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Tag: establishment

  • Nawaz signed NRO to go to London, claims ex-minister

    Nawaz signed NRO to go to London, claims ex-minister

    The establishment allowed former prime minister Nawaz Sharif to go to London for medical treatment as a part of an NRO [National Reconciliation Ordinance] deal struck between the two parties, claimed Ijazul Haq, former minister and son of military dictator Gen Ziaul Haq.

    In an interview with Samaa, the ex-minister claimed the change in platelets count was an NRO deal. “Certainly, there was establishment involved,” Haq claimed.

    Haq claimed that he knew the “platelets and blood report of Sharif was changed to facilitate his escape from Pakistan”.

    “I know that the platelet or blood report was something else and the report on paper was something else,” he said. Haq said the information is “authentic” and he has “proof” to substantiate his claim, reported Samaa.

    It may be noted that the former premier was rushed to hospital from jail after a drastic decrease in his platelets. Subsequently, he was allowed to go abroad for treatment in Nov 2019 after submitting an assurance in the court.

    Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif is in London for more than one year due to medical reasons and his passport is also expired.

    The government has refused to renew his passport, saying it could issue an emergency travel document on his request for returning back to the country.

    However, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has tried all means to bring Nawaz back but without any success. PM Imran had announced that he would go to the UK himself to bring Nawaz back.

    His statement was followed by Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed saying that only Allah can bring Nawaz Sharif back. But eventually, the government decided that it won’t renew the passport of the ex-PM in an attempt to force his hand.

  • Shehbaz ‘endorses national dialogue’ in meeting with govt ally

    Shehbaz ‘endorses national dialogue’ in meeting with govt ally

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif is in favour of a dialogue with the government instead of mass resignations and long marches, said a leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F) after a meeting with him in prison.

    Muhammad Ali Durrani, the PML-F secretary general, called on Shehbaz at Kot Lakhpat Jail to hold “fruitful discussions” on the political scenario of the country. Durrani, who is an ally of the government, said he visited the PML-N chief on the directions of his party president Pir Sibghatullah because the “political leadership of the country wanted to see the nation united”.

    He said the purpose of this visit was to assert the need for talks, functioning of parliament, and end a deadlock between the opposition and the government to avert en masse resignations and march on Islamabad. He told reporters that they also discussed the union of all factions of the Muslim League.

    According to Durrani, the factions of the Pakistan Muslim League and the like-minded people should join hands — a suggestion endorsed by Shehbaz.

    He also said that his visit to the jail was for a “national cause” and he met Shehbaz, not other party leaders, because he was the “president”. In an apparent reference to Maryam Nawaz, who is the de-facto president of the PML-N, Durrani said at this point there was no need to meet “sidekicks” as Shehbaz will soon have the control of his party.

    The PML-N president, who represents the moderate group in the party, is in prison over graft charges. In his absence, the party is being run by Maryam Nawaz.

  • Senior journalist says PPP ‘creating problems’ for PDM, may quit Opp alliance

    Senior journalist says PPP ‘creating problems’ for PDM, may quit Opp alliance

    It seems the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) is in two minds about staying in the Pakistan Democratic Movement because the party is allegedly responsible for holding the anti-government movement back over its key demands, claims senior journalist Saleem Safi.

    Speaking in Geo TV’s Shahzeb Khanzada show, Safi said the PPP was “creating problems” for the PDM by not agreeing to mass resignations and the long march towards Islamabad. Instead, it wanted to hold small rallies in different cities of Pakistan to “buy more time”, he claimed.

    He said that both Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) believe that the PPP was in contact with the powers-that-be to reach a deal. “Both parties are not reacting to this development because of the alliance, but the PPP has been told that if it wants to gain results via backdoor talks, it can go ahead,” he claimed, adding that PML-N and JUI-F are not happy with the PPP.

    According to Safi, the PPP was at the forefront when the PDM was formed, but the party has been gradually moving away from the 11-party alliance. He said the statement by PPP chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari –in response to PML-N supreme leader Nawaz Sharif taking names of the army chief and intelligence chief in a jalsa — wherein he expressed shock was a part of a well-thought strategy. “Bilawal gave this statement to appease the establishment and distance the PPP from the PML-N,” he claimed.

    The senior journalist further claimed that the opposition parties wanted to resign in December and hold a sit-in in Islamabad, but this idea, too, was opposed by the PPP.

    He said the PPP’s decision to participate in the by-polls has also damaged the cause of the PDM and the Election Commission of Pakistan decided to hold bypolls on the vacant seats following the insistence of the PPP.

    Safi further said that the PDM leadership knows that if the PPP ditches the PDM after signing the resignation letters then the party will be reduced to just one province, Sindh.

    “Maulana Fazl thinks that PPP will not give up its status as a national party to save its skin and will remain a part of the PDM,” he added.

