Tag: PMLN

  • ARY News paid Rs1 million to forensics firm to check Saqib Nisar’s audio: Dawn

    ARY News paid Rs1 million to forensics firm to check Saqib Nisar’s audio: Dawn

    Primeau Forensics, the United States of America’s (USA) forensic audit company, confirmed on Wednesday that inspected the leaked audiotape of former Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Saqib Nisar forwarded by a private news channel of Pakistan, ARY News, reports Dawn.

    “It was a specific thing that we did for our client and we are not discussing it with anyone,” a company representative told Dawn. “We have no press release.”

    He said the client, ARY News, had the report, and “only they can share the details with others”.

    ARY asks for forensic audit:

    “According to ARY News, the audit of this 45-second file showed two reverberences in the voice as the person spoke from two different locations. The voice was clearer during the last 20 seconds as it came from a closer range.”

    “ARY News claimed that when it asked Primeau Forensics if the recording was of the original conversation or came from an edited tape, the company said the two parts of 20 and 25 seconds each were recorded in a different environment.”

    “Primeau Forensics told ARY News that it believed the unknown Fact Focus clip was generated from at least two different sources”.

    “They observed two different reverberences, indicating that the first portion of the audio was likely recorded in a different environment than the second portion”.

    Primeau Forensics, an audio-video image forensic expert- has more than 30 years of experience in the field. As per their official website, their experts have processed over 5,000 audio, video, and image forensic investigations and provided expert testimony in over 500 cases in local, state, and federal courts.

    ARY News claimed that it had paid Rs1 million for the audit.

    The US-based company has worked for attorney generals of multiple US States, CNN, AP, and other major organisations. ARY News claimed that it had paid Rs1 million for the audit.

    ‘Please run the news in UK/USA. Only in Pakistan, these news channels can lie & defame’: Ahmed Noorani

    Ahmed Noorani, the journalist who broke the news of the leaked audio of Saqib Nisar, tweeted, “Anxiously waiting for the ARY to air news against me and my expose of Saqib Nisar audio in UK & USA so I can send a legal notice & proceed against it.”

    “I am disappointed so far. Please, run the news in UK/USA. Only in Pakistan, these news channels can lie & defame. Stop being cowards.”

    Leaked audio of Saqib Nisar:

    In November, leaked audio of a conversation allegedly claimed that Saqib Nisar was the person who passed on the directions of handing down conviction to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Mian Nawaz Sharif and his daughter, Maryam Nawaz only because the “institutions” wanted the former prime minister penalised in order to bring ahead Imran Khan.

    As per the leaked audio, reported by Ahmed Noorani for Fact Focus, Chief Justice Nisar instructed that Mian Sahib (Nawaz Sharif) and his daughter (Maryam Nawaz) must be sentenced even though it is unfair.

    “Whether it is fair or not, it has to be done,” he conveyed to the person on the other end. “Regardless of the merit, we will have to do it (sentence Nawaz Sharif), and even to his daughter,” said Justice Nisar.

    Saqib Nisar denies the audio clip, says never contacted any judge

    While speaking to Fact Focus, Justice Saqib Nisar said that he never contacted any judge of accountability court to order him to pass any verdict against Nawaz Sharif or his daughter. “Why I would do that,” Saqib Nisar questioned adding, “I have no grudges against Mian Nawaz Sharif.” He said that no one from the Pakistan Army or the ISI ever contacted him or pressured him on this count.

    Samaa News claims CJP Nisar’s leaked audio ‘pieced together’

    Later, Samaa TV, a private news channel ran a news story and claimed that the former Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Saqib Nisar’s clip appears to be pieced together from two separate speeches of former CJP.

  • Shehbaz or Maryam: Who will be PML-N’s candidate for PM slot in 2023, reveals spokesperson

    Shehbaz or Maryam: Who will be PML-N’s candidate for PM slot in 2023, reveals spokesperson

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Muhammad Zubair while speaking on Geo News programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’, said that the party vice-president Maryam Nawaz has political ambitions hinting that she might be a candidate for the position of prime minter in the next general elections from PML-N.

