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Category: National

  • American woman dumped by Pakistani boyfriend refuses to return home

    American woman dumped by Pakistani boyfriend refuses to return home

    The American woman, who was dumped by her “online” boyfriend in Pakistan, has refused to return home, it has emerged.

    Onijah Andrew Robinson had on October 11 reached Karachi to marry 19-year-old Nidal Memon whom she met on social media. She had become distraught after the boy’s parents refused to get the two married, leading to a flood of her videos and pictures from the airport on the internet.

    According to reports, her stay in Karachi extended beyond her visa’s validity, leaving her stranded. Eventually, an NGO provided financial assistance and a ticket for her return. However, at Jinnah International Airport, she refused to go back, delaying Qatar Airways flight QR 611 to New York via Doha by 36 minutes.

    Reports quoted officials as saying that she first declined immigration and later refused to board the aircraft.

    Despite police and the Airport Security Force (ASF) escorting her to the departure lounge, she resisted boarding, citing various excuses. Security protocols prevented authorities from forcing her onto the plane.

    After months of struggle in Karachi, she was handed over to airport police when her visa expired. She was also admitted to the airport emergency clinic due to a flu before her scheduled departure.

    After several hours of efforts by authorities to send Robinson back to her country, a two-member team from the US Consulate arrived at the airport. In a discussion with airport officials, the US Consulate’s team said that its aim was to convince Robinson to return home.

    However, they insisted that they could not force her to leave if she did not want to go. Later, police revealed that Robinson refused to seek help from the team and took off in a taxi to an unknown location.

    Reports quoted her as saying that she was going to her husband.

    Earlier, an American woman named Onijah Andrew Robinson, followed a young Pakistani man’s promise of love all the way from New York to Karachi, only to be abandoned at the airport where he rejected her. 


    Onya was left stranded at Karachi Airport for seven days. Her tourist visa expired, leaving her unable to travel. Unable to find a place to stay, she spent those days at the airport, unable to go anywhere.

    After hearing about Onya’s ordeal, Governor Sindh Kamran Tessori took immediate action. He went to the airport himself, helped Onya get a Pakistan visa and arranged a return ticket for her. She is now able to go back home.

  • NAB contacts FIA to extradite Malik Riaz via Interpol, source

    NAB contacts FIA to extradite Malik Riaz via Interpol, source

    In an interesting development, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has written a letter to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to extradite property tycoon Malik Riaz in Pakistan, a source said.

    As per a source, the FIA will secure Riaz’s extradition from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) through the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) and then hand him over to NAB.

    Interpol is an intergovernmental organisation that facilitates police cooperation among 196 member countries.

     
    Interpol’s work focuses on four pressing areas of international crime: terrorism, cybercrime, organised crime, and financial crime with anti-corruption efforts. 

    Following former premier Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi’s conviction in the £190 million case, commonly known as the Al-Qadir Trust case, on January 17, the accountability watchdog said in a press release that Riaz was an absconder in the same case and they had already frozen a number of his assets.


    “Mr Malik Riaz is residing in Dubai, UAE. He has recently launched a project for the construction of luxury apartments in Dubai, UAE. The general public at large is hereby advised and warned to refrain from investing in the stated project. If the general public at large invests in the stated project, their actions would tantamount to money laundering, for which they may face criminal/ legal proceedings,” the press release read.

     
    The controversial property tycoon, in response to the NAB press release against his Dubai-based project, took to X (formerly Twitter) last week, warning, “I am holding back, but there is a storm within me. If this dam breaks, then everyone’s façade will shatter. Don’t forget that the secrets of the past 25–30 years are preserved along with evidence.”

    “My decision yesterday was the same as it is today: no matter how much oppression you inflict, I (Malik Riaz) will not testify,” he said.

  • Trump’s ally shows willingness to invest billions of dollars in Pakistan

    Trump’s ally shows willingness to invest billions of dollars in Pakistan

    Billionaire investor and United States (US) President Donald Trump’s ally, Gentry Beach, has expressed a desire to invest billions of dollars in Pakistan.

    Speaking to media persons in Islamabad, Beach, who is currently heading a high-level US business delegation in the country, said they wanted to invest billions of dollars in Pakistan’s natural resources, energy sector and real estate.

