PTI’s conscience clean in foreign-funding case: PM Imran
Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has said that the opposition was misleading the people in the foreign-funding case.
Speaking to his party’s spokespeople PM said, the PTI submitted all relevant details to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), noting that the leaders of two of the country’s biggest political parties made money through money-laundering.
Reacting to opposition’s call for APC he said they were doing so and protesting to mask their embarrassment. However, the people have rejected their protest.
Nawaz to be admitted in hospital upon cardiologist’s advice
Dr Adnan Khan, has said that Professor Simon Redwood of the London Bridge Hospital had recommended hospital admission for the former prime minister to undergo angiogram followed by further intervention.
“Once he has gone through all haematological investigations, we will then have a clear picture of what is required next and what the exact treatment should be”, Dr Adnan added.
Treason case: Musharraf, Govt file petition against special court’s verdict on Nov 28
The federal interior ministry and former president Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf both submitted pleas in the Islamabad High Court on Monday, requesting it to stop the special court from announcing its reserved verdict in the high treason case against the former army chief.
The special court, constituted to try the former military ruler for high treason, was set to announce its verdict on November 28. The IHC will hear the case on Tuesday.
The ministry in its plea has stated that the accusers to be tried with Pervez Musharraf were not included in the trial. The prosecution team was denotified on Oct 23, but it proceeded with the case on Oct 24 without having an authority in the matter.
Hundreds of charity posters and pamphlets with a picture of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif have emerged in different parts of London, requesting donations for the ailing former prime minister’s (PM) treatment, a private media outlet has reported.
“Please donate your Sadqa and Zakat to save your qaumi (national) hero,” read the banners, a majority of which have emerged in East London.
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The former premier is currently in London for medical treatment. On Wednesday, PML-N chief Shehbaz Sharif, while talking to media, had said that his brother’s medical treatment would begin after a complete medical examination.
“Nawaz has undergone some medical tests today [Wednesday] with others more to follow,” he had said while briefing media over the ongoing treatment of the former premier outside Guy’s Hospital. Shehbaz had also prayed for the health of the three-time prime minister of the country.
Ex-PM Nawaz reached London on Tuesday night for medical treatment in a “high-end air ambulance” equipped with an intensive care unit and an operation theatre.
Nawaz was accompanied by PML-N President Shehbaz and personal physician Dr Adnan Khan. A team of doctors and paramedics were also on board to cope with any emergency situation.
As soon as the former premier exited through the VVIP gate at Heathrow in London, he was welcomed by a convoy of party loyalists who took him home. In a statement, PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb said that Nawaz had safely landed in London and thankfully had not faced any medical complications during the flight.
She also asked the nation to pray for Nawaz’s health.
Ailing former premier was granted bail on humanitarian grounds while he underwent treatment at Lahore’s Services Hospital following a precarious drop in his platelet count last month. He was shifted to the hospital from Kot Lakhpat jail and later diagnosed with acute immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), an immune disorder that leads to an abrupt and sharp drop in blood platelet.
Last week, the Lahore High Ccourt (LHC) had permitted Nawaz to seek medical treatment abroad without any conditions for a time period of four weeks. In its decision, the LHC said that in case Nawaz’s health doesn’t improve then the time-period can be extended, adding that the government officials will be able to contact Nawaz through the Pakistani Embassy.
Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s former wife Reham Khan has lashed out at her former husband over the government’s restrictions on “Maryam Nawaz’s Diet Coke”, Pakistan Today reported.
According to the details, Reham in a video statement criticised the governmetn and said, “The Sharif family is a very resilient family. Your leader [Imran Khan] cannot spend even a single day in jail”, adding it would be very difficult if your leader [Imran Khan] is stopped from consuming Coke in jail.”
“You have placed restrictions on her Diet Coke today. Tomorrow if you have to spend a day in jail, you may not be served any Coke, Pepsi or Seven-up,” she added.
Reflecting on the events of 2014, Reham said what was happening today on the Pakistani political landscape was ‘karma’. She said Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman was doing the same things—dharna, long march, shutterdowns, protests—which Imran did in 2014.
While commenting on statements by the Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q) leader and Sheikh Rasheed, Reham said, “The betrayal and disloyalty that you have carried out with people, the same is happening (with you now). The same people, with whom you formed your small majority, are threatening you. They are not Reham Khan”.
