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Category: Politics

  • Farwell visits: General Bajwa meets PM, President one day before retirement

    Farwell visits: General Bajwa meets PM, President one day before retirement

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif met the outgoing Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa in Islamabad on Monday as a part of the army chief’s farewell visits.

    During the meeting between the two, the Premier commended General Bajwa’s services and said that he played an exemplary role in bringing Pakistan out of the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) grey list as well as during the COVID-19 pandemic and floods, reports Radio Pakistan.

    He said the Pakistan Army under the leadership of General Qamar Javed Bajwa played a valiant role in crushing terrorism in the country.

    “You got the honour of leading the world’s best army,” the prime minister told COAS Bajwa.

    In response, General Bajwa thanked PM Shehbaz for his support in handling matters of national importance.

    Before meeting the Premier, the army chief paid a farewell visit to President Dr Arif Alvi at the Aiwan-e-Sadar where the president also commended Gen Bajwa’s services in the field of defence and also appreciated his services to the country and the Pakistan Army.

    The president also expressed best wishes for Gen Bajwa in his future endeavours.

    Pakistan Army’s change of command ceremony will be held tomorrow (November 29).

    Gen Bajwa will hand over the “baton of command” to General Asim Munir, who was selected to become the new army chief by PM Shehbaz on November 24. General Asim will be the 17th army chief to assume the command of the Pakistan Army.

    General Bajwa is set to retire on November 29 after six years in office. He was appointed in 2016 by then-PM Nawaz Sharif and later granted an additional three-year extension in 2019 by former PM Imran Khan.

  • Sheikh Rasheed ne Rawalpindi ko Los Angeles bana diya

    Sheikh Rasheed ne Rawalpindi ko Los Angeles bana diya

    Former interior minister and Awami Muslim League chief Sheikh Rasheed on Sunday posted a video of an aerial view of a double-carriage road jammed with cars on both sides.

    Sheikh Rasheed posted the video on his Twitter handle, claiming that it showed traffic gridlocked during Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)’s power show held in Rawalpindi on November 26. The video clip had a PTI anthem as the background which made it appear as if the clip was an aerial shot of the PTI’s march to Rawalpindi.

    However, the claim is wrong, as the shared visuals are actually of a traffic jam in Los Angeles, California. This clip was first shared back in 2017 as part of live coverage by US broadcaster ABC News.

    Following this blunder, Twitterati not only corrected the senior politician but also relished in the chance to mock him.

    This is not the first time that a fake video/picture of PTI’s rally has been posted.

    Earlier, PTI leader Qasim Suri shared a fake screenshot of CNN, claiming it was covering Imran Khan’s rally in Haripur.

    In April, PTI leader Ali Muhammad Khan also shared fake visuals claiming to show a photo from the United States (US) National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), stating that it was from the party’s rally.

    The picture shared by Ali actually shows the lights in the Iberian Peninsula, which falls in-between Spain and Portugal.

  • Pakistan Army’s change of command ceremony to be held at GHQ on Tuesday

    Pakistan Army’s change of command ceremony to be held at GHQ on Tuesday

    Pakistan Army’s change of command ceremony will be held tomorrow (Tuesday), military’s media-wing Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) confirmed on Monday, marking the time-honoured tradition that symbolises the seamless transition of military leadership.

    Outgoing Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa will hand over the “baton of command” to General Asim Munir, who was selected to become the new army chief by Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif on November 24.

    General Asim Munir will be the 17th army chief to assume the command of the Pakistan Army.

    Former military leadership will also participate in the function at General HeadQuaters (GHQ).

    General Qamar Javed Bajwa called on President Arif Alvi to for his farewell as the 16th COAS at the President’s House.

    Later in the day, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met the COAS in his office for the farewell visit before hosting a luncheon in his honour.

  • When are assemblies going to dissolve? PTI to decide today

    When are assemblies going to dissolve? PTI to decide today

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senior leader and former federal minister Fawad Chaudhry has announced that the former ruling party will decide on the matter of dissolution of the assemblies today in the presence of senior leadership.

    Chaudhry explained in a tweet, stating that the party’s senior leadership will be meeting on Monday. “In this meeting, the date of dissolution of the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Assembly, and resignation from the Sindh and Balochistan Assembly will be considered.”

    The former minister added with these decisions, 64 per cent of seats in all assemblies would be “vacant and will pave the way for general elections”.

    On Saturday, party chief Imran Khan, addressing a charged crowd in Rehmanabad, said that PTI wouldn’t be part of “this system” and would quit all the assemblies.

    Khan said that he would announce the exact date in the next few days.

    It is pertinent to mention that Khan’s PTI is in power in Punjab, KP, Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.

    Following the announcement, Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi showed support for Khan’s decision.

    In a video message on Sunday, he said, “When Imran tells me to dissolve the assemblies, I won’t even wait half a minute,” Elahi said, adding that “PM Shehbaz Sharif’s 27km-long [federal] government won’t even last for 27 hours.”

