Tag: PTI government

  • ‘We will slap you in the face so much’, PTI’s Gandapur incites violence against Maryam Nawaz

    ‘We will slap you in the face so much’, PTI’s Gandapur incites violence against Maryam Nawaz

    Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Ali Amin Khan Gandapur has once again come under fire for making sexist and violent remarks against Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz.

    Taking a jibe at Maryam, Gandapur said: “You [Maryam] have spent Rs80 million [tax payers] money on surgery. I will unmask your real face before the public by removing [cosmetic surgery].”

    “We will slap you in the face so much that your real face will be revealed to everyone,” Gandapur said.

    This isn’t the first time Gandpur made such remarks. In November last year, Ali Amin Gandapur had claimed that Maryam Nawaz “owes her beauty to cosmetic surgeries performed at the expense of taxpayers”.

    Speaking at a public gathering, the lawmaker went on a sexist tirade against the PML-N vice president. He said the PML-N leader became “beautiful” by spending tax money on her alleged plastic surgeries.

    Twitterati reacted to Gandapur’s sexist and misogynist remarks.

    PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif tweeted, “His [ Ali Amin Gandapur’s] words are not only violent but also deeply misogynist. Just imagine that people with this mindset have been given the responsibility to govern a country of 220 million people.”

    “Govt’s claims of its ‘commitment’ to women’s human rights and equality will ring hollow What’s worse is that Gandapur is a serial offender and has made such statements before as well with impunity,” says lawyer Reema Omer.

    Social Activist Jibran Nasir tweeted, “Prime Minister Imran Khan endorses it & encourages it. About time everyone stops making excuses for PM that he isn’t surrounded by the right people or he is ill-advised.”

    A Twitter user tweeted, “What are the odds that this is sheer unfiltered hate against women?”

    Meanwhile, the official Twitter account of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) shared a clip where lawmaker Maleeka Bokhari said, “The language used by Maryam Nawaz for the elected Prime Minister and PTI representatives is reprehensible.”

    “It is not possible for you [Maryam Nawaz] to criticise and then play the women’s card,” added Bokhari.

    Minister of State for Climate Change Zartaj Gul tweeted, “Rich of an infamous misogynist Shehbaz Sharif and his abusive deputies who falsely claim PTI encourages such an approach. The track record of the Sharif family is horrific in terms of attacks on women. & Maryam Safdar has actually promoted those who have engaged in openly abusing women!”

  • Government blames Nawaz Sharif for PM Khan’s phone hacking

    Government blames Nawaz Sharif for PM Khan’s phone hacking

    Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, Farrukh Habib, said that when Prime Minister Imran Khan’s phone was being hacked through Pegasus spyware, it was Nawaz Sharif’s government.

    Farrukh made this statement after The Guardian reported that the Indian government targeted Prime Minister Imran Khan’s phone for surveillance.

    Farrukh further added that while Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was busy hacking the phones of his Opposition, who knows, Nawaz Sharif might have sought Modi’s help for some other purposes as well.

    “We will not allow them [Nawaz Sharif and Narendra Modi] to remain silent on these issues,” added Farrukh.

    Special Assistant to Prime Minister Dr Shahbaz Gill tweeted, “Maryam Safdar kept speaking against Imran Khan. Today, the international media has once again exposed the nexus between her [Maryam Nawaz’s] father and Israel.”

    “He [Nawaz Sharif] was working with Israel to hack the phones of Imran Khan and other government officials,” added Gill.

    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    ‘I will sort you out’: PML-N’s Attaullah Tarar threatens PTI’s Shahbaz Gill
    
			
    ‘I will sort you out’: PML-N’s Attaullah Tarar threatens PTI’s Shahbaz Gill
    
			
    Twitter witnessed another political spat as Special Assistant to Prime Minister Imran Khan Dr Shahbaz Gill said that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto are using derogatory language against Prime Minister Imran Khan.
    

    

    


    

    

    

    “Now they [Oppostion] will be paid back in the same coin”, tweeted Gill.
    

    The Deputy Secretary-General of PMLN, Attaullah Tarar, threatened PM’s aide in response and said, “Enough is enough.”
    