  • Ex-general says establishment not responsible for deaths of Rizvi, two judges

    Amid rumours that the military establishment has something to do with the deaths of radical cleric Khadim Hussain Rizvi, Peshawar High Court Chief Justice Waqar Seth, and accountability judge Arshad Malik, retired general Ghulam Mustafa said that the establishment doesn’t have anything to do with these deaths.

    In a video posted on YouTube, he said it was concerning that people were paying heed to the ideas that were detrimental to Pakistan.

    He said people should need to think before they go public with such ideas, urging the youth on social media not to go far in support of ideas for the sake of others. “This can come back to haunt you or your family,” the ex-general added.

    Rizvi died the previous month a day after the TLP protesters and government reached an agreement following a day-long sit-in at Faizabad. The TLP wanted the government to take action against France, such as the boycott of products and the expulsion of its envoy, over blasphemous cartoons. His death had led to speculation that it may not be due to natural causes.

    Last month, PHC CJ Waqar Seth also breathed his last due to COVID-19. The judge made headlines for his stern ruling wherein he said ex-general Pervez Musharraf must be hanged for subverting the constitution, and if he dies before his body should be hanged at D-Chowk for three days. The judge also struck down dozens of sentences awarded by the military courts on the basis of lack of evidence.

    And Arshad Malik, the judge who sentenced ex-prime minister Nawaz Sharif in Al-Azizia reference, too died this week due to COVID-19. Last year, PML-N VP Maryam Nawaz along with top party leadership, held a press conference, wherein she said that Malik was coerced to give a verdict against Nawaz. She played a purported video of Malik to back her claims. The judge was subsequently dismissed, though he contested the veracity of videos.

  • Is PPP ditching joint Opp alliance?

    The decision by Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari to skip the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) jalsa in Quetta has left people talking.

    Social media is abuzz with speculations about a potential deal between the PPP and the military establishment. People are claiming that the PPP is eyeing a deal and will quit the joint opposition alliance once things are sort out with the powers-that-be.

    Some observers see these rumours that are making rounds ahead of the gathering in Quetta an attempt to create rifts among 11 opposition parties who joined hands to oust the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government.

    But analysts have also questioned the role of PPP in past when it made deals with establishment behind other parties’ back. And now the absence of Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari from the rally is also seen as the first step towards reconciliation.

    But is PPP really thinking of leaving the PDM? Facts state otherwise. Not only the PPP chief is addressing the gathering via videolink, but the rally is also attended by top-tier leadership of the party. This was also confirmed by PPP leader Palwasha Khan.

    However, later in the day, it emerged that the PPP chief would not be able to address the Quetta jalsa due to poor bandwidth in GB region. According to PPP leader Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, the address might not materialise due to the internet issues.

    As Gilgit-Baltistan is set to go to polls on Nov 15, PPP Chairperson Bilawal is in the region for a period of three weeks to run an election campaign.

    During the election campaign in Gilgit-Baltistan, Bilawal will address public rallies, corner meetings and press conference at Ganache district, Skardu, Ghizer, Astor, Diamir, Gilgit, Hunza, Nagar and other areas of Gilgit-Baltistan.

  • Nawaz unhappy after PML-N leaders meet Shehbaz on ‘request’ of establishment

    Nawaz unhappy after PML-N leaders meet Shehbaz on ‘request’ of establishment

    Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif is reportedly upset because of a secret meeting of three senior Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders with party president Shehbaz Sharif on the “request” of a senior representative of the establishment.

    According to a local media outlet, Nawaz was reportedly unhappy because he was told that top party leaders Khawaja Asif, Ahsan Iqbal and Rana Tanvir Hussain met Shehbaz while he was in the custody National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on the “request of a senior representative of the establishment”.

    However, PML-N Secretary-General Iqbal dismissed the reports, claiming that they had met their party president after duly informing the former premier.

    While denying that the establishment arranged their meeting, the PML-N leader said they had only requested the accountability body for the meeting.

  • People of Pakistan reject Nawaz’s fiery speeches in latest survey as only 33% agree with him

    People of Pakistan reject Nawaz’s fiery speeches in latest survey as only 33% agree with him

    A recent Gallup Pakistan survey has revealed that only 33% Pakistanis agree with Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif’s fiery speeches from the All Parties Conference (APC) held last month and the subsequent meeting of his party’s Central Working Committee (CWC) and Central Executive Committee (CEC) on October 1. 

    “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.”

    READ: Three ex-army generals, Azad Kashmir PM among Nawaz loyalists booked for ‘conspiring against state’

    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.”

    READ: Nawaz, Maryam go filterless, say ‘nation expected Lt Gen (r) Asim Bajwa to be arrested, not Shehbaz’

    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.”

  • We have broken free of British colonisers only to be enslaved by our own: Nawaz

    We have broken free of British colonisers only to be enslaved by our own: Nawaz

    In yet another provoking, strong-worded address, deposed prime minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif has said that the people of Pakistan have been “enslaved by their own”.

    In his second virtual address in less than two weeks, Nawaz said he has been informed that “someone else” was running the parliament houses, in lieu of its members.

