Current Final

Tag: PML-N

  • Maryam Nawaz announces transgender schools in each division while they exist since PTI times

    Maryam Nawaz announces transgender schools in each division while they exist since PTI times

    Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz has announced the establishment of transgender schools at the division level. Additionally, she directed the relevant officials to provide educational facilities to special children in at least one government school in each district.


    Dawn reports that these decisions were ta­­ken at a meeting held to re­­­view proposed school education reforms in the province.


    While chairing the revi­­ew meeting, CM Nawaz said: “Schools for trans­ge­nder [community] will be established at divisional level.”


    PTI-initiated Transgender schools


    Nine of the 11 divisions in Punjab already have schools for the transgender community. The initiative was taken by the previous PTI government under the supervision of the then Punjab Minister for School Education Murad Raas.


    Trans Educational School Sys­t­­em, Multan, Principal Ali­sha Sherazi told Dawn that no one from the government had contacted them for the establishment of transgender schools, as such schools already exis­ted in different cities of Punjab like D.G. Khan, Gujran­wala, Rawalpindi, Sargo­dha, Faisalabad, Gujrat, Multan and Bahawalpur. Only the one established in Lahore was later closed, she added.


    Transgender schools


    Alisha Sherazi, a trans­gender and a former cons­u­ltant of UNDP who did her MPhil in Education, Planning and Manage­m­ent from Burhanuddin Za­­kariya University, expl­ai­ned that three of the scho­ols including D.G. Khan, Multan and Bahawalpur were giving vocational tr­­a­ining to members of the transgender community. Four labs for IT, stitching, cooking and make-up classes were established in those schools, while other schools were focusing on academics, according to the principal.


    The government did not have the exact figures of transgender community’s population in the Punjab, Alisha added.


    At the meeting, CM Maryam Nawaz directed relevant authorities to implement a new comprehensive procedure.

  • PM Shehbaz set to visit Saudi Arabia for two days  

    PM Shehbaz set to visit Saudi Arabia for two days  

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif will depart for a two-day trip to Saudi Arabia for Umrah on Saturday night. During his stay in Jeddah, he will also meet his Saudi Arabian counterpart, The News reported on Friday.

    The Premier will discuss various projects during a meeting with Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

    Shehbaz Sharif will also invite MbS to visit Pakistan soon.

    During his stay in Saudi Arabia, both countries will finalise multiple development projects, and continue bilateral cooperation in various sectors, including agriculture. 

    The sources of The News claimed that Saudi Arabia will also invest $1 billion in the Reko Diq project.

    The schedule for PM Shehbaz’s visit will be finalised on Friday (today), said the sources.

  • Kakar out, Gillani in; PPP takes final decision

    Kakar out, Gillani in; PPP takes final decision

    Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has nominated former prime minister and party loyalist Yousaf Raza Gillani as its candidate for the slot of Senate Chairman on Thursday.

    Jamil Soomro, political secretary of PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, issued a notification on Thursday, putting to rest all speculation that the party will nominate another former Prime Minister, Anwaar Kakar, for the covered post.

    Following an agreement between the PPP and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on certain positions, like the post of president, Senate chairman, and governorship of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, were given to the PPP. However, the posts of Senate deputy chairman, National Assembly speaker, and governorship of Sindh and Balochistan were provided to PML-N.

    The former prime minister has the support of a total 54 senators, including 24 from the PPP, 19 from PML-N, four from the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), three from the Awami National Party (ANP), three independents, and one from the National Party.

    However, if he gets the support of three MQM-P and five JUI-F senators, this number will become 64, which means Yousaf Raza Gillani will be in a comfortable position to get elected to the seat of Senate Chairman.

    On the other hand, the PTI has the support of 20 senators and one each from the BNP and PML-Q, taking the tally to 22.

  • Women arrested for stealing Uzma Kardar’s jewellery accuse police of beating, stripping them

    Women arrested for stealing Uzma Kardar’s jewellery accuse police of beating, stripping them

    Four women, detained for allegedly stealing jewellery belonging to PML-N’s Member of Punjab Assembly Uzma Kardar, have accused police of physical torture and stripping them in the presence of the MPA during the investigation process.


    The jewellery theft case was registered at the Model Town police station. However, the suspects, who are employees of a private housing society club have denied the allegations.


    The MPA suspected that two instructors and two club employees were involved in the theft. It was stated in the FIR that after attending the assembly session, she had gone to the club for swimming. She put the jewellery in her purse, which was kept in the club’s locker. Upon her return, she found out that jewellery worth Rs4-5 lakh had been stolen.


    SP Model Town told The News that four female employees of the club were detained after registration of the theft case. They were released after Uzma Kardar’s husband was taken into confidence on the matter. He said the club management also vouched for them and declared them innocent. He said the matter was still under investigation with the help of club’s surveillance cameras and management’s statements.

    MPA Uzma Kardar has called it “completely fabricated lies just to cover up systematic theft”. She emphasised that the women were investigated in front of her and were not detained for the night.

