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.

  • VIDEO: CM Buzdar’s arrival in Cholistan straight out of a Hollywood movie

    VIDEO: CM Buzdar’s arrival in Cholistan straight out of a Hollywood movie

    Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Sardar Usman Buzdar on Friday reached Cholistan in Bahawalpur via helicopter, with a 10-plus-vehicle motorcade receiving him at the landing site in the desert.

    Here’s a viral video of Buzdar’s convoy in Cholistan, which appears to be nothing less than one from a Hollywood flix.

    Earlier on Saturday, the provincial chief executive visited Tourism Development Corporation Punjab resorts.

    He inaugurated various development projects for Bahawalpur. He also participated in the ceremony of Cholistan Desert Rally 2021. He inaugurated TDCP Cholistan desert resort and double-decker bus service for the tourists for Bahawalpur. Usman Buzdar inspected the double-decker bus and purchased the first ticket worth Rs300.

    The route of double-decker bus includes SD High School, Commissioner House, DC Chowk, Bahawal Club, CMH Chowk, Museum, Central Library, BVH Hospital, Fawara Chowk, Noor Mehal, Ahmedpuri Gate, Darawar Gate, Farid Gate, Mori Gate, and zoo.

    Usman Buzdar announced to name after Civil Hospital Bahawalpur to Nawab Sir Sadiq Muhammad Khan Abbasi. Usman Buzdar said that tourism was very close to his heart, COVID-19 affected the tourist activities, now the same was being restored.

    He said that another promise made with the people of Bahawalpur had been fulfilled. Double-decker bus service was a gift for the citizens of Bahawalpur from PTI government. People would be able to visit tourist and historical places through this double-decker bus. Special rates had been fixed for the elderly and differently-abled people.

  • Good news for Gillani after arrival at ECP with two other prime ministers

    The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Saturday approved former prime minister (PM) Yousaf Raza Gillani’s application to transfer his vote to Islamabad; after he arrived at the election watchdog’s office with two other former premiers.

    Gillani is reportedly being fielded for the federal capital seat in the upper house of the parliament by the join opposition, Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM).

    The former premier’s vote has been registered at his address of Sector F-8 in Islamabad, making him eligible to contest the Senate elections from the federal capital.

    He had moved the ECP on Friday and arrived at the election watchdog’s office on Saturday with his successor Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, and ex-PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi.

    Earlier, Abbasi’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) announced to support Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Gillani in the Senate elections.

    The decision was taken after a meeting between Abbasi and Gillani to hold consultations to field a joint candidate of the PDM.

    The two former premiers, Ashraf and Abbasi, acted as the proponent and seconder in candidate Gillani’s papers.

    Meanwhile, Farhatullah Babar has been named as PDM’s joint candidate from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).

  • Who ‘WhatsApp-ed’ Justice Qazi Faez Isa against PM Imran?

    Soon after claiming that it was the son of Pakistan Muslim League (PML) leader Chaudhry Shujaat who had “WhatsApp-ed” to inform Justice Qazi Faez Isa that he received development funds from Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, journalist Gharida Farooqi has tweeted a clarification.

    As per the details, Gharida on Thursday tweeted quoting sources that it was Ch Salik who had sent Justice Isa the details and proof of the premier sending him development funds.

    “The PM [had] today submitted [his] reply to the Supreme Court (SC) that the news regarding funds was fake,” she wrote while mentioning Thursday’s hearing of the apex court case over notice of Rs500 million uplift funds in light of the forthcoming Senate polls.

    It wasn’t later that the journalist once again took to Twitter and clarified that it wasn’t Salik.

    “I got a call from Ch Salik after my [earlier] tweet. He categorically denied it and said he didn’t even know Justice Isa. Whereas, Justice Isa said so in the SC today while referring to NA 65 [constituency],” she said.

    It may be noted that Ch Salik of the PML had been elected to the National Assembly from the said constituency in a 2018 by-election.

