Tag: Hamza Shehbaz

  • ‘Sharifs’ political dynasty’: PML-N is upset over Maryam Nawaz’s appointment as senior vice president

    ‘Sharifs’ political dynasty’: PML-N is upset over Maryam Nawaz’s appointment as senior vice president

    Leaders of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) are reportedly not happy with the recent appointment of Maryam Nawaz as the party’s senior vice president.

    According to a report in The News, it is being said that there has been no consultation within the party before this decision was taken.

    A senior PML-N leader told the media outlet on condition of anonymity that, “This decision is undemocratic and is aimed at furthering the Sharifs’ political dynasty.”

    One of the PML-N leaders said that the Sharif family or those closely associated with them have the first right to hold every key position whether within the party or in the government.

    Not only this, many in the party think that PML-N leaders Khawaja Saad Rafique and Malik Ahmad Khan would have been a much better choice for the office of Punjab chief minister but the Sharif family decided in favour of one of their own-Hamza Shehbaz, the son of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

    With his appointment, Maryam is now the third most senior in party ranks after her father Nawaz Sharif and uncle Shehbaz Sharif.

    According to a PML-N leader, even Junaid Safdar, the son of Maryam Nawaz, is being propagated by the party’s social media team as the future of the N-League. However, he has not joined politics yet.

  • ‘No difference between Hamza Shehbaz and Bilawal for me’: Zardari

    ‘No difference between Hamza Shehbaz and Bilawal for me’: Zardari

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari has said that he does not see any difference between his son, Foreign Minister (FM) Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and the Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly, Hamza Shehbaz.

    In a statement, he said that after Pervaiz Elahi is removed from the post of chief minister of Punjab, the next chief minister of the province should be elected from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) rather than the PPP.

    Zardari explained that he would not like to select the next Punjab CM from his party because the seat deserves a candidate from the PML-N due to its majority across the province.

    The statement comes as the combined Opposition of PPP and PML-N in Punjab seek to oust CM Pervaiz Elahi after he didn’t seek a confidence vote today (Wednesday).

    Earlier, it was reported that Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) might give the post of CM to PPP after Zardari was said to be campaigning in Lahore to get the seat.

  • How many chiefs of police changed in Punjab during IK’s government?

    How many chiefs of police changed in Punjab during IK’s government?

    Inspector-General (IG) of Punjab police, Faisal Shahkar, has relinquished his charge after less than six months in the office.

    Faisal Shahkar was appointed as the IG by the Punjab government in July, replacing Rao Sardar Ali Khan who was the police chief during Hamza Shehbaz’s tenure as Chief Minster.

    Prior to this, Sardar Ali Khan served as the IGP for almost a year. Following is the timeline of the officers who served as the IGP while Imran Khan was the Prime Minister (PM).

    Dr Syed Kaleem Imam (June 2018-September 2018)

    Dr Imran was appointed in June 2018 and left office in September of that year. He was removed from the post one month after Khan appointed Usman Buzdar as CM of Punjab.

    Muhammad Tahir (September 2018-October 2018)

    After Kaleem Imam, Muhammad Tahir remained in the office for a month.

    Amjad Javed Saleemi (October 2018-April 2019)

    Saleemi served for six months as the police chief of the province.

    Capt. (R) Arif Nawaz Khan (April 2019- November 2019)

    Captain Khan left the office after seven months of being in charge.

    Shoaib Dastgir (November 2019-September 2020)

    Dastgir remained IGP for almost ten months.

    Inam Ghani (September 2020- September 2021)

    During the PTI’s government, Ghani held the IGP post for a year.

    Sardar Ali Khan (Septmeber 2021-July 2022)

    Sardar Ali was replaced by Shahkar.

    This information has been taken from the Punjab police website.

  • Zardari assures Shujaat that Hamza Shehbaz will not become CM Punjab again

    Zardari assures Shujaat that Hamza Shehbaz will not become CM Punjab again

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari has asked Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) President, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain not to dissolve Punjab Assembly and assured him of a new setup, reports Geo News.

    Quoting sources, the report said that at a meeting that took place on Sunday, Zardari also assured the PML-Q president that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Hamza Shehbaz will not be the Chief Minister (CM) of Punjab in the “new setup”.

    Meanwhile, Shujaat guaranteed the PPP co-chairman asked that he talk to the CM of Punjab Pervaiz Elahi about the dissolution of the assembly.

    Since the announcement of the possible dissolution of Punjab and KP assemblies by PTI chief Imran Khan, Zardari has been holding consultations about a possible no-confidence motion against the Chief Minister of Punjab.

    Meanwhile, CM Elahi said that he did not see elections taking place in the next four months, however, he has repeatedly said that he fully backs Khan’s decision about dissolving assemblies.

    In July, the Supreme Court (SC) removed Hamza Shehbaz as CM. At the time, the apex court struck down former Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari’s ruling on Punjab chief minister’s election, declaring his “understanding and implementation” of Article 63A(1)(b) of the Constitution “incorrect and erroneous”.

