Current Final

Tag: Pakistan

  • Lahore High Court extends halt on Zaman Park police operation till tomorrow

    Lahore High Court extends halt on Zaman Park police operation till tomorrow

    The Lahore High Court (LHC) has extended the injunction on the police operation to arrest Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan in Zaman Park till tomorrow.

    Yesterday, the court had ordered the police to stop the operation to arrest Imran Khan till 10 am today.

    At the hearing of the petition against the police operation at LHC today, the court said that on Thursday all parties should sit together and find a solution. Stating that we are being dishonored as a nation, the judge said, “Move your rally; for God’s sake, let people live their routine lives.”

    LHC also stopped PTI from holding a rally this Sunday at Iqbal Park (Minar-e-Pakistan) and asked the party to let citizens live their routine lives.

    The party was planning to hold a “historic” public rally at Lahore’s Minar-e-Pakistan on March 19 and PTI Chairman Imran Khan was set to lead it — despite “security threats”.

    PTI workers clashed for nearly 24 hours with the law enforcers trying to get through the party supporters and arrest Khan.

  • Mira Sethi meets boy who stood up to misogynist reporter at Aurat March

    At this year’s Aurat March, a boy went viral on Twitter when he was seen schooling a reporter by explaining to him why marching for women’s rights is incredibly important.

    Actress and writer Mira Sethi revealed yesterday that she had met the boy by tracing him down on Twitter, and described him as her ‘hero’.

    “Remember the kid who stood up to that vile reporter at Aurat March Lahore?” she wrote, “I found him on Twitter, asked if I could come over to express my gratitude and met his whole family. Muhammad Ali is only 20, but he radiates clarity and courage. I’m going to do whatever it takes to make sure his light is never dimmed. So full of gratitude today.”

    Syed Aly Jaffery also shared the interaction on his Twitter page and called her a ‘nice and amazing person’

    https://twitter.com/SyedAliJafferyy/status/1635985794602086401?s=20
  • Chinese bank to provide Pakistan with another $500 million loan soon

    Chinese bank to provide Pakistan with another $500 million loan soon

    A Chinese bank has committed to provide Pakistan with another refinanced $500 million loan within the next few days. This brings the total of commercial loans to $1.7 billion out of the committed amount of $2 billion.

    Pakistani authorities are currently seeking 100 per cent confirmation from friendly donor countries and multilateral creditors before moving towards an agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The IMF has set an unwritten condition that Pakistan must secure refinancing of commercial loans and a rollover on deposits from China during the program period, which is set to expire in June 2023.

    A top official from the Finance Division confirmed that another $500 million commercial loan from a Chinese bank is on its way and will be completed soon. Chinese banks have already provided refinancing of $1.2 billion in commercial loans in the past few weeks, and Beijing has given assurance on another $500 million in loan refinancing in the next few days. Pakistan has also requested a rollover on the Chinese SAFE deposit of $2 billion within the ongoing month.

    All these factors are prerequisites for moving towards the signing of a staff-level agreement between the IMF and Pakistan. The Pakistani authorities are waiting for confirmation from Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Qatar, as well as from the World Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, to fulfill the external financing needs of $6 billion until the end of June 2023. The guarantees for securing external financing are crucial for the sustainability of the IMF program.

    Brent crude and WTI are both down in the international market, which is good news for Pakistan’s economy. However, the IMF has secretly launched “Inclusive growth in the MENA region” at NUST. The IMF high-ups argued that state-owned enterprises (SOEs) possessing a major footprint resulted in the crowding out of the private sector. Pakistan’s budget makers have also assured the IMF that they will prepare gender-based budgeting in the next financial year.

    To meet the IMF’s demands, the CPI-based and SPI-based inflations have risen to unprecedented levels of 31.5 per cent every month and 42.3 per cent every week. The development budget of the federal government, known as the Public Sector Development Program (PSDP), has been slashed by 50 per cent for the current fiscal year in line with the Fund’s demand to curtail the budget deficit target.

  • Will stop police from arresting Khan if he surrenders, says court

    Will stop police from arresting Khan if he surrenders, says court

    An Islamabad court said on Thursday that it can ask Islamabad police not to arrest Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan if he surrenders himself before the authorities.

