The United States (US) has reassured Pakistan once again of its support to end terrorism in the country for the safety of citizens and protection of human rights, Geo reported on Wednesday.
“We support Pakistan’s efforts to combat terrorism and ensure the safety and security of its citizens in a manner that promotes the rule of law and the protection of human rights,” US State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel said in a press briefing.
Miftah Ismail, former finance minister of Pakistan, got emotional during a talk show on Dawn News when journalist Wasatullah Khan asked him about his feelings after the recent “clean chit” he got from the court in the LNG case.
Miftah remarked, “Today should have been a happy day but it was a bitter day for me because of memories.”
Miftah broke down then, getting teary-eyed while saying, “They raided my home and breached my wife’s privacy by opening her closets.”
“I remember this and I will take Imran Khan to the court,” said Miftah.
He stated that an inquiry had already been conducted in Sindh in which he was exonerated and even though all the departments were based in Sindh but they opened a new inquiry on Sheikh Rashid’s request in Islamabad.
He further said, “I will take Irfan Mangi to court who was the DG NAB in Islamabad, Javed Iqbal (DG NAB) and Imran Khan to court.”
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has appointed Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Punjab President Rana Sanaullah as his adviser on political and public affairs.
The President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari approved the appointment of Sanaullah as the PM’s advisor.
Rana Sanaullah served as the interior minister during the previous government but lost his seat in the general elections 2024 in the National Assembly (NA-100) constituency in Faisalabad.
Sanaullah’s appointment came just after a day Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar was given the additional role of Deputy Prime Minister.
Sanaullah had recently hinted at the possibility of him taking a role in the federal government, stating that Nawaz Sharif would decide the matter after coming back from his China visit.
Urdu News reported on April 30 that under the new government that came into being after the February 8 elections, the smuggling of Iranian oil has increased by 67 per cent.
During the previous caretaker set-up, a crackdown resulted in smuggling being reduced by half across the country.
89 lacs litres of Iranian oil is being smuggled to Pakistan daily through six land and sea routes of five districts in Balochistan out of which 70 per cent is further smuggled to three major provinces, Urdu News revealed.
According to a report prepared by the Civil Intelligence Department in April, 105 people, including many current members of the Balochistan Assembly, former provincial ministers and politicians, were involved in the smuggling of Iranian oil.
After the general elections, the smuggling of Iranian oil has again reached an estimated 8.9 million litres per day.
The smuggling causes a loss of at least Rs 277 billion to the national exchequer.
Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa on Tuesday said “Did the world not know who was running Pakistan then[in 2018]? I gave it in writing that General Faiz Hameed was behind it[the Faizabad Dharna].”
A six-member bench, headed by Qazi Faez Isa, resumed the hearing of the suo motu case on the Islamabad High Court (IHC) judges’ letter accusing agencies of meddling in judicial matters.
The bench comprises Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhel, Justice Athar Minallah, Justice Musarrat Hilali and Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan.
CJP said, “We were taken off the case through a judicial order and something like this hadn’t happened in the entire history of the world which our Supreme Court did.”
Furthermore, Isa also said that “others” will become powerful till Parliament becomes strong.
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has cleared former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi in the Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) reference on Tuesday. The court declared all other suspects innocent in the same reference.
Abbasi was arrested by NAB in 2019 for allegedly causing a loss of 21 billion rupees to the national exchequer me
The NAB inquiry revealed that M/S Engro was awarded the LNG terminal at Karachi Port and contracts for LNG regasification by Sui Southern Gas Company Limited (SSGCL) through non-transparent practices. Both Abbasi and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif faced accusations of misusing their powers in awarding these LNG contracts.
Despite inquiries and accusations, Abbasi has maintained his innocence, stating that there were no irregularities in the LNG contract and stating the necessity of LNG exports in 2013.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Senator Aon Abbas has claimed on a talk show on Geo News that the previous caretaker government was singlehandedly responsible for creating the current wheat crisis in Punjab.
Abbas revealed, “The caretaker government on 22 October 2023 imported 34 lakh ton wheat from Ukraine at the rate of Rs 3,100 per ton and sold it in Punjab at Rs 4,500 per ton.”
The senator alleged that after this massive profit, the past caretaker government imposed strict rules on buying wheat from local farmers.
“There was somebody in the caretaker setup who planned this entire scheme by getting import LCs (letter of credit) opened for Ukrainian wheat and made a profit of 85 billion.”
Senator Talal Chaudhry from Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN) agreed with the PTI senator and said “The Prime Minister has ordered an inquiry into this matter and the Punjab government is also a victim like the farmers because this crisis was created by others.”
A legal representative for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) activist in the UK Shayan Ali, who is famous for protesting outside Nawaz Sharif’s residence in London, has informed the UK’s High Court that the young political worker suffers from mental health issues.
Mahtab Anwar Aziz is representing both Shayan Ali and Adil Farooq Raja in defamation cases brought against them by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader and Punjab cabinet member Mariam Aurangzeb, and Brigadier (retired) Rashid Naseer.
The duo has been accused of making false allegations of fostering terrorism, corruption, murder, kidnappings, torture, and electoral rigging.
In a recent hearing, lawyer Aziz argued before the court that his client Shayan was “a vulnerable young teenager, who has suffered mental health issues due to the strategically prolonged litigation designed to financially drain Ali’s family, who are supporting him as he is a full-time student.”
Meanwhile, Shayan himself remained defiant according to his posts on X, formerly Twitter.
Imran Khan revealed the names while speaking to journalists in Adiala jail on Monday.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) designated three PTI members, including Chief Misinter Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Ali Amin Gandapur and opposition leaders Omar Ayub and Shibli Faraz to talk with the military establishment.
The former prime minister and PTI founder, Imran Khan, confirmed the names of these three individuals while speaking to journalists in Adiala jail during the hearing of the £190m corruption case.
On the question of holding talks with establishment, the former prime minister said: “I have authorised Ali Amin, Omar Ayub, and Shibli Faraz for these dialogues.”
Khan also made it clear in front of the media that only these three PTI leaders are designated to talk with the military establishment.
Imran Khan also told journalists that he never disrespected state institutions, despite court orders asking him not speaking against them. He also said that these directives from the court are against his fundamental rights protected by the Constitution.
Imran claimed that confusion regarding the name of the chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) will end today.
Sessions Judge Shakirullah Marwat, who was abducted by unidentified kidnappers on Dera Ismail Khan’s Tank Road, returned home safely on Monday. However, senior journalist Azaz Syed has revealed that the “Judge was released after the KP government paid five crores to terrorists as extortion.”
According to Syed, “The Marwat clan played a positive role in getting the hostage back, especially, Sher Afzal Marwat.”
He said the Marwat clan reached the “shadow governor of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)” and they initially demanded seven crores but settled on five crores as the extortion payment.
Azaz Syed asserted that this is the most unfortunate circumstance that the provincial government was held hostage by the banned TTP and the group has appointed their representatives or shadow governors in every district.
The journalist remarked that this is an extremely alarming situation that the TTP is operating so freely in DI Khan and can abduct a serving judge.
He said, “They’re extorting the common people there as well.”