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.

  • DG ISI to brief lawmakers on Kashmir, Afghanistan, and security challenges

    DG ISI to brief lawmakers on Kashmir, Afghanistan, and security challenges

    “A meeting of the National Security Committee will be held today (Thursday). Army chief and heads of security institutions will participate in the meeting. A briefing on Kashmir, Afghanistan and internal security challenges will be discussed,” Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry tweeted on Thursday.

    Speaker National Assembly (NA) Asad Qaiser had summoned a session of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security on July 1 for an in-camera briefing on the latest regional situation in light of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. Director-General of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed will brief the lawmakers.

    Leader of the Opposition in NA Shehbaz Sharif, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Yousaf Raza Gillani, Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, and other lawmakers will attend the meeting. According to reports, Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, and Defence Minister Pervez Khattak will also be part of the in-camera meeting from the government’s side. Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani will also attend the meeting as well as other parliamentarians.

    Prime Minister Imran Khan will not attend the briefing.

    Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed said that Pakistan’s politics will change after today’s in-camera briefing on the situation in Afghanistan and other security issues. He said it will now centre on national security.

  • We accept the Chinese version on Uyghurs in Xinjiang: PM Khan

    We accept the Chinese version on Uyghurs in Xinjiang: PM Khan

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan on Thursday said that the relationship between Pakistan and China is very deep. “It’s not just the governments, but it’s a people-to-people relationship.”

    “Whatever will happen…[the] relationship between our two countries, no matter what pressure is put on us, is not going to change,” PM Khan said in response to a question.

    Speaking to Chinese journalists as Beijing marked the centenary of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC), the premier said the Chinese version about the treatment of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang was completely different from what was being reported in the western media.

    “Because of our extreme proximity and relationship with China, we actually accept the Chinese version,” added PM Khan.

    He said that it was hypocritical that while the Uyghur situation and Hong Kong were being highlighted, attention was not being given to the human rights violations in Indian-Occupied Kashmir.

    “It is hypocritical. There are much worse human rights violations taking place in other parts of the world such as in occupied Kashmir. But western media hardly comments on this,” he said.

    PM Khan praised the Communist Party. He said that until now, it was believed that electoral democracy is the best way to bring leaders on merit and hold them accountable.

    “But China’s process to hunt talent and then polish it is better than any electoral democracy.”

    PM Khan also praised President Xi for his success in the fight against poverty and corruption in China.

    “China has lifted 700 million people out of poverty in a few years, which is a great achievement. We want to further develop political, economic and trade relations between the two countries.”

    PM Khan said that Pakistanis are impressed by the Chinese president’s fight against corruption and consider him “a great politician of modern times”.

    “President Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption campaign is effective and successful.”

    PM Khan said that it is unfair of the US and western powers to expect countries like Pakistan to take sides. “Pakistan will not downgrade its relations with China.“

    “The United States expects Pakistan to choose a side. This is not appropriate,” he added.

  • It is unfair of the US to force Pakistan to take sides, PM Imran Khan on Pak-China relations

    It is unfair of the US to force Pakistan to take sides, PM Imran Khan on Pak-China relations

    “It is very unfair for the US and other western powers [to ask] countries like us [Pakistan] to take sides, as all states should have good relations with one another,” said Prime Minister Imran Khan in an exclusive interview with Liu Xin of China-state media TV, CGTN. PM Khan said that there was a “strange, great power rivalry” taking place in the region. “You see the United States being wary of China. The way United States and China are looking at each other, it creates problems.”

    PM Khan asked: “Why do we have to take sides?

    PM further added that Pakistan and China enjoy a “very special relationship” spanning over 70 years and nothing could change this.

    PM Khan stressed that no matter what happens, no matter what pressure is put on Pakistan, the relationship between the two countries would remain the same. He said that when Pakistan had been in trouble politically, internationally, or had conflicts with its neighbour, China always stood by it.

    The people of China have a special place in the hearts of Pakistanis, he said, adding: “You remember friends who stand with you at all times. In good times, everyone stands with you, but in difficult, tough, and bad times, you remember those people who stood by you.”

    He said the people of Pakistan have that kind of fondness for the people of China.

    “So, from that point of view, Pakistan thinks that it is very unfair of the US and other Western powers [to make] countries like Pakistan take sides. Why should we take sides? We should have good relations with everyone,” he maintained.

