Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Faisal Karim Kundi appeared on Shahzeb Khanzada’s show on Geo News on Thursday night. The PPP leader criticised Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Nawaz Sharif, stating that Imran Khan was ‘selected’, but now PML-N is giving the impression that they are also going to be selected, stressing that Pakistani youth will not accept this.
The PPP leader also asked how a convicted man can address a Jalsa in Minar-e-Pakistan after his return on October 21. PPP is not sure that general elections are going to be held in January next year, he said.
On the other hand, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said on Wednesday that general elections have been put on hold because of just one person [Nawaz Sharif].
PML-N leader Rana Sanaullah criticised Bilawal Bhutto’s statement while speaking on Khanzada’s show on Thursday that Nawaz Sharif is the only hope for nation and elections have been delayed due to delimitation process.
Climate Change activist Greta Thunberg has raised her voice in calling for an end to the genocide in Palestine. She shared a post on Instagram, holding the poster ‘Free Gaza’ and announced that she was striking in solidarity with Palestine.
“Week 270. Today we are striking in solidarity with Palestine and Gaza. The world needs to speak up and call for an immediate ceasefire, justice and freedom for Palestinians and all civilians affected.”
The climate change activist also shared several accounts for her followers to educate themselves on the struggle for Free Palestine.
Former prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Nawaz Sharif got disqualified when the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SC) announced its decision on July 28, 2017 in the Panama Papers case.
After that, Nawaz Sharif and three of his children were referred to an accountability court, which was ordered to file corruption cases against Sharif’s family within six weeks.
In July 2018, the expelled prime minister was imprisoned for 10 years in Avenfield properties corruption case, an assets-beyond-means trial.
Nawaz’s sentence then got extended to one more year for not cooperating with National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in the same case.
His daughter, PML-N Chief Organiser Maryam Nawaz, had initially received a seven-year jail sentence in the same case. However, she was subsequently acquitted in September 2022, along with her husband, (retd) Captain Safdar.
In Al-Azizia Steel Mills corruption case, the PML-N supremo was sentenced to seven years in jail on December 24, 2018. Nawaz Sharif was taken to Adiala jail in this case, and then he got shifted to Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat jail on the very next day. He was also fined Rs1.5 billion and US$25 million in this case.
The former prime minister was released from jail in March 2019. After that, Lahore High Court (LHC) allowed Nawaz Sharif to go to London for treatment for fast depleting platelets levels, and then he left for London in November 2019.
When he didn’t come back to Pakistan for almost a year, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) declared him a fugitive.
On September 9, 2021, PML-N leader Javed Latif claimed that Nawaz Sharif will come back to Pakistan within the year, but that return didn’t work out.
Latif, a PML-N MNA, was talking to media after visiting NAB’s Joint Investigation Team for a graft inquiry.
On November 12, 2022, a PML-N party insider expressed confidence that Sharif will be back in Pakistan next month in December, but that didn’t happen either.
Once again, on August 15, 2022, Javed Latif claimed that Nawaz Sharif will come back to Pakistan in September, as doctors had allowed him to travel.
“The doctors change their opinion with time. The people are his doctors; the nation has announced its decision that Nawaz Sharif should come back,” Latif added.
In June 2023, one of the well-informed sources within PML-N also claimed that Nawaz Sharif will come back to Pakistan next month, in July 2023.
The former prime minister and PML-N president, Shehbaz Sharif, has confirmed multiple times in the last few months that Nawaz Sharif is coming back on October 21, 2023.
The PML-N supremo left London for Saudi Arabia on October 11 and performed Umrah there. Nawaz Sharif is currently in Dubai and will land in Pakistan on October 21.
Meanwhile, the IHC has approved Nawaz Sharif’s plea on Thursday, providing him with bail in the Avenfield and Al-Azizia cases until October 24.
As the tide turns with more activists and public figures taking to social media and the streets to condemn Israel’s barbaric genocide inflicted upon Palestinians, several A-list celebrities have joined in to condemn the war in Gaza.
Actor Mark Ruffalo shared a link to a Huffpost article on the 10000 Jewish activists who stormed a congressional office building, and re shared a quote given by prominent Palestinian supporter and Jewish professor Naomi Klein:
“Since we were children, so many of us have told ourselves that we would not stand by if we were ever witnesses to genocidal violence,” Naomi Klein said. “We told ourselves that we would raise our voices. We told ourselves we would put our bodies on the line. We pledged that such horrors would never again happen on our watch.”
