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.

  • UAE President’s visit to Pakistan postponed

    UAE President’s visit to Pakistan postponed

    President HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will not visit Islamabad on Monday after his scheduled trip has been postponed to a later date, due to weather conditions.

    Nahyan was scheduled to pay an official visit today to Islamabad to discuss cooperation in relations between the UAE and Pakistan and ways to enhance them in various fields.

    Nahyan was to arrive in Islamabad today on a one-day visit. He was be escorted by JF-17 aircrafts to PAF Noor Khan Air Base where the distinguished guest was to be given a 21 gun salute; Prime Minister Muhammad (PM) Shehbaz Sharif and important members of the federal cabinet had to welcome the distinguished guest at the air base.

    It was expected that Nahyan will be presented a guard of honor by the armed forces of Pakistan at the Prime Minister’s House, after which he will have a one-on-one meeting with Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif.

    Nahyan arrived in Pakistan on January 25, 2023 on a private visit. Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif welcomed him at Rahim Yar Khan Airport. There was also a meeting between the two leaders in Rahim Yar Khan.

  • Khan’s police security at Bani Gala withdrawn

    Khan’s police security at Bani Gala withdrawn

    The Islamabad Police Friday withdrew security from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan’s residence in Bani Gala, reports Geo News.

    “Bani Gala is the former prime minister’s private residence. He has not been staying in Islamabad for the past several months,” a spokesperson for the capital’s police said, explaining why the security withdrawal with Geo News.

    According to media reports, one Deputy Superintendent of Police and 170 police personnel were deployed at Khan’s Islamabad home. 50 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) policemen have also left Khan’s Bani Gala house. The security personnel perform their duties in different shifts at Khan’s residence.

    The Punjab Home Department has also written to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to withdraw KP Police from the former prime minister’s home in Lahore’s Zaman Park.

  • India and Pakistan were close to nuclear war, claims former US Secretary of State

    India and Pakistan were close to nuclear war, claims former US Secretary of State

    Former United States (US) Secretary of State Mike Pompeo revealed on Tuesday in his new memoir that arch rivals— India and Pakistan— were on the verge of nuclear war in February 2019.

    Pompeo, who served in President Donald Trump’s tenure, has written in ‘Never Give an Inch: Fighting for America I Love’ that he does “not think the world properly knows just how close the India-Pakistan rivalry came to spilling over into a nuclear conflagration in February 2019.”

    He says at the time, he was informed by his Indian counter-partner that Pakistan had begun to prepare for a nuclear strike on India. However, he asked him to give it some time to sort out the matter. Later, he reached out to Pakistani former Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Qamar Javed Bajwa.

    The ex-army chief told Pompeo that Indian allegations were baseless. He believed the Indians were preparing their nuclear weapons for deployment.

    Moreover, the former US official said that it took them a few hours and remarkably good work by their teams on the ground in New Delhi and Islamabad to convince both countries to desist.

    In February 2019, Delhi launched strikes to attack Pakistan after a militant attack on Indian troops in Kashmir. However, Pakistan shot down two Indian military jets and captured a fighter pilot who later was released.

    In 1974, India became the first country in the region to become a nuclear power while Pakistan attained nuclear power in 1998.

    It is pertinent to mention that neither India nor Pakistan has commented so far on Pompeo’s claims.

  • No plan to arrest Imran Khan, says Khawaja Asif

    No plan to arrest Imran Khan, says Khawaja Asif

    Federal Minister for Defence Khawaja Asif has denied that there is any plan to arrest Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, rejecting allegations that the government wants to arrest him.

    Speaking on the Geo News programme “Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath” on Wednesday, Asif said that Imran Khan is attempting to exert pressure on the judiciary and other institutions.

    He also said that PTI uses abusive language towards the country’s institutions.

    Talking about PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry’s arrest, Asif said that if the judiciary grants bail to Chaudhry, the government would have no problem with that.

    The defence minister also stressed that the government will not abuse the law as Khan did during his time in power.

    On Thursday, President Dr Arif Alvi said that if Imran Khan will be arrested, it would lead to a severe public reaction.

    It is reported on Thursday that PTI workers and supporters spent the second consecutive night outside Khan’s Zaman Park residence to stop the police from arresting the PTI chief.

  • Khan gave his Zaman Park home to Bushra Bibi in Haq meher, claims Javed Chaudhry

    Journalist Javed Chaudhry has published another column containing sensational claims about Imran Khan. In the article published on Thursday, Chaudhry gave details of a discussion he had with Khan’s former close aide, Awn Chaudhry. Over breakfast, the two discussed a host of issues including how the former Prime Minister came to marry his third wife, Bushra Bibi.

    The journalist wrote that Khan met Bushra Bibi after his divorce from Reham Khan in November 2015 at Bibi’s ex-husband Khawar Farid Maneka’s residence. Later, she rented a three-kanal house in Bani Gala, Islamabad. After that, Khan started to meet Bushra daily.

    Awn Chaudhry told the journalist that Bibi first offered her daughter’s hand in marriage to Imran Khan. However, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman turned down the proposal as she was quite young.

    Javed wrote that Awn was told by Khan in December 2016 that they would be going to Lahore for his and Bushra Bibi’s nikkah.

