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.

  • ‘Shameful, apologise to the whole country’: Indian Supreme Court to Nupur Sharma

    ‘Shameful, apologise to the whole country’: Indian Supreme Court to Nupur Sharma

    The Indian Supreme Court on Friday reprimanded the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Nupur Sharma, and asked her to “apologise to the whole country”. Sharma was suspended by the BJP after she made derogatory remarks against Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) last month.

    “We saw the debate … the way she said all this and later says she was a lawyer, is shameful. She should apologise to the whole country,” reports NDTV.

    “She is single-handedly responsible for what is happening in the country,” reports The Hindustan Times.

    According to India Today, the court noted that Sharma’s comments were made either for “cheap publicity, a political agenda or for some nefarious activities”. The court also said that she had “threatened the security of the nation”.

    “A spokesperson can’t make such statements. Sometimes power goes into the heads of people and they think they are everything,” the Indian SC bench said.

    Last month, after hashtags calling for the boycott of Indian products began trending on Twitter in Arab countries over derogatory remarks against Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) by BJP spokespersons Nupur Sharma and Naveen Kumar Jindal, India’s ruling party suspended Sharma and expelled Jindal.

    Muslims took to the streets across Asia, including India, where protesters faced a crackdown by the Indian authorities.

    Meanwhile, multiple cases were registered against Sharma in different cities, following which she moved the Indian SC to transfer all cases against her to Delhi.

  • Pak-China relations to restrengthen pledges Chinese delegation leader

    Pak-China relations to restrengthen pledges Chinese delegation leader

    Pak-China relations to re-strengthen, pledges Chinese delegation leader
    Chinese politician and Director of China’s Central Foreign Affairs Commission Yang Jiechi pledged to help re-strengthen Pakistan-China relations as he kickstarted his two-day trip to Islamabad with a meeting with Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Wednesday.

    “He assured to play his role for further improvement in diplomatic cooperation with Pakistan at all levels,” said the Inter-services Public Relations (ISPR) Director-General (DG) Major-General Babar Iftikhar after the meeting with the army chief at the General Headquarters.

    Yang had a meeting with Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday as well. The PM highlighted the significance of Director Yang’s visit in furthering the bilateral relations between the two countries across all domains. In particular, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has strengthened the ties between China and Pakistan. The relationship between the two countries would continue to grow and prosper, bringing peace and stability to the region, noted Sharif.

    Yang also met Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari.

    “The two sides discussed the entire spectrum of bilateral relations and exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest,” the Foreign Office said in a statement.

    The meetings come at a sensitive time as the Pakistan-China relationship seems to be under strain after the April 26 attacks on three Chinese language teachers in Karachi.

  • Tensions rise in India’s Udaipur after murder of Hindu tailor

    Tensions rise in India’s Udaipur after murder of Hindu tailor

    A Hindu tailor was murdered by two Muslim men in Udaipur, India, on June 28. The two men entered the tailor’s shop as customers and then murdered him.

    The man was allegedly killed after he shared a social media post in support of the derogatory remarks made about Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Nupur Sharma.

    The derogatory comments by Nupur Sharma caused a stir in the Muslim world, inviting condemnation and protest from over 20 Muslim states. There were widespread protests and demonstrations in India, which turned violent in some parts of the country.

    After the murder of the tailor, hundreds of police officials were deployed, and mobile internet was cut off in Udaipur. A partial curfew was also imposed to curb any potential uproar after a video of the attempted beheading of the Hindu tailor went viral.

    Other parts of the Rajasthan state also had their mobile internet access cut off and local authorities issued a month-long ban on four or more people gathering in the state.

    “Both the accused in the killing have been arrested and we will ensure strict punishment and speedy justice,” said Rajashtan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.

  • ‘Altaf Hussain is Nelson Mandela’: Fawad Ch responds to Farogh Naseem’s remarks about Khan

    ‘Altaf Hussain is Nelson Mandela’: Fawad Ch responds to Farogh Naseem’s remarks about Khan

    Former law minister Farogh Naseem revealed that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan was the one who ordered filing a reference against Supreme Court (SC) judge Justice Qazi Faez Isa.

    “It was Imran Khan himself who had ordered filing a reference against Justice Qazi Faez Isa,” Farogh claimed on Geo News programme, ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’.

    The former law minister was responding to Khan’s admission that filing a presidential reference for the removal of Justice Qazi Faez Isa was a mistake and that he had been misguided by relevant officials about the facts of the case.

    Naseem further stated that a reference against Justice Isa was filed because of a report by the Asset Recovery Unit (ARU), which was headed by Shahzad Akbar back then.

    “This is total nonsense. Around seven in the morning, I got a call from Imran Khan sahib, Naeem ul Haq was alive at the time. He [Khan] asked that since the eradication of corruption was the PTI government’s agenda, therefore the reference should be filed immediately.”

