Category: 1. Pakistan

The removal of opposition lawmakers from Punjab Assembly’s standing committees marks a grave regression for parliamentary democracy in Pakistan. In a move that reeks of political vengeance more than institutional discipline, the government has initiated the process of removing nine out of thirteen opposition chairpersons from the house committees – four of whom have already been shown the door. This step, taken in the aftermath of protests during Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s speech and the budget session, threatens to turn the legislative apparatus into a one-sided affair devoid of accountability.

Standing committees are the bedrock of legislative oversight. They are designed specifically to maintain checks and balances by scrutinising the work of government departments. Such committees are cross-party units, a fourth of which were currently chaired by members of the opposition PTI. By sidelining the opposition chairpersons, the ruling party risks converting the assembly’s internal watchdogs into echo chambers.

No one can condone the rowdy and inappropriate behaviour displayed by some PTI MPAs. But parliamentary disruptions are hardly new to Pakistan. Previous governments have also faced and tolerated such intense opposition resistance. What makes this move particularly dangerous is its selective and disproportionate nature. The decision to dismantle nearly all opposition-led committees instead of reprimanding individual lawmakers for their conduct casts a wide net over the very idea of opposition itself. In doing so, the ruling dispensation has signalled that political resistance will not only be discouraged in the House, but also structurally removed from its corridors. With the opposition effectively sidelined from committee work, the government will be left to police itself.

Governance without opposition is governance without accountability. The Speaker and the ruling party must reconsider the broader implications of their actions. Stripping oversight in the name of order risks pushing Pakistan’s legislature into a dangerous imbalance.

The Justice Department has charged a Pakistani national who allegedly orchestrated a $650 million fraud scheme that primarily targeted an Arizona Medicaid program offering addiction treatment and other services for Native Americans.

Court papers say the defendant, Farrukh Ali, conspired with at least 41 substance abuse clinics to bill the state for hundreds of millions of dollars for substance abuse services that were never provided, not provided as billed or were medically unnecessary. Many of the patients who were enrolled — but not given legitimate treatment — were recruited from the homeless population or Native American reservations, officials say.

The Ali indictment is one of nearly 200 federal cases that the department announced Monday as part of its 2025 national health care fraud takedown. The effort is part of the department’s long-running campaign to combat fraud in the health care sector, which officials estimate at around $300 billion per year.

This year’s takedown involved $14.6 billion in intended losses, making it the largest health care fraud takedown in department history, officials said.

“Today marks a decisive moment in our fight to protect American taxpayers from fraudsters, and to defend the integrity of America’s health care system,” said Matthew Galeotti, the head of the department’s Criminal Division.

“These criminals didn’t just steal someone else’s money. They stole from you,” he added. “Every fraudulent claim, every fake billing, every kickback scheme represents money taken directly from the pockets of American taxpayers.”

The actual losses in the charged cases total $2.9 billion, according to the department.

The cases reflect the full spectrum of health care fraud, from an alleged $10.6 billion urinary catheter scheme by a transnational criminal organization to a purported $1 billion wound care scheme targeting hospice Medicare patients and Ali’s alleged substance abuse fraud scheme in Arizona.

How did the alleged fraud scheme work?

Ali, who is not in U.S. custody and is believed to be in Pakistan, faces conspiracy, wire fraud and money laundering charges. He could not be reached for comment.

According to prosecutors, he owned and operated a company called ProMD Solutions LLC, which was organized in Arizona but based in Pakistan. The firm provided credentialing and enrolling, medical coding and billing services for medical practices, court papers say.

Between April 2021 and July 2023, prosecutors say that Ali struck agreements with at least 41 substance abuse clinics in Arizona, including two identified in court papers as TUSA and CHWC. Both companies were listed as outpatient treatment centers that purportedly provided treatment services for people suffering from addiction to drugs and alcohol, according to court papers.

