Tag: Punjab

  • Head of team investigating attack on Imran Khan changed once again

    Head of team investigating attack on Imran Khan changed once again

    The Punjab government has again reconstituted the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) which was formed to investigate the November 3rd assassination attempt on Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan.

    The team’s head has also been changed after the government appointed Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Lahore Ghulam Mehmood Dogar as its head. This is the third time that the JIT has been reconstituted, while its head has been changed for the second time.

    On Tuesday, Dogar paid a visit to Khan’s residence in Lahore. According to media reports, the CCPO Lahore was appointed on Imran Khan’s suggestion.

    Punjab government has issued a notification in this regard informing the appointment of Regional Police Officer (RPO) Dera Ghazi Khan Syed Khurram as a member of the JIT, along with Assistant Inspector General of the province’s investigation branch, Ehsanullah Chauhan.

    On November 9, a committee of the Punjab cabinet decided to establish a JIT to probe the attack.

    Mohammad Naveed, the suspect arrested by police right after the firing incident, has confessed to the crime. However, his insistence that he was operating alone has not been accepted by Imran Khan and his party.

  • Khawaja Asif shifts blame of assassination attempt onto Khan

    Khawaja Asif shifts blame of assassination attempt onto Khan

    Federal Minister for Defence, Khawaja Asif, has shifted the blame for Thursday’s assassination attempt on former Prime Minister Imran Khan onto the man himself, citing what he described as “crossing the red lines of religion”.

    “The suspect’s videos that have surfaced … they show that religious fanaticism motivated the attack. Time and time again, the former prime minister came close to crossing boundaries — or he crossed the boundaries — he crossed the red lines of religion because of which a man attacked him,” Khawaja Asif said on Friday. The minister quoted the suspect as proof that Khan had brought the attack upon himself.

    He began his speech by saying that the incident was a “Cause of embarrassment for the nation”.

    “And we, the federal government, want that if there is a conspiracy behind it, then it should be brought to light,” he stated.

    The defence minister stressed that “We should not refrain from taking any step that will prove to be helpful for us in this matter” and that the investigation into the incident and efforts to get to the bottom of the matter should not be politicised.

    “Don’t let this incident fall victim to politics,” he reiterated, while adding, “They should go after the suspects, but all that they have been doing [demonstrates] that they are not interested in the investigation. They have made Rana Sanaullah, the prime minister and DGC the culprits.”

    He recalled that Imran previously said he had contacts in the establishment. “And now those contacts are being named in the murder attempt [case],” the minister said. “By naming politicians and a senior army officer, they are taking the matter in a direction where they will not find any clue or suspect.”

    Imran Khan was shot at thrice in Punjab’s Wazirabad on Thursday, November 3. The suspect, Naveed ,is in police custody and has confessed to the crime on a video where he says that he had planned to kill the former Prime Minister ever since his long march left Lahore.

  • ‘Siyasat mein violence ki koyi jagah nahin,’ Condemnations pour in after assassination attempt on Imran Khan

    ‘Siyasat mein violence ki koyi jagah nahin,’ Condemnations pour in after assassination attempt on Imran Khan

    Former Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan narrowly escaped an assassination attempt on Thursday while leading his party’s long march in Wazirabad. The Chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was shot in the leg and is currently receiving medical treatment at Shaukat Khanum Hospital, Lahore. According to media reports, one person was killed while seven people sustained injuries.

    Other than Khan, PTI leaders Faisal Javed and Ahmad Chattha were also injured. Following the tragic incident, leaders from across the political spectrum condemned the attack on Khan.

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the firing incident and said that an immediate report of the incident has been sought from Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah.

    In a tweet, he said, “I strongly condemn the firing at Imran Khan’s rally. An immediate report of the incident has been sought from the Interior Minister. We pray for the speedy recovery of Imran and other injured. The federal government will provide all possible support to the Punjab government in the security/investigation of the incident. Violence should have no place in country’s politics.”

    President Dr Arif Alvi took to Twitter to express his concern, saying that “This attack was sad, alarming, deceitful and cowardly”.

    The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) has said that the firing incident during PTI’s long march near Gujranwala is “highly condemnable”.

