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Tag: Nawaz Sharif

  • PM Khan takes offence at Nawaz Sharif’s presence at conference

    PM Khan takes offence at Nawaz Sharif’s presence at conference

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan while talking about the Asma Jahangir (AJ) Conference that took place in Lahore last week, pointed out how the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo was allowed to address the event, reports Geo News.

    Speaking at the inauguration ceremony PM Khan further said, “Unfortunately, due to colonialism, Muslims suffered from mental slavery around the world,” he said.

    He further added that Pakistan’s youth was confused about it in today’s world and said that the young Pakistanis studied the Western culture and were misled by it.

    The premier urged universities to research the disastrous effects that Western culture was having on family life, and spoke out against how pornographic material was widely available on smartphones these days.

    PM Khan said, “A seminar happened in Lahore where Supreme Court (SC) judges were invited. But the chief guest there was an absconder, convicted by the very judges present there.”

    “This person had escaped abroad after lying,” he said while adding that if our society doesn’t consider corruption an evil, it can’t progress.

    However, the AJ Foundation in a press statement clarified the rumours surrounding Sharif’s closing speech.

    “Nawaz Sharif, has addressed gatherings previously and it is entirely regrettable not to say embarrassing, that internet cables were disabled to blackout his speech. This act in itself is an indication of the state of freedom of expression in the current regime where Pakistan is ranked as 145 out of 180 countries,” reads the statement.

    They also revealed that several prominent members of the ruling party were invited to all three conferences, many of whom spoke at all three conferences, and others declined the invitation.

    Furthermore, they argued that the “ruling regime is diverting attention from the real threat to institutions, the state of the economy and freedom of expression in the country” while adding that the platform will not follow vendettas of political parties when inviting speakers and they will remain an open and uncensored platform.

    In response to this, Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari termed the foundation’s statement “bizarre” and tweeted, “AJ Foundation claiming that convict Sharif being asked to address the conference did not show a political bias because I [Mazari] had been invited to the first conference to address closing session is absurd. I was invited as Human Rights Minister. I was not and am not a convict or a fugitive.”

     

  • Alleged audio clip of Maryam Nawaz giving instructions to private news channels leaked

    An alleged audio clip of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz has been leaked on social media in which she can be heard talking to someone on phone. During the telephonic conversation the PML-N Vice President can be heard saying, “I talked to Mir Shakeel Sb [owner of Geo News] personally,I told him that are showing facts from both sides, instead you should tell people Imran Khan lied without any verification, and Imran Khan not only repeated this lie but also made ten other things.”

    She further said that she told Mir Shakeel that he has to do it [to push her narrative], and he [Mir Shakeel] did it.

    Maryam further said that she told Mian Amir Mahmood [Owner of Dunya News] the same, and he replied “Aap Dekhein me krta kia hun iske saath” [Now see what I do with him.]

    Earlier, another audio clip of Maryam went viral on social media in which Maryam Nawaz can be heard saying, “We have given many chances to Samaa News. The kind of news Samaa [airs] and the way its anchor Nadeem Malik is, we can no longer work with the channel. So we are not giving any ads to Samaa.” ”Samaa News, Channel 92, ARY News, and Channel 24 will not get any ads from us [PML-N],” said Maryam.

    Read more- Maryam Nawaz admits to blocking ads, media bodies urge govt to not use adverts to control editorial policy

    Maryam on November 25, confirmed the authenticity of her viral audio clip but the date of the clip is still not known, whether it was when PML-N was in government or opposition.

  • Maryam Nawaz’s lawyer requests court date change, clash with Junaid Valima date

    Maryam Nawaz’s lawyer requests court date change, clash with Junaid Valima date

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz’s lawyer Azam Nazir Tarar requested the accountability court of Islamabad to shift his client, Maryam Nawaz’s court hearing date as it clashes with her son’s wedding reception. The judge has been requested to change the next hearing on some other date.


    Maryam Nawaz and Captain Safdar’s son Junaid Safdar’s Valima ceremony is to be held in Lahore on December 17, reports Geo News.

    Junaid Safdar tied the knot on August 22 with Ayesha Saif, daughter of Saif-ur-Rehman, a long-term ally of PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif, in London. The photos and videos of the Nikkah ceremony went viral on social media, leaving netizens in praise of the couple and Junaid’s singing skills.

