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.

  • Pakistan condemns Modi for not allowing India-based foreign journalists to visit Pakistan

    Pakistan condemns Modi for not allowing India-based foreign journalists to visit Pakistan

    India has refused permission to allow five India-based international journalists to travel to Pakistan via Wagah.

    Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi pointed out how the Indian government’s decision indicated that the space for free speech and independent journalism was shrinking in India under a “dictatorial regime”. Qureshi said the five journalists were to travel to Pakistan and were also to visit the Azad Kashmir Assembly.

    Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry also condemned New Delhi for refusing permission to the international journalists to visit Azad Kashmir. 

    The minister took to Twitter and questioned India for its freedom of expression.

    National Security Adviser Moeed Yusuf said these “are the actions of an insecure government that has much to hide”.

    Federal Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari questioned whether the foreign journalists will expose the growing myth of Indian democracy under the fascist Modi regime.

    Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar tweeted, “We want the world to see what is happening in Azad Kashmir and they want to hide what is happening in Indian Occupied Kashmir. The difference between right and wrong cannot get more stark than this.”

    A request by Pakistan to allow a group of five India-based foreign journalists to travel to Islamabad through Wagah has been declined by Indian authorities as the border crossing is virtually closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, reported Times of India.

    The report stated that Pakistan planned to take the journalists for interactions with top political leadership and senior officials on the overall situation in Afghanistan.

    “One of the persons familiar with the development said the visit was planned from August 3 to 7,” read the report.

     

  • Abdul Qayyum Niazi nominated as PTI’s candidate for AJK PM

    Abdul Qayyum Niazi nominated as PTI’s candidate for AJK PM

    Federal Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry announced that Prime Minister Imran Khan has nominated Abdul Qayyum Niazi as the next premier of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).

    The information minister took to Twitter and said that the premier made the decision after “considerable consultations and suggestions”.

    In a tweet, the minister wrote, “He [Abdul Qayyum Niazi] is a dynamic and genuine political activist and his heart beats for the people.”

    Abdul Qayyum Niazi was a member of the AJK Legislative Assembly from border area Abbaspur Poonch. He is also Central Joint Secretary of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

    Last week, PM Khan started interviewing some of the elected members of the Azad Jammu Kashmir Legislative Assembly for the slot of AJK prime minister.

    PM Khan took lengthy interviews of the candidates in which he asked questions about the environment, tourism, economy, border issues, and their future plans.

  • ‘If a phone call and a security relationship is a concession, Pakistan has options’: Moeed Yusuf tells US

    ‘If a phone call and a security relationship is a concession, Pakistan has options’: Moeed Yusuf tells US

    National Security Adviser (NSA) Moeed Yusuf has said that Pakistan has other options if United States (US) President Joe Biden continues to ignore the country’s leadership.

    While speaking to Finacial Times (FT), Yusuf categorically said, “If a phone call is a concession, if a security relationship is a concession, Pakistan has options.”

    “We’ve been told every time that . . . [the phone call] will happen, it’s technical reasons or whatever. But frankly, people don’t believe it,” Yusuf added.

    Moeed Yusuf’s statement came as a complaint about Joe Biden’s failure to contact Prime Minister Imran Khan as Washington seeks help to stop the Taliban from taking over Afghanistan following US troop withdrawal.

    “The cold shoulder from Washington comes as the Taliban has captured swaths of territory across Afghanistan in a ruthless offensive emboldened by the US pullout,” the report added.

    “The president of the United States hasn’t spoken to the prime minister of such an important country who the US itself says is make-or-break in some cases, in some ways, in Afghanistan — we struggle to understand the signal, right?”

    A Biden administration official told FT, “There are still a number of world leaders President Biden has not been able to speak with personally yet. He looks forward to speaking with Prime Minister Khan when the time is right.”

    The US State Department, however, has assured Islamabad that Washington recognises Pakistan’s vital role in restoring peace in Afghanistan and wants the country to play that role. “Pakistan has much to gain and will continue to have a critical role, be well-positioned to have a role in supporting the outcome” in Afghanistan, said US State Department’s spokesman Ned Price, reported Dawn.