    While Gharidah’s clarification led to a spat between her and PM Imran’s aide Dr Shahbaz Gill, who said that the SC had dismissed the case, here’s what journalist Umar Cheema had to say:

    Earlier, the Supreme Court disposed of the case, declaring PM Imran’s response satisfactory.

    During the hearing, Justice Isa had inquired if it was the premier’s job to distribute envelopes of money to members of the National Assembly.

    The judge revealed he had received documents via WhatsApp indicating that heavy funds had been provided to a lawmaker from the ruling PTI’s coalition party from the NA-65 constituency, reports said.

    “Can funds be given to certain constituencies? Is it in accordance with the law to give funds for the road,” he inquired.

    The Attorney-General of Pakistan (AGP) Khalid Jawed Khan responded to the apex court judge, saying the WhatsApp documents “are your complaint and would be reviewed”.

    “I am not the complainant, I am just pointing [it] out; perhaps, you did not listen to me,” the judge replied.

    In response, the AGP said, “You have been sharing your observations for a long time. It is I who has not been heard. You received a message on your WhatsApp, so you are a complainant.”

  • Tariq Jamil says didn’t criticise PM Imran over violence against govt employees

    Tariq Jamil says didn’t criticise PM Imran over violence against govt employees

    Cleric Tariq Jamil has said that he has not criticised the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) headed by Prime Minister Imran Khan over the use of violence against the government employees who were protesting at D-Chowk for better wages.

    On Wednesday, the Islamabad police resorted to tear gas shelling near the Pakistan Secretariat as they tried to push back the workers, who are protesting for a pay raise. Several protesters were detained as well.

    In the backdrop of this violence, a tweet started making round on social media wherein the senior cleric was purportedly lashing out at the government for thrashing its employees.

    “I have nothing to do with this statement. This is fake news. For authentic news about me, stay connected to verified platforms,” tweeted the cleric, adding: “May Allah preserve us from spreading false news.”

    PROTEST AT D-CHOWK:

    Protesting government employees on Wednesday faced the wrath of authorities in Islamabad as they headed towards the Parliament House on Constitution Avenue. Demonstrators started bypassing the containers because of which the police once again had resorted to tear gas shelling to disperse them.

    At least two dozen protesting employees were taken into custody under Section 16 of the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance (MPO).

    However, the government and the protesters reached an agreement on Thursday as PM Imran Khan agreed to give them a 25 per cent pay raise and release their employees.

  • More Punjab lawmakers to leave PTI soon, says MPA ‘close to Tareen’ after quitting party

    More Punjab lawmakers to leave PTI soon, says MPA ‘close to Tareen’ after quitting party

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Punjab lawmaker Khurram Laghari, who hails from Muzaffargarh, has parted ways with the ruling party over “the failure of the government to pay heed to the problems in his constituency”.

    According to Laghari, he was not satisfied with the performance of the PTI-led provincial and federal governments. He said Prime Minister Imran Khan failed to make good on his promises; therefore, it was useless for him to stay in the PTI anymore.

    Lagahri claimed that there were some other MPAs who were disgruntled with the Buzdar-led government and they would soon bid goodbye to the PTI as well. “I joined PTI after winning the election on an independent seat,” he said, adding that the promises made to him remained unfulfilled.

    Laghari had joined PTI in July 2018 after winning the election after he was reportedly convinced by Tareen to join Imran-led party in Punjab.

    In Oct 2020, the Punjab lawmaker had quit his posts as adviser to chief minister and member of price control committee because of the alleged non-cooperation of the bureaucracy, Dawn had reported.

    However, it was alleged that Laghari was removed from the posts because of his contact with PTI leader Jahangir Khan Tareen. According to reports, Laghari said to be close to Ali Jahangir Tareen and visited him in Dubai thrice with Multan Sultan cricket team.

    It may be noted here that the lawmaker quit the party a month ahead of the Senate elections slated to be held on March 13. The government has introduced an ordinance to hold elections by open vote instead of the secret ballot.

    The opposition has challenged the ordinance in the courts, while, the Supreme Court, that is hearing a presidential reference with regards to the open ballot, said that it would have struck down the ordinance had it not been conditional.

