Tag: PPP

  • Afghan Taliban’s Doha deal statement ‘disturbing’ for Pakistani leaders

    Afghan Taliban’s Doha deal statement ‘disturbing’ for Pakistani leaders

    A statement made by Taliban government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid, stating that the Afghan rulers signed the Doha deal with USA and not Pakistan, has proved worrisome for Islamabad.

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Farhatullah Baba expressed concern, while
    Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, a stalwart of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), also agreed with the concerns of the PPP leader.
    In an interview with BBC Pashto, the Taliban spokesperson had stressed that they didn’t sign a peace accord with Islamabad. However, he also mentioned that Afghan soil was not being used for terrorism in Pakistan, as the nation was “a Muslim and brother country”.
    “Taliban signed the Doha agreement with the US, not with Pakistan and its policy towards Pakistan is different.”

    Last week, in an unusual statement, Pakistan Army said that it is also very concerned that militants of the banned terrorist organisation Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) have found safe havens in Afghanistan. “It is expected that in­terim Afghan Govern­ment would not allow the use of its soil to per­petrate terror against any country, in the real sense and in line with commitments made in Doha Agreement,” the statement said.
    Pakistan Army also said that terrorist attacks in Pakistan are intolerable and the country’s security forces have the ability to give effective response to these attacks.

    Farhatullah Babar raised the question that, “Does it mean the Doha agreement binds the Taliban to rein in only some militants, not all?”
    Khawaja Asif meanwhile said that irrespective of Afghanistan stance, Pakistan will wipe out terrorism from the country.

  • Khurshid Shah sends friend request to Imran, but there’s a catch

    Khurshid Shah sends friend request to Imran, but there’s a catch

    Khurshid Shah, senior leader of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), has extended an olive branch to embattled political opponent Imran Khan, however, there’s a catch.

    “If Imran Khan let’s go of his ego and says that he is going to meet Asif Ali Zardari, then PPP will cooperate with him and bring him back into the political fold,” Shah said during a conversation with WE News.

    The federal minister stressed that his party has never backed off from dialogue. “We will teach Imran about democracy and politics, we will tell him about Pakistan’s sovereignty,” Shah stated.

    Accusing the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman of “running away from dialogue,” the PPP leader said that Khan has never negotiated with anyone.

    Pointing out that the government offered PTI a charter of democracy, Khurshid Shah recalled that Khan turned them away, terming their offer an attempt to get an NRO.

    “Whoever calls PTI a political party is naive,” he told WE News.

  • Journalist removed from PTV panel after questioning PM Shehbaz

    Journalist removed from PTV panel after questioning PM Shehbaz

    President of Lahore Press Club, Azam Chaudhry, was dismissed by state-run PTV after questioning Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on the “diminishing space for freedom of speech” and the increased restrictions over media in Pakistan during a press conference in the provincial capital. 

    Chaudhry posed a two-part question to the prime minister, addressing both widespread media restrictions in the country as well as the interim government’s plan to continue executing the current economic policy. He inquired about the end of media restrictions, specifically, when would journalists be granted the freedom to speak and write without constraint. 

    In response, Prime Minister Shehbaz expressed his disapproval of curbs on media freedom but deflected responsibility to Federal Minister for Information & Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb. Aurangzeb, while acknowledging the need to distinguish between politics and the authority of the state, emphasized that the two should be treated separately.

    In a conversation with The Current, Chaudhry revealed that he was reportedly told by PTV right after the conference that he would not be invited back to his regularly scheduled program Ba-khaber, of which he is one of the pioneer journalists since 2022. 

    He also shared that he was informed earlier in the day that PTV would be doing a panel program after the press conference with two other journalists, Sajjad Mir and Salman Ghani. However, after his questions to PM Shehbaz, he was taken off-air and told that he was no longer with PTV.