    Beach said he was not an expert on Pakistan’s economic practices, but they were open to exploring all possible areas of investment in the country.

    “Not much attention has so far been given to the oil and gas sector in Pakistan,” he said, adding that they were also willing to help Pakistan unlock its full potential in these sectors.

    The billionaire investor said he wanted to introduce state-of-the-art technology in Pakistan, bringing the country’s development sector at par with the developed world, and expressed hope for every Pakistani to have his or her own house in the future.

    Beach said President Trump was also a businessman and the current leadership of both Pakistan and America shared similar mindsets. However, he went on to clarify, that he had nothing to do with the economic diplomacy of the government. “I am here not for negotiations but for business.”

    He said that it was time for the US to move past the mistakes made by former president Joe Biden’s administration over the past four years, adding that he saw Pakistan as an ally of the US.

    To a question about Presidential Envoy for Special Missions Richard Grenell’s interest in Pakistani politics and support for jailed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, Beach said he believed the president’s aide was misled by deepfake technology.

    He added that Grenell had made the statements according to his understanding of Pakistan.

    It merits a mention that the business delegation’s two-day visit to Pakistan holds particular significance for Pakistan, marking the first of its kind since the Trump administration took charge.

    Reports said the visit would pave way for new investment opportunities, economic cooperation and stronger bilateral ties between the two countries. Several investment agreements between Pakistan and the US have reportedly been signed during the visit.

    Beach’s visit is also seen as a key diplomatic achievement for Pakistan, given his close association with the Trump family and the role he played in President Trump’s previous election campaigns.

    The visit, reports said, underscores the strengthening of economic and political relations between the two countries in the early days of a new American government.

  • ‘Barrister Gohar meets top army officials, again’

    ‘Barrister Gohar meets top army officials, again’

    Prominent journalist Mansoor Ali Khan revealed on Tuesday that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan once again held a meeting with army officials between January 21 and 22.

    Speaking on his YouTube channel, Mansoor, while revealing details of the meeting, stated that PTI demanded the release of the incarcerated Imran Khan, urging the establishment not to try him in military courts.

    Without naming names, he said, “A federal minister was also present in the meeting along with an intelligence officer. However, Chief of Army Staff General Syed Asim Munir was not there this time.”

    Earlier, political analyst Muneeb Farooq, while speaking to a private media outlet, had claimed that a meeting was held between the army chief, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister (CM) Ali Amin Gandapur, Barrister Gohar Khan, and other provincial political leaders in Peshawar.

    Initially, the PTI Chairman had denied meeting the army chief. However, taking a U-turn in his statement, Gohar, while speaking to the media in the Adiala Jail courtroom on January 16, confirmed that, indeed, he had held a meeting with COAS.

    Explaining what had transpired during their rare talk with the COAS, the PTI chairman said that all matters and demands of the party were presented directly to General Asim Munir.

    Barrister Gohar had said, “Ali Amin Gandapur and I held a meeting with the COAS, during which we outlined all of PTI’s concerns and priorities.” Imran Khan had also confirmed the development to reporters by saying that Gohar had met the army chief in Peshawar.

    According to Mansoor Ali Khan, PTI leaders tried to discuss the role of the Chief Secretary of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) in the province. However, the meeting attendees refused to discuss it.

    “During the gathering, the discussion about the Public Accounts Committee also took place,” he said while referring to the recent unopposed appointment of Junaid Akbar as PAC chairman.

    As per the journalist, Gohar, along with the army officials, expressed a wish to hold another meeting in the last week of January or the first week of February, which both sides agreed upon. However, no time frame for the next meeting was announced, Mansoor said.

    Terming the meeting cordial, Mansoor stated that the meeting attendees did not behave aggressively, and there was no row during the gathering.

  • PTI says will replace ‘homeopathic’ leaders with ‘hardliners’; vows to march on Islamabad again

    PTI says will replace ‘homeopathic’ leaders with ‘hardliners’; vows to march on Islamabad again

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) chapter President Junaid Akbar on Tuesday vowed to bring “hardliners” to the party’s key positions, saying that PTI would march again towards Islamabad.

    In a show on a private news channel, the recently appointed Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Junaid Akbar, said, “After the May 8 party reorganization, hardliners will come forward…homeopathic leadership will be sidelined, regardless of whether they hold central or provincial [party] positions.”

