Current Final

Tag: Punjab

  • Supreme court will take action if govt and PTI don’t reach consensus: Chief Justice

    During today’s proceedings, Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial said that the Supreme Court (SC) would not “sit idle” on its order on holding elections in Punjab on May 14 if the talks between the government and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) failed.

    A three-member bench headed by CJ Bandial, comprising Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi, heard the case

    In the hearing, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) lawyer Farooq H Naek said that while the ruling alliance had agreed to dissolve the National Assembly in August, “more time is needed for negotiations.”

    CJP remarked that the court is not interested in the PTI-government dialogue, however, the court has left the matter to the political parties.

    Farooq H Naik assured the apex court that problems will be solved.

    After conducting a hearing that lasted nearly two hours, the proceeding was adjourned, with the CJP saying that an appropriate order will be issued.

    Post the negotiations, the PTI submitted a report to the court stating that no resolution was reached and requested that the court enforce its April 4 order regarding elections in Punjab.

    Earlier, rounds of talks took place between the ruling alliance and the PTI, with both sides agreeing on having elections on the same date. However, the date itself became a bone of contention.

  • Dar tells PTI that govt has nothing to do with raid at Elahi’s residence

    Finance Minister Ishaq Dar has talked to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senior Vice President Shah Mahmood Qureshi via telephone, discussing last night’s raid at former Chief Minister (CM) Pervaiz Elahi’s residence in Lahore.

    Dar distanced the federal government from the incident and blamed the Punjab government for it, while expressing grief over the raid that has been criticised for using excessive force.

    The minister said that he would forward PTI’s reservations to the ruling alliance and would get back to them.

    Meanwhile, Dar’s party fellow and Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal criticised the PTI leaders for “using women and children” as a shield to evade arrest.

    Apparently justifying the raid, the minister said both PTI Chairman Imran Khan and Elahi were not arrested when police conducted a raid at their residence.

    The raid has put talks between PTI and the government, to reach a consensus on a date for election, in jeopardy. The final and third round of negotiations will be held on May 2 (Tuesday).

  • After Zaman Park, Punjab police raid Elahi’s house and arrest women

    After Zaman Park, Punjab police raid Elahi’s house and arrest women

    In the late hours of Friday night, a heavy contingent of officials from anti-corruption department and police reached the Gulberg residence of former Chief Minister (CM) Pervaiz Elahi in Lahore to arrest him in a corruption case.

    According to Elahi’s lawyer, pre-arrest bail had already been taken from a court until May 6 in the particular case. However, the team insisted that they need Elahi in a new case and they would not leave without arresting him.

    Sometime later, the raiding team used an armoured vehicle to break down the main gate of Elahi’s house, arresting multiple staff members. Female police officers also took women into custody.

    The plan was to arrest Elahi too, however, after a thorough search they couldn’t find him.

    They also tried to force their way into the adjoining residence of PML-Q President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, but they were resisted by Shujaat’s sons.

    After the episode, Elahi’s son moved the Lahore High Court (LHC) to stop the police. Many politicians, including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, strongly condemned the raid.

  • PTI wants general elections in July, amendment in constitution and much more

    PTI wants general elections in July, amendment in constitution and much more

    The Pakistan Democratic Movement-led government and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) finally sat together to discuss the matter of elections on Thursday.

    According to Geo News, the former ruling party PTI has put forward three conditions for reaching a consensus. One of them is that they want general elections in July instead of October.

    Other than this, PTI has asked the government to dissolve Balochistan and Sindh Assembly as well as National Assembly (NA) in May. Thirdly, the party wants an amendment in the constitution for simultaneous elections and for that, the resignations of their Member of National Assembly (MNA) have to be withdrawn.

    The first round of the negotiations lasted for two hours while the second round will be held today.

    It is important to mention that Supreme Cout (SC) gave May 14 as the date for polls in Punjab and KP, but later asked the political parties to negotiate with each other to reach a conclusion.

  • Gen Bajwa advised me to dissolve assemblies: Khan

    Gen Bajwa advised me to dissolve assemblies: Khan

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has admitted that he dissolved the provincial assemblies of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) on advice from former Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa.

    “In a meeting with General Bajwa held in the presence of President Dr Arif Alvi, he [Gen Bajwa] said that if you want elections, dissolve your governments,” said Khan while talking on ARY News programme, ‘Sawal Yeh Hai’.

    Khan had earlier made multiple accusations against the former army chief, including the allegation that he had conspired to remove PTI government at the center.

    The former prime minister further said, “General Bajwa and the [premier intelligence] agency knew that the current rulers had stolen the money from the national kitty and taken it abroad. Despite knowing this, General Bajwa was willing to give them NRO as he had planned an extension [for himself].”

    “If you have an ideology, you can’t convince yourself to give NRO to these people,” added Khan.

    He also revealed that a leader from the Middle East had told him a year ago that Bajwa was not supporting him any longer.

    Khan went on to say that they [coalition government] are running away from elections.

