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.

  • Shireen Mazari deletes tweet equating French president with Nazis after France strikes back

    Shireen Mazari deletes tweet equating French president with Nazis after France strikes back

    France on Sunday objected to a statement by Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari equating President Emmanuel Macron’s new measures to counter “Islamist separatism” in France with the anti-semitic policies of Nazi Germany, however, the issue was later resolved when both sides held dialogue after a false claim in the cited news article came to light.

    Earlier this week, Macron issued a “charter of republican values”, detailing a series of steps aimed at purging France of what he declared as “radical Islam”. One of the measures made it necessary for school-going children to wear an identification number that would be used to ensure they are attending school.

    Mazari, who apparently understood that the identification number would be issued exclusively to Muslim children, censured the move, saying through the new measures, “Macron is doing to Muslims what the Nazis did to the Jews” in Nazi Germany.

    “Muslim children will get ID numbers (other children won’t) just as Jews were forced to wear the yellow star on their clothing for identification,” she added linking to an online article.

    Responding to the tweet, the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs on Sunday issued a statement, calling the minister’s remark “insulting […] blatant lies, loaded with an ideology of hatred and violence.”

    The rather unceremonious statement asked Pakistan to “return to the path of dialogue based on respect.”

    The publication later amended the article and issued a clarification stating that the law mentioned in the article applies to all children in France, not specifically Muslim children.

    The embassy also sent a series of tweets to point out the mistakes in the article.

    In response to the French envoy’s message, Mazari deleted her tweet and issued a clarification on Twitter and admitted her mistake. “The French Envoy to Pak sent me the following message and as the article I had cited has been corrected by the relevant publication, I have also deleted my tweet on the same,” she tweeted.

    Responding to the minister’s tweet, the French Embassy thanked Mazari for the clarification and apology, and wrote that “freedom of expression and debates are essential in democracies, based on verified and accurate facts.”

    READ: ‘Stay out of our domestic affairs,’ French minister tells Pakistan and Turkey

    Macron on Wednesday unveiled the bill and asked Muslim leaders in France to agree to its instructions as part of a broad clampdown on so-called “Islamic extremism”. He gave the French Council of the Muslim Faith 15 days to work with the interior ministry.

    The bill includes measures which include: restrictions on home-schooling and harsher punishments for those who intimidate public officials on religious grounds; giving children an identification number under the law that would be used to ensure they are attending school and a ban on sharing the personal information of a person in a way that allows them to be located by people who want to harm them.

    Parents who break the law could face up to six months in jail as well as large fines, it said.

    The draft law — which Macron said will strengthen a 1905 law separating Church and state in France — will be discussed by the French cabinet on December 9.

    The new bill comes on the heels of three separate instances of terrorism following the publication of blasphemous caricatures by Charlie Hebdo, a French satirical weekly best known for vulgar irreverence, and Macron’s insistence on defending the act in the name of freedom of expression.

    Following the publication of these cartoons and Macron’s defense of it, relations between France and the Muslim world grew sour as tens of thousands of Muslims in several countries joined protests, burned effigies of Macron, chanted anti-French slogans and called for a boycott of French goods.

  • Autopsy says body of Khairpur ASI was torched to cover up murder

    Autopsy says body of Khairpur ASI was torched to cover up murder

    The nephew of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Manzoor Wassan was killed before being burnt along with his vehicle, disclosed an autopsy report.

    Bilawal Wassan, who was an assistant sub-inspector posted in Khairpur, was found dead a couple of days ago near Shah Abdul Latif University police station in Bhargani.

    The post-mortem report revealed that ASI Wassan was burnt posthumously to make his death look like a traffic accident. “His hands and legs had been cut and there were fractures in his skull and ribs,” the post-mortem report quoted by Geo News said.

    According to the news channel, the Sindh police have so far detained two suspects — friends of the deceased.

    One of them, Faraz Rajput, was taken into custody from Karachi. Rajput, upon investigated, told the police that the unidentified body in the car was that of Wassan. 

    The Wassan family spokesperson said this was a planned murder. He said the police officer was first killed and later his vehicle was burnt to cover up evidence.

