Tag: politics latest

  • Shehbaz Sharif is ‘innocent’

    Shehbaz Sharif is ‘innocent’

    Former Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, along with 10 co-accused, have been acquitted in the Ashiana-i-Iqbal Housing Scheme reference by a Lahore accountability court, as per Geo News.

    The list of the acquitted individuals includes the incumbent federal minister Ahad Cheema and Fawad Hassan Fawad.

    The court, headed by Judge Malik Ali Zulqarnain Awan, reserved the verdict on November 2 after the conclusion of final arguments presented by counsels and National Accountability Bureau (NAB) prosecutors on acquittal pleas.

    Acquittal applications contended that all prosecution witnesses and approvers had retracted their statements, signaling a lack of grounds for conviction in the reference. The applicants urged the court to approve the applications and absolve them of the charges.

    A report filed by NAB in May stated that there was no evidence of financial corruption or misuse of authority by Shehbaz Sharif. The allegations of misuse of authority and corruption against the former prime minister, according to the report, were not substantiated under the National Accountability Ordinance of 1999.

    NAB had filed the reference in 2018, alleging that Shehbaz Sharif and other accused had caused a significant financial loss to the national treasury by awarding the contract for the housing scheme to a construction firm without a competitive bidding process.

    Sharif was arrested on Oct 5, 2018, in connection with the case when he appeared before the accountability bureau in another matter while Cheema was taken into custody on February 21 of the same year. Both of them were later released on bail.

    Earlier, Kamran Kiyani, the brother of former army chief Ashfaque Parvez Kiyani, and Nadeem Zia of Paragon City were acquitted by the court due to a “lack of evidence”.

    The NAB alleged that Cheema received illegal benefits from the owners of Paragon City Developers as a reward for awarding the housing scheme contract to their proxy firm, Bismillah Engineering.

  • Bilawal Bhutto labels “traditional politics” country’s worst enemy

    Bilawal Bhutto labels “traditional politics” country’s worst enemy

    As political parties gear up for election activities, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, the Chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), expressed concerns about the continuation of traditional politics, labeling it the country’s worst enemy. He emphasized the importance of embracing “new politics,” as reported by Geo News on Friday.

    Speaking at a workers’ convention in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Mardan, Bilawal said: “We need to [embark] on a new political [direction and strategy] which will allow us to overcome the issues faced by the country.”

    He added: “Veteran politicians neither think about the present nor the future [as] they are still stuck in the past. We want to leave behind the politics of division, hate and abuse which [as part of] the traditional politics has been going on for the [past] 70 years.”
    While talking about contemporary politics and its advantages, Bilawal Bhutto said, “We have to become the voice of the ‘new politics’ […] We think about the present and future and not what’s in the past.”

    Earlier in the week, while talking at a worker’s convention in Abbottabad, the PPP chairman said that “new political leadership” is needed if the country is to progress.

  • Dr. Tahir ul Qadri is ‘back’

    Dr. Tahir ul Qadri is ‘back’

    After being inactive for seven years, Dr Tahirul Qadri’s Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) has re-entered the political scene, announcing that it will actively participate in the upcoming February 2024 general elections.

    “We shall take full part in the upcoming elections from our own platform and on our electoral symbol,” PAT’s central president Qazi Zahid Hussain told a press conference on Friday.

    Qazi Zahid Hussain, accompanied by party officials including information secretary Nurella Siddiqui, and Raja Zahid, said that PAT candidates will champion the cause of comprehensive reforms in the system, initiating mass-contact campaigns and electioneering immediately.

    Notably, PAT abstained from the 2013 polls but actively participated in the 2015-16 local body elections.

    Hussain clarified that Dr Qadri had endorsed the decision following a two-day consultation by the PAT central executive council. Responding to queries, Siddiqui confirmed that Dr Qadri would not partake in the electioneering process for PAT nominees.

    Highlighting the party’s stance on candidate commitments, Siddiqui stated that once a candidate submits nominations from the PAT platform, withdrawing in favor of another party’s nominee would result in expulsion from the party.

    Additionally, Siddiqui ruled out the possibility of electoral alliances, noting that decisions regarding post-poll cooperation would be made at a later stage.

    Despite being former partners in protest, a party insider revealed to Dawn that any political cooperation with Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was unlikely.

    The insider cited the PTI’s alleged failure to deliver justice to PAT in the 2014 Model Town tragedy, where 14 party activists lost their lives in a police raid, during the PTI’s approximately four-year rule.

