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Tag: Punjab

  • ‘They had planned to kill me in a Murtaza Bhutto-type murder’: Khan

    ‘They had planned to kill me in a Murtaza Bhutto-type murder’: Khan

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on has claimed on Wednesday that another assassination plot was being hatched to kill him the way Murtaza Bhutto was.

    Recalling his arrival at the Judicial Complex Islamabad, Khan said, “I stood outside the judicial complex’s gate for 40 minutes,” adding that he witnessed the rowdiness of “police, army and unknown people wearing CTD uniform” during this time.

    “They had the planned to take my vehicle inside the complex, close the gates, create a violent situation, and kill me in a Murtaza Bhutto-type murder,” Khan said, adding that he returned from the gate after signing the attendance register.

    Mir Murtaza Bhutto, the son and brother of former Prime Ministers Zulkfiqar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto, was killed in a police encounter in 1996 in Karachi.

    Khan also revealed that he believed the police chiefs of Punjab and Islamabad alongside their ‘handlers’ have hatched a conspiracy to kill him as they are “becoming serious about assassinating him”.

    The IGs of Punjab and Islamabad have constituted two separate squads, Khan alleged, who will join PTI workers and open fire on the police, “to provoke an armed retaliation and eventually reach [inside the house] and assassinate me, in a day or two.”

    Giving instructions to his loyalists, Khan said that they were not to provoke the police at any cost. “If the police want to approach me with any warrant or for any other matter, let them approach me directly,” adding that he would never wish any harm on his party workers. “The incumbent government and its plans to kill me have failed and now they have become jittery and taking extreme measures,” he commented.

  • Punjab govt to provide free flour to 15.8 million deserving households during Ramzan

    Punjab govt to provide free flour to 15.8 million deserving households during Ramzan

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif has announced a scheme to provide free flour to impoverished individuals during the holy month of Ramzan. The premier stated that the distribution of free flour will encompass 15.8 million households throughout Punjab from 25 Sha’ban to 25 Ramzan.

    To ensure effective implementation of the scheme, the Prime Minister directed the utilisation of 8,500 utility stores and the establishment of an additional 20,000 distribution points for public convenience.

    Moreover, PM Shehbaz stressed the need for the transparent and modern distribution of free flour among the poor while also emphasising that the quality of flour provided should be of the highest standards.

    Eligibility for the program can be confirmed through SMS, and the federal government will also support other provinces in this regard.

    During a review meeting to discuss the distribution of free flour under the Ramzan package, chaired by the Prime Minister himself, the Punjab government provided a detailed briefing on the program.

    The meeting was attended by the Caretaker Chief Minister Punjab Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi, Adviser to the Prime Minister Ahad Cheema, and other relevant senior officials.

    This decision is expected to bring much-needed relief to the underprivileged during the holy month of Ramzan. By utilising modern technology and additional distribution points, the distribution of free flour can be carried out efficiently and transparently, ensuring that the benefits reach those who are most in need.

  • PTI agrees not to speak against state, institutions and judiciary in rally today

    PTI agrees not to speak against state, institutions and judiciary in rally today

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has been allowed to stage an election rally in Lahore with certain caveats attached to the permission.

    According to media reports, a meeting was held at the direction of Punjab caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Raza Naqvi where the permission was discussed. PTI leadership submitted an affidavit, assuring the city administration of its full cooperation with them, police and security officials.

    The party also assured the authorities that they would not give speeches against state institutions and the judiciary. The PTI would be responsible if public property is demanded during the rally, read the affidavit.

    According to PTI Lahore Chapter President Imtiaz Shaikh, a rally will be taken out from Zaman Park to Data Darbar at 2pm today.

    “Imran Khan will lead the rally,” he confirmed.

    This would be the first rally that Khan would lead in more than four months.

  • Lahori students to get free rides on Orange, Metro line

    In a bid to provide easier access to transportation, public train systems Orange Line and Metro Line in Lahore will provide free transportation facilities to students in school uniforms, Samma has reported.

    The decision was announced by the Caretaker CM Punjab Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi on Sunday, in order to help students attend their schools punctually and also lessen the financial burden of travelling costs on their families.

    Students will only need to be dressed in school uniforms in order to receive a free ride.

  • CM Mohsin Naqvi says PTI worker died in car accident

    Interim Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Mohsin Naqvi and Punjab Inspector General (IG) Dr Usman Anwar on Saturday jointly addressed the press conference, presenting their case that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) worker Ali Bilal lost his life in a car accident and not due to custodial torture by the Punjab police.

