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Tag: PML-N

  • Maryam Nawaz to launch free WiFi pilot project in Lahore

    Maryam Nawaz to launch free WiFi pilot project in Lahore

    A meeting was held under the chairmanship of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz in Lahore, in which it was decided that a free WiFi project will be launched in 10 different places in the provincial capital in two weeks while free WiFi points will be set up at 516 places in the city.

    Maryam Nawaz has directed officials to start free WiFi preferably at educational institutions, airports, railway stations and bus stands.

    She has also approved the construction of the 21-storey Arfa Karim Tower 2.

    While briefing the meeting, it was said that the IT, Education and Film City project will start soon; while Microsoft, Oracle and other big companies have expressed their willingness for IT City.

    Maryam Nawaz has also directed authorities to invite Chinese IT companies to build offices, adding that the best IT companies of the world will be provided business opportunities in the IT City.

    The Chief Minister of Punjab has set a deadline for the plan of the establishment of Lahore Knowledge Park and IT City.

  • ‘It took me 12–13 years to make my place in PML-N’, says Maryam Nawaz

    ‘It took me 12–13 years to make my place in PML-N’, says Maryam Nawaz

    Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz said on Friday that she struggled for 12 to 13 years to make her place in the male-dominated Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

    “My presence here is a message to mothers, daughters, and sisters that if you want to do something, then being a woman is not an obstacle in achieving your dreams,” Maryam said addressing an event related to the International Women’s Day in Lahore.

    The newly appointed chief minister expressed her wish for a woman to replace her in Punjab and also stated her desire for women to be elected to the chief executive’s office in other provinces as well.

    Maryam Nawaz took oath as the chief minister of an important province Punjab on February 26, and she is the first female chief minister in Pakistan.

    The PML-N vice president won the chief ministerial election after obtaining 220 votes in the provincial assembly.

  • Hassan, Hussain Nawaz arrest warrants get suspended

    Hassan, Hussain Nawaz arrest warrants get suspended

    An accountability court has suspended the arrest warrants of Hasan Nawaz and Hussain Nawaz — sons of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif- in multiple cases, including the Al-Azizia, Flagship, and Avenfield cases.

    Judge Nasir Javed Rana of the accountability court announced the decision after reserving the verdict a day earlier.

    As per the verdict, the arrest warrants are suspended until March 14.

    The arrest warrants against the brothers were issued seven years ago when the court declared them absconders.

    In today’s hearing, both brothers were represented by their lawyer, Qazi Misbah, while National Accountability Bureau (NAB) prosecutors Sardar Muzaffar, Usman Masood, and Sohail Arif also appeared in court.

    The petition for suspension of arrest warrants was filed as Nawaz Sharif’s sons are planning to return to Pakistan on March 12.

  • Punjab’s first Sikh minister, Ramesh Singh Arora, takes oath

    Punjab’s first Sikh minister, Ramesh Singh Arora, takes oath

    After Maryam Nawaz became the first female chief minister of Punjab and the first female chief executive of a province in the country, history was made yet again with the inclusion of the first Sikh minister in the provincial cabinet.

    Ramesh Singh Arora, a member of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), took oath to become a minister in the provincial cabinet. The Sikh politician has returned to the provincial assembly for the third term, this time with the portfolio of a minister.

    Arora, who hails from Narowal, has been allotted the minorities portfolio. He was also the first-ever Sikh lawmaker of Punjab, taking oath as a member of the provincial assembly in 2013.
    Meanwhile, the provincial cabinet has appointed Khalil Tahir Sindhu, a member of the christian community from Punjab, to serve alongside Arora. Sindhu will handle the human rights portfolio.
    Since 1970, various political parties or alliances, such as the PML-N, Pakistan Peoples Party, Islami Jamhoori Ittehad, Pakistan Muslim League Quaid, and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, have formed governments. However, the PML-N stands out as the only party to bring the first Sikh MPA to the house and include him in the cabinet.

  • PML-N, allies secure two-third majority in National Assembly

    PML-N, allies secure two-third majority in National Assembly

    The coalition government, led by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and allies has secured a two-thirds majority in the National Assembly (NA) after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) allocated them reserved seats but not to opponent Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC).

    A total of 224 seats out of 336 are a requirement for any government to secure a two-thirds majority in NA.

    Considering the current numbers, the Shehbaz Shairif-led coalition government — comprising Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), MQM-Pakistan (MQM-P), Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP), Pakistan Muslim League-Zia (PML-Z), Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), and National Party (NP) —  has 230 members in the lower house. 

    The PML-N currently has 123 seats in NA, of which 75 are general seats, which the party won in the February 8 polls. After that, nine independent MNAs joined the party, taking the number to 84. However, PML-N secured 23 reserved seats, including 16 for women and 4 for minorities.

    Similarly, after the ECP ruling on the remaining reserved seats, the party got the lion’s share, bagging 15 out of the remaining 20 reserved seats for women and one out of the three remaining seats reserved for minorities. 

    The PML-N now has 123 members, becoming the largest party in the NA.

    On the other hand, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-backed SIC stands at the second position with 82 seats, PPP now has 73 seats, including 54 general seats, 16 women and another three reserved seats for minorities.

    Moreover, MQM-P stands at number four with a tally of 22 MNAs, including 17 general seats and five reserved seats — four women and one minority.

    IPP has four seats in the National Assembly, including three general and one reserved for women.

