Category: Politics

News stories of Politics, for the topics that matter the most to young professionals and college students, political news reported with a different angle.

  • Two injured in grenade attack on PPP, NP election Balochistan offices

    Two injured in grenade attack on PPP, NP election Balochistan offices

    Unknown men targeted the election offices of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the National Party (NP) in Balochistan on Sunday, ahead of the highly anticipated nationwide elections set to take place on February 8.

    The two grenade blasts have sparked concerns about security measures leading up to next month’s general polls, while election campaigns of all political parties are underway throughout the country.

    Unknown men lobbed a grenade at the NP election office in Mastung district, leaving two people wounded following its explosion at Muhammad Shahi Road, police said, noting that the attackers managed to flee from the scene.

    The police quickly took the injured people to the hospital. The police force launched a search operation in the area to catch the culprits.

    The NP spokesperson strongly condemned the “cowardly” grenade attack, stating that despite such “cowardly acts,” they will continue to push forward with campaign efforts at an accelerated pace.

    On the other hand, unidentified miscreants threw a hand grenade at a PPP election office in the Qalat district, specifically in the Mangocher area. There were no reported casualties in this incident.

  • Jury orders Trump to pay $83 million for sexual assault defamation

    Jury orders Trump to pay $83 million for sexual assault defamation

    A jury in New York ordered former US president and 2024 candidate Donald Trump on Friday to pay $83.3 million to compensate the writer E. Jean Carroll, whom he was found to have sexually assaulted and defamed.

    The civil order, which prompted an audible gasp in the federal court, far exceeds the more than $10 million in damages for defamation that Carroll had sought.

    Trump lashed out almost immediately, calling the verdict “ridiculous” in a statement and promising to appeal.

    The jury reached its decision after slightly less than three hours of deliberations.

    Trump had been in court earlier, storming out at one point but subsequently returning for closing arguments. He was not in court when the level of compensatory and punitive damages were read out by a court clerk.

    “This is a great victory for every woman who stands up when she’s been knocked down, and a huge defeat for every bully who has tried to keep a woman down,” Carroll said in a statement.

    A juror exchanged a smile with Carroll as the nine men and women left the courtroom after the judge encouraged them to protect their privacy.

    “It’s clear to me… you paid attention,” Judge Lewis Kaplan told the jury following the verdict.

    The order was comprised of $65 million in punitive damages after the jury found Trump acted maliciously in his many public comments about Carroll, $7.3 million in compensatory damages and $11 million for a reputational repair program.

    “I was not surprised (by the award) partly because his egregious misbehavior during the trial could actually have alienated the jury,” said Carl Tobias, a professor at the University of Richmond School of Law.

    “(Trump) is unlikely to prevail on appeal, because the (appeal) judges have great respect for Judge Kaplan, who is a very experienced federal jurist.”

    Trump — whom a jury found liable for sexually assaulting Carroll in a separate federal civil case in New York — used his Truth Social platform to fire off a spate of insulting messages attacking Carroll, the trial and the judge, whom he called “an extremely abusive individual.”

    “We were stripped of every defense — every single defense — before we walked in there,” said Trump’s lawyer Alina Habba outside the court. “I am proud to stand with president Trump… We will immediately appeal.”

    Trump, 77, briefly took the stand on Thursday to deny he instructed anyone to harm Carroll with his statements.

    – Claims of witch hunt –

    During Trump’s testimony, Kaplan limited him to three questions from his lawyers, to which he could only answer yes or no — a precaution taken to prevent the Republican leader from returning to his custom of disparaging the court or Carroll in public.

    “This is not America,” Trump said as he left the courtroom following his short appearance.

    He was not required to attend the trial or to testify. However, he has used the case, as well as others he faces, to generate heated media coverage and to fuel his claims of being victimized as he campaigns for a return to the White House in November’s election.

    Trump separately faces multiple criminal cases, including his alleged attempt to overthrow the results of the 2020 presidential election, which he lost to Joe Biden, and a civil business fraud case.

    Habba sought to have the case thrown out Thursday on the grounds that threatening messages targeting Carroll, which have been aired in the case, began on social media before Trump’s 2019 comments. Her request was denied.

    Jurors were shown Trump’s October 2022 deposition during which he confused a picture of Carroll for his former wife Marla Maples, which threatened to cast doubt on his claim Carroll was not his “type.”

    Last year, another federal jury found Trump liable for sexually assaulting Carroll in a department store dressing room in 1996 and subsequently defaming her in 2022, when he called her a “complete con job.”

    Trump had been in court while he campaigned ahead of the New Hampshire primary, which he won handily over his only remaining challenger Nikki Haley, as he closes in on becoming the Republican candidate in the November election against Biden.

  • ‘Submit report on all detention camps in the country’, Sindh High Court

    ‘Submit report on all detention camps in the country’, Sindh High Court

    In a significant development, the Sindh High Court (SHC) has granted a three-week deadline to the Federal Defence Ministry and the Sindh Home Department to submit a comprehensive report on all detention camps across the country.

    The directive came from a two-judge bench, with Justice Naimatullah Phulpoto presiding, during a hearing on Thursday concerning petitions related to the recovery of missing persons.

    The bench took cognizance of the case after one petitioner revealed that her husband, Tahir Rehan, had been missing since 2015, with no investigative action taken by the police.

    Expressing dissatisfaction with the public prosecutor’s claim of providing Rs500,000 in compensation, the petitioner asserted that she had not received any such compensation.

    The Sindh Home Department officially announced the suspension of compensation payments to families of missing persons, as revealed in a report submitted to the Sindh High Court.

    The court had directed the submission of a comprehensive report to federal authorities, including the Interior Secretary and Defense Secretary, concerning applications related to compensation for families of missing persons.

    In a proactive measure, the court ordered the publication of advertisements in both print and electronic media to aid in the search for Shahri Majid, missing since 2015.

    Additionally, the court directed the gathering of information on missing persons from jail authorities and various locations across the country.

  • Candidates withdraw in favour of Nawaz Sharif; PPP

    Candidates withdraw in favour of Nawaz Sharif; PPP

    Independent candidate Qazi Tayyab Shahzad on Thursday decided to withdraw from NA-15 Mansehra in favour of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif, SAMMA has reported.

    Shahzad had announced that he will support the former prime minister in the upcoming general elections. According to the details, Tayyab Shahzad’s nomination papers were accepted, but he had decided not to take part in the elections.

    The returning officer had issued a notification of Shehzad’s withdrawal from NA-15.

    On the other hand, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senator Saifullah Abro called on Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and expressed his trust in his leadership, announcing to withdraw from the election race in NA-194 constituency and promised to support the candidate of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).

    On the other hand, PML-N president Shahbaz Sharif promised to give youth loans after coming into power.

    Addressing the public gathering in Mandi Bahauddin on Thursday, the former prime minister took a dig at the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), saying, ‘’The long march was staged against Nawaz Sharif during his tenure as the premier. The Chinese president’s tour was delayed due to the PTI’s protests.’’

    ‘’Who were those people who were indulging in such tactics? The protests in Islamabad were staged, and foul language was embraced. The conspiracy against Nawaz Sharif was started after 2013,’’ Shehbaz Sharif maintained.

  • Supreme Court allows Parvez Elahi to contest elections from Gujrat

    Supreme Court allows Parvez Elahi to contest elections from Gujrat

    The Supreme Court (SC) has on Friday granted major relief to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) by allowing three of its frontline candidates, including incarcerated party president Chaudhry Parvez Elahi, to contest the upcoming February 8 elections.

    The top court on Friday approved appeals of PTI candidates Umer Aslam, Major (retd) Tahir Sadiq, and Elahi against Returning Officer decisions to reject their nomination papers from multiple constituencies.

    Chaudhry Parvez Elahi has been allowed to contest from Gujarat district’s PP-32 seat.

    The former chief minister of Punjab had filed a petition in the apex court to challenge the Lahore High Court’s (LHC) verdict of upholding the decision of the Election Tribunal to reject his nomination paper.

    A three-member bench of the SC, comprising Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, and Justice Athar Minallah, heard Elahi’s plea.

  • ‘I used to be critical of DAWN but surprised at its coverage nowadays’: Imran Khan

    ‘I used to be critical of DAWN but surprised at its coverage nowadays’: Imran Khan

    Journalists at Dawn reporting on Imran Khan’s trial in Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi, shared on Twitter that the former Prime Minister said that although he was critical of the newspaper while he was in power, he is surprised at the outlet’s coverage since his ouster from the government. The editor at Dawn shared this on Twitter.

