Current Final

Category: Politics

  • Nine cops suspended for assaulting Karachi protesters

    Nine cops suspended for assaulting Karachi protesters

    Nine officials, including Eid Gah Station House Officer (SHO) Zaheer Ahmad, have been suspended on Monday after violent baton charges against peaceful protesters, journalists and civil society members at Karachi Press Club (KPC).

    A notification issued by Deputy Inspector General (DIG) South Syed Asad Raza stated that police officials were aggressive toward protestors upon which they were suspended, as proven by CCTV footage evidence, Geo News has reported.

    The notification further read, “They are also shifted to suspended men’s Coy: Headquarter Garden, South Zone Karachi, where they shall attend daily roll call/parade. They shall draw pay and allowances as admissible under the rules.”

    Police on Sunday confronted protesters for defying section 144 during a demonstration against the extra-judicial killing of blasphemy suspect Dr Shahnawaz Kunbhar and “extremism in Sindh.”

    As videos of Sindh police’s brutality against protestors surfaced on social media, big-wig politicians condemned the incident, including leaders from the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).

    Senator Sherry Rehman wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “I apologise on behalf of the party. Am told that TLP was advancing from the other side and the police were on hair trigger alert after the recent attacks on foreigners and the advise to not protest until SCO is over, but still, the situation could have been handled differently.”

    “We are a democratic party, and the rights of citizens have to be protected and respected even if they were in violation of today’s 144. I have spoken on the phone from Islamabad to many who were mistreated, and I apologised and appreciate their understanding. Because this is important. Many of us are sorry and shamed. Will inform the leadership as well,” Sherry Rehman further noted.

    PPP leader Shazia Atta Marri was disheartened by the incident that took place outside Karachi Press Club.

    She claimed on X (formerly Twitter), “Deeply hurt by Yesterday’s events. The images are haunting. The young girl could be any one of our daughters. Surely this was too high a price to pay for raising your voice for peace. Yes 144 was imposed & yes it’s is important to maintain order but this was no way to disperse ppl.”

    Bakhtawar Bhutto Zardari noted, “We all condemn & we are all disgusted and ashamed of the violent treatment against peaceful protesters. Home Minister has ensured probe & action will be taken against all those involved in such unprovoked, inexcusable & unjustifiable brutality.”

  • Will the government allow PTI leaders to meet Imran Khan?

    Will the government allow PTI leaders to meet Imran Khan?

    The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has set a condition for calling off its protest on October 15, which coincides with the day Pakistan is set to host the SCO summit.

    PTI’s condition is that their leaders should be allowed a meeting with the party founder, Imran Khan, and allow his personal physician to check up on him.

    Geo News reported that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) rejected the proposal, with its Senator Talal Chaudhry emphasising: “The call for protest is merely an effort to blackmail the government.”

    Meanwhile, there are also reports that through some backchannel contacts, the government may allow Barrister Gohal Ali Khan and Hamid Raza to meet Khan today to withdraw the protest call.

    PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan wrote a request to the Interior Ministry to allow him and Hamid to meet with Khan three days before the protest call.

    In the letter, it was written, “It is to invite your attention to the subject matter that the last time Imran Khan was visited by our lawyers in Adiala Jail was October 3, 2024. Since then, no one has been allowed to visit Imran Khan. There is grave concern amongst the political leadership and workers of PTI about the health concern and wellbeing of Imran Khan.”

    There has also been internal opposition within PTI to postpone the protest in the greater interest of the country, with those opposing including CM KP Ali Amin Gandapur and Gohar Ali Khan, while Hammad Azhar, Salman Akram, and others advocated for holding the protest.

  • Sindh police clashes with protestors, journalists for violating section 144

    Sindh police clashes with protestors, journalists for violating section 144

    Police on Sunday confronted protestors for defying section 144 during a demonstration against the extra-judicial killing of blasphemy suspect Dr Shahnawaz Kunbhar and “extremism in Sindh.”

    The demonstrators had gathered outside the Karachi Press Club (KPC), for a protest organised under the “Sindh Rawadari March”, to condemn the murder of Dr Shahnawaz, who was shot dead by the police in Mirpurkhas on September 19 under blasphemy accusations, Dawn News reported.

    The Sindh Rawadari March brought together progressive voices from all over the province, including human rights defenders, trade unions and feminist movements.

    According to Tribune, the confrontation between law enforcement officials and protestors led to the arrest of over 100 individuals outside KPC, Metropole hostel and Jinnah Hospital.

    The Karachi police also cracked down on journalists, stopping them from covering the peace march.

    Simultaneously, Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) organised a counter-protest at KPC, and police halted them at Teen Talwar, near Capri cinema.

