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.

  • Elections should be held once: Saad Rafique

    Elections should be held once: Saad Rafique

    Federal Minister for Railways and Aviation, Khawaja Saad Rafique, has said that elections in Pakistan should be held once, otherwise there is a risk of anarchy.

    Talking to the media in Lahore on Tuesday, he said that the country cannot face another crisis.

    Taking a jibe at Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader said that Khan cannot dissolve the assemblies as the constitution has given that power to the leader of the House.

    Saad said that there were no particular circumstances that led to the dissolution of provincial assemblies, claiming that pressure was put on chief ministers of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) to do so.

    He also said that Khan should participate in All-Parties Conference (APC), as he was of the view that all political parties should unite and play a role against terrorism.

  • APC postponed again as PM Shehbaz prepares to leave for Turkey

    APC postponed again as PM Shehbaz prepares to leave for Turkey

    The federal government again put off its all parties conference (APC) scheduled for February 9, as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will pay a solidarity visit to Turkey.

    Marriyum Aurangzeb, Minister for Information and Broadcasting announced the change to the APC schedule for the second time in two days

    An earthquake of a 7.8-magnitude hit southern parts of Turkey and neighbouring Syria on Monday, killing over 4,800 people and injuring many.

    APC to be held on Februray 9 now

    Earlier, Aurangzeb has announced that APC has been rescheduled to February 9. Earlier, it was set to take place tomorrow (February 7).

    After last week’s deadly bombing in a Peshawar mosque, PM Shehbaz Sharif urged all political parties to come together to tackle terrorism and extended an invitation to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan to attend the moot.

    ‘Unite!’: PM Shehbaz wants everyone to come together against terrorism

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif on Friday called for national unity against terrorism “or else history will not forgive us”, as he addressed an Apex Committee meeting in Peshawar.

    The moot was attended by the Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir, Chief Ministers of all the provinces and other senior officials.

    “On Monday, a ghastly suicide attack martyred over 100 people and we are here to show solidarity with the families of those affected by the attack,” said the Premier. He added that the attack was “very unfortunate” but also noted that the attacker reached the mosque after passing through the check post in Police Lines.

    “Over 80 people who were praying at the mosque were subjected to martyrdom barbarically,” he said. “We are here to express sympathies with their families and this is the purpose of the meeting,” he said.

    Pointing out that the terrorist managed to breach a security check post and reach the mosque, Shehbaz Sharif said that the government should not feel hesitant in admitting the facts.

    “After APS, this was the most distributing incident that has taken place in the city. The nation is asking that after the elimination of terrorism a few years ago, how come this incident took place in Peshawar,” stated the Prime Minister.

    “What measures will be taken to stop this terror wave? It is the need of the hour that provinces and the Centre, along with the leadership of political parties, take ownership and shun their differences, be they political or related to any religious reasons. We should unite and tackle this.”

    Condemning the “baseless” allegations levelled after the attack on social media and other platforms, Shehbaz Sharif promised that the security lapse will be in investigated, “but to say that it was a drone attack or something else is very inappropriate.”

    The prime minister said in the past years, operations Zarb-i-Azb and Raddul Fasaad “broke the back of terrorism” and sacrifices were rendered in its wake. “Our friends and foes give testimony to this,” he added.

    “Eradicating terrorism which had spread across four provinces was not easy. Many people lost their lives confronting terror. Our police and armed forces gave huge sacrifices. Our citizens were on the frontline.”

    He said history would never forget the martyrs and their sacrifices. “And such sacrifices cannot be forgotten.”

    The Premier said that Pakistan was carved out of India to become a leading nation, adding that if they do not act against terrorism now, history will not forgive them.

    “You [PTI] were ready to resettle who were shedding blood but not ready to shake hands for the sake of the nation. The double standard will not work now,” said PM Shehbaz.

    He said that he had extended an invitation to his predecessor Imran Khan.

    “I have also invited the leader of a political party who was not willing to shake hands with me. We now have to rise above personal likes and dislikes,” said the premier.

