Tag: politics latest

  • Interior Ministry ordered banning of Twitter in Pakistan

    Interior Ministry ordered banning of Twitter in Pakistan

    The Ministry of Interior, headed by Mohsin Naqvi, has accepted that it directed Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to ban X, formerly Twitter. The Ministry revealed this information in a reply to the Islamabad High Court (IHC), after the court had asked why the social media platform had been shutdown.

    In its reply to the IHC, the Ministry quoted the controversial 2021 social media rules stating that Twitter had not registered itself in Pakistan nor signed any MoU with the government of Pakistan.

    The reply to IHC said, “As a foreign entity operating in Pakistan, Twitter/X is subject to the regulatory framework of the country, including the compliance with legal directives issued by the Government of Pakistan.”

    It further said, “The ban on Twitter/X serves as a necessary step to address this regulatory vacuum and compel the platform to respect the sovereignty and legal jurisdiction of Pakistan.”

    The Ministry’s reply also said that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has forwarded numerous requests to Twitter/X through PTA to block those accounts involved in a defamatory campaign against CJP Qazi Faez Isa and criticized the lack of cooperation from Twitter/X.

    It also mentioned that TikTok was also banned for a while by Pakistan, after which the company signed an MoU to abide by local laws, address content moderation issues, and enhance cooperation with Pak authorities.

    Meanwhile, the Sindh High Court (SHC) also directed the Ministry of Interior to revoke its letter regarding the suspension of X within one week.

    “What are you [interior ministry] achieving via shutting down trivial things […] The world must laugh at us,” said SHC Chief Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi.

    As of now, X/Twitter has been inaccessible in Pakistan for the last two months.

  • Former CM Parvez Khattak likely to join PPP

    Former CM Parvez Khattak likely to join PPP

    Former Chief Minister of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Pervez Khattak, who faced a stunning defeat in the general elections on February 8, is now actively trying to join the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), The News reported on Wednesday.

    Sources close to Parvez Khattak told The News that the former defence minister is thinking of joining the PPP even though he had announced that he would quit politics after his defeat.

    Pervez Khattak had formed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Parliamentarians (PTI-P) after parting ways with former prime minister Imran Khan in the aftermath of the May 9 violence.

  • MBS likely to visit Pakistan next month

    MBS likely to visit Pakistan next month

    Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman is likely to visit Pakistan next month after a recent visit by the Saudi delegation led by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud.

    The News has reported that the Crown Prince, also the Prime Minister of the Kingdom, will come to Pakistan on the invitation of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

    The schedule of the visit is being worked out through diplomatic channels. Meanwhile, the Saudi foreign minister had highly productive meetings with the political and military leadership before returning home late Tuesday evening.

    Earlier, during the meeting of foreign ministers of both countries, Foreign Minister Dar expressed pleasure at the arrival of the high-powered Saudi delegation, terming it as an “impressive group of dignitaries visiting Pakistan for the first time during his long political career”.

    The Saudi FM stressed the importance of a strategic partnership between the two countries and expressed commitment to strengthening investment in the country.

  • You can go to jail for posting pictures with guns, weapons online

    You can go to jail for posting pictures with guns, weapons online

    The Rawalpindi Police have arrested a man from the Jatali area for posting pictures with weapons on social media, The News reported on Wednesday.

    The police arrested the suspect named Naqash because people were scared and worried about him sharing content about weapons.

    SP (Saddar) Muhammad Nabil Khokhar said the man will face strict action, adding that this is a clear message that those who use social media platforms to spread fear and terror will be held accountable.

  • PTI to hold public rallies across country before by-elections

    PTI to hold public rallies across country before by-elections

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) announced on Wednesday that it will hold public rallies across the country, especially in Punjab, before the upcoming by-elections set to take place on April 21st.

    PTI chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, along with party leader Sher Afzal Marwat, talked to journalists in front of Adiala jail about their meeting with party founder Imran Khan.

    The former Prime Minister asked Barrister Gohar Ali Khan to announce the party’s plan about public rallies in the country before by-polls. Imran Khan specifically assigned Sher Afzal Marwat to lead public rallies in Punjab.

    Furthermore, it was noted that Imran Khan instructed the party’s leadership to revamp the party’s activities nationwide, particularly in Punjab.

    Barrister Gohar, Omar Ayub, and Sher Afzal Marwat were given the responsibility to mobilize the party in Punjab and KP for upcoming by-elections. They were also tasked with organizing rallies before the elections. The party’s founder specifically assigned Sher Afzal Marwat to visit constituencies where the by-elections were happening.

  • US reaffirms support to Pakistan in managing economic crisis

    US reaffirms support to Pakistan in managing economic crisis

    As Pakistan, yet again, seeks a fresh International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout package, United States Department of State Spokesperson Matthew Miller has remarked that America fully supports Pakistan in managing its debt crisis.

    “Pakistan has made progress to stabilise its economy, and we support its efforts to manage its daunting debt burden. We encourage the government to prioritise and expand economic reforms to address its economic challenges,” he said addressing a press briefing in Washington.

    He welcomed the recent staff-level agreement reached between the IMF and Pakistan on the second and final review under the $3 billion Stand-By Arrangement, which, if cleared by the IMF’s board, will release about $1.1 billion to the indebted country.

    Finance Minister of Pakistan, Muhammad Aurangzeb, is currently in the US to hold meetings with the IMF for the recent lending package.

    The News reported that Pakistan intends to make a request for augmenting the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) through climate finance, so there is a possibility of securing $6 to $8 billion SBA.

