Tag: Imran Khan

  • Shah Mahmood Qureshi arrested again in May 9 case

    Shah Mahmood Qureshi arrested again in May 9 case

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Vice-Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi was arrested again on Wednesday by Rawalpindi police from Adiala jail in connection with a case related to the May 9 riots.

    Earlier, Shah Mahmood Qureshi was detained for 15 days after the Deputy Commissioner (DC) Rawalpindi issued an order to that effect.


    According to the orders, the PTI leader will be detained owing to his involvement in attacking the GHQ, Rawalpindi Gate, on May 9.

    Priviously, there was news circulating that Shah Mahmood Qureshi can be released from Adiala Jail today as the Supreme Court (SC) had approved his bail last week on Friday.

    The former federal minister’s lawyer, Barrister Taimur Malik, reached Adiala jail today with required bail bonds.

    Judge Abual Hasnat Zulqarnain, who is hearing the cipher case, also arrived at Adiala jail in Rawalpindi.

    The wife of PTI founder Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi, and lawyers Umair Niazi and Rai Muhammad Ali were also present.

    The SC approved the post-arrest bail of PTI leaders in the cipher case as well as the apex court also determined that Islamabad High Court (IHC) incorrectly exercised discretion deny the bail of petitioners in the said case.

    After examining the material available on record, the court found that there was no sufficient incriminating material available at this stage to show that Khan communicated the information contained in the cipher telegram received from PAREP (Ambassador), Washington, USA, to the public at large with the intention or calculation, directly or indirectly, in the interest or for the benefit of a foreign power, nor the disclosed information related to any of the defence installations or affairs, nor did he disclose any secret official code to the public at large.

  • What is Hum Awam Pakistan Party and why do they want ballay ka nishan?

    What is Hum Awam Pakistan Party and why do they want ballay ka nishan?

    The Hum Awam Pakistan Party (HAPP) has requested the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to allot it the cricket bat as its electoral symbol.

    The party’s petition earnestly requested that the election symbol of the bat be allocated to the Hum Awam Pakistan Party, advocating for fairness and representation.

    The chairman of Hum Awam Pakistan Party, Muhammad Amjad Chaudhry, filed the petition.

    Speaking at a news conference on Saturday, Ahmer Zaman Khan, who is additional secretary general said, “Our election symbol was ‘lock’ but it was withdrawn for not submitting returns. Now the Election Commission is requested to allot us the election symbol of the bat,” he pleaded.

    The party had written to ECP on December 11, 2023, too for allotment of Bat symbol.

    “We have this right to request for the very symbol under the Constitution and accordingly we have requested the Election Commission and we have full faith in it,” Khan added.

    Recently, the Election Commission canceled the registration of the All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) and also withdrew the election symbol Eagle, which was allotted to it. Now, the symbol has been allotted to the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party.

    What is the Hum Awam Pakistan Party?

    The Facebook page of this party was created on June 6, 2020. Currently, the Facebook page has 1800 followers. Interestingly, the pages followed by this party’s page include DG ISPR and ISPR along with Malik Riaz and Sami Ibraheem.

    The About section of this Facebook page has a website link to the party but http://humawampakistan.com/ is not accessible as of the time this article is being published.

    In September 2020, the party organized a protest outside the Karachi Press Club and demanded that an independent, nonpolitical administrative setup, comprising the people of Karachi should handle all the administrative matters of the city instead of the political framework and it should be under the supervision of Pakistan’s Army.

    In August 2020, a constitutional petition was filed in the Supreme Court of Pakistan by this party that sought direction from the prime minister to enable the holding of a referendum regarding the establishment of a presidential form of government in Pakistan.

    The petition was filed by Tahir Aziz Khan, chairman of the political party Hum Awam Pakistan, under Article 184 (3) of the Constitution. One of the main objectives of the lesser-known political party was to establish a presidential form of government in the country.

    The petition was rejected as the registrar’s office objected that the petitioner had not pointed out the question of public importance in this case.

    “The petitioner did not approach any other forum available to him under the law for the same relief,” the SC office further said. “Petitioner did not justify invoking of extraordinary jurisdiction of this court under Article 184 (3) of the Constitution”

    The current chairman of this party, Muhammad Amjad Chaudhry, is also the founder of the All Pakistan Customs Agents Association and was given an award on January 27, 2021, by Governor Punjab Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar on Customs Day.

  • Election 2024: Imran Khan excluded from Registered Political Parties List

    Election 2024: Imran Khan excluded from Registered Political Parties List

    The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) unveiled a revised list on Sunday, featuring 175 officially registered political parties that reflect the diverse landscape of the country’s political arena.

    The founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Imran Khan, is no longer listed as the leader of the party in the updated list, indicating that PTI is now considered a political entity without a designated leader.

    However, the list now includes the group headed by Pervez Khattak, identified as Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Parliamentarians (PTIP).

    An important development took place earlier in the week when the party led by Khan lost its electoral symbol, the “bat”, as a result of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) releasing the reserved verdict on the party’s internal elections.

