Tag: Imran Khan

  • ‘Let the people make their own decision’; Bilawal takes swipe at establishment

    ‘Let the people make their own decision’; Bilawal takes swipe at establishment

    Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Chairman of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), has criticized the establishment for “making puppets” in a conversation with members of the media.

    “The people of Pakistan have warned you that stop conducting such experiments on us. Let the people make their own decisions,” he said, calling it a message for those who make, search for or impose puppets on the country.

    “If the people of Pakistan choose Mian Shehbaz Sharif sahib or Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif sahib then we should all accept it. If the people choose PPP, then all should accept it. And maybe I may not like this, but if the people choose PTI, then we will have to accept it,” he stated on Friday in Karachi.

    The former Foreign Minister asked Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to conduct polls as soon as possible and within the 90 days constitutional limit.

    “Through its performance, the PPP has always proven that it does people-friendly politics and governance. And that is why the PPP still says that elections should be held as soon as possible, according to the Constitution and within 90 days so that we can win the polls and serve the people of the country and take them out of these difficult economic times,” the PPP head stated.

    In response to a question, Bilawal said that his father, ex-president Asif Ali Zardari, had spent the longest time behind bars.

    “And today we are hearing that those politicians who have to go through this ordeal are facing difficulties,” he said about Imran Khan, the Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

    “We are trying to tell them that ghabrana nahi hai (do not worry). It is time for you and politicians like you to learn. You are being given experience and training and you are now being made a politician.”

  • NAB grills Bushra Bibi for over two and a half hours

    NAB grills Bushra Bibi for over two and a half hours

    The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) grilled former First Lady, Bushra Bibi, for over two and a half hours during the investigation of the Toshakhana case.

    Bushra Bibi has been accused of keeping a bracelet, earrings, a chain, a pendant and two rings from state gifts while her husband Imran Khan was the Prime Minister. She has also been charged with keeping a watch and gold and diamond jewellery during the same time period, not getting their value assessed fairly or submitting them to the Toshakhana.

    Bushra Bibi appeared before NAB Rawalpindi office where a team questioned her for over two and a half hours.

    Bushra Bibi is currently on bail in the Toshakhana case, after Judge Abul Hasnat of an accountability court granted her bail in the Toshakhana case till September 12, in exchange of surety bonds worth Rs5 lacs.

  • ‘Shujaat sent me to PTI’, says Parvez Elahi

    ‘Shujaat sent me to PTI’, says Parvez Elahi

    President of Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Chaudhry Parvez Elahi, has stated that his cousin, Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) leader Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, had given him the go-ahead to me to join the PTI, Geo has reported.

    “Chaudhry Shujaat himself sent me to PTI,” the former Punjab chief minister said on Wednesday at a local court in Islamabad.

    According to Elahi, PTI Chief Imran Khan pledged to name him party president in recognition of efforts made during difficult times for the party.
    Elahi, currently facing several cases including ones relating to corruption charges, attack on the judicial complex, has been behind bars for months as liberty eludes him every time he gets released from custody.

    He was detained by the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) on Tuesday, shortly after being released by the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) police on the Islamabad High Court’s (IHC) ruling. He had been detained numerous times during the previous few months.
    “Shujaat Hussain did not join PTI due to [his son] Salik Hussain because he was very fond of becoming a minister,” Elahi said.

    Shujaat and Pervez had spent their entire political careers as a duo before breaking up to go their own ways in 2022.

  • Bushra Bibi files petition to avoid possible arrest

    Bushra Bibi files petition to avoid possible arrest

    Bushra Bibi, the wife of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, has moved the Lahore High Court (LHC) to stop authorities from arresting her, asking for details of all the cases including undisclosed first information reports (FIRs) registered against her.

    The petition, filed through Advocate Mushtaq Ahmad Mohal on Monday, states that after the illegal removal of the petitioner’s husband from the office of the prime minister, political victimization of the petitioner, her husband and other family members has been initiated by federal and provincial governments as well as law enforcement agencies, all of whom are respondents in the petition.

    Bushra Bibi has pleaded that FIRs against her have been kept secret by the respondents to bar her from seeking pre-arrest bail. The respondents include the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Anti Corruption Establishment (ACE) Punjab, and police.

    “That act of the respondents regarding lodging false, frivolous, baseless and concocted FIRs against the petitioner and to conceal the FIRs numbers, police stations, districts, dates and provinces clearly indicates that the respondents intend to arrest the petitioner without providing an opportunity to get the relief from competent courts of law in the shape of anticipatory bails and pre-arrest bails and to get the FIRs secret against the petitioner at the behest of the respondents is not warranted by law, so law and justice demand that the respondents be directed to submit list of all criminal cases registered against the petitioner throughout in Pakistan, so that the petitioner may approach the competent courts of law, for redress of her grievances,” the petition read.

