Tag: PTI

  • Dr Yasmin Rashid will be PTI’s senate candidate from Punjab

    Dr Yasmin Rashid will be PTI’s senate candidate from Punjab

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has decided to field senior leader Dr Yasmin Rashid for Senate seat in Punjab for the upcoming polls set to take place on April 2, The News reported on Thursday.

    PTI’s senior leader Mian Aslam Iqbal disclosed on his X (previously Twitter) account that Yasmin Rashid will be the party’s candidate for the senate seat in Punjab.

    Mian Aslam Iqbal also said that Zulfi Bukhari and Hamid Khan are the party’s candidates for general seats. However, Brigadier (retd) Musadiq will be the PTI’s candidate for the technocrat seat.

    The development comes as the senior politician’s earlier bid to secure a place in the National Assembly failed after she lost to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif on Lahore’s NA-130 seat in the February 8 polls.

    Dr Yasmin Rashid is currently in Adiala jail in cases pertaining to the violent incidents of the May 9 riots last year. 

    52 seats are vacant in the Senate after the expiration of the six-year term of senators. However, senate election will be held on 48 seats, as the four reserved seats for Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) had been abolished after the 25th Constitutional Amendment.

  • ‘Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood have right to appeal in cipher case,’ says Islamabad High Court

    ‘Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood have right to appeal in cipher case,’ says Islamabad High Court

    Islamabad High Court (IHC) has ruled that the appeals of former Prime Minister Imran Khan and former Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi against their convictions in the cipher case are maintainable.

    The court invited both the prosecution and defense counsel to present their arguments starting Monday.

    Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb, comprising the IHC division bench, resumed the hearing on the appeals concerning Mr. Khan and Mr. Qureshi’s convictions and 10-year sentences each in the cipher case.

    During the previous hearing, special prosecutor Hamid Ali Shah raised objections regarding the maintainability of the appeals filed by Mr. Khan and Mr. Qureshi. Mr. Shah highlighted that the Official Secrets Act, enacted in 1923, did not provide the right of appeal except during the trial proceeding. He contended that since the trial court had already convicted the two leaders, the conviction should be considered final, as there was no provision for the right of appeal.

    However, Barrister Salman Safdar, representing Imram Khan, argued that if the law did not grant the right of appeal against conviction, the court should consider this as a case of first impression.

    He emphasized that the former prime minister and former foreign minister were convicted under the law used to prosecute espionage suspects. Mr. Safdar pointed out that superior courts had ruled in numerous cases that convicts could not be left without a remedy.

    He added that while the high treason case did not provide the right of appeal, the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 1976, designated the Supreme Court as the forum for appeal.

    The bench ultimately concluded that the appeals were maintainable and decided to proceed with hearing the case on its merits.

    Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood have been jailed for 10 years in a case where they were charged with leaking state secrets.

    What is Cipher case

    Cipher is a classified cable, which in this case, was sent to Islamabad by Pakistan’s ambassador in Washington in 2022.

    Immediately after his removal as prime minister in April 2022, Khan said that the United States had a hand in his removal. He also raised a paper during a jalsa and claimed it to be Cipher. Washington and the Pakistani military have denied his accusations. Khan later toned down his rhetoric against the US.

    But a US-based news outlet, The Intercept, in August 2023 published what it claimed to be a “cipher” that hinted the US administration wanted to remove Khan from power. Khan maintains his ouster in April 2022 was orchestrated by the country’s powerful military and his political opponents.

    The Intercept published purported details of a conversation between Pakistan’s former ambassador to the US, Asad Majeed Khan, and Donald Lu, the assistant secretary of state for the US Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, on March 7, 2022.

    The conversation took place under two weeks after Khan visited Moscow, on the day Russia invaded Ukraine. In the exchange, Lu raised concerns about Khan’s visit to Russia and Pakistan’s neutral stance on the Ukraine war.

