In footage that went viral on social media platform X, MPA Iqbal Wazir of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Parliamentarians (PTI-P) can be seen giving a slurred speech in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Assembly while speaker Babar Saleem Swabi calls him “drunk.”
“Iqbal Wazir’s behaviour is not appropriate,” exclaimed the speaker, before calling the sergeant-at-arms to kick him out of the premises. Meanwhile, a verbal spat continued between Wazir and other members of the KP Assembly.
“He is not in his senses,” the speaker can be heard saying in the small clip.
As the Bannu Aman (Peace) Jirga, a traditional assembly of elders, concluded their meeting at the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister’s house, the issue of ‘good Taliban’ – the militants who have surrendered to the security forces – came to the forefront.
One of the jirga’s key demands was the “elimination of both the good and bad Taliban and their centres.”
The Jirga also sought to end the Good Taliban’s patrols and pickets in the area. Dawn News reported that the presence of these militants and the Jirga’s demand to end them will be challenging for both the provincial and federal governments.
On Sunday, CM Gandapur issued a video message on social media stating that he had pointed out at the first meeting of the apex committee that “some armed men—posing as government officials or claiming to represent government agencies—were roaming the area and interfering in government affairs.”
Gandapur said that he has ordered the police to arrest such individuals immediately.
The meteorological department has predicted rain in different cities today.
Rain may occur in some parts of Karachi, Islamabad, Lahore, Gujarat, Faisalabad, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa today, as per the weather department.
Battered with heat, Karachi is expected to receive rain this evening. Drizzling is expected in other areas of Sindh, such as Umarkot, Tharparkar, Mirpurkhas, Mithi, Sanghar, Thatta, Badin, and Sjawal are also likely.
The Meteorological Department reported that the highest rainfall was recorded yesterday (Sunday)at Old Airport, around 20 mm, while 11 mm was recorded at Sarjani Town and 9.4 mm at Jinnah Terminal. Ten mm of rain was recorded on University Road, 7 mm on Shaara Faisal, 6.5 mm on Hassan Square, 2.5 mm on PAF Base Masrur, and 0.8 mm on North Karachi.
Rain is also likely to descend in Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir today.
The Provincial Disaster Management Authority has predicted the fourth spell of monsoon to start in Punjab from today, while south Punjab is likely to experience cloudy skies from tomorrow.
Thousands of people rallied on Friday against a planned operation by the Pakistan military to root out militants along the Afghan border, with at least one protester killed when gunfire broke out, officials and witnesses told AFP.
More than 10,000 people waving white flags and calling for peace gathered for the rally in Bannu — 40 kilometres (25 miles) from Afghanistan — where a suicide bomber on Monday rammed an explosive-packed vehicle into an army enclave, killing eight Pakistani troops.
“Military operations have been ongoing for 20 years, yet peace has not been established,” protester Jamaluddin Wazir told AFP.
“Military operations can never be a substitute for peace.”
Pakistan’s government announced earlier this year, without giving details, that the military would launch a new campaign to counter violence in areas along the border with Afghanistan, which has surged following the Taliban government’s return to power.
Friday’s protest turned violent when crowds reached the walls of an army facility and gunfire broke out, witnesses and officials reported.
“They chanted slogans against the army, and some started throwing stones at the facility’s wall. This led to firing in the air by the military, causing a stampede,” an intelligence official in the nearby city of Peshawar told AFP on condition of anonymity.
At least one protester died, according to Pakhtun Yar, the provincial minister for public health, who was a speaker at the protest. He accused the military of opening fire on the protesters.
For years the Pakistan Taliban — a separate group from the Afghan Taliban but with a similar ideology — waged a bloody campaign in the area, killing thousands of civilians and taking control of parts of the border region, before being pushed back by a military campaign that began in 2014. The clearance operation displaced hundreds of thousands of people and destroyed countless homes and businesses, sparking a local backlash calling for the rights of ethnic Pashtuns to be protected.
But protests against the powerful military, which analysts say holds large sway over the government and foreign policy, are rare and often brought down quickly.
Former prime minister Imran Khan, who waged a campaign of defiance against army chiefs after being ousted from power, is currently in jail on charges of inciting protests against the military.
