Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has refused to negotiate with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) after Imran Khan constituted a committee to hold dialogue with the government. The PM, in a tweet referred to the events of May 9, stating that ‘anarchists and arsonists’ who attack state symbols do not qualify for dialogue.
“Dialogue is deeply embedded in the political process, which helps democracy mature & evolve. Many political & constitutional breakthroughs occurred when political leaders sat across the table to craft a consensus,” he tweeted. “However, there is a major difference here, the anarchists & arsonists who wear the garb of politicians and attack the symbols of the State do not qualify for a dialogue. They should rather be held to account for their militant actions. This is the prevalent practice even in developed democracies,” the tweet added.
Dialogue is deeply embedded in the political process, which helps democracy mature & evolve. Many political & constitutional breakthroughs occured when political leaders sat across the table to craft a consensus.
However, there is a major difference here, the anarchists &…
Finance Minister Ishaq Dar on Sunday, while talking about the possibility of negotiating with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), said that negotiations with Imran Khan can be held if he took “corrective measures: apologises to the nation, admits his mistake and promises not to do anything like May 9 in the future.”
Imran Khan on May 27 constituted a seven-member negotiation committee for talks with the incumbent government over elections.
Its been 26 years since Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan passed away, leaving the country in such deep mourning that it hasn’t ended yet.
And though his nephew Rahat Fateh Ali Khan became a star in his own right, the Nusrat sized hole in our souls remained hollow.
Until now.
A viral video showing Rahat’s son Shahzaman, has taken social media by storm, astonishing users because of how similar the son sounds to the original maestro, Nusrat.
A twitter user Dan Qayyum, shared the video, shot at a concert in the USA.
Maybe I’m getting overly excited but Rahat Fateh Ali Khan’s son sounds like a very young Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, the OG!
Soon fans of the Qawalli singer from both Pakistan and India showered praises on young Shahnazam’s talent, proving that by the end of the day music does truly transcend borders!
Nusrat saab was another league but still I would say that he is carrying forward the legacy !! https://t.co/sZVRkIeWJ9
Shahnazam does not have an official Instagram account, but many users have spotted him in concert rehersals with his father, where he once even wrote a caption:
What a great dad he is! Lets me occupy his seat as he takes mine. Knowing that i still have to earn this seat but still how willingly he wants to see me on this seat. How blessed I am to have a father & an Ustad like my dad❤️ – Shahzaman Ali Khan ”
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has decided to not presnet himself before a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) probing the attack on Lahore Corps Commander House (Jinnah House) on May 9.
Media reports have said that the former Prime Minister made the decision after consulting his lawyers.
Instead of the PTI chairman, his lawyers Naeem Panjotha and Ali Ijaz Buttar will appear before the JIT.
Imran Khan had been called to appear before the JIT at the police station in Qilla Gujjar at 4pm today.
“Imran Khan is required to attend the office of the DIG Investigation to join the investigation proceedings entrusted to the JTI formed by the Punjab government,” read the summon notice issued by Lahore DIG (investigation) Kamran Adil, who is heading the JIT.
The Punjab Home Department created the JIT on May 27.
Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Monday paid tribute to United Nation (UN) peacekeeping forces. “On the occasion of International Day of UN Peacekeepers, we pay tribute to the 75 years long history of UN Peacekeeping. As a top troop contributor since 1960, over 200,000 Pakistani men & women have served with valour in 46 UN Peacekeeping Missions in all parts of the world 168 of our bravest have sacrificed their lives in this noble cause,” Bilawal wrote in his tweet.
“Over 4,300 peacekeepers including female officers are serving with distinction under UN flag today. We reaffirm our commitment to ensuring that peacekeeping remains an effective mechanism for int’l peace & security,” the foreign minister added.
168 of our bravest have sacrificed their lives in this noble cause. Over 4,300 peacekeepers incl female officers are serving with distinction under UN flag today. We reaffirm our commitment to ensuring that peacekeeping remains an effective mechanism for int’l peace &…
— BilawalBhuttoZardari (@BBhuttoZardari) May 29, 2023
The International Day of UN Peacekeepers is being observed today to highlight the role of the force in world peace.
Over the past 75 years, United Nations Peacekeepers have saved countless precious lives for global peace and security.
