Current Final

Category: Politics

  • US, Pakistan to cooperate in tackling threats posed by TTP, Daesh

    US, Pakistan to cooperate in tackling threats posed by TTP, Daesh

    Pakistan and the United States have highlighted the importance of bilateral cooperation regarding regional and global security challenges, including the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Daesh.

    According to a statement issued by the Foreign Office on Monday, discussions centred on the counterterrorism landscape in the region, with a focus on areas of mutual interest.

    Both sides agreed on the importance of expanding counterterrorism collaboration and capacity building, including exchanges of technical expertise and best practices, investigative and prosecutorial assistance, provision of border security infrastructure and training.

    Most importantly, the United States has also explicitly named TTP and ISIS-Khorasan (Daesh) as “transnational terror threats”.

    Journalist Anas Mallick wrote on X that it is a success of Pakistan’s diplomacy to convince US on naming TTP as much of a threat as ISIS.

  • Supreme Court allows Khan to attend hearings via video link

    Supreme Court allows Khan to attend hearings via video link

    The Supreme Court (SC) has allowed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder chairman Imran Khan to attend hearings in the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) amendments case through a video link.

    On September 15, 2023, while considering a petition filed by Imran Khan, the apex court invalidated amendments made to NAB laws.

    A five-member bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Qazi Faez Isa, comprising Justice Amin-Ud-Din Khan, Justice Jamal Mandokhail, Justice Athar Minallah, and Justice Hassan Azhar, heard the government’s pleas challenging the NAB amendments verdict.

    The NAB prosecutor general said at the start of the hearing that the Bureau will support the government’s argument in this case.

    In response to this, Justice Athar Minallah said that Imran Khan wants to attend this case. “How can a respondent be barred from attending court proceedings?” he added.

    Justice Minallah further said, this is a matter of basic fundamental rights. 

  • ‘Who is behind transfer of judges’; Yasmin Rashid questions government

    ‘Who is behind transfer of judges’; Yasmin Rashid questions government

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) incarcerated leader Dr Yasmin Rashid asked the federal government on Tuesday who was repeatedly transferring the judges hearing her case and the cases of party workers.

    “If some innocent person is given bail, he is arrested again in a new case. This is not justice, this is political vengeance, and the PTI has been a victim of this for one year,” the imprisoned PTI leader said in a letter addressed to Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa.

    Dr Yasim said that one year had passed since the May 9 incident happened, and still, women PTI workers are in jail.

    The PTI leader questioned the “bogus government” as to why police did not show up with cases’ records and wondered where the prosecutor goes at the time of presenting arguments.

    She requested the CJP to make a judicial commission on May 9 as PTI workers have been waiting for justice for one year.

  • Asad Qaiser and Shibli Faraz clash over Marwat’s ouster from PTI committee

    Asad Qaiser and Shibli Faraz clash over Marwat’s ouster from PTI committee

    Differences between Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) continue to increase as senior leaders Asad Qaiser and Shibli Faraz had a war of words over the expulsion of Sher Afzal Marwat from PTI’s committee, Geo News reported.

    During a meeting of the party’s political committee, Asad Qaiser remarked that Marwat’s ouster from PTI committees was an “injustice”.

    Shibli Faraz questioned Qaiser who is he to speak on party policy issues. To this, Qaiser said: “You have joined the party for a few years. I have been with Imran Khan since 1995.”

    “Who are you to talk to me like this? The way the political committee was used against Sher Afzal Marwat is an injustice,” Qaiser said after which the political committee members pressured Faraz to apologise.

    On May 9, PTI Secretary General Omar Ayub Khan said that Marwat has been expelled from the party’s core and political committees on Imran Khan’s instructions.

    He was expelled after Marwat had publicly criticised the PTI top leadership.

  • AJK protests come to end after demands met by government

    AJK protests come to end after demands met by government

    Azad Jammu & Kashmir Joint Action Committee has announced the end of protests according to a notification circulating on social media.

    In its statement, the joint action committee has called on the government to form a judicial commission to investigate the fatalities that took place during the protests.

    On Monday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif approved an urgent grant of Rs 23 billion in a bid to resolve the issues of people in Azad and Jammu Kashmir (AJK) as three people were shot dead and six sustained injuries due to firing and teargas shelling by the paramilitary Rangers in Muzaffarabad.

    The Government also announced reduced rates of 40kg flour bags to Rs 2,000, down from Rs 3,100, and electricity tariff was reduced to Rs3, Rs5 and Rs6 per unit for up to 100, 300, and more than 300 units, respectively.

