Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan’s sisters have approached different forums to complain about “the disruption, road and traffic blockade and loud music at night time”, caused by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan outside his residence in Zaman Park which has affected his neighbours’ sleep, writes Umar Cheema for The News.
“They started with Imran Khan. On February 14, Dr Shireen Zafarullah and Mrs Nasreen Khalid Chima wrote the first letter to him on February 14 to inform him about ‘huge and unacceptable intrusion into our privacy being caused by the show outside your home.’ Their father, Chaudhry Muhammad Ahsan, constructed the ancestral home in Zaman Park in 1933 well before Imran’s family was allotted the house in Zaman Park after the Partition. Ali, the son of Aitzaz Ahsan, also lives in that house besides the children of sisters of Aitzaz,” reads the article.
The sisters complained about the constant noise from the loud music which lasts till 4am every night.
Not getting any response, both sisters filed an application on March 8 against the illegal encroachment outside Imran Khan’s home. The application was addressed to Chief Secretary of Punjab, Inspector General of Police, Lahore Commissioner and SHO of Race Course Police Station. However, no action was taken by the Punjab government.
Finally, they moved the Lahore High Court, which didn’t entertain the petition either. A one-member bench of Justice Asim Hafeez said they should locate a Justice of Peace to pursue this matter.
The sisters have also written to the chief justices of the Supreme Court and Lahore High Court to take notice of the problems they are facing in Zaman Park.
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) stalwart Aitzaz Ahsan has said that he is a member of the PPP and that Imran Khan, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)’s Chairman is a friend of his.
“I am part of PPP, but having said that, Imran Khan and I are friends,” said Aitzaz.
“PPP is my family. We have differences of opinion on things at times. And that is healthy, and a good thing as PPP is a democratic party, and we value opinions,” said Aitzaz while addressing a press conference.
“Among all the national parties, PPP is the only one which does not involve religion into politics,” said Aitzaz.
Prior to this, PTI leader Farrukh Habib invited Aitzaz to join the party, saying, “He is a role model for political workers.”
“Aitzaz Ahsan openly disagrees with his party’s decision while no one can dare to disagree in PPP and PML-N,” he said.
Farrukh Habib said that if Aitzaz Ahsan wanted to join PTI, he was welcome. “We have opened our doors for every good person,” he added.
Meanwhile, Pakistani Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Caption retd Safdar, who also happens to be Maryam Nawaz’s husband, has alleged that Aitzaz Ahsan was trying to become a senator on a PTI ticket.
“Aitzaz Ahsan has made the judgment of this respectful court very controversial. He has spent 40 years as a lawyer and yet he did this,” Safdar said while talking to media outside Lahore High Court.
Pakistani Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Caption retd Safdar, who also happens to be Maryam Nawaz’s husband, has said that Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) former federal minister Aitzaz Ahsan is trying to become a senator on a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf ticket.
“Aitzaz Ahsan has made the judgment of this respectful court very controversial. He has spent 40 years as a lawyer and yet he did this,” Safdar said while talking to media outside Lahore High Court.
Ahsan, while talking to media persons last week at the Lahore High Court had given a statement criticising Chief of Army Staff, General Qamar Javed Bajwa. Ahsan alleged that the army chief rescued the Sharif family from conviction in cases and had thus committed a “big crime.”
He said the cases against Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz Sharif were open-and-shut and their conviction was evident.
Safdar also talked about Sunday’s by-elections and said, “Imran Khan knew that if his party members contested the elections, they would have failed, hence he contested himself. He does not have faith in his people.”
Claim: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) decided to take action against former federal minister Aitzaz Ahsan after his recent statement about the army chief and decided to suspend his Central Executive Committee (CEC) and basic membership of the party.
“A resolution will be adopted in today’s session against Aitzaz Ahsan’s remarks and a show-cause notice will be served to him,” party insiders shared with a news outlet, adding that the decision had been taken on PPP Co-chairman Asif Zardari’s instructions.
Fact: PPP’s sources have revealed that no such decision has been taken and the prerogative of such decision lies in the hands of party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and Co-chairman Asif Zardari. PPP leader Anny Marri also tweeted negating the news about Ahsan’s suspension, saying there is “zero truth to this”.
Details:
Senior PPP leader Ahsan had given a statement while talking to the media persons at the Lahore High Court against Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa. Ahsan alleged that the army chief rescued the Sharif family from conviction in cases and he has committed a big crime.
He said the cases against Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz Sharif were open-and-shut and their conviction was evident.
He further said it was unfortunate that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had been used for political engineering in Pakistan.
Punjab PPP acting president, Rana Farooq Saeed, disowned Ahsan’s statement against the army chief, alleging that the senior leader has become a part of Imran Khan’s “anti-democracy agenda”.
“Aitzaz Ahsan has become a full part of Imran Khan’s conspiracy to derail democracy in the country [by stating that the army chief has rescued the Sharifs from conviction in cases],” said Saeed.
The Government of Pakistan has started the COVID-19 vaccination drive for those above the age of 60, with various vaccination centres operating in different cities of the country.
Among those who received their shot is Samina Peerzada, who also praised the government for the facility.
Sharing a picture of herself receiving the jab, the veteran actor said: “Thank you and Shabash Pakistan”.
Other prominent personalities who received the shot include lawyer Aitzaz Ahsan and journalist Najam Sethi, both of whom praised the vaccination facility set up by the government.
A very good experience of vaccination at Expo centre Lahore. Got my parents vaccinated, everything went very smoothly and professionally. Well done Punjab Govt and all other implementation partners. Get vaccinated and stay safe.
