Current Final

Category: Politics

  • ‘Long march mein jaan daalnay ke liye drama keeya gaya’, claims lawyer of person who shot at IK

    ‘Long march mein jaan daalnay ke liye drama keeya gaya’, claims lawyer of person who shot at IK

    Advocate Mian Dawood—the lawyer of Naveed Meher who shot at Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan—said that the incident was all planned by the party itself.

    Addressing a press conference on Thursday (today), the lawyer detailed claims about the incident at Wazirabad in which Khan survived an attempted assassination.

    He rejected the Joint Investigation Report (JIT), saying it had “distorted the facts”. He also claimed that PTI worker Moazzam was killed by Imran’s own guard.

    “Long march mein jaan daalnay ke liye drama keeya gaya“, (It was all a drama to revive the long march.), Dawood claimed.

    However, a day earlier, PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry, in a presser, said that the forensic test of Imran’s guards’ weapons established that none of them fired even a single shot.

    He added that PTI worker Moazzam was killed by a bullet aimed at the detained shooter. “The assassin had to be killed on the spot but ill-fated Moazzam came in the way,” Chaudhry said.

    However, talking to reporters today, Dawood refuted PTI’s claim saying that the video that showed Imran’s guard firing was not being made part of the case record.

    He claimed that PTI knew about the guard shooting but they kept quiet because otherwise Khan and his guard would have to face murder charges.

    “The purpose of the JIT was to save Imran and his guard. It was an attempt to waste evidence. And they did it. If we connect the dots, Imran’s guard is responsible,” he stated.

    About Chaudhry’s press conference, Dawood raised a question about how the JIT report reached PTI before its submission to the court.

    “JIT prepared the investigation report at Zaman Park after consultation with PTI lawyers,” alleged Mian Dawood.

    “This clearly means that the report has no legal value. If PTI believes that the attack was genuine, then why are they running away from getting the FIR registered,” he questioned.

    On the day of the incident, Naveed was arrested and instantly confessed to committing the crime.

  • 33 candidates passed away waiting for local govt elections in Sindh

    33 candidates passed away waiting for local govt elections in Sindh

    33 candidates who had filed their nominations for the Local Government (LG) elections in Karachi and Hyderabad passed away waiting for the election to happen.

    The second phase of the local election has been postponed repeatedly.

    According to details provided by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), as many as 12 candidates for Union Council (UC) chairman and vice chairman have died since the time their nomination papers were submitted. Similarly, 22 candidates who were running for the district council, town committee, municipal committee and UC ward members seats also passed away.

    Last year, the ECP had told the Sindh government that the second phase of the LG polls in Karachi and Hyderabad would be held on July 24 but it was postponed due to floods.

    The electoral body rescheduled the LG elections for August 28, 2022 but they were put off again due to the same reason.

    On October 18, 2022, the ECP rescheduled the elections for October 23, 2022, but the provincial government sought their postponement for three months because it had deployed police in flooded areas, due to which it was unable to provide the required level of security to polling stations.

    After repeated delays, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the Jamaat-e-Islami moved the Sindh High Court. In November, the ECP announced January 15 as the new date.

  • Imran Khan alleges that Gen Bajwa planned to murder him: report

    Imran Khan alleges that Gen Bajwa planned to murder him: report

    Former Prime Minister and Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan has alleged that ex- army chief General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa had planned to have him murdered and impose a state of emergency in the country, reports Dawn, referring to an interaction Khan had with Bol News team in Lahore.

    According to the news report, Bol News Lahore bureau chief Syed Khawar Abbas said that he would make “more revelations” during his press conference on Thursday (today) regarding the attempt on his life in Wazirabad, November 3, last year.

    The PTI chairman further said he could not cover up “the crimes that Gen Bajwa had committed” and added that he was being told by many to stop levelling allegations against the former army chief as he has retired.

    Earlier, Khan, claimed that Gen Bajwa was very close to current Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif.

