The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has raised concerns over the recent intra-party polls of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). The electoral body asked PTI to submit a response in written form.
The PTI’s political future is at risk as the ECP raised concerns that the party is holding central meetings without intra-party polls.
The ECP asked how various PTI party organisations are working if the intra-party polls have not been held for five years. It was the opinion of the commission that PTI has no structure and no electoral symbol.
It also objected to the PTI’s new intra-party elections. After the initial hearing on April 30, they told the PTI to submit its response
Responding to criticism for regularly posting her daily activities on social media, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz challenged her political opponents to come out of their “comfort zone” to work for the betterment of the country and let people make videos.
One X (formerly Twitter) user wrote in a post that “Hum bahir nikaltay hain tou ap police peechay laga daiti hain.”
Another user wrote on X that Maryam Nawaz gave “interesting” advice to political rivals.
One social media user wrote on X that “TikTokers ka gham bahot achi tarah samajhti hain Maryam Nawaz”.
Another user wrote in one post sarcastically that “Tik Toker ban’nay k leye Mehnat Karna parti hai, field main nikalna parta hai”.
In one of the posts on X it was written that “All govt office holders come out of the air-conditioned rooms but they don’t flaunt branded suits and Gucci shoes and bags. So they go unnoticed.”
A day earlier, on Wednesday, the chief minister said at an inauguration event in Lahore that people have continuously criticised her for her presence on TikTok and other social media platforms.
She responded to the criticism, saying, “I also want these people to come out of their comfort zone […] come out of their air-conditioned rooms and do some work, so you would appear on TikTok videos and get eligible for media coverage too. You should also come out to serve the masses, but you have to leave your comfort zone.”
Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) central information secretary Raoof Hasan, on Wednesday, expressed concern over the conduct of Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa during Supreme Court proceedings on the issue of interference by spy agencies in the judiciary.
PTI demanded that a full court be constituted to hear the matter on a daily basis, and more importantly, that CJP Isa should disassociate himself from the bench.
Raoof Hasan was accompanied by the former chief minister of Gilgit-Baltistan Khalid Khursheed and PTI advocate Abuzar Salman Niazi.
The secretary information remarked that the six judges of Islamabad High Court (IHC) asked the CJP for help but the Chief Justice referred it to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
He said one should not forget that the PM and operatives of intelligence agencies were among those implicated in the matter.
Miftah Ismail, former finance minister of Pakistan, got emotional during a talk show on Dawn News when journalist Wasatullah Khan asked him about his feelings after the recent “clean chit” he got from the court in the LNG case.
Miftah remarked, “Today should have been a happy day but it was a bitter day for me because of memories.”
Miftah broke down then, getting teary-eyed while saying, “They raided my home and breached my wife’s privacy by opening her closets.”
“I remember this and I will take Imran Khan to the court,” said Miftah.
He stated that an inquiry had already been conducted in Sindh in which he was exonerated and even though all the departments were based in Sindh but they opened a new inquiry on Sheikh Rashid’s request in Islamabad.
He further said, “I will take Irfan Mangi to court who was the DG NAB in Islamabad, Javed Iqbal (DG NAB) and Imran Khan to court.”
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan has announced the name of party leader Sher Afzal Marwat as the new chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), putting an end to internal conflicts within the party.
The PTI chairman told journalists in Rawalpindi that “All disputes are over [now] as the party has picked Marwat for the slot.”
Last week, opposition leader in parliament and PTI member Omar Ayub Khan said that Sher Afzal Marwat should be the chairman of PAC, as PTI’s founder Imran Khan had suggested his name.
Earlier, PTI senior leader Sardar Latif Khosa announced the name of Hamid Khan as the new chairman of the PAC.
PTI formed a committee of three party members on Tuesday, including chief minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Ali Amin Gandapur, Shibli Faraz, and Omar Ayub, to hold a dialogue with the military establishment.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) made another important decision after making Ishaq Dar the deputy prime minister of the country.
Sources have told Samaa that PML-N leader and former federal minister Rana Sanaullah is likely to be given an important role. The government may appoint him as interior advisor, the sources claimed.
The senior leadership of PML-N wants to see Rana Sanaullah in the interior ministry, and this responsibility will be given to Rana Sanaullah after the approval of former prime minister and PML-N head Nawaz Sharif.
The inclusion of Rana Sanaullah in the federal cabinet may also lead to a shuffle in the ministries.
Earlier, two days ago, the prime minister of the country, Shehbaz Sharif, appointed Ishaq Dar as the deputy prime minister of Pakistan.
Ishaq Dar currently has two designations, as he is also the foreign minister of the country.
Former federal minister Fawad Chaudhry has denied leaving Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and clarified that those who have left the party will rejoin in the future.
Fawad was speaking to journalists within the premises of the anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi. Former PTI leader Shireen Mazari was also present in the premises as multiple party leaders were charged after May 9 instances.
Fawad also said while talking to the media that he appeared before the court in relation to the May 9 violent protests case. “When our turn comes, we will tell our story,” he said.
The former federal minister also suggested that PTI hold talks with all stakeholders, including Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl chief Maulana Fazl ur Rehman.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Senator Aon Abbas has claimed on a talk show on Geo News that the previous caretaker government was singlehandedly responsible for creating the current wheat crisis in Punjab.
Abbas revealed, “The caretaker government on 22 October 2023 imported 34 lakh ton wheat from Ukraine at the rate of Rs 3,100 per ton and sold it in Punjab at Rs 4,500 per ton.”
The senator alleged that after this massive profit, the past caretaker government imposed strict rules on buying wheat from local farmers.
“There was somebody in the caretaker setup who planned this entire scheme by getting import LCs (letter of credit) opened for Ukrainian wheat and made a profit of 85 billion.”
Senator Talal Chaudhry from Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN) agreed with the PTI senator and said “The Prime Minister has ordered an inquiry into this matter and the Punjab government is also a victim like the farmers because this crisis was created by others.”
A legal representative for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) activist in the UK Shayan Ali, who is famous for protesting outside Nawaz Sharif’s residence in London, has informed the UK’s High Court that the young political worker suffers from mental health issues.
Mahtab Anwar Aziz is representing both Shayan Ali and Adil Farooq Raja in defamation cases brought against them by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader and Punjab cabinet member Mariam Aurangzeb, and Brigadier (retired) Rashid Naseer.
The duo has been accused of making false allegations of fostering terrorism, corruption, murder, kidnappings, torture, and electoral rigging.
In a recent hearing, lawyer Aziz argued before the court that his client Shayan was “a vulnerable young teenager, who has suffered mental health issues due to the strategically prolonged litigation designed to financially drain Ali’s family, who are supporting him as he is a full-time student.”
Meanwhile, Shayan himself remained defiant according to his posts on X, formerly Twitter.
Sessions Judge Shakirullah Marwat, who was abducted by unidentified kidnappers on Dera Ismail Khan’s Tank Road, returned home safely on Monday. However, senior journalist Azaz Syed has revealed that the “Judge was released after the KP government paid five crores to terrorists as extortion.”
According to Syed, “The Marwat clan played a positive role in getting the hostage back, especially, Sher Afzal Marwat.”
He said the Marwat clan reached the “shadow governor of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)” and they initially demanded seven crores but settled on five crores as the extortion payment.
Azaz Syed asserted that this is the most unfortunate circumstance that the provincial government was held hostage by the banned TTP and the group has appointed their representatives or shadow governors in every district.
The journalist remarked that this is an extremely alarming situation that the TTP is operating so freely in DI Khan and can abduct a serving judge.
He said, “They’re extorting the common people there as well.”
