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Tag: PTI

  • VIDEO: ‘This calls for another slap,’ says Fawad Ch in response to PTI’s press release

    VIDEO: ‘This calls for another slap,’ says Fawad Ch in response to PTI’s press release

    Former Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry on Monday said that a press release against him by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was issued against party founder Imran Khan’s directive.

    The PTI political committee on Saturday issued a statement on PTI’s official X (formerly Twitter) account condemning Chaudhry’s violence against lawyer Shoaib Shaheen. The scuffle between them occurred outside Adiala Jail Rawalpindi’s gate no. five on Friday.

    Speaking on a private media outlet, Chaudhry said that in the presence of PTI chairman Barrister Gohar Khan at Adiala Jail, Imran Khan denied that he instructed the party to issue the press release against him.

    When the programme host said that the condemnation press release appears to be written by the PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja and asked whether Raja would be the next target of Chaudhry’s violence, the former Minister of Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry sarcastically responded that Raja should correct his behaviour so that he doesn’t get beaten up.

    The condemnation’s statement dubbed Chaudhry’s action a “crude and callous demonstration of the animal instinct over logic and reason.”

     
    Further terming Chaudhry’s action “a criminal act”, the statement said, “It is not a slap on the face of Mr. Shoaib Shaheen alone. It is a slap on the face of PTI.”

    When asked by the host if Chaudhry was going to slap someone else, he replied that the press release sure called for one. “These two or three people do not have any other treatment,” he said, bursting into laughter.


    Additionally, the statement read, “His dastardly conduct further reflects the frustration that Fawad Chaudhry may be suffering from when, as per instructions of the Founder Chairman Mr. Imran Ahmad Khan Niazi, the party announced its complete dissociation from his person. It was also announced that Mr. Fawad Chaudhry would not represent the party at any forum in any manner whatsoever.”


    “The Political Committee of PTI takes a serious note of the incident and condemns Mr. Fawad Chaudhry’s gross demeanour in the strongest possible words. The Political Committee also reiterates its complete support for Mr. Shoaib Shaheen for his sagacity in the face of adversity. We salute his courage and composure in dealing with an ugly situation. Despite the dastardly provocation, we call upon our activists and workers to remain peaceful. The party shall prevail.”

    He lambasted PTI leaders, saying that Imran Khan’s name is being misused. “Owing to their [party leaders] assistance, Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, and Yasmin Rashid are in jail,” he alleged.

    Asked about whether the party founder has not expelled Chaudhry from the party and if he is still associated with the party, he said, “Yes, 100 per cent.”

  • More MNAs likely to be expelled from PTI after Sher Afzal Marwat

    More MNAs likely to be expelled from PTI after Sher Afzal Marwat

    Days after Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) expelled maverick leader Sher Afzal Marwat, the former ruling party has reportedly decided to expel more legislators, a media outlet reported on Sunday.

    As per the media report, PTI decided to expel those party lawmakers who had failed to attend the parliamentary session for the passage of the 26th Constitutional Amendments.

    Incarcerated former premier Imran Khan, the head of the party, has issued directives from jail to remove absent Members of Parliament (MP), said the report, noting that senators Dr Zarqa Suhrawardy and Faisal Saleem were among those who had remained absent on the day the controversial 26th Constitutional Amendment was passed. 

    Moreover, the party also issued show-cause notices to Member National Assembly (MNAs) Aslam Ghuman, Riaz Fatyana, Zain Qureshi, Miqdad Ali Khan and Aurangzeb Kachhi for their absence.

    Imran Khan conveyed a message to party leaders, urging that lawmakers who had been absent on the day of passage of the Amendment had no place in PTI, as they had acted against party line, said the media report.

    The National Assembly (NA) passed the 26th Constitutional Amendment in the wee hours of October 20, 2024. Speaking on the NA floor, Opposition Leader Omar Ayub Khan criticised the constitutional amendments, calling them an attempt to strangle the independent judiciary.

