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.

  • CJP offers apology over delay of justice to murder convict

    CJP offers apology over delay of justice to murder convict

    Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa has ordered the immediate release of a man scheduled to be set free six years ago.
    Advocate Ahmad Shuja Butt, the convict’s lawyer, told the appellate bench that Mohammad Akram, a resident of Khanewal who was convicted in 1997 of murder, was still in jail six years after the reconciliation of both parties.

    Justice Isa offered an apology for the Apex Court’s inability to serve justice.
    In its order, the five-member Shariat appellate bench stated that the conclusion took time to reach due to the lack of proper assistance.

  • ECP, PTI approach Supreme Court on reserved seats verdict

    ECP, PTI approach Supreme Court on reserved seats verdict

    The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has moved the Supreme Court to review its decision in the reserved seats case involving Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Sunni-Ittehad-Council.
    The petition stated that’ ‘’Primary relief has been granted to the PTI.’’

    With his counsel Salman Akram Raja, PTI chairman barrister Gohar Ali Khan approached the apex court to restrain ECP from allocating reserved seats to other parties.

    “Such reserved seats belong to PTI and its candidates whose names are present in the list presented before ECP in accordance with the judgement of the Supreme Court dated 12-7-2024. Candidates may be declared elected to the reserved seats for women and non-Muslims,” the petition read.

    On July 12, 2024, the Supreme Court ruled that the former ruling party was eligible for the reserved seats. After implementing the decision, PTI will become the largest parliamentary party.

  • Pakistan military plans to acquire nearly 4,000 kanals of land in Haripur for ‘defence purposes’

    Pakistan military plans to acquire nearly 4,000 kanals of land in Haripur for ‘defence purposes’

    Geo Fact Check has reported that an official letter, circulating on social media since last month, claiming that the Pakistan Army intends to acquire nearly 4,000 Kanals of land in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is indeed authentic.

    The Military Estate Officer in Abbottabad Cantt wrote the letter to the deputy commissioner (DC) in Haripur district, KP.

    The letter read, “It is apprised that the Army authorities intend to acquire a chunk of land measuring 3,481 kanals and 17 marlas situated at village Kenthla and Kot Jandan, tehsil Khanpur, district Haripur for defence purposes.”

    Two government officials, including the additional Assistant Commissioner of revenue in Haripur, Ijaz Khan Jadoon, have confirmed the letter’s authenticity to Geo Fact Check.

    “The complete process of [land] acquisition will take six to 12 months,” stated Ijaz, adding that the land was located behind Islamabad’s Margalla hills.

  • ‘Resilient spirit’, Pakistan extends solidarity with the people of Bangladesh

    ‘Resilient spirit’, Pakistan extends solidarity with the people of Bangladesh

    As Bangladesh grapples with the the end of a historic uprising, Pakistan extended solidarity with the country’s people and wished for peace and normalcy.

    The Ministry of Foreign Office (MOFO) stated in a press release that, ‘’the government and people of Pakistan stand in solidarity with the people of Bangladesh and sincerely hope for a peaceful and swift return to normalcy’’.
    ‘’We are confident that the resilient spirit and unity of the Bangladeshi people will lead them towards a harmonious future,’’ the statement further stated.

    On Monday, Bangladesh’s former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s 15-year rule ended when demonstrators stormed into her palace and parliament.

  • One lawmaker opposed the resolution on Kashmir

    One lawmaker opposed the resolution on Kashmir

    The Youm-I-Istehsaal-i-Kashmir Day Resolution, presented by Safron and Kashmir Affairs minister Amir Maqam in the national assembly, was unanimously supported, demonstrating strong unity in the cause of Kashmir except for one lawmaker, Chief of the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PKMAP) Mahmood Khan Achakzai.

    The Member National Assembly opposed the resolution, arguing that the draft should be amended before being passed by parliament.

    In a hard-hitting speech, he said, ‘‘We should ask the Kashmiris which country they want to join’’.

    The resolution demanded India release political prisoners, stop the ongoing violation of human rights, provide humanitarian aid, and sincerely implement the relevant resolution of the United Security Council so that Kashmiri people can determine their future through the democratic process of a fair and partial plebiscite under the define guidance of the United Nations.

    In response, after being called ‘havaldar’ by the achakzai, the speaker elaborated that he was proud of being called a havaldar as he is the country’s frontline soldier.

  • Pakistani man with strong ties to Iran charged in US with attempt to carry out assassinations

    Pakistani man with strong ties to Iran charged in US with attempt to carry out assassinations

    A United States Federal court in Brooklyn has charged a Pakistani national with close ties to Iran, Asif Merchant, also known as “Asif Raza Merchant,” 46, with murder-for-hire as part of a scheme to assassinate a politician or U.S. government officials on U.S. soil, including potentially former President Donald Trump.