    The funeral prayers of Bilawal Wassan offered at his native village Haji Nawab Wassan, which was attended by Manzoor Wassan, Nawab Wassab, Munawar Wassan and other people of the area.

  • PM Imran, aides accused of helping sugar barons make Rs400bn in profits

    Prime Minister Imran Khan, his principal secretary Azam Khan and special aide on accountability Shahzad Akbar have been accused of facilitating the sugar barons under the guise of the sugar inquiry commission, helping them made over Rs400 billion in profits.

    The claim was made by former Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) deputy director Sajjad Bajwa, who was appointed by the premier to probe the malpractices in the industry, following a hike in the prices. Bajwa was later suspended for sharing classified information with the sugar millers before being dismissed from the service last week.

    According to a report in BBC Urdu, Bajwa said he was removed from the post because of some “influential personalities” in the federal cabinet who turned against him after he questioned the role of the government departments in the smuggling of the commodity.

    “During the investigation, I suspected the smuggling of sugar to Afghanistan and raised questions about the role of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), and the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) in the sugar business,” he alleged.

    “Due to these questions, the decision to remove me from the duty was taken a long time,” the ex-deputy director, who was dismissed from the agency last week, claimed.

    Responding to the claims of Bajwa, SAPM Akbar said there was no truth to these claims. “PM has nothing to do with the matter,” he said, adding that he did not even know Sajjad Bajwa.

  • UK parliament report suggested expulsion of Lord Nazir over sexual misconduct

    UK parliament report suggested expulsion of Lord Nazir over sexual misconduct

    Nazir Ahmed, the member of House of Lords in England, has resigned from the House a day before a report by Lords Conduct Committee recommended his expulsion for using his position to take advantage of “vulnerable” women.

    According to the report published on Nov 17, Lord Nazir breached the code of conduct for “failing to act on his personal honour” over sexual assault and exploitation. 

    Lord Nazir was earlier accused of exploiting his position to pursue intimate relationships with vulnerable women who asked him for help.

    His retirement was also confirmed by Geo News. Lord Nazir has “decided to retire from the House of Lords after 23 years of service”, it reported

    According to Geo, the UK Parliament confirmed to Lord Nazir that his retirement allocation had been approved under the House of Lords Reform Act 2014 “as of 14 November 2020”.

    SEXUAL MISCONDUCT ALLEGATIONS:

    In March 2019,  BBC said that Lord Nazir Ahmed of Rotherham “took advantage” and began a sexual relationship with her after she approached him for assistance. However, Lord Ahmed, 61, denied acting “inappropriately”.

    According to the report, Tahira Zaman, 43, approached Lord Ahmed in February 2017 through a mutual friend, hoping he would help get the police to investigate a Muslim faith healer who she felt was a danger to women.

    Zaman told BBC Newsnight that Lord Ahmed said he wrote a letter to the Metropolitan Police Commander Cressida Dick about her concerns. “She then alleges that he repeatedly asked her for dinner.”

    BBC said that the woman “finally agreed and weeks after the dinner, she contacted him about her case and he invited her to his east London home”.

    “He was saying I’m beautiful,” she told Newsnight.

    “The pair went on to have sex on numerous occasions. She accepts the relationship was consensual but said: I was looking for help and he took advantage of me. He abused his power,” as per the report.

    Lord Nazir denied any wrongdoing.

  • PTI lawyer Naeem Bukhari being considered for PTV chairman post

    PTI lawyer Naeem Bukhari being considered for PTV chairman post

    The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is likely to appoint lawyer Naeem Bukhari, who represented Prime Minister Imran Khan in the Panama Papers case against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, as the chairman of the Pakistan Television (PTV).

    The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has proposed that Bokhari should be nominated as the PTVC board chairman, a report in Pakistan Today claimed.

    The ministry has asked the federal cabinet to keep the composition of the PTVC Board to eight members, with three independent stakeholders.

    In Sept 2020, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) declared the appointments of PTV chairman Arshad Khan and independent members of the board of directors illegal while directing the government to fill the vacant slots in accordance with the law. 

