Tag: PDM

  • Bilawal accuses PM of only wanting Sindh’s money while ignoring its people

    Bilawal accuses PM of only wanting Sindh’s money while ignoring its people

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari launched a vicious verbal assault against Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, wherein the PPP chairman accused the premier of only wanting Sindh for its resources while ignoring the people.

    “[Imran] neither needs Sindh nor Sindh’s people but he wants Sindh’s islands, gas, coal, tax revenue, the money you give,” Bilawal said, adding that Imran had failed to spend money on Sindh to solve its problems.

    The PPP chairman claimed that Imran had refused to give the province its due Rs160 billion last year, and had projected to deny Rs200 billion this year.

    Speaking to a fired up crowd at the Hyderabad rally of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), Bilawal alleged that PM Imran had refused to accept Sindh as a province of the country and therein asked who the province actually belonged to.

    “He can only rob your rights but you, the people of this country will not tolerate him. We will protect our rights and our democracy and make this PM run away,” he added.

    Bilawal told the crowd to think of “how much employment we could have provided to the youth of Hyderabad” with the aforementioned Rs200 billion.

    “This is the same government that promised one crore jobs. I ask the people of Hyderabad whether they have gotten even one job from those one crore jobs,” he said on the occasion.

    “This is not Imran Khan’s money, this is the money of the people of Hyderabad and we will go to Islamabad and take back our right from them,” he added.

    He further stated that none of the provinces, including Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), belonged to PM Imran.

    Bilawal, terming the ruling party as “puppet, selected and formed as a result of rigging”, said that Imran’s vision for a Naya Pakistan had only resulted in a more “expensive Pakistan”.

    The PPP chief lamented the inflation that had struck the country, wherein food items like wheat and sugar were beyond the people’s purchasing power. “Imran’s tabdeeli (change) has brought so much inflation, unemployment and poverty in the last year that half of Pakistan’s families have food deficiency,” he said.

    In further criticism of the government, he said that the prime minister had once said that he would “commit suicide before going to the IMF (International Monetary Fund)” to ask for a loan.

    On the occasion, he accused the government of giving relief to the rich while bringing pain to the poor. He said that Imran had also promised houses to the people, but so far no results from the affordable housing schemes had been shown.

    He said that the people have been “suffering the burden of an incompetent and corrupt government”.

  • Azad Kashmir elections: PPP leaders oppose alliance with ‘rival’ PML-N

    Azad Kashmir elections: PPP leaders oppose alliance with ‘rival’ PML-N

    Even though the opposition parties have decided to contest Senate election on a joint platform, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Azad Kashmir chapter, has refused to enter an alliance with its “main rival” — the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) — ahead of the elections in Kashmir.

    According to reports, the local PPP leadership has said that the PML-N is its main opponent in the region and it was not possible to field candidates under the banner of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) — a 10-party anti-government alliance — due to the very same reason.

    Geo News reported that the PPP leaders gave this answer after PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari sought recommendations from PPP Azad Kashmir on the upcoming elections. 

    “PPP Azad Kashmir’s stance is that how can the party contest the elections jointly with the PML-N when it is its main rival there?” the media outlet reported.

    The PPP, however, said there was a possibility of entering an alliance with the PML-N on 12 out of 33 total seats. 

    The central leadership of the party will make a final decision in this regard.

    Last week, after a six-hour-long meeting, PDM President Maulana Fazlur Rehman had announced that the opposition parties will contest the upcoming Senate elections on a joint platform.

    He had said that the parties decided to contest the Senate elections together and would not go against each other’s candidates. “Our candidates will be jointly decided,” he had told reporters after the meeting.

    The elections in Azad Kashmir will be held later this year, with the current assembly completing its term in July.

  • PDM to march on Islamabad on March 26, yet to decide on mass resignations

    Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) has decided to march on Islamabad on March 26 after a six-hour-long meeting in Islamabad.