    Rangers were also called in to maintain law and order in the state as violent clashes erupted between the police and the protestors

  • Khan wants General Asim Munir to apologise to him

    Khan wants General Asim Munir to apologise to him

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder chairman Imran Khan said in a post on X that “My abduction on the morning of May 9 was part of the London plan and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir should apologise to me.”

    Imran Khan further said in the same post that “DG ISPR and the army chief are making political statements in a threating tone, which is affecting the army’s image.”

    “When political statements and press conferences are made, political parties have the right to respond,”  he added.

    The former Prime Minister also said that he will write a letter to COAS General Asim Munir about the economic and political situation of the money-strained country, Geo News has reported.

    While talking to journalists in Adiala jail on Monday, the former Premier said, “I will write a letter to the army chief on the [prevailing] situation in the country.”

    The remarks came about a few days after he assigned an “important responsibility” to former president Arif Alvi, who is continuously trying for better relations between PTI and the establishment.

    PTI founder assigned the responsibility of talks with the establishment to Alvi after declining the military’s demand to apologise for the May 9 violent protests. 

    On a question regarding the £190 million settlement case, the PTI founder said that Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA) had confiscated money, finding it “suspicious transactions” but not “money laundering.”

  • PM Shehbaz resigns as party president, paving way for Nawaz

    PM Shehbaz resigns as party president, paving way for Nawaz

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif has resigned as Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president, Geo News reported on Monday.

    The development comes after president PML-N Punjab chapter Rana Sanaullah announced that party supremo Nawaz Sharif will lead the party.

    PML-N’s central committee will meet on May 18 in Lahore at 11:30am.

    PML-N secretary general Ahsan Iqbal sent notices to the central committee about the meeting under Article 15 of the party constitution.

    Nawaz Sharif stepped down as prime minister in 2017 when the Supreme Court (SC) disqualified him for life for not declaring his receivable salary.

    The apex court also disqualified Nawaz Sharif in 2018 as PML-N president in the Panama Papers case.

    The top court said in its verdict that a person can’t lead a political party who is disqualified under Articles 62 and 63.

    On January 8, 2024, the top court abolished bans on people with criminal charges from taking part in polls.

  • AJK protests continue as PM Shehbaz approves Rs23 billion grant for Azad Kashmir

    AJK protests continue as PM Shehbaz approves Rs23 billion grant for Azad Kashmir

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday approved an urgent grant of Rs 23 Billion to resolve the issues of people in Azad and Jammu Kashmir (AJK).

    The development came after violent protests erupted in the AJK on the Awami Action Committee’s (AAC) call against high electricity bills and taxes.

    PM Shehbaz presided over a meeting on Azad Kashmir’s protests in which the grant was approved.

    However, AAC leader Shaukat Nawaz said that he refuses to end the protest until they receive a notification affirming that their demands have been accepted.

    “Promises have been made in the past as well to dissolve protests. (This time) we will not return believing the political promises,” he said, adding that the government’s seriousness would be trusted when a notification regarding the resolution of their demands would reach them.

    The AAC called for a shutter down and wheel-jam strike across the state to protest the electricity price hike and taxes.

  • PM Shehbaz to meet IMF mission for new loan deal

    PM Shehbaz to meet IMF mission for new loan deal

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is expected to meet the International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission next week to talk about a new loan programme, ARY News reported on Monday. 

    Sources in ARY claimed that the prime minister is expected to talk about getting more money from lenders, and reassure the Fund about meeting targets in the new loan programme.

    They will discuss continuing stringent economic policies in the budget for the upcoming year.

    Pakistan is seeking a $6 to $8 billion bailout package from the international lender for three to four years to address its financial woes.

  • Khan says Marwat kept violating party policy

    Khan says Marwat kept violating party policy

    Founder Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan held talks with journalists in Adiala Jail on Monday in which he stated that maverick party leader Sher Afzal Marwat did great work for the party but kept violating party policy despite warnings.

    On Saturday, PTI served a show-cause notice to Marwat for allegedly breaching the party’s code of conduct and undermining its interests with his recent remarks targeting senior party leaders and Saudi Arabia.

    Marwat was also expelled from the party’s core and political committees, as directed by party founder Imran Khan.

    Journalist Zubair Ali Khan took to X (formerly Twitter) to share details of what Imran said. “Sher Afzal Marwat was told many times not to violate party policy. He used to attack some party leader or the other every day. On the occasion of the visit of the [Saudi] delegation, Sher Afzal Marwat made a controversial statement.”

    Khan also remarked that there is no issue with Marwat if he still follows the party policy.