Tag: PPP

  • Designer Maheen Khan reveals how she crafted the late Benazir Bhutto’s iconic look

    Designer Maheen Khan reveals how she crafted the late Benazir Bhutto’s iconic look

    On Sunday, Madam Tussaud’s unveiled the wax statue of the first female prime minister of Pakistan and the Muslim world, Benazir Bhutto, in Dubai. Her son, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto was present at the occasion.

    Fashion designer Maheen Khan, who crafted the iconic look Benazir Bhutto wore when she was sworn in as the first woman prime minister of the country in November 1988, has shared a heart warming story on her Instagram page about how she and Bhutto crafted the look together.

    Maheen received a call from the Benazir Bhutto in November 1998, after she had won the elections and needed to design a look in green to wear for the swearing-in ceremony.

    “It was some time In November 1988 that I got a call from Benazir Bhutto. She had just had Bilawal and she had won the elections!
    She was to be Pakistans first Prime minister.
    I immediately rushed to Bilawal House .
    She needed something green to wear to her swearing in ceremony.
    I convinced her to wear a white dupatta , which I got her .
    I decided immediately that chiffon wouldn’t do so I got her a soft muslin which would drape well .
    Years later she rang to say she had given the outfit to Madame Toussards .”The Maheen label is still on it ” she said
    The white dupatta has since become the signature of every female politician.
    Magical memories of an amazing ,warm , affectionate woman .
    Rest in peace dear BB
    Innalillahe wainnaillaihe rajeoon.”

  • Bilawal Bhutto attends unveiling of Benazir Bhutto’s statue at Madame Tussauds in Dubai

    Bilawal Bhutto attends unveiling of Benazir Bhutto’s statue at Madame Tussauds in Dubai

    Foreign Minister of Pakistan Bilawal Bhutto Zardari attended the Commemoration Ceremony at which a wax figure of his mother, the Muslim world’s first female Prime Minister, Benazir Bhutto, was unveiled at Madame Tussauds in Dubai.

    In a tweet on Sunday, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chairman said that, “With immense pride and humility, I attended the unveiling of the statue of the first Pakistani personality to be commemorated at Madame Tussauds today in Dubai – the inimitable, the indomitable, the irreplaceable, my mother, Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto.”

    He hoped that  statue will serve to inspire generations to come and remind us of the enduring resonance of the values of his mother lived and fought for – democracy, justice, human rights, rule of law, compassion, and freedom.

    He further expressed gratitude to the Madame Tussauds Dubai on behave of the Bhutto Family for the gesture, he said, “My family and I, and indeed, all Pakistanis are profoundly grateful to Madame Tussauds Dubai for honouring Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto’s memory and legacy.”

    The late Benazir Bhutto was the first female Prime Minister of Pakistan and the Muslim world. She became the head of the country at the age of 35, after a prolonged fight against the dictatorship of General Zia-ul-Haq, who had hanged her father, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto.

    Benazir Bhutto was killed in a terrorist attack in Rawalpindi after giving a speech at an election rally in December 2007. Just two months earlier, she had survived a terrorist attack on her convoy after her triumphant return to Pakistan.

  • Taliban attack PPP leader’s house in Nowshera after asking for Rs1 crore extortion

    Taliban attack PPP leader’s house in Nowshera after asking for Rs1 crore extortion

    According to a report in The News, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Pir Muhammad Aslam’s house was partially damaged after a hand grenade attack on Friday in Nowshera district’s Risalpur.  

    In a report registered at the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) police station, the PPP leader said that he had received a threatening letter from the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) on July 1.

    Aslam also told the police that the Taliban was demanding Rs1 Crore from him, mentioning the amount in the letter.

    The complainant had received phone calls from Afghanistan phone numbers to arrange money or face “dire consequences”.

    Pir Aslam also mentioned that he also received phone calls from Pakistani numbers, in which the Taliban threatened to eliminate his whole family if he did not arrange the money.