    “There was information that General Bajwa was in contact with Shehbaz Sharif and Nawaz Sharif. The plan was to bring Shehbaz Sharif [into power] and remove me,” said Khan in an interview with GNN.

    General Bajwa retired as the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) in November, last year, handing over the command of the country’s military to General Asim Munir.

    Since his retirement, Bajwa has been the target of criticism by Imran Khan, who has levelled serious allegations against the former COAS. General Bajwa has yet to respond to the allegations officially.

  • Baita waapis aaya: Junaid is moving back permanently to help mother in politics

    Baita waapis aaya: Junaid is moving back permanently to help mother in politics

    Junaid Safdar, the son of Senior Vice President of Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz (PML-N), Maryam Nawaz, is set to travel to Pakistan to settle in the country permanently, reports Murtaza Shah for The News.

    News reports state that Junaid and his wife, Ayesha Saif, will reach Pakistan on Friday from Doha.

    The couple would be shifting to Pakistan permanently to assist Maryam Nawaz in the party’s political activities.

    On January 2, Maryam Nawaz was appointed the Senior Vice President of PML-N. She will also take on the responsibility of organising the party.

    According to news reports, PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz on Wednesday left London for a week-long trip to Switzerland’s Geneva.

    Meanwhile, Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif will also be visiting Geneva to co-host the International Conference on Climate Resilient Pakistan — along with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres — on January 9.

    The reports further suggest that the PML-N supremo and his daughter will have meetings scheduled during the trip. Nawaz will also meet with PM Shehbaz, who is expected to reach the Swiss city on Sunday, January 8.

  • TTP member attacks Govt contractor’s house after refusal to pay 15 million ransom

    TTP member attacks Govt contractor’s house after refusal to pay 15 million ransom

    A government contractor in Rawalpindi refused to pay the demanded ransom of Rs 15 million to a member of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Mohammad Asghar reports for Dawn. The terrorist then allegedly assaulted his home with a cracker at Dhoke Lakhan in the Dhamial neighbourhood.


    Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) joined the police in their investigation of the incident after a first information report (FIR) was filed with them on Tuesday.
    Mohammad Nisar, a government contractor and inhabitant of Dhoke Lakhan Chakri Road, filed a police report claiming that on October 7, 2022, he received a voicemail identifying the caller as a TTP official and demanding a ransom of Rs15 million.


    Nisar had been working as a government contractor for the last 20 years.


    He claimed that after the man failed to respond to his message, he resorted to his brother Mushtaq Ali’s cellphone and left him a voicemail asking him to show it to his brother.


    He continued by saying that on December 28, 2022, at 4am, he heard an explosion outside his house while sleeping inside, while his wife and kids had left for their village.


    He said in the FIR that he went to his house’s rooftop to investigate the incident but was unable to see anything because of the darkness. He went back to sleep. The suspect was heard telling his brother that he had given him a glimpse the previous night in a second voice message that was left for him the next day.
    After that, he proceeded to his home’s rooftop where he discovered cracker fragments that had exploded on the compound wall of the roof.

  • TTP directly threatens PM Shehbaz and FM Bilawal

    The outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) has announced that it is considering taking concrete steps against the two major parties of the current ruling coalition— the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

    In a notification, released on Wednesday, TTP claimed that the whole world is aware that the “Jihadi field of TTP is only Pakistan and their target is the security agencies occupying the country.”

    The banned organisation has also mentioned the names of Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif as both of them have talked against TTP and warned the terrorists.

    The notification further reads that it has not taken action against any political party for a long time but “unfortunately Bilawal gave the United States (US) the status of mother to quench the thirst of his mother’s love”, adding that by doing so “he openly declared war against TTP”.

    “Although Bilawal is still young, this poor man has not yet witnessed the state of war,” the statement added.

    The TTP further said that Sharif has also “pushed the whole party into this war going against TTP for the sake of pleasing the US”.

    A statement issued by the TTP said that “if these two parties remain firm on their position and continue to be slaves of the army, then action will be taken against their leading people.”