    Bukhari, who has worked as an anchorperson and commentators on PTV for decades, had joined PTI in June 2016. At the time, he called Imran Khan the “only political leader who had the courage to speak the truth”. Bukhari also represented Imran when he went to the Supreme Court against then prime minister Nawaz Sharif following the Panama Papers leak.

    The pleas that were later admitted by the apex court which disqualified Nawaz Sharif for being “dishonest” under Article 62 (1)(f).

    The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had also hired the services of Bukhari as a special prosecutor to take up cases against close confidants of Sharif brothers — former Lahore Development Authority chief Ahad Cheema and former principal secretary Fawad Hassan Fawad.

  • COVID-19: PM bans political rallies across country

    As anti-government protests of the joint opposition’s Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) gain momentum, Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has announced a ban on political rallies across the country on recommendation of the National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC), journalist Asad Ali Toor has reported.

    According to the details, the ban was announced by the premier as he addressed the nation following a meeting of the National Coordination Committee (NCC) on the COVID-19 pandemic, a second wave of which is currently taking toll on Pakistan.

    Earlier it was announced by the PM’s Office in Islamabad that the premier would address a press briefing after the meeting. 

    The meeting comes after the NCOC recommended urgent measures to the NCC to control the rapidly-increasing infections across the country, Geo reported.

    The NCOC recommended limiting all public gatherings to 500 people, including cultural, political, religious, entertainment, and civil gatherings.

    It also suggested allowing only outdoor dining till 10 pm, shutting down cinemas and theatres, and closing down shrines beside an early closure of markets and safe days.

    Meanwhile, the decision on early and extended winter vacations in schools was deferred till November 23, the Ministry of Federal Education/Professional Training said.

  • Bilawal announces protest against ‘stolen’ GB polls

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has alleged irregularities in the Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly elections, saying the results were manipulated to favour the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) — leading on 12 seats as per the initial results.

    In a tweet, the PPP chairperson announced to join a demonstration in the region against the “stealing of elections”.

    “My election has been stolen. I will be joining the people of Gilgit-Baltistan in their protest shortly,” said the opposition leader in a tweet.

    The statement followed a series of tweets by PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz, who claimed the PTI was able to bag more seats because of alleged pre-poll rigging. She claimed the PTI has no support in GB and its electoral victories would be a result of alleged rigging done by “selectors”.

    The PML-N candidates were forced to switch their loyalties and join the PTI, she said, adding despite the support of the state machinery, the party failed to gain a simple majority.

    PTI AHEAD OF PPP, PML-N:

    According to the initial results, the PTI and its allies are set to form a new government for the next five years in the northern Gilgit-Baltistan region. Unofficial results showed the PTI and its allies were leading, clinching half [12] of the contested seats.

    Official results are expected to be announced today as election authorities said they were facing difficulties in collecting results from several far-flung mountainous areas due to heavy snow and rain.

    The PTI and its allies, according to the initial results, are in the lead with at least 12 of the 24 seats being contested in the Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly.

    At least four independent candidates projected to win are most likely to join the PTI to form the government.

    The two other main contenders — the centre-left PPP and centre-right PML-N, which won the 2015 elections in the region — have cried foul, accusing the election authorities of “rigging”.

    The chief election commissioner, however, denied the charge, advising the opposition parties to contact the commission if there are any irregularities.

  • PM wants to ‘kiss forehead’ of Kashmore ASI over exemplary courage in arrest of rapist

    PM wants to ‘kiss forehead’ of Kashmore ASI over exemplary courage in arrest of rapist

    Prime Minister Imran Khan has called Kashmore police senior superintendent police and assistant sub-inspector and lauded their action in the recovery of a 4-year-old minor held by an alleged rapist.

    In a tweet, the prime minister said that he spoke to ASI Mohammad Bux Buriro to appreciate him and daughter’s “exemplary initiative & courage in the arrest of Kashmore rapist”. He said he wanted to kiss his forehead and embrace him for his courageous action.

