Month: July 2022

Tayyaba Gull, a woman whose controversial video with former National Accountability Bureau chairman surfaced in 2019, has accused former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan of using her videos to close his cases and blackmail the opposition.

Tayyaba Gull had earlier alleged that the former chief of NAB Javed Iqbal sexually harassed her, Geo News reported.

She claimed that the bureau became hostile to her after she refused to join Iqbal in a flat and she was called up to the Prime Minister’s House by then-principal secretary Azam Khan after filing a complaint on the Prime Minister’s portal, but despite promising her justice, her phone was taken by them and the videos were aired after two days without her permission.

Gull also claimed that they put her and her husband in the Prime Minister’s House for one and a half months with the renewed commitment to provide them justice, local media reported.

According to a Tribune report, Gull said that NAB officials arrested her husband, Muhammad Farooq, before arresting her from Gulberg Green, Islamabad, where she was asked to come at midnight to take her husband home.

The harassment victim was called to record her statement before the highest accountability forum of parliament in response to a letter she had written earlier, seeking investigation against all those NAB officials, who had misused the office and acted unlawfully “to take revenge from her” for refusing to comply with Iqbal’s demands.

Iqbal, who was also summoned, didn’t appear before PAC and instead sent a letter, stating that he would come after Eid. This irked Khan, who announced that arrest warrant would be issued if Iqbal doesn’t appear before PAC the next time.

Gull, tears rolling down her cheeks, said that she couldn’t even narrate the “brutality” she was subjected to while being taken to Lahore from Islamabad. She added that her condition was miserable, as her clothes were torn and bruises were all over her body when she reached NAB’s Lahore Office, Tribune report said.

Gull said that NAB did not arrest the PTI leaders and closed their cases and she was in contact with other victims of Iqbal. The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Chairman Noor Alam Khan was pressured by the NAB not to invite her to Thursday’s meeting she claimed.

Gull added that he is still the chairman of the commission, but he would have been in jail if it was any other country. The NAB chief called the sexual harassment allegations baseless and unfounded.

He added that Gull is a fraud while referring to her medical report, which was submitted to the NAB Court of Special Judge Syed Najamul Hassan by the woman medical officer of the Central Jail in Lahore, the local media reported.

On Thursday, the former chairman of NAB was summoned by the Public Accounts Committee.

Two weeks ago, PAC Noor Alam Khan informed the Commission that he had acquired a letter from Tayyaba Gull to NAB Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal, and DG NAB Lahore Saleem Shahzad. (ANI)

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday issued summons to Delhi Minister Satyendar Jain’s wife Poonam Jain next week in connection with an alleged money laundering case.

Poonam has been asked to be deposed before the ED investigators at its headquarters on July 14, an ED official said.
The move came almost two months after the ED arrested Satyendar Jain on May 30.

The federal agency on July 1 arrested two associates Satyendar Jain–Ankush Jain and Vaibhav Jain– following questioning with them.

Those under ED radar in the case are Ankush Jain, Vaibhav Jain, Naveen Jain and Siddharth Jain (Directors of Ram Prakash Jewellers Pvt Ltd), G S Matharoo (Chairman of Lala Sher Singh Jivan Vigyan Trust which runs Prudence Group of Schools), Yogesh Kumar Jain (Director in Ram Prakash Jewellers Pvt Ltd), father-in-law of Ankush Jain and Lala Sher Singh Jivan Vigyan Trust are also on ED radar for assisting Satyendar Jain, the ED has informed.

In the case, the ED on June 6 had seized 2.85 crore cash and 133 gold coins weighing 1.80 kg from Satyendra Jain’s aides during its day-long raid conducted at various places across Delhi and the National Capital Region. The agency had also seized various incriminating documents and digital records during these raids.

The ED then said that the total movable assets were seized from an “unexplained source” and were “found to be secreted” in the raided premises.

The assets were seized during a search operation carried out under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 at the premises of Satyendar Jain, his wife Poonam, and his accomplices and other persons who had either directly or indirectly assisted him or participated in the processes of money laundering.

ED investigation in the case has revealed that one accomplice member of Lala Sher Singh Jivan Vigyan Trust had provided accommodation entries for the transfer of land from a company beneficially owned by Satyendar Jain to family members of accomplices in order to alienate the property and to frustrate the process of confiscation.

The ED initiated the money-laundering investigation on the basis of the First Information Report registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on 24 August 2017, under Section 13(2) r/w 13(1)(e) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 against Satyendar Jain, Poonam Jain, Ajit Prasad Jain, Sunil Kumar Jain, Vaibhav Jain and Ankush Jain.

