Current Final

Category: Politics

  • Nawaz Sharif to chair in-person party meeting after almost four years

    Nawaz Sharif to chair in-person party meeting after almost four years

    Former prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif is going to chair an in-person party meeting after a gap of almost four years, to formulate a campaign as general elections loom nearer, Geo News has reported on Tuesday.

    Senior party leaders have started reaching the PML-N supremo’s residence, Jati Umra, for the important huddle.

    A discussion on the political situation of the country is also on the meeting’s agenda.

    The party’s leadership will also discuss plans for the resumption of Nawaz’s political activities in Pakistan, and finalizing a schedule for the PML-N head’s countrywide tours will also be discussed in the meeting.

    Party members will discuss and plan the launch of election campaign.

  • Al-Quds hospital under threat, thousands of people in danger: What we know about day 25

    Continuous attacks near Al-Quds Hospital

    The Palestine Red Crescent Society has been updating about the incessant artillery and air strikes in the Tal al-Hawa area in northern Gaza in the area where Al-Quds Hospital is situated.

    “The building is trembling and the displaced civilians and the working crews are experiencing fear and panic,” they reported on social media.

    Hundreds of patients and more than 12,000 displaced Gazans are being sheltered in Al-Quds.

    Israel has called for the evacuation of the hospital as they are likely to attack it — which human rights experts deem as a blatant war crime.

    Israel using white phosphorus in attacks in South Lebanon: Amnesty

    Rights group, Amnesty International has confirmed that “the Israeli army indiscriminately, and therefore unlawfully, used white phosphorous in an attack on Dhayra, in south Lebanon, on October 16.”

    “The attack must be investigated as a war crime,” Amnesty International posted on X.

    Countries in conversation

    Saudi defence minister Khalid bin Salman Al Saud stressed the need for “an immediate ceasefire in Gaza” as he met with US National Security adviser Jake Sullivan in Washington on Monday.

    The White House, on the other hand, reportedly said Sullivan “confirmed President [Joe] Biden’s commitment to support the defence of US partners against threats from state and non-state actors, including those backed by Iran”.

    US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also spoke with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani about increasing humanitarian aid to Gaza on an emergency basis.

    So far, at least four captives have been released from Gaza through Qatari mediation.

    According to the Axios news, the head of Israel’s foreign intelligence agency, Mossad, visited Doha, to discuss the possible release of more hostages.

    31 journalists killed

    The Committee to Protect Journalists reports that 31 journalists have been killed in Israel-Palestine escalation.

    Among the killed are 26 Palestinians, four Israelis and one Lebanese.

    Eight journalists have been said to be injured, nine journalists are reported missing or detained.

    As per the report, more journalists have died in the current escalation than in any other conflict since 1992.

    300 targets attacked in Gaza

    About 300 targets have been attacked overnight in Gaza, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have reportedly claimed.

    60 Palestinians arrested in occupied West Bank

    At least 60 Palestinians have been arrested across the occupied West Bank, according to the Commission of Detainees’ Affairs and the Palestinian Society Prisoner’s Club.

    Al Jazeera quotes that they have claimed “Arrests are accompanied with torture and abusive attacks against detainees and their families, as well as the policy of collective punishment, destroying property,”

    Since October 7, 1,740 arrest cases have been documented in the occupied West Bank.

  • LUMS students grill PM Kakar with tough questions

    LUMS students grill PM Kakar with tough questions

    Caretaker Prime Minister Anwarul Haq Kakar visited Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) on Monday in Lahore to attend a special session with students.

    PM Kakar interacted with students of top universities in the country during the session, stating that he always felt happy when he interacted with the youth of Pakistan, terming them “energetic” and “a source of stimulation” for senior people.

    However, the audience was ready to grill him with tough questions.

    One student asked the purpose of Kakar’s visit to the university.

    Another student chastised the caretaker Premier for his late arrival. Kakar reached the venue fifty minutes late for the session.

    However, Kakar did not appear bothered by the tough questions from the students.

    His visit to LUMS is trending on X (previously Twitter), and videos of the session are going viral on different social media platforms.

  • Four labourers from South Punjab were killed in Turbat Balochistan

    Four labourers from South Punjab were killed in Turbat Balochistan

    Four labourers, along with a police official, have been killed while one has been injured in the Nasirabad area of Turbat, Balochistan, in an attack on a police station by unidentified persons on Tuesday. The authorities have declared the attack terrorist activity.