    Many news platforms have reported that Azam Chaudhry lost his contract with the state channel; he asserts that he never claimed to be an employee of PTV. He was working as a freelance journalist, with an ‘approval letter’ stating he would be paid PKR 18,000 per program appearance (for Ba-khaber), for three programs per week. 

    According to Chaudhry, the moment the press conference concluded, PTV verbally conveyed to him that he would not be invited back to present on Ba-khaber, so he could take his leave. 

    Speaking to The Current, Chaudhry chuckled at how well-punctuated his point at the press conference became after his dismissal. “I talked about freedom of expression at the press conference, and I was off-aired right after – it proves my initial point [of ongoing media restrictions]”. 

    Ironically enough, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar was reportedly discussing his government’s media-friendly policy at the very same press conference, chiding the previous Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government for only inviting “chosen journalists” to media interactions. According to the Tribune, however, leading journalists from prominent English dailies were excluded from this particular press conference.

    Marriyum Aurangzeb tweeted earlier that the story is “completely false and baseless”. She reiterated Dar’s point of the previous PTI government being declared a ‘Press Freedom Predator’ by Reporters Without Borders, and only allowing selected reporters and journalists to its press conferences. 

    In conversation with the Express Tribune, Chaudhry said journalists in Pakistan were operating in a “very suffocating environment”, where they were not allowed to express themselves freely. 

    “I was not fired on establishment’s orders, I was fired by this government, but in the larger scheme of things, people would blame them.” he said, adding that this tenure also “exposes Pakistan People’s Party and their claims of being upholders of democratic principles”.

  • Sindh announces bus service for Hindu pilgrimage 

    Sindh announces bus service for Hindu pilgrimage 

    Sindh Minority Affairs Department, under the direction of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, has announced a bus service to facilitate Pakistani Hindus who cannot afford the travel expenses of the pilgrimage to Shri Hinglaj Mata.

    This was announced by Sindh Minister for Minority Affairs Giyan Chand Esrani at Swami Narayan Mandir while inaugurating the construction work of the development scheme for Guru Nanak Durbar in Karachi.

    Hinglaj Yatra is the pilgrimage to the cave temple of Hindu Devi – Shri Hinglaj Mata – on the Makran coast in the Lasbela district of Balochistan. More than 250,000 people take part in the Hinglaj Yathra every year. 

    Sindh Minority Affairs Department stated that the bus service will begin on July 15. Gyan Chand Esrani said that lunch will be provided to the pilgrims during the journey, while those pilgrims who want to stay there for a couple of days during the pilgrimage will be provided with resting facilities by the department.

    He said that the application for the pilgrimage would be sent to the Director of Minority Affairs through District Panchayat. He also announced the construction of a hostel for poor girl students at Swami Narayan Mandir.

    Hinglaj Mata is one of the three Shakti Peethas in Pakistan, the other two being Shivaharkaray and Sharada Peeth. Over the last three decades, the place has gained popularity and become a unifying point for Pakistan’s Hindu community.

    The temple Shri Hinglaj Mata is in a small natural cave, in a narrow gorge in the hilly area of Lyari Tehsil in Balochistan. It lies within the domain of the Hingol National Park, lying on the west bank of the Hingol River.

  • What is happening in Dubai? Zardari, Bilawal meet Maryam Nawaz

    What is happening in Dubai? Zardari, Bilawal meet Maryam Nawaz

    The Co-Chairman and Chairman of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Asif Ali Zardari and Bilwal Butto-Zardari have met Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Chief Organiser, Maryam Nawaz, on Monday in Dubai.

    The agenda of the meeting was economic and political issues in the country. According to the sources of Geo News, Maryam Nawaz took the two PPP heads in confidence over the ongoing political situation in the country.

    Another meeting will likely be held tonight between PML-N and PPP to further discuss solutions for the economic and political crisis.
    This meeting is important as PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif’s return to Pakistan is expected after a law passed by National Assembly to limit the lifetime disqualification to five years.