    Maryam Nawaz and her husband could not attend the ceremony held in London as their name is on the Exit Control List (ECL), which restrains her from leaving Pakistan till the verdict of the court cases against her is announced.

  • ‘Firdous can become a fashion designer, Nawaz faked platelets’: Veena Malik gets candid

    Actor Veena Malik appeared on ARY’s Hamarey Mehman, she got candid about her professional and personal life apart from sociopolitical personalities.

    The Bigg Boss diva also chose alternate career paths for mainstream politicians, while she thinks that Mariam Nawaz can become a make-up artist, she believes that former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif can be a great actor, citing that he faked his blood platelets to get away from the legal mess.

    On being asked about Firdous Ashiq Awan, the Sachiyan Mohabtaan star mentioned that she loves her sense of style, especially her choice of prints and hence she should become a fashion designer.

    The actress credited PM Imran Khan to be the most good looking political leader in Pakistan.

    Have Faced...
  • ‘Who pressured you to sentence Nawaz Sharif and said that Khan needs to be in power?’: Maryam asks ex-CJP Nisar

    ‘Who pressured you to sentence Nawaz Sharif and said that Khan needs to be in power?’: Maryam asks ex-CJP Nisar

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz, in a heated press conference in Islamabad, called upon former Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Saqib Nisar and asked him to come forth and tell the nation the truth.

    “Come forth, tell the nation who pressurised you?” Maryam Nawaz

    “Whether today or tomorrow, you will have to tell the nation the truth. There is still time. Come forth, tell the nation who pressured you to sentence Nawaz Sharif if it was unwarranted? Who pressured you to sentence Maryam Nawaz, if it was without merit. And who told you that [Prime Minister (PM)] Imran Khan needs to be brought to power?”

    “If Nawaz didn’t deserve the punishment, then why did you play with the justice system? You were sitting in the highest forum and why could you not refuse orders to convict Nawaz Sharif?”

    Maryam also asked Nisar why he allowed himself to be “forced to take an unconstitutional and illegal [step]”.

    “You will have to answer all this,” said Maryam.

    “After the TV channel said that [Nisar’s] audio had been pieced together to create the clip, Nisar too stepped forth to agree. So the TV channel deserves thanks,” Maryam Nawaz

    Addressing the media coverage regarding the leaked audio, without naming the channel, Maryam said that earlier Nisar denied any connection with the clip and said that it is not him who can be heard in the audio.

    “After the TV channel said that his [Nisar’s] audio had been pieced together from two of his previous speeches to create the alleged audio, he [Nisar] too stepped forth to agree,” said Maryam, adding, “So the TV channel that led to his [Nisar’s] admission of his voice being part of the clip deserves some thanks.”

    Addressing the TV channel directly, Maryam questioned the choice of the channel to omit specific bits from the audio clip that are the “real crux of the matter”.

    She also added that those words are the “charge sheet against Saqib Nisar” and demanded to know which speech those bits are from then.

    “So the bits that you like are his voice and the parts that you do not, are not his voice?” she asked.

    “Audio clips and videos may be material, but Justice Siddiqui is very much alive, he must be inquired about his allegations,” Maryam Nawaz

    “Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui also made a startling statement, while [former accountability judge] Arshad Malik was punished for speaking the truth,” Maryam said, adding that although the two judges had been punished, “nobody dared to come forward to provide justice to Nawaz Sharif.”

    She demanded that the parties involved in the Justice Siddiqui scandal be summoned in court, made to stand in the witness box and a sworn testimony be taken from them.

    Maryam said that audio clips and videos may be material that one can be skeptical about “but Justice Siddiqui is very much alive and he must be inquired about his allegations”.

    “Fifth testimony in favour of Nawaz Sharif”: Maryam Nawaz

    “You (Nisar) will have to give its answer to the people. Leave the audio, leave [the former top] Gilgit-Baltistan judge’s affidavit, and the statements of former judges and FIA’s Bashir Memon. This is the fifth testimony in favour of Nawaz Sharif. Will the nation forget these testimonies? Can you deny that an elected prime minister (Nawaz Sharif) was removed from power unjustly?”

    She continued: “There is no proof against me and I was [sentenced to prison] for seven years. Now National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has no evidence to furnish in the IHC (Islamabad High Court).”

