News stories of Politics, for the topics that matter the most to young professionals and college students, political news reported with a different angle.
Former president Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf met Bollywood icon, Sanjay Dutt.
In a picture doing the rounds on social media, many suggested that the meeting took place at a gym in a Gulf state, but it could not be verified independently.
In the picture, the former president, who lives in Dubai, is seen in a wheelchair while Dutt is pointing towards something.
General (retd) Pervez Musharraf flew to Dubai for medical treatment after a three-year travel ban was lifted in 2016.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Wednesday that the Pakistani government has a responsibility to uphold the constitution and allow for voting without threats or violence on the no-confidence motion.
HRW Associate Asia Director Patricia Gossman, in a statement, said both the government and Opposition should send a “strong message” to their supporters not to subvert the democratic process or sway the vote through intimidation or other criminal acts.
The voting on the no-trust motion in the National Assembly is expected to take place on March 28.
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Wednesday denied allegations of receiving orders to arrest Moonis Elahi, Minister for Water Resources, and son of Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) leader and Speaker Punjab Assembly Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi.
NAB has said that all speculations about a rumoured inquiry against the politician are baseless.
“Arresting PML-Q leader Moonis Elahi is out of the question,” said NAB in a statement.
Elahi, while speaking on HUM News programme “Hum Meher Bokhari Kay Sath”, alleged that they were still receiving threats and being blackmailed. “A week ago they said to NAB to arrest Moonis.”
Elahi further said, “The government 100 per cent lacks wisdom and understanding. The prime minister has a great desire for revenge, which is evident from the fact that he puts everyone in NAB and FIA. This is not how you govern.”
Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan on Thursday called the Opposition leaders Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz president Shehbaz Sharif, and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari the “three stooges”, referring to a classic American program. He told party members the Opposition’s no-trust move was a “blessing” as it had “lifted” the entire party and now all ready to ready for the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) rally.
Addressing the Pakistan Overseas Convention in Islamabad he said, “When the people saw the faces of the three stooges — they decided against supporting them and expressed their desire to go down with [me],” PM Khan.
PM Khan challenged media organisations, economists, and Opposition parties to debate with the government over its performance in the last three and half years, saying that “nobody served Pakistan as we did”.
“[Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana] Fazlur Rehman sold religion for 30 years,” he thundered. “In my 3.5 years, [Russian President Vladimir] Putin has said you cannot disrespect Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) in the name of freedom of expression. [Canadian Prime Minister Justin] Trudeau has given a statement [against Islamophobia]. This has happened for the first time.”
The premier said there had been a debate at the United Nations and a resolution would be passed against Islamophobia, adding that it was “because of us” and how the government raised the matter at different forums.
The premier said that the Opposition parties had been taking turns in governing Pakistan during the last 30 years but the PTI government would “prove” that it had built the nation.
The premier said he and his team were always trying to figure out ways to reduce the impact of inflation on the masses, but after the Opposition’s no-confidence motion, the focus shifted to mainstream politics rather than inflation.
PM Khan said neither of the three parties — PPP, PML-N, and JUI-F — worked at the grass-root levels and did “actual politics”, while the PTI struggled for more than two decades to get to where it is today. “They cannot defeat us.”
“Nawaz became the chief minister through General Jilani; Shehbaz, who used to give bribes to get his work done, Zardari became the president by ‘showing’ a fake paper; Fazl has been selling the religion from the last 30 years,” he said.
“I was thinking of how the country changed suddenly in 10 days, inflation was forgotten and my entire party was lifted.”
All the Opposition politicians used to call each other corrupt, he said, thanking them for coming together so the nation could see that “if they are the ones to save Pakistan, it is better to drown with Imran Khan”.
The premier said that PTI had risen from the grassroots which is why the Opposition parties could not compete with it.
PM Imran Khan said the Opposition leaders were under the “false impression that the people had forgotten their corruption”, but they were wrong as now, they had fallen into the “captain’s trap”.
“I predict that not only is their no-confidence motion going to fail, but they will taste defeat in the 2023 general elections as well,” he said, foreseeing his party’s triumph in the polls.
PM Khan said due to the corruption of the politicians, the country had become a “slave” to the foreign powers. “When our then prime minister [Nawaz Sharif] met then US president Barack Obama, his legs were shaking as he was cautious against saying something his ‘master’ might feel bad”.
“Because they know [those countries] can catch their [corrupt Pakistani politicians’] money laundering whenever they want,” the prime minister said.
“You [Nawaz and Zardari] should have at least said that no law in the world allows anyone to play the role of judge, jury, and executioner,” he said, stressing “never have I been anti-American, anti-Britain or anti-India”.
“I pray that a sensible leadership comes into power in India so that we can hold talks with them after revoking the August 5, 2019, decision on Kashmir.”
Only an uneducated man would be against a country, he elaborated, adding that he was against their policies. “I was against the war on terror from day one and I will remain so.”
The premier said 100 drone strikes had been conducted in Pakistan during the governments of Nawaz Sharif and Zardari and PTI leaders had staged sit-ins to protest but “they had no shame”.
He also mentioned India’s “Hindutva” policy, expressing the wish that a “better government” comes to power in the neighbouring country that would grant rights to Kashmiris.
The Pakistan military was the reason behind the country’s stability, as he gave an example of other Muslim countries — Libya, Syria, and Yemen — where the situation was dismal.
Noting that despite having differences with former prime minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, PM Imran Khan lauded him and acknowledged that he was a self-reliant leader.
Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh told the Indian parliament that the country is conducting a review of its standard operating procedures (SOPs) for operations, maintenance and inspection of weapons systems, reports Dawn.
“We attach the highest priority to the safety and security of our weapon systems. If any shortcoming is found, it would be immediately rectified,” the Indian defence minister added.
The statement came after an Indian “accidental” missile launch at Pakistan that fell in Mian Channu, Khanewal district on March 9. After two days, the Indian government released a statement in which they said the missile accidentally was fired due to a technical malfunction.
An Indian media reports claim that India informed Pakistan about this “accidental firing” soon after it happened. However, Pakistan said that India failed to inform Islamabad about the accidental launch immediately, and waited until after the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) announced the incident about “high-speed flying object” and sought clarification from New Delhi.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister (FM) Shah Mahmood Qureshi approached United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Qureshi briefed Guterres on the matter and stressed that this needs to be addressed by the international community, including the UN Security Council (SC). Qureshi briefed Guterres on the matter stressed that this needs to be addressed by the international community, including the UN Security Council (SC).
US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price on Monday said there is “no indication” that India launched a missile attack on Pakistan. He said that it was “anything other than an accident”. He also advised the journalist [who asked the question] to reach out to the Indian Defence Ministry for a follow-up.
“I’m not familiar with that particular incident. What I would say is that nuclear safety around the world, especially in countries — nuclear-armed countries, is always a conversation that is ongoing,” Price added.
The Punjab Education Department has announced the examination schedule and summer vacations on Monday. As per the notification, a new academic session 2022-2023 will commence from August 1.
According to the notification, the examinations for classes 1-8 will be held in the month of May while students will get two months of summer vacations from June 1 to July 31.
Similarly, the Sindh Education Department has also announced a new academic session from August 1.
The provincial department also agreed to hold an annual examination of elementary classes (4-8) on May 2. The matriculation examination will be conducted from May 17 and the result will be announced on July 17.
The examinations for intermediate will begin on June 15, 2022. The admission for Higher Secondary School will begin from July 1 to 31.
The Sindh education steering committee announced the examination pattern, which will contain 40% Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) and 60% of detailed questions.
The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday upheld the government’s decision to ban hijab in educational institutes in the Indian state. The court ruled that the hijab is not an essential part of Islam.
The hearing was headed by three judges who agreed that the “prescription of uniform is a reasonable restriction on fundamental rights.”
The state government during the hearing told the court that a ban on hijab does not violate fundamental rights to practice and profess a religion under Article 25 of the Constitution.
The court also added that religious symbols should not be involved in the uniforms of educational institutes.
A group of Muslim female students from Udupi government college had filed a petition to allow them to wear hijab which, according to them, is a fundamental right to practice religion. However, the Karnataka High court rejected their plea and ruled in favour of banning the hijab by the state government.
Anas Tanwir, a lawyer who is now representing the girls is planning to appeal to the Supreme Court. He termed the Karnataka court’s ruling “disappointing” and “erroneous”.
“I believe it is a wrong interpretation of the law,” he said while talking to Al Jazeera.
“As far as an essential religious practice is concerned, [that] should not have been the question. The question should have been whether the [authorities] had the power to pass such orders.”
The tension arose in January when a section of the Hindu right-wing group appeared wearing saffron scarves and threatened female Muslim class fellows not to wear the hijab during classes, which made state government college in Chikkamagaluru district, Karnataka, ban the hijab and saffron scarves over fears of rising tension.
A meeting of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) core committee was held on Monday under the chairmanship of Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan in which ruling party members discussed the ongoing political situation in the country. The meeting took place in the wake of the no-confidence motion which is likely to happen next week.
After the meeting, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said PTI rejected the Opposition’s “lotacracy” and their efforts to bribe its party lawmakers. He claimed that PTI MPAs are being offered millions of rupees and all party members have strongly condemned this unethical act.
Fawad said that the “mother of all jalsas” will be held in Islamabad.
Taking a jibe at Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) “Awaami March”, he said that those who are bringing a limited number of supporters should now know that PTI is the only federal party and PM Khan is the only federal leader and this is the reason why their “kaanpein tang rahi hain.”
“All party members, including the lawmakers, believe that only Khan can rule the country during these challenging times,” he said, adding that the recent public gatherings held at various locations in the last few days have once again proved that PTI is a “federal party and not a divisional party”.
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari seemed quite relaxed on Sunday despite high political temperature in the country by taking a little break and going to the movies.
The PPP chairperson on Sunday went to watch a movie with his party members who are currently in the federal capital because of the no-confidence motion.
Bilawal Bhutto and PPP stalwarts went to watch “The Batman”, starring Robert Pattison and Zoë Kravitz in the lead.
PPP leader Nabil Gabol took to Twitter and shared a selfie clicked within the cinema. Bilawal can be seen sitting in between Gabol and Khursheed Shah.
PPP Senator Sherry Rehman took to her Instagram stories and shared a glimpse of the movie night with Bilawal Bhutto.
Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry is trying to extend reconciliation offers to the Opposition.
The minister said, “If the Opposition withdraws the no-confidence motion, let’s see what can be given to them in return.”
Fawad said that the Opposition should withdraw the no-trust motion as it had caused bitterness in politics. He feared that the soaring political situation could harm the country.
The minister said that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) upcoming public gathering at Islamabad D-Chowk will turn out to be a “mini referendum” over the no-trust motion.
He hoped that over one million people will attend the public meeting on the call of Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan.