in their honor for their role in the conflict.

The event followed a brief but intense conflict earlier this month in which both nuclear-armed neighbors exchanged missile, drone and artillery strikes before agreeing to a US-brokered ceasefire.

As part of a series of honors marking Pakistan’s response, the government promoted the army chief, Syed Asim Munir, to the five-star rank of Field Marshal.

“In his remarks, the Chief of Army Staff expressed profound gratitude to the political leadership for their strategic foresight during Marka-e-Haq and lauded the seamless inter-services coordination that ensured operational success in Operation Bunyanum Marsoos,” Pakistan’s military media wing, ISPR, said in a statement.

The dinner brought together top political and military leaders including President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and service chiefs, as well as leaders from major political parties.

All the participants hailed the military’s performance and the public’s resilience during what officials described as a defining moment for the nation.

Munir also praised Pakistan’s youth and media for acting as a “steel wall” against what he called a disinformation campaign launched by India.

He further acknowledged the role of Pakistani scientists, engineers and diplomats, calling their efforts “critical” to the national response.

The gathering, according to the ISPR, served as a demonstration of unity and reaffirmed Pakistan’s collective resolve to move forward with “renewed strength and cohesion.”

Topics: Army Chief General Asim Munir Pakistan India standoff Asif Zardari Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif

Indian troops shoot dead Pakistani crossing frontier

Updated 24 May 2025
AFP
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Indian troops shoot dead Pakistani crossing frontier

  • Incident occurred two weeks after India and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire following a four-day conflict
  • India’s border force says the man crossed the international border and failed to stop when challenged
Updated 24 May 2025
AFP

AHMEDABAD: Indian border troops shot dead a Pakistani man who they said had crossed the international frontier and did not stop when challenged, the force said Saturday.
The shooting comes two weeks after arch-rivals India and Pakistan agreed a ceasefire after a four-day conflict, in which more than 70 people were killed in missile, drone and artillery fire.
India’s Border Security Force (BSF) said its troops Friday evening had spotted “one suspicious person advancing toward the border fence,” which lies beyond the international frontier in Gujarat state’s Banaskantha district.
“They challenged the intruder, but he continued to advance, prompting them to open fire,” the BSF said in a statement. “The intruder was neutralized on the spot.”
A photograph released by the force showed a dead man with greying hair.
The recent conflict between the nuclear-armed rivals was triggered by an attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir on April 22, the deadliest on civilians in the contested Muslim-majority territory in decades.
New Delhi blamed Islamabad for backing the militants it said carried out the attack, charges that Pakistan denied.

Topics: Pakistan India Ties

Pakistan PM to begin five-day tour tomorrow of Central Asia, Turkiye and Iran

Updated 24 May 2025
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Pakistan PM to begin five-day tour tomorrow of Central Asia, Turkiye and Iran

  • The development comes two weeks after Pakistan and India traded missile, drone and artillery strikes before agreeing to a truce on May 10
  • During the four-day conflict, several friendly nations supported Pakistan’s demand for a probe into an attack that triggered the standoff
Updated 24 May 2025
KASHIF IMRAN

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will embark on Sunday on a five-day tour of Turkiye, Iran, Azerbaijan and Tajikistan to hold discussions about matters of regional and international importance, the Pakistani foreign office said, weeks after a military conflict between Pakistan and India.

Pakistan and India this month traded missile, drone and artillery strikes for days, killing 70 people, before agreeing to a US-brokered ceasefire on May 10.

The conflict was triggered by an attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir on April 22 that New Delhi blamed on Pakistan. Islamabad denies complicity.

During the conflict Several friendly nations supported Pakistan’s demand for a credible, international probe into the attack as they urged the nuclear-armed archfoes to exercise restraint.

“The prime minister will have wide-ranging discussions with the leaders of these countries on an entire range of issues covering bilateral relations and matters of regional and international importance,” the Pakistani foreign office said.

“He will also have the opportunity to express the deepest appreciation and acknowledgment for the support extended to Pakistan by the friendly countries during the recent crisis with India.”

Bitter rivals India and Pakistan have fought three wars, including two over the disputed region of Kashmir, since gaining independence from British rule in 1947. Both claim the Himalayan territory in its entirety but rule it in part.

The latest conflict between the two was the deadliest in more than two decades and raised fears that it could spiral into a full-blown war.

During his visit aimed at furthering Pakistan’s diplomatic outreach, Sharif will also attend the International Conference on Glaciers in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, according to the Pakistani foreign office.

The conference, to be held on May 29-30, aims to advance global efforts in climate adaptation and resilience, with a specific focus on addressing glacial melting.

Pakistan is highly vulnerable to climate change, facing numerous impacts like rising temperatures and increased frequency of extreme weather events.

Officials say unusually high temperatures in Pakistan’s northern areas have resulted in rapid melting of glaciers, warning that the prolonged phenomenon could lead to water shortages and threaten lives in the longer run.

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