    His comments come after former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi had announced that Leader of the Opposition Shehbaz Sharif will be PML-N’s candidate for prime minister in the general elections of 2023.

    Khaqan made these comments during a political talk show on Dawn News, ‘Khabar Se Khabar’. He said as Maryam Nawaz was not illegible, it’s likely that the party president is nominated since he leads the party.

    “Shehbaz Sharif is our president and he will be our next candidate for prime minister,” said Khaqan.

    Responding to Khaqan’s comments, Zubair said that Khaqan was one of the most senior members of PML-N and that he could not challenge his statements.

    “It’s a long way to go, Nawaz Sharif is not illegible, both Shehbaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz are facing court cases. The situation isn’t clear yet. The future will tell who is illegible [to be a candidate],” said Zubair.

    PML-N leader further said, “I have been hearing the case hearing in Islamabad High Court (IHC), I do not have a legal background but I am100 per cent sure that Maryam Nawaz will get relief in her cases because there is no corruption against her.”

    Anchorperson Shahzeb Khanzada further asked Zubair if Shehbaz Sharif will be the next nominee for the position of prime minister, to which he responded that Shahid Khaqan might have some knowledge as he has been in a place of leadership, he might have information on the matter.

    Khanzada said, “You are one of the closest leaders to Maryam Nawaz in the party, it is not possible that this interview [of Khaqan] came a day earlier and it is not possible that you have not conversed with Maryam Sahiba on this.”

    “I have not talked to Maryam Nawaz. She is busy with her son’s wedding. Having said that, there are no second thoughts on the leadership qualities and competence of Shehbaz Sharif. He has led upfront during the toughest of times,” responded Zubair.

    “I will not hesitate in saying that Maryam Nawaz has political ambitions. But along with that, she abides by party discipline. She will completely contribute to the electoral victory of PML-N,” added Zubair.

  • Watch: Junaid Safdar’s crooning yet again sways everyone

    Watch: Junaid Safdar’s crooning yet again sways everyone

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Maryam Nawaz and Captain (R) Safdar’s son, Junaid Safdar sang Ustaad Rahat Fatah Ali Khan’s ‘Mein Tenu Samjhawan Ki’ on his pre-wedding qawwali night.

    In a video, Junaid can be seen singing the hit song, Ayesha by his side. The viral video was praised by Twitter.

    https://twitter.com/TheSaadKaiser/status/1470485881085648896?s=20

    Guests also enjoyed the qawwalis by Rahat Fatah Ali Khan, who graced the event.

    Apart from it, new pictures of Junaid and Ayesha Saif emerged on social media in which they could be seen dressed up in stunning outfits.

    The groom’s mother, Maryam Nawaz, once again, didn’t fail to impress. She opted for a peach-coloured sharara with heavy silver embroidery.

    Junaid’s reception is scheduled to take place on December 17 in Lahore.

  • PTI trolls Maryam Nawaz’s singing at her son’s festivities, Twitterati react

    Focal person to Chief Minister (CM) Punjab Usman Buzdar shared Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz’s singing video and Twitter suggests that he mocked her for it.

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) social representative Azhar Mashwani took to Twitter and said, “The Sharif family can make a lot of success in video and sound production field. Not bad.”

    https://twitter.com/MashwaniAzhar/status/1468075682890665984?s=20

    Upon his criticism, Twitter users fired back at Mashwani. Human Rights Activist and Lawyer Jibran Nisar said, “Punjab has developed so much, milk canals are flowing, rations are being distributed free of cost, rule of law prevails, no fake encounters, no sit-ins, no violence, so the bored CM’s focal person is commenting on the marriage.”

  • ‘Aag laga de gaye’: PML-N Rana Sanaullah warns government

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) Punjab President Rana Sanaullah said if the government tries to hold the upcoming elections using Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) he will burn them.

    In a press conference on Friday, Sanaullah while talking about foreign loans stated, “Pakistan has gone bankrupt. The entire economy including the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has been handed over to International Monetary Fund (IMF).”

