Tag: PTI

  • PTI Azadi March: Imran sets out to lead party caravan, tensions escalate

    PTI Azadi March: Imran sets out to lead party caravan, tensions escalate

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) Azadi March began on Wednesday, tensions rose across the country as police made use of tear gas and arrested several PTI marchers headed toward Islamabad.

    Khan’s message for PTI supporters

    PTI Chairperson Imran Khan called on his supporters to join his freedom march.

    In a video message, Khan said, “I will lead the Azadi March caravan from Peshawar, and God willing, we will head to Islamabad from there. I want each and everyone to leave because this is a defining moment.”

    Khan waves to supporters from a truck

    Imran Khan arrived at the Wali Interchange in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by helicopter.

    Khan, later, departed for Islamabad from the Wali Interchange in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

    ‘Defining moment’ for Pakistan

    Imran also urged protesters to carry the Pakistani flag, calling today a “defining moment” for Pakistan.

    ‘No blockade can stop us’

    After reaching Swabi, Khan delivered a speech to supporters. In it, he said that “we are going to D-Chowk and no one can stop us” as the crowd cheered.

    Khan said that the PTI government did not bar any of them from staging protests as they “did not fear the people”.

    He said that the government was afraid as they had been plundering national wealth for the past 30 years. “I want to give the people a message from Swabi Interchange: whatever you do, we will cross all obstacles and reach D-Chowk. Our protest will be peaceful as it has always been.”

    “I want to give the people a message from Swabi Interchange: whatever you do, we will cross all obstacles and reach D-Chowk. Our protest will be peaceful as it has always been.”

     “This nation does not accept this imported government,” he declared, calling on the people to come out for what he has described of late as a “jihad” for “true freedom”.

    “All Pakistanis, women, children, families, youth, lawyers, retired army officers, everyone has to come out for real independence,” he said.

    No agreement has been reached

    Following the directions of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, the two sides have agreed on PTI holding a jalsa instead of a long march, Geo News reported. Talks between the government and PTI continued for two-and-half hours.

    Khan in relevance to the news tweeted, “Absolutely not! We are moving towards Islamabad & no question of any deal. We will remain in Islamabad till announcement of dates for dissolution of assemblies & elections are given.”

    Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb also said that no agreement has been reached between the federal government and PTI. She said news of negotiations and an agreement between the government and PTI is “baseless”.

    Detention expected of Khan

    The government has decided to detain PTI Chairman Imran Khan with the top party leadership on its way to Islamabad from Peshawar today for the Azadi March, reports The News.

    Rangers deployed in Islamabad

    On Tuesday, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah announced that the federal government will not allow any riots in the name of the PTI long march. Section 144 has been imposed in Lahore, Karachi and the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi and the roads leading up to the capital city from different parts of the country have been blocked. Rangers have been called in by the government to help protect Islamabad’s, Red Zone.

    https://twitter.com/RashidK10425837/status/1529329373781934081?s=20&t=BqLkjo0MNs35Ix8fAEpfsg
    PTI workers clash with police at Lahore’s Batti Chowk

    PTI workers marching towards Islamabad from Lahore engaged in a clash with the police at Batti Chowk in Lahore as they tried to remove the barricades on the roads. Policemen stopped PTI supporters from moving forward and used tear gas.

    According to PTI’s official Twitter account, the marchers were also stopped at the Shahdara area.

    Dr Yasmin Rashid’s car attacked by police

    PTI supporters came forward and verbally abused the police officials. Meanwhile, Dr Yasmin Rashid tried stopping the police from taking away her car keys.

    Hammad Azhar tried to be arrested

    PTI leader Hammad Azhar tweeted, the impediments and containers on Bati Chowk, Ravi Bridge, and Shahdara have been removed and the roads have been cleared by “the public”.

    https://twitter.com/azammaalik/status/1529380891247755266?s=20&t=38SnfKGvZmlJ1vwGCvqC0w
    Weapons and ammunition recovered

    Meanwhile, police said that they have recovered heavy ammunition and weapons from the residences of PTI leaders Bijash Niazi and Zubair Niazi.

