Tag: PML-N

  • Firdous says ‘ready for boxing match’ with Maryam Nawaz

    Firdous says ‘ready for boxing match’ with Maryam Nawaz

    Special Assistant to the Punjab Chief Minister on Information Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan has said that she was ready to have a boxing match with Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Maryam Nawaz.

    In a press conference in Lahore alongside British-Pakistani boxer Amir Khan, Firdous said she was ready to fight anyone.

    “I want to have a match with people who will come up to my level,” said the Punjab CM’s aide. At this, Amir Khan, who is in Pakistan on a visit, challenged the politician to defeat Maryam Nawaz in a boxing match. Firdous accepted the challenge, likening the PML-N vice president to a “broiler chicken”.

    The comments by Firdous irked the PML-N. “Baji, you’re quite aware that she is a Rajkumari,” PML-N’s Azma Bokhari tweeted in reply to Firdous’s comments. “Also, she is protecting the masses from your punches of inflation, unemployment and corruption.”

    Earlier this month, Firdous Ashiq Awan broke a stack of tiles with a punch, saying it was her response to the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM). “The PDM has been throwing punches at Imran Khan’s government, so now this was her response to them,” she had said.

    “I was afraid that I would be made fun of in front of the media if I don’t punch through [the tiles],” she said. “I don’t know Karate nor have I ever done anything like this. Of course, my knuckles were in severe pain… they aren’t made of steel after all,” she told Samaa TV in a subsequent interview.

  • Vawda claims Musadik Malik, a PhD, served as ‘doctor to royal family’ in Dubai

    In another spat on live TV, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmaker Faisal Vawda accused Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Dr Musadik Malik (a PhD) of being a “doctor to a royal family in Dubai” before he supposedly joined hands with military dictator General (r) Pervez Musharraf.

    This took Malik by surprise, who retorted he has a PhD in Healthcare Administration and Policy that has nothing to do with an MBBS degree. “How can you say I was a doctor to a royal family when I don’t have the required qualification,” he questioned Vawda, who appeared alongside him on a Dunya News show.

    But this did not stop Vawda from speaking further.

    The PTI lawmaker then accused Malik of serving as a caretaker minister during Musharraf era. “I didn’t ask why you were made a caretaker minister by Musharraf,” Vawda said, adding that this helped Musadiq Malik “manipulate pharmaceutical sector for personal gains”.

    Vawda reiterated that the PML-N leader was introduced as a doctor to the royal family during Musharraf’s time. “Which royal family,” asked Malik.

    “You were a doctor to the royal family in Dubai,” Vawda said. Dr Malik responded: “I’ve never even lived in Dubai.”

    The PML-N leader asked Vawda does he live in the same world as the rest of us. “Where are you getting your information from,” Malik hit back at Vawda, saying his “lies cannot go on”.

    At this, Vawda said: “I don’t know, I haven’t joined politics to study your personal history.”

    It may be noted here that Musadiq Malik didn’t serve as a caretaker minister during Musharraf era.

    According to a Dawn article, “Dr Malik first appeared on the national scene when he joined Gen Musharraf’s signature programme, the National Commission for Human Development (NCHD)” as a “volunteer”.

    He was later appointed as a caretaker minister in 2013 by then president Asif Ali Zardari.

  • Maryam trolled for sharing ‘doctored’ image of Lahore jalsa

    Maryam trolled for sharing ‘doctored’ image of Lahore jalsa

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Maryam Nawaz was trolled by social media users after the PML-N vice president shared a supposedly edited picture of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) rally held in Lahore last Sunday.

    The PDM held a gathering in Lahore on Dec 13. The government had played down the number of people who attended the gathering, saying only 10,000 people attended the rally. The opposition, on the other hand, put the number above 100,000.

    However, the picture of the rally shared by Maryam added to the controversy and also attracted flak for being “fake”. PTI wrote: “Decisive moment in PDM; after #LahorePDMJalsa turnout, PDM has resorted to utilizing its trump card; Clone Stamp Tool in Photoshop.”

    Prime Minister’s aide Shahbaz Gill tweeted that Maryam has “such a bad luck that she always gets caught”.

    Federal minister Hammad Azhar also didn’t miss the chance to troll the PML-N de-facto president.

    A user advised the PML-N leader to “fire her graphic designer”.

    Another user used this opportunity to make a meme.

  • Lion manhandled during Maryam Nawaz’s rally rescued by Punjab Wildlife Dept

    Lion manhandled during Maryam Nawaz’s rally rescued by Punjab Wildlife Dept

    The Punjab Wildlife Department has rescued a lion that was being manhandled by supporters during Maryam Nawaz’s rally in Lahore on Thursday.

    According to the Focal Person on Digital Media to CM Punjab Azhar Mashwani, the lion has been shifted to the zoo while the Wildlife Department has initiated legal action against five persons under the Wildlife Act.

    Further reports have suggested that authorities have also detained two PML-N supporters over the incident and fined them Rs 80,000.

