In a series of explosive revelations, former Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Director General (DG) Bashir Memon has stepped forth with rather damning allegations against Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan and his team.
According to reports, he has claimed being told by the premier’s aide on accountability, Shahzad Akbar, to frame Justice Qazi Faez Isa.
“When we entered his [Akbar’s] room, we were told that a case was needed against Justice Isa,” reports quoted him as saying.
Judgeship of Supreme Court’s Justice Isa is hanging in balance over a presidential reference against him for concealing assets of his family. He has challenged the verdict of the apex court on the reference, arguing he could not be held answerable for the same.
While Memon alleged that the case against Justice Isa was a brainchild of the premier, he also claimed being mocked by PM Imran for not going after Opposition Leader in National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif.
“He said all he needed to do was to make a phone call to NAB [National Accountability Bureau], and the next day Shehbaz was arrested.”
Memon also quoted Imran as saying that look at Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s ways and see how things are done there so as to avoid talks about the constitution and law.
Senior analyst Hafeezullah Niazi has trained guns at the government, especially Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan over the decision to deploy army for ensuring COVID-19 standard operating procedures (SOPs) are followed.
“Then what good are you? What good is the police force?,” he asked addressing the premier in response to a question by the host of the talk show he was appearing on.
The host had asked Niazi if the decision to deploy the army exposed the government’s failure in dealing with anything from natural calamities to law and order situations and enforcement of COVID-19 SOPs in this case.
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It is pertinent to note that the government announced its decision to summon the army as the third wave of the pandemic continues to take toll on Pakistan.
According to reports, the Interior Ministry has issued a notification allowing the provinces and federal territories to seek the help of the army to enforce SOPs for curbing the spread of the coronavirus.
In a video message on Sunday, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid said according to the notification, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Kashmir and Islamabad will avail the services of the Pakistan Army for implementation of Covid-19 SOPs “as per their need”. He said Sindh had not opted to be part of the measure for now.
اسلام آباد۔ 25 اپریل
این سی سی کے COVID-19 وبا کے خلاف سول حکومت کی مدد کے لئے افواج پاکستان اور سول آرمڈ فورسز کی تعیناتی کے حوالے سے اہم اعلان۔ pic.twitter.com/Hw2SMsknVo
Yasir Hussain has highlighted the plight of Ainak Wala Jinn cast and has requested Prime Minister Imran Khan to help them amidst the ongoing debate on royalties.
Sharing a photo of PM Khan with Ainak Wala Jinn’s cast, Hussain drew attention towards the financial troubles these icons have had to undergo since the 90s comedy show ended years ago. The purpose was to add onto the nationwide movement backed by showbiz personalities to be paid royalties for their work and serials that are re-run repeatedly.
Hussain also mentioned how gruesome it has been for the cast to find suitable roles after Ainak Wala Jinn.
“Did you know that the cast of Ainak Wala Jinn was never cast for any other drama? Some of them died of hunger while others are hardly surviving on charity,” lamented Hussain.
The actor also reminded the PM how these actors are the sole reason why he could build all the hospitals he has so far.
“[PM] Imran Khan, these people have supported you from the days when you placed the first brick of your hospital to the beginning of your political journey,” Hussain asserted, adding that our government needs to offer help to veteran artists and have mercy on those who have been part of our showbiz for generations.
Ainak Wala Jinn was one of the biggest serials that children grew up watching on PTV for years. The show continued for four seasons with the same cast as. Be it Zakota Jinn or Bil Batori, the dialogues are still remembered till this date with many in their homes mimicking their favourite characters.
This is not the first time that Hussain has raised his voice in support of senior artists. He was also among the first Pakistani celebrities, who spoke in support of Naila Jaffery and urged the government to help the ailing actress.
On Saturday, Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan tweeted:
“I want to express our solidarity with the people of India as they battle a dangerous wave of COVID-19. Our prayers for a speedy recovery go to all those suffering from the pandemic in our neighbourhood & the world. We must fight this global challenge confronting humanity together.”
I want to express our solidarity with the people of India as they battle a dangerous wave of COVID-19. Our prayers for a speedy recovery go to all those suffering from the pandemic in our neighbourhood & the world. We must fight this global challenge confronting humanity together
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi expressed support for the people of India in the current wave of COVID-19.