    Former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) minister Shaukat Yousufzai said that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had received the invitation for the meeting, however, they will be skipping the huddle.

    “We cannot sit with those who are taking vengeful acts against us,” said Yousufzai.

  • ‘Death cell mein reh kar aayi hoon, phir bhi kabhi media ke saamnay nahin royi’: Maryam Nawaz recalls time in jail

    ‘Death cell mein reh kar aayi hoon, phir bhi kabhi media ke saamnay nahin royi’: Maryam Nawaz recalls time in jail

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) newly-appointed Senior Vice President Maryam Nawaz took a jibe at arch-rivals Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for their leaders’ reactions after getting arrested.

    Recalling the time when her father, former Prime Minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif, was imprisoned in Attock Fort in 1999 after a military coup by the-then army chief General (retd) Pervez Musharraf, she said, “You cannot even spend an hour there, he remained there for 14 months.”

    Talking about her own time in jail where she spent five months, Maryam Nawaz said, “Death cell mein reh kar aayi hoon, phir bhi kabhi media ke saamnay nahin royi” (I stayed in a death cell but didn’t shed any tear in front of the media), adding that she was incarcerated during extreme heat but didnt pity herself.

    “I had one charpai; the bathroom and room were the same”, she elaborated.

    She reminded the members of the press that other PML-N leaders also spent months in jail and were unable to get bail.

    Discussing the jail time PTI leaders had to face, Maryam Nawaz said that they couldn’t even bear jail for two days, stressing that this is nothing compared to what PML-N has faced.

    She reiterated that PTI was under the protection of former spymaster, Director General Inter-Services Intelligence, General (retd) Faiz Hameed but now it’s gone.

  • ‘PTI will consider participation in APC if we receive official invitation from PM’: Fawad Chaudhry

    ‘PTI will consider participation in APC if we receive official invitation from PM’: Fawad Chaudhry

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Fawad Chaudhry has said on Twitter that if Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif sends an official invitation for the All-Parties Conference (APC) set to take place on February 7 in Islamabad, then his party will consider attending.

    Fawad tweeted, “Shehbaz Sharif came in media and invited PTI for the All-Parties Conference. But Tehreek-e-Insaf has yet not received any invitation in this regard. If we receive an official invitation, we will consider participation.”

    Khan rejects PM Shehbaz’s invitation to APC

    PTI Secretary General Asad Umar has confirmed on Friday, February 4, that party Chairman Imran Khan will skip the federal government’s APC.

    PM Shehbaz Sharif invited the former prime minister and his party at an apex committee meeting in Peshawar.

    Umar, while speaking to the press outside the Lahore High Court, said: “How can we sit with them [PDM-led government] while cases are being registered against us?”

    Stating that the constitution is being violated by registering cases of treason against opponents and all the government resources are devoted to arrests and detentions, he said to the members of the press.

    Earlier today, during the apex committee meeting in Peshawar, Shehbaz Sharif, without naming Khan, said: “I have also invited the person who does not want to even shake hands with me,” stressing that all parties are invited to APC and Apex committee meetings. ‘I hope that it will not be rejected,” said the Premier.

    “We need to fight the menace of terrorism by setting our differences aside and moving forward,” said the PM.

    Recalling his time as opposition leader in the National Assembly, the premier said: “Whenever he [Imran Khan] wrote a letter to me, he never wrote my name on it, however, I always responded with my name and my signature on the letter.”

  • ‘It works two ways’: Khan again victim blames Journalist Gharidah for getting harassed

    ‘It works two ways’: Khan again victim blames Journalist Gharidah for getting harassed

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairperson Imran Khan yet again victim blamed journalist Gharidah Farooqi for being harassed at a rally where she had gone to cover the event.

    In an interview with Isaac Chotiner of The New Yorker, Khan was asked if his comment about Farooqi was taken out of context.

    The former Prime Minister responded: “No. No. No. It wasn’t out of context. Look, in our society, we were . . . it was just in one particular rally where they were all men, and she was right in the middle of this male crowd. It’s just that . . . I mean, anyone who knows Pakistani society, or most sorts of societies like India or Pakistan—if you put yourself in that position, you are going to be vulnerable.”

