Tag: PTI

  • ‘Qanoon ke saamnay sar jhukay’: PM and others react to IK’s disqualification

    ‘Qanoon ke saamnay sar jhukay’: PM and others react to IK’s disqualification

    The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Friday disqualified Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan under Article 63(1)(p) of the constitution in the Toshakhana reference.

    Article 63 (1)(p) of the Constitution states that an individual is, “for the time being, disqualified from being elected or chosen as a member of the Majlis-e-Shoora (parliament) or of a provincial assembly under any law for the time being in force”.

    According to the verdict, criminal proceedings will be initiated against Imran for misdeclaration.

    A four-member bench, headed by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja, unanimously announced the verdict. The PTI chairman is no more a member of the National Assembly.

    The commission stated that Imran Khan submitted a false affidavit and was found involved in corrupt practices in the reference.

    Following the announcement, Khan’s party leaders and the coalition government parties reacted to this major ruling.

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif said that PTI should refrain from violence and bow its head before the law.

    “The Election Commission did justice in the Toshakhana reference. The nation has seen that the post of Prime Minister has been made a source of personal income through corrupt practices. The idol of honesty and trust was shattered,” the premier added.

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz spoke to the media in London. She said, “Khan is Pakistan’s first certified liar with irrefutable evidence of theft.”

    She added that after this verdict criminal proceedings should start against Khan and he should be punished for his theft.

    Foreign Minister (FM) Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said that Khan has been caught “red-handed”. In a tweet, he stated: “He who would spread lies about the alleged corruption of his political opponents has been caught red-handed.”

    The former planning minister, Asad Umar, made an announcement, saying: “The decision will be challenged in court. The dream of ‘minus Imran Khan’ will never come true.”

    Umar’s party mate Fawad Chaudhry asked the people to come out of their houses for their rights.

    He called the ECP’s ruling a “slap on the face of 220 million people”.

    “Not just anyone cannot disqualify Imran Khan. Only the public can do that,” the PTI leader said.

    He alleged that today’s verdict was “written by Nawaz Sharif and signed by his servants”.

    Alongside him, PTI leader Shahbaz Gill said the PTI would approach “every forum” against the verdict. “Imran has been disqualified from just one seat, not politics,” he added.

    Minister for Climate Change, Senator Sherry Rehman, took to Twitter to say that Imran Khan’s disqualification case is no different as he is not the only one who has been disqualified.

    In a series of tweets, she said, “Those who claim to bring a neutral umpire want the umpire to decide in their favour, otherwise the decision will not be accepted.”

  • ‘Another lie of Faisal Vawda has been exposed’: PTI leader used expired passport to prove single nationality

    ‘Another lie of Faisal Vawda has been exposed’: PTI leader used expired passport to prove single nationality

    Justice Mansoor Ali Shah of the Supreme Court (SC) Wednesday remarked that another lie of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Faisal Vawda has been caught as the court took up the former federal minister’s petition against a lifetime ban imposed on him by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

    A three member-bench headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Ayesha Malik heard the petition.

    Justice Ayesha Malik remarked that the cancelled passport which the counsel was relying upon expired in 2015 but was shown to the RO in 2018.

    “When you get the new passport, the older one is stamped cancelled. How can a cancelled passport be evidence of renouncing the nationality,” she asked.

    To this, CJP Bandial said that the issue has become very serious.

    Justice Mansoor Ali Shah then said, “Another lie of Faisal Vawda has been exposed”.

    The hearing was adjourned for two weeks after Faisal Vawda’s counsel, Wasim Sajjad asked for more time for preparation.

    At this, Justice Mansoor Ali Shah said, “You will not get answers of these queries even after a week.

  • No decision has been reached so far on COAS appointment: Khawaja Asif

    No decision has been reached so far on COAS appointment: Khawaja Asif

    Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has revealed that no decision has been reached by the federal government yet about the appointment of a new Chief of Army Staff (COAS).

    According to the defence minister, the selection process for the new army chief will likely begin within the next five to seven days.

    Talking in Geo News’ programme “Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Saath”, the minister said five names will be forwarded and then Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif will pick one of those names. He was of the view that the appointment is quite a simple method as this exercise has been conducted several times in the past too.

    The appointment for the COAS position is due to take place in November.

    About the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) planned long march, the federal minister said that the government will not be blackmailed by the PTI if the party comes to Islamabad.

    The minister also said that no negotiations have taken place with PTI. “A couple of meetings took place because of Imran’s old acquaintances”, he added.

    On the contrary, Khan has claimed that negotiations were indeed held. He also warned the government to give a date for early general elections or else he will announce a date for the long march within the current month.

    Discussing the recent by-elections held on the past Sunday, Asif said that if Khan had let his party candidates run from their respective constituencies instead of contesting himself, the results would have been different.