This day commemorates the efforts of the United Nations to eliminate human suffering, establish a situation of lasting peace and order in countries with wars and internal conflicts.
Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial on Monday postponed the hearing of the Election Commission of Pakistan’s petition asking the top court to reconsider its April 4 order of holding elections for Punjab Assembly on May 14.
A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, comprising of Justice Ijaz Ul Ahsan and Justice Munib Akhtar, heard the case.
The hearing was adjourned after Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor Usman Awan informed the court that the law amending the Supreme Court Rules has come into effect and was signed by the President. As per the law, judicial decisions made under Article 184 III of the Constitution can now be appealed.
“Judgments and orders made prior to commencement of this Act. The right to file a review petition shall also be available to an aggrieved person against whom an order has been made under clause (3) of Article 184 of Constitution, prior to commencement of this Act.”
“Judgments and orders made prior to commencement of this Act. The right to file a review petition shall also be available to an aggrieved person against whom an order has been made under clause (3) of Article 184 of Constitution, prior to commencement of this Act”,says new law. pic.twitter.com/J0VTnUUgFB
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif and Jahangir Tareen can now file new review petitions on their disqualifications within 60 days.
The bill becoming law after the President signed it has taken the legal fraternity and media by surprise.
The Chief justice termed the development as 'interesting'.
Finance Minister Ishaq Dar appeared on Geo News programme Jirga on Sunday where he discussed politics and the economy.
While talking about the possibility of negotiating with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Dar said that negotiations with Imran Khan can be held if he took “corrective measures: apologises to the nation, admits his mistake and promises not to do anything like May 9 in the future.”
The minister claimed that before May 9, when violent protests broke out, the government had “sincere intentions” when it talked with PTI, with the two parties reaching an agreement on all issues other than the election date.
Separately, Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique said that there is no space for negotiations with PTI in current circumstances.
“There used to be an environment and agenda for holding parleys on any issue. But the existing atmosphere is not suitable for talks,” he said while talking to reporters in Lahore. Imran Khan on May 27 constituted a seven-member negotiation committee for talks with the incumbent government over elections.
The Government of Punjab has responded to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan’s allegation of female supporters of his party being harassed in jails.
“It’s not a surprise that one political party is spreading baseless lies about mistreatment of women in custody for attacks on public/military buildings,” a tweet from the official Twitter account of Punjab Govt read.
“Everyone in Punjab jails is being dealt with under relevant laws and the public should NOT believe in these lies. Law-enforcing agencies are making sure that all culprits of May 9 attacks are captured and tried as per applicable laws. No one should pay heed to yet another misinformation campaign by a political party.”
It’s not a surprise that one political party is spreading baseless lies about mistreatment of women in custody for attacks on public/military buildings. Everyone in Punjab jails is being dealt under relevant laws and public should NOT believe in these lies. Law-enforcing agencies…
— Government of Punjab (@GovtofPunjabPK) May 28, 2023
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman Imran Khan, in a address to the nation on Sunday, claimed that he has received reports that women belonging to his party are being harassed in jails.
He requested the judiciary to take suo motu action against the arrests. While talking about the people leaving his party, Imran said that those quitting the party had been threatened and pressurised to do so.
A backstage video filmed at the Texpo Fashion Week, showing an alleged altercation between models Hasnain Lehri and Nimra Jacob has gone viral on social media.
According to sources, female model Nimra Jacob had been assaulted by Lehri, after which she can be seen demanding from show organisers to take models’ safety seriously. At one point in the video, Lehri is seen being restrained by a few men present backstage.
Pakistan’s top most fashion models Hasnain Lehri and Nimra Jacob involved in a clash following Texpo Fashion Show in Karachi. According to the eye witnesses, Lehri took Jacob’s mobile for allegedly filming him at the backstage and Jacob accused Lehri for raising a hand on her.… pic.twitter.com/HiRRM8I66C
— Times of Karachi (@TOKCityOfLights) May 27, 2023
Since the video went viral, Jacob has addressed the incident on Instagram, demanding better treatment for models working in the fashion industry:
“You cannot mistreat me. You can’t bully me. And you surely will not put your hands on me without consequences. We, in the fashion industry, have seen too much abuse, disrespect, and complete, utter negligence for our safety to tolerate it anymore. I have no space in my heart for forgiveness when it comes to abuse, harassment, bullying, assault, etc. Without any plausible cause, threats were made at me. I was verbally abused, and physically assaulted. My property was taken and used to blackmail me. My female colleagues were harmed in the process of trying to protect me.
