In response to the surge in food prices, the Food and Industries Departments of Punjab, Sindh, and KP have jointly implemented robust monitoring measures, including heavy fines, surprise raids, and the sealing of establishments engaging in price gouging.
The Caretaker Minister for Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives, Muhammad Sami Saeed, led a crucial meeting of the National Price Monitoring Committee (NPMC) on Tuesday.
The committee convened to assess the prices of essential commodities amid the current economic challenges.
As of the week ending on January 11, 2024, the Chief Statistician, PBS, presented a comprehensive overview of the country’s price situation.
The report revealed a 1.4 per cent increase in the SPI over the previous week (WoW) and a significant 44.2 per cent surge over the corresponding week of the previous year.
The spike in SPI was primarily attributed to the increased prices of perishable items such as tomatoes and onions, as well as poultry products like chicken and eggs.
Out of the 21 monitored items, prices for 21 increased, 8 decreased, and 22 remained stable. Noteworthy declines were observed in the prices of potatoes, vegetable ghee, and sugar.
During the meeting, the minister inquired about the measures taken by provincial governments and ICT to bridge the gap between wholesale and retail prices.
Representatives from the provincial Food and Industries Departments of Punjab, Sindh, and KP assured strict monitoring through the imposition of heavy fines, surprise raids, and the sealing of shops involved in overcharging.
Despite challenges in the supply of perishable items due to extreme weather conditions, the meeting underscored the importance of addressing climate change.
The administration of Punjab is actively working on controlling prices by sensitising Deputy Commissioners across the province.
In all honesty, 2023 was more like a crazy roller coaster than a democratic process when it comes to Pakistani politics. Here are some of the significant events that happened this year:
Assemblies dissolved
On January 14, 2023, the provincial assembly of Punjab was dissolved while on January 16, 2023, Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was dissolved as former Prime Minister Imran Khan was pushing for early national elections.
May 9
On May 9, 2023, former prime minister and founder chairman of Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI), Imran Khan was submitting his biometric data for a court appearance when paramilitary forces broke down a window inside the court to get to apprehend him.
The dramatic and sudden arrest of the former cricket star turned leader resulted in violent clashes between supporters of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and law enforcement agencies protests to mark the arrest of the former Prime Minister turned into riots.
Several military installations, including GHQ and the Lahore corps commander’s official residence, were attacked across the country within hours of Imran Khan’s detention.
May 9, termed a “black day” by the Pakistani state, ended up provoking a harsh military crackdown on Khan’s party.
PTI Dismantled
Thousands of PTI members, including many women, were rounded up and arrested after May 9 riots.
More than two dozen members of PTI resigned from the politics following the protests.
Notable figures like Shireen Mazari, Asad Umer, Fayyazul Hassan Chohan, Fawad Chaudhry, Maleeka Bokhari, Abrar ul Haq, Murad Ras, Ali Haider Zaidi, Imran Islamil, Usman Dar, Farrukh Habib, Sadaqat Ali Abbasi, Andleeb Abbas, Arbab Ghulam Rahim, Shaukat Tarin and others either left PTI or quit politics.
Imran Khan Jailed
Police arrested Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan in Lahore on August 5, 2023, after a court sentenced him to three years in prison for illegally selling state gifts, potentially barring the opposition leader from contesting an upcoming election.
On September 26, 2023, Imran Khan was shifted to the Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi from Attock prison, a day after the Islamabad High Court ordered authorities to relocate him to the high-security jail.
Qazi Faez Isa
On September 17, 2023, Justice Qazi Faez Isa was sworn in as the 29th chief justice of Pakistan.
A ceremony was held at Aiwan-i-Sadr in Islamabad during which President Arif Alvi administered the oath of office. Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar and Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir were also present.
Justice Isa was accompanied by his wife, Sarina Isa, while he was taking oath.
Imran Riaz ‘safely’ returns
On the evening of May 11, 2023, police arrested Imran Riaz Khan, a former anchor with the privately owned broadcaster Express News and host of a YouTube channel with over three million subscribers.
Imran Riaz Khan, often called Imran Riaz, was trying to flee the country over fears of his arrest. At the time, authorities accused him of inciting people to violence through his reporting.
He was said to have been freed a few days later, but there was no trace of him and police denied keeping him in custody.
On September 25, 2023, his lawyer Mian Ali Ashfaq took to X (former Tiwtter) and posted a picture of Imran Riaz, after his return, stating that the recovery took a long time due to “countless difficulties, a weak judiciary” and the ineffectiveness of the Constitution. He also shared a photo of him with Khan.