    “Let’s assume for a minute that I was behind filing the reference, but the decision-maker was Imran Khan sahib and the president of Pakistan. They now want to attract Hamid Khan, who was once Justice Isa’s lawyer.”

    Responding to Naseem’s allegations against Khan, former Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry tweeted, “Altaf Hussain is Nelson Mandela :)”

    Farogh Naseem also revealed that former Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari wished to be defence and foreign minister when PTI was in power.

    Earlier, senior lawyer and former PTI leader Hamid Khan said that Khan confessed to committing blunders that cost PTI politically.

    Hamid said that Khan admitted that he was misled on Justice Qazi Faez Isa’s issue, adding that he had told Khan that the reference was a mistake because the judge was an honest man.

  • Video: Karachiites protest against load-shedding, clashes erupt between police protesters

    Video: Karachiites protest against load-shedding, clashes erupt between police protesters

    Residents of Karachi came out on the streets in the late hours of Monday to protest against the unannounced and prolonged load-shedding in their areas.

    On Tuesday morning, the police used tear gas and baton-charged protestors in an effort to disperse the crowd, which resulted in a clash between the two.

    According to Dawn, the demonstrators have been protesting since last night, burnt tyres, and blocked the road for traffic, which has caused traffic problems.

    The chairman of the All Pakistan Fruit and Vegetable Exporters, Importers and Merchants Association (PFVA) Aslam Pakhali said that over 100 shipping containers carrying mangoes and potatoes are worth an estimated Rs250 million were stuck in traffic since Monday evening.

    https://twitter.com/nshz22/status/1541682874750947328?s=20&t=OIuOxKPZe5onCToMDfxlBw

    According to Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Asif Bughio, electricity in several areas of Lyari has been suspended since 4pm yesterday (Monday). He claimed that the police tried to negotiate with them but they attacked the law enforcers with stones.

    Their protest has continued for more than 20 hours now.

    According to media reports, in Karachi’s Gadap Town, the load-shedding time has gone up to 18 hours in a day. Similarly, Shah Faisal Colony, Malir, Surjani Town, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, and other areas are seeing power outages of 14 hours or more.

    Following the incidents, Sindh Energy Minister Imtiaz Ahmad Shaikh contacted K-Electric Chief Executive Moonis Alvi. He noted that load-shedding has made the lives of people miserable.

    “Due to persistent load-shedding, the security situation is deteriorating,” he told the KE official.

    A day earlier, Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif warned the nation that they might face increased load-shedding in the coming month of July.

  • ‘Khan through paid social media teams is running vulgur, abusive trends against COAS, DG ISPR’: Aisha Gulalai’s letter to CJP

    ‘Khan through paid social media teams is running vulgur, abusive trends against COAS, DG ISPR’: Aisha Gulalai’s letter to CJP

    Former Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmaker Aisha Gulalai Wazir has written a letter to the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial, demanding the apex court to take suo motu notice of the anti-army campaign being run “by PTI Chairman Imran Khan”.

    In the letter, she demanded the court to put Khan’s name on Exit Control List (ECL), for a treason case to be registered against him and that he and his party should be banned.

    Gulalai argued that Khan is “shamelessly” dragging the army into politics. “Criticising it [army] for being neutral, maligning it, threatening with dismembering the country, waging civil war and creating anarchy in the country, if the army stayed neutral,” she added.

    Furthermore, she said, “Acting like a mafia, Khan and his party through social media teams are running shameful, abusive and vulgar social media trends against Pakistan army, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa and Director General (DG) Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Babar Iftikhar.” Along with these allegations, she also attached screenshots as proof.

    Gulalai also alleged that they [Khan and PTI] are using some mainstream media channels and journalists for their propaganda.

    The former PTI member also pointed out that in this way Khan is trying to “instigate the masses” against the armed forces. Moreover, she said, “Khan is threatening the state that he will disclose the security secrets of Pakistan.”

    She also alleged that the provincial government recruited social media influencers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) with Rs736 million from public funds.

    Giving the reference of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader Altaf Hussain — who is banned due to hate speech — and Member National Assembly (MNA) Ali Wazie, Gulalai wrote that if their hate speech cannot be allowed who actually “never went to such an extent”, Khan “should be no exception and above law”.

    Who is Aisha Gulalai Wazir?

    In 2017, Gulalai quit PTI and alleged that her then-party Chairman Imran Khan had sent her inappropriate text messages but she did not reveal any other details to support her allegations.

    According to her, she is not the only one who faced this and claimed many women in the party are facing similar issues.