“This all happened at work,” the super model continued. “Where I made sure to bring it to the attention of the management that I was being threatened by the perpetuator before he even became violent. The management should have taken action the first time I mentioned concern for my safety. I’m lucky there were eye witnesses to this man’s horrific actions, there were people who witnesses it all. As traumatized as I am, I’m not standing alone.”
“I refuse to let anyone abuse, threaten, intimidate, or belittle my colleagues or myself in any way.
“Today I stand to let you know that I will call out these abusers, harassers, bullies for exactly who/what they are. Every single one of them. If we want the industry to be a safe space, we need to collectively take a stand and check disrespect at the door. We need to demand accountability for those who are supposed to ensure our safety at work. And demand zero tolerance for the perpetuators involved in spewing such violence and aggression at the workplace. I’m done with this toxic, abusive culture. No more! Enough is enough!”
Soon other notable fashion figures like designer Kamiar Rokni condemned the incident as well as toxic male behavior on his Instagram account, stating that he was standing in solidarity with female models:
“Toxic male behaviour needs to be addressed in the fashion industry. Violence against girls backstage at a fashion show is a new low. This cannot be allowed to happen again it is up to us to come together and make this a safe space for our girls. Our models are an invaluable part of our industry and we can’t stand around while they are abused.”
Model Fatima Ahsan, who was also spotted in the viral video, took to Instagram to address the incident, and demanded that show organizers and sponsors make safer environments for their models:
“So everyone’s been seeing videos from the show backstage and sending them to me, asking if I’m okay, thank you so much for your love and concern. I am fine. The incident took place with another model and could’ve happened to anyone. Luckily it didn’t escalate. But we live in a fragile country and today’s incident just reinforces how no one takes the woman’s side. We weren’t secure in the environment. And the men (except for 1 or 2), they either stood and watched or tried to brush our concerns under the table and get the women to retract. Later they said let them deal with it themselves, let’s leave. Yes, let’s leave the women by themselves in an already unsafe environment. No one in charge – none of the organisers – nobody took responsibility it was only the female models that came together and took a stand.
To all the men, show organisers, and everyone innvolved. Do better. You just walked away from injustice and we’ll remember that.”
Model Zara Peerzada called out the organisers who hire toxic men for their shows, and asked designers to stop being complicit:
“Stop hiring violent males to walk your shows, be in your shoots. It’s not complicated. How about when you see abuse taking place you address and intervene? It’s not complicated. Stop doing empowerment campaigns for women to sell your clothes when you don’t have an ounce of respect for them or their safety. It’s not complicated. This is not an isolated incident.”
Visual artist and designer Rehan Bashir called this a case that showed how “standards within the industry keep plummenting towards abysmal depths”, and expressed solidarity with female models
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has nominated a total of seven people from his party for holding negotiations with the incumbent government.
The team includes the party’s Senior Vice President Shah Mahmood Qureshi, former federal minister Hammad Azhar, former National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser, Murad Saeed and others.
According to PTI, the team will discuss the matter of elections with the government.
After the recent string of PTI leaders leaving the party, Khan expressed willingness to negotiate with “anyone who is in power”.
However, the government does not seem willing to hold talks with the embattled PTI.
Before the May 9 riots, several rounds of talks took place between PTI and the government to decide on the matter of elections but no fruitful result came out.
‘It is an appeal for NRO, not dialogue’: Govt doesn’t want to hold talks with Imran
Earlier, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb clearly stated that no talks Khan will take place.
Stating that those who attacked the state must be punished, she said that talks aren’t held with such people. “It is an appeal for NRO, not dialogue”, the minister said.
Pointing out that Imran had realised the importance of talks only after his party had been shattered, she said, “Now you are saying that you want to hold talks after torching schools, hospitals and ambulances?”
She also accused Imran of poisoning the minds of youth by spreading chaos in the country.
