Tag: interview

  • Imran is still being facilitated by traces that Faiz Hameed left: Maryam Nawaz

    Imran is still being facilitated by traces that Faiz Hameed left: Maryam Nawaz

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senior Vice President and Chief Organiser Maryam Nawaz, while talking exclusively to Geo News’ programme “Jirga with Saleem Safi” shed light on the ongoing political crisis and emerging differences between her and the party’s senior leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi.

    Claiming that the new setup in the establishment is neutral, Maryam Nawaz said that there are elements associated with Lieutenant General (retd) Faiz Hameed that are helping Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan because their interests are interlinked.

    She said that due to this support, Khan doesn’t appear before the court despite being called numerous times.

    Maryam deemed the content of the alleged audio leaks of former Punjab chief minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi as “bench fixing”.

    “I said long ago that bench fixing is happening. Elahi’s leaked audio is its evidence,” she stated.

    All set for elections, says Maryam Nawaz

    Reflecting upon the provincial elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Punjab, which is the core demand of PTI, Maryam said that she and her party are all set for elections.

    When asked if the party was avoiding polls, Maryam stated: “Who said [we are] running away from elections? I am in front of the public and preparing for the polls.”

    She added that all the places that she has visited recently are a part of the election campaign. “We are preparing for the polls. Everyone wants a ticket from PML-N,” she claimed.

    The party’s chief organiser said that there is a list of people who wants PML-N’s tickets from all four provinces.

    Shahid Khaqan’s departure from PML-N would be an insult to me: Maryam Nawaz

    Addressing the rumours of a rift between her and former PML-N senior vice-president Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Maryam said that she had a detailed conversation with him for two and a half hours about his resignation.

    Maryam said that Abbasi’s departure from the party will be an “insult to me, not to him”; however, Khaqan told her that she is like a sister to him. “He wanted to give me some space. I will not let Abbasi go, nor is he going anywhere,” she maintained.

    Don’t believe in revenge: Maryam Nawaz

    When asked that there are apprehensions that Maryam might take revenge when she comes to power, the PML-N senior vice president said, “I don’t have to do anything, they already are suffering because of their own deeds.”

    She said that she doesn’t believe in revenge and won’t do what Khan’s government did in the past to her party. Moreover, she said that now both the establishment and Khan are busy exposing each other.

    Maryam assures Nawaz’s return

    Maryam again assured party followers that her father, PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif, will come back. She said: “This is Nawaz Sharif’s homeland and he will return to the country.”

    “Fake cases were lodged against him and he not only appeared before the law [judiciary] but also accepted the victimisation with dignity in the larger interest of the country,” she said.

  • ‘It works two ways’: Khan again victim blames Journalist Gharidah for getting harassed

    ‘It works two ways’: Khan again victim blames Journalist Gharidah for getting harassed

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairperson Imran Khan yet again victim blamed journalist Gharidah Farooqi for being harassed at a rally where she had gone to cover the event.

    In an interview with Isaac Chotiner of The New Yorker, Khan was asked if his comment about Farooqi was taken out of context.

    The former Prime Minister responded: “No. No. No. It wasn’t out of context. Look, in our society, we were . . . it was just in one particular rally where they were all men, and she was right in the middle of this male crowd. It’s just that . . . I mean, anyone who knows Pakistani society, or most sorts of societies like India or Pakistan—if you put yourself in that position, you are going to be vulnerable.”

    “It’s just common sense. Yes, the men are to be blamed if they do anything. But also it works two ways, you should all . . . in our society, normally, people would avoid putting themselves in that position. It’s as simple as that,” added Khan.

    “We have brilliant women journalists in this country. They are doing a great job. But they don’t have to put themselves in positions—and let me just say, it was a specific situation I was talking about, because we actually tried to get her out of the situation,” said Khan.

    Chotiner probed Imran further, stating that there seems to be a certain universalism in Khan’s thinking about democratic government, but, when he speaks about cultural or social issues, about girls’ education or how women respond to being mistreated by men, there’s not so much universalism.

    Khan replied, “I’m appalled. I just feel that sometimes the Western press picks up selective things. How can anyone blame women for rape? Tell me, how can any sensible person ever make such a stupid comment? Look, the rapist is always to be blamed. Always. Simple. Full stop. I was looking at the crime charts, and the crime charts reported to me by the police officers showed that sex crimes were going through the roof in my country. So we got to the bottom of it. Why is this happening?”

