Tag: Qamar Zaman Kaira

  • Kaira leaves TV show after host calls Maryam, Bilawal ‘immature’

    Kaira leaves TV show after host calls Maryam, Bilawal ‘immature’

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Qamaruz Zaman Kaira walked out of a TV show after a minor argument with the show host Ehtesham Amiruddin and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Fawad Chaudhry over their criticism of PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz.

    During the show, Fawad termed the politics of Maryam and Bilawal “immature” and called them “kids” who were playing politics. “They have no idea of the Pakistani politics,” he said, adding both political parties have no future in the country.

    At this, Kaira, who had joined the show via telephone, clapped back at Fawad, saying he’s calling Maryam a “kid” when she is older than him. At this, Fawad said he meant that Maryam was not an experienced politician.

    Kaira responded that she might have more experience in politics than Fawad Chaudhry. Kaira also criticised the PTI for being a party of trolls. He said they resort to trolling in response to criticism against their party or to damage the stature of the opposition leaders.

    Fawad rebutted Maryam and Bilawal have no political standing and it was unfortunate that people like Kaira have to defend them. “Don’t worry, they are very good politicians,” Kaira responded.

    At this, the TV host tried to clarify, saying that what Fawad wanted to say was that both the PPP chairman and PML-N vice president were “politically immature”.

    Irked by the interjection, Kaira told the host that he didn’t need him to speak for Fawad as he knew very well what the PTI leader meant. “I understood what he meant… more than you,” Kaira told the host.

    The host then went on to say that he too agrees with Fawad that statements by Maryam and Bilawal that criticise the army were a sing of “political immaturity”.

    Kaira responded that the anchorpersons are supposed to moderate the shows, not give their “judgements”. At this, the host said it was not fair that his opinion was being considered as judgement, while Kaira can give his opinion without any problem.

    However, the things continue to go south and Kaira eventually left the show by disconnecting the telephone call.

  • Opp announces APC to get rid of govt, again

    Opp announces APC to get rid of govt, again

    The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) have announced to hold an ‘All Parties Conference’ (APC) after Eidul Azha in order to discuss strategies to “get rid of this government”.

    Addressing a joint press conference, PPP’s Qamar Zaman Kaira and PML-N’s Ahsan Iqbal said that a coordination committee meeting will be held this week to discuss the APC agenda.

    The presser was held after a meeting between PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and a three-member PML-N delegation at Bilawal House, Lahore. The PML-N delegation included Iqbal, Khawaja Saad Rafique and Ayaz Sadiq, while PPP’s Kaira, Chaudhry Manzoor and Hasan Murtaza also attended the meeting.

    Addressing reporters, Kaira said that opposition parties will “complete our homework” before Eidul Azha and discuss strategies to oust the government in the APC.

    “The opposition feels that Pakistan will face several external and internal dangers [if] this government remains in power,” Iqbal said. “[Considering] what is happening in our region, we need internal unity but this government only has a vengeful agenda with which it is disintegrating the country.

    “In this situation, the country’s two biggest opposition parties agree that to get rid of this incompetent government will be representative of this country’s 220 million people.”

    Ahsan also criticised the government for trying to introduce a law that is “twice as bad” as the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in order to put an end to terror financing and comply with Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) guidelines. The law, he said, would allow authorities to arrest a suspect for 90 days without getting a remand and the detention can be extended without allowing the suspect to obtain a bail.

    “FATF members are not telling Pakistan to turn the country into a fascist state through legislation [to stop terror financing],” the PML-N MNA said and added that the move was “defaming FATF, the international community and the United Nations”. He said that while the opposition was in favour of compliance with FATF guidelines, it would not allow the government to curb individual rights and freedom.

    He accused the government of making people’s lives difficult by pushing them into poverty, throttling the media and isolating the country in the international community.

    In response to a question regarding Maryam Nawaz’s participation in the upcoming meetings, Iqbal said that “no one has played as huge a role in public mobilisation than” the former premier’s daughter. He added that she will play her role when it came to public mobilisation.

    Separately, Ahsan Iqbal, in a conversation with The Current, said that the APC would provide opposition parties a chance to present a unified stance on how to bring change in the government, which the entire opposition believes has thoroughly been exposed for its “incompetence and making irreparable damage to country’s economy and governance”.

    “A joint opposition coordination committee comprising of senior leaders from all parties has been formed to work out options for the APC to be meaningful,” he said.