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  • ‘Sufi, science and tech research centres being set up on Bushra Bibi’s special interest’

    ‘Sufi, science and tech research centres being set up on Bushra Bibi’s special interest’

    Sufism and science and technology research centres will be set up in Punjab due to the special interest of the First Lady, Bushra Bibi, The News has reported.

    Sheikh Abul Hassan Shazli Centre will be opened in Lahore in the first phase. Research on Islam, Sufism, religious thought, interfaith harmony, and modern sciences besides science and technology, would be carried out in Sheikh Abul Hassan Shazli Centre.

    Sheikh Abul Hassan Shazli Centre would serve the disadvantaged segment of society.

    The centre would also be linked with the shelter homes, child protection bureaus, prisons, particularly women and juvenile jails, schools, colleges, universities, public, private, and religious educational institutions. Sheikh Abul Hassan Shazli Centre will also be linked with international libraries.

    Bachelor, M.Phil and PhD programs in Islamic philosophy and Sufism will also be launched in the Centre.

    The Research Centre will be inaugurated in Lahore today.

    In March, Bushra Bibi made a rare public appearance and visited a Panah Gah (shelter home) in Lahore to inspect the facilities given to the people residing there.

  • Bride dies during her wedding ceremony, sister marries groom

    Bride dies during her wedding ceremony, sister marries groom

    A young bride fell ill, fainted and died during her wedding ceremony forcing the families to solemnize the marriage between the groom and a sister of the bride.

    As per reports, the incident happened earlier this week in Samaspur, India.

    After exchanging garlands and other wedding rituals, the couple was preparing for the final ceremony of ‘pheras’ when Surabhi suddenly fell unconscious beside her groom, Manjesh Kumar.

    The family instantly called a doctor who declared her dead telling them she suffered a severe  cardiac arrest.

    Read More – Bride marries wedding guest after groom-to-be ‘disappears’

    The wedding celebrations immediately turned into mourning.

    Surabhi’s brother Saurabh said: “We did not know what to do in the situation. Both the families sat together and someone suggested that my younger sister Nisha should be married to the groom. The families discussed the matter and both agreed.”

    Surabhi’s body was kept in another room and the marriage of Manjesh and Nisha was then celebrated. After the wedding, when the guests left with the bride, Surabhi’s last rites were held,” he said.

    Surabhi’s uncle Ajab Singh, said, “It was a tough call for our family. One daughter lay dead in one room and another daughter’s wedding was being solemnized in the other room.”

    “We have never witnessed such mixed emotions. The grief over her death and the happiness of the wedding have yet to sink in,” he added.

  • ‘No one can dare undermine me,’ Fawad Chaudhry burns BBC HARDTalk

    ‘No one can dare undermine me,’ Fawad Chaudhry burns BBC HARDTalk

    Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry talked on the protection of journalists, the involvement of the establishment within the state, the economy of Pakistan, missing persons, popularity of Prime Minister Imran Khan, Covid stituation and many other issues in an interview given to BBC host Stephen John Sackur on BBC HARDtalk.

    Journalists Protection

    The host opened the interview by asking what is the government and Fawad Chaudhry being the Information Minister doing to protect the journalists of the country. Sackur mentioned the recent attack on journalist Asad Ali Toor, who was severely beaten up by unidentified assailants in his apartment. Sackur further mentioned how a senior journalist and former Chairman of Pakistan Electronic Media Authority (Pemra), Absar Alam, was shot in Islamabad. To which Fawad Chaudhry replied, “Individual incidents do happen. The situation is not only dangerous for journalists but it has been for all the citizens of Pakistan. We have faced the worst terrorism. When we were fighting our war against terrorism, we lost a lot of field journalists and many civilians.”

    “Benazir Bhutto too got killed due to terrorism. We have been dealing with tough times,” replied Fawad.

    Stephen Sackur asked what the state was doing about the involvement of state agencies in such incidents.

    “It’s a bit fashionable for the western media to accuse ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence)
    when such incidents happen. When you name any organisation or Pakistani intelligence agency, you are bound to produce evidence of their involvement as well,” replied the minister. “The two specific incidents which you have mentioned, the investigation is still under process, I still don’t know under what pretext have you concluded that the state must be involved in any of this.”

    Direct State Interference

    BBC host asked Chaudhry about freedom of speech in Pakistan. He said that media censorship has increased during Imran Khan’s tenure. Chaudhry replied, “We have about 112 private channels, 43 international channels, with this kind of mass media we have, how do you expect the state to intimidate the media? How can the state be accused of intimidating the media?”

