Tag: PTI

  • Imran tells spokespersons to stop sharing details of party meetings with media

    Imran tells spokespersons to stop sharing details of party meetings with media

    Prime Minister Imran Khan has stopped the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) spokespersons from sharing the details of the party meetings with after details of a spokesperson meeting were released to the media.

    According to reports, the PM is not happy with the fact that the details of the party spokespersons meetings, organised on a regular basis to discuss the internal affairs and future strategy, make it to the newspapers even though there pertain to the internal affairs of the party.

    According to the PM, the meetings of the party spokespersons are held to strengthen the party narrative and these decisions should not be made public. He said the details of the meeting have been “misreported” on multiple occasions while directing the party spokesperson to keep these details under wraps.

    Recently, a news about PM aide Nadeem Afzal Chan’s resignation was being reported in the media before the resignation reached the PM, prompting a stern response from Imran. Recently, PM Imran Khan had also expressed annoyance with his ministers, saying if someone had a problem with the government narrative, they should step down from the cabinet.

  • No pension for new hirings at KP universities in ‘Naya Pakistan’: report

    In what appears to greatly contradict claims of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for ‘Naya Pakistan [new Pakistan]’, Higher Education, Archives and Libraries Department of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) has issued a notification to the public sector universities directing it to implement “no pension liability” for all future initial recruitments in addition to other strict measures to overcome the rising deficit.

    According to a report by Express Tribune, the department has also directed delinking of the pay scales from the basic pay scale scheme and university pay scale, while further stating in a notification that government grant and other resources meant for higher education shall not be expended on meeting the shortfall of the schools run by the universities.

    “These schools should have separate Board of Governors (BoG),” it reportedly read.

    Furthermore, house subsidy and requisition should be paid to the employees on the provincial government rates.

    All medical allowances in their current form have been abolished and shall be paid at the provincial government rates, says the notification, adding that the maintenance cost including repair, security and other facilities’ costs should be fully recovered from the employees provided with accommodation by the universities.

    “The universities will be assisted in the process of exploring new avenues of financial resources, including renting out academic blocks to other institutions,” says the notification.

    The report also quoted a university official as saying that in the presence of the University Act 2012, amended in 2016, all the incentives provided to the employees by the universities had completely been protected and in the presence of an act, no notification could change it including abolishing of the pension, house rents and medical allowances.

  • Agent in US responsible for any illegal funding, PTI tells ECP

    Agent in US responsible for any illegal funding, PTI tells ECP

    The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has blamed its agents managing its two limited liability companies (LLCs), saying the responsibility lies with the agents in case of any illegal funding from the United States.

    The Election Commission of Pakistan had started fresh scrutiny of the PTI accounts — a process going on since March 2018. The foreign funding against the ruling party case was filed by its founding member Akbar S Babar in 2014.

    In a response to the petition in the foreign funding case, the PTI, that had denied any links to the foreign funding, said that if the two LLC registered after the written instructions of party chief Imran Khan were involved in the illegal act, it would be due to its agents who were managing them in the US.

    The PTI said in its reply submitted to the ECP said that “any contribution that has been collected by the agent which may be questionable would be beyond the scope of the work/responsibility/instructions given by the principal (respondent)”. Therefore, the “principal will not be liable under Section 228 and not admit/certify such content”.

    Dawn reported that the ECP committee also refused to hand over the PTI’s financial documents to the petitioner’s lawyer due to the concerns expressed by the PTI.

    “The documents include 23 PTI bank statements received on instructions from the State Bank that were mostly concealed from the ECP,” it reported. However, the counsel of Akbar S Babar will be allowed to inspect the documents during the next hearing.

    The petitioner’s counsel Ahmad Hassan Shah said the refusal to share the documents was in contrast to the ECP order of May 2018.

    In a decision, the ECP had killed the PTI’s request to keep these documents and the scrutiny process secret.

    The body’s chairman acknowledged that the PTI’s bank statements and other documents were not being shared with the petitioner on the concerns of PTI.

    At this, the petitioner questioned the transparency of the inquiry, saying how could there be an independent probe if the proceedings were steered by the accused party.

  • PM asks ministers to quit cabinet if they don’t agree with govt decisions

    PM asks ministers to quit cabinet if they don’t agree with govt decisions

    Prime Minister Imran Khan has asked his cabinet members quit the federal cabinet if they have a problem with the decisions taken by the government.

    According to Geo News, the PM told his ministers to “take ownership of the government’s decision” and if they cannot do that then they could resign from their posts.

    “In case of their failure to toe the party line, I will decide myself whether to keep them in the cabinet or not,” the PM was quoted as saying. 

    During the meeting, the PM said that there were no reforms in the state institutions. The governance system also did not improve, he said, responding to a briefing given by Institutional Reforms Adviser Ishrat Hussain on the situation of the state institutions.

    The report claimed that ministers questioned the pace of reforms in the governance in different institutions and asked about the accountability of those at the helm.

    At this, the PM told them to improve their performance and sought a comprehensive report on the state institutions’ performance that could be presented before the public.

    Rs 200bn SCAM IN AGP:

    The prime minister directed the Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) to submit a report, saying that corruption amounting to over Rs180 billion had been unearthed in the institution.

    According to the PM, the prime minister directed the finance and revenue minister Hafeez Sheikh and Science minister Fawad Chaudhry to introduce a new digital system in the AGP’s office.

  • Govt says will cancel Nawaz’s passport on Feb 16

    Govt says will cancel Nawaz’s passport on Feb 16

    In a bid to bring former prime minister Nawaz Sharif back to Pakistan, the federal government will cancel his passport on Feb 16, said Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed on Wednesday.

    Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, the minister said that the passport of the ex-PM will be revoked owing to his refusal to return to Pakistan.

    Nawaz had left for London for a medical check-up last year after his health deteriorated in jail. The ex-premier, who was convicted in two graft cases, has refused to return since.

    Rasheed also said that now people will be able to obtain visas for any country online.

    It may be noted that the interior ministry’s decision to revoke the passport of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supreme leader came two months after a request by the National Accountability Bureau.

    According to Geo, NAB had sought cancellation of the passport and the CNIC of the ex-PM in OCt. “During the course of proceedings, the said accused [Nawaz] deliberately absented himself from the court and after the due process…whenever accused is arrested, he be produced before the court.”

    “In view thereof, copies of the said court order and perpetual non-bailable warrant of arrest are forwarded for processing of blacklisting/cancellation of the passport and blockage / impounding of CNIC of the accused through the Ministry of Interior,” NAB said in an order.

  • PPP’s Mustafa, PTI’s Faraz apologise to each other, have coffee after on-air fight

    PPP’s Mustafa, PTI’s Faraz apologise to each other, have coffee after on-air fight

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar and Information Minister Shibli Faraz, who exchanged heated words on Hamid Mir’s Capital Talk, have apologised to each other after the show and even shared a cup of coffee together.

    The lawmakers had coffee together at The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf as they tried to make up after the verbal altercation on live TV, The Current has learnt.

    During the TV show, Faraz took offence when Senator Khokhar accused the prime minister of nepotism. Khokhar said PM Imran apparently rewarded Dr Humayun, who had handled his “hair transplant”. “Same goes for certain Mr Gilani, whose restaurants are frequently visited [by PM Imran],” claimed Khokhar.

    However, Faraz cut him off at this, saying that the PPP lawmaker shouldn’t bring up “personal things” during the TV show. “Is it not true,” asked Senator Khokhar. To which, the minister said it wasn’t true at all.

    Mustafa Khokhar also didn’t take lightly to remarks made by the minister, saying he was challenging the minister to take action against him. “You can do whatever you want, I am right here,” said Senator Khokhar, prompting an intervention from the host, Hamid Mir, asking the lawmaker to calm down.

    “I treat you as my elder brother and is this how you are going to treat me,” said Khokar, asking Shibli to take action against him if he was saying something that was wrong. Shibli responded that Khokhar shouldn’t have brought up personal things on live TV.

  • Farhan Ali Agha joins PTI

    Suno Chanda’s Farhan Ali Agha has joined Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI). In a press conference held in Karachi Monday, Farhan announced his decision to join the ruling party.

    During the press conference, Farhan thanked PTI for giving him the opportunity and shared why he took this step.

    “I decided to Join PTI because it is need of the hour that honest people come forward and be a part of the movement so that Prime Minister Imran Khan’s vision and Quaid-e-Azam’s dream can be fulfilled,” said Farhan. “A dream of a country where common people will get justice.”

    Farhan further said that his father was in armed forces and he grew up listening to stories of sacrifices for the country.

    He shared that he has been following Imran Khan from his cricketing days and believes the future of Pakistan is with PTI.

    Read more – Shaan says PTI is the ‘last hope’ for Pakistan

    The press conference was held at the PTI Sindh’s Insaaf House at Shahr-e-Faisal.

    It is pertinent to add here that Abrar ul Haq is also a member of PTI. Other celebrities who openly show support for PTI include Hamza Ali Abbasi, Farhan Saeed, Mawra Hocane, Shaan Shahid and Ali Zafar.

    Earlier, Shamoon Abbasi had also announced that he has joined the ruling party to revive the cinema industry.

    “I’ve joined PTI, not as a politician; I’ve joined the development department of the media industry. We’ve created and forwarded new policies that the government has accepted and started implementing. Thankfully, Prime Minister Imran Khan is supporting us,” Abbasi had said.

    “A department is being created which will visit sets without notice and make sure things are functioning professionally. If a producer has employed someone without an agreement, he will be questioned and we will work things out accordingly,” he added.

  • Govt mulls Rs3.3 hike in power tariff to meet IMF demand

    Govt mulls Rs3.3 hike in power tariff to meet IMF demand

    The government is likely to hike power tariff by Rs3.30 per unit in line with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) conditions to get the programme rolling that has been suspended since Feb 2020.

    Daily Jang quoted a senior government official, saying the increase in the power prices will be made before the start of the next year and the government will take measures to take the masses into confidence over the move.

    The IMF bailout was availed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in 2019 to provide crucial support to fast depleting foreign exchange reserves. But the package was suspended at the start of this year.

    Pakistan has to return $4.4 billion on account of foreign commercial loans during the current fiscal year for which it desperately needs the money from the monetary fund. It has also already returned $2bn to Saudi Arabia and will return $1bn soon to clear the Saudi debt.

    Earlier this week, Pakistan secured a $1.7 billion (Rs272 bn) debt relief agreement to help offset the financial headwinds sparked by the coronavirus pandemic.

    The deal provided a moratorium on debt payments for large swathes of the current fiscal year and help ease the cash-strapped country’s massive financial obligations.

    “The Government of Pakistan has successfully negotiated and concluded rescheduling agreements with 19 bilateral creditors, including members of the Paris club,” the Ministry of Economic Affairs said in a statement.

  • PM Imran says had no idea how to run govt for first three months

    PM Imran says had no idea how to run govt for first three months

    Prime Minister Imran Khan has said when his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), came to power it virtually had no idea how to run the government and it took them at least three months to understand the state of affairs.

    Addressing a special ceremony to sign ‘Performance Agreements of the Federal Government for the Year 2020-21’ in Islamabad, the PM said the new government shouldn’t assume power without preparation. “From the outside, it looked different compared to what is actually happening within the system,” the PM said.

    “When the PTI came to power, it took us three months to understand things and form our team,” he said, adding that Pakistan needed to review its systems. “We’re gradually learning things.”

    According to the premier, this system that keeps the incoming governments in the dark about the state of affairs must be changed. “We need to tweak it, so a new setup can be given enough time to learn the ropes after a comprehensive briefing by the outgoing government,” he said, adding that the first thing was that we should review the system and after once your team was made, then it should be given full time to prepare.

     Imran said it was his habit to look at everything in his life to see what could be done better or improved.

    “We have two-and-a-half years left to make the government’s performance better. We no longer have any excuses. It’s time for us to perform… It’s time for performance now. We need to put pressure on ourselves to perform and our ministers also need to put pressure on themselves to improve performance as well,” he added.

  • Vawda claims Musadik Malik, a PhD, served as ‘doctor to royal family’ in Dubai

    In another spat on live TV, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmaker Faisal Vawda accused Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Dr Musadik Malik (a PhD) of being a “doctor to a royal family in Dubai” before he supposedly joined hands with military dictator General (r) Pervez Musharraf.

    This took Malik by surprise, who retorted he has a PhD in Healthcare Administration and Policy that has nothing to do with an MBBS degree. “How can you say I was a doctor to a royal family when I don’t have the required qualification,” he questioned Vawda, who appeared alongside him on a Dunya News show.

    But this did not stop Vawda from speaking further.

    The PTI lawmaker then accused Malik of serving as a caretaker minister during Musharraf era. “I didn’t ask why you were made a caretaker minister by Musharraf,” Vawda said, adding that this helped Musadiq Malik “manipulate pharmaceutical sector for personal gains”.

    Vawda reiterated that the PML-N leader was introduced as a doctor to the royal family during Musharraf’s time. “Which royal family,” asked Malik.

    “You were a doctor to the royal family in Dubai,” Vawda said. Dr Malik responded: “I’ve never even lived in Dubai.”

    The PML-N leader asked Vawda does he live in the same world as the rest of us. “Where are you getting your information from,” Malik hit back at Vawda, saying his “lies cannot go on”.

    At this, Vawda said: “I don’t know, I haven’t joined politics to study your personal history.”

    It may be noted here that Musadiq Malik didn’t serve as a caretaker minister during Musharraf era.

    According to a Dawn article, “Dr Malik first appeared on the national scene when he joined Gen Musharraf’s signature programme, the National Commission for Human Development (NCHD)” as a “volunteer”.

    He was later appointed as a caretaker minister in 2013 by then president Asif Ali Zardari.