Tag: PTI

  • Resign, Khan tells his Punjab MPAs, if Punjab Assembly dissolution doesn’t go his way

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has given instructions that if his desired dissolution of the Punjab Assembly (PA) is halted, all of his party’s Members of the Provincial Assembly (MPAs) will resign, reports Geo News.

    According to news outlet sources, PTI has prepared a new strategy to deal with the political crisis in Punjab.

    Khan has also directed all party members to ensure the trust vote for Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Pervaiz Elahi.

    Earlier, a session of the Punjab Assembly was called on January 11, but later the date was changed to January 9.

    While it seems like PTI is gearing up for the no-confidence motion, on the contrary, Khan-backed CM Elahi said that he will not take orders from Punjab Governor Muhammad Baligur Rehman, hence he will not take a vote of confidence.

  • ‘Imran se mil ke dosti ka ailaan kareinge’: Gen Faiz convinced Modi to visit Pakistan in 2021, claims Javed Chaudhry

    Journalist Javed Chaudhry continues with bringing inside details of the working of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) led government in his column. In the fourth part of the series published today, Chaudhry alleges that in 2020 the establishment had convinced Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi to visit Pakistan, and former Bahawalpur corps commander Lt Gen (retd) Faiz Hameed played a significant role in arranging the proposed trip.

    The journalist writes that in this regard Lt Gen (retd) Faiz Hameed, who was then the head of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) met Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and both agreed upon Modi visiting Pakistan on April 9, 2021.

    All the details of the trip had been planned out. Modi would have first visited the Hinglaj Mata Mandir in Balochistan and on his way back home he would have met Imran Khan who was Prime Minister. Chaudhry said that it was planned that “Modi would shake hands with Khan and declare peace between the two countries and opening of trade”.

    Continuing with the sensational claims, the journalist writes that both leaders would announce that there will be no interference or terrorist activities from both countries. At the time, Modi was of the view that both countries would sit together after 20 years to decide about the future of India-occupied Kashmir.

    However, this tour was cancelled because Khan—on the advice of his foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi—backed out. Chaudhry writes that Qureshi scared Khan by telling him it would give a perception to the masses that he [Khan] has compromised on Kashmir.

    Lt Gen (retd) Faiz Hameed helped Khan in confidence motion

    According to the journalist, the establishment helped Khan throughout the confidence motion that Imran voluntarily announced he will take, right after Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) candidate Yousaf Raza Gillani defeated PTI’s Hafeez Sheikh in the senate elections. Lt Gen (retd) Faiz Hameed ensured full numbers for PTI so Khan could win the motion. Calls and visits were made to ensure that disgruntled MNAs voted in favour of Khan.

    Moreover, the journalist writes that as per his sources, Khan advised showing leniency towards former President and co-chairman of PPP, Asif Ali Zardari, from National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and the court.

    LNG deal was ruined by Khan

    In the column, another detailed passage says that former army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa admits that former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz signed the best LNG deal with Qatar to ensure supplies for Pakistan during winters but it was ruined by Imran Khan.

    Chaudhry said that then-Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Petroleum, Nadeem Babar, asked for just three gas shipments from Qatar despite a one-time generous offer to take ‘as much as required’ amidst a looming gas crisis at home, so he could sell his own furnace oil.

    In another episode, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) caught a ship loaded with cheaply bought Iranian petrol. It was for none other than Babar. According to him, Khan was informed about it but chose to stay quiet.

    Also, prior to Nadeem’s appointment, Khan was warned by the establishment but he didnt listen.

    Babar isn’t in the country anymore but Pakistan is still paying the price of his decisions to serve his own interests, all because Imran wanted to retain him as his aide, writes Chaudhry in his column.

  • ‘Woh kaun tha’: Khan claims one man did not let him register FIR after assassination attempt

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Thursday reiterated that despite his party governing Punjab, he couldn’t register a First Information Report (FIR) and record the statements of the people he named in the attempt on his life.

    Addressing his supporters, the PTI chief said that an investigation should have been held when he named the people who were involved in his attempted assassination in Wazirabad in early November.

    He also questioned who was the powerful person who stopped the investigation and who was afraid of it. Dismissing the FIR which was later registered, he termed it “scripted” as it named only one shooter.

    During the address, Khan repeatedly said that there were more than one shooter at the scene and backed the recent Joint Investigation Team (JIT) report.

