Tag: Imran Khan

  • Donald Lu should be sacked over his ‘sheer arrogance and bad manners’: Khan

    Donald Lu should be sacked over his ‘sheer arrogance and bad manners’: Khan

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Monday called for the sacking of United States (US) Assistant Secretary of State for Central and South Asia Donald Lu for “sheer arrogance and bad manners”.

    In an interview with CNN, Khan said the US diplomat told Pakistan’s ambassador that unless “you get Imran Khan removed in a vote of no-confidence — which was not tabled but he seemed to know about it — Pakistan will suffer consequences”.

    “And then goes on to say, of course, if you get rid of him through the vote of no-confidence, all will be forgiven — such arrogance […] by the way Becky, this guy should be sacked for bad manners and sheer arrogance,” Khan told CNN’s Becky Anderson.

    Anchorperson Becky Anderson asked Khan if he had gotten in touch with the US president or state secretary regarding the matter. Khan did not answer, instead of saying that the National Security Council (NSC) meeting had decided to issue a demarche and a protest was registered to the US in Pakistan and Washington.

    Anderson said the US had “rubbished” the notion that it was involved in a regime change in Pakistan and asked Khan if he genuinely believed his claim of there being a foreign conspiracy to topple his government.

    “What were they meeting [US officials] for? They were the first ones to jump ship and they were the ones who then offered million dollars each to buy my other MNAs who jumped ship later on. Why would the US embassy be interested in our party backbenchers?” said Khan.

    Anderson questioned Khan’s visit to Russia, adding that “the optics didn’t and don’t look good, do they?” To which Khan responded, “They didn’t but let me explain to you. This visit was planned a long time back and all stakeholders in Pakistan were onboard. The military wanted Russian hardware, we wanted oil, there was a gas pipeline which was being negotiated for the past six years before my government came in … how would I have known that the day I land in Moscow, President [Vladimir] Putin would decide to go into Ukraine?”

  • Imran Khan makes party decisions based on Bushra Bibi’s dreams: Awn Chaudhry

    Imran Khan makes party decisions based on Bushra Bibi’s dreams: Awn Chaudhry

    Former adviser and very close friend to ousted Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, Awn Chaudhry revealed the reason for not attending the oath ceremony of the former premier, saying that he was stopped from attending Khan’s oath-taking after ‘somebody dreamt about it’ at Bani Gala.

    “When I was informed about it by Imran Khan himself through a message before the night of the oath-taking, that someone has seen a dream and I cannot attend the oath-taking ceremony, I was hurt badly and thought was this the reward for my hard work? He sent the message at 2am and I have saved it on my phone. It is strange that decisions were made in the party on the basis of dreams,” Awn said.

    Aun opened up about the issue while talking to Geo News programme ‘Jirga’s’ host Saleem Safi. Chaudhry said that he had Khan’s message saved and can show it anytime he asks for it.

    Safi asked if the person whom Awn is mentioning in relevance to dreams was the first lady, Bushra Bibi. To this Awn said, “Everyone knows who is associated with such dreams and the implementation of work done because of these dreams.”

    Anchorperson Safi reminded Chaudhry that Chaudhry was the one who made Khan meet Bushra Bibi and that Khan got married six months before becoming prime minister. So the question is why was not Awn Chaudhry distanced from Khan earlier? To which Chaudhry responded, “I cannot say what the plan was but now it’s pretty clear. Had I committed something wrong, I am sure Khan Saab would have said it to everyone within three seconds. My wrong was my loyalty to Khan Saab. Had my loyalties been somewhere else I would still be there.”

    “I am grateful to the Almighty that he showed me the mirror. These people are not the ones to show loyalty to. I was the hindrance between a lot of things. A gang has come in front of Pakistan. The ones who called the shots and did the work in the country. This is the very gang that used to run Punjab. The gang includes the first lady’s friend Farah, Farah Gogi, Ahsan Jameel Gujjar, and then there was another gift which they presented in the face of Usman Buzdar. This was a planned conspiracy,” said Chaudhry.

    “I came to Khan Saab and said that you have committed a blunder. I complained that you have given Punjab to such an incompetent man [Usman Buzdar]. The reward i got saying this was, I was taken out of the Punjab cabinet within a week,” revealed Chaudhry.

