Tag: Ayaz Sadiq

  • PM Shehbaz’s many alleged audio leaks in 24 hours, PTI raises questions

    PM Shehbaz’s many alleged audio leaks in 24 hours, PTI raises questions

    Audios allegedly of Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif and other Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders have been leaked.

    Following the leaks, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senior leader Fawad Chaudhry took to Twitter, saying, “PM House’s data has been put on sale on the dark web. It is a major failure of our intelligence agencies, especially the Intelligence Bureau (IB). Besides political matters, important discussions on security and foreign affairs are in their hands.”

    Similarly, his party member Shireen Mazari said that the real issue is that who placed these hacking devices.

    “Real issue is who bugged the PMO/PMHouse in the first place. The hacking happened because devices were placed in these locations. So who is responsible and where did orders or decision come from? That is a question that must also be focused on,” she tweeted.

    ‘TV par ulti baatein karta hai’: Maryam Nawaz about Miftah Ismail

    In one of the audio clips, PML-N Vice-president Maryam Nawaz allegedly can be heard complaining to her uncle [PM Shehbaz] about Finance Minister Miftah Ismail. “

    “TV par ulti baatein karta hai” (He says strange things on television), she allegedly says.

    “He doesn’t take responsibility, says strange things on TV which people make fun of, he doesn’t know what he is doing,” the voice said to be Maryam’s says in the clip.

    “He clearly cut corners,” the voice said to be PM Shehbaz can be heard saying as she wishes for the return of former finance minister Ishaq Dar.

    It is pertinent to mention that Dar will take over as the Finance Minister in the coming week.

    The second clip allegedly concerns a conversation between PM Shehbaz, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Law Minister Azam Tarar, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah and former National Assembly (NA) speaker Ayaz Sadiq about the resignations of PTI MNAs. The audio is said to be a recording of a cabinet meeting.

    Party leaders can be allegedly heard discussing whose resignations from PTI will be accepted. Moreover, the leaders can be heard saying that the final decision will be taken by PML-N Supremo Nawaz Sharif who is in London.

    At one point, Ayaz Sadiq can be heard saying that “Will tell them that the signatures were not correct,” allegedly talking about those PTI members whose resignations they did not want to accept.

    The third clip is allegedly a conversation between Maryam Nawaz and the PM where they are discussing the return of former Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General (retd) Pervez Musharraf.

    A voice said to be Maryam’s can be heard saying that “Army has decided to bring Musharraf back to Pakistan so before it looks like that they have an imposed a decision on us, I asked Abu (Nawaz Sharif) to tweet in favour of Musharraf’s return.”

    At the time, Nawaz had tweeted, saying: “I have no personal enmity or animosity towards Pervez Musharraf. I don’t want anyone else to suffer the trauma I have had to endure.”

    ‘Her son-in-law is very dear to her’: PM Shehbaz

    ‘Her son-in-law is very dear to her’: PM Shehbaz allegedly says in another audio leak, referring to Maryam Nawaz’s son-in-law.

    In that clip, PM Shehbaz and an unidentified man can be heard allegedly discussing about facilitating Maryam Nawaz’s son-in-law Raheel.

    The unidentified man can be heard briefing the person, alleged to be the premier, about the consequences of taking the decision.

    At this, the voice thought to belong to the PM says: “The son-in-law is very dear to Maryam Nawaz. Tell her very logically about this and then I will talk to her.” He also said that he would personally meet him once he returns from Turkey.

    At this, the other person allegedly advises PM Shehbaz to get this work done from former finance minister Ishaq Dar, to which he agrees.

  • ‘Pakistan’s nuclear programme in the hands of ‘thieves’, Khan questions institutions about safety of nukes

    ‘Pakistan’s nuclear programme in the hands of ‘thieves’, Khan questions institutions about safety of nukes

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Wednesday asked the institutions if ‘thieves’, who have come into power through a ‘foreign conspiracy’ and are ‘slaves’, can protect Pakistan’s nuclear programme. He was addressing a rally in Peshawar.