The CBI filed a chargesheet on December 3, 2018, against Satyendar Kumar Jain, Poonam Jain, Ajit Prasad Jain, Sunil Kumar Jain, Vaibhav Jain and Ankush Jain.

The charge sheet mentioned that Satyendar Jain while holding the office as a Minister in the Government of Delhi, during the period 14 February 2015 to 31 May 2017 had acquired assets which were disproportionate to his known sources of income.

The CBI has accused Satyendar Jain and others of the commission of offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.

Satyendar Jain was arrested after the ED in April this year attached immovable properties worth Rs 4.81 crore owned by companies named Akinchan Developers Pvt. Ltd, Indo Metal Impex Pvt Ltd, and others under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 in connection with the disproportionate asset and money laundering case registered against Jain, his wife Poonam, and others. (ANI)

Pakistan continues to remain under a tight grip of economic instability and has been counted among the countries facing the severe consequences of surging prices, stated a United Nations Development Program report published Thursday.

“Unprecedented price surges mean that for many people across the world, the food that they could afford yesterday is no longer attainable today,” said UNDP head Achim Steiner, adding that among the countries facing the most severe consequences of surging prices, according to the report, are Armenia, Uzbekistan, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Haiti, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Ethiopia, Mali, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Tanzania and Yemen.
Increasing global food and energy prices have forced 71 million people slip into poverty in the world’s poorest countries, Business recorder stated citing the United Nations Development Program report, stating further that out of 159 countries examined, the situation was found to be most critical in the Balkans, the Caspian Sea region and sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in the Sahel.

As per the report, the price surges have been a consequence of the war in Ukraine resulting in a dip in cost-of-living millions of people tipped into poverty.

To address the growing issue, the UNDP said “targeted cash transfers to households are more equitable and more cost-effective than blanket energy subsidies,” but the UN agency added that governments will “need support from the multilateral system to make ends meet.”

The UNDP also warned in its report that as central banks raise interest rates to tackle inflation, “there is a risk of triggering further recession-induced poverty that will exacerbate the crisis even more, accelerating and deepening poverty worldwide.”

Pakistan’s inflation rate spiraled to 13.76 per cent in May, the highest in two-and-half-year.

The fast depletion of the foreign exchange reserves was the result of Pakistan’s inflation of twin deficits, a lack of foreign currency inflows, and a sharp increase in the foreign debt servicing obligations.

Inflation in Pakistan entered the double-digit mark in July, the biggest surge in nearly six years.

has been high for a number of years now but the latest round owes in no small manner to Islamabad’s own peculiar decision-making process.

Amidst a fragile economic and domestic situation in Pakistan, the economy is reeling under severe inflation, rising debt, and poor industrial performance.

Pakistan imports wheat, pulses, sugar etc. The global crisis, particularly after the Ukraine conflict, has set the prices of almost everything to the roof. (ANI)

A man committed suicide in PVR cinema, Vikaspuri, in west Delhi on Friday.

His body was found in the washroom of PVR, after which the police recovered it.
An Aadhaar card had been found in the pocket of the deceased, on the basis of which he was identified. His age was reported to be around 44 years.

The reason for the suicide is not known yet. However, the police are conducting further investigation in the case.

It was reported that the man had inflicted a wound upon himself with a sharp object. At present, the matter is being investigated. (ANI)

Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut on Friday filed a petition before the Punjab and Haryana High Court, challenging the criminal defamation proceedings initiated on the complaint of Mahinder Kaur before the Magistrate Court in Bathinda.

The defamation case is based upon a complaint filed in the month of January 2021 by Mohinder Kaur where he alleged that during the farmer protests, Kangana had made a defamatory tweet wherein “false imputations and remarks” were made against Kaur.
In the alleged tweet, Mohinder Kaur was compared with the “Dadi” at Shaheen Bagh and it was stated that such protestors could be hired.

Based on the alleged tweet, the lady farmer, filed a complaint before the Magistrate Court, Bathinda, seeking initiation of criminal proceedings Under sections 499, and 500 for defamation against Kangana Ranaut as she had made false imputations.

The magistrate Court Bathinda on the Complaint of Mohinder Kaur had summoned Ranaut early this year on February 22. Kangana Ranaut has sought to quash and set aside the proceedings initiated by the Magistrate Court Bathinda through her counsel Abhinav Sood.

The matter has been listed for today before the court of Justice Meenakshi I Mehta. (ANI)

Actors Ananya Panday and Vijay Devarakonda, who co-star in the pan-India film ‘Liger’, have unveiled the promo of their upcoming song, ‘Akdi Pakdi’.

“Let’s go Boyyyysssss! Full. All out. Mass!” captioned both Ananya and Vijay on their respective Instagram handles.