    Defining hardliners, Akbar referred to those who had resisted during the May 9, 2023, protest, as well as those who might resist in the future. He added that PTI was deliberating three options for orchestrating protests in February.

    In the same breath, he said, “We’ve finalised the protest at Sawabi on February 8. Another option is to record protests district-wise.”

    Akbar further claimed that the party would bring changes to KP’s provincial cabinet, adding that two new members would be inducted.

    Responding to a question about alleged political victimisation and “conspiracies” being hatched by the federal government, Akbar said attempts were being made to create a forward block in the former ruling party. “We also know who is in contact with whom,” he added.

    Moreover, the PTI provincial president said that he would support the option to close the main roads of KP linked to Gilgit Baltistan, Punjab, and motorways. “Party leadership is deliberating this option,” he sternly said.

    Programme host Hamid Mir asked if PTI was going for a full-fledged war against the incumbent government and whether Imran Khan had no intentions of becoming Prime Minister (PM) again. Akbar quoted Imran Khan as saying, “I have forgotten to become PM again. PTI has to think beyond the government and premiership.”

    When asked if his new position in the party suggested that there would be no negotiations with the government and the matters would be solved on the streets, Akbar replied, “Yes, definitely.”

    The PTI leader further said that they would not engage with anyone when they take to the streets this time.

    Advisor to the PM on Political Affairs, Rana Sanaullah, hours after Junaid’s remarks, responded by cautioning that if PTI violates the law while taking to the roads in the future, the law would take its own course.

    “If they want to solve the problem on the roads, then come… problems can only be solved at the negotiation table in a democratic political system,” Sanaullah emphasised while speaking to a private news channel.

  • New Toshakhana case: Imran Khan claims judge’s brother is prosecutor in May 9 case

    New Toshakhana case: Imran Khan claims judge’s brother is prosecutor in May 9 case

    Former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s official X (formerly Twitter) handle has lashed out at the government while expressing reservations about Islamabad High Court (IHC) judge Raja Minhas who was appointed to hear the appeal of the new Toshakhana case.

    “I have serious reservations about Judge Raja Minhas being assigned to my Toshakhana 2 Case appeal in the Islamabad High Court. Arshad Minhas, his brother, is both a lawyer and prosecutor against me in the May 9th cases and the GHQ attack case,” stated Khan’s official X account’s lengthy post this morning.

    The post also highlighted that Justice Raja Minhas was appointed as the IHC judge only under the controversial 26th Constitutional Amendment – a law that the PTI has rejected and challenged in the Supreme Court.

    “Raja Minhas’s ad-hoc appointment after the 26th Amendment and his dependence on the government for confirmation of his position reflects a conflict of interest, so he must recuse himself from the case,” read the post.

    The official account also strongly condemned the government for failing to constitute a judicial commission to investigate the events of May 9, 2023 and November 26, 2024 – the primary condition set by the PTI in the negotiations between them and the government.

    “This government is avoiding the formation of a judicial commission because it has something to hide. We cannot move forward (with negotiations) without accountability for the incidents of May 9th (2023) and November 26th (2024),” it announced.

    The account also claimed that the government has spent Rs. 500 million on prosecution to pursue cases against Imran Khan.

    It also opined on the Al-Qadir Trust case in which Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, were recently convicted and punished. 

    “The decision of the London court is clear in the Al-Qadir Trust case: the funds were to go into the Supreme Court’s account, not to the government. On April 21st, 2020, NAB constituted an inquiry committee comprising the Chairman, Deputy Chairman, Prosecutor, and Additional Prosecutor, who unanimously decided to close this case due to the lack of any merit to proceed. The reopening of this inquiry was malicious,” claimed the long post.

    “The current NAB Chairman is being dishonest to his position by continuing with the case despite this, merely to increase pressure on me. NAB amendments were made solely to exonerate cases against Nawaz Sharif and his entire family,” stated the X post.

  • Senate approves PECA amendments amid journalists’ walkout

    Senate approves PECA amendments amid journalists’ walkout

    The Senate has approved the Prevention of Electronic Crimes (PECA) Bill 2025 and the Digital Nation Pakistan Bill 2024 amid a walkout by journalists and protests from opposition members.

