Tag: PML-N

  • Pervaiz Rasheed’s Senate nomination papers rejected over unpaid Rs26 lacs in room rent

    Pervaiz Rasheed’s Senate nomination papers rejected over unpaid Rs26 lacs in room rent

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) stalwart Pervaiz Rasheed’s nomination papers for the upcoming Senate polls were on Thursday rejected over non-payment of room rent to Punjab House in Islamabad.

    According to reports, the Punjab government has accused the ex-information minister of defaulting on payments over Rs2.6 million (Rs26 lacs) for his stay at the residency for 759 days.

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MPA Zainab Omar had filed an objection against Rasheed through her lawyer Rana Mudassar to the returning officer/provincial election commissioner in Lahore.

    Speaking to media, Rasheed described the move to reject his nomination papers as a vindictive act on behalf of the government. 

    The PML-N leader accused Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan of not tolerating criticism, adding that efforts were being made to keep him out of the parliament. 

    Rasheed accused the government of preparing a fake “demand” against him. “To dispose of this fake demand, I am ready to make the payment,” said the senior PML-N leader.

    The PML-N leader said that he wanted to pay the dues to the Punjab House but its management was not accepting it. “You can close the doors on me, but you can’t stop my voice,” he said, addressing the government.

    “I will appeal against the decision to reject my nomination papers,” he said and alleged that fake cases against PML-N leaders were being made, accusing the government of keeping political opponents at bay.

  • ‘Imran govt received loans worth Rs15,000 Arab’

    ‘Imran govt received loans worth Rs15,000 Arab’

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Maryam Nawaz has accused the Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government of seeking whopping Rs15,000 Arab (Rs15,000 billion) in loans while “not laying down a single brick, and launching only failed projects”.

    “The [government] took loans of Rs15,000 billion but did not lay a single brick,” Maryam reportedly said while addressing a rally in Wazirabad as part of the election campaign for PP-51.

    Alleging that the metro bus project started by the PTI government had also failed, she asked the crowd whether any of them had gotten a job from the 10 million jobs promised by the government or a house from the 5 million houses pledged at the start of its regime.

    She said the government had accused her of playing the “Punjabi card” after she raised her voice for the province, but said she would continue to speak for Punjab as well as other provinces being “the daughter of Pakistan”.

    “But when it comes to snatching Punjab’s bread and aata and rise in the price of Punjab’s sugar, Maryam will stand with Punjabis with her heart and soul,” she said.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    Maryam, speaking in Urdu interspersed with Punjabi, said farmers, labourers, daily wage workers, traders and businessmen were all frustrated today and could not afford basic utilities and food items.

    She called upon the “selectors” not to “make the mistake” of helping to bring the PTI into power again, saying: “I feel bad when people bad-mouth the selectors because after all, the institution is ours.”

    “The country has been worn out but my dear selectors, don’t do this with Pakistan again,” she said, referring to the PTI coming into power. “Do your own work that the Constitution has assigned to you, don’t interfere with people’s work.”

    Although things are broken, Maryam said, “Nawaz Sharif will come and everything will be fixed.”

    The PML-N leader alleged that electricity in the country was expensive because “those financing Imran Khan’s expenses deliberately imported expensive LNG”.

    The PML-N leader asked the administration of Daska and Wazirabad to serve the people and the law instead of the premier.

    “I say to Wazirabad police and administration […] I know that you yourself are frustrated [but] the nation is looking at you; if you instead of serving the country and the people try to serve anyone else, try to steal the vote and make a lost person win, then remember, Imran Khan came once but now at least Punjab won’t let him come [to power] again.”

    She said the next government in Pakistan and Punjab will be “of Nawaz Sharif”.

  • Nawaz’s passport is expired. Now what?

    Nawaz’s passport is expired. Now what?

    Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who is in London for more than one year due to medical reasons, will be without a passport now after it expires tonight.

    Meanwhile, the interior minister in a presser said that the former premier’s passport will not be renewed and that the government could issue an emergency travel document on his request for returning back to the country.

    The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has tried all means to bring Nawaz back but without any success. PM Imran had announced that he would go to the UK himself to bring Nawaz back. His statement was followed by Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed saying that only Allah can bring Nawaz Sharif back. But eventually, the government decided that it won’t renew the passport of the ex-PM in an attempt to force his hand.

    Another reason that Nawaz cannot approach the authorities for the renewal of his passport is being on the Exit Control List. As per the law, a person whose name is on the no-fly list cannot apply for the renewal of his passport. However, Nawaz Sharif can return to the country anytime, as reiterated by Sheikh Rasheed.

    So what options do Nawaz have? Will he take asylum in the UK or come back voluntarily? Or the UK government will accept Pakistan’s request for his extradition?

    At present, it is all good for Nawaz.

    The ex-PM has a ten-year visa and he doesn’t need permission to stay in the UK. But just in case, a person can stay in the UK for up to 18 months in case of medical treatment. For the British government, the only point of concern is legalities at the time of entry to the country, said a report in Dawn.

    In addition to the medical reasons, the former premier has two more options: dependency law and investment option.

    In the UK, dependency law applies to people over 65 and Nawaz Sharif is 71. The ex-PM can invoke the law if needs be. Given his age and frail health, the dependency law can be invoked and Nawaz can stay in the UK as a dependent of Hassan Nawaz — an established businessman.

    And the third option is business plans. With a certain amount of investment, anyone can stay in the UK for a certain period of time.

    So Nawaz Sharif, even though his passport is expired, can stay in London for a comfortable amount of time. Just like Dar, whose passport was not renewed but he was allowed to stay in the UK because he’s not on the negative list of any security agency and there is no adverse report against him.

  • Maryam accidentally tweets picture of Khadim Rizvi’s welcome, mistaking it for her own

    Maryam accidentally tweets picture of Khadim Rizvi’s welcome, mistaking it for her own

    In yet another faux pas, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz has accidentally retweeted, and then deleted, a picture of welcome of the late Tehreek-e-Labbaik (TLP) leader Khadim Rizvi, mistaking it for her own in.

    As per the details, Maryam retweeted the picture of Rizvi’s welcome at the anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Lahore, falling for the claim that the rose petals-covered roads were from Daska where she arrived on Saturday ahead of a by-election in the NA-75 constituency.

    The election on February 19 comes after the seat fell vacant following the demise of the PML-N’s Syed Iftikharul Hassan Shah.

    “Alhamdulillah,” Maryam had written while retweeting the picture that can no longer be found on her Twitter.

    It wasn’t later when people, especially members of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), pointed out what was wrong with the tweet.

    Earlier, Maryam said that the by-election in Daska was not just an election but a “battle”.

    The PML-N has given ticket to late MNA Shah’s daughter Nosheen Iftikhar.

    In her speech, Maryam blamed the government for rising inflation in the country.

    “When their ministers are told that inflation has increased and people are dying of hunger, they say decrease your expenses,” the PML-N leader said, referring to Information Minister Shibli Faraz’s recent statement.

    She added that the government had promised to create 10 million jobs in Pakistan but not a single man in Daska got any job.

  • PPP, PML-N finalise names for Senate elections

    PPP, PML-N finalise names for Senate elections

    The Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) have announced their candidates for the upcoming Senate elections on March 3, with both parties along with other Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) parties agreeing to propose ex-prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani as a joint candidate from Islamabad.

    According to reports, the PDM has also decided to name Farhatullah Babar as joint nominee on a Khyber Pakhtunkhwa seat.

    PML-N CANDIDATES:

    The list of the PML-N nominees against the general seats includes the name of PML-N parliamentary leader in the house Mushahidullah Khan, Pervaiz Rasheed and Professor Sajid Mir.

    The party has named former PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi’s sister, Saadia Abbasi, as a nominee for a reserved seat for women while Azam Tarar will contest on the seat reserved for technocrats.

    PML-N’s KP chapter will later nominate the party’s candidates for the Senate from the province.

    PPP NOMINEES:

    Eight PPP senators are set to retire on March 11. But three of them — PPP Parliamentary Leader Sherry Rehman, Senate Deputy Chairman Saleem Mandviwalla and Farooq H Naek — are contesting the elections for this term as well.

    Former senator Taj Haider is also among the nominees. Former senator Farhatullah Babar and former PM Gilani are among the proposed joint PDM candidates from KP and Islamabad, respectively.

  • 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.

  • Sindh health official suspended after out-of-turn vaccination of PML-N leader’s daughter

    Sindh health official suspended after out-of-turn vaccination of PML-N leader’s daughter

    The Sindh government has suspended a senior health official over out-of-turn vaccination of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader and former Sindh governor Muhammad Zubair’s daughter and son-in-law against COVID-19.

    As per the details, Sindh Health Minister Dr Azra Pechuho took notice of the incident after the couple posted on social media pictures of them receiving the vaccination shots.

    Reports quoted provincial government sources as saying that Karachi East Deputy District Health Officer Dr Anila was suspended as coronavirus vaccines were administered to acquaintances at other centres as well.

    A three-member committee has been formed to report its findings to the Sindh health minister within 72 hours.

    “If Mohammad Zubair had his family administered the vaccines privately then there is nothing wrong in it,” Information Minister Shibli Faraz told SAMAA TV.

    “But if it were the government-procured vaccines, then this was not the right thing to do,” he added.

    Earlier, a team of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) led by Dr Faisal Sultan also met Sindh health officials and Planning Minister Asad Umar on Sunday.

    It directed the Sindh government to only vaccinate frontline health workers for now.

    The Sindh government on Friday had announced launching COVID-19 vaccination programme in 10 districts of the province and unveiled a detailed phase-wise plan to inoculate people, beginning with 170,000 frontline health workers.

