Tag: Prime Minister Imran Khan

  • In a first since Kashmir’s 2019 siege, Imran’s national security aide gets interviewed by Indian journalist

    In a first since Kashmir’s 2019 siege, Imran’s national security aide gets interviewed by Indian journalist

    In a first, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on National Security Dr Moeed Yusuf has been interviewed by an Indian journalist.

    During his interview with Karan Thapar, Yusuf set five pre-conditions for the resumption of “meaningful dialogue” with India to resolve all outstanding issues, including the longstanding dispute of Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IoK).

    While he said that Pakistan desired peaceful ties with India and wanted to resolve all issues through dialogue, Yusuf asserted that for any meaningful dialogue to take place between the two neighbours, India has to release all political prisoners in Kashmir, end inhuman blockade and restrictions, rescind domicile law that allows non-Kashmiris to settle in the disputed territory, stop human rights abuses and end state terrorism in Pakistan.

    This is the first time Pakistan put forward its pre-conditions for resumption of talks with India since the Modi government revoked the special status of IoK.

    Interestingly, he did not mention the restoration of the special status of Kashmir as one of the pre-conditions for restarting talks with India, which Pakistan has been condemning since August 5, 2019, when New Delhi had revoked Article 370 and 35-A of the Indian Constitution to rob the troubled valley of its autonomy.

    “Pakistan would be ready for dialogue with India if Modi government accepts those preconditions,” Yusuf said and also spoke of the involvement of Indian intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing’s (RAW), in terrorism in Pakistan.

    “Pakistan had evidence that the mastermind of December 2014 APS terrorist attack in Peshawar was in contact with RAW,” he said.

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    The SAPM added that India used its missions in one of the neighbouring countries of Pakistan to facilitate and sponsor terrorist attacks at a five-star Hotel in Gwadar, the Chinese Consulate in Karachi and the Pakistan Stock Exchange.

    He maintained that Islamabad, under the leadership of PM Imran Khan, wanted a peaceful neighbourhood but India’s Hindutva policies were obstructing the path to attain regional peace.

  • Bajwa’s resignation amid political uncertainty affects stock market

    Bajwa’s resignation amid political uncertainty affects stock market

    Pakistan’s stocks reversed gains on Monday as Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s Special Assistant on Information (SAPM) Lt Gen (r) Asim Saleem Bajwa resigned ahead of protests planned by opposition parties, raising concerns of increased political uncertainty, foreign media reported.

    “Imran Khan approved my request to relinquish the additional post,” Asim Bajwa tweeted Monday.

    The resignation of Imran’s key spokesperson comes amid increasing challenges to his about two-year-old government as he struggles to contain inflation and revive the country’s economy. Meanwhile, an alliance of 11 opposition parties is planning on holding its first protest rally this week, which is the start of a series of such meetings aimed at ousting Imran Khan.

    The benchmark KSE-100 index closed down 1.4%, reversing earlier gains of as much as 0.6%. The stocks have advanced 48% since touching this year’s low on March 25. “The investors are being cautious and booking profits after recent events including Bajwa’s resignation and the opposition’s planned protest add to the uncertainty,” said Qasim Shah, head of international sales at JS Global Capital Ltd in Karachi.

    The premier had turned down Bajwa’s earlier request to resign.

  • VIDEO: ‘ISI keeps a check on prime ministers,’ Imran reveals

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has revealed that Pakistan’s premier intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), keeps a check on the country’s chief executives and is the first to know when any government is involved in corruption.

    Addressing a ceremony organised by the Insaf Lawyers Forum (ILF) in Islamabad on Friday, he claimed that ISI’s check on the integrity of PMs was the actual reason behind opposition parties’ clash with the security establishment. Reports quoted Imran as saying that if he too “started laundering money” out of the country, the ISI would find out about it before anyone else “because it is the world’s top agency”.

    “Military is unlike other institutions. They [former ruling parties] manipulated all institutions that were responsible to keep checks and balances, except one. They know the ISI is aware of all their theft. They try to control it and that’s where the conflict starts,” he said.

    Mocking Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo and deposed PM Nawaz Sharif, who, in recent weeks, has levelled serious allegations of political interference against the armed forces, the premier commented on the claim that Nawaz was asked to step down by ex-ISI chief Zaheerul Islam.