    Minister for Industries and Production Rana Tanveer Hussain presented the PECA bill on behalf of Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi.

    Hussain stated that the PECA bill was aimed at addressing issues on social media, assuring that it was not directed against journalists from television or newspapers.

    The minister said the opposition was also engaged on the bill through the standing committees of both the National Assembly and the Senate.

    Opposition Leader in the Senate, Shibli Faraz, said it was their responsibility to legislate, but the law was passed without consultation. “They should have consulted those concerned with the PECA Amendment bill,” he added.

    Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) member Kamran Murtaza said the standing committee report presented in the house was incomplete, as his proposed amendments to the PECA Act were neither rejected nor accepted by the committee.

    Meanwhile, the Digital Nation Pakistan Bill, tabled by Federal Minister for Law Azam Nazeer Tarar, was approved clause by clause. Tarar stated that the bill aimed to digitise the entire system to align with modern-day requirements.

    Parliamentary journalists, along with the opposition, staged a walkout from the Senate gallery as the PECA bill was presented for approval.

    The proposed PECA Bill 2025 introduces severe penalties, including up to three years in prison and fines of Rs. 2 million for spreading disinformation and fake news.

    A key provision of the bill is the establishment of a Digital Rights Protection Authority (DRPA), tasked with regulating social media platforms and removing unlawful content.

    While supporters believe the amendments are essential to combat fake news and hate speech, critics warn of potential censorship and misuse.

    Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) President Afzal Butt declared it a “black day” for Pakistan’s democracy, media, citizens’ freedoms, and freedom of speech.

    “This day will always be remembered as a black day, and the parties who played their part in getting this black law approved—we will keep reminding them of this [….] We have already announced protests from the PFUJ and Joint Action Committee (JAC), and today they have pushed us to protest even more,” he said.

    Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Senator Sherry Rehman came to the press lounge to show solidarity with the journalists. “We support the journalists’ amendments. Stakeholders were not consulted on the PECA Act,” the senator said.

  • American woman travels to Pakistan for love; rejected by boyfriend at airport.

    American woman travels to Pakistan for love; rejected by boyfriend at airport.


    An American woman named Onya Andrew Robinson followed a young Pakistani man’s promise of love all the way from New York to Karachi, only to be abandoned at the airport where he rejected her. 


    Onya was left stranded at Karachi Airport for seven days. Her tourist visa expired, leaving her unable to travel. Unable to find a place to stay, she spent those days at the airport, unable to go anywhere.

    After hearing about Onya’s ordeal, Governor Sindh Kamran Tessori took immediate action. He went to the airport himself, helped Onya get a Pakistan visa and arranged a return ticket for her. She is now able to go back home.

  • ‘Gandapur likely to be removed as KP CM’

    ‘Gandapur likely to be removed as KP CM’

    Days after Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister (CM) Ali Amin Gandapur was removed from the post of provincial party president, journalists seem to have analyzed the fate of his Chief Minister post.

    Prominent journalist Muneeb Farooq took to his YouTube channel on Monday to claim that influential and powerful personalities have emphasised that following Gandapur’s removal from the provincial party president seat, he might be removed from the CM chair too.

    “When I asked powerful persons whether it would be easy to remove Gandapur from the CM chair, they stated that preparations are in full swing to remove Gandapur as provincial chief executive,” Farooq maintained.

    Farooq said that Imran Khan will sideline compromised party leaders. “Imran Khan will prioritise those who dislike the establishment and have no link with them,” he said while referring to the recent appointment of Member National Assembly (MNA) Juniad Akbar Khan as the KP party president and Aliya Hamza as the party’s chief organiser for Punjab.

    Veteran journalist Fakhar Durrani has shared similar insights on his YouTube channel on Sunday about Gandapur’s possible removal as CM.

    He observed that if any PTI lawmaker resigned from the KP assembly in the forthcoming days, then it would be a sign of a new CM in KP.

    Durrani claimed that Imran Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi had a row with CM KP after November 26 protests at Speaker KP Assembly Babar Saleem Swati’s house, noting that she played a major role in Gandapur’s removal from KP party president.

