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Tag: PTI

  • Azam Swati sent to jail on judicial remand for tweeting against Gen Bajwa

    A local court in Islamabad on Monday has sent Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senator Azam Swati to jail on judicial remand in a case involving “controversial tweets” against Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa.

    During the hearing, Swati’s lawyer Babar Awan told the court that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) was praying for the recovery of the tweet sent by Swati. He also claimed before the court that the senator had an injury on one of his fingers and had a fracture as well.

    On the other hand, the prosecutor requested the court that a three-day physical remand of the senator be approved. But the court rejected the request and instead sent Swati to jail on judicial remand

    Azam Swati in custody: Court rejects FIA request, extends one-day physical remand instead of eight days

    A district and sessions court on Saturday extended the physical remand of Swati for one day. The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had requested an eight-day extension.

    On October 13, Swati was arrested in the early hours of the morning for tweeting against General Bajwa. According to Swati, he was tortured by the investigation agency while in custody.

    Earlier in the day, when the hearing began, the Senator was presented in the court after a delay.

    During the hearing, FIA officials, along with their eight-day remand request, presented the record of Swati’s “controversial tweets” in the court.

    Giving the reason for the extension, Special Prosecutor Raja Rizwan Abbasi said that the FIA has to recover the said Twitter account’s password. He also informed the court that Swati wasn’t cooperating in the interrogation.

    Moreover, he said: “The said tweet is not the only tweet as Azam Swati has posted such tweets earlier as well.” He added that the FIA has records of the planned tweets from Swati’s official account.

    PTI’s lawyer Babar Awan also presented arguments, maintaining that the defence admits that Swati did post the tweet in question but there was legal cover.

    Awan said that he had told the senator to not say anything now. “If you want to check anything, check his [Swati’s] wounds,” he added.

  • Imran Khan wins big: PTI bags 6 NA, 2 Punjab Assembly seats

    Imran Khan wins big: PTI bags 6 NA, 2 Punjab Assembly seats

    The Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Imran Khan — who was contesting from seven constituencies — won the by-elections in six of eight National Assembly (NA) seats across Pakistan on Sunday.

    The PTI chief won seats in Peshawar, Mardan, Charsadda, Faisalabad, and Nankana Sahib after beating the ruling coalition’s candidates, but faced defeat at the hands of Pakistan Poeple’s Party’s (PPP) Abdul Hakeem Baloch and Musa Ali Gillani. PPP managed to clinch two — NA-157 Multan and NA-237 Karachi — which were bagged by the PTI in the 2018 general elections.

    The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM-P) and the Awami National Party (ANP), could not manage to grab any NA seat.

    Details of National Assembly seats

    The constituencies where polling took place included NA-22 Mardan-III, NA-24 Charsadda-II, NA-31 Peshawar-V, NA-108 Faisalabad-VIII, NA-118 Nankana Sahib-II, NA 157 Multan-IV, NA-237 Malir-II, NA-239 Korangi, Karachi-I.

    NA-22 Mardan-III:

    Imran Khan bagged 76,681 votes while the JUI-F’s nominee Muhammad Qasim got 68,181 votes, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) said, adding that the voter turnout was 32.9per cent in Mardan.

    NA-24 Charsadda-II

    The PTI chief got a total of 78589 votes against Awami National Party (ANP) Aimal Wali Khan’s 68,356 votes. Khan won the contest by 10,233 votes.

    NA-31 Peshawar-V

    Khan bagged 57,824 to defeat his rival in Peshawar’s NA-31 by-election, according to unofficial results, with ANP’s Haji Ghulam Ahmad Bilour securing 32,253 votes — allowing the PTI chairman to win by more than 25,000 votes. In Peshawar, the turnout was recorded at 20.28 per cent.

    NA-108 Faisalabad-VIII

    In Faisalabad (NA-108), Imran Khan won after securing 99,841 votes against PML-N leader Abid Sher Ali, who got 75,266 votes.

