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 police will soon arrest culprits behind Lahore blast’: Sheikh Rasheed

    ‘Punjab police will soon arrest culprits behind Lahore blast’: Sheikh Rasheed

    Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed on Thursday said that the Punjab Police were close to arresting the culprits responsible for the Johar Town blast.

    The minister tweeted that officials had achieved “great success” during the investigation process. “Punjab police will soon arrest the suspects and give good news to the people,” he said.

    Rasheed said that Pakistan’s enemies could not tolerate the economic and political stability in the country under the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan and had started adopting “terrorist routes”.

    A powerful blast near the residence of Jamaatud Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed killed three people and injured 24 others, including a police constable.

  • Zardari-Elahi meeting: possibility of a future coalition?

    Zardari-Elahi meeting: possibility of a future coalition?

    Punjab Assembly Speaker and senior leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi had a meeting with former president Asif Ali Zardari on Tuesday.

    A press release issued after the meeting said both sides discussed matters of mutual interest and the national political scene without giving any more details.

    However, as per a report in Dawn, “a close aide to the Chaudhrys of Gujrat said that some quarters were seeing snap polls by the year-end and the meeting should be taken in the context of exploring possibilities of political cooperation in that scenario. He claimed that Prime Minister Imran Khan canceled his scheduled UK visit knowing the political storms in the making, both within his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and in the ruling coalition.”

    The PML-Q is presently an ally of the PTI in Punjab.

    Though officially Pervaiz Elahi denies any differences with the PTI, his son Moonis Elahi has criticised various policies of the government publicly, particularly on social media.

    Asif Zardari has summoned the party’s chief organiser in Punjab Raja Pervez Ashraf to Bilawal House in Lahore.

    A PPP leader, who requested not to be named, said Zardari had taken on to himself the task of bargaining for a future alliance strong enough to form the next government, directing his son and PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari to look after other matters for the time being.

    However, the Punjab government has termed the meeting of Elahi and Zardari a “storm in a teacup” and rubbished rumours of any differences between the coalition partners.

    Special Assistant to the Punjab Chief Minister Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan said, “The PML-Q is an experienced political party and an important ally of the PTI government.”

    “Under the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan, we have defeated the worried Opposition — due to the successes achieved by the government — at every front,” added Awan.

  • ‘Linking women’s clothing to rape reflects PM’s criminal mindset’: Maryam Nawaz

    ‘Linking women’s clothing to rape reflects PM’s criminal mindset’: Maryam Nawaz

    Criticising Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s recent comments on women’s clothing and rape, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz on Wednesday said that linking women’s clothing to rape reflects the criminal mindset of the PM, adding that his words would only encourage the perpetrators.

    She further questioned if the young children who were sexually abused were also molested due to their clothes.

    “[He is] a person who validates rape and holds the victim responsible. Pakistan needs to be rid of this mindset of rape apologists,” she said. The PML-N leader went on to question whether Zainab’s rape and the motorway incident were a consequence of what the victims were wearing.

    Maryam said the prime minister “should be ashamed over such a statement”. She added that through his remarks in the interview, the PM had “insulted rape victims”.

  • PM Khan stop victim-blaming, says Pakistani Twitterati

    PM Khan stop victim-blaming, says Pakistani Twitterati

    Prime minister Imran Khan (IK) in a recent interview with “Axios on HBO” with Jonathan Swan (JS), talked about his views on “rape” and “temptation”.

    The primer’s words have hurt the sentiments of many in the country.

    Here is a transcript of the part of his interview that concerns rape and his views on “If a woman is wearing very few clothes, it will have an impact on men, unless they are robots.”

    JS: You were asked about the epidemic of sexual violence and rape in Pakistan and you acknowledged the seriousness of the problem and you spoke about Pakistan’s strict laws. You were also quoted as saying that the practice of women wearing veils “is to stop temptation not every man has willpower”. You said on increasing vulgarity, will have consequences, and you were accused of rape victim-blaming. How do you respond to that?

    IK: It is such nonsense. I never said veils, this was never said. I said the concept of purdah and the concept of purdah is to avoid temptation in society. We don’t have discos here, we don’t have nightclubs, so it is a completely different society, way of life here, so if you raise temptation in society to the point and all these young guys have nowhere to go, it has consequences in the society.