    President Karachi Press Club Saeed Sarbazi claimed, “Police closed all routes leading to the press club with containers and buses, and even reporters and camera persons were not allowed entry.”

    Karachi South Deputy Commissioner (DC) Altaf Sario stated that section 144 was imposed due to the risk of riots and violence not only in Karachi but also in other parts of Sindh.

    Meanwhile, Senator Sherry Rehman apologised for the police crackdown on protestors outside KPC on behalf of her party.

    She wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “I apologise on behalf of the party. Am told that TLP was advancing from the other side and the police were on hair trigger alert after the recent attacks on foreigners and the advise to not protest until SCO is over, but still, the situation could have been handled differently.”

    “We are a democratic party, and the rights of citizens have to be protected and respected even if they were in violation of today’s 144. I have spoken on the phone from Islamabad to many who were mistreated, and I apologised and appreciate their understanding. Because this is important. Many of us are sorry and shamed. Will inform the leadership as well,” Sherry Rehman further noted.

  • PTI’s Ali Muhammad Khan urges party to call off protest for SCO summit

    PTI’s Ali Muhammad Khan urges party to call off protest for SCO summit

    Ali Muhammad Khan, a central leader of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has expressed opposition to his party’s call for a protest at D-Chowk during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, which is to be held in Islamabad on October 15 and 16.

    “In my personal opinion, there should not be a protest during the SCO meeting. However, if we are continually pushed against the wall, then we will have no option left,” he told Rahman Azhar on Express News’ program Center Stage.

    On the other hand, the PTI political committee announced a protest at D-Chowk in Islamabad on October 15 last night.

    The meeting was held without the presence of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Chief Minister Ali Ameen Gandapur, yet the Secretary of Information Sheikh Waqas Akram, in a statement, confirmed that a large-scale protest will be held at D-Chowk on October 15.

    He instructed all organisational heads, from the central committee to the regional level, to prepare for the protest.

    Additionally, the party has rescheduled protests across the Punjab province in the wake of the D-Chowk demonstration, emphasising that this protest is against the “illegitimate rulers”.

    It was claimed in the recent party meeting that PTI founder Imran Khan, currently imprisoned in Adiala Jail, is being subjected to a new wave of brutality.

    Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, while visiting Police Line Headquarters, addressed the media and slammed PTI as a “chaos-monger”.

    “The Islamabad police foiled the fanatic group’s deadly plan,” Shehbaz asserted. “In 2014, these chaos-mongers rioted day and night for seven months at D-Chowk, forcing the government to postpone the visit of our close friend, Chinese President Xi Jinping,” he said, alluding to PTI’s 2014 sit-in.

  • PTI announces protest on the same day as SCO summit will take place

    PTI announces protest on the same day as SCO summit will take place

    As the country prepares to host the SCO summit, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has announced holding yet another protest in Islamabad’s D-Chowk on the same day the summit is scheduled – October 15.

    The announcement came a few days after the PTI held a protest in D-Chowk, with the government turning the twin cities into a curfew-like situation, including suspending cellular networks.

    The federal government had also announced a three-day public holiday in Islamabad and Rawalpindi from October 14 to 16 for the smooth conduction of the SCO summit.

    Last week, the government also deployed armed forces under Article 245, citing the upcoming SCO summit for increased security in the country.

    Defence Minister Khawaja Asif strongly condemned the PTI’s decision to hold a protest on the exact date as the SCO summit will be taking place.

    He also reiterated that the authorities would not let anyone take the country hostage.

  • CJP Isa refuses farewell dinner because it will cost approximately two million rupees

    CJP Isa refuses farewell dinner because it will cost approximately two million rupees

    The Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa has declined a farewell dinner, a tradition for every outgoing Chief Justice, saying that he cannot accept the event because it will cost approximately “two million rupees” funded by public money.

    As per the tradition, the Supreme Court’s registrar’s office sent a note to the Chief Justice regarding the reception planned for his retirement on October 25.

    The CJP underscored that such an event in his honour was unnecessary, making this the first time in the Supreme Court’s history that no farewell reception has been held for a retiring judge.

    Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, the next senior judge, will become the next Chief Justice, although the government has yet to notify him.

    A full court reference has also been scheduled for October 25, where Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa will officially step down, according to an official letter issued by the court’s registrar to Supreme Court Bar Association President Shahzad Shaukat yesterday.

  • ‘Block his passport’; Manzoor Pashteen cracks joke after meeting CM Gandapur

    ‘Block his passport’; Manzoor Pashteen cracks joke after meeting CM Gandapur

    Manzoor Pashteen, the leader of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), sarcastically asked the federal government to block Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur’s passport and CNIC after he met with Pashteen yesterday.