    PML-N sources have revealed that a meeting held on Sunday afternoon had the longest discussion, but the attendees have not been disclosed as of now.

  • HumSabKiBenazir: Twitter remembers Benazir Bhutto Shaheed on her 70th Birthday

    HumSabKiBenazir: Twitter remembers Benazir Bhutto Shaheed on her 70th Birthday

    Former Prime Minister and Chairperson of Pakistan Peoples Party Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto is being remembered today on her 70th birth anniversary.
    She was born on June 21, 1953 and passed away on December 27, 2007, at the age of 54.

    Aseefa Bhutto Zardari, the daughter of Benzair Bhutto, wrote in a tweet, “Shaheed Mohatarma Benazir Bhutto led Pakistan through its darkest hours, and her legacy can guide us out of darkness today.”

    PPP leaders, members and Twitter users are remembering the trailblazer on her on her 70th Birthday:

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  • Latif Khosa terminated for crossing ‘red line’

    Latif Khosa terminated for crossing ‘red line’

    Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Punjab president, Rana Farooq Saeed, has terminated party membership of former Governor of Punjab, Latif Khosa, over crossing what the party has dubbed a “red-line”.

    PPP Punjab president accused Khosa of blackmailing party leadership when his plea to appoint his son as Attorney-General of Pakistan (AGP) was denied.

    Rana Farooq Saeed, while addressing a press conference on Tuesday, said that Latif Khosa wanted to see his son Khurram Khosa as attorney-general, however, when his demand was not met due to certain reasons, he resorted to “blackmail”.
    “We don’t want Latif Khosa and his son to cross the red line of the party and Khurram should stop saying (unfounded) big things (against the party), otherwise, they will be paid back in the same coin,” he warned.

    Latif Khosa had said in a news conference at Lahore High Court on June 17 that Bilawal Bhutto Zardari should not be part of Shehbaz Sharif’s cabinet.

    Separately, PPP leader Aitzaz Ahsan and Sardar Latif Khosa met Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Atta Bandial on Tuesday to discuss important legal matters.

    On June 15, unidentified persons attacked the residence of Latif Khosa, in the Defense area of Lahore.

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan on Monday visited Khosa’s residence demanding strict action against those involved in the attack.

  • Najam Sethi withdraws from chairmanship of PCB

    Najam Sethi withdraws from chairmanship of PCB

    Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Management Committee Chairman Najam Sethi announced on Monday night via his Twitter account that he was withdrawing from the race for the board’s chairmanship as he did not wish to be a “source of contention” between the political partners in the coalition government.

    Referring to the atmosphere of uncertainty and instability as unsuitable for the board, he stated that he was going to step aside from the race for the PCB’s chairmanship. “I don’t wish to be a source of contention between Asif Zardari and Shehbaz Sharif,” he tweeted on Tuesday.

    “Such instability and uncertainty are not conducive to the PCB. Given the circumstances, I am not a candidate for the Chairmanship of the PCB. Good luck to all stakeholders.”

    Sethi expressed similar sentiments a few days ago, emphasising his reluctance to be involved in the controversy.

    “I have heard speculation surrounding the PCB chairmanship. I do not involve myself in this matter as it depends on the patron,” he said while speaking to media in Lahore on Friday. He also mentioned that he would accept any decision made by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who is also the PCB’s patron.

    “Our responsibility was to restore the 2014 constitution. At this point, we are prepared for elections with regional and departmental representatives on board. We are awaiting two nominees, after which I will announce the election.

    “If you ask me, I do not want a mess. If the patron and Zardari sahab want me to continue, I will be okay with it. If they want Zaka sahab to become the chairman, I would welcome their decision and step down,” he added.

    The appointment of the PCB chairman has become a point of contention between the ruling coalition government’s two main political partners.

    The Pakistan People Party (PPP) desires the return of former PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf to the post, while the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) wishes for Sethi to continue his role at the PCB.

    The PPP’s stance on the matter is that since its minister heads the Inter-Provincial Coordination Division and the PCB is related to the ministry, its chairman should be appointed by the party.

  • Here are all the perks that past, present and future chairman Senate might be getting soon

    Here are all the perks that past, present and future chairman Senate might be getting soon

    On last Friday, the Senate unanimously passed a private member bill that gives many privileges to present and retired Chairmen of the Upper House, The News has reported.

    According to sources, the National Assembly has also approved the bill and it will now be sent to the President for his approval.

    When the bill will be enforced, current chairman and ex-chairman Senate will be possibly getting the following perks and privileges:

    -Every chairman of the Senate after completing his tenure (post-retirement) will 12 employees for life, along with six permanent guards and VVIP security wherever he goes.
    -He can request an airplane for himself and his family for domestic and international travel.

    -He will get additional benefits, not mentioned in the bill, or whatever he desires from the finance committee, which he handpicks.

    -Every person who has held the office of Chairman for a full term of three years, shall be entitled for life to full security detail, that is to say, six sentries at the declared residence, four personnel of police, anti-terrorism force, rangers, frontier corps or frontier constabulary in one squad vehicle, for which the federal government in Islamabad, or a provincial government in the respective province, shall make the required arrangements.

    -The Finance Committee of the Senate may grant the chairman and the person who has held such office for a full term of three years, such additional privileges as it may deem fit

    -The chairman of the Senate will be entitled to the protocol of deputy head of state or vice president. For his foreign travel, he shall also be entitled to requisition at the cost of government an airplane belonging to the federal, provincial government, armed forces, any flying club or any chartered air service provider.

    -The chairman shall be allowed to take with him one member of his family when travelling by a commercial airplane or four members of his family when travelling by a requisitioned airplane.

    -Free telephone facility at residence, official residence, free furnishing at the cost of public money, free official vehicles for self and family, free petrol, sumptuary allowance, allowance on taking up and laying down the office, equipment allowance, TA/DA are in addition to the salary of the chairman.

  • PCB pe PPP ka haq hai, Zaka Ashraf hee chairman baneinge: PPP leader

    PCB pe PPP ka haq hai, Zaka Ashraf hee chairman baneinge: PPP leader

    The dispute over Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)’s chairmanship has entered a crucial phase as the tussle for claiming the Chairman spot continues between two major coalition partners in the federal government, Pakistan, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).

    PPP leader Faisal Kareem Kundi openly spoke about the chairmanship of PCB and stated that they have the right to decide who will head the board. In a conversation with Geo News in Dera Ismail Khan, Faisal Karim Kundi said that the government should utilize the skills of current Chairman Najam Sethi elsewhere.

    Hamid Mir, the host of Geo News’ program ‘Capital Talk’, mentioned that PPP believes that the Ministry of Sports falls under their control, therefore the head should also be someone from their party and not Najam Sethi. PPP wants to replace Najam Sethi with Zaka Ashraf, but PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif insists on retaining Najam Sethi at any cost. Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif also recently met with Sethi when he briefed the Premier about cricket developments and two upcoming mega events in September and October.

    The Prime Minister nominated Najam Sethi for the chairmanship of PCB, while Zaka Ashraf, a close friend of Asif Ali Zardari and backed by PPP, is also being considered as a strong contender for the post, according to media reports. PML-N leader and Federal Minister Khurram Dastgir, speaking on this matter, dismissed the impression of differences between the two parties.

    Later, Federal Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah stated that there is no disagreement regarding the issue of PCB Chairman. In a press conference, Rana Sanaullah emphasized that the Prime Minister always brings everyone together, and PPP chief Asif Zardari also engages in discussions. He further mentioned that any party can have an opinion on the matter of the Chairman of the Cricket Board, but there is no disagreement.

    It should be noted that Najam Sethi met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif a few days ago, during which Sharif instructed him to expedite the elections for PCB Chairman.