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ARY NEWS

Farid Ahmed (Qureshi)

  • Ailing Nawaz Sharif spotted visiting factory in UK

    Ailing Nawaz Sharif spotted visiting factory in UK

    LONDON: A video of ailing former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, visiting a factory in the UK has surfaced on Wednesday, ARY News reported.

    The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz supremo has been in London since 2019 for medical treatment.

    As per details, ailing Nawaz Sharif along with his sons and Ishaq Dar was spotted visiting a factory in Nelson, a town in the Borough of Pendle in Lancashire, UK.

    Nelson is 255 miles away from London.

    In the video, the former prime minister can be seen visiting different sections of the factory and getting a briefing from the staff.

    Upon contact, the Sharif family said, Nawaz Sharif, visited the factory at the invitation of his friend and had lunch.

    Read more: Nawaz Sharif advised against travelling in fresh medical report

    Sharif’s medical report

    On Tuesday, a fresh medical report of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was submitted to the Lahore High Court (LHC).

    According to the report, a copy of which is available with ARY News, the PML-N supremo’s physician had advised him against travelling back to the country.

    “During my recent evaluation, I found Mr. Sharif under a lot of stress, if he returns to Pakistan without undergoing a definitive treatment in London, the stress of living again in a solitary confinement, as well as the loss of a partner, can further compromise his cardiac status before definitive treatment can be rendered,” Dr Fayaz Shawl wrote in the report.

  • Broadsheet demands additional £1.2mn from NAB under legal expenses: sources

    Broadsheet demands additional £1.2mn from NAB under legal expenses: sources

    LONDON: A UK-based asset recovery firm, Broadsheet, has asked National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and the federal government to pay an additional 1.2 million pounds in terms of legal expenses, ARY NEWS reported.

    According to details, the Broadsheet company has previously received US$30 million from Pakistan in terms of what it claimed assets being identified by the UK-based firm. The sources further said that the firm has also been paid 920,000 pounds on August 17.

    The asset recovery firm has now asked NAB to clear dues in terms of its legal expenses in a letter conveyed to the lawyers of the accountability watchdog in London.

    The lawyers representing Broadsheet said that they had to strive hard for retrieving money from the NAB and the additional 1.2 million pounds are being sought in terms of the legal efforts they had made for the recovery of the money.

    UK-based asset recovery firm Broadsheet LLC was hired in 2000 by General Pervez Musharraf’s government to help recover assets stashed by past Pakistani rulers abroad.

    The Broadsheet inquiry commission report was made public after the approval of the federal cabinet that met with PM Imran Khan in the chair in April.

    The commission has blamed the country’s bureaucracy for delaying payments to the firm hired for finding assets of political leaders abroad that led to a US$9 million fine.

    According to some of the findings compiled by Justice retd Azmat Saeed, conveyed to the prime minister, the bureaucracy tried its best to hide the record and the noncooperation from various ministries and the institutions should have made Mohan Das Gandhi, happy.

    The record was found missing not only in Islamabad but at the Pakistani Embassy in the United Kingdom, the report said.
  • UK removes Pakistan from travel red list

    UK removes Pakistan from travel red list

    LONDON: The United Kingdom (UK) has removed Pakistan from its travel red list after the British authorities on Friday updated its travel advisory, ARY NEWS reported quoting British High Commissioner Christian Turner.

    According to details, besides Pakistan, Turkey, Bangladesh, Maldives and Oman have also been removed from the UK red list in the recent review. Pakistan and other countries are included in the rest of the world list.

    UK’s Secretary of State for Transport also confirmed the move from his Twitter handle.


    On August 26, Pakistan was retained on the red list as United Kingdom (UK) government updated its travel advisory for countries barred from flying into the Kingdom.

    During the August review, seven countries, namely, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Switzerland, and the Azores were moved into the green list starting at 4 am on Monday, August 30.

    Read More: TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS: ‘UK LIKELY TO REMOVE PAKISTAN FROM RED LIST ON SEPT 16’

    Travellers from these destinations needed not to have to quarantine regardless of whether they are fully vaccinated, but will still need to take pre-departure and day 2 tests and complete a passenger locator form.