    The anti-government alliance announced this decision while talking to the media after the PDM huddle. PDM chief and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) head Maulana Fazlur Rehman said the opposition parties will contest the upcoming Senate elections on a joint platform.

    He also said that the parties have decided to contest the Senate elections together and will not go against each other’s candidates. “Our candidates will be jointly decided,” he said.

    He further said that the movement opposes the open ballot method of Senate polls and nomination of former judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, retired Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed as head of Broadsheet committee.

    There were reports that the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) was reluctant to resign from the assemblies. And it seems the PDM has yet to take a decision on that.

    Earlier this month, PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari had said that the opposition should bring a no-trust vote against Prime Minister Imran Khan to send his government home. His remarks had prompted a strong response from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), with its leader Ahsan Iqbal asking the PPP chairman to show the numbers.

    Subsequently, Asif Ali Zardari had to step in and assured that all options were on the table. The PPP will send the “failed and incompetent” government home by all means, said the PPP co-chairman. Zardari said the government will have to go home as its “inexperience and ineptness might plunge the country into a bigger crisis”.

  • Fazl not invited to Bakhtawar Bhutto-Zardari’s wedding: report

    Fazl not invited to Bakhtawar Bhutto-Zardari’s wedding: report

    Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) head Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who is also leading the anti-government opposition alliance, hasn’t been invited to the wedding ceremony of Bakhtawar Bhutto-Zardari to be held on Jan 29, reported ARY News.

    The sister of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari will tie the knot with fiancé Mahmood Choudhry at Bilawal House in Karachi on Friday in a ceremony that would be attended by around 1,000 people.

    Though the invitation cards have been sent to the bigwigs across the country, it seems Fazl has not received the letter. According to a report, Fazl said that he was not invited by former president Asif Ali Zardari to the wedding of his daughter. “When asked as to many big names would be participating in the event, Fazlur Rehman said that he does not know about the big names but he is not invited,” the media outlet quoted him while talking to reporters.

    Bakhtawar’s mehndi ceremony will be held on January 27. The nikkah will take place on January 29 while the baarat is scheduled for January 30. All events are expected to take place at the bride’s residence in Karachi.

    PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari will be suspending his political activities for a week to participate in sister’s wedding. He was unable to attend her engagement as he was in isolation after testing positive for COVID-19.

    The spokesperson further added that close to a thousand guests have been invited to the wedding.

    Bakhtawar and Mahmood got engaged on November 27, 2020, in an intimate ceremony at the Bilawal House Karachi. Bakhtawar’s husband-to-be “Mahmood Choudhry is the son of Mohammad Younas and Begum Suraiya Choudhry who hail from the old town of Lahore.”

    “Mahmood, the last born of five siblings was born on July 28, 1988, in the city of Abu Dhabi. He completed his primary schooling in Abu Dhabi and secondary schooling in the United Kingdom. Mahmood further went on to read Law at the University of Durham.”

    “The family’s primary country of residence remains the United Arab Emirates (UAE) where Mahmood continues to run his businesses in construction, finance and tech,” added the statement.

  • Maryam says no U-turn on long march, mass resignations

    Amid reports of a rift in the opposition’s ranks, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Maryam Nawaz has said that the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) will decide on Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) proposal to move a no-trust motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan.

    Addressing media persons after a parliamentary meeting of the PML-N, Maryam Nawaz said every decision regarding the anti-government movement will be taken through consensus.

    Speaking about the long march and mass resignations, she said the PDM is united and the time will come soon when it will march on Islamabad and resign en masse.

    It was the first time Maryam presided over a meeting of the PML-N. The pictures of PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif and former foreign minister Khawaja Asif, who are incarcerated, were also placed in the meeting as symbolic gesture.

    On Saturday, PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari had said that the opposition should bring a no-trust vote against Prime Minister Imran Khan to send his government home. His remarks had prompted a strong response from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), with its leader Ahsan Iqbal asking the PPP chairman to show the numbers.

