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.

  • ECP slaps Rs50,000 fine on Gandapur for violating election code of conduct

    The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has fined Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Ali Amin Gandapur for violating the code of conduct of the upcoming local government elections in the country, reports Geo News.

    Following complaints about the minister, Dera Ismail Khan Regional Election Commissioner Ijaz Ahmad, who is also the district monitoring officer for the local government polls, had summoned Gandapur earlier this week.

    The regional election commissioner said that this matter could lead to disqualification if the minister was found involved in any violation of the ECP rules for the second time. The order issued by Ahmed stated: “The respondent was heard where his arguments could not satisfy the undersigned. He also accepted the violation of the code of conduct. The undersigned orders imposition of Rs50,000 fine on the respondent that is to be deposited in the exchequer by December 10.”

    According to Dawn, Gandapur, while addressing a rally during the election campaign of his brother Umar Amin Gandapur, had threatened the Opposition with serious consequences.

    The local government elections are set to take place on December 19 in 17 districts across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

  • Railway uses 53 acres land to illegally build housing society

    Pakistan Railways used its land of 53 acres to construct the housing society for its employees which was allocated for railway purposes only, reports The Express Tribune.

    On Monday, it was revealed during the hearing of Sindh High Court that the land was primarily given for railways purposes but it turned to real estate against all regulations to provide accommodation to their employees.

    The petition was heard by a two-judge bench headed by Justice Zafar Ahmed Rajput. Sindh Additional Advocate General Barrister Sheharyar Mehar informed about the government’s decision to the court.

    Shehryar Mehar said that the land consisting of 53 acres was given to the Railways for railway purposes but they did not use the land for the given purpose.

    Mehar added, “The Supreme Court has declared that railway land can only be used for the railway system.”

    He added, “We are taking back the land in the light of the decision of the Supreme Court.”

    Sindh High Court has ordered a reply from Pakistan Railways Corporation Housing Society and others on the response from the Sindh Government regarding usage of land which is adjacent to Safari Park in Gulistan-e-Jauhar.

    The next hearing will be held on December 21.

  • In Pictures: Priyantha Kumara buried in Sri Lanka with state honours

    In Pictures: Priyantha Kumara buried in Sri Lanka with state honours

    Sri Lankan manager, Priyantha Kumara, who was lynched and his body burnt by a mob in Sialkot on December 3, was buried in his native village in Sri Lanka on Wednesday with state honours.

    The Buddhist clergy performed his religious rituals before police led the procession along with Kumara’s family and friends. They carried a casket with his remains to the cemetery.

    Condolence banners and white flags that symbolise mourning were displayed along the roads.

    Buddhist Clerics are performing Religious Rituals
    The wife of Priyantha Kumara prays with children and family members during a funeral held in Srilanka

    Priyantha Kumara, a Sri Lankan national was working as a manager in a factory located in Sialkot since 2010. He allegedly tore posters off a wall in the factory, which had religious text written on it. After taking down the poster, hundreds of people gathered, dragged him outside, killed him, and then burnt his body on Friday.

    The victim’s brother, Arunasiri Wasantha Kumara Diyawadana, who is also working in Pakistan at a garment factory as a technical director, said that factories should have a secure environment.

    He added, “That was not happening in this particular case.”

    He requested both governments to find the root cause of the incident, whether it is a religious or industrial dispute and they have to find the solution accordingly.

    Family members of Srilankan manager Priyantha Kumara carrying his casket to a cemetery during his burial in Colombo, Sri Lanka
    The mother of Priyantha Kumara crying in front of his casket
    Gavith, a son of Priyantha Kumara, places his father portrait on casket during burial
    The wife of Priyantha Kumura cries in front of his casket

    Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday said that from now on, no one will be spared who resorts to violence in the name of religion.

    PM Khan made these comments during an event that was being held to honor Malik Adnan who tried to save Kumura.

    The police have arrested more than 100 people involved, and one of the main culprits, Farhan Idrees has been arrested. Farhan gave an interview to local news channels, taking pride in the murder he committed.

  • ‘Govt is going to ensure Pakistani citizens are safe without blood being spilt on either side’: Moeed Yusuf on BBC HARDtalk

    ‘Govt is going to ensure Pakistani citizens are safe without blood being spilt on either side’: Moeed Yusuf on BBC HARDtalk

    National Security Adviser (NSA) to the Prime Minister, Dr Moeed Yusuf, while giving an interview to BBC host Stephen John Sackur on BBC HARDtalk said that the state’s job is not to kill another Pakistani.

