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.

  • Punjab govt removes TLP chief Saad Rizvi’s name from Fourth Schedule

    Punjab govt removes TLP chief Saad Rizvi’s name from Fourth Schedule

    The Punjab government on Wednesday removed Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) Chief Saad Hussain Rizvi’s name from the Fourth Schedule — a list of proscribed individuals who are suspected of terrorism or sectarianism under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), 1997, reports Dawn.

     The Punjab Home Department issued a statement: “The name of Hafiz Mohammad Saad, being Ameer of Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan, a proscribed organisation, was listed in the 4th Schedule of Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, under Section 11-E on the recommendations of District Intelligence Committee, Lahore.”

    A copy of the Punjab Home Department notification

    “Therefore, name of Hafiz Mohammad Saad is hereby deleted from the list of 4th Schedule of Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, with immediate effect,” it stated.

    Police had arrested Rizvi on April 12 this year ahead of planned protests by the TLP. 

    The government, on November 7, revoked the ban on TLP.

    Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed on Thursday said, “I want to state this on oath, I don’t know what the agreement with Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) is.”

    The minister when questioned about the “secretive agreement” of the government with TLP, responded that thankfully he has been able to escape problems and said, “I am not a part of this problem.”

    Earlier, the government decided to disclose the details of the agreement with the TLP in the next 10 days.

  • No specific reaction to Pakistan-TTP talks, says US official

    No specific reaction to Pakistan-TTP talks, says US official

    The United States (US) has refused to give a specific reaction when asked about Pakistan and Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) deal, reports Dawn.

    The question was raised at the US State Department briefing where a journalist reminded Spokesperson Ned Price that the US still considered the TTP a terrorist outfit and asked him to comment on it.

    Price replied, “If we have a specific reaction on the Pakistani dialogue with the Pakistani Taliban, we will, of course, let you know,” while adding that Washington is in regular contact with Pakistan regarding their approach to Afghanistan.

    “We have heard both publicly and privately from our Pakistani counterparts that they too have an interest in seeing to it that the gains, including among Afghanistan’s minorities, including among its women and girls, over the past 20 years not be squandered,” the US official added.

    Moreover, he ensured, “There is quite a bit of alignment of interest when it comes to Afghanistan, and we’re continuing to have those conversations.”

    Earlier, it was announced that a new envoy for Afghanistan Tom West would visit Islamabad later this week to clarify US expectations of the Taliban.

    Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister (FM) Amir Khan Muttaqi arrived in Islamabad on Wednesday on a three-day visit. It is the first to Pakistan by an Afghan minister since the Taliban came into power in August.

  • ‘I want to state this on oath, I don’t know what the agreement with TLP is’: Sheikh Rasheed

    ‘I want to state this on oath, I don’t know what the agreement with TLP is’: Sheikh Rasheed

    Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed on Thursday while talking to the media said, “I want to state this on oath, I don’t know what the agreement with Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) is.”

    The minister when questioned about the “secretive agreement” of the government with TLP, responded that thankfully he has been able to escape problems and said, “I am not a part of this problem.”

    Earlier, the government decided to disclose the details of the agreement with the TLP in the next 10 days. The military leadership had advised against the use of force against the protesters after Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan had authorised it.

    “The army chief [General Qamar Javed Bajwa ] said if the decision-makers were ready to pay the price for using force against the TLP, then the military would do as ordered. However, mention was made of the previous instances where the government had used force against citizens – Lal Masjid and the Model Town incident – and participants of the meeting were reminded of the consequences of both episodes.”

    The government, on November 7, revoked the ban on TLP.

  • ‘Perhaps we should consider holding of referendum,’ suggests Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar on talks with TTP

    ‘Perhaps we should consider holding of referendum,’ suggests Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar on talks with TTP

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar took to Twitter to question the government’s decision of holding talks with the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

    Mustafa Khokhar tweeted, “The question of holding talks with TTP is of immense public importance. This decision can not be taken unilaterally by any individual or the govt.”

    “Perhaps we should consider holding of [a] referendum under Article 48(6)(7) of the constitution. Let the nation decide in ‘YES’ or ‘NO’,” added Mustafa.

