“A larger 39% said they disagreed and 24% said they neither agreed or disagreed,” read a statement by Gallup Pakistan. “It appears, public opinion is split on the issue with only 1 in 3 siding with Nawaz’s hard stance during the speech.”
According to another question, a majority 47% agree with the former prime minister’s accusation that PM Imran Khan has destroyed Pakistan’s economy.
“Here again, however, public opinion was split with 41% disagreeing with this claim and another 12% choosing to sit on the fence with respect to this debate,” said Gallup Pakistan. “It is interesting to see that PTI retains its edge among youngsters who were less likely to agree that Imran Khan has destroyed the economy.”
When it came to whether the former prime minister should return to the country or not, the survey’s results revealed that an overwhelming majority of the people want Nawaz to return and face the courts.
“A sweeping 78% respondents want Nawaz Sharif to return back to Pakistan and face the justice system. Only 15% agreed that he should stay out of Pakistan.”
Former Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) chief Bashir Memon has claimed during his tenure, the “highest office” had ordered him to file a terrorism case against members of the social media cell of the opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) Maryam Nawaz, after a picture of First Lady Bushra Bibi was found circulating on social media.
Memon, a career civil servant of the Police Service of Pakistan (PSP) cadre, resigned from service in November last year, days before he was supposed to retire, in protest against being posted out close to retirement.
Memon had resigned the same day the government, while booting him out of office, appointed incumbent FIA director general Wajid Zia, also a PSP, in his pace.
In an interview with journalist Matiullah Jan, the first part of which was uploaded on the latter’s YouTube channel on Monday, Memon said: “There was a picture on social media, regarding which they [said] that a terrorism case should be filed.”
“It was a picture of the first lady [uploaded] on social media. How is this terrorism? There is a definition of terrorism in law. It was a normal picture, how was that terrorism,” he questioned.
It merits a mention here that the first lady clads a burqa and strictly adheres to face veiling. She also keeps out of the public eye and has rarely accompanied the prime minister on his domestic and international visits.
During the interview, then Jan asked Memon to name the authority who gave him the order, he said that he was summoned by the “highest office in Pakistan”.
When the host wondered if Prime Minister Imran Khan had attended the meeting Memon was summoned for, Memon refused to take names. “I said the highest office,” he reiterated.
“[They told me] to take action on this against [Maryam Nawaz’s] social media cell. I didn’t say that this couldn’t be done. I said, under which law? Because we have to work according to the law.”
He claimed that the government’s “expectations” which it had from the FIA “are [now] being fulfilled”.
In response to another question, Memon declared that the government expected the FIA to “do exactly what NAB [National Accountability Bureau] has done [with the opposition leaders]”.
“Especially regarding his [Nawaz Sharif’s] son-in-law captain Safdar […] just what NAB is doing with him,” he said.
Memon also said that the authorities wanted FIA to pursue corruption cases against PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif, his sons and his entire family including his relatives. The members of the Sharif family are being investigated in several cases of graft and abuse of authority.
The anti-graft agency arrested Shahbaz last week after the Lahore High Court rejected his bail petition in a money laundering case which also involves his family members. The agency accuses him of having laundered billions of rupees of black money during his tenure as the chief executive of Punjab.
When asked why he refused to pursue those cases, Memon said: “There were two reasons. One, I didn’t have the inquiries. Second, this was the mandate of the provincial anti-corruption [unit].”
The former FIA chief recalled that he was sent to Lahore where a meeting was convened by Punjab chief secretary Akbar Durrani and attended by all secretaries as well. Memon added that he was provided with the record of the case he had been asked to take up.
“End of the day, I told them that all of this is the mandate of provincial anti-corruption [unit]. They can do this, we cannot. Because FIA is a law enforcement agency. A law enforcement agency will [handle issues related to] law. We will remain within our mandate. We can’t go and jump around, in my opinion,” Memon said.