  • Donald Lu kay khilaf muqadma hoga Amreeka mein: Aleema Khan

    Donald Lu kay khilaf muqadma hoga Amreeka mein: Aleema Khan

    Alima Khan, the sister of incarcerated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman and former Prime Minister Imran Khan, has claimed that the cipher case involves the complete complicity of the US Embassy.

    While talking to the media, she said that they will file a case against Donald Lu in American courts.

    Donald Lu, a US diplomat in the State Department, was blamed by Imran Khan for orchestrating the no-confidence vote that led to his ouster in April 2022.

    Donald Lu’s talks with a Pakistani diplomat were conveyed in a diplomatic cipher sent to Islamabad that caused uproar in Pakistan.

    Alima Khan confirmed that the case will be filed in the US while talking to the media outside Adiala Jail, where Imran Khan is currently held under tight security.

    She assured the public that Imran Khan’s health was in good condition, emphasizing his well-established routine and the absence of any complaints about the food provided by the authorities.

    She also said that the High Court has issued a stay order in the cipher case, and clauses are being added which carry the possibility of the death penalty or life imprisonment.

    Alima Khan demanded that authorities specify the charges against Imran Khan that led to these serious allegations and probable punishments. She urged for justice to be served in Pakistan.

    Alima Khan claimed that Imran Khan asserted that the American Embassy was fully involved in the conspiracy, and if justice is not served in Pakistani courts, they will pursue the case against Donald Lu in the United States.

    The Cases

    The former prime minister is currently being held in Adiala Jail after his arrest from his Zaman Park residence in Lahore on August 5.

    He was moved to the prison on September 26 from Attock Jail where he was initially kept after his arrest.

    Khan was first convicted by a lower court in the Toshakhana case in August and sentenced to three years of imprisonment. The IHC suspended his sentence the same month.

    The Islamabad accountability court issued arrest warrants for PTI Chairman Imran Khan in the Toshakhana and £ 190 million Al-Qadir Trust cases on Tuesday.

    Khan was arrested in the Al-Qadir Trust case on May 9 for the first time.

    The £ 190 million (approximately Rs60 billion) settlement case pertains to the money of property tycoon, Malik Riaz, being laundered and caught by the UK authorities during Imran’s government in 2019.

    The UK government had informed the Pakistani authorities regarding the money being caught.

    The former premier is already in prison as he was subsequently booked in the ‘cipher’ case. The hearing of the cipher case in the special court has been adjourned without proceeding till November 21.

    In the cipher case, Khan, along with his close aide and former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, has been accused of leaking state secrets.

  • Bilawal Bhutto wants ‘old politicians’ to go home

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said on Thursday that the country needs new political leadership, adding that “old politicians will have to be sent home.”

    While addressing a worker’s convention in Abbotabad, Bilawal Bhutto said that other political parties are doing old politics, but the PPP has its “doctrine and manifesto”.

    Criticising  Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Bilawal Bhutto said that new politics and new leadership are now much needed to bring the country out of crisis.

    “Such a leadership which is not stuck in the past, which thinks about the future, doesn’t get caught up in politics and division,” Bilawal said.

    The PPP chairman also said that Pakistan will not progress unless “the vote is not given respect”

    “If you give me a chance, I promise I will never disappoint you,” Bilawal added.

    Bilawal also said that poverty, unemployment, and inflation are his party’s opponents.

    “We have a plan for ending inflation, give relief to the nation,” he said.

  • IMF, EU officers ‘routinely’ visit Khan in jail, claims Pervez Elahi

    IMF, EU officers ‘routinely’ visit Khan in jail, claims Pervez Elahi

    The incarcerated Preside of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Chaudhry Parvez Elahi, has claimed on Thursday that officers from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the European Union “routinely” visit party chief Imran Khan in Adiala jail in Rawalpindi.

    The claim was categorically rejected by the spokesman of Punjab prisons department, declaring it “baseless and against the facts”.

    Speaking to journalists in a courtroom in Lahore, the PTI president said that Imran Khan was locked up in a cell next to his in jail.

    “Representatives from the EU and the IMF [routinely] visit Imran,” he claimed.

    The former chief minister also said, while responding to a question about upcoming elections, that Khan will get unusual votes in the forthcoming polls.

    “There will be no rigging in this election,” he said, adding that the polls’ date was announced at the orders of the top court.

