Current Final

Category: Politics

  • ‘Judiciary cannot re-write Constitution’; PM Shehbaz remains defiant

    ‘Judiciary cannot re-write Constitution’; PM Shehbaz remains defiant

    A defiant Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday said that the judiciary can only interpret the law, but cannot re-write it.

    “There is no example in the world where the parliament’s law — which has not even come into existence right now and has not taken its applicable shape — was subjected to a stay order,” said PM Shehbaz while addressing the launch ceremony of the constitution’s mobile app in Islamabad.

    “The Constitution has taken birth from the cradle of the parliament. The judiciary can interpret the Constitution — that is their right — but the judiciary cannot rewrite the Constitution,” said the Premier as his government faces off with the Supreme Court.

    “This (rewriting Constitution) is only the parliament’s authority,” he added, warning that the “parliament will use its constitutional and legal rights on this” matter.

    Shehbaz said the country was “standing at crossroads today” and that politicians, including him, had committed numerous mistakes.

    “The ones who stand above others are those who move forward after learning from their mistakes and subordinate themselves to the national interest for the nation’s supreme aim,” he said.

    The prime minister said the government was “working day and night to improve Pakistan’s difficult conditions and will keep doing so”.

  • BBZ is going to India next month for the Shanghai Cooperation Org

    BBZ is going to India next month for the Shanghai Cooperation Org

    In a major diplomatic development, Foreign Minister (FM) Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari will be visiting India to attend Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) which is set to take place on May 4-5 in Goa, India, Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch has confirmed.

    The minister is going to India at the invitation of the country’s External Affairs Minister Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.

    Pakistan is currently preparing for the meeting.

    It is pertinent to mention that Bilawal’s visit to India will be the first by a Pakistani foreign minister in nearly 12 years. In 2011, the then-top Pakistani diplomat, Hina Rabbani Khar, now Bhutto-Zardari’s deputy in the foreign ministry, visited India.

    If Bilawal’s visit goes as per plan, it is likely that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will visit India too for the summit, reports Express Tribune.

    ​Bilawal also attended the last meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers held in July last year in Tashkent.

    The SCO is a regional political and security bloc whose members include Russia, China, India and Pakistan.

  • Boycott? PML-N decides not to give tickets for Punjab election

    Boycott? PML-N decides not to give tickets for Punjab election

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has decided not to issue tickets to any candidate for the general elections in Punjab.

    According to news reports, PML-N leadership has decided that the nomination papers of the party candidates will not be withdrawn for now. The party will give tickets after the Supreme Court gives its verdict. For now, it has been decided not to issue party tickets till the court decision is announced.

    It is also reported that PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif will decide whether his party will participate in the upcoming elections or not.

    In the light of the court decision, there is a possibility of calling an important consultative meeting after Eid ul Fitr.

    According to the election schedule, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has to allot party symbols to the candidates today.

  • ‘Trying to update our software’: Khan says reign of terror controlled by other force, not PDM

    ‘Trying to update our software’: Khan says reign of terror controlled by other force, not PDM

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chair­man Imran Khan on Wednesday claimed that the “reign of terror” that his party was going through was not controlled by the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) but by another force that sees itself as above the law.

    In a series of tweets Khan said, “The way we have descended into becoming a banana republic where there is no Rule of Law & only law of the jungle, it is clear that this reign of terror is not controlled by PDM puppets but by another force that sees itself totally above the law.”

    “Our ppl are abducted & afterwards sham FIRs are registered. As bail in one FIR is granted, another FIR pops up. I have over 145 FIRs against me. Its a circus of FIRs. My Bani Gala caretaker, my Zaman Park cook, our social media’s Mashwani, Waqas & my security incharge Ghumman – all abducted & tortured to try & update their software.”

    “Ali Amin got bail in one sham case, & another FIR popped up & now another one with police taking him to Lahore.”

    “Despite his falling ill on the way & being taken to hospital, he was removed from hospital before he had stabilised. Now total fascism prevails.”

  • Khan buys bulletproof gate for Zaman Park house worth Rs15 lakh

    Khan buys bulletproof gate for Zaman Park house worth Rs15 lakh

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has bought a new bulletproof gate for his Lahore residence in Zaman Park amid fear of a possible operation by the government.

    The gate, which has now been delivered, has reportedly cost between Rs12 lakh and Rs15 lakh.


    On Monday, Khan apprised the Lahore High Court (LHC) that he had “concrete information” of another “attack” at his Zaman Park residence during the Eid holidays.

    In March, Punjab police launched an operation in Zaman Park when Khan was on his way to Islamabad to appear before the court in the Toshkahana case.

    The police crashed into the gate before entering the premises.