    Thailand and Montenegro were added to the red list from 4am on Monday 30 August 2021, reflecting the increased case rates in these countries and the higher risk that travel from these countries poses to UK public health.

  • Reviewing Pakistan’s red list status, British PM Boris Johnson tells envoy  

    Reviewing Pakistan’s red list status, British PM Boris Johnson tells envoy  

    LONDON: Pakistan’s High Commissioner in London Moazzam Ahmad Khan on Saturday called on British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to raise the issue of Pakistan’s presence on the red list citing a spike in the COVID-19 case, ARY NEWS reported.

    The British prime minister said that they were reviewing COVID-19 statistics to mull over if the country could be removed from the red list.

    “We continuously review changes in the red list,” Boris Johnson conveyed it to the Pakistani high commissioner amid hopes that the country would be removed from the list soon.

    Pakistan had been placed on the red list in early April 02 and India on April 19 due to a spike in COVID-19 cases and detection of the Delta variant following the UK’s ‘traffic light’ system for international travel.

    British lawmakers have also criticised their government for keeping Pakistan on its ‘red list’ whilst promoting India to the ‘amber list’ for international travel despite a clear difference in the COVID-19 situation in both countries.

    The criticism was launched by some British MPs following updated travel listings issued by the UK government where Pakistan and other countries were placed on high-risk countries’ red list while India will be promoted to medium risk countries’ ‘amber list’ from August 8 along with Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

  • Statement against PM Imran’s kids: Police complaint filed against Maryam Nawaz in London

    Statement against PM Imran’s kids: Police complaint filed against Maryam Nawaz in London

    LONDON: A complaint has been filed against Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) vice-president Maryam Nawaz at London police station for delivering a statement against the children of Prime Minister Imran Khan, ARY News reported on Tuesday.

    An overseas Pakistani has lodged a complaint against Maryam Nawaz at Kent police station over her statement against Imran Khan’s children. It stated that Maryam’s statement against Imran Khan’s kid came under the hate speech.

    overseas pakistani ban maryam nawaz hate speech uk

    The overseas Pakistani sought imposition of a ban on Maryam Nawaz to enter the United Kingdom (UK).

    Earlier, Maryam Nawaz and PM Khan’s former wife Jemima Goldsmith had engaged in a spat on Twitter over the former’s “antisemitic” statement during a rally in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

    Responding to Maryam’s remarks, Ms Goldsmith said she left Pakistan after “antisemitic attacks” by the media and local politicos.

    “My kids are “being raised in the lap of the Jews,” announced @MaryamNSharif today,” she tweeted.

    READ: MARYAM, JEMIMA ENGAGE IN TWITTER SPAT

    “I left Pakistan in 2004 after a decade of antisemitic attacks by the media & politicians (& weekly death threats & protests outside my house). But still it continues.”

    Hitting back at Jemima Goldsmith, the PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz had tweeted: “I have absolutely no interest in you, your sons or your personal lives because I have better things to do and say but if your ex drags in families of others out of spite, others will have nastier things to say. You have only your ex to blame.”

    It all started when Prime Minister Khan, addressing a public rally in Azad Kashmir, hit out at former premier Nawaz Sharif, who went to the UK in 2019 for treatment, for attending his grandson Junaid Safdar’s polo match.

    In response, Maryam Nawaz, who has been in Azad Jammu and Kashmir for the past few days running her party’s campaign to woo voters ahead of the July 25 election in the region, blasted him, “He [Junaid] is Nawaz Sharif’s grandson, not Goldsmith’s. He is not being raised in the laps of Jews.”

  • COVID-19 spread: UK adds Pakistan, more countries to ‘red list’

    COVID-19 spread: UK adds Pakistan, more countries to ‘red list’

    LONDON: The United Kingdom (UK) has added more countries including Pakistan and Bangladesh to its red list from April 9 – 2021 in order to curb the spread of COVID-19 variants internationally, ARY News reported on Friday.

