Tag: Prime Minister Imran Khan

  • Saudi Arabia ‘forces’ PM Imran to cancel Malaysia trip

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has cancelled his scheduled visit to Malaysia following his meeting with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman in Riyadh, The News reported.

    According to reports, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi will be representing Pakistan in the premier’s place at the Kuala Lumpur Summit scheduled for December 18-20, which will also be attended by notable Muslim leaders, including Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim Hamad Al Thani, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.

    “Saudi Arabia raised serious concerns over the statement of Malaysian PM Mahathir Mohammad who had recently said that the Muslim countries at Kuala Lumpur Summit would form a new platform to replace the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) which he said had failed to deliver on issues faced by the Muslims across the world,” the report quoted sources as saying.

    Saudi Arabia and its allies, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait and Bahrain are perturbed over the expected presence of Qatari emir, Turkish president and Iranian president at the summit and fear a new but parallel leadership forum is being developed to undermine Saudi Arabia and its allies, it said.

    The report further claimed that the UAE has also raised its concerns over Mahathir’s statement and has requested Pakistan to avoid the Kuala Lumpur Summit that “may trigger a new controversy among the Muslim Ummah”.

    “PM Imran was also conveyed concerns by Bahrain’s King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa over the intentions of the Kuala Lumpur Summit. The premier assured the royals of Saudi Arabia and Bahrain that he would not be a partof any scheme being planned to undermine the Gulf leadership,” sources were quoted as saying.

    They said that UAE’s Emir Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan had raised his concerns with Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa three days ago on December 14 as well.

    Meanwhile, Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan has said decision about Imran Khan’s visit to Malaysia to attend the Kuala Lumpur Summit will be taken according to national interest.

    She noted that after his Bahrain visit, the premier will travel to Geneva and return to Pakistan Wednesday, following which a final decision regarding his Malaysia trip would be taken.

  • Malaysian PM’s gift to PM Imran arrives in Pakistan

    Malaysian PM’s gift to PM Imran arrives in Pakistan

    Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad gifted a luxury car to Prime Minister Imran Khan. The car has arrived in Pakistan and will be handed over to the government in a ceremony at the Malaysian High Commission in Islamabad on Monday.

    Adviser to Prime Minister of Pakistan for Commerce, Textile, Industry & Production and Investment Abdul Razak Dawood will receive the car on behalf of PM Khan, who will be in Bahrain on Monday. A symbolic car key was already presented to PM Imran when the Malaysian PM visited Islamabad.

    According to Arab News, Mohamad gifted PM Khan a Malaysian manufactured X-70 Proton during his three-day official visit to Pakistan earlier this year in March.

    2019 Proton X70 SUV

    It is pertinent to mention here that a Proton joint venture between Pakistan and Malaysia was first agreed on last year and was part of the agreements signed during Mohamad’s visit. Manufacturing and assembly of the Malaysian Proton cars has already begun in Pakistan with a local partner, Al Hajj Automotive.

  • VIDEO: ‘I’m ISPR DG’s nephew; friend of PM, Gen Bajwa,’ man threatens Motorway Police

    VIDEO: ‘I’m ISPR DG’s nephew; friend of PM, Gen Bajwa,’ man threatens Motorway Police

    A video of an unknown man misbehaving with motorway police is making rounds on the internet, claiming that he is the nephew of Major General Asif Ghafoor, the Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

    The video shows that the guy is misbehaving with police officials when they asked him to move his vehicle on the side of the road. The man while replying to officials demand said, “I am a son of an MNA and Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan and army chief are my friends”.

    He also said that he is a captain and all these officials will get dismissed.

    The person also insisted the police officials to dial a number.

  • Saudi royals unhappy with Imran; PM to visit Kingdom, clarify his position

    Saudi royals unhappy with Imran; PM to visit Kingdom, clarify his position

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan will visit Saudi Arabia on Saturday after recent signals from Riyadh indicate that the kingdom’s leaders were not happy with Imran’s decision to attend Kuala Lumpur summit scheduled to be held in Malaysia later this month, Dawn reported.

    According to the details, PM Imran will reportedly reassure Saudi leadership that ties between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia remain firm despite Islamabad’s engagement with other Muslim countries.

    The reports further reveal that Saudis are seeing the summit an an attempt by Malaysia to present an alternative to the Jeddah-based Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) as the progressively dysfunctional OIC works under the de-facto leadership of the Saudis.

    Other leaders which are participating in the summit include Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, Iranian President Hasan Rouhani among others.

    Pakistan has expressed its keenness to attend the summit as the Foreign Office (FO) in its recent statement has said, “The KL summit would provide Pakistan with an opportunity to exchange views and find solutions to challenges facing the Muslim world, particularly the governance, development, terrorism and Islamophobia”.

    “The summit will also provide us an opportunity to foster cooperation in diverse areas with the participating countries”, the statement added.