  • Moonis bought benami Spanish properties on same day father Pervaiz Elahi became CM

    Chaudhry Moonis Elahi purchased several properties in Spain on the day his father, Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, took oath as Chief Minister (CM) Punjab on July 27 last year.

    Writing for The News, Umer Cheema has revealed that this information has been obtained by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) from Spanish authorities.

    Moonis confirmed holding benami properties in Spain, which includes an apartment, a Range Rover and a company among the newly made assets apart from a bank account and previously incorporated companies.

    Moonis admitted to their ownership and said he would declare them in his next year’s tax return. He said it was nothing more than a coincidence that the purchase of properties occurred on the day his father took the oath.

    National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Lahore had written a letter to the authorities in Spain for an ongoing investigation of alleged corruption, looting and ill-gotten properties against the family.

    It has been found that Barcelo hotel in Barcelona is also owned by Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi family, while another multi-story plaza is also said to be owned by Elahi family—with a person named Saqib Tahir appointed as caretaker, reports Samaa News.

    The Canary Islands in Spain are also said to be home to various historic buildings, plazas and orchards, owned by Eahi family.

    Moonis Elahi has recently started a taxi service in Barcelona by obtaining 250 taxi vehicles on bank lease.

    In Spain, Chaudhary Pervez is known as the frontman of the Elahi Family.

  • SC to hear defence ministry’s request to hold simultaneous elections across Pakistan

    SC to hear defence ministry’s request to hold simultaneous elections across Pakistan

    The Supreme Court (SC) will shortly hear a plea by the defence ministry to hold elections across Pakistan simultaneously.

    A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial, comprising of Justice Ijaz Ul Ahsan and Justice Munib Akhtar, will take up the plea shortly.

    A day earlier, the ministry requested the apex court to withdraw the order for upcoming elections due to the fear of terrorist attacks on political campaigns.

    The ministry has submitted a sealed petition in the SC, requesting that the elections be held simultaneously across the country after the completion of the term of the National, Balochistan, and Sindh assemblies.

    It may be noted that this is the same bench that announced the April 4 verdict directing the government and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to hold snap polls in Punjab on May 14.

  • Citizen wants Supreme Court to remove President Alvi from office

    Citizen wants Supreme Court to remove President Alvi from office

    Chaudhry Muhammad Imtiaz has approached Supreme Court (SC) to seek the removal of President Dr Arif Alvi from his post.

    The citizen has said that Alvi is no longer eligible for the post of President and the top court should remove him from the post immediately.

    In a petition filed to the apex court, he further claimed that the president is from a political party and is biased.

    It further states that the president did not approve the Supreme Court Practice and Procedure Bill, 2023 on the directions of his party chief Imran Khan. He also refused to sign the NAB Amendment Bill and the Islamabad Local Government Act.

    Hence, his refusal to fulfill constitutional duties shows that he is not fit for the office of the president, the citizen said.

    Last month, the apex court dismissed a petition filed seeking Alvi’s disqualification.

    At the time, the petitioner argued that the country is currently in crisis due to the appointment of an unqualified person as president.

  • ISI, Military Intelligence chiefs brief SC judges on security situation

    The heads of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and the Military Intelligence (MI) met with the Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial and two OTHER apex court judges who are hearing a case related to the election in Punjab on May 14 on Monday to update them on the security situation in the country.

    According to news reports, the meeting between the judges, the ISI, and MI chiefs continued for over three hours in the CJP’s chamber.It was reported that the intelligence official gave a briefing to the judges on the security issues confronting the country. However, specific outcomes of the meeting remain undisclosed.

    A three-member SC bench comprising Justice Bandial, Justice Munib Akhtar and Justice Ijaz ul Ahsan had previously ordered that elections in Punjab be held on May 14 and declared the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) decision to hold polls on October 8 as “unconstitutional”.

  • PPP, PML-N ready to befriend PTI

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on Monday agreed to engage in delegation-level dialogue with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in a bid to find a way out of the present political crisis in Pakistan, reports Samaa.

    According to the news outlet, Yousaf Raza Gilani, Naveed Qamar and Qamar Zaman Kaira from PPP and Rana Sanaullah, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq and Khawaja Saad Rafique from PML-N attended a crucial meeting between the two parties.

    Talking to media after the meeting, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said that politicians must not shy away from negotiations.

    PPP leader Yousaf Raza Gilani called for dialogue between political parties to resolve the ongoing political crisis.

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif has also called a meeting of coalition partners today to evaluate the country’s political situation and Jamat-e-Islami’s negotiation efforts between the government and PTI reports Geo News.

    According to Geo News, the meeting will be held today at 3:30pm at the PM House.