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Tag: Imran Khan

  • Exclusive: PM Shehbaz says next army chief will be appointed as per rules, regulations

    Exclusive: PM Shehbaz says next army chief will be appointed as per rules, regulations

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday called the PM House a ‘Jamhoori House’ (Democratic House) and said that his government believed in media freedom. In an interaction with journalists at the PM House on April 26, Sharif said that the previous government was not just incompetent and corrupt but had damaged the country’s economy and foreign relations. PM Shehbaz talked about several issues.

    New army chief

    PM said that he has the constitutional right to appoint a new army chief. He added that he will appoint the new army chief as per the constitution and rules and regulations when the time comes for his appointment. This was in response to a question about the appointment of a new army chief since General Bajwa will not take an extension as per DG ISPR.

    Pak-US relations

    While answering a question about Pakistan’s relationship with the US, PM said that the US is a superpower so we need to maintain good relations with them. “Amreeka dushmani hamaaray waaray nahin” (we cannot afford enmity with the US). He added that we need to do some stock-taking regarding Pak-US ties and improve relations with the US.

    Foreign Policy

    Talking about foreign relations, PM Shehbaz said that the previous government had alienated allies and friends. “How can we say that we can raise the Kashmir issue without Saudi Arabia?”

    PM said that the members of the previous government had lied about loans on 8% by China apart from allegations of corruption against Chinese investment by Pervez Khattak and several others in PTI. “China helped us get rid of load shedding by investing in power plants.”

    Saudi Visit

    PM will be visiting Saudi Arabia tomorrow (April 28-30) on the invitation of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz. PM Shehbaz said that he is likely to meet the Saudi leadership during his visit.

    Load shedding

    He said that there there is no other reason for frequent load shedding other than the negligence of previous government for not buying LNG and furnace oil on time. He also criticised the previous government for its baseless allegations against the LNG contract signed by the previous PML-N government. He said that Qatar must have been amazed that instead of thanking them for such a good deal, PTI indulged in “ilzaam taraashi” [allegations].

    Economic crisis

    “Pakistan is going through one of the most difficult times. We are trying to take the country in the right direction. We have seen how Japan and Germany rebuilt their economies after tough times. We have the examples of South Korea and Bangladeshi economies too. Once upon a time, Pakistan had a better per capita income than China but look at us now. Our currency was better than India’s. When India was ahead of us in the steel industry, we were ahead of them in textiles.”

    “There is no point crying over spilt milk but now it is time to rebuild our economy,” said PM Shehbaz. He said that it will be a difficult challenge but is not impossible to bring back our lost place in the comity of nations by strengthening our economy. “Rome was not built in a day.”

    “If we were economically strong, our foreign policy would have been stronger.”

    PECA

    The PM was asked if roll back of PECA was on the cards, to which he said that his government believes in freedom of media and media will not have to face any curbs but they need to differentiate between truth and fake news. “Media should highlight our mistakes. We welcome that. But it should not spread fake news.”

    Missing files

    When asked that there are reports that some files have been taken by the previous government from the PM House regarding sugar scandal and other scandals, Shehbaz said that if he is given evidence about the missing files, he will find them.

    Accountability

    He said that in the name of accountability, there will be no revenge. “Ehtesaab ke naam par intiqaam nahin leinge,” said PM Shehbaz. He said that businessmen say they will not invest here because the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) will either arrest them or harass them. “Businessmen kehte hain ya NAB giraftaar kar leinge ya zaleel kareinge unko.”

    Elections

    The PM said that we will go for elections after carrying out necessary reforms, especially electoral reforms.

    Threat letter

    PM Shehbaz said that the National Security Committee meeting issued a clear statement that there was no conspiracy. “The punchline of the statement was that there is no saazish, no conspiracy.”

    Shehbaz said that if the threat letter was received on March 7, why did the PTI government talk about it on March 28? “March tak moonh mein taalay kyun laga kar baithay thay?” He asked when did the previous government turn this letter into a conspiracy. “When they knew they were going to lose in parliament. There is no question of a conspiracy whatsoever.”

