Tag: PMLN

  • ‘First army chief to be appointed on merit in Pakistan’: PM Shehbaz lends support to COAS Munir

    ‘First army chief to be appointed on merit in Pakistan’: PM Shehbaz lends support to COAS Munir

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif, in a series of tweets, has lashed out at Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, slamming his criticism of the establishment and current Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir.

    Calling out Khan, Shehbaz Sharif wrote, “PTI’s disgusting smear campaign against COAS Munir at the behest of Imran Niazi is deserving of the strongest condemnation”, adding that “Khan is going to the extent of damaging the country and undermining our armed forces and their leadership.”

    In a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), PM Shehbaz strongly condemned the “vile campaign” against the Pakistan army and COAS Munir and called on overseas Pakistanis to raise their voice against it.

    Referring to the COAS as the “first army chief to be appointed on merit in Pakistan”, Shehbaz Sharif stressed that such a campaign could only be the agenda of the enemies of the country.

    He said that “toxic politics” was being spread through overseas Pakistanis.

    The premier called on patriotic Pakistanis living abroad to raise their voices against the “foreign-funded campaign” and not become a part of such conspiracies.

    In response, PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry said the statement is only to create distance between the people and the army so “PDM can continue looting”.

    On the behalf of the party, he clarfied that the party wishes well to the army chief.

    A day earlier, hundreds of Pakistanis Americans gathered outside the White House, in the United States (US) to demand an end to the government’s actions against Imran.

    During the demonstration, one of the protesters said that the “establishment must realise its mistake”.

    On March 3, the PTI chief said that he is ready to hold talks with the COAS for the sake of the country, claiming that the army chief considers Imran his enemy.

  • ‘Yeh toh dracula ban gaya hai’: Khawaja Saad lashes out at Imran for chaos in Zaman Park

    Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique has lashed out at Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, calling him “Dracula”.

    The minister started off by saying that his party leaders “never shed a tear or created drama when the court asked them to appear”, however, he was of the view that “Khan pressurised the courts.”

    He said that police reached Imran Khan’s residence in Zaman Park on the court’s order with arrest warrants. Emphasising that the police was unarmed except for shields, Rafique said that PTI loyalists injured not only the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) but also 65 other officers.

    “Imran hasn’t done it for the first time, he has become Dracula”, said the minister.

    He also claimed that there are some people within the establishment, judiciary and media who are still in Khan’s favour.

    It is pertinent to mention here that since Tuesday the Islamabad police and Rangers have been trying to arrest Imran but failed to do so.

    The police arrived with Khan’s arrest warrant which was issued by a court in Islamabad on Monday, March 13, due to his continuous absence from the hearings of the Toshakhana case. The court had also directed police to present the ex-premier in court by March 18.

    A case was registered against Khan that he hadn’t disclosed gifts that he received and was supposed to deposit in Toshkahana before selling them. Despite the court’s numerous warnings, Khan didn’t appear before the judge.

  • Will Shehbaz and Imran sit together for talks? PTI gives green signal

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senior leader Fawad Chaudhry has claimed that party chairman Imran Khan is open to negotiating with the incumbent government.

    He said that Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif and Law Minister Azam Tarar had stressed on holding talks and PTI welcomes these developments.

    “I hope Shehbaz Sharif will invite PTI for talks on the elections schedule. However, we have one proviso: we will not discuss their corruption cases and those have to be out of talks,” said Chaudhry.

    Moreover, Pakistan Bar Council urged all the political parties to set aside their differences and talk in order to solve the disputes which have plunged the country into a constitutional crisis.

    The bar council said that “they are “ready to call/arrange All Parties Conference (APC) and invite all the central leadership of parliamentary parties to reconcile their disputes through dialogue and to hold free, fair and transparent elections to all Assemblies on a mutually agress timeframe.”

    The bar council stressed that the reconciliation process should be held “for the sake of the country as it cannot afford to further linger on prevailing tensions.”

    Last month, in the wake of rising terrorist attacks, PM Shehbaz Sharif called for all parties conference and invited PTI chief Imran Khan as well. However, at the time Khan refused to take part in it.

  • Maryam Nawaz and Fawad Chaudhry clash on Twitter after he accuses her of getting watch from Toshakhana

    Maryam Nawaz and Fawad Chaudhry clash on Twitter after he accuses her of getting watch from Toshakhana

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senior leader Fawad Chaudhry on Sunday accused Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senior Vice President Maryam Nawaz of retaining a watch from Toshakhana and said that she should be summoned by National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

    He also claimed that this matter should be investigated because “a private citizen got a 2 crore worth watch for 10 lac.”

    Reacting to this, Maryam tagged her Political Secretary Zeeshan Malik to report Fawad for “propagating lies”.

    On Monday, Fawad took to Twitter to share that Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has taken notice of his accusation within a few hours of Maryam’s tweet and pointed out that Supreme Court is quiet when the rights of citizens are suspended in the country.

