Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif gave a statement in a special court on Saturday in connection with the 16 billion Pakistani Rupee money laundering case registered against him. He said that during his tenure as the Chief Minister of Punjab, he did not even take the salary and he did so because of being Majnu. Shahbaz and his sons- Hamza and Suleman were booked by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in November 2020 under various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

Hamza is currently the chief minister of Punjab province, while Suleiman is absconding and living in Britain. In its investigation, the FIA ​​has unearthed 28 alleged Benami accounts of the Shahbaz family through which money laundering to the tune of Rs 14 billion was made from 2008 to 2018. During the hearing, Shahbaz said that I have not taken anything from the government in 12.5 years, and in this case, I am accused of money laundering of Rs 25 lakh.

Dawn newspaper quoted him as saying that Allah has made me the Prime Minister of this country. I am a Majnu i.e. an idiot and I had not taken my legal rights, my salary, and benefits. Shahbaz first became the Chief Minister of Punjab in 1997. At that time his brother Nawaz Sharif was the Prime Minister of the country.

After the overthrow of the Nawaz Sharif government by General Pervez Musharraf in 1999, Shahbaz spent eight years in exile in Saudi Arabia with his family before returning to Pakistan in 2007. He became the Chief Minister of Punjab for the second time in 2008 and came to power for the third time in 2013.

Shahbaz told the court that my family suffered a loss of two billion rupees due to my decision. I am telling you the reality. Even when my son's ethanol production plant was being set up, I decided to levy a duty on ethanol. Because of that decision, my family suffered a loss of Rs 80 crore annually.

Troubled Sri Lanka is exploring options to buy oil from Russia. A senior minister said on Sunday. Sri Lanka is desperate to replenish its dwindling fuel stocks amid an unprecedented economic crisis due to a severe shortage of foreign exchange reserves. On Sunday, the price of petrol was hiked by LKR 50 and diesel by LKR 60 respectively, which is the third price revision in two months.

State-owned refinery Ceylon Petroleum Corporation on Saturday informed the Sri Lankan government that the move was necessitated after the arrival of fuel shipments was delayed due to banking and logistical reasons. Given the dire scenario, Sri Lanka's Minister of Power and Energy Kanchana Wijesekera stressed that the government is exploring options to buy oil from Russia. He said, “We are looking for diplomatic channels. The last ship to arrive was a Russian ship."

Two ministers to visit Russia on Monday
Wijesekera said on Sunday that our first letter of credit was rejected by international banks because the ship was owned by a Russian company. He said the two ministers are scheduled to visit Russia on Monday to discuss fuel and other diplomatic matters. Let us tell you that last week, the Sri Lankan government approached several companies suggested by the Russian Embassy in Colombo for the purchase of crude oil.

"Meanwhile, the government has also decided to implement a token system for the supply of fuel to the people waiting in the queue at the filling station," Wijesekera said. The minister said, “This program will be implemented from Monday, for which the government has sought the help of the soldiers from the police and the army.”

shortage of essentials in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka is facing the worst economic crisis since independence in 1948, due to which food, medicine, cooking gas, and fuel are being sold across the country. There has been a severe shortage of essential commodities like