    “We are going to try our level best to ensure that Pakistani citizens are safe without any more blood being spilt on either side.” The NSA’s comments come in reference to the Pakistan government’s talks with the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

    “How secure is Pakistan after the Taliban are back in power in Afghanistan?”: Sackur

    Sackur questioned Yusuf on how secure Pakistan is after the Taliban are back in power in Afghanistan.

    “Frankly it depends on how responsibly the international community plays the future. Pakistan was not behind anything. There was a policy employed by the United States (US) and others who are in Afghanistan. That was always a failing policy. The only country that kept saying that you will not find a military solution to this problem was Pakistan and our advice was not heeded.”

    “We kept saying negotiate from a position of strength, we weren’t listened to, we were blamed and scape-goated and the result is in front of you,” added Yusuf.

    “We heard the worried voices of the Supreme Court when they were grilling PM Khan,” Sackur

    “Pakistanis are very worried. We heard the worried voices of the Supreme Court when they were grilling PM Khan on what was going on under these negotiations with the Taliban,” responded Sackur and further added that during the grilling of the premier, one of the judges alluded to the 2014 terrible atrocity where the TTP attacked the Army Public School (APS) in Peshawar and killed more than 130 children and questioned PM Khan whether the government was about to sign a documented defeat with those who killed these children, and are we going to surrender once again.

    “You should recognise the state of democracy in this country that the judge calls in the prime minister who goes gets grilled and now Stephen Sackur has the opportunity to ask me. That’s the state of democracy and I am proud of that,” responded Yusuf.

    “We have a consistent policy as a state to say that negotiation must happen from a position of strength and this is what we told the Americans and United Kingdom (UK).”

    “No military bases of China in Balochistan”: Yusuf

    Yusuf said there were no military bases of China in Balochistan, rather there were economic bases there where any country could invest.

    “Let me clarify that there are no military bases offered to China in Balochistan, including Gwadar. Yes, there are economic bases and the same was also offered to the United States, Russia, and the Middle East and we are open to all the countries,” the NSA said, adding, “CPEC is what, it is road infrastructure and energy infrastructure and anybody can come and invest there, we are not closed to anybody.”

    “Is Pakistan developing relations with China at the cost of its principles of supporting the rights of Muslims in the world?” Sackur

    Sackur asked whether Pakistan was developing relations with China at the cost of its principles of supporting the rights of Muslims in the world. “You raise your voice for Kashmiri Muslims but refuse to condemn the violation of human rights in a Chinese province,” the interviewer asked.

    Moeed said that Pakistan did not accept the Western version of human rights violations in Xinjiang province and if they have any concerns, they should talk to China. “We have relations of trust with China and our ambassador and other delegations from here also visited the Xinjiang province,” he said.

  • Pakistan declines United States invitation to Democracy Summit

    Pakistan has turned down an invitation by the United States (US) to the summit for democracy which was going to be held virtually from December 9-December 10.

    The Pakistan Foreign Office thanked the United States for the invitation to participate in the Democracy Summit. According to the statement issued by the Spokesperson. Pakistan said that they would engage with the country on a wide range of issues “at an opportune time in the future.”

    The statement further added that Pakistan is committed to promoting democracy, eradicating corruption, and safeguarding the human rights of all our citizens.

    “We value our partnership with the U.S. which we wish to expand both bilaterally as well as in terms of regional and international cooperation. We remain in contact with the U.S. on a range of issues and believe that we can engage on this subject at an opportune time in the future,” he added.

    The statement concluded, “Pakistan will, meanwhile, continue to support all efforts aimed towards strengthening dialogue, constructive engagement, and international cooperation for the advancement of our shared goals.”

    According to the official website of the State Department, President Biden will be hosting the virtual meetings on December 9-December 10. He will discuss issues regarding democracy with leaders from government, civil society, and the private sector.

    The statement stated, “The summit will focus on challenges and opportunities facing democracies and will provide a platform for leaders to announce both individual and collective commitments, reforms, and initiatives to defend democracy, and human rights at home and abroad.”

    The summit will be based on key important points which include defending against authoritarianism, addressing and fighting corruption, and promoting respect for human rights.

    In this summit, leaders will be persuaded to share their policies and plan of action for reforms and initiatives to curb the issues that meet the goals of the summit.

    Pakistan is being criticised by some for not attending the summit, with people saying that Pakistan has refused to attend because President Biden has not called PM Khan since he came to power.

    Afghanistan has not been invited to the summit and India’s PM Modi will be attending and speaking about commitment to democracy

  • Nawaz is against Pakistan says Zardari, Shehbaz lashes back

    Nawaz is against Pakistan says Zardari, Shehbaz lashes back

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Shehbaz Sharif has criticised Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari for his remarks against Mian Nawaz Sharif.