    The premier said the nation was proud of the father-daughter duo, adding the ASI through his actions enhanced the prestige of the provincial police. “Next week we are bringing a stringent, holistic anti-rape ordinance closing all loopholes,” the PM added.

    The Kashmore police had nabbed Rafique Malik — who was later killed in an alleged shootout — for allegedly raping a woman and her daughter hailing from Karachi. Malik had allegedly promised the woman a job at a toll plaza in Kashmore, and raped her when she visited him a week later, looking for work.

    The woman approached the Kashmore police, accusing the suspect of sexual assault. She said the suspect handed her over to another man, Khairullah Bugti, after the assault, who also raped her and took her daughter hostage.

    “The woman told police that the suspect held her minor daughter hostage, saying he would only let her go when she brought him another woman from Karachi,” reported Dawn newspaper.

    In order to nab the alleged rapist, the Kashmore police came up with a plan, wherein the ASI agreed to use his minor daughter as bait to make the arrest. The police successfully arrested Malik, who then led them to the address of Bugti.

    During a raid at Bugti’s hideout, Malik was killed in an alleged shootout between the police team and Bugti. “As soon as the accused Rafique Malik along with police reached at the spot, the co-accused Khairullah started firing in which Malik died and co-accused [was] arrested with weapons,” the Larkana DIG quoted by Dawn said.

  • PTI spokespersons make conflicting remarks on ‘Karachi incident’

    Prime Minister’s Special Assistant on Political Communication Shahbaz Gill has contested a statement made by Firdous Ashiq Awan, Punjab CM’s aide on information, on the Karachi incident, wherein the police chief was pressurised by the military officials to register a case against Capt (r) Safdar.

    Last month, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Muhammad Safdar was arrested from his hotel room in Karachi for raising slogans on the mausoleum of Quaid-e-Azam. The Sindh government subsequently distanced itself from the arrest. Reports later emerged that Sindh police chief Mushtaq Mahar was pressurised by the army men to register a case against Safdar.

    Subsequently, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari asked COAS Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa for an inquiry into the incident. The probe resulted in the removal of the Inter-Services Intelligence and army officials.

    Referring to the inquiry, Firdous said the army chief ordered an inquiry into the incident on the directives of the prime minister so that a “crisis” could be contained. She added the investigations into the “Karachi incident” and final outcome proved that Pakistan Army was a disciplined force.

    However, soon after the statement, Gill posted a statement on his Twitter account, saying the PM didn’t call the army chief in this regard. According to Gill, “Dr Awan’s statement is either her personal analysis or her statement has been run out of context. In order to set the record straight, Dr Awan’s statement is not correct.”

    It may be noted here that the PM Imran Khan had termed the abduction of the Sindh IG an incident “that made him laugh”.

  • Fawad, Sanaullah favour live coverage of corruption trials

    Fawad, Sanaullah favour live coverage of corruption trials

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Fawad Chaudhry and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) lawmaker Rana Sanaullah have endorsed the live broadcast of graft trials for greater transparency.

    The lawmakers were participating in a talk show hosted by senior journalist Hamid Mir. During the show, Mir asked Fawad if he would support the plea of PML-N leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi seeking live coverage of his trial in an accountability court. At this, Fawad said he would fully support it.

    According to the science and technology minister, the live coverage of trials was standard practice in the UK. “Pakistan follows many practices and laws of the UK, why can’t it do it in terms of trials,” he added.

    He said the people must know what are the charges and what is defence.

    At this, Sanaullah said he also supported the idea of the televised trials, adding that his narcotics case should also be aired.

    On Wednesday, former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi filed a petition in an accountability court of Islamabad, seeking live media coverage of his trial proceeding in LNG-Terminal project reference.

    The plea argued that Article 19-A grants the public the right to know factual information about a trial. People would get the authentic information about the trial through live coverage, he added.

    “There are other public benefits; let the people know whether their representatives are innocent or corrupt or they have been involved in false and politically motivated cases; let the people see whether complaints are ‘stock witnesses’, whether the case is politically motivated,” the application quoted by Dawn newspaper said.