    Dawn reporters Saqib Bashir, Asad Malik and Amir Saeed Abbasi posted on X (formerly Twitter) that Imran Khan said to reporter Asad Malik, “I have always been critical of Dawn but the coverage is stupendous now, which is surprising for me.”

    The statement spurred many, including journalists, to react. Norbert Almeida tweeted, “Always covered him he just didn’t like what was said in the past and now likes it.”

    Omar R Qureshi also joined in to share his two cents, writing, “Proof that for Imran Khan a good paper praises him and writes editorials favouring him and his party”. He went on to add that in case the former Prime Minister comes to power again, Dawn has nothing to worry about.

    Lawyer and Columnist Abdul Moiz Jaferri tweeted, “Imran Khan still doesn’t get it. Everything is not about him. Journalists were not after him when they criticised him, and they were not with him when they report on his current plight. Journalism is a duty to the people. He should recognise its value.”

    A follower jumped into the discussion as many others shared a Cartoon published on January 23 in Dawn that mocked the duplicity of Imran Khan’s stance.

    Dawn, long considered Pakistan’s ‘paper of record’, was repeatedly targeted by PTI followers for criticising Imran Khan’s government.

  • ‘Pakistan has credible evidence regarding Indian Agents orchestrating extra-territorial assassinations’, Foreign Secretary Syrus Qazi

    ‘Pakistan has credible evidence regarding Indian Agents orchestrating extra-territorial assassinations’, Foreign Secretary Syrus Qazi

    In a press conference held on Thursday, Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary Syrus Qazi revealed what he termed as “credible evidence” linking Indian agents to the orchestrated killings of two Pakistani citizens on Pakistani soil.

    Qazi characterized the alleged actions as part of a “sophisticated and sinister” Indian campaign involving extra-territorial and extra-judicial assassinations.

    “These are killings-for-hire cases involving a sophisticated international set-up spread over multiple jurisdictions,” Qazi told reporters during a press conference in Islamabad.

    The strained relations between Pakistan and India, exacerbated by historical tensions and border disputes, took a hit with the arrest of spy Kulbushan Yadav in 2016 and the 2019 revocation of the special status of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). The move led to a freeze in diplomacy and trade between the two neighboring nations.

    Qazi’s statements come months after both Canada and the United States separately accused Indian agents of involvement in assassination attempts on their soil. While India rejected Ottawa’s allegations, it initiated an investigation into Washington’s claims.

    Providing details of the alleged Indian campaign, Qazi claimed that Indian agents utilized technology and safe havens on foreign soil to carry out assassinations in Pakistan.

    “They recruited, financed, and supported criminals, terrorists, and unsuspecting civilians to play defined roles in these assassinations,” he added.
    The foreign secretary blasted Indian media and social media accounts for their quick claims and glorification of the said killings as “successful retribution against ‘enemies’ of India” and projecting their capacity to carry out these illegal acts.
    “Potential assassins were recruited, using social media, talent spotters, and fake Da’esh accounts,” Qazi said.

    The Foreign Secretary criticized Indian media and social media accounts for glorifying the killings and projecting them as successful retribution against perceived enemies.

    He alleged that potential assassins were recruited through social media, talent spotters, and fake Da’esh accounts.

    Qazi focused on two specific cases during the press conference: the assassinations of Shahid Latif and Muhammad Riaz.