    In his first public address since losing his government, Khan directly addressed the judiciary and asked: “My dear judges, my judiciary, I have spent time in jail because of your freedom because I dream that one day the judiciary would stand with the weak people of the society, and not the powerful. I ask the judiciary that when you opened the court in the dead of night … this nation has known me for 45 years. Have I ever broken the law? When I played cricket, did anyone ever accuse me of match-fixing?”

    “During my 25 years of politics, I have never provoked the public against state institutions or the judiciary because my life and death are in Pakistan. I ask you, what crime had I exactly committed that you opened up the courts at midnight?” questioned Khan.

    “I will live and die for Pakistan.”

    The PTI chairman also warned that he was not that dangerous while he was part of the government, but now that he has been ousted, he will become “more dangerous” for the Opposition.

    “We will not accept an imported government and people have shown what they want by holding demonstrations against the move,” he said.

    “Shehbaz Sharif is out on bail, his son is out on bail, Nawaz Sharif is a convict, and his son is an absconder in London and the same is the case with his sons, daughter, and son-in-law.”

    “America has insulted Pakistan by imposing these bandits on us; Shehbaz Sharif is facing corruption charges of Rs40 billion,” Khan added. “Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was sacked through a conspiracy by the USA, but this is not the Pakistan of 1970. This is the new Pakistan.”

    “My youth, get ready, I will be out on the streets with you in every city until we do not force them to hold elections,” he said, adding, “Today marks the beginning of the struggle to find actual freedom.”

  • 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.

  • ‘We have not been pressing for dialogue’: Opposition seeks written assurances from govt on legislation

    ‘We have not been pressing for dialogue’: Opposition seeks written assurances from govt on legislation

    Members of the united Opposition on Thursday met National Assembly (NA) Speaker Asad Qaiser twice and asked him to give them in writing the terms of engagements, which should include a categorical statement that it was the government that approached them for dialogue, reports Dawn.

    “We are going to communicate to the Speaker that he should give us in writing because we do not want to hear that we (the Opposition) have been pressing for a dialogue,” said the parliamentary leader of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) in Senate Sherry Rehman.

    “The steering committee will consider further action after receiving legislation in writing from the Speaker regarding the bills and ordinances to be discussed in the joint session,” said Sherry. “We believe in the supremacy of parliament and dialogue but obviously, our leadership will take the final decision after the steering committee deliberations,” she added.

    Former Speaker NA Sardar Ayaz Sadiq said, “The Speaker called me and Naveed Qamar and said he wanted the government and the Opposition to sit down and talk about the 20 bills related to the ordinances. We responded that we will talk to the party leadership first.”

    The Opposition parties had formed a steering committee on Wednesday to formulate a joint strategy after the government postponed Thursday’s joint session of parliament.

    The Opposition Leader in National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif and PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari termed the government’s decision of postponing the joint session as their victory.

    “The hasty convening of the joint meeting and then the hasty adjournment shows the seriousness of the government that had made sensitive and serious issues like legislation a child’s play,” said Shehbaz.

    Bilawal said “Kaptaan bhag gaya” (the captain ran away), sharing President Arif Alvi’s notification for the postponement of the session.

  • PTI’s Khattak approached Ayaz Sadiq for talks, says PML-N leader

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawa (PML-N) leader Attaullah Tarar has said that Defence Minister Pervaiz Khattak approached PML-N leader Ayaz Sadiq with an offer for a dialogue between the government and opposition.

    In a TV show, Tarar claimed the government had approached the PML-N with a dialogue offer. But his claim was contested by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) minister Zartaj Gul, who challenged him to name the minister who approached the opposition leader.

    At this, Tarar said that PTI’s Khattak approached Sadiq with a reconciliation offer. Zartaj, however, said that PTI government doesn’t believe in backdoor talks with the “criminals” and added that it would hold talks with the opposition on the floor of parliament only.

    On Monday, a meeting between the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), PTI, and PML-N to be held with NA Speaker Asad Qaiser in the chair was cancelled after the PML-N leader skipped it.

