Current Final

Category: National

  • This top leader believes Imran’s sister, wife Bushra want him to stay in jail

    This top leader believes Imran’s sister, wife Bushra want him to stay in jail

    Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah has claimed the existence of two separate groups within the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), alleging they wanted party founder Imran Khan to stay in jail so that they could “take over the party”.

    Appearing on a private news channel, the PM’s aide claimed that the groups, led by Khan’s sister Aleema Khan and wife Bushra Bibi, wanted the incarcerated premier to stay in jail forever. “They [Aleema and Bushra groups] want Khan to remain in jail. In fact, they want him to stay there forever because after that, they could take over the entire party.”

    He went on to say that the general public deserved to know this.

    When asked about Aleema’s alleged leaked chats criticising Bushra and suggesting to ban her from visiting Khan in jail, Sanaullah said that the ongoing talks between the government and PTI had left some people within the party worried.

    “Some people in the PTI are worried and want talks between the government and the PTI to not be successful. These are the same people who are spokespersons of Khan outside [Adiala Jail],” he said and went on to claim that according to the leaked chats, they wanted Khan to stay in the same situation.

    “In fact, they want Khan to be in a much worse situation,” he added.

    To a question about the authenticity of the leaked chats, Sanaullah said that the government also only saw the alleged chats on social media. “[Then] I got them verified from my sources,” he added.

    “If Aleema Khan says these screenshots are fake then she should come out and defend herself. I would be glad if she could prove her innocence. Because it is extremely unfortunate that, even though he [Imran Khan] is our opponent, his close relatives and allies are betraying him.”

    When asked about his recent press conference and newfound sympathy for the jailed former premier, Sanaullah said he wanted the public to know that these were the kind of people surrounding Imran Khan.

    “I know the cult won’t believe me but a common person must know that this is the kind of party that ruled over the country for nearly three years,” he said.

  • Hafeezullah Niazi reacts to Maryam Nawaz’s ‘justification’ of son’s prison sentence

    Hafeezullah Niazi reacts to Maryam Nawaz’s ‘justification’ of son’s prison sentence

    Political analyst Hafeezullah Niazi on Wednesday reacted to Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Maryam Nawaz’s comments on the prison sentence of his son Hassaan Khan Niazi.

    Appearing on the Geo News programme Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Saath, Hafeezullah Niazi said that  hearing Maryam Nawaz’s comment on his son’s sentence saddened him, saying, “When Maryam Nawaz commented on Hassaan Niazi’s sentence, I felt that politics has no shame.”

    The Punjab CM, while addressing a cheque distribution ceremony at the University of Sargodha under the Honhaar Scholarship Programme on Wednesday, had stated that former Premier Imran Khan’s nephew Hassaan Niazi had been rightly punished as his conduct was an absolute disgrace to the nation.

    She said that Hassaan Niazi was handed a 10-year prison sentence for disrespecting the military uniform.


    Maryam Nawaz further stated that imagine what Hassaan Niazi’s parents are going through after the sentence of their son in the 9 May riots case.

    Hafeezullah Niazi had been a vocal supporter of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) since a long time. 

    A military court has awarded 10 years of rigorous imprisonment to Hassaan Niazi in connection with the ransacking of the Lahore Corps Commander’s residence (Jinnah House) in Lahore.

    “As a democrat and constitutionalist, I will never support military courts…I don’t seek relief for Hassaan Niazi but justice,” the analyst said, adding that his son had arrived at the Jinnah House location after the attack.

    Moreover, he said that an unidentified man handed over his son the pants of the army uniform after his son commented about the waist of the military personnel, admitting that, indeed, his son’s remarks were disgraceful. 

    However, Hafeezullah Niazi maintained that he would challenge the sentence in courts.

    “Maryam Nawaz made an irresponsible statement,” he said on the Express-News political talk show Kal Tak on the same day.

    “Whoever set ablaze Jinnah House must be held responsible…if proven guilty, the state should have given them even 14 years imprisonment,” the TV analyst said. He also decried the state, saying, “State has been lying for so long to support these cases.”