    A person familiar with last week’s discussions between Yusuf and his American counterpart Jake Sullivan told FT: “The conversation about Afghanistan had been tough but that securing a political settlement … could help improve the US-Pakistan relationship dramatically.”

  • Delivery boy gang rape case: Islamabad high court dismisses bail plea

    Delivery boy gang rape case: Islamabad high court dismisses bail plea

    The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday dismissed the bail plea of prime suspect, Ibrahim Khan, in the alleged gang rape of a food delivery boy at Islamabad’s International Islamic University on June 18 2021.

    After the court rejected Khan’s bail plea, he was arrested outside of the court.

    In June of this year, a food delivery boy was gang raped by students at the International Islamic University. According to details, the rape victim was a 22-year-old student at Quaid-e-Azam University and was delivering food to make ends meet.

    The delivery boy delivered food to the hostel on Friday night. When he came out of the room, he fell to the floor and was moved to the hospital by the guards at the hostel.

    Two students were expelled, Ibrahim Khan and Mehmood Ashraf, and Ibrahim Khan’s bail plea was dismissed by the court.

  • CPEC Authority chief Gen Asim Bajwa resigns

    CPEC Authority chief Gen Asim Bajwa resigns

    Lieutenant General (retired) Asim Saleem Bajwa on Tuesday resigned from his position as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Authority’s chief, as he thanked the government and Prime Minister Imran Khan for their support.

    Bajwa took to Twitter and said, “I bow my head before Allah Almighty for giving me an opportunity to raise and steer the important institution of CPEC Authority as one window for all CPEC projects, charting the future direction.”

    Bajwa further tweeted that he wished the best for Khalid Mansoor, who has replaced him as the special assistant to the prime minister (SAPM) on CPEC Affairs.

    He said Mansoor was fully equipped to take CPEC forward. “CPEC is a lifeline for Pakistan; it will transform us into a progressive and fully developed country.”

    Meanwhile, Federal Minister for Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives Asad Umar thanked Bajwa for his services in moving CPEC forward and playing a vital role in broadening the project’s scope.

    The federal minister welcomed Mansoor to the team as SAPM for CPEC Affairs.

    According to Engro website, Khalid Mansoor was the Chief Executive of The Hub Power Company Limited (Hubco) since May 20, 2013.

    He holds a Degree in Chemical Engineering with Distinction and honors. Mansoor is also the Chairman of Laraib Energy Limited, a subsidiary of (Hubco).

    He has over 32 years of experience and expertise in the Energy & Petrochemical Sectors in leading roles for mega-size Projects Development, Execution, Management and Operations.

  • Public hanging unavoidable for the beasts who molest children: Faisal Javed

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senator, and Information and Broadcasting standing committee chairman, Faisal Javed tweeted, “Let’s once again reiterate that building consensus on the public hanging of molesters is inevitable.”

    Faisal further added that the people who are proven guilty of molesting children are actually beasts and not humans.

    “These savage beasts must be made an example out of,” said Javed.

    Last week, almost all the women lawmakers of the National Assembly, both from treasury and Opposition benches, unanimously demanded public hanging of all rapists.

  • ‘PML-N will not give up its fight against the violators of Constitution’: Nawaz Sharif

    ‘PML-N will not give up its fight against the violators of Constitution’: Nawaz Sharif

    Former prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif says that his party will continue its fight against the violators of the Constitution.

    Nawaz Sharif, who is in London for medical treatment since 2019, posted a series of tweets and reaffirmed his party’s stance.

    “This struggle is not for winning or losing seats (in AJK polls) but for freedom from the transgressors and violators of the Constitution and standing on the right side of history without compromising on our self-respect,” tweeted Sharif.

    Nawaz Sharif said that the people who are suffering due to inflation, poverty, and unemployment, are raising their voice in the streets to get rid of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). They are also decrying the PTI government for raising the prices of flour, sugar, ghee, and medicines, Sharif added.