    Censorship

    “I am the Information Minister of the world’s fifth-largest state. I am the Information Minister of one of the world’s seven nuclear states of the world. No one can dare to undermine me. I am here with full authority and I decide in Pakistan what will and what is happening,” answered Fawad when told by Sackur that Chaudhry has no real power or control.

    PTI government’s comparison with previous government’s

    The host compared the working of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) with previous governments.

    “This may be a perception of some Indian-influenced think tanks, not ours. This is not the perception of the people in general. Imran Khan is the most popular prime minister,” said Fawad.

    “As said, don’t undermine the elected government of Pakistan. Imran Khan has received nearly 200 million votes. This is not a joke. He is the prime minister of a nuclear state. He takes the decisions, the cabinet takes the decisions,” added Fawad.

    Relation with establishment

    Fawad Chaudhry said that we have a very good relationship with the ‘so-called establishment’ “as you term it so often. They are part and parcel of our system. We have huge respect for them, but the decision-making rests with the prime minister and the cabinet.”

    Missing Persons

    The BBC host asked about missing persons the security establishments, and the deep state?

    “ISI and army respect human rights just as any other civilian government will do. They are the most civilised army of the world, they are the most responsible army of the world. People in Pakistan respect them for their role,” said Fawad.

    “Least number of missing persons were reported in Imran Khan’s government. We are the only government that has just passed a law against disappearance. We are the only ones who have made illegal confinement a criminal offense. And now the bill has been passed and will go to the parliament,” added Fawad

    Imran Khan’s pledge to deliver

    The show host said that PM Khan’s promises have not been delivered to the people of Pakistan.

    “Unfortunately, I do not agree with your conclusion. Right now Pakistan’s growth rate is 3.94 per cent, which is one of the highest in the whole world despite all the Covid crises,” said Fawad.

    Fawad added, “People who have voted for Prime Minister Imran Khan and PTI are still ardent fans. In the next elections, PM Imran Khan will be elected again.”

    Covid situation

    Sackur asked why only one per cent of Pakistan’s population has been vaccinated.

    “As far as Covid is concerned Pakistan is a great success story. The partial lockdown story that Prime Minister Imran Khan implemented in Pakistan was a great success story,” replied Chaudhry.

  • Sarfaraz Ahmed shares list of must-watch Pakistani dramas

    Sarfaraz Ahmed shares list of must-watch Pakistani dramas

    Pakistani wicket-keeper batsman Sarfaraz Ahmed has shared a list of his favourite Pakistani dramas as he quarantines for Pakistan Super League’s (PSL) sixth edition.

    Read more – Wasim Akram is losing his mind as he quarantines for PSL6

    “Bhi Pakistani dramo ke be kiya baat hai bhi wah wah,” said Sarfaraz while sharing his list.

    The dramas which made it to his list include:

    Ishqiya featuring Feroze Khan and Hania Aamir, produced under Fahad Mustafa’s Big Bang Productions

    Raqs-e-Bismil featuring Sarah Khan, Imran Ashraf, Furqan Qureshi and Momin Saqib

    Fitrat featuring Saboor Aly, Ali Abbas and Zubab Rana

    Aulad featuring Marina Khan, Syed Mohammad Ahmed, Hassan Ahmed, Nabeel Zuberi and Sunita Marshall

    Nand featuring Aijaz Aslam, Shahroz Sabzwari, Minal Khan, Faiza Hassan, Javeria Saud and late Sumbul Shahid

    Khani featuring Sana Javed and Feroze Khan

    Qayamat featuring Ahsan Khan, Neelam Muneer, Shabbir Jaan and Saba Faisal

    Muje Khuda Pe Yaqeen Hai featuring Aagha Ali, Nimra Khan and Yashma Gill

    Jalan featuring Minal Khan, Fahad Sheikh, Nadia Hussain, Hajra Yamin and Emmad Irfani

    Sarfaraz also tagged the actors who were part of all the aforementioned dramas and appreciated their work in them.

    The Quetta Gladiators captain, along with other PSL6 players and coaching staff has to go through a seven-day quarantine period for the remaining matches, set to be played in Abu Dhabi in the first week of June.