    The British authorities have added Pakistan, Bangladesh, the Philippines and Kenya to its red list to be effective from 4:00 am (local time) Friday, April 9 – 2021 for implementing travel bans on visitors from the countries.

    Under the restrictions imposed by the UK Department for Transport, British, Irish and third-country nationals with residence rights (including long-term visa holders) will be required to self-isolate in a government-approved hotel quarantine facility for 10 days.

    The passengers will have to bear expenses of around £1,500 for staying at a hotel during the quarantine period in the UK.

    Moreover, the move follows new data showing an increased risk of importation of variants of concern.

    The international visitors who have departed from or transited through Pakistan, Bangladesh, the Philippines and Kenya in the previous 10 days will be refused entry into England, according to the UK authorities.

    Only British and Irish citizens, or those with residence rights in the UK (including long-term visa holders), will be allowed to enter and they must stay in a government-approved quarantine facility for 10 days.

    The passengers will also be required to arrive at a designated port. No direct flight bans from these countries will be put in place, but passengers are advised to check their travel plans before departing for England.

    During their stay, passengers will be required to take a coronavirus test on or before day 2 and on or after day 8, and they will not be allowed to shorten their quarantine period on receipt of a negative test result.

    They will also not be able to end their managed quarantine early through the Test to Release scheme.

    The UK transport department stated that the additional restrictions will help to reduce the risk of new variants – such as those first identified in South Africa (SA) and Brazil – entering England at a critical time for the vaccine programme.

    So far, surveillance has found that few cases of the SA variant have been identified as being imported from Europe, with most coming from other parts of the world, it added.

  • All migrants living in UK eligible for COVID-19 vaccine

    All migrants living in UK eligible for COVID-19 vaccine

    LONDON: Migrants living in Britain will be eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccines regardless of whether they have the legal right to live and work in the country, the government said on Monday, adding that getting the shot would not trigger immigration checks.

    The Daily Mail newspaper has reported that those living in Britain who entered the country illegally would be encouraged to register with their local doctor so they could be vaccinated when their turn comes.

    Asked about that report, which described the policy as an “amnesty”, a government spokeswoman said: “Coronavirus vaccines will be offered to everyone living in the UK free of charge, regardless of immigration status.

    “Those registered with a GP (General Practitioner) are being contacted at the earliest opportunity and we are working closely with partners and external organisations to contact those who are not registered with a GP to ensure they are also offered the vaccine.”

    The government said patients undergoing vaccinations, treatment or testing for the coronavirus were not subject to immigration status checks.

    Britain has already given first vaccine shots to more than 12 million people. The vaccination programme is running ahead of its European peers, in part due because Britain was the first to approve shots from Pfizer and AstraZeneca.

    Britain’s vaccination strategy makes no formal priority of migrants, instead focusing on reaching the eldest and most vulnerable first.

    However, some European countries have made a priority of vaccinating refugees, given the risk that new arrivals being housed in asylum centres could spread infection.

    In Germany, asylum seekers have been included in the second group to be vaccinated – along with people over 70 and police officers – and should start getting shots in March, according to the government’s vaccination strategy.

  • UK court allows extradition of Abraaj founder Arif Naqvi to US

    UK court allows extradition of Abraaj founder Arif Naqvi to US

    LONDON: A court in London ordered to hand over the Pakistani businessman and the founder of the collapsed Dubai private equity firm Abraaj Capital Ltd, Arif Naqvi to the United States (US), ARY News reported on Thursday.

    Arif Naqvi was arrested in the United Kingdom in April 2019, Friday while managing partner Mustafa Abdel-Wadood was arrested at a New York hotel.

    The judgment was announced by Westminster Magistrates Court. Naqvi facing at least 16 charges including defrauding his investors and money laundering.

    The founder of the Abraaj group could face imprisonment of upto 300 years if charges leveled against him were proven.

