Tag: Ahsan Iqbal

  • Even my friends will be happy with new NAB law: PM Imran

    Even my friends will be happy with new NAB law: PM Imran

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has said that his government has insulated the buisness community with the new National Accountability Bureau (NAB) ordinance and “even his friends would be happy with the new law as there were anti-graft cases against them as well”.

    Addressing ‘Top 25 Companies Awards’ by Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX), the premier said:

    After the changes in the NAB laws, several journalists and political analysts on social media are terming the ammendment as “NRO plus” and asking if PM Imran “is trying to save his corrupt friends”.

    Another journalist asked if NAB would no longer be allowed to probe Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Ahsan Iqbal in the sports complex corruption case as he was a government employee back then and used federal funds.

    The federal cabinet on Friday had given its approval to the NAB Ordinance, 2019 after which the accountability watchdog will no longer be allowed to take action against government employees.

    The new ordinance also states that the property of government employees cannot be frozen without a court order and if NAB cannot complete an investigation against a suspect within three months, the accused will be allowed to have bail.

    Moreover, NAB will now only be able to proceed in corruption cases worth Rs500 million and more.

    In addition, NAB’s jurisdiction over matters relating to tax, stock exchange and IPOs has been curtailed and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBR), Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) and building control authorities will be the sole authorities tasked to take actino on all such matters.

  • ‘Ahsan Iqbal should be hanged for 3 days’: Faisal Vawda

    ‘Ahsan Iqbal should be hanged for 3 days’: Faisal Vawda

    Minister for Water Resources Faisal Vawda had said on Monday that Ahsan Iqbal should be hanged for three days.

    In a tweet, Mr. Vawda said: “Ahsan Iqbal alias Aristotle alias hypocrite is a bigger thief than Nawaz Sharif. He should have been arrested first but he was caught so late. I will bring forward the list of his front companies and relatives. Their looting [corruption] has brought our country to the edge of destruction. Such people should be hanged for at least 3 days.”

    Read also: ‘If found dead, Musharraf’s corpse should be dragged to D-Chowk, hanged for three days’

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Ahsan Iqbal was arrested on Monday by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in relation to the Narowal Sports City Complex case

    Ahsan Iqbal is accused of using funds of the federal government and the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) for a sports city being established in Narowal, which is a multi-billion-rupee project.

    Iqbal while speaking to the media before heading to NAB had said that when the PML-N came to power in 2013, he, as planning minister, had taken up several projects that were incomplete and sports city was one of them.

    He said that the funds spent on NSC were approved by the cabinet, parliament and the National Economic Council (NEC).

  • Called off Azadi March after assurance of general elections in three months: Fazl

    Called off Azadi March after assurance of general elections in three months: Fazl

    Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Fazlur Rehman has disclosed the “conditions” upon which the opposition’s Azadi March sit-in was called off.

    “I was assured that a change would come in the month of December […] I was assured that new general elections would be held in the next three months,” Dunya News quoted Maulana Fazl as saying.

    JUI-F chief said that we need to wait “whether in-house change [in the parliament] is brought or the entire government is sent packing”.

    Meanwhile, Fazl has called multiparty conference (MPC) of the opposition parties on November 26 aimed at discussing next course of action against the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

    Reports reveal that Fazl has invited several influential politicians including Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) Ahsan Iqbal and Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, among other senior leaders of opposition parties.

    However, PML-N vice-president Maryam Nawaz has excused herself from attending the meeting due to health issues, including blood pressure and diabetes.

    The protests, led by JUI-F supremo, began with the ‘Azadi March’ on October 27 from Karachi. Thousands of supporters reached Islamabad on October 31, holding a two-week sit-in on the city’s main highway.

    Later on November 13, Fazl ordered his supporters to disperse across the country to block roads, in what he termed as ‘Plan B’ to topple Prime Minister Imran Khan.