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Tag: Pakistan

  • ‘Nawaz Sharif cannot play without his own umpires’: Imran Khan

    ‘Nawaz Sharif cannot play without his own umpires’: Imran Khan

    The legal saga surrounding Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s jail trial and the controversial cipher case took center stage in Islamabad this week.

    On Tuesday, three witnesses provided their testimonies against the PTI chief and his party’s Vice Chairman, Shah Mahmood Qureshi.

    Judge Zulqarnain presided over the proceedings at Adiala jail under the special Official Secrets Act court. PTI legal representatives included Barristers Salman Safdar, Taimur, and Gohar Ali Khan, while special prosecutors comprised of Shah Khawar, Zulfikar Abbas Naqvi, and Raja Rizwan Abbasi.

    During the proceedings, PTI’s lawyer, Salman Akram Raja, representing Khan, raised concerns over the trial’s confined space within the jail premises, emphasizing that it wasn’t in line with legal protocols.

    Family members met the two leaders before witnesses’ statements and cross-examination were conducted; legal teams consulted with Khan and Qureshi. The PTI chief met with his wife Bushra Bibi and sisters Aleema Khan, Noreen Khanum, and Uzma Khan, within the jail premises.

    Qureshi’s daughter, Meharbano, was also present during the trial. She also spoke with the media outside the jail, and demanded justice and a fair trial for her father.

    “Let the family in; no one can have security concerns from their family. Fair trial is my father’s right and as a daughter, I have the right to see the trial,” she added.

    Contempt of court petition

    Adiala jail superintendent responded to the contempt of court petition filed by Khan on Wednesday, requesting the court to dismiss the contempt of court petition.

    “Can’t even think of disobeying the court order,” he stated in his reply.

    The superintendent told the court there is no permanent facility to make phone calls abroad on WhatsApp. He informed the court that the PTI chief spoke with his children on October 18, after the jail took special measures to make the call possible.

    “Arrangements are made for prisoners to speak with family and lawyers at the jail PCO,” he said, adding that the court can direct the Punjab Home Department to amend the rules with regard to making phone calls.

    The court, meanwhile, adjourned the hearing of the contempt petition till Monday due to the absence of Judge Abual Hasnat Zulqarnain.

    Islamabad High Court

    Islamabad High Court’s Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb asked the Attorney General of Pakistan to ensure that the cipher case trial was not conducted in an inappropriate manner, otherwise, it might collapse like a house of cards.

    An IHC bench, comprising Justice Aurangzeb and Justice Saman Rafat Imtiaz, heard the intra-court appeal filed by Khan against his jail trial and the appointment of the special court’s judge in the cipher case.

    The court adjourned the proceedings to November 14, allowing time for the attorney general to present arguments.

    Nawaz wants his own umpires

    Talking to media persons outside Adiala Jail, Imran Khan’s lawyer Barrister Umair Niazi said the PTI chief had criticised PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and also rejected the trial of civilians in military courts.

    The PTI lawyer quoted Mr Khan as saying that Nawaz Sharif cannot play without his own umpires and is again looking towards them. All political parties, except the PML-N, are calling for a level playing field, he added.

    Khan expressed concern over the fresh wave of terrorism in the country and said this was because of a “weak” Afghan policy as Mr Bhutto-Zardari, being the foreign minister, did not visit Kabul to address the issue of terrorism.

  • Child domestic worker, 9, found dead at employer’s home

    Child domestic worker, 9, found dead at employer’s home

    Ehsan, a 9-year-old domestic worker, was allegedly sodomized and then murdered by his employer Shan Ali, an estate agent, in Lahore. The employer claims that the boy committed suicide by hanging himself.

    The incident occurred in Baghbanpura, Lahore on Tuesday as per the police. A murder case has been lodged while Shan has been nominated in the FIR on the complaint of the child’s mother, Nawab Bibi.

    The child, a resident of Kasur, was sent to work as a house help at Shan’s residence some five years ago. According to the mother, her brother-in-law, Imran, used to collect wages from the employer while family members were not allowed to meet the boy. They met him only once in five years. The suspect himself called the family to inform them that the boy has taken his own life. Reportedly, the alleged killer shifted the body to the morgue before the boy’s parents arrived at his home. She told the police that her son was sodomized and then hanged by Shan.

    The alleged murderer has already fled the scene, while the police is in search of the suspect.