Memon said that the cases that were first referred to FIA were later transferred to the NAB. He said that the reason behind referring the cases to FIA first may have been that “they (authorities) feel that we are more competent”.
“However, I always said that this is what the law says and this is what it doesn’t. We have to work according to the law,” he told Jan. He further said that after NAB picked up the cases which were initially being probed by FIA, he was “relieved of that pressure”.
“Regarding NAB cases, whenever I hear the remarks and the verdicts that are given […] I say that God wanted to protect my dignity. In this age, all you care about is your respect,” he said.
He also talked about a “peculiar case” against PML-N leader Khawaja Asif, in which it was alleged that the latter was working for a company in Dubai while he was defence and foreign minister. The former FIA official said that it was suggested that a treason case against Asif should be lodged over the allegation.
“I’m not saying that [this is not possible]. But we need evidence for that,” he said and added that there was no available evidence when he was told to file the case. When asked who told him that such a case should be filed, he said it was said during a cabinet meeting and was included in the minutes.
“Cabinet had asked to carry out an inquiry. We did that but could not find evidence,” he explained.
He also mentioned a meeting, which was also attended by the prime minister, in which officials of government regretted that Karachi Electric was “ruined”. Memon said that FIA had proven that K-Electric had to return Rs87 billion to Sui Southern Gas Limited and that the money should be recovered.
“In his (prime minister’s) opinion, FIA did wrong by conducting this investigation [against KE]. That this investigation should not have been conducted,” Memon claimed.
No official from the government has so far commented on Memon’s claims.
With Federal Minister Fawad Chaudhry saying that Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan had no idea about the sedition case against Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) bigwigs, including ex-PM Nawaz Sharif, netizens have sprung to action to remind the people of things “ignorant Imran” said he “didn’t know about”.
Former PM Nawaz and his loyalists, including Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider and three former military generals, were on Monday booked for “conspiring against the state” after the deposed premier’s fiery speeches against the government and state institutions.
“The PM didn’t know anything about the case. When I brought it to his attention, he expressed extreme displeasure,” Fawad tweeted after Twitterati called out the government for going after political leaders on sedition charges.
وزیر اعظم کو اس FIR کا کوئ علم نہیں تھا جب میں ان کے علم میں لایا کہ اس طرح ایک FIR ہوئ ہے جس میں نواز شریف اور دیگر لوگوں کو نامزد کیا گیا ہے انھوں نے شدید ناپسندیدگی کا ااظہار کیا ، ہو سکتا ہے کسی نے کاروائ ڈالنے کیلئے ایسا کیا ہو دیکھتے ہیں۔ https://t.co/uZYnwX2FCR
With Fawad’s claims making headlines, netizens didn’t hold back and started reminding each other of all the times PM Imran, during interviews or in statements, said he did not know about occurrences on his watch as the country’s chief executive, as well as things the premier should have known about.
PETROL PRICE HIKE:
Imran came under fire after his government jacked petrol prices by Rs25 per litre with his approval, but he was quoted by reports as saying that he did not know anything about it.
UIGHUR MUSLIMS’ PLIGHT:
Despite overwhelming evidence of systematic suppression of Uighur Muslims in China, the PM, during an interview with a foreign media outlet, said he had no idea about what was happening in China’s Xinjiang region.
MATIULLAH JAN’S ABDUCTION:
A vocal critic of the Imran Khan-government and the military establishment, journalist Matiuallah Jan, was abducted earlier this year. With condemnations by journalists and activists pouring in from around the world, the government said it didn’t know anything about what was alleged to be a brief but illegal detention by security agencies.
DEVALUATION OF RUPEE:
As United States dollar (USD) started gaining value against the Pakistani rupee (historic Rs142 in the inter-bank market) soon after the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government took reins of the country, the premier and his aides on finance were quoted as saying that they knew nothing about it.
The PM reportedly said he was unaware of devaluation of rupee.
