Tag: Azhar Mashwani

  • PTI USA ‘apologises’ for prior anti-America remarks; leader rubbishes claim

    PTI USA ‘apologises’ for prior anti-America remarks; leader rubbishes claim

    Journalist Murtaza Solangi has shared an alleged agreement that showed that the USA chapter of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has hired US lobbying firm Fenton/Arlock LLC to “create a favorable and sympathetic understanding of Imran Khan and PTI in the United States.”

    However, PTI’s leader Azhar Mashwani has refuted the claims and the November 14 tweet in which Solangi posted the agreement, calling the alleged document “fake.” Users pointed out that the lobbying firm’s name is misspelled “Arlock instead of Arlook.”

     It should be noted that in 2022, PTI USA chapter hired Fenton/Arlook to improve the party’s image in the United States. 

    Interestingly, in the agreement dated November 7, PTI USA has said it “acknowledges and apologizes for any prior anti-U.S. remarks made by party leaders that may have been misinterpreted or caused any strain in the bilateral relationship.”

    Furthermore, the agreement also alleged that PTI USA, which is representing Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf “is committed to prioritising US interests within the framework of Pakistan’s sovereignty including supporting US objectives in Pakistan and countering the growing influence of neighbouring country in areas that may conflict with US geopolitical and economic interests.”

    It should be noted that PTI blamed the US for conspiring against its government when Imran Khan was ousted from power through a no-confidence motion in 2022. Founder PTI Imran Khan, in an infamous rally, waved a page in front of a charged crowd, which was allegedly the cypher sent to Islamabad by Pakistan’s ambassador in Washington.

    The Intercept, a US-based news website, in August 2023 published what it claimed to be the “cypher” that hinted the US administration wanted to remove Khan from power. 

    However, later, Khan and his party changed their narratives multiple times while the American-Pakistani community continuously lobbied among US politicians for the release of Khan from prison.

    The agreement, since viral on social media, also stipulated the scope of services which the lobbying firm would provide on behalf of PTI USA for a retainer fee of $40,000 per month. 

    “Utilizing Fenton/Arlock LLC’s influence, contacts, and resources to help reshape PTI’s image within US political circles, with the goal of fostering a positive narrative and securing political goodwill towards PTI’s platform and leadership,” read the agreement.

    As Donald Trump swept the US presidential elections earlier this month, his victory created a moment of happiness within PTI leadership and supporters because they’ve pinned their hopes on Trump’s intervention to get Imran Khan released from jail. 

    Former deputy speaker and prominent PTI leader, Qasim Khan Suri, took to X last month to blame the Democratic Party for Khan’s fall from power instead of blaming the United States.

    Suri posted his speech from 2022, when he was the deputy assembly speaker, in which he blamed the United States for conspiring against Khan due to his alleged “independent foreign policy, economy and the sanctity of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).” Yet, the caption Suri wrote was in clear contrast with the contents of the video, writing, “The crushing defeat of the US Democratic Party, which played an important role in bringing down the government of Imran Khan, in the US presidential election made local facilitators sleepless, many of them immediately issued statements to change their father.”

  • Sher Afzal Marwat faces off with PTI’s social media team over Shahid Afridi

    Sher Afzal Marwat faces off with PTI’s social media team over Shahid Afridi

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) maverick leader Sher Afzal Marwat and the party’s social media team are facing off on the issue of criticism of former cricketer Shahid Afridi.

    Ali Muhammad Khan is also upset with the behavior of the PTI social media team.

    Sher Afzal Marwat wrote on X, “Why Shahid Afridi? Now a campaign is going on against Shahid Afridi due to an alleged statement on May 9. I saw few statements attributed to me against Shahid Afridi. So we should reject fake news. I have not come across any such statement from Shahid Afridi and it seems that some elements are spreading false news against him. Shahid Afridi is a living legend, a Pashtun (Afridi) who became the hero of Pakistan.”

    “I am inspired by the Afridis with their many qualities and Shehryar and Shahid Afridi have always been my heroes. I know that Shahid Afridi holds Imran Khan in a high regard and the propaganda against Shahid Afridi seems to be in the hands of those who want to settle a personal score with him.”

    Talking about PTI’s social media team he said, “PTI social media teams are requested to spread good things about Shahid Afridi. We also need to react swiftly to false propaganda from PTI’s platform in future. Such unwitting participation in a malicious campaign against individuals should always be stopped as soon as possible. I personally confirm that the campaign against Shahid Afridi is false and futile and I deeply regret it.”