  • Bushra Ansari grateful to those who prayed for sister Sumbul Shahid

    Bushra Ansari grateful to those who prayed for sister Sumbul Shahid

    Veteran actor Bushra Ansari has expressed her gratitude for those who prayed for her sister Sumbul Shahid during her battle with coronavirus.

    “You all saw a few days ago I lost my sister Sumbul Shahid,” said Bushra in a video posted on Instagram. “We’re told a lot about the coronavirus. But we only realise it when our loved ones suffer from it and depart from this world.”

    “We all are grateful for the prayers you sent,” remarked Ansari.

    “There was a lot of love among us sisters,” said the actor, adding, “Sisters’ bond has another level.”

    In March 2021, Bushra and Asma Abbas had shared that Sumbul was battling coronavirus and had been put on a ventilator. Their mother had also contracted the virus at the time. They requested followers for prayers and advised them to follow safety protocols.

    Sumbul passed away after a long battle with COVID on May 6. She was last seen in drama serial Nand, which aired on ARY Digital.

  • Shehbaz to quit politics, Shahzeb Khanzada reveals details

    Who will lead the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and whose narrative will prevail in the future is being discussed within the party as per latest reports. Senior anchorperson Shahzeb Khanzada revealed in his show ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Saath’ on Thursday that there are serious concerns that the PML-N may face a split in the future due to the differences in political narrative between Maryam Nawaz and Shehbaz Sharif’s camps.

    Maryam camp believes in taking forward Nawaz Sharif’s narrative while Shehbaz Sharif camp believes in reconciliation and not taking any institution head-on as well as focus on winning the 2023 general elections. As Nawaz Sharif is not in the country, he needs to decide which narrative should be taken forward by his party officially, otherwise, the PML-N may face a split. Senior leadership of the PML-N want Nawaz to take a categorical decision in this regard.

    Khanzada said they talked to senior PML-N leaders as well as those close to Shehbaz Sharif. Khanzada added that they asked Maryam Nawaz for her point of view.

    According to Shehbaz Sharif’s close aides, they want a free hand to be given to Shehbaz, target Imran Khan’s government, no confrontation with institutions and dialogue with institutions is needed in order to forge a roadmap where they stay within their constitutional limits. Shehbaz also wants Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) back in the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) and was unhappy with Maryam Nawaz and Shahid Khaqan Abbasi’s strongly worded statements against the PPP. He is against the show cause notice being served to the PPP and that the PPP should not be forced to resign from assemblies against its will.

    Sources say that Shehbaz Sharif wanted to go to London in order to talk to Nawaz Sharif face-to-face about all these issues. He wants Nawaz to decide who will be the next prime minister from PML-N, who will lead the party and whose narrative should be the official party position. He wants Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz to take a backseat from political activities and stay quiet. He does not want them to give anti-establishment statements anymore. The focus should only be on the 2023 general elections. If Nawaz agrees to give full control to Shehbaz, then he will take all Opposition parties on board. He will then also hold a dialogue with the establishment. If Nawaz does not agree, Shehbaz will quit politics. He will not take part in any political activities after that.

    PML-N leaders believe that while Maryam Nawaz is indeed a crowd puller, it is better to let Shehbaz resolve all issues before the elections. Maryam Nawaz does not agree to these conditions.

    After he was released from jail on bail, Shehbaz Sharif made it clear that all party meetings or jalsas will only take place with his permission. Maryam Nawaz did take a backseat since his release. Hamza and Shehbaz understand election campaigns and electoral politics while Maryam Nawaz does not, as per sources close to Shehbaz Sharif.

    When contacted by Khanzada’s team, Maryam Nawaz said there are no two camps within the party; only a difference of opinion exists. She said that it is not my narrative, it is Nawaz Sharif’s narrative. If they make her go quiet, Nawaz’s narrative will still go on. Maryam said it is wrong to say that the majority in the party believes in reconciliation. Things have improved not because of a soft stance but because of Nawaz Sharif’s narrative. PML-N won by-elections because of Nawaz.

    If reconciliation was an answer, then Hamza and Shehbaz Sharif would not have gone to jail in the first place. Shehbaz Sharif has his own views and this has been his view for decades but he will never go against his brother. When asked about the differences between Shehbaz and Maryam, she said she has no differences with Shehbaz. She said she does what Nawaz tells her to do. She is not in favour of any confrontation with institutions nor any deal.

  • India’s Narcotics Control Bureau arrests Sushant Singh’s flatmate in drug probe

    The Narcotics Control Bureau of India has arrested the flatmate of late actor Sushant Singh Rajput. Siddharth Pithani was living with him for more than a year, Indian media has reported. He is reportedly arrested by the anti-drugs agency.