    Meanwhile, FO spokesman Dr Mohammad Faisal while responding to questions about PM Imran’s sudden visit to Saudi Arabia has said, “High-level political exchanges between the two countries are the hallmark of this brotherly bilateral relationship. You have witnessed the high frequency of leadership level exchanges, especially since last August”.

    Dr Faisal further said, “The PM has undertaken at least three visits to KSA since May this year. Any further information about any future visit will be shared accordingly.”

  • Police trying to save PM’s nephew? Hassaan Niazi’s name excluded from FIRs

    Police trying to save PM’s nephew? Hassaan Niazi’s name excluded from FIRs

    The police, in an attempt to favour Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s nephew Barrister Hassaan Niazi, have allegedly excluded his name from the cases registered against the lawyers who attacked the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) in Lahore on Wednesday, Dawn reported.

    According to reports, an official has claimed that a mobile phone footage showing Niazi pelting cops with stones Jail Road had surfaced, however, the police had neither nominated him in the FIRs [First Information Reports] nor detained him.

    The authorities have registered two FIRs against 250 lawyers after they stormed the state-run cardiac hospital, damaged public property and beat up government officials, including Punjab Information Minister Fayyazul Hasan Chohan, on Wednesday.

    Police have booked the protesters under terrorism, murder and street crime charges in the FIRs lodged on the complaint of the hospital’s chief executive and SHO concerned.

    Moreover, police authorities, after going through several CCTV/mobile phone footage and obtaining credible information from different sources, have nominated 21 lawyers in the FIRs.

    A senior police officer, however, has denied the allegation of favouring PM’s nephew, saying all the lawyers, who participated in the violent protest, would be treated equally.

    He said that Hassaan was among the 250 lawyers who had gone underground to avoid arrest and the police were carrying out raids for their arrest. “46 lawyers have been arrested so far,” the official added.

  • ‘Ashamed of myself,’ says PM Imran’s nephew who was present at lawyers’ violent protest

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s nephew, Barrister Hassaan Niazi, has condemned his peers’ attack on Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) in Lahore, while people are calling him out for being present at the violent protest himself.

    At least four patients lost their lives after hunderds of lawyers ransacked the hospital on Lahore’s Jail Road on Wednesday afternoon. The mob was protesting against a viral video wherein doctors were seen making fun of some lawyers they had recently interacted with.

    With condemnations pouring in, Niazi was called out for being present at the protest as people questioned if justice would be served regardless of the fact that one of the protesting lawyers was the nephew of the country’s chief executive.

    He was also seen attacking a police vehicle that was later set on fire.

    https://twitter.com/fanwar03/status/1204827493435420672

    “After watching this clip, I feel ashamed of myself. This is murder!” Niazi tweeted separately as he distanced himself from what happened earlier in the day.

    “My support and protest was limited to initiation of legal action against the concerned doctors. I only stand for peaceful protests. It’s sad day and I condemn my own self for supporting this protest now [sic],” he maintained.

    Two FIRs [First Information Reports] have been registered against over 250 lawyers involved in the attack.

  • Pakistan, Qatar agree to enhance bilateral trade volume

    In order to enhance bilateral trade, Pakistan and Qatar have agreed in principle on a preferential trade agreement (PTA) and a free trade agreement (FTA), The Express Tribune has reported, adding that the agreements would soon be signed after necessary formalities.

    Pakistan has also offered to establish a plant in Qatar to manufacture footballs for the FIFA World Cup 2022 as well as subsequent football tournaments.

    Nebras Power, a major investment group in Qatar’s energy sector, has expressed an interest in investing directly in Pakistan’s power sector.

    The Nebras Power Consortium will take part in the privatisation of the Haveli Bahadur Shah and Balloki power plants in Pakistan.

    It has formally informed the Pakistani government about its interest and hoped that it would promote direct cooperation between the two governments in the fields of energy and power generation.

    According to a document, Pakistan’s commerce and energy ministries attended the 5th Pak Qatar Joint Ministerial Commission meeting in Qatar last month.

    A copy of the minutes issued by the signatories of the two countries was sent to the respective ministries for implementation of the decisions made by the two countries.

    Pakistan has expressed an interest in exporting sports goods for the FIFA World Cup 2022. Qatar has welcomed Pakistan’s interest and said it would consider its goods on the basis of price and quality for the mega event.

    The document also read that the Pakistani government had fully endorsed a report sent by the Qatar government to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to recognise its products, including Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and natural gas, as ecofriendly.

    Qatar has also requested additional traffic rights to enhance aviation links with Pakistan. The two countries will consider the matter on a commercial basis.

    The two countries have agreed on an air service agreement in the near future to enhance bilateral cooperation between Pakistan and Qatar in other areas of aviation and agreed to hold further meetings during the forthcoming air service talks scheduled to be held in Shi’ar Uqba, Jordan where further progress is expected in this regard.