  • Husband and wife about to be separated amidst Afghan deportation

    Husband and wife about to be separated amidst Afghan deportation

    Amidst the deportation of Afghan refugees from Pakistan, the media is uncovering instances of families getting ripped apart.

    One such story is that of Bilal and Rabia in Karachi, who are now facing the risk of separation after 15 years of marriage, Geo has reported.

    Bilal, born to immigrant Afghan parents in 1988, has lived all his life in Karachi. Rabia, originally from DG Khan, used to live in the same locality as Bilal. The two fell in love.

    Bilal talked to his parents to ask for her hand in marriage, however, his brothers threatened to cut all ties with him if he married a Pakistani girl. Unfazed by their sentiments, he married Rabia. Bilal’s brothers left for Afghanistan and Rabia’s family gave them their consent and blessings.

    Fifteen years on, the two are happy and Bilal is also taking care of his widowed mother-in-law and a divorced sister-in-law. In the wake of Afghan expulsion from the country, fear is looming over the couple’s minds constantly. Despite every effort to get Bilal a CNIC, he has not got one in all these years and the couple is determined to get it through a legal route.

    Addressing this predicament, Bilal said, “I heard about the directive from the Peshawar High Court to grant identity cards to Afghan nationals married to Pakistani citizens. I joined the struggle in light of this landmark judgment. Unfortunately, it did not yield results. I regret not taking this matter more seriously at first. I was unaware that lacking an identity card in Pakistan could lead to separation from our families. My roots are in this country, and I have a deep affection for it. Regardless of legal decisions, our financial commitments are in Pakistan, and even if we are deported, our homeland will remain Pakistan.”

    Rabia said, “My husband’s brothers have not accepted us in the fifteen years of our marriage. They even threatened us, saying if you return, we will harm you. I am worried for my husband because he is my only support. As for myself, why should I go anywhere? I am a Pakistani. They are not my people, and neither is Afghanistan my homeland.”

    The couple, parents to five children, urged the government to review its decision or reconsider its policies regarding cases like their own.

  • Nawaz Sharif will visit Balochistan on November 13

    Nawaz Sharif will visit Balochistan on November 13

    Former prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) head Nawaz Sharif will visit Balochistan on November 13, marking his first visit within the country after his return to Pakistan on October 21.

    Nawaz Sharif will meet more than 20 electable politicians and known political personalities of the province.

    According to Samas, the politicians will join PML-N after meeting Sharif.

    On the other hand, the PML-N will announce seat adjustment with the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP).

    The former prime minister will also meet with the newly formed party structure in Balochistan.

  • ‘Be considerate’: Hasan Raheem outraged at racist comment about Afghan cricket team

    ‘Be considerate’: Hasan Raheem outraged at racist comment about Afghan cricket team

    Tuesday’s World Cup thriller between Afghanistan and Australia ended with the latter grabbing victory from the former after Glen Maxwell’s blistering knock of 201 runs.

    As X (formerly Twitter) became flooded with memes and tweets about Maxwell’s performance, one user went viral for celebrating the loss of the Afghan cricket team by comparing it to the ongoing illegal deportations of Afghan refugees. The user wrote:

    “Afghanistan to World Cup se bhi deport ho gaya.”

    The comment drew outrage from Twitter users, including singer Hasan Raheem who quoted the tweet and responded:

    Zunaira Imam, the wife of actor and director Usman Mukhtar expressed her disdain over the insensitive tweet by writing:

    “This is not funny. This is not a joke. People are suffering right now. Our policies are not only harming Afghans but also Pashtuns who are being wrongfully incarcerated or deported. People’s pain and hardship should not be the punchline for a joke.”

    Right now, more than 100,000 Afghan refugees are detained in holding centres despite most of them being registered in Pakistan. Aurat March has highlighted cases such as that of a 17-year-old boy who was picked up and deported without informing his family.

    READ MORE: ‘Afghan-looking’ Pakistanis taken to holding centres for deportation, says Aurat March

    In light of the trauma Afghan families face with the on-going deportations, X users were aghast at the insensitivity of the tweet. Especially when Pakistanis are championing the right for Palestinians to be given back their land.

  • ECP ready to conduct ‘free, fair, transparent’ election in country

    ECP ready to conduct ‘free, fair, transparent’ election in country

    The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is ready to conduct “free, fair, and transparent” general elections in Pakistan on February 8, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikander Sultan Raja said on Tuesday.