    During the show, he also hinted towards keeping the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) alliance in place in the next elections.

  • ‘Misogynistic, bigoted’: Twitter calls out Imran Khan’s ‘mardon mein ghustee hai’ comment

    ‘Misogynistic, bigoted’: Twitter calls out Imran Khan’s ‘mardon mein ghustee hai’ comment

    Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Imran Khan, on Tuesday, passed sexist comments about journalist Gharidah Farooqi, saying: “Woh mardon mei ghussay gi toh aisa hi hoga” (If she will enter into men’s sphere, then this is what will happen).

    During a meeting with the delegation of the National Press Club and the Rawalpindi/Islamabad Union of Journalists (RIUJ), Khan said that “Farooqi goes into the crowd and then says that she is being harassed”.

    Along with these remarks, he stated that he will also ask his party workers to act in right manner.

    Twitter did not take kindly to the former Prime Minister’s remarks.

    https://twitter.com/KhawajaUsmanUk/status/1582499392241946626?s=20&t=ko0ajmHMlYDkl2WbeQbVNg

    ‘Agar ilzaam saabit huva toh mai sahafat chorr doonga’: Saleem Safi challenges IK for calling him a ‘lifafa’

    On the same occasion, Khan alleged that Journalist Saleem Safi is a lifafa (biased) journalist.

    When asked by a journalist that why he [Imran Khan] called journalists lifafa, he responded by saying that he has never called any journalist lifafa except for Saleem Safi.

    Responding to this, Safi challenged Imran Khan to prove himself. The senior journalist said in a statement that a committee consisting of PTI’s Murad Saeed, Shibli Faraz and Fawad Chaudhry should be formed under the leadership of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) president to investigate this matter.

    He said that if he is proved to be a liar, then the punishment of a thief will be his punishment and he will leave journalism and if Imran Khan is proved to be a liar, then he will have to leave politics and apologise.

    He also said that he will get to the end of this matter.

  • Fact Check: Sharif family ki corruption par independent documentary toh ban rehi hai, lekin it isn’t confirmed if it’s on Netflix/Amazon

    Fact Check: Sharif family ki corruption par independent documentary toh ban rehi hai, lekin it isn’t confirmed if it’s on Netflix/Amazon

    Claim: Several Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) politicians and multiple social media users on Twitter are claiming that an upcoming documentary, about the alleged corruption of Pakistan’s former Prime Minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif and his family, will be released on Netflix and Amazon Prime.

    The trailer of the new documentary, titled “Behind Closed Doors” was released on social media on Monday, October 18.

    The trailer was shared across platforms, raking up views.

    The trailer features, amongst others, Imran Khan, the former prime minister, as well as several investigative journalists including Tom Stocks and John-Allan Namu.

    Former Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari tweeted, “Soon on Netflix and Amazon. A must-watch documentary on corruption very relevant as Sharifs also feature in it.”

    PTI’s Finance and Health Minister in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Taimur Jhagra tweeted, “A film about corruption. Coming soon to Netflix / Amazon Prime. The truth is out there. In Pakistan, sadly it just seems to lead back the same people to corridors of power, again and again.”

    Fact: According to the official website of Behind Closed Doors, the documentary highlights “Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs), people who hold a public function and as a result present higher risks of being involved in bribery or corruption.” It also mentions offshore leaks which have revealed that PEPs use the British financial system and offshore jurisdictions to launder, hide and re-invest their wealth into the global financial system.

    “But what happens when a developing country fights back and attempts to get Britain to return the money that it claims has been stolen?” question the documentary makers.

    The film is produced and directed by Michael Oswald and Murtaza Mehdi. The IMDb website states that Oswald is a UK-based director, writer and editor.

    The webpage names all of Netflix’s upcoming releases till January 2023. Behind Closed Doors has not been listed.

    The website of Prime Video by Amazon Studios also does not name the documentary as an upcoming release.

    While several members of the PTI camp have claimed Behind Closed Doors will be featured on Netflix, the streaming service has made no such announcement nor have the makers of the documentary mentioned it on their website or YouTube channel.

    Verdict: FALSE

  • ‘Na Imran Khan ka admi hona chahiye na kisi aur ka’: Imran Khan about Army chief appointment

    ‘Na Imran Khan ka admi hona chahiye na kisi aur ka’: Imran Khan about Army chief appointment

    In a press conference on Monday, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan said that the appointment of Chief of Army Staff (COAS) should be on merit.

    He stated: “Na Imran Khan ka admi hona chahiye na kisi aur ka” (COAS should neither be my man nor someone else’s.)

    He was of the view that high-profile appointments like the COAS should not be made by “criminals like Nawaz or Zardari”.