    The statement by TTP comes just a day after FM Bilawal’s comment that the incumbent government would quit “the policy of appeasement” of terrorists, unlike the previous government of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

    Moreover, PM Shehbaz earlier this week had chaired a National Security Committee (NSC) meeting in which it was decided that Pakistan would adopt a zero tolerance policy against terrorism.

    In November, the TTP announced that they have called off a ceasefire with the federal government and since then they have been attacking across the country.

  • US extends support for Pakistan’s right to defend itself from terrorism

    The United States of America (USA) has extended its support to Pakistan’s stance against escalating terrorism in the country.

    In a press briefing, spokesperson for the State Department, Ned Price, said, “The Pakistani people have suffered tremendously from terrorist attacks. Pakistan has a right to defend itself from terrorism.”

    He said that the [Afghan] Taliban must uphold the commitment they made that their soil would never be used as a launchpad for international terrorist attacks.


    Price also said that the US is aware of the recent statement by the Pakistani National Security Committee (NSC).

    Earlier this week, the NSC expressed firm resolve to crush terrorist groups operating against Pakistan. The second round of the NSC meeting reiterated a “zero tolerance” policy for terrorism in the country,

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also said that Pakistan would adopt the policy of zero-tolerance against terrorists.

  • Lashkar-e-Khorasan claims responsibility for killing two intelligence officers

    Lashkar-e-Khorasan claims responsibility for killing two intelligence officers

    Lashkar-e-Khorasan, a relatively unknown terrorist group allied with Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), has claimed responsibility for killing two intelligence officers who were martyred on Tuesday in Khanewal, journalists have reported.


    The two officers, who were part of the counter-terrorism department of the intelligence service, were known for arresting members of the TTP and other militant organisations. They also had a formidable reputation for solving complicated terrorism cases including bombings.

    Both officers were shot as they were parking their vehicle outside a roadside restaurant in Pirowal where they reportedly planned to have tea.


    Terrorist incidents across the country are on the rise after a ceasefire pact with the government ended in November.


    Defense Minister Khwaja Asif had said on Monday that the recent spate of attacks were being staged by Pakistani Taliban hiding in Afghanistan. He asked the Taliban administration in the neighboring country to stop the attacks emanating from their soil.

  • ‘Aap ki kitni efficiency hai, marketain aik baje band hoti hain, bachay phir bhi zaida paida kartay hain’: Khawaja Asif

    ‘Aap ki kitni efficiency hai, marketain aik baje band hoti hain, bachay phir bhi zaida paida kartay hain’: Khawaja Asif

    Defence Minister Khwaja Asif, in a bizarre reference to the increasing population in Pakistan, said that there is no unforeseen increase in population in the countries where markets close at 8PM.

    The minister then said, “Your country’s performance is so efficient, despite closing markets at 1AM, they find time to produce more children.”

    The minister’s comments came while addressing a presser on government’s decision on its energy saving plan, applicable across the country. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said that markets in all the province’s and federal areas will be shut down at 8 pm. Furthermore, wedding halls will close at 10 pm across the country.

    Asif said that if these timings are implemented then the country will save Rs 62 billion.

  • Azam Swati finally released from jail for talking against army

    Azam Swati finally released from jail for talking against army

    Senator Azam Swati of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has finally been released from sub-jail after remaining behind bars for more than a month.

    The senator had been in the custody of law enforcing agencies since November 27 last year, after the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) booked him in Islamabad over a “campaign of intimidating tweets against state institutions”, including the former chief of army staff General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa.

    On Monday, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) granted bail to Swati after he filed a petition seeking post-arrest bail.

    In December, PTI chief Imran Khan had said that Swati had been “taken away by Quetta police” from Islamabad despite health concerns.

    According to media reports, the arrest was made over different cases registered against the senator across Balochistan. However, Balochistan High Court (BHC) later ordered that no more cases should be registered against him.

    Later, Swati was brought to the capital via a special plane from Sukkur.

    Swati had criticised persons within the establishment in tweets posted from his account.