  • Senate elections on March 3: ECP

    Senate elections on March 3: ECP

    Amid a controversy surrounding the Senate elections over the secret ballot, the Election Commission of Pakistan has announced to hold the polls on the upper house seats on March 3.

    According to the ECP, the last date for filing of nomination papers is February 13, followed by a scrutiny process for the nominations. The last date for filing of appeals against acceptance or rejection of papers is February 18, said a notification issued by the ECP.

    The date for disposal of appeals is Feb 19-20, whereas candidates can withdraw their applications by Feb 22 a day after issuance of the revised list of the contestants. The polling will start at 9am and end at 5pm on March 3.

    The Senate elections will be held on 48 seats: two in Islamabad (National Assembly); 11 in Punjab; 11 in Sindh; 12 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; and 12 in Balochistan.

    On February 6, President Dr Arif Alvi signed Elections (Amendment) Ordinance 2021 that will pave way for the organisation of Senate elections through open ballot. The opposition, however, has reservations on the move and vowed to oppose it.

    On the other hand, a presidential reference filed by the government in the Supreme Court seeking guidance on the Senate voting procedure is being heard to decide whether the government needs an amendment to end the secret ballot.

    Yesterday, the SC had said that Article 226 allows secret ballot. The article reads: “All elections under the constitution, other than those of the prime minister and the chief minister, shall be by secret ballot.”

  • ‘Books, not money’: PPP leader says leaked video is ‘edited’

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Mohammad Ali Bacha, who is also seen in one of the videos where money was being dished out ahead of the Senate polls, has said that the video is edited.

    In a news beeper to Geo News, Bacha said that the stack of money could possibly be books instead of currency notes. When news anchor Wajih Sani probed Bacha about stack of notes in front of him in the video, Bacha said: “Paison ki gaddiaan nahi hai,” (these are not stacks of notes). He told Sani that they should check the closeup of the alleged notes, which could possibly be books or something else.

    In Shahzeb Khanzada’s program, Bacha said that he is not in the videos where money is being given and being taken by people. When asked by Khanzada that there is money lying in front of him in the video where he is smoking a cigarette and what is the money doing in front of him, Bacha says that the video is doctored. “If you see the video, there are doors with glasses in the background. People can see in and out of the room. Why would someone pay money where others can see them?” Bacha said that the money was not in front of him but on his ‘side’, which may be edited.

    Shahzeb Khanzada then asks him if he was not distributing money, then how could the PPP get two senators elected when they had only 6 MPAs. He said that those PTI MPAs who were upset with their own party voted for PPP. Bacha said why has these videos been made viral now after 3 years, why not when they were made.

  • ‘Rs50 to Rs70 crores’: PM goes on to reveal corruption surrounding Senate polls

    ‘Rs50 to Rs70 crores’: PM goes on to reveal corruption surrounding Senate polls

    Continuing his tirade against secrecy in polls for the upper house of the parliament while his party also campaigns for election through open ballot, Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has gone on to reveal further details of corrupt practices surrounding the vote.

    Speaking to journalists in Kallar Syedan, the premier said the rate for a single Senate vote in Balochistan ranged between Rs50 to 70 crores (Rs500 to Rs700 million), which was unfortunate.

    “The market of corruption in politics is on the rise, but no other party is willing to change it,” he said, regretting that in the past, people became senators by buying votes from members of national and provincial assembly votes.

    “Those involved in such extravagance will later recover by minting money from the public exchequer,” he said.

    PM Imran said that vote-purchase in Senate elections for the past 30 years was a big question mark over the credibility of politicians who supported a corrupt system and “traded conscience in the name of democracy”.

    “A big question lies ahead, whether to go for Senate polls with the old corrupt system or to act transparently instead,” he said in response to queries regarding the leaked videos showing politicians buying and selling votes before the 2018 Senate elections.

    The PM said that corrupt practices were revealed to him after he and his party members received offers from multiple sides for vote-selling before the 2018 Senate elections.