The 30-second promo is filled with foot-tapping music and groovy beats that seem like the perfect party track. Vijay’s energetic dance moves, matched with Ananya’s appealing zeal made the ‘Akdi Pakdi’ song a visual delight as well. Vijay was dressed in a rugged avatar, his hair unkempt, while Ananya looked quite glamorous wearing an all-black blouse and Patiala.

Soon after the actors unveiled the promo of ‘Akdi Pakdi’, fans flooded their comment section with heart and fire emoticons. ‘Akdi Pakdi’ is geared for release on July 11, this year.

‘Liger’ marks Vijay’s debut in Hindi cinema and the ‘Khaali Peeli’ actor’s first multi-lingual film. The makers of the film also unveiled a poster of the lead actor Vijay who is standing naked with a bouquet of red roses in his hand. The poster got viral on social media and fans appreciated the ‘Arjun Reddy’ actor for his transformation.

Helmed by Puri Jagannadh and produced by Karan Johar ‘Liger’ is all set to hit theatres on August 26, 2022, after getting multiple delays due to COVID-19. It will be released in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam.

Talking about Vijay, he will be also seen collaborating with Puri Jagannadh in ‘JGM’, which is slated to release on August 2023.

Apart from that he also has ‘Kushi’ with actor Samantha Prabhu, which is gearing up for a worldwide release on December 23, 2022.

Ananya on the other hand will star in ‘Kho Gaye Hum Kahan’ with Siddhant Chaturvedi and Adarsh Gourav. The film is expected to release in 2023. (ANI)

Punjab and Haryana High Court on Friday granted bail to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and former Punjab Minister Vijay Singla in a corruption case.

On May 24, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann sacked Singla from his Cabinet following corruption charges against him.
Shortly after that, he was arrested by the Anti-Corruption Branch.

The Punjab Chief Minister said that the AAP has a zero-tolerance policy against corruption. He said that he has sacked Singla from the cabinet and directed Police to register a case against him.

According to Punjab CMO, Singla was demanding a 1 per cent commission from the officials for contracts and he also later confessed to them.

The Mohali court, on May 27, sent the former AAP leader and Punjab Health Minister Vijay Singla to 14-day judicial custody.

In an FIR filed on May 24, the sacked Minister Singla was accused of taking bribes through his OSD Pradeep Kumar.

A case was registered at Phase-8 police station of Mohali against Singla for demanding a bribe from Superintending Engineer (SE) Rajinder Singh posted in Mohali.

According to the FIR, on May 20, Rs 10 lakh was demanded from SE Rajinder Singh and he was asked to pay a commission of 1 per cent of further allotments.

Superintending Engineer Rajinder had told ANI, “In a recording, Minister Singla was talking about giving Rs 5 lakh to OSD Pradeep Kumar, Simultaneously Rajinder is asking Pradeep Kumar about sparing his career.”

Speaking at a Press Conference, back then in May in the national capital, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said, “Aam Aadmi Party is the only party in the country where there is no place for corruption and corrupt people.”

Earlier, in the year 2015, the Delhi Chief Minister had sacked one of his Ministers in a corruption case, the Punjab CMO had said. (ANI)

Bollywood diva Jacqueline Fernandez has shared the first poster of her latest Hollywood film, ‘Tell It Like a Woman’.

“So proud to be part of this extraordinary effort by the entire team of Tell it like a Woman. An anthology directed by 8 Female directors from different parts of the world… Thank you for making me a part of this really special journey. And Thank you so much to my producers… who are the engine behind this incredible film! Can’t wait for you all to see it,” captioned Jacqueline on Instagram.

‘Tell It Like a Woman’, consists of an ensemble cast of Margherita Buy, Eva Longoria, Cara Delevingne, Anne Watanabe, Jennifer Hudson, Marcia Gay Harden, and our very own Bollywood celeb, Jacqueline Fernandez to name a few. The feature-length film is directed by “eight” female directors and is divided into seven distinct segments having unique titles, reported Deadline.

According to one of the producers, Andrea Iervolino, ‘Tell It Like A Woman’ is a “uniquely female film” which conveys the message of ‘strength and empowerment”.

“Tell It Like A Woman is a uniquely female film meant to convey a message of strength and empowerment through its storytelling. We are honoured to have so many accomplished women collaborate and share their creative talents in a galvanizing effort for a big-screen experience,” expressed Iervolino, as reported by Deadline.

Singer Diane Warren, who has 13 Oscar nominations to her name has also written the film’s original song, ‘Applause’. ‘Tell It Like A Woman’ has premiered in Italy’s Taormina Film Festival and is reportedly slated to release in the theatres this year in winter.