    NA-118 Nankana Sahib-II

    Khan also won Nankana Sahib (NA-118 ) after getting 90,180 votes against PML-N nominee Shezra Mansab Ali Khan Kharal, who got 78,024 votes.

    NA-239 Korangi, Karachi-I

    The PTI chief also won Karachi’s NA-239 by-polls with 50,014 votes, according to unofficial results, as the party retained the seat in Korangi. Khan defeated MQM-P’s Nayyar Raza in an easy contest.

    NA-237 Malir-II

    In Karachi, PPP won the Malir constituency (NA-237), with its candidate Abdul Hakim Baloch securing 32,567 against Imran Khan’s 22,493.

    NA 157 Multan-IV

    In Multan (NA-157), former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gillani’s son Ali Musa Gillani managed to defeat Meher Bano, daughter of former foreign minister and PTI leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi, and grabbed the seat for the PPP with a wide margin. Musa Gillani secured 107,327 votes while Meher Bano Qureshi got 82,141. This was the only NA seat where Imran Khan did not contest the by-poll.

    Details of Provincial seats

    By-elections were also held on three Punjab Assembly seats — PP-241 Bahawal­nagar-V, PP-209 Khanewal-VII, and PP-139 Sheikhupura-V.

    PP-209 Khanewal-VII

    In Khanewal (PP-209), PTI’s Faisal Khan Niazi won after securing 71,156 votes against PML-N’s Chaudhry Ziaur Rehman who got 57,630 votes only.

    PP-241 Bahawal­nagar-V

    In Bahawalnagar (PP-241), PTI nominee Malik Muzzaffar Khan got 59,957 against PML-N candidate Amanullah Sattar’s 48,147.

    PP-139 Sheikhupura-V

    PML-N’s Iftikhar Ahmad Bhangoo won PP-139 Sheikhupura seat after getting 40,829 votes against PTI nominee Muhammad Abu Bakar’s 37,712 votes.

  • US officials take notice Ishaq Dar’s heckling incident at airport

    The Foreign Office (FO) of Pakistan said that United States (US) officials had taken notice of an incident in which Finance Minister (FM) Ishaq Dar was heckled at the Dulles International Airport in Washington DC.

    FO Spokesperson Asim Iftikhar Ahmad recalled the time when Saudi authorities raised the issue when the government delegation was targeted by certain individuals during the visit.

    On Thursday, Dar was harassed at the airport and people can be heard chanting “chor”. This was followed by an exchange of abusive words from both sides.

    Dar is currently in the US on a four-day visit to attend the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank.

    It is pertinent to mention that this is not the first time that a Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader has been harassed.

    Prior to this incident, Minister of Information Marriyum Aurangzeb was heckled and harassed by a group of PML-N’s political opponents in London while she was in a coffee shop.

    In July, Federal Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal was harassed by a group of PTI supporters when he went to a restaurant in Pakistan.

  • Court grants protective bail to Imran Khan after FIA booked him in prohibited funding case

    Court grants protective bail to Imran Khan after FIA booked him in prohibited funding case

    Islamabad High Court (IHC) has granted protective bail to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Wednesday after Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had booked him in a prohibited funding case.

    The bail petition, submitted by Imran’s lawyer Salman Safdar, stated that FIA ​​registered a case under the Foreign Exchange Act and that the court should grant protective bail so that Imran could appear in court.

    According to the high court’s orders, Imran was granted bail until October 18 for a bond of Rs5,000. The IHC also barred the FIA from arresting him.

    Khan also appeared before the court after IHC Chief Justice (CJ) Athar Minallah summoned him. The PTI chief was brought in amid tight security.

    Khan’s lawyer Salman Safdar informed the court that they fear that Imran Khan would be arrested in the new prohibited funding case.

    Upon this, the court barred the Islamabad administration from “harassing” Khan.

    “Imran Khan shouldn’t be arrested until he appears in court”, IHC remarked.

