Tag: Ali Haider zaidi

  • POLITICS IN PAKISTAN; 2023 ROUNDUP

    POLITICS IN PAKISTAN; 2023 ROUNDUP

    In all honesty, 2023 was more like a crazy roller coaster than a democratic process when it comes to Pakistani politics. Here are some of the significant events that happened this year:

    Assemblies dissolved

    On January 14, 2023, the provincial assembly of Punjab was dissolved while on January 16, 2023, Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was dissolved as former Prime Minister Imran Khan was pushing for early national elections.

    May 9

    On May 9, 2023, former prime minister and founder chairman of Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI), Imran Khan was submitting his biometric data for a court appearance when paramilitary forces broke down a window inside the court to get to apprehend him.

    The dramatic and sudden arrest of the former cricket star turned leader resulted in violent clashes between supporters of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and law enforcement agencies protests to mark the arrest of the former Prime Minister turned into riots.

    Several military installations, including GHQ and the Lahore corps commander’s official residence, were attacked across the country within hours of Imran Khan’s detention.

    May 9, termed a “black day” by the Pakistani state, ended up provoking a harsh military crackdown on Khan’s party.

    PTI Dismantled

    Thousands of PTI members, including many women, were rounded up and arrested after May 9 riots.

    More than two dozen members of PTI resigned from the politics following the protests.

    Notable figures like Shireen Mazari, Asad Umer, Fayyazul Hassan Chohan, Fawad Chaudhry, Maleeka Bokhari, Abrar ul Haq, Murad Ras, Ali Haider Zaidi, Imran Islamil, Usman Dar, Farrukh Habib, Sadaqat Ali Abbasi, Andleeb Abbas, Arbab Ghulam Rahim, Shaukat Tarin and others either left PTI or quit politics.

    Imran Khan Jailed

    Police arrested Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan in Lahore on August 5, 2023, after a court sentenced him to three years in prison for illegally selling state gifts, potentially barring the opposition leader from contesting an upcoming election.

    On September 26, 2023, Imran Khan was shifted to the Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi from Attock prison, a day after the Islamabad High Court ordered authorities to relocate him to the high-security jail.

    Qazi Faez Isa

    On September 17, 2023, Justice Qazi Faez Isa was sworn in as the 29th chief justice of Pakistan.

    A ceremony was held at Aiwan-i-Sadr in Islamabad during which President Arif Alvi administered the oath of office. Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar and Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir were also present.

    Justice Isa was accompanied by his wife, Sarina Isa, while he was taking oath.

    Imran Riaz ‘safely’ returns

    On the evening of May 11, 2023, police arrested Imran Riaz Khan, a former anchor with the privately owned broadcaster Express News and host of a YouTube channel with over three million subscribers.

    Imran Riaz Khan, often called Imran Riaz, was trying to flee the country over fears of his arrest. At the time, authorities accused him of inciting people to violence through his reporting.

    He was said to have been freed a few days later, but there was no trace of him and police denied keeping him in custody.

    On September 25, 2023, his lawyer Mian Ali Ashfaq took to X (former Tiwtter) and posted a picture of Imran Riaz, after his return, stating that the recovery took a long time due to “countless difficulties, a weak judiciary” and the ineffectiveness of the Constitution. He also shared a photo of him with Khan.

    The rift between Zardari and Bilawal

    On November 23, 2023, the former president of Pakistan and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari‘s father, Asif Ali Zardari, during an exclusive interview with Hamid Mir on Geo News’ program “Capital Talk”, said that Bilawal is “inexperienced” and that it would take some time for him to gain more exposure, on Thursday.

    “Bilawal is much more talented than I am, but he isn’t experienced,” he said.

    On November 24, 2023, in a seeming act of defiance to his father, Bilawal changed his profile picture on X on Friday afternoon, to a photo with his mother Benazir Bhutto, the former Prime Minister and head of the PPP till her assassination in 2017.

    PPP denied all the claims of a rift between the father-son duo.

    Afghan Refugees Repatriation

    On October 3, 2023, Pakistan’s caretaker government announced it would carry out mass deportations — known under domestic law as an Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan — asking all concerned to leave the country before 1 November. Although the plan purported to apply to all foreigners residing in the country illegally, it appears designed to target Afghans, millions of whom have sought refuge in Pakistan over the years.

