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Category: Politics

  • ‘Dictator Maryam’ blamed for PDM’s downfall

    ‘Dictator Maryam’ blamed for PDM’s downfall

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) vice president and key leader of the opposition alliance, Maryam Nawaz has been accused of having a “dictatorial attitude” that has also been cited as the reason behind the Pakistan Democratic Movement’s (PDM) downfall.

    As per the details, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leaders travelled to Wali Bagh, the residence of Awami National Party (ANP) head Asfandyar Wali on Thursday and held talks with him and other party leaders on the evolving political situation in the country.

    The PPP and ANP are the two parties with which the PDM is having differences ever since ex-premier Yousuf Raza Gilani’s election as the Senate opposition leader — a move deemed as betrayal by other parties of the opposition alliance.

    The ANP has already announced to quit the PDM, saying the show-cause notices over voting for Gilani were an insult to the party.

    Briefing reporters after the meeting, Nayyar Hussain Bukhari and Mian Iftikhar Hussain said the PPP would take the decision of whether or not to quit the PDM at its Central Executive Committee (CEC) meeting scheduled later this month.

    They blamed the “dictatorial attitude” of Maryam Nawaz for the disintegration of the alliance.

    “The split in the PDM began with the issuance of the show-cause notice,” Mian Iftikhar Hussain said, adding, it was an insult to ANP and couldn’t be tolerated.

    Meanwhile, Nayyar Hussain Bukhari said the PPP had proposed Maulana Fazlur Rahman as the PDM head but the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief adopted “a step-motherly attitude” towards the PPP. 

    “PPP is not subordinate to any political party.”

    He said that the PPP was ready for the “long march” to Islamabad and wanted to use resignations from the assemblies as the last option.

  • PPP, several others, including PTI’s Fawad, against criminalising criticism

    PPP, several others, including PTI’s Fawad, against criminalising criticism

    The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has said that it rejects any attempts to further gag the fundamental right of freedom of expression in the name of preventing defamation and disrespect of the armed forces.

    In a statement, Senator Farhatullah Babar expressed grave concern over a bill moved by a PTI MNA and approved by the National Assembly Standing Committee on Interior seeking to amend the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) to send anyone to jail for two years with fine Rs 500,000 or both for what has been described as ‘defamation of the army”.

    He said that Section 500 of the PPC already provides punishment for the defamation of anyone, and the addition of Section 500-A is aimed only at gagging freedom of expression guaranteed under Article 19 of the constitution in name of national security. It is not acceptable and will be opposed at every platform he said.

    “The nation has witnessed enough of how behind the facade of ‘national security’ citizens have disappeared mysteriously, national resources diverted, internment centres set up, ex-tribal areas made a no-go area, foreign and security policies hijacked and security establishment’s business and commercial empire expanded exponentially.”

    Section 500-A is liable to be grossly misused in the name of national security as Section 295-C has been misused in the name of religion, he said.

    “Defence forces working within their constitutional limits are universally admired and do not need any legislation to protect their honor and respect. Similarly, no legislation can stop people from questioning those who transgress their limits with impunity,” he said.

    While the PPP and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) reportedly tried to block the bill from approval by NA Standing Committee on Interior, saying it was a violation of right to freedom of expression, some government members have also expressed concern.

    While Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari had earlier blocked a similar bid to curb criticism, Federal Minister Fawad Chaudhry has now said it was an “absolutely ridiculous idea”.

    In a tweet, he said he strongly felt that instead of introducing new laws to quell criticism, the laws dealing with contempt of court “should be repealed”.

    He was seconded by Mazari.

    “Totally agree. Cannot state it strongly enough,” she wrote.

  • Punjab govt rushes to Tareen’s support amid reports of rift with PTI

    The Punjab government has said that disgruntled Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Jahangir Tareen is an important pillar of the party and had worked hard to form the government of Chief Minister (CM) Usman Buzdar.

    Speaking to Geo News, Special Assistant to Punjab CM Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan said Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan had come to power on the manifesto of the supremacy of law and a corruption-free Pakistan.

    Awan, while responding to a question on accountability, said all those PTI leaders and ministers who were accused of corruption had returned to their positions after getting themselves cleared from the charges.

    The spokesperson dismissed media reports claiming that the government is taking revengeful action against Tareen.

    Tareen is facing charges of corruption in the sugar scandal and multiple cases have been filed against him.

    Amid his ordeal, reports had claimed the sugar baron was defecting to rival Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).

    While the claims have been rubbished, any truth to the same could serve a severe blow to the ruling PTI, especially in Punjab where Buzdar is in power owing to the support of a number of loyal-to-Tareen MPAs.

    The PTI leader, after appearing in court on Wednesday, had said that his loyalty to PM Imran was being tested, but that he is not parting ways with the PTI.

    While responding to a question, Awan said that Tareen would never take a step that would harm PTI and that he had played an important role in forming the Buzdar government and taking forward the policies of the PTI government.

    “Jahangir Tareen will never want to see PTI getting weak on the political front. In pursuance of PM Khan’s mission he was active as a soldier,” she added.

