Tag: Imran Khan

  • Friendship ended with PPP, now PML-N and IPP are best friends

    Friendship ended with PPP, now PML-N and IPP are best friends

    The Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) took a significant step on Thursday by submitting a list to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) committee, outlining its demands for seat adjustment ahead of the upcoming elections.

    The IPP is pushing for seat adjustments in 45 constituencies of the Punjab Assembly and 27 constituencies of the National Assembly.

    The deliberations unfolded during a joint meeting of the committees from both parties, hosted at the residence of former Speaker National Assembly Ayaz Sadiq. The meeting saw the participation of prominent PML-N figures including Khawaja Saad Rafiq, Atta Tarar, and Malik Ahmed Khan, while IPP was represented by Ishaq Khakwani, Aun Chaudhary and Nauman Langriyal.

    The discussions primarily revolved around seat adjustments for the National Assembly constituencies, with the IPP formally handing over its list to the PML-N committee. Both parties explored various options during the joint meeting, demonstrating a commitment to finding common ground.

    IPP has decided to field Jahangir Tareen from Lodhran, Aleem Khan and Aun Chaudhry from Lahore, Farrukh Habib from Faisalabad, Ghulam Sarwar Khan from Taxila, Aamir Kiyani and Ali Nawaz Awan from Islamabad, Firdous Ashiq Awan from Sialkot and Imran Ismail, Mahmood Maulvi will be party’s candidates from PML-N.

    Both parties agreed to continue talks on seat adjustment while another meeting is scheduled for Friday.

  • Bilawal gives interesting answer to question about marriage

    Bilawal gives interesting answer to question about marriage

    In an informal conversation with journalists in Peshawar, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was asked about marriage, prompting him to give an interesting answer.

    Talking to senior journalists in Peshawar, the former Foreign Minister was asked when he was getting married. “I have to get married, or you? What is your problem? Do you have a girl in your sights that you are asking about marriage,” Bilalwal replied. .

    He said that Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa wrote in the decision that the date of the election is a line in stone, and we have faith in his word.

    The PPP Chairman Bilalwal, also stated that his party is trying to reduce the fever of hate in the political charged climate, adding that unfortunately, some parties are still involved in politics of hatred.

  • ECP to announce election schedule on December 17

    ECP to announce election schedule on December 17

    The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will announce election schedule on December 17, allowing candidates to submit their nomination papers the next day, The News has reported on Thursday.

    ECP will take 54 days to complete the process of conducting polls in the country on February 8, next year.

    Article 220 of the constitution says that once the election schedule is announced, the caretaker government is bound to support the ECP to conduct free and fair elections in the country.

    On the other hand, ECP has halted the training of district returning officers (DROs) and returning officers (ROs) designated for the forthcoming general elections set to take place on February 8 next year.

    The ECP spokesperson issued a notification saying that the Lahore High Court (LHC) had ordered the training of DROs and ROs to stop.

    Election commissioners of Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Balochistan have been notified. The training of DROs and ROs is currently in progress in Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, and Quetta.

    Previously, the high court declined the order of the ECP appointing ROs from the bureaucracy for the upcoming general election on February 8, 2024.

  • Aleema Khan fears Imran Khan may get death penalty in cipher case

    Aleema Khan fears Imran Khan may get death penalty in cipher case

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) ex-chairman Imran Khan’s sister, Aleema Khan, has expressed concern that her brother might get the death penalty in the cipher case, as per a report of The News on Thursday.

    Speaking to journalists outside Adiala jail, Aleema Khan said that she has doubts on the former prime minister’s trial as she can’t see justice being served.

    A day earlier, a special court established under the official secret act indicted Imran Khan and PTI’s vice president Shah Mahmood Qureshi in a cypher case.

    While discussing her brother’s trial, Aleema mentioned that cubicles had been made, and she couldn’t understand the reason for that.

    “Our entire family was in the courtroom, and it was locked from outside,” she said, adding that they were chased and threatened when they were coming for hearing.

    “We have no fear, but there can be no fair trial without the media,” she said, adding that journalists were not being allowed to attend the trial.

    “It seems that we are not in our country but in some other country. It is very sad to see what is happening to us in our own country,” she added.

  • Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi indicted in cipher case again

    Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi indicted in cipher case again

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) former chairman Imran Khan and the party’s vice chairman, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, were indicted again in the cipher case on Wednesday.

    A special court established under the Official Secret Act 2023 indicted both PTI leaders with Judge Abdul Hasnat Zulqarnain announcing the decision.

    Both leaders were found guilty of misusing a diplomatic cable issued by the Pakistan embassy in Washington DC for political purposes.

    During the hearing, Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Special Prosecutors Shah Khawar and Zulfiqar Abbas Naqvi appeared in court, while Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi were represented by their lawyers.

    The regular trial of the cipher case against the former prime minister and ex-foreign minister will begin in Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi.

    A hearing was also held on Tuesday, where family members of PTI leaders were also present. Some journalists were also present to witness the proceedings.

    Earlier, after Khan and Qureshi challenged their indictment in the case, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) declared their jail trial “null and void” while allowing intra-court appeals in the case.

  • Civilians to be tried in military court; Supreme Court decides

    Civilians to be tried in military court; Supreme Court decides

    The Supreme Court has, by a majority of 5-1, suspended its October 23 order that declared the trials of civilians in military courts null and void regarding the May 9 riots.

    The decision came in response to intra-court appeals (ICAs) filed by the federal and provincial governments, as well as the defense ministry, challenging the earlier verdict.

    A six-member bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Justice Sardar Tariq Masood and comprising Justice Aminuddin Khan, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi, Justice Musarrat Hilali, and Justice Irfan Saadat Khan heard the set of intra-court appeals.

    Justice Hilali differed with the majority decision.

    On October 23, a five-member apex court bench headed by Justice Ahsan unanimously admitted the pleas and nullified the government’s decision to try civilians in military courts in connection with the May 9 riots which erupted after the arrest of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-then chairman Imran Khan.

    Four judges out of the five declared that Section 2(1)(d) of the Army Act and 59(4) (civil offences) are “ultra vires the Constitution and of no legal effect”.

    “Without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing the trials of civilians and accused persons, being around 103 persons […] shall be tried by criminal courts of competent jurisdiction established under the ordinary and/or special law of the land in relation to such offences of which they may stand accused,” the short order read.

    Following its verdict, the federal and the provincial governments along with the defence ministry filed intra-court appeals (ICAs). However, the caretaker government of Sindh refused to file any plea against the SC order.

    Justice Masood, who faced objections regarding his inclusion in the bench, refused to recuse himself.

    Former Chief Justice Jawwad S Khawaja and others had raised concerns about Justice Masood’s previous expressions on the matter, but the judge maintained his position.

    The Supreme Court’s recent decision to suspend the October 23 verdict means that the trials of 103 civilians will continue, with the final ruling conditional upon the Supreme Court’s subsequent orders.

  • Hammad Azhar, Murad Saeed among PTI leaders declared ‘Ishtehari’

    Hammad Azhar, Murad Saeed among PTI leaders declared ‘Ishtehari’

    An anti-terrorism court has declared several leaders of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) proclaimed offenders (POs) in three cases related to the May 9 riots.

    The decision was made by Judge Abher Gul Khan in response to separate applications filed by the investigating officers (IOs) of the cases.

    The IOs reported that despite strenuous efforts, the suspects, fearing arrest, had gone into hiding, making their apprehension challenging. Non-bailable arrest warrants had previously been issued against them, but the suspects failed to surrender to the law, prompting the police to request the court to declare them POs.

    Those declared POs in two cases of torching police vehicles near Jinnah House and Sher Pao Bridge are Hammad Azhar, Murad Saeed, Farrukh Habib, Azam Swati, Mian Aslam Iqbal, Hamid Raza, Karamat Khokhar, Khalid Gujjar, Sajjad Ahmad and Zubair Khan Niazi.

    In the third case, which pertains to burning the PML-N office in Model Town, Fawad Chaudhry, Hammad Azhar, Jamshed Iqbal Cheema and his wife Musarrat Cheema, Zubair Khan Niazi, Ghulam Abbas, Farhat Abbas and Hamid Raza had been declared POs.

    The judge also directed the IOs to submit details regarding moveable and immovable assets of the suspects so that proceedings for the attachment of their properties under section 88 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) could be started.

    It is noteworthy that several of these PTI leaders have already been declared POs in other cases related to the May 9 protests, including the attacks on Jinnah House and Askari Tower.

    Hamza Shehbaz wants an exemption

    In a separate legal development, an accountability court issued a notice to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on an application submitted by former chief minister Hamza Shehbaz. Hamza sought permanent exemption from personal appearance in the trial proceedings of the Ramzan Sugar Mills reference.

    Appearing before the court with his lawyer, Hamza Shehbaz’s application prompted the court to direct a NAB prosecutor to submit a reply by January 12. The NAB had reopened the reference, initially closed under defunct amendments to the National Accountability Ordinance 1999, following a Supreme Court decision that struck down those amendments.

    In the Ramzan Sugar Mills reference, NAB alleged that Shehbaz Sharif, then chief minister, and his son Hamza, in abetment and connivance, caused a loss of Rs213 million to the national exchequer by misusing their authority. The allegations revolve around the construction of a drain in Chiniot district primarily for the use of Ramzan Sugar Mills owned by Hamza and his brother Suleman.

  • NAWAZ IS FREE in Al Azizia Steel Mills Case

    NAWAZ IS FREE in Al Azizia Steel Mills Case

    The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday acquitted former prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif in the Al-Azizia reference, the biggest hurdle in the way of him contesting in the general elections.
    The only obstacle now for the former prime minister to contest an election is his lifetime disqualification as a parliamentarian.

    “It is unfortunate that if a former prime minister is facing such sham cases, then [we can’t imagine] what is happening to a common man,” senior lawyer Irfan Qadir told Geo News, calling upon the judges who convicted Nawaz to apologise to the nation.

    He also stated that, in response to the contentious Panama verdict, the Supreme Court had directed the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to initiate legal proceedings against Nawaz by filing references.

  • Zardari accuses Jemima of paying UK bloggers to support Khan

    Zardari accuses Jemima of paying UK bloggers to support Khan

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) co-chairman and former president of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari has accused Jemima Goldsmith, the ex-wife of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, of paying vloggers while sitting abroad.

    In an interview on Aaj News with Asma Shirazi, the former president stated that a lobby with “multiple interests” has been funding and backing vloggers.

    The former president further added that it was a conspiracy to bring Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) ex-Chairman Imran Khan into power, adding that some people wanted to extend his rule until 2035.

    “He [Khan] would have sold Pakistan, and the country would have defaulted if I had not ousted that person… Sometimes a puppet does not know what its handler is doing to it.”

    Asif Ali Zardari also said that “I can be a candidate for prime ministership and Bilawal too. Even Khursheed Shah can be the candidate.”

    On the other hand, PTI supporters are showing support to Jemima on X (previously Twitter), with #StayStrongJemimaKhan trending on the platform.

  • Supreme Court approves live telecast of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto reference case

    Supreme Court approves live telecast of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto reference case

    The Supreme Court (SC) has approved a live telecast of a 12-year-old presidential reference regarding the contentious death sentence of former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

    On Monday, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman and former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari requested live broadcast of the hearing of the Zulfikar Ali Bhutto reference.

    The Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa is heading a nine-member, larger SC bench that is going to hear the 12-year-old presidential reference regarding the controversial death sentence awarded to the former prime minister.

    The decision to fix the case was made under Section 2(1) of the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Act, 2023, by a three-member committee comprising CJP Isa, Justice Sardar Tariq Masood and Justice Ijazul Ahsan.

    Last week, the SC appointed a panel of two judges, Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, to decide on the issue of the live broadcasting of 12-year-old presidential reference after former president Asif Ali Zardari the approached SC in 2011 to revisit the trial of the former prime minister.

    Previously, an 11-member apex court bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry conducted five hearings on the presidential reference. The last hearing in the said case was on November 11, 2022.