We express our support to the people of India in the wake of the current wave of #COVID19 infections, that has hit our region hard. On behalf of the people of Pakistan, I extend our heartfelt sympathies to the affected families in #India.
Apart from PM Imran and cabinet ministers, Pakistanis also expressed their solidarity with India. #PakistanStandsWithIndia trended as number 1 on Twitter.
The hashtag #PakistanstandswithIndia represents the best side of Pakistan. We must choose solidarity and empathy over hate and enmity. Only peace and cooperation in our region can help us prepare for existing and coming disasters.
Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday announced that there will not not be a complete lockdown but in order to control the situation, people must follow SOPs. PM appealed to the nation that if they follow SOPs and wear masks regularly, Pakistan will not have to take any strict measures. PM said that despite suggestions of lockdowns in cities, he has not taken this decision as it affects the poor the most. “Be careful yourself. Otherwise we will have no other option.”
PM said that the Pakistan Army will assist the police in imposing SOPs.
Key decisions taken by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC):
Schools in districts with positivity rates above 5% closed until Eid
Markets to close at 6pm. Only shops selling essential goods to operate after 6pm
Outdoor and indoor dining banned during Ramzan
Indoor gyms to be closed
Offices to close at 2pm daily with 50% capacity. Rest of the staff to work from home
وزیراعظم عمران خان کی کورونا وباء کی موجودہ صورتِ حال سے متعلق اہم گفتگو https://t.co/WNRXwSEa9E
— Government of Pakistan (@GovtofPakistan) April 23, 2021
Jahangir Khan Tareen said on Thursday that he has been given an assurance that Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan will meet his group soon.
“Now that a cool wind is blowing from Islamabad, we are satisfied,” said Tareen.
Tareen also claimed he has the support of 40 lawmakers.
Talking to the media outside a sessions court in Lahore, Tareen said that when the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) was in power, the government investigated his business and sent him notices but even the PML-N did not do to him what is being done now. “Even the PML-N did not turn a civil case to a criminal case, which has been done now.”
Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry told anchorperson Adil Shahzeb that he does not know about any upcoming meeting between Tareen and PM Imran. “Frankly I have not talked to either of the two about this.” Chaudhry added that Tareen played an important role in the formation of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government. “Everyone acknowledged and appreciates Tareen sahab’s role.”
Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed said on Thursday that the blast at Serena Hotel in Quetta was a suicide attack. He said this was a foreign attempt to destabilise Pakistan. “Pakistan Army and the people of Pakistan will defeat such designs.” Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed the responsibility for the Quetta blast yesterday. Five people were killed and more than a dozen injured in the deadly attack.
All law enforcement agencies are on high alert at the instructions of the Interior Ministry. Talking about the attack, Sheikh Rasheed said the suicide bomber stayed inside the car. “C4 explosives weighing between 60 to 70 kilogrammes were used in the attack”. Evidence has been sent for forensic analysis.
The interior minister also said that social media was misused during the past few days by foreign elements who are behind efforts to destabilise Pakistan. “An estimated 250,000-300,000 social media accounts were created in India.” “These foreign forces cannot see Pakistan prosper and progress,” said the minister.
China strongly condemned the terrorist attack. A statement by the Chinese embassy in Pakistan said that Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Nong Rong was leading a delegation on a visit to Quetta on the same day. “When the attack occurred, the Chinese delegation was not in the hotel. Till present, no reports of casualties of Chinese citizens in the attack have been received.”
Prime Minister Imran Khan tweeted that he is deeply saddened by the loss of innocent lives in the condemnable and cowardly terrorist attack in Quetta yesterday. “Our nation has made great sacrifices in defeating terrorism and we will not to allow this scourge to rise again. We remain alert to all internal and external threats.”
I am deeply saddened by the loss of innocent lives in the condemnable & cowardly terrorist attack in Quetta yesterday. Our nation has made great sacrifices in defeating terrorism & we will not to allow this scourge to rise again. We remain alert to all internal & external threats
Prime Minister Imran Khan’s official Instagram account on Tuesday became very interesting after a short clip from the Bollywood movie Inquilaab was posted on it leading to a social media meltdown.
Through the clip, PM Imran attempted to make a point about how political parties discredit their rival political parties in order to replace them.
