Tag: PML-N

  • PML-N convinces allies to grant extra powers to caretaker PM

    PML-N convinces allies to grant extra powers to caretaker PM

    The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has convinced other allies in the government on the matter of granting extra powers to the caretaker set-up.

    The matter was discussed during a meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on Electoral Reforms, headed by PML-N’s Sardar Ayaz Sadiq. Article 230, which relates to the functions of the caretaker government, also came under discussion.

    According to the proposed bill, the caretaker government will be given unrestricted powers, but allied parties opposed the bill, and the matter was deferred.

    After the discussion in today’s meeting, PML-N agreed to make minor changes to the bill. After these changes, the caretaker government will only engage with bilateral donors and multilateral institutions.

    After the new changes, the caretaker government will have the powers under clause 2A of Section 230. The caretaker government will not be able to reach a new agreement after these changes in the bill. But the caretaker government can use its powers on ongoing projects.

    Ahmed Bilal Mehboob also told The Current that “Unelected Prime Minister should not have extra powers, and it is totally opposite to the democratic system”.

  • PML-N wants Ishaq Dar as interim PM, PPP disagrees

    PML-N wants Ishaq Dar as interim PM, PPP disagrees

    PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif wants to see his loyalist Ishaq Dar as the interim prime minister, multiple media reports have said. On the other hand, the second largest party in the ruling coalition, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), has as yet not agreed on Dar’s nomination.

    According to sources within the PPP, a “man from the Sharif family” is not suitable for the caretaker setup, Dawn has reported.

    On Sunday, PML-N initiated efforts to take all stakeholders on board, including the military establishment, and assuage the concerns of the PPP leadership.

    Both the major political parties, PML-N and PPP, in the ruling alliance agree that the caretaker prime minister should be a politician. The ruling party will announce a name for caretaker prime minister after consulting all the stakeholders.

    On the other hand, PPP Information Secretary and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister, Faisal Karim Kundi, said no meeting was held between the two parties on Sunday.
    In a statement to ARY News, the PPP denied agreeing on Ishaq Dar becoming the caretaker prime minister, stating that no such agreement had been reached between the two parties.

  • PML-N, PPP top leaders arrive in Dubai to again discuss caretaker setup

    PML-N, PPP top leaders arrive in Dubai to again discuss caretaker setup

    Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senior Vice President Maryam Nawaz arrived in Dubai to meet the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) top leaders to discuss the upcoming caretaker government in the country after the dissolution of the National Assembly.

    PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari and Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari arrived Friday night at Dubai’s Al-Maktoum airport in a private plane after taking off from Karachi.

    The heads of the two parties will consult with each other on who will be the caretaker prime minister in the interim government after the dissolution of assemblies in the country.

    Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman will be consulted in the matter of the upcoming caretaker setup as well. Maulana is in Karachi now and will travel to Dubai next week.

  • Ishaq Dar, Khwaja Asif in the committee formed by PM to hold consultations for caretaker setup

    Ishaq Dar, Khwaja Asif in the committee formed by PM to hold consultations for caretaker setup

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has formed a five-member committee of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) to hold consultations with allies on the upcoming caretaker setup in the country, Geo News has reported

    The provincial assemblies of Sindh and Baluchistan will also be dissolved next month, in August, along with the National Assembly.

    Ishaq Dar, Ahsan Iqbal, Khawaja Saad Rafiq, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq and Khawaja Muhammad Asif are members of the committee tasked with consulting with allies on the upcoming caretaker setup.

    According to sources in PML-N, the panel will start its work right away. PM Shehbaz has also advised other parties to form such panels, as it will be helpful in the matter of caretaker setup.

    According to multiple sources, one of the major parties in the ruling alliance wants the caretaker PM of its choice.

    Interestingly, the government is not consulting political forces outside the parliament.

    Earlier, the vice president (VC) of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Shah Mehmood Qureshi, had complained that PTI has not been kept in the loop in the matter of the caretaker setup.

  • Not being asked about election-related decisions: MQM complains to Shehbaz

    Not being asked about election-related decisions: MQM complains to Shehbaz

    A delegation of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday and complained that the MQM was not being taken on board on important national issues.

    PM Shehbaz met an MQM delegation to discuss the process for the formation of a caretaker setup in the country, reported The News.

    MQM Convener Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui was heading the delegation, while Federal Minister for Information Technology Aminul Haq, Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori, Dr Farooq Sattar, and Mustafa Kamal were other members of MQM in the delegation. Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique and Minister for Economic Affairs Sardar Ayaz Sadiq were also present in the meeting.

    In the meeting with the PM, the MQM delegation complained that the two major coalition partners planned the dissolution of assemblies. MQM was an important ally in the ruling coalition, but it was not being consulted on crucial issues.

    According to sources, MQM said that the next general elections should be held on the basis of the new census and not the 2017 census results. The delegation also demanded notification of the census results.

    The MQM leaders proposed the name of a former commissioner Karachi, Shoaib Siddiqui, as the Sindh caretaker chief minister. However, the decision will be taken after consultation between the leader of the House and the leader of the Opposition in the Sindh Assembly.