    The incident had sparked outrage on social media with netizens demanding the government take action against those involved in harassing the animal during the rally. Under the law, people are not allowed to own wild animals like lions without a permit. It is unclear whether those involved in the incident have one.

    https://twitter.com/wildpakistan/status/1337289938585456640?s=20

    This is not the first time a lion has been spotted at a PML-N rally. Earlier in 2018, a few months before the 2018 General Elections, members of the party brought a lion in a cage to the rally venue in Haripur where Nawaz Sharif addressed his supporters.

    However, for today’s jalsa in Lahore, the PML-N has advised their supporters against bringing any animal. The spokesperson said that it is against the law and the party workers should not do any such thing.

  • Shehbaz is losing PML-N to Maryam: report

    Shehbaz is losing PML-N to Maryam: report

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz is practically steering the PML-N in the absence of party president Shehbaz Sharif, who is not even consulted on important political decisions.

    According to a report in The News, Maryam, due to her hawkish stance, has gained popularity in the party and the public. Her control on the party is strengthened to such an extent that she has stopped “consulting him [Shehbaz] for political advice”.

    Quoting an unnamed N-League leader, the report stated that Maryam doesn’t discuss “party’s confrontational approach towards the establishment” with Shehbaz because both stand poles apart on the issue.

    But it is Maryam’s word against Shehbaz because it’s supported by her father Nawaz Sharif and Maryam’s the real crowd puller.

    Shehbaz Sharif, the party president facing imprisonment on graft charges, is not happy with this new arrangement. He still insists on a “national dialogue to steer the country out of the present crisis”, the report adds.

    “Shahbaz Sharif is extremely worried that the outcome of the confrontational strategy could be ugly and could benefit someone else,” the report quotes an aide of Shehbaz as saying. The PML-N president also relayed his reservations to the senior leadership of the party in a meeting.

    Also, Shehbaz “firmly believes that PM Imran Khan is targeting him because he is the only acceptable alternative to the establishment”.

    “And if there is a process of forming a national government or any future national dialogue, he will be a key player,” the report added.

    However, Shehbaz, due to his non-confrontational approach, is losing grip on the party. Whereas, Maryam has proved her as the future leader of the PML-N and the party stalwarts, who don’t agree with her approach, also acknowledge her as de facto president.

  • Anti-govt protests: PML-N’s Khokhar brothers resign as lawmakers

    After MPA Rana Munawar Ghous, Lahore’s Khokhar brothers of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) have also handed over their resignations from respective assemblies to the party leadership.

    As per the details, MNA Malik Afzal Khokar and MPA Saiful Malook Khokhar submitted their letters amid talks of mass resignations by opposition lawmakers in protest against the government.

    PML-N leader Azma Bukhari has said that the party has not asked lawmakers to hand in their resignations but they are submitting them on their own.

    On the other hand, the leadership of the 11-party opposition alliance, Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), will meet in Islamabad today to devise strategy for the second phase of the anti-government movement.

    Resignations from the assemblies by PDM lawmakers will also be discussed in the meeting.

  • ‘Not just one’: How many properties does Dar have?

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Ishaq Dar doesn’t own just one property as claimed by him in a BBC News show.

    The politician, who is in self-imposed exile for three years now after graft charges were brought against him, owns at least 20 properties in and outside Pakistan. According to the NAB documents and government officials, the N-League senior leader owns a house in Lahore in addition to seven plots.

    In Islamabad, the former finance minister owns six acre of land, three plots in AlFalah Housing Society, and two plots in Parliamentarian’s Enclave. He also has a plot in the Senate Cooperative Housing Society.

    He also has six bank accounts on his name.

    Dar and his wife Tabassum Ishaq have three land cruisers, two Mercedes and one corolla in their name.

    During the interview, Dar had claimed that his sons owned a villa in Dubai, but NAB says that Dar also owns two apartments in the United Arab Emirates as well as two luxury vehicles. He also has investments in two companies in Pakistan and three abroad.

    DAR ON HARDTALK:

    Dar, who is in a self-imposed exile after corruption cases were filed against him, appeared on BBC News to talk about corruption charges, PML-N fight against the government, and NAB.

    During the show, the host asked Dar: “Is it your contention that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has no integrity? To this, Dar responded that NAB has lost its integrity. “It is an institution that has been used against political opponents.”

    Dar said the prime allegation in the Panama Papers Joint Investigation Team report on which the Supreme Court directed NAB to file a reference against him was that he didn’t file his tax returns in Pakistan for 20 years i.e. 1981-2001. Dar said as a chartered account, he had never missed filing his tax returns while living in the UK and North America, as he called these “blatant allegations”.

    At this the host asked Dar about the number of properties owned by his family. The PML-N leader responded, “It’s all in my tax returns.”

    Upon the insistence of the host, he said: “I have my main residence in Pakistan which has been taken over by this regime… I haven’t got too many properties.”

    “How many properties do you and your family own,” the host asked him again. At this, Dar said: “One.” At this, the show host asked him about the news reports in the Pakistan press that claim that the former PML-N minister owned multiple properties in and outside Pakistan. “You are sitting in London and you don’t own anything here,” the host asked Dar.

    Dar responded that he doesn’t own any property in London or anywhere else as claimed by the media reports.