    Chaudhry Parvez Elahi further said that he is with Imran Khan and will continue to support the former prime minister.

  • India adopts Pakistan’s policies to achieve success, says Nawaz Sharif

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) head Nawaz Sharif said to the  Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) on Thursday that India achieved success by adopting Pakistan’s policies.

    In his address, Nawaz Sharif said that PML-N was aware of the economic challenges faced by the country. He also promised the business community that PML-N would surely take their advice, as it has done before.

    “The business community of Pakistan implemented our policies, and India adopted our policies and achieved economic success,” said Nawaz, who is leading his party’s campaign after returning to the country.

    This was his first interaction with traders since his return after a four-year-long self-imposed exile. The former prime minister mentioned that during his tenure in 2013–2017, Pakistan’s had the 24th-best economy in the world. He also said that at that time, the dollar was at 104.

    “If our development [model] and policies were continued, then the dollar would have been at 40 or 50,” claimed the three-time prime minister.

    Nawaz Sharif also said that Islamic countries began to see us as their protectors when we conducted a nuclear test in 1998.

  • Security forces kill high-value terrorist commander in Peshawar

    Security forces kill high-value terrorist commander in Peshawar

    The military’s media wing has stated on Thursday that four terrorists, including a known militant commander, were killed by security forces in an intelligence-based operation in Peshawar.

    According to Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), the operation was conducted due to the presence of militants in Badaber area of Peshawar District.

    During the operation, the Pakistani troops “effectively engaged” the miscreants which led to the killing of the four terrorists including a “high-value terrorist” Samiullah alias Shenay.

    As per the statement, militants Salman alias “Ahmed”, Imran alias “Muhammad” and Hazrat Umar alias “Khalid” were wanted by law enforcement agencies.

    “Weapons, ammunition, and explosives were also recovered from the killed terrorists, who remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities, including extortion and target killings in the area,” said the ISPR.

    Earlier, on Wednesday, security forces killed seven terrorists in the Tank district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

  • Sindh High Court sets deadline for investigation report on Sakrand Village killings

    Sindh High Court sets deadline for investigation report on Sakrand Village killings

    The Sindh High Court (SHC) has instructed the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Shaheed Benazirabad police to oversee the ongoing investigation into the killing of four villagers during a law enforcement raid in Sakrand.

    The court has set December 1 as the deadline for the submission of the investigation report.

    Headed by Justice Naimatullah Phulpoto, the two-judge bench also directed the inquiry committee established by the Sindh government to present its findings at the next hearing.

    In the previous court session, the SHC had instructed the in Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) of Shaheed Benazirabad to produce both the complainants from the First Information Reports (FIRs) and the legal heirs of the deceased villagers.

    SSP Haider Raza appeared at the hearing and submitted a report indicating that notices had been served to one of the complainants, Rajab Ali.

    However, Ali failed to appear before the SHC, prompting the bench to reissue notices and instruct the SSP to ensure the presence of the complainant and legal heirs in the next hearing.

    Representing the petitioners, Advocate Syed Haider Imam Rizvi submitted that a fair investigation was not being conducted in the cases.

    The bench in its order said, “After hearing learned counsel for the parties, DIGP, Shaheed Benazirabad, is directed to supervise further investigation of the cases/FIRs mentioned in this petition and report shall be submitted before the trial court as well as before this court on the next date of hearing. Enquiry committee, constituted by the government of Sindh, shall also submit the report on the next date of hearing”.

    At the previous hearing, the SHC was also informed that the Sindh government had notified compensation for the legal heirs/families of victims.

    Tahmasp Rasheed Razvi and two other lawyers had petitioned the SHC and submitted that in order to harass the villagers and save their own skin, the law enforcement agencies had lodged two FIRs in violation of the apex court’s judgment.

    The Case

    The operation carried out by law enforcement agencies on September 9 aimed to apprehend militants associated with the banned Sindhudesh Revolutionary Army (SUA).

    In the course of the operation, four individuals were killed, and nine others, including four Rangers personnel, sustained injuries.
    A Rangers spokesman released a statement mentioning that the operation was intelligence-based and targeted high-value individuals.

    However, Sindh United Party (SUP) Secretary General Roshan Burriro claimed that those killed were supporters and revealed that a confrontation had ensued between security forces and villagers.

    The situation escalated when law enforcement officers opened fire, resulting in tragic deaths and injuries.
    Subsequently, grieving villagers staged a protest and blocked a section of the National Highway while carrying the coffins of the deceased individuals.