    A reporter asked Pashteen about the recent decision by the federal government to ban the PTM, to which he replied: “They [federal govt] said that whoever meets with us, their passports and CNICs will be blocked. So I ask the federal government to implement their order starting with the Chief Minister.”

    Gandapur laughed, saying, “They’ve stolen my wallet, and my CNIC was in that, so add that to the list of stolen items.”

    Pashteen retorted, “That’s what I was saying, that we are collecting the data of those who have been wronged, we will add your name to the list as well.”

    On October 6, the federal government issued a notification declaring the PTM as a ‘proscribed organisation’, warning that it posed a threat to peace and security in the country.

  • The Saudis are here; what does this mean for Pakistan’s economy?

    The Saudis are here; what does this mean for Pakistan’s economy?

    Saudi Arabia’s investment minister, Sheikh Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al-Faleh, is making an official visit to Pakistan. He announced that the Kingdom would invest two billion dollars in the country while mentioning that Pakistan, for him, is like “family, not friends.”

    Speaking at the Pak-Saudi Business Conference, the minister said that relations between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are beyond agreements, with relations that have been established for 1400 years.

    The Minister also stressed that 25 lac Pakistanis living in Saudi Arabia are supporting the Kingdom’s economy. Quoting Army Chief Asim Muneer, the Saudi Minister said that he had been assured that “red tape has been replaced by red carpet.”

    He also informed that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will establish a special one-window system to streamline all the 27 agreements that have been signed and sought to increase trade to about two billion dollars.

    Ishaq Dar’s statement

    “Pakistan will soon emerge as the 24th strongest economy in the world,” Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said in his address.

    He pledged to create a favourable environment for foreign investment in the country.

    Saudi Minister’s praise for Musadik Malik

    Federal Minister for Petroleum Musadik Malik told the media that if Pakistan had only one ally, it would be Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, Saudi Minister Al-Faleh praised him for teaching him to build industrial clusters in his own country.

    “Musadik mentioned that he was a consultant and a subject matter expert. He mentored and taught me. He was very humble when he called me his boss,” he said as he addressed the audience at the Pak-Saudi Business Forum on Thursday.

    Additionally, he remarked, “We took his advice, and we are very proud that our industrial sector is booming. It is one of the fastest growing and most competitive certainly in the region.”

    Malik said that there is a big market for petroleum products in Pakistan. He told Wasim Abbas of We News that more than 50 companies and more than 130 delegations from Saudi Arabia have come to Pakistan for investment purposes. Agreements of two billion dollars have been signed on the arrival of the Saudi delegation to Pakistan.

    Investment in the education sector

    In a report by Independent Urdu, it has been revealed that Saudi Arabia is investing 14 million dollars in the education and health sector of Pakistan. This will include the establishment of five thousand schools and one thousand homes for flood victims of 2022.

    Al Faleh announced to the business forum that Saudi Arabia intends to invest in Pakistan’s infrastructure and mining sectors, and his delegation will sign 25 agreements across various fields, including an investment of one billion dollars in the Reko Diq project.

  • 20 labourers killed, seven injured in Balochistan coal mine attack

    20 labourers killed, seven injured in Balochistan coal mine attack

    As the SCO summit draws nearer, terrorist attacks across the country have ratched up, with at least 20 miners killed and seven injured in an attack by unknown armed militants on a small private coal mine in the Duki area of the troubled province last night.

    In August, the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) conducted a series of well-coordinated terrorist attacks across the province, which claimed at least 50 lives.

    In today’s attack, labourers were attacked with rockets and grenades, according to the local police.

    Duki District Council Chairman Khairullah Nasir confirmed that the attackers set fire to atleast ten coal engines and machinery.

    Furthermore, Duki Deputy Commissioner (DC) Kaleemullah Kakar told Dawn News that the victims belonged to various regions of Pakistan, as well as Afghanistan.

  • Balochistan allows ISI to screen civil servants before appointments

    Balochistan allows ISI to screen civil servants before appointments

    Chief Minister of Balochistan Sarfraz Bugti has allowed the national spy agency ISI to vet and screen civil screen service appointments in Balochistan in a notification dated October 1.

    Geo Fact Check reported that the notification, which was shared by a Facebook user on October 7, is indeed true.

    ISI has been appointed as a ‘Special Vetting Agency’ (SVA) for verifying and screening civil service appointments of officers from BPS-17 posts and above.

    SVA’s approval would be required before appointing administrative secretaries, divisional commissioners, and deputy commissioners in the province as well.

    It should be noted that in June 2022, then-prime minister Shehbaz Sharif also authorised the ISI to act as the Special Vetting Agency (SVA) for the verification and screening of civil officers’ appointments.