    Moreover, he claimed that his party has been “sidelined” many times despite him trying his best not to cause any harm to institutions.

    Taking a jibe at Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif, Khan said that Nawaz is scared of elections because he fears defeat.

    Imran said Nawaz is waiting for the PTI’s wave of support to diminish before elections could be held.

    Khan gives time to the government

    Khan said that he is giving some more time to the government to announce a date for elections or else he will announce the long march date, adding that preparations for the march have been completed.

    “I am giving them [government] time just for the sake of the country,” he said. “I repeat that they still have time to announce elections, and if they don’t, I will begin my march, and my preparations are almost complete.”

    He said dialogue is out of the question with the ruling elite. “There’s no negotiation with criminals. You can hold reconciliation talks with Baloch or Sindhi nationalists, but not with felons like them,” Khan added.

    Rigging in NA-237

    Imran demanded the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to hold re-election in Karachi’s NA-237 constituency which he lost on Sunday to Pakistan People’s Party (PPP)candidate. He claimed that the PPP clinched the seat in the by-poll on through “rigging”.

    He said that the government did not wish to hold elections and used floods as an excuse. “They said that there were floods. But in the constituencies where elections were held, floods did not have an effect.”

    “Sindh’s election commissioner was on the provincial government’s payroll. We reject [Malir’s] by-election and demand re-election. The PPP swung the polls to their advantage through indiscriminate rigging,” Khan alleged.

  • Azam Swati sent to jail on judicial remand for tweeting against Gen Bajwa

    A local court in Islamabad on Monday has sent Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senator Azam Swati to jail on judicial remand in a case involving “controversial tweets” against Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa.

    During the hearing, Swati’s lawyer Babar Awan told the court that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) was praying for the recovery of the tweet sent by Swati. He also claimed before the court that the senator had an injury on one of his fingers and had a fracture as well.

    On the other hand, the prosecutor requested the court that a three-day physical remand of the senator be approved. But the court rejected the request and instead sent Swati to jail on judicial remand

    Azam Swati in custody: Court rejects FIA request, extends one-day physical remand instead of eight days

    A district and sessions court on Saturday extended the physical remand of Swati for one day. The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had requested an eight-day extension.

    On October 13, Swati was arrested in the early hours of the morning for tweeting against General Bajwa. According to Swati, he was tortured by the investigation agency while in custody.

    Earlier in the day, when the hearing began, the Senator was presented in the court after a delay.

    During the hearing, FIA officials, along with their eight-day remand request, presented the record of Swati’s “controversial tweets” in the court.

    Giving the reason for the extension, Special Prosecutor Raja Rizwan Abbasi said that the FIA has to recover the said Twitter account’s password. He also informed the court that Swati wasn’t cooperating in the interrogation.

    Moreover, he said: “The said tweet is not the only tweet as Azam Swati has posted such tweets earlier as well.” He added that the FIA has records of the planned tweets from Swati’s official account.

    PTI’s lawyer Babar Awan also presented arguments, maintaining that the defence admits that Swati did post the tweet in question but there was legal cover.

    Awan said that he had told the senator to not say anything now. “If you want to check anything, check his [Swati’s] wounds,” he added.

  • Imran Khan wins big: PTI bags 6 NA, 2 Punjab Assembly seats

    Imran Khan wins big: PTI bags 6 NA, 2 Punjab Assembly seats

    The Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Imran Khan — who was contesting from seven constituencies — won the by-elections in six of eight National Assembly (NA) seats across Pakistan on Sunday.

    The PTI chief won seats in Peshawar, Mardan, Charsadda, Faisalabad, and Nankana Sahib after beating the ruling coalition’s candidates, but faced defeat at the hands of Pakistan Poeple’s Party’s (PPP) Abdul Hakeem Baloch and Musa Ali Gillani. PPP managed to clinch two — NA-157 Multan and NA-237 Karachi — which were bagged by the PTI in the 2018 general elections.

    The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM-P) and the Awami National Party (ANP), could not manage to grab any NA seat.

    Details of National Assembly seats

    The constituencies where polling took place included NA-22 Mardan-III, NA-24 Charsadda-II, NA-31 Peshawar-V, NA-108 Faisalabad-VIII, NA-118 Nankana Sahib-II, NA 157 Multan-IV, NA-237 Malir-II, NA-239 Korangi, Karachi-I.

    NA-22 Mardan-III:

    Imran Khan bagged 76,681 votes while the JUI-F’s nominee Muhammad Qasim got 68,181 votes, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) said, adding that the voter turnout was 32.9per cent in Mardan.

    NA-24 Charsadda-II

    The PTI chief got a total of 78589 votes against Awami National Party (ANP) Aimal Wali Khan’s 68,356 votes. Khan won the contest by 10,233 votes.

