Current Final

Category: Politics

  • President Alvi has no power to announce the election date, says PM Kakar

    President Alvi has no power to announce the election date, says PM Kakar

    Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar has said on Monday that President Arif Alvi has no right to announce a date for general elections as it is the responsibility of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

    Multiple sources have told different media outlets that President Arif Alvi is set to announce the election date.

    Earlier in the day, during their second meeting in ten days, President Alvi had a discussion on the election schedule with the caretaker law minister.

    According to sources in the president’s house, the idea that President Alvi will choose a date for the upcoming general election is “wrong”, confirming that discussions on polls are still going on.

    However, PM Kakar said in an interview that, according to the law, ECP has the power to announce the election date.

    The caretaker PM further said that “We have no intention to prolong the tenure of the caretaker government.”

  • Political leaders should have equal opportunities to contest elections, says Bilawal Bhutto

    Political leaders should have equal opportunities to contest elections, says Bilawal Bhutto

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said on Tuesday that there should be a level-playing field for all political leaders, emphasizing that they do not have equal opportunities to contest the upcoming general elections.

    Addressing the media in Sukkur where he was paying a visit to the family of slain journalist Jan Muhammad Mahar, the former Foreign Minister said, “There is no level-playing field for everyone, and that is my objection.”

    The statement came in response to a question about the availability of a level-playing field for his party as two prominent politicians, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Nawaz Sharif and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Imran Khan, are currently ineligible to run in the upcoming general elections due to convictions in separate corruption cases.

    Talking about Mahar, who was shot dead on August 17 in Sukhur by unidentified men, the chairman of the PPP said that a joint investigation team (JIT) is looking into the case.

    “I have come here to offer my condolences to Jan Muhammad Mahar’s family, and we stand by them,” said Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

  • Khan wants desi chicken in jail, Rs79,000 deposited in his account

    Khan wants desi chicken in jail, Rs79,000 deposited in his account

    Former Prime Minister and Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), who is in Attock jail in the cipher case, refused to eat broiler chicken and asked for desi chicken (organic chicken) to be added in his diet.

    According to sources, Rs79,000 rupees have been added to Imran Khan’s bank account by his legal team to fulfill his desire to eat desi chicken in jail.

    Jail authorities outlined Khan’s daily food requirements and made a meal plan after consulting with the former prime minister. In breakfast, Imran Khan can have two eggs, bread, and yogurt. The PTI chairman can eat bread for lunch and dinner as well.

    Different pulses and vegetables are also part of the meal plan.

    Usually, broiler chicken is served four days a week in jail. However, Imran Khan doesn’t like broiler chicken, so jail authorities gave him desi chicken twice in the past 15 days, which cost Rs8,000 rupees. This amount has been deducted from Imran Khan’s account.

  • Journalist questions US ‘internal matter’ response to Imran’s arrest, compares to other countries

    Journalist questions US ‘internal matter’ response to Imran’s arrest, compares to other countries

    Matthew Miller, spokesperson for the US State Department, was recently questioned about his country’s “subdued and muted” response to former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s arrest.

    In a recent press briefing, a journalist asked Miller about whether he thought Khan got a fair trial. To this, Miller responded by saying, “We think it’s an internal matter for Pakistan. And we continue to call for the respect of democratic principles, human rights and rule of law in Pakistan, as we do around the world.”

    The journalist then said, “Some people describe that response as subdued and muted,” asking if that was because of Imran Khan’s criticism of the USA when he was Prime Minister.

    “I think our response to this arrest and his previous arrest have been consistent,” Miller replied, repeating again that it was an internal matter for Pakistan.

    Another journalist then asks, “How is that different from the Navalny case,” referring to Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who has been sentenced to 19 years in prison for allegedly funding an extremist organisation. The US had strongly condemned Navalny’s detention.

    Miller replied, “There are times when the case is so obviously unfounded that the United States believes it should say something about the matter. We have not made that determination here.”

  • Arif Alvi, establishment strike deal?

    Arif Alvi, establishment strike deal?

    Senior analyst Muzamil Suharwardy has alleged that President Arif Alvi will announce the election date very soon as part of a deal he has striken with the establishment.

    During a programme on Naya Daur TV, the analyst said that Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Director General Lt Gen Nadeem Anjum met with President Alvi to finalize a deal between both parties. President Alvi will not voice any objections regarding the Official Secret Act and Army Act, Suharwardy narrated.

    The analyst also said that the President asked the establishment to provide a smooth path so that he could face the public with dignity. Not objecting to the Official Secret Act and Army Act will be part of the agreement.

    According to Suharwardy, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will file a plea stating that the president has no right to announce the election date. The matter will then shift to the Supreme Court (SC), where the upcoming chief justice, Qazi Faez Esa has already said that no such case can be heard until the Supreme Court Practice and Procedure Bill case is finalized.

    Chief Justice Umar Atta Bandial will consequently face criticism from both the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM).

    “A fixed match will be played between President Alvi and the establishment,” Suharwardy said.

  • Punishments of military officers behind overthrowing Benazir Bhutto’s government upheld

    Punishments of military officers behind overthrowing Benazir Bhutto’s government upheld

    The Supreme Court of Pakistan has upheld the sentences of military officers involved in the conspiracy to overthrow the government of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.

