Tag: PTI

  • PTI’s Fawad Chaudhry slaps Anchor Mubasher Lucman at a wedding

    PTI’s Fawad Chaudhry slaps Anchor Mubasher Lucman at a wedding

    Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry slapped anchorperson Mubasher Lucman at Punjab’s irrigation minister, Mohsin Legharis, son’s valima.

    Other PTI representatives were present at the Valima when the incident occurred, including Jehangir Tareen.

    After the incident, Fawad Chaudhry criticised Lucman, saying that Lucman cannot be considered as a journalist.

    Fawad tweeting citing the story of him slapping Mubasher

    Fawad had earlier tweeted that ‘so called journalists’ malign ministers and respectable people for viewership.

    “There was a scuffle that broke out. A small fight broke out. In a fight, as usually is the case, he may have got one (slap) in, I may have hit one,” said the minister during Geo News talk show “Naya Pakistan” on Sunday evening.

    “I have been a minister earlier as well. I will not tolerate personal attacks against myself. We are all human beings and will react when someone makes such false allegations.”

  • Special PIA flight brings back 113 prisoners from Malaysia

    Special PIA flight brings back 113 prisoners from Malaysia

    A special flight of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) brought back 113 stranded Pakistani prisoners from Malaysia. The flight brought back the Pakistanis from Kuala Lampur to Islamabad after the Malaysian government approved their amnesty.

    According to reports, Special Assistant to Prime Minister for Overseas Pakistanis Zulfi Bukhari instructed the Pakistan High Commission in Malaysia to make all the arrangements to bring back maximum number of Pakistani prisoners after registering them under the Malaysian Royal Amnesty Scheme. Most of the detainees were stuck in Malaysia after their visas expired while others were involved in petty crimes and had served their sentences but were unable to come back due to lack of funds.

    A large number of family members of the deportees were present at the airport to receive their loved ones. The Pakistani deportees were shouting slogans in favor of PM Khan.

    The Press Information Department also shared that “Earlier this year, 320 Pakistani nationals were repatriated that makes a total of 8,190 Pakistani nationals released by Malaysian authorities till date.”

    Pakistan and
    Malaysia have close mutual ties which were more improved when Prime Minister
    Imran Khan signed several agreements with the Malaysian government during his
    visit to the country in November this year.

  • ANF handled Sanaullah case poorly, caused embarrassment to govt: PTI ministers

    Pakistan Tehreeke Insaf (PTI) ministers criticised the Anti-Narcotics force (ANF) for poorly handling the drugs possesion case against former law minister Rana Sanaullah, which became a huge embarrasment for the government, The Express Tribune reported.

    According to the details, Director General (DG) ANF Major General Muhammad Arif was briefing the federal cabinet about the case against Sanaullah on Tuesday where he faced tough questions from the ministers.

    Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari asked why the arrest was not videotaped as “it is a norm to record video of every case these days”.

    Minister for Housing Tariq Bashir Cheema also reportedly asked for video evidence and proof of the offence and reminded his colleagues that “hollow swearing does not matter if there is no evidence in such cases”.

    Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry said that the PTI government faced embarrasment due to the “mishandling” of the drugs possession case against PML-N leader.

    Agreeing to Fawad Ch the communications minister Murad Saeed, also blamed the agency for mishandling the case which provided the opposition parties an opportunity to criticise the government.

    The ANF chief while responding to the criticism said, “The ANF is an independent institution and will continue its work in accordance with the law,” adding that the agency took action on the basis of evidence only.

    “We have irrefutable proof against Rana Sanaullah. A strong case has been prepared and everything will come to the light once the trial starts,” said Maj Gen Arif.

    The agency’s chief later briefed the prime minister (PM) Imran Khan seperately in the presence of Shaharyar Afridi, Minister for Narcotics Control, about some secret aspects of the case. PM Imran after briefing directed the ANF to proceed the case according to the law.

    The PML-N leader Rana Sanaullah was earlier arrested in July by ANF after alleged recovery of a sizeable quantity of drugs from his car. He was later granted bail on December 24 by the Lahore High Court (LHC).

    The court in its detailed verdict questioned why formal documentary proceedings of drugs’ seizure were not conducted at the time of arrest, and why ANF sent a sample of only 20 grams of the heroin recovered from Sanaullah’s car for testing when the seized quantity was a much higher 15 kilogrammes.

  • Hareem Shah leaves Pakistan, applies for Canadian citizenship

    Hareem Shah leaves Pakistan, applies for Canadian citizenship

    Hareem Shah has said that she has applied for Canadian citizenship and has so far no plan to return to Pakistan, a private media outlet reported.

    Shah is currently in Baku city of Azerbaijan and while takling to Urdupoint she said that there are many fake accounts operating in her name on social media websites including Facebook and Twitter and clarified that the genuine account she has is with handle of “Hareem Shah Official”.

    “The information which is being spread through the fake accounts are not mine,” said Shah.

    https://www.facebook.com/urdupoint.network/videos/2485223241605417/

    During the interview she said, “This is totally baseless that I threatened Prime Minister Imran Khan”.

    Talking about Federal Minister for Railways Sheikh Rasheed, Hareem said that she contacted him two days ago and he was angry with her.

    Shah added, “I know people are using abusive language and criticizing us but there are many fake accounts on Twitter and Facebook”.

    “Will fly to Canada as I have applied for Canadian citizenship and there is no plan yet to come back Pakistan. I will fly from Baku to Canada,” the Tik Tok girl said.

    Hareem Shah has gained popularity owing to her viral videos with celebrities, especially government ministers and officials, including Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan and his colleagues in Islamabad.

    Shah was earlier spotted inside the Foreign Office as well, following which the government had initiated an inquiry “to get to the depth of the matter and identify the person” who had allowed her access to one of the most important government buildings in the federal capital.

  • 2019: High profile political arrests

    2019: High profile political arrests

    Soon after the Pakistan Tehreeke Insaf (PTI) came into power several politicians, mostly from the opposition and one from the ruling party, walked in and out of prison on charges of corruption, money laundering among others, Geo News reported.

    The majority of the politicians, and bureaucrats, arrested this year, have now managed to secure a bail bond from courts, many are still behind bars.

    Here are some of the high-profile arrests of this year.

    Maryam Nawaz

    The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had on August 8 arrested Pakistan Muslim League–Nawaz (PML-N) Vice-President Maryam Nawaz Sharif in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills (CSM) case on accusations of involvement in money laundering.

    The anti-graft watchdog alleged that Maryam was involved in money laundering with the help of some foreigners between 1992-93 when her father Nawaz Sharif was the prime minister (PM).

    Maryam was granted bail by Lahore High Court (LHC) on November 4 after she had filed a bail peition on September 30, seeking post-arrest bail in the money laundering case.

    The PML-N leader is also fighting to get her name off the Exit Control List (ECL) to visit her ailing father in London, undergoing medical treatment after LHC granted him exemption to leave the country.

    Rana Sanaullah

    The senior leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Rana Sanaullah was arrested by the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) on July 1after alleged recovery of a large stash of drugs from his car.

    Minister for Narcotics Control Shehryar Khan Afridi had repeatedly claimed to have substantial evidence against Sanaullah and footages of the drugs recovered from Rana’s car. Yet, after almost six months, the prosecution failed to provid any such evidence to the court. 

    Later on December 22, the anti-narcotics court extended the former law minister’s remand by 14 days, however, the LHC on December 24 granted bail to Sanaullah in the narcotics possession case.

     Asif Ali Zardari

    Former president Asif Ali Zardari was arrested in July by the NAB, in connection to a money laundering case. NAB accused him of setting up fake bank accounts and illegally tranfering billions of rupees out of Pakistan. The accountability watchdog insists that Zardari has was acquired the money through kickbacks and bribes.

    However on December 11, the PPP’s president was granted bail by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on medical grounds.

    Shahid Khaqan Abbasi

    NAB on July 18 arrested former premier Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on accusations of illegally awarding a contract for an Liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal while he was serving as the petroleum minister in the then PM Nawaz’s cabinet. 

    The accountability bureau claimed that the PML-N government rented out a terminal of the Engro Group for 15 years at a cost of Rs27 million per day. Khaqan’s name was later placed on ECL in April as well.

    Miftah Ismail

    Former finance minister Miftah Ismail was cuffed on August 7 by Pakistan’s anti-graft watchdog, after IHC rejected his pre-arrest bail.

    The PML-N leader was arrested in connection with an inquiry regarding the illegal awarding of LNG Terminal-1 to Engro Energy Terminal. Miftah’s remand was later extended from 16 to 20 days in December.

