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  • ‘Chaos’: Indian media coverage of Pakistan’s constitutional crisis

    ‘Chaos’: Indian media coverage of Pakistan’s constitutional crisis

    The current political situation of the country is changing very rapidly after the dismissal of the no-confidence motion in the National Assembly session, Prime Minister Imran Khan’s advice to President Dr Arif Alvi to dissolve the assemblies and the subsequent dissolution of the National Assembly by President Alvi.

    The Indian media has also been covering the political situation in Pakistan.

    NDTV referred to Imran Khan’s advice to President Dr Arif Alvi to dissolve the assemblies as a “Googly”.

    Another story by NDTV said, “Opposition Says Government Violated Constitution.”

    Times Now shared a clip from their show in which a PPP member is saying, “‘Foreign hand’ conspiracy claim by the PTI is a lie.”

    Have a look at the coverage:

  • ‘IK ran way from the field’, Twitter reacts to dismissal of no-confidence motion against PM Khan

    ‘IK ran way from the field’, Twitter reacts to dismissal of no-confidence motion against PM Khan

    In a very unforeseen move, Deputy Speaker of National Assembly (NA) Qasim Suri ruled that the no-trust motion against Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan is unconstitutional and cannot be voted upon.

    Later, the premier addressed the nation and announced the decision to dismiss NA. Shortly after this, under Article 58 of the constitution, President Arif Alvi officially dismissed the Assembly.

    Now that the situation has become more complicated, some people have praised the govt.

    While some terms it’s “unconstitutional”.

  • ‘There’s no place for me in the entertainment industry’: Anwar Maqsood expresses disappointment

    ‘There’s no place for me in the entertainment industry’: Anwar Maqsood expresses disappointment

    Legendary scriptwriter Anwar Maqsood who is famous for his cult projects like Fifty Fifty and Aangan Terha has expressed his dissapointment on the current content and scripts of drama seriels. He also cited it as a reason for not working actively in the entertainment industry.

    The veteran writer stated that, “I have stepped back [from writing] because what is happening on the television in the recent times, there is no place for me. Now that the rating has occupied a decisive place, the directors or producers have been left behind in every respect. The marketing department decides which actors are needed and which are not”.

    The industry veteran believes current television content is influenced by Indian soap operas, “When Indian dramas paved their way to the Pakistani screens, we thought that they would learn something from our dramas, but on the contrary, our writers started learning from them. It was then that our drama industry began its demise.” 

  • Legal Battle: Is what Prime Minister Imran Khan did today, legal?

    Legal Battle: Is what Prime Minister Imran Khan did today, legal?

    After the National Assembly (NA) Deputy Speaker Qasim Khan Suri on Sunday “dismissed” the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, terming it against Article 5 of the Constitution, the legal war began. PM Khan then addressed the nation, saying he had advised the President to dissolve the National Assembly, which the President approved. The country is in a state of shock and the main question is: Is what is going on, legal?

    BUT FIRST, WHAT HAPPENED IN THE ASSEMBLY SESSION?

    Loyalty to the state is the basic duty of every citizen under Article 5: Fawad Chaudhry

    The much-awaited and crucial NA session started after a delay to hold the vote on the no-confidence motion against Khan.

    Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said, “On March 7, our official ambassador was invited to a meeting attended by the representatives of other countries. The meeting was informed that a motion against PM Imran was being presented,” he said, adding that this happened a day before the Opposition filed the no-trust move.

    “We were told that relations with Pakistan were dependent on the success of the no-confidence motion. We were told that if the motion fails, then Pakistan’s path would be very difficult. This is an operation for a regime change by a foreign government,” he alleged.

    NA speaker dismisses no-confidence motion against PM Imran, terms it contradictory to Article 5

    After Fawad Chaudhry spoke, Deputy Speaker Suri agreed with Fawad and said that the no-confidence motion was presented on March 8 and should be according to the law and the Constitution. “No foreign power shall be allowed to topple an elected government through a conspiracy,” he said, adding that the points raised by the minister were “valid”.

    He dismissed the motion, ruling that it was “contradictory” to the law, the Constitution, and the rules. The session ended and the government representatives walked out.

    LET’S GET LEGAL: What is Article 5?

    According to Article 5, “Loyalty to the State is the basic duty of every citizen.”