    As of December 29, 2023, the total number of allegedly illegal Afghans who left Pakistan reached 453,480 and the process is still underway.

    Nawaz Sharif Returns

    On October 21, 2023, Pakistan’s thrice-elected former Prime Minister and Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN) supremo Nawaz Sharif returned to Pakistan, ending four years of self-imposed exile in London.

    Nawaz Sharif was disqualified when the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SC) announced its decision on July 28, 2017, in the Panama Papers case.
    After that, Nawaz Sharif and three of his children were referred to an accountability court, which was ordered to file corruption cases against Sharif’s family within six weeks.

    In July 2018, the expelled prime minister was imprisoned for 10 years in the Avenfield properties corruption case, an assets-beyond-means trial.

    In the Al-Azizia Steel Mills corruption case, the PML-N supremo was sentenced to seven years in jail on December 24, 2018. Nawaz Sharif was taken to Adiala jail in this case, and then he was shifted to Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat jail on the very next day. He was also fined Rs1.5 billion and US$25 million in this case.

    The former prime minister was released from jail in March 2019. After that, the Lahore High Court (LHC) allowed Nawaz Sharif to go to London for treatment for fast-depleting platelet levels, and then he left for London in November 2019.

    Elections Date Announced

    The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) announced on November 3, 2023, that 8th February 2024 is the poll date for the General Elections for the National Assembly of Pakistan and Provincial assemblies of Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

    The date was announced by the President House in a statement following a meeting between the top election officials and President Alvi, hours after the election commission lawyer told the Supreme Court that elections will be held on February 11.

    PTI New Chairman

    On December 2, 2023, The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf (PTI) on Saturday elected Barrister Gohar Ali Khan as the new chairman in the intra-party elections held on the directives of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

    Gohar won the chairman’s position unopposed.

    The change was forced on the party after the Election Commission of Pakistan warned the PTI last month that it risked losing its emblem – a cricket bat – unless an internal ballot was held for party officers.

    Election symbols are crucial in a country where the adult literacy rate is 58 percent, according to World Bank data.

    Baloch Long March

    Demanding the release of all “missing persons” and an end to “extrajudicial killing” in Balochistan under the leadership of activist Dr Mahrang Baloch and Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), the march started in Turbat, Balochistan, on December 6 after the alleged extrajudicial killing of 24-year-old Balach Baloch.

    According to BYC, when the march reached the capital, the city administration didn’t allow them to protest in front of the press club. Maharng Baloch said in her live video from the Facebook page of BYC that Islamabad police arrested 300 male protesters, eight women, and 10 children.

  • Ali Haider Zaidi says will leave PTI if it allies with Zardari

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Sindh President Ali Haider Zaidi said that he will leave his party and politics altogether if Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman and former President Asif Ali Zardari allies with the party.

    In a wide-ranging podcast with Shehzad Ghias Shaikh, the former minister said, “Mei chordoga PTI, mei polticis bhi chordoga“(I will leave PTI, I will even leave politics).

    Zaidi said that saying Karachi is being ruled by Zardari’s “mafia”.

    When asked why PTI did not deliver on its promises to Karachi when Imran Khan was in power, the PTI leader was of the view that circumstances were different at the time, however, he admitted that the party could’ve done more.

    He also added that “Imran Khan is a figure whom everybody wants to be close with.”

    Answering Shehzad’s question about why Imran Khan didn’t visit the victims’ families of the 2020 PIA plane crash in Karachi, Zaidi said that he was overburned at the time.

    It is pertinent to mention that very few visits have been made by the-then prime minister Imran Khan to Karachi.

    Earlier this year, PTI suffered a major setback in Sindh local body elections when PTI Karachi Chapter President and Sindh Assembly lawmaker Khurram Sher Zaman suffered defeat in UC XI of Sadar Town for his nomination for Karachi mayor slot to the PPP candidate.

  • Police conduct search operation around IK’s residence

    Police conduct search operation around IK’s residence

    Islamabad Police conducted a search operation around former Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s residence in Bani Gala on Saturday after death threats to him.

    According to Geo News, a heavy force of police, including the bomb disposal squad, conducted the operation. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers staying around Bani Gala came out of their tents and started shouting slogans against the current government.

    In Karachi, the police raided PTI Member of National Assembly (MNA) Alamgir Khan’s house in his absence on Saturday. Following this episode, PTI leaders reached Gulshan-e-Iqbal police station and submitted an application against it.

