Current Final

Category: Politics

  • ‘Army Chief apna dushman samajhte hain, abb koyi baat karne ko tayyar nahin’: Khan’s shikwa with establishment

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has offered the establishment that he is willing to talk to them and clearly stated that he doesn’t have any enmity against the institution.

    Talking to journalists in Lahore on Friday, Khan claimed: “Aisy lagta hai Army Chief mujhe apna dushman samajhte hain, abb koyi baat karne ko tayyar nahin toh mei kya karon” (It seems like the Army Chief considers me his enemy, what should I do if no one is ready to talk with me).

    “COAS should himself find a corruption case against me”, he said, challenging the incumbent government to prove corruption charges against him and his wife Bushra bibi.

    The PTI supremo was of the view that Pakistan’s establishment “does not understand politics.”

    ‘Bajwa ne meri qamar mei chaaqu mara’: Imran Khan still naraz with ex-army chief

    Continuing his grievances with the former head of the army, the former prime minister alleged, “General retired former Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Qamar Javed Bajwa ne meri qamar mei chaaqu mara” (Bajwa stabbed me in the back).

    He claimed Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman is still in touch with him. PTI supremo said Bajwa spoke against Russia in a speech and he should be court-martialed for that.

    He also revealed he decided not to fly to Islamabad at the eleventh hour after he got the news that the government wanted to arrest him from the airport and take him to Balochistan.

    Stating that he feels danger from those who are supposed to protect him, Imran Khan said that there is a recorded video of him about the threat to his life.

  • Those who cut trees in Lahore should be jailed, says court

    Those who cut trees in Lahore should be jailed, says court

    The Lahore High Court (LHC), while hearing a petition seeking curbs to control smog in Lahore, barred Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) from cutting trees in Lahore and other parts of the province where smog is prevalent.

    Justice Shahid Karim also warned that those found cutting trees will be jailed.

    In the hearing which took place on Friday, a member of the judicial commission informed the court that WAPDA staff is cutting trees in Lahore and other parts of the province because of their transmission lines.

    Smog is dangerous for the lives of citizens in Lahore, the LHC judge remarked.

    Lahore is consistently featured among the top ten cities with the worst Air Quality Index (AQI).

    In December, some of Pakistan’s biggest cities were ranked among the most polluted in the world. Lahore, the capital of the province was ranked as the metropolis with the most polluted air thrice in one week.

  • President Alvi announces April 30 as date for Punjab elections

    President Alvi announces April 30 as date for Punjab elections

    President Dr Arif Alvi has announced April 30 for holding the general elections of the Provincial Assembly of Punjab.

    “President Dr Arif Alvi has announced to hold general elections of Punjab Assembly on April 30, Sunday,” tweeted the President’s office. 

    Dr Alvi’s office said that the decision was made by President Alvi after “considering the dates suggested by the Election Commission”.

    The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has on Friday written a letter to the President of Pakistan Dr. Arif Alvi, proposing that elections be held between April 30 and May 7 in Punjab.

    The decision was taken in a meeting chaired by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikander Sultan Raja. In a press release, ECP said, “The Election Commission has sent a letter to the president in light of the decision of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, in which the dates for holding the elections in Punjab have been suggested between April 30 and May 7, 2023.”

    The press release also said that the electoral body had written a letter to the Governor of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and was waiting for his reply to announce a date for elections in the province.

    The letter comes a little more than two days after the Supreme Court of Pakistan ruled in a suo moto case that elections in both provinces be held within 90 days of the dissolution of the assemblies.

  • ‘No connection’; Fawad denies alleged audio leak

    ‘No connection’; Fawad denies alleged audio leak

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Fawad Chaudhry has denied that the alleged audio leak of him discussing judges of the superior judiciary has anything to do with him.

    The audio conversation, allegedly between Fawad Chaudhry and his brother Faisal Chaudhary, surfaced online early Friday morning, with two voices discussing a meeting between senior judges.