    “Many politicians were barred from meeting Imran Khan on Gandapur’s directive, which ultimately prompted party leaders to raise complaints,” the journalist said.

    Moreover, he claimed that it was not the government that often removed PTI members’ names from a meeting list for Imran Khan, but instead it was Gandapur. “Only Ali Amin’s given names were allowed to visit Imran Khan in jail,” he alleged.

    Recently, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Secretary General Salman Akram Raja, while speaking outside Adiala Jail Rawalpindi, announced that Akbar will be the new party provincial president

    Raja claimed that Gandapur’s departure from the role was voluntary, allowing him to focus on his responsibilities as chief minister amidst pressing challenges, including law and order issues in the province.

    “This decision aligns with Gandapur’s request, as he wanted to dedicate himself entirely to the governance of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” Raja said, noting that Gandapur has a lot of responsibilities as CM of the province.

    “Imran Khan was angry with Ali Amin Gandapur for taking pictures with Mohsin Naqvi [Interior Minister],” Farooq said while referring to the meeting between Mohsin Naqvi and Gandapur in Peshawar after the November 26 protest march.

  • ‘Life at risk’: Imran Riaz calls out Salman Ahmad, tells him to leave him alone

    ‘Life at risk’: Imran Riaz calls out Salman Ahmad, tells him to leave him alone

    Amid claims of applying for asylum abroad, journalist and YouTuber Imran Riaz Khan has called out musician-turned-political worker Salman Ahmad for his social media posts, telling him to leave him alone after having put him and his family’s “life at risk”.

    As per the details, Riaz took to X to clarify that he had “never applied for asylum” abroad and the Junoon guitarist as well as former Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) member needed to forgive him for “ever having talked to him”.

    The controversy began when social media user and activist Adil Raja on January 26 claimed that Salman, with his connections in United States (US) government and with President Donald Trump’s aide Richard Grenell, had “obtained an American special emergency visa” for Riaz and his family. 

    “For the past several days, I was extremely worried about the life of @ImranRiazKhan I wasn’t sure if he was receiving my messages. I just had a detailed conversation with him. The good news is he is safe and sound. To all those friends who helped me raise an alarm for @ImranRiazKhan safety, my deepest gratitude. IRK is a respected and responsible journalist. He informed me that the @Refugees @UNHumanRights @amnesty are looking after his situation,” the musician and sacked PTI member said in a subsequent post on X.

    In a separate post, the Junoon band founding member, who also resides in the US, wrote in a separate post: “Dear @soldierspeaks [Adil Raja] and @ImranRiazKhan, I realised that since yesterday both of you and your vast network of fans are going crazy attacking each other, for no reason at all. We as a nation need to be able to support each other during our time of need. My only request is that you both gentlemen speak with me to resolve any misunderstandings. That would be the best for brothers to achieve.”

    He was referring to a war of words that broke out between supporters of both sides due to Raja’s claims regarding troubled Riaz’s whereabouts among other statements.

    “Please @sufisal Salman forgive me that I talked to you. You put me and my family’s life on risk. Please leave us alone and I never ever applied for any asylum to any country. I am in touch with UN, EU and almost a dozens of international organisations but no one did this to me. Jazak Allah [sic]” said Riaz as he finally broke silence on the situation.

    Meanwhile, social media users expressed anger over Salman’s posts with one user writing: “@sufisal you’re an absolute idiot. Before you spoke nonsense about Bushra bibi and now tried to harm @ImranRiazKhan and his family. Get a life man.”

    “You want popularity here? Do you think that any sane person would appreciate what you are doing. Just stop this BS,” wrote another user.

    Salman, however, remained undeterred in replying to Imran Riaz while plugging in Junoon band’s Azadi song: “Dear @ImranRiazKhan, our collective struggle is to see Pakistan have freedom of speech, free, fair elections, and end to gross violations of human rights, abductions, torture and killings of innocents. That can only happen with the immediate Release of @ImranKhanPTI. Junoon sey aur ishq sey milti hai Azadi / Qurbani ki bahon mein milti hai Azadi.”

    It may be noted that PTI on December 19 terminated Salman’s basic party membership for running a campaign against “the family of Imran Khan”. The action was taken after the musician took to social media to make claims against PTI founder Imran Khan’s wife and former first lady Bushra Bibi.