    Both of them claimed that PTI leadership had known the truth yet accused the Punjab government of Bilal’s death.

    CM Naqvi said that the Vice president of the PTI in Central Punjab Raja Shakeel informed PTI leader Yasmin Rashid that Bilal was hit by a car. Later, Rashid also informed the party about it at Zaman Park.

    He added that all the evidence will first be taken to Bilal’s family. He claimed that the PTI worker’s father was also offered money to stick to torture allegations.

    Naqvi asserted that the government will financially help the family.

    “I am accused of murder, is it that easy to level murder accusations on someone?” he asked, adding that the PTI is openly asking to file an FIR for the murder.

    Naqvi said he would have answered the accusations “in a different manner” had he not been in CM’s position.

    Addressing the presser, Punjab IG said that the people who brought Bilal to the hospital have been arrested and will be presented before a court.

    “Action will be taken if evidence of police torture is found,” the IG said.

    During the press briefing, confessional video statements of the two suspects, who are currently under police custody, were also played.

    On March 8, PTI workers were picked up by the police when a clash took place just before a scheduled election rally.

    Later, the party leadership claimed that Bilal was tortured and killed while in police custody. Bilal’s postmortem report, issued by the Mayo Hospital, says the victim suffered “massive blunt trauma”, while a fracture to his skull and subsequent bleeding has been cited as the cause of death. The report also noted damage to his liver, spleen and testes, which led to profuse bleeding.

  • Censor Board bans documentary ‘My Mother’s Daughter’ about forced religious conversion

    Censor Board bans documentary ‘My Mother’s Daughter’ about forced religious conversion

    Filmmakers Ahmen Khawaja and Mariam Khan took to their social media accounts to call out Pakistan’s Central Board of Film Censors for censoring their short documentary ‘My Mother’s Documentary’ which was due to screen at the Women International Film Festival.
    The documentary explores the issue of forced religious conversions by following the life of a minor christian girl who was abducted and forcibly married to a middle-aged man.
    Khan shared the letter sent by the censor board which had based its reasons for censoring the film by calling it “propaganda” as well as for highlighting “wrong values” which are “against the Pakistani culture and society.”

    Read Khan’s full statement here:

    “On International Women’s Day we found out that Pakistan’s Central Board of Film Censors in Islamabad (CBFC) has decided to censor our short documentary My Mother’s Daughter and is not allowing it to screen this weekend at the @womenthroughfilm film festival.

    The film follows the real story of a minor Christian girl in Faisalabad who is abducted by a middle aged man, forcefully married to him and converted to Islam. Up to 1,000 young girls are forcefully converted every year (1), and to call this propaganda is a gross injustice to their plight and stories. We spent months verifying the case and going to court hearings with the survivor to ensure the utmost authenticity in the film. The censor board seems to be of the view that our film is ‘propaganda that is trying to highlight wrong values that go against the culture in Pakistan’. Upon speaking directly with the Chairperson, we were told “the full board review can’t be done before the festival because the office is being renovated”. Please help spread the word because women’s stories deserve to be told.”

    ‘My Mother’s Daughter’ had also won the Short Documentary Award at the DC South Asian Film Festival last year.

  • ‘Kapray istari karne ke liye frying pan bhi nahin deeya,’ Asad Umar jokes after being released from jail

    ‘Kapray istari karne ke liye frying pan bhi nahin deeya,’ Asad Umar jokes after being released from jail

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Asad Umar has been released from Rajanpur District Jail after he voluntarily got arrested as part of his party’s Jail Bharo Tehreek (voluntary arrest movement).

    After the release, Umar praised party workers for participating in the movement.

    In another tweet, he took a jibe at Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senior Vice-President Maryam Nawaz, joking that jail officials did not provide him with a frying pan to iron his clothes.

    Several other prominent leaders also got released from jail including Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Senator Azam Swati and Zulfi Bukhari.

    Swati, after being released from Raheem Yar Khan district jail, said that “political engineering should stop now”. 

    PTI’s Zulfi Bukhari and Fayyaz ul Hassan Chauhan were released from Sargodha jail, while former Punjab Governor Umar Sarfaraz Cheema, Azam Khan Niazi, Sadaqat Abbasi, Ejaz Khan and others were also among the released PTI workers.