    “Sincere prayers for precious life lost and speedy recovery and well-being of Imran Khan and all those injured in this unfortunate incident,” the military’s media wing said.

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif also condemned the attack and prayed for Khan’s and other party leaders’ recovery.

    Foreign Minister (FM) Bilawal Bhutto said, “Strongly condemn the attack on Imran Khan. Praying for his swift recovery.”

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP)’s Twitter account tweeted that Former President Asif Ali Zardari condemned the firing incident. He said, “I pray to God that Imran Khan recovers soon”.

    PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz also condemned the unfortunate incident.

    Sanaullah’s office’s official account said that on the instructions of PM Shehbaz, a report of the incident was sought from the Chief Secretary and Inspector General of Police (IG) Police Punjab.

    From PML-N leaders, Ahsan Iqbal also came forward to condemn the attack.

    He tweeted, “Thank God Imran Niazi is safe. There is no room for violence in politics. I strongly condemn the incident of firing on Imran Niazi’s container in Wazirabad. The Punjab government should review the security arrangements.”

    Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai wished the PTI chief a full recovery.

    “Attacks on leaders of any political belief or party are always wrong. And violence is never an acceptable protest”, she said in a tweet

  • ‘Workers ko kaha hai ke Imran Khan ko dekh kar gharri chor, Toshakhana chor ke naray lagaayein’: Rana Sanaullah

    Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah has said that he has instructed his party workers to “chant slogans of gharri chor (watch stealer) and Toshakhana chor,” whenever they see Imran Khan, Chairman of their rival party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

    During an appearance on Geo News’ programme “Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath,” the federal minister said: “He is the biggest thief, the most corrupt. Mei nay apnay workers ko kaha hai yeh [Imran Khan] aap ko jahan bhi nazar aye, gharri chor aur Toshkhana chor ke narey is ke khilaf lagaye jain.” (I have told my workers that whenever they see him [Imran Khan], they should chant ‘watch thief’ and ‘Toshkhana thief’ slogans against him.)

    On Thursday, Khan was heckled with gharri chor chants within the vicinity of the civil courts in the provincial capital of Punjab.

    The federal minister was of the view that Khan should feel pain when such slogans are raised against him. “He only knows the politics of hate as he calls his opponents thieves and continues his loose talk against them”, said Sanaullah.

    He also hinted towards the possibility of negotiations between the government and PTI over the election date. He said both parties could find a middle way.

    Moreover, Sanaullah claimed that Imran Khan wants to be the establishment’s ladla (favourite) again, however, he added that the establishment won’t agree to it.

    About the long march, the minister said, “Imran Khan has no popularity, it is all propaganda”. He also warned that PTI will face difficulties if they try to enter secure areas.

  • Khan announces establishing journalism university in Arshad Sharif’s name

    Khan announces establishing journalism university in Arshad Sharif’s name

    Imran Khan, the Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has announced the establishment of a journalism university in Punjab in the name of slain journalist Arshad Sharif.

    Addressing participants in his long march in Lahore, Khan announced the plan of establishing the university. He said that the name of the university will be “Arshad Sharif Shaheed University of Journalism”.

    The PTI has also dedicated its long march to Arshad Sharif and the media fraternity.

    The party continued paying tribute to Arshad Sharif by displaying a banner in Lahore which read: “Pakistani ki Haqeeqi Azadi ka shaheed (The martyr of Pakistan’s true freedom).”

    Arshad Sharif, a renowned journalist and television anchor, was shot dead by Kenyan police near Nairobi on October 23, Khan has claimed that Arshad was a victim of a targeted killing. The former Prime Minister has said that he himself warned the newsman that his life was under threat.

    Khan further said Arshad Sharif was the journalist he respected the most, using the term “martyred” for the late television host.

  • HEC to relaunch PM’s Laptop Scheme soon

    HEC to relaunch PM’s Laptop Scheme soon

    The Prime Minister’s Laptop Scheme would be relaunched under the Youth Development Initiative, according to Higher Education Commission (HEC) Chairman Dr Mukhtar Ahmed, within the next few days.

    Speaking to the media, he further stated that HEC would launch a programme for online courses for students in Pakistan’s institutions with assistance from Microsoft and other international organisations.