    Similarly, six political parties have one general seat, including BAP, Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM), PML-Z, Balochistan National Party (BNP), Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) and the National Party (NP).

  • Pakistan’s next Finance Minister: Who is Muhammad Aurangzeb?

    Pakistan’s next Finance Minister: Who is Muhammad Aurangzeb?

    In a significant development, sources have revealed that Muhammad Aurangzeb, a distinguished banker, is poised to become the country’s next finance minister under the newly-elected Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. This comes as part of the impending formation of the federal cabinet.

    The sources further disclosed that Ishaq Dar, a former finance minister and close aide to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif, is no longer in contention for the position due to health issues.

    Instead, there is speculation that Dar might be offered another crucial role, considering his formidable track record during the previous Pakistan Democratic Movement.

    During his tenure, Dar faced significant challenges in rejuvenating the stalled International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme. However, the sources did not specify the potential alternative role for Dar.

    According to information from Geo News, Muhammad Aurangzeb brings an impressive resume to the table. He has previously held the position of president at HBL and served as the CEO of JP Morgan’s Global Corporate Bank in Asia.

    With a robust international banking experience spanning over 30 years, Aurangzeb has held various senior management roles.

    In an interesting turn of events, it was revealed that the government’s initial preference for the finance minister role was Sultan Allana, the Chairman of HBL.

    Allana is recognised for his extensive experience in finance and the economy. Notably, he played a pivotal role in conceptualising the Roshan Digital Account and spearheaded the project management efforts that contributed to Pakistan’s removal from the FATF Grey List.

    However, sources clarified that Allana had international work commitments related to the Aga Khan, preventing him from committing to the finance minister role.

    This opens the door for Muhammad Aurangzeb, whose impressive banking background positions him as a strong candidate for the crucial position of finance minister under the new government.

  • Maryam Nawaz announces first public cancer hospital in Punjab

    Maryam Nawaz announces first public cancer hospital in Punjab

    Chief Minister of Punjab, Maryam Nawaz, has announced plans to build the first government cancer hospital in Punjab. The hospital will be built near Valencia town in Lahore, as per SAMMA. 

    The newly-elected chief minister visited the potential site for the hospital and received a briefing about the project. The CM also approved the construction of a hotel building for the attendants of cancer patients.

    Maryam Nawaz said that cancer patients will get free treatment in the hospital.

    The Punjab chief minister also announced that the government will provide the best medical professionals and state-of-the art equipment to treat cancer patients.

    She declared that screening for diseases will start in the province, adding that when she vacates her office after five years, she wants a state-of-the-art hospital in every city. She also announced free medicines in all emergency departments of government hospitals starting today. The Rescue 1122 service has been asked to launch a motorway ambulance service.

  • PPP agrees on Dar as finance minister

    PPP agrees on Dar as finance minister

    The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has agreed to the appointment of Ishaq Dar as the finance minister, as per The News on Monday. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and PPP are ready to form a coalition government in the centre after the February 8 polls nationwide.

    The development comes in the backdrop of PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto’s tirade during election campaign in the run-up to the February 8 polls, wherein he had time and again criticised Dar for mismanaging the economy during the PML-N-led Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government.

    In January, Bilawal Bhutto told Geo News that his party will see  “anyone but Dar” as the country’s finance minister because of the poor economic situation in Pakistan.

    The PML-N leader refrained from responding to his comment and said, “He [Bilawal] is like my child. I don’t want to comment on what he said.” 

    “This is the same Bilawal who on the floor [of the parliament] a few months back used to say that for him I’m Dar uncle,” he added.

  • PML-N’s Ayaz Sadiq elected speaker National Assembly

    PML-N’s Ayaz Sadiq elected speaker National Assembly

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Ayaz Sadiq has been elected as the new speaker of the National Assembly (NA) on Friday afternoon.  Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-supported candidate Amir Dogar was in competition with PML-N’s Ayaz Sadiq for the position of speaker NA.

    Sadiq won the contest with 199 votes, gaining a majority from the members of the PML-N, PPP and other lawmakers backing his nomination in the lower house. 

    The counting of votes is being done by the NA Secretariat staff in the presence of polling agents for both candidates.

    The NA session was held today to elect the speaker and deputy speaker. However, the elected PTI-backed MNAs chanted slogans against alleged rigging in the February 8 polls.

    The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Raja Parvez Ashraf chaired today’s session of NA.

    Raja Parvez Ashraf will also take oath from the speaker and deputy speaker of the NA. After taking the oath, the new speaker will take charge of the lower house.

  • Pakistan will come out of difficult situation in two years, says Nawaz Sharif

    Pakistan will come out of difficult situation in two years, says Nawaz Sharif

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif has said on Wednesday that Pakistan will come out of its current difficult situations in the next two years by taking tough decisions.

    The former prime minister said that his party is in a position to form a coalition government in the federal.

    “I believe the next one and a half or two years will be difficult, but we have to stay united [during the difficult times] and face our opponents,” he said while addressing a parliamentary party meeting on Wednesday.

    The former Prime Minister identified inflation as the biggest problem in Pakistan, but stated that his party will provide relief to Pakistanis and control rising prices.

    The PML-N supremo also heaped praise on his younger brother and party president, Shehbaz Sharif, the party’s candidate for Prime Minister, saying that he dealt with immense challenges during his brief stint in power.