    

    


    

    

    

    Taking a jibe at Gill, Tarar added, “You are doing politics today thanks to flattery and abuse.” And in a rather threatening tone wrote, “I will sort you.”
    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    Faisal Vawda case ‘a waste of time’, says petitioner
    
			
    Faisal Vawda case ‘a waste of time’, says petitioner
    
			
    Talking to The Current, Pakistan People’s Party’s (PPP) Qadir Mandokhel said that he has been pursuing a petition against Faisal Vawda for 2 years 9 months. “Now it’s just a waste of time.”
    

    Mandokhel gave the example of an illegal building and a petition against it. “Agar building hee masmaar kar di toh kya faida abb iska” (If the illegal building has been demolished, what’s the use of pursuing a case against it). Mandokhel is referring to the fact that Vawda is no longer an MNA but a Senator now.
    

    Mandokhel says he has high hopes from Sindh High Court where the petition on senatorship is still pending. Mandokhel says he wrote to the US Consulate but he was told by them that they do not reply to individual queries.
    

    Mandokhel says Vawda hasn’t submitted his reply and questions why. He also questioned why the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is not doing much about this case.
    

    On Thursday, none of the petitioners appeared before the ECP, meanwhile, Faisal Vawda did.
    

    Vawda, while talking to senior journalist Matiullah Jan, seemed confident and said, “This seems more of a political case, and a political case has no standing. Everyone seems to have backed off for now.”
    

    “The ECP is fully looking into the details of my case and is also providing me with a lot of chances to my rivals. But my all rival parties have disappeared,” added Vawda.
    

    The ECP has three petitions related to the disqualification of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) Faisal Vawda, who is a former member of the National Assembly as well as a recently-elected Senator. The commission is yet to make a decision.
    

    Petitioners against Vawda contend that he had dual citizenship when he filed his nomination papers in the 2018 general elections, a fact that he had concealed at the time. Therefore, they say that he should be disqualified.
    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    ‘PM Khan not a press freedom predator’, says govt
    
			
    ‘PM Khan not a press freedom predator’, says govt
    
			
    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government has strongly rejected the Paris-based media watchdog’s report, which lists Prime Minister Imran Khan among the world’s 37 worst rulers when it comes to press freedom.
    

    The angry reaction from Khan’s government came in response to a report by Reporters Without Borders titled, “Press freedom predators gallery — old tyrants, two women, and a European,” reports Associated Press (AP).
    

    Pakistan’s Information Ministry in a statement on Tuesday rejected the allegations, saying Khan’s government believed in “freedom of expression and media independence”.
    

    In a statement, the ministry said it was surprising that Reporters Without Borders “has jumped to the conclusion” that media in Pakistan are under draconian censorship measures by Khan’s government. It said the government has been “taking all possible measures to create a congenial environment for journalists to perform their professional obligations”.
    

    “It appears that the report that (Reporters Without Borders) has issued is an attempt to malign the elected representative of the people of Pakistan, without any corroborative evidence,” the ministry said.
    

    The ministry said it hoped that the watchdog in the “future will avoid such irresponsible journalism”.
    

    Reporters Without Borders has published a gallery of grim portraits on its official website. It includes 37 heads of state or government who crack down massively on press freedom. Some of these “predators of press freedom” have been operating for more than two decades while others have just joined the blacklist, which for the first time includes two women and a European predator.
    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    Maryam Nawaz believes the govt has recognised Israel, as PTI fails to deny reports
    
			
    Maryam Nawaz believes the govt has recognised Israel, as PTI fails to deny reports
    
			
    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz on Tuesday said she believed the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government has recognised Israel as “it is not presenting a denial” to reports and statements emphasising Pakistan’s reported acceptance of Israel.
    

    Maryam stressed the government should inform the nation of its decision on Israel. “It’s not your personal decision, it’s something that is linked to 220 million people of Pakistan.”
    

    Commenting on the Afghanistan situation, the PML-N leader asked the government to bring its own house in order first.
    

    “Your foreign policy should not alter in view of a changing political landscape. It should not be based on your political standing,” said Maryam, calling for a unified stance on issues.
    

