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Category: Politics

  • Khan claims more audio leaks of Maryam Nawaz are on the way

    Khan claims more audio leaks of Maryam Nawaz are on the way

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan reacting to the audio leaks of Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif and other Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders including Vice-president Maryam Nawaz, has said that Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja should resign from his post.

    Addressing students at Government College University in Lahore on Monday, Khan said that the audio leaks had made it clear that CEC Raja was a “Servant of the Sharif household”.

    After the audio leaks, the CEC should resign if he has even an ounce of shame, said Khan. “But he doesn’t [have any shame], so we will have to make him resign,” he told the students gathered there to listen to him.

    Khan also alleged that the CEC had blocked the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) on the instructions of PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari.

    “I kept on trying to introduce EVMs for three years […] But this man, on the instructions of Nawaz and Zardari, who rely on false votes, did not allow EVMs,” he claimed.

    He continued that in the coming days, there would be more “episodes” in audio leaks saga.

    “I am hearing that a [recording] will surface where Maryam will tell abba jee [Nawaz] that the election commission has said they will disqualify Imran Khan in the Toshakhana case and that there is no need to worry,” he said.

    “This is the [state of the] election commission.”

    Earlier today, PTI’s Fawad Chaudhry had termed the slew of audio recordings a “major security lapse” and demanded a “thorough investigation” to expose those responsible.

    He said that the PM Office is unsafe from cyber attacks, adding audio files up to 340 hours were leaked but no institution was aware of it.

    “We [PTI] spent a lot of money to provide the latest equipment to agencies.”

    He claimed that the government is in talks with hackers and purchasing data that was put up for sale on the dark web.

    “The hacker has said that the explosive audio is yet to be released,” Fawad said.

    On Saturday, September 24, alleged audios of PM Shehbaz and other Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders leaked online.

    In one of the audio clips, PML-N Vice-president Maryam Nawaz allegedly can be heard complaining to her uncle [PM Shehbaz] about Finance Minister Miftah Ismail.

    The second clip allegedly concerns a conversation between PM Shehbaz, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Law Minister Azam Tarar, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah and former National Assembly (NA) speaker Ayaz Sadiq about the resignations of PTI MNAs. The audio is said to be a recording of a cabinet meeting.

    Party leaders can be allegedly heard discussing whose resignations from PTI will be accepted. Moreover, the leaders can be heard saying that the final decision will be taken by PML-N Supremo Nawaz Sharif who is in London.

  • Dar aaraha hai: Ishaq Dar flying back with PM Shehbaz

    Dar aaraha hai: Ishaq Dar flying back with PM Shehbaz

    Pakistan Muslim League -Nawaz (PML-N) leader and Senator, Ishaq Dar, is coming back home to Pakistan after almost five years.

    According to media reports, he is flying back with Prime Minister Shehbaz Shairf. Following his return, Dar — who is slated to become Pakistan’s new finance minister — will take the oath of his ministership on Tuesday, September 27, 2022.

    On Sunday, Miftah Ismail resigned as Finance Minister of Pakistan.

    “I worked to the best of my ability for four months, and remained loyal to the party and the country,” the PML-N statement quoted Miftah as saying during the meeting between Nawaz Sharif and other party leaders in London.

    Earlier, it was reported that Dar would take over the finance ministry from Tuesday (September 27).

    It is pertinent to mention that Ismail is an unelected member and thus couldn’t continue in office for more than six months. He took charge of the ministry in April.

    The Sharif brothers and Dar had a four-hour long meeting in London following the prime minister’s arrival from New York after attending the United Nation’s 77th General Assembly.

    While speaking to Geo News Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said that Dar, who has been Pakistan’s finance minister four times in the past, will “Facilitate PM Shehbaz on economic affairs.”

  • PM Shehbaz’s many alleged audio leaks in 24 hours, PTI raises questions

    PM Shehbaz’s many alleged audio leaks in 24 hours, PTI raises questions

    Audios allegedly of Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif and other Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders have been leaked.