    On the other hand, PTI leader Ali Muhammad Khan has said, “The founder of PTI and Shahid Afridi are both national heroes. If Shahid Afridi’s words are not appropriate, it can be his personal opinion.”

    PTI’s social media activist Azhar Mashwani responded to Marwat’s statement about Shahid Afridi and said, “Marwat Sahib! This sentence of yours is reprehensible and should be deleted immediately, do not respond or comment on internal party talks on social media. You should avoid such action.”

  • ‘Mai in logon ke sath nahi bethoonga, meri team bethegi’: Khan refuses to sit with govt for talks

    ‘Mai in logon ke sath nahi bethoonga, meri team bethegi’: Khan refuses to sit with govt for talks

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has said that he will not sit with the government for dialogue, asserting that if any talks are held, his team will participate instead of him.

    “I will not sit with the government. And if any dialogues are held on the issue of elections alone, my team, not me, will participate,” said the PTI chief.

    “The dialogues should only be held on elections alone. However, I will not sit with those to whom I use to call thieves and corrupt,” he clarified. “And if the talks don’t go towards holding elections, then there is no benefit of dialogues,” he added.

    Khan had hoped that after former Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa retired, there will be some change in the treatment given to his party, however, he claimed that matters have become even more difficult than they were before.

    “We were hoping that when Gen Bajwa leaves, and there is change of command there would be some change. However, we have seen no change. Everything is the same, or I should say that the policies have intensified,” said Khan in an interview to news website Urdu.com on Sunday.

    Khan said that he was not in contact with the establishment. He further said if talks are held on elections alone, his party will talk to anyone. When asked if the establishment has something personal against Khan, he said that he can’t say much about this but he knows one thing for sure that Gen (retd) Bajwa caused a lot of oppression on PTI. “We used to ask the police they would say that we have orders from higher ups,” he stated.

    Talking about forced disappearances, Khan said that he knew who was responsible for taking away PTI social media activist Azhar Mashwani.

    “We knew who took Azhar Mashwani. It was neither police who was involved nor FIA. We know which agency was behind it,” said Khan.

    “There are actually scared. They only want my complete blackout. They have banned me on media and now they’re after my social media presence,” said Khan.

  • ‘Azhar Mashwani PTI ke paas hai’: Rana Sanaullah

    Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah has said that Pakistan Thereek-e-Insaf (PTI) social media activist Azhar Mashwani has not been picked up by the government, implying that he is with PTI.

    Talking in Geo News programme, ‘Naya Pakistan’, Sanaullah said that PTI is carrying out fake propaganda, reiterating that Mashwani has not been abducted by the authorities.

    “He [Azhar Mashwani] is with them [PTI]. They have a way of churning fake narratives, and then they keep on beating around those lines,” said Sanaullah.

    Sanaullah further said that matters have not just reached the point of no return but far beyond the point of no return, stressing that whatever the outcome, PTI Chairman Imran Khan will be solely responsible.

    Read more: ‘Enough is enough’: Khan demands immediate release of PTI activist Azhar Mashwani

    Mashwani was picked up last week by unknown persons. Blaming the authorities for abducting Mashwani, Khan took to Twitter and wrote: “Enough is enough. Police in Punjab and Islamabad are breaking all laws with impunity as they target PTI. Today Azhar Mashwani was abducted in the afternoon from Lahore and his whereabouts are unknown.” Khan demanded the immediate release of Mashwani.

  • Political arrests show our politicians have learnt nothing

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) social media head Azhar Mashwani went missing outside his house on Thursday when he was taking a cab to Zaman Park. His brother has lodged an FIR of his kidnapping. PTI has alleged that Azhar has been illegally abducted by the authorities. It is indeed quite alarming that three days have passed since he went missing from Lahore and yet there is no news about his whereabouts. Imran Khan has condemned the police in Punjab and Islamabad for “breaking all laws with impunity as they target PTI”. The recent targeting of PTI leaders and workers, including Fawad Chaudhry, Hassaan Niazi, and now Mashwani shows that our political parties have not learnt anything and will do the same when they come in power which they condemned when they were at the receiving end of the same treatment during the regime of their political opponents.

    Two wrongs don’t make a right is something we often hear, but we don’t see this being professed in Pakistan. Witnessing the wrongs in the politics of Pakistan, it is safe to say that no one learns from past mistakes. For years, we have seen politics in our country. The people in power change, and their faces change, but their means and tactics to settle scores remain the same, and this vicious cycle continues. In the last few months, we have seen how the PTI leaders and workers have been arrested on frivolous charges just like workers and leaders of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) or others when the PTI was in power. For years now, we have seen some very powerful sectors influencing decision-making both in politics and otherwise. The political arena is overshadowed by these mighty decision-makers and their idea of politics. Every time a politician is arrested to silence him or her, it just shows a flagrant disregard for the law of the land.

