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.

  • ‘Chaar saal haath nahin milaya, abb aakay kehtay hain hamaaray sath baat karein’: Shehbaz Sharif

    ‘Chaar saal haath nahin milaya, abb aakay kehtay hain hamaaray sath baat karein’: Shehbaz Sharif

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif has said that Imran Khan, Chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), did not shake hands with the Opposition for four years while he was in power but now he wants to talk.

    Shehbaz Sharif was referring to reports of the government holding talks with the PTI chief.

    The Premier, while addressing an event of the Planning Division, said that he and the government were ready to take tough decisions for the sake of the country and its betterment.

    Without talking Khan’s name, the Prime Minister said, ” You labeled us as thieves and corrupt. Had you taken steps for the betterment of our youth, and introduced innovative programmes for their improvement, I would be standing here and praising you instead.”

    Accusing the former prime minister of dividing the country, Shehbaz Sharif said that this is not how great nations are made. “For four years, you said you don’t want to shake hands with the Opposition, but now, in present times and conditions, you say that we should talk,” said the prime minister.

    “For how long will this duplexity continue? For the national interest [of the country] we are ready [to hold talks]. I am not going into details here, but what I am saying here is that I am ready to give any sacrifice for my country,” he stated.

    Journalist Saleem Safi has also revealed that the PTI Chairman Imran Khan has sent a message to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supreme leader Nawaz Shairf.

    “They contacted Nawaz Sharif,” Safi said about PTI. “Imran Khan sent a message to Nawaz Sharif to team up against the establishment. However, Nawaz Sharif did not accept the proposal,” said Safi while speaking on Geo News programme ‘Report Card.’

    “Khan Saab sent a messenger to Nawaz Sharif, you heard this in Khan’s [leaked audio] as well that no matter what happens, whether it is fair, legal or illegal, so he will continue to do such things. He will continue to blackmail,” stated Safi.

    When the anchor asked what was the message sent to the elder Sharif, Safi replied, “The message was that we two should shake hands, including [Asif Ali] Zardari and that we all team up against the establishment. However, he [Sharif] rejected the offer.”

  • Pakistani and Indian officials participated in ‘off the record’ sessions

    Pakistani and Indian officials participated in ‘off the record’ sessions

    Senior serving and retired Pakistani and Indian officials participated in a conference organised recently by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IIS) in Oman, reports Rezaul Hasan Laskar for Hindustan Times.

    The 15th edition of the Southern Asia Security Conference saw officials from both sides participating in “off the record” sessions that were held behind closed doors.

    The conference, which was held in Muscat from September 17 to September 18, saw the participation of an Indian delegation that included the external affairs ministry’s pointperson for Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran, joint secretary J P Singh, and at least two former officials from the external intelligence setup who continue to be active in tracking Pakistan-related issues, writes Laskar.

    “The Pakistani side was represented by former foreign secretary Jalil Abbas Jilani, the special representative for Afghanistan, Mohammad Sadiq, and Brig Zulfiqar Ali Bhatty, the director of strategic communications in Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). Haneef Atmar, the foreign minister in the former Afghan government led by president Ashraf Ghani, also participated in the conference.”

    The conference was held at a time when there are virtually no bilateral contacts between India and Pakistan, with relations having plummeted since New Delhi scrapped Jammu and Kashmir’s special status in August 2019.

  • Lizz Truss resigns as UK prime minister

    Lizz Truss resigns as UK prime minister

    After only 45 days in the position, Prime Minister Liz Truss abruptly announced her resignation. The Prime Minister said that a Tory leadership election will be held in the coming week to choose her successor.

    After her government was overthrown and the majority of her economic policies were abandoned, Tory MPs pushed Ms Truss to leave.

    According to Al Jazeera, Ms Truss was elected by the Conservative membership in September, but after making a number of U-turns, she was forced to resign. In a speech outside Downing Street, Ms Truss said: “I recognise that I cannot deliver the mandate on which I was elected by the Conservative Party.”

    Ms Truss declared that she would stay in her position until a replacement legally assumes the role of party leader and is chosen as King Charles III’s prime minister.

    When Ms Truss leaves office, she will hold the record for the shortest tenure as prime minister in British history. She took office 44 days ago. Following Ms Truss’ resignation address, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer demanded a quick election.

    In her speech, Ms Truss said she entered “office at a time of great economic and international instability”, as war rages in Ukraine and living costs skyrocket. However, her retirement follows the resignation of a crucial minister, former home secretary Suella Braverman, and a disorderly parliamentary vote in which Tory MPs dissented.