    DIG Operations Sohail Chauhdry in a press conference shared that the raids were conducted at Nawan Kot and Multan Road areas from where three persons were arrested. However, Zubair Niazi fled from the scene. Giving details of the arms recovered, the police officer said that six 223 bore guns, 13 rifles, 96 SMG rifles, and 26 magazines of pistols were found.

  • Petroleum Division refutes Imran Khan’s assertion about Russia’s low-cost fuel offer

    Petroleum Division refutes Imran Khan’s assertion about Russia’s low-cost fuel offer

    There is no formal evidence in the petroleum division of Russia’s offer of inexpensive LNG, crude oil, and POL products, as former Prime Minister Imran Khan has often claimed.

    Syed Zakria Ali Shah, Joint Secretary of Development and a spokesman for the Petroleum Division, stated this to a reporter.

    According to sources in the petroleum sector, trading of crude oil, POL products, and LNG was not even on the table when Khan discussed the purchase of LNG. There was no mention in the meeting minutes of any Russian offer of providing LNG and gasoline at a 30 per cent lower rate.

    According to the spokesman, the government wrote letters to Russia on March 30 through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in reference to the February 2022 visit of a Pakistan delegation, expressing Pakistan’s desire to enter long-term agreements on the import of crude, POL products, and LNG at discounted rates.

    The Petroleum Division also wrote to the Foreign Ministry, asking if Russia had provided any lower tariffs on LNG and fuel items. He also stated that it had given two reminders to this effect in the first week of April 2022, but the ministry stated that it had not received any letter from Russia for conversation in this respect.

    The Former energy minister, Hammad Azhar attracted the attention of his Russian peer, in a letter dated March 30, 2022, to an Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) on LNG cooperation that had been in force between the two friendly nations since 2017. The Russian minister was informed that Pakistan was willing to strengthen its partnership by expediting negotiations between the two selected nominees so that a long-term agreement for LNG delivery on a G2G basis could be reached as soon as possible.

    Then-energy-minister recommended two to three Russian LNG cargoes each month, each holding 140,000 cubic metres of LNG.

    There was no mention of any Russian offer in that letter, only a request for negotiation on a long-term contract for the import of gasoline and LNG at a reduced rate.

    According to officials at the energy ministry, India has been purchasing crude oil from Russia for decades and has continued to do so despite EU and US sanctions imposed as a result of its conflict with Ukraine. They claimed that India’s foreign policy was largely independent due to its strong economic power and enticing market for large economies.

    They further claimed that India had obtained a special dispensation from the US from its sanctions against Iran and had been buying crude oil and POL products from Iran despite US and UN sanctions for a long time. They claimed that India was the US’s strategic partner in the area against China.

    “India always pitches its argument before the US saying if it does not import fuel from Iran, its economy will hurt and it will never be on a par with China. As far as Pakistan is concerned, it is not possible to import crude oil, POL products, and LNG at discounted rates even in the wake of EU and US sanctions on Russia, as the country’s economic muscle is very weak and the country is always dependent on the IMF programme”. The officials said that Pakistan had also failed to complete the IP gas line project just because of US and UN sanctions on Iran.

    Via: The News

  • PPP’s Gilani becomes leader of house in Senate

    PPP’s Gilani becomes leader of house in Senate

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) senior leader and former Prime Minister (PM) Yusuf Raza Gilani has taken charge as the leader of the House in the Senate today (Monday).

    Earlier, Gilani contested for the slot of Senate chairman against Sadiq Sanjrani but lost. Gilani has been appointed to fill the slot by the current PM Shehbaz Sharif. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) Senator Dr Shehzad Waseem will now become the leader of the Opposition.

    The National Assembly (NA) session has resumed today and it has been indicated that a resolution of condemnation against PTI Chairman Imran Khan for using obnoxious language against Maryam Nawaz in his Multan rally would be tabled in the two houses separately by women lawmakers.