    A hearing was held in the Supreme Court against the punishment of the officers involved in the conspiracy to overthrow Benazir Bhutto’s government.

    Supreme Court judge Muneeb Akhtar read out the reserved judgment on February 15.

    The court dismissed the appeals against the sentences of Colonel (retd) Azad Minhas and Colonel (retd) Inayatullah.

    It should be noted that after the petitions were rejected by the Lahore High Court, the petitioners approached the Supreme Court in 2016.

    A Field Court Martial had sentenced Azad Minhas to two years, Inayatullah to four years imprisonment with hard labor and dismissal from service. 

    Both former army officers were prosecuted in 1995 for plotting to overthrow Benazir Bhutto’s government.

    The two officers, alongside retired Maj Gen Zaheerul Islam Abbasi, now deceased, and Brig Mustansir Billah, were arrested on September 26, 1995 on charges of “plotting to storm a meeting of corps commanders scheduled to be held on September 30 that year at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi”.

  • PPP will form the next government, says Bilawal Bhutto

    PPP will form the next government, says Bilawal Bhutto

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said on Monday while addressing an audience at Sukkur’s Jinnah Stadium, that it is “evident” that the PPP will form the next government.

    The former Foreign Minister also said that “The writing is on the wall” that his party will be in power in the next government.

    Talking about the upcoming polls, Bilawal Bhutto stressed that general elections are inevitable.

    He added, “They [elections] will be held within 90 days, if not then within 100 or even within 120 days at most.”

    Earlier, while speaking at a ceremony in Hyderabad, the PPP head said that his former political allies are running away from elections.

    Without naming names, the PPP leader took a jibe at former ally Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) for refusing to support elections within the constitutionally mandated 90-day window.

  • 60,000 cases are pending in the Supreme Court: Vice Chairman Pakistan Bar

    60,000 cases are pending in the Supreme Court: Vice Chairman Pakistan Bar

    Pakistan Bar Council Vice-Chairman Haroon-ur-Rashid has said that there are an estimated 60,000 cases pending in the Supreme Court, emphasizing that despite being repeatedly highlighted, important cases are still not scheduled for early hearing.

    Addressing the full court ceremony at the commencement of the new judicial year, Haroon-ur-Rashid said that no transparent system has been devised for the hearing of pending cases.

    He pointed out that in most cases, detailed decisions are not issued on time, and in between, judges retire. In some cases, larger benches were ordered, but that has not happened either. He requested the nominated Chief Justice to fix the benches in the same week as new and urgent cases are filed.

    Haroon-ur-Rashid added that a large number still await the first hearing. “There is a general impression that when the cases of a few special people are filed, they are immediately settled, whereas the general cases are fixed after a long time resulting in disappointment,” he said, adding that this practice should, henceforth, be dispelled.

    He further said that a system should be created in which cases are assigned without discrimination, the common people do not feel deprived and trust in the institution persists. He further highlighted that decisions have been made in many cases but their written orders have not been provided.

    Vice-Chairman Pakistan Bar Council Haroon-ur-Rashid also said that complete information should be provided to the Supreme Body of Lawyers, hoping the apex court will not be deprived of the right to access information.

  • President Alvi can announce election date anytime, Geo News reports

    President Alvi can announce election date anytime, Geo News reports

    President of Pakistan, Dr. Arif Alvi, can announce the election date anytime, Geo News has reported. President Alvi met with interim law minister Ahmad Irfan Aslam on Monday and discussed the matter of the election date.

    The law minister reportedly told the President that in his opinion, deciding the polling date is the responsibility of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), verifying the stance of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC).

    However, the President declaring a date on his own could start another legal crisis with the matter likely to end up in the Supreme Court.

    According to a report in The News, President Alvi met with two significant individuals in Aiwan-e-Sadr on September 4. The location of the meeting, the Aiwan-e-Sadr’s fourth floor, was off-limits to everyone, including staff.


    General Nadeem Ahmad Anjum, the head of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), was also present at the meeting, according to a previous revelation by Kamran Yousaf in his vlog on August 30.

  • ‘Striving to bring back abducted football players from Dera Bugti,’ says interior minister

    ‘Striving to bring back abducted football players from Dera Bugti,’ says interior minister

    An operation is underway by the Frontier Corps Balochistan (North) for the recovery of six kidnapped footballers in Dera Bugti, Balochistan. Seven suspects have been arrested so far.

    On Saturday (September 9), six footballers were kidnapped by unknown armed assailants in Dera Bugti while they were on their way to Sibi to participate in the Chief Minister Balochistan Gold Cup tournament.

    “FC Balochistan (North) is tirelessly striving to bring back the abducted football players from #DeraBugti. Your prayers are needed. Hoping for safe recovery. InshAllah,” tweeted caretaker Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti on Sunday.

    Around 24 players were on their way to Sibi when they were abducted at gunpoint by armed men, reported Dawn. However, the kidnappers released 18 players but kept six. According to the Dera Bugti deputy commissioner, the kidnapped footballers are residents of Dera Bugti and Sui.