    Responding to a question on whether the PML-N had entered a deal with the government, Maryam said, “Why do you people call everything a deal. This is an inappropriate question. Why will there be any deal? Are we mad to have a deal with those we are [fighting] against?” she questioned.
    

    Maryam further added, “PML-N is in the strongest position in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), and if free and fair polls are held, then our party will win the election with an overwhelming majority.” She added that people had lost trust in the present system in view of “obvious rigging in the past elections”.
    

    The PML-N vice-president said the current approach of the government would take Balochistan further away. “I believe grievances of people of the province should be addressed,” she remarked.
    

    When asked for her point of view on Shahid Khaqan Abbasi’s statement that Shehbaz Sharif should generally refrain from making emotional remarks in public and that his [Shehbaz Sharif’s] statement was taken out of context, Maryam replied that she agrees with Khaqan that Shehbaz’s statement was taken out of context. 
    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    ‘The liberal brigade is misrepresenting facts’: PTI MNAs defend PM Khan’s comments on rape
    
			
    ‘The liberal brigade is misrepresenting facts’: PTI MNAs defend PM Khan’s comments on rape
    
			
    Female leaders of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Tuesday defended Prime Minister Imran Khan’s comments on sexual violence and temptation. Minister of State for Climate Change Zartaj Gul, Parliamentary Secretary for Law Maleeka Ali Bokhari and MNA Kanwal Shauzab held a press conference and came out in support of PM Khan and called out the “liberal brigade” for misrepresenting facts.
    

    Gul claimed that the premier was a “symbol of women empowerment”.
    

    “For the first time in Pakistan, five women ministers are sitting in the federal cabinet. This means that if there is a symbol of women empowerment in Pakistan, it is Prime Minister Imran,” Gul said.
    

    Gul added, “My culture has given me respect, Islam has taught me modesty. Do not try to distort the things said in the Holy Quran.”
    

    Bokhari said that she was proud to be a member of parliament under the leadership of “a man who prioritised the protection of women and children”.
    

    “You can’t distort a question and determine whether or not the premier cares about protecting women and children. You need to see what the government has done,” she said pointing to the establishment of special courts for deciding rape cases and anti-rape crisis cells at hospitals.
    

    “The Prime Minister has set aside Rs100 million in the budget for implementation of the anti-rape law,” Bokhari added.
    

    “We are strong women and we have been strengthened by our leader Imran Khan,” Bokhari said.
    

    “Under PM Imran’s leadership, the two-finger test was abolished,” Bokhari said. “Because we realise the difficulties that women have to face, we ensured that they get their inheritance rights. No other premier has called for such a law,” she said.
    

    MNA Kanwal Shauzab reiterated that PM Khan had empowered women in true sense.
    

    Quoting a verse from the Holy Quran, which she said was the essence of the prime minister’s statement, she remarked that those contesting the premier’s statement were actually contesting Allah.
    

    Shauzab, meanwhile, believes that if you are among those who are “fighting” against the premier’s statement in his HBO interview, then you are “disagreeing with the orders of Allah”.
    

    She said PM Khan explained the commands of Allah regarding women.
    

    “We are proud to live in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan,” Shauzab said, adding that our society does not accept obscenity.
    

    Earlier in the day, another PTI MNA, Aliya Hamza Malik, too, spoke in support of the premier. In an appearance on Geo Pakistan on Tuesday, Malik urged “liberals” to listen to the premier’s statement before critiquing it.
    

    

    


    

    

    

    She said the premier made a comparison between the East and the West when speaking about rape cases.
    

    PM Khan has made strict laws for abusers, she said, adding that the state is fulfilling its responsibility and it is our job to make strict legislation.
    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    ‘Maryam Nawaz group wishes for chaos to ensue’: Shafqat Mahmood
    
			
    ‘Maryam Nawaz group wishes for chaos to ensue’: Shafqat Mahmood
    
			
    Minister for Education Shafqat Mahmood on Wednesday blamed the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) for the ruckus in the National Assembly.
    

    Speaking on Geo News’ programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Saath’, Mahmood said there is a group within the PML-N that is “perhaps aligned with Maryam Nawaz Sahiba that wishes for chaos to ensue”.
    