    Subsequently, the PML-N vice president, Maryam Nawaz, said there would be no talks with the government. Maryam Nawaz had claimed that the government was “begging” before the opposition for a dialogue, but the opposition had decided against it.

    “You will be surprised if I tell you the details as to how they [the government people] are begging before the opposition for talks,” she said, adding that long march and mass resignations will take place when the time will come.

  • Lawyer, allegedly a PML-N supporter, submits application for treason case against Fawad Chaudhry

    Lawyer, allegedly a PML-N supporter, submits application for treason case against Fawad Chaudhry

    A lawyer, who is allegedly a supporter of opposition’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), has submitted an application seeking the registration of a treason case against Federal Science and Technology Minister Fawad Chaudhry over the latter’s Pulwama remarks from last week.

    According to reports, the application has been submitted to Civil Lines police station in Lahore by Advocate Rohail Asghar, a picture of whom with PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz has now gone viral over the internet.

    Fawad had in a faux pas on the floor of the National Assembly last week mentioned 2019’s Pulwama attack in held Kashmir, which had killed 40 paramilitary troops and brought the two countries to the brink of war.

    Speaking of Pakistan’s swift response to its air space being violated by India following the said terrorist attack, Fawad had mistakenly named Pulwama, drawing strong reactions.

    READ: ‘Pulwama attack’: Fawad says Indian media twisted his words to malign Pakistan

    While Pakistanis had called out the minister for carelessly making the statement that he went on to clarify later on, Indians, including Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi and several journalists, had added fuel to fire by extensively reporting it.

    In a formal statement, the minister had said that the Indian media “acted with gross irresponsibility by misrepresenting the context of the speech” he delivered during a session of the National Assembly.

    Wednesday’s development comes as a series of treason cases between members of the government and opposition continues.

    READ: ‘Abhinandan’s release’: Banners calling Ayaz Sadiq ‘traitor’ surface in Lahore

    Last week, former National Assembly speaker Ayaz Sadiq had landed in hot water for his remarks regarding Abhinandan’s release by Pakistan soon after he was captured.

    The controversy surrounding his statements had led to the military also clarifying the situation, which was followed by the government announcing how the parliamentarian could face legal action.

  • PML-N stands by Ayaz Sadiq’s ‘unforgivable offence’

    PML-N stands by Ayaz Sadiq’s ‘unforgivable offence’

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has decided to stand by its party leader Ayaz Sadiq over a controversial statement pertaining to Indian pilot Abhinandan’s release, saying Sadiq was being targetted to settle political scores.

    In separate statements, PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal and Rana Sanaullah defended the former National Assembly speaker and said the government was blowing his remarks out of proportion. The statement came a day after the government spokesperson accused Sadiq of committing an “unforgivable offence”.

    PML-N General Secretary Ahsan Iqbal said that there was nothing illogical about Ayaz’s statement, explaining that “a weak economy translates into a weak defence”. “Accumulative national strength is reliant to an extent on armed forces and to a larger extent on its economic and foreign policy depth.”

    Meanwhile, Sanaullah, who heads the party’s Punjab chapter, said the government’s attempts to link the statement with the Indian narrative were problematic.

    “If Ayaz Sadiq’s choice of words was not right, where was the National Assembly speaker? The government is linking the opposition’s statements with the Indian narrative,” he remarked. The situation will get out of control if things continue in the same manner, he warned.

    Meanwhile, at least two complaints were registered against the PML-N leader for issuing a controversial statement on the floor of the National Assembly. These complaints were lodged at the Civil Lines police station, Lahore, and Secretariat police station, Islamabad.

    The complainants accused the lawmaker of “hurting the sentiments of the nation” and malign Pakistan on a global level.

    Dunya News reported that the complainants were forwarded to the legal departments of the police for consultation and action would be taken accordingly.

    On Friday, Federal Minister for Information Shibli Faraz hinted at legal action against Ayaz Sadiq for accusing the government of releasing Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman of the Indian Air Force (IAF) under pressure. “What Ayaz Sadiq said is not forgivable,” he tweeted, adding that law will take its course now.