Tag: PML-N

  • PM says ‘no question of cut in HEC budget’, two days after educationist raises issue in Op-ed

    PM says ‘no question of cut in HEC budget’, two days after educationist raises issue in Op-ed

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said there is no question of a cut in the budget of the Higher Education Commission (HEC).

    “There is no question of a cut in the budget of Higher Education Commission. I am aware of the negative effect that cuts have had on higher education during the past four years. I have given clear directions to Planning Commission & Ministry of Finance in this regard,” he wrote in a tweet.

    Two days before PM’s statement, an opinion piece was published in The News titled ‘Abandoning higher education‘ by Dr Ayesha Razzaque.

    “For the next fiscal year, the HEC requested a recurrent budget of Rs104 billion. However, a few days ago an official letter (dated May 23, 2022) from the Finance Division regarding the 2022-23 budget emerged. It directs the HEC to prepare a new budget for next year that fits into Rs30 billion, – less than a third of what was requested and less than half of this year’s Rs65.25 billion. Here I would like to acknowledge that Federal Minister for Planning and Development Dr Ahsan Iqbal has voiced his opposition to this news.”

    Dr Ayesha Razzaque took to Twitter to share PM’s statement.

    A thread by Dr Razzaque on the issue of HEC budget can be accessed here.

  • Khan accuses Maryam Nawaz of wanting to ‘lie down’, so an American lady could ‘pass over her’

    Khan accuses Maryam Nawaz of wanting to ‘lie down’, so an American lady could ‘pass over her’

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan on Wednesday in his jalsa in Gujranwala criticised Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz.

    Khan said, “Once a woman from the American Embassy came to [Pakistan], Maryam called her at her house, opened the door of her car, and brought her inside. The way she was walking besides the American lady, the only thing left was for Maryam to lie down and tell the lady to pass over her so that her shoes don’t get dirty.”

    Maryam responded to Khan’s comments and tweeted, ” Poor guy, he has become irrelevant.”

    Khan was talking about United States (US) Charge d’ Affaires Angela Aggeler, who visited Jati Umrah on October 14, 2021. On her arrival, she was received by Maryam Nawaz.

    The PTI chairman hit at Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif as well and said, “Shehbaz Sharif you have worked really hard. You have polished many boots. Whoever came from the American Embassy you used to polish their boots.”

    Berating the Sharif brothers, Khan said: “Shehbaz Sharif is asking what to do after becoming the prime minister. He said that inflation is rising and foreign exchange is tumbling. The two brothers (Shehbaz and Nawaz Sharif) are now trapped and they are wondering what to do.”

  • PML-N leaders take oath twice, vow issues discussed with Nawaz to remain secret

    PML-N leaders take oath twice, vow issues discussed with Nawaz to remain secret

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders who are currently in London remained tight-lipped about their discussions with the party’s supreme leader Nawaz Sharif.

    It is being said that the PML-N delegation took an oath “not just once but twice” to ensure that the issues that came under discussion before Mian Nawaz Sharif would not be revealed outside under any circumstances, reports Dawn.

    After the meeting, the delegation talked to the media outside Hasan Nawaz’s office. They did not share what policy direction was given by the Nawaz during the meeting at Stanhope House in London and stressed that any decision taken would only be announced after consultation with the government’s coalition partners.

    Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said that electronic voting machines (EVMs) will not be used in the next general elections.

    When asked to comment on the DG ISPR’s presser on the army’s role in politics, Rana Sana said, “Our position on this is exactly the same that institutions should not be involved in politics or be dragged into politics. It is very inspiring that courts and other institutions have at this moment played a role that is not political.”

    When asked if former Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan would be arrested, the interior minister said there would be no arbitrary arrest, but anyone found involved in illegal activities would be arrested and dealt with an iron hand after all legal requirements are met.

    Meanwhile, federal Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal said the basic purpose of the visit was to take stock of the real existing situation of the country and seek guidance from Nawaz Sharif as he is the most senior statesman of Pakistan. He said the party wanted to consult him so that in the coming days the government could steer the country out of crises at a fast pace. “Pakistan’s economy is in really bad shape and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has left it in a complete mess.”