    According to the Constitution of Pakistan, Article 48(6)(7) states, “(6) If at any time the Prime Minister considers it necessary to hold a referendum on any matter of national importance, he may refer the matter to a joint sitting of the Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) and if it is approved in a joint sitting, the Prime Minister may cause such matter to be referred to a referendum in the form of a question that is capable of being answered by either ‘Yes’ or ‘No’.”

    “(7) An act of Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) may lay down the procedure for the holding of a referendum and the compiling and consolidation of the result of a referendum.”

    Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry on Monday announced that talks between the government and the TTP were underway in line with the Constitution and that the ceasefire would be extended keeping in view the progress of the talks.

    “The state’s sovereignty, national security, peace in relevant areas, and social and economic stability will be considered during the talks,” said Fawad.

  • Govt faces defeat twice in NA over two bills, Opposition demands PM Khan’s resignation

    Govt faces defeat twice in NA over two bills, Opposition demands PM Khan’s resignation

    The government faced defeat twice at the hands of the Opposition in the National Assembly (NA) on Tuesday during voting on motions seeking introduction of two bills, reports Dawn.

    Under the session chaired by Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly (NA) Qasim Suri, the Opposition first defeated the government with a 117-104 vote on a motion moved by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) MNA Javed Hasnain. The bill was to seek permission to introduce a private member’s bill aimed at preventing politicians from changing their parties. After the first defeat, most of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) members had left the house.

    A motion moved by PTI’s lawmaker Asma Qadeer for a bill seeking to enhance punishment for those who passed offensive remarks against women didn’t pass. Because the deputy speaker announced that he could not allow Qadeer to introduce the bill as the Opposition members had rejected it with a majority and did not give the vote count as the Opposition had visibly outnumbered the treasury members.

    It is reported that there had been a significant increase in the number of members on the Opposition benches due to the arrival of PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari in NA.

    A day earlier, the government got seven bills passed in the absence of Opposition members from the lower house of parliament.

    After the defeat, PML-N’s Ayaz Sadiq said, “Morally, Imran Khan should resign before convening of a joint sitting of the parliament.” He was referring to the government’s plan to call a joint session of parliament this week.

    PPP’s Syed Khursheed Shah, who had been in the custody of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for more than two years, was welcomed by a loud desk-thumping by the Opposition members.

  • ‘Are we about to sign a surrender document once again?’: Supreme Court asks PM Khan

    ‘Are we about to sign a surrender document once again?’: Supreme Court asks PM Khan

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan appeared before the Supreme Court after he was summoned earlier today by the apex court to attend a hearing of the Army Public School (APS) massacre case.

    When the prime minister appeared at the rostrum, Justice Ijaz ul Ahsan said the parents of the martyred children are demanding action against the rulers of the time when the APS massacre took place, reports Geo News.

    The premier responded and said that when the massacre took place, his party was in power in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and he had met the parents in hospitals when the brutal massacre happened.

    “Parents are asking where was the security system [that day]? Despite our comprehensive orders, nothing was done,” replied Cheif Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Gulzar Ahmed.

    “There are no holy cows in Pakistan, I believe in rule of law. We won a war against terrorism,” he said. “There were bomb blasts taking place at the time every single day,” replied PM Khan.

    “The government should take action against those involved in the APS massacre,” said the Supreme Court. 

    “You are the prime minister, you should have answers,” said CJP Ahmad.

    “Hold on for a minute, Judge Sahab,” responded PM Khan. “Allah will give patience to the parents of the schoolchildren, what more could the government have done apart from giving compensation?”

    “Find out why 80,000 people were killed, also find out who is responsible for 480 drone attacks taking place in Pakistan,” added the premier.

    “Finding out about these things is your job, you are the prime minister. As the prime minister, you should have the answer to these questions,” replied the chief justice.

    “You can constitute a high-level commission on the APS tragedy,” said the prime minister. 

    “We have already formed a commission and it has issued a report as well,” responded the chief justice. “Our order of October 20 clearly states that the government should find out who is responsible for the massacre and take action against them,” he added. 

    The chief justice reminded the prime minister that seven years had passed since the tragedy took place. 

