Tag: home-politics

  • Proud to have army as our spokesperson: Zartaj Gul

    Proud to have army as our spokesperson: Zartaj Gul

    Minister of State for Climate Change Zartaj Gul has said that the (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government is “proud to have the army as its spokesperson”.

    “We are proud that we are judiciary’s spokespersons [and] we are proud that the army is our spokesperson,” Gul said during her appearance on a SAMAA TV talkshow as she slammed the opposition for accusing the government of making state institutions controversial.

    She said that neither had the PTI government burdened the country with loans worth Rs31,000 billion nor had it enslaved the masses. “This is why the people and the army are with us.”

    WATCH VIDEO:

    Calling out opposition members, including former prime minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman “for making judges and the armed forces controversial”, she also questioned their ideology and what they were standing for.

    When asked about the way forward with the opposition, she said a “13th player” of the team was doing politics and wished to take others’ children to D-Chowk in Islamabad.

    Gul added that opposition leaders at the Islamabad sit-in were “only troubled by the fact that this time they were not a part of the parliament”.

  • Maryam Nawaz granted bail in Chaudhry Sugar Mills case

    Maryam Nawaz granted bail in Chaudhry Sugar Mills case

    The Lahore High Court (LHC) has granted bail to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Maryam Nawaz in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills (CSM) case.

    A two-member bench of the LHC comprising Justice Ali Baqar Najafi and Justice Sardar Ahmad Naeem announced the verdict. The legal representatives of Maryam and National Accountability Bureau (NAB) were also present in the court.

    Maryam Nawaz had approached the high court on September 30 seeking post-arrest bail in the CSM case, in which she is suspected of money laundering.

    Following the sudden deterioration in the health of her father, PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif, she then filed a miscellaneous petition on October 24 seeking immediate bail on the basis of fundamental rights and humanitarian reasons.

    The bench had reserved its verdict in the case on October 31 after both the petitioner and NAB had concluded their arguments.

    In its verdict, the court on Monday directed Maryam to submit her passport with the court besides two surety bonds of Rs100 million each. The court also directed the PML-N leader to deposit Rs70 million separately with the court.

    According to her lawyer, bail has been granted on the merits of the case and not on humanitarian grounds.

    Maryam and her cousin Yousuf Abbas were arrested by NAB on August 8 in the CSM case. Later, on September 25, they were sent to jail on judicial remand by an accountability court in Lahore.

    NAB suspects PML-N president of involvement in money laundering through investments of variable heavy amounts being the main shareholder of the CSM. It has alleged that she was involved in money laundering with the help of some foreigners during the period of 1992-93, when Nawaz was the prime minister.

  • VIDEO: ‘Gen Bajwa gifted Fazl a perfume after heated argument,’ Klasra claims

    VIDEO: ‘Gen Bajwa gifted Fazl a perfume after heated argument,’ Klasra claims

    Saying that a meeting did take place between Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, senior journalist and analyst Rauf Klasra has revealed further details of the encounter that some say “never took place”.

    A journalist affiliated with a private media outlet had last month quoted the army chief as telling Fazl that “there was no possibility of a minus-Imran Khan concept”.

    In the “important” meeting held ahead of JUI-F’s Azadi March, the journalist had claimed that Gen Bajwa “made it clear to Fazl that they wouldn’t permit destabilisation at a time when the regional situation was critical”.

    While some, including an ex-army official, had denied the claims regarding any meeting between the two, no official statements were made as the journalist claimed it was “common knowledge”.

    With Fazl going ahead with his anti-government protest, staging a sit-in in the federal capital and demanding Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s resignation, Rauf Klasra has two weeks later claimed that not only did the meeting take place, but it also saw a “heated exchange of words” between the COAS and the religio-political party chief.

    “Even though both sides state otherwise, it has been confirmed that the meeting did take place. Not only did it occur, but it was also marred by a heated argument as Maulana Sahib defied the army chief,” Klasra said in a video doing rounds over the internet.

    He claimed that Fazl refused to budge on his plans and the situation got tense enough for the army chief to gift him a perfume on his way out. “My sources say that Maulana was gifted a bottle of perfume to calm him down.”

