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Category: Politics

  • Which reptile is Imran Khan most scared of? Zardari reveals all

    Which reptile is Imran Khan most scared of? Zardari reveals all

    Former president and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari revealed that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairperson Imran Khan is afraid of lizards.

    Taking a jibe at the PTI chairman, Zardari said Khan was detained for eight hours in 2007 and over there, it came to light that he was afraid of lizards.

    “If Imran Khan will be put in jail, then it will be an enormous problem for this gora (white) sahab,” he added.

    “We have an issue with Imran Khan’s mindset. We have an issue with how Imran Khan has provoked the people of Pakistan. Individually, I don’t care for him, ” said Zardari.

    “Imran Khan has been lying since the beginning. He exaggerates a lot. His ” said Asif Zardari on Geo News programme ‘Capital Talk’.

    Talking about a secret meeting with Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif and Zardari, the PPP leader was questioned if it was this secrecy that led to Khan losing his position. “I don’t know what is in Imran Khan’s mind. But his advisers are novices, they are not political beings. They don’t understand politics. You know politicians make terrible bedfellows. So this can happen anytime.”

    Responding to becoming a part of PM Shehbaz’s cabinet, Asif Zardari said Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s inclusion will be decided according to the party’s Central Executive Committee (CEC).

    “Bilawal Bhutto as Foreign Minister of Pakistan will be decided in PPP’s CEC meeting,” he said.

    Talking about the 22-year political journey of Khan, Zardari said, ” Once Bibi [Benazir Bhutto] was asked what does she think about Imran Khan in politics, she said that as long as the ball is not tempered, he is welcome.”

    Zardari said that Khan’s propaganda machinery was very strong. “He has hired people internationally. He has the complete support of the Goldsmith family.”

    Talking about National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Zardari said that it is important to bring sensibility to NAB. So before the next elections, “we will decide to dilute some of the powers of NAB”.

    Talking about wooing Khan’s allies to vote against him in the no-trust motion, the former president went on to say, “I am a guarantor in all agreements made with allies and we will fulfill all of their legitimate demands.”

    “I am also a guarantor with Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P). However, someone has misguided Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), but we still want them to join us,” he said.

    Zardari said it was also his responsibility to oversee the implementation of the agreements signed with all allies, including the MQM-P, Balochistan National Party (BNP-M) of Akhtar Mengal, Shahzain Bugti of Jamhoori Watan Party (JWP) and Khalid Magsi of Balochistan Awami Party (BAP).

  • AJK PM sacks 5 ministers over ‘suspicious activities’

    AJK PM sacks 5 ministers over ‘suspicious activities’

    The embattled Prime Minister Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Sardar Abdul Qayyum Niazi on Thursday terminated five members of his cabinet over misconduct and suspicious activities, ARY News reported.

    A spokesperson for the AJK PM confirmed the development and said that those who have been terminated included Tanveer Ilyas, Abdul Majid Khan, Ali Shan, Khawaja Farooq and Chaudhry Muhammad Akbar.

    They were terminated from the AJK cabinet over misconduct, corrupt practices and suspicious activities, the spokesperson said.

    Yesterday, AJK PM Sardar Abdul Qayoom Khan Niazi met PTI Chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan, a day after a no-trust motion was submitted against the former by party lawmakers.

    During the meeting, the AJK premier rejected the allegations leveled against him and briefed the PTI chairman about “conspiracies” being hatched to send him packing.

    The ousted prime minister constituted a committee with party vice chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi appointed as its head to resolve the issue.

    The committee will have a final say on the matter after reviewing all the facts by tomorrow.

    Pakistan Tehreek e Insaaf (PTI) lawmakers submitted the motion against their party’s prime minister in the AJK assembly secretariat on April 12.

    The motion was signed by 25 members of the legislative assembly including a minister and senior Minister Sardar Tanveer Ilyas Khan has been proposed as successor. The name of Sardar Tanveer Ilyas has been recommended for the PM slot in the no-trust move.

  • ‘I was forced into politics at a young age, I did not choose it’: Bilawal to CNN

    ‘I was forced into politics at a young age, I did not choose it’: Bilawal to CNN

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said on Wednesday that he was forced into politics at a young age. “I didn’t choose this life, it chose me,” said Bilawal in interview with CNN’s Becky Anderson.

    When Anderson posed a question regarding dynastic politics, Bilawal said,” Absolutely, dynasties exist and it would be unfair to criticise the former Secretary of State and presidential candidate Hilary Clinton for being involved in politics because her husband was involved in politics, etc. You can criticise nepotism and dynastic politics as much as you want but whoever the people of Pakistan decide, that should matter by the end of the day.”

    “As far as myself is concerned, my grandfather was hanged by a military dictator, my mother was assassinated by terrorists and I was forced into Pakistani politics at a young age. I did not choose this life, it chose me,” he added.

    Answering a question about being the foreign minister under a PM that is not from his own party, Bilawal said that it would be difficult for the party to stomach, being the second-largest member of the coalition. “However, we do have to work together to address Pakistan’s problems.

