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Tag: Shehbaz Sharif

  • Shehbaz, Arif Alvi lock horns on caretaker PM appointment

    Shehbaz, Arif Alvi lock horns on caretaker PM appointment

    President Arif Alvi wrote a letter on Friday to outgoing Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to appoint a caretaker Premier by Saturday (today), rekindling the uneasy relationship between the two.

    Dawn has reported that PM Shehbaz is not happy with the letter, questioning why President Alvi is in a hurry. He also said that the President might not have read the constitution.


    According to Dawn’s sources, delay in nominating caretaker PM can be chalked up to opposition leader Raja Riaz, who is insisting that his candidate be appointed caretaker PM instead of agreeing to the names suggested by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

    After a meeting was held between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and opposition leader Raja Riaz on Saturday to discuss the name of the upcoming caretaker prime minister, Riaz gave three names for caretaker Prime Minister to Sharif. The Premier consulted with his allies last night about the three names.

    One of these three names is Sadiq Sanjrani, but so far the other two names are not known.


    On the other hand, PML-N head Nawaz Sharif wants former finance minister Ishaq Dar or former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abassi as caretaker PM.
    However, insiders alleged that Mr. Riaz was taking orders from another power corridor and insisted on the name of Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani. On Friday, Mr. Sanjrani called Mr. Riaz as well as Mr. Dar and Ahsan Iqbal.

  • Nawaz Sharif is coming to Pakistan next month, Shehbaz confirms

    Nawaz Sharif is coming to Pakistan next month, Shehbaz confirms

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said on Thursday that his elder brother, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, will return to Pakistan next month and face the law. It will be a major development if Nawaz Sharif comes back, as the upcoming elections are going to be held very soon.

    Shehbaz Sharif has also said in an interview with Geo News’ Capital Talk that he will visit London and meet the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) head after the caretaker government takes charge.

    “Nawaz Sharif will come back to Pakistan next month and will face the law and lead the election campaign,” Shehbaz Sharif said, however, he did not mention a specific date.

    “He [Nawaz] will neither wear a hat nor a bucket”, the outgoing PM said, criticising former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who is arrested and in Attock jail currently.

    Shehbaz Sharif, who is also the PML-N president, expressed hope that his party would win the upcoming general elections and that he would work as a party activist under the leadership of Nawaz Sharif.

  • ‘Worst assembly’: PML-N’s Shahid Khaqan slams govt

    ‘Worst assembly’: PML-N’s Shahid Khaqan slams govt

    Former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has said in his farewell speech on Wednesday that the outgoing National Assembly was the worst because it did not provide relief to the public.

    The former Prime Minister, a stalwart of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), said that not a single legislation was passed by the Lower House in its five years. “You seek record of five years’ legislation and you will see all the government bills were not meant to provide relief to people,” he said, stressing that it was a matter of shame for all.

    He pointed out that the people have lost faith in the government, emphasizing that such matters cannot be fixed by legislation but with actions. He blamed everyone for the economic crisis in the country, adding that it would take at least ten years to fix the economy.

    People say that all members of the assembly are corrupt and we show that they are correct,” Abbasi said, pointing out that parliamentarians were surrounding the Interior Minister to get his signature for licenses.

  • National Assembly dissolved: hunt for caretaker PM underway

    President Dr Arif Alvi, late on Wednesday, dissolved the National Assembly on the counsel of Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif.

    The prime minister’s decision to dissolve the assembly was swiftly acted upon, with the president endorsing the summary earlier presented by PM Shehbaz Sharif for the dissolution.

    However, despite this dissolution, Shehbaz Sharif will remain at the helm of affairs as prime minister until the nomination of a caretaker premier.

    This dissolution now mandates the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to organise general elections within the subsequent 90 days, as per constitutional requirements.

    Reinforcing this, the Senate, earlier in the day, passed a resolution urging the ECP to ensure preparations for the impending general elections occur within the constitutionally stipulated timeframe.

  • We have no Prime Minister if the government refuses to nominate a name as another meeting is delayed

    We have no Prime Minister if the government refuses to nominate a name as another meeting is delayed

    In a crucial turn of events, the highly anticipated meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Raja Riaz, scheduled for today, to decide on a name for the caretaker prime minister, has been postponed.

    The meeting has been rescheduled for tomorrow.

    The opposition leader has denied rumours that the meeting had been postponed for nefarious reasons and expressed eagerness for the upcoming conversation with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

    “The information circulating regarding the postponement of today’s meeting is not accurate,” declared Raja Riaz during a conversation with SAMAA TV.

    “The discussions between the Prime Minister and me are expected to take place today,” said Raja Riaz, highlighting the ongoing nature of the dialogue.

  • In last NA speech, Shehbaz says he’s not happy that leader of a party is in jail

    In last NA speech, Shehbaz says he’s not happy that leader of a party is in jail

    In a poignant last speech on the floor of the National Assembly as Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif said that if the leader of a political party is jailed, “we are not happy about it”.

    “If someone has been distributing sweets [to celebrate], it is not right. This is not a good tradition,” the Premier said, in a thinly veiled reference to political rival, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan.

    Khan has been sentenced to three years imprisonment in the Tosha Khana case, and is currently at Attock jail.

    Talking about the severe economic crisis in the country, Shehbaz said that his government faced severe difficulties in its 16-month long tenure.

    He thanked legislators from all parties and both sides, including Mohsin Dawar and Ali Wazir, for showing confidence in him.

    Calling the assembly a “bouquet”, the Prime Minister said that such a bunch of Pakistanis has never been put together before and will never be put together again.

    In a lighter moment, he asked members to thump their desks with more force after he paid tribute to Speaker Raja Pervez Ashraf.

    He also singled out Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari for praise, thanking the outgoing Foreign Minister for keeping the coalition together and for his diplomatic prowess.

  • National Assembly set to dissolve after 5:30PM

    National Assembly set to dissolve after 5:30PM

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is preparing to advice President Arif Alvi to dissolve the National Assembly (NA) today, bringing an end to tumultuous five-year term for the Lower House. Today (Wednesday) might be the last day of the coalition government.

    In order to extend the interim period, which is legally within 90 days if an assembly is dissolved prematurely, the government will dissolve the Lower House of parliament earlier than its legal term, which expires on August 12.

    If the National Assembly gets dissolved prematurely, a caretaker government will be responsible for conducting elections in 90 days.

    According to Article 58 of the constitution, the prime minister can advise the president on the dissolution of the National Assembly, however, if the president doesn’t approve, the assembly is still dissolved within 48 hours.

    “The president shall dissolve the National Assembly if so advised by the prime minister; and the National Assembly shall, unless sooner dissolved, stand dissolved at the expiration of forty-eight hours after the prime minister has so advised,” the article reads.

    PM Shehbaz Sharif, after a joint session of Parliament today at 5:30 p.m., will request President Alvi to dissolve the Parliament. Shehbaz Sharif’s meeting with opposition leader Raja Riaz is scheduled for 4 p.m. today.

  • PM Shehbaz chairs CCI meeting to discuss 2023 census

    PM Shehbaz chairs CCI meeting to discuss 2023 census

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is presiding over a meeting of the Council of Common Interest (CCI) to decide the destiny of the 2023 census. There is a disagreement between the coalition partners on the issue.
    All of the chief ministers and senior members of the federal cabinet reportedly attend the council’s crucial meeting.

    According to reports, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) has informed the federal government that all formalities have been fulfilled and census results are ready for CCI approval.

    Elections would likely be postponed by a few months if the CCI adopts the census findings since the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) would need more time to redo the delimitation exercise.

    According to the legislation, the ECP is required to organise elections based on new data if a new census is announced.
    It is important to note that the National Assembly will be prematurely dissolved on August 9 — three days before its term ends — by the ruling coalition, giving the electoral body 90 days to hold elections.

  • PM Shehbaz says didn’t care about ‘taunts’ of being called establishment’s man

    PM Shehbaz says didn’t care about ‘taunts’ of being called establishment’s man

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that he did not care about taunts labelling him “establishment’s man”.

    At the inauguration ceremony of the Barha Kahu bypass project in Islamabad, the Prime Minister said, “I was called the establishment’s man, but I did not care about those taunts […] I never met army chiefs for personal reasons; the only motive behind those meetings was to ensure that the establishment and governments take the country forward together.”

    Acknowledging that in his 38 year long political career, he met many army chiefs but only to ensure that, “Islamabad’s government and Rawalpindi’s establishment remain on the same page.”

    Mentioning rumors that he was close to former Chief of Army Staff (COAS) and military dictator, the late General Pervez Musharraf, Shehbaz asked what did he get.

    “Nawaz Sharif was thrown into jail and so was I. He went to Attock, so did I. He went to Landhi jail, so did I. Nawaz Sharif was exiled, so was I. Even my family was exiled,” he commented.

  • Central leader Iftikhar Durrani ‘abducted’, PTI claims

    Central leader Iftikhar Durrani ‘abducted’, PTI claims

    The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has said that a central leader of the party, Iftikhar Durrani, went “missing” from Islamabad on Thursday.
    PTI said in a statement that the core member of the party was “kidnapped” from the capital city of the country.

    Iftikhar Durrani, a former special assistant on media to former Prime Minister Imran Khan, was considered a close aide of the PTI chairman.

    Despite the passage of multiple hours, as yet there is still no information about the PTI leader’s whereabouts.

    PTI leader Zulfi Bukhari strongly condemned the “abduction” of Iftikhar Durrani.