    She said it was “ridiculous” that Nisar was not saying anything in his defence, while government ministers were defending the ex-CJP “haphazardly”.

    “Imran Khan never called a meeting to discuss inflation, but after the audio leak he called a meeting,” Maryam Nawaz

    “[PM] Imran Khan never called a meeting to discuss inflation, but after the audio leak he called a meeting asking his party men to discuss the PML-N tenure in public,” she alleged, saying the ministers and the premier were actually saving themselves “because they know they will suffer badly once Saqib Nisar is proved guilty”.

    “Saqib Nisar get a forensic audit conducted, face the law and build a dam from the money he gets after winning the case,” Maryam Nawaz

    “I want Saqib Nisar to get a forensic audit conducted, face the law and build a dam from the money he gets after winning the case,” she said, calling upon the judiciary “not to bear the burden of someone whose truth is now out”.

    Stressing politicians’ responsibility to protect the prestige of the judiciary, the PML-N leader stated: “Judiciary is bigger than these individuals. We don’t want to take matters beyond a certain point [and] the judiciary should clear its name itself.”

    She then quoted former chief justice Asif Saeed Khosa as writing in the Panama Papers case judgment that “Behind every great fortune, there is a crime,” and said: “The crime and conspiracy that took place before the 2018 elections are also exposed before everyone now.”

  • Samaa News claims CJP Nisar’s leaked audio ‘pieced together’, US forensic firm asks permission to share details

    Samaa News claims CJP Nisar’s leaked audio ‘pieced together’, US forensic firm asks permission to share details

    Samaa TV, a private news channel ran a news story and claimed that the former Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Saqib Nisar’s clip appears to be pieced together from two separate speeches of former CJP.

    Claims of Samaa TV:

    The two speeches were made by former CJP Nisar on January 22, 2018, and February 22, 2018. The former speech was made in an address to a judicial conference, while the latter was made while addressing a ceremony of Islamabad High Court Bar, reports Samaa.

    “Some phrases in the audio clip are exact matches with parts of speeches the former CJP did on the two occasions,” claims Samaa.

    Fawad Chaudhry: “Unfortunately a specific group is always used in such situations. They are the ones who bring such kinds of leaks and affidavits to the limelight.”

    Meanwhile, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry while speaking on Geo News programme, ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’ said that the government never claimed that Nisar’s audio was “pieced together” but Samaa TV ran a “splendid investigative report and it is through their findings that we have found out that the alleged audio has been put together through different chunks of [Nisar’s] speech.”

    Fawad further added that the news channel contacted Garret Disco­very, the firm which checked the alleged audiotape of the CJP Nisar. “The company did not comment on the development and has refused to own it,” said Fawad.

    Anchorperson Shahzeb Khanzada questioned the minister that the report put together by Samaa TV missed out on a few important points.

    Khanzada read out the missing points to Fawad and questioned him, “Does the report presented by Samaa TV also include the part where [Saqib Nisar could be allegedly heard saying] Mian Sahib [Nawaz Sharif] needs to be punished? Was it said that Khan Sahib [Imran Khan] has to be brought [into power]? It has to be done. Regardless of the merit, we will have to do it (sentence Nawaz Sharif), and even to his daughter. Did Samaa TV cater to these statements as well?”

    Fawad ignored the question and asked Khanzada to play the video prepared by Samaa on his programme and he will understand better.”

    “I have seen the video, were these three sentences in the video?” questioned Khanzada.

    Fawad again replied, “Play the video and you will understand better.”

    The minister went on to say that an environment is created every time a case of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz comes to the surface.

    “Unfortunately a specific group is always used in such situations. They are the ones who bring such kinds of leaks and affidavits to the limelight,” said Fawad.

    Shahid Khaqan Abbasi: “It is not the work of news channels but that of the judges to reach a conclusion and find facts in this matter.”

    PML-N leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said the party was not behind the audio and demanded an impartial inquiry into it.

    “It is not the work of news channels but that of the judges to reach a conclusion and find facts in this matter,” said Abbasi.

    “We are ready to face the consequences if the probe finds out that it is a conspiracy,” he said.

    “Whoever breaks the law [should be punished] even if it’s the chief justice of the country. The government should not be concerned with this,” said Khaqan.

    Garret Discovery: “We did perform work for FactFocus. We have no problem releasing details as long as our client signs an agreement allowing us to do so.”