    Karachi attack


    “The attack in Karachi University is a huge tragedy where three Chinese nationals died. China is our friend. I went to the Chinese Embassy in Islamabad for solidarity,” said PM. He added that Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah will go to Karachi on Wednesday (today) and help and coordinate with the Sindh government. “After our Saudi visit, we will hold a comprehensive meeting on security.”

    Afghanistan

    Afghanistan is not just our neighbour but our “baraadar mulk” (brother country). “If there is peace in Afghanistan, there will be peace in Pakistan. What is good for Afghanistan is good for Pakistan.”


    PTI resignations

    PM said that they have found out that many resignations were taken by force from PTI MNAs and were not given voluntarily. “We will know the truth when the legal process has been completed.” He was asked whether the government could convince PTI to take back its resignations to be an effective Opposition.

    PTI long march

    While answering a question about Imran Khan’s call for march to Islamabad, PM said that if they won’t do anything unlawful, nothing will happen to them but he won’t allow anyone to spread anarchy on the roads.

    Pak Army

    The PM said that the Pak Army has given a lot of sacrifices for this country. “It is wrong to say anything negative about Pakistan’s army. It is condemnable,” said the PM when responding to a question about social media trends against the army.

  • ‘First time a PM is using Boeing 777, Khan used commercial flights’: Faysal Qureshi calls out Shehbaz Sharif

    ‘First time a PM is using Boeing 777, Khan used commercial flights’: Faysal Qureshi calls out Shehbaz Sharif

    Actor Faysal Qureshi called out Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif after the news riffed that he will be using Boeing 777 for his Umrah trip with family. The Fitoor star shared some details behind the usage of PIA’s Boing 777 after 4 years for PM Shahbaz Sharif Foreign tour.

    He also compared him to former PM Imran Khan and appreciated him for travelling in a cost-effective way.

    Soon after these rumours floated Federal Minister for Information Marriyum Aurangzeb denied reports of Shehbaz Sharif going for Umrah at government expense and said that the Prime Minister is not going to Saudi Arabia by a chartered plane.

    Politics over Sharif's illness deplorable: Marriyum Aurangzeb

    Marriyum while replying to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Fawad Chaudhry on social networking site Twitter, said that Fawad Chaudhry should be ashamed of making such nonsensical statements against journalists.

    She further bashed the PTI leader saying that fake news is an attribute of his identity. Before tweeting, you should know that no journalist is going at government expense, she said.

    She wrote that after coming out of power in disgrace, now they are firing on allegations. Sometimes they accuse journalists of involvement in conspiracies and sometimes they make false tweets of visits.

    The PMLN leader brutally criticized Fawad Chaudhry for targeting journalist exclaiming that in four years, those who have consumed the flour, sugar, medicine, employment, economy, electricity, oil and gas (the essential rights of people). They are having trouble with the food of journalists.

    The Federal Minister said that a tweet should also be done on the watch, necklace and rings of Tosha Khana but for that the condition is awakening ones of conscience.

    She even taunted the PTI leader over their display of refraining from extra expenditure and termed it to be a frugal drama.

    Earlier the Dil-e-Momin hero schooled Sharif for his choice of words while discussing the motorway rape case in Parliament.

    Faysal Qureshi schools Shehbaz Sharif over choice of words
  • ‘Thanks for load shedding, it wasn’t there few weeks ago’: Ahmad Butt grills Shehbaz Sharif

    ‘Thanks for load shedding, it wasn’t there few weeks ago’: Ahmad Butt grills Shehbaz Sharif

    Actor Ahmad Ali Butt took to his Instagram stories to take a jibe at PM Shehbaz Sharif for load shedding across country.

    It is being reported that cue to higher demand and reduced generation due to fuel shortages, reduced gas supplies to power plants, Pakistan is experiencing 6-10 hours of electricity load-shedding.

    Prime Minister (PM) Shahbaz Sharif and former Minister of Energy Hammad Azhar exchanged accusing remarks on Twitter.

