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Tag: PTI

  • Imran Khan can now travel after plaster is removed from his leg

    Imran Khan can now travel after plaster is removed from his leg

    Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Imran Khan, has been given the green signal to travel by his medical team ahead of the Rawalpindi rally scheduled for November 26.

    Khan’s physician, Dr Khalid Niazi, has said that the plaster on Khan’s fractured leg has been removed while the wounds on the upper part of Khan’s lower right limb have almost healed. However, the wounds on the lower part of the leg will take another week to heal completely.

    He added that Khan can now wash his leg and put weight on it as well. The doctors also allowed Khan to travel but with the caveat that he needs to be careful.

    The doctors told the media that they have removed one leg band from the former premier’s injured leg while leaving the other one loose.

    In an address, Imran Khan said he would go to Rawalpindi on November 26 and reveal a new plan for his Haqeeqi Long March movement.

    On November 3, Imran Khan survived an assassination attempt on day seven of PTI’s ‘Haqeeqi Long March’ as his container moved through Punjab’s Wazirabad.

  • Imran Khan says President Alvi will consult him on the appointment of new COAS

    Imran Khan says President Alvi will consult him on the appointment of new COAS

    Imran Khan, Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has claimed that President Arif Alvi will consult him on the appointment of the new Chief of Army Staff (COAS).

    The former Prime Minister made the explosive claim during an interview with ARY News. Stating that he was in contact with President Alvi, who is a member of PTI, Imran Khan said, “I am in contact with the President over the summary related to a key appointment”, adding that being the party chairman, Alvi would consult him.

    “I have no issues with whoever is made the army chief but I want that the decision should be taken on merit,” he stressed.

    When asked whether the President would delay the appointment of the new Army Chief, the PTI head said, “President Alvi and we have decided to play within constitutional boundaries.”

    He said that the people who are responsible for the appointment of this top army post are corrupt and he has reservations about their choice.

    Appearing on Geo News programme “Capital Talk” on November 21, when senior journalist Hamid Mir asked Defence Minister Khawaja Asif that why Imran Khan chose November 26 as the date for his long march, the minister stated that Khan might be considering the option that the President would not approve PM Shehbaz’s recommendation for the COAS.

    Earlier in the day, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) confirmed that it has finally received the summary from the Ministry of Defence with a list of names of the candidates for the new COAS and the chairman joint chief of staff committee (CJCSC).

    The incumbent COAS General Bajwa is set to retire on November 29 after six years in office. He was appointed in 2016 by then-Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and later granted an additional three-year extension in 2019 by former Prime Minister Imran Khan.

  • ‘Imran Khan to give call to reach Rawalpindi today’: Fawad Chaudhry

    ‘Imran Khan to give call to reach Rawalpindi today’: Fawad Chaudhry

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Fawad Chaudhry has said on Saturday that the “final stage has arrived” when former prime minister Imran Khan will ask his supporters to converge in Rawalpindi.

    “The final stage has arrived. Be prepared. Imran Khan will give a call to people today to reach Rawalpindi,” he tweeted.

    Chaudhry said PTI leaders Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Asad Umar, who are leading separate convoys, will meet at Rawat today from where the marchers would move towards Rawalpindi, located at a distance of 23.8 kilometres when approached via Grant Trunk Road.

    Meanwhile, PTI’s official Twitter account tweeted that Imran Khan will announce the final date of arrival of Real Azadi March at 2 pm in Rawalpindi at Chuck Bailey, Rawat today.

  • Exclusive: Ata Tarrar and Fawad Chaudhry take digs at each other over these dogs

    Exclusive: Ata Tarrar and Fawad Chaudhry take digs at each other over these dogs

    Fawad Chaudhry, former Information Minister and leader of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s (PTI), has shared a picture of his pet dogs, a Pomeranian and a Pug, on Twitter with the caption that they make Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Ata Tarrar “jealous”.

    If that tweet leaves you confused, let us give you the background.

    Ata Tarrar held a press conference on _ in which among other things, he criticized Fawad Chaudhry for not vacating his government residence in the Minister’s Enclave. He said that the PTI leader should leave the house before asking for “Haqeeqi Azadi”.

    And then he mentioned Fawad Chaudhry’s dogs, stating that the former Minister takes them for walks every day.

    PML-N leader Attaullah Tarrar while taking a dig at said that Fawad Chaudhry is living in Minister’s enclave Islamabad and he should leave the government’s residence before asking for “Haqiqi Azadi”. He also mentioned Fawad’s pets in the presser.