    Pithani was one of the first witnesses to see Sushant hanging from the ceiling on June 14, 2020, and according to his statement, he met Singh at 1 am, the night before his death.

    On June 14, 2020, Singh was found dead at his home in Mumbai. While the police initially reported Rajput’s death as suicide, the federal police agency later began to investigate foul play after fans of the actors expressed outrage on social media and his family filed a First Information Report (FIR) against his alleged girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty. 

    The abrupt death of Rajput spurred a debate on the stigma of mental health, the exclusive insider world of Bollywood, and, condemnation of the media for the non-stop coverage of the duelling accusations between Rajput’s family and his alleged girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty.

  • 13 mesmerising photos of the Super Flower Blood Moon

    13 mesmerising photos of the Super Flower Blood Moon

    The first lunar eclipse of the current year took place on May 26 (Wednesday) but it wasn’t just a lunar eclipse with a simple full moon, it was a Super Flower Blood Moon. Photos of the Super Flower Blood Moon were shared from around the world and some scenic pictures will leave you in shock.

    A super moon occurs when the moon appears larger than usual in the night sky because it is at its closest point to Earth in its orbit, known as the perigee.

    According to NASA, a blood moon occurs during a total lunar eclipse, when the Earth is positioned directly between the moon and the sun. Earth’s atmosphere filters the sunlight, scattering blue light but allowing red light to pass through.

    May’s full moon is additionally known as the “Flower Moon,” named for the abundance of flowers associated with spring in the Northern Hemisphere.

    Astrophotographers around the globe captured breathtaking images of the event, which was clearly visible in Asia and Australia, as well as much of the US and South America.

    Here are some of the pictures that we’ve collected for you:

    Pakistan

    Arfa Karim Tower, Lahore by Art by Wasif

    New Zealand

    The total lunar eclipse is seen on May 26, 2021, in Auckland, New Zealand. 

    Australia

    A surfer is seen as the “Super Flower Blood Moon” rises over the Pacific Ocean at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, on May 26, 2021.

    Brazil

    A lunar eclipse is observed during dawn in Brasilia, Brazil, Wednesday, May 26, 2021.

    Britain

    The full moon is seen behind Stonehenge stone circle near Amesbury, Britain, May 26, 2021.

    Hong Kong

    The moon is pictured above Hong Kong on May 26, 2021, during a total lunar eclipse.

    California

    The full moon sets over Santa Monica Beach in Santa Monica, California, Wednesday, May 26, 2021.

    Mexico

    The lunar eclipse is seen on May 26, 2021, in Mexico City, Mexico.

    Taiwan

    A full moon is seen, May 26, 2021, during a partial eclipse in Taipei.

    Indonesia

    The moon is pictured above Jakarta during a total lunar eclipse, on May 26, 2021,

    China

    A total lunar eclipse occurs in the night sky of Haikou, the capital of southwest China’s Hainan Province, on May 25, 2021.

    Hawaii

    The full moon rises over the Makapuu lighthouse in east Oahu, Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S., on May 25, 2021. 

    Turkey

    The full moon is seen over the Anitkabir, the mausoleum of modern Turkey’s founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, in Ankara, Turkey, on May 26, 2021.

  • ‘Friends brought friends together, says Malala

    After a long delay, Friends: The Reunion finally premiered on HBO Max on Thursday. As per details, the unscripted reunion episode was inspired by Episode 12 of Season 4 of the original show The One With the Embryos and was hosted by James Corden. A parade of celebrity fans also showed up including, Cara Delevingne, Cindy Crawford and Justin Bieber who modelled famous comedy outfits from the show on a catwalk, while Lady Gaga sang a duet of Smelly Cat with Lisa Kudrow.

    Pakistani Nobel Peace Prize-winner Malala Yousafzai was also a guest on the show and briefly appeared to talk about the influence Friends had on her life.

    “Friends brought friends together,” said Yousafzai sharing that one of her favourite moments from the show is “the routine” (i.e. when Monica and Ross recreate their dance routine from high school).

    The reunion episode brought together the original cast of the show including Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer, Matthew Perry and Matt LeBlanc.

    Meanwhile, the cast of the show made some interesting revelations during the reunion episode.