    All the labourers killed in the attack were from district Muzaffargarh, South Punjab.

    According to police, dead bodies were transferred to the Teaching Hospital in Turbat.

    Caretaker Information Minister Jan Achakzai condemned the incident and said that it was a terrorist attack.

    The killing marks the second incident of targeted attacks on labourers from South Punjab in Balochistan.

    Earlier this month, at least six laborers  from Shujabaad were killed in Turbat city. The labourers were sleeping in an under-construction building when they were attacked.

  • Court declares Sheikh Rashid’s Lal Haveli sealing decision null and void

    Court declares Sheikh Rashid’s Lal Haveli sealing decision null and void

    In a decision that favoured former interior minister Sheikh Rashid, the Lahore High Court’s (LHC) Rawalpindi Bench on Monday instructed the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) to remove seals from Lal Haveli, the home of the Awami Muslim League (AML) leader.

    The Lal Haveli is a famous building at Bohar Bazar in Rawalpindi, it serves as the political office of AML.

    In a decision, Mirza Waqas Rauf announced the decision to seal the haveli null and void.

    ETPB sealed Lal Haveli last month, stating that Rashid’s property papers were not right. On September 21, ETPB, with help from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and police, removed the people living there.

    The AML chief’s nephew, Sheikh Rashid Shafiq, said in a video message that the haveli is registered in the name of Sheikh Siddique. All information related to property has been given to the deputy commissioner Rawalpindi, Rashid Shafiq added.

    Responding to a question, the former interior minister said that the “40 days in chilla (isolation)” made him a new “Sheikh Rashid”

  • 3,324 children killed in Gaza since October 7: What we know about day 24

    3,324 children killed in Gaza since October 7: What we know about day 24

    Children in Gaza

    Save the Children has reported that more children have died in Gaza in the past three weeks than the annual total killed in conflicts across the globe every year since 2019.

    Their report, issued on Sunday, revealed that at least 3,324 children have been killed in Gaza since October 7 and 36 in the occupied West Bank.

    Reports from the UN Secretary-General on children and armed conflict have stated that a total of 2,985 children were killed in 24 countries in 2022; 2,515 in 2021, and 2,674 in 2020 across 22 countries.

    3,195 children killed in #Gaza in just three weeks has surpassed the annual number of children killed across the world’s conflict zones since 2019. We are calling for an immediate ceasefire. pic.twitter.com/vrEQ846tPB— Save the Children International (@save_children) October 29, 2023

    Israel’s ground operation in Gaza

    Al Jazeera has highlighted the news briefing of an Israeli army spokesperson which reveals that their army has proceeded with ground operation with additional forces and tanks, while infantry goes further into the Gaza Strip. Additionally, ground forces are supported by air raids.

    Dozens of alleged Hamas fighters have reportedly been killed overnight.

    This ground offensive is said to escalate with time.

    Large number of arrests in occupied West Bank:

    Israeli air raid targeted “several” alleged Hamas fighters in refugee camp in Jenin, arresting dozens belonging to armed groups.

    700 people, who are said to be Hamas fighters, have reportedly been arrested in the occupied territories since October 7.

    As of yet, a total of at least 1,070 suspects have been taken into custody.

    Al-Quds hospital in danger

    Al-Quds hospital in Gaza is currently under threat of an Israeli attack.

    According to Al Jazeera Arabic, medical staff and patients at al-Quds Hospital.

    While everyone is expected to evacuate the premises, the staff does not have a place to go to. They add that there are no available hospitals to transfer patients to, especially amid continuous Israeli attacks.

    Al-Quds hospital is sheltering 12,000 displaced Gazans and catering to hundreds of patients.

  • Caretaker government is in contact with all political parties, says Sarfraz Bugti

    As the general elections approach nearer, caretaker federal Interior Minister, Sarfraz Bugti, has stated that the interim government is in contact with all political parties, and there are “no favorites.”

    While talking in Shehzad Iqbal’s programme ‘Naya Pakistan’, the security Czar said that the caretaker government is also in contact with Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F), not just with Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

    “It is our [caretaker government’s] responsibility to assist the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) [in the electoral process],” he mentioned while saying that the caretaker government just obeyed the directions given by electoral authorities regarding posting and transferring of officers and bureaucrats.