    “Mian Nawaz Sharif’s government halted the worst load-shedding in five years,” the Prime Minister declared in a tweet. The PTI administration failed to procure fuel on schedule or fix power plants. As a result, present load shedding is in effect. Power generation costs the population Rs100 billion per month due to inefficient plants. “We’re working on it”.

    The Punjab Nahi Jaungi star told PM that the problem of load-shedding that he has claimed to be working on, wasn’t during Imran Khan’s tenure.

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is WhatsApp-Image-2022-04-27-at-1.00.35-AM-1.jpeg

    In February 2021, PTI MNA and host Aamir Liaquat Hussain posted a video on his official Instagram handle in which he hit out at trolls for comments on his viral videos with his third wife, Syeda Dania.

    He tagged actor Ahmad in the caption.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T57blfBjsdU

    Butt earlier shared his stance on Aamir for letting his personal videos with wife circulate on social media.

    A video of the couple made the rounds on the internet platforms and the Jawani Phir Nahi Aani star reacted to the clip.

    Taking to his Instagram story, the Parey Hut Love actor wrote, “When you post something from the privacy of your bedroom, just remember you invited the whole world in. So don’t complain after, if they don’t leave.”

    On the work front, Ahmed will be seen next in Punjabi Hatte Dinde Chakk opposite Neeru Bajwa and Gippy Grewal.

  • US think tank Brookings urges Biden to call PM Shehbaz

    US think tank Brookings urges Biden to call PM Shehbaz

    Brookings, a United States (US) think tank has urged President Joe Biden to call the newly-elected Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif to amend ties between the two countries.

    According to Brooking’s report, Biden should initiate a high-level dialogue with Sharif. The writers of the report Bruce Riedel and  Madiha Afzal argued that “the end of American involvement in Afghanistan and the change in leadership in Pakistan presents the US with an opportunity to reset its long-troubled relationship with the world’s fifth-most populous country.”

    They argued, “Now Washington can engage with Islamabad without prioritising Afghanistan issues at the expense of our broader interests in regional stability with India and China, encouraging development in South Asia, and supporting the strengthening of the elected democratic forces in Pakistan.”

    Further, they pointed out that the US gave a ‘cold shoulder’ to Pakistan. Biden didn’t call the former PM Imran Khan while Khan was in the office although Brookings argued Bided should have.

    It is pertinent to mention that the Taliban’s victory in Afghanistan strained the already fraught relations between Pakistan and America.

  • ‘Using threatening letter as evidence of coup meaningless’: Noam Chomsky

    ‘Using threatening letter as evidence of coup meaningless’: Noam Chomsky

    Renowned Scholar and Professor Noam Chomsky said that there is no meaningful evidence of a coup against former Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan.

    Responding to those who believe that such “threatening messages” are usually the way regime changes take place, Chomsky said, “By that logic, there are regime changes being planned constantly all over the world.” He added that the connecting of the dots was “meaningless.”

    Chomsky pointed out that he does not consider the cable of Pakistan’s former ambassador to the US, Asad Majeed, as “substantial evidence” of American intervention for a regime change in Pakistan.

    According to Chomsky, “The US is powerful, but not all-powerful. There is a tendency to attribute everything that happens in the world to the CIA or some diabolical Western plan. There is plenty to condemn, sharply. And the US is indeed powerful. But it’s nothing like what is often believed.”

    Khan has multiple times said that US is behind his government dismissal and has used a piece of paper to support his claim.

    On the contrary, Washington has thoroughly denied the allegations.

  • ‘Corrupt, beggars can’t be choosers, Imran can’t change in 3-4 years what you did’: Anoushey Ashraf slams Nawaz Sharif

    ‘Corrupt, beggars can’t be choosers, Imran can’t change in 3-4 years what you did’: Anoushey Ashraf slams Nawaz Sharif

    VJ and actor Anoushey Abbasi took to her Instagram handle to react to an interview of former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif in which he is opening up about the economical damages that Imran Khan did to the country during his tenure.

