Interior Minister Ijaz Shah has said that even Maryam Nawaz would be allowed to travel abroad if she was unwell, Geo News reported.
According to the details, the minister said that there was no difference of opinion in the cabinet over the issue of removing former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s name from the Exit Control List (ECL).
“Nawaz Sharif is being allowed to go abroad on humanitarian grounds,” Shah said, adding that according to the doctors, former Prime Minister’s health was in critical condition and his treatment was not possible in Pakistan.
“Nawaz is not going out of the country on a permanent basis. He will return after recovering from illness,” Shah said, dispelling the notion that the PML-N leader was being given relief under a deal.
He added that all the ministers were in favour of allowing Nawaz to go abroad for treatment.
Commenting on the ongoing Azadi March, Shah said, “We are giving Maulana Fazlur Rehman so many facilities that he will forget his demand for the prime minister’s resignation.”
The minister, however, conceded that the JUI-F chief was not going to leave Islamabad anytime soon. “We have given him water, electricity and medical support,” he said, adding that Maulana Fazl had grown fond of Islamabad.
PML-N leader Tallal Chaudry has come under fire again for passing derogatory comments and being rude to PTI MNA Kanwal Shauzab.
On a talk show, the PML-N and PTI members were in a heated debate on the ongoing ‘Azadi Marchi’ when Chaudry disrespected Kanwal by using abusive language and accusing her of the ‘things’ she has done to reach power.
“Main yahaan saari cheezain nahi bata sakta. Humaray peechay bhi phirti rahi ho. Iss baat ka jawaab do,” Chaudry said to Kanwal.
(Sister, I can’t discuss everything here. You also followed us. Do you have an answer to this?)
When Kanwal called him out for his “cheap” comments, Tallal responded, “Ghatiya tum ho gee (You are cheap). Keep your tongue in check.”
At this point, the host intervened and asked her guests to stay on the topic.
However, the two did not back down and continued to engage in an argument.
“Aap kay peechay kaun phir sakta hai? Aap toh khud dus jaghon say phir kar aye hain,” (Why would anyone follow you? You yourself have been at ten places), Kanwal remarked.
At this point, Tallal asked Kanwal to be quiet and act like a woman and earn her respect.
What was even more interesting to note that the JUI-F member Mufti Kifayatullah present on the show sat with his eyes closed.
Watch the video here:
Meanwhile, Twitter called out Tallal for being “rude and indecent”.
Ministers Shireen Mazari, Fawad Chaudhry and Zartaj Gul Wazir were among those who hit out at the lawmaker.
Talal Ch and his cohorts including Kh Asif abuse women in and out of parliament and don't have the moral courage to apologise. https://t.co/fYh0OT9r9J
کل پیش آنے واقعے، جس میں طلال چوہدری نے انتہائی گھٹیا زبان استعمال کی میری ساتھی ایم این اے کنول شاہزیب کے بارے میں، اس کی بھرپور مذمت کرتی ہوں۔ طلال کا یہ لب و لہجہ اس کی پرورش اور ملنے والی خاندانی تربیت کی عکاسی کرتا ہے۔ یہ بندہ قابل ترس ہے اور اس کا میڈیا پر بائیکاٹ کیا جائے۔
Talal Ch’s behaviour is uncivilised, unethical& highly condemnable. All such characters irrespective of party affiliation who use abusive language,target women in public sphere should be banned by the leadership.They bring disrepute to politics @MaryamNSharif@CMShehbazhttps://t.co/lMGcWwdbF4
This man is a disgrace! Talal Chaudhary should be condemned by all specially by women in politics as well as in media. Shame!! @KanwalMna Salute you for staying there listening to all that filth and still responding with words like ‘aap’. pic.twitter.com/xpvSvF6Hsl
This man is a disgrace! Talal Chaudhary should be condemned by all specially by women in politics as well as in media. Shame!! @KanwalMna Salute you for staying there listening to all that filth and still responding with words like ‘aap’. pic.twitter.com/8QoA3pVui1
This is not the first time Talal has come under fire for passing derogatory and sexist remarks. Earlier his comments on Firdous Ashiq Awan has sparked social media outrage.