    Schwimmer and Aniston – Ross and Rachel in the series – revealed for the first time that they had major crushes on each other in the early years of the series, but the first time they kissed was when their characters did so on-screen in 1995.

    “I just remember saying one time to David, it’s gonna be such a bummer if the first time you and I actually kiss is going to be on national television. Sure enough! First time we kissed was in that coffee shop,” Aniston says in Friends: The Reunion.

    “We just channeled all of our adoration and love for each other into Ross and Rachel,” added the actor.

    The passionate kiss which Aniston was referring to took place in the Central Perk coffee shop in Season 2’s The One Where Ross Finds Out. The scene is widely considered to be one of the highlights of the series, which came to an end in 2004 with the two characters finally getting back together.

    Schwimmer and Aniston said the mutual attraction lasted for the first two years of the show, but they never got together as a couple off-screen because they were both in relationships or between relationships with other people.

    In addition, it was also revealed that the audiences were the reason behind Monica and Chandler ending up together.

    Schwimmer revealed that he hated filming with Marcel.

    “What inevitably began to happen was we would all have choreographed bits kind of timed out, and it would get messed up because the monkey didn’t do its job right. So we would have to reset, we’d have to go again, because the monkey didn’t get it right,” said Schwimmer.

    It also emerged that the hardest part of the show was to cast Aniston as Rachel as because of her role on Muddling Through, which was still on the air at the time.

    Meanwhile, on the day of the reunion episode Aniston also shared a behind the screens throwback video much to fans delight.

    Kudrow also shared a selfie with Schwimmer with the caption: “Tonight, that’s how long we waited to get together.”

    The reunion episode was originally announced in February 2020. Friends aired for ten seasons between 1994 and 2004. It was also nominated for 62 Primetime Emmy Awards and won the Outstanding Comedy Series award in 2002.

  • ‘I fed aaloo chanay to birds in jail’: Shehbaz Sharif talks about Nawaz, black magic & close friends

    ‘I fed aaloo chanay to birds in jail’: Shehbaz Sharif talks about Nawaz, black magic & close friends

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President and Leader of the Opposition in National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif, on Thursday talked about how he spent his days in jail, his niece Maryam Nawaz’s political future, Nawaz Sharif, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan and many other issues in an interview given to Kamran Khan on Dunya News.

    A typical day in jail

    When asked what is a typical day in jail and how he spent those eight months, Shehbaz said: “I used to pray for Pakistan in jail. It is not easy to remain in jail as it takes a lot of patience to remain in jail. Allah gives one hope there. I would get up for Fajr prayers, I continued my morning walk. After exercise, I would have my breakfast and then recite the Quran. I would read books like Bob Woodward’s Rage. I read Islamic books and read tafseer (explanation) of Quran as I had a lot of time on my hands in solitary confinement. I would feed birds when I was there. I once fed aaloo chanay to birds. I saw that a crow washed the potato with water as it was spicy, which I found very fascinating as they say that crows are wise so I would observe the birds keenly.”

    Corruption cases

    Kamran Khan asked Shehbaz about the allegations against him by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). Sharif said since this is a sub judice matter, NAB invited him for the Saaf Paani case and arrested him in Ashiana scandal. During his arrest, they again arrested him in Ramzan Sugar Mills, and then assets beyond means case was opened against him. “I was given bail on merit in February 2019 in Ashiana and Ramzan Sugar Mills case.” He denied all charges of corruption. Shehbaz Sharif said that there is a NAB-Niazi collusion to target the Sharif family. “What else have they [the government] done in three years? They have no other priority other than how to destroy Sharifs’ businesses and our reputation. All they are interested in is to target my elder brother Nawaz Sharif and our family members.” He asked have they proved a penny of corruption against us. 

    Medical treatment in Britain

    Shehbaz Sharif said he is a cancer survivor. He has been getting an annual check up in Britain since 2003. When asked how he would have entered Britain since Pakistan is on a Red List, Shehbaz said he took a chance to go via Doha and if that wasn’t allowed, he would have gone via Istanbul as Turkey was not on Britain’s Red List at that time. “I wasn’t going to Britain to play a cricket match or to learn jaadu tona (black magic). I was going there for my medical treatment and also to see my family.”