    Former federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Ali Haider Zaidi said that the Sindh police has become a “military wing of PPP”. He added that the police should besiege the Chief Minister’s House if they wanted to arrest the culprits.

  • PPP plans protest against PTI in Islamabad, PTI retaliates with own protest in Sindh

    PPP plans protest against PTI in Islamabad, PTI retaliates with own protest in Sindh

    Addressing a press conference in Karachi, federal Minister for Marine Affairs Ali Haider Zaidi along with federal Minister for Planning and Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar, said that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) will launch a mass movement from February 26 from Ghotki towards Karachi, a day before Pakistan People’s Party’s (PPP) planned long march towards Islamabad on February 27.

    The PTI leaders said that the march would lead to the fall of the “Zardari mafia” and put PTI in charge of the provincial government in 2023.

     “Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan is clear about this and confident that this bandit rule in Sindh should end. And for that, the PTI Sindh is going to launch a massive movement from February 26 to reach out to every single person in the province and unite the people against this unjust rule of corruption and bad governance,” said Zaidi.

    “The PPP government has only promoted the culture of corruption, bribery, and incompetence. From water supply to farmers to jobs for youngsters, every segment of life is marred by corruption,” said Zaidi.

    “The PPP administration in Sindh is not a government but a mafia”, said Zaidi, adding that the key example of this corrupt system was the chief minister, who was actually an accountant of former president Asif Ali Zardari and was given the role only to serve his master.

    Earlier this month, PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari announced that he will lead a “long march” against the PTI government from Karachi to Islamabad on February 27.

    Bilawal said that the nation wants to get rid of the “selected” government and a transparent election is the only solution.

  • PTI’s Ali Zaidi criticises Sindh govt, offers to take over Karachi Zoo

    PTI’s Ali Zaidi criticises Sindh govt, offers to take over Karachi Zoo

    Minister for Maritime Affairs, Ali Haider Zaidi, took to Twitter to express his frustration with the Sindh government over the tragic death of a rare white lion at the Karachi Zoo.

    Karachi Zoo is pathetic. Sindh government has destroyed it as their whole system is marred by corruption,” tweeted Zaidi.

    He further expressed that if the local government is incompetent to administrate the zoo, then the Maritime Affairs Ministry can take over it under one of its port foundations and turn it into top habitat for wildlife.

    Earlier the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) dismissed Khalid Hashmi, the senior director of the Karachi Zoological Garden, from his position. He was replaced by Mansoor Qazi on Thursday, reports Samaa News.

    The proclamation was issued by the Metropolitan Commissioner, Afzal Zaidi. It is reported that Qazi holds the position for the second time.

  • VIDEO: ‘Fawad Chaudhry is jealous of my good looks,’ Federal Minister Ali Zaidi says

    VIDEO: ‘Fawad Chaudhry is jealous of my good looks,’ Federal Minister Ali Zaidi says

    Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Ali Haider Zaidi has taken a dig at his colleague, Federal Minister for Science & Technology Fawad Chaudhry, saying that the latter is jealous of his good looks.

    In an interview with The Current, Zaidi was asked if claims that he “is an expert on all ministries except his own” had any truth to them. “Fawad Chaudhry is really jealous of me. That’s why he says so,” the minister said in response, later cracking up while adding that his colleague was jealous of his good looks.

    While Fawad thought it was a “fun” interview, others, including senior journalist Hamid Mir, also reacted to Zaidi’s comment.

    Earlier, during the interview, Zaidi also spoke of the responsibilities of the Maritime Ministry, and the work that is being carried out under his supervision, such as the plans of introducing blue economy in Pakistan.

    Besides rebutting some claims made regarding him, the minister also gave a tour of his beautiful Islamabad office, shared his views on different political leaders and fellow Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) colleagues, took a look back at his cricketing career and cracked us up with his wit.

    WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW:

  • Boxer Amir Khan calls out PTI minister for taking credit for squash players’ treatment

    Boxer Amir Khan calls out PTI minister for taking credit for squash players’ treatment

    Federal minister Ali Haider Zaidi and boxer Amir Khan have engaged in a Twitter fight over taking credit for supporting former Pakistan number one squash player Riffat Khan.