    An arrest should only be made if, and only a crime has been committed or one is found guilty of any wrongdoing. Arrests on frivolous charges are not the answer to silence opinion. Democratic countries allow dissent. We have seen journalists and activists being arrested or picked up because of their views and opinions. The PDM government, which was a victim of such brutal policies in the past, has now made it abundantly clear that it will go to the same lengths to arrest Khan and his supporters. However, this vicious cycle must end. It is the responsibility of the political class to decide if they want to continue with settling scores and political victimisation or they want to put a stop to it. All politicians, be they in the government or the Opposition, need to unite on this point. Otherwise, such arrests and disappearances will continue. This culture must stop and change because political arrests will get us nowhere. A country facing multiple crises – from economic to political – needs stability. Not more chaos.

  • ‘Enough is enough’: Khan demands immediate release of PTI activist Azhar Mashwani

    ‘Enough is enough’: Khan demands immediate release of PTI activist Azhar Mashwani

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Social Media Activist Azhar Mashwani was picked up on Thursday, prompting party Chairman Imran Khan to condemn his arrest.

    Blaming the authorities for abducting Mashwani, Imran Khan took to Twitter and wrote: “Enough is enough. Police in Punjab and Islamabad are breaking all laws with impunity as they target PTI. Today Azhar Mashwani was abducted in the afternoon from Lahore and his whereabouts are unknown.” Khan demanded the immediate release of Mashwani.

    On March 18, Senator Shibli Faraz and Omar Sultan were “badly beaten” by Islamabad police, Khan said, insisting that they both had permission to be inside the Judicial Complex, where the PTI chief went to attend a hearing in the Toshakhana case day.

    Talking about his nephew, Khan said. “Hassaan Niazi was abducted immed after getting bail & later charged with sham FIRs to keep him lcoked up.”

    “I am sending pictures of IGs [inspectors generals] of Punjab and ICT [Islamabad Capital Territory] and of all officers indulging in this criminal behaviour” to international human rights organisations, he said, “so they can identify those working for the state and indulging in abductions, illegal break-ins into homes, custodial torture and violence against political leaders and unarmed workers of PTI.”

    Mashwani’s wife, Mahnoor, also tweeted about her husband’s disappearance, writing, “My husband @MashwaniAzhar is missing from 2.51 pm from home.. He went out for Zaman park And his last seen is 2.51 pm.. If Anyone knows anything.. Let me know..”

  • Female police officer escapes gang-rape attempt in Nishtar Park

    Female police officer escapes gang-rape attempt in Nishtar Park

    A woman constable near Gaddafi Stadium Lahore escaped a gang rape attempt by two men on Friday. As per the police, one accused named Shahid, has been arrested on the statement of the girl while the other accused could not be arrested.

    As per the First Information Report (FIR), available with Geo News, the lady constable wanted to reach Ferozepur Road from Nishtar Park Sports Complex gate no 1. She asked the suspects for the directions, but they misguided her on purpose. The girl is deployed in Lahore’s Anti-Riot Force department. According to media reports, the suspects work as security guards.

    When the lady constable reached the deserted place, the suspects allegedly tried to rape her. However, her father and brother came to her rescue when she screamed for help.

    According to the police, the woman also wrote down the full address of the person who tried to rape her and stated the time of the incident in her complaint. As per the police, the girl has also undergone a medical examination.

  • Has Punjab banned co-education in private colleges? Here is what’s going on

    Has Punjab banned co-education in private colleges? Here is what’s going on

    News reports of the Punjab Higher Education Commission (PHEC) banning co-education in private colleges for the BS (Hons) programmes have been circulating on social media since Wednesday night.

    However, Azhar Mashwani, the Punjab chief minister’s focal person for digital media has said that the news reports are fake, and no such decision has been made. He also shared the screenshots of the “false” news.

    Moreover, Punjab Minister for Higher Education and Information Technology Raja Yassir Humayun Sarfraz has also denied the reports.

    “Higher Education Department hasn’t issued any notification about Co-Education in Colleges. Plz, stop spreading fake news on Media,” his tweet read.

    Journalist Benzair Shah while talking to The Current said that the news is “not accurate.” She added that the director of public instruction colleges Punjab also confirmed that the notification circulating is from 2010.

    However, a checklist for BS Four year degree programme is available on the website of the Higher Education Department and serial number 25 of the document says, “Affidavit for No Co-Education.”