    It further requested for an order against arresting Bushra Bibi in any case till the provision of the details of case. The hearing of the petition is fixed before the court of Justice Alia Neelum.

    READ MORE: PDM is not ready to talk with Imran

  • PDM is not ready to talk with Imran

    PDM is not ready to talk with Imran

    Central leaders of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) have mutually decided not to talk with former Prime Minister Imran Khan about any political matter.

    Sources privy to inside details have told Jang that PDM leaders called Imran Khan responsible for inflation in the country as well term him the mastermind of the incidents of May 9.

    Sources also confirmed that PDM will contact the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) within 48 hours to discuss the matter of talking to Imran.

    Earlier, Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said after meeting Imran Khan in Attock jail that the former prime minister was ready to talk to institutions and political parties about elections, stressing that he wants free and fair polls in the country.

    In a tweet, the lawyer said that he met Imran Khan at Attock Jail along with his colleagues. “Alhamdulillah, he is in great spirit but concern about ongoing uncertainty, inflation, and terrorism. He is willing to talk to all BUT about election,” he stated.

  • Judge hearing Imran’s plea in cipher case goes on leave

    Judge hearing Imran’s plea in cipher case goes on leave

    Special Court Judge Abul Hasnat Zulqarnain, who’s hearing the cipher case against former Prime Minister Imran Khan, has gone on leave until September 8.

    PTI’s lawyers, Babar Awan, Salman Safdar, and Naeem Haider Panjotha, reached the courtroom on Monday where staff told them that the Judge was on leave as his wife is unwell.

    Attorney Salman Safdar requested court staff to fix the next hearing for Thursday.

    However, the PTI’s legal team reached the courtroom of Judge Raja Javad and requested him to hear the case.

    Judge Raja Javad replied that he could not hear the bail plea as he is not a duty judge.

    “There is no notification of the duty judge under the Official Secrets Act. If the Islamabad High Court can mark it, only then I can hear it,” Judge Abbas remarked. “I can hear cases of 24 courts as a duty judge but not to the extent of the Official Secrets Act.”

  • Imran Khan hires UK lawyer to represent him in international courts

    Imran Khan hires UK lawyer to represent him in international courts

    Imran Khan, the chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has retained the services of British attorney Geoffrey Robertson KC to represent him in international courts.
    The announcement has been made at a time when the former prime minister, who was removed from power in April of last year after a vote of no confidence, is still detained in the Attock District jail after being found guilty on August 5 in the Toshakhana case.

    The PTI leader was found guilty for failing to disclose state gifts he received while in government; as a result, he received a three-year prison sentence and a Rs. 100,000 fine, excluding him from running in future elections.

    The news regarding the UK attorney was made public by PTI on Friday via a post on its official X (formerly Twitter) account, announcing its decision to hire the renowned lawyer, who has previously worked with high-profile people including Salman Rushdie and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.
    “PTI Chairman, Former Prime Minister @ImranKhanPTI has appointed the eminent Human Rights Barrister Geoffrey Robertson KC of @DoughtyStreet Chambers to advise and represent him in international courts in relation to unlawful detention and human rights abuses,” the post on X read.

  • Court orders release of PTI’s Parvez Elahi

    Court orders release of PTI’s Parvez Elahi

    The Lahore High Court (LHC) has ordered the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to release the president of Pakistan Tehrrek-e-Insaf (PTI), Parvez Elahi, on Friday, after the accountability watchdog’s decision to arrest the former chief minister of Punjab was challenged in court through a petition.

    After Elahi was brought before the court, LHC Justice Amjad Rafiq announced the decision, telling NAB at the hearing today that if Elahi is not produced today, the court will issue a warrant against the director-general of the accountability body.

    On the NAB prosecutor’s reply, Justice Amjad Rafiq said that there will be a complete inquiry, ordering Parvez Elahi’s immediate release.

    It should be noted that when Parvez Elahi first filed an application in the Lahore High Court, the court granted him bail in all cases. But against the decision of the single bench of the court, the Punjab government filed an appeal before a two-member bench, which suspended the decision of the single-member bench.

  • What will Imran Khan be reading in jail?

    What will Imran Khan be reading in jail?

    What will Imran Khan be reading in jail?

    On Wednesday, in a clip posted on X (formerly Twitter) Aleema Khan could be seen talking to the media, stating that her brother , former Prime Minister Imran Khan is doing well in Attock jail. Aleema Khan said that her brother told her that he has gotten time for himself after years. “He has started finishing the Quran for the second time and has also read Islamic history,” she said, adding that Imran Khan will adjust to any environment, no matter the conditions.

    Later in the day, Intazar Hissain Panjutha, Imran Khan’s lawyer, took to X, asking for book recommendations on the history of Pakistan, history of the region and current affairs.

    Today he posted a picture of the books being sent to Imran Khan for reading.

    So what is Khan reading?

    How Democracies Die by Daniel Ziblatt and Steven Levitsky
    Published in 2018, this book is on comparative politics about how elected leaders can gradually destabilise the democratic process to increase their power.

    Monsoon By Robert D. Kaplan
    It reflects upon the vitality of India, Pakistan, China, Indonesia, Burma, Oman, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Tanzania for American power. Kaplan uncovers the effects of population growth, climate change, and extremist politics on the unstable region.

    People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn
    Zinn presents a different side of history from the more conventional “fundamental nationalist glorification of country”, exposing the exploitation and manipulation of the majority by rigged systems that cater to a few elite rulers from across the orthodox political parties.

    Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond
    Diamond dismantles racially based theories of human history while discussing the way that the modern world came to be.

    World Order by Henry Kissinger
    The book escorts the reader through to the complex mechanisms that have governed international relations throughout history.

    Secrets of Divine Love: A Spiritual Journey into the Heart of Islam by A. Helwa
    Helwa uses references from the Quran, ancient mystical poetry, and stories of prophets and spiritual masters to help one grow spiritually and strengthen connection with God.

    The Narrow Corridor by Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson
    The writers contend that a country’s rise and fall is dependent on culture, geography, or chance, but on the power of their institutions.

    Active Measures: The Secret History of Disinformation and Political Warfare by Thomas Rid
    A history of disinformation which tracks the increase in secret organized deception operations from the interwar period to contemporary internet trolls.

    The Revenge of Geography by Robert D. Kaplan
    Another book by Kaplan in the list. This one explores the role geography and the national borders play in world conflicts.

    Indus Divided by Daniel Haines
    Indus Divided talks about the significance of the Indus Basin river system for Indian and Pakistan and the dispute between the two countries after the partition in 1947.

    Empires of the Indus: The Story of a River by Alice Albinia
    It is part-memoir, part-essay in which the writer reiterates her journey through Central and Southern Asia.

    The China-Pakistan Axis: Asia’s New Geopolitics by Andrew Small
    The book explores the outcome of Sino-Pakistani ties for the West, India, Afghanistan, and for Asia, overall. It highlights the sensitive facets of their relationship including Beijing’s support for Pakistan’s nuclear program, China’s dealings with the Taliban, and the Chinese military’s planning for crises in Pakistan.

    Balthasar’s Odyssey by Amin Maalouf
    It is a novel revolving around a quest to find a book supposedly published during the days of the Ottoman Empire.

    The Next 100 Years: A Forecast for the 21st Century by George Friedman
    The writer predicts the future wars — why and where will they happen and how they will be fought; who will acquire economic and political power and who will lose; and how new technologies and cultural trends will change the way we live in the new century.

    As Through a Veil: Mystical Poetry in Islam by Annemarie Schimmel
    It is a story of Islamic poetry that covers the ambit of traditions and cultures, from Arabic religious verse to the Persian Sufis and the popular folk poetry of India and Pakistan.

    Adrift: How Our World Lost Its Way by Amin Maalouf
    The book traces how civilizations have divided throughout the 20th century, combining personal narrative and historical analysis to caution in regard to the future.

  • Nothing left for Imran in Pakistani politics: Kamran Tessori

    Nothing left for Imran in Pakistani politics: Kamran Tessori

    Governor Sindh Kamran Tessori has said that after the events of May 9, there is nothing left for former Prime Minister Imran Khan in Pakistani politics, Geo has reported.

    Addressing a press conference in London, Tessori said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) attacked Jinnah House and other military installations on May 9, shocking Pakistan. The governor claimed that the attacks on May 9 were comparable to those at the Peshawar Army Public School.

    Tessori, who is in London on a private family visit, said: “The elements involved in the 9 May attacks are left behind and the nation has come on one page. No decent and civilised society allows the destruction and arson of its important national monuments such as the residence of Pakistan founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah, mosques and corp headquarters; people don’t burn their police stations in the world. These people burnt down their Corp Headquarters and attempted attacks on military installations. After all of this, I think there is nothing left for Imran Khan in Pakistani politics.”

    The Sindh governor also advised those that are still part of the PTI to, “think of Pakistan first and then the leader. The nation comes first, no harm in following any leader but not at the cost of Pakistan.”