    “Obedience to the Constitution and law is the [inviolable] obligation of every citizen wherever he may be and of every other person for the time being within Pakistan.”

    THEN WHAT HAPPENED: On PM Imran Khan’s advice, President Arif Alvi approved the dissolution of the assembly

    In a surprise move, the premier on Sunday said that he has advised President Alvi to dissolve all the assemblies.

    President Dr Arif Alvi dissolved the National Assembly on the proposal of PM Khan.

    In a brief address to the nation after the no-confidence motion was rejected, the premier congratulated the nation and said that he had sent a proposal to the President to dissolve the NA and the nation should prepare for the next election.

    WAS WHAT HAPPENED LEGAL?

    What do the legal experts have to say?

    The Current reached out to legal experts to understand and get better clarity on the constitutional process in relevance to dismissing the no-trust move against PM Khan.

    Senior Lawyer and Journalist Muneeb Farooq terming the dismissal of the no-trust move “absolute nonsense” said, “The court will decide if what the speaker did is illegal and the no-confidence motion will likely move on. Today the court is closed, they [the Opposition] will take it to the court tomorrow.”

    Farooq further said, “Article 69 says that the court cannot question parliament proceedings, but there are exceptions,” adding that certain things were taken to court and the Supreme Court has ruled on them.

    WHAT’S FAROOQ’S MAIN POINT?

    Farooq said that the Prime Minister does not have the right to ask the President to dissolve the national assembly when there is a motion of no-confidence against him. He also added that the Speaker cannot dismiss a motion against the PM when the motion is already a part of the agenda. He added that Article 5 cannot be used in this situation, the way the government has used it.

    THE OTHER SIDE:

    Supreme Court Lawyer Chaudhry Faisal Hussain said, “The Deputy Speaker gave the ruling to dismiss the no-confidence motion. It is in his power to discard the no-confidence motion against the prime minister. Hence the motion gets dismissed and PM Khan still remains the prime minister.”

    WHAT’S HUSSAIN’S MAIN POINT?

    “Since Imran Khan is still Prime Minister, he can call for fresh elections, after dissolving the assembly, which he has done. The issue now will be that PM Khan has already moved past the no-confidence motion. If the assembly had not been dissolved, then perhaps the Supreme Court could make a ruling on the no-confidence issue.”

    ANOTHER POINT OF VIEW

    Advocate Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP) Salman Akram Raja speaking to Geo News said that what happened in the National Assembly today was “highly unconstitutional”.

    He further said that SCP will look into the ruling given by the deputy speaker and could decide on allowing early elections or letting the no-confidence motion vote happen.

    The Joint Opposition had submitted the no-confidence motion to kick out PM Khan on March 8. According to reports, Chief Justice Umar Bandial has called his fellow justices to his place to discuss what is going on in the country.

    Meanwhile, sources say the Supreme Court may hold special proceedings today as well.

  • Opposition reacts to rejection of No-Confidence Motion, to approach SC

    Opposition reacts to rejection of No-Confidence Motion, to approach SC

    The opposition has reacted to the dismissal of the no-confidence motion in the National Assembly session and Prime Minister Imran Khan’s advice to President Dr Arif Alvi to dissolve the assemblies. After PM Khan announced that he had asked Alvi to dissolve the National Assembly, the President dissolved the National Assembly.

    In an address to the nation, Prime Minister Imran Khan said the country will move towards early elections. “Prepare for elections. No corrupt forces will decide what the future of the country will be. When the assemblies will be dissolved, the procedure for the next elections and the caretaker government will begin,” he added.

    Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said that the opposition will approach the Supreme Court against the dismissal of the no-confidence motion, “Government has violated the constitution. did not allow voting on a no-confidence motion. The united opposition is not leaving parliament. Our lawyers are on their way to Supreme Court. We call on ALL institutions to protect, uphold, defend & implement the constitution of Pakistan,” he said.

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz Sharif tweeted: “No one should be allowed to distort the constitution of Pakistan to save his seat. She also referred to PM Khan as a “crazy” and “obsessive person”.

    PPP Parliamentary Leader in the Senate Senator Sherry Rehman has said, “All actions today are unconstitutional, illegal and will take the country straight into a dangerous constitutional crisis.”