    WATCH VIDEO:

    According to earlier claims, Gen Bajwa had reminded Fazl that he was a responsible political leader and must be aware that the regional situation was critical. “The situation on the border with India is volatile due to the Kashmir crisis and Afghanistan’s situation is also a source of trouble.”

    The army chief had reportedly also referred to Iran-Saudi Arabia affairs and told the JUI-F chief that it was not an appropriate time for staging the protest since the economy had been brought on the right track after herculean efforts within the country and abroad.

  • Illegal wedding in a hospital in Punjab

    Illegal wedding in a hospital in Punjab

    A district Hospital in Chishtian, which is a city in Bhawalnagar district in Punjab, became a wedding hall when the lab-in-charge of the facility arranged the wedding reception of his son at the hospital, ARY News reported on Sunday.

    There were dhol walas present at the wedding

    There were firecrackers and celebrations which continued until the morning, which made life difficult for many patients.

    Dancing outside the hospital

    The ceremony was illegally arranged and the government hospital has yet to take action against the person responsible. The Chief Minister of Punjab has taken notice of the event.

    CM Punjab has taken notice of the event

    The incident is not new to our region. Two years ago a couple got married in UP India, creating the same chaos it did here.

  • Neelam Muneer expresses concern over Fazlur Rehman’s Azadi March speech

    Neelam Muneer expresses concern over Fazlur Rehman’s Azadi March speech

    Actor Neelam Muneer has expressed concern over Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s Azadi March speech, wherein the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) had mentioned “institutions’ support to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government” and sought Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s resignation.

    Taking to Instagram, Muneer said she respected all religious scholars, but the country could not afford anarchy.

    “I highly respect all religious scholars from the bottom of my heart. I seek guidance from their lectures and speeches on [a] daily basis. Today, Maulana Sahib, threatening to arrest Imran Khan from his house, broke my heart,” she wrote.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B4VUAIzlz3b/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

    “Our country can’t afford anarchy or civil disobedience. We the youth need to take charge of our destiny and the only way to do that is to not listen to anyone who wants to create chaos in Pakistan.”

    She further urged youngsters to unite against all entities “trying to destroy Pakistan.”

  • VIDEO: ‘Sent my kid to madrassa for education, they forcefully took him to sit-in’

    VIDEO: ‘Sent my kid to madrassa for education, they forcefully took him to sit-in’

    A man has accused Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) of “forcefully” taking his madrassa-going son to Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s Azadi March in Islamabad and threatening him when he questioned them about his son.

    “I sent my son to the madrassa for education, but they forcefully took him to Islamabad. When I asked them about my son’s whereabouts, they told me that he had gone to the sit-in,” he said in a video doing rounds over the internet.

    The man also claimed that when he asked his son’s teacher about the youngster, the cleric said he didn’t know anything about it and later threatened the man’s younger son.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    “I sent him for education, not sit-ins. What was our fault? I demand from the authorities to take action against those who forcefully took my kid with them,” he said further.

  • VIDEO: ‘We are impartial,’ military spokesperson tells disgruntled Fazl

    VIDEO: ‘We are impartial,’ military spokesperson tells disgruntled Fazl

    Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General (DG) Major General Asif Ghafoor has said that Pakistan Army is an impartial institution and its support lies only with the democratically elected government.

    Speaking to a private media outlet on Friday night, the military spokesperson said that Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman was a senior politician and he should elaborate as to which institution he was talking about in his Azadi March address.

    Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor’s statement came as JUI-F’s anti-government march on Friday reached Islamabad and Fazl trained guns at the “illegitimate” Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government.

    Addressing the protesters, he said that they did not want any confrontation with the institutions, but wanted them to be impartial. “We are giving you two days to stop backing the government,” he said, reiterating his demand for the institutions to be impartial.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    Following the JUI-F chief’s fiery speech, the ISPR DG said that the army had only discharged its constitutional and legal duties during the 2018 election. “The opposition should take its reservations to the authorities concerned.”

    He added that unrest at such a crucial time was not in the better interests of the country.

