Tag: Ahsan Iqbal

  • Khan says govt ‘to recognise Israel’, Israel’s president praises Pakistani delegation

    Khan says govt ‘to recognise Israel’, Israel’s president praises Pakistani delegation

    Israel President Isaac Herzog has said that he had had an “amazing experience” while meeting a Pakistan expatriate delegation living in the United States (US). Herzog referred to this visit as an example that showed him “great change” towards Israel’s ties with the Muslim world.

    Herzog said he received a delegation of Pakistani expats who lived in the US “together with other members of other countries in their region”.

    No change in govt’s policy on Israel: Foreign Office

    However, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan categorically rejected the notion of any delegation from Pakistan visiting Israel.

    “The reported visit in question was organised by a foreign NGO that is not based in Pakistan,” the Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson said in a statement.

    “Pakistan’s position on the Palestinian issue is clear and unambiguous. There is no change whatsoever in our policy on which there is a complete national consensus.”

    The statement further added that Pakistan steadfastly supports the Palestinian people’s inalienable right to self-determination. 

    “The establishment of an independent, viable, and contiguous Palestinian state with pre-1967 borders and Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital, in accordance with the relevant UN and OIC resolutions, is imperative for just and lasting peace in the region,” the statement added. 

    Govt going to accept Israel: Khan

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan criticised the sitting government as the Pakistani expats delegation visited Israel. More criticism was hurled their way after Herzog praised the Pakistani-American delegation.

    Khan on Sunday criticising the government and alleged that it was going to recognise Israel.

    “This government will strike a deal with India to sell the people of Kashmir, and to top it off, they are also going to accept Israel,” he said while addressing the PTI workers’ convention in Charsadda.

    There was no Pakistan delegation visiting Israel: Anila Ali

    A 15-member delegation visited Israel to promote interfaith harmony. The trip was organised by the American Muslim and Multifaith Women’s Council and an NGO called Sharaka. Founder of the American Muslim and Multifaith Women Empowerment Council, Anila Ali, led the delegation.

    After Khan’s allegations, Anila tweeted: There was no #Pakistan delegation visiting #Israel.

    Pakistan does not recognise the state of Israel: Ahsan Iqbal

    Minister for Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal clarified no official or semi-official delegation from Pakistan met the Israeli president.

    “The participants in this delegation were Pakistani-Americans who have already provided an explanation in this regard,” the planning minister said in a tweet.

    Iqbal said the policy of the Government of Pakistan is clear — it does not recognise the state of Israel. “All our sympathies lie with brothers and sisters of Palestine.”

    Israeli President received a delegation of Pakistani expats

    “I must say this was an amazing experience. We haven’t had a group of Pakistani leaders in Israel in such scope. And that all stems from the Abraham Accords [a deal brokered by the United States in 2020 which saw normalisation of relations between Israel, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Bahrain], meaning Jews and Muslims can dwell together in the region.”

    Israeli President Isaac was speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

    Pakistan refused to accept Israel as a sovereign state because of the Palestine-Israel conflict, and every government that came to power has endorsed this stance. Speculations were being created that the new government was in a way ready to recognise Israel as a sovereign state.

  • PML-N leaders take oath twice, vow issues discussed with Nawaz to remain secret

    PML-N leaders take oath twice, vow issues discussed with Nawaz to remain secret

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders who are currently in London remained tight-lipped about their discussions with the party’s supreme leader Nawaz Sharif.

    It is being said that the PML-N delegation took an oath “not just once but twice” to ensure that the issues that came under discussion before Mian Nawaz Sharif would not be revealed outside under any circumstances, reports Dawn.

    After the meeting, the delegation talked to the media outside Hasan Nawaz’s office. They did not share what policy direction was given by the Nawaz during the meeting at Stanhope House in London and stressed that any decision taken would only be announced after consultation with the government’s coalition partners.

    Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said that electronic voting machines (EVMs) will not be used in the next general elections.

    When asked to comment on the DG ISPR’s presser on the army’s role in politics, Rana Sana said, “Our position on this is exactly the same that institutions should not be involved in politics or be dragged into politics. It is very inspiring that courts and other institutions have at this moment played a role that is not political.”

    When asked if former Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan would be arrested, the interior minister said there would be no arbitrary arrest, but anyone found involved in illegal activities would be arrested and dealt with an iron hand after all legal requirements are met.

    Meanwhile, federal Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal said the basic purpose of the visit was to take stock of the real existing situation of the country and seek guidance from Nawaz Sharif as he is the most senior statesman of Pakistan. He said the party wanted to consult him so that in the coming days the government could steer the country out of crises at a fast pace. “Pakistan’s economy is in really bad shape and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has left it in a complete mess.”

    “We will take our partners in confidence on everything that we discussed with Nawaz Sharif. The national leadership will play its role to bring the country out of crises”.

  • ‘Enjoying free ride on tax money’: PM Shehbaz’s London visit receives criticism

    ‘Enjoying free ride on tax money’: PM Shehbaz’s London visit receives criticism

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif and the senior leadership of the main government party, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), have gone to London where they are due to meet with party supremo Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday.

     PM Shehbaz Sharif departed for London via a British Airways flight shortly after midnight. It is expected that he will remain in London for two to three days.

    The 10-member delegation consisting of PM Sharif, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Power Minister Khurram Dastagir, Finance Minister Miftah Ismail, and Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafiq, Attaullah Tarar, among others have gone to London.

    Their visit has received a lot of backlash from PML-N’s opponents to the general public. The timing of the PM and his top leadership’s visit to London is being questioned, with observers asking why such a trip is necessary when the country is in dire straits.

    Former PM Imran Khan said in a jalsa in Jehlum on Tuesday that the entire cabinet was going to meet a ‘corrupt and convicted’ person, that too on taxpayers’ money.

    “This entire cabinet is going to London on your [tax] money — they won’t spend their own money.”

    Later Twitter reacted to the news when Deputy Secretary-General PML-N Attaullah Tarar shared a picture of the delegation visiting London.

  • PML-N does not have any video of Khan: Ahsan Iqbal

    PML-N does not have any video of Khan: Ahsan Iqbal

    Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal said that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) believed in serving the masses and not politics of revenge and agitation.

    Speaking about the rumours of compromising videos soon to be launched against former Prime Minister Imran Khan, Iqbal said that PML-N does not have such videos nor does it have any intention but we have a record of Khan’s government’s performance.

    Speaking on Geo News programme ‘Naya Pakistan’, Iqbal said that we consider such politics as inferior and third-degree politics. He said that Imran Khan’s incompetence and corruption are mountains of K2, and there is no need for anything else. “If Imran Khan or any minister has damaged the national treasury and there is evidence, they will go to jail.”

    Regarding the allegations of a foreign conspiracy against Imran Khan, Ahsan Iqbal said that the inquiry regarding letter gate will be presented to the nation in a transparent manner. He further added that the government cannot form a commission of inquiry.

    Iqbal said that Imran Khan can approach the court if he wants to form a judicial commission. “A letter has already been sent to the chief justice. If he thinks so, he can set up a commission.”

  • PML-N’s Ahsan Iqbal under fire for comments on Cuba; Cuban Ambassador reacts

    Federal Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal sparked an outcry through his comparison of Pakistan with Cuba while highlighting poor performance and incompetence of the previous government.

    The minister said: “We not want Pakistan to become Cuba or North Korea. We have to set Pakistan on the path to development, like Malaysia, Turkey, China and South Korea.”

    Ahsan Iqbal, in fact, was trying to draw a comparison of the poor performance of the previous, saying that the “PTI government had hampered the CPEC’s progress and soured ties with the European Union, the United States and even brotherly Muslim countries, pushing the county into isolation.”

    Responding to Iqbal’s statement, Cuban Ambassador in Pakistan Zener Caro, in a tweet, said, “Fortunately, Minister Ahsan Iqbal’s disrespectful mention of Cuba in his press conference in Lahore does not represent and has nothing to do with Pakistanis’ true respect and deep affection for Cuba and its people.”

    Following it, former Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari also took to Twitter and gave a fact check to current federal minister.

    She said, “Ahsan Iqbal’s ignorance or desperate desire to please his US regime change conspiracy masters has now led him to demean Cuba by saying he doesn’t want Pakistan to become like Cuba!”