    Assassination of Shahid Latif
    Qazi said that on October 11, 2023, a group of criminals assassinated Latif outside a mosque in the city of Sialkot.
    A detailed investigation revealed that an Indian agent, Yogesh Kumar, based in a third country orchestrated the assassination through criminals and terrorists, he added.
    Going deeper into the details of the killing, the foreign secretary revealed that Kumar recruited Muhammad Umair, a labourer in that third country to act as a contact with local criminals in Pakistan to trace and assassinate Latif.
    The recruited local criminals were able to locate and trace Latif, however, the killers-for-hire were unable to carry out the execution, Qazi added.
    “After some failed attempts, Muhammad Umair was personally sent to Pakistan to carry out the assassination. Muhammad Umair organised a team of five target killers which after the first failed attempt on 9 October 2023, succeeded in assassinating Shahid Latif on 11 October 2023.”
    The foreign secretary further stated that the law enforcement authorities apprehended the target killers, including Umair, based on confessional statements and technical evidence, thwarting their bid to flee Pakistan on October 12, 2023.
    Qazi said that all those involved in reconnaissance and killing have been apprehended and are being tried in a court of law.
    He added that the FO also had evidence of transactions made in the process linking the entire chain to Indian agent Yogesh Kumar.
    Assassination of Muhammad Riaz
    Sharing the details of the second extra-territorial killing, Qazi said that another Indian agent was involved in killing of Pakistani national Muhammad Riaz. As per the foreign secretary, Riaz was assassinated in a mosque in Rawalakot during Fajr prayer on September 8, 2023.
    He said that the law enforcement agencies tracked and apprehended the killer, Muhammad Abdullah Ali, on September 15, 2023, while boarding a flight at Jinnah International Airport, Karachi.
    “Interrogation revealed that Muhammad Abdullah Ali was recruited and guided by Indian agents Ashok Kumar Anand and Yogesh Kumar. Indian agents utilised social media app Telegram to recruit Muhammad Abdullah Ali, who was asked to locate Muhammad Riaz,” Qazi revealed.
    He further stated that Ali received payments through the middlemen based in a third country, and he was also provided with weapons and ammunition.
    “After a failed attempt on September 7, 2023, Muhammad Abdullah Ali succeeded in killing Muhammad Riaz on September 8, 2023,” he added.
    Later, the law enforcement authorities apprehended the killer, his supporters and facilitators from various cities of Pakistan, and the case is being tried in a court of law.
    Qazi said that the investigators quickly identified the facilitators inside the country and in the third countries on the basis of confessional statements of Ali and technical evidence.
    “We have documentary, financial and forensic evidence of the involvement of the two Indian agents, who masterminded these assassinations. We are releasing the passport details of Yogesh Kumar and Ashok Kumar,” he added.
    per the foreign secretary, Pakistan had reached out to the governments of the relevant third countries in this regard.

    The Foreign Secretary asserted that Pakistan had evidence linking the entire chain of events to the Indian agents and called for international accountability for India’s “blatant violation of international law.”

    He emphasized that such actions not only violated Pakistan’s sovereignty but also breached the UN Charter.

    Concluding his remarks, Qazi demanded justice for the victims, their facilitators, and financiers involved in the alleged assassinations, reaffirming Pakistan’s commitment to protecting its people and securing its sovereignty.

    The accused Indian agents’ passport details were also disclosed, and Pakistan reportedly reached out to the relevant third countries regarding the matter.

  • ‘You will not find any army in the world running at such a low budget’; COAS Gen Syed Asim Munir

    ‘You will not find any army in the world running at such a low budget’; COAS Gen Syed Asim Munir

    In a candid address to students from various public and private sector universities, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen Syed Asim Munir urged the youth of the country to carefully elect their future representatives in the upcoming elections, scheduled for February 8.

    General Munir emphasized the importance of making choices based on merit rather than succumbing to the influence of money or propaganda, expressing concerns about the impact of social media on political decision-making, referring to it as “vicious media.”

    “Researching the news on social media is critical. Without research and positive thinking, a society remains in chaos,” the army chief remarked.

    The COAS stressed the importance of holding elected officials accountable and ensuring that incompetent individuals are not chosen to represent the people.

    “Elections will be held on February 8. People should carefully choose their representatives without selling their votes for Rs5,000.”

    He questioned the idea that a five-year constitutional term should give political governments the license to misgovern for the entire duration, emphasizing the need for continuous accountability.

    Addressing a question about the instability of political governments completing their five-year terms, General Munir questioned the actions of a dislodged political party that chose to resign from parliament and take to the streets.

    “Should political parties be allowed to break Pakistan? Should people keep waiting for the end of the five-year term?” he asked in response to a question about the inability of political governments in the country to complete their five-year terms.

    Without naming the PTI, the military chief said: “If a government was dislodged by the majority members of the National Assembly through constitutional means, then why did it become an issue?”

    Discussing the role of social media, General Munir warned against blindly believing content and encouraged the youth to conduct thorough research before forming opinions. He described social media as a source of chaos and divisions in society, with a high level of inaccuracy.

    “Governance cannot be performed virtually. It has to be performed on the ground. So do not make your decisions based on a six-inch mobile screen,” he advised.

    Touching on the Westernization of society, the COAS reminded the youth about the reasons behind the creation of Pakistan and cautioned against blindly adopting Western civilization.

    “If we want to adopt Western civilization, then why did we get rid of Hindu civilization?” he questioned while urging the country’s youth not to blindly follow the West.