She further said, “Your allies are also going to leave you. Ch Pervez Elahi was advising you to let Nawaz go abroad but you did not respond. You were disloyal to others in the past and now your people are going to be unfaithful to you.”
“What you (Imran) did to him in Punjab by bringing Buzdar. Now it’s time for Pervez Elahi’s turn.”
Lahore High Court (LHC) has allowed former prime minister Nawaz Sharif to travel abroad for four weeks for medical treatment, saying the duration could be extended based on medical reports.
As per reports, an air ambulance will arrive on Tuesday morning to transport Nawaz Sharif to London. Nawaz’s physician, Dr Adnan Khan took to social media to announce that the former premier was scheduled to travel to London within 48 hours once he’s clinically stabilized.
Former PM #NawazSharif is scheduled to travel abroad, to London-UK, for medical treatment within 48 hours once he’s clinically stabilised, made travel-worthy & is safe for air travel. He will make the journey in a fully equipped & medically staffed Air Ambulance; arriving soon.
Air ambulance is an aircraft that is equipped to fly as an intensive care unit (ICU).
A
medically staffed and equipped air ambulance provides medical care in flight
while a non-medically equipped and staffed aircraft simply transports patients
without a care in flight. All medical equipment and medications are selected to
fit the needs of the patient that is being transported so it can differ from
patient to patient.
Common equipment for air ambulances includes medications, ventilators, ECGs (a test that measures the electrical activity of the heartbeat) and monitoring units, CPR equipment ( a life-saving technique that is used when someone is suffering from any emergency issue such as cardiac arrest, heart attack or drowning), and stretchers.
The equipment in each air ambulance can include everything from breathing apparatus and monitoring systems, pacemakers and defibrillators (devices that restore a normal heartbeat by sending an electric pulse or shock to the heart) to blood transfusion equipment and a comprehensive supply of medication. The flight crew includes pilots and a medical team that will be able to meet patient needs.
What Nawaz Sharif’s air ambulance will include?
Dr Adnan tweeted that Nawaz’s ambulance would be equipped with a fully functional and staffed Intensive Care Unit (ICU) as well as an operation theater. A team of doctors and paramedics headed by an Intensivist would also be there for Nawaz.
Former PM #NawazSharif will travel to London in a high-end Air Ambulance equipped with a fully functional & staffed Intensive Care Unit (ICU) & Operation Theatre (OT). A team of doctors & paramedics will be on board headed by an Intensivist. ETD (LHE): Tuesday 19NOV19 Morning.
Adviser to Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan on Commerce, Abdul Razak Dawood, has given the credit of Pakistan’s improved rating in World Bank’s (WB) Ease of Doing Business Index to the previous Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government and its good policies.
Pakistan has jumped up 28 places on the index and secured a place among the top 10 countries with the most improved business climate — a development that will greatly improve its image abroad.
Pakistan carried out six reforms that helped improving its ranking from 136 to 108, according to the WB’s annual flagship report, ‘Ease of Doing Business 2020’, released last month. It turned out to be the sixth global reformer and first in South Asia that brought ease in doing business in the past one year.
Praising the PML-N in what is being termed as challenging his own premier’s policy statement, Dawood has said that it was the previous government’s good policies that helped the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) carry out the said reforms.
“Ease of doing busniess started improving under the previous government and their efforts helped us make even better. It’s not just us… look how the power crisis has been overcome. All of it wasn’t done within a single year,” he can be heard as saying in a video doing rounds over the internet.
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According to The Express Tribune, the WB monitors a country’s business related regulations on 10 benchmarks that are as broad as from starting a business, to getting electricity connection, securing construction permits, paying taxes, dispute resolution, business insolvency and protecting minority shareholders’ rights. All these areas are closely looked at by the global investors before they take decisions on making investment.
The report measures how close each economy is to the best global practices in business regulations.
On the measure of absolute progress towards best practices, Pakistan has improved the score to 61 from 55, suggesting the country did some remarkable work this time around and built on the reforms introduced in the previous year as well.
International investors consult the report and the Global Competitiveness Index of the World Economic Forum before taking decisions on investment plans.
While India remained top among South Asian nations, up 14 spots to 63, Pakistan also made a mark by climbing 28 positions and securing a place among the top 10 global business climate reformers and improving 28 positions in a year.