    He said those who had “gone missing” should have been thanked as well, adding that the government, which came into power of what he believed via rigging, had no right to amend the Consitution.


    Sher Afzal Marwat’s expulsion

    Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) firebrand Sher Afzal Marwat’s expulsion notification, which was posted on PTI’s official X account on Wednesday night, read, “Further to the Show Cause Notice issued to Mr Sher Afzal Marwat and his subsequent reply, the party has considered his reply and also his actions subject to the Show Cause notice.”

    “Taking both these aspects into consideration and on the instructions of Founding Chairman Imran Khan, Mr. Sher Afzal Marwat is being expelled from the party with immediate effect.”

    Marwat’s termination came just three days after the former ruling party staged a rally in Swabi against what it believes was the rigged election of 2024.


    A media report had earlier claimed that PTI leaders complained to Imran Khan about Marwat’s behaviour at the February 8 Swabi public gathering.


    During his speech, Marwat cryptically said that “bad people” always became helpful during “bad times”, but some “good people in good times” have zipped their lips.


    Last month, PTI issued a show-cause notice to the lawmaker for violation of the party discipline for his remarks against the party’s Secretary General Salman Akram Raja on a private news channel.

  • Heated debate erupts between Gharida Farooqi, Meher Bano Qureshi on TV show

    Heated debate erupts between Gharida Farooqi, Meher Bano Qureshi on TV show

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Meher Bano Qureshi and journalist Gharida Farooqi got into a heated debate on Wednesday when the latter said that legislators are accountable to the media and the public.

    Speaking on a private news channel on Wednesday, the journalist mocked PTI’s narrative, remarking that whenever the party leadership met with Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir, they beamed with joy.  “We used to criticise Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz over their U-turn from ‘Vote Ko Izzat Do’ slogan,” she said.

    Gharida Farooqi further claimed that PTI came into power in 2018 with public tax money and if the party wished to form the government again, it would be accountable to the public as well as to the media.

    In reply, the daughter of imprisoned former Foreign Minister and senior PTI leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Meher Bano Qureshi, alleged, “You [Farooqi] as a journalist are accountable to people, where you spread or mis spread information to {…} If you want to talk about accountability, then all the individuals who sit in parliament with false oaths, knowing that they were not actually elected, are also accountable.”

    Qureshi further said, “This is also accountability that you [Farooqi] should have to speak the truth by telling where the interference happened and who was involved in the interference.”

    The journalist countered by asserting that she would not speak the truth of someone’s choice, adding, “The patriarchal thinking that politicians are not accountable to media and public must be left behind.”

    The journalist then moved on to ask why the salaries of Members of the National Assembly (MNA) were increased, alluding to the bill passed yesterday from the National Assembly, which increased Members of Parliament’s monthly salaries from PKR 180,000 to 519,000.

    Farooqi claimed that the rationale for increasing the wages of MNAs and senators to meet their household expenses is completely illogical. “I do not pay taxes to cover your [lawmakers] household expenses, but pay for state welfare and my own convenience.”

    PML-N leader Rana Ahsan Afzal, who was also present in the talk show, chimed in, saying that the legislators get compensation in exchange for serving their role in parliamentary democracy.

    “If a laborer who gets PKR35,000-40,000 salary in this country can meet his household expenses, then our parliamentarian can definitely manage on a lac or two lacs,” asserted Farooqi.

    “Why then did the judges and journalists receive high salaries?” asked Afzal while dubbing debate “illogical”.

  • Marwat says he is ‘deeply saddened’ after Imran expells him from PTI

    Marwat says he is ‘deeply saddened’ after Imran expells him from PTI

    Firebrand leader Sher Afzal Marwat has released a response hours after Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan expelled him from the party.

    Marwat took to X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday (today) to state that he always remained loyal to Imran Khan and will stand by his principals. “I am deeply saddened by the recent decision, which seems influenced by individuals who have never accepted me within the party,” he said.