  • US finally defends Donald Lu against PTI allegations

    US finally defends Donald Lu against PTI allegations

    More than an year after Assistant Secretary of State Donald Lu was named by the then Prime Minister Imran Khan as a conspirator who got his government removed from power, a senior US official has publicly defended him.

    Elizabeth Horst, the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, said that the allegations levelled by the Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) were “categorically false”.

    The American government has repeatedly denied Imran Khan’s allegations, however, they have never named him before Tuesday.

    Horst made the remarks at a conference held in Houston to discuss the future of American and Pakistani relations. “We do not let propaganda, misinformation, and disinformation get in the way of any bilateral relationship, including our valued partnership with Pakistan,” she said, adding that her speech was an “opportunity to address disinformation”.

    Horst also reiterated her administration’s stance of working with any government elected by the Pakistani people as the National Assembly is expected to be dissolved next month.

    “We do not have any position on any political candidate or party,” Horst said during the conference, stressing that the US supports democratic principles, freedom of speech, and the rule of law.

    The statements come in the backdrop of looming general elections, after media reports have said that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) have decided to dissolve the National Assembly before the completion of its tenure.

    However, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb tweeted on Tuesday that the date for dissolution of the National Assembly has not been decided yet. She has also said that the date would be decided after consultation with allied parties of the coalition government.

  • National Assembly will be dissolved in August; PPP, PML-N agree

    National Assembly will be dissolved in August; PPP, PML-N agree

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), the two major political parties in the ruling coalition, have agreed to dissolve the National Assembly on August 8, Geo News has reported.

    However, Information Minister Mariyum Aurangzeb has tweeted that the date of the dissolution of the National Assembly has not been decided yet.

    “The date [of dissolution] will be decided in consultation with the PDM and other allied parties. The decision on the date of dissolution of the National Assembly will be officially announced,” she added.

    The National Assembly is completing its tenure on August 12 at midnight, but it seems like the lower house is going to be dissolved before time. According to sources, August 9 and 10 also came under discussion, but both major political parties agreed on August 8 to dissolve the National Assembly.

    “A general election to the National Assembly or a provincial assembly shall be held within a period of sixty days immediately following the day on which the term of the assembly is due to expire, unless the Assembly has been sooner dissolved,” Article 224 of the Constitution states.

    In the previous week, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had said, “Next month, our government will complete its tenure. We will leave before the completion of our tenure, and an interim government will come”.

  • ‘Ask Javed Sahib,’ Khaqan Abbasi says doesn’t know when Nawaz will return, hints at staying away from politics

    ‘Ask Javed Sahib,’ Khaqan Abbasi says doesn’t know when Nawaz will return, hints at staying away from politics

    Former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has said in an interview with ARY News that he is not going to take part in the upcoming general elections.

    “I don’t want to be a part of such a system, perhaps I will work better outside of it,” Abbasi said. “It is my personal assessment that current politics won’t resolve national issues,” he added.

    “This reality seems to me, at least my contesting the election won’t bring any solution,” the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader said.

    “I would not contest an election if all stakeholders would not sit together. What will I will do by contesting election in the absence of thinking to resolve the national problems,” he questioned.

    The PML-N leader said that no party can be fragmented, and we should also learn from past experiences.

    On a question about his theory party head Nawaz Sharif’s return to Pakistan, the former prime minister said that “This is Javed Latif’s department, contact him”. “I also used to ask Javed Sahib about the date of Nawaz Sharif’s return,” he said. “This department remained with Ayaz Sadiq for some time, but now Javed Latif is fully in charge”, he added.

  • Nawaz Sharif will be our next candidate for PM: Ishaq Dar

    Nawaz Sharif will be our next candidate for PM: Ishaq Dar

    Financial Minister Ishaq Dar has said on Monday that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) head, Nawaz Sharif, will be the party’s next candidate for Prime Minister in the upcoming general elections.

    While speaking on Geo News’ programme Aaj Shahzaib Khanzada Kay Sath, Dar said that Nawaz Sharif is in London for medical treatment and will return to his home country after the completion of the same.

    He also said that now there is no hurdle for former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to participate in the upcoming elections after parliament recently passed an amended election law that limits the disqualification period to a maximum of five years.

    Dar gave his statement a day after Nawaz said that inflation will be wiped out in the country if the PML-N won the upcoming elections, adding that his party will resolve all the problems in the country.

    Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz arrived in the United Arab Emirates for Eid, and held meetings with Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) top leaders, including Asif Ali Zardari and Bilawal Bhutto.

  • Will bring down inflation if elected: Nawaz Sharif

    Will bring down inflation if elected: Nawaz Sharif

    Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) supremo and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Sunday said that he will bring down inflation in the country if voted to power in the next general elections, Radio Pakistan has reported.

    Sharif made the statement while meeting with PML-N Gulf leaders in Dubai.

    During the meeting, Nawaz Sharif commended the local leadership who expressed their hope for Sharif to win upcoming elections and come to power.

    He further stated that the PML-N leadership has consistently steered the country through challenging times and is determined to address the ongoing economic crisis once again.