Tag: Pakistan

  • Vawda accuses Imran Khan of knowing ‘something big’ before Arshad Sharif’s murder

    Vawda accuses Imran Khan of knowing ‘something big’ before Arshad Sharif’s murder

    Senator Faisal Vawda has accused former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, on Monday of knowing “something big” was about to happen ahead of the October 2022 assassination of journalist Arshad Sharif.

    Vawda laid down the substantial claims in multiple TV shows last night and also released a 42-second audio clip which allegedly recorded Imran Khan talking about something big that was about to happen before Arshad Sharif’s murder.

    Pakistani journalist Arshad Sharif was killed in Kenya on October 23, 2022 after he left the country followimg Khan’s government being thrown out through a no-confidence motion in the parliament.

    Vawda also claimed that former ISI Chief Gen (retd) Faiz Hameed might have been involved in the incident.

    “According to my analysis, [Imran] was not aware that Arshad Sharif was going to be murdered. But he was well aware that something big would happen,” said Vawda.

    “But Faiz Hameed was directly involved, and he was well aware of that [plan]. And Murad Saeed was also aware. He was aware of it in August 2022. He even knew that someone outside the country had been hired for the job. His presser on this subject is on the record,” stated the Senator known for making sensational claims.

    In the audio clip, the alleged voice of the PTI founder can be heard saying: “Look, we should not confuse what we’re going to do in the long march and what we’re doing in the protests that we are staging today. Both protests have different dynamics and we have planned very meticulously what we’re going to do [in the long march] and I am not going to announce it in a knee-jerk reaction. I am going to announce it very soon, by the end of the month or maybe on 30th or by next Sunday. But I am not giving any date.”

    Vawda said that anyone can perform a forensic analysis of the audio recording to check its authenticity.

  • Was KP CM Gandapur arrested in Islamabad?

    Was KP CM Gandapur arrested in Islamabad?

    Chief Minister (CM) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Ali Amin Gandapur has reached Peshawar despite speculation of his arrest in Islamabad.

    Yesterday, Information Advisor KP Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif claimed that Gandapur disappeared after the power show rally at Sangjani, and his phone number was switched off.

    “Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur is in Islamabad, not Peshawar, but we have no information on his whereabouts,” he claimed yesterday.

    Opposition leader in the National Assembly (NA) Omar Ayub Khan said that the federal government and establishment invited Gandapur for a cup of tea to discuss security concerns in KP, adding that they could not reach out to the security staff via mobile phone.

    On the other hand, Zulfi Bukhari claimed on X (formerly Twitter) that CM KP Gandapur had been arrested/abducted.

    Upon CM KP Ali Amin Gandapur’s arrival in Peshawar, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmaker Shahid Khattak clarified that Gandapur was busy in various meetings in Islamabad, rejecting the rumours of disappearance.

    On September 9, Islamabad police launched a crackdown against PTI leadership for violating the new public order law. They arrested prominent figures, including Chairman PTI Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and Sher Afzal Marwat.

    Today, PTI leader Ali Muhammad Khan criticised the incumbent government in the National Assembly on the arrest of PTI lawmakers.

    Posing a question, he said, “Today, I am making a case on democracy. What happened to democracy and to this parliament last night? We are not in Israel; we are in Pakistan.”

    Defence Minister Khawaja Asif hit back at Khan, saying, “If you say ‘No founder PTI Imran Khan, no Pakistan’, what will be the reaction?”

    “CM KP Gandapur, bring an army of Pashtuns and attack Punjab,” he added.

  • PM Shehbaz plans major constitutional amendments for judicial system reform

    PM Shehbaz plans major constitutional amendments for judicial system reform

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced on Monday that the government intends to present a constitutional amendment draft for the approval of both Houses of Parliament this week, ending long-debated speculations, to bring about significant changes in the judicial system.

    While addressing a dinner for MNAs of his own and allied parties in the PM’s house, Sharif said that certain elements are busy undermining government performance but they would be helpless under the upcoming amendments.

    Earlier, many YouTubers and journalists speculated about the government’s alleged plans to extend the tenure of Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa through an upcoming judicial package; however, both the government and the CJP denied the claims.

