Current Final

Category: Politics

  • Country could face constitutional crisis if elections not held on May 14, warns Imran Khan

    Country could face constitutional crisis if elections not held on May 14, warns Imran Khan

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan appeared before Islamabad High Court on Friday to seek bail in a case pertaining to allegations against top officers of state institutions and inciting mutiny. The court approved Imran Khan’s interim bail till May 3.


    During an informal conversation with journalists after appearing at the Islamabad High Court, Imran Khan expressed concerns that if the upcoming elections were not held on May 14 as scheduled, it could result in a constitutional crisis.


    He stated that a failure to hold elections in a timely manner would amount to a violation of the constitution, suggesting that if the constitution were to be breached, the outcome would be determined by whoever was the strongest.


    Imran further said that any discussion of elections in September or October would be pointless. He emphasised that the government should take action and hold elections as soon as possible, as the constitution should always take precedence over the parliament. The responsibility of holding timely elections now rests with the government, the former Prime Minister observed.

    On Thursday evening, Imran Khan tweeted that a “bizarre” FIR has been registered against him because of “Tauheen-i-Dirty Harry and Tayheen-i-Psycopath”.


    It is pertinent to mention that Khan has often referred ro Major General Faisal Naseer as Dirty Harry and accused him of being involved in assassination attempt on his life.

  • PTI wants general elections in July, amendment in constitution and much more

    PTI wants general elections in July, amendment in constitution and much more

    The Pakistan Democratic Movement-led government and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) finally sat together to discuss the matter of elections on Thursday.

    According to Geo News, the former ruling party PTI has put forward three conditions for reaching a consensus. One of them is that they want general elections in July instead of October.

    Other than this, PTI has asked the government to dissolve Balochistan and Sindh Assembly as well as National Assembly (NA) in May. Thirdly, the party wants an amendment in the constitution for simultaneous elections and for that, the resignations of their Member of National Assembly (MNA) have to be withdrawn.

    The first round of the negotiations lasted for two hours while the second round will be held today.

    It is important to mention that Supreme Cout (SC) gave May 14 as the date for polls in Punjab and KP, but later asked the political parties to negotiate with each other to reach a conclusion.

  • PM Shehbaz Sharif smoothly wins vote of confidence

    PM Shehbaz Sharif smoothly wins vote of confidence

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif has managed to secure a vote of confidence from the National Assembly (NA) on Thursday.

    A total of 180 lawmakers reposed confidence in the prime minister. Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari presented a resolution in the House for the prime minister to seek a vote of confidence.

    The counting of vote of confidence lasted less than 10 mins.

    After IK, PM Shehbaz to seek vote of confidence today

    Earlier, PM decided to take a vote of confidence from the NA.

    According to several media reports, the premier consulted with allies on the matter and they advised him to take a vote of confidence.

    They also affirmed their confidence in him and assured him that he can always take a vote of confidence from the House.

    Reportedly, this development is to send a message to dispell the image that the Prime Minister is weak or that the parliament is not with PM Shehbaz.

    However, reports from earlier in the week that a vote of confidence would take place were rubbished by Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb.

    PM Shehbaz isn’t seeking vote of confidence, clarifies minister

    In a tweet, she said, “The prime minister did not decide to take a vote of confidence. There were no such consultations and there is no need for the vote of confidence.”

    The minister termed Shehbaz as the “unanimous” candidate of the people, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and its coalition parties. 

    She also asked the media not to run such news stories “without verification”.

    The last time a PM took a vote of confidence was in April 2022 when Imran Khan was ousted from power, becoming the first premier to be removed from government in such a manner.

  • CJ Bandial admits Supreme Court can’t force govt into negotiations on election delay

    Chief Justice of Pakistan, Umar Ata Bandial has admitted on Thursday that the Supreme Court cannot force the government to hold negotiations with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on the matter of delay in polls in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Punjab.

    The three member bench, comprising of Justices Bandial, Ijazul Ahsan and Munib Akhtar, barely heard the case for an hour, calling for a sudden adjournment with the Chief Justice stating that a detailed order will be issued later.

    During last week’s hearing, the apex court had told political parties to hold dialogue on April 26 and report to the court. The coalition-led federal government, however, has held no dialogue and refused to accept the April 4 verdict, calling into question the legality of the bench.

  • National Assembly Speaker writes to Supreme Court, asks it to not interfere in political matters

    Speaker of the National Assembly, Raja Pervez Ashraf, has told Supreme Court (SC) in a letter to avoid getting involved in political matters.

    The SC must, as far as possible, avoid getting involved in [the] political thicket. It is best to leave resolution of political matters by the parliament and the political parties,” he wrote.

    Noting the SC’s decision to release Rs21 billion for elections in Punjab and KP, the Speaker said that the “three-member bench’s orders have completely disregarded the constitutional process and the prerogative of the National Assembly with respect to financial matters.”

    He added that the bench seemed to be in a hurry to give unusual directions to the federal government to authorise the expenditure of Rs21 billion.

    Raja Pervez Ashraf further said that the power of the purse belonged solely to the lower house of parliament, adding that the assembly would defend its right.

