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Category: National

  • Cracks within PTI deepen as leader accuses party of selling Senate ticket for Rs35 crores

    In yet another development that suggests deepening of cracks within Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) ranks, party leader and former Sindh chief minister (CM) Liaqat Jatoi has levelled accusations of selling at least one Senate ticket for Rs350 million (Rs35 crores) to newcomer and wealthy construction contractor Saifullah Abro.

    “He joined the party six months ago… on what grounds was he awarded a ticket [for the upper house of the parliament]?” Jatoi was heard as asking media persons during a brief presser on Tuesday.

    According to earlier reports, the days leading to the election for the Senate are getting difficult for the ruling party owing to differences between its leaders.

    Sindh chapter is facing a severe rift after the party leadership finalised Federal Minister Faisal Vawda and Abro for the Senate from the province, The News reported last week.

    The party’s decision generated criticism from its key leaders from three zones of rural Sindh who wrote a letter to Sindh Governor Imran Ismail to show their anger and demand the party’s high command to take back tickets from Vawda and Abro.

    Encouraged by the PTI’s recent decision to withdraw the party ticket awarded to business tycoon Abdul Qadir in Balochistan for the Senate election after opposition from the party’s provincial leadership, the Sindh leaders also initiated a campaign to pressurise the party’s parliamentary committee to review its decision of allocating tickets.

    In a letter, the PTI’s office-bearers from three regions said that they were “extremely disappointed with the entire process” of the selection of party’s candidates for the Senate polls from the province.

    The leaders who signed the letter included Liaqat Jatoi’s brother Sadaqat Ali Jatoi, Sukkur district President Mubeen Jatoi, Allah Bux Unnar and Raja Khan Jhakrani, former provincial secretary general Mehfooz Usrani, a former candidate from NA-214 Shaheed Benazirabad Gul Muhammad Rind, former provincial minister Agha Taimoor Khan Pathan, Papu Khan Chachar and other office-bearers.

    Showing severe concerns over finalising Abro for the Senate on technocrat seat, the PTI leaders asked how the Senate ticket was given to a newcomer in the party.

    They alleged that cases against Abro, who has still been working closely with the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leadership and famed as an “ATM”, have been pending in the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). The PTI leaders from rural Sindh asked to review the allocation of the Senate tickets from Sindh and said that the decision will harm the party in the upcoming local government polls.

    However, a senior PTI leader from Sindh was quoted as saying that awarding a ticket to Abro was the party’s strategy to stop its MPAs from selling their votes to the PPP’s candidates as the party was fearful that the ruling party in the province may buy at least 10 out of its 30 members in the provincial assembly.

    “Abro is a billionaire construction contractor and he will not only stop the PTI MPAs from selling their votes but can also buy the votes of PPP to win on technocrat seats,” the party leader, who requested anonymity, said.

    It is pertinent to note that on Monday, the nomination papers of Abro on technocrat seat were rejected by the election tribunal.

  • Punjab Police joins ‘Pawri Horai Hai’ trend

    Punjab Police joins ‘Pawri Horai Hai’ trend

    Punjab Police has recreated the ‘Pawri Horai Hai’ meme with their own twist.

    As per the details, Punjab Police tweeted a collage and wrote, “Yeh hum hain, Yeh humari gaaryian hain, Aur yeh humara emergency number hai [This is us, these is our cars, and this is our emergency number).”

    While the tweet was appreciated by many who lauded Punjab Police for raising awareness with a fun twist, others criticised the cops for not efficiently responding to emergency calls.

    Also Read: Indian police join #PawriHoRahiHai trend, ask citizens to report late night parties

    The trend started after an influencer, Dananeer Mobeen, shared a video clip partying with her friends in front of a car. In the video, she was heard saying: “Yeh hamari car hai, yeh hum hain, aur yeh hamari pawri ho rai hai” (This is our car, this is us, and this is our party).