    According to The News that PM Shehbaz Sharif will avail the sitting of the upper house to make an important policy statement on the political and economic situation in the country.

    In January, Gilani stepped down as the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate after his absence led to the passage of the State Bank (Amendment) Bill, 2021, in the Upper House of Parliament.

  • Police conduct search operation around IK’s residence

    Police conduct search operation around IK’s residence

    Islamabad Police conducted a search operation around former Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s residence in Bani Gala on Saturday after death threats to him.

    According to Geo News, a heavy force of police, including the bomb disposal squad, conducted the operation. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers staying around Bani Gala came out of their tents and started shouting slogans against the current government.

    In Karachi, the police raided PTI Member of National Assembly (MNA) Alamgir Khan’s house in his absence on Saturday. Following this episode, PTI leaders reached Gulshan-e-Iqbal police station and submitted an application against it.

    Former federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Ali Haider Zaidi said that the Sindh police has become a “military wing of PPP”. He added that the police should besiege the Chief Minister’s House if they wanted to arrest the culprits.

  • ‘My mother has been abducted’: Shireen Mazari’s daughter

    ‘My mother has been abducted’: Shireen Mazari’s daughter

    Former Human Rights Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf senior leader Shireen Mazari has been arrested from her house in Islamabad.

    In a video, it can be seen that female officers forcibly took her away as she tried to resist getting into the car.

    Following the incident, her party members including Zulfi Bukhari, Shibli Faraz, Fawad Chaudhry along with Mazari’s daughter Imaan Mazari reached the Kohsar police station.

    Mazari’s daughter tweeted that her mother has been abducted by Anti-Corruption Wing, Lahore.

    While talking to the media, Imaan said nobody was informed before and she will come after this government.

    According to Geo News, Mazari was arrested in a case registered in Dera Ghazi Khan. The case had opened during former Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Usman Buzdar’s tenure but the investigation was put on hold as per his orders

    Mazari’s neighbour, Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar told The Current: “I saw some heavy security movement around my house. When I inquired, we were told it was for someone’s security. However, my staff informed me that Shireen Mazari, who is my neighbour, may have been arrested. I went to her house and from there we went to the police station with her daughter Imaan Mazari.”

    Khokhar added that the police informed them that she has been arrested by Anti-Corruption Department Punjab.

    According to Journalist Syed Talat Hussain people in authority in Punjab are clueless about Mazari’s arrest.

    According to former federal minister Fawad Chaudhry, nobody knows about Mazari’s whereabouts. He said the government has attacked a lady from their party, if this is war then so be it.

    While Sheikh Rasheed said that a list of PTI leaders has been prepared which mentions names of the ones to be arrested in the future.

    The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan has condemned the act. In a tweet, they have said that her arrest smacks of political victimisation, which has regrettably become an entrenched practice and is deplorable no matter which party is the perpetrator.

    CM Hamza Shehbaz has ordered immediate release of Dr Shireen Mazari. He said that she is a respected personality.

    “We condemn what Imran Khan said about Maryam Nawaz but we don’t believe in revenge politics.”

    Mazari was arrested outside her house in Islamabad. Anti-Corruption Department Punjab arrested Mazari earlier today.

  • Battle begins: Hamza Shehbaz refuses to step down after ECP decision

    Battle begins: Hamza Shehbaz refuses to step down after ECP decision

    Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Hamza Shehbaz has reportedly refused to step down from his position following the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) decision to de-seat 25 Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) dissident Member of Provincial Assembly (MPAs) who voted for Hamza.

    PTI says it will send the CM home through legal means in line with the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP) and ECP’s decisions.

    “The game for the fake CM is over after de-seating of the 25 lotas (turncoats),” Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid’s (PML-Q) Moonis Elahi said. He added that after losing the majority in the House, Hamza has no moral or legal grounds to cling to the office.

    Moreover, the Opposition — PTI-PML-Q alliance — sees a run-off election in the coming days claiming Hamza cannot “illegally” hold the office for long.

    It is pertinent to mention that the allocation of five vacant reserved seats will assume an important role if the run-off election is held. According to legal experts, ECP will now distribute these seats as per the current strength of each party in the Punjab Assembly, which means if the PTI gets the most share, it may be able to get the CM post.

    Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said Hamza Shehbaz is not going to resign and still has a majority in the Punjab Assembly. Similarly, PML-N deputy secretary-general Attaullah Tarar said that the ECP’s decision has no impact on Hamza’s office.

    Tarar claimed the PML-N enjoys the support of 177 members in PA against 168 of the PTI-PML-Q combined. He also claimed the PML-N will get three of the five reserved seats, which would take its tally to 180.

    The PTI-PML-Q joint candidate for the CM’s slot and the current PA Speaker Chaudhry Parvaiz Elahi said, “I am Imran Khan’s candidate and after taking oath as the CM, I will dissolve the assemblies if he asks me.”

    The Punjab Assembly’s current strength is 346 members: PTI has 158 lawmakers, PML-Q has 10, PML-N 165, PPP seven, five independents, and one Rah-e-Haq Party.

  • ‘Spoiling the morals of the people’: PM Shehbaz on IK’s ‘sexist comments’

    ‘Spoiling the morals of the people’: PM Shehbaz on IK’s ‘sexist comments’

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Friday referred to Maryam Nawaz’s Sargodha rally and said: “Someone had sent me the speech delivered by Maryam Nawaz in Sargodha yesterday.”

    “In that speech, she uttered my name with such passion that I would like to tell her: Maryam, please be careful, your husband may get upset because you were constantly repeating my name again and again with such emotion.”

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that the entire nation, especially women, should strongly condemn the “deplorable language used against the daughter of the nation Maryam Nawaz”.

    “Your crimes against the country and the nation cannot be hidden. How could those — who cannot respect the sanctity of Masjid Nabawi (PBUH) — be expected to respect the honour of someone’s mothers, sisters, and daughters?”

    He continued: “Imran is the first person in history to fall into this abyss of rudeness as the leader of a party. His party went out to make a nation but spoiled the morals of the people instead. To Allah, we belong and to Him, we shall return.”

    PML-N supreme leader Nawaz Sharif responded to Khan’s controversial comments about his daughter and said, “He does not know how to respect women. He uses derogatory language, which has not even been witnessed in the worst society. He does know not how to respect women, and he talks about Riyaasat-e-Madinah.”

    Former president Asif Ali Zardari said that he condemned the derogatory language used by the PTI chairman.

    “Those who have mothers and sisters in their homes do not use such language against other women,” the PPP co-chairman said. “Please, do not stoop so low in the name of politics.”

    He added that every person’s mother, sister, and daughter was worthy of respect and that was the message of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto to the nation.

    “I wish someone would also write a letter to the chief justice of Pakistan based on personal observation and he would take notice of the matter,” he said.

    PML-N on its official Twitter account, right after the Multan rally, shared a photo of Imran Khan’s sons and Tyrian White with the message saying how could a man who has not “owned up to his own daughter” respect the daughters of others.

    Screenshot of a tweet of PML-N

    However, the tweet has now been deleted once people started condemning it.

  • PML-N supporter, PTI dissident leader Raja Riaz becomes opposition leader to PML-N led govt

    PML-N supporter, PTI dissident leader Raja Riaz becomes opposition leader to PML-N led govt

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) dissident leader Raja Riaz Ahmad has become the Leader of the Opposition in the lower house of Parliament, with the support of 16 lawmakers, following the withdrawal of Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q)’s Moonis Elahi.

    Speaker National Assembly (NA) Raja Pervaiz Ashraf issued notification of Riaz as being elected as the Opposition leader.

    Earlier, Moonis Elahi withdrew his candidature as the Opposition leader, paving the way for a one-on-one contest between Ghous Bakhsh Mahar and Riaz.