    The prime minister categorically said that Pakistan cannot be pressurised into downgrading its ties with China.

  • Pakistan should not issue rhetorical statements against FATF: European diplomat

    Pakistan should not issue rhetorical statements against FATF: European diplomat

    Daniel Ferrie, a spokesperson for the European Commission, says financing terrorism and preventing money laundering are European Union’s (EU) top priorities, reports Geo News.

    The EU spokesperson was asked why Pakistan has been placed on the Finance Action Task Force (FATF) grey list despite implementing 26 out of 27 points.

    “You may have noticed that many of the steps we have taken in recent years are important not only for the European Union but also for the world,” he said.

    A diplomat based in Europe told Geo News that such a statement is not serving Pakistan and was rather received negatively by European capitals.

    Pakistan recently raised a question about whether FATF is a technical or political body.

    He said such statements are “not only counterproductive but also harmful to Pakistan’s interest”.

    Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi recently said it needed to be looked into whether FATF was “being used for political purposes”, adding that “some powers desire to keep the sword of FATF hanging over Pakistan”.

  • NCOC recommends indoor dining at 50 per cent occupancy for vaccinated individuals only

    NCOC recommends indoor dining at 50 per cent occupancy for vaccinated individuals only

    The National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) said Monday it has allowed restaurants to operate at 50 per cent indoor capacity only for vaccinated individuals.

    These decisions will be implemented from July 1-31, with a review on July 27.

    Markets and business activities will continue till 10pm. However, essential services — petrol pumps, pharmacies, medical facilities, vaccination centre, milk shops, tandoors, and takeaways — are allowed to operate 24/7.

    Restaurant and hotel management would institute a mechanism for checking the vaccination certificates of guests and will also ensure vaccination of respective management and staff, the NCOC said, adding that takeaways will be allowed 24/7.

    400 people have been allowed to attend outdoor marriages, while indoor marriages have been permitted for only vaccinated individuals, with a cap of 200 people.

    Cinemas are allowed to re-open with strict Covid protocols for vaccinated individuals only till 1am.

    Cinemas’ management will institute a mechanism for checking vaccination certificates of visitors and will also ensure vaccination of respective management and staff.

    Shrines are allowed to re-open at the discretion of federating units, while adherence to strict Covid SOPs.

    Continuation of normal working hours for public and private offices with 100 per cent attendance.

    Public transport is allowed to operate with 70 per cent occupancy with strict Covid SOPs. Railway services are allowed to operate with 70 per cent occupancy.

  • Sindh Assembly: PTI lawmakers bring charpoy to mark ‘funeral of democracy’

    Sindh Assembly: PTI lawmakers bring charpoy to mark ‘funeral of democracy’

    There was a ruckus in the Sindh Assembly when Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) members disrupted the ongoing session after opposition leader, Haleem Adil Sheikh, was denied permission to address the assembly.

    Haleem Adil Sheikh requested to speak first but Speaker Sindh Assembly Agha Siraj Durrani denied him permission, saying the scheduled business would be carried out first and members would be allowed to speak on their points of order later, reports Dawn.

    This caused the Opposition members to protest against the Speaker. Amid the sloganeering, some of the protesting members brought a folding charpoy into the House, marking ‘funeral of democracy’ in the Sindh Assembly.

    “Jamhooriyat ka janaaza hai, zara dhoom se nikle” (It is the funeral of democracy, should be taken out with fanfare).

    Speaker Siraj Durrani said this was an insult to the House.

  • UK health secretary resigns after kissing his colleague amid lockdown

    UK health secretary resigns after kissing his colleague amid lockdown

    United Kingdom (UK) Health Secretary, Matt Hancock resigned from his position on Saturday after being filmed kissing his colleague, in breach of coronavirus social distancing rules.

    The former secretary in his letter of resignation wrote to the British Prime Minster Boris Johnson “owe it to people who have sacrificed so much in this pandemic to be honest when we have let them down”. The PM said he was “sorry” to receive the resignation, reported BBC.

    The 42-year-old, reportedly, was under a great deal of pressure from his fellow Conservative party members when a local tabloid revealed that he is having an affair with Gina Coladangelo, a friend from his days at Oxford University who he hired as an adviser in March last year. Mr. Hancock has also ended his 15-year marriage.