    “We will take our partners in confidence on everything that we discussed with Nawaz Sharif. The national leadership will play its role to bring the country out of crises”.

  • ‘Sub nay aapnay paison se ticket li hai’: Miftah Ismail on tax money for London trip

    ‘Sub nay aapnay paison se ticket li hai’: Miftah Ismail on tax money for London trip

    Finance Minister Miftah Ismail, in a video, has said that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) delegation who is currently in London has gone at their own expense.

    Miftah said, “We all have come at our own expense and bought our airline tickets ourselves. Some of us have come in business class and some via economy and all have bought their own tickets.”

    “This is what Imran Khan does, he lies but we are living at our own expense in the hotel as well. We are not like PTI who move around on the government’s expenses,” said Miftah.

    PML-N’s visit received a lot of backlash from PML-N’s opponents to the general public. The timing of the PM and his top leadership’s visit to London is being questioned, with observers asking why such a trip is necessary when the country is in dire straits.

    The PML-N was criticised that the entire cabinet was going to meet a ‘corrupt and convicted’ person, that too on taxpayers’ money.

  • ‘Gadhay par lines bana kar woh zebra nahin ban jaata’, Khan on Pakistan vs England

    ‘Gadhay par lines bana kar woh zebra nahin ban jaata’, Khan on Pakistan vs England

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairperson Imran Khan revealed that he was aware that his government was in danger since July 2021 and as a result didn’t want the then Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lt-General Faiz Hameed to be changed.

    “I wanted him to continue serving as the director-general of the ISI during the difficult winter season when the fallout of the Afghan infighting was imminent.”

    “I was aware of a possible civil war in Afghanistan last summer. I was afraid of the fallout in Pakistan as an aftermath of the possible war on Afghan soil. I didn’t want the ISI chief to be changed before winter, as it was a difficult time,” said Khan. “I was aware that the PML-N was planning to remove me. I was aware of their plans since last July so I didn’t want our intelligence chief changed.”

    Khan accused his former aides Jahangir Khan Tareen and Aleem Khan of seeking illegal benefits from him. He further revealed that the differences were developed among them when he refused to do what they asked for.

    Khan made these comments in a podcast on Thursday.

    The former prime minister said, “Aleem Khan expected me to legalise his 300-acre land near Ravi”.

    “I developed differences with Aleem after this. Their cases were in NAB and his name was in Pandora Papers as well.”

    Commenting on Tareen, Khan said that his problem was the sugar crisis.

    While responding to another question about his party’s ties with the establishment, Imran rubbished speculation that he wanted Lt-Gen Faiz Hameed to be the next army chief.

    “You don’t replace an intelligence chief during difficult circumstances,” he said.

    Khan also said that, unlike Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif, he never wanted to control the army as he had a ‘clean record’ and didn’t fear anyone.

    Khan also commented that he was welcomed in British society but he never considered England his home because he is a Pakistani. Giving an example that if one draws lines on a donkey it doesn’t become a zebra. A donkey remains a donkey.

  • PTI Punjab Governor refuses to take oath of Hamza’s cabinet

    PTI Punjab Governor refuses to take oath of Hamza’s cabinet

    Omer Sarfraz Cheema, the governor of Punjab, has decided not to swear in the newly-formed provincial cabinet. According to him, the resignation of Usman Buzdar is illegal.

    “Yesterday, a crime was committed at Governor House. My official residence was held under siege to hold the illegal oath-taking ceremony of a ‘fake’ chief minister,” said Cheema, while addressing a press conference.

    In his statement he repeated that Buzdar’s resignation was addressed to the Prime Minister, not the governor, adding that the former governor Sarwar could not accept a resignation which was not addressed to him, he added.

    “The oath-taking of Hamza Shahbaz was illegal after I rejected the resignation of Usman Buzdar on legal grounds.”

    He questioned how Hamza’s cabinet could be legitimate when his election and swearing-in are both ‘unlawful’. He further added that he cannot endorse anything beyond the ambit of the constitution.

  • Imran Khan lands in trouble for calling Chief Election Commissioner ‘planted agent’

    Imran Khan lands in trouble for calling Chief Election Commissioner ‘planted agent’

    PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s remarks against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) have landed him in trouble as the ECP took notice of the remarks on Thursday.