    JS: Do you think what women wear has any effect? That this is part of that temptation?

    IK: If a woman is wearing very few clothes, it will have an impact on the men unless they’re robots. I mean it’s common sense.

    JS: But will it really provoke acts of sexual violence?

    IK: It depends on which society you live in. If in a society where people haven’t seen that sort of thing, it will have an impact on them. If you grow up in a society like you, maybe it won’t on you. This cultural imperialism, whatever is in our culture, must be acceptable to everyone else, it’s not.

    JS: Forgive me, when you were a cricket star, you were seen as a playboy, there were photos of you with your shirts off in your bedroom.

    IK: This is not about me.

    JS: You’re the messenger.

    IK: It’s about my society. My priority is how my society behaves, what reactions are caused in my society. So when I see sex crimes going through the roof, we sit down and discuss how are we going to tackle this. It is having an impact on my society.

    However, the premier’s comments caused an uproar on social media, prompting Pakistanis to call him out for his insensitive remarks.

    This isn’t the first time PM Imran was heard expressing his views on rape.

    Journalist Shahmir Sanni didn’t see the PM’s justification as legit. “Nearly every woman that has been raped in Pakistan has worn what he would prescribe as modest clothing,” he wrote.

    https://twitter.com/shahmiruk/status/1406901725634600962

    Mosharraf Zaidi spelled it out for everyone.

    So, what is the country saying about the PM? That perhaps he doesn’t understand what cultural imperialism is.

    https://twitter.com/Shehzad89/status/1406904010422980610

    Or he [PM Khan] doesn’t realise that out of control men are the problem.

    He’s [Imran Khan] a rape apologist who hates women.

    Disappointed and frankly sickening to see PM Khan repeat his victim blaming regarding reasons for sexual violence in Pakistan.

    People say we’re paying the price for his own guilt.

    Why aren’t men offended?

    The loud and persistent outcry from many people came out on Twitter yet again. Some shared their own personal experiences to make it more clear that why rape happens and why it is never okay to blame the victim.

    As #RapeApologistSelectedPM trends on Twitter, the question remains, “Is our Prime Minister listening to the public’s grief? When will he stop with the victim-blaming and giving rapists a free pass? When?”

  • ‘If a woman is wearing very few clothes, it will have an impact on men, unless they are robots,’ says PM Khan

    In an interview with “Axios on HBO” with Jonathan Swan, which aired at 3am PST on Monday morning, Prime Minister Imran Khan said that “if a woman is wearing very few clothes, it will have an impact on the men, unless they are robots”.

    Prime Minister Khan discussed various issues in his interview with Axios’ Swan ranging from US withdrawal from Afghanistan to Pak-US relationship, Uyghur Muslims in China and sexual violence in Pakistan.

    Rape and sexual violence

    Swan asked PM Khan about his previous comments pertaining to rape and vulgarity, PM said that it is “such nonsense”.

    “I said that the concept of purdah is avoid temptation in the society. We don’t have discos here, we don’t have night clubs, so it is a completely different society, way of life here. So if you raise temptation in the society to the point and all these young guys have nowhere to go, it has consequences in the society.”

    Swan asked: “Do you think that what women wear has any affect, that that’s part of this temptation?”

    “If a woman is wearing very few clothes, it will have an impact on the men, unless they are robots. I mean it’s common sense,” replied PM.

    Swan asked if this would provoke acts of sexual violence, to which PM Khan responded, “It depends which society you live in. If in a society, people haven’t seen that sort of thing, it will have an impact on them. If you grow up in a society like you, maybe it won’t on you. This cultural imperialism, whatever is in our culture must be acceptable to everyone else. It’s not.”

    “Jonathan, it’s about my society. My priority is how my society behaves, what reactions are caused in my society so when I see sex crime going through the roof, we sit down, we discuss how we are going to tackle this. It is having an impact in my society. We have to do something about it.”