    The judge passed the remarks while hearing the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) reference seeking criminal proceedings against Imran for concealing details of Toshakhana gifts.

    At the outset of the hearing, the PTI chief’s lawyer Khawaja Harris read out the IHC’s order on the party’s petition against the arrest warrants.

    In response, the judge said that the trial court has not received the IHC’s order through the official process, but noted that the issue can be resolved quickly and asked where Khan was.

    “Has Imran Khan presented himself before the court?” the judge asked. At this, Harris asked the judge whether it was important for the former prime minister to appear before the court in person.

    “We want Imran Khan to appear before the court. Why isn’t he presenting himself before us? What’s the reason?” he asked, noting that in line with the law, Khan should assist the police and not resist it.

    “Imran Khan created a scene by resisting [arrest],” the judge said, adding that the IHC’s order also mentions that the lower court’s order should not be affected through “illegal actions”.

    The judge remarked that there “would be no issue” if the warrants were bailable, but the warrants issued against Khan were non-bailable. “The arguments you have presented are related to bailable arrest warrants,” the judge told the lawyer.

    Harris then asked the judge whether he wanted to remain stern and keep Khan’s arrest warrants active. At this, the judge remarked that the warrants were issued to ensure Khan’s presence in person.

    The lawyer then added Khan himself has said that he wants to appear before the court and he is not seeking any exemptions.

    You have two options, Harris said, adding that the first option is to suspend the non-bailable warrant by accepting the undertaking request, and the second is to accept the surety and issue a bailable arrest warrant.

    PTI’s lawyers, requesting to suspend the arrest warrants, said that Khan wants to give an undertaking to the court that he will appear in the session court on March 18.

    The judge then said the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) should also be issued a notice. At this, the lawyer said that the court should issue the notice and summon the election commission today.

    Judge Iqbal also asked Khan’s counsel why the situation in Lahore’s Zaman Park was “bad”. “This warrant has become not only the most expensive in Pakistan but the world. The government has spent millions of rupees to follow through on this warrant.”

    Khan’s counsel lamented that whatever is happening at Zaman Park should not have taken place, and at this, the judge said that Khan should have been brought straight to the court.

    “It is not possible that Imran Khan is harassed when he appears before the court. We are a poor country and it is not feasible to spend millions of rupees on a warrant.”

    The judge added that if the PTI chief surrenders himself to the authorities, then he would tell the police to stand down and asked the counsel what could be amended in Khan’s warrants.

    Harris then pleaded that Khan is giving an undertaking and that the court should suspend his warrants. “The warrants were issued in line with the law, then why did [authorities] face resistance? It is the nation’s money. The most you could have done was to hold a peaceful protest.”

    The judge said in criminal cases, suspects appear before the court and once they do, the non-bailable arrest warrants are suspended. “The police can’t sit idle when arrest warrants are issued for March 18.”

    The judge then added that he was issuing a notice to the ECP and adjourned the hearing till 12pm.

  • Govt hikes petrol price by Rs5 to Rs272 per litre to match global market changes

    Govt hikes petrol price by Rs5 to Rs272 per litre to match global market changes

    As per a press release from the Finance Division, the government has decided to raise the price of petrol by Rs5 per litre to Rs272 per litre for the next two weeks, effective from March 16 (Thursday).

    The statement noted that the increase was due to the rise in Platts Singapore prices over the past two weeks and the depreciation of the Pak Rupee, resulting in a hike in petroleum, oil, and lubricant (POL) products in Pakistan.

    The notification further disclosed that the price of high-speed diesel has been increased by Rs13 per litre to Rs293 per litre, and kerosene has been raised by Rs2.56 per litre to Rs190.29 per litre by reducing government dues on them. However, the price of light diesel oil has been kept constant at Rs184.68 per litre by adjusting government dues.

    It’s worth mentioning that Finance Minister Ishaq Dar had previously announced a reduction in petrol prices by Rs5 per litre on February 28.

  • ‘Meri Selection ho gayi’; Azam Khan posted meme after getting selected for team Green

    ‘Meri Selection ho gayi’; Azam Khan posted meme after getting selected for team Green

    Azam Khan, the young breakout star of Pakistan Super League (PSL) Season 8, has had his hard work pays off.

    After facing bullying and criticism, Azam Khan proved himself as a reliable middle order batter in the T20 format by working on his weaknesses.