“This is the kind of tabdeeli … if Baji Firdous Ashiq Awan got her face washed, the way her real looks would emerge from behind her makeup… she would appear as Firdous Khan instead. This is also the real face of this tabdeeli,” Chaudhary had said.
Following the backlash, Chaudhry had issued an apology on Twitter saying: “My intentions were not to hurt someone, if my statement or example was ‘inappropriate’ then I would like to apologise.”
Government-constituted medical board that is overseeing the treatment of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif, has recommended him a genetic test that is not available in Pakistan, The News International reported.
Reports quoted the head of the medical panel, Prof Dr Mehmood Ayaz, as saying that Nawaz needed to go abroad for treatment. “We will inform the Health Department in writing that Nawaz should undergo a genetic test abroad,” he reportedly said.
According to Dr Ayaz, a foreign visit would become essential if doctors want to examine Nawaz’s body tissues in order to diagnose the exact cause of his illness since the former prime minister (PM) was “not facing a minor genetic issue”.
With the panel head’s comments making headlines, rumour has it that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government — in both Punjab and centre — is paving way for the PML-N supremo to leave the country and “a deal has been struck”.
On Tuesday, Federal Minister for Interior Brig (r) Ijaz Shah had also hinted at allowing Nawaz to seek treatment abroad “if that turns out to be the only option”. According to some reports, incumbent PML-N chief Shehbaz Sharif is also trying to convince his brother to leave the country for treatment.
While the Lahore High Court granted bail to Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Monday, her release has so far been delayed due to procedural issues.
As per media reports, Maryam Nawaz’s lawyers were late in completing the necessary documentation. However, sources share that the delay wasn’t at Maryam’s lawyers’ end.
Due to the delay in her release, Mian Nawaz Sharif also did not shift to Sharif Medical City Hospital despite being discharged from Services Hospital on Tuesday. Mr. Sharif is adamant that he will shift only when Maryam Nawaz is released so that she can go with him.
Meanwhile, #ReleaseMaryamNOW trended on Twitter for several hours once news broke out that her release has been delayed due to procedural issues.
It is a shame that the judges leave early without implementing bail orders of @MaryamNSharif ! The personal and political vendetta against her speaks volumes the fear she instills in petty gov figureheads! #ReleaseMaryamNOW
They come n arrest her while she is meeting her father in prison, they come at 3 am in the morning to take her back to prison while she tends to her father in hospital. Where is the swift and rapid action when court orders release? #ReleaseMaryamNOWhttps://t.co/ifM7TQMIQS
Ministry of Interior has expressed fear that terrorists can attack the ongoing ‘Azadi March’ of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F), targeting Maulana Fazlur Rehman,ARY News reported.
According to the details, the Ministry has issued a fresh alert saying that terrorists want to attack JUI-F chief and for that, they can use an explosive-laden vehicle.
The interior ministry has directed officials for the provision of Maulana’s security and has informed Home Secretaries of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in this regard.
Earlier on October 25, the interior ministry had issued an alert notice of possible terror attacks by banned militant outfits. The copies of the notice were also sent to chief secretaries of all province by the authorities.
The notice stated, “The protest march announced by JUI-F increased risks for the internal security of the country besides creating the situation of instability. The notice warns that anti-state elements could take benefit of the instability by targeting public gatherings”.
Dubbed the ‘Azadi’ March, the caravan, which set off from the Sindh province, left Punjab’s city Lahore on Wednesday and culminated its journey last night in Pakistan’s capital city, Islamabad.
Amid reports of a rift between opposition parties as the
Azadi March of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) to Islamabad continues, cracks
are also emerging among ranks of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), The Current has learnt.
According to sources, PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif’s orders were disobeyed by the Punjab leadership of his party on Wednesday as 70,000 people were not mobilised to welcome Fazl’s caravan in Lahore.
The Current reached
out to several PML-N leaders to confirm or deny what rumour had and on the condition
of anonymity, one of them rejected the same.
“Both MNAs and MPAs of the PML-N were in Lahore to receive
Maulana’s caravan and they did. We even distributed food among his buses, which
were over a thousand in number,” the PML-N leader added.
“There were six different points in Lahore where our party
members gathered to welcome and facilitate Maulana Fazl. Our workers gathered to
welcome the caravan hours before its arrival.”
