Tag: Imran Khan

  • ‘What is Imran to me if I can bring down Musharraf,’ says Zardari

    ‘What is Imran to me if I can bring down Musharraf,’ says Zardari

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari has said that if he can send former president General (r) Pervez Musharraf home, then bringing Prime Minister Imran Khan down is not a problem for him.

    Speaking to a rally in Garhi Khuda Buksh to commemorate the death anniversary of slain PM Benazir Bhutto, Zardari said the opposition parties needed to change their tactics and mindset regarding the anti-government drive instead of “dictating each other”.

    The PPP would want to see all parties on a single page in the fight against the government, but “we should not dictate each other what to do”, he added. “We will have to fill up the jails,” said Zardari, adding that Benazir had left a message for her party to keep on fighting for Pakistan.

    Taking a jibe at the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, the former president said that the PTI has no importance and it will come to an end just like the party formed by Gen Musharraf during his era.

    According to the PPP co-chairman, Imran government has a little time left. “They will crumble beneath their own weight.” “These [PTI] are the people who run a cricket team, not a country,” he quipped.

    The PPP leader said that incumbent government was targeting political rivals through the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

    “NAB is running a black market and issuing warrants for businessmen,” said Zardari, adding that the PPP never targeted the opposition politicians during its tenure.

    It is a historical fact that the country suffered whenever the democracy was derailed, he said, calling upon the PM to quit the government if he was unable to run the country.

    The country’s exports had fallen and the dollar had seen a steep rise, he said, referring to the poor state of the economy. The PPP had kept inflation in check in spite of the financial crunch, he claimed, adding that “everyone is hoping that one day Bhutto’s party will rise to power” again.

    In addition to other politicians, PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz also spoke on the occasion.

  • 2020: 10 pictures that broke the internet

    2020: 10 pictures that broke the internet

    2020 has been a year like no other and with the end of the year approaching, we list you down the pictures that trended this year in Pakistan.

    Here we go…

    1. When Faisal Vawda brought an army boot with him to a talk show

    The PTI federal minister brought an army boot to a live TV programme to troll the Pakistan People’s Party and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz of the opposition for voting in favour of the Army Act in parliament amid their tirades against security forces.

    2. Faisal Eidhi making donation to Prime Minister Imran Khan

    Faisal Edhi, son of world-famous philanthropist Abdul Sattar Edhi and chairman of the Edhi Foundation, met Prime Minister Imran Khan and handed over a Rs10 million cheque for the premier’s coronavirus relief fund.

    Days later, he tested positive for the virus, leading to speculations if the premier had also been infected.

    3. Memes from the Last episode of ‘Mere Pass Tum Ho’

    Remember, when MPTH lead character Danish was talking even after the heart rate monitor showed a straight line. From the “straight line” to “Mehwish slap” and  ‘do takkay ki aurat’, all the memes were quite lit. Memes then light up the audience after a dull finale.

    4. When Maria B landed into hot water

    How could we forget Maria B’s fancy chandelier and the memes that broke the internet following the designer’s video with her husband telling the whole story behind the Punjab Police fiasco.

    5. ‘I WILL SACRIFICE MY WHOLE LIFE FOR PAKISTAN’

    Former Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) senator Sehar Kamran made the headlines for celebrating independence day with great enthusiasm at a Pakistani school in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Sehar was seen encouraging the students all in the spirit of patriotism.

    6. Syra and Sheheryar turned up the heat with their photoshoot

    Syra Yousuf and Sheheryar Munawar’s photoshoot for a local magazine became the talk of the town with people discussing how hot they look together.

    7. When Ishaq Dar had a hard time in HardTalk

    The former finance minister, who is residing in London while corruption cases against him worsen back home, recently appeared on the BBC talk show, videos of which went viral over what was claimed to be his “discomfort” on the hot seat.

    The host, Stephen Sackur, however, says Dar wanted to be on that show and seemed to enjoy it.

    8. Bakhtwar Bhutto Zardari’s Engagment

    PPP’s Bakhtawar Bhutto-Zardari got engaged this year and all eyes were on her corona-exclusive wedding. Her engagement card became controversial when it required guests to provide a coronavirus test result before coming to the engagement but the talk of the town was her shawl. The shawl was embroidered with memories of her family, her favourite things and also her love for food.

    9. Nawaz Sharif eating pizza in London

    Former PM Nawaz, despite conviction in corruption cases, was allowed to travel abroad for medical treatment.

    Currently in London, he has time and again been spotted taking a stroll in the park, dining at a roadside cafe, and most recently, enjoying pizza.

    While criticism continues to pour in amid government’s efforts to bring him back, his daughter Maryam Nawaz seems to believe none of the stuff he has been seen doing is bad for his health.

    10. Photoshoped picture of Maryam Nawaz Sharif’s hand

    PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz was recently trolled by social media users after she shared a supposedly edited picture of the much-awaited Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) rally of the joint opposition in Lahore.

    While the opposition claimed it was attended by hundreds of thousands of people, the government and social media users disagreed, advising the opposition leader to “fire her graphic designer”.

  • Govt mulls Rs3.3 hike in power tariff to meet IMF demand

    Govt mulls Rs3.3 hike in power tariff to meet IMF demand

    The government is likely to hike power tariff by Rs3.30 per unit in line with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) conditions to get the programme rolling that has been suspended since Feb 2020.

    Daily Jang quoted a senior government official, saying the increase in the power prices will be made before the start of the next year and the government will take measures to take the masses into confidence over the move.

    The IMF bailout was availed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in 2019 to provide crucial support to fast depleting foreign exchange reserves. But the package was suspended at the start of this year.

    Pakistan has to return $4.4 billion on account of foreign commercial loans during the current fiscal year for which it desperately needs the money from the monetary fund. It has also already returned $2bn to Saudi Arabia and will return $1bn soon to clear the Saudi debt.

    Earlier this week, Pakistan secured a $1.7 billion (Rs272 bn) debt relief agreement to help offset the financial headwinds sparked by the coronavirus pandemic.

    The deal provided a moratorium on debt payments for large swathes of the current fiscal year and help ease the cash-strapped country’s massive financial obligations.

    “The Government of Pakistan has successfully negotiated and concluded rescheduling agreements with 19 bilateral creditors, including members of the Paris club,” the Ministry of Economic Affairs said in a statement.

  • PM Imran says had no idea how to run govt for first three months

    PM Imran says had no idea how to run govt for first three months

    Prime Minister Imran Khan has said when his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), came to power it virtually had no idea how to run the government and it took them at least three months to understand the state of affairs.

    Addressing a special ceremony to sign ‘Performance Agreements of the Federal Government for the Year 2020-21’ in Islamabad, the PM said the new government shouldn’t assume power without preparation. “From the outside, it looked different compared to what is actually happening within the system,” the PM said.

    “When the PTI came to power, it took us three months to understand things and form our team,” he said, adding that Pakistan needed to review its systems. “We’re gradually learning things.”

    According to the premier, this system that keeps the incoming governments in the dark about the state of affairs must be changed. “We need to tweak it, so a new setup can be given enough time to learn the ropes after a comprehensive briefing by the outgoing government,” he said, adding that the first thing was that we should review the system and after once your team was made, then it should be given full time to prepare.

     Imran said it was his habit to look at everything in his life to see what could be done better or improved.

    “We have two-and-a-half years left to make the government’s performance better. We no longer have any excuses. It’s time for us to perform… It’s time for performance now. We need to put pressure on ourselves to perform and our ministers also need to put pressure on themselves to improve performance as well,” he added.

  • Creditors reschedule loans worth Rs272bn

    Creditors reschedule loans worth Rs272bn

    Pakistan has secured a $1.7 billion (Rs272 billion) debt relief agreement to help offset the financial headwinds sparked by the coronavirus pandemic, officials have said.

    The deal, following months of negotiations with creditors, will provide a moratorium on debt payments for large swathes of the current fiscal year and help ease the cash-strapped country’s massive financial obligations.

    “The Government of Pakistan has successfully negotiated and concluded rescheduling agreements with 19 bilateral creditors, including members of the Paris club,” the Ministry of Economic Affairs said.

    The ministry described the deal as ‘timely’ that will help save the ‘lives and livelihoods of millions’. Pakistan’s economy was already on life support before officials began shuttering large segments of the economy in the spring as a range of lockdown measures were rolled out to fight the spread of the coronavirus.

    Prime Minister Imran Khan has repeatedly called for debt forgiveness from international donors as tax revenues cratered, inflation soared, the currency was devalued, and fiscal deficits widened.

    In June, Pakistan was named as one of a handful of countries to secure a moratorium on debt repayments from the Paris Club in an effort to ease the economic impact of the coronavirus crisis. 

  • PM paid Rs1.2m fine for regularisation of Banigala house

    PM paid Rs1.2m fine for regularisation of Banigala house

    Prime Minister Imran Khan paid a fine to the tune of Rs1.2million to get his 300-kanal residence in Banigala, Islamabad, approved by the Capital Development Authority (CDA) under the new bylaws.

    It was approved under the amended regulation on March 5 this year but was not disclosed publicly. The Islamabad Capital Territory Residential Sectors Zoning (Building Control) Regulations 2020 were finalised by a commission constituted by the cabinet in Dec 2018 for revision of Islamabad’s master plan, according to a report in Dawn.

    However, the master plan was supposed to be revised by a consultant firm, which hasn’t happened as of yet.

    As per CDA, the residence is situated in sub-zone B of zone IV, where construction took place without permission but “falls in the permissible area” where houses can be regularised.

    The CDA officials said the move was not “discriminatory treatment” and complied with the new bylaws.

     According to the CDA officials, the house was regularised only after the PM fulfilled all the requirements for its legalisation. The approval letter issued by the CDA said that the PM “paid Rs1.206 million to the CDA on account of approval charges and scrutiny fee”.

    “CDA is pleased to approve the building plans for the building be constructed on Khasra No. 1939, Khewat no, 960, Khatooni no, 1652,1654,1656,1658,1660 & 1674 Mouza Mohra Noor, Islamabad,” read the approval letter quoted by the newspaper.

  • ‘Pakistan, Israel on cusp of making ‘secret ties’ official,’ claims journalist Ahmed Quraishi

    ‘Pakistan, Israel on cusp of making ‘secret ties’ official,’ claims journalist Ahmed Quraishi

    Amid controversial reports that Pakistan was mulling to establish ties with Israel, Pakistani journalist Ahmed Quraishi claimed that Pakistan and Israel are on the “cusp of making their decades-old secret ties public” by the establishment of the diplomatic ties on the official level.

    Pakistan has repeatedly denied the existence of ties with Israel and called such reports “baseless”. It says that there will be no normalisation of ties with Tel Aviv till the resolution of the Palestinian issue.

    Speaking to an Israeli TV channel, Quraishi said that he knew “for a fact that it was just a matter of time” before the two countries announced the formation of the ties.

    “It is a long history that goes back at least quarter of a century,” he said, adding that Islamabad and Tel Aviv have cooperated on international forum even though they do not enjoy official relations.

    He said that Pakistan and Israel don’t have any sort of “strategic conflict”, adding that because of the Palestinian issue their relationship is “suffering”. He also called it a “story of missed opportunities”.

    In 2005, the governments of both countries “established a very public, formal, political, and diplomatic contact in Ankara” that was mediated by then prime minister of Turkey Tayyip Erdogan.

    He said then president Gen Pervez Musharraf also called for a dialogue between the Jewish people and Muslims, adding that it was time to “revive” that.

    In response to question, he said Prime Minister Imran Khan is probably open to this idea, but he is caught up in the religious-dominated politics over the past few years. “I think he needs a little push to take this step,” the journalist claimed, adding that this push can from “within the country” or some friendly country can ask him to take this step.

    “The PM must be weighing his options, given Pakistan and Israel have same friends –the US, Gulf countries, Turkey, China, Nato, Azerbaijan — and share similar views on many security issues, e.g. Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict,” he added.

    In a recent interview with a TV channel, PM Imran denied all reports regarding talks of setting up ties with Israel. “Pakistan will refuse to recognise Israel until Palestinian rights are guaranteed,” he told the interviewer.

    “Pakistan is a democratic society — and our entire nation stands with the Palestinians,” he had said, denying reports of a meeting between his adviser and Israeli officials. “Why would anyone go from Pakistan when it’s our policy that we don’t recognize Israel?” he had questioned.

    “What’s a minister going to do there? This is absolutely fake news.”