    US withdrawal from Afghanistan

    Axios’ Swan asked PM Khan if he was happy that the US military is finally withdrawing from Afghanistan after 20 years. PM said, “Happy in one way because there was never going to be a military solution in Afghanistan. Anxious that they [the US] are leaving without a political settlement, there is a possibility of civil war.” When asked what would a political settlement look like, PM said that a political settlement in Afghanistan “would mean a sort of a coalition government, a government from the Taliban side and the other side. There is no other solution”.

    Swan asked if PM Khan thinks the Americans made a mistake by saying they are getting out by September 11. The PM said they got themselves in such a big mess that they had to give some sort of timeframe. “But the moment they gave a timeframe, Taliban would have considered that a victory.” PM was asked how he felt about the prospect of the Taliban effectively controlling Afghanistan and if he is happy to welcome them into the community of nations. “As far as Pakistan is concerned, whoever represents the people of Afghanistan, we will deal with them.”

    Swan asked what if they were not democratically elected and does it not concern you on some level that this group of people is accumulating power right next door to you. PM Imran Khan said, “Look, I am not a spokesman for Taliban. For me to say, you know what they are doing or what they shouldn’t be doing is pointless. In case Taliban go for an all-out victory, there is going to be incredible amount of bloodshed. And let me tell you, the country that is going to suffer the most after Afghanistan is going to be Pakistan. We already have three million Afghan refugees here. And this could lead to another exodus so that is our biggest concern. The Americans, before they leave, there must be a settlement.”

    Relationship with the United States

    Swan asked PM Imran Khan why the American CIA Director Bill Burns made an unannounced visit to Islamabad. “Ever since 9/11, there’s constantly been in touch between our intelligence agencies.” PM Khan said he did not meet the CIA director but the head of ISI met him.

    Swan said that the Americans want to have their spies and special forces based in Pakistan to keep an eye on what is happening across the border. To a question if he will allow the American government to have CIA here in Pakistan to conduct cross-border counterterrorism missions against al-Qaeda, ISIS or the Taliban, PM Khan emphatically said, “Absolutely not.” The host interjected and asked: “Seriously?”

    “There is no way we will allow any bases, any sort of action from Pakistani territory into Afghanistan. Absolutely not. Pakistan suffered 70,000 casualties, more than any other country by joining the American war. We cannot afford any more military actions from our territory. We will be partners in peace, not in conflict,” added Khan.

    Swan said that the American military is discussing doing airstrikes potentially to support the Afghan forces against the Taliban. “Would you allow the American Airforce to use your air space for those airstrikes?”

    “We are not going to be part of any conflict anymore,” replied Khan.

    But you haven’t decided yet whether you will let them use your airspace, asked Swan again. PM Khan said this has not been discussed at all. “Why would the Americans be using bombing Afghanistan after it hasn’t worked for 20 years, why will it work again?”

    Kashmir resolution

    PM Khan said he has not spoken to US President Joe Biden since he took office. “Whenever he has time, he can speak to me. But at the moment, clearly he has other priorities.” When asked what would he say to Biden when he does meet him, PM said: “The US has a big responsibility as the most powerful nation in the world. Almost 1.4 billion people are living in the subcontinent. We are held hostage to one dispute in Kashmir. A disputed territory. According to the United Nations Security Council resolutions, there should have been a plebiscite for the people of Kashmir to decide about their own future. That has never taken place. It’s festering. If the Americans have the resolve, the will, it can be sorted out.”

    Nuclear weapons

    Prime Minister Khan that the purpose of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons “is not an offensive thing”. He said that any country that has a neighbour seven times the size as Pakistan has, “would be worried”. PM Khan said he is “completely against nuclear arms. I always have been”. Ever since the nuclear deterrence, Pakistan and India have not been to war despite three wars in the past. “We have border skirmishes but we have never faced war. The moment there is a settlement on Kashmir, I believe the two neighbours will live as civilised people. We will not need to have these nuclear deterrence.”

    Uyghur Muslims in China

    Swan asked PM Khan why he does not speak about Uyghurs in China when he is so vocal about Islamophobia in the west.