    According to Qatar’s media, the two-way trade exchange between Qatar and Pakistan reached QR9.5 billion in 2018, witnessing an unprecedented 63pc growth as a result of better ties. The balance of trade is currently skewed in favour of Qatar due to the export of high-valued products to Pakistan. But the South Asian nation is also working aggressively to enhance collaboration in the field of manpower aiming to increase the flow of remittances, which will eventually make the economic relations more balanced.

  • Black Wednesday: PM appreciates Fayazul Hasan Chohan for his courage

    Black Wednesday: PM appreciates Fayazul Hasan Chohan for his courage

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has appreciated Punjab Information Minister Fayyazul Hassan Chohan for his courage as the latter expressed restraint over lawyers’ Wednesday ransacking of Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) in Lahore, ARY News reported.

    According to reports, the premier, during a telephonic conversation, said that Chohan was an asset of the party and lauded his nerve for offering restraint during the violent protest. He said that miscreants wanted a Model Town-like carnage, but the provincial government of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had foiled their heinous designs.

    PM Imran vowed to expose the real characters behind the lawyers’ agitation and added that no one would be allowed to take law into their own hands.

    Earlier, Federal Minister for Water Resources Faisal Vawda had also appreciated Chohan.

    “Well done Fayazul Hasan Chohan! Very graceful of you that you didn’t take any harsh action and avoided the inevitable despite how these hooligans maltreated you,” he tweeted.

    On Tuesday, Chohan was slapped and tortured by agitated lawyers as their protest against doctors turned violent. At least four patients lost their lives and hospital equipment worth millions was damaged.

    The provincial information minister, who had arrived at the scene to hold talks with the lawyers, was thrashed by the protesters who, according to Chohan, also “tried to kidnap him”.

  • PM Imran Khan is 2019’s 5th most influential world leader on Twitter

    PM Imran Khan is 2019’s 5th most influential world leader on Twitter

    Prime Minister Imran Khan has been ranked the fifth most influential world leader on Twitter, a recent report released by the ranking site, Twiplomacy has revealed.

    According to the report, PM Imran has an average of 6K RT (retweet per tweet) ratio on Twitter. These rankings are based on average tweets/retweet interactions on the website.

    Interestingly, PM Khan surpassed his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, who despite having 51.8M followers, compared to PM Khan’s 10.7M, has an average tweet/retweet ratio of only 4K. Modi ranked number nine on the list.

    King Salman of Saudi Arabia topped the list with 231K avg tweet/retweet ratio followed by President of the United States Donald Trump with 21K avg tweet/retweet ratio. Number three on the list was New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern with 9K avg tweet/retweet ratio.

    Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi also ranked on the list at number 30 with 1K avg tweet/retweet ratio, while President Arif Alvi was at number 37 with 960 avg tweet/retweet ratio.

    The website also listed the PM Khan’s rankings on different social media platforms. PM Khan is the 15th most liked world leader on Instagram with 2M followers, while Modi topped this list with 31M followers.

    Previously, in October, the former cricketer became the sixth most followed world leader on Twitter with 10.5 million followers.

  • ‘Eight million people have gone below poverty line under PTI govt’

    ‘Eight million people have gone below poverty line under PTI govt’

    Pakistan’s renowned economist Dr Hafiz A Pasha has claimed that eight million people in the country have gone below the poverty line under the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government and another 10 million could slip below the same soon, Express Tribune reported.

    According to the details, Dr Pasha in an article has said that due to low economic growth and double-digit food inflation the national poverty ratio, which was 31.3% in June 2018, would sharply jump to over 40% by June 2020.

    In simple terms, people living in poverty will increase from 69 million in June 2018 to 87 million by June 2020, indicating 26% increase in poverty in first two years of the PTI government.

    “The situation is very alarming due to an economic growth rate that is close to the population growth rate and an exponential increase in prices of perishable food items,” reports quoted Pasha as saying.

    The economist said that the government’s decision to simultaneously increase taxes, energy tariffs and devaluation of currency contributed to the increase in poverty.

    He said that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government’s decision to keep the rupee-dollar parity stable kept the inflation under check adding that the incumbent government is implementing probably the toughest IMF programme of Pakistan’s history aimed at overpowering fiscal and external accounts challenges.

    Dr Pasha is the former finance minister of Pakistan and has also advised Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan at the time of building consensus on signing an IMF [International Monetary Fund] programme.

    Meanwhile, the Federal Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar in response to Dr Pasha’s claims has said, “We do not have latest official poverty statistics,” adding that the country was exiting a severe balance of payments crisis which had its own implications.

    “The PTI government accelerated the poverty alleviation measures aimed at protecting the poor and vulnerable people from the adverse impact of macroeconomic adjustments”, said the minister.