    After hearing arguments from all concerned parties, the ECP initially reserved its decision.

    Following this, Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, leading a five-member bench of the electoral authority, announced the invalidation of the PTI’s intra-party elections.

    After ECP’s verdict, Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, who took over as PTI chairman after Imran Khan, will no longer serve as the party’s leader.

  • Fugitive candidates will appear before ROs for scrutiny of nomination papers

    Fugitive candidates will appear before ROs for scrutiny of nomination papers

    Candidates who are in hiding or have been declared proclaimed offenders may face the risk of having their nomination papers rejected if they fail to appear before the respective returning officers (ROs) when summoned for scrutiny by December 30, as reported by The News on Sunday.

    The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has confirmed that the scrutiny of nomination papers for the 2024 general elections will be conducted by the Returning Officers (ROs) in adherence to the rules, regulations, and guiding framework set by the electoral authority.

    The scrutiny begins today and is scheduled to conclude on Saturday, December 30. According to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), the deadline for filing appeals against the acceptance or rejection of nomination papers is January 3, 2024.

    The Commission will publish a revised list of candidates on January 11, 2024, while candidates can withdraw their papers by January 12, 2024.

    Nomination papers of several Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidates linked to the incidents of May 9—sparked by the arrest of the party’s former chairman, Imran Khan—are expected to face challenges from opposing candidates during the scrutiny process.

    Their signatures on the original form could also be challenged, as some candidates have been declared proclaimed offenders and have been hiding since May 9.

  • PMLN aur IPP ka breakup ho gaya?

    PMLN aur IPP ka breakup ho gaya?

    Discussions between the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) and the Istehkam Pakistan Party (IPP) about a potential electoral alliance have hit a roadblock.

    PML-N is hesitant to forge partnerships on a significant number of its seats, sources cited by The News have said.

    As per sources, PML-N is not ready to make adjustments on the seats where its top leaders will contest elections.

    Sources also disclosed that the party is cautious about entering into alliances on numerous other seats.

    IPP reportedly proposed adjustments on 50 provincial assembly seats and 26 National Assembly seats during talks between the two parties. However, negotiations have failed to yield any substantial breakthrough, leading to a standstill in the alliance talks.

    Maryam Nawaz and Aleem Khan will face each other in the election for NA-119 (Lahore-III), sources said. NA-119 is a stronghold of the PML-N as it won the seat back-to-back in 2013 and 2018 elections.

    To explore potential alliances, the PML-N is reportedly considering an electoral partnership on NA-117 (Lahore-I) for Abdul Aleem Khan and contemplating NA-127 for Aun Chaudhry. It can also go for an alliance on the Lodhran seat for Jahangir Tareen.

    Meanwhile, complications have also arisen in Karachi as the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) is reportedly hesitant to concede the NA-242 seat to PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif. In response, Shehbaz Sharif is anticipated to visit Karachi for crucial talks with MQM leaders, addressing this matter and other pertinent issues.

  • No ‘bat’ for PTI; ECP takes away party symbol

    No ‘bat’ for PTI; ECP takes away party symbol

    The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has released its verdict in the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) intra-party elections on Friday, declaring that the party will not be given the cricketing ‘bat’ symbol it has contested previous elections with.

    The verdict comes right after a delegation from PTI said that it had been assured by the ECP of a level playing field after the Supreme Court of Pakistan asked the two to hold a meeting.

    The order stated, “So keeping in view, the clear mandate of Elections Act, 2017 read with PTI constitution 2019, and for reasons mentioned hereinabove, it is held that PTI has not complied with our directions rendered therein order dated 23rd November, 2023 and failed to hold intra-party election in accordance with PTI prevailing Constitution, 2019 and Election Act, 2017, and Election Rules, 2017. Therefore, the certificate dated 4″ December. 2023 and Form-65 filed by the alleged Chairman, is hereby regretted and rejected accordingly. The provisions of Section 215 of the Election Act, 2017 are hereby invoked and PTI is hereby declared ineligible to obtain, the Election Symbol, for which they have applied for.”

    PTI held intra-party polls on December 2, with Barrister Gohar Khan taking the Chairman’s seat after approval from party founder Imran Khan. The results of the polls were contested by founding member Akbar S. Babar, who moved the ECP against what he termed “fraudulent” elections.

    ECP had sought a reply from PTI on the polls violating the party constitution. The party itself meanwhile turned to Peshawar High Court in a bid to defuse what it termed as discrimination by ECP.

  • ‘I will not contest the election, even if Imran Khan asks,’ Aleema Khan

    ‘I will not contest the election, even if Imran Khan asks,’ Aleema Khan

    Aleema Khan, the sister of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, has stated that none of his family members will contest the upcoming general elections slated for February 8 next year.

    During a chat with journalists outside the Islamabad High Court on Thursday, she remarked: “I will not contest the election, even if Imran Khan asks (me), I will not participate in the election.”