    The ECP has sought from the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) a copy of his speech made at the workers’ convention in Peshawar on April 26.

    In his address to the convention, the PTI chairman called Cheif Election Commissioner as “planted agent” of the PML-N. “Raja has lost all his credibility and he should immediately resign,” the IK had demanded.

    He also asked his supporters to start a signature petition drive against the chief election commissioner on the internet.

    The electoral body has also sought a record of statements made by PTI lawmakers – Haleem Adil Sheikh, Khurram Sher Zaman and Ejaz Chaudhry during the past few days.

  • Exclusive: PM Shehbaz says next army chief will be appointed as per rules, regulations

    Exclusive: PM Shehbaz says next army chief will be appointed as per rules, regulations

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday called the PM House a ‘Jamhoori House’ (Democratic House) and said that his government believed in media freedom. In an interaction with journalists at the PM House on April 26, Sharif said that the previous government was not just incompetent and corrupt but had damaged the country’s economy and foreign relations. PM Shehbaz talked about several issues.

    New army chief

    PM said that he has the constitutional right to appoint a new army chief. He added that he will appoint the new army chief as per the constitution and rules and regulations when the time comes for his appointment. This was in response to a question about the appointment of a new army chief since General Bajwa will not take an extension as per DG ISPR.

    Pak-US relations

    While answering a question about Pakistan’s relationship with the US, PM said that the US is a superpower so we need to maintain good relations with them. “Amreeka dushmani hamaaray waaray nahin” (we cannot afford enmity with the US). He added that we need to do some stock-taking regarding Pak-US ties and improve relations with the US.

    Foreign Policy

    Talking about foreign relations, PM Shehbaz said that the previous government had alienated allies and friends. “How can we say that we can raise the Kashmir issue without Saudi Arabia?”

    PM said that the members of the previous government had lied about loans on 8% by China apart from allegations of corruption against Chinese investment by Pervez Khattak and several others in PTI. “China helped us get rid of load shedding by investing in power plants.”

    Saudi Visit

    PM will be visiting Saudi Arabia tomorrow (April 28-30) on the invitation of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz. PM Shehbaz said that he is likely to meet the Saudi leadership during his visit.

    Load shedding

    He said that there there is no other reason for frequent load shedding other than the negligence of previous government for not buying LNG and furnace oil on time. He also criticised the previous government for its baseless allegations against the LNG contract signed by the previous PML-N government. He said that Qatar must have been amazed that instead of thanking them for such a good deal, PTI indulged in “ilzaam taraashi” [allegations].

    Economic crisis

    “Pakistan is going through one of the most difficult times. We are trying to take the country in the right direction. We have seen how Japan and Germany rebuilt their economies after tough times. We have the examples of South Korea and Bangladeshi economies too. Once upon a time, Pakistan had a better per capita income than China but look at us now. Our currency was better than India’s. When India was ahead of us in the steel industry, we were ahead of them in textiles.”

    “There is no point crying over spilt milk but now it is time to rebuild our economy,” said PM Shehbaz. He said that it will be a difficult challenge but is not impossible to bring back our lost place in the comity of nations by strengthening our economy. “Rome was not built in a day.”

    “If we were economically strong, our foreign policy would have been stronger.”

    PECA

    The PM was asked if roll back of PECA was on the cards, to which he said that his government believes in freedom of media and media will not have to face any curbs but they need to differentiate between truth and fake news. “Media should highlight our mistakes. We welcome that. But it should not spread fake news.”

    Missing files

    When asked that there are reports that some files have been taken by the previous government from the PM House regarding sugar scandal and other scandals, Shehbaz said that if he is given evidence about the missing files, he will find them.

    Accountability

    He said that in the name of accountability, there will be no revenge. “Ehtesaab ke naam par intiqaam nahin leinge,” said PM Shehbaz. He said that businessmen say they will not invest here because the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) will either arrest them or harass them. “Businessmen kehte hain ya NAB giraftaar kar leinge ya zaleel kareinge unko.”

    Elections

    The PM said that we will go for elections after carrying out necessary reforms, especially electoral reforms.

