Latest news with #Sialkot
Express Tribune
13-06-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Probe begins into RDA scam
A fact-finding committee, constituted by the Punjab Chief Secretary to probe a major financial scandal involving the embezzlement of Rs1.94 billion in public funds and alleged negligence and carelessness by the authorities holding financial signatory powers at the Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA), has officially launched its investigation. During its first meeting held in Lahore, the committee raised several concerns regarding RDA's flawed financial management system, demanding complete records of the RDA's bank accounts and the transfer of funds through Call Deposit Receipts (CDRs) to other banks. The next meeting is expected to be held on June 19, during which all Directors of Administration and Finance from the past nine years have been summoned. The decision regarding summoning former Director Generals will be made later. The matter is already under investigation by two separate forums: the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and the Punjab Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE), Rawalpindi Region. Simultaneously, the fact-finding committee formed by the Punjab Chief Secretary convened at the office of Mudassar Waheed Malik, Member Taxes, Board of Revenue Punjab, who is also the convener of the inquiry. Other members present included Moazzam Iqbal Supra, MD of the Punjab Government Servants Housing Foundation, and Madiha Tahir Shah, Additional Secretary A&H. From the RDA, Director-General Kinza Murtaza, Deputy Director Iftikhar Janjua, and Assistant Director Waqar Asghar Raja appeared before the committee. Ex-DD' death sparks concern The committee also reviewed the recent mysterious death — possibly a suicide or murder — of Junaid Taj Bhatti, the former Deputy Director Finance of RDA and former DG of PHA Sialkot. Bhatti died under suspicious circumstances in his Sialkot office on May 13. His death has added further complexity to the scandal. The fact-finding meeting lasted about an hour. The issues raised and the requested records will be thoroughly examined in the upcoming session scheduled for Thursday, June 19, in Lahore. Systemic oversight, audit failures This is considered the biggest financial scandal in RDA's history, spanning nearly a decade. Despite the fact that RDA accounts were audited regularly each year, the massive embezzlement went unnoticed. Shockingly, none of the authorised financial officers, including Director Generals and Directors of Administration and Finance, ever requested or reviewed the bank statements to track fund transfersan act that could have exposed the issue much earlier and led to the establishment of a more secure financial system. During this period, the Divisional Commissioners of Rawalpindi also served as acting DGs of RDA, including the current Secretary Housing Punjab. Several officers from the DMG groupsome of whom are now retired or serving in other high-ranking positionsalso held the RDA DG post during this time. Contractors' payments suspended Contractors and their families faced hardships during the Eidul Azha holidays as no payments were made for the past month or so. Routine operations at the RDA have been severely disrupted following the exposure of a financial scandal in government funds about a month ago. Since the scandal emerged, all payments to contractors have been suspended. When contacted through the RDA spokesperson, Director General Kinza Murtaza said that payments would be made to the contractors soon. However, no explanation was provided as to why payments had been delayed so far or why the contractors had been left in distress.
Arab News
02-06-2025
- Business
- Arab News
Pakistan's Air Sial launches inaugural flight to UAE
ISLAMABAD: Air Sial, a Pakistani private airline, has launched its first flight to the United Arab Emirates, it said on Monday, in a significant development for the Pakistani aviation industry. Inaugurated in 2020 by the Sialkot Chambers of Commerce and Industry, the airline initially aimed to improve air travel to and from Pakistan's Sialkot city, a major industrial hub in the eastern Punjab province. Over the years, Air Sial has expanded its operations not just countrywide, but to countries in the Gulf region and uses a fleet of modern Airbus A320 aircraft. 'Pakistan Airports Authority successfully facilitated and supervised the launch of Air Sial's inaugural international flight (PF784) from Islamabad International Airport to Dubai,' Air Sial said on Monday, adding the flight departed around 11:34am with 137 passengers aboard. Air Sial's domestic network includes major cities like Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Sialkot, Quetta and Multan. The airline entered the international market in March 2023 with the launch of its inaugural flight to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It also flies to Riyadh, Madinah and Dammam. Air Sial extended its international reach the same year in June by launching direct flights from Pakistan to Oman. Late last month, the state-run Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) also resumed direct flights between Dubai and Pakistan's mountainous Skardu district in a bid to boost tourism.