    He also asked coalition members of the parliament to ensure their attendance from September 10 till the adjournment of the current session.

    Jang News reported that the government has attained a two-thirds majority in the Houses of Parliament for the proposed constitutional amendment.

    Meanwhile, The News reported that the two major amendments include removing the suo motu powers of the superior judiciary and establishing a constitutional court under the Nawaz-Benazir Charter of Democracy signed in June 2006.

  • Punjab Assembly speaker calls Rs. 417 monthly rent at Lahore Gymkhana ‘exploitation’

    Punjab Assembly speaker calls Rs. 417 monthly rent at Lahore Gymkhana ‘exploitation’

    Punjab Assembly took up the issue of the elite club Lahore Gymkhana paying only Rs 417 per month as a lease for over 1,000 Kanals of state land, with the assembly speaker calling it “exploitation.”

    The Punjab Assembly speaker, Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan, referred the matter to a special committee, which will submit a report within two weeks.

    Interestingly, it was also announced that the Gymkhana proceedings will not be in-camera.

    Geo Fact Check’s investigations in May this year revealed that the lease agreement, signed in 1996, between the then deputy commissioner of Lahore and the secretary of Lahore Gymkhana Club allowed over a thousand kanals of public land in the centre of Lahore to the club for 50 years at the rate of Rs 5,000 per year.

    The lease, effective from 2000, remains valid until 2050, reported Geo Fact Check.

    The prestigious club is known for having top post bureaucrats, politicians, businessmen, and armed forces personnel as members, and it has over ten years of waiting lists for those who wish to join.

    This development comes as the country goes through one of the most difficult economic periods. With high rates of inflation and increasing debts, the government is trying to reduce its bloated expenditures through an apparent austerity drive.

  • PTI lawmakers arrested upon approval from NA speaker: ARY

    PTI lawmakers arrested upon approval from NA speaker: ARY

    Federal capital police arrested Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leadership after the approval of the Speaker of the National Assembly (NA), Ayaz Sadiq, ARY NEWS has claimed.

    The Islamabad police showed the First Information Report (FIR) to Speaker NA Ayaz Sadiq. Upon his approval, PTI lawmakers were arrested outside the parliament.

    Read this too: Crackdown on PTI leadership for violating new law

    The capital police registered multiple cases against 25 leaders, resulting in the arrest of prominent PTI figures, including Sher Afzal Marwat, Advocate Shoaib Shaheen, Chief Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) Sahibzada Hamid Raza, and Chairman PTI Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, from outside the parliament.

  • Crackdown on PTI leadership for violating new law

    Crackdown on PTI leadership for violating new law

    A crackdown has been launched against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) top leadership for allegedly violating the new Public Order law during the September 8 rally at Sangjani.

    The capital police registered multiple cases against 25 leaders, resulting in the arrest of prominent PTI figures, including Sher Afzal Marwat, Advocate Shoaib Shaheen, Chief Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) Sahibzada Hamid Raza, and Chairman PTI Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, from outside the parliament.

    Law enforcement agencies have also conducted raids to arrest Opposition Leader in the National Assembly, Omar Ayub Khan.

    PTI’s bigwigs Hammad Azhar, Kanwal Shauzab, Naeem Haider Panjotha, Amir Mughal, Khalid Khursheed and Zartaj Gul Wazir are also nominated on the raid list.

    The development came after Chief Minister (CM) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) passed sexist and controversial remarks at the Islamabad rally.

    However, Chairman PTI barrister Gohar Ali Khan offered a “conditional apology”.

    Speaking to Geo News, barrister Khan said that he had not heard Gandapur’s speech but contacted him immediately, upon which CM KP apologised for his recent remarks.

    Earlier, the Federal Capital Administration allotted a three-hour time slot from 4 PM to 7 PM for the rally at Sangjani, which was violated by PTI leadership, resulting in a crackdown.

  • Students clash over banner display at Punjab University

    Students clash over banner display at Punjab University

    Two student organisations clashed on Monday at Punjab University’s new campus over the welcome banner for the new batch of students.

    Geo News reported a quarrel erupted after a student organisation pasted posters over the existing banner welcoming the newcomers.