    Additionally, he expressed optimism that Hassaan Niazi would be released soon, adding, “He will not remain confined for ten years in jail; I have seen that there is no expiry date on injustice. I know Pakistan’s 70 years of history.”

    Hafeezullah Niazi responded to talk show host Javed Chaudhry’s inquiry about whether he was optimistic that justice would be served to his son, noting, “No matter if justice is not served to my son, I know that my son is innocent.”

  • Sindh to launch drug tests in colleges

    Sindh to launch drug tests in colleges

    The Sindh government is intending to conduct drugs abuse screening test in all educational institutions across the province.


    However, the testing spree will start from government colleges. 


    As per the formal notification issued by College Education Department Secretary Asif Ikram, a three-member committee will be constituted to oversee the drug screening process in all the colleges. 


    The notification elaborates that each committee will comprise the director general of colleges, the regional director for the respective district, and the principal of the said colleges.


    The tests are part of an attempt to control the menace of drug abuse in educational institutions in Sindh. 


    Sindh Health Department teams will assist the officers from the College Education Department along with paying surprise visits to all the government colleges across the province. The teams will conduct drug abuse screening tests randomly on a number of students.


    Additionally, the government committee will organize seminars, workshops, and awareness sessions in collaboration with the stakeholders in their respective colleges on the effects of drug use on health, academics, and future career prospects.


    Talking to Express Tribune, Sindh Director General of Colleges, Dr Naveed Rab, announced that the screening will be carried out under the supervision of college authorities.


     Notably, the Health Department is working on establishing a framework to determine how colleges will be selected and related parameters for conducting the screening.


    Furthermore, the director general said that discussions are going on regarding the process of getting student consent for the screening. 


    In a bid to officiate the process, the Sindh Anti-Narcotics Department and other relevant departments will be involved in helping eliminate the menace of drug abuse from educational institutions.


    Previously, reports of prevalent drug use in educational institutions have emerged from the capital territory of Islamabad.

  • 51 Pakistanis deported from seven countries

    51 Pakistanis deported from seven countries

    51 Pakistani nationals have arrived in Karachi after being deported from seven countries over the last 24 hours. 


    Deportees who arrived in the port city came from Saudi Arabia, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.


    Immigration authorities informed the media that 33 people arrived from Saudi Arabia and 14 from Iraq.


    However, almost all of the deportees were travelling on emergency passports except two who travelled on their original documents.
    Additionally, one Pakistani each was deported from Oman, Zambia, and Qatar in the past one day.


    At the same time, 30 passengers were offloaded from international flights at the Jinnah International Airport in the provincial capital late on Tuesday night  after their travel documents showed irregularities.


    Geo News reported that among those offloaded were 11 passengers who were travelling on business and visit visas to China and Malaysia, whils four others who were going to Oman on family visit visas, were also barred from boarding the plane. One traveller intending to go to Uganda on a visit visa was also offloaded.


    Other offloaded individuals were bound to go to Saudi Arabia — five on Umrah visas, two on business visas, and two on work visas while one passenger was travelling on a personal visit visa.


    Immigration authorities at the airport said that these people were stopped from travelling abroad because of discrepancies in hotel bookings, travel funds and other logistical shortcomings.


    According to officials, the offloaded passengers were going to fall victim to human smuggling, adding that most of the detained citizens have been transferred to the Anti-Human Smuggling Circle for further investigation.


     Meanwhile, some people were allowed to go back home.


    On Monday it was reported that 63 Pakistanis were deported from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Malaysia.
    Among the deportees, 29 were sent back to the country from Saudi Arabia. Four of them were involved in begging, 15 in fraudulent activities and 10 others for overstaying their visas.


    16 other Pakistani nationals were deported from Malaysia as prohibited immigrants. On the other hand, 11 were sent back from Iraq after issuance of emergency passports due to illegal entry and overstaying.


     
    Additionally, four Pakistani nationals were deported from the UAE when their visas expired. 


    This is not the first time Pakistanis were deported from countries abroad due to the said issues.

  • Pakistanis could face Dubai visa ban, deportation for anti-state posts

    Pakistanis could face Dubai visa ban, deportation for anti-state posts

    The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is introducing heavy penalties, including the cancellation of visas or deportation, to tackle misinformation and hate speech targeting Pakistani government authorities and institutions, it has emerged.

    According to reports, any UAE-based Pakistanis found involved in online propaganda, trolling or criticism against the Pakistani government or state authorities could pay a heavy price. 

    “Beware our dear brothers and sisters residing in UAE or other Gulf countries. It is not the same as before. You can’t share or post wrong or biased information about your country, politicians and state institutions. It is not allowed,” Consul General of UAE in Karachi Dr Bakheet Ateeq Al Rumaithi warned in a recent interview.

    He further said that authorities in the UAE could also take action against those involved.

    Giving examples of those convicted so far, Dr Bakheet said that four to five people had been awarded life sentences by a UAE court. “Some 10 to 15 people have been sentenced to jail for 14 to 15 years while so many have been deported.”

    Additionally, he cautioned Pakistanis that they could even face action for the posts they like or share because all of it can be accessed by authorities and show on their records when applying for a UAE visa.

  • Deadlock ends as Imran allows party to submit demands in writing

    Deadlock ends as Imran allows party to submit demands in writing

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Barrister Gohar Khan on Wednesday revealed that party founder Imran Khan had allowed the submission of their demands to the government’s negotiation committee in writing.

    Speaking to media persons outside Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, Barrister Gohar said that the jailed PTI founder had also allowed the party’s negotiators to hold a third round of talks with the government even if they were not allowed to meet him prior to that. 

    The announcement marks the end of a deadlock that had been reported following second round of talks between the government and PTI. The government maintained that the PTI was hesitant to submit its demands in writing, whereas the opposition party said it would submit its demands only after meeting the jailed former prime minister.

    On being asked whether the party leadership, if invited, would head to the oath-taking ceremony of incoming United States (US) President Donald Trump, Gohar said Khan had allowed them to accept any invitations from a friendly country.

    “Imran Khan has allowed us to accept invitations extended by any friendly country,” the PTI chief said in response to the question asked in reference to unprecedented support shown for Khan by members of the upcoming federal government of the US.

    “He has also allowed us to accept the government’s invitation in case a foreign dignitary visits the country,” Barrister Gohar added.

    Commenting on an alleged deal offered to shift Khan from jail to his Bani Gala residence under house arrest, Gohar clarified that no such proposals had been presented.

    “Good contact was indeed established with government representatives before negotiation formally started. [But] neither the establishment nor [Interior Minister] Mohsin Naqvi offered to release Imran Khan or shift him under house arrest,” he said.

    It may be noted that the party chief’s statement rubbishes a claim made by Khan’s sister, Aleema Khan, who one Tuesday claimed that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister (CM) Ali Amin Gandapur had conveyed her brother the offer to shift him from Adiala Jail to his residence in Bani Gala. While she did not clarify where the offer had come from, Khan himself also previously tweeted about such an offer being made to him.

    To another question, Barrister Gohar said that the party had said “absolutely not” to the US in the past and if there was any interference, they would say so in the future as well.

  • Pakistani courts will decide Imran Khan’s fate, clarifies US

    Pakistani courts will decide Imran Khan’s fate, clarifies US

    A Spokesperson for the United States (US) State Department clarified on Tuesday that courts in Pakistan have to decide legal cases against the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Imran Khan.

    The US State Department emphasised that decisions on Imran Khan’s cases must be taken as per Pakistani law and constitution. 

    Geo News asked the US State Department about the statements often made by former special representatives to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad, and members of the US Congress, about the release of imprisoned former Premier Imran Khan.

