Current Final

Category: Politics

  • ‘I served them for 40 years and look what they did to me’, Pervaiz Elahi on establishment

    ‘I served them for 40 years and look what they did to me’, Pervaiz Elahi on establishment

    Moonis Elahi, exiled Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) member, gave an interview with BBC News Urdu and said that his father, Pervaiz Elahi, was downhearted by the establishment’s behaviour toward him.

    When Pervaiz Elahi asked Moonis whether he had any interaction with the establishment, Moonis replied in the negative then Elahi stated, “Don’t connect with them either, because I served them for 40 years and look what they did to me.”

    Journalist Hussain Askari asked Moonis whether he was the reason the father-son duo chose to stick with PTI even though all matters had been settled with Asif Ali Zardari, Moonis replied, “I convinced him in the beginning but after that, all the decisions were his own.”

    Askari then asked Moonis if former Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa was involved in their decision to lean towards Imran Khan, he replied, “When we got offers from both sides my father called General Bajwa and asked what he should do. When Bajwa said that he should do whatever he wanted Pervez Elahi reiterated that he would do whatever General Bajwa wanted and then finally Bajwa replied that it was his wish that he [Pervez Elahi] support Imran Khan.”

  • What are the 50 places in Lahore where WiFi is free?

    What are the 50 places in Lahore where WiFi is free?

    The Punjab government, led by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, has initiated a pilot project to provide free WiFi services at 50 spots in Lahore. The project aims to promote connectivity by giving citizens access to the internet.

    “Free WiFi started at the following (50 spots) in Lahore. Rest of Lahore is being done too. Alhamdolillah! We promise, we deliver,” CM Maryam said in an X (formerly Twitter) post. 

    During a high-level meeting with Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) officials held in March, the chief minister approved the launch of the free WiFi pilot project in Lahore.

    Maryam Nawaz directed the IT department officials to begin offering free WiFi service, focusing on educational institutions, airports, railway stations, and bus stands. In Lahore, the Punjab government will provide free WiFi at 516 locations in total.

  • Punjab Police defends Maryam, says she’s entitled to wear police uniform’

    Punjab Police defends Maryam, says she’s entitled to wear police uniform’

    Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz landed into a controversy after donning the Punjab Police official uniform on Thursday. The provincial police department has issued a notification that the CM is indeed allowed to wear the police uniform according to Punjab Police Dress Regulations.

    On April 25, the Chief Minister took the internet by storm when she wore a police uniform while attending a passing-out parade of lady constables and traffic assistants at the Police Training College, Chung.

    The move by Maryam garnered both appreciation and criticism from people.

    Addressing the ceremony, the Punjab CM said her government wants to increase the number of female cops in the police department and also said, “I realized how much of a big responsibility it is after wearing the police uniform.”

    The Punjab Police Department, however, supported the move and clarified, “This has been widely celebrated by the police personnel, who view it as a commendable show of solidarity. The Central Police Office has received hundreds of messages in which police personnel have lauded this step.”

    Adding spice to the controversy, a citizen named Waqar Ali filed a plea in the Lahore High Court against the CM for wearing a police uniform.

    Opposition leaders such as Omar Ayub Khan also strongly condemned the move by CM Maryam.

  • If Nawaz had even a one percent desire to be PM, could anyone stop him? PMLN Senator

    If Nawaz had even a one percent desire to be PM, could anyone stop him? PMLN Senator

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senator Irfan Siddiqui said on Friday that neither an “unseen power” nor Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif blocked the way of the former prime minister’s return to the PM house.

    Speaking during Geo News programme ‘Geo Pakistan’, Siddiquie said that he rejects the idea that an “unseen power” or PM Shehbaz blocked Nawaz Sharif from becoming prime minister for the fourth time.

    The senator said that when he met Nawaz before the election, he felt that Nawaz was not eager to take the role.

    “I was present in the meeting where Nawaz Sharif announced to give the premiership to Shehbaz Sharif. Even if Nawaz had even 1% desire to become PM, is there any power that could stop him from becoming PM?” he asked.

  • Rana Sanaullah wants dosti between Khan and establishment

    Rana Sanaullah wants dosti between Khan and establishment

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Rana Sanaullah has urged significant political figures in the country to talk to each other, stressing that “Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan should also communicate with the establishment.”


    Speaking on Samaa TV’s show ‘adeem Malik Live’, he said that the current political situation unfolded because of May 9 riots. “Imran Khan is the cause of political instability in the country and he should accept this.”