  • Gen Bajwa ‘tolerating Nawaz’s tirades against army for sake of democracy’, says Imran

    Gen Bajwa ‘tolerating Nawaz’s tirades against army for sake of democracy’, says Imran

    Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that there is a lot of anger in the military over the tirades of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif against the army, but the army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, is putting up with it for the “sake of democracy”.

    The PM made these comments in an interview on Samaa TV. “I praise Gen Bajwa today. To attack an army chief in this manner definitely provokes a reaction from the army,” he added.

    The PM said that Gen Bajwa was “uncomplicated man”. “If someone else was at the helm of the army, there would have been a strong response by now,” Imran said.

    The PM said the opposition was accusing him of being a “puppet” of the establishment, yet they wanted to talk to the establishment. “This means they’re putting pressure on the army to remove a democratic government. This is [their] democratic movement,” he added.

    Imran said that asking the military to remove a democratically-elected government was a case of “treason”, as Article 6 applies to this. “The opposition’s second demand is that if the army and ISI chiefs do not remove me, then the army should remove them [the chiefs of army and ISI],” he added.

    According to the prime minister, the army was a state department that was subordinate to his government. He said the military has always stood by him in times of crisis.

    Speaking on the former government’s troubled relationships with the establishment, Imran said Nawaz was “manufactured by the army against the PPP”. He said he himself received a message from military ruler Gen Ziaul Haq in 1988 that he wanted to make him (Imran) the prime minister.

    He said the establishment had helped the PML-N supremo in the 2013 elections but their ties became strained because the establishment did not support him in 2018.

    The ex-PM, who is in a self-imposed exile in London, has called out the army many times for its involvement in manipulating the general elections in 2018 to bring Imran Khan to power. Addressing a rally in Gujranwala in Oct, the former PM had called out Gen Bajwa and ISI chief Lt Gen Faiz Hameed for alleged manipulation of election results.

  • Imran Abbas spills it all in his latest Q&A session on Instagram

    Imran Abbas spills it all in his latest Q&A session on Instagram

    Imran Abbas, in a recent Q&A session on Instagram, spilled all the beans, and answered a number of questions ranging from marriage to acting to religion and his relationship with Allah.

    Here are some of the most interesting replies from his session.

    Imran shared that he offers his namaz five times a day and said that his relationship with Allah is private.

    Good choice Imran!

    Awww!

    Seems like Imran is not a very worldly person.

    Read more – Imran Abbas defends himself after backlash on lion picture

    Amen bro!

    Dealing with negativity is a tough job and we’re glad Imran knows how to deal with it.

    So, now we know the secret behind Imran’s luscious locks.

    Okay wow! He barely watches dramas and hates political talk shows.

    Interesting.

    Uzma Gillani and Moin Akhtar are true inspirations.

    Ooo, we would love to see the two share the screen in a project.

    100 percent

    And he’s an Imran Khan fan too!

    Concluding his Q&A session with a note for his fans.

  • PM mad at Sheikh Rasheed for going easy on Opp

    PM mad at Sheikh Rasheed for going easy on Opp

    Prime Minister Imran Khan is not happy with Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed for his lenient approach towards the opposition and directed him to go tough on its leadership.

    According to Sheikh Rasheed, the PM was unhappy after watching his interview wherein his tone was soft towards the opposition. “The PM told me that I have to get tough when it comes to the opposition,” said the minister. “But I told him that I am now the interior minister as well, so I have to be neutral sometimes,” Rasheed said.

    According to Rasheed, the PM has also given him an additional responsibility of dealing with media. He said the PM was impressed with his interview and told him that he will have to represent the government in the media as well.

    Speaking about the change of his portfolio, Rasheed said being an interior minister of the country was a difficult job than being a railways minister. “Railways is not a difficult ministry compared to the Interior, as the latter has more responsibilities,” as per the minister.

    The interior minister said that the prime minister will not give an NRO [National Reconciliation Ordinance] to anyone despite the protests by the opposition parties. He said that the government will complete its five-year term.

    On Monday, Rasheed had asked the opposition who exactly they wished to speak to if not Imran Khan. “We don’t want to close the doors for dialogue. The opposition says it does not want to talk to Imran. Tell us who you wish to speak to so that we can arrange it,” he was quoted by Dawn as saying.