    In the notice attached with the tweet, the FIA purportedly had asked Fawad to appear in person on Friday (March 17). The tweet was later deleted.

    The Cabinet Division made records of the Toshakhana available to the public on Sunday night.

    Aaj News also aired the false claim related to Maryam, but later apologised to the PML-N leader. However, Maryam Nawaz said that she will take legal action against the channel.

    In a tweet, Maryam said she will lodge a complaint with Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) against journalist Amir Mateen for also airing the false claim.

  • ‘Aik do ghariyaan theen, mere betay ne le li’: Shahid Khaqan about his Toshakhana gifts

    ‘Aik do ghariyaan theen, mere betay ne le li’: Shahid Khaqan about his Toshakhana gifts

    Former Prime Minister (PM) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senior leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has said that his son bought watches from Toshakhana which he had received from foreign dignitaries when he was the PM.

    In an interview with a web channel, Abbasi said that he doesn’t wear watches, adding that “aik do ghariyaan theen, mere betay ne le li” (There were some watches, which my son bought).

    He said that gifts are given to the military secretary, not to the prime minister, which are then deposited in the Toshakhana.

    Shahid Khaqan said that later the military secretary writes to the official that such a thing has been gifted, quoting the price if the PM wants to buy it for personal use. If you don’t buy them, they auction the gifts.

    The former premier said that his son took some watches from Toshakhana after paying the amount they asked for it. He added that he left the rest of the gifts in Toshakhana.

    The debate on Toshakhana started when former PM Imran Khan was accused of acquiring gifts without giving their full payment and selling them for profit.

  • The Minister for Human Rights Should Resign: Here is His Resignation Letter

    The Minister for Human Rights Should Resign: Here is His Resignation Letter

    Last month, a 24-year-old woman was gang-raped at gun point by two men in Islamabad’s F9 park. The First Information Report (FIR) filed by the victim stated that after she was raped, the assailants gave her Rs1,000 and told her that she should not have been in the park at night.

    How did the federal Minister for Human Rights react to this heinous crime? Almost three weeks later, in a televised interview with Nadir Guramani, on the topic of the F9 rape case, Mian Riaz Hussain Pirzada said that mothers of ‘tarbiyat’ (good upbringing) do not let their children go out at night. In one breath, Mr Pirzada not only victim-shamed the victim of the rape but he also blamed her mother for not having “properly reared” her daughter.

    Clearly, Mr Pirzada has no understanding of what his job entails as the federal Minister for Human Rights. Here is a tailor-made letter of resignation he can sign on his way out.

    TO:​​ Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif
    FROM:​​ Mian Riaz Hussain Pirzada
    RE:​​ Letter of Resignation (Federal Minister for Human Rights)

    Dear Excellency,

    I write to you with the heavy weight of self-awareness on my shoulders. I have come to see that I am a misogynist and therefore I cannot represent fairly and equally the rights of all the citizens of Pakistan.

    The term “misogyny” is often linked to woman-hating. The problem with this outdated view of misogyny is that, when it is used like this, it is a circuitous nonsense. As soon as I tell you that I love my mother and my wife, which I do, I have proven to you that I simply cannot be a misogynist.

    What I have come to learn is that misogyny is an enforcement system that keeps women in gendered roles. A woman who carves out her own path, or steps outside the role of being a well-behaved, supportive, giving woman, is disrespectable in the eyes of a misogynist and he (or she) is then entitled to put that woman back in “her place” to ensure she complies with the norms and expectations of patriarchy.

    In my interview with Mr Guramani, I concurred with the F9 rapists: the woman who got raped had it coming because good girls do not venture out at night. I went one step further and I also blamed the victim’s mother because, clearly, she has not raised a good girl. This justification of rape makes me a misogynist. I wonder if the rapists’ criminal defence will quote my words and use my line of reasoning?

    As the Minister for Human Rights, I should have known that Chapter 1 (Fundamental Rights) of the Constitution of Pakistan provides for equality of citizens and “no discrimination on the basis of sex” (Article 25) and that security of person entails that no person shall be deprived of life or liberty (Article 9).

    As the Minister for Human Rights, I should have demanded that my own government (and the police) do more to protect our citizens, who have every right to enjoy their liberties, which include taking in the night air, free of fear and discrimination, whether man or woman.

    As the Minister for Human Rights, I should have made clear that the rapists are the real and only culprits of the F9 rape and that I stand firmly with the victims, enraged at the violation of their human rights.

    I am an embarrassment to the Ministry of Human Rights and I hereby resign, with immediate effect.

    Mian Riaz Hussain Pirzada

  • ‘Dunya jitni Begum Safdar ko jaanti hai, utni Sunny Leone ko bhi jaanti hai’, says a PTI leader who doesn’t deserve to be a Pakistani politician

    ‘Dunya jitni Begum Safdar ko jaanti hai, utni Sunny Leone ko bhi jaanti hai’, says a PTI leader who doesn’t deserve to be a Pakistani politician

    We, unfortunately, live in a society where we have to deal with misogynists every day, at every level. Our politicians are no exception to the rule. Fayyazul Hassan Chohan, who happens to be a former provincial minister and a prominent member of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), doesn’t even hesitate to use filthy language for a woman politician.

