Tag: Imran Khan

  • Saffronised India: Shah Rukh Khan at Lata’s funeral

    Saffronised India: Shah Rukh Khan at Lata’s funeral

    Legendary Indian singer Lata Mangeshkar passed away on Sunday at the age of 92 and was given a state funeral by the Indian government. Music lovers from across the globe paid tributes for the “nightingale of India”. It is said that music transcends borders, which was proved by the condolence messages for Lata and shows how loved she was across the border in Pakistan.

    Prime Minister Imran Khan tweeted, “With the death of Lata Mangeshkar the subcontinent has lost one of the truly great singers the world has known.” Pakistani politicians, sportspersons, journalists, actors, artists, and people from across the country posted condolence messages on social media platforms. Pakistani state-owned broadcaster PTV and other television channels played Lata’s songs and paid rich tributes to the melody queen.

    Thus, it was extremely disappointing but not surprising to see the hate campaign against Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan after he went to Lata’s funeral yesterday and paid respect to the departed soul by saying a prayer for her and blowing the dua (prayer) in the air near her body, a custom that many Muslims around the world follow. The anti-Muslim, Islamophobic propaganda campaign against SRK was started by leaders of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

    BJP’s Arun Yadav was the first to tweet a video of SRK at the funeral, blowing a prayer in the wind with the misleading and hateful caption: “Kya isnay thooka hai?” (Did he spit?)

    Soon after Yadav, another BJP leader Prashant Umrao tweeted: “Shahrukh is Spitting!” while he quote-tweeted another anti-Muslim tweet against the Bollywood star. These tweets led to many BJP-affiliated accounts and Hindutva trolls abusing and spreading false information about Shah Rukh’s actions at Lata Mangeshkar’s funeral on Sunday.

    Many rightly called out the BJP leaders as well as their followers for starting an evil campaign against SRK just because of his faith. Minorities in India, especially Muslims, have been facing the worst persecution and injustice under the Modi government. Such misleading campaigns are nothing new under the BJP regime. When the coronavirus pandemic started in India, the Modi government and its mouthpieces in the Indian media falsely blamed the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi for being a super-spreader event, which was later rubbished by Indian courts. Such misleading, false, and ‘communal reporting’ has become a norm in India now.

    Therefore, it was not surprising to see the false and malicious attacks against a superstar of Shah Rukh’s stature just because he is a Muslim. A Muslim artist saying a prayer for a Hindu singer at her funeral could be communalised to such an extent that some people would actually think that SRK would spit on Lata’s body is unimaginable. It just goes on to show how India under Modi has become extremely communal and uninhabitable for minorities. The Saffronisation of India seems to be complete.

  • ‘Broken hearts not united’, Khaqan says PML-N will give PPP tough time in elections

    ‘Broken hearts not united’, Khaqan says PML-N will give PPP tough time in elections

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Sunday said that his party and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) are on the same page to send the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government packing despite being political rivals.

    Khaqan further added that the PML-N will contest the elections in Sindh against the PPP. He said the PML-N is focusing on Sindh and will give a tough time to the opponents in the local bodies as well as general elections.

    Khaqan said that the political strategy of the PPP and PML-N was separate. He said the PML-N will contest the elections in Jhol and Sanghar.

    Khaqan’s statement comes a day after PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif hosted PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari at his Lahore residence on Saturday to discuss the present political situation.

    Speaking after the lunch, Shehbaz said, “Broken hearts can be united again. Both PPP and PML-N are united to take Prime Minister (PM), Imran Khan, out.”

    Whereas Bilawal said, “The government is incompetent and the more the Opposition unites and works in coordination, the more we will be able to pressurise the government.”

  • ‘Nano on Sunday duty’: Maryam Nawaz shares adorable pictures with grandchildren

    ‘Nano on Sunday duty’: Maryam Nawaz shares adorable pictures with grandchildren

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice-President Maryam Nawaz shared pictures with her grandchildren on Instagram.