    Awn revealed that Bibi asked for Imran Khan’s Bani Gala house in her Haq Meher. Javed claimed that Awn said that he didn’t agree to this demand, however, Khan immediately agreed. Later, Imran Khan’s primary residence in Zaman Park Lahore house and a seven-kanal plot in Bani Gala were written in Haq Meher for Bibi.

    About Reham and Khan’s marriage, Awn said that Khan gave Reham a divorce the moment she landed in London in 2015, Javed claimed. He went on to say that Awn recalled that Imran Khan was depressed about the divorce and he had never seen him as worried as he was.

    Javed wrote that Awn told him that the divorce took place after Khan consulted Bushra Bibi on the matter.

  • ‘Fawad Chaudhry’s face shouldn’t have been covered’: PML-N’s Malik Ahmad Khan

    ‘Fawad Chaudhry’s face shouldn’t have been covered’: PML-N’s Malik Ahmad Khan

    Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) Malik Ahmad Khan has said Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Fawad Chaudhry should not have been presented in court with a white cloth covering his face.

    “If any kind of brutality happens with Fawad, I will condemn it. If due process is not followed, or in case of mistreatment, I will be the first one to [protest]. His face shouldn’t have been covered yesterday. They should have presented him in court openly,” said the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader while addressing a press conference on Thursday.

    However, Malik believed that Fawad should not have threatened the Election Commission and their families. He said that his relationship with Chaudhry spans 30 years. “The one who threatened the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) isn’t the Fawad I know,” said Malik Khan.

    Former Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar tweeted that such actions by the ECP will damage the remaining reputation of the institution.

    Former Finance Minister Miftah Ismail also spoke up, tweeting, “Fawad should not have been arrested and handcuffed.”

    Stating that Chaudary was wrong to threaten ECP officials and families, Miftah said he should have instead been served a notice. “IK was wrong to jail us for months without charge only—-because we opposed him.”

    Former Chairman Senate, Mian Raza Rabbani, said that the Chaudhary’s arrest under section 124A, PPC, 1860, for sedition is unwarranted.

    The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), deploring the continuous use of archaic, colonial laws against sedition by successive governments against their political opponents, said that Fawad Chaudhry was the latest in the series.

    “The charges must be dropped immediately, and the government of the day must act more responsibly,” the human rights watchdog has stated.

    Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) also strongly condemned Fawad Chaudhry’s arrest and demanded his immediate release.

    SCBA termed his arrest a classic example of abuse of power and political victimisation.

  • ECP asks finance ministry for additional Rs14 billion for elections

    ECP asks finance ministry for additional Rs14 billion for elections

    The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has requested the Ministry of Finance for more money for elections on vacant seats in National Assembly (NA), and by-elections in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).

    According to the electoral body, the expenses of general elections have increased from Rs 47 billion to Rs 61 billion, incurring the need for an additional amount of Rs 14 billion.

    ECP has also proposed April 9 to 13 for the elections in Punjab and April 15 to 17 for elections in KP and asked the Governors of both provinces to select a date within the given timeline.

    The KP Assembly was dissolved on January 18 while the Punjab Assembly was dissolved on January 14 on the directives of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan whose party was in majority in both provinces.

    In Punjab, Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi was sworn in as the caretaker Chief Minister (CM) on January 22, while Mohammad Azam Khan has taken oath as the KP chief executive on January 21.

  • India invites Pakistani FM Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari to SCO

    India invites Pakistani FM Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari to SCO

    In a surprise move, India has invited Pakistan’s Foreign Minister (FM) Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari to attend an upcoming meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) scheduled to be held in Goa in May, The Indian Express has reported.

    The invitation to the meeting of SCO ministers has been sent by the office of S Jaishankar, the Minister for External Affairs and has been forwarded by the Indian High Commission in Islamabad.

    Were Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari to accept the invitation, the visit would mark the first visit of a Foreign Minister to India in 12 years. The last minister to visit the neighbouring country was Hina Rabbani Khar who travelled to India in July 2011.

    The unexpected development comes a few weeks after Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif expressed hope that relations between the two arch rivals will improve. In an interview with a UAE-based media outlet, the Pakistani Premier asked for “sincere and serious” talks with India.

    The SCO moot in Goa will also be attended by China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

  • PM Shehbaz regrets ‘inconvenience’ to Pakistanis from major power outage

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif has addressed Monday’s major power breakdown that left most of the country without electricity for more than 12 hours.

    In a tweet, the Premier expressed his “sincere regrets”. He wrote, “On behalf of my government, I would like to express my sincere regrets for the inconvenience our citizens suffered due to the power outage yesterday.”

    He added that an inquiry is going on to determine what led to the sudden blackout.

    A day after the power outage, Minister for Energy Khurram Dastgir said that electricity has been fully restored at grid stations across the country. However, the minister pointed out that there will be a shortage of electricity for the next two days.

    Residents complained of increased load-shedding even after the restoration, laying doubt on the government’s claims that power was fully restored.

    In a televised address on Tuesday, the minister explained said that there was a “delay in synchronisation” between Tarbela and Mangla power plants.