Current Final

Tag: PTI

  • ‘Our people had pistols’: Khan admits PTI workers had weapons in Azadi March

    ‘Our people had pistols’: Khan admits PTI workers had weapons in Azadi March

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan admitted that during the Azadi March, PTI protesters were carrying weapons with them. 

    Khan’s comments came while speaking on 92 News‘ political talk show ‘Hard Talk’. The former premier said that had the march continued, the clashes between the protestors and the police would have led to anarchy in the country.

    “There was already hatred among the people due to raids carried out by the Punjab Police on PTI lawmakers’ houses a day prior to the march. I was 100 per cent sure that the situation would lead to chaos after the protestors would have seen me,” said Khan.

    “Our people had pistols on them too. I was afraid that the country will now face riots,” Khan told anchorperson Moeed Pirzada.

    Khan further said that the decision to continue the march would have led to hatred against the police and the army and this would create further divisions in the country. He added that this hatred would have only benefitted the thieves who were now in power.

    Khan also commented on police constable Kamal Ahmed who was shot dead during a raid of a PTI leader’s house in Lahore’s Model Town.

    “We have never engaged in politics of provocation. The government blamed the PTI for the [martyred] constable’s death. Anyone would have thought that a thief has entered a house at 2am.”

  • Fact Check: Imran Khan falsely claims that PTI worker from Malakand was killed during Azadi March

    Fact Check: Imran Khan falsely claims that PTI worker from Malakand was killed during Azadi March

    Claim: A PTI activist from Mardan was killed last week as a result of Punjab police’s acts of brutality

    Fact: The banner showed images of Muhammad Zada Agra who was killed by drug smugglers in 2021

    During the PTI Workers’ Convention in Charsadda, Imran Khan raised a banner to tribute the two PTI workers which he alleged in this tweet were killed during last week’s processions. This tweet has 1,135 total Twitter interactions and was shared to 829,798 social media users on Twitter.

    He named these workers to be Faisal Abbas Chaudhry from Lahore and Syed Ahmed Jan from Mardan in his tweet and claimed that they both died as a result of police violence.

    During his speech, not only did he say the name of the second activist from Mardan was Syed Ali Shah, but the banner which he raised, showed an image which showed Muhammad Zada Agra, a journalist and social activist who was murdered in Sakhakot, his home city in Malakand, for Agra’s reporting and advocacy against local drug cartels, in 2021.

    Screenshot of the CPJ report on Muhammad Zada Agra’s killing in 2021

    Although Agra was a PTI supporter and a former district president of the Insaf Students Federation, the student wing of PTI, he was not murdered by the police or on the dictation of Rana Sanaullah, as Khan claims in his address.

    In fact, this Committee to Protect Journalists’ report explains that the Deputy Commissioner Malakand district police announced that the two men who killed Agra were confirmed to be associated with local drug smugglers after their arrest.

    Verdict: MISLEADING

  • Khan angry with PTI leaders over failure to mobilise supporters

    Khan angry with PTI leaders over failure to mobilise supporters

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan is unhappy with his party’s top leaders for failing to mobilise supporters to participate in his long march to Islamabad, revealed Geo News anchorperson Shahzeb Khanzada in his programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’.

    According to him, Khan thought that more people would turn up but people did not show up in Rawalpindi. Even his party leaders appeared to have gone missing in action.

    On the contrary, sources say, PTI leaders argued that they were not given enough time to prepare by their leader. They even asked him to extend the date but Khan wanted to maintain an element of surprise for the government.

    According to PTI leaders, except for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s (KP) supporters, PTI does not have many supporters elsewhere who would brave the police or tear gas or the heat in an effort to try and reach Islamabad, the anchor revealed.

    Moreover, the leaders thought that the long march would not be a good idea, and the announcement of a dharna (sit-up) would end up more of a problem for PTI. According to Khanzada, they are even unhappy with Khan’s six-day ultimatum to the government.

    According to PTI sources, Imran Khan seems to be only listening to some people who are close to him, instead of politicians better adept at traditional constituency politics.

  • Inclusion of Rs28 billion relief package in upcoming budget: PM Shehbaz

    Inclusion of Rs28 billion relief package in upcoming budget: PM Shehbaz

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif said that the government would include a Rs28 billion package in the upcoming budget to provide relief to the masses. He was addressing the nation yesterday (May 27).

    PM Shehbaz said that aside from the relief package, the government would immediately provide Rs2,000 for around 85 million people to help them fight the effects of inflation.

    “This is aside from the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) monetary assistance they are already getting. This relief package will be included in the next fiscal budget,” the premier said.

    The premier added that he has directed the Utility Stores Corporation (USC) to provide 10kg of wheat to people for Rs400.

    ‘It was you who signed tough deals with IMF, not us’

    Criticising ex-PM Imran Khan and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, PM Shehbaz said it was Khan who struck a deal with the IMF, not the current government.

    “We did not agree to the strict conditions laid forth by the IMF; you burdened the masses with heavy inflation, not us; you buried the country under heavy debts, not us; international institutions said that corruption increased during your tenure, not ours; electricity load shedding was brought back during your tenure and you are responsible for the economy’s suffering.”

    If Imran Khan thinks his “ego” is bigger than the state, then it is his misconception

    PM Shehbaz said if Imran Khan thinks his “ego” is bigger than the state, then it is his misconception as Pakistan will function in line with the Constitution and not upon following the direction of one person.

    Without naming Imran Khan or the PTI directly, he said one man had fabricated an international conspiracy on the basis of foreign correspondence, even though the National Security Committee (NSC) and Pakistan’s ambassador to the US had repeatedly refuted such claims.

    “For his personal political gain, he is harming Pakistan’s diplomatic relations. Pakistan will be governed by the constitution, not one man’s whims,” the PM asserted.

    “Due to the faulty policies of the previous government, our friendly countries are upset. We will restore fraternal relations with them,” he said, adding Pakistan wanted peace in South Asia and urged India to withdraw its Aug 5, 2019 decision on Kashmir and then sit with Pakistan for dialogue to resolve all issues.

    Khan has repeatedly blamed the US for backing the no-confidence motion that leads to his ousting and has refused to accept the newly-elected government.

    Shehbaz added that Khan claimed that the US Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu had threatened Pakistan’s ambassador for removing his government.

    “This person, when Pakistan was progressing under prime minister Nawaz Sharif, staged dharnas. At that time, Chinese President Xi Jinping had to come to Pakistan, but due to [Khan’s] arrogance, the agreement that was scheduled to take place was delayed.”

    The prime minister said that taking up the challenge of coming into power was not easy as the country’s situation was gloomy, and the nation was plagued with hatred during the previous government’s tenure.

    ‘PTI govt announced petroleum subsidy for political gains’

    Explaining the reason for the increase in petroleum prices, Shehbaz said,” From oil-producing countries to developed countries, everyone was gripped with economic turmoil. But for political gains, the previous government announced a petrol subsidy for which there was no room in the national exchequer,” the premier said.

    Govt to provide targeted subsidies to 14 million families, says Miftah Ismail

    Finance Minister Miftah Ismail said that the government would provide targeted subsidies to 14 million deserving families as announced by PM Shehbaz Sharif in his address to the nation.

    Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, Miftah shared the criteria for availing of the ‘Sasta Petrol, Sasta Diesel’ relief package.

    “Women, whose household income was less than Rs40,000 per month, could text their Computerised National Identity Card (CNIC) numbers on 786 or call that number to receive Rs2,000”, said Miftah.

    “We cannot provide complete relief as we do not have the resources but we will do all we can to dress the wounds [of poor people].”

    Miftah further added: “7.3 million beneficiaries of Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) are already getting Rs2000, and the government is planning to add 7 million more people to the database who would receive Rs2,000 in terms of fuel subsidy.”

    Pakistan People’s Party’s (PPP) Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar tweeted, “The decision to go to IMF should be taken by a government with a fresh mandate.”

    Agreeing with Khokhar, Miftah said, “He is right, the new government will strike a new deal with the IMF after taking a fresh mandate next year, but this is a coalition government and our priority is to steer the country out of economic crisis and maintain an economic stability.”

    “Therefore, we are continuing with the previous IMF programme, which was finalised by the PTI government,” he said.

  • ‘Rana Sanaullah you coward bastard’: PTI’s Gandapur lashes out at interior minister

    ‘Rana Sanaullah you coward bastard’: PTI’s Gandapur lashes out at interior minister

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Ali Amin Gandapur took to Twitter to lash out at Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah and said, “Rana sanaullah u coward bastard u brutally attacked innocent Pakistanis and till now charged five firs against me in different police stations.”

    Gandapur further tweeted, “I dare and challenge u to charge fir against me in every police station but be ready for the revenge as I will take u to hell INSHALLAH.”

    Gandapur’s tweet came after the Islamabad Police on Thursday registered a case against senior PTI leaders, including Imran Khan, for the riots that took place in Islamabad during the “Azadi March”.

    Apart from Khan, police also registered cases against PTI leaders Asad Umar, Imran Ismail, Raja Khurram Nawaz, Ali Amin Gandapur, and Ali Nawaz Awan.

  • Fact Check: Viral image of broken ATM is from Chicago

    Fact Check: Viral image of broken ATM is from Chicago

    Claim: Image shows an ATM machine broken and destroyed by PTI supporters, with money stolen by them from a Transact ATM in Islamabad

    Fact: The image is from Chicago and was taken in 2020

    On May 26, several Twitter users began sharing an image of a broken ATM with a Transact board, destroyed and money removed from the inside, claiming that this was done by PTI supporters who got violent while protesting in Islamabad.

    Coupled with recent images of Islamabad burning and large unmanageable crowds of people attacking the police, this becomes a very believable image. Several PMLN senior leaders have been sharing this image as well.

    However, with a Reverse Image search we discovered that this image has been posted online before. On the website of WTTW News, an article titled “Crain’s Headlines: Mag Mile Tax Proposal Fails”, the picture also clearly shows the name of labels, “Transact” and “7 Eleven”, which is a chain of Japanese convenience stores which has 11,800 stores in the US and none in Pakistan. Trans@ct is a mobile prepaid service offered by 7 Eleven.

    This image couldn’t have possibly been from Pakistan and has been used out of context to imply that PTI supporters in Islamabad violently broke into an ATM and stole money, which even if they did, is definitely not proven by this image.

    Verdict: FALSE

  • How much did the PTI’s Azadi March cost the government?

    How much did the PTI’s Azadi March cost the government?

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)’s ‘Haqiqi Azadi March’ cost the government Rs149 million to maintain law and order in the capital, reports Dawn.

    The amount of Rs149 million was demanded to bear expenses for five days. Rs47,500,000 was sought for hiring 380 containers (each costing Rs125,000 for five days use), Rs1,300,000 for four cranes (each costing Rs65,000 for five days) and Rs1,000,000 for four fork lifters (each for Rs50,000 for five days).

    Likewise, Rs2,798,500 for 100 buses for transportation of the force from outside to the capital (each costing Rs27,985), Rs9794,750 for 350 buses for transportation of the force within capital (Rs27985 each), Rs2,798,500 for 100 buses for transportation of the force back to their respective districts (Rs27,985 each), Rs1,685,000 for 100 trucks for logistics teams, food, water (for five days and each costing Rs16,850), Rs260,000 for 10 water tankers for five days (each costing Rs26,000).

    Moreover, an amount of Rs41,250,000 was also demanded for food charges for 15,000 officials of the capital and other district police for five days, the officers said. To purchase complete anti-riot kits, another amount of Rs35,300,000 was demanded.

    Similarly, Rs4,500,000 were sought for the purchase of miscellaneous items – water, coolers, torches, electricity, etc.

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif while speaking in the National Assembly praised the capital police, Rangers, Frontier Constabulary, and the traffic police along with the capital administration and other departments for their efforts to maintain law and order and for the protection of public and private property.

    He also announced a package for a martyr and injured officials of the Punjab Police.

  • PTI Azadi March: SC says Khan did not commit contempt of court

    The Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP) on Thursday disposed off the federal government’s contempt of court plea against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan over his violation of the apex court’s orders during PTI’s ‘Azadi March’.

    The government had filed the plea this morning after the PTI went against the SC’s orders, announcing to hold a rally at D-Chowk in Islamabad. A five-member larger bench, headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, was present at the court.

    “We will issue the verdict in the case which will serve as an example in the future,” CJP remarked, adding, “Don’t forget that this party [PTI] has held several rallies.”

    At this, Attorney General Ashtar Ausaf maintained that strict security was provided to all PTI rallies since the dismissal of the party’s government.

    “Whatever happened yesterday was unfortunate. It shattered SC’s trust in political parties,” CJP Bandial remarked, adding that the court doesn’t want to continue hearing the case.

