Category: Uncategorized

  • ‘I was forced into politics at a young age, I did not choose it’: Bilawal to CNN

    ‘I was forced into politics at a young age, I did not choose it’: Bilawal to CNN

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said on Wednesday that he was forced into politics at a young age. “I didn’t choose this life, it chose me,” said Bilawal in interview with CNN’s Becky Anderson.

    When Anderson posed a question regarding dynastic politics, Bilawal said,” Absolutely, dynasties exist and it would be unfair to criticise the former Secretary of State and presidential candidate Hilary Clinton for being involved in politics because her husband was involved in politics, etc. You can criticise nepotism and dynastic politics as much as you want but whoever the people of Pakistan decide, that should matter by the end of the day.”

    “As far as myself is concerned, my grandfather was hanged by a military dictator, my mother was assassinated by terrorists and I was forced into Pakistani politics at a young age. I did not choose this life, it chose me,” he added.

    Answering a question about being the foreign minister under a PM that is not from his own party, Bilawal said that it would be difficult for the party to stomach, being the second-largest member of the coalition. “However, we do have to work together to address Pakistan’s problems.

    Talking about former Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s demand for early elections, Bilawal said: “We absolutely want free and fair elections but in order for them to take place, we must legislate when it comes to the electoral reforms. As everybody knows, the 2018 elections that Khan used to come to power have been widely seen and condemned not only nationally but internationally as rigged and compromised elections that resulted in three years of an autocratic dictatorial rule through the office of Imran Khan. He not only robbed our media of media freedoms but robbed average Pakistanis of their democratic rights that they just recently started to enjoy.”

    “It is a big victory for democracy that we are moving towards electoral reforms and free and fair elections. We are not a selected government like Mr Khan’s but a government that is truly representative of the people of Pakistan and can decide their fate.”

  • ‘Pakistan’s nuclear programme in the hands of ‘thieves’, Khan questions institutions about safety of nukes

    ‘Pakistan’s nuclear programme in the hands of ‘thieves’, Khan questions institutions about safety of nukes

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Wednesday asked the institutions if ‘thieves’, who have come into power through a ‘foreign conspiracy’ and are ‘slaves’, can protect Pakistan’s nuclear programme. He was addressing a rally in Peshawar.

    In his first public address since losing his government, Khan directly addressed the judiciary and asked: “My dear judges, my judiciary, I have spent time in jail because of your freedom because I dream that one day the judiciary would stand with the weak people of the society, and not the powerful. I ask the judiciary that when you opened the court in the dead of night … this nation has known me for 45 years. Have I ever broken the law? When I played cricket, did anyone ever accuse me of match-fixing?”

    “During my 25 years of politics, I have never provoked the public against state institutions or the judiciary because my life and death are in Pakistan. I ask you, what crime had I exactly committed that you opened up the courts at midnight?” questioned Khan.

    “I will live and die for Pakistan.”

    The PTI chairman also warned that he was not that dangerous while he was part of the government, but now that he has been ousted, he will become “more dangerous” for the Opposition.

    “We will not accept an imported government and people have shown what they want by holding demonstrations against the move,” he said.

    “Shehbaz Sharif is out on bail, his son is out on bail, Nawaz Sharif is a convict, and his son is an absconder in London and the same is the case with his sons, daughter, and son-in-law.”

    “America has insulted Pakistan by imposing these bandits on us; Shehbaz Sharif is facing corruption charges of Rs40 billion,” Khan added. “Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was sacked through a conspiracy by the USA, but this is not the Pakistan of 1970. This is the new Pakistan.”

    “My youth, get ready, I will be out on the streets with you in every city until we do not force them to hold elections,” he said, adding, “Today marks the beginning of the struggle to find actual freedom.”

  • Boris Johnson ‘looking forward to working with’ Shehbaz-led govt

    Boris Johnson ‘looking forward to working with’ Shehbaz-led govt

    British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday felicitated Shehbaz Sharif on becoming the prime minister of Pakistan.

    “Congratulations to Shehbaz Sharif on his election as Prime Minister of Pakistan,” the British PM tweeted.

