Tag: Prime Minister Imran Khan

  • ‘Raiwand’s prime minister’ sent abroad despite conviction: Bilawal

    ‘Raiwand’s prime minister’ sent abroad despite conviction: Bilawal

    Chairman Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, while addressing a press conference in Islamabad on Friday, said, “Raiwand’s prime minister” Nawaz Sharif was sent abroad despite being convicted.

    Bilawal said former president Asif Ali Zardari remains in Pakistan, moving from one doctor to another, despite his children telling him to go abroad and seek treatment.

    “If the president [Zardari] is from Nawabshah, he remains on medical bail despite trumped-up charges,” said chairman PPP.

    “I want to ask the prime minister (PM) what sort of accountability and justice is being implemented in the country? I want to ask the PM what kind of rule of law is there within the country?” Bilawal asked, adding that if the premier’s friends are being alleged of a crime, no action is taken against them.

    “This is revenge and political engineering and their ministers themselves accept it has hurt the economy,” added Bilawal.

    “If the prime minister and his sister are blamed for a crime, nothing happens to them,” Bilawal lashed out.

    However, if a former president from Nawabshah’s sister is blamed for something, then she is dragged to jail from her hospital bed, he said, referring to PPP leader Faryal Talpur.

    The PPP chairman denigrated the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government and questioned its standards of accountability. “This system is a mockery of the Constitution,” said Bilawal.

    “If the Leader of Opposition is from Lahore (Shehbaz Sharif), he is awarded bail, and if the leader of Opposition hails from Sukkur (Khursheed Shah), he is denied the right and treated like a ping-pong ball — back and forth from the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) courts to Supreme Court,” Bilawal said.

    The PPP chairman claimed the authorities were repeatedly blackmailing Shah’s children and his wife.

    Bilawal further said that the party would support Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly on the budget despite the inappropriate behaviour of some Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) members.

    “I unconditionally say to Shehbaz Sharif in front of the media that all PPP members will be in your support with regards to parliament and this [upcoming] budget despite tantrums [of some PML-N members].”

    He said that PPP members would come and vote on the day of the budget and now it was up to Shehbaz as the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly to “do his work and stop the government’s budget.”

    Bilawal was responding to a question on whether the PPP had been contacted on the budget issue and whether it would support the Opposition. He responded that despite the “inappropriate behaviour” of the PML-N and other political parties in the Opposition, the PPP had prioritised national issues and the budget over differences between the political parties.

    “So despite their insults, the PPP went to Shehbaz Sharif’s invitation for dinner so we can rid the people of economic difficulties. Unfortunately, our host was publicly insulted after that dinner by some officeholders of the PML-N,” said Bilawal, adding that flinging statements at guests was not a part of “our tradition, values, and culture”.

    The PPP chairman also lashed out at the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), saying it should have offered resignations the same day or the next when the PPP had “supposedly” refused to listen to its demands and set out for its long march.

    “If they still want to do politics of resignations, then they should have given them by now.”

    Hitting out at the prime minister, the PPP chairman said that the statements since the past few weeks on the state of the economy showed that the “prime minister has no connection to the common man”.

    “The prime minister says Pakistan’s difficult time is over. Not sure about the common man but the IMF’s (International Monetary Fund) difficult time is over, for sure,” he said.

    Bilawal Bhutto said the government’s ministers had come around to accept the PPP’s stance on the economy and expressed the hope that Pakistan would escape the “IMF’s grip” in the budget next week.

    Bilawal similarly hit out at an ordinance for the creation of a new media body and said the PPP would continue to oppose it. He added that the recent attacks on journalists such as Asad Ali Toor or pressure being applied to media personnel such as Hamid Mir through petitions had “exposed the government’s weakness and insecurity”.

  • ‘Those who call themselves democratic are demanding the military to topple the government’: PM Khan

    ‘Those who call themselves democratic are demanding the military to topple the government’: PM Khan

    Addressing a ceremony to lay the foundation for the upgradation of the Multan-Lodhran section of the N-5 Motorway, Prime Minister Imran Khan said, “Those who call themselves democratic are demanding the military to topple the government.”

    “From day one, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government faced criticism from the Opposition, which was poised to topple the government unless their leaders were given an NRO (National Reconciliation Ordinance),” said Khan.

    “These mafias are bent upon doing anything to safeguard their interests as billions of dollars stashed by them abroad through money looted in the country are being probed,” he said. PM added that rule of law changes society and ensures that there are no sugar and land mafias.

    “Change is not possible without a struggle,” Khan said adding that the Opposition raised a hue and cry regarding a change a week after they [PTI] took power.

    “My own people had to face a tough time. The media also gave an impression that Naya Pakistan can emerge by switching a button on,” he said.

    PM Khan said the country registered a growth of 4 per cent this financial year despite the challenge of the Covid-19 pandemic. He said we not only saved our people from the pandemic, but also the economy.

    The government is focusing on uplifting the agriculture sector, industries, IT, housing and tourism sectors, he said, adding that a package is being introduced for the farmers to bring a green revolution in the country.

  • PTI fudging economic figures, claims PML-N

    A pre-budget seminar was organised by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on June 3 in Islamabad.

    The seminar was organised by the Economic Advisory Council of the PML-N on the direction of party president Shehbaz Sharif.

    Titled ‘Economy sinking under Imran Khan’s government’, the seminar discussed all the economic issues before the upcoming budget. The main focus was on the economic policies of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government.

    Graphs shown during the seminar entailed that Pakistan’s gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 5.8 per cent in PML-N’s last year, the highest in 16 years. In addition, GDP growth consistently remained above 4 per cent in each of PML-N’s 5 years. GDP growth has significantly declined during PTI’s tenure with 2.1 per cent growth in 2019.

    PTI is claiming 3.9 per cent growth now in 2021, but this claim is being challenged by independent economists. Whereas, GDP has significantly declined during PTI’s tenure with 2.1 per cent growth in 2019.

    Shehbaz Sharif claimed that the government was pushing out wrong statistics and misinforming the public since the start of the its tenure.

    “The government’s statistics [regarding the budget] have already become a subject of debate,” Shehbaz said while addressing the seminar virtually.

    “Their past is evident and they have been putting forth forged figures,” he said. “This comes on top of the government’s worst performance and major failures.”

    Last week, on Sunday, while addressing the nation live, Prime Minister Imran Khan said the Opposition parties were complaining about the government misleading the nation on the economy as they had not expected it to achieve a growth rate of nearly 4 per cent.

    “The economic growth rate has baffled political opponents who wanted the government to fail in meeting these challenges left behind by our predecessors,” added Khan.

  • PM ‘worried’ about the Opposition

    PM ‘worried’ about the Opposition

    Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday, while speaking at a ceremony in Ziarat said, “I am worried, whether they [Opposition] will remain as an alliance or not.”

    Khan took a jibe at the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), which faced a setback after the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the Awami National Party (ANP) left it.

    The premier said the country was “getting out of a very difficult time”, adding that the Opposition parties had been “making noise” that his government would fail ever since it came to power.

    “Our opponents have created hue and cry. Even when Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) had formed the government in 2018, our opponents said that we were bound to fail,” said Khan.

    The Opposition kept reiterating that the country’s economy would suffer, but now, when the growth rate’s statistics were made public, they rejected them, he said.

    “Our opponents want us to fail,” he said, as he stressed the government was doing everything in its power to uplift the economy.

    The premier, shedding light on how his government achieved growth in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, said the PTI-led government promoted tourism, launched health cards for nearly half of the population.

    Moreover, till this year’s end, Punjab’s population will have a health card and soon enough, all of Pakistan will have this facility. “Even in Balochistan, every family will have a health card.”

    Prime Minister said his government “considers Balochistan ours” in a way that previous governments did not. Previous governments had not spent money on the province’s development, he said, adding that his government would “use all of our resources in this difficult time” to ensure progress.

    The premier said there was a gas issue in Ziarat, and a member of the provincial assembly (MPA) had told the premier that a gas line would be installed to overcome this problem.

    Installing an LPG plant is more feasible in Ziarat, he said, adding in the next fiscal year, he would try his best to get an LPG plant installed in the city.

    “Balochistan is a large province, so developing streets here is quite expensive …. Pakistan’s development will actually take place when the entire country develops,” he said.

    The premier said despite reservations from Punjab and KP that he was being “too generous with Balochistan”, it was the government’s “responsibility to make full efforts” because the province had been ignored in the past.

    “Pakistan’s development will only be in real terms when it is inclusive [and] when the whole country develops,” he reiterated.

    “I will keep coming here and checking the progress. We are giving another package for roads. We will give funds wherever there is room,” the premier concluded.

  • Know of water theft in Sindh? WhatsApp here

    Know of water theft in Sindh? WhatsApp here

    Sindh Irrigation Minister Sohail Anwar Siyal has shared a WhatsApp number for the masses, ARY News reported on Tuesday. This was done in order to tighten the noose around the people involved in water theft by the Sindh Irrigation Department.

    Siyal, while releasing the WhatsApp number of the Irrigation Department, urged the masses to record videos of water theft and share them with the Sindh Irrigation Department.

    The video, along with the date and time highlighting the irrigation water theft, should be forwarded to 03330291781, the minister said.

    Siyal ensured that action would be taken against the guilty within three days.

    Last week, Sindh Irrigation Minister Sohail Anwar Siyal met with Prime Minister Imran Khan in Islamabad.

  • ‘No one can dare undermine me,’ Fawad Chaudhry burns BBC HARDTalk

    ‘No one can dare undermine me,’ Fawad Chaudhry burns BBC HARDTalk

    Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry talked on the protection of journalists, the involvement of the establishment within the state, the economy of Pakistan, missing persons, popularity of Prime Minister Imran Khan, Covid stituation and many other issues in an interview given to BBC host Stephen John Sackur on BBC HARDtalk.

    Journalists Protection

    The host opened the interview by asking what is the government and Fawad Chaudhry being the Information Minister doing to protect the journalists of the country. Sackur mentioned the recent attack on journalist Asad Ali Toor, who was severely beaten up by unidentified assailants in his apartment. Sackur further mentioned how a senior journalist and former Chairman of Pakistan Electronic Media Authority (Pemra), Absar Alam, was shot in Islamabad. To which Fawad Chaudhry replied, “Individual incidents do happen. The situation is not only dangerous for journalists but it has been for all the citizens of Pakistan. We have faced the worst terrorism. When we were fighting our war against terrorism, we lost a lot of field journalists and many civilians.”

    “Benazir Bhutto too got killed due to terrorism. We have been dealing with tough times,” replied Fawad.

    Stephen Sackur asked what the state was doing about the involvement of state agencies in such incidents.

    “It’s a bit fashionable for the western media to accuse ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence)
    when such incidents happen. When you name any organisation or Pakistani intelligence agency, you are bound to produce evidence of their involvement as well,” replied the minister. “The two specific incidents which you have mentioned, the investigation is still under process, I still don’t know under what pretext have you concluded that the state must be involved in any of this.”

    Direct State Interference

    BBC host asked Chaudhry about freedom of speech in Pakistan. He said that media censorship has increased during Imran Khan’s tenure. Chaudhry replied, “We have about 112 private channels, 43 international channels, with this kind of mass media we have, how do you expect the state to intimidate the media? How can the state be accused of intimidating the media?”

    Censorship

    “I am the Information Minister of the world’s fifth-largest state. I am the Information Minister of one of the world’s seven nuclear states of the world. No one can dare to undermine me. I am here with full authority and I decide in Pakistan what will and what is happening,” answered Fawad when told by Sackur that Chaudhry has no real power or control.

    PTI government’s comparison with previous government’s

    The host compared the working of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) with previous governments.

    “This may be a perception of some Indian-influenced think tanks, not ours. This is not the perception of the people in general. Imran Khan is the most popular prime minister,” said Fawad.

    “As said, don’t undermine the elected government of Pakistan. Imran Khan has received nearly 200 million votes. This is not a joke. He is the prime minister of a nuclear state. He takes the decisions, the cabinet takes the decisions,” added Fawad.

    Relation with establishment

    Fawad Chaudhry said that we have a very good relationship with the ‘so-called establishment’ “as you term it so often. They are part and parcel of our system. We have huge respect for them, but the decision-making rests with the prime minister and the cabinet.”

    Missing Persons

    The BBC host asked about missing persons the security establishments, and the deep state?

    “ISI and army respect human rights just as any other civilian government will do. They are the most civilised army of the world, they are the most responsible army of the world. People in Pakistan respect them for their role,” said Fawad.

    “Least number of missing persons were reported in Imran Khan’s government. We are the only government that has just passed a law against disappearance. We are the only ones who have made illegal confinement a criminal offense. And now the bill has been passed and will go to the parliament,” added Fawad

    Imran Khan’s pledge to deliver

    The show host said that PM Khan’s promises have not been delivered to the people of Pakistan.

    “Unfortunately, I do not agree with your conclusion. Right now Pakistan’s growth rate is 3.94 per cent, which is one of the highest in the whole world despite all the Covid crises,” said Fawad.

    Fawad added, “People who have voted for Prime Minister Imran Khan and PTI are still ardent fans. In the next elections, PM Imran Khan will be elected again.”

    Covid situation

    Sackur asked why only one per cent of Pakistan’s population has been vaccinated.

    “As far as Covid is concerned Pakistan is a great success story. The partial lockdown story that Prime Minister Imran Khan implemented in Pakistan was a great success story,” replied Chaudhry.

  • Accountability to continue without any discrimination: PM Khan

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan on Sunday said that he will not be blackmailed by anyone, adding that even if the government has to dissolve, the process of accountability will continue.

    According to sources, Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar informed the PM about his meeting with the Tareen Group after which it was decided that the just demands of the group would be accepted.

    PM Khan, according to a source, told the party leaders that he will not let Jahangir Tareen get away if he is involved in the sugar scam.

    The meeting also discussed the Azad Kashmir elections and Minister for Kashmir Affairs Ali Amin Gandapur briefed the committee about the amendments in the relevant laws.

    The premier stressed that in order to make the process of elections fair and transparent, seeking technological assistance in the form of electronic voting is essential. He said that in the next elections, electronic voting will ensure that rigging does not take place.

    PM Imran said immediate steps should be taken to remove obstacles in the issuance of long-term visas to foreign investors, especially Chinese investors, and consider introducing a separate category for those involved in the CPEC project.

    The prime minister said that CPEC was not only a harbinger of economic growth for Pakistan, but also a path to development for the entire region.

  • Maryam Nawaz: the next Prime Minister?

    In a programme on ARY News, ‘The Reporters’, journalist Sabir Shakir said that PML-N vice president Maryam Nawaz will succeed PM Imran Khan as Pakistan’s next prime minister.

    “She [Maryam Nawaz] will become the next prime minister, in my opinion,” he said.

    “She can,” agreed Chaudhry Ghulam Hussain, another senior journalist who has critised PML-N in the past and has spoken in favour of PM Imran Khan over the years.

    Shakir said there will be a ‘break’ in the prime minister’s term, stating that he will lose the next general elections.

    “This is his first innings, he is learning how to play,” said Shakir. “Hence, he will lose first and will then emerge again stronger the next time,” he added.

    Another senior journalist, Arif Hameed Bhatti, said this was PM Imran Khan’s “first and last innings” as the prime minister of the country, adding that Maryam Nawaz can become the country’s next premier.

    Journalist Sami Ibrahim said that ‘politics demands performance’ and that giving lectures like Ibn Khaldun was of no use until rulers did not have any realization of the hardships that masses were facing

    Prominent journalists, who have been known for their pro-Imran Khan views over the past couple of years, think the prime minister will not be able to win the next general elections, making Maryam Nawaz a popular choice for Prime Minister.

  • ‘Naya Pakistan Housing Scheme’ was made in ‘Purana Pakistan’, alleges journalist

    ‘Naya Pakistan Housing Scheme’ was made in ‘Purana Pakistan’, alleges journalist

    Prime Minister Imran Khan inaugurated a low-cost housing colony for labourers and industrial workers on Wednesday.

    The PM said the housing scheme for workers in Peshawar was launched in 2011 but it remained incomplete since then as it was not a priority because it was meant for the poor labourers. He said he wanted to see how much the condition of the poor had improved after the five-year tenure of the PTI government. This new project has now been put under the ‘Naya Pakistan Housing Scheme’.

    However, a report by journalist Izharullah sets the record straight about the origins of the scheme. 

    

    The labour colony in the Regi Lalma area of Peshawar was approved in 2008 during the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) regime. Work on the project began in 2011, with a total of 1,200 flats. However, in 2013, construction of 1,000 additional flats was approved. 
    

    The project was funded by the Workers’ Welfare Board, an organisation working for the welfare of workers, and funding for it was obtained from the Workers’ Welfare Fund set up under the same board.
    

    Addressing the inaugural function, PM Imran Khan said that the government had launched a ‘new Pakistan housing scheme’ under which the working class and the poor would get houses. 
    

    At the time the colony was approved, there was a PPP-Awami National Party coalition government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Work on the labour colony began in April 2011, and was completed in 2020. Some work is still pending though.
    

    These flats were approved for labourers in Hattar, Peshawar, Takht Bai, and Haripur. These projects were later inaugurated in 2013 by the then PPP Provincial Labour Minister Sher Azam Wazir. The old name plates have been removed and the housing scheme has been inaugurated once again. 
    

    Special Assistant to Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhawa, Kamran Bangash, tweeted that about half of the flats were started in 2011, while the rest were started in 2013. “However, due to the Workers Welfare Fund being a federal department, the funds of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were cut off during the Nawaz era,” tweeted Bangash.
    

    

    


    

    

    

    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    ‘One SHO is enough for Jahangir Tareen’s group’: Faisal Vawda
    
			
    ‘One SHO is enough for Jahangir Tareen’s group’: Faisal Vawda
    
			
    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)  leader Faisal Vawda downplayed the significance of the leaders who support Jahangir Khan Tareen, saying they can be handled by a station house officer (SHO) alone.
    

    

    


    

    

    

    Faisal Vawda criticised Jahangir Tareen on a talk show on ARY News, ‘Off The Record’, saying, “There is no doubt that Jahangir Khan Tareen is an intelligent and successful person. But he is not Imran Khan, for sure.”
    

    The PTI leader said Tareen earned respect thanks to Imran Khan, adding that whatever reputation he had was only because of PM Khan. Giving his own example the leader said he came into power because PM Khan’s name was associated with him. He alone could not have done anything. 
    

    Vawda said no one should lose sight of their standing. He asserted, “Imran Khan is the leader and he will remain so and 50 million Jahangir Tareens, 500 million Faisal Vawdas, and 500 million cabinets put together could not create a single Imran Khan.”
    

    On Tuesday night, Jahangir Khan Tareen hosted a dinner at his residence and announced a ‘group of like-minded people’. The newly formed group has appointed PTI’s Raja Riaz as Parliamentary Leader in the National Assembly while PML-N’s Saeed Akbar Nawani will lead in the Punjab Assembly.