Ruffalo, Marvel’s Hulk, has been a vocal proponent of the Palestinian cause.
“Since we were children, so many of us have told ourselves that we would not stand by if we were ever witnesses to genocidal violence,” Naomi Klein said. “We told ourselves that we would raise our voices. We told ourselves we would put our bodies on the line. We pledged that such…
Jenna Ortega, who is the star behind Netflix’s critically acclaimed series ‘Wednesday’ has remained a staunch supporter towards creating a free state for the Palestinians. She re-shared a post calling for an end to the ongoing genocide by a page called Jewish Voice For Peace.
She then shared a post by a Jewish American poet and activist Andrea Gibson who wrote a detailed account of how US plays an active role in the on-going genocide of the Palestinians.
Aimee Lou Wood, the actress from Netflix’s popular series ‘Sex Education’ shared a series of posts spreading awareness about the on-going genocide in Palestine, and shared links to the UN Relief Agency collecting funds to provide humanitarian relief to those suffering.
Rapper Macklemore shared a lengthy statement on his Instagram account where he called for a Free Palestine and an end to the genocide of all its people.
Javeria Siddique, the wife of Pakistani journalist and anchor Arshad Sharif who was killed in Kenya in 2022, has filed a petition in the Nairobi High Court on Thursday against the Kenyan police officials named in her husband’s murder case.
Arshad Sharif was killed in Kenya on October 23 last year. The Kenyan police admitted at the time that Arshad’s car came under fire due to ‘mistaken identification’.
After arresting the policemen involved in the incident, recent media reports have told of their reinstatement.
Javeria has approached the court in Nairobi following this news, confirming in a conversation with Independent Urdu that an application has been filed in the High Court.
According to Javeria: “GSU (Journal Service Unit) has been made a party to the petition filed. His accomplices include five police officers who were named in the murder case.
In addition, the Attorney General of Kenya, the Director of Public Prosecutions, the IG National Police Service, the Independent Police and the National Police Service Commission have been made parties.”
She further stated that she is the petitioner herself and is accompanied by the Kenya Union of Journalists, Kenya Correspondence Association. Apart from this, four international organisations, ICFJ, IWMF, Media Defense and Women Journalism are also included which will provide all kinds of support.
She said that she got the idea of filing the application in Kenya because there has been no progress in the case in Pakistan.
“No one has been arrested or punished in Kenya. When a nuclear state will not make any effort for any of its individuals, individual efforts have to be made,” she stated.
“Individually, I have hired a lawyer to file the application because practising law in another country is difficult”, she added.
Javeria Siddique also said that filing the application in Kenya was difficult and that no help was granted from Arshad’s friends except from international organisations, adding that there has been no progress in the case in the Supreme Court in Pakistan for two months because “the government had no intention to do so”.
Former prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) head Nawaz Sharif has arrived in Dubai on Thursday ahead of his much-anticipated return to Pakistan.
After four years of self-exile in London, the former three-time prime minister is scheduled to come back to Pakistan on Saturday, October 21, even though he has been sentenced to prison.
He arrived a few hours late due to an important meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, as reported by Geo News. Upon his arrival at the Dubai airport, he received “special protocol”.
Nawaz is scheduled to have meetings with a specific set of individuals while staying in Dubai for two days. He will for Pakistan on Saturday morning, initially heading to Islamabad and then continuing on to Lahore.
Nawaz is set to return to Pakistan on a chartered plane, with approximately 150 individuals, including journalists, politicians, and activists, who have booked tickets to accompany him on his journey.
The three-time premier went to London on November 19, 2019, when he fell critically ill in prison.
The Greek Orthodox Saint Porphyrius Church, a shelter for several Palestinian families in Gaza, was struck by Israeli bombing on Thursday night.
Muslims and Christians, together, were seeking refuge under its roof however, Israel military targeted the Church killing and injuring dozens.
According to Gaza’s Hamas-run government media office, 18 Christian Palestinians were among the killed.
The Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem has conveyed its “strongest condemnation” of the attack, saying that “targeting churches and their institutions, along with the shelters they provide to protect innocent citizens, especially children and women who have lost their homes due to Israeli air strikes on residential areas over the past 13 days, constitutes a war crime”.
A Palestinian Christians shout out to world.”where should we go? They bombed my house, my church, no where left to go!”. Two killed and tens injured at the Greek Orthodox Church in central Gaza, where civilians,Muslims and Christians, were taking shelter. pic.twitter.com/WnlFVsqZFF
Israel just bombed the 3rd oldest church in the world murdering a few more scores of Palestinians. For those of you still in denial of a genocide, we have community members with 30-40 relatives wiped out in Gaza. It’s not just Muslims, it’s everything and everyone Palestinian. pic.twitter.com/W0YEAekY7P
At the site of Greek Orthodox Saint Porphyrius Church, a church was built back in 425 AD but in 1150s or 1160s, the Crusaders named it Saint Porphyrius Church after a bishop renowned for introducing Christianity to Gaza in 395 to 420 AD.
The ancient Saint Porphyrius Orthodox Church in Gaza, a significant historical site dating back to 425 AD, has reportedly been struck by Israeli airstrikes. The church bears the name of Saint Porphyrius, the bishop renowned for introducing Christianity to Gaza during his tenure… pic.twitter.com/5aL14EQnYK
— Jehad Abusalim جهاد أبو سليم (@JehadAbusalim) October 19, 2023
The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) reported a notable weekly surge in foreign exchange reserves, with an increase of $67 million, reaching $7.7 billion as of October 13, as per the latest data release on Thursday.
In total, the nation’s readily available foreign reserves amounted to $12.9 billion, with commercial banks holding $5.2 billion in net foreign reserves. The central bank did not provide a specific explanation for this increase.
During the week concluding on October 13, 2023, the SBP’s reserves climbed by $67 million, reaching a total of $7,714.0 million, according to the SBP’s statement. This follows a previous week’s increase of $31 million.
Notably, in July of this year, the central bank’s reserves received a significant boost when Pakistan received an initial disbursement of approximately $1.2 billion from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), following the approval of a new $3-billion stand-by arrangement. Additionally, inflows from Saudi Arabia and the UAE contributed to this increase.
Nevertheless, the central bank’s reserves have faced pressure due to ongoing debt repayments, increased import expenditures following the easing of restrictions, and a lack of fresh inflows.
British prime minister Rishi Sunak landed in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Thursday morning to meet his counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu and President Herzog.
During his meeting with Herzog, he said that it is vital to provide humanitarian aid to Gaza, stating, “Palestinians are victims of what Hamas has done. It’s important that we continue to provide humanitarian access,”
He, nonetheless, stressed on his full support to Israel to “defend” itself, “to bring security back” in the country to its people, and “to ensure the safe return of the hostages that have been taken”.
The United Nations has reported that one million people have fled their homes in Gaza, including about 352,000 people who are currently residing in UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.
The conditions of these shelters are described as “increasingly dire“.
121 people killed since yesterday
Al Jazeera spoke to a medical source who reported that 121 had been killed and 540 injured in the Gaza Strip since last night.
Additionally, WAFA has reported that a Palestinian man has been killed by Israeli forces while a child was killed in a refugee camp — both in the occupied West Bank .
The child was reportedly 14-year-old Ahmed Munis Sadouq who was shot in the head.
Others have been injured.
Gaza’s only cancer hospital closed
Al Jazeera reports that Dr Sukeyk, the director of the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital, has issued an alert that the fuel required to keep essential services running is extremely low and so are the medicines needed during chemotherapy treatment for cancer patients.
There are reportedly more than 9,000 cancer patients in the Gaza Strip with no other hospital to go to.
Doctors using vinegar to treat wound infections
Surgeon Ghassan Abu Sitta says he has resorted to using “vinegar from the corner shop to treat pseudomonas bacterial wound infections.”
“It’s come to that,” he said on X.
Vinegar from the corner shop to treat pseuodomonas bacterial wound infections. Its come to that. pic.twitter.com/mEE4haHMyj
The Israeli army has claimed to have targeted and destroyed hundreds of Hamas’s points in Gaza including anti-tank missile launch sites, tunnel shafts intelligence positions, and more.