    During the interview, Imran Khan also suggested that polls can take place in July if Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif dissolves the National Assembly — the lower house of parliament.

    “Elections can be held in July if the prime minister dissolves the assembly,” the ousted premier said.

    He also stressed that caretaker governments in both Punjab and KP — the provinces where Khan’s party was in power before he decided to dissolve its two assemblies on January 14 and 18, respectively — are illegal after the lapse of their stipulated term.

    “The caretaker government’s tenure is over already, it has become illegal,” the deposed premier said. He demanded the caretaker government be abolished and a new “neutral” interim setup be instated.

    He added that the Supreme Court of Pakistan has given May 14 as the date for Punjab polls and his party won’t let the government extend polling day beyond that.

    “If they think they [incumbent government] will pressurise the Supreme Court, we will not let it happen. They will create scandals about the top court to run away from elections,” he said.

  • Boycott? PML-N decides not to give tickets for Punjab election

    Boycott? PML-N decides not to give tickets for Punjab election

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has decided not to issue tickets to any candidate for the general elections in Punjab.

    According to news reports, PML-N leadership has decided that the nomination papers of the party candidates will not be withdrawn for now. The party will give tickets after the Supreme Court gives its verdict. For now, it has been decided not to issue party tickets till the court decision is announced.

    It is also reported that PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif will decide whether his party will participate in the upcoming elections or not.

    In the light of the court decision, there is a possibility of calling an important consultative meeting after Eid ul Fitr.

    According to the election schedule, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has to allot party symbols to the candidates today.

  • After federal govt, Punjab also gives five days off for Eid

    After federal govt, Punjab also gives five days off for Eid

    The Punjab government on Friday announced that holidays will extend from April 21 to 25 on account of Eid ul Fitr.

    On Thursday, the federal government had also announced a five-day holiday for Eid.

    The Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee is set to meet on April 20 for sighting of the Eid ul Fitr crescent moon, a statement from the religious affairs ministry said on Tuesday.

    This year, the holy month of Ramazan started on March 23.

  • Farmers ‘harassed and threatened’: Human Rights Watch releases report on RUDA project

    Human Rights Watch (HRW) has released a report on Ravi Urban Development Authority (RUDA) project, stating that authorities are forcibly evicting thousands of farmers near the city of Lahore for a massive infrastructure project.

    The international organisation spoke to 14 farmers, who said they have been evicted or threatened with eviction since August 2020. According to them, not only have the authorities “harassed” them but have “criminally charged more than 100 farmers with resisting or refusing to hand over the land they occupied.”

    The report noted that in 2022, the Supreme Court allowed the government to continue development only on the land it had already acquired and for which it had paid compensation.

    Despite that farmers and activists alleged that the development authority has continued to seize land.

    Although the project claimed that it will ease Lahore’s many problems including pollution, sewage, water, housing, and employment, the report said otherwise.

    “Environmental groups have raised concerns that the project’s proposed changes to the flow of the Ravi River could significantly increase the risks of flooding. Pakistan’s Sindh province experienced catastrophic floods in mid-2022.”

    In 2022, former Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi allocated 700 kanals of land for the construction of a journalists’ housing society in RUDA.

    However, journalists openly criticised the government and refused to accept the offer.

    In August 2020, then-Prime Minister Imran Khan laid the foundation stone of the controversial real estate project.

  • Punjab Transport Department increases non-AC bus fares by over 250%

    Punjab Transport Department increases non-AC bus fares by over 250%

    The Punjab Transport Department (PTD) has announced that it will increase the fares of non-AC buses in response to the rising prices of diesel and petrol.

    This decision will place an additional burden on the poor, as fares will increase by more than 250 per cent. The new fares for both inter and intra-city non-AC bus services will be implemented from April 25th.

    The fare for non-AC bus services operating between different cities will increase by 233 per cent to 267 per cent. Additionally, an increase of up to 267 per cent in the fares of non-AC buses and wagons has also been approved.

    Under the new policy, passengers travelling one to four km will see an increase from Rs14 to Rs47, a difference of Rs33.

    This fare hike will also make it more expensive for passengers to return to their cities from native towns, particularly after Eid-ul-Fitr.

  • Cabinet approves bill seeking parliament validation for election funds

    Cabinet approves bill seeking parliament validation for election funds

    The federal cabinet on Monday approved a summary prepared by the Ministry of Finance seeking to release funds for the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to hold elections in Punjab on May 14 as ordered by the Supreme Court, which will now be forwarded to the parliament.

    Finance Minister Ishaq Dar presented the bill before parliament today.

    Earlier today, a meeting chaired by Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif, decided to send the matter to the parliament, observing that the Lower House was supreme and whatever decision it would make, would be acceptable.

    On Sunday the cabinet decided to refer to parliament the issue of the release of funds to the ECP for holding elections in Punjab.

    The cabinet asked Dar to prepare a summary for the guidance of the Parliament.

    It is pertinent to mention here that the SC has ordered that federal government to release Rs21 billion by April 10 for holding polls in Punjab.