    Talking about former Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s demand for early elections, Bilawal said: “We absolutely want free and fair elections but in order for them to take place, we must legislate when it comes to the electoral reforms. As everybody knows, the 2018 elections that Khan used to come to power have been widely seen and condemned not only nationally but internationally as rigged and compromised elections that resulted in three years of an autocratic dictatorial rule through the office of Imran Khan. He not only robbed our media of media freedoms but robbed average Pakistanis of their democratic rights that they just recently started to enjoy.”

    “It is a big victory for democracy that we are moving towards electoral reforms and free and fair elections. We are not a selected government like Mr Khan’s but a government that is truly representative of the people of Pakistan and can decide their fate.”

  • ‘Pakistan’s nuclear programme in the hands of ‘thieves’, Khan questions institutions about safety of nukes

    ‘Pakistan’s nuclear programme in the hands of ‘thieves’, Khan questions institutions about safety of nukes

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Wednesday asked the institutions if ‘thieves’, who have come into power through a ‘foreign conspiracy’ and are ‘slaves’, can protect Pakistan’s nuclear programme. He was addressing a rally in Peshawar.

    In his first public address since losing his government, Khan directly addressed the judiciary and asked: “My dear judges, my judiciary, I have spent time in jail because of your freedom because I dream that one day the judiciary would stand with the weak people of the society, and not the powerful. I ask the judiciary that when you opened the court in the dead of night … this nation has known me for 45 years. Have I ever broken the law? When I played cricket, did anyone ever accuse me of match-fixing?”

    “During my 25 years of politics, I have never provoked the public against state institutions or the judiciary because my life and death are in Pakistan. I ask you, what crime had I exactly committed that you opened up the courts at midnight?” questioned Khan.

    “I will live and die for Pakistan.”

    The PTI chairman also warned that he was not that dangerous while he was part of the government, but now that he has been ousted, he will become “more dangerous” for the Opposition.

    “We will not accept an imported government and people have shown what they want by holding demonstrations against the move,” he said.

    https://twitter.com/faizanMFY/status/1514324171601309697?s=20&t=ZV12ull1vvQhyBqrXT1Z2Q

    “Shehbaz Sharif is out on bail, his son is out on bail, Nawaz Sharif is a convict, and his son is an absconder in London and the same is the case with his sons, daughter, and son-in-law.”

    “America has insulted Pakistan by imposing these bandits on us; Shehbaz Sharif is facing corruption charges of Rs40 billion,” Khan added. “Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was sacked through a conspiracy by the USA, but this is not the Pakistan of 1970. This is the new Pakistan.”

    “My youth, get ready, I will be out on the streets with you in every city until we do not force them to hold elections,” he said, adding, “Today marks the beginning of the struggle to find actual freedom.”

  • US congratulates Shehbaz on election as prime minister

    US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken on Wednesday congratulated newly-elected Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and vowed to continue its long-standing cooperation with Pakistan’s government.

    Shehbaz was elected the 23rd prime minister of Pakistan on Monday after his predecessor, Imran Khan, was removed from office through a no-confidence vote last week.

    In a statement issued last night, Blinken expressed that Pakistan had been an important partner on wide-ranging mutual interests for nearly 75 years and US valued their relationship.

    “The United States views a strong, prosperous and democratic Pakistan as essential for the interests of both countries,” he added.

    Responding to the statement, the Prime Minister’s Office reaffirmed the need for cooperation with United States. “The new government wishes to constructively and positively engage with the US to promote of peace, security and development in the region,” it tweeted.

    The PMO also highlighted the need for deepening the relationship on the principles of equality, mutual interest and mutual benefit.

    Blinken’s comments come a day after Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said that the US had a “healthy military-to-military relationship with Pakistani armed forces”, adding that “we have every expectation that will be able to continue to be the case”.

    “We recognise that Pakistan plays a key role in the region. We recognise that Pakistan and the Pakistani people are, themselves, victims of terrorist attacks inside their own country,” he added.

    In response to a question on allegations of the ousted premier against the US for its role in regime change, Kirby had declined to comment and said that US would not talk about Pakistan’s domestic politics.

    Ties between Islamabad and Washington touched a new low after former prime minister Imran Khan accused the US of conspiring to dislodge his government. He based his allegation on a diplomatic cable in which it was reportedly said that a State Department official had warned of consequences for bilateral ties if the no-confidence motion against then PM Imran Khan failed.

    Washington had denied the allegation.

  • Boris Johnson ‘looking forward to working with’ Shehbaz-led govt

    Boris Johnson ‘looking forward to working with’ Shehbaz-led govt

    British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday felicitated Shehbaz Sharif on becoming the prime minister of Pakistan.

    “Congratulations to Shehbaz Sharif on his election as Prime Minister of Pakistan,” the British PM tweeted.

    It is noteworthy that Russia, China, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and several other countries have extended felicitation to Shehbaz Sharif on his election as the new prime minister of Pakistan.

    Beijing in a statement said that it was looking forward to working with him to continue the traditional friendship, deepen all-round cooperation and advance a high-quality building of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to build a closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future in new era.

