Current Final

Category: Politics

  • Life threats: PM Shehbaz orders foolproof security for Imran Khan

    Life threats: PM Shehbaz orders foolproof security for Imran Khan

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday directed Interior Ministry to ensure foolproof security of former prime minister and PTI chairman Imran Khan.

    The Prime Minister issued the directives through twitter in view of the reported security threats to the life of former prime minister Imran Khan.

    On the directives of PM Shehbaz Sharif, the Interior Ministry issued a letter to the authorities concerned to ensure foolproof security of former Prime Minister Imran Khan.

    The Interior Ministry sent an urgent letter to the Home Secretaries of the four provinces, Azad Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan, asking to take strict security measures for PTI chief Imran Khan.

    Deputy Commissioner Lahore Wednesday wrote a letter to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leadership regarding the security threats ahead of public rally at Minar-e-Pakistan.

    Amid security threats, Imran Khan was advised to address the public rally via video link, the DC stated in a letter penned to the PTI leadership.

    The same directive was issued to the Inspector General Police and the Chief Commissioner of Islamabad.

    PM Shehbaz Sharif also directed Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah to personally monitor the situation and ensure the implementation of the orders.

    The letter instructed about putting in place foolproof security arrangements for Imran Khan during public rallies and other events.

    The letter also stressed the deployment of a bomb disposal squad outside the residence of the former prime minister in Bani Gala.

    It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) will hold a public rally at Minar-e-Pakistan in Lahore. Imran Khan will address the public rally.

    On Tuesday, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan asked the masses if they want an independent Pakistan then they must come to Minar-e-Pakistan to attend PTI’s protest rally on Thursday (April 21).

  • Former PM Imran Khan’s Twitter space triggers meme fest

    Former PM Imran Khan’s Twitter space triggers meme fest

    Former prime minister Imran Khan spoke on a Twitter Space in the night between Wednesday and Thursday that was hosted by PTI workers.

    Imran Khan talked with around 160K people from across the world who were in attendance at the Twitter live event using Spaces, an audio live feature of Twitter. The speech was also live-streamed on other platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, with thousands of people watching.

    “Pakistan needs the Armed forces more than Imran Khan. Had the strong Army not been here, Pakistan might have been dismembered into three pieces,” said Imran while talking about the Army.

    Imran Khan’s space triggered a meme fest on Twitter, have a look at some of the memes:

  • US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar meets PM Shehbaz and Khan: Who is she?

    Democratic United States (US) Congresswoman Ilhan Abdullah Omar landed in Islamabad on Thursday for her first ever visit to Pakistan.

    Omar met Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif and President Arif Alvi. It has been reported that during the meeting with the premier, Pakistan-US bilateral relations as well as regional situations were discussed.

    She also met the former PM Imran Khan and expressed her admiration on his work against Islamophobia globally.

    During her four-day-tour, she will explore Lahore and Azad Jammu and Kashmir to have a greater understanding of Pakistan’s cultural, social, political, and economic potential, the PM’s Office said.

    The visit has come at a time when the former PM was voted out after a series of allegations against the US.

    After living in a refugee camp for four years before applying for asylum in US, Ilhan Omar became first Somali American and one of the first two Muslim women elected to Congress in 2018.

    She became a US citizen in 2000 at the age of 17 and in 2016 won a seat in the Minnesota House. In 2019, Omar assumed the office as the Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives from the 60B district.

    Born in 1982, Omar grew up in a middle-class family. Half of Omar’s childhood saw the affects of Somalia’s civil war. When she was 8, her family fled the country and ended up living in a refugee camp in Kenya for four years. When she arrived, Omar couldn’t speak English.

    She is the first hijabi woman to legislate from the House floor. Omar’s arrival in Congress resulted in the lifting of a 181-year-old ban on head coverings on the House floor.

    According to several American websites, her decision to wear the hijab was influenced by the 9/11 terrorist attacks, as she wanted to signify her cultural identity.

    Omar has always supported Kashmiris in the Indian Occupied Kashmir.

    In 2019, right after the annexation of Kashmir by Indian PM Narendra Modi, in a tweet, she said, “We should be calling for an immediate restoration of communication; respect for human rights, democratic norms, and religious freedom; and de-escalation in Kashmir.” She also urged international forums to take action.

  • ‘Every gift belongs to the office, not to be taken home’: High Court

    ‘Every gift belongs to the office, not to be taken home’: High Court

    The Islamabad High Court’s (IHC) Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb has ordered to take Toshakhana gifts [state gifts] back from the officials who took them home and asked Deputy Attorney General Arshad Kayani to put the gifts on display.

    “People come and go but the Office of the Prime Minister remains at the same place. Every gift given [to the head of the state/government officials] belongs to their office, not to be taken home,” Justice Miangul Hassan remarked.

    The directives were issued during hearing of two petitions on the Toshakhana gifts matter, one by a citizen who demanded that the details should be put forward and the other by the Cabinet Division challenging that.

    The Justice directed to make a policy to ensure that the gifts received by the head of the state will only be deposited in the treasury. He also objected that the policy to pay a certain percentage of the gift’s value and take it home shouldn’t have been there.

    “There is no stay on the Pakistan Information Commission’s (PIC) order. The Cabinet Division is bound to provide information,” he observed. The case was adjourned for two weeks.

    However, the cabinet division challenged the PIC order in the high court, claiming that it is “illegal, without lawful authority”. The former government was of the view that the revelations of details of these gifts can affect Pakistan’s relations with the countries which have given the gifts.

    Earlier this week, an investigation by news organisation Fact Focus revealed that former PM Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi kept all 112 presents worth Rs142.02 million from the Toshakhana of Pakistan.

  • Bilawal going to meet Nawaz to make Zardari president: report

    Pakistan People’s Pakistan (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari is expected to meet Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif in London, reports Geo News.

    As per the news outlet’s sources, Bilawal will discuss the inclusion of Balochistan National Party (BNP) and Moshin Dawar in the federal cabinet with Nawaz Sharif during his visit to the UK. PPP Secretary-General Farhatullah Babar told The News, “The main purpose of meeting Nawaz Sharif is to congratulate him on the coalition government and discuss the current political situation.”

    However, according to Journalist Saleem Safi, “Bilawal is giving a false impression that he is going to London for the sake of allies. He is going to beg for the governorship of Punjab, more ministries and to make Zardari President.”

    As per the media outlet’s sources, there is no deadlock between PPP and PML-N on the issue of the Foreign Ministry. There is an understanding between the PPP and the PML-N that Bilawal would take over as the Foreign Minister (FM). There are speculations that there are some issues in the coalition government that’s why Bilawal did not take oath as FM despite attending the cabinet oath-taking ceremony on Tuesday.

    Earlier, it was reported that Asif Ali Zardari and other PPP leaders are not in favour of Bilawal joining the cabinet.

    Recently, PPP Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar has excused from taking oath as minister of state for personal reasons and said he wants to focus on the upcoming general elections.

  • Unavailability of head judge: LHC puts off plea seeking removal of Nawaz’s name from ECL

    Unavailability of head judge: LHC puts off plea seeking removal of Nawaz’s name from ECL

    The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday adjourned a petition seeking removal of Nawaz Sharif’s name from the exit control list (ECL) due to the absence of head judge of the divisional bench.

    According to ARY News, the division bench hearing the petition seeking removal of the name of Nawaz Sharif from ECL was disbanded after absence of Justice Shahbaz Ali. The LHC registrar office cancelled the cause list due unavailability of the head judge of the bench.

    It is to be recalled that the Islamabad High Court (IHC) declared former prime minister Nawaz Sharif as a proclaimed offender in the Avenfield and Al-Azizia references in December 2020.

    The IHC divisional bench declared the PML-N supremo as a fugitive over his failure to appear in the court despite being summoned repeatedly. The court issued show-cause notices to the guarantors of the former premier.

    It is to be mentioned here that the PML-N supreme leader has been declared a proclaimed offender in two other cases, including the Toshakhana reference and illegal land allotment case.

  • PML-N disbands Information Ministry’s Digital Media Wing for ‘opposition hate speech’

    PML-N disbands Information Ministry’s Digital Media Wing for ‘opposition hate speech’

    The new PML-N government has decided to close the Digital Media Wing (DMW), which was formed by the previous PTI administration to publicise official information on social media platforms.

    In her first press conference as minister for information and broadcasting, Marriyum Aurangzeb, on April 19, said the PTI-established DMW was made up of its own workers and bot accounts who targeted the opposition and national institutions.

    The information ministry has established a cyber wing to disseminate the government’s accomplishments and publicise its strategic plan on social media platforms.

    Furthermore, she stated that the cyber wing needed to be more innovative and up to date with changing trends, as well as keep up with offices such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in order to maintain Pakistan’s good image abroad.

    The closure has split industry experts, with the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) welcoming the decision to disband the controversial Digital Media Wing.

    The HRCP has been rejecting the DMW, claiming that it is pursuing the PTI’s agenda against political rivals, and there have been allegations that state resources are being used to advance the party agenda, including trolling media persons.

    Read more: FIA picks up 24 over social media campaign against Pak Army

    Even so, a social media rights activist applauded the decision to transfer the DMW’s responsibilities to the information ministry’s cyber wing, claiming that it would strengthen checks on any misuse of digital media platforms by state entities.

    The PTI established the DMW shortly after taking power in 2018. It was the reincarnation of the Press Information Department’s Social Media Wing (PID).

  • Twitter reacts to only five women in Shehbaz’s cabinet

    Twitter reacts to only five women in Shehbaz’s cabinet

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif’s cabinet members took oath on Tuesday. In the new setup, the cabinet has 31 federal ministers, three ministers of state and three advisers in the first phase, as has been said by the coalition government.

    As usual, the federal cabinet includes less ratio of females. The list includes:

    Marriyum Aurangzeb – Minister for Information

    Shazia Atta Marri- Chairperson Benazir Income Support Programme

    Hina Rabbani Khar- Minister for Foreign Affairs,

    Dr Aisha Ghaus Pasha- Adviser to PM on Finance

    Sherry Rehman- Minister of state for Climate change

    Following the oath-taking, social media users criticise the induction of only five females in the new federal cabinet.

    https://twitter.com/nighatdad/status/1516202173989900290?s=20&t=KfpmmVhVq4a-HOJ0RaeyPw
    https://twitter.com/meinhiburihun/status/1516276827769212931?s=20&t=RsZ9tvKjcuEwfqKS0mnnYA
    https://twitter.com/jawismm/status/1516345385631035398?s=20&t=RsZ9tvKjcuEwfqKS0mnnYA
    https://twitter.com/oblmir/status/1516339630102269953?s=20&t=RsZ9tvKjcuEwfqKS0mnnYA
  • ‘Our relationship with Pakistan has been a vital one’: US

    ‘Our relationship with Pakistan has been a vital one’: US

    United States Department of State Spokesperson Ned Price said that his country wants to work closely with the newly-formed government of Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif on regional and international issues and termed the US-Pakistan relationship as a “vital one”.

    In a press briefing, he said: “For almost 75 years our relationship with Pakistan has been a vital one.” “We look forward to continuing that work with the new government in Pakistan across regional and international issues. This is work that has the potential to promote peace and prosperity in Pakistan and throughout the region.”

    Price added that the US viewed Pakistan as an “important stakeholder and partner” with whom the country is engaging to bring about a stable and secure Afghanistan.

    The statement is of great significance for bilateral relations as it has come after a series of allegations by Shehbaz’s predecessor Imran Khan. He had repeatedly blamed the US for backing the joint Opposition to oust him from power through a no-trust motion. Khan also came forward with a threatening letter that he claims is from the US.

    It is pertinent to mention that since Biden came into power and the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, US-Pakistan relations have been standing on the edge of a precipice.

    Earlier, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken congratulated Shehbaz Sharif on becoming the new Prime Minister of Pakistan and vowed to continue cooperation with the new government.

  • Fact check: Did Judge Nasira Iqbal write a statement in favour of Imran Khan?

    Fact check: Did Judge Nasira Iqbal write a statement in favour of Imran Khan?

    Claim: Justice (R) Nasira Iqbal made a statement in favor of Imran Khan, validating his conspiracy theory

    Fact: It was a doctored statement that Nasira Iqbal denied having ever made

    A message attributed to Justice (retd) Nasira Javed Iqbal is being widely shared on Twitter, Facebook and WhatsApp.

    “I will tell you what crime you committed Dear IK. I have been asking why IK had to be removed immediately rather than wait for 16 months to complete the term. So here is the answer,” says the message, which then goes on to state that there was a conspiracy to oust Khan because he was taking measures that would have made Pakistan “come out of slavery” and thus the United States (US) was left with no choice but to remove him from power.

    When asked by anchorperson Abdullah Sultan on Geo News if the message being circulated was indeed written by her or reflect her views, Justice Nasira denied this and said it was a fake message being falsely attributed to her.

    “I am not on social media. I don’t subscribe to Facebook. I have not given any statement. I don’t like giving political statements in any case. I don’t know who these troublemakers are who have put out something in my name. And why do they use Allam Iqbal’s name? This is quite inappropriate. Whether Imran Khan is right or wrong does not concern me,” said Justice Nasira Javed Iqbal.


    Verdict: FALSE