    The Current reached out to Fawad Chaudhry to know more about his pet dogs. While talking exclusively to The Current, Fawad revealed that his pet dogs are named Rockie and Iglooo.

    He also added that his wife feeds stray dogs so lots of cats and dogs come to the back of their apartment building at a specific time, looking for food

  • Dubai-based watch company says they didn’t sell or buy Toshakhana gifts

    Dubai-based watch company says they didn’t sell or buy Toshakhana gifts

    Styleout Watches, a Dubai-based watch company, has rejected rumours about selling or buying Toshakhana gifts received by former Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan.

    Referring to the recent controversy regarding the luxurious Graff set which was gifted to Khan by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Styleout watches released a statement, stating, “We certify that we never bought or sold the Graff Mecca Map diamond MasterGraff Tourbillon minute repeater watch along with diamond cufflinks and round diamonds gent’s ring, as well as rose gold pen set with diamonds to any person.”

    “We were approached by an undisclosed person, to market this watch using our Instagram page,” Styleoutwatches said, adding that any information about the watch being sold for USD250,000 is “incorrect and baseless”.

    The company said that they reserve the right to sue and take legal action against anyone using their name and their brand to sell and market the watch.

    “What we did do is we got it for promotion and marketing reasons,” they said, adding that they took the watch from an undisclosed person, took pictures and posted it on social media to create attention and hype in 2019.

    “Then, we returned the watch to the person and whatever happened before or after, we don’t know,” he clarified. The company requested the people to keep them out of the matter.

    Earlier, rumours were circulating on social media that Styleout watches had sold the watch for 250k USD in 2019.

    On Tuesday, Dubai-based businessman Umar Farooq Zahoor revealed to Shahzeb Khanzada how he had bought the Graff set from Khan. He had bought the branded set through former accoun­ta­bility minister Shahzad Akbar and Farah Khan, a close aide of Imran’s wife Bushra Bibi. He said on the show that he had paid the equivalent of $2 million in cash for the set.

  • Fact Check: Is the viral video of Shehbaz Sharif with UK lawyer legit?

    Fact Check: Is the viral video of Shehbaz Sharif with UK lawyer legit?

    Claim: A video of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif (PM) in London is being shared on social media.

    Users are claiming that the video depicts the Premier sitting in a court in the United Kingdom (UK) where he and his son-in-law, Imran Ali Yousaf, are being panelised in the Daily Mail defamation case.

    Shehbaz Sharif had sued the Daily Mail in 2019 for an article which had suggested that he along with Yousaf “stole British taxpayers’ money” given to Earthquake Relief and Reconstruction Authority (ERRA) set up to help the victims of the 2005 Pakistan earthquake.

    In this particular video, the man sitting next to Sharif can be heard saying, “Mr Sharif misappropriated UK taxpayers’ money and particular government aid intended for the victims of the devasting 2005 earthquake in Pakistan.”

    Fact: The video is of a press conference held by Sharif himself in 2020, in which he formally launched a defamation suit against journalist David Rose and Daily Mail and Associated Newspaper Limited (ANL) — the publishers of Mail Online.

    The disclosure of formal court action was made at a press conference at the offices of British law firm Carter-Ruck by Alasdair Pepper and Antonia Foster, who are representing Shehbaz in his legal case against the paper. Shehbaz was present with his lawyers at the press conference where the announcement was made.

    The lawyer said that Carter-Ruck had decided to move the court after failing to get a substantive response from the newspaper despite several requests over a passage of several months. He said that in nearly seven months the Mail had refused to engage with Sharif’s lawyer.

    Pepper argued that the article in the Mail, followed by a social media campaign launched by journalist David Rose, was gravely defamatory for Shehbaz, carrying false allegations that he misappropriated UK taxpayers’ money in the form of aid intended for the victims of the devastating 2005 earthquake in Pakistan.

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) official Twitter account also corrected the false claim and blamed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for spreading “lies”.

    Verdict: FALSE

  • Fawad asked Umar not to take Imran’s name on Toshakhana scandal, WhatsApp chat reveals

    Fawad asked Umar not to take Imran’s name on Toshakhana scandal, WhatsApp chat reveals

    Senior leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Fawad Chaudhry, landed in hot water on Wednesday night after Geo News‘ Shahzeb Khanzada revealed WhatsApp conversations the former minister had with Dubai-based businessman Umar Farooq Zahoor.

    The alleged Whatsapp conversations show that Fawad Chaudhry was in contact with Zahoor who claimed this week that former Prime Minister Imran Khan sold him a precious Graff set gifted to him by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in 2019. Fawad, who had called Zahoor a “liar” after his explosive claims about the sale of the state gift, refers to the businessman as “brother”.