    He said FIRs were lodged against Jahangir Tareen and his children while Tareen helped Imran Khan form governments in the Centre and Punjab. “Tareen allowed Imran Khan to use his plane and bore expenses of party meetings and offices, including Imran Khan’s sit-in at Islamabad. Imran Khan also leveled false allegations against Aleem Khan over his housing society. If he was so notorious, why had you accepted him to your party?” he asked.

    Chaudhry said Shehzad Akbar had set up private cells to investigate Tareen after a commission was set up to investigate the sugar crisis. “Tareen also supported Principal Secretary to PM Azam Khan but he asked Imran Khan to form a commission against Tareen,” he added.

    Awn Chaudhry alleged that Prime Imran Khan had phoned for closing NAB cases against many people close to him. “The truth will come forth if an inquiry is held,” he added.

    Chaudhry said that the PTI chairman had not appointed Pervez Khattak as the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister for the second time because he thought he did not obey him as he desired. He said Mehmood Khan had been appointed KP CM because he was a weak person. “Khattak has a political vision and he would have benefited the party better but he was criticised in party meetings,” he added.

  • PPP’s Gilani becomes leader of house in Senate

    PPP’s Gilani becomes leader of house in Senate

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) senior leader and former Prime Minister (PM) Yusuf Raza Gilani has taken charge as the leader of the House in the Senate today (Monday).

    Earlier, Gilani contested for the slot of Senate chairman against Sadiq Sanjrani but lost. Gilani has been appointed to fill the slot by the current PM Shehbaz Sharif. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) Senator Dr Shehzad Waseem will now become the leader of the Opposition.

    The National Assembly (NA) session has resumed today and it has been indicated that a resolution of condemnation against PTI Chairman Imran Khan for using obnoxious language against Maryam Nawaz in his Multan rally would be tabled in the two houses separately by women lawmakers.

    According to The News that PM Shehbaz Sharif will avail the sitting of the upper house to make an important policy statement on the political and economic situation in the country.

    In January, Gilani stepped down as the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate after his absence led to the passage of the State Bank (Amendment) Bill, 2021, in the Upper House of Parliament.

  • Coalition partners finally decide to complete govt term

    Coalition partners finally decide to complete govt term

    The coalition partners have decided that the present government will go ahead with the completion of its term instead of early elections in the country, reports Geo News.

    The decision comes after a meeting of the heads of the ruling alliance today (Monday). The allied parties’ heads met to discuss the political situation in the country after the announcement of a long march towards Islamabad by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on May 25.

    As per the news outlet, the government has also decided to take tough decisions in a bid to steer the country out of an economic crisis. As Finance Minister Miftah Ismail has left for Doha, Qatar, for talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the tough measures will reportedly be taken in a couple of days.

    The Shehbaz Sharif government has stated that it needs support from “all sides” to take tough decisions in order to revive the economy.

  • PM rules out the removal of fuel, energy subsidies ahead of talks with IMF: Miftah Ismail

    PM rules out the removal of fuel, energy subsidies ahead of talks with IMF: Miftah Ismail

    Finance Minister Miftah Ismail has once again said the government doesn’t plan to increase the prices of petroleum products. Talking to the media at the Karachi airport, he said that Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif had ruled out the possibility of ending the subsidies.

    “It will not happen. I have refused. Shehbaz Sharif sahib has refused. Nawaz Sharif sahib has refused,” said Ismail. “I am assuring you that I will not agree to [the terms] that Shaukat Tarin agreed to.”

    He said that according to the deal finalised by former finance minister Shaukat Tarin, Pakistan would have to raise the price of diesel by over Rs150 and petrol by Rs100.

    Miftah said that Imran Khan took a loan of Rs20,000 billion, which is 80% of the entire amount of loans taken in 71 years of Pakistan’s history.

    He further stated that former planning and development minister Asad Umar caused Pakistan a loss of 9.1%, which was a record loss in 52 years.

    “Pakistan exported wheat when we [PML-N] left the government but today the country is importing wheat,” Miftah said.

    A team comprising State Bank of Pakistan and Federal Board of Revenue officials, as well as Minister of State for Finance and Revenue Dr Aisha Ghous Pasha and the finance secretary, are already in Doha to negotiate with the IMF.

    The talks began on May 18. At the time, Ismail had told the IMF that the government understood the current economic crisis and agreed that it would have to take “tough decisions” while mitigating the effects of inflation on middle to low-income groups.