    Sikandar Raja met with caretaker Prime Minister (PM) Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar at PM House to brief him about  preparations for the upcoming general elections in the country.

    During the huddle, PM Kakar reassured the CEC that the interim government will fully cooperate with ECP, providing all necessary resources to make the general elections free, fair, and transparent.

    PM Kakar also said that the caretaker government will also provide funds and security to make polls possible.

    On the other hand, CEC also invited PM Kakar to visit ECP to review preparations for the upcoming elections.

    He further said the process of updating electoral lists is in the final phases, and they will soon be dispatched to all respective districts.

  • Punjab imposes partial smart lockdown for four days

    Punjab imposes partial smart lockdown for four days

    The Government of Punjab, after approval from the Chief Minister, has ordered “restricted movement” in some areas of Punjab to combat smog. 

    The areas of Lahore Division (District Lahore, Nankana Sahib, Sheikhupura, Kasur), District Gujranwala, District Hafizabad, and District Narowal, have the worst Air Quality Index (AQI), becoming potential hotspots for Conjunctivitis, and will go under lockdown.

    From Thursday to Sunday i.e., November 9, 2023, to November 12, 2023, all markets, shopping malls, restaurants, cinemas, gymnasiums, schools

    (public and private), and offices (public and private) will remain closed in these areas.

    Also, movement of people will be limited to and from these areas by public and private transport.

    The following will be exempted from closure:

    •           Pharmacies/ Medical Stores

    •           Medical Facilities and Vaccination Centers

    •           Petrol Pumps

    •           Oil Depots

    •           Tandoors

    •           Bakeries,

    •           Grocery / Karyana stores

    •           Milk / Dairy Shops

    •           Sweet Shops,

    •           Vegetable / Fruit Shops

    •           Chicken / Meat Shops

    •           E-commerce 

    •           Postal / Courier Services

    •           Utility Services (Electricity, Natural Gas, Internet, Cellular Networks /Telecom.

    Large departmental stores will only keep their grocery /pharmacy sections open while all other sections will remain closed.

    It has been suggested by the government that people buy groceries and medicines within the vicinity of their residence.

  • Misogyny rears its head once more with Mohib Mirza’s sexist comments

    Misogyny rears its head once more with Mohib Mirza’s sexist comments

    What is this, misogyny month?

    Another male actor has decided to raise the misogyny flag with a gross comment and this time, its Mohib Mirza. The actor was featured in a podcast for FHM Pakistan where he talked at length about his career and the controversy surrounding the actor’s marriage to Sanam Saeed. Everything was going well, and we were quite proud of how Mohib shut down allegations of cheating against his first wife Amina Sheikh.

    But this was all shot down when Mohib was asked about whether it was him or Sanam who controlled the house.

    To which Mohib responded:

    “If you’re a man you cannot be shareef. No one should remain in this delusion that a man can be innocent. A woman can be innocent but not a man. It can’t be possible because of genetics. The way it was made it’s not possible for that reason. Do you know how many cells you generate in THAT specific area? Billions! You are made like a machine so you are a machine.”

    Where do I even begin with this nonsense. Why do women need to deal with this?

    Sab say pehlay tou Mohib sir, equating manliness with strength and femininity with weakness is a relic of the past. If such a thing were real, then men wouldn’t be throwing around chairs and breaking television sets every time their favourite team lost a cricket match. And women wouldn’t be quietly toiling while suffering intense period pain. Have you ever had a chance, Mr Mohib, to read up on our history? Or even perhaps spoken with the women of this country? Sit down with an ordinary Pakistani woman who is not only working at a job, but also taking care of her children, cleaning her house and then dealing with her in-laws. While men in this country, who were apparently born with superior genes, can’t provide proper financial support for the family. The gender you’re calling weak by associating it with femininity is the one holding families together.

    And also sir, this is not the first time you and Sanam went viral with your sexist comments. Earlier this year, both Mohib and Sanam were guests on Fahad Mustafa’s show. Sanam was asked whether men need to be dealt with like babies, to which she responded: “You need to take care of men like they are children.” The statement reeks of entitlement and ignorance, and as a couple with a lot of power and social status, you need to be mindful of the kind of words you say publicly.

    But you’re lucky Mr Mohib, you’re not the only celebrity who made us want to slam our heads on the wall this week. Javed Sheikh decided it was super cool to publicly announce that he refuses to believe in the slogan ‘Mera Jism Meri Marzi’. He emphasised that a woman is beautiful when she is covered.