    “It’s just common sense. Yes, the men are to be blamed if they do anything. But also it works two ways, you should all . . . in our society, normally, people would avoid putting themselves in that position. It’s as simple as that,” added Khan.

    “We have brilliant women journalists in this country. They are doing a great job. But they don’t have to put themselves in positions—and let me just say, it was a specific situation I was talking about, because we actually tried to get her out of the situation,” said Khan.

    Chotiner probed Imran further, stating that there seems to be a certain universalism in Khan’s thinking about democratic government, but, when he speaks about cultural or social issues, about girls’ education or how women respond to being mistreated by men, there’s not so much universalism.

    Khan replied, “I’m appalled. I just feel that sometimes the Western press picks up selective things. How can anyone blame women for rape? Tell me, how can any sensible person ever make such a stupid comment? Look, the rapist is always to be blamed. Always. Simple. Full stop. I was looking at the crime charts, and the crime charts reported to me by the police officers showed that sex crimes were going through the roof in my country. So we got to the bottom of it. Why is this happening?”

    “In the case of a woman getting raped, she’s marked for life. But even worse is when children get abused; that stays with them for the rest of their life. The ideas that came forward were, one, that we must bring down the level of temptation in our society, because you have a lot of frustrated people. Now, this is coming from civil society. And secondly, how do we educate children in schools to stop this child abuse?”

    Khan, in October last year, passed sexist comments about journalist Gharidah Farooqi, saying: “Woh mardon mei ghussay gi toh aisa hi hoga” (If she will enter into men’s sphere, then this is what will happen).

    During a meeting with the delegation of the National Press Club and the Rawalpindi/Islamabad Union of Journalists (RIUJ), Khan said that “Farooqi goes into the crowd and then complains that she is being harassed”.

    He also said that he will ask his party workers to act appropriately.

  • Five years jail and arrest without warrant for criticising army and judiciary in new draft bill: Dawn

    Five years jail and arrest without warrant for criticising army and judiciary in new draft bill: Dawn

    A bill has reportedly been prepared by the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) led government where up to a five-year imprisonment sentence can be given to “whoever scandalises or ridicules the Pakistan Army and judiciary through any medium”, reports Riazul Haq for Dawn.

    It is to be noted that the bill is to amend the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC)

    The newspaper has reported that the summary and the bill will be forwarded to the federal cabinet soon.

    It says that whoever makes, publishes, circulates any statement or disseminates information, through any medium, with an intention to ridicule or scandalise the judiciary, the armed forces or any of their members will be found guilty. And the punishment may extend to five years or with a fine which may go as high up as Rs 1 million or both.

    Moreover, it says that the offender will be arrested without a warrant and the offence will be non-bailable and non-compoundable and can only be challenged in a sessions court.

    Dawn also reached out to PML-N leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi who said that he had not seen the draft but there had to be “some limit” to defaming someone.

    “Everywhere in the world there is a defamation law and this does not happen that anyone comes up willy-nilly and says whatever they want,” he was quoted saying by Dawn.

    However, later he denied his comments in a tweet as reported by Dawn, and said that he “simply cannot lend support to any draconian legislation”.

    “I believe that Pakistan needs defamation laws with financial recourse to protect everyone from unsubstantiated accusations,” he explained.

    PML-N’s Rohail Asghar also made it clear that no such laws should be passed by the government as he believed that there should be space for criticism.

  • Fallout of China balloon saga; Blinken postpones visit

    United States (US) Secretary of State Antony Blinken has postponed an official visit to China, scheduled to start on Friday, calling an alleged spy balloon over his country an “unacceptable” violation.

    Blinken said that the high-altitude surveillance balloon flying over the continental US “created conditions that undermine the purpose of the trip”. He informed China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, in a call Friday morning that he was postponing the trip.

    The decision was made after high-level conversations were held between Blinken, President Joe Biden and other top national security officials.