    The talented actress stated that Imran cannot change the economic crises that were resulted due to PML-N’s shortcomings. She also wants Nawaz to quit politics. Anoushey mentioned that she no more believes in the justice system of Pakistan.

    Recently Anoushey shared her stance on the online trolling of Turkish star Esra Bilgic by Pakistani fans over her recent Victoria Secret’s campaign.

    The Sehra Mein Safar diva said that men should either unfollow her or focus on other things.

    Recently Turkish Actor and Model Esra Bilgic aka Haleema Sultan, who is famous in Pakistan for the drama serial Diriliş: Ertuğrul’s, has been recently featured in Victoria’s Secret’s Turkish promotional campaign. Victoria’s Secret is famous for its lingerie collection.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnqKJZu_P7o

    Esra shared the video on her Instagram account, and Pakistanis had a collective meltdown under her post.

    Esra Bilgic Bold Victoria's Secret Video Shoot Sparks Criticism - INCPak

    However, this is not the first time Esra has been trolled by Pakistani social media users. In September 2020, after months of being patient and forgiving Pakistani viewers for their comments on her choice of clothes, Esra Bilgiç slammed a troll who asked her not to wear “such dresses”.

    Under her Instagram post, a social media user by the name Astounding Ali commented: “Please don’t wear such dresses Halima baji, not good.” In response to his comment, Bilgiç remarked, “Let me give you a little advice: Don’t follow me. Thank you.”

  • PML-N’s Ahsan Iqbal under fire for comments on Cuba; Cuban Ambassador reacts

    Federal Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal sparked an outcry through his comparison of Pakistan with Cuba while highlighting poor performance and incompetence of the previous government.

    The minister said: “We not want Pakistan to become Cuba or North Korea. We have to set Pakistan on the path to development, like Malaysia, Turkey, China and South Korea.”

    Ahsan Iqbal, in fact, was trying to draw a comparison of the poor performance of the previous, saying that the “PTI government had hampered the CPEC’s progress and soured ties with the European Union, the United States and even brotherly Muslim countries, pushing the county into isolation.”

    Responding to Iqbal’s statement, Cuban Ambassador in Pakistan Zener Caro, in a tweet, said, “Fortunately, Minister Ahsan Iqbal’s disrespectful mention of Cuba in his press conference in Lahore does not represent and has nothing to do with Pakistanis’ true respect and deep affection for Cuba and its people.”

    Following it, former Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari also took to Twitter and gave a fact check to current federal minister.

    She said, “Ahsan Iqbal’s ignorance or desperate desire to please his US regime change conspiracy masters has now led him to demean Cuba by saying he doesn’t want Pakistan to become like Cuba!”

    “Cuba is a country that fought hard to win freedom & rid itself of US interference where the US had imposed a clause in Cuba’s constitution to maintain control over its policies”, she added.

    Other people also commented over the minister’s comparison and termed it inappropriate.

    https://twitter.com/5heldonC00PER/status/1518524462706171905?s=20&t=Eg-pm7L4CK2dB9Cjdwdm-Q
    https://twitter.com/DrAmjadAliKhan/status/1518530444739887105?s=20&t=Eg-pm7L4CK2dB9Cjdwdm-Q

  • ‘Will not allow anyone to relax’: PM Shehbaz says not to visit China until load-shedding over

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif has taken notice of the long hours load-shedding across the country following his visit to different areas and departments in Lahore on Sunday, reports Geo News.

    “Immediate steps must be taken to reduce power outages by May. Until we get rid of load-shedding, I will not leave for China, neither will allow anyone to relax,” the premier declared.

    Shehbaz Sharif further said that tangible measures should be taken for the availability of oil and gas resources to operationalise closed thermal power plants.

    In the ongoing holy month of Ramazan, Pakistan has severely been hit by power outrages and various cities of the country are experiencing 10-12 hours power loadshedding.