    He said, “Electronic machine par intekhaab hua toh machino ko polling station se nikal kar aag laga de gaye” (We will try every strategy against EVMs. If the election is held through this [EVMs], we will take out the machines from polling stations and set them on fire.)

    Talking about PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz’s leaked audio, he claimed that the government is exaggerating about the relevance of the audio.

    Prior to this, Rana talked about EVMs in a show and said if the government tries to force the elections through EVMs, the party would be left with no option but to follow the TLP way of protesting.

  • ‘If state doesn’t take action against those accused of blasphemy, such incidents will happen’: Maulana Fazl

    ‘If state doesn’t take action against those accused of blasphemy, such incidents will happen’: Maulana Fazl

    Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, holding the state responsible for the lynching incident in Sialkot, said, “If the state does not take action against the ones accused of blasphemy then such incidents will happen.”

    Taking his outrage to Twitter, Maulana wrote, “The incident in Sialkot is reprehensible and shameful. There should be a comprehensive investigation.”

    “In the past, there have been similar backlash against government-sponsored fugitives accused of blasphemy,” wrote Maulana.

    “Under the guise of such incidents, the international establishment conspires against the religious class and to make the Islamic provisions of the constitution controversial,” further tweeted Maulana.

    Meanwhile, Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) leader Ahsan Iqbal, disagreeing with Maulana Fazl tweeted, “Respectfully Maulana Sahib such incidents should be unconditionally condemned – Islam does not allow such fanaticism and illegal killings by mobs in any case.”

    “The nation expects the scholars to guide the nation in this matter,” tweeted Iqbal.

    Twitterati too reacted to Maulana’s statement.

  • PML-N will protest like TLP if govt forces electronic voting

    PML-N will protest like TLP if govt forces electronic voting

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) Punjab President Rana Sanaullah said that if the government tries to force the elections through Electronic Voting Machines (EVM), the party would be left with no option but to follow the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan’s (TLP) way of protesting.

    Sanaullah, in a Geo News Programme, ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’ stated that the other way to protest is in and outside of Parliament.

    He said, “The current government does not even have an idea of the dynamics of the polling stations and if EVMs were used, the 2023 elections would turn controversial even before they are held.”

    Shahzeb asked Rana that the Opposition can go to court over the EVM issue. To which he replied, “We will go to court. But if nothing happens, we won’t let this election happen at any cost.”

    Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said it is vital for the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to hold all upcoming by-elections using EVMs. In case the ECP fails to do so, the government will not be able to release funds under the law.

  • Journalist Ahmad Noorani says linking ‘an incident of attack in Lahore’ with his Saqib Nisar audio leak is ‘incorrect’

    Journalist Ahmad Noorani says linking ‘an incident of attack in Lahore’ with his Saqib Nisar audio leak is ‘incorrect’

    Investigative Journalist Ahmad Noorani has clarified the story about the attack on his wife by saying that “linking an attack incident with his [former Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar] story is incorrect.”

    He tweeted, “Many media persons and friends are connecting an incident of attack in Lahore with me and my recent story about Justice Saqib Nisar’s audio. This is incorrect. I have stated many times and I reiterate that a high-powered judicial commission should probe all allegations against Saqib Nisar.”

    Earlier, it was reported that his wife Ambreen Fatima was attacked in Lahore on Wednesday.

    Punjab Police, confirming the incident tweeted, “An investigation was initiated when the lady in question came to the station with the car,” the statement said, adding that a case had been registered against an unidentified person.

    “Teams led by the concerned Superintendent of Police (SP) are working on arresting and identifying the accused with the help of Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras,” police added.

    Moreover, Dawn reported that in a First Information Report (FIR) Ambreen Fatima, who is also a journalist, stated that she and her children left their house at 8pm on Wednesday.

    Her statement reads: “When we reached an adjoining street, an unidentified person raced towards the car and struck the vehicle’s windscreen three to four times with an iron object with the intention to cause me harm.”

    Fatima said the person also hurled death threats before running away.

