Tag: (PM) Imran Khan

  • PM reaches Quetta after burial of slain Hazara miners

    PM reaches Quetta after burial of slain Hazara miners

    After a week-long protest by the Hazara community in the freezing cold of Quetta, Prime Minister Imran Khan has arrived in the provincial capital to meet the families of the slain Hazara coal miners.

    The Hazaras blocked a highway in Quetta and refused to bury their dead after gunmen kidnapped 11 miners in Mach region of Bolan district and slit their throats. The killings sparked protests across Pakistan, with the protesters demanding the PM to visit the heirs of the deceased. However, the PM said he would only visit after the burial of the slain miners and called the protest a “blackmail”.

    Following days of talks, the protesters on Friday night agreed to bury the dead bodies on the condition that the PM will come to Quetta and listen to their demands. The agreement cited by a media outlet says that the Balochistan government will pay Rs1.5 million compensation to the heirs of each martyr as well as provide employment.

    The funeral prayers held in Quetta ahead of the PM’s visit were attended by the Maritimes Minister Ali Zaidi, PM’s aide on overseas Pakistanis Zulfi Bukhari, provincial ministers and others. The deceased were buried in the Hazara graveyard.

    PM IN QUETTA:

    Finally, Imran Khan has reached Quetta. He is accompanied by Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed and other cabinet members. The PM will meet the families of the miners and the religious leaders of the Hazara community. The provincial authorities will also update him on the Mach incident.

    A report by Dawn says that the PM had initially decided to visit the Hazara on the day of the killings; however, he was dissuaded by his aides, including Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed who said that the PM should wait till the situation gets normalised.

  • Hazaras agree to call off protests, bury bodies after PM, COAS promise to visit families

    Hazaras agree to call off protests, bury bodies after PM, COAS promise to visit families

    The week-long protests across Pakistan, especially Quetta, in the wake of the killing of Hazara coal miners in Mach have been called off following the successful negotiations between the government and families of the slain miners.

    Federal Minister Ali Zaidi and National Assembly Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri said that the government has agreed to accept the demands of the protesters and the army chief and the prime minister will visit the families of the victims after the last rites.

    Geo reported the leader of the Shuhada Action Committee Agha Raza as saying: the protests had been organised for the sake of the heirs of the deceased and were now being called off with their consent. Subsequently, the protesters in Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad also started disbanding late in the night.

    On Friday, PM Imran Khan had drawn flak for saying the Hazara protesters were “blackmailing” him. According to the PM, the government has accepted all demands of the protesters, but their demand that they will not bury their dead unless the prime minister visits them is akin to blackmail.

    Balochistan’s Shia Hazara community had been protesting for the past six days in the freezing temperature of Quetta, refusing to bury their dead, in the wake of the murder of 11 miners in Mach, Bolan. On Sunday, 11 miners were kidnapped from their compound and killed by the armed men.

    The attack was claimed by the Islamic State. The protesters had demanded that the PM visit them personally and give them security assurances or they would not end their protest.

  • ‘They need your shoulder to cry on’: Momina Mustehsan requests PM Imran to visit Machh mourners

    ‘They need your shoulder to cry on’: Momina Mustehsan requests PM Imran to visit Machh mourners

    Pakistani singer, Momina Mustehsan has requested Prime Minister Imran Khan to visit Machh mourners.

    In a tweet addressed to PM Imran, the Baari singer wrote: “The nation mourns in solidarity with our Hazara kin.”

    “It is crucial to show solidarity at this hour – regardless of conspiracies, those responsible and those trying to politicize,” said Mustehsan, requesting PM Imran to reconsider his stance.

    “Please do not wait for them to bury their deceased, they need your shoulder to cry on,” she added.

    “Honorable Prime Minister, all eyes are on you. The entire nation is well aware of the persecutions faced by Hazara community for far too long,” said Momina further. “They are one of us and we are one of them.”

    Speaking at a ceremony in Islamabad, PM Imran had urged the protesters not to “blackmail the premier” because “anyone will be able to blackmail the PM then”, including the Pakistan Democratic Movement.

    According to the PM, the government has accepted all demands of the protesters, but their demand that they will not bury their dead unless the prime minister visits them is akin to blackmail. “If they’ll bury their deceased, I will then visit them,” said the PM.

    Earlier, Malala Yousafzai also requested the Prime Minister to visit Machh mourners.

    Meanwhile, the Oscar winner filmmaker, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy criticised PM to give preference to Turkish filmmakers over Machh mourners.

  • Ertuğrul delegation enjoys a delightful dinner in Islamabad

    Ertuğrul delegation enjoys a delightful dinner in Islamabad

    The team behind Diriliş: Ertuğrul, including Celal AL (who plays Abdur Rehman Alp) and producer of the Ottoman epic Kamal Tekdin, after being welcomed by Adnan Siddiqui and Humayun Saeed, enjoyed a delightful dinner in Islamabad on Thursday.