    Marwat stated that he would  explain his position on Thursday night, noting, “I trust that PTI workers, who have fought for justice alongside me, will continue to stand for what is right.”

    “PTI must uphold its core values of democracy, transparency, and justice. True loyalty is not about blind obedience but about ensuring that our movement stays on the right path. Khan Sahib is, and will always remain, my leader. My struggle is not for personal gain but for the integrity of PTI and the vision we all share,” he wrote.

    Marwat’s expulsion notification, which was posted on PTI’s official X account on Wednesday night, read, “Further to the Show Cause Notice issued to Mr Sher Afzal Marwat and his subsequent reply, the party has considered his reply and also his actions subject to the Show Cause notice.”

    “Taking both these aspects into consideration and on the instructions of Founding Chairman Imran Khan, Mr. Sher Afzal Marwat is being expelled from the party with immediate effect.”

    Marwat’s termination came just three days after the former ruling party staged a rally in Swabi against what it believes was the rigged election in 2024.

    A media report claims that the PTI leaders complained to Imran Khan about Marwat’s behaviour at the February 8 Swabi public gathering. 

    During his speech, Marwat cryptically said that “bad people” always became helpful during “bad times”, but some “good people in good times” have zipped their lips.

    Last month, PTI issued a show-cause notice to the lawmaker for violation of the party discipline for his remarks against the party’s Secretary General Salman Akram Raja at a private news channel.


    The maverick leader challenged Raja’s position in the party, saying that according to the party constitution, Raja cannot become the party’s secretary general. “Only the elected person who has contested an intra-party election is eligible for the position of party secretary-general,” he explained.

     
    He went on to say that Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan and Firdous Shamim Naqvi are public officeholders. “Salman Akram Raja is a stranger [to the party],” he added.


    Marwat’s scathing attack on Raja follows when the PTI Secretary General, while speaking on the private media outlet, had downplayed Marwat’s claims, which he recently linked to party founder Imran Khan, saying, “Only two or four party members are deemed capable of having the right to speak about the party.


    “Marwat statement has nothing to do with the party’s official narrative. His [Marwat] statements are unimportant,” Raja said.

  • PTI’s Swabi power show a flop due to funding shortage: report

    PTI’s Swabi power show a flop due to funding shortage: report

    Despite some parliamentarians’ financial support requests to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister (CM) Ali Amin Gandapur, no additional funds were released for the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) February 8 rally in Swabi.

    According to reports, CM Gandapur used to provide funds to party lawmakers to mobilise workers for rallies. However, he did not approve any additional funds for the party’s Feb 8 “Black Day” power show to mark one year since what it claims was a “rigged election” in 2024.

    Speaking to a private media outlet, CM’s spokesperson Faraz Mughal said that while Gandapur personally funded some lawmakers to help bring workers to the event, no official funds were released.

    PTI Peshawar’s Regional President Muhammad Asim said that a large number of party followers attended the event despite the fact that no special financial assistance was provided to lawmakers for the rally.

    Reports, on the other hand, claimed that the rally was not a success as most of the arena remained empty. Around 5,000 to 6,000 individuals attended the gathering, reports said and further claimed that some KP assembly lawmakers did not have enough funds to provide workers with transportation.

    However, Adviser to CM on Information and Broadcasting Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif dismissed all claims of a low turn-out, stressing that the rally was successful and attracted a large crowd.

    Speaking to the private media outlet, Saif alleged that convoys coming for the rally from Punjab were intercepted, which affected the attendance.

    “We had won elections in Punjab. Our mandate was stolen in the darkness of the night [during the polls],” PTI chief Barrister Gohar Ali Khan alleged during his address at the rally in question on Saturday.

    The PTI chief stressed the need for independence of the judiciary and the rule of law. “There will be political stability if the judiciary is independent,” he said. 

    Moving on to the stalled talks between the PTI and the ruling coalition, he said that they entered the negotiation process in line with directions from incarcerated former prime minister Imran Khan. “Imran Khan directed to initiate talks for the sake of the country,” he said.