    “I think if a no-confidence vote against the prime minister succeeds, all will be forgiven in Washington,” Lu allegedly told Asad Majeed Khan, who sent the details of the conversation to Islamabad through a secret diplomatic cable.

  • EU denies receiving any communication from PTI regarding GSP+

    EU denies receiving any communication from PTI regarding GSP+

    European Union’s delegation has expressed that they have not yet received any official communication from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) about the Generalized Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) trade status currently held by Pakistan.

    Samar Saeed Akhtar, the Press Officer for the EU Delegation, clarified the EU’s stance to Dawn, stating, “We have not received any official communication from PTI regarding GSP+.”

    In a press conference held on Wednesday, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar alleged that PTI spokespersons, purportedly receiving directives from incarcerated party members, are orchestrating a scheme to undermine Pakistan’s GSP+ status. He claimed that PTI’s criticism of the government’s treatment of its founder, Imran Khan, in prison serves as a pretext for their efforts to jeopardize the country’s trade privileges.

    Furthermore, Tarar accused PTI of engaging in a conspiracy to destabilize Pakistan’s economy, citing PTI’s alleged correspondence with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as evidence. He emphasized the incumbent government’s commitment to economic recovery and lambasted PTI for purportedly prioritizing political gain over national interests.

    In response to Tarar’s claims, a PTI spokesperson categorically denied any intention of petitioning the EU to revoke Pakistan’s GSP+ status, dismissing the allegations as baseless and accusing Tarar of disseminating falsehoods. The spokesperson highlighted PTI’s dedication to national prosperity and defended Imran Khan’s role in facilitating the IMF program, attributing delays to the incompetence of previous administrations.

    Pakistan has been benefiting from the GSP+ program since 2014. This initiative, devised by the EU, aims to incentivize developing countries to uphold human rights principles, labor rights, environmental conservation, and good governance through trade incentives, including reduced tariffs for exports to the EU market. However, this preferential status is contingent upon the country demonstrating significant progress in implementing 27 international conventions covering various rights and governance issues.

    The EU meticulously monitors compliance with these conventions, relying on reports from the UN and other international bodies, and conducts regular assessments through on-ground missions. These evaluations are then reflected in reports to the European Parliament and the Council of the EU, with biennial reviews conducted in 2016, 2018, 2020, and 2022. The latest review highlighted ongoing concerns regarding enforced disappearances and declining media freedom.

    In October, the European Parliament extended Pakistan’s GSP+ status until 2027, allowing duty-free exports on 66 percent of product tariff lines to the European market.

    However, the EU retains the authority to withdraw the GSP+ status if a beneficiary country fails to meet the program’s stringent criteria. This withdrawal process typically involves a period of dialogue aimed at rectification but may result in the suspension of benefits if issues are not adequately addressed, as evidenced by the case of Sri Lanka in 2010 over human rights concerns.

    The European Parliament, in April 2021, adopted a resolution urging a review of Pakistan’s GSP+ status due to an “alarming” increase in blasphemy allegations and mounting attacks on journalists and civil society.

    Read more: Understanding GSP+ status: What it means for Pakistan’s trade relations

  • Voting in progress on six senate seats

    Voting in progress on six senate seats

    Polling for six vacant senate seats from Sindh, Balochistan, and Islamabad is underway on Thursday, scheduled to continue till 4:00 pm.

    Lawmakers can’t hold dual membership, so these six seats became vacant under Article 223 of the Constitution.

    Sub-section 4 of article states: “Subject to clause (2), if a member of either House or of a Provincial Assembly becomes a candidate for a second seat, which, in accordance with clause (1), he may not hold concurrently with his first seat, then his first seat shall become vacant as soon as he is elected to the second seat.”

    However, in Sindh, two major opposition parties, including the Muttahid Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) and Jamat-e-Islami (JI), have boycotted senate elections in Sindh, Geo has confirmed.