    The response had given rise to speculations of a rift between the PPP and other PDM parties.

    Subsequently, in an apparent attempt to bridge the rift, former president Asif Ali Zardari said the PPP and the PDM will send the “failed and incompetent” government home by all means.

    In a statement issued by PPP leader Chaudhry Manzoor on Sunday, the former president said that the next few months were “very important for the future of the country’s politics”.

    According to the PPP co-chairman, the PDM is united and would use all means to send the government home. “These selected rulers will fall with their own weight and they just need the last push,” he added.

  • Zardari says PDM united to send govt home

    Zardari says PDM united to send govt home

    In an apparent attempt to bridge the rift between the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) parties, former president Asif Ali Zardari said the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the PDM will send the “failed and incompetent” government home by all means.

    In a statement issued by PPP leader Chaudhry Manzoor on Sunday, the former president said that the next few months were “very important for the future of the country’s politics”.

    According to the PPP co-chairman, the PDM is united and would use all means to send the government home. “These selected rulers will fall with their own weight and they just need a last push,” he added.

    Zardari said the government will have to go home as its “inexperience and ineptness might plunge the country into a bigger crisis”.

    He further criticised the government for its inability to handle the coronavirus crisis, saying the PTI government would neither procure coronavirus vaccine nor spend anything on the public.

    The PPP government had increased the country’s exports from Rs19 billion to Rs26bn in 2008 despite global economic recession and its revenues had also doubled, he said, adding that the government also increased the salaries of the government employees by 125 per cent.

    On Saturday, PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari had said that the opposition should bring a no-trust vote against Prime Minister Imran Khan to send his government home. His remarks had prompted a strong response from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), with its leader Ahsan Iqbal asking the PPP chairman to show the numbers.

    The response had given rise to speculations of a rift between the PPP and other PDM parties.

    Chaudhry Manzoor was quoted by Express Tribune saying that the PPP would use all available options to send the government “home”. He said that PPP hasn’t ruled out mass resignations and the long march, adding that a final decision will be taken with consensus.

    He also denied reports of a rift between the PDM parties, saying the difference of opinion shouldn’t be misconstrued. “The Senate elections will expose fissures in the government, which is when the option of no-confidence motion can bear fruit,” he was quoted as saying.

    Meanwhile, PML-N Secretary General Ahsan Iqbal welcomed Zardari’s statement, as reported by the newspaper. “If PPP has a surprise up its sleeves regarding the no-confidence motion then it should bring it on the table,” he said, reiterating that all PDM decisions are consensual.

  • Minister says Bilawal may have received NRO, but not from PTI

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Ali Muhammad Khan has claimed that Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari is not taking part in the protest outside the Election Commission of Pakistan because he may have been given an NRO [National Reconciliation Ordinance].

    The PTI minister, who appeared on Nadeem Malik’s show alongside PPP’s Qamaruz Zaman Kaira, said the PPP chairperson is avoiding the opposition rally because he may have reached a deal over the corruption cases against him. He, however, went on to say that the incumbent government doesn’t believe in making deals with corrupt politicians.

    The PTI minister, however, refused to confirm if Bilawal and his father have actually been given a clean chit in the graft cases against them: “Maybe they have received the NRO, I have no idea.”

    However, Ali Muhammad Khan claimed that his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has never received or given an NRO.

    This prompted the host to ask if the PTI has refused to give NRO to anyone, then who has given Bilawal this alleged NRO to dissuade him from joining the opposition protest. “Is there a government above the PTI government,” he asked.

    The host asked: “Has Bilawal been given an NRO?”

    “I don’t know,” said Ali Muhammad Khan. “We don’t give NRO,” he said, adding that the PPP and PML-N’s politics is based on NROs.

