Current Final

Tag: Nawaz Sharif

  • Khawaja Asif says General Bajwa ne lamba dhoka dia tha

    Khawaja Asif says General Bajwa ne lamba dhoka dia tha

    Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has said on Hamid Mir’s show that former Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa “gave an ultimatum to me that if I condemn Mian Nawaz Sharif’s narrative then all the cases of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) against me would go away.”

    Hamid Mir asked the minister whether all three major parties including Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz were directly involved in extending the tenure of the then-COAS, so how could he expect the establishment to stay out of politics.

    Asif replied that it was a mistake and that politicians must have a consensus on upholding the dignity of constitution of Pakistan.

    Hamid Mir inquired of the minister why he agreed to extend Gen. Bajwa’s tenure despite being threatened. The minister humorously responded that Gen. Bajwa provided ultimatums only after securing his extension successfully.

  • SC declares dismissal of former IHC judge Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui unlawful.

    SC declares dismissal of former IHC judge Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui unlawful.

    The Supreme Court on Friday ruled the dismissal of former Islamabad High Court (IHC) senior judge Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui as illegal, issuing directions that he may now be considered a retired judge.

    The decision was announced by a five-member bench led by Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa, Justice Aminuddin Khan, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Justice Hasan Azhar Rizvi, and Justice Irfan Saadat. The bench had reserved the verdict on Aziz’s plea in January this year.

    In his petition, the former judge challenged the decision of Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) removing him from office and an Oct 11, 2018 notification because of which he was dismissed for a controversial speech he had delivered at Rawalpindi Bar Association.

    In his speech, Aziz blamed the country’s premier spy agency ISI of illegally using their influence to manipulate the court proceedings and forming their choice of benches in cases related to indictment of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz.

    However, since the court noticed that since the former judge had attained the age of 62 years, he would not be able to resume his previous service as a judge. “Consequently, Justice Siddiqui shall be deemed to have retired as a judge of the IHC and he will be entitled to receive all the benefits and privileges due to a retired judge, by allowing these petitions in the above term,” it stated.

  • Teacher arguing with Maryam Nawaz not fired, Geo Fact-Check reveals

    Teacher arguing with Maryam Nawaz not fired, Geo Fact-Check reveals

    Following Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz’s visit to an all-girls’ high school in Lahore, social media had a large number of posts claiming that one of the school teachers was dismissed after posing questions regarding Nawaz’s male security members.

    Geo FactCheck, however, deemed the claims as false.

    Samina Shahid, the public school teacher who went viral, was contacted by Geo Fact Check and she confirmed that she has not been sacked.

    Her claims were also verified through other government personnel.

    “The [social media posts] are false. There is no truth to them,” Geo Fact Check quotes Shahid who spoke to the team over the phone on March 15, “I am speaking to you right now sitting in my office.”

    Additionally, the chief executive officer of Lahore’s district education authority, Pervaiz Akhtar, also confirmed that no teacher was fired following the visit.

    Azma Zahid Bokhari, the information minister in Punjab, stated likewise.

    “No action against any teaching or non-teaching staff has been taken by school administration after the visit of the chief minister Punjab to the government pilot girls high school Lahore,” Bokhari told Geo Fact Check via messages.

  • Where is Nawaz Sharif traveling to very soon?

    Where is Nawaz Sharif traveling to very soon?

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif is set to travel to abroad next month, ARY News reported on Tuesday.

    Reports indicate that Nawaz Sharif will go to Saudi Arabia to spend the last 10 days of Ramazan.

    After that, the former prime minister will travel to London for a routine medical checkup.

    However, he will return to Pakistan from London after a complete checkup.

    In October 2023, PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif returned from London to Pakistan after self-imposed exile of almost four years.

  • Nawaz Sharif criticises increase in gas, power rates under IMF pressure

    Nawaz Sharif criticises increase in gas, power rates under IMF pressure

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif criticised the increase in rates of electricity and gas prices after directives from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to do so.

    The former prime minister raised concerns regarding the increase in rates of gas and power during a meeting with the Punjab government. The Chief Minister (CM) of Punjab, Maryam Nawaz, was also present in the meeting.

    The leader of the PML-N commented on high inflation, questioning how much more the nation could endure. He urged authorities to solve the issue of costly electricity for small farmers by giving them solar panels.

    Senior provincial minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, Information Minister Azma Bukhari, Transport Minister Bilal Akbar, MPA Sania Ashiq, provincial chief secretary, Planning and Development Board chairman, Transport secretary, and other officials concerned were also present at the meeting.

    The PML-N supremo also said that small farmers should be rewarded for their hard work and should be saved from the exploitation of big farmers.