    PM Shehbaz claimed that the previous government made the nation paid for Rs100 billion due to wrong decisions. “The nation will have to pay Rs500 billion extra this year as such due to the poor planning and incompetence of the previous government,” Shehbaz regretted.

    “Due to the negligence of the previous rulers, one Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) ship that was available for Rs6 billion is now costing Pakistan a humongous amount of Rs20 billion”, PM Shehbaz revealed. 

    On a weekly-day off, the PM paid a surprise visit to Ramazan bazaar in Johar Town and visited Pakistan Kidney and Liver Institute (PKLI) in the Punjab capital.

  • ‘Imran caused huge damage to Pakistan in every sense’: Nawaz Sharif

    ‘Imran caused huge damage to Pakistan in every sense’: Nawaz Sharif

    Former Prime Minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif met with Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari who both lashed out at former PM Imran Khan and his policies, regretting that Imran Khan promoted the culture of hooliganism and immorality in politics. “The PTI chairman has caused huge damage to Pakistan in every sense of the word.”

    Both PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari talked at length about political as well as coalition government affairs during the meeting that lasted for over three hours on Thursday in London.

    Later, both the leader addressed a press conference where they lashed out at former PM Imran Khan and his policies. Nawaz Sharif said: “Khan promoted the culture of hooliganism and immorality. He has caused huge damage to Pakistan in every sense of the word.”

    About the US foreign conspiracy which was claimed by Khan, Nawaz Sharif posed several questions: “Were you involved in holding an atomic blast? Why will there be a foreign conspiracy against you?”

    Nawaz said that Khan had claimed that he would take his own life before approaching the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for financial support. “But we did not see him taking his own life till now,” he added.

    “Imran Khan’s rule has been the darkest chapter in the history of Pakistan. We are saddened at the state of affairs in Pakistan and what it has been turned into. There are enormous challenges we are facing but we will repair the damage, through national consensus. All the stakeholders from all the provinces including PPP, PML-N, JUI-F and others political powers will play their due role”, he added.

    Similarly taking a jibe at Khan, Bilawal said: “There was no conspiracy against Khan at the White House. However, a conspiracy against him was hatched at the Bilawal House to throw out an illegal, selected and cruel government through the power of the vote [no-confidence motion].”

    Moreover, he said that using the experience and guidance of elders like Sharif and his father the new generation will strengthen Pakistan to face the challenges.

    About the meeting between Bilawal and Sharif, Geo News‘ sources revealed that the PPP chairman didn’t ask for the positions of Senate chairman, Governor Punjab or seat adjustments.

    As per the sources, Nawaz was told that Bilawal may bring up these matters. However, Bilawal told Nawaz he was calling him to discuss the possibility and the need for working together in the future for the greater cause of a strong and vibrant democracy.

    The three-hour-long meeting between the PML-N supremo and PPP chairman was held in two parts. In the first part, Bilawal and Nawaz held a one-on-one meeting, while in the second half, other senior leaders of both parties were also present in the meeting.

    Now, upon his return to the country, Bilawal will take an oath as foreign minister of Pakistan.

  • Did Maryam Nawaz attend Imran Khan’s Twitter Space last night?

    Former Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s Twitter Space session on night between Wednesday and Thursday broke records with 165K people listening to it at one point. Right after the session, a screenshot started making rounds on social media claiming that Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz (PML-N) Vice-President Maryam Nawaz also attended the session.

    The screenshot was also shared by former Deputy National Assembly (NA) Qasim Suri.

    The news left some social media users surprised while majority questioned the authenticity of the screenshot.

    Earlier today, Fact-Check Pakistan declared the screenshot as fake. They shared the update on Twitter, saying: “Following former PM Imran Khan’s Twitter space some accounts of PTI supporters circulated a screenshot showing PML-N’s Maryam Nawaz as one of the listeners – this screenshot is doctored/fake – Ms Nawaz did not attend, a source in her staff confirmed to ⁦@PakistanCheck”.

    Before this, Maryam’s Political Secretary Zeeshan Malik, in a tweet, clarified that the screenshot was “fake”.