    The Superintendent Police (SP) of Iqbal town stated that a faction of thirty to forty students from both sides started throwing rocks at each other. Meanwhile, the Punjab police intervened and dispersed the students.

    The Punjab police have requested the Punjab University’s Chief Security Officers (CSO) to provide the names of the students involved in the clash so that legal action can be taken.

    The Punjab University is one of the academic institutes where student unions are still active despite being banned in 1984 during the era of former Dictator General Zia ul Haq.

  • Arif Alvi apologises for sharing old photos online

    Arif Alvi apologises for sharing old photos online

    Former President of Pakistan Arif Alvi has apologised for sharing pictures of a rally held in the past on the internet, assuming the pictures were of the PTI rally held in the Sangjani area near Islamabad on September 8.

    Alvi apologised after Punjab Information Minister Maryam Aurangzeb pointed out the error.

    In an X (formerly Twitter), Alvi wrote, “After fact check, I have deleted two posts, as they were images of the previous occasion. I apologise for the error.”

    “Social Media is too big to be bagged or shut down. Only error connections can tame this leviathan,” he added.

    PTI held a rally in the Sangjani area on Sunday. Many fake rally images were posted on the internet, and the former President fell victim to one by sharing it on social sites.

    Arif Alvi was President of Pakistan from 2018 to 2024.

  • Ali Amin Gandapur may not stay in his post for long, Muneeb Farooq predicts

    Ali Amin Gandapur may not stay in his post for long, Muneeb Farooq predicts

    Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur gave a hard-hitting, controversial speech at the September 8 party rally, even threatening Defence Minister Khawaja Asif by remarking, “Not even your father can do a military trial of Khan!”

    “Those whom you [Khawaja Asif] consider your father, they cannot do it [military trial of Khan] as well. He [Khawaja Asif] says that Gen Faiz contacted us after retirement. Did we get Gen Faiz in dowry or inheritance? He was your father…your general… fix your institutions and generals,” exclaimed the KP CM.

    Journalist Muneeb Farooq, speaking on the Geo News programme last night, revealed the military establishment’s perspective on the KP CM’s speech, saying, “Whatever they’ve said in the rally, the military reply is this: whatever is ‘inevitable’, PTI is pushing it at jet speed.”

    Farooq also quoted a high-level official regarding the stark difference between Gandapur’s speech at the rally and his soft-spoken attitude during meetings with the military establishment.

    “Ali Amin Gandapur may not stay in his post for long for many reasons,” predicted Muneeb Farooq.

    Furthermore, Ali Amin Gandapur also vowed that if Imran Khan is not released within two weeks, the party would “set him free” themselves.

  • Gandapur publicly threatens Maryam Nawaz again

    Gandapur publicly threatens Maryam Nawaz again

    Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur gave a hard-hitting, controversial speech at the September 8 party rally, even threatening Defence Minister Khawaja Asif by remarking, “Not even your father can do a military trial of Khan!”

    “Those whom you [Khawaja Asif] consider your father, they cannot do it [military trial of Khan] as well. He [Khawaja Asif] says that Gen Faiz contacted us after retirement. Did we get Gen Faiz in dowry or inheritance? He was your father…your general… fix your institutions and generals,” exclaimed the KP CM.

    Journalist Muneeb Farooq, speaking on the Geo News programme last night, revealed the military establishment’s perspective on the KP CM’s speech, saying, “Whatever they’ve said in the rally, the military reply is this: whatever is ‘inevitable’, PTI is pushing it at jet speed.”

    Farooq also quoted a high-level official regarding the stark difference between Gandapur’s speech at the rally and his soft-spoken attitude during meetings with the military establishment.

    “Ali Amin Gandapur may not stay in his post for long for many reasons,” predicted Muneeb Farooq.

    Furthermore, Ali Amin Gandapur also vowed that if Imran Khan is not released within two weeks, the party would “set him free” themselves.

    He also announced that the next party rally would be conducted in Lahore while inciting violence against CM Punjab Maryam Nawaz, saying, “Tumhara wo haal karenge kay tum Bangladesh bhool jao gay.”