“It is what has been planned against the PTI govt from day one by the corrupt mafias,” read the caption on the clip, which was deleted five hours after it was posted.
Speaking to BBC Urdu, Focal Person to the Prime Minister on Digital Media Dr Arsalan Khalid said that the clip was posted by a member of PM Khan’s social media team because the scenes “accurately reflected the current situation and the unrest of the opposition.”
Explaining the reason behind the deletion, Dr Arsalan said that a routine quality control check — that takes place after few hours — led to the deletion of the clip.
When asked if PM Khan personally makes these posts on social media, Dr Khalid said the premier mostly uses Twitter and that all tweets are posted by him, adding that PM Imran rarely uses Instagram and has a team to manage that.
Released in 1984, Inquilaab featured Amitabh Bachchan, Sridevi, Utpal Dutt, Kader Khan, Ranjeet and Shakti Kapoor. The film’s official synopsis reads: “A politician helps a jobless man become a police officer and then uses him for his nefarious activities. After his wife finds out he is being used as a pawn, she tries to change his ways.”
In the clip shared on PM Khan’s account, Kader Khan and Utpal Dutt are seen planning a sinister move against the government.
“We have the right to form a government. In order to form a government, we need to win the elections. To win the elections, we need votes; in order to get these votes, we need people’s confidence. And how do we get the people’s confidence? We will need to take away people’s confidence from the government. Haha. And how do we do that? We will create an environment where we will make them think that this government is incompetent and inefficient. This way, the people will be forced to get rid of the government and bring another party in its place. For this we need to create chaos. We need riots, killings, dacoities in cities. We need religious disturbance, sectarian conflict, which renders government incapable of thinking and police is unable to do anything to control the crisis. When all this is happening, we will go out and take out rallies addressing crowds and present ourselves and our party as an option to control this mess.”
Responding to this, someone in the meeting says it is an excellent idea.
“We need money for this, which is why we have invited rich businessmen here today to raise it.”
When someone asks if 50 lakhs will be enough, Kader Khan says that for the time being it’s enough but a politician is like a farmer and politics like a crop. If you invest millions, the return will be in billions, if billions, it can go up to trillions.”
Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday posted something very interesting on his official Instagram account. Sharing a clip from the Bollywood movie ‘Inquilaab’, which was released in 1984, PM Imran made a point about political parties discrediting their rival political parties in order to replace them.
‘It is what has been planned against the PTI govt from day one by the corrupt mafias’, read the caption of the clip posted by the premier. He later deleted the clip from his Instagram account.
In the clip, Kader Khan and Utpal Dutt are seen planning a sinister move against the government. “We have the right to form a government…In order to form a government, we need to win the elections; to win the elections, we need votes; in order to get these votes, we need people’s confidence. And how do we get the people’s confidence? We will need to take away people’s confidence from the government. Haha. And how do we do that? We will create an environment where we will make them think that this government is incompetent and inefficient. This way the people will be forced to get rid of the government and bring another party in its place. For this we need to create chaos. We need riots, killings, dacoities in cities. We need religious disturbance, sectarian conflict, which renders government incapable of thinking and police is unable to do anything to control the crisis. When all this is happening, we will go out and take out rallies addressing crowds and present ourselves and our party as an option to control this mess.” To this, someone in the party meeting says it is an excellent idea. “We need money for this, which is why we have invited rich businessmen here today to raise it.” Will 50 lakhs be enough, asks one man. To which Kader Khan says that for the time being it’s enough but a politician is like a farmer and politics like a crop. If you invest millions, the return will be in billions, if billions, it can go up to trillions.” Everyone laughs at the end of the clip.
Watch the video here:
https://youtu.be/57w1DfCObfI
The Bollywood film starred Amitabh Bachchan and Sridevi.
When Twitter caught on to the posting of the clip, this is what they had to say.
According tomedia reports, new COVID-19 cases in India reached more than 270,000 on Monday, a new record. The total cases are now more than 15 million, the second-highest after the US. India reported 1,761 deaths due to the coronavirus today. Pakistan on Monday banned travellers from India due to concerns over Indian variant. Britain also added India to its “red list” of countries. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson also called off his trip to New Delhi in the wake of the rising coronavirus cases in India.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has received severe backlash over the BJP government’s mishandling of the COVID situation in India.