  • ‘Imran Khan sent a message to Nawaz Sharif to team up against the establishment’: Saleem Safi

    ‘Imran Khan sent a message to Nawaz Sharif to team up against the establishment’: Saleem Safi

    Journalist Saleem Safi has revealed that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has sent a message to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supreme leader Nawaz Shairf.

    “They contacted Nawaz Sharif,” Safi said about PTI. “Imran Khan sent a message to Nawaz Sharif to team up against the establishment. However, Nawaz Sharif did not accept the proposal,” said Safi while speaking on Geo News programme ‘Report Card.’

    “Khan Saab sent a messenger to Nawaz Sharif, you heard this in Khan’s [leaked audio] as well that no matter what happens, whether it is fair, legal or illegal, so he will continue to do such things. He will continue to blackmail,” stated Safi.

    When the anchor asked what was the message sent to the elder Sharif, Safi replied, “The message was that we two should shake hands, including [Asif Ali] Zardari and that we all team up against the establishment. However, he [Sharif] rejected the offer.”

    Giving a reason as to why Nawaz rejected the offer Safi revealed that his matters are set with the establishment, “Why would he want to make matters worse now,” wondered the senior journalist.

  • ‘Balochistan’s issues must be resolved’: NA addresses fake encounters

    Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) Chief Sardar Akhtar Mengal raised the matter of fake encounters in the National Assembly (NA) in which, he alleged, innocent people were killed and presented as terrorists.

    Three missing persons were found dead in Kharan on Monday. They were allegedly killed in fake encounters by the Balochistan Counter Terrorism Department.

    Mengal told the lower house that the people killed by the department have been identified and all of those people were “picked up”.

    “Wasim Tabish was a student who wrote a poem for missing persons. Those who speak and write are picked up,” said the BNP-M chief.

    “Do not push us to a point of no return”, warned Mengal, as he urged the end of fake encounters in Balochistan.

    Later, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif described the issue as “Wounds of the state that have been bleeding for years”. He called for measures to address and resolve the issues and acknowledged that the problem had existed for a long time.

    “Balochistan’s issues must be resolved”, stressed the federal minister.

    Not only Khwaja Asif, but Minister for Climate Change, Sherry Rehman, also called for constituting a “truth and reconciliation commission” to address the unrest in Balochistan.

    The federal ministers also highlighted growing concerns over the situation in Swat.

    “A terrorist is a terrorist and he remains one because he took up weapons. And when he agrees to talk to you, he has pre-conditions,” said Rehman.

    The PPP senator recalled multiple incidents of terrorism and said it was beyond her understanding how a compromise could be reached with terrorists. Moreover, she urged the house to call a joint session again.

    Khawaja Asif called for the members to sit together on the situation in Swat, among other issues of grave importance.

    He recalled that a similar situation in Swat was seen 11 to 12 years ago when concerns were raised that “those in Swat may not be too far away from Islamabad”. He warned that “Whatever is happening in Swat and elsewhere, those flames can reach us as well”.

  • ‘Another lie of Faisal Vawda has been exposed’: PTI leader used expired passport to prove single nationality

    ‘Another lie of Faisal Vawda has been exposed’: PTI leader used expired passport to prove single nationality

    Justice Mansoor Ali Shah of the Supreme Court (SC) Wednesday remarked that another lie of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Faisal Vawda has been caught as the court took up the former federal minister’s petition against a lifetime ban imposed on him by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

    A three member-bench headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Ayesha Malik heard the petition.

    Justice Ayesha Malik remarked that the cancelled passport which the counsel was relying upon expired in 2015 but was shown to the RO in 2018.

    “When you get the new passport, the older one is stamped cancelled. How can a cancelled passport be evidence of renouncing the nationality,” she asked.

    To this, CJP Bandial said that the issue has become very serious.

    Justice Mansoor Ali Shah then said, “Another lie of Faisal Vawda has been exposed”.

    The hearing was adjourned for two weeks after Faisal Vawda’s counsel, Wasim Sajjad asked for more time for preparation.

    At this, Justice Mansoor Ali Shah said, “You will not get answers of these queries even after a week.

  • Human Rights Minister Riaz Pirzada raises voice for Ahmadis

    Human Rights Minister Riaz Pirzada raises voice for Ahmadis

    Human Rights Minister Riaz Pirzada stressed the need for empowerment of the Parliament with the focus of performing its role as per the real spirit of the constitution and take cognizance for resolving the issues of the people and protecting their rights.