    “Cuba is a country that fought hard to win freedom & rid itself of US interference where the US had imposed a clause in Cuba’s constitution to maintain control over its policies”, she added.

    Other people also commented over the minister’s comparison and termed it inappropriate.

    https://twitter.com/5heldonC00PER/status/1518524462706171905?s=20&t=Eg-pm7L4CK2dB9Cjdwdm-Q

    https://twitter.com/DrAmjadAliKhan/status/1518530444739887105?s=20&t=Eg-pm7L4CK2dB9Cjdwdm-Q

  • PML-N’s Ahsan Iqbal invites PTI’s Asad Umar to ‘farewell dinner’

    PML-N’s Ahsan Iqbal invites PTI’s Asad Umar to ‘farewell dinner’

    The newly-appointed Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal has written a letter, inviting his predecessor former Planning and Development Minister Asad Umar to a farewell dinner “on a date and time of the Umar’s convenience.”

    The federal minister said that in the meeting he would “like to be briefed on the developmental initiatives of greater public importance” that the PTI government “had started and which should be continued in the public interest”.

    “I look forward to a positive response from you. My office will coordinate with your personal staff to schedule the proposed farewell dinner/meeting with you at the earliest,” the letter further reads.

    However, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader is yet to make a comment on this invitation.

    The PML-N’s leader move, however, has been widely appreciated by social media users.

  • PTI ministers are with us, claims PML-N’s Ahsan Iqbal

    PTI ministers are with us, claims PML-N’s Ahsan Iqbal

    In Geo News‘ Programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Saath’ Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Ahsan Iqbal claimed that the government’s decision to decrease the petroleum prices is because of their [Opposition] pressure.

    Talking about Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) allies, Iqbal said they [allies] have to decide for themselves. “If someone thinks of blackmailing them [PML-N] in exchange for offering support for the vote of the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, it wouldn’t work as they [PML-N] have enough support.”

    He, further claimed that the Opposition has support inside of PTI and would successfully sail a no-confidence motion even without the support of PTI allies. According to him, PML-N has strong contacts with 20 Members of the National Assembly (MNAs) of the ruling party including some federal ministers.

    He added that everyone wants PTI to go home. When asked about the date of the no-confidence motion against the PM, the PML-N leader said there are consultations going on right now.

    A day earlier, Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan met with the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) leadership. The Chaudhrys of Gujrat assured PM Khan that they still supported him and his government and also expressed their lack of trust in the Sharifs who ditched them in the past.

    “We know them all, and do not trust them,” said Chaudhry Shujaat.

    Last week, Pakis­tan People’s Party (PPP) Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari began his march towards the federal capital against the government.

  • Forward bloc in PML-N: Will Nawaz Sharif be replaced by another party member?

    Forward bloc in PML-N: Will Nawaz Sharif be replaced by another party member?

    Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry has claimed that four Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders were “hell-bent on removing the party supremo Nawaz Sharif from the party.”

    Addressing a gathering in Lahore, Fawad said that there is a “rat race going on among senior PML-N members as to who would lead the party next,” adding that, “four top-most party leaders want to remove PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif in a bid to take over the party’s leadership.”

    The federal minister even claimed that the four members he was referring to “even went out to meet someone and confessed that since Nawaz had treated the country in a bad manner, they should instead be given a chance to lead the party.”

    When asked for names Fawad said that their names will soon be out and that the four of them sit in the front row.

    Energy Minister Hammad Azhar took to Twitter and asked the PML-N leadership to show courage and come forward with their ambitions.

    “It is a good thing that there are four members in the Noon League who have the courage to consider themselves more qualified and entitled to lead than the Sharif family,” said Hammad.

    “However, they should express this commitment openly, not behind closed doors. Will you spend your whole life in fear?” tweeted Hammad.

    Confirming what Fawad had said, Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s Special Assistant on Capital Development Authority (CDA), Ali Nawaz Awan, while speaking on Geo News programme, ‘Captial Talk’ said, “The entire city is talking about [replacement of Nawaz Sharif.]”

