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.

  • ‘Meray dost ko 2 Vigo daalay utha ke le gaye’: Moonis Elahi

    ‘Meray dost ko 2 Vigo daalay utha ke le gaye’: Moonis Elahi

    Pakistan Muslim League- Quaid (PML-Q) leader Moonis Elahi took to Twitter on January 7 to inform his followers that friend was kidnapped by two Vigo pick up trucks in Lahore.

    Moonis further wrote that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) is swearing that it is not involved in any way.

    “Now after a few days suddenly the FIA will be delivered and they will be forced to register an First Information Report (FIR),” tweeted Moonis.

    Moonis Elahi, the son of Punjab’s Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi, is considered to be quite close to Imran Khan, the Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), PML-Q’s collation partner in the Punjab government.

  • Resign, Khan tells his Punjab MPAs, if Punjab Assembly dissolution doesn’t go his way

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has given instructions that if his desired dissolution of the Punjab Assembly (PA) is halted, all of his party’s Members of the Provincial Assembly (MPAs) will resign, reports Geo News.

    According to news outlet sources, PTI has prepared a new strategy to deal with the political crisis in Punjab.

    Khan has also directed all party members to ensure the trust vote for Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Pervaiz Elahi.

    Earlier, a session of the Punjab Assembly was called on January 11, but later the date was changed to January 9.

    While it seems like PTI is gearing up for the no-confidence motion, on the contrary, Khan-backed CM Elahi said that he will not take orders from Punjab Governor Muhammad Baligur Rehman, hence he will not take a vote of confidence.

  • ‘I will not do it’: Punjab CM refuses to take vote of confidence

    ‘I will not do it’: Punjab CM refuses to take vote of confidence

    Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi Thursday ruled out following Governor Baligh-ur-Rehman’s orders for taking a vote of confidence and termed the directions “illegal”.

    “I don’t accept the governor’s letter for the vote of confidence. If I take the vote of confidence, then it means that I am accepting the letter,” he told the media.

    “The governor wants me to follow his illegal order, but I will not do it,” the chief minister said, as the ruling coalition in Punjab scrambles to ensure he maintains his seat.

    Lahore High Court (LHC) reinstated Elahi as CM Punjab following his de-notification by the governor.

    The court reinstated Elahi on December 23 and adjourned the next hearing till January 11. Although it restricted the CM from dissolving the assembly, the court said its order would not stop Elahi from taking a vote of confidence.

    It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Fawad Chaudhry had told media on January 4, that the ruling coalition would go for a vote of confidence before January 11, the day when an LHC bench resumes hearing into a petition by Pervaiz Elahi challenging the governor’s move.

  • ‘Long march mein jaan daalnay ke liye drama keeya gaya’, claims lawyer of person who shot at IK

    ‘Long march mein jaan daalnay ke liye drama keeya gaya’, claims lawyer of person who shot at IK

    Advocate Mian Dawood—the lawyer of Naveed Meher who shot at Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan—said that the incident was all planned by the party itself.

    Addressing a press conference on Thursday (today), the lawyer detailed claims about the incident at Wazirabad in which Khan survived an attempted assassination.

    He rejected the Joint Investigation Report (JIT), saying it had “distorted the facts”. He also claimed that PTI worker Moazzam was killed by Imran’s own guard.

    “Long march mein jaan daalnay ke liye drama keeya gaya“, (It was all a drama to revive the long march.), Dawood claimed.

    However, a day earlier, PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry, in a presser, said that the forensic test of Imran’s guards’ weapons established that none of them fired even a single shot.

    He added that PTI worker Moazzam was killed by a bullet aimed at the detained shooter. “The assassin had to be killed on the spot but ill-fated Moazzam came in the way,” Chaudhry said.

    However, talking to reporters today, Dawood refuted PTI’s claim saying that the video that showed Imran’s guard firing was not being made part of the case record.

    He claimed that PTI knew about the guard shooting but they kept quiet because otherwise Khan and his guard would have to face murder charges.

    “The purpose of the JIT was to save Imran and his guard. It was an attempt to waste evidence. And they did it. If we connect the dots, Imran’s guard is responsible,” he stated.

    About Chaudhry’s press conference, Dawood raised a question about how the JIT report reached PTI before its submission to the court.

    “JIT prepared the investigation report at Zaman Park after consultation with PTI lawyers,” alleged Mian Dawood.

    “This clearly means that the report has no legal value. If PTI believes that the attack was genuine, then why are they running away from getting the FIR registered,” he questioned.

    On the day of the incident, Naveed was arrested and instantly confessed to committing the crime.

  • 33 candidates passed away waiting for local govt elections in Sindh

    33 candidates passed away waiting for local govt elections in Sindh

    33 candidates who had filed their nominations for the Local Government (LG) elections in Karachi and Hyderabad passed away waiting for the election to happen.

    The second phase of the local election has been postponed repeatedly.

    According to details provided by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), as many as 12 candidates for Union Council (UC) chairman and vice chairman have died since the time their nomination papers were submitted. Similarly, 22 candidates who were running for the district council, town committee, municipal committee and UC ward members seats also passed away.

    Last year, the ECP had told the Sindh government that the second phase of the LG polls in Karachi and Hyderabad would be held on July 24 but it was postponed due to floods.

    The electoral body rescheduled the LG elections for August 28, 2022 but they were put off again due to the same reason.