  • Police official transferred after stopping black window car of PML-N MPA

    Police official transferred after stopping black window car of PML-N MPA

    A police officer was transferred on Sunday for stopping the car of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader and Member of Provincial Assembly (MPA) Malik Waheed Awan.

    Sub-inspector Yasir and other officials halted Waheed’s vehicle with tinted windows while the MPA was inside the car.

    A video showing the conversation between the PML-N leader and police personnel surfaced online, where the politician can be heard saying, “I am Malik Waheed, not just an ordinary MPA.”

    Awan demanded an on-camera apology from the policeman. However, Sub-Inspector (SI) Yasir and officials apologised to MPA Malik Waheed. Later, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Operations Ali Nasir Rizvi transferred sub-inspector Yasir to the judicial wing.

    In a video statement, Malik Waheed stated that he had come to thank the trader’s community in the constituency after winning the election, but the police deliberately stopped his vehicle.

    The PML-N leader added that he is a police-friendly person and salutes the police.

  • Pakistan to review trade ties with India, says FM Dar

    Pakistan to review trade ties with India, says FM Dar

    Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has stated that Pakistan will think about re-establishing trade relations with India, suspended since August 2019, when the Narendra Modi-led government ended the special status of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

    “Pakistani businessmen want trade with India to resume,” the foreign minister said while addressing the media at the Pakistan High Commission in London at the end of his visit to the UK and Europe on Saturday.

    In August 2019, the Modi-led government unilaterally changed the special status of the occupied valley, causing Pakistan to downgrade its ties with India.

    In February 2021, despite the strained relationship between the two neighbours, Pakistan and India both agreed to renew the 2003 ceasefire agreement along the Line of Control (LoC). Pakistan has connected its choice to improve relations with India to the reinstatement of the special status of the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

    Recently, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Shehbaz Sharif on becoming of prime minister of Pakistan.

    “Congratulations to [Shehbaz Sharif] on being sworn in as the prime minister of Pakistan,” Modi wrote in a brief message on X, formerly Twitter.

  • Drama stirs up as Khan’s presence in  Punjab Assembly takes stage

    Drama stirs up as Khan’s presence in  Punjab Assembly takes stage

    Imran Khan, incarcerated founder of PTI, caused chaos in the Punjab Assembly on Thursday as a portrait of the former prime minister was placed on the opposition leader’s seat, leading to disorder in the house. Members of the treasury walked out after the chair refused to take any action.

    During Thursday’s budget session, which resumed after a two-day break, Deputy Speaker Malik Zaheer Iqbal Channar chaired the session. PML-N lawmakers Malik Waheed and Bilal Yameen protested when they saw Mr. Khan’s portrait on opposition leader Malik Ahmed Khan Bhachhar’s seat.

    On a point of order, they demanded the chair remove the portrait of a person “who has been convicted by a court of law and is still behind bars.” They claimed that bringing the picture of a convict into the house was against assembly rules.

    The chair advised the protesters to join the budget session instead of raising objections. However, the two PML-N members kept protesting, interrupting the session. They then left when the deputy speaker didn’t make a decision about the portrait.

  • Ex-Army Chief Bajwa threatens PML-N’s Khawaja Asif

    Ex-Army Chief Bajwa threatens PML-N’s Khawaja Asif

    Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif revealed on Shahzeb Khanzada’s show last night that former Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Qamar Javed Bajwa threatened him that he would hold a press conference against him after the minister’s criticism about the previous army chief’s policy of rehabilitating Tehreek Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants back into the country.

    Khawaja Asif pointed out that when the former army chief previously gave a briefing to the parliament,
    “A rosy picture was painted that if the Taliban were to return to Pakistan, it would usher in a new era of peace and brotherhood.”
    He further said “Its not wrong or blasphemous of me to suggest that they return to the same forum and explain.”

    Asif said that he did not insult anyone by asking that Bajwa and Gen (ret.) Faiz Hameed be summoned before the national parliament to give a briefing about their flawed policy. He reiterated, “What Pakistan is currently going through is basically a ‘continuity’ of that infamous briefing that the ex-generals gave us.”

    When the anchor asked him whether he received any advice from his party to stay away from this topic, he replied that they did not, and it is a matter of principle for him.

  • 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.

  • Shahid Khaqan Abbasi hints at launching his new political party

    Shahid Khaqan Abbasi hints at launching his new political party

    Former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has hinted at launching a new political party soon, ARY News reported on Tuesday.

    “We are holding consultations and groundwork is in progress for a new political party,” he told the media while arriving for a NAB hearing. “The country needs a new political party,” he said.

    The senior politician requested that the president and prime minister abolish the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) as it is necessary to save the country.

    “I don’t want withdrawal of cases against me but decision on all these cases,” he said.

    Abbasi also said on a question regarding his meet-up with Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawab Sharif that “I am ready to meet him, when he will summon.”