When asked why the PML-N leadership was nowhere to be seen at the Lahore stage of the Azadi March as JUI-F leaders addressed a mammoth gathering, the PML-N leader said they were asked to come on stage at the last minute and that too by a junior party worker.
“Not Maulana or any other JUI-F leader invited us on stage and we told them that we will come in an hour. However, later we were told that the caravan will not stop for us.”
The PML-N leader also said that they are on their way from Lahore to Islamabad with a huge crowd and plan on holding a small rally in the federal capital even though their leadership has been told by the JUI-F that the Azadi March will commence tomorrow.
When The Current reached out to other PML-N leaders for confirmation of the postponement, former National Assembly (NA) speaker Ayaz Sadiq said, “Akram Durrani Sahib called me today and said that Maulana will address Azadi March at 2 pm tomorrow after Friday prayers in Islamabad.”
Ahead of his long march to the federal capital against the Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazalur Rehman has asked the media fraternity “to unite against bars on its freedom”.
“You the journalists should plead your case against censorship being imposed by undemocratic forces,” Fazl said while addressing a press conference at the South Asia Free Media Association (SAFMA).
The JUI-F chief’s statement came days after a private media outlet took off the air his media-talk, alleging a ban imposed by the Pakistan Electronic Media Authority (PEMRA).
Geo news accepts on air that PEMRA is ordering the censorship of opposition leaders. Where is the selected PM who used to claim media in Pakistan is more free than in UK? pic.twitter.com/VrKXyS1qYe
The incident was followed by veteran journalist and analyst Hamid Mir’s tweet stating that the media watchdog has “forced TV channels not to show” Fazl’s presser.
Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority forced TV channels not to show the press conference of opposition politician Maulana Fazalur Rehman we can differ with Maulana but Govt is showing weakness by imposing unannounced censorship in Pakistan @RSF_inter@pressfreedom
He said that the government was showing weakness by “imposing unannounced censorship” in Pakistan.
Speaking to journalists Friday, Fazl said that media had a key role to play in the current situation. He claimed that it was the media that was giving his efforts a name of its choice and said, “For the JUI-F, it is an attempt to secure respect for popular vote and warn those who are trying to steal it every time.”
Flanked by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senator Pervaiz Rasheed and JUI-F leader Abdul Ghaffoor Haideri, the religio-political party chief said that if any individual wanted to attain absolute power in the negation of the democratic norms, it could not be accepted in a free and sovereign state.
“Mutiny can take place any time against tyranny,” he warned, adding that the constitution clearly demarcated the area of jurisdiction for all organs of the state, and all must respect it.
“The trouble arises when one institution tries to hog the domain of others and creeping influence destabilises other state organs by breeding frustration among them. Once that frustration hits a boiling point, the entire process implodes. This cycle is being repeated with regularity for the last seven decades. The current JUI-F effort is aimed at breaking the cycle: demolishing illegal results of the last manipulation, ensuring fresh and legal mandate and securing commitment on part of the stakeholders to respect the constitution,” Fazl explained.
He said the public mandate had been hijacked in the last general elections, adding that the nation should once again be given the right to chose and change should come through ballot to put an end to the prevailing sense of uncertainty among people.
“Only two persons, including the governor of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and the chairman of FBR [Federal Board of Revenue], have got employment in the country so far,” he said and added that the entire nation and opposition parties were on the same page against the government.
Earlier, SAFMA Secretary General Imtiaz Alam urged political parties to extend support to Fazl and sign a charter of democracy-like agreement to reject and discourage any anti-democratic regime in the country.
A “civil society declaration” on civil, political, social and human rights of the oppressed people, women and minorities was also presented to the JUI-F chief with a demand that an all parties conference must make a commitment to the people of Pakistan to make them sovereign.
GOVT READY FOR ACTION?
The capital will likely be sealed from Oct 31 onwards by either the police or the JUI-F as preparations on both sides for the Azadi March gain momentum, Dawn reported.
According to police officers, the Islamabad police have demanded more than 550 shipping containers to intercept the march before it enters the city. The demand was made by zonal superintendents of police City, Saddar, Industrial Area and Rural to the police’s logistics division, they said.