    After granting bail, the court adjourned the case till Tuesday.

    A day earlier, FIA booked Khan and other PTI leaders in a case pertaining to their party allegedly receiving prohibited funding.

  • FIA books Imran Khan and others in ‘prohibited funding’ case

    FIA books Imran Khan and others in ‘prohibited funding’ case

    The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has booked Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan and other party leaders in a case pertaining to their party allegedly receiving prohibited funding.

    The case was filed by the state through FIA’s Corporate Banking Circle in Islamabad.

    In the First Information Report (FIR), the federal agency alleged that Abraaj Group transferred $2,100,000 to PTI account. In addition, the FIR states that the party received more financing from two bank accounts of Wotan Cricket Club.

    The complaint named Imran Khan, Sardar Azhar Tariq Khan, Saifullah Khan Nyazee, Syed Yunus Ali Raza, Aamer Mehmood Kiani, Tariq Rahim Sheikh, Tariq Shafi, Faisal Maqbool Shaikh, Hamid Zaman and Manzoor Ahmad Chaudhary as signatories/beneficiaries of the PTI account in question.

    The FIR alleged the branch’s operations manager had also failed to report these illegal transactions to the concerned authorities.

    In August, the ECP issued its verdict in the prohibited funding case — previously referred to as the foreign funding case — against the PTI, which stated that the party did indeed receive prohibited funding.

    The ECP said that the party, in violation of the Constitution, had received funds from 34 foreign entities. The party received funds from the United States, Australia, and the UAE. The ECP added that 13 unidentified accounts also surfaced during the probe in the PTI funding case.

  • ‘Not convinced there was a conspiracy’: President Dr Alvi

    ‘Not convinced there was a conspiracy’: President Dr Alvi

    President Dr Arif Alvi while discussing the infamous ‘cipher’, has said that he is not convinced that a “foreign conspiracy was hatched” against former Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan.

    However, Imran Khan has claimed that the no-confidence motion against him was part of a foreign conspiracy.

    In an interview with journalist Asma Shirazi, the president stated: “I sent that letter to the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP). I am convinced that it must be probed. I am not convinced of the fact that a conspiracy was hatched.”

    Appointment of COAS:

    About the appointment of the new Chief of Army Staff (COAS) in November, the president was of the view that “broader consultation” should be held.

    Dr Alvi said that he learned through the newspaper that there’s a consultation going on in London regarding the appointment. The government should consult PTI chief Imran Khan on the matter, he said.

    He claimed that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government also consulted the Opposition when former PM Imran Khan extended the three-year term of the incumbent COAS General Bajwa in 2019.

    Importance of dialogue:

    During the interview, President Alvi stressed on the importance of “dialogue”. When asked about the speculation that he had arranged a meeting between the establishment and Imran Khan, he responded: “Meri koshish yeh hai ke logo ko bethao ke dialogue karo” (I am trying that I get people to sit down and have a dialogue).

    He said dialogue is necessary for settling political issues between the government and the Opposition. He was of the view that the people are concerned about political polarisation and one of its causes was that there are different governments in the provinces.

    ‘Khan was very disappointed’: President Alvi

    President Dr Alvi, who is also a PTI leader, talked about the party not going back to Parliament. “Imran Khan was very disappointed with the manner in which his government was ousted and on that basis, he decided not to sit in the assembly,” he told Asma Shirazi.

    However, when asked about the party’s decision of resigning from the National Assembly (NA), President Alvi said that if he had been consulted, he could have given “different advice”.

    He observed that politicians are the biggest stakeholders in the country. The president said that the army should be “neutral”. When asked that Khan says that the establishment shouldn’t be neutral, he said, “You can ask him about his views”.

    ‘Free and Fair elections’: President Alvi

    President Alvi said that in August 2023, assemblies will be dissolved, stressing that both the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) and the PTI wanted early polls in the past. “Even the Supreme Court had considered the issue of early elections and consulted politicians,” he added.