  • ‘No-confidence motion ka jisy shoq hai woh le aye’: CM Punjab

    ‘No-confidence motion ka jisy shoq hai woh le aye’: CM Punjab

    Chief Minister (CM) of Punjab, Pervaiz Elahi, taking a jibe at the Opposition, said on Tuesday, “No-confidence motion ka jisy shoq hai woh le aye” (whoever wants a no-confidence motion can bring it on).

    Talking to a delegation of Pakistan Broadcasters Association (PBA) including its Chairman Shakeel Masood Hussain and others, Elahi reiterated that he and his party members were standing with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan and that the Punjab Assembly would be dissolved immediately when Khan orders it.

    He said that the Opposition can only raise slogans which is not enough for them to bring a no-confidence motion.

    The nexus of PTI and Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) members in the Punjab Assembly stands at 191. The Opposition is in minority and would remain in minority, he predicted.

    “If the assembly is in session, there can be no voting on the no-confidence motion and no vote of confidence. If the assembly is in session, governor’s rule cannot be imposed,” he explained and asserted that everything was being done within the limits of the Constitution and law.

    On Monday, the PML-N’s parliamentary party held a meeting in which they decided in principle to use all ‘available tactics’ to prevent PTI’s proposed plan to have the provincial assembly dissolved.

    The meeting discussed the prospects of tabling a no-trust move against CM Elahi, imposition of the governor’s rule and the governor seeking a vote of confidence from the CM.

  • PM Shehbaz, Hamza acquitted in money laundering case

    PM Shehbaz, Hamza acquitted in money laundering case

    A special court in Lahore on Wednesday acquitted Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his son, Hamza Shehbaz, in a Rs. 16 billion money laundering case.

    During Tuesday’s hearing, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) told the court that no direct transaction had been made in the bank accounts of PM Shehbaz and his son from benami accounts [hidden accounts].

    Reacting to the verdict, the PM thanked the Almighty for this day in a tweet. “Despite the worst practices, use of state force and holding institutions hostage, we stand successfully before the court, the law and the people,” he wrote.

    In the previous hearing, Special Court Judge Ejaz Awan asked about the number of bank accounts owned by the Malik Maqsood — also known as Maqsood Chaprasi.

    FIA prosecutor Farooq Bajwa responded that the late Maqsood had eight bank accounts to his name.

    The prosecutor further stated that no money was either directly deposited or withdrawn from the accounts of the suspects, including Shehbaz and Hamza.

    The judge asked what evidence was there to substantiate that the entire money dealing was being done at Hamza’s behest. In response, FIA’s prosecutor said the agency does not have “any evidence” linking him to money laundering.

    FIA had booked Shehbaz and his two sons, Hamza and Suleman, in November 2020 under Sections 419, 420, 468, 471, 34 and 109 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, read with Section 3/4 of Anti-Money Laundering Act.

    The FIA had in December 2021 submitted the challan against Shehbaz and Hamza to a special court for their alleged involvement in laundering an amount of Rs16bn in the sugar scam case.

    “The investigation team has detected 28 benami accounts of the Shehbaz family through which money laundering of Rs16.3bn was committed during 2008-18. The FIA examined the money trail of 17,000 credit transactions,” said an FIA report submitted to the court.

    The amount was kept in “hidden accounts” and given to Shehbaz in a personal capacity, the report added.

  • FIA says no money was directly deposited into PM Shehbaz, Hamza’s accounts

    FIA says no money was directly deposited into PM Shehbaz, Hamza’s accounts

    The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) informed a special court in Lahore that no money was “directly deposited” into the bank accounts of Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif and his son, Hamza Shehbaz, in a Rs16 billion money laundering case.

    On Tuesday, the court was told that PM Shehbaz could not appear due to official engagements and requested an exemption for a day. However, Hamza appeared in court.

    Answering questions raised by the judge today, FIA’s prosecutor informed the court that Malik Maqsood – the deceased key figure in the money laundering case – had been operating eight bank accounts and that all details had been mentioned in the challan submitted before the court.

    FIA’s prosecutor, Farooq Bajwa, further argued that the record shows that neither the amounts had ever been deposited nor withdrawn from PM Shehbaz Sharif or from his son Hamza’s bank accounts.

    Hamza’s counsel argued that there is no allegation of kickbacks on the accused persons. He added that the investigation was carried out before the political situation changed and the statements were recorded on political bases.

    Earlier this month, the FIA had given a clean chit to PM Shehbaz and Hamza Shehbaz in this case, saying there was no direct evidence against them in the case.

    The case:

    In 2021, FIA submitted a challan against Shehbaz and Hamza to the special court for their alleged involvement in laundering Rs16 billion in a sugar scam.

    The report added that the amount was kept in “hidden accounts” and “given to Shehbaz in a personal capacity”.

