Current Final

Category: Politics

  • MQM apologises for May 12 tragedy after 15 years

    MQM apologises for May 12 tragedy after 15 years

    Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) convener Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui apologised for his party’s “misjudgement” during the May 12 tragedy that saw around 50 people lose their lives to riots back in 2007 in Karachi.

    “MQM should have tendered an apology and I apologise for that. And this apology is for making a wrong judgement,” said Siddiqui.

    “We had been used and we regret that but that was not our intention and this is not how we function as a party,” he insisted.

    Siddiqui admitted that MQM-P had a “slightly weakened ideologically”. However, he expressed hope that his party would again produce a new crop of young leaders who will “prove to be the future of the country”.

    “We were accused of hatching a conspiracy and holding a Jinnahpur map and we were also called traitors. If this was the reality, then why was the MQM not banned?” he asked.

    On May 12, 2007, overthrown Chief Justice of the Supreme Court (SC), Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, was scheduled to visit Karachi and take part in a function organised by the Sindh High Court Bar Association.

    Members of civil society, including lawyers, were not allowed to reach the airport to welcome the then chief justice, thus leading to clashes between the supporters of the judge and the then-MQM member. Nearly 50 people lost their lives and hundreds of others were wounded that day.

  • Sedition charges filed against Shireen Mazari’s daughter Imaan

    Sedition charges filed against Shireen Mazari’s daughter Imaan

    A first information report (FIR ) has been registered against Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir, daughter of Federal Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari. Imaan, who is a lawyer and a human rights activist, participated in Baloch students’ protest in Islamabad. In addition, Member of National Assembly (MNA) Mohsin Dawar and Baloch students have also been booked for “rebellion, rioting, and raising of anti-state slogans”, sources revealed to Geo News.

    A case has been registered at Kohsar police station.

    Imaan Hazir-Mazari tweeted: “In response to the FIR that has been registered against me: #ReleaseHafeezBaloch #EndEnforcedDisappearancesNOW #StopHarassingBalochStudents“

    Mohsin Dawar, while reacting to the FIR against him, said: “Instead of filing cases against the rouge elements involved in enforced disappearances, the state chooses to file fake cases against those who protest against enforced disappearances. Such as is the way of the martial law regime in Pakistan. We stand with the Baloch students.”

    Why are Baloch students protesting?

    The students are protesting over the mysterious disappearance of one of their colleagues, Hafeez Baloch, three weeks ago from Khuzdar.

    Senator Sherry Rehman of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has also extended her support for protesting students. “Our young people need political solutions to their problems, not repression,” Rehman wrote in a tweet,.

    People on social media are condemning the police action against Imaan Mazari-Hazir and other protesters:

    https://twitter.com/kaalakawaa/status/1499610216643837952
  • Step down in five days, Bilawal warns Khan

    Step down in five days, Bilawal warns Khan

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has given an ultimatum to Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan. The PPP leader said that the prime minister himself should decide about his fate within five days, otherwise “we will decide his fate”.

    “I want free and fair elections immediately. The PM has only two options: resign or face no-confidence move,” Bilawal told a charged crowd as he makes his way towards the federal capital.

    “Imran Khan’s presence is harmful to the country and the people, and the democratic process of a no-trust move has been adopted to remove him from the office,” said the PPP leader.

    “The people have shown their lack of confidence in this government. Now, it is time for the parliamentarians to show it too,” he added.

    “This is the last chance for the coalition partners to withdraw their support for the Imran Khan-led regime and absolve themselves of their three years of sin they had committed by supporting this incompetent and selected regime.”

    Bilawal reiterated, “It was because of the pressure of the march that the government had to bring the prices down.”

  • Oil companies warn govt of fuel shortage in Pakistan

    Oil companies warn govt of fuel shortage in Pakistan

    Oil marketing companies and refineries have reportedly expressed serious concerns and warned of a fuel crisis in the country after the government’s announcement of a relief package, according to Geo News.

    In a meeting between Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) and the petroleum division, several questions have been raised regarding petroleum prices. They argued that how can they sell petroleum products at cheaper prices when they are buying them at an expensive rate from the international market. They asked, “who will pay the price difference?”