    “Nano on Sunday duty with Nina & Mohammad at a birthday party,” she wrote in the caption.

    Maryam can be seen wearing a white and blue dress, supported with an embroidered blue shawl.

    In the past, Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan referred to Maryam as a ‘nani’ (maternal grandmother).

    Later, Maryam Nawaz responded by saying that she is grateful to God for being a nani to two grandchildren.

  • Bilawal says PPP entered battlefield, Fawad Chaudhry offers to provide ‘camels and horses’ to PPP

    Bilawal says PPP entered battlefield, Fawad Chaudhry offers to provide ‘camels and horses’ to PPP

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Sunday said that it was “time for Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan to start panicking”.

    “The time has come for the PTI government to be accountable before the masses,” he said, adding that since people have lost their confidence in the premier, parliament must also follow suit.

    He added he had sent a message to “the puppet” to inform him that the PPP had “entered the battlefield” to oust the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government.

    “The kaptaan has snatched roti, kapra, aur makaan from the masses,” Bilawal said. “Khan sahib has robbed the citizens of their economic rights and their right to vote. We can’t stand it any longer, so we have declared war against this government.”

    The PPP chairman further said: “We know how to snatch our rights, but we will opt for a democratic and constitutional way to take revenge from the government in the National Assembly.”

    Taking a jibe at the PPP for not having enough supporters for its anti-government campaign, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry on Sunday offered to provide “camels and horses” for the Opposition party’s long march.

    Commenting on the recent meeting of Opposition parties, he said that “it was a meeting to cover up thefts and they have now turned into regional parties”.

    Fawad said that “criminals” showed solidarity with each other on Kashmir Solidarity Day.

    He said that ever since the issue of bank accounts came up, “love has been growing in the Opposition parties”.

  • ‘World should pay attention to the ongoing atrocities of India’: PM Khan

    ‘World should pay attention to the ongoing atrocities of India’: PM Khan

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, who is on a four-day visit to China, cited India’s aggressive behaviour and the prevailing Hindutva ideology as a threat to regional peace and a cause of lingering instability of the region.

    The premier’s remarks came in an exclusive session with the heads and representatives of leading Chinese think tanks, universities, and the Pakistan Study Centre in Beijing.

    “The atrocities of India are continuing in Indian-Occupied Kashmir (IoK). The world should pay attention to the ongoing atrocities of India against Kashmiris,” said PM Khan.

    Referring to India’s aggressive behaviour and the prevailing Hindutva ideology, PM Khan said that the country was a threat to regional peace and a cause of lingering instability of the region.

    “In view of myriad global challenges, the world did not need another Cold War. Divisions could result in mounting suffering and prevent common benefits. Pakistan was, therefore, of the belief that the key driver in international politics should be cooperation, rather than confrontation,” said PM Khan.

    In his meeting with NDRC chairman and Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference vice-chairman, the prime minister said the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has a strategic significance for both countries and was delivering tangible benefits. PM Khan noted with satisfaction that CPEC’s early-harvest projects had transformed Pakistan’s economic landscape, thus laying a solid foundation for sustainable economic growth.

    Reaffirming the commitment of two sides to timely completion of CPEC and its high-quality development, the premier said both sides would continue to expedite efforts to achieve Gwadar’s potential as a hub of regional commerce and industry while also prioritising preparatory work on the railway’s Main Line-1 (ML-1) and key energy projects.

    Prime Minister Imran Khan also attended the inauguration of the Beijing Winter Olympics 2022 at the national stadium.

    Chinese President Xi Jinping inaugurated the sports event that brought together around 3,000 athletes from 91 nations to compete across 109 medal games.

  • 46 per cent of Pakistanis think Imran Khan is corrupt: survey

    46 per cent of Pakistanis think Imran Khan is corrupt: survey

    The Quarterly Performance Evaluation Survey (QPES), a Pulse Consultant’s indigenous tracking tool of public perceptions about the government’s performance has released its report.