  • Bushra Bibi wants to leave Banigala sub-jail and go to Adiala Jail, court refuses request

    Bushra Bibi wants to leave Banigala sub-jail and go to Adiala Jail, court refuses request

    The Islamabad High Court (IHC) turned down Bushra Bibi’s application, where she had requested a transfer from Bani Gala sub-jail to Adiala jail.

    IHC judge Mian Gul Hasan Aurangzeb heard the petition and showed discontent as the lawyer of the former first lady was late to court. Judge Aurangzeb rejected Bushra’s request, without the lawyer present.

    After the rejection was announced, Bushra’s lawyer Shoaib Shaheen reached court and said that he was late due to the long wait at checkposts.
    After her request to move to jail was denied, Shaheen urged the court to do a medical examination and address her health concerns. Bushra has alleged that she is being ‘slowly poisoned‘ at home.

  • PML-N leaders lambast the Faizabad Commission report

    PML-N leaders lambast the Faizabad Commission report

    Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has criticized the recently published report of the Faizabad Sit-in Inquiry Commission which gave a clean chit to the former Director-General of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) General (retd.) Faiz Hamid and blamed the then-government for the entire event.

    Asif opined that the report was neither authentic nor reliable, saying, “Faizabad commission was a joke as General (retd) Hamid and former army chief Gen (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa did not appear before the commission but only political workers like me did.”

    Questioning the reliability of the commission members, the defence minister said that they were not serious when he appeared before the commission.

    “The Faizabad inquiry commission must introspect about whether it fulfilled its duty or not,” he added.

    Meanwhile, Khurram Dastgir, a senior PML-N member remarked on GTV that Pakistan has its own parliament and that is the only constitutional and right way to investigate this matter.

    “Without accruing criminal liability, parliament must call all those actors to inquire the allegations,” said the former defence minister.

    “We shouldn’t leave this up to the annals of history but bring out the truth through parliament,” remarked Dastgir.

    Remember the Faizabad dharna? The 2017 Faizabad sit-in was organized by Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), led by Khadim Rizvi, on November 8 to protest amendments in the Elections Bill specifically the word ‘oath’ changed to ‘declaration’. On November 25, the government clashed with protestors after many attempts of ‘peace talks’, resulting in nationwide protests and the deaths of more than six people across Pakistan.

    Earlier, the Faizabad Dharna Inquiry Commission was formed after accusations were raised that the then Major General DG (Counter Intelligence), General Faiz (who later became D.G. ISI) was involved in the dharna to pressurise the government and to investigate the TLP 2017 sit-in. The Commission has finalized its report, seven years later, and has sent its report to the federal government. The report completely exonerates General (retd.) Faiz Hamid from any responsibilities in the incident.

    The three-member commission was headed by retired police officer Syed Akhtar Ali Shah and consisted of former IGP Islamabad Tahir Alam Khan and Additional Interior Secretary Khushal Khan.

    The report put the onus on the then-ruling PMLN government, for mishandling the right-wing religious party’s violent sit-in.

    The report said that the fallout from the Faizabad dharna was “more due to lack of courage of conviction of the leader handling the issue and in particular the government of Punjab”.

    The report stated that former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi had “confirmed that no individual/organization was involved in organizing or facilitating Faizabad Dharna”.

    Moreover, Mr Ahsan Iqbal, Mr Zahid Hamid, Mian Shehbaz Sharif and the then Intelligence Bureau (IB) Chief were also asked about the alleged role of agencies in supporting the march and they all denied such allegations.

  • Ali Haider Zaidi accepts that PTI government relied too much on Gen Faiz

    Ali Haider Zaidi accepts that PTI government relied too much on Gen Faiz

    In a talk show on ARY News, Kashif Abbasi asked senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Ali Haider Zaidi about the biggest mistake of the PTI government in his personal opinion. Zaidi remarked that their handling of political matters was weak.

    When the anchor asked the PTI leader whether there was too much reliance on General Faiz and establishment on convincing other MNAs on passing any bills in the parliament, Zaidi replied, “Imran Khan has accepted this himself, Khan said that we [Khan and establishment] were on very good terms and they used to help us during passing of budgets.”

    He remarked that in hindsight that was the biggest mistake PTI government made during their tenure but at the time it was difficult to comprehend due to the fog of war.

    He also emphasized that in every democratic society, decision-making should be completely political.

    Ali Zaidi said that he’s not coming back to politics until he “clears a lot of things with Imran Khan”. And then he asked the anchor, “Have I ever said anything against Imran Khan? Have I ever tweeted against PTI? Did I say anything against PTI since I’ve been in your program?”

    He blamed the party’s Core Committee for letting his family be vilified online due to their deliberate lies. “My daughter comes home from school and asks what they are saying about us,” he recounted.

    He emphasized that the committee members deliberately lie to get to upper ranks and expose internal party differences in public. He said that he would need to talk these things over with Imran Khan and let him know what these people did to us.

  • Sanaullah says party cannot keep promises to people because ‘they didn’t give us majority’

    Sanaullah says party cannot keep promises to people because ‘they didn’t give us majority’

    In a talk show on Public News, anchorperson Iqrah Haris asked former Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah given the promises the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) made during its election campaigns, would it be ready to suffer the consequences if the government is unable to deliver.

    Rana Sanaullah remarked that the N-League would not be responsible for any promises made to the public simply because it is a coalition government.

    “We are not making any promises now, the promises we made were dependent on us getting a simple majority and PML-N making its own government under the leadership of Mian Nawaz Sharif.”

    The PML-N’s senior leader asserted that had the government been granted a majority, it would have borne the responsibility of steering the country out of this economic turmoil.