THAT’S NOT ALL:
Since coming to power over two years ago, the premier and his minister have repeatedly said that they didn’t know how bad the economy was.
They have time and again being criticised for feigning ignorance over the state of affairs and accusing their predecessors of looting the masses.
It was also highlighted by senior Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader and former Sindh governor in an opinion piece from February 2019.
United States (US) President Donald Trump has officially been discharged from Maryland’s Walter Reed Medical Center following his coronavirus diagnosis and is back at the White House.
Upon his return, Trump removed his mask for a photo op, despite still being very much infected with the highly contagious disease. However, it was not a pretty scene.
Pictures and videos show the US president climbing a set of stairs at the White House and gasping for breath.
WATCH VIDEO:
Trump climbs a few steps to the White House, takes off his mask and then is visibly gasping and having diffulty breathing while he tries to wave and pretend everything is fine. pic.twitter.com/VXxSh1BNuO
Though his doctors concede he is not yet “out of the woods” in his fight against COVID-19, Trump has framed the disease as in the past, “Now I’m better and maybe I’m immune? I don’t know. But don’t let it dominate your lives.”
At least 11 of the president’s aides or allies have either contracted the virus or — in the case of his daughter Ivanka — are working from home. Entire suites of offices sit vacant as Trump’s aides work to isolate him in the residence and out of the West Wing.
The federal cabinet is likely to take a decision regarding the hefty Rs500 billion debt burden on the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).
According to reports, PIA Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Air Marshal (r) Arshad Mahmood Malik will brief the federal cabinet, scheduled to meet today (Tuesday), about restructuring reforms introduced in the national carrier to make it self-sustainable “without seeking financial help from the government”.
“Even with operational profits, the airline will not not be able to come out of the financial quagmire,” reports quoted sources as saying. “The burden of debt servicing is unsustainable.”
They said the cabinet would also be briefed on the airline’s foodservice division (FSD), technical ground service (TGS), base management of the engineering department, revenue enhancement strategies, human resource restructuring, financial restructuring, and measures pertaining to Precision Engineering Complex (PEC).
The PIA management has been evaluating the possibility of giving a management contract of food services at Karachi and Islamabad. While this will not generate much in terms of cost-saving, it will definitely improve product quality and customer satisfaction.
Similarly, the PIA management has been evaluating the possibility of giving an operation and management contract for technical ground service.
Reports said the airline is also evaluating different options to get out of the courier business which was launched by PIA in 2003. It has been considering outsourcing or partnering options for Speedex.
Moreover, they added, the airline is tackling revenue enhancement strategies, route rationalisation, product improvement, yield enhancement, enhanced focus on corporate business, network optimisation, ancillary revenue, codeshare of the alliance to expand the network, revamping of web business portal and offering special packages for online users and reduction in distribution cost by implementing HITIT portal plus.
Deposed prime minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif, three former army generals, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Prime Minister (PM) Raja Farooq Haider, as well as over a dozen other Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) loyalists, have been booked for “conspiring against the state and its institutions”.
As per the details, a First Information Report (FIR), a copy of which is available with The Current, was on Monday registered against the PML-N supreme leader among others at Shahdara police station in Lahore, in which sections 120 A and B, 121 A and B, 123 A and B and 124 A and B have been imposed, among other provisions.
مبشر بھائ، ناموں کی فہرست ایک بار غور سے دیکھئے۔۔تین سابقہ جنرل بھی درخواست کے مطابق غداری کے مرتکب ہوے ہیں۔۔ گل واقعی ودھ گئی ہے۔۔!!! https://t.co/lwLOPZNp9k
The text of the FIR stated that Nawaz had conspired against Pakistan’s prestigious institutions by making provocative speeches while being in London. The purpose of those speeches was to declare Pakistan a “state of hooligans”, the FIR claimed.
Among some prominent PML-N leaders nominated in the FIR were Maryam Nawaz, former PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Ahsan Iqbal, Muhammad Zubair, Marriyum Aurangzeb, Saira Afzal Tarrar and others, The Express Tribune reported.
The three former generals are Lt Gen (r) Abdul Qadir Baloch, Lt Gen (r) Abdul Qayyum and Lt Gen (r) Salahuddin Tirmizi.
A day earlier, Captain (r) Muhammad Safdar — the son-in-law of the PML-N supremo — was booked under sedition charges for “provoking the people against the state and its institutions”.
While the PML-N has strongly reacted to the FIR, saying that it shows the government has been left “baffled”, the AJK premier says his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi “must be feeling elated”.
Indian PM NarendraModi must b feeling elated coz almost entire Pakistan has become his "agent"-thanks to the small-minded bigots who've least realisation of the repercussions of their parish-pump & hate-filled politics.
As an anti-India Kashmiri, I’m worried about my future now.
— Raja Muhammad Farooq Haider Khan (@farooq_pm) October 4, 2020
“As an anti-India Kashmiri, I’m worried about my future now,” he tweeted.
Saudi authorities called upon citizens to “boycott everything Turkish” following a statement by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan where he accused some Gulf countries of pursuing policies that were destabilising the region, Gulf Newsreported.
“The boycott of everything Turkish, whether on the level of import, investment or tourism, is the responsibility of every Saudi — trader and consumer — in response to the continued hostility of the Turkish government against our leadership, our country and our citizens,” Saudi Arabia’s Chamber of Commerce head Ajlan Al Ajlan said.
In addition to accusing some Gulf countries of targeting Turkey and following policies that led to instability, the Turkish president had, during an address to the country’s General Assembly, also said: “It should not be forgotten that the countries in question did not exist yesterday, and probably will not exist tomorrow; however, we will continue to keep our flag flying in this region forever, with the permission of Allah.”
Relations between Saudi Arabia and Turkey have been thorny especially since the brutal murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi that took place in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018.
Erdogan has said the order to murder Khashoggi came from “the highest levels” of the Saudi government but has never directly blamed Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is widely believed to be behind the gruesome murder.
Earlier this week, Turkey indicted six Saudi suspects in Khashoggi’s murder case. None of the suspects are in Turkey and will be tried in absentia. Twenty Saudi nationals are already on trial in an Istanbul court for Khashoggi’s killing.
The indictment came weeks after a Saudi court overturned five death sentences issued after a closed-door trial in Saudi Arabia that ended last year, sentencing them to 20 years in prison instead.
Recently, Erdogan also condemned the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain’s decision to normalise ties with Israel. After the announcement of normalisation of ties between UAE and Israel, Erdogan had warned Turkey could suspend diplomatic relations with the Gulf state in response.
Turkey has had diplomatic relations with Israel for decades, but under President Erdogan, has positioned itself as a champion of the Palestinians.
India is known as the ‘world’s largest democracy’ but it is quite apparent that it has become an autocracy under the rule of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Modi government has marginalised the minorities, apart from a few honourable exceptions, the Indian media largely behaves like a PR machine for the right-wing government, and the judiciary, too, has become pliant. International human rights organisations are facing the wrath of the Indian government for exposing its real face. Just recently, Amnesty International India announced that it is halting its work in the country after the Indian government froze its bank accounts due to their work. The recent crackdown by the Indian government against human rights organisations and defenders was condemned by 15 international human rights organisations.
The Babri Mosque verdict was a tight slap in the face of justice. To give a clean chit to all accused in the Babri Mosque demolition case – 32 out of 49 were acquitted as17 had died while the case was still under way – seems to say that nobody demolished the historic mosque. An Indian court said the demolition was not pre-planned despite 850 witnesses, 7,000 documents apart from TV footage and photos of what happened that fateful day. The demolition was televised and led to communal riots, which killed around 2,000 people. From the Ayodhya verdict last year to the Babri Mosque verdict just days ago, the Indian judiciary seems like a proper lackey of the Modi government. The way this verdict was celebrated by the accused, which included former Deputy Prime Minister LK Advani, shows that the verdict was expected.
India under Modi has changed radically in just six years. The pretense of a secular India is truly over. Communalism in India was always a reality – from the Bombay riots in 92-93 to Gujarat pogrom in 2002, the Muslim minority in India largely lived in fear but at least there were constitutional protections safeguarding their rights. Now, just like the White Supremacists have been empowered in Trump’s America, the Hindutva brigade has been weaponised in Modi’s India. It is fast turning into a Hindu Rashtra. From treating religious minorities like third-class citizens to not giving a hoot about the ethnic minorities, the Indian authorities have shown time and again how shameless they can be.
A 19-year-old Dalit woman died on Tuesday after she was allegedly gang-raped by four upper-caste men in the state of Uttar Pradesh (UP), where the controversial Yogi Adityanath rules as the chief minister. The details of the gang-rape are horrific: the young victim was beaten to a pulp and left to die. She was hospitalised for two weeks but did not make it in the end. As if the trauma of her death and what led to it was not enough for the victim’s family, the UP police cremated her body in the dead of the night without the permission and presence of her family. The victim’s brother told the BBC that “they took the body away without our permission, without the permission of my parents and cremated her”. He said the family did not even get to see her one last time. Just after this, news broke of a 22-year-old Dalit woman’s death after a gang-rape, this time too in the state of UP.
India’s descent into fascism was expected under Modi but to witness the authorities being so blatant about it in the 21st century is still shocking. Rolling back Modi’s legacy will take generations. The process should begin before it is too late.
Former accountability court judge Arshad Malik on Saturday challenged his removal from service in the Lahore High Court (LHC).
An administration committee of the high court approved in July “removal from service” of the now-former judge on charges of misconduct after a year-long inquiry into the video scandal that broke last July, sending ripples through political and legal circles.
Malik challenged his removal and contended that the rules and regulations for the dismissal were not met, the management committee had prepared a report contrary to the facts and that misconduct was not committed.
He requested that the decision be reconsidered.
Moreover, a three-member tribunal has been constituted to take up the dismissal of the former judge.
Justice Muhammad Tariq Abbasi has been appointed as the chairman of the tribunal whereas, Justice Masood Naqvi and Justice Sajid Sethi have been appointed as members.
Following the approval of LHC Chief Justice Qasim Khan, a notification was issued to form a tribunal to hear the service appeals of the judges of the lower judiciary.
Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has accused Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif of acting on the behest of India and said that the former premier is playing a “dangerous game” by levelling allegations against the army.
Speaking during an interview, he said that the military and the civil government departments are working within their spheres and this has led to relations that are “best in history” between them. “One shouldn’t hate the army because of the actions of a few past dictators.”
The premier remarked that Nawaz’s speech was an attempt to weaken the relationship between the government and the Pakistan Army, which only harms the country in the end.
“Whose interest is it that our army weakens? Our enemies,” he added, saying some “foolish liberals” were agreeing with Nawaz’s narrative.
“Look at Libya, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen; the entire Muslim world is ablaze [so] why are we safe? If it weren’t for our army, our country would have been in three pieces. India’s think-tanks say that they want to break Pakistan,” PM Imran said, reiterating the fact that it is the army which has saved us otherwise the country will have been disintegrated in three parts as per Indian designs.
The prime minister went on to say that the “military’s job is not to run the government. If a democratically elected government is performing poorly, it does not mean martial law should be imposed; it means the government should be improved”.
He said Nawaz was creating “huge fitna (mischief)” by attacking the army. “He [Nawaz] is becoming the next Altaf Hussain,” he said. Furthermore, the prime minister said Nawaz has problems with the army because “they come to steal, and our world-class agencies detect their theft”.
The PM stated that Nawaz had taken control of various institutions of the country during his tenure, including in the legislative and judiciary departments, but added that the PML-N supremo could never control the army.