His party has faced a major crackdown, with supporters and leaders rounded up last year for staging an unprecedented day of rallies against the military, accusing it of interfering in politics.
Violence has surged along the border since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021, with Islamabad accusing Kabul of failing to root out groups taking shelter on Afghan soil while preparing assaults on Pakistan.
The Taliban government insists it will not allow foreign militant outfits to operate from Afghanistan, but Islamabad-Kabul relations have soured over the issue.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has decided to provide two KV solar panels to poor families in the province, ARY News reported on Wednesday.
Muzammil Aslam, the provincial advisor for Finance, told journalists that the KP government will provide one lakh solar systems to poor families.
“The government will also provide electric wires and inverter fans with panels in a package,” Muzammil Aslam said.
The advisor also stated that more than 90 power plants have been installed in the province, with electricity for six to seven rupees per unit.
“Wapda is demanding Rs 27 per unit price for supplying electricity to consumers,” the provincial advisor stated. “We will also lay down the province’s own electricity transmission line,” he remarked.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s (KP) Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur vowed on Saturday to “hang” those who violated the country’s constitution, Geo News reported.
“[I] swear to God, you will not be able to live in Pakistan, let alone Islamabad,” he said while addressing a public rally in Swat. “The constitution of Pakistan was violated. Those who break the constitution will be hanged,” Gandapur said. He asked those people to identify themselves, who filed fake cases against Imran Khan, alleging that Maryam Nawaz, Shehbaz Sharif, and President Asif Ali Zardari were responsible for cases against Khan.
“We will have to hold them accountable for each day. We are silent just because of Imran Khan,” he added.
Unidentified militants blew up a girls’ school in the Kurram district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Express News reported on Saturday.
The local authorities confirmed that militants used hand grenades to destroy the Aisha Siddiqa Girls’ School, located in Central Kurram district. The powerful explosion destroyed the school building.
No causalities have been reported.
Relevant authorities, including intelligence agencies and police officials, are investigating the incident to arrest the terrorists responsible for the attack. Multiple girls’ schools had been attacked in North Waziristan. One of the locals has revealed to news outlets that the Taliban are demanding a significant amount of money from the schools’ funds.
Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Ali Amin Gandapur once again used ugly words while lashing out at Governor KP Faisal Karim Kundi during talks with journalists saying, “You [Kundi] yourself are a thief, so is your leader. To hell with your alliance.”
“He [Kundi] has crossed the limits many times and uses my name often so I call out his name and he gets some views on TikTok,” exclaimed the CM KP.
Gandapur used uncouth language during the tirade against the PPP leader and stated, “You’re worth nothing, I can kick you out of the Governor House today.”
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) agriculture minister Major (ret) Sajjad Khattak has said that the provincial government has imposed a tax on tobacco used in Naswar, adding that the usage of Naswar is neither a sin nor a reward.
The provincial agriculture minister told the provincial assembly that Naswar is the drug of the poor and it is not even forbidden in Sharia.
Opposition members of the KP assembly, including Sobia Shahid and Ahmad Kundi, tabled a bill demanding more tax on Naswar and cigarettes, as they are luxuries, and that the tax on private schools should be abolished.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Sobia Shahid said that the tax on tobacco exports should be increased, and that it should be abolished in schools and colleges.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur can play a significant role in engagement between Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the establishment, The News’ senior journalist Ansar Abbasi has reported.
Informed sources told The News that Gandapur’s behaviour was entirely different to his usual outspoken self during the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) meeting, as compared to his attitude while addressing public gatherings.
He behaved very calmly during his interaction with the federal government, The News reported on Tuesday.
On Monday, during a joint press conference along with the interior minister Mohsin Naqvi and power minister Owais Leghari, Gandapur stressed that his political activities should be kept separate from his administrative duties. He further stated in a presser that he is ready to work with the federal government to resolve the issues faced by KP.
The chief minister also conveyed the message of PTI founder Imran Khan: “We do not have any conflict with institutions, there is no disagreement with the governor’s policy, and we will have to negotiate on the issues and rights of the province.”
“He is cooperative, he positively takes part in discussions on issues of national interest and never engages in any sort of conflict,” a source who has attended a few such federal-level meetings revealed about the conduct of the KP chief minister.