  • ‘Have asked Shehbaz to engage politically with Khan’, Ali Amin Gandapur meets PM

    ‘Have asked Shehbaz to engage politically with Khan’, Ali Amin Gandapur meets PM

    Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ali Amin Gandapur met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday, indicating a possible melting of ice between Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

    Addressing a press conference with Ahsan Iqbal, Gandapur said that the meeting was positive. “I have asked the prime minister to politically engage with Imran Khan. Political engagement will lead to a political solution,” he told the members of the press.

    Gandapur also said Shehbaz confirmed that Gandapur would be allowed to meet Khan in Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail where authorities have increased security and barred ex-PM Khan from holding meetings owing to “threat alert”.

  • Hassan, Hussain Nawaz arrest warrants get suspended

    Hassan, Hussain Nawaz arrest warrants get suspended

    An accountability court has suspended the arrest warrants of Hasan Nawaz and Hussain Nawaz — sons of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif- in multiple cases, including the Al-Azizia, Flagship, and Avenfield cases.

    Judge Nasir Javed Rana of the accountability court announced the decision after reserving the verdict a day earlier.

    As per the verdict, the arrest warrants are suspended until March 14.

    The arrest warrants against the brothers were issued seven years ago when the court declared them absconders.

    In today’s hearing, both brothers were represented by their lawyer, Qazi Misbah, while National Accountability Bureau (NAB) prosecutors Sardar Muzaffar, Usman Masood, and Sohail Arif also appeared in court.

    The petition for suspension of arrest warrants was filed as Nawaz Sharif’s sons are planning to return to Pakistan on March 12.

  • Pakistan’s next Finance Minister: Who is Muhammad Aurangzeb?

    Pakistan’s next Finance Minister: Who is Muhammad Aurangzeb?

    In a significant development, sources have revealed that Muhammad Aurangzeb, a distinguished banker, is poised to become the country’s next finance minister under the newly-elected Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. This comes as part of the impending formation of the federal cabinet.

    The sources further disclosed that Ishaq Dar, a former finance minister and close aide to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif, is no longer in contention for the position due to health issues.

    Instead, there is speculation that Dar might be offered another crucial role, considering his formidable track record during the previous Pakistan Democratic Movement.

    During his tenure, Dar faced significant challenges in rejuvenating the stalled International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme. However, the sources did not specify the potential alternative role for Dar.

    According to information from Geo News, Muhammad Aurangzeb brings an impressive resume to the table. He has previously held the position of president at HBL and served as the CEO of JP Morgan’s Global Corporate Bank in Asia.

    With a robust international banking experience spanning over 30 years, Aurangzeb has held various senior management roles.

    In an interesting turn of events, it was revealed that the government’s initial preference for the finance minister role was Sultan Allana, the Chairman of HBL.

    Allana is recognised for his extensive experience in finance and the economy. Notably, he played a pivotal role in conceptualising the Roshan Digital Account and spearheaded the project management efforts that contributed to Pakistan’s removal from the FATF Grey List.

    However, sources clarified that Allana had international work commitments related to the Aga Khan, preventing him from committing to the finance minister role.

    This opens the door for Muhammad Aurangzeb, whose impressive banking background positions him as a strong candidate for the crucial position of finance minister under the new government.

  • Maryam Nawaz announces first public cancer hospital in Punjab

    Maryam Nawaz announces first public cancer hospital in Punjab

    Chief Minister of Punjab, Maryam Nawaz, has announced plans to build the first government cancer hospital in Punjab. The hospital will be built near Valencia town in Lahore, as per SAMMA. 

    The newly-elected chief minister visited the potential site for the hospital and received a briefing about the project. The CM also approved the construction of a hotel building for the attendants of cancer patients.

    Maryam Nawaz said that cancer patients will get free treatment in the hospital.

    The Punjab chief minister also announced that the government will provide the best medical professionals and state-of-the art equipment to treat cancer patients.

    She declared that screening for diseases will start in the province, adding that when she vacates her office after five years, she wants a state-of-the-art hospital in every city. She also announced free medicines in all emergency departments of government hospitals starting today. The Rescue 1122 service has been asked to launch a motorway ambulance service.

  • Newly-elected MNAs take oath

    Newly-elected MNAs take oath

    Newly elected members of the National Assembly (NA) swore their oaths today during the first meeting of the 16th National Assembly.

    Speaker Raja Parvez Ashraf presided over the session and administered the oath to newly-elected members.

    Earlier, MNAs elected on February 8 arrived at the lower house for their oath taking around 10 am. Former Prime Ministers Nawaz Sharif and Shehbaz Sharif were also present in the session.

    Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), joined by independent candidates from PTI, began chanting slogans during the inaugural ceremony.

    The session is being held today under Article 91(2) of the Constitution, with President Arif Alvi refusing to sign an earlier summary for summoning the session on the reported grounds of non-allocation of reserved seats to SIC.