“This rise is significant and made possible by collective and coordinated actions of the federal government and provincial governments of Sindh and Punjab over the past year,” said the WB Country Director for Pakistan Illango Patchamuthu.
At least 100 provincial lawmakers of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on Thursday submitted their resignations from standing committees of the Punjab Assembly to register their protest against non-acceptance of their demands.
According to sources, the PML-N lawmakers submitted their resignations to the secretariat of the provincial house for not appointing Opposition Leader in the Punjab Assembly Hamza Shehbaz as chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and not issuing production orders for jailed party leaders, including Khawaja Saad Rafique.
As many as 97 members of the standing committees out of 100 had on Wednesday submitted their resignations to the party leadership.
“It is a black day in the history of the Punjab Assembly when over a hundred members have tendered their resignations from the standing committees,” PML-N leader Malik Nadeem Kamran said.
He trained guns at the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for not issuing Hamza Shehbaz’s production orders and said that the government had backtracked on its promise of appointing Hamza as the PAC chairman.
“Now, the standing committees will not have any political or moral status for legislation and circumstances called for such extreme measures.”
A day earlier, an accountability court in Lahore extended Hamza’s judicial remand till November 28 in the assets beyond means case.
During the hearing, Presiding Judge Amjad Nazeer expressed resentment at the PML-N leader for not maintaining the decorum of the court and instructed him to come to the rostrum and stay quiet.
Hamza also exchanged harsh words with the judge and explained that the people interacting with him had come to the court on their own. “Next time, you will come straight to the rostrum,” the judge directed Hamza.
The defence counsel sought exemption from personal appearance for Shehbaz Sharif, saying he had to appear before the federal cabinet in Islamabad.
Interior Minister Ijaz Shah has said that even Maryam Nawaz would be allowed to travel abroad if she was unwell, Geo News reported.
According to the details, the minister said that there was no difference of opinion in the cabinet over the issue of removing former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s name from the Exit Control List (ECL).
“Nawaz Sharif is being allowed to go abroad on humanitarian grounds,” Shah said, adding that according to the doctors, former Prime Minister’s health was in critical condition and his treatment was not possible in Pakistan.
“Nawaz is not going out of the country on a permanent basis. He will return after recovering from illness,” Shah said, dispelling the notion that the PML-N leader was being given relief under a deal.
He added that all the ministers were in favour of allowing Nawaz to go abroad for treatment.
Commenting on the ongoing Azadi March, Shah said, “We are giving Maulana Fazlur Rehman so many facilities that he will forget his demand for the prime minister’s resignation.”
The minister, however, conceded that the JUI-F chief was not going to leave Islamabad anytime soon. “We have given him water, electricity and medical support,” he said, adding that Maulana Fazl had grown fond of Islamabad.
PML-N leader Tallal Chaudry has come under fire again for passing derogatory comments and being rude to PTI MNA Kanwal Shauzab.
On a talk show, the PML-N and PTI members were in a heated debate on the ongoing ‘Azadi Marchi’ when Chaudry disrespected Kanwal by using abusive language and accusing her of the ‘things’ she has done to reach power.
“Main yahaan saari cheezain nahi bata sakta. Humaray peechay bhi phirti rahi ho. Iss baat ka jawaab do,” Chaudry said to Kanwal.
(Sister, I can’t discuss everything here. You also followed us. Do you have an answer to this?)
When Kanwal called him out for his “cheap” comments, Tallal responded, “Ghatiya tum ho gee (You are cheap). Keep your tongue in check.”
At this point, the host intervened and asked her guests to stay on the topic.
However, the two did not back down and continued to engage in an argument.
“Aap kay peechay kaun phir sakta hai? Aap toh khud dus jaghon say phir kar aye hain,” (Why would anyone follow you? You yourself have been at ten places), Kanwal remarked.
At this point, Tallal asked Kanwal to be quiet and act like a woman and earn her respect.
What was even more interesting to note that the JUI-F member Mufti Kifayatullah present on the show sat with his eyes closed.
Watch the video here:
Meanwhile, Twitter called out Tallal for being “rude and indecent”.
Ministers Shireen Mazari, Fawad Chaudhry and Zartaj Gul Wazir were among those who hit out at the lawmaker.