    Aleema clarified that neither Khan’s sisters nor his wife will contest. “None of us is contesting elections. We only come for the cases of the PTI founder”.

    She emphasized that treating the PTI founder in the same manner as former Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was unwarranted, highlighting the absence of a young generation during Bhutto’s time.

    She alleged that Nawaz Sharif, the leader of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), had got two umpires, asserting that he was preventing other political players from entering the political arena, stressing that evidence supporting this claim became apparent during the nomination paper submission process, where individuals are allegedly being deprived of their papers.

    She dismissed the cipher case as a mere joke, expressing concern over the rapid pace of the trial and raising the possibility of a death sentence being pronounced by December 30.

    “Our hope for justice is from Allah and justice should also be expected from the Supreme Court, but what is happening is in front of everyone. We are no longer disappointed with the Supreme Court. If you don’t expect anything from the Supreme Court, who will you expect from? If we do not get justice from there, we will definitely get it from Allah,” she remarked.

  • ‘I am more experienced than Barrister Gohar,’ Latif Khosa

    ‘I am more experienced than Barrister Gohar,’ Latif Khosa

    In a recent interview on Geo News’ program ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Saath,’ senior vice president of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Latif Khosa, took a swipe at the party’s newly appointed chairman Barrister Gohar.

    Khosa expressed confidence in assuming a leadership role after Imran Khan.

    Directing criticism at Barrister Gohar, Khosa stated that the lawyer lacks the experience that he possesses. He emphasized his role as the senior vice president within PTI, positioning himself as a contender for leadership after Imran Khan.

    During the conversation, Khosa emphasized that, unlike the situation with Nawaz Sharif, the judiciary was not biased in favor of PTI.

    He highlighted the trial without jurisdiction in the Toshakhana case, stating that the punishment given was incorrect and could be rectified through a review order.

    Khosa asserted that the subsequent disqualification of Imran Khan by the Election Commission as a consequence of delaying the sentence was rushed, occurring within three days instead of the stipulated 30 days.

    He further stated that the basic rights of Imran Khan were being apprehended by the courts.

    Khosa mentioned that the situation is leading to uncertainty and keeping PTI out of elections means that the elections are not free and fair.

  • Imran Khan, Shah Mahmood Qureshi get bail from Supreme Court in cipher case

    Imran Khan, Shah Mahmood Qureshi get bail from Supreme Court in cipher case

    The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Friday approved post-arrest bail for former Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan and Vice-Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the cipher case.


    The PTI founder and vice-chairman were indicted in the cipher case by a special court established under the Official Secrets Act 2023 after the Islamabad High Court (IHC) declared their jail trial null and void.


    During proceedings today, the top court heard the petition against Khan and Qureshi’s October 23 indictment, as reported by Maryam Nawaz on Geo News.


    At the outset of the hearing, Justice Masood remarked that the indictment that was challenged was already nullified by the IHC on November 21.
    As a result, Imran and Qureshi’s Oct 23 indictments in the case also stood null and void, and the trial was conducted again.


    Justice Masood said that the fresh indictment will not be affected by the previous proceedings that were declared invalid by the IHC.


    At this, Khan’s counsel Hamid Khan argued that the trial was taking place on the previous charge sheet.


    Justice Masood said that the petition against the old charge sheet has become infructuous. “If you have an objection to the fresh indictment then challenge it in the high court,” the judge told the lawyer.


    To this, Hamid requested the court to wait for the Islamabad High Court’s decision today against the in-camera trial in the cipher case.


    Khan’s other counsel, Barrister Salman Safdar, said that Hamid had made amendments to his petitions, requesting the court to accept it as a fresh one.


    The court then adjourned the hearing on the plea against indictment while the hearing on bail pleas got underway.

  • MARYAM NAWAZ, PML-N’S CANDIDATE FOR CHIEF MINISTER PUNJAB

    MARYAM NAWAZ, PML-N’S CANDIDATE FOR CHIEF MINISTER PUNJAB

    The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader, Captain (r) Muhammad Safdar, said on Wednesday that his wife, vice president of PML-N, Maryam Nawaz, is the party’s candidate for the position of Punjab’s chief minister, Dawn has reported.

    Captain Safdar also said that after getting a clean chit from courts, PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif will contest the upcoming elections for a National Assembly (NA) seat in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s NA-15 (Mansehra).

    “Nawaz Sharif will be our election candidate from NA-15 (Mansehra-II). He will become the prime minister as an elected representative of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to address the province’s deprivation,” Mr Safdar told reporters outside the deputy commissioner’s office in Mansehra.

    Safdar also said that he himself will submit the nomination papers of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

    He further said that PML-N leader Amir Muqam is the party’s candidate for KP’s chief minister.

    Captain Safdar also mentioned that he will not contest the election from NA-15, as he wants to become a senator. “I will never decline the party’s offer for a Senate ticket,” he said.

    PML-N president and former Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will submit his nomination papers from Lahore’s NA-123, PP-158, and PP-164 seats.