They have reportedly also killed the fighters involved in October 7 attacks.
Hamas’s armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, confirmed the killings of three of its fighters on Wednesday.
US vetoes UNSC resolution calling for humanitarian halt
US President Biden has announced a pact with Egypt’s el-Sisi which will allow 20 trucks of humanitarian aid into Gaza through the Rafah border crossing.
Earlier, on Wednesday, US vetoed a UN Security Council resolution that, while condemning Hamas’s attack on Israel, called for a pause in the Israel-Palestine escalation and allow aid into Gaza.
The US was the only opponent in the resolution amongst the 12 members who voted in favour whereas Russia and the UK abstained.
US reasoning was that the Brazil-drafted text did not assert enough on Israel’s right to self-defence.
Israel police boss threatens to send anti-war protesters to Gaza
While people across the globe protest against Israeli atrocities in Gaza, some Israelis too, have taken to streets of Haifa to hold pro-Palestine demonstration.
Israel’s police chief responded by saying that there will be “zero tolerance” for pro-Palestinian protests in Israel and threatened the protesters with sending them to Gaza.
Six people have been reportedly arrested
“Whoever wants to become an Israeli citizen, welcome,” Shabtai said. “Anyone who wants to identify with Gaza is welcome. I will put him on the buses heading there now.”
— NEW: Israeli Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai banned pro-Gaza demonstrations: “Whoever wants to be a citizen of Israel, is welcome. Anyone who wants to identify with Gaza, we will put him on the buses heading there now.”
A left-wing Israeli parliament member, Ofer Cassif has been suspended for 45 daya by the ethics panel of the Israeli parliament whose statements were deemed as anti-Israel.
In an interview, he compared Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s actions in Gaza to the Nazis’ ‘Final Solution’ against Jews in Europe.
Referring to the Hamas attack he claimed that “Israel wanted this violence”.
Cassif called the suspension “another nail in the coffin of freedom of political expression”.
1> החלטת ועדת האתיקה היא עוד מסמר בארון הקבורה של חופש הביטוי הפוליטי.
בכל אחד מראיונותיי הדגשתי את הגינוי המלא וסלידתי העמוקה ממעשי הטבח הנפשעים של חמאס. אמירותי הפוליטיות נגד הכיבוש והמלחמה אינן אמירות נגד ישראל, שכן שלום וצדק משרתות גם אותה ואת תושביה. pic.twitter.com/ilsKBSbwG3
British prime minister Rishi Sunak landed in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Thursday morning to meet his counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu and President Herzog.
He wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “I am in Israel, a nation in grief. I grieve with you and stand with you against the evil that is terrorism. Today, and always.”
I am in Israel, a nation in grief.
I grieve with you and stand with you against the evil that is terrorism.
During his meeting with Herzog, he said that it is vital to provide humanitarian aid to Gaza, stating, “Palestinians are victims of what Hamas has done. It’s important that we continue to provide humanitarian access,”
He, nonetheless, stressed on his full support to Israel to “defend” itself, “to bring security back” in the country to its people, and “to ensure the safe return of the hostages that have been taken”.
As per reports of the meeting by Al Jazeera, “The Prime Minister and President Herzog stressed the imperative need to avoid further escalation of violence in the region. They agreed to continue working together to that end.”
Later, PM Netanyahu, during his meeting with his British counterpart, said Hamas’ attack on October 7 was carried out to “destroy Israel’s regional peace moves in the region”.
PM Sunak stated that the UK will provide increased aid to the region.
“I’m proud to stand here with you in Israel’s darkest hour. As your friend, we will stand with you in solidarity, we will stand with your people, and we also want you to win,” Sunak said.
In a short press conference, PM Netanyahu said, “This is not merely our battle, it’s the battle of the entire civilised war, the battle of Israel, the battle of moderate Arab countries, the battle of the free world, the battle for the future,
“We have two forces – one is an axis of evil run by Iran and supported by Hezbollah, Hamas and others that want to bring back the Middle East to the Middle Ages … to the age of war and slavery.
“The other forces [are those] of progress and humanity who want to push for a world of peace and prosperity.”
PM Rishi Sunak will depart for Saudi Arabia today to meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