    It is noteworthy that Russia, China, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and several other countries have extended felicitation to Shehbaz Sharif on his election as the new prime minister of Pakistan.

    Beijing in a statement said that it was looking forward to working with him to continue the traditional friendship, deepen all-round cooperation and advance a high-quality building of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to build a closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future in new era.

  • ‘Hamza is like my brother’, Aleem Khan dispels rumours of differences with him

    ‘Hamza is like my brother’, Aleem Khan dispels rumours of differences with him

    The member of disgruntled Jahangir Khan Tareen (JKT) group Aleem Khan dismissed the reports about any differences with Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) nominee for Chief Minister (CM) Punjab Hamza Shehbaz Sharif, saying: “Hamza is like my younger brother.”

    In a tweet, Khan took a jibe at Hamza’s contender Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) Pervaiz Elahi and said, “Elahi is seeing his defeat. He has come to know that defeat has become his destiny. I have a very lovable and respect relation with Hamza. He is like my younger brother. Nothing has happened and will never happen.”

    “Pervaiz Elahi should admit his defeat. Come to the polls. There will be no need for them to do such things,” Khan added.

    Following this, Hamza also dropped a tweet. He said, “The lies which have been propagated against me and Aleem Khan are baseless and a product of someone’s imagination. Khan is a respected brother and a senior politician. Seeing a clear defeat in Punjab, such a bay is being flown.”

    Earlier, it was claimed that Khan is involved in an altercation with Hamza and he had threatened to resign from his seat.

    The Punjab Assembly’s crucial session for the election of a new CM is likely to take place on April 16. PML-N has claimed of having the support of 202 Members of the Provincial Assembly (MPA) in the house.

  • ‘The light that will always shine’: Mashal Khan being remembered on 5th death anniversary

    ‘The light that will always shine’: Mashal Khan being remembered on 5th death anniversary

    Social media is remembering Mashal Khan on his fifth death anniversary. He was lynched to death on charges of blasphemy.

    Mashal Khan, a 23-year-old student of the Department of Mass Communication at Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan, was lynched by a mob and shot over allegations of blasphemy on April 13, 2017.

    In June 2017, a 13-member joint investigation team concluded that the allegations of blasphemy against Mashal Khan were unfounded and were used as a pretext to incite a mob against him.

    Have a look at the tributes:

  • Case of the 18 crore necklace: Could Khan and Zulfi be in trouble?

    Case of the 18 crore necklace: Could Khan and Zulfi be in trouble?

    The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has started investigation into the sale of an expensive state gift “necklace” the former Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan received during his tenure.

    According to a report by 24 News, the necklace was gifted to Imran Khan during a visit to Saudi Arabia, but it was never sent to Tosha-khana (state gift repository). Rather, it was given to former special assistant Zulfi Bukhari, who sold it to a jeweller in Lahore for Rs180 million (Rs18 crore) ,” the report claimed.

    Reacting to the news, Bukhari denied the allegation and termed them lies. In a tweet, he said, “No necklace given or ever sold by me. Low blow attempt to discredit PM by a B grade media house. Surely you can do better than that 24 News.”

    The report, however, claimed that a small amount of money “few lac rupees” were submitted in the Tosha-khana record by the then government merely as an eye-wash.

    It is pertinent to mention that as per the law, state officials are required to submit the gifts they receive from dignitaries during official visit and submit these gifts in the state gift repository. The law makes the submission of officials gift or at least half of the amount of the gift worth mandatory.

    Last year, the Khan-led government denied giving out information about the exchange of gifts between Khan and other heads of state. The government said that some countries do not like disclosing their gifts so they are marked ‘classified’.

  • Islamabad Traffic Police to take strict action against motorists using HIDs, LEDs

    Islamabad Traffic Police to take strict action against motorists using HIDs, LEDs

    The Islamabad Traffic Police (ITP) has once again decided to take stern action against motorists who use High-Intensity Discharge (HID) and Light-Emitting Diodes (LED) while driving.