    “Zardari Sahib’s statement about Mian Nawaz Sharif is unfortunate. Mian Sahib’s unwavering commitment to Pakistan has always been unquestionable. Zardari sb. knows the conditions in which MNS had to go abroad. We should refrain from such remarks & work for [the] greater good of [the] country,” tweeted Shehbaz.

    Without taking Nawaz Sharif’s name, Asif Zardari had accused PML-N chief of being against Pakistan. “They are against my homeland. Those who don’t wish to die in my homeland, what can they do?”

    Zardari said, “We belong to this land and we will die here.” The former president was addressing a media talk on Monday in Lahore.

    On Sunday (December 5), PML-N’s Shaista Pervaiz Malik defeated PPP candidate Aslam Gill in Lahore’s NA-133 by-polls. Shaista Malik secured 46,811 votes while Gill’s votes were 32,313.

  • CM Buzdar ‘imitates’ Shehbaz Sharif, pays surprise visit to own office

    CM Buzdar ‘imitates’ Shehbaz Sharif, pays surprise visit to own office

    Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Usman Buzdar paid a surprise visit to his own office, where he inspected the attendance, pace of file work, and disposal of summaries. He directed the staff to observe office timings and official discipline, reports Mansoor Malik for Dawn.

    Buzdar paid a “surprise visit” to the tourism office and transferred the additional secretary “for being absent from duty” while not being aware that the officer held the additional charge of the Tourism Development Corporation of Punjab (TDCP) Managing Director (MD).

    Tourism Department additional secretary Kalsoom Saqib was meeting an official delegation of civil officers, undergoing training at NIPA for their promotion from BS-18 to BS-19, at her MD TDCP office, when the chief minister “raided” the tourism department.

    The chief minister conducted a “surprise visit” to the head office of the tourism department on Tuesday morning and made administrative secretary retired Capt Mushtaq Ahmad and additional secretary Kalsoom Saqib Officer on Special Duty (OSD).

    The report published in Dawn suggests that some officials say Buzdar has tried to imitate former CM Shehbaz Sharif by making “surprise raids” on government offices and suspending senior officers but has so far failed to set an example.

    Soon after her transfer, Kalsoom took to her Facebook and posted her transfer order alongside a group photo with the trainee officers outside her MD TDCP office. She wrote in her post: “What a day when you are made OSD for being on duty. These are strange times but got absolutely bizarre today.” She also thanked her team at the tourism department, stating: “Nonetheless it was a great opportunity to do my bit for putting Tourism on the map. Great team, whom I will always adore.”

    A senior officer in the CM office, maintaining anonymity, told Dawn that either the CM office was unaware or the information of Kalsoom holding an additional charge was “deliberately kept secret to embarrass the chief minister”.

  • Islamabad Chief Justice says no need to investigate audio recordings if evidence is not brought to court

    Islamabad Chief Justice says no need to investigate audio recordings if evidence is not brought to court

     The Chief Justice of Islamabad High Court (IHC), Athar Minallah on Wednesday remarked that why the court should investigate a case when the concerned appellants didn’t bring any audio before the bench, reports The News.

    The court was hearing the inquiry commission to probe into the alleged video of former Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Saqib Nisar.

    The Attorney General of Pakistan (AGP) Khalid Javed said the petition has been filed under Article 199-C of the Constitution.

    “Why are people choosing only one prime minister and coming to court as their proxy? Thousands of people were sacked. No video in their respect came. It is a proxy war. Today everyone is saying he has two videos and he has four videos. This is the season of harassing and pressurising judges,” said AGP.

    “Sometimes an audio, sometimes some concocted affidavit is released,” the attorney general said, referring to an affidavit by former Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Judge Rana Shamim in which he accused ex-CJP Nisar of colluding to deny bails to Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz before general elections 2018.

    “If a facility is given to one PM, then why was it not given to Bhutto,” asked the AGP.

    Salahud Din Ahmed, president SHCBA, said the AGP was holding bar associations responsible for every case. “See the statements given by Prime Minister Imran Khan against the judiciary and judges. It is now being said to either do accountability of the last 70 years or not at all to divert attention.”

    The petitioner argued that the judiciary was being made controversial through different tactics and the court could stop this practice by probing the allegations against judges. At this, the attorney general responded that all matters of the past could be sent to parliament. “One appeal against conviction in the Avenfield Reference is being heard in this court. That one appeal has perplexed the entire judiciary,” Khalid Javed added.

    While acknowledging that those whose cases would be affected by the alleged audiotape had not approached the court, Ahmed said his stance was that courts were being made controversial. The judiciary could stop that from happening by ordering an inquiry, he added.

    The IHC chief justice observed that any audio or video could be constructed in today’s age of advanced technology. “Anybody can make audio and ask for an investigation. The court remarked if we declare the petition seeking an investigation into audio maintainable, then what will be the impact on the pending appeals?”

    Justice Minallah noted, however, that the matter of the affidavit was different because the person concerned — Rana Shamim — had himself approached the court. “You’re unsure yourself about the [authenticity of] the audiotape you’re mentioning. A commission can be formed when there are grounds. The people who have cases [which could be affected by it] have not brought the audiotape to the court. Why should we [take action]? Is there anyone to take ownership of the audiotape?” he questioned.

  • PM appoints Dr Ejaz Akram as Rehmatulil Aalmeen Authority chairman, Twitter criticises appointment

    PM appoints Dr Ejaz Akram as Rehmatulil Aalmeen Authority chairman, Twitter criticises appointment

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan on Tuesday appointed Dr Ejaz Akram as chairman of the high-powered National Rehmatulil Aalmeen Authority (NRA), aimed at countering narratives against Islam and the Holy Prophet (PBUH).

    Dr Akram, a prominent Islamic scholar who has teaching experience in a number of international universities, received a lot of backlash from social media for his controversial views on democracy, his belief in conspiracy theories apart from being accused of a sexual harasser.

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Miftah Ismail shared excerpts from Dr Ijaz’s article which he wrote in 2020, “Many researchers have argued that 9/11 was the fifteenth false flag operation in the history of the United States similar to the Gulf of Tonkin invasion in Vietnam and the sinking of the Lusitania during WWI… “

    “Similarly, coronavirus exists but the global politics of coronavirus is fraudulent. Since its kill rate is less than the ordinary flu, closing down the world economy cannot be justified, yet global powers are all set to do that… The only hope this country has now is if the whole principle and structure of governance is completely dismantled, but preferably peacefully without the loss of life and property,” tweeted Miftah.

    Activist and lawyer, Jibran Nasir tweeted, “A man who publicly despises democracy considering its the worst form of govt, demands the military to take over lost “turf” from “enemies”(civilians) & believes that power should remain amongst a hand-picked elite is appointed head of Rehmatul Lil Alameen (SAW) Authority by @ImranKhanPTI.”

    Fahad Deshmuk, a journalist, took to Twitter and shared a video of Dr Ejaz and wrote, “Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), Siraiki movement, and Jeay Sindh are funded by the enemies of Pakistan.”

    Assistant Professor Erum Haider tweeted, “The new NRA chairman is a known sexual predator and has a history of engaging in harassment.”

    Mariam Durrani, a professor wrote, “While I taught at LUMS, Ejaz Akram was a known predator that the then-admin was unable to address due to lack of testimony bc of the fear of retribution by many women students/faculty.”

    Ifrah Hassan replying to Durrani’s tweet said, “Thank you for naming him. I never could. Even when I wanted to because I was worried that it’s his word over mine.”

    Feminist and academic Nida Kirmani tweeted, “I remember going to a workshop with him once and him hitting on one of the young grad students there. It was gross. Then when I came to LUMS, it was like an open secret, but no one was ever willing to come forward officially.”

  • Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat dies in army helicopter crash

    Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat dies in army helicopter crash

    Indian Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat died in a helicopter crash in the southern state of Tamil Nadu on Wednesday, the Indian Air Force (IAF) said.

    “With deep regret, it has now been ascertained that Gen Bipin Rawat, Mrs Madhulika Rawat and 11 other persons on board have died in the unfortunate accident,” tweeted the IAF.

    Reacting to the news, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter and wrote: “I am deeply anguished by the helicopter crash in Tamil Nadu in which we have lost Gen Bipin Rawat, his wife and other personnel of the Armed Forces. They served India with utmost diligence. My thoughts are with the bereaved families.”

    13 out of 14 people died. Gp Capt Varun Singh SC, Directing Staff at DSSC with injuries is currently under treatment at Military Hospital, Wellington.

    CDS General Bipin Rawat was the highest-serving official in the Indian armed forces, who was appointed to the newly created post of CDS, a day before he was set to retire as the army chief on December 31, 2019. As part of his new assignment, Gen Rawat was heading the new Department of Military Affairs in the Defence Ministry.

    In Dec 2015, the Modi government had appointed Gen Rawat as the army chief by superseding two senior officers.

    Earlier today, an Indian Army helicopter with Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat and other senior Indian defence officials on board crashed in Tamil Nadu’s Coonoor.