    “We do not comment on Congressional correspondence…legal proceedings against the former Prime Minister are matters for the Pakistani courts to decide,” the US State Department said in an emailed response to Geo News.

    Zalmay Khalilzad has been vocal about releasing former Premier Imran Khan.

    Khalilzad took to X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday, writing, “#Pakistan continues to face triple crises: political (the jailing of @ImranKhan), economic (see below), and security (with intensified fighting with Afghanistan and hundreds of Pakistanis killed.  Pakistan needs a reset.  It must start with freedom for Imran Khan.”

    Following the victory of the US presidential election of Donald J. Trump, the former special representatives to Afghanistan, in a post on X in November last year, noted: “With Trump’s victory in the #USA election, how would General Assim Munir explain the ongoing unjustified imprisonment of his friend Imran Khan. It is time to release Imran Khan and others who are being held without a fair judicial process.”

    Members of the US House of Representatives, from both the Republican and Democratic parties, have repeatedly urged outgoing President Joe Biden to advocate for the immediate release of Imran Khan and all other political prisoners in Pakistan.

    On August 5, 2024, the PTI founder was arrested after his conviction in the Tosha Khana case. Khan is currently held in Adiala Jail Rawalpindi under B-class facilities.

    The US State Department spokesperson underscored the important relationship between the US and Pakistan regarding human rights. “We are in regular communication with Pakistani authorities on human rights and other key issues,” he said.

    Recently, the US had appreciated Pakistan’s efforts in reforming the economy to deal with financial challenges.

    The spokesperson of the US State Department, while speaking in a press briefing, said that the US welcomes the agreement between Pakistan and the IMF, adding, “Pakistan is taking steps to stabilise its economy.”

  • Spousal, parental consent mandatory for women on Hajj

    Spousal, parental consent mandatory for women on Hajj

    The Ministry of Religious Affairs on Tuesday said that women intending to go on Hajj this year but not granted permission by their husbands or parents to do so will not be able to perform the pilgrimage. 


    The statement has been released after Hajj applications for 2025 have closed. 


    Dawn quotes the 2025 Hajj Policy, which clearly states that women will be able to travel to Saudi Arabia for pilgrimage alone after fulfilling the conditions set by the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII).


    The conditions laid out by the Council quoted in the document says, “As per the decision of the Council of Islamic Ideology taken in its session no. 232 held on 6th and 7th June 2023, female pilgrim (without mehram) shall be allowed for Haj subject to the conditions that: a) She has been allowed by her parents, and in case of married, by her husband. b) She will have a group of reliable female pilgrims and there is no threat to her dignity.”
    The practice has already been happening in the country as women were not allowed to travel to Saudi Arabia alone in the past. 


    The document further stated that children below 12 will not be allowed to go for Hajj and the immunisation of vaccines approved by Saudi Arabia are also mandatory for everyone intending to come this year.


    Notably, as per the policies of Saudi Arabia, any woman can come for Hajj alone. The move first surfaced in 2021 as part of a campaign by the de-facto Saudi leader Prince Mohammad bin Salman in an attempt to improve the rights of women in the country.


    The CII lifted all restrictions and allowed women to travel to Saudi Arabia for Hajj and Umrah without a male companion. 


    Moreover, this year, Pakistanis are allotted a Hajj quota of 179,210 pilgrims by the Saudi government. 


    Approximately 89,602 people will be performing the Hajj under the government scheme, while the rest will perform it through private tour operators in 2025.

  • Looks like Imran Khan doesn’t want dialogue: Rana Sanaullah

    Looks like Imran Khan doesn’t want dialogue: Rana Sanaullah

    Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs, Rana Sanaullah, while appearing on ARY News on December 7, expressed disappointment over a recent post made by Imran Khan’s official X (formerly Twitter) account amidst ongoing negotiation between the government and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

    “Only they [PTI] can explain why such a strong statement came from Imran Khan’s account during dialogue; however, it is highly unfortunate,” said the former interior minister.