    He recalled that he was approached by different people for money and offered funds for Shaukat Khanum Hospital as another mode of bribe.

    “What kind of democracy is this where votes are sold? This is nothing, but a blot on democracy.”

    He recalled that he ousted 20 from his party who took money for votes in the last Senate elections, adding some of them also invoked the jurisdiction of the court against the action.

    He dismissed the allegations of the opposition for being in knowledge about the video way earlier, saying had he known about it, he would have presented it before the court.

    Training guns at the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), he said the opposition alliance’s aim was to protect their corruption and ill-gotten money.

    To a question on Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who advised Imran to learn politics from him, he said the JUI-F chief himself was the one who most benefited from secret ballot.

  • Ex-PTI MPA, who was seen receiving money in leaked video, swore on Quran that he didn’t

    An old but viral video has shown former Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) lawmaker Sardar Idrees swearing on the Holy Quran that he didn’t receive any money to sell his Senate vote.

    On Tuesday, a leaked video recorded ahead of the 2018 Senate elections had purportedly shown Idress and a number of other colleagues of his receiving what were reported to be bribes for their votes for the upper house of the parliament.

    “I deny these allegations of receiving Rs4 crores (40 million) and swear that I voted as per the list given to me by the chief minister,” Idrees could be heard as saying in the video of a press conference he reportedly held after his expulsion from the now ruling PTI over said accusations.

    As per the details of the episode, the video first released by ARY News showed lawmakers belonging to the PTI counting bundles of cash and then stashing the same in a bag.

    The video showed how, during the critical period, loyalties were switched by PTI’s 20 KP lawmakers, all of whom were reportedly expelled by the party’s central leadership after an investigation. The money was dished out in Feb-March 2018, it was reported.

    It may be noted that the damning video comes at a time when Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan expresses aims to hold Senate elections through open ballot in 2021 in a bid to eliminate horse-trading. Defending his party’s move to hold the elections through open ballot, the premier had last week spoken of bribes paid to buy loyalties, revealing that he himself had been offered some.

    He had further revealed that 20 members of the KP Assembly belonging to the PTI, likely the ones from the video, were paid Rs50 million each during the last Senate polls to vote in favour of certain candidates.

    On February 6, President Dr Arif Alvi signed Elections (Amendment) Ordinance 2021 that will pave way for the organisation of Senate elections through open ballot.

  • Horse-trading: KP law minister resigns over leaked video

    Horse-trading: KP law minister resigns over leaked video

    Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Law Minister Sultan Mohammad Khan stepped down from his post on Tuesday hours after a leaked video, purportedly recorded in Feb 2018, showed him taking money ahead of the Senate polls.

    After the video made it to the mainstream media, KP Chief Minister Mahmood Khan tweeted that he had asked the law minister to resign over his appearance in the video along with other lawmakers.

    Subsequently, the provincial minister quit the cabinet, saying he felt “it was his moral duty and obligation to withdraw from the cabinet and offer my resignation”. He also expressed the hope that “justice will be done” and that he would be able to clear his name.

    ‘LEAKED VIDEO’:

    On Tuesday, the video first released by ARY News showed lawmakers belonging to the now ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) counting bundles of cash and then stashing the same in a bag.

    The video showed how, during the critical period, loyalties were switched by PTI’s 20 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa lawmakers, all of whom were reportedly expelled by the party’s central leadership after an investigation. The money was dished out in Feb-March 2018, it was reported.

    It may be noted that the damning video comes at a time when Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan expresses aims to hold Senate elections through open ballot in 2021 in a bid to eliminate horse-trading. Defending his party’s move to hold the elections through open ballot, the premier had last week spoken of bribes paid to buy loyalties, revealing that he himself had been offered some.

    He had further revealed that 20 members of the KP Assembly belonging to the PTI, likely the ones from the video, were paid Rs50 million each during the last Senate polls to vote in favour of certain candidates.

    On February 6, President Dr Arif Alvi signed Elections (Amendment) Ordinance 2021 that will pave way for the organisation of Senate elections through open ballot.