Express Tribune
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
PM Shehbaz visits frontline Pasrur Garrisson, lauds armed forces' response to India
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday visited the frontline areas of Operation Bunyanum Marsoos, part of Maarka-e-Haq (Battle for Truth), expressing solidarity with armed forces and lauding their role in defending the country's sovereignty. APP reported. The prime minister was accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Babar Sidhu, federal ministers Ahsan Iqbal and Attaullah Tarar, Corps Commander Sialkot, and senior civil and military officials. During his visit to Pasrur Cantonment near Sialkot, PM Shehbaz met with officers and soldiers actively engaged in the military operation. "The nation is proud of your dedication and sacrifice," the prime minister told troops during his interaction, as per a statement issued by the Prime Minister's Office. The prime minister also announced plans to visit various air and naval bases in the coming days to meet with personnel from the Pakistan Air Force and Pakistan Navy, in a show of support for all branches of the armed forces. According to a statement issued by the military's media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif received a comprehensive briefing during his visit on the conduct of the battle and the current operational preparedness of the Corps. Commending the Armed Forces on their exemplary performance in the Maarka-e-Haq (Battle for Truth), the Prime Minister stated, 'The valiant Armed Forces of Pakistan, fortified by the unwavering resolve of the nation, defended the motherland in a heroic manner and dealt a decisive blow to the adversary's dastardly aggression.' 'History will eternally record how, within a few hours, Pakistan's defenders extinguished India's unprovoked aggression with unmatched precision and resolve,' he said. While interacting with officers and soldiers at the frontline, the Prime Minister lauded their high morale, exceptional professionalism, and unflinching readiness, according to the ISPR statement. The Prime Minister further affirmed, 'Pakistan takes immense pride in its brave sons; they are the crown jewels of the nation.' He added that the blatant aggression against innocent civilians—resulting in the martyrdom of children, women, and the elderly—while labelling them as terrorists is utterly shameful and violates all international laws, norms, and morality. Prime Minister Shehbaz stated that despite Pakistan's offer of a neutral investigation, India deliberately evaded the path of accountability, as it had nothing to prove. 'Based on a false pretext, bloated arrogance, and ego, they launched the offensive—for which they have received a very befitting response,' he said. He concluded by saying that Pakistan's martyrs have always been a source of pride for the nation. 'The nation shall eternally remain indebted to them.'
NDTV
13-05-2025
- Sport
- NDTV
PCB Sacks Domestic Teams Mentors Including Waqar Younis, Misbah Ul Haq
Pakistan Cricket Board on Tuesday sacked all five mentors who were appointed with domestic teams during the inaugural edition of its Champions One-Day Cup, including former captains Waqar Younis and Misbah Ul Haq. Former skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shoaib Malik and Saqlain Mushtaq were the other mentors who were assigned to each of the five competing teams in the 50-overs competition. A source informed that PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi, during a meeting with the board officials, had been briefed about the performance of the mentors since their appointments last year. The PCB had asked these former cricketers to dedicate a certain number of days to work as mentors with their respective domestic teams while they were also allowed to take up media roles and other assignments. According to reports, these mentors were being paid a monthly salary of Pakistani rupees 5 million. 'Apparently, at the briefing, the consensus was that the money spent on the mentors was not being justified as they had not delivered anything of value until now,' the source said. The source added that those who attended the meeting weren't happy with the fact that Malik insisted on playing in the national T20 championship and lead Sialkot instead of focussing on his job only as a mentor.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Footage of Chile wildfire falsely linked to India-Pakistan conflict
"If there is a shortage of firecrackers, take more from us son. Live from Sialkot," reads the Hindi-language caption of a video shared May 8, 2025 on Facebook, referring to a city in Pakistan's Punjab province. The 20-second clip features a woman crying as she films flames shooting up beyond a road. More than 60 people were killed in the worst violence between the nuclear-armed neighbours in decades before US President Donald Trump unexpectedly announced a ceasefire on social media (archived link). Fighter jet, missile, drone and artillery strikes erupted two weeks after gunmen killed 26 people on the Indian-run side of disputed Kashmir, in an attack New Delhi blames on its arch-foe neighbour. Islamabad denies the accusations. Similar posts surfaced on Facebook and Threads, also misrepresenting the clip that had previously been falsely linked to an attack by Iran on Israel. AFP found it was taken during one of the deadliest fires in Chile in February 2024 that killed at least 133 people and destroyed some 7,000 homes. A combination of reverse image and keyword searches found the video in a TikTok post from February 3, 2024 which said it showed fires in the South American nation. The video was posted by a TikTok user called "pat_land" but later removed. AFP found an archived version of the post on the WayBack Machine archiving tool. "Evacuating #fire #achupallas terrible to see the homes of friends and neighbours burning but even more painful to see little animals scorched to a crisp. God help us," the Spanish-language caption says. A Spanish-speaking AFP journalist confirmed the people in the video were speaking the language. The Achupallas neighbourhood in Chile's Vina del Mar, a seaside resort city, became engulfed by wildfires that broke out simultaneously on February 2, 2024 and took days to extinguish (archived link). Local media outlet Citizen Action Chile shared the same TikTok video on Facebook on February 4, 2024 with the caption: "Achupallas, Viña del Mar (archived link)". Elements in the footage of the fire, including an electricity pole, footbridge, trees and a road barrier can be seen in Google Maps street imagery of an intersection between a street called Livingstone and the Carlos Ibáñez del Campo road. AFP has debunked the wave of misinformation around the India-Pakistan crisis here.