The rift between Zardari and Bilawal
On November 23, 2023, the former president of Pakistan and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari‘s father, Asif Ali Zardari, during an exclusive interview with Hamid Mir on Geo News’ program “Capital Talk”, said that Bilawal is “inexperienced” and that it would take some time for him to gain more exposure, on Thursday.
“Bilawal is much more talented than I am, but he isn’t experienced,” he said.
On November 24, 2023, in a seeming act of defiance to his father, Bilawal changed his profile picture on X on Friday afternoon, to a photo with his mother Benazir Bhutto, the former Prime Minister and head of the PPP till her assassination in 2017.
PPP denied all the claims of a rift between the father-son duo.
Afghan Refugees Repatriation
On October 3, 2023, Pakistan’s caretaker government announced it would carry out mass deportations — known under domestic law as an Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan — asking all concerned to leave the country before 1 November. Although the plan purported to apply to all foreigners residing in the country illegally, it appears designed to target Afghans, millions of whom have sought refuge in Pakistan over the years.
As of December 29, 2023, the total number of allegedly illegal Afghans who left Pakistan reached 453,480 and the process is still underway.
Nawaz Sharif Returns
On October 21, 2023, Pakistan’s thrice-elected former Prime Minister and Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN) supremo Nawaz Sharif returned to Pakistan, ending four years of self-imposed exile in London.
Nawaz Sharif was disqualified when the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SC) announced its decision on July 28, 2017, in the Panama Papers case. After that, Nawaz Sharif and three of his children were referred to an accountability court, which was ordered to file corruption cases against Sharif’s family within six weeks.
In July 2018, the expelled prime minister was imprisoned for 10 years in the Avenfield properties corruption case, an assets-beyond-means trial.
In the Al-Azizia Steel Mills corruption case, the PML-N supremo was sentenced to seven years in jail on December 24, 2018. Nawaz Sharif was taken to Adiala jail in this case, and then he was shifted to Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat jail on the very next day. He was also fined Rs1.5 billion and US$25 million in this case.
The former prime minister was released from jail in March 2019. After that, the Lahore High Court (LHC) allowed Nawaz Sharif to go to London for treatment for fast-depleting platelet levels, and then he left for London in November 2019.
Elections Date Announced
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) announced on November 3, 2023, that 8th February 2024 is the poll date for the General Elections for the National Assembly of Pakistan and Provincial assemblies of Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
The date was announced by the President House in a statement following a meeting between the top election officials and President Alvi, hours after the election commission lawyer told the Supreme Court that elections will be held on February 11.
PTI New Chairman
On December 2, 2023, The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf (PTI) on Saturday elected Barrister Gohar Ali Khan as the new chairman in the intra-party elections held on the directives of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
Gohar won the chairman’s position unopposed.
The change was forced on the party after the Election Commission of Pakistan warned the PTI last month that it risked losing its emblem – a cricket bat – unless an internal ballot was held for party officers.
Election symbols are crucial in a country where the adult literacy rate is 58 percent, according to World Bank data.
Baloch Long March
Demanding the release of all “missing persons” and an end to “extrajudicial killing” in Balochistan under the leadership of activist Dr Mahrang Baloch and Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), the march started in Turbat, Balochistan, on December 6 after the alleged extrajudicial killing of 24-year-old Balach Baloch.
According to BYC, when the march reached the capital, the city administration didn’t allow them to protest in front of the press club. Maharng Baloch said in her live video from the Facebook page of BYC that Islamabad police arrested 300 male protesters, eight women, and 10 children.
Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN) head Nawaz Sharif, is set to contest elections from a constituency which is rather a surprise for many.
Founding Editor of Khorasan Diary, Iftikhar Firdous, stated in a tweet, “PML-N’s supremo Nawaz Sharif will also be contesting elections from Mansehra, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The PMLN flexing its muscle in its once stronghold now lost to PTI while Nawaz’s previous partners from the area have abandoned the party.”
Mansehra has witnessed a shift in political dynamics with PTI gaining ground in what was once considered the traditional bastion of Nawaz Sharif’s party. The decision to field Nawaz Sharif as a candidate from the area reflects the PML-N’s determination to regain political influence and challenge the current political landscape in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The former Prime Minister’s constituency, NA-120 in Lahore, is a pre-partition locality, part of Lahore’s famed ‘old city’, with historic buildings — many of which have since been demolished and made into commercial plazas.