    According to Dawn, In addition to the 82,359 doses to be received from the Centre, the provincial government also shared its plan for the procurement of the vaccine on its own though federal authorities are yet to respond to its request for permission for the procurement.

    “We are starting the vaccination from Wednesday [next],” Sindh Information Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah at a press conference. He was accompanied by a member of the Sindh vaccination taskforce and provincial lawmaker Qasim Soomro.

    Shah said 10 districts had been identified in Sindh where COVID-19 jabs would be provided. “This programme will be initiated in all the seven districts of Karachi along with Hyderabad, Jamshoro and Shaheed Benazirabad.

  • Arabic teaching compulsory in Islamabad schools after Senate okays bill

    Arabic teaching compulsory in Islamabad schools after Senate okays bill

    All primary and secondary schools in Islamabad are required to introduce the Arabic language as a compulsory subject after the Senate approved the Compulsory Teaching of the Arabic Language Bill 2020 on Monday.

    The bill presented by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senator Javed Abbasi was endorsed by all members of the upper house, except Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Senator Raza Rabbani who wrote a dissenting note. The bill will be implemented within six months.

    As per the bill, Arabic will be taught in schools in Islamabad from grades 1-5, while Arabic grammar will be taught in grades 6-12.

    Senator Abbasi said Arabia is “the fifth most spoken language in the world”, adding that it would also open up more job opportunities for Pakistanis in the Middle East. According to the senator, the Holy Quran is in Arabic and “we would not go through the problems we are currently facing had we understood the Holy Quran”.

    Parliamentary Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Ali Muhammad Khan also agreed with Abbasi. He said the bill was in line with Article 31 of the Constitution that says: “Measures should be taken to spend our lives according to the Holy Quran and Sunnah.”

    According to Khan, learning Arabic was crucial to “become a good Muslim […] and understand God’s message”.

    However, PPP’s Rabbani said that legislation to make Arabic a mandatory language in schools was an attempt to “use Islamic for political purposes”. He further termed this an attempt to erase the diversity of Pakistan by imposing the foreign Arabic culture.

    “The Arab culture is not mine, [the] Indus Valley [Civilisation] is my culture,” he said, adding the Arabic language has nothing to do with Islam or Quran beyond being the language it was revealed in.

    In a response to The Current’s story on Instagram, PPP Senator Sherry Rehman said that contrary to the media reports, the PPP opposed the said bill.

  • ‘You call yourself professor… mind your tone’: Ahsan Iqbal gets a scolding from NA speaker

    Ruckus on Friday marred yet another session of the National Assembly as Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senior leader Ahsan Iqbal got a scolding from speaker of the House, Asad Qaiser.

    “Please follow rules. I am doing so too […] mind your tone,” the speaker told the opposition lawmaker.

    While the reason behind the war of words has not yet been confirmed by any, a video of the episode showed Iqbal repeatedly interrupting the speaker, demanding what appeared to be more time on the floor of the House.

    “Please mind your tone. You have been a minister, and you call yourself ‘professor’… is this the way to talk?” a visibly displeased Qaiser was seen asking Iqbal who kept talking back at the speaker.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    Earlier, rumpus also erupted after PML-N MNA Afzal Khokhar tabled a privilege motion.

    During the session, while talking about the operation to demolish his Lahore residence, the Khokhar Palace, the PML-N leader told the House that the administration had stormed his place late at night and destroyed furniture among other things.

    “This type of attitude of Punjab authorities will not be tolerated,” he said.

    The House has been adjourned to meet again on Monday.

  • PM thinks election every five years is a ‘tragedy’

    PM thinks election every five years is a ‘tragedy’

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has said that no nation could move forward without long-term planning and it was tragic that governments in Pakistan could not do so due to the general election being held every five years.

    According to The News, the premier, while addressing a function in connection with documentary-drama ‘Paani Ke Pankh‘ on Thursday, termed the 10 years of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) governments from 2008 through 2018 the “decade of darkness, marred by massive corruption, political expediency and inefficiency”.

    “When criminals become country heads, then no country can develop. So, one has to have faith in oneself. There are talented Pakistanis in every field outside Pakistan. The country’s system has to be fixed,” he said.

    “It takes a little time; people should not worry that the change has not come yet. It takes time to change the mindset. It’s tragic that in our country elections are held every five years due to which we do not have a long-term plan,” he continued.

    He said dams were built with a long-term plan and cited China as a country that is becoming the world’s fastest growing economic power and superpower because of long-term planning.

    “When we visited China, they told us what they were going to do in the next 10 to 20 years. No nation can move forward unless it has a long-term plan and thinks ahead. Unfortunately, we have a period of five years. We try to accomplish everything in five years, spend billions of rupees on advertisements and then fight elections on it,” he pointed out.

    Imran believed that this handicap had done a lot of damage to Pakistan.