    He advised young people to build character for the good of society. “You have earned your degrees, now it is time to build your character.” He said people want governance of Hazrat Umar’s era, but they do not have the character of that era.

    General Munir addressed concerns about brain drain from Pakistan, urging youngsters to strike a balance between materialism and progression. He emphasized the importance of not leaving the country permanently if one chooses to migrate, discouraging individuals from returning solely for opportunities.

    Highlighting the army’s contribution to the nation, General Munir mentioned that the military is the highest taxpayer in Pakistan, with half of its budget going back to the government in the form of various taxes

    “With the rest of the half, we run our affairs, and you will not find any army in the world running at such a low budget,” he said.

    The COAS said the military does not get any grant from the government for the Combined Military Hospitals (CMH) and the Defense Housing Authority (DHA). Some people criticize the CMH and the DHA but want to be treated in the military hospitals and live in the DHAs, he said.

    He said Pakistan has $10 trillion worth of reserves in the shape of mines, minerals, and rare earth metals, compared to just $128 billion in foreign debt. He said these resources would be augmented by the Green Pakistan Initiative–a military-run project to end the country’s reliance on imported food and make it self-sustainable.

    The cotton production this year increased to 13 million bales from last year’s 5 million bales, while the rice production has also doubled, he added. Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar also attended the youth conference.

  • Khan warns candidates of losing party tickets if they don’t launch campaigns

    Khan warns candidates of losing party tickets if they don’t launch campaigns

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan issued a warning to his party candidates to launch their election campaigns in a peaceful way; otherwise, their tickets will be cancelled for the February 8 elections.

    The former prime minister, who is currently in Adiala jail, said to his ticket holders that those leaders will not come out for the election campaign; their tickets will be replaced.

    Imran Khan gave his remarks while talking to journalists in the Adiala jail courtroom.

    The former prime minister was jailed in May last year, and PTI’s electoral symbol “bat” was taken away this month. Furthermore, the party—PTI-Nazriati — with which it sought an alliance also backtracked from its commitment.

    However, the PTI has vowed to participate in the upcoming elections actively, opting not to boycott them despite the removal of its iconic electoral symbol, the ‘bat.’

    After the Supreme Court’s (SC) decision regarding the bat symbol, the PTI candidates are now contesting elections on multiple symbols.

  • ‘Ensure uninterrupted Internet access’; Sindh High Court orders on Jibran Nasir’s petition

    ‘Ensure uninterrupted Internet access’; Sindh High Court orders on Jibran Nasir’s petition

    The Sindh High Court (SHC) has issued a directive on Wednesday, instructing the government and the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) to ensure uninterrupted internet access until February 8, the scheduled date for the general elections in the country.

    The order came from a two-member bench led by SHC Chief Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi, following a petition filed by lawyer and independent candidate Jibran Nasir. The petition addressed the recent “unconstitutional” internet outages experienced across the country in the past month.

    Jibran took to X (former Twitter) and said, “SHC has directed PTA and Govt to ensure smooth uninterrupted access to Internet till Election Day 8th Feb to ensure no further pre poll rigging happens and any rigging attempts on Election Day can also be reported through social media.”

    “This is not just stopping the PTI from contesting free and fair elections — which is pre-poll rigging — but is also hindering the way of independent candidates like me,” he stated, highlighting that the internet and social media were efficient and cost-effective platforms to reach out to voters.

    Notably, three nationwide disruptions occurred on December 17, January 7, and January 20, coinciding with virtual events organized by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on social media platforms. The PTI had recently approached the Supreme Court, urging it to take notice of the suspension of internet services and the blocking of social media websites.

    During a press conference earlier in the week, caretaker Information Minister Murtaza Solangi attributed the outages to “technical” issues and system installations. He also stated that there was “no guarantee” such incidents wouldn’t occur in the future.

    In Nasir’s petition, the PTA, the federal government, and the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunications were named as respondents. Nasir argued that the act of shutting down mobile internet and broadband services should be declared as “unconstitutional, illegal, disproportionate, unreasonable, and without lawful authority.”

    The plea further sought the immediate restoration of access to social media platforms and the suspension of any directives restricting access to social media until the conclusion of the general elections.

    In response to the petition, the SHC issued notices to the respondents and directed authorities to ensure uninterrupted internet access until the general elections on February 8. The hearing has been adjourned until January 29.

    Read more: PTA warns of possible internet disruption in next 90 days