    Following the leaks, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senior leader Fawad Chaudhry took to Twitter, saying, “PM House’s data has been put on sale on the dark web. It is a major failure of our intelligence agencies, especially the Intelligence Bureau (IB). Besides political matters, important discussions on security and foreign affairs are in their hands.”

    Similarly, his party member Shireen Mazari said that the real issue is that who placed these hacking devices.

    “Real issue is who bugged the PMO/PMHouse in the first place. The hacking happened because devices were placed in these locations. So who is responsible and where did orders or decision come from? That is a question that must also be focused on,” she tweeted.

    ‘TV par ulti baatein karta hai’: Maryam Nawaz about Miftah Ismail

    In one of the audio clips, PML-N Vice-president Maryam Nawaz allegedly can be heard complaining to her uncle [PM Shehbaz] about Finance Minister Miftah Ismail. “

    “TV par ulti baatein karta hai” (He says strange things on television), she allegedly says.

    “He doesn’t take responsibility, says strange things on TV which people make fun of, he doesn’t know what he is doing,” the voice said to be Maryam’s says in the clip.

    “He clearly cut corners,” the voice said to be PM Shehbaz can be heard saying as she wishes for the return of former finance minister Ishaq Dar.

    It is pertinent to mention that Dar will take over as the Finance Minister in the coming week.

    The second clip allegedly concerns a conversation between PM Shehbaz, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Law Minister Azam Tarar, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah and former National Assembly (NA) speaker Ayaz Sadiq about the resignations of PTI MNAs. The audio is said to be a recording of a cabinet meeting.

    Party leaders can be allegedly heard discussing whose resignations from PTI will be accepted. Moreover, the leaders can be heard saying that the final decision will be taken by PML-N Supremo Nawaz Sharif who is in London.

    At one point, Ayaz Sadiq can be heard saying that “Will tell them that the signatures were not correct,” allegedly talking about those PTI members whose resignations they did not want to accept.

    The third clip is allegedly a conversation between Maryam Nawaz and the PM where they are discussing the return of former Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General (retd) Pervez Musharraf.

    A voice said to be Maryam’s can be heard saying that “Army has decided to bring Musharraf back to Pakistan so before it looks like that they have an imposed a decision on us, I asked Abu (Nawaz Sharif) to tweet in favour of Musharraf’s return.”

    At the time, Nawaz had tweeted, saying: “I have no personal enmity or animosity towards Pervez Musharraf. I don’t want anyone else to suffer the trauma I have had to endure.”

    ‘Her son-in-law is very dear to her’: PM Shehbaz

    ‘Her son-in-law is very dear to her’: PM Shehbaz allegedly says in another audio leak, referring to Maryam Nawaz’s son-in-law.

    In that clip, PM Shehbaz and an unidentified man can be heard allegedly discussing about facilitating Maryam Nawaz’s son-in-law Raheel.

    The unidentified man can be heard briefing the person, alleged to be the premier, about the consequences of taking the decision.

    At this, the voice thought to belong to the PM says: “The son-in-law is very dear to Maryam Nawaz. Tell her very logically about this and then I will talk to her.” He also said that he would personally meet him once he returns from Turkey.

    At this, the other person allegedly advises PM Shehbaz to get this work done from former finance minister Ishaq Dar, to which he agrees.

  • PM Shehbaz paid own expenses during NY stay, claims digital focal person

    PM Shehbaz paid own expenses during NY stay, claims digital focal person

    Muhammad Abubakar Umer, Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif’s focal person on digital media, in a tweet has said that PM has paid for his own stay during his visit in New York last to attend the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).


    It was being reported that PM stayed at The Plaza hotel on tax payer’s money in New York where a single room costs around $900 per night. However, according to AbuBakar, Shehbaz not only paid for his own stay but for his tickets also.


    The focal person also claimed that during his ten year tenure Chief Minister of Punjab, Shehbaz Sharif had also paid all expenditures for official visits from his own pocket.

    Regarding the prime minister’s choice to remain in The Plaza, Umer stated that it was the responsibility of the US secret service to assure the safety of the dignitaries attending the UNGA. Only those hotels that have received authorisation from the US secret service were allowed to host the visitors.