The constituency also comprises the shrine of Data Darbar, the city’s biggest wholesale market (Shalmi), an electronics market (Hall Road), and the vehicle parts market (Bilal Gunj).
Winter vacations have been announced for all the educational institutions in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in a notification released by the provincial Education Department.
Holidays in all the plain areas, typically the summer zone, will span from December 23 to December 31. However in the winter zone, including the mountainous region, winter vacations will be for an extensive time, from December 23 to February 29.
The long break in the mountainous regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan is due to the severe winter conditions in the region which brings all the activities to a halt.
Two different attacks in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) on Friday have resulted in the martyrdom of four security officials, as per the report of Geo News on Friday.
In the terrorist attack at the Nala Joint Post in Khyber district, two security personnel have been martyred and seven injured.
The terrorists used heavy weapons, including hand grenades, to attack.
The administration of Hayatabad Medical Complex Hospital confirmed that the injured security officials are out of danger now. All seven injured have also been shifted to the neurosurgery, surgical, and orthopaedic wards of the hospital.
On the other hand, at least two police officials have been martyred and three are injured in a terrorist attack in police line in Tank, KP.
The terrorists attacked in the wee hours of Friday.
One terrorist was also killed in retaliation by the police. The search operation is in progress to clear the area.
According to the police, the injured officials have been shifted to the hospital.
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.
Update: The father of the girl who was killed at the hands of brothers and father on the order of Jirga is arrested by the police. However, the picture came out to be edited in the initial report released by the police. Pictures of two girls went viral through the Facebook ID of Aman Deedar where the girls were photoshopped with Aman Deedar and Rehmat Shah, the two boys who are now hiding.
Moreover, the other girl was allowed to go back with her parents on a guarantee of 30 lac rupees by the local Palas court.
A girl from Kolai Palas, Kohistan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa got killed on orders of a local Jirga after her pictures with boys went viral. The pictures of two girls posing with boys went viral on social media after which family members in the jirga decided to kill her, says the police.
The other girl was brought to the court to ensure her safety where she stated before the judge that she does not have any threat from her family. Therefore, she was allowed to go back. Meanwhile, the boys seen in the photos are still in hiding, fearing possible outrage. Local police told Dawn that as per tradition, the jirga declared that those who appeared in the images circulating on social media ‘chor’ (thieves) and issued a decree for their killing.
Deputy Superintendant Police (DSP) Masood Khan said the victim’s body had been moved from the crime scene to a nearby health facility for autopsy. He added that videos and photos, which were apparently edited, went viral on social media three to four days ago. An FIR has been registered on the complaint of local SHO as the victim’s family did not approach the police. The culprits who issued the assassination decree and those who executed it will be brought to justice, the police official said.
Sections 109 (abetment in crime), 302 (punishment of qatl-i-amd or premeditated murder) and 311 (punishment after the waiver of qisas) of the Pakistan Penal Code have been added in the FIR.
A similar incident had been reported a decade ago where five women cheering for a dancing boy in the video were allegedly killed, along with the boy’s four brothers, on the orders of a local jirga. The alleged killings captured international attention, and then-Supreme Court chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry took suo motu notice of the incident.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senior leader and former Speaker of the National Assembly (NA), Asad Qaiser, got arrested again from Swabi jail on Thursday in a case related to May 9 riots after getting bail in a corruption case, Geo News has reported.
Charsadda police arrested the PTI leader from inside Swabi jail and shifted him to an unidentified location.
The May 9 riots were triggered after the arrest of PTI Chairman Imran Khan in the £190 million UK settlement case. Hundreds of PTI workers and leaders have been put behind bars for their involvement in violent protests and attacks on military installations, including Jinnah House and the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi. The military termed May 9 a ‘Black Day’ and decided to try protesters under the Army Act.
During the PTI leader’s re-arrest, he said in a video message, “We will continue our struggle to win the upcoming election next year on February 8.”
“Neither we are afraid, nor will we backtrack.”
Asad Qaiser also claimed that his party will win elections with a huge majority if a level playing field is provided to all political parties.
Without naming anyone, the PTI leader accused: “They have already declared a person prime minister.”
Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has released the latest “most wanted terrorists” list, which shockingly includes the name of a prominent tribal journalist and author, Ihsanur Rehman Dawar.