    Meanwhile, the Punjab government has reportedly prepared a list of the PTI members who were in contact with Jahangir Khan Tareen.

    CM Buzdar is set to hand over the list to the premier, which would be followed by a final decision on said lawmakers’ fate.

    Tareen loyalists maintain that he also played a major role in securing PM Imran the recent vote of confidence and without his support, the government is struggling owing to a thin majority in Punjab.

  • Inflation and other troubles: 73% Pakistanis believe country headed in wrong direction

    A recent survey by IPSOS Pakistan has revealed that nearly 73 per cent people believe the country is headed in the wrong direction.

    At least 1,000 people from all over the country participated in the latest survey that was conducted during the third week of March.

    Inflation has become the biggest issue for Pakistanis, as two-thirds of survey participants described the current economic situation as bad with increasing skepticism about any betterment in their conditions.

    Nearly 23 per cent found nothing wrong in the policies of the incumbent government while around 70 per cent expressed concern.

    Some 38 per cent of the participants believed there wouldn’t be any improvement in economic conditions in the next six months while 29 per cent viewed the same time period as one during which good news on the economic front will be here.

    33 percent maintained their moderate perspective on this.

    Inflation and unemployment were among the greatest concerns of the people in almost all parts of the country.

  • JKT reacts to reports of joining PPP, seeks ‘insaf from Tehreek-e-Insaf’

    JKT reacts to reports of joining PPP, seeks ‘insaf from Tehreek-e-Insaf’

    Disgruntled Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Jahangir Khan Tareen has said that his loyalty to Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan was being tested, but he is not parting ways with the ruling party.

    Speaking to the media after he arrived at a banking court to attend his bail hearing, he was reacting to claims by Shehla Raza of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).

    Raza had a day earlier claimed that Tareen was soon joining the PPP.

    “Not one, not two but three FIRs have been registered against me,” he said on Wednesday. “Out of the 80 sugar mill owners, all they could see was Jahangir Tareen,” he said, questioning why he was being subjected to “revenge”.

    The PTI leader said his “loyalty was being tested”. He added that an inquiry against him, relating to the sugar crisis, has been going on for the last year.

    He lamented that his accounts as well as those belonging to his son, Ali Tareen, had been frozen. “Why have my accounts been frozen? Who is doing this? Who benefits from this?” he asked. Tareen said he was “asking for justice from (PTI) [League of Justice]”, adding that he was a friend, but being “pushed towards enmity”.

    In response to a question, Tareen said it was time to expose those involved in a conspiracy against him. He said PM Imran could expose the person who was hell-bent on exacting revenge against him.

    Despite his grievances against the ruling party, Tareen said he was not parting ways with the PTI. “I am a member of the PTI and will remain so,” he said.

    When a reporter asked Tareen whether he was about to meet former president and PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari, he said the reports were baseless.

  • ‘Jahangir Tareen likely to join PPP next week’

    ‘Jahangir Tareen likely to join PPP next week’

    In what would be damning for not only the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) but also key Punjab players among others, sugar baron Jahangir Khan Tareen is likely to soon join the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).

    According to PPP senior leader Shehla Raza, Tareen has met JDW chairperson and veteran PPP politician Makhdoom Ahmed Mahmood.

    “Next week he will also meet former president Asif Ali Zardari in Karachi. I believe during this meeting he will announce quitting the PTI and joining the PPP along with his companions,” she tweeted.

    https://twitter.com/SyedaShehlaRaza/status/1379429766395174921?s=19

    Tareen, a former aide and close friend of Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, has been at odds with the premier ever since the government went after him and his family members during the sugar crisis probe.

    The development comes days after registration of cases against Tareen and his son by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) was reported.

    If Tareen does join the PPP, it could mean a severe blow to the PTI in Punjab where it is said to be in power only due to the support Tareen garnered for incumbent Chief Minister (CM) Usman Buzdar.

    The claims, however, have reportedly been rubbished by Tareen.

    He was quoted by journalist Adil Shahzeb.

  • Did Gilani just throw Bilawal under the bus?

    Did Gilani just throw Bilawal under the bus?

    Former prime minister (PM) and incumbent leader of the opposition in Senate, Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has said it was Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s decision to seek the support of Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) lawmakers for his election to the post.

    “They approached that we, a four-member group headed by Dilawar, want to join you. They didn’t approach me, they approached chairman sahib [Bilawal],” he said.

    He made the revelation in an interview with a private media outlet, where he also said he was neither interested in the seat of the Senate chairmanship nor leader of the opposition, but it was Bilawal who made the decision.

    His nomination for the slot and ultimate win despite joint opposition’s reservations is what is the latest and apparently the biggest bone of contention between the PPP and PDM so far.

    Gilani, who was in a straight contest with PML-N candidate Azam Nazeer Tarar, had earlier denied using the votes of BAP senators, saying he had secured the seat with the support of 30 “opposition” senators.

    These included 21 members from the PPP, two from the Awami National Party, one from the Jamaat-e-Islami, two independents from erstwhile Fata (Hidayatulla and Hilalur Rahman) and four from the independent group of Dilawar Khan, who had been supporting the PML-N in the past. Other members of the group include Kaira Babar, Naseebullah Bazai and Ahmad Khan.

    Speaking in the programme on Monday, Gilani expressed support for the decision to secure votes from BAP senators and said they were disgruntled members who approached Bilawal for the post of leader of the opposition in the Senate.

    “But what is wrong in taking their support?” he questioned.

    Gilani further said that the PDM must stay intact but the decision to resign from assemblies had come out of the blue.

    He questioned what would be the next move after the resignations came, adding that this was what the PPP’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) would ask them.

    Gilani’s son and PPP member Kasim Gilani, however, has lamented “spread of disinformation” regarding the interview.

    Taking to Twitter he clarified his father’s statement.

    Meanwhile, ANP has reportedly withdrawn from the PDM after show-cause notices were issued to the party to explain their actions during the recently-held Senate polls.

    They had voted for Gilani in a move deemed betrayal by the opposition alliance but democratic right by the PPP and ANP.

  • Sarwar says cabinet ‘only listens to businessmen’ as PTI ministers attack own govt

    Sarwar says cabinet ‘only listens to businessmen’ as PTI ministers attack own govt

    Federal Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan has accused the Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan-led cabinet of “only listening to businessmen” while paying no heed to its own members.

    As per the details, the minister attacked his own government during a meeting of the National Assembly’s Special Committee on Agriculture. He, however, wasn’t the only one expressing concerns as Fehmida Mirza also pointed out high prices of agricultural inputs and low rate of output.

    Expressing his dissatisfaction with the government’s policies, Sarwar, the aviation minister said that within the past two and a half they had not been able to do anything for the agricultural sector. Mirza, the inter-provincial coordination minister, said that no relief had been given to growers.

    However, Finance Minister Hammad Azhar and Food Security Minister Fakhar Imam defended the government policies.

    According to The Express Tribune, Azhar said that the price of DAP fertiliser had been increased because of the hike in international price, adding that increasing support price of wheat would affect the flour price.

    The meeting was chaired by National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser, which was also attended by Usman Dar, Shandana Gulzar and others. Gulzar informed the committee that the government would initiate ‘Kamyab Kisan’ programme.

    “We could not give any relief to the agricultural sector. The government gave relief to industry and services but not to agriculture. The voice of the people for sectors other than agricultural is more powerful,” Sarwar lamented.

    “We are importing wheat but the government is not ready to give anything to its own growers. Imported wheat costs Rs2,400 [pre 40 kilogrammes] but we’re are giving Rs1,800 to the growers [in the shape of support price],” he told the committee.

    After the meeting, Qaiser said that the stance of Ghulam Sarwar in the meeting was his personal viewpoint.

  • Asad Umar among other passengers unhurt in emergency Karachi landing

    Asad Umar among other passengers unhurt in emergency Karachi landing

    A private airline flight made an emergency landing at Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport after developing a technical fault. 

    The development on Monday came after SereneAir’s Karachi-Islamabad flight ER-502 returned to the port city’s airport half an hour after taking off.

    According to reports, the airline issued a statement in this regard, saying that the plane developed a technical fault after takeoff, and the captain decided to land it back in Karachi after acquiring permission from the control tower.

    Reports further said that Federal Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar was also onboard.

    The aircraft’s engine had developed a fault, and engineers are working to fix it.

    It is being reported that another engine of the same plane had developed a fault earlier.

  • PM tells spokespersons to ignore Opp, only highlight govt performance

    PM tells spokespersons to ignore Opp, only highlight govt performance

    Prime Minister Imran Khan has directed his spokespersons to highlight the government performance and has barred them from responding to the opposition’s statements.

    According to details, a meeting of government ministers and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) spokespersons was held under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Imran Khan, in which the current political, economic and COVID-19 situation in the country was discussed.

    PM Imran set up a special committee on media matters. According to Dunya News sources, the committee includes Federal Minister Fawad Chaudhry, Shibli Faraz, Faisal Vawda and Yousuf Baig Mirza.

    The committee will meet on a daily basis to discuss government performance and statements.

    During the meeting, the premier – in a bid to deal with the sugar satta mafia – directed the concerned authorities to bring a new law in the country.

    In order to ensure the availability of sugar at affordable rates, the prime minister directed to launch a countrywide crackdown on the sugar satta mafia. He directed the concerned authorities to take indiscriminate action against the aforementioned mafia to provide relief to the masses ahead of the holy month of Ramzan.

    In this regard, the session of all federal spokespersons and senior government huddle, chaired by Prime Minister Imran, decided on an agenda to bring down essential commodity prices ahead of the holy month.

    Speaking to the media after the session, Federal Minister for Interior Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad said that the PM has directed utmost relief to the people as the holy month inches closer.

    All edible and essential items must be made cheaper for the consumers and thus a direction has been made to Finance Minister Hammad Azhar to make it happen, Rasheed said.

    He added that the PM has instructed the government huddle not to be bothered in the least by the opposition as it poses no threat at all.

    The PM has instead ordered steps taken for cuts in the prices of sugar, flour, and lentil instead, he confirmed.

    We shall duly project all the steps taken by the government in this regard and the performance thereof, the minister vowed.