    “Mr Prime Minister, we are not a small country,” said Justice Qazi Amin. “We have the sixth largest army in the world.”

    Justice Amin told the prime minister that he had now brought the culprits of the massacre to the negotiating table. 

    “Are we about to sign a surrender document once again?” he asked.  

  • Everything you need to know about Malala’s husband

    Malala Yousafzai has tied the knot with Asser Malik in a small, intimate nikkah ceremony in Birmingham.

    Malala looked radiant in a tea-pink shalwar kameez while Asser Malik wore a black suit with a matching tea-pink tie to compliment Malala’s dress.

    July 12, 2021, Asser wished Malala on her 24th birthday by tweeting, “Happy Birthday to the most amazing @Malala. @iamsrk had to make a necessary cameo of course.”

    June 23, 2019, AsserMalik shared a picture with Malala on his Instagram profile with the caption,” Best day at @homeofcricket with Waqar Younis, @aslitareen, and @malala   #CWC19.”

    On June 26, 2019, Asser shared another picture, “Rooting for Pakistan with Saqlain Bhai, @aslitareen @adnanmalik1 and @malala #cwc19.”

    Skilled in Sports Management and developing unique concepts and ideas, Asser brought the world’s largest amateur cricket league (LMS) in Pakistan.

    He is currently serving as the General Manager High Performance at the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

    His formative education is from Aitchison College and then he went to Lahore University of Management Science (LUMS) to pursue a bachelor’s in Economics and Political Science.

  • ‘Govt and TTP agree on complete ceasefire’: Fawad Chaudhry

    ‘Govt and TTP agree on complete ceasefire’: Fawad Chaudhry

    Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry announced on Monday that a complete ceasefire had been reached between the government and the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), according to state-run Pakistan Television (PTV).

    The minister said that talks between the government and the TTP were underway in line with the Constitution and that the ceasefire would be extended keeping in view the progress of the talks.

    “The state’s sovereignty, national security, peace in relevant areas, and social and economic stability will be considered during the talks,” said Fawad.

    Fawad added that the interim Afghan government had facilitated the negotiations and progress on the restoration of “complete peace” in these areas of the country was a positive development.

  • Govt to stop release of weekly Sensitive Price Index after severe backlash due to inflation

    Govt to stop release of weekly Sensitive Price Index after severe backlash due to inflation

    After severe criticism due to uncontrolled inflation, the federal government has decided to stop the release of weekly Sensitive Price Index (SPI) data and instead release monthly Consumer Price Index (CPI), reports Business Recorder.

    This decision was taken by the Federal Cabinet in its meeting held on November 2, presided over by Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan.

    The cabinet took note of the presentation by the Finance Division on prices of essential kitchen items and observed that despite inflationary pressure, prices in Pakistan were still lower in comparison to other regional countries.

    The Cabinet directed the Planning, Development & Special Initiatives Division to only release CPI on monthly basis, instead of weekly SPI, in line with the practice prevalent internationally.

    The Cabinet also directed the Finance Division to include Sri Lanka in the price comparison with regional countries.

  • National Assembly approves Journalists Protection Bill and NAB Ordinance Bill

    National Assembly approves Journalists Protection Bill and NAB Ordinance Bill

    The National Assembly (NA) on Monday passed seven bills, including one related to three recent amendments to the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO-1999) that gave extension in service to the incumbent NAB chairman, reports Dawn.

    Among these bills was one related to the protection of journalists. The other five bills related to protection against harassment of women at workplaces, the National Commission on the Rights of Child, the juvenile justice system, and amendments to criminal laws.

    Minister for Human Rights Dr Shireen Mazari took to Twitter and announced the passing of the bills.

    The bills presented by Mazari were Protection of Journalists and Media Professionals Bill 2021, Protection against Harassment of Women at Workplaces Bill 2021, National Commission on the Rights of Child (Amendment) Bill 2021, Juvenile Justice System (Amendment) Bill 2021, and Islamabad Capital Territory Child Protection (Amendment) Bill 2021.

    The other two bills were Criminal Laws (Amendment) Bill 2021 and National Accountability (Amendment) Bill 2021.