    The movement had been announced by PTI Chairman Imran Khan in the wake of the coalition government’s spree of arrests of key PTI leaders. However, after the Supreme Court’s verdict about the elections, the PTI chief called off the movement.

    LHC orders release of arrested PTI leaders during Jail Bharo Tehreek

    Earlier, Lahore High Court (LHC) ordered the release of the arrested leaders of PTI during Jail Bharo Tehreek.

    Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh issued the order on the application of Fawad Chaudhry. The court suspended the detention orders of Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Asad Umar and other party leaders..

    The court also asked the parties, including the Punjab government, to respond on March 7.

    It is pertinent to mention here, that PTI leaders Shah Mahmood, Asad Umar and other leaders and activists were arrested from Lahore and transferred to other jails in the province.

  • PTI’s Jail Bharo Tehreek ends; election campaign begins from March 4

    PTI’s Jail Bharo Tehreek ends; election campaign begins from March 4

    After Supreme Court (SC) passed its verdict in the suo Moto case of election dates in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Wednesday announced that his party would end its “Jail Bharo Tehreek (voluntary arrest movement)” and launch its election campaign on March 4 (Saturday).

    About the top court’s decision that elections will be held within 90 days, Khan praised the judiciary and said the nation stood with the court.

    However, he expressed fears that elections may not be held in 90 days, claiming that Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar tried to divide the judiciary.

    Slamming the federal minister’s views on the verdict, the PTI chief said: “His views on the Supreme Court verdict are shameful.”

    Khan added that since his government’s removal in April 2022, his party has won 30 by-polls out of 37.

    It is pertinent to mention that the elections in both provinces have been the core demand of PTI and the apex court’s verdict has been welcomed by the former ruling party.

  • PTI welcomes supreme court’s verdict while govt says it doesn’t require review

    PTI welcomes supreme court’s verdict while govt says it doesn’t require review

    Political parties from across the spectrum are reacting to Supreme Court’s (SC) verdict in the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) elections suo moto case.

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Fawad Chaudhry welcomed the verdict, saying, “It’s a victory for the Constitution”.

    The Supreme Court, the PTI leader added, has bound the federation to provide all sorts of support with security and provision of funds for carrying out polls.

    When asked whether elections will happen on April 9, as earlier suggested by President Arif Alvi, he responded by saying that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) proposed in court that the commission can make the elections possible on April 25.

    He also said that if the government doesn’t agree to the SC’s verdict, the top court will send the government home under Article 187.

    He also added that all five judges endorsed the principle of the election within 90 days. During a media talk, the PTI leader stressed that “Election is the foundation of the state.”

    On the other hand, Awami Muslim League Chief Sheikh Rashid congratulated the nation on the verdict and asked the country to “prepare for the elections”.

    He hoped that PTI is going to form governments in KP and Punjab

    From the government side, Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said that there is no need to review the decision of the Supreme Court’s verdict, nor is it a matter that requires interpretation.

    He said that petitions are still being heard in High Courts, and the interpretation of the decision can also be seen there.

    He also stressed that the verdict is quite clear. However, the law minister took a jibe at President Alvi, saying that he breached the constitution by giving a date for the elections in both provinces.

    Earlier today (Wednesday), the top court directed all relevant authorities to hold elections within 90 days.

    The decision was passed three-two in favour of the verdict by the five-member bench, with Justice Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail giving dissenting notes.

  • Imran Khan suspends Jail Bharo Tehreek, decides to prepare for elections

    Imran Khan suspends Jail Bharo Tehreek, decides to prepare for elections

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has announced to suspend his party’s Jail Bharo Tehreek (Voluntary Arrest Movement).

    Taking to Twitter, Khan said, “We welcome the Supreme Court (SC) judgement. It was responsibility of SC to uphold Constitution & they have valiantly done that through their judgement today. It is an assertion of Rule of Law in Pak.”

    “We are suspending our Jail Bharo movement & moving forward with election campaigns in KP & Punjab,” tweeted Khan.

    It is pertinent to mention here that the announcement comes right after Supreme Court of Pakistan has directed all relevant authorities to hold elections in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) within 90 days.

    Reading out the verdict reserved on Tuesday evening, Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial said that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) should suggest a date for polls to President Arif Alvi.

    “Elections must be held within 90 days of the dissolution of the assembly,” the verdict says, emphasizing that it was the constitutional responsibility of the Governor to announce an election date.