    Protests by the families and relatives of the deceased villagers came to an end after the initiation of the judicial inquiry and the registration of a First Information Report (FIR).

    The FIR was filed under Sections 302 (intentional murder) and 324 (murder attempt) of the Pakistan Penal Code based on the complaint of Rahib Jalbani, the brother of one of the deceased individuals.

    According to the FIR, the security officials arrived at a house in the village and accused those present of being terrorists before opening fire. The complainant’s brother and another individual died on the spot, while several others were injured.

    SUP President Syed Zain Shah clarified that the deceased villagers were not politically affiliated.

  • No relief for Imran Khan and Shah Mehmood Qureshi

    No relief for Imran Khan and Shah Mehmood Qureshi

    A National Accountability Bureau (NAB) team, comprising of four members, conducted a thorough investigation at Adiala Jail, where Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan is currently detained in connection with a £190 million scandal, as per Geo News.

    The team, which included Mian Umer Nadim, Asim Munir, and Prosecutors Rooh ul Amin, and Haroon Baloch, spent over two hours scrutinizing the jail premises.

    After approximately one and a half hours of investigation, the team concluded its inspection and left the jail premises.

    The team will interrogate Khan for three days.

    Bail Rejected

    The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has recently rejected the post-arrest bail petition of former Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi in the cipher case, directing the trial court to conclude proceedings within four weeks.

    The case accuses him, along with Imran Khan, of “unauthorisedly” communicating the contents of a classified document received from Washington, with unauthorised people i.e. the public at large.

    It is also alleged that Qureshi and Khan had a meeting on March 28, 2022 at Banigala, Islamabad, where a conspiracy was hatched to divulge the contents of the cipher for political advantage.

    The Chief Justice observed that the charges against Qureshi are punishable by death, and if proven, bail relief is typically avoided in such grave cases.

    Qureshi’s counsel argued that there was no evidence proving that Qureshi divulged classified information to the public. The trial of Qureshi and Imran Khan is currently taking place in Central Jail Adiala, Rawalpindi, as notified on October 3.

    However, the counsel argued that the notification did not mention Qureshi’s name.

    The Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) special prosecutor countered by stating that Qureshi had aided, abetted, and incited Imran Khan, making him liable under Section 9 of the Official Secrets Act, 1923.

    The prosecution emphasized that charges had been framed, and three witnesses had already given their evidence.

    Justice Farooq observed that under Section 109 of the Pakistan Penal Code, liability of the person, who abets the commission of offence, is that of a principal offender.

    The court order stated, “Undoubtedly, bail ought not to be held as punishment but where sentence involved is death or life imprisonment, the court has to proceed with caution; in this regard, the balance is to be maintained that liberty of a person ought not be compromised but gravity of charge or allegation is also to be kept in view.”

    Subsequently, the court dismissed the bail petition, but directed the Special Court (Official Secrets Act) “to conclude the trial within four weeks from the date of receipt of this order”.

    Toshakhana Case

    In a related development, an IHC division bench comprising Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri restored Imran Khan’s petition seeking bail in the Toshakhana case.

    Khan’s bail petition was dismissed by the accountability court for non-prosecution.

    The court revived the bail petition with a direction to hear Mr Khan’s arguments and decide it on merit.

    The bench, however, dismissed Mr Khan’s identical petition seeking bail in the 190 million pounds corruption case for being infructuous as NAB has already arrested the ex-premier in this case.

    The cases

    The former prime minister is currently being held in Adiala Jail after his arrest from his Zaman Park residence in Lahore on August 5.

    He was moved to the prison on September 26 from Attock Jail where he was initially kept after his arrest.

    Khan was first convicted by a lower court in the Toshakhana case in August and sentenced to three years of imprisonment. The IHC suspended his sentence the same month.

    The Islamabad accountability court issued arrest warrants for PTI Chairman Imran Khan in the Toshakhana and 190 million Al-Qadir Trust cases on Tuesday.

    Khan was arrested in the Al-Qadir Trust case on May 9 for the first time.

    The 190 million (approximately Rs60 billion) settlement case pertains to the money of property tycoon, Malik Riaz, being laundered and caught by the UK authorities during Imran’s government in 2019.

    The UK government had informed the Pakistani authorities regarding the money being caught.

    The former premier is already in prison as he was subsequently booked in the ‘cipher’ case.

    In the cipher case, Khan, along with his close aide and former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, has been accused of leaking state secrets.