    The declaration follows the historic Prime Minister (PM) Laptop Scheme’s restoration by the Federal Government, which is governed by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

    Details indicate that the programme, which has a budget of Rs 10 billion, will distribute laptops to students pursuing BS, Masters, M Phil, PhD, and undergraduate degrees.

    A committee headed by Dr Mukhtar Ahmed, the chairman of the Higher Education Commission (HEC), has been formed by the government to complete all issues, including the requirements for students to be eligible for laptops.

    According to Academia Mag, the 14-member committee comprises the Executive Director of HEC, Additional Finance Secretary (Budget) of the Government of Pakistan, a member from Planning and Development Division, Science and Technology, Secretary Higher Education Department Punjab, Secretary Higher Education Department Sindh, Secretary Higher Education Department Balochistan, Secretary Higher Education Department Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a representative from the National Information Technology Board (NITB), Secretary Higher Education Department Azad Jammu and Kashmir, a representative from Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) and others.

    The procedure for verifying degrees and issuing certificates of equivalency is likewise being shifted entirely online.

    A growing number of educational institutions were causing financial problems for HEC, he continued, and public universities would henceforth be given funding according on how well they performed.

    “We would request the federal and provincial governments to not establish more public universities until the country’s financial issues are resolved,” he said.

  • Punjab govt buries abandoned bodies, says they are not of Baloch missing persons

    Punjab govt buries abandoned bodies, says they are not of Baloch missing persons

    The Punjab government revealed on Wednesday that the abandoned bodies that were found on the roof of Nishtar Hospital’s mortuary in Multan are not of Balochistan’s missing persons and have been buried.

    Punjab Chief Minister’s Advisor, Tariq Zaman Gujjar, clarified that the Vice Chancellor and administration of Nishtar Medical Health University have a complete record of abandoned bodies and none of them is a missing person

    On the same day, the hospital’s administration and Edhi Foundation buried the remains of 66 corpses, all found in various stages of decomposition.

    Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) Chief, Sardar Akhtar Mengal, had also expressed concerns that the bodies could be of Balochistan’s missing persons. Mengal had demanded that an investigation must be held.

    The Baloch leader also asked for conducting DNA tests on the corpses, fearing that some of them might be missing persons.

    Responding to this, Gujjar said that he respects Akhtar Mengal but his statement was surprising in that he suspected the abandoned bodies might be those of missing persons.

    Last week, the grisly discovery of putrefied bodies found lying in open on the roof of Multan’s Nishtar Hospital grabbed the country’s attention after videos were widely shared on social media.

    At that time, it was speculated by online media that up to 500 bodies were allegedly found on the rooftop of the hospital. Soon after, an investigation was launched.

    Earlier, Nishtar Medical University’s (NMU) Head of Anatomy Department, Dr Mariam Ashraf said that the facility does not just keep bodies for research purposes but also for safekeeping, if handed over by police or Rescue personnel.

    She claimed that there were only four bodies on the rooftop. “The only reason for keeping bodies on the roof is that their influx is huge and they aren’t being returned back to police stations in the numbers that they should,” she claimed.

  • CNG stations in Punjab, KP to remain shut till March 2023

    CNG stations in Punjab, KP to remain shut till March 2023

    CNG stations in Punjab and KP will stop operating from November 2022 to March 2023 as the gas crisis increases as a result of the lack of required LNG during the winter.

    While the government is obligated to purchase 12 LNG cargoes each month, Pakistan LNG Limited (PLL) has been unable to do so; as a result, the country will only have 10 LNG cargoes available in December and nine LNG cargoes each month in the following months. Due to the decreased LNG import cargoes, gas utilities will be forced to limit the supply of gas to captive power plants by 50 per cent.

    According to Express, in Punjab and KP, there won’t be any LNG available for CNG stations during the winter. Due to insufficient local gas output, Punjab has also been experiencing a gas crisis.

    According to government officials, the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) system’s gas supply to the fertiliser sectors won’t be reduced. Due to the probable political reaction this would cause, the government does not intend to reduce supplies of gas for the household sectors, therefore there will always be a supply available.

    As instructed by the federal government, SNGPL has been providing Re-Gasified Liquefied Natural Gas (RLNG) to a number of subsidised industries, including domestic consumers, export-oriented businesses, and fertiliser producers.

    Government payments to SNGPL for RLNG subsidies are Rs199 billion as of this writing. SNGPL’s capacity to pay RLNG suppliers PSO and PLL has been severely hampered by the reduced pricing. The amounts owed to PSO and PLL are now Rs284 billion and Rs135 billion, respectively.

    The power industry pays in full, but because its receivables have grown to over Rs115 billion, payments to suppliers have been significantly delayed.

  • Former Governor Omar Cheema is new Punjab Home Advisor

    The name of former Governor of Punjab, Omar Sarfraz Cheema, has been approved by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan for the slot of adviser to the Chief Minister (CM) Punjab on home affairs.

    This decision came about after the resignation of Punjab Home Minister Hashim Dogar, who reportedly left his post after differences with Imran Khan.

    Punjab Home Minister resigns as IK reportedly not happy with him

    Punjab Home Minister Hashim Dogar has stepped down from his office, citing personal commitments and health issues.

    On Tuesday, Dogar shared his resignation on Twitter with a caption saying: “Today I have resigned from my post due to my personal reasons. Inshallah, I will continue to work as a regular worker of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).”

    His resignation states: “It was a great pleasure to have served as Minister for Home and Prison Department under your able command. I feel regretted to inform you that I shall not be able to continue due to my personal commitments and some health issues.”

    “I was and will always be available to serve you and my party chairman for times to come”, he added.

    However, Journalist Hamid Mir, on Geo News’ programme “Capital Talk”, claimed that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan called Dogar and asked for his resignation. Reportedly, he was not happy with the provincial minister.

    “Imran was told that Dogar belongs to the unit of a senior officer of the establishment and often meets him”, he said.

    Mir claimed that the PTI chairman had been getting information about Dogar. It is yet to be proved whether the information was correct or not.

    Earlier, Dogar said, “If Imran Khan announces a long march then the Punjab government will not become part of it. We will not facilitate the participants of the long march but security will be provided”.

    He also said that government resources will not be used and called Khan’s long march a “political matter”.

    On the contrary, reacting to Dogar’s statement, Chief Minister (CM) Punjab Pervaiz Elahi said, “That is, as such, no matter”.

  • Rs16 billion money laundering case: PM Shehbaz appears before court, terms case as ‘fake’

    Rs16 billion money laundering case: PM Shehbaz appears before court, terms case as ‘fake’

    A special court in Lahore adjourned the hearing till October 8 in a Rs16 billion money laundering case filed by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) against Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif and his son, Hamza Shehbaz.

    The court also directed the lawyer to submit additional details on the acquittal plea by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders.

    In the hearing which took place on Friday (today), PM’s son Hamza Shehbaz did not appear before the court as he had sought exemption on medical grounds. However, PM Shehbaz appeared before the court but later sought exemption as he had “important” matters to attend to.

    PM’s lawyer Amjad Pervaiz told the court that the first information report (FIR) registered against his clients mentioned they were involved in money laundering worth Rs25 billion from 2008-2018 through fake companies. However, he said, “During this 10-year span, PM Shehbaz was neither the director nor a shareholder of those companies.”

    PM Shehbaz also spoke before the court, stating that the money laundering case against him is “fake”.

    He claimed that when he was Chief Minister (CM) for 20 years he had made decisions that “hurt” his family’s sugar business. “I was requested to provide subsidy to sugar mills, but I refused. I refused as the amount (that would be used for subsidy) belonged to the poor people in Punjab,” he declared to the court.

    Later, he sought an exemption from the court which was granted to him. After Shehbaz left, the court went on a break.

    Once the hearing resumed, the lawyer presented his arguments again. Then, the court adjourned the hearing till October 8 and asked him to continue deliberations at the next hearing.

    In 2021, the FIA submitted a challan against Shehbaz and Hamza to the special court for their alleged involvement in laundering Rs16 billion in a sugar scam.

    The report added that the amount was kept in “hidden accounts” and “given to Shehbaz in a personal capacity”.

    At the time, FIA had said that the amount of Rs16 billion has nothing to do with the sugar business of Shehbaz’s family. The money allegedly received from the accounts of low-wage employees was transferred outside Pakistan, ultimately destined for the beneficial use of his family members.