    Taking a dig at the PTI leader, Kaira said that on the one hand the minister says “his party doesn’t give NROs, and, on the other, he claims that Bilawal has received an NRO which is why he is not a part of the opposition protest; who is dishing out these NROs then — is there a government above the government?”

    He said the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) is protesting outside the ECP for the very same reason — an end to the government above the government.

    PROTEST OUTSIDE ECP:

    Tensions are running high in the twin cities, especially the federal capital, as the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) remains undeterred on plans to hold a protest outside the office of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) against the delay in the decision of ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) foreign funding case.

    With security around the ECP being tightened to avoid any untoward incident, Geo News reported that the federal government has deployed two platoons of Punjab Rangers along with police personnel and sealed the election watchdog’s main entrance with barbed wires.

  • Army announces tea for opposition if it marches to Rawalpindi

    Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General (DG) Major General Babar Iftikhar has said that leaders of the opposition alliance, the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), will be offered tea and snacks and looked after if they decide to stage a long march towards Rawalpindi.

    “I don’t see a reason for [them] to come to Pindi. And if at all they want to come, we will offer them chai paani [refreshments] and look after them. What more can I say?” the military spokesperson said while responding to a journalist’s question regarding PDM chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman during a wide-ranging press briefing.

    Maulana had indicated that the opposition could turn the direction of its anti-government movement towards the army leadership, saying that the opposition alliance’s movement would no longer be directed only at the Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan-led government but also “his backers”, hinting that its possible long march to the capital “could also be to Rawalpindi”.

    Earlier, Maj Gen Babar spoke on a broad range of issues, including the border situation and to present an analysis of the security challenges of the past decade.

    The army’s spokesperson said the last 10 years were a challenging time in every aspect for Pakistan, but in 2020 alone the coronavirus pandemic and locust attack had put the country’s food security and economy in severe danger. He said while banned organisations were also being facilitated on the western border, the state, institutions, the armed forces and intelligence agencies, and most importantly the people of Pakistan were facing all challenges with a united front.

    Saying that along with restoring peace in the tribal districts on the western border, socio-economic projects were also launched in this period; he added that concrete steps were taken to strengthen Pakistan’s borders with Afghanistan and Iran. “The security situation improved considerably as a result of successful operations against terrorism.”

    Maj Gen Babar further said that whether it was India’s condemnable designs or the application of hybrid warfare against Pakistan, internal threats or external challenges, the country not only identified the threats and presented facts, but also combatted them successfully.

    “The world is recognising this [Pakistan’s position] because truth always prevails,” he maintained.

  • Cuteness overloaded: Maryam’s toy shopping on video call with granddaughter goes viral

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz has been spotted speaking to her granddaughter while looking for toys, a video of which has gone viral over the internet.

    In the video, reportedly shot at a rest-stop on the Bahawalpur-Lahore route, the PML-N leader was seen speaking to granddaughter Serena, telling her what she had bought for her and asking what else did she want.

    “I got red chips for you,” Maryam was seen telling the kid on a video call. “You want to see?” She is then seen heading over to a wall where a toy doctor set is hanging. “Look… look at this doctor’s set Serena. You want this one?” “You want the doctor’s set or do you want the bus?” she asks before reciting the nursery rhyme “Wheels on the Bus”.

    “Maryam Nawaz specially stopped at a rest area on her way back to Lahore from Bwp to get things for her granddaughter Serena… Showing her toys on a video call,” PML-N’s Sania Ashiq wrote while tweeting the video.

    “The pleasures and joy of being a Nano,” Maryam said while reacting to it. On May 6, 2018, Mehrunisa, Maryam’s daughter and the granddaughter of former prime minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif, gave birth to the baby girl. A picture of the baby in Maryam’s arms had also gone viral later.

  • Gen Bajwa to Opp and COVID-19: A 2020 recap

    Gen Bajwa to Opp and COVID-19: A 2020 recap

    A rather tough year has came to an end, surprisingly, in the blink of an eye.