    Bakhtawar Bhutto Zardari has also reacted to the news. “All he has left is unconstitutional, illegal and treasonous methods because this is the reality of Imran Khan’s popularity with neutrality.”

    Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) leader Ahsan Iqbal has said that Article 6, which applies to treason, will be applicable to Imran Khan and Qasim Khan Suri for “unconstitutional” acts.

    Other politicians have also reacted to the dismissal of the no-confidence motion:

  • Punjab Governor Sarwar removed early in the morning: What really happened?

    Punjab Governor Sarwar removed early in the morning: What really happened?

    Federal Information and Law Minister Fawad Chaudhry tweeted in the morning around 9am that Governor Punjab Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar has been removed from his position. “A new governor will be announced later. According to the Constitution, the Deputy Speaker will be the acting Governor.”

    Senior journalist Hamid Mir tweeted that he spoke to Chaudhry Sarwar, who told him that the Prime Minister’s Office was forcing him to do unconstitutional things that he refused. “He said Fed Govt wanted me to delay today’s session of the Punjab Assembly when he resisted they sacked him on the demand of Ch Pervez Elahi,” added Mir.

    However, Mir deleted his tweet and later tweeted a new one saying, “Governor @ChMSarwar called me and said he is still governor.”

    Rumour has it that Governor Sarwar was allegedly helping Hamza Shehbaz in today’s chief minister elections in Punjab.

    In November 2018, a video surfaced in which Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi and Tariq Bashir Cheema could be seen complaining to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Jahangir Khan Tareen that Chaudhry Sarwar should be controlled as he was not letting Usman Buzdar work.

    “Sir, control Sarwar! He will not let your chief minister continue,” Cheema could be heard telling Tareen.

    https://twitter.com/PakPressWatch/status/1061957553251405824
  • Man murders girlfriend over a small argument

    Man murders girlfriend over a small argument

    A man named Daniel Padilla-Ang, 27, murdered his girlfriend in a trivial argument after he broke her vape. The incident took place in the Orem city of Utah, United States(US).

    According to the details, Ang’s girlfriend slapped him after he broke her vape. He then strangled her to death.

    Ang called the police helpline 911 after committing the murder around 3 am. When the police reached his house, he said, “I just strangled my girlfriend to death. She’s dead … It was me.” He said he was ready to surrender himself.

    During interrogation, Padilla-Ang revealed that they were in a relationship for many months.

    He added, “She had come to my apartment the day before and we consumed alcohol that night.” He further said that he wanted to use his girlfriend’s vape pen, which she refused to give him. He then snatched the vape pen from her and broke it. The victim became furious and she slapped and pushed him.

    Ang then strangled his girlfriend to death. After she passed out, he started punching her.

    “He put his hands over (her) mouth and pinched her nose to see if she was still breathing. When she did not struggle, he knew she was dead,” the report says.

    Padilla-Ang drank more alcohol and informed his family via text messages that he killed his girlfriend and he would not be able to see them for a while.

    The police also revealed that he had a criminal record of domestic violence and was arrested five times in the last eight years.

  • Ahsan Khan’s 4-year-old “British-Asian” meme trends on Twitter once again

    Ahsan Khan’s 4-year-old clip has once again come to life, as the #BritishAsian hashtag started to appear on Twitter’s trending list. In the video which was recorded in 2018, the actor flaunted a British accent and presented himself as a “British-Asian actor” who lives “here and there”.

    Khan was in London for the International Pakistan Prestige Awards, where he received the ‘Star Of The Year’ award and spoke at multiple media interviews.

    He voiced several excellent observations, and many people appreciated what he said about Pakistan’s growing drama industry.

    The BBC also covered the ceremony, questioning PEMRA’s ruling (at that time) regarding our productions being “too bold”. Khan stressed the importance of using our shows to address Pakistani moral codes and cultural challenges.

    He highlighted how there should be a clear distinction between exaggeration and depicting reality.

    Besides the appreciation the actor received, the netizens could not resist noting something unusual about his accent during these interviews. The #BritishPakistani posts comprising Ahsan Khan’s quotes have once again flooded social media.

    Trolling has become more common than ever before on the social media platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and others. Celebrities are often the victim of this troll brigade. Every gesture, every position, and every picture published by celebrities is critiqued, from their attire to their accent.