    Abraaj had been the largest buyout fund in the Middle East and North Africa until it collapsed in the middle of 2018 after the Gates Foundation and other investors raised concerns about the management of its $1 billion healthcare fund.

    Read more: Abraaj co-founder offered $20million to secure Nawaz’s cooperation in selling K-Electric stake: WSJ

    The SEC alleges that Naqvi and his firm raised money for the Abraaj Growth Markets Health Fund, collecting more than $100 million over three years from U.S.-based charitable organizations and other U.S. investors.

    According to the SEC’s complaint, Naqvi misappropriated money from the health fund and commingled the assets with corporate funds of Abraaj Investment Management Ltd and its parent company, and used it for purposes unrelated to the health fund.

  • London HC’s letter raises questions on NAB’s role during Broadsheet case 

    London HC’s letter raises questions on NAB’s role during Broadsheet case 

    ISLAMABAD: The role of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has come under the radar in the Broadsheet case on Friday after a letter sent from Pakistan’s High Commission in London in December 2020 emerged today, ARY NEWS reported.

    According to details, ARY NEWS has obtained a letter of the high commission sent to the NAB, foreign ministry, attorney general, and finance division of the country via fax on December 30.


    It said that the UBL had warned them regarding a payment to the Broadsheet, to which the bank was conveyed that any unilateral payment will be a violation of international laws.

    We have conveyed to the bank that any such transaction could affect bilateral relations, it read while further apprising that the British foreign office was also conveyed regarding the matter.

    The FCDO was asked to raise the matter before the British authorities as the high commission is exempted from any such action under the Vienna Convention.

    “The bank accounts of the high commission could not be used without permission under any circumstances,” the letter read while conveying the HC’s communication with the British authorities.

    The letter further read that the account of the high commission, which currently has an amount of US$26.15 million, is in the use of the NAB authorities.

    It said that the payment of US$28.7 million has to be made under the court orders, which is US$2.55 million short of the available amount and asked the concerned authorities to immediately make arrangements of the remaining money as non-payment could lead to serious legal and financial issues for the country.

    Read More: NA standing committee summons NAB chairman for Broadsheet case briefing

    Citing the London high commission’s letter, serious questions have been raised including as to why a large sum of money was left at the embassy’s account used the NAB; from where remaining funds of US$2.55 million were arranged within few hours, and if NAB had conveyed the government regarding the additional payment.

    Journalist and host of ARY NEWS programme, Power Play, Arshad Sharif while commenting on the matter said that the ministry of finance and foreign affairs were repeatedly reminded through letters that only the amount needed for day-to-day expenses should be present in the account.

    He, however, said the warnings were neglected which led to the entire fiasco, leading the country to pay a hefty amount to the Broadsheet company.

  • Broadsheet owner says was offered bribe to drop probe against Sharifs

    Broadsheet owner says was offered bribe to drop probe against Sharifs

    LONDON: Broadsheet CEO Kaveh Mousavi has said that he was offered a $25 million bribe to drop an asset probe against the Sharif family.

    In an exclusive interview to ARY News, he revealed that a person who introduced himself as former premier Nawaz Sharif’s nephew offered the bribe to drop the probe.

    “Anjum Dar had several photographs of himself sitting with Nawaz Sharif. He said he was his [Nawaz’s] nephew. I have witnesses who were sitting with me in that meeting,” Mousavi said.

    UK-based asset recovery firm Broadsheet LLC was hired in 2000 by General Pervez Musharraf’s government to help recover assets stashed by past Pakistani rulers abroad.

    “He offered us $25 million to go away,” the firm owner said. “I was a bit confused…Because Sharifs were not in power and it was Zardari’s government. The massage was they didn’t want this thing to go any further. They didn’t want any further investigation.”

    He said he refused to take the bribe.

    When asked if his firm found anything about Sharif and Zardari, he replied that he pointed out Zardari’s estate in Surrey, which, to “lasting shame of the Government of Pakistan was restored to Mr Zardari.”

    “Whole my efforts to grab it and sell it on behalf of the Government of Pakistan were sabotaged,” he said.