    He, however, was granted bail by the IHC on December 23.

    Hamza Shahbaz

    Opposition leader in the Punjab Assembly, Hamza Shahbaz, was arrested by NAB on June 11 in the Ramzan Sugar Mills (RSM) money laundering case and for allegedly owning assets beyond his means. 

    The accountability court on September 4 sent Hamza to Lahore’s Camp Jail on judicial remand after rejecting NAB’s appeal seeking an extension in his remand.

    Hamza’s case hearing couldn’t take place on December 20 due to a strike by lawyers and has been adjourned till January 3, 2020. He remains in the custody of jail authorities.

    Aleem Khan

    Aleem Khan — Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) stalwart — was arrested on February 6 by accountability bureau in cases pertaining to owning assets beyond his known sources of income and alleged offshore companies. Aleem, at the time of his arrest was serving as Punjab’s local government minister from which he resigned soon after his arrest.

    He was granted bail on May 15 by LHC against surety bonds worth Rs10 million, however he is still fighting the legal battle of a case regarding the illegal acquisition of Capital Development Authority (CDA) land.

    Ahsan Iqbal

    PML-N stalwart Ahsan Iqbal was arrested on December 23 by NAB as he appeared before the court in relation to a corruption case.

    NAB’s spokesperson after the arrest had said that the authority has cuffed Ahsan Iqbal in relation to the Narowal Sports City Complex case. An accountability court on December 24 granted a 13-day remand of PML-n leader in connection with the sports city corruption case.

    Faryal Talpur

    PPP’s senior leader and a member of National Assembly, Faryal Talpur, was arrested by NAB on June 14. She along with her brother, Asif Ali Zardari, was accused of laundering money through fake bank accounts. The anti-graft body is probing four cases where the former president and his sister are the prime accused. 

    The cases are about transactions worth hundreds of millions of rupees to both the leaders’ private companies, allegedly, by using fake bank accounts. Talpur was also granted bail by IHC on December 17 against surety bonds worth Rs10 million.

    Khursheed Shah

    NAB had arrested senior leader of PPP Khursheed Shah on September 18, accusing of allotting himself an amnesty plot illegally from a cooperative society in Sukkur. Nab also accuse Shah of acquiring assets worth some Rs700 million in the names of his frontmen through illegally acquired money.

    An anti-graft court on December 17 granted bail to the Khursheed against surety bonds worth Rs5 million. The NAB later approached the Sindh HIgh COurt and urged it to nullify Shah’s bail as it was “against the law”. On December 23, the SHC suspended PPP leader’s bail in the corruption case.

  • Even my friends will be happy with new NAB law: PM Imran

    Even my friends will be happy with new NAB law: PM Imran

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has said that his government has insulated the buisness community with the new National Accountability Bureau (NAB) ordinance and “even his friends would be happy with the new law as there were anti-graft cases against them as well”.

    Addressing ‘Top 25 Companies Awards’ by Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX), the premier said:

    After the changes in the NAB laws, several journalists and political analysts on social media are terming the ammendment as “NRO plus” and asking if PM Imran “is trying to save his corrupt friends”.

    Another journalist asked if NAB would no longer be allowed to probe Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Ahsan Iqbal in the sports complex corruption case as he was a government employee back then and used federal funds.

    The federal cabinet on Friday had given its approval to the NAB Ordinance, 2019 after which the accountability watchdog will no longer be allowed to take action against government employees.

    The new ordinance also states that the property of government employees cannot be frozen without a court order and if NAB cannot complete an investigation against a suspect within three months, the accused will be allowed to have bail.

    Moreover, NAB will now only be able to proceed in corruption cases worth Rs500 million and more.

    In addition, NAB’s jurisdiction over matters relating to tax, stock exchange and IPOs has been curtailed and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBR), Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) and building control authorities will be the sole authorities tasked to take actino on all such matters.

  • Nawaz ready to support COAS’s extension legislation, but has conditions: report

    Former prime minister (PM) has agreed to lend support for the legislation in army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa’s extension matter, but with a condition, The Express Tribune reported.

    According to the details, former premier is flexible to supporting the Pakistan Tehreeke Insaf (PTI) government legislation to fix the army chief’s tenure but has reservations on giving a legal cover to giving extension to an army chief.