  • ‘Arrest, sexism, political victimisation’: Keep women out of your politics

    ‘Arrest, sexism, political victimisation’: Keep women out of your politics

    Politics in Pakistan hits a new low every day. This past week, the nation witnessed two incidents that again prove how women in politics are seen as soft targets to settle political scores. Be it misogyny, sexist remarks targeted harassment or political victimisation — we have seen how women face the brunt of most of these attacks.

    Case one: Former Prime Minister Imran Khan passed sexist and controversial remarks about Maryam Nawaz at a political rally in Multan on Friday. Khan said: “I was sent the video of Maryam’s speech in which she took my name so many times with such jazba and junoon that I want to tell her to be careful, your husband might get upset at you taking my name so often.” Khan’s misogynistic remarks about his political rival were uncalled for, and not what was expected from a national leader. One would have thought that a man who is almost 70-year-old, whose first wife has had to deal with perpetual harassment to this date, whose second wife faces a plethora of abuse on a regular basis, and whose current wife has not been spared either, would spare women. Yet he made these comments about Maryam Nawaz while addressing thousands of people looking to him as the future of the country. What message is being sent to our younger generation? That it is okay to sexualise women, that it is okay to mainstream misogyny? Where will it stop is what one wonders.

    Case two: Punjab’s anti-corruption department took former human rights minister Shireen Mazari into custody in Islamabad yesterday. A video clip shows female police officers manhandling Mazari after she refused to step out of her car. The way that she was harassed and manhandled and the timing make it look like a clear case of political victimisation.

    Pakistan at the moment is facing a national crisis. The new coalition government is finding it hard to stay afloat, the country needs a financial boost from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to survive economically. Serious decisions are to be made for the betterment of the country but what are the male politicians doing instead? Demeaning, silencing, and mocking strong women to put them down. Arresting Mazari because she is a vocal critic while demeaning Maryam because she is giving a tough time to her opponents.

    One can criticise anyone’s politics but in the case of women politicians, resorting to personal attacks is unwarranted. Mazari has faced such attacks from the likes of Khawaja Asif and others. Maryam was threatened with violence by Gandapur during the previous government.

    No one is above the law but abuse of power can never be condoned, regardless of who it targets or from where it emanates. Khan must apologise for his remarks about Maryam Nawaz. Such misogyny needs to stop against women. The government has released Mazari but she has been arbitrarily arrested because of the whims of a few men. It is high time that men keep women out of their politics. They cannot scare women into quitting.

  • Police conduct search operation around IK’s residence

    Police conduct search operation around IK’s residence

    Islamabad Police conducted a search operation around former Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s residence in Bani Gala on Saturday after death threats to him.

    According to Geo News, a heavy force of police, including the bomb disposal squad, conducted the operation. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers staying around Bani Gala came out of their tents and started shouting slogans against the current government.

    In Karachi, the police raided PTI Member of National Assembly (MNA) Alamgir Khan’s house in his absence on Saturday. Following this episode, PTI leaders reached Gulshan-e-Iqbal police station and submitted an application against it.

    Former federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Ali Haider Zaidi said that the Sindh police has become a “military wing of PPP”. He added that the police should besiege the Chief Minister’s House if they wanted to arrest the culprits.

  • ‘My mother has been abducted’: Shireen Mazari’s daughter

    ‘My mother has been abducted’: Shireen Mazari’s daughter

    Former Human Rights Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf senior leader Shireen Mazari has been arrested from her house in Islamabad.

    In a video, it can be seen that female officers forcibly took her away as she tried to resist getting into the car.

    Following the incident, her party members including Zulfi Bukhari, Shibli Faraz, Fawad Chaudhry along with Mazari’s daughter Imaan Mazari reached the Kohsar police station.

    Mazari’s daughter tweeted that her mother has been abducted by Anti-Corruption Wing, Lahore.

    While talking to the media, Imaan said nobody was informed before and she will come after this government.

    According to Geo News, Mazari was arrested in a case registered in Dera Ghazi Khan. The case had opened during former Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Usman Buzdar’s tenure but the investigation was put on hold as per his orders

    Mazari’s neighbour, Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar told The Current: “I saw some heavy security movement around my house. When I inquired, we were told it was for someone’s security. However, my staff informed me that Shireen Mazari, who is my neighbour, may have been arrested. I went to her house and from there we went to the police station with her daughter Imaan Mazari.”

    Khokhar added that the police informed them that she has been arrested by Anti-Corruption Department Punjab.

    According to Journalist Syed Talat Hussain people in authority in Punjab are clueless about Mazari’s arrest.