    “I am trying to evolve an understanding of these issues and I will facilitate the process. The most important issue is the holding of free and fair elections”, he said.

  • ‘Superstars are back’: Twitter reacts to PTI’s new song

    ‘Superstars are back’: Twitter reacts to PTI’s new song

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has released its new official “anthem” titled “Saray Niklo Pakistan Ke Liye” today (Monday).

    The song is sung by Jawad Kahlon, Shahzaman and features former Governor Sindh, Imran Ismail. The lyrics and composition are by Kahlon while music and video credits go to Azeem Amin. The video has crossed 10,000 mark views on YouTube.

    Ismail took to Twitter to share the news, with a caption saying: “Tried to highlight Imran Khan’s message in the anthem. It is the voice of the people.”

    Right after the release of the “party’s anthem”, Twitter was flooded with lots of reactions.

    Earlier in the day, PTI’s leader Fawad Chaudhry reacted to the song in a tweet, stating simply, “Superstars are back”.

    https://twitter.com/Ghazala93279179/status/1579347314514460673?s=20&t=NSudcGTsOGEOOMPP2ksk9w

    In 2018, PTI released the song “Tabdeeli ayi reh”. The previous song is also sung by Kahlon, Shahzaman and Ismail.

  • ‘You have to spoon-feed people’: Imran Khan in another explosive audio leak

    ‘You have to spoon-feed people’: Imran Khan in another explosive audio leak

    Another alleged audio of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has been leaked on Friday, purportedly featuring him and his former ministers Asad Umar and Shireen Mazari discussing the United States (US) cipher once again.

    Context of the audio:

    Asad Umar: Another point is, in hindsight, that whatever we are doing now should have been done at least ten days ago.

    Imran Khan: The impact of this letter is far-reaching and it has reached all over the world, more than we expected.

    Shireen Mazari: The Chinese have issued an official statement, condemning US intervention in the internal affairs of Pakistan.

    Imran Khan: The public is with us and we must ensure that the pressure must be at such a height that whoever goes to the assembly for voting must be branded for life and you have to brand them as Mir Jafar and Mir Sadiq. You have to spoon-feed people as their minds are currently fertile grounds.

    Both the former ministers can be heard agreeing with their party chief. Earlier in the day, another audio clip leaked that suggested Khan was involved in horse trading during his tenure at the country’s highest office.

    It is pertinent to mention here that this alleged audio leak is part three of PTI’s audio leak series regarding the US cipher.

    In the previous US cipher audio leaks, Imran Khan when he was Prime Minister, is directing his close aides not to take America’s name while talking about the US cipher in public.

    The PTI chief also told his then-principal secretary Azam Khan that, “We have to play with it [cipher]”.

    ‘Making a few moves of my own which we cannot make public’: Khan’s new audio leak

    Another alleged audio of former Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan was released on Friday, purportedly featuring the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief talking about horse-trading in parliament.

    In the audio recording, a voice believed to be Imran’s says: “You have a misunderstanding that now the number game is complete […] don’t think this is over.”

    The voice in the audio, allegedly of the PTI chairman, can be heard strategising on horse-trading in parliament.

    It is being suggested that the recording is from before the vote of no-confidence against Khan.

    Context of audio:

    Imran Khan: You are greatly mistaken that the number game is now complete.

    Imran Khan: It’s not like that…don’t think that it’s over because 48 hours from now is a long time.

    Imran Khan: Big things are happening. I am making some moves of my own which we cannot make public.

    Imran Khan: I am buying five, I have five. [We need] to give the message that the five are very important.

    Imran Khan: And tell him if he secures five more and it turns to 10, the game will be in our hand.

    Imran Khan: The nation is alarmed right now.

    Imran Khan: Across the board people want us to win in any way possible, so no one needs to worry if this is right or wrong – whatever the tactic.

