Tag: BNP

  • Iss dafa Parliament se bahir nahin jayenge; PTI changes protests strategy

    Iss dafa Parliament se bahir nahin jayenge; PTI changes protests strategy

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said on Wednesday that his party- along with allies in opposition- is planning a protest however rather than playing fractious politics, this time his party will be taking the parliamentary route.

    Speaking to journalists in Islamabad, the PTI chairman said that the party was in talks with a few parties in the opposition like Jamaat-i-Islami, BNP-Mengal, Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party, Majlis Wahdat Muslimeen which would continue after Eidul Fitr break.

    When the chairman was asked about his party’s strategy for staging protests, he emphasized that PTI would not go for a sit-in, or a boycott of parliament even though they believe that their mandate has been stolen.

    “It is everyone’s demand that elections should never be rigged. The people vote for someone and someone else comes to power, this shouldn’t happen,” he said, explaining the reasons behind the protest movement.

    This decision can be seen as a significant shift from past party politics for the last decade.

  • Bangladeshis promise free and fair elections after US imposed visa restrictions

    Bangladeshis promise free and fair elections after US imposed visa restrictions

    Bangladeshi authorities have assured the United States (US) that they will take steps to tackle and prevent unlawful practices or interference in its election after the US threatened curbs on citizens of the South Asian nation who undermine polls.

    “The government apparatus will take necessary measures to prevent and address any unlawful practices or interference … to compromise the smooth and participatory conduct of the elections,” the Bangladesh foreign ministry said in response.

    “The electoral process will remain under strict vigilance, including by international observers as accredited by the Election Commission,” it added in a statement.

    A day earlier, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States is adopting a new policy to restrict visas for Bangladeshis who undermine the democratic election process at home.

    Hasina Wajid, who has a tight control over the South Asian nation since coming to power in 2009, has been accused of human rights violations, obliteration of press freedom, suppression of dissent and the jailing of critics, including many supporters of the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).

    The BNP has been calling for Hasina to step down and for the next election, due in January 2024, to be held under a neutral caretaker government, a demand her government has rejected.

  • ‘Company CEO more respected than us’: BNP, JUI-F not happy with PM Shehbaz led govt

    ‘Company CEO more respected than us’: BNP, JUI-F not happy with PM Shehbaz led govt

    Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-Mengal) — boycotted a federal cabinet meeting over a controversial bill regarding the revival of the Reko Diq copper and gold mine project in Balochistan.

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif formed a cabinet committee to address the grievances of JUI-F and BNP-M while assuring them that an amendment bill would soon be tabled in the parliament after consulting the two allies.

    Both JUI-F and BNP-Mengal were of the view that the recently passed Reko Diq related bill — the Foreign Investment (Promotion and Protection) Bill, 2022, in the Senate, was against the rights of the people of Balochistan and that both parties had not been taken on board during the preparation of the bill.

    Chairman BNP Akhtar Mengal has signalled that he may separate his party from the incumbent Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)-led government at the centre.

    Discussing his reservations during Geo News programme “Capital Talk”, the BNP-M leader said that the coalition government, instead of taking allies into confidence, takes investors into confidence. “More importance is given to companies instead of the parliament. We will have to think about the basis of our unity,” he warned.

    Expressing his displeasure, Mengal said that a CEO of a company is respected more than the allies. He added that his province was “looted” by everyone. “The resources change people’s lives, but it is Balochistan’s misfortune that the way the resources were discovered there, they became a disaster for the people,” he said.

    During the programme, another ally of the government Jamaat-e-Islami-Fazl’s (JUI-F) Senator Kamran Murtaza said that the Foreign Investment Bill has been passed forcefully and with deceit which is a threat to Pakistan.

  • Rana Sanaullah wants to send Khan to ‘Mirchi ward’ of the ‘Machh jail’ in Balochistan

    Rana Sanaullah wants to send Khan to ‘Mirchi ward’ of the ‘Machh jail’ in Balochistan

    Federal Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah has said that Imran Khan, Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), would be kept in the ‘Mirchi ward’ of the Machh Jail in Balochistan.

    “I will keep him [Khan] in the Mirchi Ward at Machh Jail as several politicians have lived there previously,” he said during Geo News’ programme ‘Capital Talk’ as the war of words between the government and PTI showed no signs of cooling down.

    Sanauallah vowed that if he laid his hands on Khan, he won’t “spare him”.

    Discussing the political stand-off on a talk show, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said that the Balochistan National Party (BNP) leader Akhtar Mengal has taken a promise from him that Imran Khan, if arrested, would be kept in Machh jail in Balochistan.

    Rana said that a lot of politicians have been detained at the Machh jail. Imran Khan would have been behind bars by now if the cabinet agreed with him, he added.

    Recalling the incidents that took place on May 25 this year, during Khan’s first long march towards Islamabad, the interior minister lamented not arresting him on that day.

    “I wish a case should have been filed instead of forming a sub-committee,” he said, adding that if the cabinet had paid attention to his words the authorities would have arrested the PTI chief.

    Responding to Sanaullah’s remarks PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry said, ” Rana Sanaullah’s statement is more of a gunda (goon) than that of an interior minister.”

    https://twitter.com/FawadPTIUpdates/status/1588046664111202305?s=20&t=fNFbYwuhOuHx5n7Iml3UMQ

    Meanwhile, Imran Khan’s long march toward Islamabad has entered its seventh day on Thursday.

  • Bilawal going to meet Nawaz to make Zardari president: report

    Pakistan People’s Pakistan (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari is expected to meet Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif in London, reports Geo News.

    As per the news outlet’s sources, Bilawal will discuss the inclusion of Balochistan National Party (BNP) and Moshin Dawar in the federal cabinet with Nawaz Sharif during his visit to the UK. PPP Secretary-General Farhatullah Babar told The News, “The main purpose of meeting Nawaz Sharif is to congratulate him on the coalition government and discuss the current political situation.”

    However, according to Journalist Saleem Safi, “Bilawal is giving a false impression that he is going to London for the sake of allies. He is going to beg for the governorship of Punjab, more ministries and to make Zardari President.”

    As per the media outlet’s sources, there is no deadlock between PPP and PML-N on the issue of the Foreign Ministry. There is an understanding between the PPP and the PML-N that Bilawal would take over as the Foreign Minister (FM). There are speculations that there are some issues in the coalition government that’s why Bilawal did not take oath as FM despite attending the cabinet oath-taking ceremony on Tuesday.

    Earlier, it was reported that Asif Ali Zardari and other PPP leaders are not in favour of Bilawal joining the cabinet.

    Recently, PPP Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar has excused from taking oath as minister of state for personal reasons and said he wants to focus on the upcoming general elections.