    According to the secretary of petroleum, the government is preparing a price adjustment mechanism and the government will pay later. Till then, oil marketing companies and refineries should bear the price difference.

    In response to this, oil marketing companies and refineries said that the situation doesn’t seem to be sustainable as the country can face an interruption in the supply of petroleum products.

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, in an announcement on Monday, said that the government has slashed petrol, diesel prices by Rs10 per litre and electricity prices by Rs5 per unit as part of a series of measures to bring some relief to the public. He also promised that the government will not increase the prices of these commodities till the next budget, which will be announced in June.

  • ‘Logon ko yeh bhi nahi pata k woh namaz main Allah sy kya mangtay hain’: PM Khan

    ‘Logon ko yeh bhi nahi pata k woh namaz main Allah sy kya mangtay hain’: PM Khan

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has said that the youth of Pakistan does not know the actual reason as to why was Pakistan made.

    PM Khan said, “I realised this that our kids and youth does not have a complete understanding as to why was this country [Pakistan] made. Why did Allah say in the Quran to follow Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)? People don’t even know what do they ask from Allah when they offer namaz.” The premier’s words came during an address at the National Rehmatul-Lil-Alameen Authority event.

    “I was born in a Muslim household, but I came towards Islam through my life experiences. This was made possible as I saw two different cultures. I saw the Western culture thoroughly. But the actual change came within me when I read about the life of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).”

    The premier went on to say that if you want to see a society gets destroyed when you accept corruption and evil happening within it.

    “We accepted corruption with our country. You throw flowers at the corrupt. One ran away from the country, after lying and big journalists are saying that we should allow him to give a speech,” said the premier.

    “The lawyers said to lift the ban off him and allow him to contest in the elections again,” said the premier alluding to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif.

    “A nation whose character is not great cannot become great, only by following the principles of justice and a welfare state can a nation make its place,” said PM Khan.

  • Pakistan stops Indian submarine which was entering Pakistani waters

    Pakistan stops Indian submarine which was entering Pakistani waters

    The Pakistan Navy Anti-Submarine Warfare Unit has intercepted and tracked the latest Kalvari class Indian submarine, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Thursday.

    The military’s media wing said in a statement that the submarine was detected on March 1.

    The recent incident is the fourth detection in the last five years is a reflection of the Pakistan Navy’s competence & resolve to defend the maritime frontiers of Pakistan, read the statement.

  • Pakistan chooses not to vote in the UNGA session to censure Russia

    Pakistan chooses not to vote in the UNGA session to censure Russia

    In the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) emergency session on Wednesday, Pakistan abstained from voting to censure Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.

    Pakistan’s UN Ambassador Munir Akram delivered a speech, in which he said, “Pakistan is committed to the fundamental principles of the UN Charter: self-determination of peoples, non-use or threat of use of force, sovereignty and territorial integrity of States, and pacific settlement of disputes.”

    “We hope the talks initiated between representatives of the Russian Federation and Ukraine will succeed in bringing about a cessation of hostilities and normalisation of the situation,” he said while adding that Pakistan supports all efforts to provide humanitarian relief to civilians in the affected areas.

    The ambassador stated that Pakistan was more concerned about the safety of Pakistani citizens and students in Ukraine.

    The session was called by the UN which demanded that Russia should stop fighting and urged it to immediately withdraw its military forces from Ukraine.

    141 member states voted in favour of the resolution. Besides Russia, four other countries voted against the resolution. While India, Bangladesh, China (one of the five permanent members) abstained.

    Pakistan Foreign Office (FO) received a letter from top diplomats of 22 countries on Tuesday, urging Islamabad to support a UNGA resolution, reports Dawn.

  • Nawaz Sharif gives green signal to kick out PM Khan, PPP agrees to early elections

    Nawaz Sharif gives green signal to kick out PM Khan, PPP agrees to early elections

    Former Prime Minister (PM) and leader of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Nawaz Sharif has given a green signal to the Opposition on the issue of a no-confidence motion against PM Imran Khan.