    Addressing the rally, CM KP said his party wanted the rule of law and the supremacy of the Constitution in the country.

    For his part, Gandapur warned that if his party decided to take revenge, then the ruling coalition “won’t be able to bear it”. He said that the country would suffer if hatred increased.

  • Red zone sealed as lawyers take to streets in Islamabad

    Red zone sealed as lawyers take to streets in Islamabad

    As lawyers take to streets of the federal capital against the 26th Constitutional Amendment, heavy contingents of law enforcement have been deployed to seal the Red Zone and restrict access to the Supreme Court.

    As per the details, the metro bus service connecting Rawalpindi and Islamabad has also partially been suspended whereas containers and barriers have been erected at Serena Chowk, Nadra Chowk, Marriott Hotel, Express Chowk and T-Cross Bari Imam. The Jinnah Underpass has also been blocked.

    The closures come as lawyers protest against the 26th Constitutional Amendment, demand that the Judicial Commission of Pakistan’s (JCP) meeting scheduled for today (Monday) be called off, no new judicial appointments be made till the case pertaining to the amendment is decided and the senior-most judge of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) be made its chief justice.

    While six leading bar associations, including representatives of the Pakistan Bar Council, Supreme Court Bar Association, Punjab Bar Council, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Bar Council, Balochistan High Court Bar Association and Sindh High Court Bar Association, have condemned the protests, saying that political groups within the legal community were attempting to advance their agendas, senior lawyers, including Ali Ahmad Kurd maintain they are demanding independence of judiciary.

    A viral video showed Kurd asking cops in Islamabad to let the lawyers head to the IHC. “We are going to Islamabad High Court… our friends are waiting there,” he said.

    Speaking to media, Kurd said that he would continue to stand by the lawyers on the issue. “Being in power does not make people great. Those who passed the amendment at 2:00 in the night should be ashamed of themselves. We don’t accept the amendment,” he said.

    Other senior lawyer, including those affiliated with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), have also voiced support for the protesters and their demands.

    While another viral video showed lawyers clashing with police on the roads of the federal capital, the aforementioned bar associations have endorsed the 26th Amendment and subsequent legislation, saying they consider them integral parts of the Constitution.

    The protests come as the JCP gears up to meet today and consider the elevation of eight high court judges to the apex court despite calls from some judges and sections of the legal community to defer the same.

    Earlier, four apex court judges, including two commission members, Justice Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Munib Akhtar, wrote to Chief Justice Yahya Afridi, who also heads the JCP, requesting a postponement. 

    The top judge leads the 13-member JCP that includes four judges of the apex court and parliamentarians from both the treasury and opposition benches.

  • WATCH: Indian police seize PTI flags, balloons

    WATCH: Indian police seize PTI flags, balloons

    A video of The Daily Hindustan news report has surfaced online, showing the police seizing Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) flags in Bhalessa, in the illegally Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

    In the video, which has now gone viral, the reporter explains that the PTI flag was spotted in trees in IIOJK, sparking panic among police and security agencies about how the flags had come from Pakistan.

    The video shows policemen holding a PTI flag with ‘NA-64’ and ‘PP-32’ written on it, which belongs to the Pakistan Gujrat constituency.

    On Saturday, PTI organised protests across the country, marking one year since what it calls the rigged elections of February 8, 2024, dubbing it a ‘Black Day.’ Multiple videos have surfaced, showing PTI supporters and workers releasing flags and balloons from Gujrat into the air on Saturday.

    “There is no need to panic; the flags and balloons are indeed from Pakistan. PTI marked February 8 as a Black Day… thousands of flags and balloons were released from Pakistan,” the reporter explained, adding that there was no cause for concern.

    He went on to claim that the flags and balloons were found not only in Bhalessa but also in the Kishtwar sector between February 8 and February 9.

    Some internet users were quick to react to the viral news report. A social media user took to X (formerly Twitter), writing, “As soon as PTI’s flags and balloons floated into India, the people there got worried. In the end, the police ‘arrested’ PTI’s balloons and flags.”