  • ‘Ultimate goal is self-reliance’: PM Shehbaz on Pakistan receiving $2bn from IMF

    ‘Ultimate goal is self-reliance’: PM Shehbaz on Pakistan receiving $2bn from IMF

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif was informed by Finance Minister (FM) Miftah Ismail that Pakistan could receive Rs2 billion from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

    “Miftah Ismail sent a message this morning saying that Pakistan will receive not $1 billion but $2 billion from the IMF. I told him in response, Alhamdulillah, but our ultimate goal is self-reliance,” said PM Shehbaz while addressing the “Turn Around Pakistan” conference.

    The premier’s address comes shortly after Ismail confirmed Pakistan has received the Memorandum of Economic and Financial Policies (MEFP) from the IMF for the seventh and eighth reviews.

    The draft MEFP is a prerequisite to paving the way toward striking a staff-level agreement.

    PM Shehbaz said that although the Opposition created much political drama in recent weeks, he will ask whether it is the “choosers” that are now going to receive $2 billion or “the other word”, referring to beggars from the phrase “beggars can’t be choosers”.

    “There is no shortage of anything in Pakistan and there are experts in every field,” said PM Shehbaz, before lamenting that “billions of dollars are buried in Reko Diq but we have not earned a single penny”.

    “It is a pity that the country’s development and prosperity have not been achieved,” he said.

    Addressing the conference before PM’s speech, Ismail said that when he messaged Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif about the development, he replied: “Well done. But remember our ultimate goal is self-reliance. That will be our legacy,” Miftah said, quoting PM Shehbaz.

  • APS survivor takes charge as Oxford Union President; Shehbaz, Alvi congratulate

    APS survivor takes charge as Oxford Union President; Shehbaz, Alvi congratulate

    Ahmad Nawaz, survivor of the Pakistan Army Public School (APS) massacre, has assumed his responsibilities as President of the Oxford Union. He was selected for the post earlier this year. He announced the development in a tweet.

    “Immensely proud to have finally assumed my duties as the President of Oxford Union,” he wrote.

    “In my time as President, I look forward to having world leaders debate the most pressing issues, empowering young people through this platform & upholding freedom of speech,” added Ahmad.

    President Arif Alvi congratulated Ahmad Nawaz and said that the youth of Pakistan are his greatest hope. “We must register that despite all setbacks Pakistan will keep on shining and rising.”

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in a tweet also congratulated Ahmad.

    “Ahmad Nawaz, who survived the horrific attack on APS Peshawar, has become President of the prestigious Oxford Union. He has set an example worthy of emulation by our youth. Pakistan is proud of you, Ahmad,” he wrote.

    Ahmad moved to Britain in 2014 after the worst militant attack on an Army Public School, killing 150 people. His younger brother was martyred in the attack.

    Ahmad escaped death by pretending to be dead when the terrorists were roaming the school building. Ahmad Nawaz was taken to Birmingham for treatment after being shot in the arm.

  • Sindh local govt elections turn into a bloody ground with two deaths

    Sindh local govt elections turn into a bloody ground with two deaths

    The first phase of Sindh local government in 14 districts has been completed. According to unofficial results, the provincial ruling party Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) is ahead of all the parties with the highest number of winning candidates as 885 out of 946 representatives were already elected unopposed when the polling started.

    The Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) came second, independents third, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) fourth, and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) secured the fifth position.

    According to media outlets, several complaints of missing ballot papers and changes in the election symbols were reported from many districts of the province, which eventually led to chaos.

    However, the provincial government ruled out such a possibility and described the demand as an “escape” from Opposition parties after they “failed” to field candidates in all districts, reports Dawn.

    Voting started at 9am and ended at 5pm on Sunday. The elections in the rest of the districts of Sindh will be held next month, i.e. July 24.

    Violence at the scene:

    During the election polling when clashes broke out between political parties, it led to deaths and multiple injuries. Two people, including the brother of a PTI candidate, were killed and at least 20 people were injured.

    PTI’s divisional president from Tando Adam, Mushtaq Junejo, said, “I can confirm the death of Qaiser, the brother of our party’s candidate Asghar Gandapur in Tando Adam.” The candidate was contesting in ward-13 of the Tando Adam municipal committee.

    In Nawabshah, the situation became tense when a group of armed people attacked social security. Later, the group fled the polling station along with the election material.

    Kashmore was among the most-affected districts in terms of violence.

    In Durrani Mahar, reports were received that around 10 polling staff members were kidnapped. However, the issue was resolved and police tried to cover up the issue as the polling staff was only released after successful negotiations between the police and the kidnappers.

    Misprinting of ballot papers:



    On Sunday, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) announced that some districts had incorrect candidate names printed on the ballot papers. In a tweet, the ECP said that polls in these regions would be postponed and a new schedule would be presented for them.