ISLAMABAD: Former President Asif Ali Zardari and his sister, Faryal Talpur, on Monday filed a review petition against the Supreme Court’s January 7 decision in the ongoing money laundering case.
The defendants stated in the petition, “The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) failed to submit a final challan in the banking court and the agency was unable to find any evidence against them despite cooperation from all institutions.”
The FIA, in July 2018, obtained the remand of Hussain Lawai, Chairman Central Depository Company (CDC) and a close aide of Zardari’s, after registering a case against him and others for using a fake bank account to launder Rs35 billion ($288 million).
According to a case registered by FIA’s Banking Circle Karachi, The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader and his sister are among 13 people who benefited from the arrangement.
The police First Investigation Report (FIR) says that M/S Zardari Group (Asif Ali Zardari, Faryal Talpur, etc) got Rs15 million and were among the beneficiaries of the transaction trail of fake bank accounts maintained by Omni Group, owned by Anwar Majeed, another close aide of the former president.
“The SC formed a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) on FIA’s request. Zardari and Talpur appeared before the JIT and submitted written replies. In the absence of law, a JIT comprising members of different institutions cannot be formed,” added the review petition.
The petition maintains that the JIT could not find any direct evidence against Zardari or Talpur. “The JIT presented a report in the SC without including our stance and the report is based on assumptions,” the petition added.
The JIT has also recommended a further inquiry and the top court agreed that the investigative team could not present substantial evidence, it continued.
There was no reason to transfer the case from Karachi to Islamabad and Zardari has been the target of political revenge throughout his life, the review petition further read.
Zardari and Talpur in the petition said that the SC decision will affect the “fair trial” and that the top court’s January 7 should be reviewed.
In light of the JIT report, the SC had directed the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to conduct a fresh investigation within two months and file references against the accused in the case.
Zardari, Talpur file review petition in money laundering case
Zardari, Talpur file review petition in money laundering case
- Review petition maintains the JIT could not find direct evidence against Zardari or Talpur
- The SC had directed NAB to conduct fresh investigation within two months and file references against the accused
Pakistani student launches ‘Urdu ChatGPT’ AI model
- Developer says “Qalb” is largest large language model built exclusively for Urdu
- Project highlights push to localize artificial intelligence for non-English users
ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani student studying in the United States has launched an artificial intelligence model designed exclusively for the Urdu language, a development its creator says could help bridge longstanding gaps in access to advanced digital tools for millions of speakers worldwide.
The project, called Qalb, is positioned as an Urdu-first large language model at a time when most generative AI systems are primarily trained on English and other widely used global languages. Supporters of language-specific models argue they can improve accuracy, cultural relevance and accessibility for users in education, business and public services.
Urdu is spoken by more than 230 million people globally, including in Pakistan, India and diaspora communities, but remains under-represented in advanced AI systems. Efforts to localize artificial intelligence have increasingly been seen as critical for widening participation in digital economies, particularly in developing countries.
“Qalb is now recognized as the world’s largest Large Language Model created exclusively for the Urdu language,” Taimoor Hassan, the project’s developer, was quoted this month in a report in state-run news agency APP.
“Trained on a massive dataset of 1.97 billion tokens and benchmarked across seven-plus international evaluation frameworks, Qalb outperforms existing Urdu-focused AI models on key real-world performance indicators, setting a new standard for natural language processing in Pakistan,” Hassan said.
“This is a development model and in the next phase we would soon launch App for mobile and web so that people could use and benefit from Qalb ChatGPT.”
Hassan completed his undergraduate degree in computer science at FAAST University’s Peshawar campus and is currently studying for a master’s degree in computer science and software engineering at Auburn University in the United States. According to APP, he is a serial entrepreneur who has previously launched and exited multiple startups and has represented Pakistan at international technology forums.
“I had the opportunity to contribute in a small way to a much bigger mission for the country,” Hassan said.
“Together with my undergraduate roommates and teammates, Jawad Ahmed and Muhammad Awais, we are committed to continuously fine-tuning localized models for niche industries, which we believe can become a major breakthrough for Pakistan.”
Both collaborators are also graduates of FAAST University Peshawar Campus and are currently studying in Germany, APP reported.
The team behind Qalb said the model is intended to support local businesses, startups, educational platforms and voice-based digital services, arguing that meaningful innovation is no longer limited to large technology firms.
“Technology is no longer locked behind big budgets or big teams. With the right mindset, even a small group can build products that educate, automate, and serve millions,” Hassan told APP.