    In addition, serial number 28 of a document available with The Current regarding the checklist of ADP ( Associate Degree Programme) states, “Separate Boys and Girls Block. Affidavit for no Co-Education according to sample available in the booklet on stamp paper duly attested by Oath commissioner.”

    Serial number 19 of the document says only male staff members are allowed to teach in male colleges and only female staff members are allowed to teach in female colleges. As per our sources, the document is “apparently new”.

    As per sources of The Current, the government will issue a clarification on the matter and the checklist has always been there since 2008.

    A notification issued by the Directorate of Public Instruction (Coleges) says, “It is to inform that there is no condition of submitting an Affidavit of NO CO-EDUCATION from private colleges to launch BS4YDP, AFP, DPT, Pharma-D and LLB Programs.”

    The notification further says, “The information may be conveyed to all the Private Colleges to submit an application according to New Updated proforma (which is available on HEC website.)”

  • PTI trolls Maryam Nawaz’s singing at her son’s festivities, Twitterati react

    Focal person to Chief Minister (CM) Punjab Usman Buzdar shared Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz’s singing video and Twitter suggests that he mocked her for it.

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) social representative Azhar Mashwani took to Twitter and said, “The Sharif family can make a lot of success in video and sound production field. Not bad.”

    https://twitter.com/MashwaniAzhar/status/1468075682890665984?s=20

    Upon his criticism, Twitter users fired back at Mashwani. Human Rights Activist and Lawyer Jibran Nisar said, “Punjab has developed so much, milk canals are flowing, rations are being distributed free of cost, rule of law prevails, no fake encounters, no sit-ins, no violence, so the bored CM’s focal person is commenting on the marriage.”

  • Fact Check: PM Khan misquoted Ronald Reagan at the 76th UNGA?

    Fact Check: PM Khan misquoted Ronald Reagan at the 76th UNGA?

    Claim: Imran Khan misquoted President Ronald Reagan’s statement at the UN General Assembly session

    Fact: Imran Khan misquoted President Ronald Reagan’s statement at the UN General Assembly session

    Prime Minister Imran Khan misquoted United States President Ronald Reagan’s statement, while delivering his address to the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on September 25, 2021,

    PM Khan claimed that in the 1980s, former US President Ronald Reagan compared the Afghan mujahideen fighting against Soviet forces to the Founding Fathers of the United States.

    Focal person to Chief Minister Punjab, Azhar Mashwani, took to Twitter and shared the video clip where the former president can be heard comparing Afghan Mujahideen as “moral equals of founding fathers of USA”.

    https://twitter.com/MashwaniAzhar/status/1441534425758502912

    If you watch the video attentively, you will find a minor glitch. The video is 0:48 seconds long.

    At 0:37-0:45 seconds, Reagan says: “They are our brothers, these freedom fighters, who we owe them our help. You know the truth about them, you know who they are fighting and why.”

    However, from 0:45 seconds to 0:48 seconds, there is a slight change in the sound of the president. The pitch of the sound is a bit higher as compared to the entire video. The words spoken by the president during these seconds are, “They are the moral equal of our founding fathers.”

    Actual quote of the former US President, “In making mention of freedom fighters, all of us are privileged to have in our midst tonight one of the brave commanders who lead the Afghan freedom fighters—Abdul Haq. Abdul Haq, we are with you.”

    “They are our brothers, these freedom fighters, and we owe them our help. I’ve spoken recently of the freedom fighters of Nicaragua. You know the truth about them. You know who they’re fighting and why. They are the moral equal of our Founding Fathers and the brave men and women of the French Resistance,” said Reagan.

    The anecdote that PM Khan shared about Ronald Reagan comparing the mujahideen to the Founding Fathers is a commonly made mistake and there is actually no truth to it. Reagan had actually compared Nicaraguan rebel fighters to the Founding Fathers, a comment which has since been wrongly connected to the mujahideen.

    However, this is not the first time that the premier made this mistake. In 2019, PM Khan while speaking at an event at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) think tank in New York on Monday, September 23, claimed that in the 1980’s former Ronald Reagan compared the Afghan Mujahideen fighting against Soviet forces to the Founding Fathers of the United States.

    Journalist Gharidah Farooqi raised this issue initially. She took to Twitter and said, “What an international embarrassment that too at the #UNGA forum this time. US Pres RonaldRegan NEVER compared ‘mujahideen’ to Founding Fathers. It’s a FAKE NEWS. PM Khan refers to a fake “news item” to launch a case at such a prestigious forum! Who wrote speech for PM Khan? Fire him.”

    VERDICT: TRUE