    In a chat with a Garret Discovery representative, Dawn told the US firm that they are mentioned in a story about a former Pakistani chief justice and asked what their findings were.

    “We did perform work for FactFocus. As part of our standard agreement, we have a confidentiality clause that prohibits us from speaking about the scope of work or work we performed,” the representative responded.

    “We have no problem releasing details as long as our client signs an agreement allowing us to do so. Please contact FactFocus with any inquiries as to the work we performed and discuss with them any release of information. We will not comment anymore on this issue until that time.”

    ‘His daughter [Maryam Nawaz] doesn’t merit a sentence, still, we will have to do it’: Alleged audio tape of CJP Nisar

    November 21, leaked audio of conversation allegedly claims that Saqib Nisar was the person who passed on the directions of handing down conviction to Mian Nawaz Sharif and his daughter, Maryam Nawaz only because the “institutions” wanted the former prime minister penalised in order to bring ahead Imran Khan, reported Ahmed Noorani for FactFocus.

  • Wires cut to stop Nawaz Sharif’s speech, claim conference organisers

    Wires cut to stop Nawaz Sharif’s speech, claim conference organisers

    The organisers of the Asma Jahangir Conference 2021 condemned the alleged “muzzling” of former Prime Minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif’s speech on Sunday, reports Dawn.

    Soon after Sharif’s video link address began, internet services at the venue [Avari Hotel Lahore] were reportedly suspended.

    “Lines kaat dee gai hain [lines were cut],” the organisers claimed while pointing out the government’s role in muzzling the speech of Nawaz.

    Munizae Jahangir, Asma’s daughter, confirmed that broadband internet services and mobile internet had been suspended soon after Nawaz began speaking.

    The official statement released by the organisers said: “The organisers of the Asma Jahangir Conference regret the state’s highhandedness after it blocked the three-time elected former PM’s speech at the AJCONF2021 closing ceremony on Nov 21, 2021.”

    “The organisers of Asma Jahangir Conference 2021, which include the Supreme Court Bar Association, Pakistan Bar Council, and the AGHS, strongly condemn this act and consider it an onslaught on the freedom of expression,” they added.

    After the video call was cut off, the organisers arranged for a telephonic address by Nawaz.

    The President of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) Ahsan Bhoon appeared in Geo News programme ‘Naya Pakistan with Shahzad Iqbal’ and said that there was no need to tell judges [present at the conference] about Sharif’s closing ceremony speech.

    While replying to the question if judges know about the former PM’s address and did they have any objection over it, Bhoon said, “Why would there be any objection? Neither were they [judges] co-hosting nor did they have to converse with him.”

    However, government officials reacted to Nawaz speaking at the conference.

    Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said he had been invited to the event, but he had been informed that “the conference will be closed with the speech of an absconding convict; this is obviously tantamount to ridiculing the country and the Constitution, which is why I declined to participate in the conference.”

    Energy Minister Hammad Azhar tweeted: “Think positive; Perhaps the idea was to focus on [the] human rights of absconders..”

    Adviser to the Prime Minister on Interior and Accountability Mirza Shahzad Akbar, meanwhile, said, “Having an absconder and convict speak at a conference where the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) and senior judges of the superior judiciary and members of Bar have spoken creates serious doubts on [the] impartiality of organisers but also makes it clear that honourable judges should remain clear of such politicised gatherings.”

  • Ex-CJ GB’s son asked for permission to play ‘video’ in Saqib Nisar case

    Ex-CJ GB’s son asked for permission to play ‘video’ in Saqib Nisar case

    The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday issued show-cause notices during a hearing of the case relating to the allegations against ex-Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Saqib Nisar by former Chief Judge of Gilgit-Baltistan Justice (retd) Rana Shamim.

    During the hearing, apologising for his father’s absence, Justice Shamim’s son asked the court staff for permission to play a ‘video’ in the courtroom.

    The video was in relevance to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senator Faisal Vawda’s comments where he said that Rana Shamim, should be beaten up in public.

    However, the court refused to include it in the case and told Shamim’s lawyer to file a separate appeal.

    Senator Vawda, while speaking on ARY News’ programme, Off the Record’, said: “These retired and retarded judges who are maligning courts and judiciary should be beaten up in public. They are paving the way for chaos in society. They are maligning the noble and honest judges and dragging Pakistan towards anarchy. That is why it is important to punish them.”