    Bandial said that the court “going beyond its authority, had given orders for the security of people […] directed the political parties to hold negotiations”.

    The attorney general then requested the court’s permission to play a video recording of Khan’s address to his supporters, which was granted.

    AGP Ausaf argued that Khan told his supporters the SC had granted permission to protest at D-Chowk. The chief justice questioned what happened after the PTI chairman’s statement.

    “Imran then asked his workers to reach D-Chowk,” Ausaf replied.

    “It is possible that the message was not delivered to Imran Khan properly,” CJP Bandial remarked. “The entire issue is [related to] a conflict. Judicial proceedings cannot be based on assumptions.”

    The attorney general argued that the PTI was granted permission to protest after assurances that the Azadi March would be peaceful.

    During the hearing, the CJP inquired about the number of people injured yesterday. At this, the AGP informed that 31 police officials were injured.

    “Citizens would also have been wounded. The crowd was highly charged,” CJP Bandial said, adding that only the PTI leadership could have controlled the situation.

    He said that PTI should understand its responsibility toward citizens. The party should have become an example, he added.

    SC directs govt to provide PTI with ground between H-9, G-9 areas to hold jalsa

    The Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP) on Wednesday directed the federal government to provide the PTI with the ground between the H-9 and G-9 areas of Islamabad to hold its public gathering.

    The directives came during a hearing of the Islamabad High Court Bar Association’s (IHCBA) plea against the government’s decision to block roads to stop PTI’s “Azadi March” in the federal capital.

    A three-member bench of the SC, headed by Justice Ahsan, was hearing the plea. Islamabad chief commissioner and Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Akbar Nasir Khan appeared before the court during the hearing.

    Today’s hearing saw two breaks before the apex court issued the final order of providing the space to the PTI for the jalsa.  

    When the hearing resumed after the second break, the Attorney-General for Pakistan (AGP) Ashtar Ausaf Ali told the three-member bench that the ground, which will be given to the PTI, only had the capacity to accommodate 10,000 people. 

    During the hearing, Justice Ijaz Ul Ahsan asked PTI’s lawyer Babar Awan when the gathering will be held.

    “Till when will the gathering go on for?” asked Justice Ahsan. To this Awan, replied that the decision is for the political leadership to take.

    In response, Justice Ahsan remarked that the apex court can change its order, amend or take it back. He added that the bench will be monitoring the developments.

    “Talks between the government committee and PTI committee should be held at 10pm tonight at the chief commissioner’s office,” said the court. It directed the deputy commissioner, interior secretary, and inspector-general Islamabad to make sure the meeting take place.

    “Arrested political leadership and workers should be freed at once,” said the court. It also ordered the government to follow the point agreed between the JUI-F and PTI during the former’s 2019 long march.

    “Any new clause should be included in the agreement through mutual consultation and the court should also be informed about it,” said the bench.

    Before the break, the court had directed the authorities concerned to hold consultations over permission for the PTI rally on H9 ground and update the court on the outcome. The bench then adjourned the hearing of the case till 9:30am tomorrow. 

    SC orders provision of alternative venue for PTI rally

    Earlier the court ordered the authorities concerned to provide an alternative venue to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for Azadi March.

    The court directed the authorities concerned to hold consultations over permission for the PTI rally on H9 ground and update the court on the outcome.

    The directive came during a hearing of the Islamabad High Court Bar Association’s (IHCBA) plea against the government’s decision to block roads to stop PTI’s ‘Azadi March’. A three-member bench of the SC, headed by Justice Ahsan, was hearing the plea. Islamabad chief commissioner and Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Akbar Nasir Khan appeared before the court during the hearing.

    Justice Ijazul Ahsan directed the Islamabad chief commissioner to prepare a traffic plan for the PTI rally and submit a report after compliance with orders by 2:30pm.

    “Let them protest and then go home,” Justice Ahsan said. “We expect the government to remove barricades.”

    He also directed PTI’s lawyer Faisal Chaudhry to “sit at the negotiating table” with the administration officials and gave him time to get instructions from the party leadership in this regard. The court also directed authorities to provide complete protection to PTI leaders for the negotiations.

    “If the PTI fears arrests, it should provide us with a list. We will protect those who fear arrests,” Justice Ahsan said.