    “Why did he [Islam] say that? And why did you [Nawaz] silently hear that? Because Zaheerul Islam knew how much money you had stolen,” PM Imran said and added that Nawaz “fought with every army chief” because he wanted to turn the military into Punjab police.

    Referring to what he termed Nawaz’s “attacks” on the Pakistan Army, he said, “If anyone is going around with India’s agenda, it is the [opposition].” He added that if the Pakistani military was weakened, the country would see similar turbulence as in other Muslim countries such as Libya, Syria and Yemen.

    “We are safe today because of the sacrifices rendered by our armed forces,” the premier stressed.

    Imran said the reason he did not have any “problems” with the army and the military supported every agenda of his government was because of his clean record.

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    Furthermore, the PM sent a warning to the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) — an opposition alliance launching anti-government protests next week. “The moment you break the law, you will go straight to jail — and not to a VIP jail, but where the poor are sent,” he said.

    The premier said that all the “employed” opposition politicians had united on one platform because “they consider themselves above the law” and “unanswerable”.

    PM Imran said that the PDM was the latest attempt by the opposition to obtain an NRO-like agreement. He drew parallels between the PDM and the opposition’s attempts to “blackmail” the government over the passage of legislation concerning the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

    “The day they get an NRO would be the downfall of Pakistan,” he added.

    Referring to the opposition’s allegation of the vote having been stolen in the 2018 elections, the premier said he had gotten “the most votes in Pakistan and won from five constituencies.”

    “I am democracy,” he declared.

  • PM Imran, Facebook join hands for a comprehensive digital literacy project

    PM Imran, Facebook join hands for a comprehensive digital literacy project

    A virtual meeting between Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan and Facebook’s Chief Operating Officer (COO) Sheryl Sandberg has been held to discuss the social media giant’s investments in Pakistan.

    PM Imran appreciated Facebook’s investments and said he recognised the immense potential of digital platforms like Facebook and the role that they can play in giving global opportunities to Pakistani youth and entrepreneurs and how the opportunities they create can lift people out of poverty.

    The premier with Sandberg also discussed Facebook’s #SheMeansBusiness programme under which over 6,000 women will be trained across Pakistan.

    Facebook’s Vice President (VP) for Global Affairs and Communications Nick Clegg and Head of Public Policy Pakistan Sarim Aziz also attended the meeting along with Focal Person to the PM on Digital Media Dr Arslan Khalid.

    In an exclusive conversation with The Current, Dr Arslan Khalid said that the federal government is working on a comprehensive project to introduce topics on digital literacy in the curriculum for students.

    “Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) are already on board with the federal government while negotiations are underway with Sindh and Balochistan to bring them on board for this initiative,” he added.

    The premier and Sandberg had last met in Davos, Switzerland, earlier this year.

  • ‘Army chief had nothing to do with election rigging,’ ex-PM says

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) stalwart and former prime minister (PM) Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has said that Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa had nothing to do with rigging in the 2018 general election, which his colleagues among other opposition leaders allege.

    “I met him [Gen Bajwa] in November 2018 and expressed no reservations regarding rigging because he had nothing to do with it,” Abbasi said while speaking to journalists on Wednesday. He added that the meetings between ex-Sindh governor and PML-N leader Muhammad Zubair with the COAS were being misconstrued.

    Abbasi, who is among the many PML-N leaders booked for sedition over ex-PM Nawaz Sharif’s fiery speeches against the government and state institutions, further said that the government was distributing treason certificates. “It does not matter what ministers say… Imran Khan is the one behind these cases.”

    Lashing out at the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), he also said that PM Imran did not know that sugar was being sold at Rs110 per kg, he did not know that unemployment was on the rise, and was not even aware that CPEC [China-Pakistan Economic Corridor] has been closed.”

    “Can’t believe he [Imran] thinks that people will buy it when he says he has nothing to do with the cases registered against the PM of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and those who served the country, including two former premiers and three former army generals… they have become traiters today.”

    Abbasi maintained that traitors were the ones “who stopped work on CPEC and added to the masses’ miseries”.