    “The PTI flags that were released into the air with balloons yesterday couldn’t be caught by the Punjab police, but the Indian police have ‘arrested’ the PTI flags,” quipped another user.

    “Black Day ke mauqe par, Pakistan ke district Gujrat se gubbaron ke saath PTI ke jhanday bandh kar uray gaye, jo India mein ja kar utar gaye. Indian police gubbaron ko pakar kar tasveeren aur videos bana rahi hai (On the occasion of Black Day, PTI flags were tied to balloons and released from Pakistan’s Gujrat district. These balloons floated into India, where the Indian police captured them and are now taking pictures and making videos,” a user added.

    One user sarcastically addressed the people who hail from Gujarat, writing, “O Gujarat people, the balloons and flags you released have been captured by the Indian police!”

  • Meher Bano Qureshi among PTI leaders, workers arrested for ‘Black Day’ protests

    Meher Bano Qureshi among PTI leaders, workers arrested for ‘Black Day’ protests

    Multiple leaders and workers of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have been arrested from Multan and Muzaffarabad on Saturday as the party attempts to mark one year since what it calls the rigged elections of February 8 2024, dubbing it a ‘Black Day’. 

    According to media reports, PTI leader and daughter of incarcerated former Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Meher Bano Qureshi, was arrested from Multan for violating section 144.

    PTI leaders Zahid Bahar Hashmi and Dalir Meher were detained by police at Pull Chatta for violating Section 144. Over 10 PTI workers were also arrested for attempting to hold a rally in the area.

    The Punjab government had earlier imposed Section 144 across the province, which restricts all kinds of political assemblies, gatherings, sit-ins, rallies and other activities.

    An official told a private media outlet that opposition leader in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) legislative, Khawaja Farooq, among 16 others, was arrested from AJK.

    Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ali Amin Gandapur had stated earlier that ‘Black Day’ is being marked to protest against the “historic theft of the people’s mandate”.

    Alluding to the ruling Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N), Gandapur said that the party, which had merely won “17 seats”, was imposed upon the nation and given power.

    Criticizing the incumbent government, CM KP accused the government of destroying every institution in the country.

    Gandapur, the face of many PTI protests, is not leading the convoy of party workers as he heads to Swabi for PTI’s protest rally. Gandapur was recently replaced with PTI leader Junaid Akbar as the party’s KP President.

    Defense Minister Khawaja Asif took to X (formerly Twitter) on Friday, writing, “If you [PTI] want to hold a political gathering, come to Punjab, Sindh, or Balochistan — places where you claim injustices have been done to you.”

    In other provinces, he said, forget about the public attending gatherings; even PTI’s leadership was nowhere to be seen on the ground. Criticising the PTI, he said that the party was like a plant that only grows in government nurseries.

    On PTI Secretary General Salman Akram, while speaking to media in Islamabad, said that the party would hold a rally only in Swabi, while protests would take place at tehsil and union council levels. He clarified that there were no plans for confrontation or chaos.

    Lahore’s Deputy Commissioner (DC) had rejected a PTI request to hold a rally at Minar-e-Pakistan on February 8 (today). “The decision not to allow the rally was made to maintain law and order situation,” the DC said in a statement.

    DC mentioned that important events were scheduled in Lahore on February 8, such as a cricket match, an international speaker conference, and the horse and cattle show.

  • Wasn’t sure if Imran Khan would serve jail time with bravery: Hamid Mir

    Wasn’t sure if Imran Khan would serve jail time with bravery: Hamid Mir

    Prominent journalist Hamid Mir claimed on Monday that he was unsure whether the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Imran Khan, would be able to serve his time in jail.

    Appearing on TV analyst Irshad Bhatti’s YouTube channel, Mir, while responding to the question of whether he had expected former premier Imran Khan to withstand imprisonment, said, “I was not sure whether Imran Khan would serve his time in jail bravely.”