The police have decided to block each of the Expressway’s connecting roads from both sides from Faizabad to the Koral flyover, they said, as this area becomes ‘Waterloo’ for them during protests and law and order problems.
All the connecting roads of Rawalpindi to I.J. Principal Road will also likely be sealed, the officers said, and steps will be taken to intercept people trying to join the march or gather in the capital.
The police have more than 1,000 gas masks, 200 teargas launchers and 13,000 shells available in the logistics division armoury, they said, along with enough batons, plastic helmets, riot jackets, riot shields, shin guards and arms, if needed.
More riot gear was demanded to cope with a deteriorating situation, if it arises.
The police have also threatened local traders with legal action if they do business with the organisers or participants of the Azadi March, the officers said.
These traders include catering services, tent services, hotels, motels, guest-houses and inns, generators, workshops, hardware stores, welding workshops, sound system services, excavator owners and crane owners.
Rawalpindi police, on the other hand, have requested 6,000 shells of tear gas, 1,600 rubber bullets, batons, masks and shields. Anti-riot exercises have begun in Police Lines Headquarters and special squads have been formed to be deployed at sensitive locations.
A lawmaker of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has submitted in the Punjab Assembly a resolution demanding a container, tents and biryani from the government for Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl’s (JUI-F) forthcoming Azadi Marchi.
“Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan had promised giving opposition parties a container, tents and biryani for their sit-in after his election as the country’s chief executive,” PML-N’s Uzma Bukhari stated in the resolution submitted to the secretariat of the provincial house.
Speaking to journalists earlier this year, the premier had said if the opposition wanted to stage a protest, his government was “ready to provide them a container at D-Chowk”.
“We [the now ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf] staged a sit-in for 126 days, let’s see for how many days can the opposition protest,” he had said, challenging his rivals to launch a movement.
The resolution in the Punjab Assembly comes after JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s announcement to set out on a long march against the government on October 31, which will culminate in the capital, where the party also plans to hold a sit-in.
With Fazl repeatedly reminding the government of its promise to provide the protesters with said facilities, the resolution by the PML-N leader has also demanded the same.
A recent audit of the National Highway Authority (NHA) has unearthed corruption worth Rs18.9 billion in three motorway projects completed during the tenure of the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) government.
According to a private media outlet, a report by the Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) has revealed the irregularities in the Karachi-Lahore, Sukkur-Multan and Havelian-Thakot motorways.
Irregularities of over Rs7.31 billion were discovered in Lahore’s Abdul Hakeem section of the Karachi-Lahore Motorway, Rs4.9 billion in the Sukkur-Multan section, while those worth Rs6.7 billion were unearthed in the Havelian-Thakot section.
The report mentions that the contractors reduced the scope of work, however, the cost was not revised. It added that the contractors did not return the extra amount to the NHA.
The AGP also mentioned that the first notification about the problem was sent to NHA in September last year. Responding to the report, NHA spokesperson Mushtaq Ahmed said that any excess payment made during the projects will be recovered.
In a rather embarrassing development, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders have shared audit reports highlighting financial irregularities from their own tenure, while mistaking them as “shortcomings of the now ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)”.
As per the details, Dawn on Friday shared contents of an audit report pointing out irregularities worth over Rs15.67 trillion money in affairs of federal ministries and divisions during the audit year 2018-19.
PML-N central spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb besides other leaders, including Maiza Hameed and Khurram Dastgir, tweeted the report while criticising the PTI government for its “corruption”.
They, however, failed to realise that the funds audited were of the fiscal year 2017-18 — a time when the PML-N was in power — which is described as the audit year 2018-19.
With screenshots of the said tweets starting doing rounds over the internet, Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry and Minister for Economic Affairs Hammad Azhar also took a dig at the PML-N leaders for “exposing their own corruption”.
Visionary’s of PML, tweeted report of their own ministries Audit shortcomings as corruption of PTI Govt, no wonder they are lying in the dustbin of politics pic.twitter.com/TOcSwkQi2s
The tweets below were deleted because the report was related to PMLN's time. But puppets of the dynasty just tweeted it without reading it on the orders of the Mafioso. Look at the comments that pmln reps used for their own government. pic.twitter.com/5qHTdekF8s