    “It is questionable why their conscience woke up after three years,” said Vawda and asked as to why they did not react at the time when it happened.

    The senator further said that there were many like them in all the departments who wake up to the call of their conscience after retirement and labelled them “shameless, and disgraceful”.

    Describing Rana Shamim as a ‘bhagora’ [absconder], Vawda said, “He is an absconder, for filing an affidavit in London after retirement,” adding, “there are places where a layman goes for justice, honest judges are present there who have a career ahead of them, and then you malign them.”

    “You pit one institution against the other, you malign the military, certain elements are acting on behalf of hostile countries were maligning the institutions and pitting them against the other,” said Vawda.

    Vawda asked whether there was a video or it was money that stirred his [Rana Shamim’s] conscience, adding, “He was appointed by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in 2015 and benefitted throughout. His son was also made the advocate general. If a common thief is disgraced and criticised, then a judge who scandalises the judiciary and honest judges cannot be awarded for it. He is acting like a pimp.”

    Anchorperson Kashif Abbasi interjected and said, “I am saying this again to kindly mind your words. These are judges we are talking about, this is not how it works. Don’t do that, don’t do that.”

    “These retired and retarded judges who are maligning courts and judiciary should be beaten up in public,” asserted Vawda.

  • ‘If Nawaz Sharif can go to jail, so can Saqib Nisar’: Shahid Khaqan Abbasi

    ‘If Nawaz Sharif can go to jail, so can Saqib Nisar’: Shahid Khaqan Abbasi

    “If Nawaz Sharif can go to jail, so can Saqib Nisar,” said Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi at a press conference in Islamabad.

    Abbasi was addressing the media along with Khawaja Asif after the claims of former Chief Judge (CJ) of the apex court of Gilgit Baltistan Rana M Shamim came to light. Justice Shamim, in a signed affidavit, wrote that he is a witness to the then Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Saqib Nisar’s direction to a high court judge not to release Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz on bail at any cost before the 2018 general elections.

    “I pray that Nisar is not involved in this act. Getting involved in the country’s affairs is unconstitutional […] Nisar had visited hospitals and tried to build dams, thus we have to believe Rana Shamim’s statement,” said Shahid Khaqan Abbasi.

    “Three people, including Rana Shamin and Saqib Nisar, are aware of the facts, but the people of Pakistan should also know the truth. If someone meddles with elections, so don’t we hold the right to question them?” he said.

    Khawaja Asif said that the PML-N would raise Shamim’s allegations in parliament, as he had recorded his statement “without any pressure”.

    Meanwhile, Saqib Nisar said he didn’t want to respond to the “white lies” of the ex-GB chief justice.

    “I have never spoken to anybody or any high court judge in connection to any matter related to Mian sahab,” he said.

    Nisar said that Shamim had asked him for an extension but he didn’t accept his request, adding that the ex-GB CJ had also complained to him about the same.

  • Islamabad High Court takes notice of the allegations against former CJP Saqib Nisar

    Islamabad High Court takes notice of the allegations against former CJP Saqib Nisar

    The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday took notice of the claims of former Chief Judge (CJ) of the apex court of Gilgit Baltistan Rana M Shamim, who in a signed affidavit wrote that he is a witness to the then Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Saqib Nisar’s direction to a high court judge not to release Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz on bail at any cost before the 2018 general elections.

    Meanwhile, Saqib Nisar said he didn’t want to respond to the “white lies” of the ex-GB chief justice.

    “I have never spoken to anybody or any high court judge in connection to any matter related to Mian sahab,” he said, reports Dawn.

    Nisar said that Shamim had asked him for an extension but he didn’t accept his request, adding that the ex-GB CJ had also complained to him about the same.

    When asked why he had not issued a public statement on the matter, he replied: “Why should I? […] I don’t want to stoop to his level.”

    Reacting to the story, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry tweeted, “Jokes in the name of news are being circulated in the country to prove that Nawaz Sharif is a victim.”

    PML-N Information Secretary Marriyum Aurangzeb tweeted, “This affidavit of the former Chief Justice of Gilgit-Baltistan is a testimony against this heinous crime.”

    On the other hand, IHC has issued a contempt notice to Jang/ Geo CEO Mir Shakil and senior journalist Ansar Abbasi, for publishing the news report against the former Chief Justice of Pakistan.