  • ‘Decision to become apolitical led to personal criticism’; Gen Bajwa addresses backlash in rare interview

    ‘Decision to become apolitical led to personal criticism’; Gen Bajwa addresses backlash in rare interview

    The outgoing Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General Qamar Javed Bajwa, has addressed the backlash he and his institute have faced in recent months in a rare interview.

    Talking to the United Arab Emirates based Gulf News, General Bajwa said that the army’s decision to become apolitical is “being viewed as negative by a segment of society and led to personal criticism”. However, he doubled down on the decision, emphasizing that restricting the armed forces to it’s mandated constitutional role will, “facilitate in reinvigorating and strengthening democratic culture, assist in supporting state organs to effectively perform and deliver. Above all, this decision will help enhance army’s prestige in the long term.”

    General Bajwa, who has less than two days left in his tenure, stated that he felt it prudent to “shield Pakistan Army from the vagaries of politics in Pakistan,” adding that public support for the institution goes down when the military is seen to be involved in political affairs.

    Without naming either Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) or its Chairman Imran Khan, who has criticized the army for becoming “neutral,” General Bajwa again talked about the “undue vilification” of the army. “Despite some criticism and undue vilification of the armed forces through mass propaganda and meticulously crafted false narratives, the institutional resolve to remain apolitical will remain steadfast,” he told Gulf News.

    Talking about Pakistan’s relations with Middle Eastern countries, the COAS predicted that the country will have a “robust and broad-based” relationship with Arab nations.

    The army chief also discussed the challenges that Pakistan faces, citing it’s “delicate position” in balancing it’s relationships with both all-weather friend China and the West. General Bajwa also cited the western border with Afghanistan as “volatile” but added that the violence has reduced after US withdrawal and provided a “modicum of stability”.

    However the COAS also mentioned “economic frailty” as a major challenge, remarking that it tends to “exacerbate other issues concerning human security such as health, education, access to food and clean water, and mitigating threats posed by climate change.”

    At the end, the Chief gave out a message to the country’s youth. “The youth must also ensure that they are shielded from divisive propaganda and information warfare that seeks to polarise our society and erode mutual trust. Pakistan should always come first — before any other marker of identity,” he remarked.

  • Court sends Azam Swati on two-day physical remand for tweeting against senior military officials

    Court sends Azam Swati on two-day physical remand for tweeting against senior military officials

    Senator Azam Khan Swati of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was sent on a two-day physical remand in another case regarding controversial tweets after being arrested early Sunday morning.

    Swati was detained by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) for the second time after a new case was registered against him for making controversial tweets against General Qamar Javed Bajwa and Major General Naseer.

    The FIA had requested Swati’s physical remand for eight days. Swati was taken into custody from his farmhouse located in Chak Shahzad, Islamabad.

    Reacting to the arrest of the senator, PTI Chairman Imran Khan tweeted that he was “shocked”.

    “I am shocked and appalled at how rapidly we are descending into not just a banana republic but a fascist state. How can anyone not understand the pain and suffering Senator Swati underwent with custodial torture and blackmailing video of him and his conservative wife sent to his family?” asked Khan on his party lawmaker’s arrest.

    Khan said that Swati’s “justifiable anger and frustration at the injustice meted out to him especially the doors of Supreme Court remaining closed to him despite over a fortnight of appeals by senators in support of him”.

    “So he tweets and is arrested again. Everyone must raise their voice against this state fascism,” said the PTI chief.

    Swati hurled cuss words at outgoing Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa and used offensive language against Major General Faisal Naseer.

    The PTI senator called out the name of Major General Naseer and threatened him that he would have to pay the price.

    “I will go against Major General Naseer at every platform. I will use every legal and moral forum against him,” Swati said in a social media post.

    Last month, FIA took Swati into custody from his home in Islamabad and presented him before a court after he tweeted against General Qamar Javed Bajwa.

    The senator has been granted bail in the case against surety bonds worth Rs1 million.

  • Committee asks PTI’s Murad Saeed to submit Arshad Sharif’s laptop

    Committee asks PTI’s Murad Saeed to submit Arshad Sharif’s laptop

    A fact-finding committee that is currently investigating the murder of senior journalist Arshad Sharif has asked Murad Saeed, leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, (PTI) to provide the slain newsman’s laptop to the committee on November 28.

    Geo News has reported that the fact-finding committee has written to Saeed that, “During the proceedings of the finding team it has come on record that you are in possession of the Apple MacBook of deceased senior journalist Arshad Sharif. Therefore you are requested to provide the device of the deceased enabling the fact-finding team to ascertain the facts.”

    The committee has also requested Saeed to cooperate.

    In his letter to the FIA fact-finding committee written on November 21, Saeed expressed reservations and refused to cooperate.