Talal Ch and his cohorts including Kh Asif abuse women in and out of parliament and don’t have the moral courage to apologise. https://t.co/fYh0OT9r9J
کل پیش آنے واقعے، جس میں طلال چوہدری نے انتہائی گھٹیا زبان استعمال کی میری ساتھی ایم این اے کنول شاہزیب کے بارے میں، اس کی بھرپور مذمت کرتی ہوں۔ طلال کا یہ لب و لہجہ اس کی پرورش اور ملنے والی خاندانی تربیت کی عکاسی کرتا ہے۔ یہ بندہ قابل ترس ہے اور اس کا میڈیا پر بائیکاٹ کیا جائے۔
Talal Ch’s behaviour is uncivilised, unethical& highly condemnable. All such characters irrespective of party affiliation who use abusive language,target women in public sphere should be banned by the leadership.They bring disrepute to politics @MaryamNSharif@CMShehbazhttps://t.co/lMGcWwdbF4
1. Usman Dar: it’s perfectly normal to throw in a ‘Pathan joke’. Casual racism doesn’t hurt anyone. #ShameOnUsmanDar2. Talal Ch: it’s alright to allege that a woman politician came into power by “giving favors”. #SlowClap for anchors who keep inviting them
This man is a disgrace! Talal Chaudhary should be condemned by all specially by women in politics as well as in media. Shame!! @KanwalMna Salute you for staying there listening to all that filth and still responding with words like ‘aap’. pic.twitter.com/xpvSvF6Hsl
This man is a disgrace! Talal Chaudhary should be condemned by all specially by women in politics as well as in media. Shame!! @KanwalMna Salute you for staying there listening to all that filth and still responding with words like ‘aap’. pic.twitter.com/8QoA3pVui1
This is not the first time Talal has come under fire for passing derogatory and sexist remarks. Earlier his comments on Firdous Ashiq Awan has sparked social media outrage.
“This is the kind of tabdeeli … if Baji Firdous Ashiq Awan got her face washed, the way her real looks would emerge from behind her makeup… she would appear as Firdous Khan instead. This is also the real face of this tabdeeli,” Chaudhary had said.
Following the backlash, Chaudhry had issued an apology on Twitter saying: “My intentions were not to hurt someone, if my statement or example was ‘inappropriate’ then I would like to apologise.”
Government-constituted medical board that is overseeing the treatment of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif, has recommended him a genetic test that is not available in Pakistan, The News International reported.
Reports quoted the head of the medical panel, Prof Dr Mehmood Ayaz, as saying that Nawaz needed to go abroad for treatment. “We will inform the Health Department in writing that Nawaz should undergo a genetic test abroad,” he reportedly said.
According to Dr Ayaz, a foreign visit would become essential if doctors want to examine Nawaz’s body tissues in order to diagnose the exact cause of his illness since the former prime minister (PM) was “not facing a minor genetic issue”.
With the panel head’s comments making headlines, rumour has it that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government — in both Punjab and centre — is paving way for the PML-N supremo to leave the country and “a deal has been struck”.
On Tuesday, Federal Minister for Interior Brig (r) Ijaz Shah had also hinted at allowing Nawaz to seek treatment abroad “if that turns out to be the only option”. According to some reports, incumbent PML-N chief Shehbaz Sharif is also trying to convince his brother to leave the country for treatment.
While the Lahore High Court granted bail to Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Monday, her release has so far been delayed due to procedural issues.
As per media reports, Maryam Nawaz’s lawyers were late in completing the necessary documentation. However, sources share that the delay wasn’t at Maryam’s lawyers’ end.
Due to the delay in her release, Mian Nawaz Sharif also did not shift to Sharif Medical City Hospital despite being discharged from Services Hospital on Tuesday. Mr. Sharif is adamant that he will shift only when Maryam Nawaz is released so that she can go with him.
Meanwhile, #ReleaseMaryamNOW trended on Twitter for several hours once news broke out that her release has been delayed due to procedural issues.
It is a shame that the judges leave early without implementing bail orders of @MaryamNSharif ! The personal and political vendetta against her speaks volumes the fear she instills in petty gov figureheads! #ReleaseMaryamNOW
They come n arrest her while she is meeting her father in prison, they come at 3 am in the morning to take her back to prison while she tends to her father in hospital. Where is the swift and rapid action when court orders release? #ReleaseMaryamNOWhttps://t.co/ifM7TQMIQS