    Attorney General Ashtar Ausaf told the SC that the government did not allow the PTI to hold its Azadi March on Islamabad’s Srinagar Highway because there was a “threat” to Khan’s life according to reports from security agencies.

    “The permission to gather at Srinagar Highway was denied due to the security situation. Imran Khan’s life is in danger as per reports of security agencies. Security agencies have raised fears of a suicide attack on the former prime minister.”

    The administration should present a complete plan of action which allows the protest, but keeps roads open so that the protesters can reach peacefully and go back home afterward,” Justice Ahsan said.

    The judge sought assurance from the authorities that there won’t be any violence and that roads will not be closed. Moreover, the court directed PTI’s counsel to give names if the party fears arrest.

    Justice Mazahir Ali Akbar Naqvi remarked that the Islamabad IGP and Interior secretary should review their policies.

    The judge warned the IGP to understand his responsibilities and fulfill them. “You have been appointed four days ago. Stay within your limits as you already have enough burden of cases and allegations,” Justice Naqvi said.

    The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday ordered police and the administration to stop harassing PTI leaders and workers following a crackdown by the Punjab Police last night.

    The court then asked PTI’s lawyer if he could provide an affidavit stating that no incident would take place during the sit-in and that the counsel would be responsible if an unfortunate incident occurred.

    “If you cannot provide an affidavit then how can the court issue a general order?” the judge asked.

  • Fact Check: Did the federal government shut down the internet?

    Fact Check: Did the federal government shut down the internet?

    Claim: Internet was shut down for people in various parts of Pakistan in order to suppress the coverage of Imran Khan’s PTI rallies

    Fact: The internet was not shut down but there is evidence of internet ‘throttling’ by internet service providers throughout the country

    On May 25, several social media users took to Twitter to condemn the government’s “draconian” decision to shut down the internet. Popular personalities came out on Twitter, with their verified accounts with millions of followers and announced that the federal government has decided to shut down the internet, in light of the escalating tensions in Islamabad and to avoid social media coverage of Imran Khan’s rally.

    Internet throttling is when your internet service providers limit the speed or bandwidth of your internet without taking your consent or informing you. In some cases, throttling also helps manage an unusual amount of traffic on the internet in order to equally distribute the bandwidth.

    However, this is false.

    Several people also tweeted that they had internet services available. However, everyone noted varying speeds at different times in the day. At The Current Check‘s office, we faced internet slowdowns throughout the day, but it was never shutdown.

    Hija Kamran, digital rights advocate working at Media Matters for Democracy, tweeted asking people in Pakistan to confirm whether their internet is working fine and several people reported operational internet in Karachi and Islamabad, others claimed that they were facing issues in internet speed.

    An internet observatory organization called Net Blocks released a report on the same day confirming “disruptions” in the internet across Pakistan. However, according to their report these disruptions only lasted for two hours within the whole day, which does not even come close to the claim that the internet was shut down.

    In their report, NetBlocks confirms that disruptions were faced by multiple internet service providers across Paksitan after 5pm on Wednesday, May 25. The service was restored within two hours, following the surge in complaints being posted on social media about the internet being throttled by ISPs across the country.

    NetBlocks used “diffscans”, a tool which allowed them to map the IP address space of Pakistan in real time and display corresponding internet connectivity levels and outages, which are represented in the graph attached in their tweet.

    Verdict: FALSE

  • 914 road accidents reported in Punjab during last 24 hours

    914 road accidents reported in Punjab during last 24 hours

    During the last 24 hours, at least eight people were killed and 962 were injured in 914 road accidents across all 37 districts of Punjab.

    577 people were seriously injured and taken to various hospitals, while 385 people with minor injuries were treated on the spot by rescue medical teams. Once again, Lahore remained at the top in reporting highest number of accidents.

    According to the findings, 450 drivers, 27 underage drivers, 104 pedestrians, and 388 passengers were killed in traffic accidents. The road accidents involved a considerable number of two-wheelers as it involved 807 motorcycles, 82 auto-rickshaws, 74 motorcars, 22 vans, 11 buses, 17 trucks, and 100 other types of auto vehicles and slow-moving carts.

    Considering the statistics, 239 road accidents were reported in Lahore, affecting 238 people, putting the provincial capital at the top of the list, followed by 80 in Faisalabad with 85 victims and 53 in Multan with 50 victims.