I visited Expo ctr Lhr today to get my father vaccinated for COVID-19 and the process was seamless. I urge everyone 60 and above to register for the vaccine by sending their CNIC to 1166 and get vaccinated now. pic.twitter.com/ot2yRKWqqe
My father received first dose of vaccine at Expo Center Lahore today. The process went smoothly & Alhamdulillah he is doing well.
Impressed how quickly he got the call after texting his CNIC no. to 1166. Please encourage family members & others to register as soon as possible. https://t.co/R7yhBS8VGI
Following are some snippets that stood out from Urdu newspapers on July 22, 2020, which The Current takes no responsibility for.
‘Noon League pr aitebaar nahi’
It was reported by Daily Jang senior leader of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Aitzaz Ahsan has said, “Noon League pr aitebaar nahi, apni party ko bhi raaye doonga k in se bach kr rahein.”
The statement comes at a time when the two largest opposition parties, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and PPP, are in talks to work out a strategy and take entire opposition on board to get rid of the current government.
‘Lagta hai NDMA khatam krna parrayga‘
According to Daily Jang, Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Gulzar Ahmed, while hearing the coronavirus suo motu case, has said,“NDMA arbon rupay kaisay kharch kr raha hai? Lagta hai idaara khatam karna paray ga.”
It has been reported by Daily Dunya that Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad chaudhary has said, “Baadal hain tou chaand kaisay nazar aaye ga? Ruet App pr dekhein, chaand nazar ayega.”
His statement came as the tussle between the Science & Tech Ministry and the Ruete Hilal Committee, which is now witnessed at least twice every year over moon-sighting methods, began on Tuesday. Zilhaj moon was not sighted and Eidul Azha is to be celebrated on August 1 in Pakistan.
The 8th Lahore Literary Festival is going to be in full swing from Friday Feb 21st to Sunday Feb 23rd. This year’s schedule seems particularly promising with the inclusion of Nobel Prize Winner for Literature, Orhan Pamuk who has a massive fan following in Pakistan. They also include book launches, and notable personalities like Middle East expert and author, Vali Nasr, Nigerian writer Oyinkan Braithwaite, and Mughal historian Audrey Truschke.
The Current’s picks for the sessions are:
“I’m most excited to meet Orhan Pamuk and get a chance to get my collection of Pamuk books signed by him. He’s a beautiful writer, his books are complicated but rewarding, tales of human nature, love, murder and how our culture defines us. He will be the star attraction this year at the LLF and I will definitely be attending the opening ceremony on Friday morning.
I’m also looking forward to the launch of HalaGula children’s books. The session is on Saturday at 2:45PM-3:45PM and is the launch of new children’s books in Urdu. There isn’t anything fun and exciting in children’s reading available in Urdu, so this will be a welcome addition – Marium Chaudhry, Founder
The Herald, one of Pakistan’s oldest magazines has recently discontinued
A session with journalists Tehmina Ahmed and Talat Aslam will be coming together with ex-HRCP chairman Dr I A Rehman — none of whom ever shied away from raising their voices even against military dictatorships — discuss the latest rough patch media industry in Pakistan has hit under PTI rule. Moderated by Razeshta Sethna, former Senior Assitant Editor of the Herald, the panel is titled ‘Speaking Truth to Power’, the panel is likely to discuss the recently ceased Herald and Newsline. I’m also going to be attending ‘Hum Dekheingay’ . In this session, Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan, poet Zehra Nigah and historian Nomanul Haq will discuss with moderator Salman Akram Raja how Marxist poet Faiz Ahmad Faiz’s writings are transcending borders and languages to fire people’s movements, as recently seen in India – Abdullah Zafar, Political Editor
I am interested in ‘Bigotry Brigade: Where is India headed?’ which will be on 4PM-5PM on Saturday. This session will be quite interesting. All the panelists are excellent, especially historian, Audrey Truschke, who has written a book on Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, which negates the Indian narrative of an evil Muslim ruler. I am interested in India’s descent into extremism as it is quite disheartening to see a secular country like India with a population of more than a billion people turn to Hindutva – Mehmal Sarfraz, Co-Founder
’55 Lawrence Road: Memories of a Jewish Family that left Pakistan in 1973′ is an intriguing title for a session. I am expecting the session will revolve around how Jewish families lived in Pakistan well after partition and why and how they migrated out of the country. I am particularly interested to know how they lived and how active their synagogues were as most of them in Pakistan are no longer active. The session is at 1:30-2:30 on Saturday and has famous architect, Nayyar Ali Dada, Pakistani-born journalist, Hazel Kahan and Pakistani film director Shireen Pasha – Saman Shafiq, Entertainment Editor
I’ts not just that our founder, Marium is a part of this session but ‘Digital Trumps Print?’ will be a session where print and T.V. journalists will discuss the challenges of change that come with the digital media transformation of Pakistan. It will be interesting to see old school journalists like Arif Nizami and Samaa’s owner Zafar Siddiqi talk about what digital media means to them at a time of slit-throat competition. The session is on Sunday from 11:15am-12:15am – Fahad Malik, Data and Tech Sub-Editor
Mahira Khan will be attending the LLF on Sunday
It will be illuminating for me to be a part of the session ‘ Pakistan’s brave new cinema’ where two renowned women of Pakistan, actress Mahira Khan and journalist Fifi Haroon, will discuss the future of cinema and how it can create awareness on sensitive issues in the country. The session is on Sunday from 2:45PM-3:45PM – Urooj Ali, Lifestyle Sub-Editor