    But while it negates the belief that hard times pass slow, here are all the major updates that added to the very happening COVID-19-infected year as most of the world stayed indoors.

    Extension for Gen Bajwa

    After some drama following earlier reservations, the Supreme Court (SC) on November 28, 2019 approved a short 6-month extension in General Bajwa’s term as the chief of army staff.

    Subsequently, on January 7, 2020, the National Assembly passed three bills concerning the tenure of the three services chiefs — chief of army staff, chief of air staff and chief of naval staff — and the chairman of the joint chief of staff committee.

    Gen Bajwa was granted extension up to three years till November 29, 2022.

    Surprisingly though, the two major opposition parties — PML-N and PPP — were on board for the changes which was why the bills faced no resistance even in the opposition-dominated Senate.

    Smooth sailing of the Army Act was also what prompted Federal Minister for Water Resources Faisal Vawda to bring with him an army boot to a live talkshow.

    Coronavirus

    After wreaking havoc in China and beginning to do the same in Europe as well as the worst-hit US, the first case of COVID-19 was reported from Karachi on February 26, 2020. Hundreds of thousands of infections and several deaths were reported.

    Prominent figures were also on the list of COVID-19 patients.

    Amid spotless management and timely closures as well as public behaviour in line with coronavirus SOPs, Pakistan managed to contain the outbreak as soon as the first wave peaked in July-August.

    A second wave is, however, currently underway since after the reopening of businesses and educational institutions besides other businesses.

    While Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s smart lockdowns stay in place to deal with the pandemic but not at the cost of livelihoods, it is too early to predict what 2021 would hold for Pakistan with vaccines rolling out but also the discovery of a new strand of the virus.

    PIA Crash

    A plane crash killed 97 people on May 22, which was said to be a result of human error by the pilot and air traffic control.

    Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan said the pilots of the Karachi-bound PK8308 flight of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) from Lahore were distracted while talking about coronavirus.

    The passenger plane came down on houses in Karachi with only two survivors. Subsequent investigations into the licenses of Pakistani pilots led to the grounding of hundreds across the globe and the imposition of a temporary ban on PIA flights to Europe and the United States (US).

    Karachi Rains

    Around 30 to 40 people lost their lives in various rain-related incidents in the port city lacking monsoon infrastructure.

    While blame games continued as authorities hesitated to take responsibility for the misery of people of the country’s largest city, the ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) said it wanted all stakeholders to contribute to ameliorating the situation instead of politicising a “pure natural disaster”.

    The situation was improved after the intervention of the federal government and a military-aided rescue operation.

    Opposition Alliance

    The year also witnessed a rather common sight in Pakistan when opposition parties put their differences aside in an attempt to oust the PTI government.

    After a round of meetings, almost all opposition parties, including PPP, PML-N, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Fazl), Awami National Party, Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party, Balochistan National Party among others, launched a series of countrywide protests.

    While the highlight of the protests remained Nawaz Sharif’s fiery speeches and Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari’s entry into politics, no leader seemed to be going easy on the government.

    The foremost demand of the 11-party alliance, named Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), is the resignation of “selected” Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan. It has threatened to march to Islamabad if the premier doesn’t resign before midnight on December 31 (today).

    While the opposition seems satisfied with its anti-government campaign, the government is confident of cracks emerging within PDM ranks before it could pose an actual threat.

    Khadim Rizvi’s Death

    Renowned cleric and Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) chief Khadim Hussain Rizvi passed away on November 19.

    Earlier it was reported that he was suffering from high-grade fever for the past couple of days, which had led to speculations if he was suffering from COVID-19.

    While the cause of his sudden death was not determined, his funeral prayers in Lahore were attended by hundreds of thousands of supporters from across the globe, adding to COVID-19 superspreader event fears.

    Rizvi, who had returned from a sit-in protest against French president’s take on blasphemy a day before his death, was known for his aggressive speeches besides promotion of extremist element in the religio-political landscape of the country.