  • ‘Ignorant’ Imran: Many… many… things PM Imran said he ‘didn’t know about’

    ‘Ignorant’ Imran: Many… many… things PM Imran said he ‘didn’t know about’

    With Federal Minister Fawad Chaudhry saying that Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan had no idea about the sedition case against Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) bigwigs, including ex-PM Nawaz Sharif, netizens have sprung to action to remind the people of things “ignorant Imran” said he “didn’t know about”.

    Former PM Nawaz and his loyalists, including Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider and three former military generals, were on Monday booked for “conspiring against the state” after the deposed premier’s fiery speeches against the government and state institutions.

    “The PM didn’t know anything about the case. When I brought it to his attention, he expressed extreme displeasure,” Fawad tweeted after Twitterati called out the government for going after political leaders on sedition charges.

    With Fawad’s claims making headlines, netizens didn’t hold back and started reminding each other of all the times PM Imran, during interviews or in statements, said he did not know about occurrences on his watch as the country’s chief executive, as well as things the premier should have known about.

    PETROL PRICE HIKE:

    Imran came under fire after his government jacked petrol prices by Rs25 per litre with his approval, but he was quoted by reports as saying that he did not know anything about it.

    UIGHUR MUSLIMS’ PLIGHT:

    Despite overwhelming evidence of systematic suppression of Uighur Muslims in China, the PM, during an interview with a foreign media outlet, said he had no idea about what was happening in China’s Xinjiang region.

    MATIULLAH JAN’S ABDUCTION:

    A vocal critic of the Imran Khan-government and the military establishment, journalist Matiuallah Jan, was abducted earlier this year. With condemnations by journalists and activists pouring in from around the world, the government said it didn’t know anything about what was alleged to be a brief but illegal detention by security agencies.

    DEVALUATION OF RUPEE:

    As United States dollar (USD) started gaining value against the Pakistani rupee (historic Rs142 in the inter-bank market) soon after the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government took reins of the country, the premier and his aides on finance were quoted as saying that they knew nothing about it.

    The PM reportedly said he was unaware of devaluation of rupee.

    THAT’S NOT ALL:

    Since coming to power over two years ago, the premier and his minister have repeatedly said that they didn’t know how bad the economy was.

    They have time and again being criticised for feigning ignorance over the state of affairs and accusing their predecessors of looting the masses.

    It was also highlighted by senior Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader and former Sindh governor in an opinion piece from February 2019.

  • Imran govt likely to rid PIA of Rs500 billion debt

    Imran govt likely to rid PIA of Rs500 billion debt

    The federal cabinet is likely to take a decision regarding the hefty Rs500 billion debt burden on the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).

    According to reports, PIA Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Air Marshal (r) Arshad Mahmood Malik will brief the federal cabinet, scheduled to meet today (Tuesday), about restructuring reforms introduced in the national carrier to make it self-sustainable “without seeking financial help from the government”.

    “Even with operational profits, the airline will not not be able to come out of the financial quagmire,” reports quoted sources as saying. “The burden of debt servicing is unsustainable.”

    They said the cabinet would also be briefed on the airline’s foodservice division (FSD), technical ground service (TGS), base management of the engineering department, revenue enhancement strategies, human resource restructuring, financial restructuring, and measures pertaining to Precision Engineering Complex (PEC).

    The PIA management has been evaluating the possibility of giving a management contract of food services at Karachi and Islamabad. While this will not generate much in terms of cost-saving, it will definitely improve product quality and customer satisfaction.

    Similarly, the PIA management has been evaluating the possibility of giving an operation and management contract for technical ground service.

    Reports said the airline is also evaluating different options to get out of the courier business which was launched by PIA in 2003. It has been considering outsourcing or partnering options for Speedex.

    Moreover, they added, the airline is tackling revenue enhancement strategies, route rationalisation, product improvement, yield enhancement, enhanced focus on corporate business, network optimisation, ancillary revenue, codeshare of the alliance to expand the network, revamping of web business portal and offering special packages for online users and reduction in distribution cost by implementing HITIT portal plus.

  • VIDEO: PM says India helping Nawaz to weaken army

    VIDEO: PM says India helping Nawaz to weaken army

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has accused Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif of acting on the behest of India and said that the former premier is playing a “dangerous game” by levelling allegations against the army.

    Speaking during an interview, he said that the military and the civil government departments are working within their spheres and this has led to relations that are “best in history” between them. “One shouldn’t hate the army because of the actions of a few past dictators.”

    The premier remarked that Nawaz’s speech was an attempt to weaken the relationship between the government and the Pakistan Army, which only harms the country in the end.

    “Whose interest is it that our army weakens? Our enemies,” he added, saying some “foolish liberals” were agreeing with Nawaz’s narrative.

    “Look at Libya, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen; the entire Muslim world is ablaze [so] why are we safe? If it weren’t for our army, our country would have been in three pieces. India’s think-tanks say that they want to break Pakistan,” PM Imran said, reiterating the fact that it is the army which has saved us otherwise the country will have been disintegrated in three parts as per Indian designs.

    READ: PM says he’ll sack anyone from establishment who asks for his resignation

    The prime minister went on to say that the “military’s job is not to run the government. If a democratically elected government is performing poorly, it does not mean martial law should be imposed; it means the government should be improved”.

    He said Nawaz was creating “huge fitna (mischief)” by attacking the army. “He [Nawaz] is becoming the next Altaf Hussain,” he said. Furthermore, the prime minister said Nawaz has problems with the army because “they come to steal, and our world-class agencies detect their theft”.

    The PM stated that Nawaz had taken control of various institutions of the country during his tenure, including in the legislative and judiciary departments, but added that the PML-N supremo could never control the army.

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  • Imran beats Trump, Modi, Putin, others with most views on UN General Assembly speech

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s speech at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) is the most-watched video among world leaders on the UN’s YouTube with more than 170,000 views since it was uploaded on September 25.

    PM Imran continues to gain popularity at international forums. His recent speech made at the UNGA platform has been declared as the most viewed speech of the UNGA session on the official YouTube channel of the UN.

    According to details, more than 170,000 viewers have seen PM Imran’s UNGA speech thus so far, which is the highest number of any international leadership viewership.

    Coming in second is US President Donald Trump’s UNGA address with close to 140,000 views since it was uploaded on September 22. In third place is Indonesian President Joko Widodo’s speech, which has more than 95,000 views since it was uploaded on September 23.

    Furthermore, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s speech got 67,000 views, Indian PM Narender Modi’s speech has 62,000 views, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s speech was viewed by 59,000 persons, and the Chinese President’s speech was watched by 44,000 people. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s speech secured only 8,000 views.

    It is worth mentioning here that as many as 2,600,000 people had watched PM Imran’s UNGA speech last year.

    On September 25, the premier virtually addressed the 75th session of the UNGA.

    PM Imran used his UNGA address to warn the international community that India is planning another “ill-conceived misadventure” in a “nuclearised environment,” but Pakistan is ready to “fight for its freedom to the end”.

    He also urged the UN Security Council to play its role in preventing this dangerous conflict, which could jeopardise the entire region.

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  • VIDEO: PM says he’ll sack anyone from establishment who asks for his resignation

    VIDEO: PM says he’ll sack anyone from establishment who asks for his resignation

    Soon after deposed prime minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif claimed that he was told to resign by former Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) director general (DG) Lt Gen Zaheerul Islam, PM Imran Khan has said he would take on anyone who dares to tell him to step down as a democratically-elected PM.

    “He [Nawaz] claims he was told by the army… Gen Zaheerul Islam… to resign. You are the PM… how can he dare to demand so from you?” the premier said while speaking to senior journalist Nadeem Malik in an interview that will air tonight at 7:05 pm on SAMAA.

    When asked what would Imran Khan do if he is asked to resign, the premier said he, being the PM, would immediately ask for that person’s resignation. “I am the country’s PM,” he said, to which Malik asked him if he would sack that person.

    “Who can dare to ask me to step down? I am a democratically-elected PM,” Imran replied.

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    To a question regarding ailing former PM Nawaz’s return to the country, the premier said a convict had left the country after lying about his health and was now “conspiring against Pakistan”.

    “We will bring him back,” he added.

    A day earlier, Nawaz, who is seeking medical treatment abroad, had said the entire country knows what the former ISI chief had done. He claimed that Zaheerul Islam had at midnight sent him a message seeking his resignation.

    “He threatened to impose martial law if I didn’t step down but I refused to resign at all costs,” Nawaz had added.