    The government and PTI, for the first time in almost two years, have broken the ice by agreeing to talk their issues out for “greater national interests”.

    “Khawaja Asif’s analysis is absolutely true that when dialogue begins between two parties or is about to start, then both parties, especially the leadership of both parties, must choose their words very carefully so as not to damage the peace. It is a known fact that PTI’s negotiation committee won’t agree to a single condition without Imran Khan’s approval. Such a post made by Imran Khan after a long time points to two facts: either he does not want a dialogue, or he believes nothing will come out of it,” stated the senior Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader.

    Rana Sanaullah opined that political dialogue can never stop in any kind of democratic setup.

    Founder PTI Imran Khan’s official X (formerly Twitter) account made a long post on January 7 targeting Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir, stating: “I have witnessed all Martial Laws imposed on Pakistan during my lifetime, including those under Ayub Khan, Yahya Khan, Zia-ul-Haq, and Musharraf. What is happening in the country today in the guise of democracy can only be compared to Yahya Khan’s era. In order to ensure that no one raises their voice against the ruler’s transgressions, the first targets in martial law are democracy, an independent judiciary, and free media.”

    “What kind of democracy is this where the name of the chairman of Pakistan’s largest and most popular political party cannot even be mentioned in the media?” read the post by Imran Khan on X. 

    Imran Khan also criticised the ongoing proceedings of the Al-Qadir Trust case, saying: “The Al-Qadir Trust case, like previous cases, is being dragged on only to pressure me, but I demand its immediate resolution because, just as you were exposed in the Toshakhana and the Cipher cases, the same will happen now.”

  • Imran Khan’s recent tweets causing delay in him meeting negotiations committee, says Sher Afzal Marwat

    Imran Khan’s recent tweets causing delay in him meeting negotiations committee, says Sher Afzal Marwat

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Sher Afzal Marwat stated on Tuesday that the party’s negotiation committee meeting with former premier Imran Khan is delayed due to the party founder’s recent tweets.

    Speaking on the ARY News programme 11th Hour, Marwat said that the government had not expected Imran Khan’s harsh tweets when the PTI was already involved in negotiations with them.

    Founder PTI Imran Khan on Tuesday hit out at Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif in a post on X (formerly Twitter), writing, “In order to save the bogus and fraudulent government produced by Forms 47, PTI is being relentlessly crushed, and democracy, rule of law, and judicial independence are being buried. Shehbaz Sharif is nothing more than a puppet.”

    “Even Shaukat Aziz, during Musharraf’s era, was a more powerful prime minister because, at least, elections then did not witness the level of rigging seen in February 2024. This illegitimate but fragile group propped up by the fraudulent Forms 47 is a disgrace on the name of governance,” he decried Shehbaz Sharif.

    The dialogue between the opposition party and the government was initiated two weeks ago. However, a significant development is yet to come despite two rounds of negotiations over the past couple of weeks.

    According to reports, major hurdles so far are the PTI negotiators’ lack of access to jailed Imran Khan and the party’s unwillingness to share its charter of demands with the government in writing.

    Marwat, however, maintained that the party negotiation committee meeting with Imran Khan in Adiala Jail is expected to take place in a couple of days.

    The PTI firebrand asked why Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi was not included in the government negotiation committee; however, in the same breath, Marwat said, “If [Interior Minister] Mohsin Naqvi had been part of the negotiation committee, the issues surrounding the meeting with Khan wouldn’t have dragged on for so long.”

    Commenting on surveillance during the meeting with Imran Khan, Marwat explained that Islamabad High Court (IHC) has a clear direction that whenever the lawyers meet their client at the jail, there must be no camera, guard or mic in the cell.

    He said that all political parties, including the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) and PTI, must sit together to find a solution to political polarisation in the country.

    PTI has so far put two key demands in talks with the government. These include the formation of a judicial commission comprising the three most senior judges of the Supreme Court to investigate the May 9, 2023, and November 26, 2024, events, whereas the other demand is to release all political prisoners, including party founder Imran Khan.