    Asif travelled to New York in June to meet with people he thought he was recruiting for carrying out assassinations, including paying $5,000 advance to two men, who turned out to be undercover law enforcement officers, Associated Press reported.

    He was arrested in July after he told his would-be assassins that they would get further instruction, including the targets’ identities, in August or September after he returned to Pakistan.

    “This dangerous murder-for-hire plot exposed in today’s charges allegedly was orchestrated by a Pakistani national with close ties to Iran and is straight out of the Iranian playbook,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray.

    The Associated Press also reported that Asif also indicated to his associate that he wanted a “political person” to be killed, mapping out on a napkin the different strategies on how the target could be killed.

    Journalist Iftikhar Firdous posted on X, “His case file on the U.S. Justice Department’s website shows that he has a wife and children both in Iran and Pakistan while he has been consistently travelling to Iran, Syria and Iraq. This would be the second incident this year where Pakistani nationals with ties to Iranian militias in the Middle East have been arrested by the FBI.”

  • Employees getting Rs 15 billion of free electricity: Secretary Power Division

    Employees getting Rs 15 billion of free electricity: Secretary Power Division

    The Senate’s Standing Committee on Energy has been briefed by the Secretary of Power Division that 190,000 employees are being given free electricity worth 15 billion rupees annually.

    He said, “Our electricity demand for industry is about 25 percent, decreasing over time.”

    The Secretary explained that 25 million employees of 400 units received a 592 billion subsidy, which has now increased by Rs 692 billion. “244 billion was taken from industry and given to domestic consumers,” he told the Committee.

    Senator Mohsin Aziz remarked, “IPP has become a dragon, and people are on the streets.”

    The federal minister for power and energy said, “Even if we get five rupees from IPP payments, we will help poor people.”

    The minister opined that electricity theft can be reduced with privatisation and digitisation.

  • Asad Umar shifted to hospital after feeling chest pain in Court

    Former Pakistan Tehreek Insaf (PTI) leader Asad Umar has been shifted to a hospital on Tuesday after he experienced pain in the chest while attending a hearing in an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Lahore.

    Umar’s lawyer said his client felt chest pain in the courtroom, after which he was shifted to the hospital.

    Doctors conducted an ECG which turned out to be normal.

    Doctors determined that the former Finance Minister’s blood pressure dropped after he took hypertension medicine on an empty stomach, Geo News has said.

    A video has surfaced on social media where people can be seen carrying him to the vehicle.

    Umar faces multiple cases in relation to the May 9 riots, including incitement to vandalism, and the cypher case.

    On November 11, 2023, the ex-secretary general of PTI resigned from party membership and withdrew from politics, citing disagreement with the party’s aggressive approach towards state institutions.

  • PTI to stage rally in Islamabad at any cost, promises Gandapur

    PTI to stage rally in Islamabad at any cost, promises Gandapur

    Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI) bigwig and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, while addressing a rally at Swabi, threatened the federal government that his party would ‘’hold a rally in Islamabad in late August or the first week of September at any cost.’’

    Addressing the government, the CM said, “We will accept any venue, whether F9 Park or Srinagar Highway, for a rally in Islamabad.”

    He also said, “If the government does not permit the Non-Objection Certificate (NOC) despite requesting it, then we will rally at D Chowk.” Earlier, PTI offered to negotiate with the military by announcing their representative chairman, Mehmood Khan Achakzai, of the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party.

  • ‘Bangladesh is going to become the next Pakistan’; Sheikh Hasina’s son

    The Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina Wazed, resigned on Monday, fleeing the country as massive protests gripped the nation. The protests, that initially started as student protests against civil service job quotas metamorphosised into demands for Hasina to quit after more than 200 people were killed in violence.

    Hasina’s son Sajeeb Wazed, the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Advisor to the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, reacted to the developments by saying, “Bangladesh is going to become the next Pakistan.”

    He also said that his mother is very disappointed in the people of Bangladesh “Because after all she’s done…after all the development.”

    Siddhant Sibbal, correspondent at Wion News, asked Sajeeb whether his mother planned to return to power, to which he replied, “No, absolutely not. She is 77-years-old. This was going to be her last term, and she was going to retire after this anyway.”

    The journalist asked Hasina’s son whether he had plans to join the politics of Bangladesh in future, to which he replied laughingly, “No. My family has been through this three times. After this, we are done. We are tired of saving Bangladesh. Bangladesh can handle its own problems now. It’s not our problem.”