Tag: Imran Khan

Javeria Siddique, the widow of slain journalist Arshad Sharif, recently appeared on a podcast of the Naya Pakistan channel, recounting the harrowing details of Arshad’s ordeal before and after he left Pakistan in 2022.

She stated that Arshad had been threatened in Pakistan with a “gunshot to the head.”

Arshad Sharif fled the country in August 2022 to avoid arrest after he was slapped with multiple cases, including sedition charges, over an interview with Shahbaz Gill – a close aide of former Prime Minister Imran Khan – during which Gill passed comments that were perceived as provocation to mutiny.

He was killed by local police in Kenya two months later, with controversies surrounding his cause of death.

Javeria described the condition of his body, saying, “There were 18-19 wounds, four of his nails and a kidney was absent, ribs were broken.”

Journalist Husnain asked her whether his kidney was taken in Kenya, to which, she replied with sorrow, “Whether they [Kenyan authorities] or these [Pakistani] authorities did, how would I know?”

The Current talked with a medical doctor – who wishes to remain anonymous – currently working at CMH Lahore to inquire about the procedures involved in autopsies. He stated, “In criminal autopsies, it is not unusual to take some organs out of the body for further testing, but those organs are usually put back in. If, for some reason, the organ is kept for testing, then the authorities have to explicitly inform the family members of the deceased person.”

Renowned Islamic scholar and YouTuber Muhammad Ali Mirza has stated that if former Prime Minister Imran Khan were to get out of prison, “there would be no stability in the country.”
Talking on a podcast with Talha Ahad on his YouTube channel, Mirza said, “The army knows about this and wants a guarantee for his behaviour, but there is nobody to do that.”

Mirza is known for lectures on his interpretation of the Quran, religious debates, and focus on sectarianism within Islam. He commands a wide following within the country.

“For them [Army], they know things will be uncontrollable if he gets out of prison or goes abroad because he can create such instability sitting in the prison,” said Mirza.

Update

The Defence Minister of Pakistan has stated that there is a danger of constitutional meltdown in the country and agreed with the recent Fitch report about the collapse of the current government in 18 months. He said, “People are ready to join the technocratic government now.”

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BMI, a Fitch Solutions company, has forecast an unstable economic-political situation in Pakistan with its prediction that Imran Khan, the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), is unlikely to get out of prison soon.

“We expect that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)-led government will remain in power over the coming 18 months and will succeed in pushing through with International Monetary Fund (IMF) mandated fiscal reforms,” predicted BMI, in its Pakistan Country Risk Report for the fourth quarter of the calendar year 2024.

Interestingly, the Fitch Solutions company also predicted that “in the unlikely event that the government is replaced, the most likely alternative is a technocratic administration rather than fresh elections.”

Regarding the country’s economic situation, it stated that negative events or factors affecting future growth are more likely than positive ones.

“Given that 40% of Pakistanis work in agriculture, another flood or drought would pose a significant risk to the economy. The country’s fragile political situation could also derail the recovery,” the risk evaluator said.