    The dinner, which was hosted by The Legend of Maula Jutt producer Ammara Hikmat saw several Pakistani celebrities including Imran Abbas, Faisal Qureshi, Ahmad Ali Akhbar, Yasir Jaswal, Adnan and Humayun in attendance.

    Pictures of the guests enjoying themselves were widely shared on social media.

    Earlier in the day, the delegation met with Adnan and Humayun, with whom Tekdin Films and TRT production have signed a deal with as partners. Adnan had earlier shared that the partnership will infuse freshness in Pakistani content. Minister for Information and Broadcasting Shibli Faraz and Chairman Parliamentary Committee on Kashmir Shehryar Afridi were also part of the meeting.

    Sharing pictures from the meeting, Adnan said that it didn’t feel like they were meeting Celal for the first time. He added that Celal says that he’s fallen in love with Pakistan and our hospitality.

    Later, the delegates also had a meeting with Prime Minister Imran Khan. According to a press release, the meeting discussed in detail the proposed television series being created in collaboration between Pakistan and Turkey on the Khilafat Movement among other future projects and the lost glory of the Pakistani entertainment industry.

    PM Khan, during the meeting, emphasized on showcasing the golden era of Muslims’ Rule in the subcontinent in dramas and films to apprise the youth about that golden age and to foil negative propaganda and designs.

    The PM said that the Pakistani film and drama industry needed to work for the promotion of local culture to apprise western-influenced youth of their indigenous values and to protect them from social evils, adding that the Pakistani film and drama industry will flourish by producing quality content. This will also provide a substitute for the superficial and glamourized broadcast content to the youth.

    Meanwhile, producer Tekdin said that the Turkish team is very happy over Pakistan’s cooperation in this project, which will highlight cultural commonalities between the two countries. He said it will also help strengthen people to people contact.

    The Prime Minister, while appreciating the project, assured the Turkish team that his government will provide full cooperation in this regard.

    Pakistan’s Turkish guest Celal is thoroughly enjoying his stay in Pakistan and prayed that the love and brotherhood between Turkey and Pakistan lives long.

  • PM thinks Hazara community is blackmailing him by not burying loved ones

    PM thinks Hazara community is blackmailing him by not burying loved ones

    Prime Minister Imran Khan has once again asked the Hazara protesters to bury the dead bodies of the coal miners killed in the Mach attack.

    Speaking at a ceremony in Islamabad, Imran urged the protesters not to “blackmail the premier” because “anyone will be able to blackmail the PM then”, including the Pakistan Democratic Movement.

    According to the PM, the government has accepted all demands of the protesters, but their demand that they will not bury their dead unless the prime minister visits them is akin to blackmail.

    “Anyone will blackmail the prime minister then,” he said, adding that the PDM will also use this ‘tactic’ against him. “This blackmail has also been ongoing for two-and-a-half years,” he said referring to the opposition to his government.

    The PM said he has already told the minority community that he will visit them after the burial. “I am using this platform to say that if you {Hazaras] bury them today, I will go to Quetta today to meet the families of the slain miners,” he added.

    He also termed the protesters decision of not burying the dead bodies ‘illogical’.

    PM Imran’s remarks come after Balochistan’s Shia Hazara community continued to protest for a sixth straight day in freezing temperature, refusing to bury their dead. On Sunday, 11 miners were kidnapped from their compound and killed by the armed men. The attack was claimed by the Islamic State.

    Subsequently, thousands of protesters blocked Quetta’s key western bypass, demanding that PM personally visits them and assure them of security.

    Protests are also being held in Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad against the murder of the minority group members.

  • Malala requests PM Imran to visit Hazara community

    Malala requests PM Imran to visit Hazara community

    Pakistani education activist Malala Yousafzai has appealed to Prime Minister Imran Khan to visit the Hazara community who are protesting in Quetta after 10 coal miners were brutally killed by terrorists five days ago.

    In a tweet, Malala wrote: “I am short of words to express my grief over the brutal killings of Hazara miners. This is not the first time that this has happened. But I hope it is the last.” 

    She added that the whole country is mourning the tragedy before requesting PM Imran to visit the victims.

    The families of the departed have also been protesting for five consecutive days and have refused to bury the slain coal miners until the premier visits them.

    Meanwhile, PM Khan has requested the members of the Hazara community to bury their loved ones and has assured them that he stands with them in their time of suffering.

    On the other hand, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz visited the protesters on Thursday to express solidarity with them.

  • PM says ‘neighbour instigating sectarian terrorism’, asks Hazara victim families to bury loved ones

    PM says ‘neighbour instigating sectarian terrorism’, asks Hazara victim families to bury loved ones

    Prime Minister Imran Khan has said asked Hazara victim families to bury their loved ones who were killed in a terrorist attack on Sunday by the Islamic State, aka Daesh.

    His tweet came in response to the demand of the Hazara protesters who asked the PM to visit their protest camp and assure them of security. The protesters have said that they will not bury their dead unless the PM listens to them in person.

    The PM, however, says that his government is taking “steps to prevent such brutal attacks” that are being instigated by the country’s “neighbour to instigate sectarian terrorism”.