    The young wicket keeper celebrated his success by posting the famous meme “Meri Selection ho gayi hay” in which an aged man is auditioning for Waqar Zaka’s reality show, on his Twitter.

    After the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) selection committee announced the squad for the team’s upcoming series with Afghanistan, Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Azam Khan on Monday shared the funny meme to celebrate his success.

    Taking to his Twitter, the 24-year-old cricketer shared the meme expressing his surprise at the board’s decision.

    The Islamabad United player, who scored 280 runs in nine matches at a strike-rate of almost 163 in the ongoing eighth edition of the PSL, joked about how he was feeling about his “selection” and received congratulatory messages from his fans and followers on the bird app.

    Earlier today, PCB Management Committee Chairperson Najam Sethi said that an opportunity will be given to young players who had performed well in the PSL.

    He announced that white-ball team vice-captain Shadab Khan will lead the 15-player side.

    Four uncapped players including Ihsanullah, Saim Ayub, Tayyab Tahir and Zaman Khan were named in the squad, while Azam Khan, Abdullah Shafique, Faheem Ashraf and Imad Wasim have also been recalled to the team.

  • No hurdles; Qalandars vs Sultans match will be played as per schedule

    No hurdles; Qalandars vs Sultans match will be played as per schedule

    Since the last 24 hours, the law and order situation in Lahore’s Zaman Park, the residence of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, has turned critical. Clashes between supporters of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)workers and state turned violent, leaving Pakistan Super League (PSL) matches in limbo.


    Now Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced that the Lahore Qalandars vs Multan Sultans PSL match will be played as per schedule in Lahore.


    The PCB statement, which it shared from its official Twitter handle, came after the law and order situation in the Zaman Park area worsened over the expected arrest of former Premier Imran Khan.

    “The PSL8 Qualifier in Lahore today will be played at the Gaddafi Stadium as scheduled,” the PCB tweeted allying concerns over the law and order situation.


    Yesterday both teams had to cancel their practice session at due to the clashes. Both teams are scheduled to play the playoffs match of PSL 8 in Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium today.


    The match between the two favorites of PSL 8 will be played today at 7pm.


    Defending champions Qalandars are confident they will maintain their winning momentum against the Sultans, while the Rizwan-led side will be looking to jump back to its feet and power up to the final as they did last year.

    While the winning side will qualify for the final, the losing side will play the second eliminator against the winning side of the first eliminator.

  • ‘Tell Khan to give in’: Yasmin Rashid allegedly asks President to intervene and talk to Khan

    ‘Tell Khan to give in’: Yasmin Rashid allegedly asks President to intervene and talk to Khan

    Amidst the clash between police, rangers and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) supporters, a second alleged audio leak of former provincial Health Minister Dr. Yasmin Rashid has surfaced online.

    In the alleged audio, Rashid is in conversation with President Dr Arif Alvi, asking him to intervene in the crisis at Zaman Park.

    The audio leak is transcribed as follows;

    Rashid: Sir, the situation is very bad here.

    Dr Alvi: Yes, absolutely.

    Rashid: Our workers have started throwing Molotov cocktails. Before bloodshed takes place, I think you need to talk to someone and intervene.

    Dr Alvi: I have talked.

    Rashid: You should tell him that you will talk to him and try to sort… to Khan sahab.

    Dr Alvi: I don’t understand what you’re saying.

    Rashid: Sir, the situation right now is that people may die, some policemen will be killed. The situation will worsen so much that the elections will be postponed. This was our purpose.

    Dr Alvi: Okay.

    Rashid: I think what you need to do is, tell him [Khan sahab], that he should give in and fight another day. This is what I think and the rest is up to you. He will not give up.

    Rashid: Petrol bombs were thrown. I am intentionally sitting outside. I had to call people.

    Dr Arif: Let me consult Asad Umar.

    Rashid: I talked with Asad, he asked me not to say anything. We both are sitting outside.

    Dr Alvi: Okay.

    Rashid: I think you should talk with Shah Saab [Shah Mahmood Qureshi]. He is sitting inside with Khan.

    Dr Alvi: Okay.

    Earlier in the day, Rashid in another alleged audio leak told former Federal Minister for Narcotics Ejaz Shah that Khan Sahib has said at that it is time to call all MNAs and MPAs.