    “Another fake audio has been thrown in the market in my name. I have no connection with this audio,” Chaudhary tweeted within hours of the conversation surfacing online.

    A voice, allegedly Fawad Chaudhry’s, tells his younger brother that a judge of the Lahore High Court (LHC) wants to meet a judge of the Supreme Court. The judge is the same who’s alleged audio conversation with Pervez Elahi surfaced online a few weeks ago. The voice also asks that four more sections are imposed on Ata Tarrar of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

  • ‘Sit down!’: Maryam and Khan continue Twitter phaddah

    ‘Sit down!’: Maryam and Khan continue Twitter phaddah

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senior Vice-President Maryam Nawaz and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan continued their Twitter spat over the depreciation of the rupee against the dollar on Thursday.

    Calling out the Pakistan Democratic Movemnet (PDM)-led government for slaughtering the rupee and blaming the “regime change conspiracy” narrative imposed on Pakistanis by former army chief General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa, Khan tweeted, “Rupee slaughtered — lost over 62% or 110/$ in 11 months of PDM. This has increased public debt alone Rs 14.3 trn [trillion] & historic 75 yr high inflation 31.5%.”

    He added that Pakistanis are “paying [a] heavy price of regime change conspiracy where a bunch of criminals have been foisted upon nation by ex COAS”.

    Responding to Khan’s statement, Maryam snapped back at him dismissing his party for its three-year-long “incompetence”.

    “Mighty audacious of u to criticize those who’re undoing yr mess created through yr ruthless plunder, incompetence, misplaced priorities, cruel deal that you struck with IMF & then its breach that plunged the country into economic turmoil,” Maryam tweeted.

    Maryam then told Khan “So sit down!” in her tweet.

    “And let’s not forget to thank all those for this mayhem who handpicked and fed you for four years, as well as the remnants of their influence in the judiciary that you are now banking on,” the PML-N leader tweeted adding that it won’t be allowed again.

    “Won’t let that happen Insha’Allah,” Maryam added.

    The two indulged in a Twitter spat after the rupee plunged by nearly Rs19 against the US dollar today ahead of the central bank’s monetary policy review and amid concerns over a stalled International Monetary Fund (IMF) deal.

    Lat week, Maryam hit back at Khan on Twitter after he called her a spoilt brat in a tweet.

    “Shameless & calculated attacks on SC judges by PDM & spoilt brat Maryam, nurtured on corruption money, have one purpose only – to run away from elections even by violating Constitution,” tweeted Khan.

    Responding to Khan’s accusations, Maryam tweeted, “Oh, how the mighty have fallen! Your squeals are not amiss as you have been the king of conspiracies,thriving & surviving on them with the help of your Godfather Faiz & his vestiges.”

  • Court summons Maryam Nawaz for insulting ‘state institutions’: report

    Court summons Maryam Nawaz for insulting ‘state institutions’: report

    An additional sessions court in Sukkur sent a notice to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senior Vice-President Maryam Nawaz on Wednesday, summoning her on March 10 over allegations of insulting “state institutions”, reports Geo News.

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) District President Zaheer Muhammad filed a petition in the court, seeking registration of a case against the PML-N leader under section 22-A and 22-B.

    The petition filed against Maryam stated that she spoke against institutions in her speech. It added that she tried inciting people towards revolt against the institutions.

    “That proposed accused Maryam Nawaz Sharif addressed the people of [Sargodha] and cued the alleged pictures included ex-Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lieutenant General (retd) Faiz Hamid, former chief justice Asif Saeed Khosa, Justice (retd) Saqib Nisar, and presently two sitting Supreme Court judges who are part of a top court bench hearing a suo motu case to determine who has the constitutional responsibility and authority to announce the date for elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” the plea read.

    In his application to the court, the petitioner stated that the PML-N stalwart “addressed hate speech with the intention to provoke the general public to spread hate and chaos against the highest state institutions”.