    I will name two members [out of the four hinted by Fawad] Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Khawaja Asif,” said Awan.

    Prior to this, Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed had hinted on a minus Sharif leadership and said, “They [Opposition] want that the hand [protecting] Imran Khan should be on their head as well,” adding, ” this hand can be on their [Opposition] neck but never on their head.” Rasheed’s words hint towards the establishment.

    “I would like to say a historical sentence that all four Sharif’s are minus from the politics of Pakistan,” said Rasheed.

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Faisal Vawda, while speaking on ARY News programme, ‘Off the Record’ was questioned about the four names who wanted to replace Nawaz Sharif.
    “Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Ayaz Sadiq, Ahsan Iqbal, and Miftah Ismail are the names who wish to replace Nawaz,” said Vawda.

    Anchorperson Kashif Abbasi asked Vawda as to where did the above-mentioned people go and whom did they meet? Vawda said, “Any door can be knocked, one can go and meet anyone.

  • PML-N questions extension debate of army chief tenure by PM Khan

    PML-N questions extension debate of army chief tenure by PM Khan

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Ahsan Iqbal slammed Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan over talking about the extension of the Chief of Army Staff’s (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa’s extension, arguing that it is an “unconstitutional and political tactic”.

    Abbasi said that the Constitution of Pakistan was clear on the army chief’s appointment, saying: “The Constitution that we’ve read says the army chief gets appointed for three years. There has never been a debate on the extension of the army chief’s tenure.”

    Last week, PM Khan, in a programme said he had so far not thought about the extension of COAS as November [the appointment month of COAS] is far away.

    Similarly, PML-N Secretary-General Ahsan Iqbal condemned the act and said that the government is “trying to play a dangerous political card on the matter of the army chief’s appointment.”

    “A new military chief is appointed during the last three months of the incumbent’s tenure, therefore, talking about the extension before time is just a political tactic,” he added.

    General Qamar Javed Bajwa’s tenure was extended for three years by PM in August 2019, just three months before he was set to retire.

  • PTI in trouble? ‘Corrupt, liar, conspiratorial’, Opposition hits out at PM Khan

    PTI in trouble? ‘Corrupt, liar, conspiratorial’, Opposition hits out at PM Khan

    The Opposition has heavily criticised the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan after a scrutiny committee of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) reported that the party did not disclose millions of rupees worth of funds to the constitutional body.

    Lashing out at the premier, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice-President Maryam Nawaz said Imran Khan had not only “stolen and hidden money, but also plundered the people”.

    Maryam said the “constant leaks, revelations, and evidence, are more than enough to bring down the PTI, including Imran Khan.”

    “Has there been such a corrupt, liar, and conspiratorial ruler like Imran Khan in the history of Pakistan?” she asked.

    PML-N Secretary General Ahsan Iqbal during a media briefing said that the scrutiny committee’s report had “washed away Imran Khan’s make up of honesty”.

    “Imran Khan acts as the champion of transparency in the country, but in the foreign funding case, he is making lame excuses to stop the hearing; PTI is resorting to mudslinging to cover its own theft,” he said.

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Central Information Secretary Shazia Marri, berating PM Khan tweeted, “Imran Khan talashi do (give yourself up for examination).”

    Meanwhile, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry termed the report “inaccurate” and called for a public comparison of all the parties’ foreign funding so people knew where they all stood.

    Fawad said that there were “two relevant transactions of Rs150m and Rs160m, which had been duplicated and therefore counted twice by the committee”.

    “In the same way, Rs150m transferred from the centre to the provinces from a PTI subsidiary was also counted twice.” He said these facts would be laid before the ECP during arguments in the case.

    The minister said the report showed that the PTI had 26 accounts out of which eight were inactive.

    “Out of the remaining 18 accounts, eight are functional and have transactions and also show funds coming in,” he added.

    He said that 10 of the accounts in question did not actually belong to the PTI, while six were subsidiary accounts, while the party has distanced itself from the remaining four.

    The report compiled by the ECP revealed the party under-reported an amount of Rs312 million over a four-year period, between 2009-10 and 2012-13. Year-wise details show that an amount of over Rs145m was under-reported in 2012-13 alone.