The counter-terrorism department on Tuesday placed the name of Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) assistant director Ihsanur Rehman Dawar on the list of most wanted fugitives announcing a bounty of Rs1 million for information leading to his arrest.
Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has released a latest “most wanted terrorists” list. The list includes a name of a prominent tribal journalist and author, Ihsan Dawar. What a …..Joke pic.twitter.com/0Yjvz6canA
Mr Dawar, a former journalist and an author, is part of the list along with over 150 other proclaimed offenders. The profile shared by the CTD has incorrectly named him Ihsanullah Khan.
Dawar expressed shock at the inclusion, stating that he has been residing in Peshawar since 2011 and has no criminal record.
Dawar asserts that his father’s name, home address, and picture are correctly identified as per Dawn.
“This is how our institutions are working. They have ruined my reputation,” Dawar lamented, vehemently denying any connections to militants within his family.
The CTD in Pakhtunkhwa has included the name of a well known senior journalist and spokesman of PDMA for merged districts Ihsan Dawar in the list of its “most wanted terrorists”. This is ridiculous beyond words. This is a prime example of just how dysfunctional their system is. https://t.co/aPqmRKmQTr
The CTD, in a statement, insisted that Ihsanullah Khan was nominated in an FIR for attacking an army picket in North Waziristan in 2019, leading to his proclamation as a wanted offender.
The department justified the Rs1 million bounty, claiming it was recommended by the district police officer and duly notified by the home department.
The Miramshah Press Club criticized the CTD’s move, describing Dawar as an “honorary member” and denouncing the reward for his arrest.
The case in question involves a 2019 firing incident at the Khar Kamar checkpost, which resulted in casualties. Dawar was declared a proclaimed offender, but lawmakers Ali Wazir and Mohsin Dawar were acquitted in 2020.
The CTD’s most-wanted list, however, has raised eyebrows, with several inaccuracies noted.
– The Counter-Terrorism Department of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has issued a list comprising 152 individuals deemed as the most wanted in the state.
– Umar Mukaram Khorasani, is among those named.
– The collective bounty on the heads of the individuals listed amounts to 23 crore… pic.twitter.com/ANRfhncY2W
The inclusion of surrendered TTP spokesperson Ihsanullah Ihsan, and individuals previously reported dead in Afghanistan, such as Omar Mukarram Khurasani, has underscored concerns about the authenticity and verification of information within the CTD’s records.
Some of the individuals on the wanted list include Jalaluddin, Muhammad Asif Khan, Asif Siddiqui, Muhammad Fayyaz, Inam Qari, Altaf Hussain, Muhammad Rizwan, Shehkar Din Bhatti, Wajid Khan, Niaz Muhammad, Naqab Khan, Kaleem Khan, Zarif Saeed, Yasir Ilyas and Muhammad Kashif.
According to the fresh list, Said Qadar of Mardan carries the highest reward of Rs8 million while Zahid Qadar of the same district carries Rs7 million head money.
In October this year, to combat militancy effectively, the CTD launched an aggressive initiative aimed at apprehending 135 of the most-wanted terrorists, announcing bounties on their heads.
The CTD unveiled a comprehensive list containing the names and photographs of the 135 most-wanted terrorists. This initiative, designed to combat militancy, also included the unprecedented inclusion of a female suspect in the K-P province.
The alleged female terrorist, known as Quratulain, is believed to be the wife of Iqbal, also known as Bali Khiyara, who was a prominent commander of a terrorist group in DI Khan. Iqbal’s life came to an end in a recent encounter with the CTD.
As political parties gear up for election activities, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, the Chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), expressed concerns about the continuation of traditional politics, labeling it the country’s worst enemy. He emphasized the importance of embracing “new politics,” as reported by Geo News on Friday.
Speaking at a workers’ convention in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Mardan, Bilawal said: “We need to [embark] on a new political [direction and strategy] which will allow us to overcome the issues faced by the country.”
He added: “Veteran politicians neither think about the present nor the future [as] they are still stuck in the past. We want to leave behind the politics of division, hate and abuse which [as part of] the traditional politics has been going on for the [past] 70 years.” While talking about contemporary politics and its advantages, Bilawal Bhutto said, “We have to become the voice of the ‘new politics’ […] We think about the present and future and not what’s in the past.”
Earlier in the week, while talking at a worker’s convention in Abbottabad, the PPP chairman said that “new political leadership” is needed if the country is to progress.