    According to former federal minister Fawad Chaudhry, nobody knows about Mazari’s whereabouts. He said the government has attacked a lady from their party, if this is war then so be it.

    While Sheikh Rasheed said that a list of PTI leaders has been prepared which mentions names of the ones to be arrested in the future.

    The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan has condemned the act. In a tweet, they have said that her arrest smacks of political victimisation, which has regrettably become an entrenched practice and is deplorable no matter which party is the perpetrator.

    CM Hamza Shehbaz has ordered immediate release of Dr Shireen Mazari. He said that she is a respected personality.

    “We condemn what Imran Khan said about Maryam Nawaz but we don’t believe in revenge politics.”

    Mazari was arrested outside her house in Islamabad. Anti-Corruption Department Punjab arrested Mazari earlier today.

  • PM Shehbaz, Hamza appear in court for hearing of Rs16bn money laundering case

    PM Shehbaz, Hamza appear in court for hearing of Rs16bn money laundering case

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif and his son Chief Minister (CM) Punjab Hamza Shehbaz appeared in a special court (Central-I) for their hearing in the Rs16 billion money-laundering case today.

    The father-son duo was accompanied by Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah.

    Shehbaz and Hamza were set to be indicted in the case in the previous hearing on May 14 but it was delayed because the prime minister was in the UK and postponed his return to the country in order to visit the UAE to offer condolences over the death of their president.

    Once the hearing started, Judge Ijaz Hassan Awan complained that due to the security of the prime minister, others coming to the court had to suffer.

    Replying to his complaint, PM Shehbaz mentioned that he has asked his security not to stop anybody. “I am appearing before the court in order to maintain its dignity and follow the laws of the country,” the premier added.

    When the court asked PM Shehbaz to take the rostrum, the premier said he would have committed a crime if he hadn’t appeared in the court.

    “On the orders of former prime minister Imran Khan, an investigation was conducted in Britain and I was proved innocent,” PM Shehbaz recalled, adding that he returned to Pakistan back in 2004 and wouldn’t have come back if he had black money.

    When Shehbaz again took the stand, he told the court he had served as the chief minister for 10 years but had never taken a salary. “My salary would be Rs10 million but I did not take it. I also went on official tours using my own money. I used to get the government car refuelled from my own pocket.”

    “I saved the nation billions of rupees.”

    The premier’s counsel argued that the 14 accounts mentioned by the FIA were through banking channels. “Baseless propaganda was done in this case for 1.5 years. The suspects tolerated insults despite lack of evidence.”

    “It seems the FIA is inspired by [streaming platform] Netflix. This is a film-inspired FIR,” he argued.

    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.

  • Battle begins: Hamza Shehbaz refuses to step down after ECP decision

    Battle begins: Hamza Shehbaz refuses to step down after ECP decision

    Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Hamza Shehbaz has reportedly refused to step down from his position following the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) decision to de-seat 25 Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) dissident Member of Provincial Assembly (MPAs) who voted for Hamza.

    PTI says it will send the CM home through legal means in line with the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP) and ECP’s decisions.

    “The game for the fake CM is over after de-seating of the 25 lotas (turncoats),” Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid’s (PML-Q) Moonis Elahi said. He added that after losing the majority in the House, Hamza has no moral or legal grounds to cling to the office.

    Moreover, the Opposition — PTI-PML-Q alliance — sees a run-off election in the coming days claiming Hamza cannot “illegally” hold the office for long.

    It is pertinent to mention that the allocation of five vacant reserved seats will assume an important role if the run-off election is held. According to legal experts, ECP will now distribute these seats as per the current strength of each party in the Punjab Assembly, which means if the PTI gets the most share, it may be able to get the CM post.

    Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said Hamza Shehbaz is not going to resign and still has a majority in the Punjab Assembly. Similarly, PML-N deputy secretary-general Attaullah Tarar said that the ECP’s decision has no impact on Hamza’s office.

    Tarar claimed the PML-N enjoys the support of 177 members in PA against 168 of the PTI-PML-Q combined. He also claimed the PML-N will get three of the five reserved seats, which would take its tally to 180.

    The PTI-PML-Q joint candidate for the CM’s slot and the current PA Speaker Chaudhry Parvaiz Elahi said, “I am Imran Khan’s candidate and after taking oath as the CM, I will dissolve the assemblies if he asks me.”

    The Punjab Assembly’s current strength is 346 members: PTI has 158 lawmakers, PML-Q has 10, PML-N 165, PPP seven, five independents, and one Rah-e-Haq Party.