  • ‘Hamza is like my brother’, Aleem Khan dispels rumours of differences with him

    ‘Hamza is like my brother’, Aleem Khan dispels rumours of differences with him

    The member of disgruntled Jahangir Khan Tareen (JKT) group Aleem Khan dismissed the reports about any differences with Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) nominee for Chief Minister (CM) Punjab Hamza Shehbaz Sharif, saying: “Hamza is like my younger brother.”

    In a tweet, Khan took a jibe at Hamza’s contender Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) Pervaiz Elahi and said, “Elahi is seeing his defeat. He has come to know that defeat has become his destiny. I have a very lovable and respect relation with Hamza. He is like my younger brother. Nothing has happened and will never happen.”

    “Pervaiz Elahi should admit his defeat. Come to the polls. There will be no need for them to do such things,” Khan added.

    Following this, Hamza also dropped a tweet. He said, “The lies which have been propagated against me and Aleem Khan are baseless and a product of someone’s imagination. Khan is a respected brother and a senior politician. Seeing a clear defeat in Punjab, such a bay is being flown.”

    Earlier, it was claimed that Khan is involved in an altercation with Hamza and he had threatened to resign from his seat.

    The Punjab Assembly’s crucial session for the election of a new CM is likely to take place on April 16. PML-N has claimed of having the support of 202 Members of the Provincial Assembly (MPA) in the house.

  • Pentagon expects continuation of healthy relationship with Pakistani armed forces

    Pentagon expects continuation of healthy relationship with Pakistani armed forces

    Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby has said the United States had a “healthy military-to-military relationship with Pakistani armed forces”, adding that “we have every expectation that will be able to continue to be the case”.

    The comments from the senior Pentagon official come two days after Shehbaz Sharif was elected as the prime minister of Pakistan, replacing Imran Khan who was ousted last week through a no-confidence vote.

    In a press briefing on Tuesday, Kirby said the US had shared interests with Pakistan with respect to security and stability in “that part of the world”.

    “We recognise that Pakistan plays a key role in the region. We recognise that Pakistan and the Pakistani people are, themselves, victims of terrorist attacks inside their own country,” he added.

    In response to a question about election of Shehbaz Sharif as the prime minister and allegations of the ousted premier Imran Khan against the US for its role in regime change, Kirby declined to offer a comment.

    “I think you can understand that we’re not going to comment about domestic politics inside Pakistan,” he responded.

    When asked whether the US was prepared in case Pakistan’s military intervenes amid street protests organised by former prime minister Imran Khan “with his very large crowd of supporters”, Kirby said he did not foresee any US military role there.

    “And I’m certainly not going to, again, wade into internal domestic politics in Pakistan,” he said.

    White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki had earlier said that a democratic Pakistan was critical to US interests.

    Ties between Islamabad and Washington touched a new low after former prime minister Imran Khan accused the US of conspiring to dislodge his government. He based his allegation on a diplomatic cable in which it was reportedly said that a State Department official had warned of consequences for bilateral ties if the no-confidence motion failed.

    Washington has denied the allegation.

    Mending fences with the US would be one of the top foreign policy priorities for the new government.

  • 57% people happy with Imran Khan’s removal: Survey

    57% people happy with Imran Khan’s removal: Survey

    According to Gallup Pakistan survey, 57 per cent of people are happy with the removal of Imran Khan through the no-confidence motion while 43 per cent are angry with the outcome.

    71 per cent of happy individuals cite rising inflation and poverty as the main reasons for their happiness while 11 per cent didn’t specify any reason.

    For those who were unhappy, the highest reason stated was that Khan was an honest person and a great leader while 15 per cent of people say that they simply like Khan.

    Moreover, the survey states that 53 per cent of males are happy with Khan being gone and 62 per cent of females are happy with the no-confidence motion’s result.

    The high number of happy people is in Sindh with 60 per cent, Punjab stands at second place with 57 per cent and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa stands at third place with 53 per cent.

    As per the Gallup survey, a great majority of 90 per cent have the intention to vote for Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) while only seven per cent say that they will vote for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

    It is pertinent to mention that Khan was removed as a Prime Minister on April 9 by the National Assembly (NA).

  • 2 PTI men shot by JUI-F workers over social media comments

    2 PTI men shot by JUI-F workers over social media comments

    Two workers of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf  (PTI ) were injured during an armed scuffle with Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) workers over some social media content and comments. The police said that the incident took place in Timergra area of Lower Dir. Police officials said that the workers of both parties started fighting over some social media comments, which resulted in two PTI workers getting injured after being shot. They were rushed to the nearest hospital subsequently.

    On Tuesday, a fight broke out between a man with dissident PTI’s Noor Alam Khan, PPP’s Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, Nadeem Afzal Chan and Faisal Kundi.

    Noor Alam who was severely critical of Imran Khan was verbally abused and punched by a PTI supporter at an iftar after which his colleagues retaliated.

    “We were sitting for iftaar at a hotel and someone abused Noor Alam Khan before iftaar. We didn’t respond. When iftaar started, I said to the man why he is using this language. He started abusing even more and punched Noor Alam. That’s when we responded because he was uncontrollable,” says Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar.