Tag: PPP

  • PPP leader Khursheed Shah granted bail, name to be placed on ECL

    PPP leader Khursheed Shah granted bail, name to be placed on ECL

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Khursheed Shah was granted bail from the Supreme Court (SC) of Pakistan today (Thursday) in the assets beyond means case, reports Geo News.

    The court has directed Shah to submit bail bonds worth Rs10 million as the surety against his bail and ordered that his name be placed on the Exit Control List (ECL).

    Justice Umar Atta Bandial, who chaired the hearing of Shah’s bail plea, also directed the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to continue its investigations but not keep Shah permanently in jail.

    In July, the Sindh High Court (SHC) dismissed Shah’s request for bail. Later, he challenged the local court’s decision in the apex court.

    NAB had arrested Khursheed Shah on September 18, 2019, accusing him of allotting himself an amnesty plot illegally from a cooperative society in Sukkur.

    NAB also accused Shah of acquiring assets worth some Rs700 million in the names of his frontmen through illegally acquired money.

  • ‘Imran Khan trying to turn army, ISI into his Tiger Force’: Bilawal Bhutto

    ‘Imran Khan trying to turn army, ISI into his Tiger Force’: Bilawal Bhutto

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, while addressing a PPP rally at Karachi’s Bagh-i-Jinnah, accused Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan of turning the army and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency into Tiger Force, saying that the current state of the country shows that this is not ‘tabdeeli but destruction’.

    “He (PM Imran) is trying to turn the army and ISI into his Tiger Force,” said Bilawal.

    “Whatever task Imran Khan undertook saw destruction instead of the promised tabdeeli (change),” he said. 

    “Imran Khan is also trying to turn all institutions of the country into his Tiger Force. He attacked the parliament, Senate, judiciary, Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), Punjab Police, and Punjab bureaucracy as he changed the Punjab Police chief and chief secretary many times. No institution is left as he is even trying to make the media his Tiger Force,” Bilawal alleged.

    “PPP jiyalas will not spare him. Whenever he speaks, he makes a mistake. Now we are warning Khan that his days are numbered,” said Bilawal.

    Bilawal’s comments come as the speculation continues about the appointment of the head of ISI, following the unusual delay in the issuance of official notification of Lieutenant General (Lt Gen) Nadeem Ahmed Anjum’s appointment as the new spymaster.

  • ‘Pretty impressive swag’: PPP’s Sharmila Faruqi all praise for Maryam Nawaz’s fashion choices

    ‘Pretty impressive swag’: PPP’s Sharmila Faruqi all praise for Maryam Nawaz’s fashion choices

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Sharmila Faruqi took to Twitter to praise Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Maryam Nawaz’s fashion choices.

    Sharmila Faruqi commented on how Maryam Nawaz’s floral kameez and pants were complementing the heels she wore.

    “Can’t decide which came first? The shoe or the dress but pretty impressive swag,” tweeted Sharmila.

    The floral patterned white kameez and pants Maryam wore is by designer Sania Maskatiya. She wore the perfectly matched outfit to a PML-N divisional meeting in Sahiwal recently.

  • ‘PPP will forcefully oppose NAB Chairman’s illegal extension’: Bilawal Bhutto

    ‘PPP will forcefully oppose NAB Chairman’s illegal extension’: Bilawal Bhutto

    Reacting to news that the government may give an extension to National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman Javed Iqbal, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari tweeted: “PPP will forcefully oppose the illegal extension in the tenure of chairman NAB.”

    “Even attempting an extension, for most controversial chairman in history, would serve to prove our argument that NAB is an extension of [prime minister Imran Khan] IK’s govt not impartial.”

    The four-year tenure of NAB Chairman Javed Iqbal will end early next month.

    The non-extendable tenure of the NAB chairman has led to rumours as Prime Minister Imran Khan refuses to consult the Leader of the Opposition and the President of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Shehbaz Sharif.

    PM Khan has refused to hold talks with Shehbaz Sharif as the latter is accused of corruption references filed against him by NAB.

  • ‘Nawaz Sharif will come back to Pakistan this year’: PML-N leader Javed Latif

    ‘Nawaz Sharif will come back to Pakistan this year’: PML-N leader Javed Latif

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Mian Javed Latif claimed on Thursday that former Prime Miniter Nawaz Sharif will come back to Pakistan this year.

    Javed Latif appeared before the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in Lahore. The PML-N leader talked to the media after this and claimed that Nawaz Sharif will come to Pakistan this year. He added that those who disqualified Nawaz also realised that there was no option except to have him back.

    “Those who had brought him the third time will allow Nawaz Sharif to be elected prime minister for the fourth time,” Latif said.

    “Those who had expelled him from government knowing that only he can guide the country out of these problems,” PML-N leader said.

    Javed Latif said an impression was being given that the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) will come to power. However, he added, if PPP chairperson Bilawal Bhutto comes to power in a democratic way, then the PML-N would have no objection.

  • ‘Shehbaz makes a decision, his party says it’s personal’, Bilawal slams PMLN

    ‘Shehbaz makes a decision, his party says it’s personal’, Bilawal slams PMLN

    Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, while addressing his party workers in Multan said that “ [Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz President] Shehbaz Sharif is the party president, his decision should be final.”

    According to the chairman, whenever Sharif makes a statement, party members say that it is his own “personal decision”, reports Geo.

    Furthermore, he argued that “If Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) had stayed, it could hold a long march, and before reaching Lahore, they could have made [Chief Minister of Punjab] Usman Buzdar resign, and [Prime Minister] Imran Khan would have resigned before the march reached Islamabad. Shehbaz was aware of all the formulas.”

    Bilawal, adding that his party had sincerely wanted to oust the government through PDM said that “The PDM leadership started talking about our resignations instead of the Punjab chief minister and the prime minister’s resignations.”

    Earlier this month Sharif suggested the formation of a national government. He said, “It needs collective wisdom and requires collective efforts to fix [the problems of Pakistan]. That’s why I think we should have a national government in place to sort out these huge tasks. Even if we [PML-N] win a majority, we can’t fix it alone.”

    Upon this Former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi made his comment while talking to The News by saying that, “There is no option for ‘national govt’ in Constitution.

    “Our party has already made it clear that Shehbaz did not talk about it [national government] and he was misquoted by some circles”, he added.

    Moreover during the rally Bilawal taunted the government by saying that the Centre was proposing to roll out electronic voting machines when there is persistent load shedding in the country.

    In early June both PPP and Awami National Party (ANP) left PDM by saying that the leaders of the fragmented anti-government alliance appear to be “confused and divided”.

  • Shehbaz’s remarks about a national govt are his personal views: PML-N

    Shehbaz’s remarks about a national govt are his personal views: PML-N

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president Shehbaz Sharif’s remarks about the formation of a national government have stirred up a political debate in the country, reported Dawn.

    PML-N termed the party president’s views as passing remarks based on his personal opinion about a post-election scenario.

    “PML-N president and National Assembly Opposition Leader Shehbaz Sharif made a passing remark that if the people of Pakistan by the grace of God Almighty gave the PML-N the responsibility to govern again after the next elections, in his personal view he would not mind inviting other political parties, excluding the PTI, to contribute towards solving the massive crisis created by the Imran Khan government over their disastrous tenure in government,” said Marriyum Aurangzeb in a brief statement.

    “Any news item carried by any news media stating otherwise is a misrepresentation of what the PML-N president said,” she added.

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) described the statement as clear proof that the Pakistan Democratic Move­ment (PDM) no more exists. The PPP believed it was an effort by the PML-N leader to keep himself “politically alive”.

    Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry said that Sharif’s proposal of a national government was “a bid to save his own skin”.

    Sharif, while speaking to journalists in Karachi said, “Frankly, I am telling you that sometimes when I look at these huge problems and challenges, I feel convinced that it’s not possible for one party alone [to fix them],” he had said, adding: “It needs collective wisdom. It requires collective efforts. That’s why I think we should have a national government in place to sort out these huge tasks. I don’t know what the exact shape of this idea would be and the right time may make things clearer but for me it’s crucial. Even if we [PML-N] win a majority, we can’t fix it alone.”

  • Fawad blasts Opposition for criticising the new media authority bill without reading it

    Fawad blasts Opposition for criticising the new media authority bill without reading it

    Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry took to Twitter to lash out at the Opposition stating that President Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Shehbaz Sharif and Chairperson Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto “have not read a word of election reform and Pakistan Media Development Authority (PMDA) nor do they know what the proposals are.”

    “Our Opposition has only one role, to unite with the anti-government satan,” added Fawad.

     Shehbaz Sharif on Monday vowed to go against any government efforts to pass legislation related to the media.

    Shehbaz Sharif said no party in parliament will support this “black law” except for the government.

    “We will join forces with all political parties […] and take Opposition into confidence against this black law,” Shehbaz said, adding: “This is a matter of life and death for independent journalism, democracy, and constitutional freedom.”

    “If any other government had imposed such restrictions, it would have been overthrown,” said Shehbaz.

    Bilawal Bhutto also criticised the government for the proposed bill. He said, “We like it when Human Rights Watch (HRW) writes about injustice in Indian occupied Kashmir but go silent when it’s about Pakistan.”

    Taking a jibe at the government for its double standards, Bilawal added, “Human Rights Watch statement on PMDA legislation to silence Pakistan media must be read and this black law should be rejected as its against the freedom of speech in the country.”

  • ‘Pakistan moving forward in criminalising enforced disappearances’: Shireen Mazari

    Minister for Human Rights Dr Shireen Mazari on Monday said that Pakistan was “moving forward” in its commitment to criminalise enforced disappearances, and emphasised that such acts did not have a place in a democracy.

    As the world celebrates International Day of the Disappeared on August 30, Dr Mazari tweeted that the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Interior approved a bill on enforced disappearances last week.

    “Sadly, time [was] lost because no previous government moved on enforced disappearances,” said Mazari.

    “In our first meeting at the Ministry of Human Rights, we had the then PPP chair of the Senate human rights committee participate. Once introduced in NA it was available on NA website so to say no one knew the content is absurd. No one objected on the floor of the NA or in the committee,” she said.

    She also said that Prime Minister Imran Khan had met Baloch families of “disappeared” persons who provided details about their missing family members. “Some have returned home while others are being traced,” the minister said.

    The minister also hit out at former governments for their lack of response on the issue. “[I] can’t recall any PML-N or PPP prime minister in the last two governments even recognising enforced disappearances, let alone meeting with these families.”

  • Get rid of Chairman Senate, we will topple Buzdar govt: PML-N tells PPP

    Get rid of Chairman Senate, we will topple Buzdar govt: PML-N tells PPP

    The Pakistan Mus­lim League-Nawaz (PML-N) says it is ready to support a no-confidence motion to overthrow the government provided the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) comes up with a workable proposal.

    “We’re ready to support the PPP’s idea for dislodging the PTI government through a no-confidence motion but it should put forward a workable proposal for this purpose,” said PML-N secretary general Ahsan Iqbal, reported Dawn.

    If PPP brought a successful no-trust motion against the Senate chairman, then the PML-N would follow suit by moving a no-confidence motion in the Punjab Assembly, where the PPP has only six seats, said Iqbal.

    Iqbal said the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairman was “dancing to the tune of the government” because the latter had some (objectionable) video clips of the NAB chief.

    He challenged the NAB chairman to ask retired general Asim Saleem Bajwa as to how he had gathered assets worth millions of dollars through his salary.

    Regarding Prime Minister Imran Khan’s image of “Mr Clean”, the PML-N leader said he was living in a one kanal rented house and was paying more income tax than the premier who lives in a 300-plus kanal palace.

    Iqbal asked PTI supporters to explain this oddity to the masses.