    Imran Khan: Even if someone breaks one, it will have a big impact.

    The audio clip released on Friday is the third such leak featuring the PTI chairman. Last week, an audio clip purportedly revealed a conversation between Imran and then principal secretary Azam Khan about the cipher — shared by Asad Majeed, the then envoy to the US — which Imran has used to peddle his foreign conspiracy narrative.

    PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry on Friday did not disavow the contents of the latest audio clip but said that “Everyone knows where and how the audios are being made”.

    In a tweet, the former minister asked: “By joining together voices such as these will you prove NRO 2 to be valid?”

  • Rana Sanaullah says that PTI Senator Saifullah Nyazee has been taken into ‘protective custody’

    Rana Sanaullah says that PTI Senator Saifullah Nyazee has been taken into ‘protective custody’

    Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senator Saifullah Sarwar Khan Nyazee has been taken into “protective custody” by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) for questioning in the party’s foreign funding case.

    In a press conference on Friday, the minister said, “He has been taken into protective custody, so he can be questioned.” He added that legal formalities will be fulfilled before arresting the senator if the agency deemed it necessary.

    Earlier, it was reported that the PTI senator was arrested in the foreign funding case. According to Geo News, he was arrested for the $625,000 transferred to the Insaf Trust account in 2013 in violation of rules and regulations.

    Prior to the minister’s clarification, FIA, in a tweet, said that no arrest has been made.

    “The senator has not been arrested by any FIA wing as yet,” the agency’s spokesperson said and condemned the reports circulating in the media.

    Earlier today, PTI leaders claimed Nyazee has been “picked up” by “unknown men” from outside the Senate premises in Islamabad.

    Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, PTI General Secretary Asad Umar said: “I have just received news that Saifullah Nyazee has been picked up from the Senate.”

    https://twitter.com/ShehzadGul89/status/1578290516856229893?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1578290516856229893%7Ctwgr%5Ecbcda1c3c0964b5c3947ce41901c263275373bea%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dawn.com%2Fnews%2F1713931

    Former federal minister Fawad Chaudhry called Chairman of the Senate Sadiq Sanjrani to take notice of the incident.

    On September 13, the FIA Cyber Crime Wing raided Nyazee’s house. Two days later, Nyazee submitted a privilege motion against the Islamabad police and FIA over the breach of his privilege.

    He said the behaviour of the FIA and Islamabad police, including alleged harassment of his wife and daughters, was tantamount to the breach of privilege of the house of the federation and its member. Hence, the Senate chairman should take appropriate action on this breach.

  • Ishaq Dar denies allegation of taking any money, says ‘Imrandos’ are spreading fake news

    Ishaq Dar denies allegation of taking any money, says ‘Imrandos’ are spreading fake news

    Finance Minister Ishaq Dar called Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) a “disinformation army”.

    In a media talk on Thursday, responding to a question by a journalist about him taking Rs72 crore in back salary, the minister said, “This is the disinformation army of PTI who malign everything” and termed them as “imrandos”.

    “I didnt take a single penny and don’t have any intention to take any money,” he added.

    During the talk, when asked about decreasing petrol prices, he said, “Abhi kal toh ki hai”. (We reduced the prices just now).

    The finance minister also addressed the continuous depreciation of the US dollar against the rupee, saying that the greenback depreciated without him doing anything.

    He also announced a power subsidy package for Pakistan’s export industries with per unit electricity cost set at Rs19.99.

    Dar said the annual burden of the subsidy would amount to around Rs90-100 billion, adding that the “all-inclusive” package was announced for the five major exporting sectors, and not just the textile sector.

    Meanwhile, in response to a question on whether the International Monetary Fund (IMF) was taken into confidence on the package, the finance minister said: “I don’t need to take the IMF into confidence, when I know what I am doing then it is my responsibility to create fiscal space for it and I have done so.”

    Moreover, the minister said the market is now going in the “right direction” and correcting itself.