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Tag: Shehbaz Sharif

  • Fact check: Shehbaz Sharif did not meet singer Farhan NTF at PM House

    Fact check: Shehbaz Sharif did not meet singer Farhan NTF at PM House

    Claim: PM Shehbaz Sharif invited singer Farhan NTF to the PM House

    Fact: Shehbaz Sharif met Farhan NTF at his private residence in November 2021, almost 5 months before becoming Prime Minister.

    A video of Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif meeting singer, composer and writer Farhan NTF went viral on Friday in which the singer can be seen sitting with Sharif and singing “Mian De Naray“, which is a political song.

    Political analyst Raheeq Abbasi tweeted the video and wrote: “These days, PM House looks like a circus. If in doubt, watch this video.” His tweet was retweeted more than 12,000 times and had almost three thousand quote-tweets.

    Former federal Minister Fawad Chaudhry quoted Raheeq Abbasi and tweeted: “Pakistan’s dummy prime minister in an important meeting discussing people’s issues in PM House.”

    Anchorperson Imran Riaz Khan also quote-tweeted the same video and wrote that the King can be seeing enjoying himself.

    However, the video is not recent. Farhan tweeted about meeting Shehbaz Sharif on November 3, 2021. At that time, Imran Khan was the prime minister of Pakistan and the video was not shot inside the Prime Minister House.

    In a YouTube video, Farhan explains how hurt he was that his old video went viral and is being misused by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). He clarifies that he met PM Shehbaz last year in November at Sharif’s private residence. He said that it seems that the video is being used as if PM Shehbaz is listening to a political song that was written for him instead of working.

    “I am a singer. I don’t have any political affiliations. I have sung songs for PTI also but my song ‘Mian De Naray’ became very popular. Did Khan not meet Khalil-ur-Rehman Qamar and Shaan Shahid when he was prime minister? Why can Shehbaz Sharif not meet any artist? I hope that people do not misuse our videos for their political interests.”

    VERDICT: FALSE

  • Imran Khan or Shehbaz Sharif: Social media divided over who to thank for unchanged fuel prices

    Imran Khan or Shehbaz Sharif: Social media divided over who to thank for unchanged fuel prices

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has rejected the proposal of the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) to increase the prices of petroleum products.

    The announcement was made on Twitter by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) Economy account.

    OGRA had proposed an increase in the price of diesel by Rs51.32 per liter (35.7%), petrol Rs21.30 per liter (14.2%), kerosene oil Rs36.03 per liter (28.7%) and light diesel oil (LDO) Rs38.89 per liter (39.9%).

    PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz shared the news report of PM rejecting the summary and wrote: “Well Done Shehbaz Shairf.

    PML-N leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, while talking to media said that petroleum prices will remain unchanged. He added that the previous PTI-led government made a mistake by subsidising petroleum goods, which he claimed will harm the country’s economy.

    On the other hand. social media users — including journalists and PTI leaders — are saying this is due to the policies of the pervious government, and are thanking Imran Khan.

    In addition, some are concerned about the decision of not increasing the fuel prices.

  • PM Shehbaz rejects OGRA’s proposal, petrol price to remain unchanged till April 30

    PM Shehbaz rejects OGRA’s proposal, petrol price to remain unchanged till April 30

    Pakistan’s new Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif on Friday dismissed the proposal from the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) to raise the price of petroleum products for the fortnight. The recent decision is aimed at providing relief to the public affected by inflation.

    It is worth noting that the present government’s choice to maintain the same prices will oblige it to provide another substantial subsidy till the end of April 2022.

    Earlier, OGRA suggested to the Finance Division that the price of petrol be increased by Rs21.50 and that of diesel be hiked by Rs51.30 in view of the current petroleum levy and general sales tax (GST).

    Read more: Massive hike of Rs83.5 for petrol, Rs119 for diesel proposed by OGRA

    The authority also proposed a hike of Rs83.50 per liter of petrol and Rs119.88 per liter of diesel considering the federal government’s recommended petroleum levy of Rs30 and 17 per cent GST, as per the official statement.

  • ‘Kya jurm huva agar gharri baich di’: Fawad Chaudhry admits to allegations on Khan selling Toshakhana gifts

    ‘Kya jurm huva agar gharri baich di’: Fawad Chaudhry admits to allegations on Khan selling Toshakhana gifts

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has revealed that former premier Imran Khan took gifts worth Rs140 million from Toshakhana and sold them in Dubai. Sharif made these claims during a meeting with senior journalists at PM House on Friday, reports Ayaz Akbar Yousafzai for The News.

    “I can confirm that Imran Khan took gifts from Toshakhana and sold them in Dubai for Rs140 million. Valuable gifts include diamond jewellery, bracelets, watches and sets,” revealed PM Shehbaz.

    Former federal minister Fawad Chaudhry said that Shehbaz Sharif is confused and cannot fathom how to level allegations against PM Khan so he has resorted to “throwing dirt at Imran Khan”.

    Fawad Chaudhry claimed that Khan bought a watch from the government of Pakistan, which he had received from a foreign country, and sold it.

    “What is the offence if the [then] prime minister sold the watch he bought from the government? It doesn’t matter if the watch is worth Rs50 million or 100 million […] if it is mine and I sold it, there shouldn’t be any objection,” said Chaudhry.

    The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government had been reluctant to share details about gifts retained from Toshakhana, leading to speculations.

    According to official Cabinet Secretariat statistics from the past 10 years, officials and public office holders of PTI paid highest amount for subsidised Toshakhana gifts in the fiscal year 2018-2019.

    Toshakhana is a word of Persian origin that literally translates into “treasure-house”. In Mughal ruled India, Toshakhana was a place where princes stored gifts and emblems of honour that they received for their posterity, whereas in modern times, it is where gifts received from foreign dignitaries or countries are kept.

    READ MORE: PTI govt to auction gifts, including golden gun, Rs1.7 crores watch, Rs1.4 crores diamond set

  • What did the new first lady do during PM’s Karachi visit?

    The newly-appointed Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif went to Karachi on a daylong visit on Wednesday where he paid a visit to the mausoleum of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad and met Sindh Chief Minister (CM) Murad Ali Shah. 

    The First Lady of Pakistan Tehmina Durrani also accompanied the PM on his maiden visit. Durrani shared a picture of herself at Abdul Sattar Edhi’s grave in Karachi.

    In a tweet, she said, “While PM Shehbaz Sharif paid his respects at Founder of the Nation’s Mazar, I went with Saba and Saad Edhi to salute Abdul Sattar Edhi for his relentless lifelong efforts two actualize The Quaid dream for Pakistan: A Social Welfare State. The directions are on his gravestone.”

    She then visited Abdul Sattar Edhi’s wife Bilquise Edhi who is currently hospitalised. She shared a picture with a caption: “Today Bilquise and I wept a river in her hospital room. She cried for Edhi sb and I cried for her. She is so unwell! And when she called me the first lady I squirmed. Indeed no first lady can match up to the greatness of Edhi’s Bilquise.”

    Durrani is a philanthropist, human rights activist, artist and celebrated author of four books. She married Shehbaz Sharif in 2003.

  • PM Shehbaz announces ‘free metro service’ for Islamabad in Ramzan

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif has announced ‘free metro service’ for the citizens of Islamabad during the month of Ramzan.

    “Prime Minister has ordered free metro service for the citizens of the capital during the month of Ramadan. He expressed dismay over delays in the project terming it severe negligence as 16 billion rupees have been spent on the project so far,” tweeted PM Office.

    https://twitter.com/PMO_PK/status/1514484230981521408

    He paid a visit to the Peshawar Morr Metro Bus Station at 7am to assess the project’s progress on the ground. He also ordered to operationalise Metro Bus Service from Peshawar Road to Airpot.

    Shehbaz Sharif took oath as the 23rd Prime Minister of Pakistan on April 11.

  • Which reptile is Imran Khan most scared of? Zardari reveals all

    Which reptile is Imran Khan most scared of? Zardari reveals all

    Former president and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari revealed that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairperson Imran Khan is afraid of lizards.

    Taking a jibe at the PTI chairman, Zardari said Khan was detained for eight hours in 2007 and over there, it came to light that he was afraid of lizards.

    “If Imran Khan will be put in jail, then it will be an enormous problem for this gora (white) sahab,” he added.

    “We have an issue with Imran Khan’s mindset. We have an issue with how Imran Khan has provoked the people of Pakistan. Individually, I don’t care for him, ” said Zardari.

    “Imran Khan has been lying since the beginning. He exaggerates a lot. His ” said Asif Zardari on Geo News programme ‘Capital Talk’.

    Talking about a secret meeting with Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif and Zardari, the PPP leader was questioned if it was this secrecy that led to Khan losing his position. “I don’t know what is in Imran Khan’s mind. But his advisers are novices, they are not political beings. They don’t understand politics. You know politicians make terrible bedfellows. So this can happen anytime.”

    Responding to becoming a part of PM Shehbaz’s cabinet, Asif Zardari said Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s inclusion will be decided according to the party’s Central Executive Committee (CEC).

    “Bilawal Bhutto as Foreign Minister of Pakistan will be decided in PPP’s CEC meeting,” he said.

    Talking about the 22-year political journey of Khan, Zardari said, ” Once Bibi [Benazir Bhutto] was asked what does she think about Imran Khan in politics, she said that as long as the ball is not tempered, he is welcome.”

    Zardari said that Khan’s propaganda machinery was very strong. “He has hired people internationally. He has the complete support of the Goldsmith family.”

    Talking about National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Zardari said that it is important to bring sensibility to NAB. So before the next elections, “we will decide to dilute some of the powers of NAB”.

