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.

  • Naswar is drug of poor, not forbidden in Sharia: KP Agriculture Minister

    Naswar is drug of poor, not forbidden in Sharia: KP Agriculture Minister

    Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) agriculture minister Major (ret) Sajjad Khattak has said that the provincial government has imposed a tax on tobacco used in Naswar, adding that the usage of Naswar is neither a sin nor a reward.

    The provincial agriculture minister told the provincial assembly that Naswar is the drug of the poor and it is not even forbidden in Sharia.

    Opposition members of the KP assembly, including Sobia Shahid and Ahmad Kundi, tabled a bill demanding more tax on Naswar and cigarettes, as they are luxuries, and that the tax on private schools should be abolished.

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Sobia Shahid said that the tax on tobacco exports should be increased, and that it should be abolished in schools and colleges.

  • Fact Check: No hospital renamed in Maryam Nawaz’s honour, Punjab government clarifies

    Fact Check: No hospital renamed in Maryam Nawaz’s honour, Punjab government clarifies

    Social media was full of speculations after an alleged notification from the Punjab Health Department went viral, with many claiming that the Jinnah Institute of Cardiology in Lahore had been renamed the “Maryam Nawaz Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases Lahore.”

    Multiple accounts on X (previously Twitter) posted viral tweets with the notification and severely criticised the Punjab government for changing the name of the under-construction project.

    Most of the accounts that were spreading fake news were handled by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers.

    According to the viral notification, the name of the under-construction building of Jinnah Institute of Cardiology will be changed to honour Chief Minister (CM) of Punjab, Maryam Nawaz, but later on, the Punjab government clarified that the issued notification was not real.

    In a rapid move, Punjab Information Minister Azma Bohhari clarified in a post on X that the notification was fake and there were no intentions to change the name of the under-construction building.

    Bokhari further confirmed that no hospital’s name was being changed.

  • Murtaza Solangi calls Imran Khan’s claims about prison conditions complete lies

    Murtaza Solangi calls Imran Khan’s claims about prison conditions complete lies

    Former Caretaker Minister for Information and Parliamentary Affairs Murtaza Solangi took to Twitter to criticise Imran Khan’s recent interview with journalist Mehdi Hasan, calling it a lie.

    “The biggest lie is that the disgraced and sacked former PM is in solitary confinement. Far from it,” wrote the ex-caretaker minister.

    He said, “Imran is staying in a complex of 7 rooms with access to all of them. Yes, he doesn’t have an AC but does have a room cooler. He can walk in the corridor whenever he wants. He is provided with a Bike Machine to keep him fit.”

    Solangi stated that the former Prime Minister “Gets three meals cooked by a special cook for him. Each meal is inspected by the doctor who also checks him three times a day. He also has a TV and a Refrigerator in his room and is also provided books.”

  • There are no black sheep in supreme court, Justice Minallah tells PM

    There are no black sheep in supreme court, Justice Minallah tells PM

    Supreme Court Judge Justice Athar Minallah while talking to the Attorney General of Pakistan (AGP), advised the AG to tell the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif that there are no black sheep in the SC.

    A five member bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faiz Isa heard the government’s appeals against the nullification of the NAB amendments in the top court today.

    Justice Minallah further said, “Ask the Prime Minister if there are any black sheep in the Supreme Court then file a reference against them.”

    The comment by Justice Athar came just two days after PM Shehbaz while addressing the PML-N General Workers’ Council said, “Majority of judges agree on the country’s prosperity, but a few black sheep in the judiciary are bent on giving relief to Imran Khan.”

  • No stability until May 9 Perpetrators brought to justice: Pak Army

    No stability until May 9 Perpetrators brought to justice: Pak Army

    The Pakistan Army on Thursday reiterated the call for bringing to justice the planners, perpetrators, abettors, and facilitators of the May 9 riots for the “collective good of the country”.

    According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s resolve was communicated during the 83rd Formation Commanders Conference at the General Headquarters (GHQ) presided by Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir.

    “Digital terrorism unleashed against state institutions, especially Pakistan’s armed forces, is being carried out with the help of external facilitators to achieve nefarious political objectives,” said the presser.

    Furthermore, the military leadership believed that there are efforts to sow discord between the state institutions and the Pakistani nation.

    The conference concluded with the determination that, “All threats to the security and stability of the country will be thwarted with the full support of a proud nation.”