    The government reportedly before filing a review petition against the Supreme Court’s verdict in Gen Bajwa’s extension case tried to gain support of the opposition parties, including Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), for required legislation.

    “The government had approached us through intermediaries”, reports quoted unknown officials from two opposition parties belonging to the PPP and the PML-N.

    But after failing to gather ‘desirable support’ from them, the government after nearly a month decided to file review petition in the apex court.

    Reports also reveal that a senior legal advisor of the PML-N has said that most party lawmakers believe that by supporting the ruling government on the extension issue could potentially harm the party’s own narrative which it has adopted since the disqualification of Nawaz Sharif as PM on July 28, 2017.

    He furhter alleged that the government stage-managed the arrest of PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal and denied Maryam Nawaz permission to fly abroad to London after its failure to bend the PML-N and secure ‘unconditional support’ for the extension legislation.

    On the other hand, the PPP has reportedly set certain preconditions for supporting the legislation, which include proposed legislation on the NAB [National Accountability Bureau] law, the appointment of chief election commissioner, and elections reforms.

    On November 28, the Supreme Court had allowed the federal government to grant a six-month conditional extension to Chief of Army Staff (COAS). SC also directed the government to bring necessary legislation within six months’ time.

  • Govt may challenge Musharraf’s death penalty verdict: Babar Awan

    Govt may challenge Musharraf’s death penalty verdict: Babar Awan

    Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leader and promi­nent lawyer Babar Awan has claimed that the government was examining the option of challenging the conviction of former military ruler Gen (r) Pervez Musharraf, Dawn reported.

    According to the details, Babar during a press conference said that if it deemed appropriate, the PTI government could file an appeal while the convict could also challenge the decision of the special court.

    He also rejected the argument that the government being the complainant in the high treason case could not file an appeal.

    Awan recalled that former premier Nawaz Sharif and his brother Shahbaz Sharif had been disqualified on a federal government complaint and the government went in appeal after the change of regime, adding that the treason case against Musharraf had been filed by the former prime minister (PM) with the consultation of his brother, but they both were silent on the conviction.

    The PTI leader cited the case of slain PM Benazir Bhutto who had been convicted while she was abroad, saying that an appeal on her behalf was taken up by the then Chief Justice Irshad Hasan Khan who held that the appeal of a person convicted in absentia could be heard in his/her absence.

    Babar said that the appeal had been taken up and the judgement set aside.

    He also insisted that nobody should think of a clash between institutions as the government of PM Imran had a resolve to run the institutions within their constitutional and legal framework preserving their honour and dignity.

    A special court trying the ex-preisdent last week sentenced him to death for imposing a state of emergency on November 3, 2007, adding that it had found him guilty of high treason in accordance with Article 6 of the Constitution of Pakistan.

  • Zardari will sign plea bargain deal by March: Sheikh Rasheed

    Zardari will sign plea bargain deal by March: Sheikh Rasheed

    Minister for Railways Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed has claimed that former president Asif Ali Zardari will sing a plea bargain deal in corruption cases “by the end of March”, Pakistan Today reported.

    According to the details, the minister during a media talk at the Bahria University in Islamabad has said, “If Bilawal doesn’t accept a plea bargain deal, his political career will be finished.”

    Shiekh Rasheed said that Pakistan Tehreeke Insaf (PTI) government has been taking steps to address the issue of inflation, adding that only Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan can take people out of their problems.

    The minister also urged youth to play their role in the progress of the country and asserted that a strong economy was important to formulate independent policies and ensure a strong defence.

    Rasheed also regretted the attack on the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) in Lahore by a disgruntled mob of lawyers.

  • KP govt approves Rs 700 million for tourism police

    Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Mahmood Khan has approved Rs 700 million budget for the formation of tourism police in the province. The decision was taken to promote tourism in the province.

    The tourism police, consisting of 500 personnel, will protect tourists and tourist spots across the province.

    The decision was taken in a meeting on tourism promotion in the province.

    During the meeting, it was also decided to start the KP Tourism Authority, as well as outsource Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation’s devolved assets. Construction of hotels around tourism spots was also discussed.

    CM Mahmood also approved Rs 500 million for the ‘Home Cities Project’ set to be built at three scenic tourist spots.

    Moreover, Rs 500 million was allocated for marketing scenic tourist destinations to attract tourists.