    Talking about wooing Khan’s allies to vote against him in the no-trust motion, the former president went on to say, “I am a guarantor in all agreements made with allies and we will fulfill all of their legitimate demands.”

    “I am also a guarantor with Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P). However, someone has misguided Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), but we still want them to join us,” he said.

    Zardari said it was also his responsibility to oversee the implementation of the agreements signed with all allies, including the MQM-P, Balochistan National Party (BNP-M) of Akhtar Mengal, Shahzain Bugti of Jamhoori Watan Party (JWP) and Khalid Magsi of Balochistan Awami Party (BAP).

  • ‘Pakistan’s nuclear programme in the hands of ‘thieves’, Khan questions institutions about safety of nukes

    ‘Pakistan’s nuclear programme in the hands of ‘thieves’, Khan questions institutions about safety of nukes

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Wednesday asked the institutions if ‘thieves’, who have come into power through a ‘foreign conspiracy’ and are ‘slaves’, can protect Pakistan’s nuclear programme. He was addressing a rally in Peshawar.

    In his first public address since losing his government, Khan directly addressed the judiciary and asked: “My dear judges, my judiciary, I have spent time in jail because of your freedom because I dream that one day the judiciary would stand with the weak people of the society, and not the powerful. I ask the judiciary that when you opened the court in the dead of night … this nation has known me for 45 years. Have I ever broken the law? When I played cricket, did anyone ever accuse me of match-fixing?”

    “During my 25 years of politics, I have never provoked the public against state institutions or the judiciary because my life and death are in Pakistan. I ask you, what crime had I exactly committed that you opened up the courts at midnight?” questioned Khan.

    “I will live and die for Pakistan.”

    The PTI chairman also warned that he was not that dangerous while he was part of the government, but now that he has been ousted, he will become “more dangerous” for the Opposition.

    “We will not accept an imported government and people have shown what they want by holding demonstrations against the move,” he said.

    https://twitter.com/faizanMFY/status/1514324171601309697?s=20&t=ZV12ull1vvQhyBqrXT1Z2Q

    “Shehbaz Sharif is out on bail, his son is out on bail, Nawaz Sharif is a convict, and his son is an absconder in London and the same is the case with his sons, daughter, and son-in-law.”

    “America has insulted Pakistan by imposing these bandits on us; Shehbaz Sharif is facing corruption charges of Rs40 billion,” Khan added. “Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was sacked through a conspiracy by the USA, but this is not the Pakistan of 1970. This is the new Pakistan.”

    “My youth, get ready, I will be out on the streets with you in every city until we do not force them to hold elections,” he said, adding, “Today marks the beginning of the struggle to find actual freedom.”

  • US congratulates Shehbaz on election as prime minister

    US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken on Wednesday congratulated newly-elected Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and vowed to continue its long-standing cooperation with Pakistan’s government.

    Shehbaz was elected the 23rd prime minister of Pakistan on Monday after his predecessor, Imran Khan, was removed from office through a no-confidence vote last week.

    In a statement issued last night, Blinken expressed that Pakistan had been an important partner on wide-ranging mutual interests for nearly 75 years and US valued their relationship.

    “The United States views a strong, prosperous and democratic Pakistan as essential for the interests of both countries,” he added.

    Responding to the statement, the Prime Minister’s Office reaffirmed the need for cooperation with United States. “The new government wishes to constructively and positively engage with the US to promote of peace, security and development in the region,” it tweeted.

    The PMO also highlighted the need for deepening the relationship on the principles of equality, mutual interest and mutual benefit.

    Blinken’s comments come a day after Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said that the US had a “healthy military-to-military relationship with Pakistani armed forces”, adding that “we have every expectation that will be able to continue to be the case”.

    “We recognise that Pakistan plays a key role in the region. We recognise that Pakistan and the Pakistani people are, themselves, victims of terrorist attacks inside their own country,” he added.

    In response to a question on allegations of the ousted premier against the US for its role in regime change, Kirby had declined to comment and said that US would not talk about Pakistan’s domestic politics.

    Ties between Islamabad and Washington touched a new low after former prime minister Imran Khan accused the US of conspiring to dislodge his government. He based his allegation on a diplomatic cable in which it was reportedly said that a State Department official had warned of consequences for bilateral ties if the no-confidence motion against then PM Imran Khan failed.

    Washington had denied the allegation.

  • Boris Johnson ‘looking forward to working with’ Shehbaz-led govt

    Boris Johnson ‘looking forward to working with’ Shehbaz-led govt

    British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday felicitated Shehbaz Sharif on becoming the prime minister of Pakistan.

    “Congratulations to Shehbaz Sharif on his election as Prime Minister of Pakistan,” the British PM tweeted.

    It is noteworthy that Russia, China, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and several other countries have extended felicitation to Shehbaz Sharif on his election as the new prime minister of Pakistan.

    Beijing in a statement said that it was looking forward to working with him to continue the traditional friendship, deepen all-round cooperation and advance a high-quality building of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to build a closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future in new era.