    “Whatever the ECP’s directions are, we will abide by it,” he added.

    ECP has directed the caretaker government to transfer Inspector General Police (IG) Islamabad.

    “The IG Islamabad is performing well […] It is my wish that he continues to work [as federal capital’s police chief],” the security czar said while emphasizing that federal government will follow ECP’s directives regarding IG’s transfer.

    The ECP announced on September 21 that general elections will be conducted in the last week of January 2024.

  • CEC Sikandar Sultan Raja satisfied with Punjab govt initiatives to hold elections

    CEC Sikandar Sultan Raja satisfied with Punjab govt initiatives to hold elections

    Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikander Sultan Raja is satisfied with the initiatives taken by the Punjab caretaker government to conduct polls in the province.

    The CEC gave the statement while discussing the upcoming general elections in today’s meeting with Punjab caretaker cabinet.

    The commission provided an extensive overview of the arrangements for the upcoming provincial elections.

    Provincial election commission members Nisar Ahmad Durrani, Shah Muhammad Jatoi, Ikramullah Khan and Babar Hasan Bharwana also attended the meeting.

    During the huddle, the CEC stressed that general election will be held on time as well as the electoral body will fully support the interim government in conducting a free and fair election in the province.

    Raja has also mentioned that the process of delimitation will be finished by November 30, adding that ECP is ready to conduct free and fair elections in the country.

    The interim Chief Minister (CM), Mohsin Naqvi, said that caretaker government will fully support the electoral body for peaceful and transparent elections.

    “Fool-proof arrangements will be made to ensure the free conduct of elections in Punjab,” CM Naqvi said, adding that the interim government will follow the ECP.

  • Jail mein Imran Khan ki kaun kaun si khwahish puri hogayi?

    Jail mein Imran Khan ki kaun kaun si khwahish puri hogayi?

    Former Prime Minister and Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Imran Khan, has reportedly had all his desires fulfilled during his time in Adiala Jail, so far.

    A few days ago, the Advocate General of Punjab informed the Islamabad High Court (IHC) that Imran Khan was being provided with facilities under the jail manual. He also talks to his sons who live in the UK via WhatsApp.

    As per sources of Jang newspaper, Imran Khan has been provided with the following: 

    • Space to walk
    • An exercise machine
    • Television
    • Charpoy
    • Mattress
    • Chair
    • Table
    • Newspapers
    • Books
    • Attached bathroom

    It is reported that the exercise machine, weighing approximately 75 kilograms and valued at Rs1 million, is commonly known as a “mini-gym” in the public domain. 

    Additionally, six doctors and three male nurses have been assigned to him.

    In line with the regulations of the central jail, four cells have been allocated for the former PM during the daytime. 

    A “pehra” in jail parlance refers to a set consisting of four cells or silos where four individuals are accommodated. However, for high-profile prisoners, for security reasons, they are kept separate from other inmates. 

    Therefore, a “pehra” comprising four cells was assigned to Imran Khan, which allowed him to have a 40-foot walkway in front of it, meeting his request for more space. Following a court order, the jail administration also removed the inner wall between the cells during noon, granting him permission to walk in the area in front of eight cells.

    Imran Khan also gets Desi Murgh as per his meal requirements.

    The jail authorities facilitate meetings with his family on Tuesdays and meetings with his lawyers on Thursdays. Permission has been granted to Khan’s lawyers to meet Imran Khan on Tuesdays now as well.

  • Hilary Clinton gets slammed online for saying ceasefire ‘not an option’

    Hilary Clinton gets slammed online for saying ceasefire ‘not an option’

    After Barack Obama, former United States Secretary of State Hilary Clinton has come out in support of Israel in her latest address.

    “People who are calling for a ceasefire now do not understand Hamas, that is not possible,” Clinton remarked at a public talk.

    “It would be such a gift to Hamas because they would spend whatever time there was a ceasefire in effect rebuilding armaments, creating stronger positions to be able to fend off an eventual assault by the Israelis,” she added.

    Clinton also asserted that “We are in a very different world. I don’t think it had to be the world we’re in, but that’s where we are, and we have to figure out our way forward through it.”

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