    This is not happening for the first time. Last year, in October, senior Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister Atif Khan also received a letter from the Taliban demanding Rs8 million as extortion.

  • PM meets Fazal and MQM-P to discuss caretaker set-up

    PM meets Fazal and MQM-P to discuss caretaker set-up

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Wednesday to discuss the upcoming caretaker set-up in the country.

    According to the sources of Geo News, the PM will conduct a final meeting with all the political parties in the ruling alliance after Muharram 10 (Ashura).

    PM Shehbaz will meet with the leader of the opposition, Raja Riaz, at the beginning of next month in the National Assembly. The opposition leader will present three names for the position of caretaker PM.

    The PM also held a meeting with the MQM-P leaders at the Governor’s House, where the latter lodged a “strong protest” against the performance of K-Electric and the recent increase in power tariff.

    The PM also met with MQM-P leaders at the Governor House in Karachi. Shehbaz Sharif assured the MQM-P delegation that the final decision regarding the caretaker PM would be made after consulting all the coalition partners in the government.

    Asif Ali Zardari and Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari of the PPP, Akhtar Mengal of the BNP-M, and Nawabzada Shahzain Bugti of the Jamhoori Watan Party had all already met with PM Shehbaz.

  • PPP denies consensus reached on caretaker Prime Minister as PML-N sticks to Ishaq Dar

    PPP denies consensus reached on caretaker Prime Minister as PML-N sticks to Ishaq Dar

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has on Monday denied that the ruling coalition has reached agreement on who will become interim Prime Minister as reports of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) nominating Finance Minister Ishaq Dar gain traction.

    Minister for Climate Change, Sherry Rehman, held a press conference today to categorically deny that a consensus has been reached after media reports surfaced last night that PPP has agreed to Dar’s nomination.

    “Someone has been crowned as caretaker Prime Minister based on fake news,” Rehman said in a thinly veiled reference to rumors about Ishaq Dar. “We want a level playing field for everyone,” she pointedly said, adding that no name has as yet been suggested to PPP.

    She also stated that her party is forming a committee of three members to make decisions about the caretaker setup.

    News reports about Dar, the father-in-law of the younger daughter of PML-N head Nawaz Sharif, set off frenzied criticism among political analysts and commentators. Dar is a close ally of Nawaz Sharif’s, raising concerns about his neutrality as a caretaker Prime Minister.

    The news was first reported by Express Tribune’s Shehbaz Rana, while The News’ Azaz Syed tweeted last night that PPP had agreed to Dar’s nomination.

  • PML-N wants Ishaq Dar as interim PM, PPP disagrees

    PML-N wants Ishaq Dar as interim PM, PPP disagrees

    PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif wants to see his loyalist Ishaq Dar as the interim prime minister, multiple media reports have said. On the other hand, the second largest party in the ruling coalition, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), has as yet not agreed on Dar’s nomination.

    According to sources within the PPP, a “man from the Sharif family” is not suitable for the caretaker setup, Dawn has reported.

    On Sunday, PML-N initiated efforts to take all stakeholders on board, including the military establishment, and assuage the concerns of the PPP leadership.

    Both the major political parties, PML-N and PPP, in the ruling alliance agree that the caretaker prime minister should be a politician. The ruling party will announce a name for caretaker prime minister after consulting all the stakeholders.

    On the other hand, PPP Information Secretary and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister, Faisal Karim Kundi, said no meeting was held between the two parties on Sunday.
    In a statement to ARY News, the PPP denied agreeing on Ishaq Dar becoming the caretaker prime minister, stating that no such agreement had been reached between the two parties.

  • PML-N, PPP top leaders arrive in Dubai to again discuss caretaker setup

    PML-N, PPP top leaders arrive in Dubai to again discuss caretaker setup

    Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senior Vice President Maryam Nawaz arrived in Dubai to meet the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) top leaders to discuss the upcoming caretaker government in the country after the dissolution of the National Assembly.

    PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari and Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari arrived Friday night at Dubai’s Al-Maktoum airport in a private plane after taking off from Karachi.

    The heads of the two parties will consult with each other on who will be the caretaker prime minister in the interim government after the dissolution of assemblies in the country.

    Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman will be consulted in the matter of the upcoming caretaker setup as well. Maulana is in Karachi now and will travel to Dubai next week.

  • US finally defends Donald Lu against PTI allegations

    US finally defends Donald Lu against PTI allegations

    More than an year after Assistant Secretary of State Donald Lu was named by the then Prime Minister Imran Khan as a conspirator who got his government removed from power, a senior US official has publicly defended him.

    Elizabeth Horst, the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, said that the allegations levelled by the Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) were “categorically false”.

    The American government has repeatedly denied Imran Khan’s allegations, however, they have never named him before Tuesday.

    Horst made the remarks at a conference held in Houston to discuss the future of American and Pakistani relations. “We do not let propaganda, misinformation, and disinformation get in the way of any bilateral relationship, including our valued partnership with Pakistan,” she said, adding that her speech was an “opportunity to address disinformation”.

    Horst also reiterated her administration’s stance of working with any government elected by the Pakistani people as the National Assembly is expected to be dissolved next month.

    “We do not have any position on any political candidate or party,” Horst said during the conference, stressing that the US supports democratic principles, freedom of speech, and the rule of law.

    The statements come in the backdrop of looming general elections, after media reports have said that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) have decided to dissolve the National Assembly before the completion of its tenure.

    However, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb tweeted on Tuesday that the date for dissolution of the National Assembly has not been decided yet. She has also said that the date would be decided after consultation with allied parties of the coalition government.

  • National Assembly will be dissolved in August; PPP, PML-N agree

    National Assembly will be dissolved in August; PPP, PML-N agree

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), the two major political parties in the ruling coalition, have agreed to dissolve the National Assembly on August 8, Geo News has reported.

    However, Information Minister Mariyum Aurangzeb has tweeted that the date of the dissolution of the National Assembly has not been decided yet.

    “The date [of dissolution] will be decided in consultation with the PDM and other allied parties. The decision on the date of dissolution of the National Assembly will be officially announced,” she added.

    The National Assembly is completing its tenure on August 12 at midnight, but it seems like the lower house is going to be dissolved before time. According to sources, August 9 and 10 also came under discussion, but both major political parties agreed on August 8 to dissolve the National Assembly.

    “A general election to the National Assembly or a provincial assembly shall be held within a period of sixty days immediately following the day on which the term of the assembly is due to expire, unless the Assembly has been sooner dissolved,” Article 224 of the Constitution states.

    In the previous week, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had said, “Next month, our government will complete its tenure. We will leave before the completion of our tenure, and an interim government will come”.

  • Caretaker prime minister should be a politician: Qamar Zaman Kaira

    Caretaker prime minister should be a politician: Qamar Zaman Kaira

    Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) leader Qamar Zaman Kaira said on Monday that the incoming caretaker prime minister should be a politician, adding that political people should be in political offices.

    The PPP leader gave the statement after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced that the government’s tenure is going to end next month, in August 2023.

    He also said, if the national assembly dissolves before time, then the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will fix a date in the next 90 days for general elections. On the other hand, if the government completes its tenure, the Election Commission of Pakistan will be bound to conduct an election in 60 days.

    The senior PPP leader has said that political offices can only be run by politicians.

    He added that the most elevated political office of the country is that of prime minister. “If a judge, general, bureaucrat, technocrat, journalist, or any corporate sector employee is appointed to it, it will be a disgrace to the post and cannot work.”

    He further asked, “Can I be appointed, on the seat of a judge in a high court or the Supreme Court is vacant? How will I be able to do justice there?”