    When Zahoor revealed that he had bought state gifts from Imran Khan, Chaudhry denied the allegations. However, he acknowledged that the gift was “legally” sold in the market.

    In the chats, Fawad said to Zahoor that “It seems the watch alleged to be of IK is not the same”. He also requested him not to take Khan’s name.

    During the show, Khanzada said Chaudhry also promised to help Zahoor get contracts from the Government of Pakistan.

    On Tuesday, Zahoor revealed to Shahzeb Khanzada how that he had bought the Graff set from Khan. Immediately afterward, Chaudhry contacted him and asked what had happened. “[Taking the name of] Shahzad Akbar is understandable, but why Imran Khan?” Chaudhry asked the businessman.

    Zahoor and Chaudhry met in Dubai several times. During the PTI government, the two also exchanged messages.

    Zahoor claimed that he had bought the branded set through former accoun­ta­bility minister Shahzad Akbar and Farah Khan, a close aide of Imran’s wife Bushra Bibi. He said that he had paid the equivalent of $2 million in cash for the set.

  • ‘There has never been truth to foreign conspiracy’: US on Khan’s allegations

    ‘There has never been truth to foreign conspiracy’: US on Khan’s allegations

    The United States (US) has once again reiterated that there has never been any truth to former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s allegations of Washington DC orchestrating a regime change conspiracy to oust his government.

    “As we’ve previously said, there has — there is not and there has never been truth to these allegations, but I don’t have anything additional to offer,” US State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said in reply to a question during a press briefing on Wednesday.

    Patel was asked about Imran Khan’s recent interview in which he has said that he no longer “blames the US” for engineering the Vote of No-Confidence that resulted in his government’s ouster, and wants “dignified” ties with the country if he comes back to power.

    “The US values our longstanding cooperation with Pakistan and has always viewed a prosperous and democratic Pakistan as critical to US interests. That remains unchanged,” said Patel.

    “We support peaceful upholding of democratic, constitutional, and legal principles. And ultimately, we will not let propaganda, misinformation and disinformation get in the way of any bilateral relationship, including our valued bilateral partner with Pakistan.”

    Read More: ‘It is over, I want good relations especially with the US’: Khan on his removal

    Referring to the alleged conspiracy which the former Prime Minister has insisted upon since April of this year, Khan said that “it was over”, in an interview with the Financial Times.

    “As far as I’m concerned, it’s over; it’s behind me. The Pakistan I want to lead must have good relationships with everyone, especially the United States,” he said.

  • Khan agrees that PM Shehbaz can appoint constitutionally but has reservations morally

    Khan agrees that PM Shehbaz can appoint constitutionally but has reservations morally

    Imran Khan, the Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has acknowledged that Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif has the constitutional right to appoint the army chief but questioned if he can “morally” appoint the right person.

    Alleging that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) was working on an agenda against the PTI, the former Prime Minister said, “Not only is it close to the Pakistan Muslim Leauge-Nawaz (PML-N) but also the handlers. Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja passed decisions against us eight times and all of them were rejected by the judiciary.”

    Addressing his party’s Long March via video link, Imran Khan said about the CEC, “How could he pass judgments on us when he has been repeatedly giving decisions against us.”

    Khan, once again, called on the Chief Justice of Pakistan, saying that the nation was looking to him for justice in “three landmark cases”: Arshad Sharif’s murder, Azam Swati’s custodial torture, and the Wazirabad FIR issue.

    “CJP, we are looking towards you because we don’t have
    hope from anywhere else,” he said, adding that it was high time the courts became assertive and stood with the people of Pakistan.

  • Nawaz Sharif returning soon?

    Nawaz Sharif returning soon?

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif—who is currently in London— reportedly wants to come back to Pakistan soon as his return date is being discussed within trusted circles, reports Samaa News.

    According to the media outlet, Nawaz said that the public in Pakistan is facing financial problems, not political ones. About the general elections, he was of the view that they will be held at the designated time.

    Moreover, he claimed that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s long march has failed. Sharif said that his party [PML-N] is against the politics of revenge and hatred.

    Last week, Nawaz was visited by his brother Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif in Britain and conducted several meetings with him. It was widely reported that the two brothers were holding consultations on who should be the next head of the armed forces.

    The PML-N supremo was granted an eight-week bail on medical grounds in October 2019, and, he was allowed to travel to London for treatment for four weeks. However, Nawaz has not returned since then.