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Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has warned the Punjab government as well as the federal government to change their behaviours or he will “send police” to their homes, The News reported on Thursday.
“Stop threatening me, or else we would send police to your homes,” Gandapur said while referring to Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and President Asif Ali Zardari, after Anti-Terrorism Court Judge Malik Ijaz Asif issued non-bailable warrants against him in the alleged May 9 riots case on Tuesday.
Non-bailable arrest warrants are also issued against multiple Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders, including Murad Saeed, Shibli Faraz, Shahbaz Gill, and retired Lieutenant Colonel Shabbir Awan.
Warrants were also issued for former PTI leaders Shireen Mazari, Musarrat Jamshed Cheema, and Saad Jamil Abbasi.
Ali Amin Gandapur also said that the first information reports (FIRs) against him are “fake,” adding that it would be difficult for Punjab and the federal government to operate if they do not change their behaviours.
Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) disclosed to the Sindh High Court (SHC) that the nationwide ban on the social media platform X, implemented on February 17, was executed upon directives from the Ministry of Interior, citing intelligence agency reports.
Since February 17, the X website and application have remained predominantly offline, with sporadic service restorations, primarily occurring following statements made by former Rawalpindi commissioner Liaquat Ali Chatta alleging election irregularities.
PTA Chairman Hafeezur Rehman announced his intention to address the disruption of X with the interior ministry during a telephonic conversation with Dawn.com.
Rehman emphasized the need for clarity or accountability regarding the platform’s closure, highlighting that such actions are typically directed by the Interior Ministry.
During a hearing, a two-member SHC bench, comprising Chief Justice Aqeel Ahmad Abbasi and Justice Abdul Mubeen Lakho, consolidated four petitions filed by lawyer Jibran Nasir, journalist Zarrar Khurho, and others concerning internet disruptions at various instances.
In court, the PTA presented a copy of a letter dated February 17 from the Ministry of Interior instructing the telecommunication authority to block social media platform X.
The letter sent by Muhammad Hashim Shah, section officer FIA, to The Chairman PTA stated, “It is, therefore, social media platform i.e. X (formerly Twitter) may be blocked immediately till further orders.”
The PTA further revealed that these orders stemmed from intelligence agency reports.
Expressing dissatisfaction over the interior ministry’s failure to provide a written response, Chief Justice Aqeel Ahmad Abbasi urged Deputy Attorney General Khaleeq Ahmed to submit a “serious response,” prompting the latter to later present a written reply on behalf of the interior ministry. The response stated that services were disrupted on May 9, following orders from all provincial governments, citing concerns for state and citizen security. However, it refrained from commenting on other aspects of the case.
Following the inclusion of the ministry’s response in the case record, the bench adjourned the hearing until April 17, awaiting further proceedings.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan has said that the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) did not join the federal government because it will not last long.
The former prime minister spoke to journalists in Adiala jail on Wednesday, stating that the “establishment, caretaker government, and the Election Commission are all one, and everything is based on lies.”
Terming Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikander Sultan Raja a “liar,” Khan said the CEC is still occupying the office despite five reports issued by election watchdogs on election irregularities.
The founder of PTI also claimed that the new government will not last more than five to six months. However, inflation will increase in the country after signing a new deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Imran Khan, who is currently in Adiala jail, stated that he is mentally ready to stay incarcerated.
Regarding strain ties with the establishment, he responded to a question, saying: “Attempts are under way to create differences between us and the army.”
Hammad Azhar, senior leader of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), voluntarily resigned from his roles as acting Punjab President and General Secretary on Wednesday, citing legal cases and the challenges the party is currently facing as the reason for the surprise decision.
The politician, who was once a federal minister during the PTI regime, submitted his resignation letter to PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan and Secretary-General Omar Ayub Khan. He said that he’s staying underground because of cases and raids, and he believes the party would benefit more from leadership that’s actively present on the ground.
“It has been an honour, but it would be selfish of me to continue while I am still in hiding and unable to represent the party even on television. In my opinion, at this stage, the party would be best served by a leadership in Punjab that is able to be present on the ground and lead from the front,” he stated in the letter.
Leadership ought to have the opportunity to be on television and directly meet the founding chairman, Imran Khan, Hammad observed, pointing out that he lacks this access and permission.
US Assistant Secretary of State Donald Lu has categorically denied former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s allegations that he engineered the PTI founder’s removal from government.
Testifying before a Congressional panel on Wednesday morning in Washington DC, Lu minced no words when asked about the allegations. “I wanna be very clear on this point, this conspiracy theory is a lie, it is a complete falsehood,” he stated. He was the key witness before a House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee.
Imran Khan and his party, along with its coalition government, was removed from power in April 2022 after a Vote of No Confidence, the first successful one in Pakistan’s history.
Lu said during the hearing- titled ‘Pakistan After the elections: Examining the future of Democracy in Pakistan and the US Pakistan relationship- that Pakistan’s envoy to Washington Asad Majeed also testified to his government that there was no conspiracy. “We respect the sovereignty of Pakistan, we respect the principle that Pakistani people should be the only ones to choose their leader through democratic process,” he observed.