    Soon after the video went viral, ‘Pawri Ho Rai Hai’ became a major meme trend in Pakistan and also across the border. Many celebrities from Pakistan and India recreated the ‘Pawri Horai Hai’ meme.

    The original video has crossed six million views on Instagram and Dananeer’s followers have also reached one million on Instagram.

  • VIDEO: Was PTI’s Haleem Sheikh tortured in Karachi jail?

    VIDEO: Was PTI’s Haleem Sheikh tortured in Karachi jail?

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Haleem Adil Sheikh has accused the Sindh government of trying to harm in jail through its alleged goons in the light of a video released by PTI’s Karachi chapter showing the Sindh opposition leader running for his life.

    According to PTI, the MPA was attacked by “goons” in jail and he was running from them to save himself. In a video statement, Sheikh said he had come to Karachi’s Jinnah Hospital allegedly after he was beaten up in jail, adding that PTI workers, including Samir Mir Shaikh, Amjad, Hafeez Chandio and three other people who are in Central Jail are being “tortured”.

    Maritime Minister Ali Zaidi also alleged torture on Sheikh. “Sheikh was hospitalised after being attacked by 50 PPP goons inside Central Jail Karachi,” he claimed.

    POLICE CONTRADICT SHEIKH:

    However, Karachi Central Jail Superintendent Hassan Sahito rejected the claims made by the PTI leader. He said “nobody raised a hand on Haleem Adil Sheikh or slapped him”, adding that some prisoners raised slogans against Sheikh and PM Imran Khan when the PTI leader was being shifted to another ward.

    “Haleem Adil Sheikh was being moved to the Mohammad Ali B-class ward […] and was passing through the waiting area when some prisoners raised slogans. He was moved back to the superintendent’s office in 26 seconds,” Sahito said.

    Sheikh was later moved to the security ward, he added.

    According to the police officer, Sheikh was moved to a hospital because he had submitted an application for treatment. According to Sheikh, he suffered from blood pressure issues and had heart problems and he was regularly treated at the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD).

    The Sindh government also denied the allegations levelled by the PTI leaders, saying Sheikh was arrested on the orders of the Election Commission of Pakistan.He further said that Sheikh could be seen “happy and healthy” in the hospital which shows that he wasn’t tortured at all. “No torture was done on him in jail,” Wahab stressed.

  • Police arrest man for posing as judge to give relatives possession of shops

    Police arrest man for posing as judge to give relatives possession of shops

    Police have arrested a man who ordered cops to give his relatives the illegal possession of some shops while posing as an additional sessions judge.

    According to reports, the accused man, namely Iqbal, called up Garh Police Sub-Inspector Akhtar Abbas as one Additional Sessions Judge Shehryar.

    He then told the cop to take possession of a few shops and hand it to his relatives.

    It was later revealed that the phone SIM was in the name of a person named Iqbal. The police then arrested the man and interrogated him.

    The suspect confessed to calling the policeman as a fake judge during the investigation, after which a case was registered against him.

  • New Delhi allows PM Imran to use airspace, claims Indian media

    New Delhi allows PM Imran to use airspace, claims Indian media

    India has allowed Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s aircraft to use Indian airspace for his official trip to Sri Lanka, reported India media outlets on Tuesday.

    According to Indian media outlet WION, Islamabad asked New Delhi for permission 10 days ago that was granted on Monday. As a protocol, whenever heads of state or governments pass through the air space of any other country, the country is alerted and due permission is taken, it reported.

    Planes taking off from Islamabad for Sri Lanka cannot bypass Indian airspace; therefore, they require permission to use its airspace. But in case of Karachi, the flights can use another route and travel to Sri Lanka via Arabian Sea.

    According to the Foreign Office spokesperson, PM Imran has embarked on a two-day official visit to Sri Lanka on the invitation of his Sri Lankan counterpart Mahinda Rajapaksa. The premier is accompanied by a high-level delegation, including members of the Cabinet and senior officials.

