Tag: Imran Khan

  • PM asks ministers to quit cabinet if they don’t agree with govt decisions

    PM asks ministers to quit cabinet if they don’t agree with govt decisions

    Prime Minister Imran Khan has asked his cabinet members quit the federal cabinet if they have a problem with the decisions taken by the government.

    According to Geo News, the PM told his ministers to “take ownership of the government’s decision” and if they cannot do that then they could resign from their posts.

    “In case of their failure to toe the party line, I will decide myself whether to keep them in the cabinet or not,” the PM was quoted as saying. 

    During the meeting, the PM said that there were no reforms in the state institutions. The governance system also did not improve, he said, responding to a briefing given by Institutional Reforms Adviser Ishrat Hussain on the situation of the state institutions.

    The report claimed that ministers questioned the pace of reforms in the governance in different institutions and asked about the accountability of those at the helm.

    At this, the PM told them to improve their performance and sought a comprehensive report on the state institutions’ performance that could be presented before the public.

    Rs 200bn SCAM IN AGP:

    The prime minister directed the Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) to submit a report, saying that corruption amounting to over Rs180 billion had been unearthed in the institution.

    According to the PM, the prime minister directed the finance and revenue minister Hafeez Sheikh and Science minister Fawad Chaudhry to introduce a new digital system in the AGP’s office.

  • Hazaras face yet another tragedy

    Hazaras face yet another tragedy

    Imagine the pain of those families who not just lost their loved ones to a gruesome terrorist attack but also kept waiting for the state to show empathy towards them.

    11 Hazara coal miners were target killed in Balochistan last week. Their families staged a protest in the freezing cold of Quetta for a week and said they would not bury their dead till they meet Prime Minister Imran Khan. But the PM asked them to bury their dead first. He said he wouldn’t be ‘blackmailed’.

    At last, the Hazara mourners had to bury their dead and only then did PM Imran visit Quetta to meet them. No words can make us imagine the pain of the mourners. And to even think that they could blackmail anyone — those who are a marginalised community, those who have been relegated to a designated area, those who cannot even roam their area freely, those who cannot even get justice for their dead. There are Hazara families that have no male members left as they have all been target-killed.

    In a 2014 report by the Human Rights Watch (HRW), the Hazara Shias were described as ‘The Walking Dead’. They have continued to suffer at the hands of sectarian terrorist outfits committing genocide of the Hazara community. Thus the state should not have shown apathy towards their demand of meeting the PM. A powerful state cannot put conditions on its marginalised and beleaguered people. It is callous. Period.

    It is also important that the state safeguards the lives of all citizens, especially a marginalised community like the Hazaras. Pakistan made a lot of gains in its fights against terrorism in the last few years. The government should have consolidated those gains and made a proper strategy to counter terrorism and extremism.

    It is also important to empower the local police in Balochistan just like it was done in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. We hope that the Hazaras will get justice as well as protection. They have suffered enough.

  • Hamza Ali Abbasi condemns Hazara killings

    Hamza Ali Abbasi condemns Hazara killings

    Hamza Ali Abbasi has expressed his sorrow and grief over the horrific attack that took place on Sunday in Balochistan’s Bolan district and left 11 coal miners belonging to the Shia Hazara community dead. The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack.

    “The horrifying tragedy inflicted by a few evil men on the Hazara community is so heartbreaking that all I can tell myself to feel some peace is that God is watching everything,” wrote Hamza on social media.

    “May Allah bless the souls of the victims and give courage to the families,” added the actor.

    People from Hazara community are currently protesting at the Western Bypass, Quetta, saying they won’t bury their dead till Prime Minister Imran Khan personally visits them and assures them of security.

    Meanwhile, PM Imran Khan has requested the Hazara community to “please bury your loved one so their souls find peace”, adding that he “shares” their pain and will come to them soon.

  • Another old tweet comes to haunt Imran as 11 Hazara miners killed

    Another old tweet comes to haunt Imran as 11 Hazara miners killed

    After an attack by the Islamic State in Mach, a town in Bolan district of Balochistan, left 11 Hazara coalminers dead on Sunday, another tweet from the past has come back to haunt Prime Minister Imran Khan.

    In 2013, Imran had reacted to the Hazara killings by the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi by holding the state responsible for its inability to stop these killings.

    “Tragic news from Quetta. Condemn Lashkar-e-Jhangiv for its genocidal campaign against Shias, especially Hazaras. Where is the state?” Imran had tweeted.

    However, this time, the massacre has happened during the government of Imran Khan and except a tweet, the PM has done nothing. This has also drawn flak from the opposition that has questioned the actions taken by the government to arrest the culprits.