    “People tell me that someone else is running the parliament. Other people come and give directions about the day’s agenda and voting on bills etc,” he said while addressing the central executive committee of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) almost two weeks after marking his return to the political ring with a fiery speech to a gathering of the opposition parties, taking the military establishment head-on.

    Nawaz has been residing in London since November last year on the pretext of medical treatment.

    In another video shared by PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz, the former premier said that a colonel could be seen hiding his face during the hearing of a case against him by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

    “What was the reason behind hiding his face? You were being insincere that is why you hid your face,” he said.

    The speech comes days after Minister for Railways Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed rocked the domestic political landscape by revealing the closet meetings between the military leadership and the opposition parties.

    Shortly after, chief military spokesperson Major General Babar Iftikhar further jolted the anti-establishment image of the PML-N as he disclosed former Sindh governor Muhammad Zubair, a close aide to Nawaz, twice reached out to Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa to discuss the political and legal woes of the Sharif family.

    Nawaz, in a separate statement released by the party, also said he was saddened by the arrest of his brother and National Assembly Opposition Leader Shehbaz Sharif.

    “However, our spirits will not be dampened by what is happening,” he said, adding that the party would double its efforts. “We are proud that our party workers are facing the current situation with courage. There is no example in the history of the treatment meted out to our children,” he said.

    He added that Shehbaz has shown unparalleled strength and courage during these times and paid tribute to his brother for serving the nation with honesty. “He worked day and night to set up power plants in Punjab.”

    Nawaz also paid tribute to the efforts of government officers who played a role in addressing the energy shortage. Commending his brother on his resilience, he said Shehbaz never bowed down in the face of difficulty.

    “Shehbaz has played a role in strengthening our narrative. I am proud of my brother who has sent an example of being loyal and committed to one’s ideology,” he said.

  • ‘Ask Agriculture Department’: Govt hints at deal between Nawaz and establishment for London departure

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s Adviser on Accountability and Interior Mirza Shahzad Akbar has told a reporter, who attempted to equate the decision to allow former premier Nawaz Sharif to travel abroad with an NRO [National Reconciliation Ordinance], to ask the “Agriculture Department” instead, implying the involvement of a secret agency.

    NRO is a controversial ordinance issued by then president Pervez Musharraf in 2007 to grant amnesty to politicians facing corruption, money laundering and murder cases.

    Akbar’s response, an open secret in power circles, came during a press conference held Saturday to announce that the federal government had approached the United Kingdom (UK) government for Nawaz’s extradition.

    The government in November last year had allowed the former premier to travel abroad for medical treatment after the Islamabad High Court (IHC) suspended his sentence in Al-Azizia Steel Mills reference for eight weeks. He has been residing in London ever since.

    “Ask the Agriculture Department,” Akbar said when asked about the former premier’s London departure.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    Akbar, however, later clarified that his statement did not refer to any state institution, adding that he had referred to “adept” PML-N leadership that “fooled the entire nation into believing Nawaz’s forged medical reports”.

    Independent observers claim the decision to allow Nawaz to leave the country was a result of a silent agreement reached between the establishment and the PML-N as the alleged deal had come on the heal of Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s vow to not give NRO to those facing corruption probes.

    ‘AGRICULTURE DEPARTMENT’:

    The term “agriculture department” for secret agencies was coined in 2018 when a Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate for Punjab Assembly alleged that he was manhandled by the security personnel of a secret agency over his refusal to withdraw from the upcoming elections.

    In a statement to media, Rana Iqbal Siraj had said the personnel raided his godown and threatened to destroy his business in case of non-compliance.

    However, Siraj had later backtracked his statement, saying it was the officials of the agriculture department who raided his godown and not the security personnel.

  • ‘Won’t deny Nawaz met establishment officials from UK, US’

    ‘Won’t deny Nawaz met establishment officials from UK, US’

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Rana Sanaullah has said that he won’t deny former prime minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif’s meeting with officials from establishments of the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States (US).

    The former premier had last month held a meeting with a “mystery man” at his London residence. PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif had brought the man for a meeting with his elder brother Nawaz. The man, who had covered his face, had held a meeting with Nawaz for around 40 minutes until he was guided out the back door of Avenfield Apartments.

    A British journalist of Pakistani origin had, however, recorded a video of the mysterious visitor who didn’t utter a word in response to any questions asked about the meeting. With the video making headlines, speculations regarding the person’s identity had run rife.

    “I won’t deny these meetings. I am not in a position to comment as I have no permission of the party for it,” Sanaullah said when asked about such reports as he spoke to journalists outside the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday.

    “Shehbaz Sharif intends to return home in March,” he further said, adding that the PML-N president would return after the cardiac surgery of ailing ex-PM and his brother Nawaz in London.

    To another question, the PML-N leader said a legal team was holding consultations for extension in bail term of Nawaz as he seeks medical treatment abroad despite jail term after conviction in a corruption case against him.