    To exchange views on key regional and international issues, Prime Minister will hold meetings with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa during the two-day visit. The prime minister will also participate in a joint ‘Trade and Investment Conference’ aimed at promoting trade and investment between the two countries.

  • Iranian supreme leader declares hijab for cartoons mandatory

    Women in cartoons must wear hijab, a fatwa by Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has declared.

    Iranian news agency Tasnim quoted Khamenei as saying that women in cartoons and animated cartoon films should wear hijab, in response to a query by a Telegram user.

    “Is observing hijab necessary for characters in animated films (three-dimensional paintings that come from the artist’s mind)?” the user had asked.

    “Although wearing hijab in such a hypothetical situation is not required per se, observing hijab in animation is required due to the consequences of not wearing a hijab,” Khamenei responded.

    Women are bound to wear headscarves and hijab following an order passed by the authorities soon after the establishment of the Islamic regime in Iran in 1979, Global Village Space reported.

    Iranian women defying the decree set by the authorities face severe repercussions in the form of imprisonment or sanctions.

    A large number of women in Iran have been rising to protest against the hardcore laws that have now been relaxed a bit amid growing agitation.

  • Baloch families end Islamabad sit-in after PM Imran’s pledge to meet them

    Baloch families end Islamabad sit-in after PM Imran’s pledge to meet them

    Protesters calling for an end to enforced disappearances in Balochistan ended a week-long sit-in in the capital on Monday, after an assurance that Prime Minister Imran Khan will meet them next month.

    “We don’t have any big hopes from this government, but the way they have reassured us, we also have decided to give them a chance,” Sammi Baloch, who has been searching for her father Deen Muhammad since 2009, told Reuters.

    She and other families have protested across the country for years to little avail.

    The Islamabad protesters — 10 families of missing men and around a hundred supporters — said they will return if assurances are not met.

    Security officials say many of Balochistan’s so-called disappeared have links to separatists. But actual court punishments have been rare.

    The Pakistan Army and human rights ministry did not respond to Reuters’ requests for comment for this story, including questions about specific family members sought by the protesters.

    For one week, protesters held up photos of missing relatives under the watchful eyes of police surrounding them.

    Among them was 60-year-old Baz Khatoon, who clutched a stack of news reports and court filings about her son, Rashid Hussain Brohi. She believes he was detained in Dubai in December 2018, was flown to Pakistan six months later, and then vanished without a trace.

    Khatoon said her son moved to Dubai to be safe in 2017 after three male relatives, including his father, had turned up dead after being taken away by security forces over the years.

    After Brohi was detained, Amnesty International and UN bodies looking into disappearances called on the Emirati authorities not to deport him to Pakistan for fear he would be killed.

    Brohi’s mother has obtained a copy of an Emirati travel document showing Brohi’s Emirati visa was cancelled in June 2019, and that he left two days later on a flight to a small airport in Balochistan. The UAE government media office did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

    Local news channels reported that he was brought back to Pakistan and charged with sending funds to gunmen responsible for a 2018 attack on the Chinese consulate in Karachi. But Khatoon said she has been given no official explanation of his whereabouts.

    “Just tell us our kids are safe, put them in jail, we don’t have any problem with that,” Khatoon said.

    “If they were in jail at least we would know they are safe, at least I could take some food there for my son, or a blanket to keep him warm, or a change of clothes.”

  • ‘Siyanay’: Maryam reacts to PM Imran’s demand for re-polling in NA-75

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz has lashed out at Prime Minister Imran Khan after the latter said he would ask the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidate in Daska by-polls to demand re-polling in 20 polling stations of the constituency amid rigging allegations.

    On Friday, at least two people were shot dead as a result of firing at the polling place. Both the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had alleged irregularities during the by-election on the National Assembly seat in Daska. Subsequently, the ECP withheld the results, saying it suspected irregularities in 20 polling stations.

    The commission had said results of the NA-75 constituency were received with “unnecessary delay”, adding that it tried to contact the presiding officers several times but with no success.