  • DAY 2: Khan still not arrested, court tells police to stop operation until tomorrow

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan hasn’t still arrested by the police, which has created an extremely chaotic and tense situation in Lahore.

    Now, the Lahore High Court (LHC) has directed the police to delay its operation to arrest Imran Khan till 10am on Thursday.

    Jazba-e-Imran koyi Murad Saeed se seekhay

    Currently, the face-off has cooled down, however, in the video Khan’s followers and prominent members of PTI including Murad Saeed, Qasim Suri and Zulfi Bukhari can be seen celebrating.

    A large gathering of PTI supporters resisted attempts to arrest Imran Khan against rangers and police.

    Yasmin Rashid’s audio leak

    Amidst the clash between police, rangers and PTI supporters, another alleged audio leak has surfaced online.

    This time around, one can allegedly hear former Health Minister Yasmin Rashid and former Federal Minister for Narcotics Ejaz Shah in conversation about the plausible arrest of Khan.

    In the alleged audio, Rashid told Shah that Khan Sahib has said at that it is time to call all MNAs and MPAs.

    On hearing this, Shah replied that they were doing it. Rashid then gave Khan’s instructions to the former minister and said that the party head is asking to bring people and reach there.

    According to Rashid, Khan is telling them to come immediately, or he will not give party tickets to those who do not come.

    ‘Those who claim they are neutral, is this your idea of neutrality’: Khan ka neutrals se sawaal

    Imran Khan has questions for the establishment.

    In a series of tweets earlier today, Khan said that after a day of facing tear gas, cannons with chemical water, rubber bullets and live bullets, “we now have Rangers taking over and are now in direct confrontation with the people”.

    “My question to the establishment, to those who claim they are ‘neutral’: Is this your idea of neutrality, Rangers directly confronting unarmed protestors & leadership of the largest political party when their leader is facing an illegal warrant & case already in court & when govt of crooks trying to abduct & possibly murder him?” he asked.

    Khan, in another tweet, wrote, “My house has been under heavy attack since yesterday afternoon. Latest attack by Rangers, pitting the largest pol party against the army. This is what PDM and the enemies of Pakistan want. No lessons learnt from the East Pakistan tragedy.”

    “Clearly arrest claim was mere drama because real intent is to abduct & assassinate. From tear gas & water cannons, they have now resorted to live firing.”

    “I signed a surety bond last evening, but the DIG refused to even entertain it. There is no doubt of their mala fide intent,” tweeted Khan.

    Don’t worry, you didn’t miss Imran Khan’s arrest overnight. He’s still in Zaman Park

    If you slept early last night, and missed Imran Khan’s arrest, don’t worry. Because the police failed to take the PTI Chairman into custody on Tuesday.

    After clashes left 54 policemen and eight civilians injured, Rangers have now moved towards Zaman Park to arrest Khan, who has warrants issued against him for not appearing at court hearings.

  • PM Shehbaz expresses concern over IMF conditions burdening people

    PM Shehbaz expresses concern over IMF conditions burdening people

    The Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, has shown worry that the terms set by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will result in an increased burden on the citizens.

    During an appearance on the Geo News program Capital Talk, the Prime Minister attributed the stringent conditions to the previous government, alleging that they had breached their commitments to the IMF.

    Consequently, the IMF is insisting that Pakistan fulfills all of the conditions regardless of the cost, according to the Prime Minister. He acknowledged that many people in Pakistan are having trouble putting food on the table, purchasing medication, and paying for their children’s education.

    The Prime Minister claimed that former Prime Minister Imran Khan almost defaulted on Pakistan and damaged the country’s relations with numerous friendly countries. However, he stated that his government had provided relief to underprivileged individuals through the Benazir Income Support Program.

    He further stated that inflation was caused by the increased cost of imported goods as commodity prices rose due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. In Pakistan, inflation is expected to reach its highest level in nearly 50 years.

    Additionally, Pakistan is struggling to obtain funding from friendly nations, resulting in a delay in the IMF bailout. The IMF Managing Director, Kristalina Georgieva, recently urged Pakistan to increase tax revenues and distribute subsidies only to those who truly require them. She emphasized that the IMF is dedicated to protecting the impoverished people of Pakistan.