    Pakistan Democratic Movement 

    Kamran Khan asked him about the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) while he was in jail and if he was involved directly or indirectly with PDM’s decisions. “As luck would have it, PDM was formed when I went to jail. PDM faced divisions within the alliance when I was in jail. I do not impose my views on anyone. I wasn’t allowed to meet my lawyers or family regularly either. I would give my advice when someone sought it. I didn’t know much about it [PDM]. Now I will be there in the next PDM meeting….Such alliances were formed in the past too like MRD, etc.” Shehbaz said differences do take place in such alliances. “No party alone can take a decision unilaterally. Maulana Fazlur Rehman is the head of PDM, so such decisions are taken with consensus. Even if PDM isn’t there in its original form, I am the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly and it is my duty to talk to all Opposition parties on issues like budget, Covid, foreign policy, Kashmir, Palestine or CPEC. Even if there are divisions in PDM, we have this forum in parliament.” 

    Roadmap for the future

    Shehbaz Sharif said that Pakistan is facing a lot of problems. “India is a member of G20. We came into being together; we should have been leading in the comity of global nations. Bangladesh, which was part of Pakistan, now has a GDP growth rate higher than ours. How unfortunate that today, Afghanistan’s currency is stronger than Pakistan’s.”

    Sharif lamented that this is a selected government. “They came into power after massive rigging.” General Bajwa said in front of me that Mian Nawaz Sharif has given me a lot of respect and never said no to anything related to defence. “Confrontation is not our path; it has to be consultation. This country cannot move forward without this. We need a consultative process between all institutions within the limits set by the Constitution. No one institution can take us out of this quagmire alone. It has to be through collective wisdom and efforts can we make Pakistan as a going country among comity of nations.” Kamran Khan said this is music to everyone’s ears. 

    Nawaz Sharif

    Asked if Nawaz Sharif would agree to these suggestions, Shehbaz Sharif said: “He [Nawaz] is a statesman. I guarantee you he will be more than willing to contribute towards nation building efforts if there is a new social order which guarantees free and fair elections, all institutions work within their constitutional boundaries, judiciary is independent and free, and every government is allowed to work independently. Reconciliation is still possible; it’s never too late. Nawaz Sharif would be more than willing to do this, I guarantee you.” 

    He said that when he goes to London, he will meet Nawaz. “He is my leader, he is like my father. There is no compromise on national interest. I am sure he will promote national interest if there is a level-playing field. Even if I have to hold his feet for national interest, I will do so because it is my national duty. I am a Pakistani first and then anything else.”

    Maryam Nawaz

    Kamran Khan asked Shehbaz about Maryam Nawaz’s active political role in the last few months. “Maryam has a right to be in politics; she is now a politician. Time is on her side. The awaam (people) will decide. I am telling you whether it is Hamza who spent 21 months in jail or someone else from other parties, they all have a right to enter politics and then the people will decide.

    “Time is on Maryam’s side, time is on Hamza’s side. They need grooming. Maryam’s father, who is a statesman, will groom her. I will groom her as her uncle from my experience. We need to alleviate poverty, eliminate unemployment. This is our agenda. If we cannot follow this agenda, then politics means nothing.”

    Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan

    “Chaudhry Nisar was not my friend; he was Nawaz Sharif’s friend. Whether you like it or not, I have always inherited his [Nawaz’s] legacy. Whether it’s Chaudhry Nisar or Khawaja Asif or Khawaja Hamid or anyone else. Chaudhry Nisar was initially against me, then he became a close friend of mine. Unfortunately, this 30-year-old friendship ended on a bad note. I won’t go into the details. When my mother passed away, I met him when he came for her fateha (prayers). Taking oath is Chaudhry Nisar’s own decision; he did not consult me. He did not directly consult me on this.”

    Electoral reforms

    Shehbaz Sharif said that without electoral reforms, no one can take a step forward. However, he said this does not mean that electronic voting machines are the answer. “Who are they trying to befool? We all want to give the right to vote to overseas Pakistanis. But in the garb of providing them the right to vote through electronic voting machines, we cannot have an RTS again.”

    Summary of the interview 

    Shehbaz Sharif said that unity and a consultative process is needed and Parliament is the forum where this can be done. “We need a middle way for national reconciliation, consultative process with all institutions. Unfortunately, Parliament has been locked by Imran Khan Niazi. We need meaningful, substantial consultation in parliament. He [PM Khan] hates me so much that he did not even mention my name or title in the letters addressed to me by the Prime Minister. I addressed him by his title and name but he responded without mentioning my name again. If he is only interested in what his pir (spiritual guide) will tell him on how to destroy the Opposition, if this is his only priority, then what can I say?”

    Complete interview: