Najaf Hameed, the brother of former ISI chief retired Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed has been sent to Adiala jail in Rawalpindi on a 14-day judicial remand in a corruption case on Monday by a local court in Rawalpindi.
The development comes after the suspect went to Senior Civil Judge Waqar Hussain Gondal’s court to ask for pre-arrest bail because a special anti-corruption court rejected his request for bail after he was arrested.
Najaf is accused of acquiring wealth beyond his source of income.
In his order, the senior civil judge stated: “Investigation officer/case officer has requested to send the above accused to the judicial lockup.”
“Record reflects that offences allegedly levelled against the accused are non-bailable in nature. Therefore, as per the request of I.O./C.O. accused person is sent to judicial lock up and be produced along with report [challan] under Section 173 Cr.P.C before the concerned court on April 1, 2024,” read the order.
Earlier, Najaf Hameed was arrested after a Rawalpindi court rejected his plea on Monday in a corruption case.
An old clip from an ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, Sushant Sareen, whose X (Former Twitter) bio says “Senior Fellow, ORF; obsessive Pakistan watcher and hence Afghanistan, Kashmir, Terrorism, Islamism; history buff but studied economics” and Tilak Devasher, whose bio says “Author of ‘Pakistan: Courting the Abyss’, ‘Pakistan: At the Helm’ and ‘Pakistan: The Balochistan Conundrum. Member National Security Advisory Board” has gone viral.
X user Hamza Azhar Aslam who according to his profile bio is a journalist and Founder & Editor of ThePakDaily posted a clip on March 17 where Smita, Sushant, and Devasher were discussing Imran Khan.
The clip was captioned as “Indian intelligentsia discusses the cult of Imran Khan.”
@mariaa_awd said, “Wowww this one really thinks Smita is Indian intelligentsia , bhai mana we are Vishwagurus but Smita aunty is not our intelligentsia by any stretch, gossip aunty at best ♀️
Her kisi se impress hona band Kare … we need some confidence building workshops for sarhad paar libbus”
Wowww this one really thinks Smita is Indian intelligentsia , bhai mana we are Vishwagurus but Smita aunty is not our intelligentsia by any stretch, gossip aunty at best ♀️
Her kisi se impress hona band Kare … we need some confidence building workshops for sarhad paar libbus https://t.co/SO52XUGRdc
@ajmalkhankakar wrote, “The Indian folks in this clip perfectly characterize and provide the most accurate description of IK’s persona and his followers.”
The Indian folks in this clip perfectly characterize and provide the most accurate description of IK’s persona and his followers https://t.co/ilj3A2OOyx
@CHSandhu886 wrote, “I love how intricate these Indian analysts are about the phenomenon of Imran Khan’s popularity, truly admire how they’ve picked up on details. Don’t think any Pakistani analyst can explain this in such detail.”
I love how intricate these Indian analysts are about the phenomenon of Imran Khan’s popularity, truly admire how they’ve picked up on details. Don’t think any Pakistani analyst can explain this in such detail https://t.co/sW8yEw1Lo5
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif criticised the increase in rates of electricity and gas prices after directives from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to do so.
The former prime minister raised concerns regarding the increase in rates of gas and power during a meeting with the Punjab government. The Chief Minister (CM) of Punjab, Maryam Nawaz, was also present in the meeting.
The leader of the PML-N commented on high inflation, questioning how much more the nation could endure. He urged authorities to solve the issue of costly electricity for small farmers by giving them solar panels.
Senior provincial minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, Information Minister Azma Bukhari, Transport Minister Bilal Akbar, MPA Sania Ashiq, provincial chief secretary, Planning and Development Board chairman, Transport secretary, and other officials concerned were also present at the meeting.
The PML-N supremo also said that small farmers should be rewarded for their hard work and should be saved from the exploitation of big farmers.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) worker Tayyaba Raja criticised her party for nominating Sanam Javed as a candidate for a seat in the Senate.
Tayyaba Raja wrote on her X (previously Twitter) account that it is unfair to highlight one person’s achievements and ignoring the sacrifices of others.
Tayyaba also asked how an anti-terrorism court granted bail to Sanam Javed, writing that she arrested eight times and received bail on seven occasions.
The PTI leader pointed out that Aliya Hamza and Khadija Shah were granted bail by the Lahore High Court after nine months following the reformation of the bench 15 times.
“How can the ATC repeatedly grant bail to an individual? This is a major question.”
“All of us are silent only till the return of [PTI founding chairman] Imran Khan,” she said.
She urged every woman worker to remain patient and wait for the best time to speak up.
The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) has expressed willingness to let former federal minister Faisal Vawda join the party before the Senate elections take place on April 2.
“We had invited Vawda to join [MQM-P] in the past […] I pray that he joins the party’s ranks,” MQM-P leader Rauf Siddiqui said while speaking with journalists in Karachi.
MQM-P head Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, who is also a candidate for senate polls, said that the party has fielded a total of eight candidates for the upper house.
However, Faisal Vawda has confirmed that he is still an “independent” political leader.
“I’m still independent,” Vawda said during a press conference in Karachi, adding that he would consider joining a political party when it’s in “season,” as independent candidates are currently trending.
Vawda expressed doubt about the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) securing power in Islamabad.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and lawmaker Sher Afzal Marwat made startling admissions regarding corruption within his party’s previous government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).
Known for his outspoken demeanor and controversial statements, Marwat recently alleged on an X (former Twitter) space that corruption had reached unprecedented levels during the previous PTI government in KP, with individuals amassing not billions, but trillions through illicit means.
Responding to a question, the PTI leader said that the narrative of keeping former prime minister Imran Khan at Adiala Jail instead of his residence in Bani Gala was not floated by him. “Former KP chief minister Mahmood Khan earns Rs2.5 million daily from one of his mines now,” he added.
Marwat’s remarks have once again thrust him into the limelight for his blunt and provocative statements. Just last week, he openly criticized his party’s decisions on alliances, attributing their electoral setbacks to two major mistakes.
He said the first major mistake was committed when party founder Imran Khan gave instructions for a political alliance with the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam Sherani and the second major mistake was the announcement of the inclusion into the Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen, adding that some people gave sectarian colour to the issue and gave threatening messages to the PTI leadership. However, Marwat’s comments have drawn ire from within his party, as well as from political allies.
Sahibzada Hamid Raza, Chairman of the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), issued a stern warning to leaders of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), cautioning them against airing internal grievances publicly. The revelations made by Marwat have reignited discussions surrounding corruption allegations within the PTI and have raised concerns about the party’s internal cohesion.
Habib Orakzai, the Secretary General of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Parliamentarians (PTIP), disclosed the reasons behind the breakdown of negotiations with PTI.
While talking to Geo News, Orakzai revealed that the secretary general of the Insaf Lawyer’s forum, Moazzam Butt contacted him.
“It was discussed in the meeting that it would be great if PTI and PTIP make a coalition government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” he said.
According to Orakzai, two rounds of negotiations took place at the wish of PTI representatives Ali Amin Gandapur and Assad Qaiser, where PTI presented two conditions. He also revealed that both talked to him over a phone call.
Orakzai revealed that the first condition was the resignation of Pervez Khattak, which was agreed upon, and subsequently, Khattak tendered his resignation.
In round two of the discussions, the president of the Insaf Lawyer’s Forum, Shadab Jaffri, discussed everything in detail with Hamid Khan and then came for discussion with Orakzai.
The second condition was the resignation of women from reserve seats, which was also accepted, leading to their resignations being submitted to the Election Commission.
It was then communicated that there was a meeting with Imran Khan, founding chairman of PTI, in Aidala Jail the following day.
Orakzai stated that a press conference was held with the Sunni Ittehad Council at 5 minutes past 4 the next day.
The revelation sheds light on the intricacies of the negotiation process within PTI and hints at underlying tensions within the party’s leadership.