In order to get and keep patients that could bill the state’s Medicaid system, the owners allegedly paid kickbacks and bribes to the owners of sober homes. A premium, however, was put on patients who were enrolled in Arizona’s program for Native Americans, known as AIHP, because they could receive higher reimbursements from the state system.

“In the greater Phoenix area, they were obtaining patients from homeless shelters, encampments, street corners, hospitals, detox centers,” said a Justice Department official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly.

“They were also going to Native American reservations in vans and offering substance abuse treatment and free room and board in Phoenix. And at times, entire families or couples were recruited into it, and they were largely alcoholics or opioid or meth addicts involved in this.”

As part of the purported conspiracy, Ali credentialed and enrolled these clinics as providers with Arizona’s Medicaid system even though the clinics did not provide legitimate care to patients. Ali’s company then billed the state system for the clinics in exchange for a 5 percent cut of the money the state paid out to the facilities.

Ali and his co-conspirators, court papers say, submitted “false and fraudulent claims … for behavioral health substance abuse treatment therapy services that were not provided, were not provided as billed, were not provided by qualified personnel, were so substandard that they failed to serve a treatment purpose, were not used or integrated into any treatment plan, and/or were medically unnecessary.”

They tried to cover up the false claims, according to prosecutors, by falsifying or altering therapy notes to show that patients attended therapy when they did not or that therapy was provided when it was not.

Prosecutors say Ali and the owners of TUSA and CHWC submitted false claims for some $57 million, and were paid out almost $52 million by the state.

In total, Ali submitted some $650 million in false claims, and he and the 41 clinics received approximately $564 in payments from Arizona’s Medicaid system.

Prosecutors say that Ali used almost $3 million of the nearly $25 million he received under the scheme to buy a home on a golf estate in Dubai, U.A.E.

The federal government has announced a price hike for petroleum products, raising the cost of petrol by Rs8.36 per litre and high-speed diesel (HSD) by Rs10.39 per litre, according to a notification issued by the Finance Division late Monday night.

The price of petrol has increased from Rs258.43 to 266.79 per litre, while HSD now costs Rs272.98 per litre, up from the previous Rs262.59. The new rates came into effect immediately from July 1.

This adjustment follows recommendations from the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) and relevant ministries. The government stated that the rise in fuel prices is a result of fluctuating international market trends, which have impacted global oil prices.

Fuel prices in Pakistan are reviewed fortnightly, with adjustments based on changes in international oil prices and the local currency exchange rate.

Also Read: Petrol prices likely to rise by Rs11 per litre

On June 15, the government also increased the prices of petroleum products by up to Rs7.95 per litre.

Based on the recommendations of the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) and relevant ministries, the price of petrol was raised by Rs4.80 per litre, while the price of high-speed diesel (HSD) went up by Rs7.95 per litre.

On the other hand, OGRA has also officially issued a notification for a significant increase in gas prices for domestic and other consumer categories, with the new rates coming into effect from July 1, 2025.

The move brings further financial pressure on inflation-hit citizens, as domestic gas tariffs have been revised upward by up to 50% in certain categories.

According to the official notification, domestic gas prices have been revised substantially. For household consumers, the new rates will range from Rs200 to Rs4,200 per MMBTU. In addition to the unit-based charges, OGRA has introduced fixed monthly charges for domestic users.

ISLAMABAD:

President Asif Ali Zardari has officially signed the Finance Bill 2026 into law following its approval by both the National Assembly and the Senate. The signing took place after the bill was passed through the necessary legislative processes.

In accordance with the Constitution, the bill, which includes various fiscal measures for the upcoming financial year, was presented to President Zardari after being debated and passed in both houses of Parliament.

Following the president’s signature, the official Gazette notification has been issued, making the bill’s provisions effective immediately.

On June 10, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb unveiled a Rs17.6 trillion federal budget for fiscal year 2025-26, laying stress on the government’s focus on economic stability and growth.

Read more: Govt has agreed to income tax exemption on annual salary below Rs1.2m: Bilawal

In his budget speech in the National Assembly marred by the opposition’s pandemonium, Aurangzeb outlined key economic achievements, saying that remittances have reached $31.2 billion, with projections to rise to $37-38 billion by the end of the current financial year.