    “What our conversations have been with the Chinese, this is not the case according to them. Whatever issues we have with the Chinese, we speak to them behind closed doors. China has been one of the greatest friends to us in our most difficult times. When we were really struggling, our economy was struggling, China came to our rescue so we respect the way they are,” said PM Khan. He also questioned why the people of Kashmir are ignored and how this is hypocrisy.

    “Am I going to start talking about everything? I concentrate on what is happening on my border, in my country…that concerns me more.”

  • Opposition lawmakers and their supporters block access to the Balochistan Assembly

    Opposition lawmakers and their supporters block access to the Balochistan Assembly

    Chaotic scenes erupted outside Balochistan Assembly Friday as Opposition lawmakers and supporters held a protest outside the assembly and were baton-charged by the police.

    https://twitter.com/HoorainPervaiz/status/1405877399326117889

    Police said Opposition lawmakers had locked all four doors of the Balochistan Assembly to prevent the budget session from taking place today.

    The Opposition’s protest and clashes intensified when Chief Minister Balochistan Jam Kamal Khan arrived at the assembly.

    “We will not let the budget be passed until our demands are met,” the protesting lawmakers said.

    The sit-in has been staged against the “disregard for Opposition constituencies and release of funds to unelected persons”.

    Clashes erupted when police arrived at the assembly gate at the MPA Hostel when Opposition lawmakers and police exchanged heated words. Police managed to open the doors of the assembly so that the government lawmakers could enter for the budget session.

    Prior to this, supporters of the Opposition parties had blocked national highways in several cities of Balochistan. The Opposition accused the government of ignoring development projects in the budget.

    Opposition lawmakers had warned they would not let the provincial government present the budget on Friday.

    Leaders of the Opposition parties, according to Dawn, said they would not allow any MPA to enter the assembly on Friday if their proposed development projects were not included in the provincial Annual Development Programme (ADP). 

  • How much will SBP charge for online transactions?

    How much will SBP charge for online transactions?

    Speaking on Geo News‘ morning show ‘Geo Pakistan‘, Deputy Governor of State Bank Pakistan (SBP), Sima Kamil, made some clarifications about SBP’s recent instructions to banks about changes to the pricing mechanism of inter-bank fund transfers (IBFT) online.

    A maximum of Rs 200 will be charged for a large transaction in one month, while online transfer of utility bills will not have any transfer charges.

    Before Covid-19, certain banks used to charge Rs100 and some Rs400 for fund transfers, she said.

    But after the pandemic, SBP had waived all charges for online money transfers, added Sima.

    Sima Kamil explained that transactions up to Rs25,000 in a month will be free, while a transaction of Rs10,000 after the first Rs25,000 transaction will be charged at Rs10.

    SBP Deputy Governor further added that there will be no charges on online purchase transactions of up to Rs10,000 but transaction charges will be levied on online purchases of more than Rs25,000 in a month.

    State Bank of Pakistan issued new instructions for inter-bank fund transfers earlier this week.

    The SBP has made changes to its IBFT pricing techniques as it says the Covid-19 situation has improved across Pakistan.

    According to its new instructions, banks have been allowed to charge a minimal fee on “high-value transactions”.

    Banks, however, have been told that they may choose to set this aggregate limit at a higher amount as well.

    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    4.4 magnitude earthquake jolts Islamabad, parts of KP
    
			
    An earthquake of magnitude 4.4 struck Islamabad and parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) on Thursday evening, according to the National Seismic Monitoring Centre website.
    

    

    


    

    

    

    There were no immediate reports of casualties or loss of property.
    

    According to the National Seismic Monitoring Centre, the earthquake struck 25 kilometres southeast of Mingora in KP and had a depth of 20 km.
    

    Twitterati began reporting the tremors they had felt.
    

    

    


    

    

    

    

    


    

    

    

    

    


    

    

    

    In February, a 6.4-magnitude earthquake had struck several cities in Pakistan
    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    Shehbaz Sharif finally delivers his speech in NA, uninterrupted
    
			
    Shehbaz Sharif finally delivers his speech in NA, uninterrupted
    
			
    Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly (NA) Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday finally delivered his speech in the Lower House after three days of chaotic behaviour by lawmakers.
    