    White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters that Biden was advised by military leaders not to shoot down the balloon because of the risk to the safety and security of the people on ground.

    China, however, has said that the balloon was a “civilian airship” used mainly for weather research that deviated from its planned course.

  • ‘Mujhe gaali dega, mai uskay jawab mein thapar maaroonga usko’: PPP’s Kaira’s argument with journalist Kazmi

    ‘Mujhe gaali dega, mai uskay jawab mein thapar maaroonga usko’: PPP’s Kaira’s argument with journalist Kazmi

    Adviser to Prime Minister (PM) for Kashmir & Gilgit Baltistan, Qamar Zaman Kaira, in a verbal argument with journalist Athar Kazmi said that no one has the right to verbally abuse him.

    Speaking on Samaa News’ programme, ‘Meray Sawal with Mansoor Ali Khan’, Kaira said, “If someone verbally abuses me, I will slap them in return.”

    The panel of guests, which included Athar Kazmi, was discussing how families should be excluded from political criticism. Kaira argued that it was highly inappropriate to drag families into the criticism. Kazmi went on to say that it is inappropriate but not a crime.

    Kaira shrugged the point off, telling Kazmi not to become partisan while following someone. Kazmi added that one should be patient in arguments, to which Kaira responded, “I do not give anyone the right to abuse me.”

    Kazmi then posed a question, asking where it was written in the law or in the constitution that one could file a case against someone for verbally abusing them? Anchorperson Mansoor Ali Khan interjected and said it was possible.

    Kaira responded, “Defamation can be both civil and criminal. An FIR followed by an arrest can happen in such a case.”

  • ‘Iss ladlay ko bachaya ja raha tha’: Rana Sanaullah claims that Bajwa and Faiz facilitated Khan until November 28

    ‘Iss ladlay ko bachaya ja raha tha’: Rana Sanaullah claims that Bajwa and Faiz facilitated Khan until November 28

    Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah has claimed that former army chief General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa and ex-Director General of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Gen (retd) Faiz Hameed facilitated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan until November 28, a day before Bajwa retired and passed over the command of the army to General Asim Munir.

    Speaking on Geo News programme ‘Naya Pakistan’ on Friday, Sanaullah said, “Iss ladlay ko bachaya ja raha tha” (They were protecting their favourite).

    Declaring that Khan has “gone crazy” after being denied the facilitation which he was previously being provided, “to bring him to the streets”. Backed by this facilitation he wanted to launch a long march and seize Islamabad, Rana Sanaullah said.

    Moreover, he claimed that Imran Khan’s long march was all about the appointment of the new army chief.

    The minister also denied that General Bajwa was going to retire in November. “The date came and he had to retire,” Sanaullah disclosed, hinting that the ex-COAS wanted to continue in his post.

    On February 2, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senior Vice-President Maryam Nawaz claimed that her party’s actual rule commenced after November 28 as before this date, the PTI chief’s patrons were still holding powerful positions.

  • Fawad cries on live TV recalling his kids visiting him in jail

    Fawad cries on live TV recalling his kids visiting him in jail

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Fawad Chaudhry cried on Kashif Abbasi’s show on ARY while recalling the time his kids visited him in jail.

    A visibly teary-eyed Chaudhry said, “It was bad”.

    Senior journalist Kashif Abbasi told the former minister that it must have been a devastating time for the family, especially the kids. Abbasi added that Chaudhry’s children were told that Papa was out due to an official trip.

    https://twitter.com/PakForeverIA/status/1621168257255485441?s=20&t=0v5w9F90XMu7xZ5VDki6ng

    With tears in his eyes, Chaudhry said, “Of course, what could we tell them.”

    An Islamabad district and sessions court has accepted Chaudhry’s bail petition in the case registered against him for threatening Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) officials and their families on February 1.

    The bail was accepted on the condition that he will not repeat any words that can incite violence against a constitutional institution.

    Chaudhry was arrested outside his house in Lahore on January 25, after the case was registered against him in Islamabad.