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Tag: Imran Khan

  • Govt to disclose Toshkhana gifts publicly

    Govt to disclose Toshkhana gifts publicly

    The federal government has decided to publicly disclose the details and records of gifts received and deposited in the Toshakhana over the past two decades.

    The decision was taken in a cabinet meeting after the government faced backlash for it’s reluctance to disclose the list of gifts.

    The Toshakhana was established in 1978. All public officeholders, including parliamentarians and bureaucrats, are bound to report the gifts they have received from foreign dignitaries to the Cabinet Division, whereafter they are to be deposited at the Toshakhana.

    Earlier, the incumbent government told Lahore High Court (LHC) that public disclosure of Toshakhana details could cause unnecessary media hype and could be potentially damaging to Pakistan’s foreign relations.

    Former Prime Minister (PM) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has been accused of not sharing details of the state gifts which he received during his tenure as the head of government.

    Last year, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) also disqualified the PTI chief as Member of the National Assembly (MNA) in the Toshkhana case.

  • Fact Check: No, the person with Gen Bajwa is not Mohsin Naqvi

    Claim: Former Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari took to Twitter and posted a picture of former Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa and said that the person standing next to him was the newly appointed caretaker Chief Minister Punjab, Mohsin Naqvi.

    Taking to Twitter, Mazari said, “Election Commission never disappoints viz its partisan approach. Selects Mohsin Naqvi as caretaker CM Punjab, seen here on a recent Emirates flight to Dubai with General retd Bajwa. Assume his credentials below carried by a dark cloud seem to have impressed the ECP!”

    She shared the picture of Gen Bajwa standing with a man in a plane, whom she called Naqvi. She also shared another template which has Mohsin Naqvi’s picture, which stated that Naqvi was an important person during the regime change of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, he runs a news channel without license that spreads fake news for blackmailing, and that he is the front man for all of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-Chairperson Asif Ali Zardari’s illegal work.

    According to senior journalist Hamid Mir, the person in the picture is not Mohsin Naqvi but a lawyer, Zahid Jameel.

    Mir tweeted that Mazari should stop spreading disinformation. “First of all this Bajwa was given extension by the great @ImranKhanPTI in 2019 and the whole political elite including PTI, PML-N and PPP were on one page , secondly the person in the picture is not Mohsin Naqvi but a lawyer Zahid Jameel.”

    Verdict: FALSE

  • ‘Deeply disrespectful act’: Swedish PM condemns desecration of Holy Quran

    Swedish Prime Minister (PM) Ulf Kristersson has condemned the abhorrent act of desecration of the Holy Quran in Stockholm.

    On Saturday, far-right politician Rasmus Paludan set fire to a copy of the Holy Quran in front of the Turkish embassy.

    PM Kristersson reacted to the abhorrent incident, tweeting: “Freedom of expression is a fundamental part of democracy. But what is legal is not necessarily appropriate. Burning books that are holy to many is a deeply disrespectful act.”

    “I want to express my sympathy for all Muslims who are offended by what has happened in Stockholm,” he said.

    Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif has also condemned the incident.

    In a tweet, the Premier said: “No words are enough to adequately condemn the abhorrable act of desecration of the Holy Quran by a right-wing extremist in Sweden.”

    Shehbaz emphasised that “the garb of freedom of expression” was used to hurt the religious sentiments of the 1.5 billion Muslims across the world, calling the act “unacceptable”.

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan also condemned the incident as he highlighted the steps his government took against Islamophobia.

  • ‘Was a freshman at Oxford’, Bilawal gets candid about his whereabouts when his mother was assassinated

    ‘Was a freshman at Oxford’, Bilawal gets candid about his whereabouts when his mother was assassinated

    Foreign Minister (FM) Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari recently got candid while talking about his mother’s legacy, assassination, and his foray into politics.

    In a wide-ranging interview on Thursday with The Washington Post’s Lally Weymouth, Bilawal, who is currently representing Pakistan at World Economic Forum in Davis, agreed that if his mother Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto had lived Pakistan would have been a different place.

    “I think that not only would Pakistan be a different place, but our region would have gone in a different direction. She had a vision and clarity that no one had at the time,” he said of his mother, the first female Muslim Prime Minister in the world.

    Responding to a question about where he was when his mother was assassinated in 2007 in Karachi, he said, “I was a freshman at Oxford”. Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in an attack in Rawalpindi in 2007, right before she was to lead her party to the polls.