    “Contrary to my expectation, Imran Khan was offered compromises multiple times, but he did not compromise,” he added, noting that one should acknowledge that Khan has bravely endured imprisonment.

    He also claimed that when Khan was sent to jail, he believed he would soon patch up with the establishment, given his good ties with intelligence agencies during his premiership.

    To a question about many politicians losing their patience while remaining confined in jail, the journalist opined that President Asif Ali Zardari courageously served his time in jail, adding that Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif and senior politician Javed Hashmi had also spent their time in jail with patience.

    Earlier, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) top brass Rana Sanaullah, while speaking to a private news outlet, had claimed, “One thing I must admit is that Khan is surviving in jail, which I did not expect from him.”

    On August 5, 2023, Imran Khan was arrested from his residence in Zaman Park shortly after his conviction in the Tosha Khana case and has been in jail since then on multiple charges.

    Currently, he is held in Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail under high security and with B-class facilities due to his status as a former premier. Earlier, he had been held in Attock Jail.

    The incarcerated Khan was recently convicted in the 190 million-pound case, commonly known as the Al Qadir Trust case.

    Accountability court judge Nasir Javed Rana announced the verdict, sentencing 14 and seven years of imprisonment to Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, respectively.

    The court also imposed fines on Imran and Bushra, amounting to Rs1 million and Rs500,000, respectively. Failure to pay the fines would result in an additional six months in jail for Imran and three months for Bushra, the verdict said.

    The case alleges that Imran and Bushra obtained billions of rupees and land worth hundreds of kanals from Bahria Town Ltd for legalizing Rs50 billion that was identified and returned to the country by the United Kingdom (UK) during the previous PTI government.

  • Army has not received Imran Khan’s ‘letter to Gen Asim Munir’, says Wajahat Kazmi

    Army has not received Imran Khan’s ‘letter to Gen Asim Munir’, says Wajahat Kazmi

    Amid claims by the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan’s lawyer, Faisal Chaudhry, that Khan wrote a six-point letter to the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir, journalist Wajahat Kazmi quoted security sources as saying that no such letter has been sent to them.

    “Imran Khan, as party supremo and former premier, has written a six-point letter to the army chief, expressing solidarity with the military in its fight against terrorism, and acknowledging the sacrifices made by our soldiers,” Chaudhry said on Monday while speaking to media outside Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi.

    Khan’s counsel had said that the letter brought to the army chief’s attention all cases of terrorism against political leaders and the use of force against PTI workers, adding that it also expressed concern over intelligence agencies’ operations and the country’s economy.

    Chaudhry further maintained that Khan urged the army chief to reconsider policies and called for the formation of a judicial commission.

    Kazmi took to X (formerly Twitter) on Monday, claiming, “Another failed attempt by Imran Khan to create a storm in a teacup. PTI is staging drama over a supposed letter to the Army Chief, but security sources confirm no such letter was received—nor will it be. The establishment has made it clear: talk to political parties, not them.”

    PTI Chairman, Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, while speaking to reporters outside Adiala Jail Rawalpindi, had stated that Imran Khan wrote a letter to General Syed Asim Munir. However, he did not confirm whether the letter was dispatched.

    Gohar said that Imran, in his letter, touched upon some of the reasons that created the perceived gap between the establishment and the public, including the 2024 elections, the passage of the 26th Constitutional Amendment, and the recent controversial Peca Act.

    Another journalist, Ammar Solangi, claimed that Imran Khan’s letter has not been dispatched to the army chief so far.

    Solangi wrote in a post on X, “…. [Imran] Khan has asked Barrister Gohar to draft a letter to COAS. Neither the letter has been written nor dispatched so far.”

    He further claimed that the jailed former premier has no access to writing material and, therefore, cannot write a letter by himself. “The fact is that he [Imran Khan] has asked his barristers to bring him a letter as per the themes given by him. While barrister Gohar agreed, Faisal Chaudhry [Imran Khan’s lawyer] wanted the tone to be sweetened,” he added.