    

    


    

    

    

    He claimed that when Minister for Finance Shaukat Tarin was presenting the budget in parliament, the Opposition came close to the prime minister and said words like ‘Donkey Raja’.
    

    Mahmood said that the Opposition itself asked for a committee to be formed to investigate the ongoing ruckus but when they were asked by the Speaker to turn in their members’ names, “they refused to do so”.
    

    “Then, when Shehbaz Sharif’s speech began, a member of the PML-N threw a bottle in MNA Akram Cheema’s direction and he was wounded. He was left all bloodied.”
    

    Speaking of the Opposition’s decision to bring a no-confidence motion, Mahmood said that they will soon “run away from the move”.
    

    Meanwhile, PML-N’s Rana Sanaullah said that both Speaker and Deputy Speaker are custodians of the House. It is very important that both the treasury benches and the Opposition need to have confidence in them.
    

    

    


    

    

    

    Sanaullah said that no-confidence motion against both the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker signals a trust deficit. “They have lost the confidence of the parliament.”
    

    He also accused the prime minister of “conspiring to diminish respect for the parliament”.
    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    Majeed Niazi’s misogyny and Firdous’ slap
    
			
    Majeed Niazi’s misogyny and Firdous’ slap
    
			
    Two members of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have made the news this week and for all the wrong reasons. Yesterday, during the Budget session in the National Assembly, PTI’s MNA Abdul Majeed Khan Niazi passed some sexist and misogynist comments against Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari. By mocking Bilawal Bhutto through gender-based slurs, Mr Niazi is not just demeaning the PPP Chairman but women as well. Such sexist comments by government members are not something new. From Prime Minister Imran Khan addressing Bilawal Bhutto as ‘sahiba’ to Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed calling him ‘Billo Rani’, such sexist comments are absolutely disgusting. 
    

    Political rivalry does not mean that you attack your opponents in a derogatory way. If somebody wants to criticise their political opponents, they should be criticised for their politics and policies. Such comments are not just below the belt but should be condemned across the board. In the past, we have seen Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Khawaja Asif pass sexist comments against PTI’s Shireen Mazari. We have also seen PPP’s Abdul Qadir Patel’s disgustingly personal attacks against PTI’s Murad Saeed. Such attacks are sickening, to say the least, and should not be tolerated by any political party. Unfortunately, it seems that parties do not condemn such comments in the public domain. Some say, they are privately encouraged. 
    

    Talking of attacks, on Thursday, Special Assistant to the Punjab Chief Minister Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan slapped Qadir Mandokhel of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) on the set of Express News’ programme ‘Kal Tak’ during a break. The video of the off-air brawl between Dr Firdous and Qadir Mandokhel went viral on the internet. While Firdous said that it all started because Mandokhel abused her first, the said programme’s host Javed Chaudhry clarified that it was indeed Firdous who first used abusive language for Mandokhel. Abusing your political opponents is uncalled for to begin with and then getting physical with them is going one-step ahead and cannot be condemned enough. We have seen late Naeem-ul-Haque slap PML-N’s Daniyal Aziz on air. Mr Haque also threw a glass of water on PPP’s Jamil Soomro many years ago in a talk show. This trend is nothing new but it does not mean that it should be encouraged or condoned. 
    

    We expect our public representatives to act in a responsible manner. Unfortunately, they disappoint us on several occasions. We hope that party leadership will make their members accountable for such actions rather than silently encouraging them.
    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    ‘A budget that will make everyone happy’: PM Khan
    
			
    ‘A budget that will make everyone happy’: PM Khan
    
			
     Prime Minister Imran Khan hosted lunch for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) parliamentarians and the government’s coalition partners today, where important issues relating to the country’s political scenario and the budget were discussed, as reported by Geo News. 
    

     The premier was asked whether the budget, which will be presented later in the day, will be a “people-friendly” one. 
    

    “Today, everyone will be happy,” said PM Khan in response. 
    

    


    

     
    

    The Opposition is holding a meeting of its parliamentary members, which started at 3:00pm. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif will chair the meeting, which will also include participants from the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).