    “I want to reassure the Hazara families who lost their loved ones in a brutal terrorist attack in Machh that I am cognisant of their suffering & their demands. We are taking steps to prevent such attacks in the future & know our neighbour is instigating this sectarian terrorism,” he tweeted.

    The PM also promised the Hazara community that he would visit them “very soon to offer prayers and condole with all the families personally”.

    “I share your pain & have come to you before also to stand with you in your time of suffering. I will come again very soon to offer prayers and condole with all the families personally. I will never betray my people’s trust. Please bury your loved ones so their souls find peace,” he added.

    At least 11 Hazara miners were shot dead by the Islamic State in Mach, Bolan, on Sunday. After the killings, the mourners have been staging a sit-in in Quetta for the past four days.

  • How will visiting victim families benefit PM, Zulfi asks Hazara protesters

    How will visiting victim families benefit PM, Zulfi asks Hazara protesters

    The families of slain Hazara coal miners and thousands of protesters have refused to end their sit-in being held at the Western Bypass, Quetta, saying they won’t bury their dead till Prime Minister Imran Khan personally assures them of security.

    At least 11 Hazara miners were shot dead by the Islamic State in Mach, Bolan, on Sunday. After the killings, the mourners have been staging a sit-in in Quetta for the past four days.

    PM’s aide Zulfi Bukhari, federal minister Ali Zaidi also visited the protesters, but they said they will not end the protest unless PM Imran comes to their protest camp. A video of Zulfi and the protest organisers negotiating has also been making rounds on social media.

    In the video, Zulfi is seen assuring the protesters that the PM will visit them soon. The Hazara community representative can be heard saying that the PM’s visit will be beneficial for the entire country. At this, Zulfi asks: “How is the premier going to benefit from this visit?”

    At this, the organiser says: “We are saying the PM’s visit will at least solace the families of the slain miners.” Zulfi responds he promises that the PM will visit them. “We want the PM to visit Quetta and meet these families on this stage, in front of all these mourners,” the protester asserts.

    At Zulfi refuses to concede to their demand for a meeting with the PM, saying that if God forbid tragedy strikes in some other part of Pakistan, the victims will also start making demands like these… if someone else gets martyred [in a terrorist attack] and their families will start saying that we want this, not that and so on.”

    Meanwhile, Ali Zaidi also requested the protesters to take back their demand of a meeting with PM Imran.

  • Pakistan asks UN to take notice of rights violations in occupied Kashmir, fulfill plebiscite promise

    Prime Minister Imran Khan has asked the United Nations and its member states to take notice of atrocities in occupied Kashmir while reminding the world body of its promise of holding an impartial plebiscite in the region.

    The PM said Pakistan would stand with the Kashmiri people till the realisation of their right to self-determination, adding that on Jan 5, 1949, the UN “guaranteed the right to self-determination for the people of Jammu and Kashmir through an impartial plebiscite”.

    “We observe this day as a reminder to the UN and its member state of their unfulfilled commitment to the Kashmiri people.”

    In a statement shared by the APP, the PM said: “Being a direct party to the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, Pakistan will continue to underscore the imperative of holding a free and impartial plebiscite under the UN auspices in accordance with the United Nations Security Council resolutions.”

    According to the PM, the importance of the right to self-determination has been acknowledged in various human rights conventions and decisions of the United Nations General Assembly and the Security Council. However, due to the “Indian intransigence, the Security Council has failed to fulfill its pledge to the Kashmiri people”.

    The PM said that Pakistan calls on the international community to take against the well-documented human rights violations being committed by the Indian occupation forces against Kashmiris and ensure that they get their right to self-determination.

  • Hamza Ali Abbasi has interviewed PM Imran and we all can’t stop talking

    Hamza Ali Abbasi has interviewed PM Imran and we all can’t stop talking

    Parwaaz Hai Junoon actor Hamza Ali Abbasi is trending on social media after his interview with the Prime Minister of Pakistan on Hum News, in which he covered a myriad of topics including the Pakistan Democratic Movement’s (PDM) upcoming rally in Lahore on December 13, PM’s own spiritual journey and his thoughts on Western culture.

    It was reported that the PM has handpicked actor Hamza Ali Abbasi to interview him.

    The interview was appreciated by some while others had a lot to say against the selection of Abbasi for the interview, considering his support for the ruling party.

    https://twitter.com/FarmanKhanVlogs/status/1335235083607961622?s=20

    https://twitter.com/HassanTheTruman/status/1335318685397946369?s=20

    Here’s what others had to say about the interview:

    The interview has also generated some quality memes for all the meme-lovers out there:

    https://twitter.com/HoorimaK/status/1335153988778463232?s=20

    It is pertinent to mention here that Hamza has been a loyal and vocal supporter of Prime Minister Imran Khan and has even served as the Cultural Secretary of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for a short while. He is also taking a break from acting these days, and last week he announced that he is writing a book about God and religion which he hopes to finish by June 2021.