    Hancock routinely appeared on television urging Britishers to follow strict rules. Earlier this month plans to ease lockdown in England further got delayed because of concerns over the Delta variant of Covid.

    Recently, the country’s former finance minister Sajid Javid has been appointed as the new Health Secretary. He was born to Pakistani immigrant parents in 1969, who are originally from Toba Tek Singh, Punjab.

  • ‘PM calling OBL a martyr was a slip of the tongue’: Fawad Chaudhry

    Prime Minister Imran Khan referring to slain Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden as a “martyr” last year was a “slip of the tongue”, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry clarified in Geo News programme, ‘Jirga’.

    “Pakistan has voted in the UN on the war on terror [against militants], we are a voter on a [UN] list that declared Osama bin Laden and Al-Qaeda terrorists,” said Fawad Chaudhry.

    “Pakistan has sacrificed the most in the war against terrorism,” Chaudhry added.

    In an interview with Afghanistan’s Tolo News, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi skipped a question when asked if Osama bin Laden was a martyr. Qureshi paused for a few seconds and then said, “I will let that pass.”

    Senior Afghan journalist Lotfullah Najafizada had originally asked Qureshi about PM Khan calling Osama bin Laden a martyr. The foreign minister responded that the PM was quoted out of context. “Out of context. He was quoted out of context. And, a particular section of the media played it up.

    When asked to comment on why the foreign minister hesitated in answering a question on the premier’s statement on bin Laden, Fawad Chaudhry said Shah Mahmood Qureshi wanted to put the issue behind him and move forward.

    Addressing the National Assembly in June last year, PM Khan recalled how the Americans had conducted an operation in Abbottabad and “killed Osama Bin Laden — martyred him”.

  • Derek Chauvin sentenced to 22.5 years in prison for George Floyd murder

    Derek Chauvin sentenced to 22.5 years in prison for George Floyd murder

    A judge sentenced former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin to 22 years and six months in prison on Friday for the murder of George Floyd during an arrest in May 2020. Floyd’s murder galvanised a national protest movement against racism, reports Reuters.

    A jury found Chauvin guilty on April 20 of unintentional second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter in the death of Floyd. The verdict was widely seen as a landmark rebuke of the disproportionate use of police force against Black Americans.

    Chauvin’s sentence was one of the longest ones to be given to a former police officer for using unlawful deadly force in the United States, said Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, whose office prosecuted the case. Successful prosecutions of police officers in such cases have been rare.

    “Today’s sentencing is not justice but it is another moment of real accountability on the road to justice,” Ellison said outside the courtroom, calling on law enforcement leaders around the US to see it as a moment for reform.

    Hennepin County District Judge Peter Cahill said it was important to recognise the pain of the Floyd family.

    “I’m not basing my sentence on public opinion,” Cahill said. “I’m not basing it on the attempt to send any messages. The job of a trial court judge is to apply the law to specific facts and to deal with individual cases.”

    In a 22-page sentencing memorandum, Cahill gave weight to prosecution arguments that Chauvin acted with cruelty and abused his position of authority, aggravating factors that allowed him to give a harsher sentence than would be indicated by state sentencing guidelines for first-time offenders.

    Prosecutors had asked for a 30-year prison sentence, double the upper limit indicated in sentencing guidelines.

    Video of Chauvin kneeling on the neck of the handcuffed Floyd for more than nine minutes on May 25, 2020, caused outrage around the world and led to one of the largest protest movements seen in the US in decades.

  • PM Khan asks Bill Gates to set up a Microsoft incubation lab in Pakistan

    PM Khan asks Bill Gates to set up a Microsoft incubation lab in Pakistan

    Prime Minister Imran Khan (PM) encouraged Microsoft to expand its footprint in Pakistan and set up a Microsoft incubation lab in the country.

    PM spoke with Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), in a telephonic conversation on Thursday.

    During the phone call, views were exchanged on the ongoing polio eradication campaign in the country as well as on Pakistan’s response to the public health challenges arising from the Covid-19 pandemic.

    PM Khan reaffirmed that polio eradication remained a key national priority for the government and earnest efforts were afoot to further intensify the anti-polio campaign across the country, despite the challenges imposed by the Covid-19 crisis, in order to achieve a polio-free Pakistan.

    Bill Gates expressed his appreciation for PM Khan’s leadership for this national cause. He added that while progress is encouraging, keeping up pressure will be the key to ending transmission for good.