    Speaking on the floor of the NA today, the Opposition leader said all of the lawmakers present in the assembly were elected by 220 million Pakistanis and they were responsible for changing the nation’s future for the better.
    

    There was complete silence in the house during Shehbaz Sharif’s speech, who lashed out at the government and Prime Minister Imran Khan for “ruining lives of Pakistanis”
    

    He said that in the last three years, many taxes were imposed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government because of which the “poor man’s meals have been halved.” Hunger and hopelessness had been created in the country because of previous budgets, he said, adding that Budget 2021-2022 would further increase inflation and the poor would suffer more, reports Dawn. 
    

    The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader pointed out that there was a lack of trust among provinces and between the provinces and the federal government, claiming that such differences have never been seen before.
    

    “If only Punjab progresses and the rest of Pakistan does not, then it is not progress,” stressed Shehbaz.
    

    Shehbaz also criticised the PTI government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic, saying “the entire Opposition termed Covid as a ‘national emergency’ which [they and the government] would tackle together after setting aside our differences.”
    

    He recalled that National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser had then called a conference which was also attended by Prime Minister Imran Khan. “We were all [united] on this but the prime minister left after his speech. Was there something more important than Covid?”
    

    “Can any nation remain alive like this with an atomic bomb on the one hand and a begging bowl on the other?” he asked.
    

    He stressed that the country would have to generate resources. “If we want to end dictation, then we will have to break the begging bowl.”
    

    Shehbaz said that while the government should help in setting up langars (soup kitchens), but its “real work” was policy-making and making sure that those who had to go to the soup kitchens were able to stand on their feet.
    

    “The aim is not to raise an army of beggars but an army of doers and nation builders. If agriculture and industry are destroyed and poverty and unemployment are taken forward, then nations do not progress,” he said. This was the reason that after the latest budget, people were “screaming that their pockets are empty and [asking] how to feed their children”, he added.
    

    Talking about Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin’s speech in the NA last week, Shehbaz recalled that “the minister said Pakistan was a very successful crop-producing country but in the very next breath he said that Pakistan had become a food importer.”
    

    Earlier today, Defence Minister Pervez Khattak said the government and the Opposition had come to an agreement to ensure the smooth running of National Assembly sessions.
    

    Speaking to the media in Islamabad alongside Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry, Khattak said a “consensus” was reached in a meeting with the Opposition and a proposal was devised, which would be elaborated upon by Qaiser later today.
    

    The NA was subject to disruption this week amid repeated confrontations between the treasury and Opposition benches during the budget session.
    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    Electronic voting the only way to ensure transparency: PM Khan
    
			
    Electronic voting the only way to ensure transparency: PM Khan
    
			
    Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that electronic voting is the only way to ensure transparency and prevent rigging in the elections, a statement from the PM Office said Thursday.
    

    

    


    

    

    

    PM Khan made these comments during a meeting in Islamabad, where he was briefed on the use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in the electoral process.
    

    

    


    

    

    

    PM Khan further said that overseas Pakistanis are an asset for Pakistan and they would definitely be involved in the electoral process.
    

    “Overseas Pakistanis are an asset of the country, they must be involved in the election process. Electoral reforms, electronic voting, and voting process for overseas Pakistanis should be completed soon,” he instructed the concerned officials.
    

    On June 10, the National Assembly had passed the Elections (Second Amendment) Bill, which pertains to fair, free and transparent election through the utilisation of technology and modern gadgets.
    

    However, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has expressed severe concerns over some clauses in the electoral reforms bill passed by the National Assembly, including voting rights for overseas Pakistanis as well as use of EVMs, and has assessed that many proposed amendments may violate constitutional requirements, reports Dawn. 
    

    ECP says the right of vote to overseas Pakistanis cannot be given till the required legislation by parliament is made regarding various practical aspects, including whether they should have extra seats in the Assembly, what kind of procedure should be adopted for them to vote, etc.
    

    ECP says the use of EVMs cannot be adopted till it is determined whether these machines are capable of conducting free and fair elections; whether they can operate in conditions of hot weather, load-shedding, etc.; how the accuracy, secrecy, and transparency of votes can be ensured; and whether without proper testing, the ECP can ensure free and fair elections with these machines.