    The PML-N leader further said that nobody will believe in PTI’s victory where they secured 26 seats in AJK elections with 600,000 votes, while PML-N got six seats with 500,000 votes.

    “The results of AJK and Sialkot elections came out before the public way before these elections were held,” added Nawaz.

    He said that such things will also be exposed in the coming days.

  • Journalists lash out at new PEMRA directives on how to cover natural calamities

    Journalists lash out at new PEMRA directives on how to cover natural calamities

    Pakistan Electronic Media and Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) issued new directives to news and current affairs television channels, on the recent coverage of torrential rain and urban flooding in the country.

    The notice issued by PEMRA says: “It has been observed with grave concern that while reporting/airing news/ footages on natural calamities, torrential rains, and flooding, news channels generally rely on videos which are widely circulated on digital platforms such a Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and WhatsApp instead of mobilising their own field teams for providing actual /real-time footages to the viewers, which is not only the responsibility of the channels but also mandated.”

    The statement further said that these “sloppy videos” create “unnecessary panic and fear” not only among the inhabitants of the cities being reported but for the loved ones living across the country or even abroad.

    The authority said, ” All satellite TV channels are once again directed to produce their own footages/packages and train their reporters/ news teams to be vigilant, responsive and active and cover each event/ occasion themselves so that viewers could get real-time factual information rather than relying on videos available on social media platforms.”

    Journalists lashed out at the new PEMRA directives.

    Jounailt Shahzad Iqbal tweeted, “Ruling party #PTI & Govt use social media for narratives but social media footages of rain in Islamabad that killed two people can’t be used?”

    Iqbal further wrote, “It will also mean media won’t be able to air any footage of atrocities in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) or attacks on Palestinians by Israeli forces because we don’t have our reporters in the field.”

    Journalist Amber Rahim Shamsi wrote, ” Every channel in the world uses eyewitness footage from emergencies/disasters/conflict zones. It’s a bizarre directive until you realise the motive – keep TV channels on a tight leash when it makes the government look bad.”

    Journalist Zebunnisa Burki criticised the new directive and tweeted, “Pemra seems to have gone completely off the rails.”

    Journalist Benazir Shah questioned, “Guess PEMRA has not heard of ‘citizen journalism.’ If a video has been verified by channel why can it not be aired?”

  • Amnesty International calls upon Pakistani authorities to grant permission to Aurat March Faisalabad

    Amnesty International South Asia has called upon Pakistani “authorities to grant Aurat March Faisalabad all necessary permissions and provide them security”.

    “The right to peaceful assembly is protected by all major human rights conventions and the Constitution of Pakistan,” added the statement.

    ‘Aurat March’ in Faisalabad was called off on Sunday, reportedly due to pressure from the municipal administration, which refused to issue a no-objection certificate (NOC) to the organisers, reports Dawn.

    As per some people on social media, Assistant Commissioner Faisalabad did not grant the permission to hold the march.

    https://twitter.com/ayeshaanaz/status/1421793166425006116

    However, journalist Benzair Shah asked Assistant Commissioner Faisalabad City Ayub Bukhari about the reported news to which he replied, “I don’t give permissions, the deputy commissioner (DC), who is my boss, will give permission. If they [the organisers] get permission, well and good.”

    He also denied giving any comments on Noor Mukadam’s murder.

  • Flags of Afghanistan, Taliban raised in Islamabad

    Flags of Afghanistan, Taliban raised in Islamabad

    Security agencies were put on alert on Sunday after police learned that a group of individuals were flying Afghanistan’s national flag as well as that of the Taliban at Islamabad’s Lake View Park, reports Dawn.

    A group of 20 to 25 young men holding the two flags were seen taking photographs at the park in the evening.

    A police party rushed to the place and questioned the individuals, but did not register any case against them.

    A police officer said since waving a flag of any country was not a crime, police did not take any action.