  • Supreme Court rejects petition for live coverage of NAB amendment case

    Supreme Court rejects petition for live coverage of NAB amendment case

    The Supreme Court (SC) has rejected the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government’s request for live streaming of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) amendment case hearing on Thursday, Geo News reported.

    The top court rejected the plea filed by the KP advocate general, with Justice Athar Minallah being in favour of live broadcasting of the case.

    “The [hearing of] case should be broadcast live since this was the case before as well,” the judge said.

    The development comes as the SC is hearing intra-court appeals filed by the federal and provincial governments against the NAB amendments struck down by the top court.

    Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Justice Minallah, and Justice Hasan Azhar Rizvi are part of the larger SC bench hearing the case.

  • Imran Khan acquitted in two more May 9 cases

    Imran Khan acquitted in two more May 9 cases

    The district and session court in Islamabad acquitted Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan in two more cases related to May 9 violence, ARY News reported on Thursday.

    Judicial Magistrate Omar Shahab announced the decision on two May 9 cases registered against PTI founder at Shahzad town police station.

    The court cleared the former prime minister in both cases due to insufficient evidence. The prominent lawyers Mirza Aim Beg and Naeem Panjootha were representing Khan in both cases. 

    An unofficial person registered the FIR against Imran Khan and falsely accused him under Section 109, but Khan’s lawyers pointed out that the evidence is not sufficient to support the charge.

    However, Imran Khan’s lawyer and PTI leader Naeem Panjootha told the court that Khan’s sentence in the Toshakhana case has been suspended, but the court has yet to announce on the illegal marriage case and the cypher case.

  • Hina Pervaiz Butt falsely claims Khan’s interview with Mehdi Hassan was paid

    Hina Pervaiz Butt falsely claims Khan’s interview with Mehdi Hassan was paid

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) MPA Hina Parvaiz Butt recently got into a Twitter feud with journalist Mehdi Hassan after she called his recent interview with founder Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan “paid content.”

    Former Prime Minister Imran Khan gave an exclusive interview with renowned journalist Mehdi Hassan for his new platform Zeteo where he openly talked about his imprisonment experience, past regrets, and the country’s worsening political situation.

    The interview was available to paid subscribers on his new platform Zeteo and the MPA highlighted the ‘paid’ written at the start of the article alleging that it is paid content, a claim that is false.

    Mehdi called her out saying, “This Pakistani politician from the governing party is pushing a conspiracy theory that I was “paid” to do my interview with Imran Khan. ‘Paid’ on the post below means it’s a post only for paid subscribers to Zeteo.”

  • Khan, Bushra Bibi get room coolers in jail

    Khan, Bushra Bibi get room coolers in jail

    Adiala jail administration has installed room coolers for founder Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi to help them deal with the extreme heat in Rawalpindi.

    Prison sources also confirmed to The News that former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who is incarcerated in Adiala jail in the cypher case, has also been provided with a room cooler.

    The jail administration has started providing additional facilities to inmates, including cold water and beverages, as well as extra water coolers that have also been installed throughout the jail premises.

    The Adiala jail administration affirmed that various measures have been put in place to protect inmates from the heat wave’s impact, as the weather in Islamabad and Rawalpindi is extremely hot.

  • Gandapur angry in public gatherings, calm in closed-door meetings

    Gandapur angry in public gatherings, calm in closed-door meetings

    Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur can play a significant role in engagement between Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the establishment, The News’ senior journalist Ansar Abbasi has reported.

    Informed sources told The News that Gandapur’s behaviour was entirely different to his usual outspoken self during the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) meeting, as compared to his attitude while addressing public gatherings.

    He behaved very calmly during his interaction with the federal government, The News reported on Tuesday.

    On Monday, during a joint press conference along with the interior minister Mohsin Naqvi and power minister Owais Leghari, Gandapur stressed that his political activities should be kept separate from his administrative duties. He further stated in a presser that he is ready to work with the federal government to resolve the issues faced by KP.

    The chief minister also conveyed the message of PTI founder Imran Khan: “We do not have any conflict with institutions, there is no disagreement with the governor’s policy, and we will have to negotiate on the issues and rights of the province.” 

    “He is cooperative, he positively takes part in discussions on issues of national interest and never engages in any sort of conflict,” a source who has attended a few such federal-level meetings revealed about the conduct of the KP chief minister.