    Polling to fill two general seats in the upper house in Sindh is underway, where Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) Jam Saifullah Khan Dharejo and Muhammad Aslam Abro are contesting against Nazeerullah and Shazia Sohail of the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC).

    Meanwhile, a total of seven candidates have been in the running for three general seats of the Senate from Balochistan on which the by-polls are underway.

    These candidates are Syed Mahmood Shah (Independent), Abdul Shakoor Khan (Independent), Abdul Qudoos (PPP), Kauda Babar (Balochistan Awami Party), Muhammad Mobeen Khilji (Balochistan Awami Party), Mir Hair Bayar Khan Domki (Independent) and Mir Dostain Khan Domki (PML-N).

    On the other hand, the National Assembly (NA) will elect only one senator, and former Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani is a joint candidate of the ruling coalition of six parties on the seat, with SIC’s Ilyas Mehrban contesting against him.

  • Understanding GSP+ status: What it means for Pakistan’s trade relations

    Understanding GSP+ status: What it means for Pakistan’s trade relations

    The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has vehemently dismissed accusations levelled by Federal Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, labelling them as unfounded and baseless.

    In a statement issued today, the PTI refuted claims made by Tarar, asserting that they are nothing but a concoction of falsehoods and rhetoric aimed at maligning the party’s reputation.

    Earlier, Tarar had accused the PTI of plotting to undermine Pakistan’s Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) status.

    He alleged that the party’s spokespersons were actively engaged in activities detrimental to the country’s interests under the directives issued from confinement.

    Understanding GSP+ and its significance for Pakistan’s economy

    The GSP+ status, a cornerstone of Pakistan’s trade relations with the European Union (EU), holds significant importance for the nation’s economy.

    Under this scheme, selected developing countries, including Pakistan, receive extensive trade concessions aimed at fostering sustainable development and good governance practices.

    The European Union’s GSP+ Scheme is founded on the effective implementation of 27 United Nations conventions covering various aspects such as human rights, labour rights, climate change, narcotics control, and corruption.

    Once granted GSP+ status, beneficiary countries are subject to rigorous monitoring to ensure compliance with the stipulated conventions and reporting requirements.

    The dialogue on GSP+ compliance involves various stakeholders, including international monitoring bodies, civil society, trade unions, and businesses.

    Regular monitoring visits are conducted by the EU to assess the progress of beneficiary countries in addressing the outlined issues.

    The significance of GSP+ for Pakistan’s economy cannot be overstated, particularly for its textile industry and workforce.

    Over the past decade, Pakistan has witnessed a notable increase in exports to the EU, accompanied by a surge in EU imports, owing to the preferential treatment offered under the GSP+ scheme.

  • Is Imran Khan living a ‘luxurious’ life in jail? Atta Tarar explains

    Is Imran Khan living a ‘luxurious’ life in jail? Atta Tarar explains

    In a press conference held on Wednesday, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar asserted that incarcerated founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan is living a luxurious life in jail.

    The former Prime Minister has three rooms, a kitchen, and access to exercise equipment, among other amenities desired by the detained leader, Tarrar elaborated.

    The minister said that PTI has been actively seeking the revocation of the country’s Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) Plus status from the European Union (EU). The GSP+ status, initiated in 2014 and recently extended until 2027, grants Pakistan favorable trade terms, including duty-free or minimal-duty exports to the European market, to foster good governance and sustainable development.

    Minister Tarar alleged that PTI spokespersons, purportedly receiving directives from incarcerated party members, are orchestrating a scheme to undermine Pakistan’s GSP+ status. He claimed that PTI’s criticism of the government’s treatment of its founder, Imran Khan, in prison serves as a pretext for their efforts to jeopardize the country’s trade privileges.

    Furthermore, Tarar accused PTI of engaging in a conspiracy to destabilize Pakistan’s economy, citing PTI’s alleged correspondence with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as evidence. He emphasized the incumbent government’s commitment to economic recovery and lambasted PTI for purportedly prioritizing political gain over national interests.

    In response to Tarar’s claims, a PTI spokesperson categorically denied any intention of petitioning the EU to revoke Pakistan’s GSP+ status, dismissing the allegations as baseless and accusing Tarar of disseminating falsehoods. The spokesperson highlighted PTI’s dedication to national prosperity and defended Imran Khan’s role in facilitating the IMF program, attributing delays to the incompetence of previous administrations.

    The exchange underscores escalating tensions between the ruling government and the opposition party, with both sides trading accusations amid mounting economic challenges. As Pakistan navigates through critical issues, including inflation and unemployment, political discord continues to cast a shadow over efforts to steer the nation towards stability and growth.

    When asked about the ban on X (former Twitter) in Pakistan, the information minister claimed that there is no ban on the platform and people are using it.

    We counter-checked his claim and X is still not accessible in Pakistan without a virtual private network (VPN).

  • ‘Have asked Shehbaz to engage politically with Khan’, Ali Amin Gandapur meets PM

    ‘Have asked Shehbaz to engage politically with Khan’, Ali Amin Gandapur meets PM

    Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ali Amin Gandapur met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday, indicating a possible melting of ice between Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

    Addressing a press conference with Ahsan Iqbal, Gandapur said that the meeting was positive. “I have asked the prime minister to politically engage with Imran Khan. Political engagement will lead to a political solution,” he told the members of the press.

    Gandapur also said Shehbaz confirmed that Gandapur would be allowed to meet Khan in Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail where authorities have increased security and barred ex-PM Khan from holding meetings owing to “threat alert”.

  • Ali Amin Gandapur to meet Shehbaz Sharif today

    Ali Amin Gandapur to meet Shehbaz Sharif today

    Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur is scheduled to meet newly elected prime minister Shehbaz Sharif today (Wednesday) to talk about the replacement of Chief Secretary Nadeem Afzal Chaudhry.

    ARY sources have confirmed that Ali Amin Gandapur didn’t attend the oath ceremony while a meeting is scheduled for today to discuss the matter of the CS’s appointment.

    A day earlier, chief minister KP send a summary to Shehbaz Sharif for removal of Chief Secretary Nadeem Afzal Chaudhry. Gandapur wanted to appoint Shahab Ali Shah as the new Chief Secretary, expecting him to bring fresh perspectives and innovative strategies to the role, thereby contributing to the overall development of the KP province.

  • ‘There is a serious threat alert,’ Azma Bukhari defends barring meetings with Imran Khan in Adiala Jail

    ‘There is a serious threat alert,’ Azma Bukhari defends barring meetings with Imran Khan in Adiala Jail

    Punjab government has clarified on Tuesday that recent restrictions imposed at Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail were not intended to obstruct meetings of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders with party founder Imran Khan.

    The statement came after Khan, the former prime minister imprisoned in several cases and serving more than three decades of sentences, was barred from holding meetings inside Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail for two weeks owing to security concerns.

    “This move wasn’t made to take away any facility from him [Khan]. There is a serious threat alert, which is under investigation,” Punjab’s Information Minister Azma Bukhari told Geo News’ Shahzeb Khanzada.

    Denying PTI’s claims of a false flag operation, Bukhari assured that Khan was being provided with all necessary facilities and emphasized the importance of ensuring the security of all prisoners at Adiala Jail.

    “The incident is under investigation. A series of threat alerts have been issued. These measures were taken to ensure the security of all the prisoners. The security of the facility has to be improved,” she said.

    Slamming PTI’s allegations that the capture of the terrorists was a false flag operation, Bukhari clarified that the opposition party “sees conspiracies” in everything, assuring the party that their leader was being provided all prison facilities.

    “There’s a threat in general [to the Adiala Jail], not Imran Khan, that something unpleasant might happen. Therefore, it is important not only to ensure Imran Khan’s security but everyone else’s.”

    Meanwhile, PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan expressed severe concerns over the sudden ban on Khan’s meetings, fearing for the former prime minister’s safety. He demanded immediate consultations with Khan and sought details regarding his health.

    In a related development, the Punjab Home Department requested the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to postpone a meeting between KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and Imran Khan due to the prevailing security situation. Temporary restrictions on visits and meetings have been imposed in various jails across Punjab as a precautionary measure against potential threats.

    The Home Department highlighted the existence of multiple security threats to several jails, including Adiala Jail, and directed authorities to conduct security audits and bomb disposal operations promptly.

    As tensions escalate, the Punjab government remains vigilant in safeguarding the security of inmates and ensuring the smooth functioning of correctional facilities across the province.

    Read more: No more meetings with Imran Khan in Adiala Jail but who ordered the ban?

  • No more meetings with Imran Khan in Adiala Jail but who ordered the ban?

    No more meetings with Imran Khan in Adiala Jail but who ordered the ban?

    The Punjab Home Ministry has implemented a temporary prohibition on incarcerated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan from conducting meetings within Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail.

    Imran Khan, currently serving a cumulative sentence of 31 years in multiple cases, has been utilizing his time in the Rawalpindi facility since September 2023 for meetings with his legal team, family members, and party officials.

    The ban has been slapped on for two weeks, sources within the Punjab home department said, while media coverage is also prohibited in front of Adiala Jail’s gate 5.

    A security officer stated that media coverage is not allowed and directed that the media teams would stay a minimum of two kilometers away from Adiala jail.

    Tuesday and Thursday were reserved by the Adiala Jail administration for meetings with the PTI founder on the orders of the court, but now the meetings have been banned for two weeks.

    As per sources of The Current Ali Amin Gandapur, Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and a prominent leader of PTI, was supposed to meet Imran Khan on Monday but later the meeting was shifted to Tuesday. According to the souce, Jail authorities claimed that barring Gandapur from meeting Imran would create rifts between provinces and ‘it wouldn’t be a nice message across the board’.

    The source said that after some hesitation, the meeting was allowed and in reaction, Maryam Nawaz, Chief Minister of Punjab and a prominent leader of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN), retaliated and said that the jail has been converted into “Zaman Park” and this should stop.

    We reached out to Marriyum Aurangzeb for a comment on this matter but we haven’t got a response yet.

    Recently, the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) announced the apprehension of three terrorists and the confiscation of a map of Adiala Jail, a hand grenade, and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) from their possession. Rawalpindi City Police Officer (CPO) Khalid Hamdani reported the recovery of automatic weapons and ammunition from the detained individuals, who were identified as Afghan nationals.

    In a separate incident last November, law enforcement discovered a suspicious bag containing an explosive device near Adiala Road in Gorakhpur, Rawalpindi, merely a kilometer away from the correctional facility.

    In January, the former Prime Minister, alongside Shah Mahmood Qureshi, received a 10-year sentence in the cipher case for the unauthorized disclosure of confidential communications sent by the country’s ambassador in Washington to the government in Islamabad.

    This was succeeded by a 14-year verdict imposed on Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, by an accountability court in the Toshakhana reference, for their alleged misuse of official privileges to trade gifts received during foreign visits while holding office from 2018 to 2022, collectively valued at over Rs140 million ($635,000). Additionally, the couple was fined a total of Rs1.57 billion.

    After these rulings, Khan and Bushra were further sentenced to seven years in the “un-Islamic nikah” case, along with a Rs500,000 penalty each, for their marriage before the completion of the 90-day iddat period following Bushra’s divorce.

    Moreover, both Khan and his spouse faced indictment in the £190 million case during the jail trial conducted at Adiala jail.

    PTI and Khan’s associates have persistently urged for his release, denouncing the charges as “fabricated” and expressing concerns for his safety while incarcerated.