    According to a question in the report, when responders were asked: “Do you agree with [PM] Imran Khan’s statement of him being a brand and not being corrupt?” a total of 46 per cent didn’t agree with him and only 19 per cent believe the premier.

    65 per cent of responders from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa think that corruption and poor performance in the province led to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) defeat in the local election.

    It is revealed that 77 per cent think that the Murree tragedy was a sudden disaster.

    Further, the survey says that 18 per cent of the country is satisfied with PM Khan and 56 per cent believe PM Khan’s claim that Pakistan is out of the economic crisis. 15 per cent think that inflation will be reduced in the next three months.

    84 per cent of Pakistanis consider inflation as the biggest problem of the country and 99 per cent of Pakistanis say ‘Inflation has increased in past three months.’

  • VIDEO: What was PM Khan looking at when he said ‘level hee aur hai’ at the Olympics?

    VIDEO: What was PM Khan looking at when he said ‘level hee aur hai’ at the Olympics?

    The Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan is attending the opening ceremony of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics at Bird’s Nest, Beijing along with federal ministers, Minister of Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry, Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan Shah Mahmood Qureshi and other diplomats on Friday.

    While talking to Fawad and watching the opening ceremony, Pm Khan commented on the stadium and said “is sab ka level hee or hai.” Check out the video:

    https://youtu.be/IjYz0hcbfn4

    We have collected the pictures of the PM Khan enjoying the ceremony. Have a look:

    Along with PM Khan, Chinese President Xi Jinping was due to meet more than 20 leaders as Beijing officially kicks off the event. Countries whose leaders are attending include Russia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Argentina and Ecuador. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus are also attending the opening ceremony.

  • PM Khan visits China, ‘pitch book’ prepared to convince China to invest in Pak

    PM Khan visits China, ‘pitch book’ prepared to convince China to invest in Pak

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has left for China on a four-day official on Thursday to attend the ceremony of the Olympic Games Beijing 2022 where he will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang. PM Khan is accompanied by a high delegation including China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Special Assistant Khalid Mansoor.

    Prime Minister Office (PMO), in a tweet, said, “The visit would mark the culmination of celebrations commemorating the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between and with more than 140 events organized to showcase the resilience of the All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership.”

    This visit would be PM Khan’s fourth visit to China. Previously, he went on a two day (October 8-9) visit to China in 2019, before the Covid pandemic.

    Prior to the premier’s departure, cabinet members who are accompanying him termed this visit to China of great significance.

    Foreign Minister (FM) Shah Mahmood Qureshi revealed that many Chinese companies are “desirous” of investing in Pakistan. According to him, the visit will further expand bilateral relations and promote high-level exchanges.

    Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin stated that it is a “very important” trip politically and economically. He added that China would be asked to relocate some of its required industry needs to Pakistan.

    Meanwhile, National Security Adviser (NSA) Moeed Yusuf stressed that the trip is important in regards to solving the Afghan crisis. He said that the issue will be discussed during the visit as well.

    Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain, while highlighting the years of friendship between both countries, said “Pak-China relations are deeper than the oceans and higher than the Himalayas.”

    Planning Minister Asad Umar said the trip has come at a “very important time”. A special book has been prepared which will explain why Pakistan is a prime destination for investment and will be presented to the Chinese leadership, Umar shared via Twitter.

  • Pak army successfully stops terror attacks in Balochistan, heavy terrorist casualities

    Pak army successfully stops terror attacks in Balochistan, heavy terrorist casualities

    Two separate terrorist attacks have been successfully repulsed by the Pakistan Army in Balochistan’s Panjgur and Noshki.

    In a press release, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said “both attacks have been successfully repulsed while inflicting heavy casualties to terrorists”.

    According to the ISPR, terrorists were in contact with their handlers in Afghanistan. They said that after the Taliban’s takeover we were told that attacks from the war-torn neighbour will stop but they have increased.