    Speaking about his early stages in politics, Bilawal—who is also chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP)— said that his party thought that it was important for him to take a “ceremonial role leading the party to keep them united”.

    When asked whether he could become prime minister this year, FM Bilawal said he would have to win an election first.

    “Obviously, my party will be hoping that we win,” he said, hinting towards a coalition government if his party wins the most seats in the general elections scheduled for later this year.

    During the interview, the young minister reiterated that Pakistan’s new leadership, both political and military, will hold no talks with terrorist organisations who don’t respect the country’s laws and constitution.

    He said that former PM Imran Khan gave the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) a place to hide; not only did he release prisoners who were in Pakistan’s custody, but also engaged in a dialogue with them. “He [Imran Khan] has always been ideologically sympathetic to their point of view,” he added.

  • Imran cites British PM Rishi Sunak fine for not wearing seatbelt as ‘rule of law’

    Imran cites British PM Rishi Sunak fine for not wearing seatbelt as ‘rule of law’

    British Prime Minister (PM) Rishi Sunak was fined by the police on Friday for not wearing a seatbelt in the car while filming a social media video.

    Lancashire Police announced on Twitter that they have issued Sunak “with a conditional offer of fixed penalty”.

    In the video that went viral on Thursday, the seatbeltless Conservative leader speaks from the back seat of a moving car about his policies for boosting growth during a trip to Lancashire in England’s north.

    According to BBC, passengers caught failing to wear a seat belt when one is available can be fined £100 (PKR 28,475).

    Reacting to the news, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman and former PM Imran Khan highlighted the rule of law in Britain.

    In a tweet, Khan said, “This is rule of law where no one is above it; this differentiates prosperous nations from poor ones.”

    “No NROs, no qabza GPS, no custodial torture for tweeting the truth about the powerful because the justice system protects the weak. Justice was the bedrock of Riyasat e Madina,” he added

    However, Sunak apologised afterward and called it a “brief error of judgement”.

    It is the second time Sunak has received a fixed penalty notice while in being in the government.

    Last April, he was fined along with the-then PM Boris Johnson and his wife Carrie for breaking Covid lockdown rules by attending a gathering in Downing Street in June 2020.

  • Mad man, Gen Bajwa, Gen Faiz responsible for Pakistan’s current crisis: Nawaz Sharif

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif blamed former Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa and former ISI Chief Lieutenant General (retd) Faiz Hameed for the current mess in the country.

    The former Prime Minister also blamed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan, calling him a “mad man”.

    Nawaz Sharif said that a cruel joke had been played on Pakistan for the sake of personal gains.

    “In my Gujranwala jalsa, I stated who was responsible, and everything was out in the open. It is my responsibility to tell the nation about the wrongs committed against the people, and it is my responsibility to make things right,” he stated.

    Turning his guns on another former Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif minced no words. “This mad man [Imran Khan, I am calling him a mad man today. I want everyone to compare my time with his, and people will see how happy everyone was during my time and how unstable everything became during his tenure,” said Nawaz.

    As Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa elections approach, PML-N is said to be ready to adopt an aggressive narrative against five individuals as it prepares for the polls.

    According to a news report, the five individuals against whom the PML-N will turn its guns with full ferocity are General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa, Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed, former Chief Justices of Pakistan Saqib Nisar and Asif Saeed Khosa along with former Prime Minister Imran Khan.

  • ‘Ghatiya baatien’: Bushra Ansari calls out ‘fake’ accounts with her name for ridiculing Imran Khan

    ‘Ghatiya baatien’: Bushra Ansari calls out ‘fake’ accounts with her name for ridiculing Imran Khan

    Veteran actor Bushra Ansari in a press release called out people who are running her ‘fake’ Twitter accounts for personal gains. 

    These accounts were initiating political conversations against Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf Imran Khan. Bushra reached out to Cyber Crime Cell in Karachi.

    As per the complaint, there are more than ten fake accounts under her name on Twitter. These accounts have engaged in malicious political campaigns. In a video alongside Press Release, Bushra expressed disappointment and promises to take strict legal action against these profiles.

    She mentioned she has been working in the industry for last forty years and there is nothing more disappointing than bringing icons down for publicity. She also mentioned that she keeps her political opinions to herself and the only purpose she wants to serve is entertainment for her nation. 