    In the backdrop of these allegations, the PM, in a series of tweet on Monday night, reaffirmed his pledge to hold transparent elections in Pakistan. “Have always struggled for fair & free elections. So even though there is no legal compulsion to do so before ECP announces results, I would request our PTI candidate to ask for re-polling in the 20 polling stations Opposition is crying hoarse over in the Daska NA 75 by- election,” Imran had tweeted.

    “It is because we want transparency that we are seeking open ballot for Senate elections,” said Imran in reference to the upcoming elections in Senate that have become controversial after the government promulgated an ordinance to end secret ballot amid protests by the opposition.

    But the PML-N VP who had alleged irregularities in the by-election took exception to the remarks made by the PM. She said that the premier was trying to hide rigging by making such claims.

    “Don’t try to be a know-it-all. You tried to manipulate elections using the full force of the state machinery, but when you lost the by-election you abducted the staffer of the Election Commission. Your decision to support re-polling is an attempt to hide your crime [of rigging], but you have been caught red-handed. Vote thief,” she wrote on her Twitter handle.

  • PM endorses re-polling in 20 Daska polling stations amid rigging allegations

    PM endorses re-polling in 20 Daska polling stations amid rigging allegations

    Prime Minister Imran Khan has endorsed re-polling in 20 polling stations in NA-75 amid allegations of irregularities by the opposition and the Election Commission of Pakistan’s subsequent decision to withhold the election result.

    On Friday, at least two people were shot dead as a result of firing at the polling place. Both the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had alleged irregularities during the by-election on the National Assembly seat in Daska. Subsequently, the ECP withheld the results, saying it suspected irregularities in 20 polling stations.

    The commission said results of the NA-75 constituency were received with “unnecessary delay”, adding that it tried to contact the presiding officers several times but with no success.

    PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz also took the government to the task over alleged rigging in the by-election. Speaking to reporters, the PML-N vice president said that the events that transpired in the aftermath of voting in Daska have exposed the PTI government. She had said the government’s alleged plan to steal votes was foiled by people who guarded their vote.

    The PML-N vice president had accused the ruling party of taking the “20 presiding officers” hostage. She had questioned why out of the 361 polling stations, the staff of only 20 polling stations had to go missing during the “fog” and why were the results of these polling stations suddenly changed when the officers returned after 12 hours.

    In the backdrop of these allegations, the PM, in a series of tweet, reaffirmed his pledge to hold transparent elections in Pakistan. “Have always struggled for fair & free elections. So even though there is no legal compulsion to do so before ECP announces results, I would request our PTI candidate to ask for re-polling in the 20 polling stations Opposition is crying hoarse over in the Daska NA 75 bye- election,” Imran tweeted.

    “It is because we want transparency that we are seeking open ballot for Senate elections,” said Imran in reference to the upcoming elections in Senate that have become controversial after the government promulgated an ordinance to end secret ballot amid protests by the opposition.

    “Unfortunately others lack this commitment. When we wanted 4 constituencies opened after the 2013 elections, it took us over two years,” Imran said, referring to alleged rigging in 2013 election. The PTI had staged a months-long sit-in in protest against the 2013 election that saw PML-N rose to power.

  • PM sacks KP minister for supporting PML-N candidate in Nowshera by-polls

    Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Minister for Irrigation Liaqat Khattak has been de-notified for supporting the candidate of rival Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) in by-polls for PK-63 Nowshera constituency.

    Special Assistant to KP Chief Minister (CM) on Information Kamran Bangash tweeted the notification, saying that Khattak was removed after Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s approval.

    “The Governor of the Province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, in exercise of the powers conferred under clause 3 of Article 132 of the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan read with clause 1 of Article 105 thereof, is pleased to de-notify Mr Liaqat Khattak from his office,” read the notification.

    The PK-63 election was won by the PML-N, according to unofficial results.

    The seat had fallen vacant after the death of PTI MPA Mian Jamsheduddin, who had died of coronavirus.