    Please tell us when and where did any woman ask you for your opinion? Did Haseena Moin ask you for reference when she cast you in her critically acclaimed drama ‘Ankahi’ where you acted opposite a head-strong, opinionated woman who didn’t need to cover up to demand respect from a man? Exactly, sit down.

    Why are we still addressing this topic? There’s a war in the Middle East. India is making more progressive movies like ‘Rocky and Rani’ centring around consent and holding men accountable for misogyny, and we’re still debating whether femininity makes a woman weak?

    All we will say is these are distractions from real issues, and we are done lecturing men on the basic elements of feminism. Which is why I didn’t bother to go into any details in this piece. Google is free, and at this point celebrities need to realise we can see through their PR attempts. We know what you’re doing when you bring up sexism because it will bring along another month’s easy coverage. Women don’t owe any man an explanation for why they deserve to be respected, and we’re done doing so as well.

  • PMLN, PPP ki dosti? MQMP k sath PMLN elections mein? What is happening?

    PMLN, PPP ki dosti? MQMP k sath PMLN elections mein? What is happening?

    Nawaz Sharif and Asif Ali Zardari have agreed to collaborate for the betterment of the country during a recent telephonic conversation, Geo news has revealed.

    The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) expressed their commitment to jointly tackle crucial issues affecting the nation.

    Zardari reportedly extended congratulations to Sharif on his return to Pakistan on October 21 after spending four years in self-imposed exile in London.

    Both leaders underscored the significance of the participation of all stakeholders in the collective effort to steer the country towards stability and progress, according to reliable sources.

    Acknowledging the pressing concern of inflation, the leaders also discussed plans to alleviate the burden on the public. In light of their discussion, it is anticipated that a high-level meeting will soon be convened to deliberate on crucial matters.

    The timing of their conversation coincided with the directive given to their respective party workers to gear up for the forthcoming general elections scheduled for February 8.

    Notably, the PPP and the PML-N were previously coalition partners in the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM)-led government, which came into power following the removal of former Prime Minister Imran Khan.

    However, while the news of the conversation has been making rounds, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari downplayed its significance, emphasizing that the PPP remains open to collaborating with all political parties.

    Contradicting earlier reports, PPP Central Information Secretary Faisal Karim Kundi denied any direct communication between Nawaz Sharif and Asif Ali Zardari, urging the public to verify the authenticity of such claims before spreading them.

    He took to X (former Twitter) and said, “I would like to clarify that the news of Mr. Mian Nawaz Sharif contacting President Asif Ali Zardari is false and holds no truth. We urge everyone to verify information before spreading it.”

    In related developments, Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P) on Tuesday announced that they would be jointly contesting the upcoming general elections scheduled to take place on February 8, 2024.

    The development comes following a meeting of an MQM-P delegation led by Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Farooq Sattar, and Syed Mustafa Kamal with the PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif in Lahore at the party’s Model Town secretariat.

    Later, speaking to the media, senior PML-N leader Khawaja Saad Rafique said, “It has been decided that both parties will contest February 8 polls jointly”.

    Amidst escalating political activities, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and President Arif Alvi have reached an agreement to hold the general elections on February 8, adhering to the Supreme Court’s directives following a case regarding the delay of elections.

    Following the electoral alliance between the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari has said that he welcomes his opponent’s intention to stand in elections.

    “We will stand against our opponents that are coming in elections and we welcome them,” Zardari said while addressing party works in Ghotki’s Khangarh. 

    The former president was of the view that when people who oppose each other contest elections then the competition among them delivers the “best results”. 

  • Explosive material found near Adiala jail

    The police on Tuesday found a bag containing an explosive device in Gorakhpur near Adiala jail, where the hearing of the cipher case against former Prime Minister Imran Khan is scheduled for today.

    According to police, the bomb disposal squad also confirmed that the bag had explosive material.

    “The suspicious bag was packed with high-grade explosives of 1,500 grams,” the bomb disposal squad said.

    The explosive device was defused by the Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) experts. Senior police officers of Rawalpindi police were present at the spot.

    The bag with explosives material was found one kilometre away from Adiala jail, where Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan is imprisoned.

    The incident came to light during a period when the country is facing terrorist threats from both internal and external extremist organisations, including the proscribed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

    According to the report of Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), at least 386 security officials lost their lives in first nine months of 2023.