    ”The mother of Shaheed Arshad Sharif has already expressed her reservations and expressed dissatisfaction over the govt of Pakistan’s handling of the matter”, Saeed wrote.

    However, he said that he is “willing to appear before the judicial commission constituted by the august SC and present all the information he has with respect to the matter.”

    Earlier this month, the fact-finding committee summoned Murad Saeed and ex-member of PTI, Faisal Vawda.

    Saeed also said that he knew who was threatening the slain journalist in Pakistan, forcing him to flee the country.

    On October 23, Sharif was killed by local police in Kenya in what they said was a case of “mistaken identity”.

  • Federal Minister Hina Rabbani likely to attend FIFA World Cup

    Federal Minister Hina Rabbani likely to attend FIFA World Cup

    Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Hina Rabbani Khar, is expected to attend the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup in Qatar in the first week of December.

    According to The News, the dates for her trip are still being finalised. Earlier this week, Ambassador of Qatar in Islamabad Saoud Abdulrahman Al-Thani called on Foreign Minister (FM) Bilawal Bhutto Zardari to extend an invitation from his Qatari counterpart to watch the World Cup.

    Pakistan’s Foreign Office had received the invitations before the World Cup started with the inauguration being attended by world leaders, including Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.

    According to the newspaper, it is important for Pakistan to show solidarity with a fellow Muslim state which was the first to hold the World Cup and which is being attacked by the West over alleged human rights records.

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif showed solidarity with Qatar in the face of western media onslaught, tweeting, “Unfortunate that Qatar is being subjected to a barrage of propaganda as host of FIFA World Cup. It should be rather commended for wonderful arrangements for the mega event and being a promoter of global peace and development. Pakistan stands in solidarity with HH Emir and the people of Qatar.”

  • PM Shehbaz invites Turkey to be a part of CPEC

    PM Shehbaz invites Turkey to be a part of CPEC

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif has invited Turkey to be a part of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), suggesting that it would be a “wonderful joint cooperation”.

    Shehbaz Sharif reached Istanbul, Turkey on Friday for his two-day visit where at the airport he was received by the city’s deputy governor and other senior officials of the Turkish government.

    Inauguration ceremony for the third of four Milgem Corvette ships

    Following this, the Premier spoke at an inauguration ceremony for the third of four Milgem Corvette ships for the Pakistan Navy at the Istanbul Shipyard.

    The premier said the two countries under Erdogan’s leadership have a “great chance” to move forward in this field.

    Regarding the ship’s launch, PM Shehbaz said Turkey and Pakistan are “deeply engaged” in promoting their defense capabilities for peace to ward off aggression. He said the ship’s launch is for defense purposes instead of aggression.

    The prime minister called on Turkey to further collaborate on their defense production capacities to ensure that peace was restored in the world, adding that the globe was facing “great tensions”.

    Invite Turkey to join Pakistan, China in CPEC

    PM Shehbaz also addressed a joint press stakeout along with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and invited Turkey to join the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to bring about regional prosperity, alleviate poverty and empower people through better education and health facilities.

    “I would suggest that let this be a cooperation between China, Pakistan and Turkey. This would be a wonderful joint cooperation. This is how we can meet the challenges of today,” the prime minister remarked.

    He said that he would be “happy” to discuss the matter with the Chinese leadership if Turkey moved ahead with the idea of joining CPEC.

    Pitch to Turkish entrepreneurs

    Addressing a meeting of the Pakistan-Turkey business council in Istanbul on Saturday, he told the investors that his government was resolved to cut down “very expensive” imports of oil and petroleum products, on which $27 billion was spent last year. “We simply can’t afford this.”

    “It’s not just a paper, or a talk, or a feasibility,” he said about the project today. “I, along with my colleagues, I am committed to this philosophy that we shall implement this scheme with in letter and spirit with our own resources, with investment from Turkey, from China, from Saudia Arabia, from Qatar, from the UAE (United Arab Emirates), from the United States of America, from wherever.”

    He assured the investors that the Pakistan government would create a conducive, enabling and friendly environment for them to invest in the project.

    He also asked the Pakistan ambassador in Istanbul to facilitate the Turkish investors in coming to Pakistan.

    ‘Being in Turkey feels like being home’: PM Shehbaz

    Before reaching Turkey, the premier said that he is leaving at the invitation of my brother Erdogan and that being in Turkey feels like being home.

    He tweeted: “Our bilateral ties have entered a new era of strategic partnership under the leadership of President Erdogan. We are on course to unpack the full untapped potential of relationship.”

  • PTI marches towards Islamabad for ‘Haqeeqi Azadi’

    PTI marches towards Islamabad for ‘Haqeeqi Azadi’

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan said that there is a “threat to his life” but he is coming to Rawalpindi for the nation despite the injury.

    “My nation will come to Pindi for me,” a tweet posted from PTI’s official account quoted Khan as saying.

    Islamabad Police shares traffic update
    PTI leaders tweets on march