    As per the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Traffic, Rai Mazhar Iqbal, the decision was taken on the orders of IGP (Islamabad) Muhammad Ahsan Younis to provide a safe driving environment in the federal capital and reduce accidents.

    Special squads have been formed to monitor motorists’ use of LED and HID lights. Police pickets will be set up along major thoroughfares such as the Expressway, Srinagar highway (Kashmir Highway), Margalla Road, IJP Road, Murree Road, 7th Avenue, and 9th Avenue.

    This campaign will be led by night shift in-charges to prevent the use of high beam lights and LED/HID lights, while an education wing will inform the public about the dangers of using these lights.

    Read more: Lahore Police arrested 648 dacoits, recovering more than Rs27 crore in three months

    Special broadcasts on ITP’s dedicated FM Radio 92.4 will also educate drivers about the dangers of utilising these lights. The SSP Traffic has urged citizens to help Islamabad police to ensure a safe road environment.

  • Shehbaz reaches office at 7am, announces only one holiday a week, on his first day as PM

    Shehbaz reaches office at 7am, announces only one holiday a week, on his first day as PM

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif arrived at the PM Office at 7am on Tuesday, created fear among the staff present at the PM House.

    PM Sharif has also abolished two weekly offs for government officers, reports Geo News. The government offices will be open six days a week under the new schedule, with only one official weekly holiday on Sunday. As per the new timings, the work at the government offices will start at 8am.

    The joint Opposition’s candidate Shehbaz Sharif was elected as the 23rd Prime Minister of Pakistan, after former Prime Minister Imran Khan was voted out of office through a no-confidence motion on Saturday, April 9.

    Read more- Shehbaz Sharif – the 23rd Prime Minister of Pakistan

    Shehbaz bagged a total of 174 votes as opposed to PTI’s candidate Shah Mahmood Qureshi. Qureshi received no votes after his party decided to boycott the polling process.

  • Shehbaz Sharif’s election as Prime Minister sparks meme fest

    Shehbaz Sharif’s election as Prime Minister sparks meme fest

    The Joint Opposition’s candidate Shehbaz Sharif was elected as the 23rd Prime Minister of Pakistan, after the former Prime Minister Imran Khan was voted out of office through a no-confidence motion on Saturday, April 9.

    Shehbaz bagged a total of 174 votes as opposed to PTI’s candidate Shah Mahmood Qureshi. Qureshi received no votes after his party decided to boycott the polling process.

    Shehbaz bagged a total of 174 votes as opposed to PTI’s candidate Shah Mahmood Qureshi. Qureshi received no votes after his party decided to boycott the polling process.

    Shehbaz Sharif’s election has sparked a meme fest on Twitter, have a look:

  • ‘Adalat se zamanat par sarkari naukari nahi milti but Prime Minister ban saktay’: Hina Bayat grills Shahbaz with sarcasm

    ‘Adalat se zamanat par sarkari naukari nahi milti but Prime Minister ban saktay’: Hina Bayat grills Shahbaz with sarcasm

    Senior actor Hina Khawaja Bayat has shared a sarcastic take on Shahbaz Sharif’s political victory after Imran Khan’s ouster.

    She slammed the judicial system of the country in her post.

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is WhatsApp-Image-2022-04-12-at-7.42.50-AM.jpeg

    Last month the Sanam star trended on social media platforms for making a video on PML-N vice president Maryam Nawaz after the latter went viral for claiming the country is about to land back in ‘Purana Pakistan’.

    'Muin me khaak': Hina Bayat grills Maryam Nawaz for her recent statement about 'Purana Pakistan'
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfriGUhx3-Q

    “Main ne aj tak kabhi nahi chaha ke main kisi ke baray men, ya kisi ke liye, koi sakht alfaz istemal karun. Lekin Maryam Nawaz sahiba, apne mujhe majboor kardiya hai ye kehne pe ke apke mun men khaak (I have never wished to use harsh words against or about anyone but madam Maryam Nawaz, you have left me with no choice but to say, may your wishes never come to pass!” she stated in the video.