    The attacks occurred late Wednesday evening, resulting in four soldiers embracing martyrdom and killing 15 terrorists. The terrorist tried to enter a security forces’ camp from two locations. The banned Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) has reportedly claimed responsibility for the attacks.

    Today’s incidents are the latest in a string of attacks in Balochistan and come a week after ten soldiers were martyred in a terrorist attack on a security forces’ checkpost. Similarly, an incident occurred on January 30, when 17 people were injured in a grenade attack in the province.

    Following the news, Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, in a tweet, said that the nation stands united behind the security forces of Pakistan.

    Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad has also issued a statement, praised the services of the security forces.

  • Nawaz Sharif’s son claims an ‘almost official’ person contacted Nawaz’s doctor, sent abusive e-mail

    Nawaz Sharif’s son claims an ‘almost official’ person contacted Nawaz’s doctor, sent abusive e-mail

    Hussain Nawaz, son of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supreme leader Nawaz Sharif, lashed out at the government and said that neither Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan nor his party members have any say when it comes to Nawaz’s health. He was speaking on Geo News‘ programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’.

    Anchorperson Shahzeb Khanzada asked Hussain why the medical reports of Nawaz Sharif are not being sent to Pakistan and why was the family sending a doctor’s opinion and not legitimate reports for the medical boards to examine. “We don’t need it, Dr Shawl is a world-renowned doctor. Whatever he says is enough,” responded Hussain.

    Khanzada further questioned that Sharif addresses the people, gives speeches, visits restaurants but just doesn’t come back to Pakistan. He asked if the family didn’t trust the courts of Pakistan anymore, to which Hussain said, “There must be a reason as to which Nawaz Sharif is not coming back. Everyone is concerned about his health.”

    Hussain further said the courts have not yet asked for the medical reports of Nawaz Sharif, adding, “Let’s not talk about what has not happened yet.”

    Referring to the contact of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government and the doctors in London written in the affidavit signed by the family on Nawaz’s departure to London, Hussain said, “They [government] should reveal who did they contact to ask about Nawaz’s health. Did they write a letter? They should provide names of the people they contacted.”

    Hussain further said that the family doesn’t care about these contacts anymore. He also revealed that Dr Shawl was contacted and abusive e-mails were sent to him.

    “An abusive, disrespectful e-mail was sent to a professional like Dr Shawl. He has complained about it to us as well. Who did this?” said Hussain.

    Khanzada, interjecting Hussain, said, “Did someone from the officials sent the e-mail to Dr Shawl?” Hussain responded, “It’s almost official. Ask any neutral person, who can have a problem with Dr Shawl. Who can take out his/her anger and frustration on a professional?”

    Khanzada said that it is indeed disrespectful and further asked if the government contacts Dr Shawl, will he present his medical opinion on Nawaz Sharif? “He will stand by the content mentioned in the report and will co-operate,” responded Hussain.

    On the question of a viral video of Nawaz Sharif where he was spotted visiting a factory with his son Hussain Nawaz and former Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, along with other people, Hussain said that the video was four to five months old, adding that he took his father outside for a “change in environment” as he was not feeling well.

    Hussain clarified and said that due to Covid-19 SOPs, factories in the United Kingdom (UK) are understaffed.

    Hussain further added that visiting someone’s factory is not a sin and Nawaz Sharif went out for just two hours.

    Hussain Nawaz also lashed out at the incumbent government over the leaked video of PML-N supremo Nawaz, asking why the government did not bring this video to the media before.

    Nawaz Sharif’s latest medical report was submitted in the Lahore High Court on February 1. According to the submitted report, Nawaz’s doctor has stopped him from travelling.

    Nawaz Sharif’s medical report was been prepared by Dr Fayaz Shawl, Director Interventional Cardiology, and has been submitted to the court through Amjad Pervez Advocate.