    The success of the no-confidence motion raises the possibility of a consensus among the three main Opposition parties for immediate elections, reports Geo Urdu.

    Nawaz Sharif has given a green signal to Shehbaz Sharif, Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, and former president Asif Ali Zardari to bring a no-confidence motion against Imran Khan.


    The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) was adamant about completing the constitutional term instead of holding immediate elections and the coalition parties of the government had also given a charter of demands to complete the constitutional term.

    The deadlock in the Opposition over the no-confidence motion against PM Khan has ended and PDM has persuaded the PPP to hold immediate elections.

    Meanwhile, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F) leader and official spokesman for PDM Hafiz Hamdullah said that the joint Opposition would submit the no-confidence motion in the next 48 hours.

    According to Maulana, the Opposition will make a final decision regarding submitting a vote of the no-confidence motion in the next two to three days.


  • No-confidence to be submitted in 48 hours: PDM

    No-confidence to be submitted in 48 hours: PDM

    Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F) leader and official spokesman for the Pakistan Demo­cratic Movement (PDM) Hafiz Hamdullah said that the joint Opposition would submit the no-confidence motion in the next 48 hours.

    The development emerged after PDM chief and JUI-F head Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s talks with reporters regarding the no-confidence motion.

    According to Maulana, the Opposition will make a final decision regarding submitting a vote of the no-confidence motion in the next two to three days.

    PDM chief termed the upcoming days “important”. He claimed they have the numbers required for the success of the no-confidence motion. However, he revealed that it has not been decided yet whether they would bring the no-confidence motion against National Assembly (NA) Speaker Asad Qaiser or Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan.

    It is pertinent to mention that in order to bring in-house change against PM Khan, the joint Opposition needs the support of 172 Members of the National Assembly (MNAs). For the no-confidence motion against the NA’s speaker and deputy speaker, the Opposition would need simply a majority in the Lower House.

    Moreover, Maulana said that it seems that the “umpires” [establishment] are neutral. He declared that the Opposition is not seeking any support from the establishment, rather they want them to stop supporting the government.

    An insider told Dawn when the Opposition is 100 per cent about the success rate of the no-confidence motion, only then they will table it. He said it is true that some of the government’s own people are in contact with the Opposition but they still don’t have sufficient numbers.

  • Three killed in bomb blast near police mobile in Quetta

    Three killed in bomb blast near police mobile in Quetta

    Three people were killed and more than 20 injured in a bomb blast near a police mobile in Quetta. The explosion took place at Jinnah Road on Wednesday night.

    A deputy superintendent of police (DSP) also lost his life in the blast. Nearby shops caught fire after the bomb exploded.

    The Deputy Inspector-General (DIG) Quetta Fida Hussain revealed that people injured in the blast have been shifted to Civil Hospital. He also confirmed the death of DSP.

    “Two-and-a-half to three kilograms of explosives were used in the blast,” DIG Fida Hussain said.

    According to the medical superintendent of the hospital, the wounded brought in for medical treatment were 25 in number and six of them were critical.

    Balochistan Chief Minister, Mir Abdul Qudoos Bizenjo strongly condemned the deadly incident.

    “Cowardly terrorists targeted innocent citizens in a terrorist attack,” he said, “efforts are being made to disrupt peace in Quetta and the province under a planned and well-thought-out conspiracy.”

    He also added that terrorists are being funded by external forces.

    He directed the Inspector General of Police (IG) to submit a detailed report.

    Governor of Sindh, Imran Ismail also strongly condemned the bomb blast in ‘which innocents were targeted by cowardly terrorists.

    https://twitter.com/GovernorSindh33/status/1499043386870927363?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1499043386870927363%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.geo.tv%2Flatest%2F402533-quetta-three-killed-more-than-20-injured-in-blast-near-police-mobile

    CM Buzdar, while condemning the incident, said, “a handful of terrorists cannot shake the resolve of the nation.” 

    The spokesperson of the Sindh Government, Murtaza Wahab Siddiqui also condemned the incident.