Joe Biden again tests positive for Covid, returns to isolation

US President Joe Biden again tested positive for Covid-19 on Saturday, according to a statement from the White House physician, although he is experiencing no symptoms and feels “quite well.”

Biden, who tested positive for the disease nine days ago but then tested negative twice earlier this week, will resume isolation procedures, and his positive test is believed to be “rebound” positivity experienced by some Covid patients, according to White House physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor.

Biden tweeted about his positive case, saying it can happen to a “small minority of folks.”

“I've got no symptoms but I am going to isolate for the safety of everyone around me. I’m still at work, and will be back on the road soon,” he tweeted.

Folks, today I tested positive for COVID again.

This happens with a small minority of folks.

I’ve got no symptoms but I am going to isolate for the safety of everyone around me.

I’m still at work, and will be back on the road soon.

— President Biden (@POTUS) July 30, 2022

The positive test jeopardizes a Tuesday trip to Michigan Biden had planned to tout the recent passage of legislation to boost the semiconductor industry, which the White House announced earlier on Saturday.

O’Connor said Biden, who is 79, tested negative for the last four days, and there is no plan to reinitiate treatment given his lack of symptoms.

Biden previously descr­ibed his experience with Covid as mild, saying he was able to continue working while in isolation and attributed his relative ease with the disease to vaccines and other treatments.

O’Connor had previously said Biden would be tested regularly to watch for a potential “rebound” Covid-19 case, which can be experienced by some patients who have been treated with Paxlovid, the drug the president received.

Coalition govt will not bow to anyone's dictation: Fazl

Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman Saturday said that the Opposition is not scared of anyone, no matter how much they are powerful or are a part of any organisation.

Speaking at a press conference in Peshawar, the JUI-F chief said that the allied parties will fight a political and constitutional war instead of surrendering.

"The coalition government will not become anyone's slave," he told the institutions.

"If the institutions form cases against us, we will respond strongly against them," said Fazl, claiming that "the institutions are standing with the PTI".

Major setback to govt after SC declares Pervez Elahi CM Punjab, removes Hamza Shahbaz

The PDM chief said that the coalition government will not get bullied by anyone. "All the allied parties will contest together in the by-elections," he added.

Criticising the Supreme Court's decision of electing Pervez Elahi as the chief minister of Punjab, Fazl said that the judiciary is the most important institution of the state and it is everyone's duty to respect it.

The Supreme Court of Pakistan on July 26 declared the ruling of Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari in the Punjab chief minister's election "illegal" and ruled that PTI's candidate Elahi will be the new CM of the province.

"However, the state gets destroyed if the judge becomes controversial by his behaviour and facilitates one side," he highlighted, adding that there will be severe consequences if a judge, through his behaviour, shows he is taking sides with someone.

Talking about the current deteriorating situation of the country, Fazl said that he did not know that the situation has turned worse. "The PTI had stricken such deals with the international institutions which they are not obeying now and due to lack of trust, the International Monetary Fund and the United States are creating issues for the government," said the JUI-F chief.

Talking about the alleged foreign conspiracy, the PDM chief denied it and said that "Imran Khan was brought in by an international force."

"A US consulate has been paying the rent of Imran Khan's house for nine years and money was taken by India and Israel in the foreign funding case," he alleged.

PTI mulls filing judicial reference against CEC

PTI has decided to file a judicial reference against Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, as the party takes its tirade with the ECP chief up a notch.

The decision came during a high-level PTI meeting chaired by Imran Khan, where the party leaders reviewed the coalition government's recent meeting with the CEC and other Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) members.

Khan and other PTI leaders have repeatedly demanded that the chief election commissioner resign from his post and the ECP be reconstituted before the next general elections.

The meeting's participants also exchanged views over the ECP's attitude in the foreign funding case, according to sources.

The PTI also decided that provincial governments would also take action against the election commission, and the provincial assemblies — in Punjab and Kyber Pakhtunkhwa — would pass no-confidence resolutions against the ECP.

The meeting comes after Khan and his party have come under fire following a Financial Times report, which revealed that businessman Arif Naqvi's Cayman Island company, Wootton Cricket Ltd, provided funds to the PTI — which were of foreign origin.

The PTI has denied claims that it has received foreign funds and maintained that Overseas Pakistanis have donated to the party. But the government is persistently demanding that the ECP announce the verdict in the PTI's foreign funding case at the earliest — which was filed in 2014.

Just hours after the FT report, a delegation of representatives of the ruling coalition Friday met the chief election commissioner and four members of the ECP.

They urged the ECP officials to announce the PTI foreign funding case verdict early and said it was the people’s right to know from whose agents the party had been taking money for politics.

Court grants pre-arrest bail to IK in Azadi March violence cases

An Islamabad district and sessions court on Saturday confirmed the pre-arrest bails of PTI chairman Imran Khan in 10 cases pertaining to alleged violence and damage to public property during the party’s “Azadi March” on May 25.

The ex-premier appeared in the court of Judge Kamran Basharat Mufti alongside his counsel Babar Awan and PTI leader Shahbaz Gill.

Imran had applied for pre-arrest bail in 15 FIRs registered against him at 11 police stations of the federal capital.

During the hearing today, Awan said that his client had been booked in 15 cases of the “same nature” and requested that he be granted bail.

At this, the judge asked the prosecutor if he had any objections.

The court, subsequently, confirmed Imran’s pre-arrest bails in 10 cases and instructed him to submit surety bonds of Rs5,000.

In another case, registered under sections of treason at the Kohsar police station, the court granted the PTI chief interim bail. The judge has summoned the record of the case at the next hearing, scheduled on September 8.

On May 26, a first information report (FIR) was registered at 1:50am at the Kohsar police station at the complaint of Sub-Inspector (SI) Asif Raza under Sections 109 (abetment), 148 (rioting armed with deadly weapon), 149 (unlawful assembly), 186 (obstructing public service), 188 (disobedience), 353 (assault on public servant), 427 (causing damage) and 435 (mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to cause damage) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

SI Raza, in the FIR, said he was on duty, along with other police personnel, at Jinnah Avenue’s China Chowk when at 11pm, 100-150 people with PTI flags suddenly moved towards Express Chowk.

He said the police tried to stop the PTI supporters due to the imposition of Section 144 in Islamabad but they did not listen and instead allegedly pelted stones at the police officers and also set fire to trees.

Raza said 36 individuals, who were acting at the “behest of Imran and other PTI leadership”, were “brought under control”.

Meanwhile, the second FIR was registered at 3:20am on the complaint of SI Ghulam Sarwar under the same sections as the prior FIR. Sarwar claimed that he and other police officers were on duty at Express Chowk when at 12:30am, 100-150 PTI protesters — allegedly equipped with rods and flammable materials — “chanted slogans, incited people and set fire to the trees and Metro Bus station” near Geo Chowk, along with smashing the windows of Geo News’ office.

SI Sarwar alleged that as the police tried to disperse the crowd, the PTI workers resorted to pelting stones and also damaged a government bus. He added that 39 individuals were subsequently arrested.

Meanwhile, on May 28, a Dawn report revealed that 11 more cases were registered against the PTI leadership, including Imran, and other PTI activists under different sections of the PPC by the Loi Bher, Secretariat police, Aabapra police, Golra police, Bhara Kahu police, Tarnol police, and Koral police among others.

Imran Khan’s march for “haqeeqi azadi” — true freedom — was preceded by the authorities invoking of Section 144, a measure used to curb gatherings. Shipping containers were put in place on major thoroughfares to block their path.

Undeterred by the moves, the marchers, who tried to force through the containers to make their way to Islamabad, were met with tear gas as police tried to disperse them. Police also charged at them with batons.

Television footage showed smoke rising from the ground and fires in the green belts adjacent to Islamabad’s main roads. The government claimed that the PTI supporters had set the fires whereas the claim from the PTI camp was that the fires were a result of police shelling. Neither claim could be independently verified.

Monsoon rains: 19 more perish, hundreds marooned in Balochistan, KP

Heavy rains and floods have unleashed devastation in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, leaving 19 more dead and hundreds of others stranded in both provinces, disaster management authorities said.

Relentless monsoon rains have pummeled the country and spelled disaster in towns, cities and villages alike.

The Pakistan Army, Frontier Corps have been aiding the civil administration in rescue and relief operations in the provinces.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif departed for Balochistan to visit the flood-affected areas of the province and review the rescue and relief operations in the province, Information Marriyum Aurangzeb said on Saturday.

She tweeted that the premier had reached Jacobabad where he was briefed by officials of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the chief secretary of Balochistan.

After Balochistan, he will also visit Punjab and Sindh.

Balochistan in particular has seen uncharacteristically heavy rains during the monsoon season this year. In the last 24 hours, nine of a family drowned after they were swept away by the floods, the PDMA said in an update.

The deceased include seven children and a woman.

According to Balochistan Chief Secretary Abdul Aziz Uqaili, since June 1, rains have taken the lives of 124 people and damaged 10,000 houses in the province.

At a press conference on Friday, he revealed that floods damaged approximately 565 km of roads and 197,930-acre of agricultural land while 712 livestock also died.

He said 17,500 people affected by heavy rains and flash floods were rescued while the federal and the provincial governments have announced Rs1 million compensation for the deceased.

Section 144 has been enforced in the province and the citizens have been advised to avoid unnecessary travel for 10 days, Uqaili added.

Meanwhile, the road link of Balochistan with Sindh was completely cut off after a bridge and a road connecting the two provinces were damaged in Lasbela and Khuzdar, respectively.

Traffic on the Quetta-Karachi highway was still suspended due to collapsing of major bridges and sweeping away of big portions of the highway.

Separately, trade between Pakistan and Iran was suspended after rains and flash floods washed away Quetta-Zahedan rail track at various points

A rescue operation by the PDMA and the Pakistan Army is underway in the province. On Saturday, relief goods were sent to flood-affected people in Quetta, Nasirabad, Jaffarabad, Dera Bughti, Khuzdar, Noshki and Kila Saifullah.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, at least 10 people were killed and 17 injured in floods and roof collapses, according to a report issued by the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA).

It said that in the last 36 hours, nearly 100 houses were completely damaged in the floods leaving residents stranded in waist-high water and no roof. The most-affected areas include Khyber, Mansehra, Lower Dir, Buner, Swabi and Dera Ismail Khan.

The PDMA has warned that there were high-level floods in the Kabul and Jandi rivers and instructed administration to relocate people living in neighbouring areas.

It added that the public could reach out to 1700 in case of an emergency situation.

PM Shehbaz, Hamza to be indicted on Sept 7 in money laundering case

A special court in Lahore on Saturday fixed September 7 for the indictment of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, his son Hamza Shahbaz, and others, for their alleged involvement in money laundering of Rs16 billion in the sugar scam case.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) booked Shehbaz and his sons Hamza and Suleman in November 2021 under sections 419, 420, 468, 471, 34 and 109 of the Prevention of Corruption Act and r/w 3/4 of the Anti Money Laundering Act. Suleman Shehbaz is absconding in the UK.

During the hearing today, property details of Suleman, who was declared a proclaimed offender in the multi-billion-rupee money laundering case, were submitted in the court.

In December 2021, the FIA had submitted the challan against Shehbaz and Hamza before the special court for their alleged involvement in laundering an amount of Rs16 billion in the sugar scam case.

According to the FIA report submitted to the court, the investigation team has "detected 28 benami accounts of the Shehbaz family through which money laundering of Rs16.3bn was committed during 2008-18. The FIA examined the money trail of 17,000 credit transactions."

The report added that the amount was kept in "hidden accounts" and "given to Shehbaz in a personal capacity".

This amount (Rs16 billion) has nothing to do with the sugar business (of Shehbaz family), it claimed. The money received from the accounts of low-wage employees by Shehbaz was transferred outside Pakistan via hundi/hawala networks, ultimately destined for the beneficial use of his family members, the FIA had alleged.

"Eleven low-paid employees of the Sharif group who 'held and possessed' the laundered proceeds on behalf of the principal accused, are found guilty of facilitating money laundering. The three other co-accused of the Sharif group also actively facilitated the money laundering," the agency had said.

No political party can use foreign funds as per law: Musadik Malik

Minister of State for Petroleum Dr Musadik Malik said as per law of the land, no political party could get funds from other than Pakistani citizens.

“If anyone has to do politics in Pakistan, funds can only be received from Pakistani citizens, not anyone else you cannot take funds from any foreign state or its cabinet member, if taken, it will not only be considered illegal but the party will also be ceased as per Pakistani laws ” he said while addressing a news conference.

He said an international newspaper had narrated the story of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s foreign funds, which the party leadership received from Arif Naqvi, chief executive of a foreign company, ‘Abraj Capital’, which was being run with foreigners’ investment.

He said Arif Naqvi, working as the ‘fund manager’ of foreign investors, was now facing jail in the United Kingdom on charges of fraudulent activities and for involvement in different ‘black money schemes’.

Musadik Malik said a cricket club was established abroad for sending funds to the PTI and in that regard the first payment of $1.2 million was received from the Abraj Investment. The PTI also got £2 million from the cabinet member of a foreign country, he added.

He recalled that Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz leader Nawaz Sharif was disqualified lifetime by the apex court for just holding an ‘Iqama’ (residential permit) of his son’s company.