    It mentioned that the petitioner approached the FIA director to lodge a first information report (FIR) against Maryam, but he first “kept the applicant in hallow hopes and then clearly refused”.

  • No loadshedding during Sehri and Iftar times, PM Shehbaz passes instructions

    No loadshedding during Sehri and Iftar times, PM Shehbaz passes instructions

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif has directed his government to ensure that there is no loadshedding during Sehri and Iftar times in the holy month of Ramzan— set to start at the end of March.

    He also gave directions that there should be minimum loadshedding in the upcoming summer season and directed authorities to accelerate the process of solarising government buildings.

    He asked for the completion of all projects in the power sector and solarisation in the country within the stipulated time.

    Earlier this year, Pakistan faced an energy crisis when a major power outage left the entire country without electricity for more than 12 hours.

    Amid the energy crisis, last year, the premier formed a committee that worked on reducing electricity consumption in government offices by 30 per cent. He also ordered officials to convert federal government buildings to solar energy at the earliest.

  • PTI’s Jail Bharo Tehreek ends; election campaign begins from March 4

    PTI’s Jail Bharo Tehreek ends; election campaign begins from March 4

    After Supreme Court (SC) passed its verdict in the suo Moto case of election dates in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Wednesday announced that his party would end its “Jail Bharo Tehreek (voluntary arrest movement)” and launch its election campaign on March 4 (Saturday).

    About the top court’s decision that elections will be held within 90 days, Khan praised the judiciary and said the nation stood with the court.

    However, he expressed fears that elections may not be held in 90 days, claiming that Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar tried to divide the judiciary.

    Slamming the federal minister’s views on the verdict, the PTI chief said: “His views on the Supreme Court verdict are shameful.”

    Khan added that since his government’s removal in April 2022, his party has won 30 by-polls out of 37.

    It is pertinent to mention that the elections in both provinces have been the core demand of PTI and the apex court’s verdict has been welcomed by the former ruling party.

  • ‘Insaaniyat iss mulk mein poori tarha zinda hai’: Amjad Shoaib released, discharged from case

    ‘Insaaniyat iss mulk mein poori tarha zinda hai’: Amjad Shoaib released, discharged from case

    A district and sessions court of Islamabad on Thursday discharged Defence Analyst Lieutenant General (retd) Amjad Shoaib.

    The orders were issued by Additional District and Sessions Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra when he announced the verdict on the review plea filed by the former three-star general against his physical remand.

    In a video Shoaib said, “Humanity is fully alive in the country.”

    Earlier this week, a local Islamabad court had sent the former army officer on a three-day remand.

    The former military man was arrested by the Islamabad police on charges of “inciting the public against national institutions” in a talk show.

  • ‘Feel embarassed’: Khan reacts to Amjad Shoaib’s photo in lock up

    ‘Feel embarassed’: Khan reacts to Amjad Shoaib’s photo in lock up

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has said that he felt “embarrassed as a Pakistani to witness the depths” the country has “sunk to” due to the “imported regime of a cabal of crooks and their handlers”.

    His comments came in reference to a photograph of defence analyst Lieutenant General (retd) Amjad Shoaib in a police cell, which went viral on social media platforms.

    “In desperation to cling to power and muzzle all dissenting voices, they have jailed a respected, patriotic Pakistani on sedition charges,” tweeted the PTI chief. 

    Shoaib was arrested by Islamabad police after a first information report (FIR) was registered against him on February 25 at Islamabad’s Ramna Police Station.

    According to the FIR, filed on the complaint of Islamabad Magistrate Owais Khan, the former army officer incited people to revolt against institutions and attempted to provoke disharmony and anarchy and create a law and order situation in the country through controversial statements he made on a TV show.

    In the complaint, Magistrate Khan said that the retired general — in an interview on BOL TV’s show ‘Imran Khan Bol Kay Saath’ aired on Saturday — passed statements that “incited government officials and Opposition from performing their government and legal duties”.