    However, he went on to admit that his sons recently acquired a villa in Dubai. “They are adult and are in the business for the past 17 years,” he clarified.

    Dar, 69, is currently in London, “undergoing medical treatment”. He is absconding from several cases in Pakistan since 2017 and has been declared a proclaimed offender by the courts. He is facing charges of accumulating assets beyond known sources of income.

  • PML-Q leadership calls on Shehbaz to condole death of mother

    PML-Q leadership calls on Shehbaz to condole death of mother

    In an apparent thaw of frosty ties, a delegation of Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid led by Pervaiz Elahi called on Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif and vice president Maryam Nawaz to condole the death of Shamim Akhtar.

    Akhtar, the mother of Sharif brothers, died in London last month due to respiratory complication and her body was brought to Pakistan last week. Nawaz Sharif, who is in self-imposed exile in London, couldn’t come back due to “health reasons”.

    Whereas, the Punjab government released Shehbaz Sharif and his son Hamza Shehbaz on parole to attend the last rites of the Sharif family matriarch.

    According to media reports, the PML-Q delegation that called on Sharifs comprised Punjab Assembly Speaker Pervaiz Elahi, Moonis Elahi and Kamil Ali Agha.

    On the other hand, Maryam Nawaz, former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and other Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders were also present in the meeting.

    The meeting between the two parties come at a time when the anti-government campaign against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) — an ally of PML-Q– spearheaded by the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) is in full swing.

    A report in The News had claimed that there have been “informal contacts between the PML-Q and PML-N for cooperation in the Punjab Assembly against the PTI for quite some time”.

    The PML-Q is also unhappy with PTI over certain unfulfilled promises and had also skipped a luncheon organised by the prime minister last month. The PM had subsequently visited the PML-Q senior leader Chaudhry Shujaat — who is gravely ill — to salvage the alliance.

  • PDM protesters break into sealed jalsa venue ahead of joint opposition’s gathering

    Workers and leaders of joint opposition’s Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) on Saturday broke into the venue of the alliance’s Multan gathering to be held on November 30, which had reportedly been sealed by the administration.

    According to reports, the district administration had placed 30 containers around the venue, Qila Kohna Qasim Bagh, with more being brought in to block roads leading to the city and police deployed outside.

    As per the details of Saturday’s incident, a rally led by sons of former prime minister (PM) Yousaf Raza Gillani, namely Ali Haider and Ali Musa, overpowered law enforcement to enter the venue. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) workers led by local party leaders also accompanied the PPP stalwarts.

    The episode saw several scuffles between opposition workers and the police on different routes leading to the stadium where the rally was headed. A final scuffle broke out right outside the venue where hundreds of cops were discharging their duties.

    Unconfirmed reports of casualties — both police personnel and political workers — are pouring in.

    A senior PPP leader confirmed to The Current that Gillani brothers have taken control of the venue and a welcome camp is also being setup at the stadium. “They refuse to leave until the gathering has been held on Monday.”

    To a question, they said the people of Multan are overjoyed to have with them the late former PM Benazir Bhutto’s daughter, Assefa Bhutto-Zardari, who’ll be replacing her coronavirus positive brother and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari.

    Earlier, more than 200 workers of PDM constituent parties were arrested and raids were being conducted to arrest more. The lists of workers, particularly from the PML-N and PPP, were provided to respective police stations.

    The arrests had come after the government vowed to not let opposition “put people’s life at risk” by holding a gathering amid the second wave of COVID-19.

    As the opposition claims the government is using the virus outbreak to stop the PDM from holding its rallies against “the fascist regime”, PML-N Punjab President Rana Sanaullah has declared that the Multan rally will be held at all costs.

    Talking to the media outside the party’s Model Town secretariat in Lahore, he said if the government did not de-seal Qila Kohna Qasim Bagh, the entire city of Multan will become the venue of the public meeting.

    He said the first phase of the PDM’s anti-government protests will be completed by holding the last event of the series in the Punjab capital on December 13, and the next phase will begin after the alliance leadership devises a new strategy.

    “We stand united against the government,” he said.

  • Firdous Ashiq destroyed for saying Sharifs ‘parceling mother’s body to Pakistan through cargo’

    Twitterati are training guns at Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Sardar Usman Buzdar’s aide Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan for saying that the Sharifs were “parceling the body of their mother back to Pakistan through cargo”.

    Begum Shamim Akhtar, 90, breathed her last in London on Sunday and her dead body is being brought back to Pakistan. According to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Information Secretary Marriyum Aurangzeb, her funeral prayers will be offered on Saturday at the Sharif Medical City in Raiwind.

    “It is painful to see how those who used chartered flights to transfer cuisines are now parceling their mother’s body back to the country through cargo,” she was heard as saying during an informal media talk.

    With the government spokesperson also tweeting the same, her statement didn’t set very well with a number of netizens, who said:

    Meanwhile, Qul would be held on November 29 which would be attended only by members of the Sharif family.

    PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif and President Shehbaz Sharif have appealed to the people and workers to offer Fateha for their mother on the day of Qul in their respective areas.