    On October 18, 2022, the ECP rescheduled the elections for October 23, 2022, but the provincial government sought their postponement for three months because it had deployed police in flooded areas, due to which it was unable to provide the required level of security to polling stations.

    After repeated delays, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the Jamaat-e-Islami moved the Sindh High Court. In November, the ECP announced January 15 as the new date.

  • Baita waapis aaya: Junaid is moving back permanently to help mother in politics

    Baita waapis aaya: Junaid is moving back permanently to help mother in politics

    Junaid Safdar, the son of Senior Vice President of Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz (PML-N), Maryam Nawaz, is set to travel to Pakistan to settle in the country permanently, reports Murtaza Shah for The News.

    News reports state that Junaid and his wife, Ayesha Saif, will reach Pakistan on Friday from Doha.

    The couple would be shifting to Pakistan permanently to assist Maryam Nawaz in the party’s political activities.

    On January 2, Maryam Nawaz was appointed the Senior Vice President of PML-N. She will also take on the responsibility of organising the party.

    According to news reports, PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz on Wednesday left London for a week-long trip to Switzerland’s Geneva.

    Meanwhile, Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif will also be visiting Geneva to co-host the International Conference on Climate Resilient Pakistan — along with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres — on January 9.

    The reports further suggest that the PML-N supremo and his daughter will have meetings scheduled during the trip. Nawaz will also meet with PM Shehbaz, who is expected to reach the Swiss city on Sunday, January 8.

  • TTP member attacks Govt contractor’s house after refusal to pay 15 million ransom

    TTP member attacks Govt contractor’s house after refusal to pay 15 million ransom

    A government contractor in Rawalpindi refused to pay the demanded ransom of Rs 15 million to a member of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Mohammad Asghar reports for Dawn. The terrorist then allegedly assaulted his home with a cracker at Dhoke Lakhan in the Dhamial neighbourhood.

    Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) joined the police in their investigation of the incident after a first information report (FIR) was filed with them on Tuesday.
    Mohammad Nisar, a government contractor and inhabitant of Dhoke Lakhan Chakri Road, filed a police report claiming that on October 7, 2022, he received a voicemail identifying the caller as a TTP official and demanding a ransom of Rs15 million.

    Nisar had been working as a government contractor for the last 20 years.

    He claimed that after the man failed to respond to his message, he resorted to his brother Mushtaq Ali’s cellphone and left him a voicemail asking him to show it to his brother.

    He continued by saying that on December 28, 2022, at 4am, he heard an explosion outside his house while sleeping inside, while his wife and kids had left for their village.

    He said in the FIR that he went to his house’s rooftop to investigate the incident but was unable to see anything because of the darkness. He went back to sleep. The suspect was heard telling his brother that he had given him a glimpse the previous night in a second voice message that was left for him the next day.
    After that, he proceeded to his home’s rooftop where he discovered cracker fragments that had exploded on the compound wall of the roof.

  • US extends support for Pakistan’s right to defend itself from terrorism

    The United States of America (USA) has extended its support to Pakistan’s stance against escalating terrorism in the country.

    In a press briefing, spokesperson for the State Department, Ned Price, said, “The Pakistani people have suffered tremendously from terrorist attacks. Pakistan has a right to defend itself from terrorism.”

    He said that the [Afghan] Taliban must uphold the commitment they made that their soil would never be used as a launchpad for international terrorist attacks.

    Price also said that the US is aware of the recent statement by the Pakistani National Security Committee (NSC).

    Earlier this week, the NSC expressed firm resolve to crush terrorist groups operating against Pakistan. The second round of the NSC meeting reiterated a “zero tolerance” policy for terrorism in the country,

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also said that Pakistan would adopt the policy of zero-tolerance against terrorists.

  • Lashkar-e-Khorasan claims responsibility for killing two intelligence officers

    Lashkar-e-Khorasan claims responsibility for killing two intelligence officers

    Lashkar-e-Khorasan, a relatively unknown terrorist group allied with Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), has claimed responsibility for killing two intelligence officers who were martyred on Tuesday in Khanewal, journalists have reported.

    The two officers, who were part of the counter-terrorism department of the intelligence service, were known for arresting members of the TTP and other militant organisations. They also had a formidable reputation for solving complicated terrorism cases including bombings.

    Both officers were shot as they were parking their vehicle outside a roadside restaurant in Pirowal where they reportedly planned to have tea.

    Terrorist incidents across the country are on the rise after a ceasefire pact with the government ended in November.

    Defense Minister Khwaja Asif had said on Monday that the recent spate of attacks were being staged by Pakistani Taliban hiding in Afghanistan. He asked the Taliban administration in the neighboring country to stop the attacks emanating from their soil.

  • Azam Swati finally released from jail for talking against army

    Azam Swati finally released from jail for talking against army

    Senator Azam Swati of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has finally been released from sub-jail after remaining behind bars for more than a month.

    The senator had been in the custody of law enforcing agencies since November 27 last year, after the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) booked him in Islamabad over a “campaign of intimidating tweets against state institutions”, including the former chief of army staff General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa.

    On Monday, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) granted bail to Swati after he filed a petition seeking post-arrest bail.

    In December, PTI chief Imran Khan had said that Swati had been “taken away by Quetta police” from Islamabad despite health concerns.

    According to media reports, the arrest was made over different cases registered against the senator across Balochistan. However, Balochistan High Court (BHC) later ordered that no more cases should be registered against him.

    Later, Swati was brought to the capital via a special plane from Sukkur.

    Swati had criticised persons within the establishment in tweets posted from his account.