    Senator Sherry Rehman said that despite the magnitude of this tragedy, the PM or the CM of Balochistan had not visited the families of the victims. “Our PM sat on the ground with half the cabinet members when something similar happened to the Hazaras in the past. What is PM Imran Khan waiting for?” she was quoted by The News as saying. 

    Meanwhile, protests in Quetta against the killings have continued. On Monday, protesters gathered with eight of the bodies in coffins and blocked a bypass on the outskirts of Quetta, demanding justice.

    OLD TWEETS COME TO BITE IMRAN:

    This is not the first time that old tweets of PM Imran Khan have come to haunt him.

    As PM Imran reached China amid Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan’s (TLP) nationwide protests in 2018, a 2012 tweet of his, went viral. In the tweet, he had criticised the then premier, Yousaf Raza Gillani, for traveling abroad as the country “burned”.

    After train accident in which 24 people were killed, the PM was also reminded of his tweet, wherein he demanded the resignation of the railways minister following a train accident. However, he didn’t ask then railways minister Sheikh Rasheed to resign even though his old tweet had gone viral at the time.

  • Due to zero political interference, NAB recovered Rs389bn in two years: PM

    Due to zero political interference, NAB recovered Rs389bn in two years: PM

    Prime Minister Imran Khan said the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) managed to recover more money in the first two years of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government as compared to the entire tenures of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

    In a tweet, PM Imran said that the reason NAB was able to recover money during his government was the fact that it was functioning “independently” and without any sort of “political interference”.

    “Total recoveries by NAB in 2019 & 2020 amount to Rs.389 bn in comparison to previous 10 yrs (2008-2018) recoveries of Rs.104 bn,” the prime minister said.

    Imran also appreciated the performance of Punjab’s Anti-Corruption Establishment, saying it recovered Rs206bn in 27 months of Buzdar-led government, whereas it had only managed to recover Rs3bn during the two tenures of PML-N chief Shehbaz Sharif.

    He said the money recovered by the two accountability watchdogs show that accountability worked best when institutions are independent. Imran went on dub the tenures of the PPP and PML-N as “dark ages under corrupt rulers”.

    The opposition leaders, on the other hand, accuse NAB of political victimisation. They claim that NAB is working to target the rivals of PM Imran Khan. Similar remarks were also made by the Islamabad High Court in a graft case against PML-N leader Saad Rafique and Salman Rafique.

  • Nothing wrong with U-turns if they don’t ‘compromise ideology’: PM

    Nothing wrong with U-turns if they don’t ‘compromise ideology’: PM

    Prime Minister Imran Khan has defended his U-turns once again, saying that going back on one’s words is fine as long as it doesn’t compromise “ideology”.

    This is not the first time Imran has tried to defend the actions that saw him walk away from his promises. In 2018, he had said: “A leader who does not take ‘U-turns’ [in the best interests of the nation] is not a ‘real leader’.”

    APP, the state-run news agency, reported the PM as saying that the idea of making “compromises to reach the ultimate goal was never bad until one compromised the ideology”. “I will never make a compromise on an NRO. The U-turn is when you give up your goal,” he remarked.

    In an interview with Dunya News on Friday, the PM also talked about his statement wherein he had said that he was not prepared to run the country. “My statement that I was not prepared was completely misunderstood,” he said, adding: “I have never made any excuses that I was not prepared.”

    According to the premier, only a “fool would not know about the problems of the country”. The PM said the two years have passed with great “difficulty” but now things are looking better. “Good times are soon to come.” “People will decide about my performance after five years [and] God willing, Pakistan will soon have great times.”

    Speaking about economy, Imran said expenditure is on the rise as opposed to the income. “Reducing expenditure at home can become a pain,” he said, adding that half of tax revenue is spent on debt servicing.

    The current government has paid back $20 billion worth of loans over the past two years and the current account deficit has also been in positive for the past five months, he added.

    The remittances and exports have increased as well, the PM said, referring to a boost in the textile industry.

  • Govt okays Rs16/kg hike in LPG prices; petrol prices also up by Rs2.31

    Govt okays Rs16/kg hike in LPG prices; petrol prices also up by Rs2.31

    The government has approved a hike of Rs2.31 and Rs1.80 in the prices of petrol and diesel, respectively, for the month January, while the price of the Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) has also been increased by Rs16 per kg.

    “While considering relief for the people, Prime Minister Imran Khan approved the minimum possible increase in prices of petroleum products against OGRA’s [Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority] recommendations,” a Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) press release said.

    OGRA had sought an increase of Rs10.68 in petrol price and Rs8.37 in diesel price, whereas it asked the government to increase the price of kerosene oil by Rs10.92 and light diesel oil (LDO) by Rs14.87; the government however reduced it by Rs3.36 and Rs3.95, respectively.

    Meanwhile, OGRA notified a hike of Rs16 per kilogramme in the prices of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), effective from today, which comes as another blow for the public already facing high inflation.

    According to OGRA’s notification, the LPG prices are raised by Rs16/kg. With the increase, the LPG cylinder for domestic users will be up by Rs188 and commercial users by Rs722.

    It may be noted here that the consumers are already facing a shortage of gas nationwide and have to rely on LPG cylinders instead.

  • Hamid Mir says Khawaja Asif’s arrest proves ‘someone is really scared’

    Hamid Mir says Khawaja Asif’s arrest proves ‘someone is really scared’

    Senior journalist Hamid Mir has said that the arrest if Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Khawaja Asif showed that someone was “really scared”.

    In a tweet, Mir said Asif presented himself for the arrest “with a smile and he will come back from the jail with a smile on his face”. “His arrest only proves that someone is really scared and worried,” he said, without taking any names.

    On Tuesday, Asif was taken into custody in the backdrop of an ongoing investigation into allegations of him possessing assets beyond known sources of income to the tune of whopping Rs260 million. PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb said he was arrested from near PML-N general secretary Ahsan Iqbal’s house.

    Mir had also commented on the arrest yesterday. He had said that the former foreign minister knew he would be arrested and had even made preparations beforehand for what he considered an “eventuality”. “He had prepared a bag as well and would say that the NAB would arrest him soon,” said Mir.

    In Oct this year, Asif had alleged that Prime Minister Imran Khan wanted to harm him and his wife by using his political opponents.

    Speaking on a TV show, the PML-N leader had claimed the prime minister wanted his rivals to hold a protest outside his residence, target him in a road accident, and harass his wife by forcing her out of the vehicle.

    Asif had alleged that the PM desired to get him beaten up or implicate in a narcotics case in order to teach him a lesson. He had said that he wanted to raise these issues in the National Assembly, but he was not allowed by the NA speaker to talk.

  • #100MostHandsomeFacesOf2020 trends on Twitter, here are a few nominees

    #100MostHandsomeFacesOf2020 is trending on Twitter and people are tweeting pictures of their favourite celebrities, politicians and stars. Here are a few faces that have been nominated by social media users for the title.

    Some Twitter users think that Prime Minister Imran Khan is one of the most handsome faces of 2020.

    https://twitter.com/F_Z1214/status/1343805285153038336?s=20
    https://twitter.com/itsLaryb/status/1343828108286296064?s=20
    https://twitter.com/PTI1Tiger/status/1343873326436020225?s=20

    Others tweeted in favour of Maryam Nawaz.

    Of course, how could Pakistanis miss Engin Altan, the lead character from their favourite show Diriliş: Ertuğrul.

    Others who are a popular choice include Shahid Afridi and Hamza Ali Abbasi.

    South Korean music band BTS member V aka Kim Taehyung was also among the people’s choice for most handsome faces of 2020.

    There is a section of people who are nominating Zayn Malik for the title as well.

    A few contestants from an Indian reality TV show Bigg Boss have also been nominated for the title by their fans.

    https://twitter.com/majesticsmiles_/status/1343881618704850944?s=20

  • PPP’s Mustafa, PTI’s Faraz apologise to each other, have coffee after on-air fight

    PPP’s Mustafa, PTI’s Faraz apologise to each other, have coffee after on-air fight

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar and Information Minister Shibli Faraz, who exchanged heated words on Hamid Mir’s Capital Talk, have apologised to each other after the show and even shared a cup of coffee together.

    The lawmakers had coffee together at The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf as they tried to make up after the verbal altercation on live TV, The Current has learnt.

    During the TV show, Faraz took offence when Senator Khokhar accused the prime minister of nepotism. Khokhar said PM Imran apparently rewarded Dr Humayun, who had handled his “hair transplant”. “Same goes for certain Mr Gilani, whose restaurants are frequently visited [by PM Imran],” claimed Khokhar.

    However, Faraz cut him off at this, saying that the PPP lawmaker shouldn’t bring up “personal things” during the TV show. “Is it not true,” asked Senator Khokhar. To which, the minister said it wasn’t true at all.

    Mustafa Khokhar also didn’t take lightly to remarks made by the minister, saying he was challenging the minister to take action against him. “You can do whatever you want, I am right here,” said Senator Khokhar, prompting an intervention from the host, Hamid Mir, asking the lawmaker to calm down.

    “I treat you as my elder brother and is this how you are going to treat me,” said Khokar, asking Shibli to take action against him if he was saying something that was wrong. Shibli responded that Khokhar shouldn’t have brought up personal things on live TV.