    NA-31 Peshawar-V

    Khan bagged 57,824 to defeat his rival in Peshawar’s NA-31 by-election, according to unofficial results, with ANP’s Haji Ghulam Ahmad Bilour securing 32,253 votes — allowing the PTI chairman to win by more than 25,000 votes. In Peshawar, the turnout was recorded at 20.28 per cent.

    NA-108 Faisalabad-VIII

    In Faisalabad (NA-108), Imran Khan won after securing 99,841 votes against PML-N leader Abid Sher Ali, who got 75,266 votes.

    NA-118 Nankana Sahib-II

    Khan also won Nankana Sahib (NA-118 ) after getting 90,180 votes against PML-N nominee Shezra Mansab Ali Khan Kharal, who got 78,024 votes.

    NA-239 Korangi, Karachi-I

    The PTI chief also won Karachi’s NA-239 by-polls with 50,014 votes, according to unofficial results, as the party retained the seat in Korangi. Khan defeated MQM-P’s Nayyar Raza in an easy contest.

    NA-237 Malir-II

    In Karachi, PPP won the Malir constituency (NA-237), with its candidate Abdul Hakim Baloch securing 32,567 against Imran Khan’s 22,493.

    NA 157 Multan-IV

    In Multan (NA-157), former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gillani’s son Ali Musa Gillani managed to defeat Meher Bano, daughter of former foreign minister and PTI leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi, and grabbed the seat for the PPP with a wide margin. Musa Gillani secured 107,327 votes while Meher Bano Qureshi got 82,141. This was the only NA seat where Imran Khan did not contest the by-poll.

    Details of Provincial seats

    By-elections were also held on three Punjab Assembly seats — PP-241 Bahawal­nagar-V, PP-209 Khanewal-VII, and PP-139 Sheikhupura-V.

    PP-209 Khanewal-VII

    In Khanewal (PP-209), PTI’s Faisal Khan Niazi won after securing 71,156 votes against PML-N’s Chaudhry Ziaur Rehman who got 57,630 votes only.

    PP-241 Bahawal­nagar-V

    In Bahawalnagar (PP-241), PTI nominee Malik Muzzaffar Khan got 59,957 against PML-N candidate Amanullah Sattar’s 48,147.

    PP-139 Sheikhupura-V

    PML-N’s Iftikhar Ahmad Bhangoo won PP-139 Sheikhupura seat after getting 40,829 votes against PTI nominee Muhammad Abu Bakar’s 37,712 votes.

  • US officials take notice Ishaq Dar’s heckling incident at airport

    The Foreign Office (FO) of Pakistan said that United States (US) officials had taken notice of an incident in which Finance Minister (FM) Ishaq Dar was heckled at the Dulles International Airport in Washington DC.

    FO Spokesperson Asim Iftikhar Ahmad recalled the time when Saudi authorities raised the issue when the government delegation was targeted by certain individuals during the visit.

    On Thursday, Dar was harassed at the airport and people can be heard chanting “chor”. This was followed by an exchange of abusive words from both sides.

    Dar is currently in the US on a four-day visit to attend the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank.

    It is pertinent to mention that this is not the first time that a Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader has been harassed.

    Prior to this incident, Minister of Information Marriyum Aurangzeb was heckled and harassed by a group of PML-N’s political opponents in London while she was in a coffee shop.

    In July, Federal Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal was harassed by a group of PTI supporters when he went to a restaurant in Pakistan.

  • Court grants protective bail to Imran Khan after FIA booked him in prohibited funding case

    Court grants protective bail to Imran Khan after FIA booked him in prohibited funding case

    Islamabad High Court (IHC) has granted protective bail to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Wednesday after Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had booked him in a prohibited funding case.

    The bail petition, submitted by Imran’s lawyer Salman Safdar, stated that FIA ​​registered a case under the Foreign Exchange Act and that the court should grant protective bail so that Imran could appear in court.

    According to the high court’s orders, Imran was granted bail until October 18 for a bond of Rs5,000. The IHC also barred the FIA from arresting him.

    Khan also appeared before the court after IHC Chief Justice (CJ) Athar Minallah summoned him. The PTI chief was brought in amid tight security.

    Khan’s lawyer Salman Safdar informed the court that they fear that Imran Khan would be arrested in the new prohibited funding case.

    Upon this, the court barred the Islamabad administration from “harassing” Khan.

    “Imran Khan shouldn’t be arrested until he appears in court”, IHC remarked.

    After granting bail, the court adjourned the case till Tuesday.

    A day earlier, FIA booked Khan and other PTI leaders in a case pertaining to their party allegedly receiving prohibited funding.