  • Nawaz Sharif’s close aide Ishaq Dar to take charge of finance ministry on Tuesday

    Nawaz Sharif’s close aide Ishaq Dar to take charge of finance ministry on Tuesday

    Former Finance Minister and Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) leader Ishaq Dar is ready to take charge of the finance ministry on September 27 (Tuesday), reports Geo News.

    Currently, Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif is in London, where he held a meeting with Nawaz Sharif and Nawaz’s close aide Dar, where the decision took place.

    The incumbent Finance Minister Miftah Ismail will continue to work with the government after leaving his post as Finance Minister.

    It is pertinent to mention that Ismail is an unelected member and thus cannot continue in office for more than six months. He took charge of the ministry in April.

    Earlier, Dar, himself said that he would take oath as a Senator immediately after his return

    Dar is set to come back to Pakistan next week. The PML-N leader has been living in London since 2017 to receive medical treatment. He served as a federal minister of finance four times between 1998 and 2017.

    The former finance minister was elected as a PML-N senator on a technocrat seat in the Senate election on March 3, 2018. He is considered to be quite close to PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif.

    Rana Sanaullah hints at Ishaq Dar becoming finance minister again

    Prior to this, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah hinted a Dar becoming finance minister once again, saying that the senator “can assume the finance ministry”.

    Talking about the possibility on Geo News‘ programme Naya Pakistan, Rana said, “There is no problem for him to become a finance minister. However, the PML-N has not made any decision so far in this regard.”

    According to Sanaullah, the government will definitely consult Ishaq on economic matters as he is experienced and a senior leader.

    When asked about Miftah Ismail, the minister said that he doesn’t have a problem. “He is ready to work with the party with or without ministry”, he stressed

    Is Ishaq Dar coming back to Pakistan?

    An accountability court on Friday, September 23, suspended the arrest warrant against Dar and dismissed orders for arrest upon his arrival in Pakistan.

    Accountability court judge Mohammad Bashir issued the orders, stating that once Dar returns to Pakistan, the court will decide whether it should revoke his arrest orders permanently or not.

    “We will consider permanently suspending Dar’s arrest warrants once he appears before the court in person,” the judge added.

    In 2017, an accountability court, while hearing a corruption reference against Dar, declared him a proclaimed offender due to his continued absence from the proceedings.

    However, Dar had not taken oath as a senator since 2017. The accountability court had declared Dar an absconder in a corruption reference.

  • Is Bilawal Bhutto getting married?

    Is Bilawal Bhutto getting married?

    Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the Foreign (FM) Minister of the country, is one of the most eligible bachelors in Pakistan, whose wedding is being highly anticipated by all.

    At the age of 33, this young politician’s marital status evokes curiosity in a lot of Pakistanis about his plans to tie the nuptial knot.

    In a video shared by Arab News on Twitter, a journalist was heard asking the FM, “There are my Pakistani friends asking if you have any plans to marry.”

    Bilawal replied smilingly, “Of course, I have plans to marry.” However, he stopped short of disclosing any other details.

    The journalist again questioned, “When?” But Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had no time to answer as he moved away along with the Pakistani delegation.

    Talking about his marriage to The Current in 2019, Bilawal had said, “The right candidate will first have to win over the hearts of my sisters. I have to take them into confidence. And winning over the hearts of my sisters is a very difficult task for any girl.”

    The son of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and former President Asif Ali Zardari, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is also brother to younger sisters Bakhtawar and Aseefa.

  • Political leaders need to find solution to problems through dialogue, says CJP Bandial

    Political leaders need to find solution to problems through dialogue, says CJP Bandial

    Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial has said that political issues require political leaders to put their heads together and come up with a solution through dialogue while the judiciary alone cannot solve all problems.

    CJP Bandial on Friday while addressing the ninth International Judicial Conference said that the judiciary is determined to protect the constitution and the day is not far when Pakistan will become a progressive and prosperous state.

    Referring to Yousuf Raza Gillani’s case and that of the National Assembly’s former Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri, the chief justice said that decisions are made in greater constitutional interest.

    “We protected the constitution of Pakistan,” he declared.

    He further said that good governance is an important pillar for defending human rights.

    Talking about the constitution, he said that it guarantees the protection of basic human rights and that the judiciary is committed to protecting human rights without any prejudices or partiality.

    “That is why we took several suo motos to safeguard basic human rights,” he stated.

  • PM Shehbaz speaks about Islamophobia, climate injustice, and India at UNGA

    PM Shehbaz speaks about Islamophobia, climate injustice, and India at UNGA

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif said that Pakistan strongly condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, emphasizing that terrorism does not have a religion. “It is based on dogma, fueled by poverty, deprivation, injustice, and ignorance, and fanned by vested interests,” the Premier stated.

    During his debut speech at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), the Prime Minister said, “Pakistan is the principal victim of terrorism. Over the last two decades, we have suffered more than 80,000 casualties and over $150 billion in economic losses due to terrorist attacks. Our armed forces, with the support of our people, have broken the back of terrorism within Pakistan. Yet, we continue to suffer terrorist attacks from across our borders, sponsored and financed by our regional adversary. We are determined to defeat such cross-border terrorism.”

    Talking about Islamophobia, Shehbaz Sharif said that it is a global phenomenon. “Since 9/11, suspicion and fear of Muslims and discrimination against them have escalated to epidemic proportions. The officially sponsored campaign of oppression against India’s over 200 million Muslims is the worst manifestation of Islamophobia,” said the Premier.

    Continuing in the same vein, Sharif said that Muslims in India are subjected to discriminatory laws and policies, Hijab bans, attacks on mosques, and lynchings by Hindu mobs. “I am particularly concerned by the calls for ‘genocide’ against India’s Muslims by some extremist groups,” he told the General Assembly.

    “Pakistan needs a stable external environment. We look for peace with all our neighbours, including India,” the Prime Minister said, offering an olive branch to its regional arch rival. “Sustainable peace and stability in South Asia, however, remain contingent upon a just and lasting solution to the Jammu and Kashmir dispute. At the heart of this longstanding dispute lies the denial of the inalienable right of the Kashmiri people to self-determination,” he said.

    Talking about India, PM said, “India’s illegal and unilateral actions of 5th August 2019, to change the internationally recognised disputed status of Jammu and Kashmir and to alter the demographic structure of the occupied territory further undermined the prospects of peace and inflamed regional tensions. India’s relentless campaign of repression against Kashmiris has continued to grow in scale and intensity.”

    “In pursuit of this heinous goal. New Delhi has ramped up its military deployments in occupied Jammu and Kashmir to 900,000 troops, thus making it the most militarized zone in the world. The serial brutalization of Kashmiris takes many forms: extrajudicial killings, incarceration, custodial torture and death, indiscriminate use of force, deliberate targeting of Kashmiri youth with pellet guns, and ‘collective punishments’ imposed on entire communities.”

    “India is seeking to turn the Muslim-majority Jammu and Kashmir into a Hindu-majority territory, through illegal demographic changes. Millions of fake domicile certificates have been issued to non-Kashmiris; Kashmiri land and properties are being seized; electoral districts have been Jerry Mandered, and over 2.5 million non-Kashmiri illegal voters fraudulently registered. All this is in blatant violation of Security Council resolutions and international law, particularly the 4th Geneva Convention,” said Shehbaz.

    The PM made a passionate appeal to the world on Friday to undo the ‘climate injustice’ done to countries like Pakistan that make little contribution to global warming and yet face its worst consequences.

    “Why are my people paying the price of such high global warming through no fault of their own?” the premier asked.

    “Nature has unleashed her fury on Pakistan without looking at our carbon footprint, which is next to nothing. Our actions did not contribute to this,” he stressed, adding that he came to the UN to “explain first hand” the scale and magnitude of the climate catastrophe that has pushed one-third of the country under water in a super storm that no one has seen in living memory.