    Ahsan Khan is best known for his roles in Udaari, Aangan, and Dastaan. For his act in Chupan Chupai, he was also nominated for Lux Style Awards for the ‘Best Film Actor’ in 2018. He currently hosts ‘Time Out with Ahsan Khan’, a talk show that was previously fined Rs50,000 by PEMRA for using animals as props.

  • ‘Ready to move forward on Kashmir if India agrees’: General Bajwa

    ‘Ready to move forward on Kashmir if India agrees’: General Bajwa

    Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Saturday said that Pakistan continues to believe in using dialogue and diplomacy to resolve all outstanding issues, including the Kashmir dispute.

    “Pakistan is ready to move forward on this front if India also agrees to do so,” the COAS said.

    “I believe it is time for the political leadership of the region to rise above their emotional and perceptional biases and break the shackles of history to bring peace and prosperity to almost three billion people of the region.”

    Khanewal Indian Missile incident

    Gen Bajwa termed India’s “accidental” launching of a supersonic missile into Pakistan on March 9 a matter of “serious concern”.

    “We expect India to provide evidence to assure Pakistan and the world that their weapons are safe and secure.”

    “Unlike other incidents involving strategic weapons systems, this is the first time in history that a supersonic cruise missile from one nuclear-armed nation has landed in another,” he said.

    Relationship with the US

    “Pakistan does not believe in camp politics and our bilateral relations with our partners are not at the expense of our relationships with other countries.”

    He said that Pakistan sought to broaden and expand relations with both China and the US “without impacting our relations with [either]”.

    In addition, relations with the European Union, the United Kingdom, Gulf countries, South East Asia and Japan were also important for Pakistan’s progress, the COAS said.

    Pakistan enjoyed a close strategic relationship with China, which was demonstrated by the country’s commitment towards the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), he said, adding, “Equally, we share a long and excellent strategic relationship with the US, which remains our largest export market.”

    Afghanistan situation

    “Pakistan recognises that it is the regions and not countries that grow. This is why we believe that peace and stability in our wider region are prerequisites for achieving shared regional prosperity and development. In this regard, our doors are open for all our neighbours,” the COAS said.

    The army chief cautioned that an inability to address the issues would “not only lead to a refugee crisis but will again make Afghanistan an epicentre of terrorism where [the Islamic State] with its global agenda flourishes [and] may result in more than one 9/11”.

    Gen Bajwa stressed the need for the international community to support the Afghan government. “The performance of present Afghan government is not satisfactory, to say the least, but we have to be patient and accommodative.”

    “While Pakistan shares some of the concerns of the international community, we believe disengagement with Afghanistan is not an option,” he stressed.

  • ‘Snakes all around, Once a dog always a dog’: Neha Malik shares a series of shocking posts

    ‘Snakes all around, Once a dog always a dog’: Neha Malik shares a series of shocking posts

    Veteran actor Saba Faisal’s daughter-in-law has posted a series of cryptic posts on her Instagram handle. Netizens are assuming that these posts are targeted at her in-laws with whom she has shared problematic equation in the past.

    You can get all the exclusive details in our new show, Maslay Aur Masala:

    Earlier Saba hit back at netizens for blaming her for Salman and Neha’s differences.

    Saba’s son Salman married Neha in 2019 in a series of lavish events. The ceremony was attended by a plethora of celebrities including Cheekh‘s Saba Qamar. Earlier in July 2021 gossip mills were abuzz with the separation and divorce rumours of the young couple.

    Saba Faisal's Daughter-in-Law Confirms Separation Rumors

    Last year social Media was abuzz with Neha Malik and Salman Faisal’s separation and divorce rumours, however Saba Faisal’s daughter-in-law has opened up on the controversy.

    Netizens additionally blamed Salman’s mother actor Saba for being the reason of their differences.

    Neha then cleared the air about their alleged separation. She took to Instagram and congratulated her husband on his splendid performance in CPL and the victory of his team ‘Islamabad Nova’.

    She additionally answered probably the most requested query which was about their separation and denied the rumors. Neha confirmed that they haven’t parted ways.

    “Those asking about the ‘patch up’. We never broke up or had any personal fights,” she wrote on her Instagram stories.

    On the work front, Salman was last seen in Dil Mom Ka Diya opposite Neelam Munir.