    Last year, actors Saba Qamar Zaman, Sana Javed and Hadiqa Kiani were also victims of impersonation on the micro-blogging site.

    On the work front, Ansari can be seen in the popular Wahaj Ali and Yumna Zaidi starrer, Tere Bin.

  • ECP to notify Khan’s win on 7 NA seats

    ECP to notify Khan’s win on 7 NA seats

    The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday decided to confirm Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chief Imran Khan’s victory in seven constituencies of the National Assembly (NA) in by-elections held on October 16, 2022.

    A three-member bench of the Election Commission, headed by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikander Sultan Raja, announced the verdict which had been reserved in December.

    The ECP had taken notice of the PTI chief’s failure to submit details of election expenses within the stipulated time.

    In its verdict announced today, the electoral body said that it ignored the delay in the submission of the details of the expenses and directed officials to notify Khan as the winning candidate, accepting the PTI plea.

    According to election laws, “Every returned candidate shall, within five days from the date of the election, submit return of election expenses in accordance with the provision of section 29.”

    “On receipt of the returns of the election under sub-section (3) of section 24, the Commission shall publish in the official Gazette the names of the returned candidates: Provided that the name of a candidate shall not be published who fails to submit the return of election expenses as required by sub-section (3) of section 24.”

    The by-polls were conducted on nine NA seats that fell vacant after the National Assembly speaker accepted the resignations of PTI MNAs, who had tendered resignations en masse as per party policy.

    According to the by-election results, Khan won the NA seats from Mardan, Charsadda and Peshawar in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Faisalabad and Nankana Sahib in Punjab and the Korangi district of Karachi in Sindh.

  • ‘Arresting Imran Khan will only strengthen PTI’, warns Asad Qaiser

    ‘Arresting Imran Khan will only strengthen PTI’, warns Asad Qaiser

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Asad Qaiser has warned that if former Prime Minister Imran Khan is arrested then it would make the party more powerful.

    Asad Qaiser also said that the government could detain party chief Imran Khan in the run-up to general elections. Stating that the incumbent government is “panicking”, Asad Qaiser said that the rulers can go to any length to stop Imran Khan. However, he reiterated that PTI doesn’t care about such matters.

    “This [Imran’s arrest] would only end up strengthening the PTI,” he said.

    Responding to National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf’s decision to accept the resignations of 34 Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MNAs, the former Speaker called the action a “great injustice” to his office.

    Qaiser said, “You should take the law and the Constitution into account while making decisions when you hold a constitutional position. Therefore, instead of granting the wishes of political figures, you must act in accordance with the law,” he remarked.

  • ‘Naye army chief ke saath koyi relationship nahin hai’: Imran Khan

    ‘Naye army chief ke saath koyi relationship nahin hai’: Imran Khan

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan said on Wednesday that his party currently has no relationship with the new military leadership.

    The reporter from BBC asked that there is a general opinion that the government cannot take any economic decision due to political instability. Some observers claim that Tehreek-e-Insaaf’s campaign is adding to this instability.

    Imran Khan’s responded by saying, “Someone should ask him why he overthrew our government by plotting.” He claimed that his government had the best economic performance in the past 17 years. “What mistake were we making that they brought down (our) government together with an army chief? After that, it was not handled by them.”

    Imran Khan revealed that he and Shaukat Tarin, the then finance minister, together told General Bajwa that if you create political instability, to succeed in this conspiracy, no one will be able to manage the economy. “And that’s what happened,” Imran said.

    “It was not handled by them. The market quickly lost faith in him. They were taking their NRO-2. Chaos began to arise in the country. So just ask (any) business personality today. Is it because of us? As soon as they arrived, they realised that they did not have a road map. What General Bajwa has done together with them, even an enemy would not have done to Pakistan.”

    The former Prime Minister alleged that rhe current government led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had come into power through horse-trading. He remarked that coalition rulers have kept themselves above the law and ended corruption cases that they were booked in years back. “Shehbaz Sharif, Nawaz Sharif, Asif Zardari, and Maryam Nawaz — all of their cases have been forgiven.”

    He said that in a bid to move towards free and fair elections, his party “sacrificed” two assemblies — Khyber Pakhtunkwa (KP) and Punjab. “Now this government will be forced into holding elections in April,” he predicted.