    “In the case of a woman getting raped, she’s marked for life. But even worse is when children get abused; that stays with them for the rest of their life. The ideas that came forward were, one, that we must bring down the level of temptation in our society, because you have a lot of frustrated people. Now, this is coming from civil society. And secondly, how do we educate children in schools to stop this child abuse?”

    Khan, in October last year, passed sexist comments about journalist Gharidah Farooqi, saying: “Woh mardon mei ghussay gi toh aisa hi hoga” (If she will enter into men’s sphere, then this is what will happen).

    During a meeting with the delegation of the National Press Club and the Rawalpindi/Islamabad Union of Journalists (RIUJ), Khan said that “Farooqi goes into the crowd and then complains that she is being harassed”.

    He also said that he will ask his party workers to act appropriately.

  • ‘Us ne hmein test kiya, ab us ki bari’: Khan says vote of confidence will be tabled against PM Shehbaz

    ‘Us ne hmein test kiya, ab us ki bari’: Khan says vote of confidence will be tabled against PM Shehbaz

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, in an exclusive interview on Saturday, said that Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif will be tested through a no-confidence motion.

    Speaking on Hum News’ programme Hum Meher Bokhari Kay Sath, Khan said, “Uss ne humein test keeya, abb uski baari” (He tested us, now it is his turn).

    He said the party would hash out the details of the move in a meeting on Sunday (today) and carry out planning for not only the trust vote but also “other plans to fully thrust them in a testing situation now”.

    When asked about the late-night voting on a confidence vote in Punjab Assembly, Khan said not many people knew this would happen at night, his party kept it secret. According to him, the party completed the numbers first without any bribes and horsetrading and then took the vote of confidence.

    The PTI chief also praised the way Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) stood behind the PTI and supported it. “The way Elahi is standing with us, there was immense appreciation in the party. He was the chief minister and made a real sacrifice. We are recommending he merges the party with ours.”

    About the KP assembly, he said that it will be dissolved within a week.

    During the interview, Khan mentioned that he spent his three and a half years in power in difficulty because his government was a coalition. He said that’s why his party has insisted on a merger between PTI and PML-Q.

    The former prime minister said that PM Shehbaz’s conference in Geneva was equivalent to making fun of Pakistan. He warned that there will be consequences to it in the future.

    Opening up about the extension given to former army chief General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa, he termed it his “mistake”. He revealed that at the time Bajwa himself sent a message that if he doesn’t get an extension, it will be difficult for him [Bajwa].

    He said that after securing the extension Bajwa changed as he begun asking Khan to give NROs to the Opposition.

  • Serena Williams bids an emotional goodbye to 27-year career after US Open loss

    Serena Williams bids an emotional goodbye to 27-year career after US Open loss

    Ajla Tomljanovic of Australia has made history by defeating Serena Williams at the US Open for the last time after the 23-time major winner acknowledged her career to be concluded.

    Serena and the boisterous audience couldn’t stop Tomljanovic, who prevailed 7-5, 6-7,6-1.

    After suffering through two sets that couldn’t separate the two, the final began when Tomljanovic broke Serena early and rode that momentum to a 5-1 lead. Ajla Tomljanovic ran into a classic Serena Williams, though, who utilised all of her determination to avoid losing while serving for the match.

    The American, who benefited from the crowd’s support in the previous round when she pulled off an unlikely victory, managed to save five match points during Tomljanovic’s lengthy service game that lasted more than 14 minutes before she was finally defeated.

    Even during the on-court interview, Serena only made passing references to this being her final tournament.

    At the US Open, fifth-seeded Tunisian Ons Jabeur defeated hometown favourite Shelby Rogers 4-6 6-4 6-3 to go to the fourth round of the competition for the first time.

    The Wimbledon finalist got off to a slow start, missing breakpoint opportunities before finding her groove in the second set. In the decisive match, the Tunisian quickly built a 4-0 lead before the American battled back, only to make crucial mistakes once more to give Jabeur the victory.

    Additionally moving on to the following round were Caroline Garcia, Alison Riske, Coco Gauff, Karolna Plková, and Danielle Collins.

    The sound system bellowed Tina Turner’s hit single “Simply The Best” as she waved goodbye and made her signature spin.

    Williams responded when asked if she would think about coming out after her performances this week: “I’m literally playing my way into this and getting better. I should have started sooner this year. I don’t think so, but you never know.”

    When interviewed in the middle of the court, Williams was filled with emotion and thanked her family, team, the spectators, and her supporters all over the world for their continued support.

    Here are some Twitter reactions following Serena Williams’ last US Open defeat:

  • US embassy expands interview waiver eligibility for Pakistanis

    US embassy expands interview waiver eligibility for Pakistanis

    The United States (US) Mission in Pakistan has announced the expansion of the interview waiver for Pakistani citizens who are renewing B1/B2 tourist and business visas at the US Embassy in Islamabad and the US Consulate General in Karachi.

    In a press release, the US embassy stated that Pakistanis who are 45 and older with valid or expired B1/B2 visas within the last four years are eligible to participate.

    However, some eligible visa holders may be required to appear for interviews at the US Embassy or Consulate-General after submitting their applications as it is required by US law.

    Applicants can check their eligibility for an interview waiver by visiting the website of the US Mission in Pakistan.

    This step has been taken to improve customer service and speed up the procedure of the renewal of tourist and business visas for qualified and eligible Pakistani citizens.

  • ‘How the hell was I supposed to know?’, Khan defends Russia visit

    ‘How the hell was I supposed to know?’, Khan defends Russia visit

    In an interview with Journalist Mark Austin on Sky News, former Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan defended his visit to Russia and said that he didn’t know that Russia was going to invade Ukraine when he landed in Moscow. Khan visited Moscow on February 23, a trip that landed him directly into a hotbed of criticism in the international community.

    Khan during the interview said, “How the hell was I supposed to know, the day I landed in Moscow, Putin is going to attack Ukraine? My statement in Moscow was that I have never believed in military solutions so I never endorsed that [Russian invasion of Ukraine]. Ours was a bilateral meeting, it was planned long before. How could you have punished me like that?”

    “I am against all military operations. I was against Iraq War, the Americans going to Afghanistan consistently and I am against military solutions in Ukraine”, he replied when asked about Russia’s aggressive acts in Ukraine.

    Khan once again reiterated that he was removed by the United States (US) and he has a cipher to prove it. The former premier, talking about what was written in the cipher, said, “Unless you remove PM through no-confidence motion there will be consequences for Pakistan, and if you remove him all will be forgiven.”

    ‘I was not elected to correct all the wrongs in the world’: Khan

    During the interview, Khan was asked why he was on friendly terms with countries like China and Russia when they had committed alleged human rights violations. Khan replied and said, “I was elected by 220 million. My first priority was that there are 50 million people in Pakistan below the poverty line, I was not elected to correct all the wrongs that are going on in the world.”

    “My responsibility was to my country and so all my relationships, whether it was with China, with the US, with Russia, were for the benefits of our own people,” he added.

    He, further pointed out that there are atrocities going on in Kashmir, and 100,000 people in Kashmir have died. “Has anyone condemned India for that? No, because India is an ally, allow us to be neutral too so we can look after our people.”

    ‘I am not a spokesperson for Taliban’: Khan

    Answering a question about the concerning situation of women in Taliban-led Afghanistan, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman said Pakistan has never supported the Taliban. He stated: “I am not responsible or a spokesman for the Taliban, if there was any other solution after 20 years of war, you should have found some solution.”

    Twitterati praised Khan for his interview.

  • SBP determined to curb inflation, improve foreign exchange reserves

    SBP determined to curb inflation, improve foreign exchange reserves

    In a recent interview, the Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), Dr. Reza Baqir expressed concern over the continuous deterioration in foreign exchange reserves but remained optimistic that a renewal of loans will be witnessed in the near future, which, coupled with SBP’s initiatives, will enhance market confidence.

    He claimed that the decline in reserves is “clearly alarming, but we are convinced that the central bank’s initiatives will prevent further deterioration”.

    According to data issued by the central bank on April 7, the reserves massively declined by $728 million to $11.32 billion as of April 1.

    The decline, according to SBP, is primarily attributable to debt repayment and government payments linked to the settling of an arbitration judgment.

    In addition to this, the currency even hit new lows in the week, forcing the SBP to intervene by boosting the policy rate, declaring a 100 per cent cash margin on 177 commodities with instant effect, and hiking the markup percentage by 2.5 per cent for borrowing under the Export Finance Scheme (EFS).

    In response to the Monetary Policy Committee’s (MPC) recent rate hike, Baqir stated that the move was made to tackle growing inflation and lessen external pressures. “The foreign exchange market has been under a lot of pressure for more than a month. A number of factors contributed to it: first, there was political uncertainty; second, our reserves were drained due to debt payments”.

    Consequently, the Pakistani rupee ended its devaluation run on April 8, and the KSE-100 Index witnessed positive sentiment, ending the day with an impressive gain of 658 points.

    The SBP Governor also discussed the skyrocketing petrol prices, which remain elevated because of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, adding more pressure on the local currency.

    The central bank made a determined decision after analyzing the statistics to lower inflation, improve foreign exchange reserves, and boost business confidence.

  • Sarfaraz says doesn’t want son to be a cricketer

    Sarfaraz says doesn’t want son to be a cricketer

    Former Pakistan Skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed has said that he does not want his son to opt for cricket as a career for sake of his mental well-being. 

    The wicket-keeper batsman, an interview to ARY Digital, said that although his son Abdullah is interested in cricket, he does not want him to be a professional cricketer. “I only care for my son’s mental well-being and will never want Abdullah go through the stress professional cricketers’ experience.”

    Sarfaraz said he does not want little Abdullah to experience what he has had to bear in the ups and downs of his 15 year-long cricketing career.

    Sarfaraz Ahmed made his international debut against archrival India in Jaipur in 2007 but could not find a permanent spot in the team until 2014.

    He led the Pakistani team to the historic win of ICC Champions Trophy of 2017, beating archrivals India in the final.

    The wicket-keeper batsman was removed from T20I and ODI captaincy and recently was dropped from the T20I and ODI squads against Australia.

  • VIDEO: Hassan Ali interrupts Erin Holland’s interview with Ben Cutting

    VIDEO: Hassan Ali interrupts Erin Holland’s interview with Ben Cutting

    Islamabad United bowler Hassan Ali is a character of his own and knows how to entertain. Recently the speedster interrupted a live interview of Peshawar Zalmi’s Ben Cutting by presenter Erin Holland.

    Holland was interviewing the Peshawar Zalmi’s player after the team defeated United in the 24th match of the Pakistan Super League’s (PSL) seventh edition when Hassan crashed in and asked: “Why do you always take interview of Ben Cutting?”

    At this, both burst out laughing at Hassan’s intervention. Cutting resumed the interview while Hassan Ali walked away.

    The video clip of this hilarious incident went viral on social media. Netizens couldn’t stop sharing the video on Internet with witty captions.

    https://twitter.com/taimoorze/status/1494383393211133962
  • VIDEO: Babar Azam recalls the time when his cousins refused to lend him shoes

    VIDEO: Babar Azam recalls the time when his cousins refused to lend him shoes

    A video of Pakistan skipper Babar Azam is being widely shared on Twitter from an interview with former Pakistan Cricket team captain Inzamam-ul-Haq, in which he can be seen talking about his past and recalled an incident when he requested his cousins to lend him an extra pair of shoes and they refused to give them to him.

    While in conversation with Inzamam, Babar said that he used to play cricket in the streets and then he joined a cricket club. He said: “When you join a club, you need kits for that. Firstly, I used to borrow kits from fellow trainees but after a month I realised that I also need one. I told my papa that I need a kit but he said that he can not afford it. My mother got to know about this and told me she has saved some money. She gave me about 3500 rupees and I bought a bat worth rupees1500. That was the best moment for me.” Babar shared he still has that bat in his old house.

    He further shared: “When I was first selected for under 15, I asked my cousins if they have extra pair of shoes for me but they said ‘No, we don’t’. That is when I decided not to borrow anything and will do everything on my own from here.”

    He made his Test debut for Pakistan against the West Indies in Dubai on 13 October 2016 and scored 69 runs in his first innings. He was the first player to score a fifty on his Test debut through a day/night Test.

    In September 2019, before the home series against Sri Lanka, he was named as the vice-captain of Pakistan cricket team in both ODIs and T20Is, on the back of his consistent performances in these formats. In October 2019, he was named captain of the Pakistan cricket team in T20Is, ahead of a series with Australia.

    Recently, the all-format captain was also given the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) ODI Player of the Year award.