Talking about Jacqueline, she was last seen in ‘Attack- Part 1’ with John Abraham and Rakul Preet Singh and she will be next seen in Kichcha Sudeep’s ‘Vikrant Rona’ which is slated to release on July 28, 2022.

Apart from that, Jacqueline has ‘Ram Setu’ opposite Akshay Kumar in her kitty which will release on the occasion of Diwali this year. She will also star in Rohit Shetty’s ‘Cirkus’ with Ranveer Singh and Pooja Hegde which is going to hit the theatres on the occasion of Christmas 2022. (ANI)

India has announced one day of state mourning on July 9 as a mark of respect for former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe who was shot on Friday while delivering a campaign speech in Nara city in western Japan.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his shock over the tragic demise of Abe and in a tweet said: “As a mark of our deepest respect for former Prime Minister #ShinzoAbe, a one-day national mourning shall be observed on 9 July 2022,”
PM Modi wrote, “I am shocked and saddened beyond words at the tragic demise of one of my dearest friends, Shinzo Abe. He was a towering global statesman, an outstanding leader, and a remarkable administrator. He dedicated his life to make Japan and the world a better place.”

After the attack on him, Abe was rushed to hospital and initial media reports citing authorities said that it appeared that the former Japanese PM was shot at in the chest. They described his condition as in “cardiopulmonary arrest” and said he showed no vital signs.

Public broadcaster NHK later reported, citing ruling Liberal Democratic Party sources that Abe, had died. Abe died at 5:03 pm (local time) and had two gunshot wounds in his neck, according to officials from Nara Medical University Hospital.

Japanese Police arrested a suspect for shooting Abe identified as Tetsuya Yamagami, a 41-year-old resident of Nara City, according to local media. A gun that appeared to be handmade was retrieved from the site where Abe was campaigning for a candidate ahead of Sunday’s elections for Japan’s upper house of Parliament.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh too expressed grief over the unfortunate moment. “Deeply saddened by the demise of former PM of Japan, Shinzo Abe. His role in strengthening the strategic relationship between India & Japan was commendable. He leaves behind a lasting legacy in the Indo-Pacific. My condolences to his family & to the people of Japan,” he wrote in a tweet.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi wrote, “Deeply saddened by the demise of former PM of Japan, Shinzo Abe. His role in strengthening the strategic relationship between India & Japan was commendable. He leaves behind a lasting legacy in the Indo-Pacific. My condolences to his family & to the people of Japan.”

Abe, Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, stepped down in 2020 citing health reasons. He was prime minister of Japan twice, from 2006-07 and again from 2012-20. He was succeeded by Yoshihide Suga and later by Fumio Kishida.

Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida earlier in his live address to the country today said “this is not a forgivable act,” and that authorities would “take appropriate measures to handle the situation.”

Kishida further said that the motive behind Abe’s shooting is not known. The media outlet citing government sources also reported that Abe’s shooting suspect is an ex-member of Japan’s Self-Defense Forces.

The Japanese PM also requested everyone to not speculate about any political ramifications at the time. (ANI)

Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was on Friday confirmed dead after he was shot at during a campaign speech in Nara City, western Japan, local media reported citing officials.

“Officials say former Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo has been confirmed dead. He was reportedly shot during a speech on Friday in the city of Nara, near Kyoto,” Japanese media outlet NHK tweeted on its official Twitter handle.
Liberal Democratic Party sources also confirmed the same, Kyoto news agency reported.

Abe, Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, had stepped down in 2020 citing health reasons. He was prime minister of Japan twice, from 2006-07 and again from 2012-20. He was succeeded by Yoshihide Suga and later by Fumio Kishida.

Earlier today Abe, 67, was rushed to hospital after he collapsed at 11.30 am during a campaign speech in the western Japanese city of Nara ahead of Sunday’s elections for Japan’s upper house of Parliament.

Initial media reports, citing authorities said that it appeared that Abe was shot at in the chest and described the condition of the former PM as in “cardiopulmonary arrest.”

Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida earlier in his live address to the country today said that his condition of Abe was grave. “This is not a forgivable act,” Kishida said adding that authorities would “take appropriate measures to handle the situation.”

Kishida further said that the motive behind Abe’s shooting is not known. The media outlet citing government sources also reported that Abe’s shooting suspect is an ex-member of Japan’s Self-Defense Forces.

The Japanese PM also requested everyone to not speculate about any political ramifications at the time. Japanese Police have identified the suspect arrested for shooting Abe as Tetsuya Yamagami, a 41-year-old resident of Nara City, according to local media. (ANI)