    Accusing four unnamed individuals for plotting his murder, which he said was not the first attempt at murdering him, Imran said that a narrative of a religious fanatic was created to misdirect investigations.

    “If these four people would have killed me they would be exposed, that is why they tried to kill me by planting a religious fanatic,” he said.

    “People from inside the agencies had already informed me about the plot to assassinate me,” he claimed.

    Backing the findings contained in the JIT report, he said one of the gunmen was the man who had been repressed near the attack site by onlookers. Another one had fired from the roof with police recovering empty bullet casings from the nearby rooftop. The third was somewhere else. But he defended his security guard, noting that he acted heroically to protect them.

    Khan also claimed that Naveed (the man who shot at Khan and was immediately arrested) was trained to do this and confess in this manner. He said that people had already posted Naveed’s confession of firing at Khan even before he reached the hospital.

    The former prime minister also requested the formation of a powerful committee, under Chief Justice (CJ) Umar Ata Bandial’s supervision to probe the assassination bid.

  • 33 candidates passed away waiting for local govt elections in Sindh

    33 candidates passed away waiting for local govt elections in Sindh

    33 candidates who had filed their nominations for the Local Government (LG) elections in Karachi and Hyderabad passed away waiting for the election to happen.

    The second phase of the local election has been postponed repeatedly.

    According to details provided by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), as many as 12 candidates for Union Council (UC) chairman and vice chairman have died since the time their nomination papers were submitted. Similarly, 22 candidates who were running for the district council, town committee, municipal committee and UC ward members seats also passed away.

    Last year, the ECP had told the Sindh government that the second phase of the LG polls in Karachi and Hyderabad would be held on July 24 but it was postponed due to floods.

    The electoral body rescheduled the LG elections for August 28, 2022 but they were put off again due to the same reason.

    On October 18, 2022, the ECP rescheduled the elections for October 23, 2022, but the provincial government sought their postponement for three months because it had deployed police in flooded areas, due to which it was unable to provide the required level of security to polling stations.

    After repeated delays, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the Jamaat-e-Islami moved the Sindh High Court. In November, the ECP announced January 15 as the new date.

  • Azam Swati finally released from jail for talking against army

    Azam Swati finally released from jail for talking against army

    Senator Azam Swati of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has finally been released from sub-jail after remaining behind bars for more than a month.

    The senator had been in the custody of law enforcing agencies since November 27 last year, after the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) booked him in Islamabad over a “campaign of intimidating tweets against state institutions”, including the former chief of army staff General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa.

    On Monday, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) granted bail to Swati after he filed a petition seeking post-arrest bail.

    In December, PTI chief Imran Khan had said that Swati had been “taken away by Quetta police” from Islamabad despite health concerns.

    According to media reports, the arrest was made over different cases registered against the senator across Balochistan. However, Balochistan High Court (BHC) later ordered that no more cases should be registered against him.

    Later, Swati was brought to the capital via a special plane from Sukkur.

    Swati had criticised persons within the establishment in tweets posted from his account.

  • ‘Together we will bounce back as a nation’: PM Shehbaz remembers flood victims on Jan 1

    ‘Together we will bounce back as a nation’: PM Shehbaz remembers flood victims on Jan 1

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif began the first day of the new year by remembering the victims of 2022’s devastating floods.

    On his twitter account, Shehbaz Sharif said, “In 2022, one-third of Pakistan paid the heavy price due to climate change and for no fault of theirs”. He also hoped that Pakistanis as a nation will bounce back.

    President Alvi, in his message, said that the past year saw the loss of life and money due to floods in 2022 but the nation faced the challenges with steadfastness, unity, and determination.

    However, as the new year has arrived, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan pledged that his party will form a strong government through elections in 2023.

    In a series of tweets, mentioning the best and worst times of 2022, Imran Khan shared, “A government with one of the best econ performances was removed through a conspiracy triggered by supreme self-interest, and Pakistan was handed over to a bunch of criminals.”

  • ‘Establishment neither approached PML-N nor PTI for technocratic setup’: Rana Sanaullah

    ‘Establishment neither approached PML-N nor PTI for technocratic setup’: Rana Sanaullah

    Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah has said the that establishment neither approached the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) nor the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in connection with a rumored technocratic setup that might be installed to govern the country.

    “Imran Khan makes up fresh stories every other day, however, no message regarding the technocratic setup was conveyed,” he stated.