    Threat letter

    PM Shehbaz said that the National Security Committee meeting issued a clear statement that there was no conspiracy. “The punchline of the statement was that there is no saazish, no conspiracy.”

    Shehbaz said that if the threat letter was received on March 7, why did the PTI government talk about it on March 28? “March tak moonh mein taalay kyun laga kar baithay thay?” He asked when did the previous government turn this letter into a conspiracy. “When they knew they were going to lose in parliament. There is no question of a conspiracy whatsoever.”

    Karachi attack

    “The attack in Karachi University is a huge tragedy where three Chinese nationals died. China is our friend. I went to the Chinese Embassy in Islamabad for solidarity,” said PM. He added that Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah will go to Karachi on Wednesday (today) and help and coordinate with the Sindh government. “After our Saudi visit, we will hold a comprehensive meeting on security.”

    Afghanistan

    Afghanistan is not just our neighbour but our “baraadar mulk” (brother country). “If there is peace in Afghanistan, there will be peace in Pakistan. What is good for Afghanistan is good for Pakistan.”

    PTI resignations

    PM said that they have found out that many resignations were taken by force from PTI MNAs and were not given voluntarily. “We will know the truth when the legal process has been completed.” He was asked whether the government could convince PTI to take back its resignations to be an effective Opposition.

    PTI long march

    While answering a question about Imran Khan’s call for march to Islamabad, PM said that if they won’t do anything unlawful, nothing will happen to them but he won’t allow anyone to spread anarchy on the roads.

    Pak Army

    The PM said that the Pak Army has given a lot of sacrifices for this country. “It is wrong to say anything negative about Pakistan’s army. It is condemnable,” said the PM when responding to a question about social media trends against the army.

  • ‘We still want immediate elections,’ Maulana Fazl tells the new govt

    ‘We still want immediate elections,’ Maulana Fazl tells the new govt

     Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has demanded immediate elections.

    Addressing his party workers in Islamabad, Maulana said that the maximum time this new government would be in power for is a year.

    “In this new setup, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam has its own identity and we are telling them [new government] that we still want immediate elections.”

    READ MORE: Zardari, Nawaz, Maulana have all been ruined by one man: Saleem Safi

    Maulana said that continuing to stay in power unnecessarily is not his party’s stance. The new government, he added, can take some time for electoral reforms but Maulana said that Imran Khan was ousted so that the people of Pakistan could be given their mandate back.

    “Now it is our responsibility to give back the nation what we promised.”

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has also been demanding early elections. However, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) said that elections cannot be held before October as it needs four months to complete the process of delimitation of constituencies.

  • PPP to get 11 ministries, PML-N 14 in federal cabinet: Rana Sanaullah

    PPP to get 11 ministries, PML-N 14 in federal cabinet: Rana Sanaullah

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) will get 14 ministries, while Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) will get 11 ministries. Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari is all set to become the Foreign Minister of Pakistan. Hina Rabbani Khar will most likely be the Minister of State in the Foreign Ministry.

    PML-N’s Rana Sanaullah told Geo News‘ anchorperson Shahzad Iqbal on “Naya Pakistan” that the Finance Ministry, Interior Ministry, Defence Ministry, Planning Ministry, Ministry of Energy and Information Ministry will remain with PML-N. Commerce Ministry and Communications Ministry will go to PPP and PML-N while MQM and PPP will get Maritime Ministry and Overseas Ministry. Marriyum Aurangzeb will most likely get Information Ministry as per media reports. Rana Sana said that these decisions have been taken after a joint committee of all allied parties finalised the formation of the new cabinet.

    According to The News, Asif Zardari advised Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to give cabinet posts to all coalition partners in the first phase and the PPP would join the cabinet in the second phase. It is expected that the first phase of the cabinet will take oath today (Monday) or tomorrow (Tuesday). In the first phase, 10 to 12 ministers will take the oath.

    Last week, PPP Co-chairman Asif Zardari had hinted that the PPP may not join the federal cabinet.

    “I don’t think we are taking any ministries. We want to first accommodate our friends,” said Zardari, talking about government’s other coalition partners.

    On Friday, PPP’s Raja Pervez Ashraf was elected Speaker of the National Assembly unopposed.