    “I will say it openly, neither the judiciary nor military institutions have been able to protect us. Our heart bleeds for the bloodshed happening in Balochistan, or what happened in FATA,” said Pirzada.

    “Ahmadi community is being stabbed with knives in broad day light. Their homes, mosques and places of worship are being destroyed,” said the minister.

    He said that rather than raising a fuss over petty issues, the interests of the country should be protected.

    In a thinly veiled reference to Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Imran Khan, the minister said that a person had contested elections on multiple seats and was involved in threatening institutions and people.

    A huge amount had been spent on these elections for political gains which was really painful, he stressed.

    The minister said that Parliament must protect the interests of the country because it had the real representation of the nation.

  • ‘Prepare to die’: KP minister Atif Khan gets extortion letter from TTP

    ‘Prepare to die’: KP minister Atif Khan gets extortion letter from TTP

    The banned Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) has allegedly sent a letter to Minister for Science and Technology, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Atif Khan, demanding he pay Rs.8 million within three days or prepare to get killed.

    “You know who we are and what we want. We know you very closely and have all your data and records because you are on TTP Mardan’s wanted list and your turn has come,” the letter reads, as shared by Dawn.

    “Thus, you will have to either fulfill our demand to exit this list, or you will lose your life. Our demand is for Rs.8 million. We want an answer within three days,” the threatening letter stated.

    “The way ransom [letters] come normally … some people have received them,” Khan said, confirming that he had received the letter while talking to media on Wednesday.

    The minister said he had shared the letter with all security agencies and now the onus for taking action was on them.

    Later, the outlawed group rejected the reports that it had sent the letter to the minister, saying that it was “fake”.

    The incident comes amid renewed concerns about increasing militancy and TTP’s resurgence in the country’s northern areas.

  • ‘Misogynistic, bigoted’: Twitter calls out Imran Khan’s ‘mardon mein ghustee hai’ comment

    ‘Misogynistic, bigoted’: Twitter calls out Imran Khan’s ‘mardon mein ghustee hai’ comment

    Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Imran Khan, on Tuesday, 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 says that she is being harassed”.

    Along with these remarks, he stated that he will also ask his party workers to act in right manner.

    Twitter did not take kindly to the former Prime Minister’s remarks.

    https://twitter.com/KhawajaUsmanUk/status/1582499392241946626?s=20&t=ko0ajmHMlYDkl2WbeQbVNg

    ‘Agar ilzaam saabit huva toh mai sahafat chorr doonga’: Saleem Safi challenges IK for calling him a ‘lifafa’

    On the same occasion, Khan alleged that Journalist Saleem Safi is a lifafa (biased) journalist.

    When asked by a journalist that why he [Imran Khan] called journalists lifafa, he responded by saying that he has never called any journalist lifafa except for Saleem Safi.

    Responding to this, Safi challenged Imran Khan to prove himself. The senior journalist said in a statement that a committee consisting of PTI’s Murad Saeed, Shibli Faraz and Fawad Chaudhry should be formed under the leadership of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) president to investigate this matter.

    He said that if he is proved to be a liar, then the punishment of a thief will be his punishment and he will leave journalism and if Imran Khan is proved to be a liar, then he will have to leave politics and apologise.

    He also said that he will get to the end of this matter.

  • Aitzaz Ahsan is trying to become PTI’s Senator, says Capt Safdar

    Aitzaz Ahsan is trying to become PTI’s Senator, says Capt Safdar

    Pakistani Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Caption retd Safdar, who also happens to be Maryam Nawaz’s husband, has said that Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) former federal minister Aitzaz Ahsan is trying to become a senator on a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf ticket.

    “Aitzaz Ahsan has made the judgment of this respectful court very controversial. He has spent 40 years as a lawyer and yet he did this,” Safdar said while talking to media outside Lahore High Court.

    Ahsan, while talking to media persons last week at the Lahore High Court had given a statement criticising Chief of Army Staff, General Qamar Javed Bajwa. Ahsan alleged that the army chief rescued the Sharif family from conviction in cases and had thus committed a “big crime.”

    He said the cases against Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz Sharif were open-and-shut and their conviction was evident.

    Safdar also talked about Sunday’s by-elections and said, “Imran Khan knew that if his party members contested the elections, they would have failed, hence he contested himself. He does not have faith in his people.”