    Fatima added that she did not have rivalry with anyone and urged police to take action and provide her with protection.

    This suspicious incident took place after her husband, Ahmad Noorani published a story about the former CJP Saqib Nisar, who has become controversial after the alleged audio tape (which story was reported by Ahmad) and a signed affidavit by former Chief Judge (CJ) of the apex court of Gilgit Baltistan Rana M Shamim.

    After the news, Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz’s (PML-N) spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb revealed that she had personally spoken to Fatima about the incident and said Fatima’s strength was admirable.

    PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif, while condemning the attack, said that the incident should be investigated at the highest level and the perpetrators should be punished in accordance with the law.

  • ‘Woh meri awaz hai’: Maryam Nawaz confirms authenticity of viral audio clip

    ‘Woh meri awaz hai’: Maryam Nawaz confirms authenticity of viral audio clip

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz, in a heated press conference on Thursday, confirmed the authenticity of her viral audio clip.

    In an audio clip doing rounds on social media, Maryam Nawaz can be heard saying, “We have given many chances to Samaa News. The kind of news Samaa [on-airs] and the way its anchor Nadeem Malik is, our pact no longer can work with the channel. So we are not giving any ads to Samaa.”

    ” Samaa News, Channel 92, ARY News, and Channel 24 will not get any ads from us [PML-N],” said Maryam.

    Meanwhile, when the reporter asked Maryam about her audio in the press conference, she confirmed the authenticity of the audio and said, ” Woh awaz meri hai [It is my voice].”

    She further added, ” I am accepting it is my voice and not saying it has been pieced together. This is an old audio, I was running the media cell of my party at the time of this audio.”

  • Wires cut to stop Nawaz Sharif’s speech, claim conference organisers

    Wires cut to stop Nawaz Sharif’s speech, claim conference organisers

    The organisers of the Asma Jahangir Conference 2021 condemned the alleged “muzzling” of former Prime Minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif’s speech on Sunday, reports Dawn.

    Soon after Sharif’s video link address began, internet services at the venue [Avari Hotel Lahore] were reportedly suspended.

    “Lines kaat dee gai hain [lines were cut],” the organisers claimed while pointing out the government’s role in muzzling the speech of Nawaz.

    Munizae Jahangir, Asma’s daughter, confirmed that broadband internet services and mobile internet had been suspended soon after Nawaz began speaking.

    The official statement released by the organisers said: “The organisers of the Asma Jahangir Conference regret the state’s highhandedness after it blocked the three-time elected former PM’s speech at the AJCONF2021 closing ceremony on Nov 21, 2021.”

    “The organisers of Asma Jahangir Conference 2021, which include the Supreme Court Bar Association, Pakistan Bar Council, and the AGHS, strongly condemn this act and consider it an onslaught on the freedom of expression,” they added.

    After the video call was cut off, the organisers arranged for a telephonic address by Nawaz.

    The President of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) Ahsan Bhoon appeared in Geo News programme ‘Naya Pakistan with Shahzad Iqbal’ and said that there was no need to tell judges [present at the conference] about Sharif’s closing ceremony speech.

    While replying to the question if judges know about the former PM’s address and did they have any objection over it, Bhoon said, “Why would there be any objection? Neither were they [judges] co-hosting nor did they have to converse with him.”

    However, government officials reacted to Nawaz speaking at the conference.

    Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said he had been invited to the event, but he had been informed that “the conference will be closed with the speech of an absconding convict; this is obviously tantamount to ridiculing the country and the Constitution, which is why I declined to participate in the conference.”

    Energy Minister Hammad Azhar tweeted: “Think positive; Perhaps the idea was to focus on [the] human rights of absconders..”

    Adviser to the Prime Minister on Interior and Accountability Mirza Shahzad Akbar, meanwhile, said, “Having an absconder and convict speak at a conference where the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) and senior judges of the superior judiciary and members of Bar have spoken creates serious doubts on [the] impartiality of organisers but also makes it clear that honourable judges should remain clear of such politicised gatherings.”