    He said that the institution has pledged to the nation that it will remain apolitical. “From now on, whatever happens will be in line with the Constitution,” Sanaullah categorically said.

    Speaking to senior journalists in Lahore, Imran had stressed, “I don’t see elections happening now. There is hearsay about a technocratic government being brought forward,” he had told the media personnel in an informal talk.

    PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry had addressed the rumors, calling any such plan a “joke”. The former minister had said, “It is a joke to form a technocratic government for two and a half years after wrapping up this government and sending it home. Experimenting and playing jokes with Pakistan should come to an end now.”

    “You will bring ‘imported technocrats’ from the United States if the Shehbaz Sharif-led government is not functioning,” he added. “The solution to the country’s problems is holding elections.”

  • ‘Dhokha’: Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain’s son says Elahi betrayed family by joining hands with IK

    Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain’s son Chaudhry Shafay Hussain has said that his father’s cousin— Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Pervaiz Elahi—betrayed the family by backing out of an agreement made with the current ruling coalition at the last minute.

    In an interview with ARY News, Chaudhry Shafay recalled the entire incident, recalling that Elahi asked Chaudhry Shujaat to convince Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) to give Elahi the Chief Minister’s seat. However, at the last minute, he switched over to Imran Khan.

    When asked what reason did Elahi give for backing out of the deal, Shafay said that he said former army chief General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa asked him to join hands with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). However, Shafay Hussain said Elahi should have told the party chief about the telephone call from Bajwa.

    According to Shafay, former president Asif Ali Zardari said he convinced PDM leadership including Nawaz Sharif to grant Elahi the top seat after clearing many obstacles.

    Shafay also addressed Moonis Elahi’s “sofware update” statement about Chaudhry Shujaat, terming it ‘inappropriate’. “One should not say something of this sort about the one who taught you politics,” he opined.

    Shafay accused Moonis of playing his own politic. Political families work together and Moonis doesn’t want that, Shafay said about his cousin.

    He also hinted at expelling some Members of the Provincial Assembly (MPAs) from the party.

  • Stab in the back? PTI, PML-Q’s MPAs contact PML-N’s Opposition ahead of no-confidence against CM Elahi

    Stab in the back? PTI, PML-Q’s MPAs contact PML-N’s Opposition ahead of no-confidence against CM Elahi

    Several members of the Provincial Assembly (MPAs) of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) have approached the Opposition in Punjab Assembly ahead of the no-confidence session against Chief Minister (CM) Pervaiz Elahi, reports ARY News.

    According to the news outlet, a total of 11 lawmakers contacted the Opposition and they reportedly planned to skip CM Elahi’s trust vote session.

    Earlier, senior Vice President of PTI, Fawad Chaudhry, announced that Elahi will get a vote of confidence from the provincial assembly before January 11.

    Punjab Assembly Speaker Sibtain Khan has already summoned a session of the assembly on Jan 11.

    The magic number required to show a majority in the assembly is 186. However, it has been claimed by PTI that the coalition government in Punjab has the support of 187 lawmakers.

    If the news is to be believed, the joint alliance of Punjab will have the support of 176 members on the day of no-confidence session.

  • ‘Baitho apni kursi par’: Bilawal advises Imran to come back to parliament

    ‘Baitho apni kursi par’: Bilawal advises Imran to come back to parliament

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairperson and Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari advised Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Tuesday to come back to the Parliament.

    In an address to mark the 15th death anniversary of his mother, former Prime Minister (PM) Benazir Bhutto Shaheed, he said, “This is your last warning. Come back to parliament and sit in your seat. If you call yourself democratic, play your role.”

    Bilawal also offered Khan a dialogue on the matter of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and elections if he comes to parliament.

    Referencing the long marches and protests by PTI, he said that the party’s actions are bad for the people of Pakistan.

    “In any other country, politics and rallies would have come to a halt after the havoc wreaked by the floods. But even in the midst of a catastrophe, the fight for Punjab kept on, and [Imran’s] long march did not stop,” he said.

    Talking about the alarming rise in terrorism, the minister slammed Imran for “bending his knees in front of the terrorists” without asking the public or the parliament.

    Moreover, he claimed that Imran is once again trying to pressurise the establishment to meddle in politics.

    At the start of the address, Bilawal talked about his mother, vowing to take Benazir Shaheed’s mission forward and achieve it within the next 15 years. He urged his supporters to join the party in this mission.