    In 2016, Raja Riaz quit the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) after he decided to join PTI.

    Riaz, who switched sides from PTI during the vote of no-confidence against the then Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, had previously announced that he would contest the next general election on the ticket of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

    The Opposition leader’s seat fell vacant after Shehbaz Sharif was elected prime minister following the ouster of Imran Khan through a no-confidence motion vote.

  • ‘Pakistan is likely to receive $1 billion from Saudi Arabia’: PM Shehbaz

    ‘Pakistan is likely to receive $1 billion from Saudi Arabia’: PM Shehbaz

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif on Friday said that Pakistan is likely to receive an investment worth $1 billion from Saudi Arabia.

    During his speech, the PM asked businessmen to speak about their problems and said: “We need to analyse the economic situation with patience.”

    The premier then requested the business community to provide solutions as the local currency has lately been fluctuating significantly against the United States (US) dollar. “I am not here for political point-scoring,” PM Shehbaz clarified.

    “When I took the oath on April 11, the rate of United States (US) dollar against the Pakistani currently was 189,” said Shehbaz.

    “The Rs. 60-65 increase in the rupee value against the greenback wasn’t the coalition government’s fault,” Shehbaz said, adding that when the former government speculated that they would be ousted, they reduced the petroleum prices despite a price hike in the international market, thus going against the conditions of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

    “During the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) tenure loans worth Rs22,000 billion were taken which shows an 80 per cent increase from 2018,” he said, adding that “powerful echelons” in the country supported their “favourite” person.

    Shedding light on his decision regarding the ban imposed on the import of luxury and non-essential items, PM Shehbaz said that while he banned the import of certain items for some time, he did not increase the duties because the “elite class would have still purchased imported items after paying duties.”

    The premier said: “Pakistan cannot afford to purchase gas worth $20 billion; we have to slowly and gradually move towards solar and wind energy.”

    “If green energy comes to Pakistan, we will save Pakistan’s funds,” said PM Shehbaz.

    The premier arrived in Karachi earlier today on a day-long visit.

  • ‘Lotay washroom kay elawa kisi kaam kay nahi rahay’: PTI celebrates ECP decision

    ‘Lotay washroom kay elawa kisi kaam kay nahi rahay’: PTI celebrates ECP decision

    The Election Commission Pakistan (ECP) on Friday declared 25 dissident members of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) de-seated while announcing its verdict in a case pertaining to the dissident members of the Punjab Assembly (MPAs).

    In a unanimous verdict, ECP announced that the MPAs will be defected from the party by voting in favour of Hamza Shehbaz, which means that the election that got Hamza Shehbaz the CM seat might not be valid. The reference against PTI dissidents who voted for Hamza Shehbaz in the election of Punjab chief minister was sent by Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi.

    Former Planning Minister and senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Asad Umar on Friday called out the de-seated members of the party and said that ‘lotay washroom kay elawa kisi kaam kay nahi rahay’. [Lotay are now only good for use in the washroom].

    Speaking to journalists outside ECP Umar congratulated the nation saying “another chapter of heinous politics has closed today”. “Some of the political parties have used politics for businesses as they are involved in horse-trading,” Umar said, adding that these people [the current leadership] come into power by investing money and earn more by misusing their power.

    In the election for the chief minister’s slot on April 16, 2022, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Hamza Shehbaz got 197 votes as opposed to the required number of 186 in the House of 371, meaning the support of PTI dissidents was key to his victory.

    Journalist Majid Nizami in his report said, “As per the rules of the Punjab Assembly (PA), the chief minister is elected with a simple majority, therefore 186 votes out of the 371-seat assembly. But if no candidate secures the votes of a majority of the total membership for the assembly in the first round then the second round of voting is held. In this round, the member who secures the most votes, from amongst the members present that day, will win.”

    PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz reacting to the news said, “No matter what PTI does, the dream of snatching Punjab from the tiger will be shattered.”