    While talking to the media, Chohan, with a smile on his face, compared Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senior Vice President Maryam Nawaz to former pornographic actress Sunny Leone.

    “Dunya jitni Begum Safdar ko jaanti hai, utni Sunny Leone ko bhi jaanti hai” (As much as the world knows about Sunny Leone, they know about Begum Safdar too).

    In a degrading tone and high-pitched voice, he kept using insulting remarks against Maryam Nawaz Sharif. Not only this, he even used foul language while talking about Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah.

    This is not the first time that a PTI leader has targeted Maryam. Fayaz’s party chairman Imran Khan, in a public rally, said that Maryam might annoy her husband the way she repeats his [Khan] name during her political speeches.

    “Someone sent me a clip of Maryam’s speech… Maryam took my name repeatedly so passionately that she should be careful… it might annoy her husband,” said Khan.

    Chohan is indeed a problematic politician. In 2019, he was removed from his post as Punjab Minister for Information and Culture over derogatory remarks against the Hindu community.

    The Current strongly condemns the PTI leader’s misogynist comment.

  • More audio leaks of judges coming soon, claims journalists

    More audio leaks of judges coming soon, claims journalists

    Veteran journalists Azaz Syed and Umar Cheema have claimed on their YouTube show “Talk Shock” that more audio leaks which have the potential to plunge the country into further crisis, might surface soon.

    The two journalists discussed the recently leaked audio recordings which allegedly feature former Chief Minister (CM) Punjab Pervaiz Elahi talking about a sitting Supreme Court (SC) judge. The two journalists said that according to their well-informed sources, there are some audio leaks that may release soon.

    Syed said that some of the recordings are also related to former Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Saqib Nisar.

    However, both of them clarified that the information is not confirmed yet.

    Azaz added that judges’ phones are not being taped and highlighted that the recording of someone’s call is highly immoral and condemned the audio leaks.

    Moreover, they thoroughly discussed Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senior Vice President Maryam Nawaz’s heavy criticism of the judiciary, claiming that government might know about the contents of the upcoming audio leaks.

  • Arrest warrant issued for Rana Sanaullah for threatening govt officials

    Arrest warrant issued for Rana Sanaullah for threatening govt officials

    An arrest warrant for Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah has been issued by Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Gujranwala today (Friday) for allegedly threatening judiciary and government officials in his public speeches.

    The court also directed the police to present the minister on March 7 and issued a show-cause notice to the Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) and the Superintendent of Police (SP), ordering them to appear before it on the same day.

    A terrorism case was registered against Sanaullah in August last year on the complaint of a citizen, Sheikh Shekaz Aslam. The first information report (FIR) stated that during his speeches on April 15, 2021, and January 29, 2022, the interior minister had threatened to stop the judiciary from doing its job and kill the children of the Punjab police officials.

    According to the first information report (FIR), the complainant saw the federal minister’s threatening remarks on Geo News‘ programme ‘Naya Pakistan’.

    The FIR states: “The purpose of Sanaullah’s statements was to terrorise the judiciary, chief secretary, commissioner and people of the country,” adding that “his aim was to stop the officials from working and prevent them from fulfilling their lawful responsibilities.”

    Moreover, he demanded an investigation against the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader.

  • Will summon Faiz Hameed in Parliament, says Khawaja Asif

    Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has said that he will demand in the parliament that former Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Director-General (DG) Lieutenant General (retd) Faiz Hameed should be summoned to the floor.

    Speaking on Mohammad Malick’s show “Breaking News” on 92 News, he alleged that Hameed brought Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) back to the country. Referencing to Hameed’s visit to Kabul in 2022 asked why Hameed gave out assurances that everything would be okay.

    It is pertinent to mention here that the former spy chief went to Kabul following the withdrawal of United States (US) troops from Afghanistan.

    He was expected to discuss border management and the overall security issue — to ensure that spoilers and terrorist organisations do not take advantage of the situation — with the Taliban.

    Further lashing out at Hameed, the federal minister said that hundreds of thousands of Afghanis are still in Pakistan and put the blame for the recent extreme episodes of terrorism on the former spy chief’s head.

    He also pointed out that terrorism incidents in the country did not increase just within six to eight months.

    Since government talks with the TTP broke down in November, the militant group has intensified its attacks across Pakistan including attacks on the police.

    According to statistics released by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), January 2023 remained one of the deadliest months since July 2018.

    In January, more than 100 people lost their lives in a suicide attack at a mosque in Peshawar’s Police Lines. The TTP initially claimed responsibility for the attack, however, it later backtracked and claimed that it did not perpetrate the bombing.

    TTP is also responsible for the recent attack on Karachi police chief’s office which took place on February 17.