Last week, National Assembly approved the budget with certain amendments, rejecting opposition calls for public consultation and clearing the way for a raft of tax reforms, revenue measures, and government spending plans for the coming year.

The session, chaired by Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, began with Aurangzeb moving the Finance Bill 2025, which was taken up for a clause-by-clause review.

Opposition members proposed an amendment to delay the approval of the bill and seek public consultation, but this amendment was overwhelmingly rejected.

LAHORE: While conflict raged between the powerful militaries of India and Pakistan, a battle was also fought on the cultural front lines despite years of shared love for films and music.

The deadly fighting in early May — the worst in decades — affected artists previously untouched by animosity between their leaders.

Ali Gul Pir, a Pakistani rapper and comedian with a huge Indian following, released a song years ago mocking Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

While he was spared consequences then, in May, his YouTube channel and Instagram profile were blocked in India.

“Indians now recognize that the digital space serves as a bridge between Pakistanis and Indians, and they seem intent on severing that connection,” Pir told AFP.

The collapse in bilateral relations was caused by a deadly April attack on tourists in India-administered Kashmir, which New Delhi blamed on Islamabad.

Pakistan denied the allegation and, after tit-for-tat diplomatic retaliation, their militaries fought for four days before a ceasefire was reached.

The conflict hit the music industry for the first time, with Pakistani singer Annural Khalid also remembering how her Indian following dropped off.

“Delhi was my top listening city before the ban,” said Khalid, who has 3.1 million monthly listeners on Spotify.

“I suffered a great loss in the audience” from India, she told AFP.

“Listeners were deprived of content because music was turned into something it is not,” Khalid added.

The conflict also scrubbed out some prior exchanges, such as the soundtrack of the 2017 film “Raees” on Spotify in India.

It now shows only Indian actor Shah Rukh Khan, without his Pakistani co-star Mahira Khan.

With Pakistan producing just a handful of movies each year under strict censorship rules, Bollywood has always proven popular among viewers.

“I grew up watching Bollywood. We have the same traumas, we have the same history, we have the same stories,” said Pakistani film critic Sajeer Shaikh.

Pakistani actors and directors have for decades seen making it to Bollywood as the ultimate recognition.

But this month, Indian star Diljit Dosanjh announced his latest movie, “Sardaar Ji 3,” which features four Pakistani actors, would be released “overseas only,” after New Delhi banned Pakistani content and artists from productions.

“Abir Gulaal,” a love story starring Pakistan’s Fawad Khan and Indian actor Vaani Kapoor, was scheduled to hit Indian cinemas on May 9 but the release was postponed.

Even some in the industry who had previously backed the cross-border artistic trade changed their tune last month.

“Everything should be banned… cricket, films, everything,” said Indian actor Suniel Shetty, who has a big fan following in Pakistan.

He starred in the 2004 movie “Main Hoon Na,” which subtly promotes peace between India and Pakistan.

“It’s something really unfortunate about politics, creating that rift and putting boundaries around art,” said Dua Zahra, assistant manager at Warner Bros South Asia’s music label in Pakistan.

As part of its measures in the wake of the Kashmir attack, New Delhi’s ban on some Pakistani YouTube channels included private broadcaster HUM TV.

The channel, which says around 40 percent of its viewers are from India, simply told its fans to use a VPN to continue watching.

Since Modi took office more than a decade ago, many Indian critics and filmmakers have warned that Bollywood is now increasingly promoting his government’s Hindu nationalist ideology.

While the conflict has created divisions on the cultural scene, there are signs that the trade will endure.

Over a month after the ceasefire, three Indian films were in the top 10 on Netflix Pakistan, while the top 20 trending songs in India included two Pakistani tracks.

Pir, the rapper and comedian, vowed to “bridge gaps.”

“Let’s not make war, let’s just make art,” he said.

“Let’s just not bomb each other.”