In a recent address in Syed Alian village, Dera Ismail Khan, Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Ali Amin Gandapur, has stirred controversy with an unconventional and violent proposal on dealing with corruption within bureaucratic ranks.
Speaking to attendees, Gandapur said, “Crack open the head of the officers who ask for a bribe with a brick and then come to me instead of complaining about the bribe taker.”
Gandapur told the attendees to “announce that Ali Amin asked me to do so,” after the violent act.
He further went and said, “Tell the offspring of that officer that you have saved their father from hell.”
Gandapur’s remarks, delivered in a no-nonsense tone, urged citizens not to lodge complaints about bribery but instead to take direct action against the perpetrators.
CM KP emphasized that both the bribe-taker and the giver will be going to hell so the people should neither become hellish nor let him be.
Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz on Wednesday to discuss military cooperation between both countries.
Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) issued a press release saying that the army chief met with the Saudi prince during an official visit to the Gulf Kingdom.
“Wide-ranging issues of mutual interest, including regional peace and security and bilateral defence and security cooperation, came under discussion,” the ISPR statement read.
During the meeting, the prince stressed that Saudi Arabia and Pakistan shared strong and brotherly relations with each other, adding that they stood for each other.
After that, the COAS thanked the Saudi prince for his warm sentiments and support towards Pakistan.
According to state-run Saudi Press Agency, Saudi Minister of Defence Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, National Security Advisor Dr Musaed bin Mohammed Al-Aiban, Chief of General Intelligence Khalid bin Ali Al-Humaidan, Chief of the General Staff Lieutenant General Fayyad bin Hamed Al-Ruwaili, and Saudi Ambassador to Pakistan Nawaf Al-Malki attended the meeting.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has sought a review of social media laws to prevent misuse, as the popular social networking platform X has been disrupted nationwide for over a month.
X, formerly Twitter, is not accessible to millions of Pakistani citizens without a VPN, getting suspended before the February 8 general elections.
“Social media laws should be envisaged,” Naqvi said while speaking to journalists in Lahore on Tuesday, adding that “social media is being misused. Social media regulations have been implemented across the globe.”
Mohsin Naqvi also said that it is necessary to maintain a difference between freedom of expression and spreading propaganda. “Everyone has the right to freedom of speech; however, it should not be misused.”
The interior minister also said smear campaigns against politicians, the judiciary, and other national institutions should be stopped, further adding that there should be the implementation of social media laws in the country.
Assistant Secretary of State Donald Lu has pointed out irregularities in the Feb 8 polls and said that the United States (US) is committed to making Pakistani democratic institutions stronger, Geo reported on Wednesday.
Lu will attend a Congressional panel hearing about Pakistan today.
The hearing titled ‘Pakistan after the Elections: Examining the Future of Democracy in Pakistan and the US-Pakistan Relationship,’ has been announced by the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee, where the assistant secretary will be a key witness.
Donald Lu submitted his testimony on Tuesday to the Subcommittee, in which he pointed out a number of issues between the two countries and how US policy will look in Pakistan in the future.
He mentioned that the State Department had issued a clear statement the day after the general elections in Pakistan last month, noting undue restrictions on the freedoms of expression, association, and peaceful assembly.
He also said that the State Department issued a statement on the next day of polls last month, and it was clearly mentioned in the statement that there were restrictions on freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly.
In a significant legal victory, Awami National Party (ANP) chief Asfandyar Wali Khan has emerged triumphant in a defamation lawsuit against Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leader and former provincial minister Shaukat Ali Yousafzai, resulting in a Rs150 million judgment in his favor.
Additional district and session judge Ejazur Rehman Qazi announced an ex parte verdict in the case as Yousafzai didn’t attend court proceedings.
Asfandyar had sued the PTI leader through his counselsc Tariq Afghan and Sajeed Afridi, for alleging in a presser on July 25, 2019, that the ANP chief had “sold Pashtuns for $25 million.”
Yousafzai was the spokesman for the then-PTI government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The counsel for Asfandyar told the court that their client was the son of Pakhtun leader Khan Abdul Wali Khan and the grandson of Pakhtun leader Bacha Khan, both prominent leaders of international repute in the Independence Movement.
They emphasized Asfandyar Wali Khan’s extensive political experience, having served multiple terms in the National Assembly, as well as in the Senate and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly.
The court noted that while the plaintiff presented six witnesses and substantial evidence, the defendant failed to attend court proceedings and produced only one witness. Consequently, the court proceeded ex parte against Yousafzai.
In its detailed judgment, the court emphasized that the burden of proof lay with the defendant, who failed to provide any evidence to substantiate his allegations. The court determined that the derogatory remarks made by Yousafzai during the press conference were defamatory and lacked any justification or explanation.
Based on the evidence presented, the court ruled in favor of Asfandyar, awarding him Rs100 million in damages and an additional Rs50 million in aggravated damages. The judgment underscored that the plaintiff had successfully established his case and was entitled to the decree sought.