    Riffat Khan underwent knee surgery last week at Shiffa International Hospital to revive her career. She had earlier requested the Prime Minister Imran Khanto help her after Squash Federation, Sports Board and relevant authorities had refused to help her.

    After media channels highlighted her story, former boxing champion Aamir Khan responded to her call and announced to help her. At the same time, Dr. Shireen Mazari, reportedly, said that minister Ali Zaidi, Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs, will bear all the expenses of Riffat’s operation.

    Riffat was, then got operated on November 13 and was released from the hospital on 14th.

    Following that, the British-Pakistani boxer tweeted the news item on Riffat’s improved health announcing that Aamir Khan Foundation supported her and paid for the athlete.

    Ali Zaidi responded quickly to that tweet saying that it was his ministry, not Aamir Khan who paid for the operation.

    “To set the record straight, PNSC paid for her operation! I heard Amir Khan offered to pay and many thanks for that, but Maritime government had already stepped in. Therefore, please take credit where it’s due,” tweeted the minister.

    Replying to Ali Zaidi’s tweet, Aamir posted the bank transaction details on his twitter account saying he paid 334,569 rupees for the operation, the government didn’t.

    Soon after these exhanges between the minister and the boxer, journalist Faizan Lakhani while replying to minister’s tweet said, “Actually both of you helped her. I have seen evidence of Amir sending her money & the athlete has also confirmed you both helped her. Aamir stepped in only after relevant people in government had refused to help her, you also reacted to same news story. You both deserve credit”.

    In another interview post her surgery, Riffat had highlighted the government’s treatment towards her before her issue came to media.

    “I was broken, disheartened and shattered by the insulting behavior and I was simply very upset with Acting PSB Director General Amna Imran, who should have realized my pain and agony, rather than keeping me waiting outside her office for an hour,” she had said.

  • Ali Haider Zaidi wants ‘The Godfather’ director to make a movie on Sharif family

    Ali Haider Zaidi wants ‘The Godfather’ director to make a movie on Sharif family

    Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs, Ali Haider Zaidi, sharing a video of Nawaz Sharif and his younger brother Shehbaz Sharif walking out of Heathrow Airport, expressed that Francis Ford Coppola who co-wrote and directed 1970s classic The Godfather should “do a film on the Sharif family of Pakistan.”

    It is pertinent to mention here that Francis Ford Coppola did not write The Godfather. While he co-wrote the script and directed the film, the film was based on Mario Puzo’s best-selling novel of the same name.

    The video shows the former prime minister walking out and hugging his son and the leader of the opposition, Shehbaz putting his best fashion front forward sporting a British bowler hat.

    Nawaz reached London yesterday in an air ambulance via Doha, accompanied by Shehbaz and personal physician Dr Adnan.

    The Godfather is an American crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola and produced by Albert S. Ruddy, based on Mario Puzo’s best-selling novel of the same name. The film’s plot is centred on Don Vito Corleone who is the head a mafia family. Corleone decides to hand over his empire to his youngest son Michael, a decision that puts the family in jeopardy.

  • Twitter spat after Arshad Sharif says will reveal inside stories about Ali Haider Zaidi

    The journalist and programme host Arshad Sharif, and the Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs, Ali Haider Zaidi are exchanging responses on Twitter after anchor Rauf Klasra shared Arshad’s talk show video about Ali Zaidi.

    Arshad Sharif in his talk show said that he will reveal some inside stories about how the minister is “accommodating his and Finance Minister Hafeez Shiekh’s friends and trying to lobby with certain businessman”.

    Ali Haider later replied to the tweet by saying, “I’m waiting for the film from OUR friend “Arshad” as well! Both friends only showing trailers!”.

    Soon after the minister’s reply, Arshad stepped into the fight and said, “The Kachra King was a good movie. Abhi film Baqi hai meray dost. Why the panic? Ali Zaidi Kay dost mahaan! Zardari kay dost chor? What’s this logic?”.

    Ali Zaidi then replied and requested Arshad to do a live show with him, where he can ask all the questions he wants on live TV.

    Arshad came back and replied with, “But please tell how your friends are Mahaan & Zardari’s friends are Chor? Why Imran Khan admonished you? Hold a press conference and answer that Minister”.

    The minister then wrote, “by the Grace of Almighty I was given a desk thumping applause in the cabinet meeting held on Sept 3rd 2019. Allah Karim”.