    The PML-N leader urged political parties and party leaders to give space to each other for open dialogue, as it is essential to understand the political environment.
    When questioned about the possibility of direct contact between Imran Khan and the establishment, Sanaullah maintained that the “modality of communication would be determined by the involved parties.”
    He asserted while addressing concerns about interference in March 2021 Senate polls that “There is no evidence of establishment intervention.”

  • Ali Amin Gandapur threatens to take over Islamabad

    Ali Amin Gandapur threatens to take over Islamabad

    Chief Minister (CM) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Ali Amin Gandapur has threatened to take over the capital city of the country if the KP government does not get its rights.

    While addressing a ceremony on PTI’s foundation day on Thursday, he also declared Imran Khan innocent and said that the PTI founder has not done any illegal acts during his government.

    “People who are in power should be in jail,” he thundered, adding that “they stole mandates in the February 8 elections.”

    He said in a threating tone that “No one in this country can keep PTI founder Imran Khan in jail anymore.”

    He stated that PTI is not issuing a call for protests across the country because “we care about the people of Pakistan.”

  • Court orders Khan, wife to avoid making negative statements against state institutions

    Court orders Khan, wife to avoid making negative statements against state institutions

    An accountability court in Islamabad has instructed former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi, to avoid making negative comments about the military and the judiciary. The court also directed the media not to highlight “political or inflammatory” statements made by the couple.

    Judge Rana Nasir Javed barred the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder and his wife from speaking against state institutions while he disposed of a petition seeking a fair trial in the Al-Qadir Trust case.

    According to the court order, the former prime minister made a proactive statement against senior officials of state institutions, including the army and judiciary. The statements not only disturbed the court’s decorum but were also an obstacle to providing justice.

    The court directed the prosecution, the accused, and their defence counsel to avoid statements that disrupt the decorum of the court.

  • Pakistan rejects ‘politically motivated’ US human rights report

    Pakistan rejects ‘politically motivated’ US human rights report

    Pakistan has rejected the US State Department’s human rights report “2023 Country Report on Human Rights Practices”, terming it “unfair, based on inaccurate information and completely divorced from the ground reality.”

    Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch gave a press briefing in which she said, “These reports use a domestic social lens to judge human rights in other countries in a politically biased manner. This year’s report is once again conspicuous by its lack of objectivity and politicisation of the international human rights agenda.”

    She pointed out the “double standards” by the United States on humanitarian issues and underscored that the US and the world continue to downplay or ignore the gross human rights violations such as in Gaza and Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

    Baloch said that only a politically motivated report could ignore the alarming situation in Gaza.

  • CJP Isa says has received no complaints of ‘interference’ in judiciary

    CJP Isa says has received no complaints of ‘interference’ in judiciary

    Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Qazi Faez Isa stated on Thursday that he did not receive any complaints of interference in the judiciary by any High Court judge.

    “Since I have been Chief Justice [of the Supreme Court of Pakistan], I have not received a single complaint from any high court judge that there has been any interference in their work,” Justice Isa said while speaking at Sindh High Court Bar Association (SHCBA).

    Isa also stated that if there were any complaints of meddling then it would have happened before his tenure.

    “So, this is a thing to bear in mind that interference is not acceptable but at the same time nothing has been reported to me during … my watch,” said CJP Isa.

    The statement comes after six judges of Islamabad High Court (IHC) last month wrote a shocking letter to the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) alleging blatant interference by intelligence agencies in judicial matters.

  • Imran Khan was against IHC Justice Babar Sattar’s appointment

    Imran Khan was against IHC Justice Babar Sattar’s appointment

    Nadeem Afzal Chan, former advisor to Imran Khan, stated in a talk show with Geo’s Shahzeb Khanzada that Imran Khan was against the appointment of Babar Sattar as a judge of the Islamabad High Court (IHC).

     “Imran Khan said that he writes and speaks against us so we will not let him become a judge,” Chan narrated.

    Nadeem said he intervened by saying, “He’s [Justice Babar Sattar] a very fair person and people like him will be beneficial for us in hard times.”

    But the former Prime Minister did not agree with him and even told his party member Ali Muhammad Khan to speak against the judge in the parliamentary committee.

    Shahzeb Khanzada asked Nadeem that would he give the same advice to the current ruling government that they shouldn’t go against these judges. Nadeem replied, “Absolutely, we should appreciate those judges who are free and fair.”