Special Judge Central Humayun Dilawar granted bail to vlogger Asad Toor on Saturday in a case pertaining to allegations of running a malicious campaign against the judiciary.
Ishtiaq Hussain Shah, the special prosecutor for the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), went to court and said the agency doesn’t oppose giving bail to the vlogger.
The bail was granted against surety bonds worth Rs5,000.
Separately, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) also declared call-up notices issued to Toor by the FIA against the law.
IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq issued a seven-page written order regarding the vlogger’s plea against the FIA notices. He stated that the FIR was filed because notices were wrongly issued.
The judge maintained that the relevant forum can be approached once the FIR is registered, adding that the court cannot order Toor’s release due to the bar on taking suo motu action.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-insaf (PTI) has decided to field its jailed activist Sanam Javed for the women’s seat in the upcoming senate polls while incarcerated leader Dr Yasmin Rashid will contest the election for the technocrat seat in the Upper House.
Party leader Mian Aslam Iqbal announced that Hamid Khan and Zulfi Bukhari are candidates for general seats in Punjab while Umar Sarfaraz Cheema and Col (retd) Ijaz Minhas will serve as covering candidates for the general seats.
Meanwhile, today is the last date for submitting nomination papers for the Senate elections on general seats. The returning officers will be accepting the nominations till 5pm. The scrutiny of the nomination papers would be completed by March 19, while by March 21, appeals can be filed against the acceptance or rejection of the nomination papers.
Furthermore, authorities will issue decisions on the appeals by March 25. Polling will take place in both the provincial and national assemblies on April 2 from 9 am to 4 pm.
Sahibzada Hamid Raza, Chairman of the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), issued a stern warning to leaders of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), cautioning them against airing internal grievances publicly.
Raza’s remarks came in response to PTI leader Sher Afzal Marwat’s statement, where he criticized the decision to ally with the SIC, attributing it to the loss of 80 seats.
Marwat said the first major mistake was committed when party founder Imran Khan gave instructions for a political alliance with the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam Sherani and the second major mistake was the announcement of the inclusion into the Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen, adding that some people gave a sectarian colour to the issue and gave threatening messages to the PTI leadership.
Expressing strong disapproval of Marwat’s comments, Raza advised PTI to resolve its internal issues internally, underscoring that the decision to collaborate with the SIC was endorsed by PTI founder Imran Khan.
Raza wrote on X (former Twitter), ” It is better that PTI friends resolve the matters internally and Imran Khan made the decision of Sunni Ittehad Council, I didn’t make any request. From electoral symbol to reserve seats I have so much to tell that if I say something in a talk show then these people won’t be able to show their faces.”
In a statement made during the Geo News talk show ‘Naya Pakistan with Shahzad Iqbal Kay Sath,’ PTI leader Senator Barrister Ali Zafar shed light on the decision-making process regarding alliances for reserved seats.
Zafar revealed that initially, the plan was to merge with Majlis Wahdatul Muslimeen (MWM), but it was later altered in favor of the SIC following discussions with Imran Khan.
Expressing his astonishment on the development, Zafar said: “When I asked Imran Khan about this, he said he had not changed the decision.”
Ali Zafar, however, emphasised: “The decision will have to be revised no matter how it was taken; it was our mistake; as to where and how this miscommunication was committed.”
He conceded that Sher Afzal Marwat was right.
“At first, a decision was made to join the MWM. Prior to that, a decision was also made to unite with Maulana Sheerani’s party as Sheerani’s group also participated in the election and had also given a list of reserved seats.”
Zafar emphasized the need for clarity in decision-making, noting discrepancies in interpreting constitutional provisions and the Elections Act.
He indicated that the matter may need adjudication by the Supreme Court to resolve conflicting opinions.
The Supreme Court has to decide whether our interpretation is correct or the verdict of the ECP or the Peshawar High Court.
“We also referred to the Election Commission’s decision to give specific seats to the BAP party in the court. To which, the ECP said that they do not know why they gave reserved seats to the BAP, so this decision cannot be used as an example here,” he said.