    “For 40 days and 40 nights a flood of biblical proportions poured down on us, smashing centuries of weather records, challenging everything we knew about the disaster, and how to manage it,” the prime minister said.

    “Even today, huge swathes of the country are still underwater, submerged in an ocean of human suffering. In this ground zero of climate change, 33 million people, including women and children, are now at high risk from health hazards, with 650,000 women giving birth in makeshift tarpaulins,” he told the world.

    The Prime Minister said Pakistan had never seen a more stark and devastating example of the impact of Global Warming. “Life in Pakistan has changed forever. People in Pakistan ask why, why has this happened to them? When global warming rips apart whole families and an entire country at this ferocious speed, it is time to ask why, and time to ask not what can be done but what MUST be done,” said the PM while explaining how this calamity had affected hearts and minds in Pakistan.

  • Iran President declines interview by CNN anchor who refuses to wear hijab

    Iran President declines interview by CNN anchor who refuses to wear hijab

    Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi didn’t turn up for a CNN interview when the interviewer, Christiane Amanpour, refused to wear a hijab during the taping.

    Amanpour took to Twitter to explain the incident, stating that the interview was long planned and this would have been President Raisi’s first-ever interview on US soil. However, things didn’t go as planned.

    “An aide came over and said that the President is suggesting that I wear a headscarf because it’s the holy months of Muharram and Safar”, she said while adding that the aide made it clear that the “Interview would not happen if Amanpour did not wear a headscarf”.

    She said that she “politely declined”, stressing that she was in New York, where there is no law or tradition regarding headscarves. “I pointed out that no previous Iranian president has required this when I interviewed them outside Iran,” she pointed out.

    The journalist concluded by saying that because of the situation going on in Iran, it would have been an “important moment” to speak with President Raisi

    “And so we walked away. The interview didn’t happen. As protests continue in Iran and people are being killed, it would have been an important moment to speak with President Raisi.”

    Anti-government protests erupted across Iran last week over the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in custody, after having been arrested by Iran’s morality police on an accusation of violating the law on head scarves.

    However, Iranian officials have claimed that Amini died after suffering a “heart attack” and falling into a coma, but her family has said she had no pre-existing heart condition.

    Following the incident, thousands of people have taken to the streets. In the videos which are circulating on social media, women can be seen cutting their hair and burning their hijabs as a protest. According to media outlets, at least eight people have been killed in the demonstrations.

    It is pertinent to mention that since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, it has been compulsory for women to wear the hijab in Iran.

  • ‘Unless we get substantial relief how can the world expect from us to stand on our own feet? It is simply impossible’: PM Shehbaz

    ‘Unless we get substantial relief how can the world expect from us to stand on our own feet? It is simply impossible’: PM Shehbaz

    In an interview with Bloomberg TV, Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif highlighted the damage caused by floods and urged that the world to pay more attention to the crisis.

    The premier said, “What the world has done is commendable but it is far from meeting our needs. We can’t do it alone”. He stressed that flood losses are estimated to be at $30 billion.

    “Unless the world comes up with billions of dollars for relief, rehabilitation, for building resilient infrastructure, things will not come back to normal. And I need to put the economy back on track and put millions of people back in their homes,” he told Bloomberg.

    “Unless we get substantial relief, how can the world expect us to stand on our own feet”, he asked. “It is simply impossible. The world has to stand by us”.

    He reiterated that although Pakistan contributes very little to carbon emission, the country is among the top ten most vulnerable countries to climate change, adding that around 1,500 people had died in the situation.

    Talking about the economic situation of the country, he said that Pakistan recently signed a deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) under “very tough” conditions, including taxes on petroleum and electricity.

    He went on to say that several world leaders had talked about the devastation in Pakistan.

    Recalling his meetings with the world leaders, he said that he is “very grateful” to United States (US) President Joe Biden for speaking about Pakistan’s plight. He added that Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and France’s Emmanuel Macron had also done the same.

    The premier was of the view that such action from the world shows the intentions and sincerity of global leaders. While saying that, he added that “But I think it should come very fast because time is running out and we are racing against time”.