    At the time, FIA had said that the amount of Rs16 billion has nothing to do with the sugar business of Shehbaz’s family. The money allegedly received from the accounts of low-wage employees was transferred outside Pakistan, ultimately destined for the beneficial use of his family members.

  • Rs16 billion money laundering case: PM Shehbaz appears before court, terms case as ‘fake’

    Rs16 billion money laundering case: PM Shehbaz appears before court, terms case as ‘fake’

    A special court in Lahore adjourned the hearing till October 8 in a Rs16 billion money laundering case filed by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) against Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif and his son, Hamza Shehbaz.

    The court also directed the lawyer to submit additional details on the acquittal plea by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders.

    In the hearing which took place on Friday (today), PM’s son Hamza Shehbaz did not appear before the court as he had sought exemption on medical grounds. However, PM Shehbaz appeared before the court but later sought exemption as he had “important” matters to attend to.

    PM’s lawyer Amjad Pervaiz told the court that the first information report (FIR) registered against his clients mentioned they were involved in money laundering worth Rs25 billion from 2008-2018 through fake companies. However, he said, “During this 10-year span, PM Shehbaz was neither the director nor a shareholder of those companies.”

    PM Shehbaz also spoke before the court, stating that the money laundering case against him is “fake”.

    He claimed that when he was Chief Minister (CM) for 20 years he had made decisions that “hurt” his family’s sugar business. “I was requested to provide subsidy to sugar mills, but I refused. I refused as the amount (that would be used for subsidy) belonged to the poor people in Punjab,” he declared to the court.

    Later, he sought an exemption from the court which was granted to him. After Shehbaz left, the court went on a break.

    Once the hearing resumed, the lawyer presented his arguments again. Then, the court adjourned the hearing till October 8 and asked him to continue deliberations at the next hearing.

    In 2021, the FIA submitted a challan against Shehbaz and Hamza to the special court for their alleged involvement in laundering Rs16 billion in a sugar scam.

    The report added that the amount was kept in “hidden accounts” and “given to Shehbaz in a personal capacity”.

    At the time, FIA had said that the amount of Rs16 billion has nothing to do with the sugar business of Shehbaz’s family. The money allegedly received from the accounts of low-wage employees was transferred outside Pakistan, ultimately destined for the beneficial use of his family members.

  • ‘Elections, appointment of new COAS, Punjab govt’: Sharif brothers discuss it all in London

    ‘Elections, appointment of new COAS, Punjab govt’: Sharif brothers discuss it all in London

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif held a meeting with Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo, Nawaz Sharif, in London on Sunday, September 18.

    According to media reports, both brothers had a thorough discussion on various matters, ranging from a time frame of general elections, to the appointment of the next army chief and to the Punjab government.

    The Sharif brothers agreed that the present coalition government will complete its constitutional term. Despite being under pressure from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to announce snap polls, PML-N leadership decided that general elections “should be held at the stipulated time”.

    Both Nawaz and Shehbaz pondered over making changes to the Punjab government, and the name of former Chief Minister Punjab and son of Shehbaz, Hamza Shehbaz, among other possible candidates, was considered for the post of the province’s chief minister. The provincial capital of Lahore has been awash with rumors of a change within Punjab parliament that could derail PTI and PML-Q coalition government.

    The matter of important appoi­nt­ments due in November also came under discussion, including the Chief of Army Staff (COAS). The current COAS, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, is due for retirement at the end of November this year.

    The Sharifs had a three-hour meeting at Hussain Nawaz’s office in Stanhope House. The meeting, the brothers’ second in London since Shehbaz became PM, was also attended by former finance minister Ishaq Dar and Shehbaz’s son Suleman.

    According to reports, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb did not participate in the meeting.

  • Hamza Shehbaz files petition to review SC’s verdict declaring Elahi as CM

    Hamza Shehbaz files petition to review SC’s verdict declaring Elahi as CM

    Former Chief Minister (CM) Punjab Hamza Shehbaz has filed a review petition in the Supreme Court (SC) against the apex court’s July 26 verdict, which declared Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi as the Punjab CM.

    Hamza filed the petition through his lawyer Mansoor Awan in which it has been requested that the SC should review the decision of declaring Pervaiz Elahi as the CM of Punjab and the ruling of former Punjab Assembly (PA) Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari should be declared constitutional.

    The review petition stated that the court in its order had “failed” to appreciate that when a justice signs a judgement, then to the extent that judgement is not expressly controverted in the separate opinion, that justice remains bound by the judgement he has put a signature to, whereas the order makes the inverse and counter-intuitive inference because other aspects were covered in the separately rendered decision.

    The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader further demanded that a full court be constituted to decide the matters involving the interpretation and application of Article 63-A of the Constitution in this regard.

    Earlier, a three-member bench of the SC declared Mazari’s ruling in the Punjab Chief Minister election “illegal” and ruled that Pervaiz Elahi will be the new CM of the province.