    At the outset of the letter, the speaker said he was writing to convey the “profound concern and unease” of the country’s elected representatives regarding recent decisions by the top court as well as comments passed by judges.

    Ashraf said the assembly would approve the expenditure for general elections to all assemblies in the annual budget for the next fiscal year.

    The decision to write a letter came about during a National Assembly session held on Wednesday when many federal ministers opposed the SC verdict about elections.

    It is pertinent to mention that before this development, the federal cabinet also disapproved the verdict of the top court of giving money to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) so that election can take place in May.

    The SC will resume hearing on election matter today.

  • PML-N ministers almost hit each other, use abusive language during National Assembly session

    PML-N ministers almost hit each other, use abusive language during National Assembly session

    Two leaders of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)- federal ministers Murtaza Javed Abbasi and Mian Javed Latif — almost came to blows in a heated debate on Wednesday during the National Assembly (NA) session.

    The debate led to a point where the two senior members tried to hit each other and used abusive language, dismantling the decorum of the House.

    However, witnessing the tense situation several lawmakers including Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar and Adviser to the Prime Minister (PM) Qamar Zaman Kaira intervened.

    After the matter settled down, Azam Tarar made Murtaza sit with Defence Minister Khawaja Asif.

    Some media reports have suggested that the altercation began when Latif was not allowed to speak in the House. But there is no official confirmation of what led to the argument.

    Both ministers haven’t commented on the situation as of yet. However, Murtaza Javed’s official Twitter account posted his pictures inside the National Assembly in which Javed Latif is also present. Both of them can be seen talking to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

  • More than 30 Pakistanis living in Sudan safely reach Jeddah

    More than 30 Pakistanis living in Sudan safely reach Jeddah

    Amid the intensifying conflict in Sudan, the Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said that a ship carrying 37 citizens has arrived in Jeddah from Port Sudan.

    On Tuesday, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari confirmed that the Pakistani diplomatic mission in Sudan had evacuated 700 countrymen to safety, and the status of the remaining nearly 1,500 Pakistanis currently in the African country was being closely monitored.

    Sudan has a long history of civil wars. However, the latest escalation in fighting came on April 15, which has turned residential areas into battlefields.

    Air strikes and artillery have killed at least 512 people and wounded nearly 4,200.

    The violence between the military and the well-armed Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group has triggered a humanitarian crisis.

    Tensions began when members of the RSF were redeployed around the country in a move that the army saw as a threat.

  • Nawaz isn’t coming back to Pakistan, leaving for London from Saudi

    Nawaz isn’t coming back to Pakistan, leaving for London from Saudi

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif has concluded his tour of Saudi Arabia and is set to return to London.

    The former Prime Minister, who was accompanied by his daughter and Senior Vice President of his party, Maryam Nawaz, will fly back to the British capital where he has been living since 2019 after leaving Pakistan for medical treatment. Maryam Nawaz, however, is expected to return home on Wednesday around midnight.

    Nawaz was in the Kingdom from April 11 on the invitation of the Saudi royal family. His meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman made headlines back home, especially given that Maryam Nawaz was a part of it.

    During his stay, Nawaz also performed Umrah and also visited the Roza-e-Rasool (PBUH).

    Speculations were rife among political circles that Nawaz might come back to Pakistan after almost three years of living abroad. However, the Sharif family never confirmed the rumour.

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  • President Alvi’s cryptic tweet says he’s disappointed watching TV

    President Alvi’s cryptic tweet says he’s disappointed watching TV

    President Dr Arif Alvi has posted a cryptic tweet on Wednesday, stating that he is disappointed while watching TV where he sees the eagerness of friends seeking “filth” in each other.

    “Watching TV I am disappointed to see the eagerness of friends seeking only filth in each others souls as if that is the shortest route to salvation.”

    The tweet further said that watching such things reminded him of the words of Shams Tabrizi and wrote, “Real filth is the one inside. The rest simply washes off. That which cannot be cleaned even with pure waters is the stain of hatred & bigotry contaminating the soul. You can purify your body through abstinence & fasting, but only love & forgiveness will purify your heart” Lets pray to Allah to help us do it.”

    It is unclear which friend the President was referring to.

  • PM Shehbaz convenes allies’ meeting today on talks with PTI

    PM Shehbaz convenes allies’ meeting today on talks with PTI

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif has summoned a meeting of the ruling alliance today (Wednesday) before negotiations with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on the Supreme Court’s (SC) directions.

    According to news reports, the meeting of the ruling alliance will be held at the Prime Minister’s House at 12:30 pm.

    Almost all parties in the ruling coalition have shown an inclination to end the political impasse by entering into negotiations with the PTI, but according to Dawn, Jamat-e-Ulema Islami- Fazl (JUI-F) continues to oppose the move.

    Geo News claims that the Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz (PML-N) leadership has asked former speaker Ayaz Sadiq to contact PTI’s Asad Qaiser and both have agreed to meet today. However, PTI chief Imran Khan has clearly stated that the mandate for negotiations rests with Shah Mahmood Qureshi.

    On April 20, the SC adjourned the hearing of the petition till April 27 after the key ruling parties —PPP and PML-N — had assured the Supreme Court they would sit with the PTI on April 26 and try to find a solution on the election date.