    “So far there has been good coordination between the government and opposition committees,” Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor said and added that democratic issues should only be resolved democratically.

    He also said that no one will be allowed to harm the country’s stability.

    FAZL’S REACTION:

    “We don’t know on what basis he [Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor] has issued the statement,” the JUI-F chief said later in the day while speaking to media after attending a multi-party conference of opposition leaders at his residence.

    Fazl added that the statement should have come from a politician instead of the ISPR chief since he represents the institution of army.

    Earlier, the JUI-F chief gave Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan two days’ time to tender his resignation. “After this, we will make our own decision. We will not wait anymore.” He expressed his readiness to have a dialogue with the institutions, but said that the government had to go.

  • Azadi March: ‘Hamid Mir advised Shehbaz to run off before Fazl’s dangerous speech’

    Azadi March: ‘Hamid Mir advised Shehbaz to run off before Fazl’s dangerous speech’

    A journalist affiliated with BBC has claimed that senior journalist and analyst Hamid Mir on Friday advised Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Shehbaz Sharif to run off ahead of Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s fiery speech against the Imran Khan government.

    “A few moments ahead of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief’s dangerous speech, Mir advised Shehbaz to take flight,” Rifatullah Orakzai tweeted.

    Sharing an image of the trio laughing inside Fazl’s Azadi March container, Orakzai further wrote that Mir’s advice had the JUI-F chief, Shehbaz and Mir himself in fits of laughter.

    Earlier, the journalist also addressed the protesters from atop the container to guarantee that women journalists would be permitted to cover the Azadi March.

    “I addressed the gathering after I got a ton of grumblings from women reporters that they were not being permitted to cover the jalsa,” Mir said later, adding that he was approached by JUI-F leadership to make the declaration from the phase that women columnists could cover the walk and that they were permitted to report the occasion.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    “I, at that point, made the declaration on stage and expressed gratitude towards Fazl,” he said.

    A number of women journalists had on Friday complained that the conservative JUI-F was barring them from covering its anti-government sit-in in the federal capital.

    The revelations had come amid criticism for the religio-political party for having no women participation in its Azadi March.

  • ‘You won’t find a place to hide,’ Fawad warns Opp against underestimating govt

    ‘You won’t find a place to hide,’ Fawad warns Opp against underestimating govt

    Federal Minister for Science & Technology Fawad Chaudhry has warned Azadi March protesters against underestimating the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, saying that it is “exercising self-restraint only on Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s call”.

    Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam- Fazl (JUI-F) is currently holding a sit-in in Islamabad against the “illegitimate” Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government that they say “stole people’s mandate”.

    Protesters belonging to the JUI-F as well as other opposition parties on Friday reached Islamabad as Fazl gave the premier a two-day deadline for his resignation following fiery speeches by Leader of the Opposition in National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari.

    With government members stepping up to support PM Imran, Minister Fawad Chaudhry on Saturday tweeted to warn the opposition members.

    “Don’t dare to underestimate #PTIGovernment we are exercising self-restraint because @ImranKhanPTI has desired so, if he makes a call these bunch of opportunists ll not find a place to hide in Pakistan,” he wrote.

    Opposition parties are yet to react to the federal minister’s statement.

  • Online violence impacts mental health of female journalists in Pakistan: report

    Online violence impacts mental health of female journalists in Pakistan: report

    A report titled ‘Hostile Bytes – a study of online violence against women journalists’ launched by Media Matters for Democracy (MMfD) says that 95 percent of women journalists feel online violence has an impact on their professional choices, while 77 percent self-censor as a way to counter online violence.

    It also says that 105 out of 110 women believe online violence impacts the mental health of female journalists.

    “The sexualised and personal nature of abuse directed towards them not only affects them on a personal level, but also affects journalism in general that is heavily occupied by men leaving no room for women’s voices. In times when their voices should be amplified, hate campaigns against women journalists is a very well-thought out strategy to ensure systemic oppression of women in professional spaces,” says Hija Kamran, programs manager at MMfD and the author of the study.

    For more details about the report, read this Twitter thread: