Tag: Raza Rabbani

  • Bilawal Bhutto not in favour of privatising PIA

    Bilawal Bhutto not in favour of privatising PIA

    Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has expressed his opposition to the Shehbaz Sharif-led government’s privatisation policy for Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM).

    The PPP chairman said at a Labour Day event in Karachi that his party will try to convince Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb to revive PIA through a public-private partnership instead of privatising it.

    On the other hand, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) urged the Pakistani government to privatise state-owned enterprises to revive the country’s economy.

    However, the finance minister has laid emphasis many times on the importance of privatising state-owned enterprises, including PIA and PSM, for the betterment of the economy.

    Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also said that it will be an “unconstitutional step” if the federal government privatises PIA.

    Former senator Raza Rabbani further clarified that the government’s agenda of privatisation was “unacceptable” to the PPP.

  • Resolution supporting military trials against civilians is unconstitutional, says Raza Rabbani

    Resolution supporting military trials against civilians is unconstitutional, says Raza Rabbani

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) senior leader Raza Rabbani said on Monday that a resolution in favour of military trials against civilians is unconstitutional, promising that he will continue opposing it.

    Last week, the Senate passed a resolution against the Supreme Court’s (SC) decision on civilian trials in military courts, calling for halting implementation of the judgment “unless it is considered by a larger bench”. 

    Jamaat-e-Islami’s Mushtaq Ahmed and PPP’s Rabbani opposed the resolution against the apex court’s decision.

    Speaking in the Senate on Monday, Raza Rabbani said that he voted for setting up military courts in the country in 2015 as he was bound by his party’s discipline.

    He also said that he voted in support of the resolution at the time on behalf of PPP. “I was ashamed for voting for the bill,” he said, adding that he, even today, was ashamed.

    After voting in favour of setting up military courts in January 2015, the senator was in tears.

    Rabbani said that he “never felt as ashamed” as he was on that day.

  • Here are all the perks that past, present and future chairman Senate might be getting soon

    Here are all the perks that past, present and future chairman Senate might be getting soon

    On last Friday, the Senate unanimously passed a private member bill that gives many privileges to present and retired Chairmen of the Upper House, The News has reported.

    According to sources, the National Assembly has also approved the bill and it will now be sent to the President for his approval.

    When the bill will be enforced, current chairman and ex-chairman Senate will be possibly getting the following perks and privileges:

    -Every chairman of the Senate after completing his tenure (post-retirement) will 12 employees for life, along with six permanent guards and VVIP security wherever he goes.
    -He can request an airplane for himself and his family for domestic and international travel.

    -He will get additional benefits, not mentioned in the bill, or whatever he desires from the finance committee, which he handpicks.

    -Every person who has held the office of Chairman for a full term of three years, shall be entitled for life to full security detail, that is to say, six sentries at the declared residence, four personnel of police, anti-terrorism force, rangers, frontier corps or frontier constabulary in one squad vehicle, for which the federal government in Islamabad, or a provincial government in the respective province, shall make the required arrangements.

    -The Finance Committee of the Senate may grant the chairman and the person who has held such office for a full term of three years, such additional privileges as it may deem fit

    -The chairman of the Senate will be entitled to the protocol of deputy head of state or vice president. For his foreign travel, he shall also be entitled to requisition at the cost of government an airplane belonging to the federal, provincial government, armed forces, any flying club or any chartered air service provider.

    -The chairman shall be allowed to take with him one member of his family when travelling by a commercial airplane or four members of his family when travelling by a requisitioned airplane.

    -Free telephone facility at residence, official residence, free furnishing at the cost of public money, free official vehicles for self and family, free petrol, sumptuary allowance, allowance on taking up and laying down the office, equipment allowance, TA/DA are in addition to the salary of the chairman.

  • Pakistan’s nuclear and missile programmes will not be compromised for IMF deal, says Finance Minister

    Pakistan’s nuclear and missile programmes will not be compromised for IMF deal, says Finance Minister

    During a session of the Senate on Thursday, Pakistan’s Finance Minister Ishaq Dar stated unequivocally that there would be no compromise on the country’s nuclear and missile programs. The assurance came in response to questions posed by PPP Senator Raza Rabbani, who had raised concerns about the delay in Pakistan’s agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Rabbani had suggested that the delay might be due to pressure being exerted on Pakistan’s nuclear program.

    In response to Rabbani’s questions, Dar stated that the delay was not due to any action by the current government, but rather to the fact that the IMF had requested that certain friendly countries fulfill commitments they had made to support Pakistan. According to Geo, Dar promised that once the staff-level agreement and the Extended Fund Facility program were finalized, the details would be posted on the finance ministry’s website.

    Dar also expressed his belief that Pakistan’s nuclear program was a matter of national security and emphasized that no one had the right to tell Pakistan what range of missiles or nuclear weapons it could have. He argued that the country’s nuclear and missile programs were essential for deterrence and for guarding Pakistan’s national interests.

    The delay in the IMF agreement has been a cause for concern, as it is seen as critical to taming a balance-of-payments crisis. The agreement, which was approved by the IMF in 2019 and is worth $6.5 billion, includes $1.1 billion that would be released once the agreement is signed. Dar had previously blamed the delay on the previous government, which he said had failed to meet commitments and created a trust deficit. Despite the delay, Dar stated that Pakistan was “very close” to signing the agreement.

  • ‘Fawad Chaudhry’s face shouldn’t have been covered’: PML-N’s Malik Ahmad Khan

    ‘Fawad Chaudhry’s face shouldn’t have been covered’: PML-N’s Malik Ahmad Khan

    Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) Malik Ahmad Khan has said Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Fawad Chaudhry should not have been presented in court with a white cloth covering his face.

    “If any kind of brutality happens with Fawad, I will condemn it. If due process is not followed, or in case of mistreatment, I will be the first one to [protest]. His face shouldn’t have been covered yesterday. They should have presented him in court openly,” said the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader while addressing a press conference on Thursday.

    However, Malik believed that Fawad should not have threatened the Election Commission and their families. He said that his relationship with Chaudhry spans 30 years. “The one who threatened the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) isn’t the Fawad I know,” said Malik Khan.

    Former Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar tweeted that such actions by the ECP will damage the remaining reputation of the institution.

    Former Finance Minister Miftah Ismail also spoke up, tweeting, “Fawad should not have been arrested and handcuffed.”

    Stating that Chaudary was wrong to threaten ECP officials and families, Miftah said he should have instead been served a notice. “IK was wrong to jail us for months without charge only—-because we opposed him.”

    Former Chairman Senate, Mian Raza Rabbani, said that the Chaudhary’s arrest under section 124A, PPC, 1860, for sedition is unwarranted.

    The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), deploring the continuous use of archaic, colonial laws against sedition by successive governments against their political opponents, said that Fawad Chaudhry was the latest in the series.

    “The charges must be dropped immediately, and the government of the day must act more responsibly,” the human rights watchdog has stated.

    Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) also strongly condemned Fawad Chaudhry’s arrest and demanded his immediate release.

    SCBA termed his arrest a classic example of abuse of power and political victimisation.

  • VIDEO: ‘Gilani is a bika hua siyasatdaan,’ Shah Mahmood Qureshi warns Senate

    VIDEO: ‘Gilani is a bika hua siyasatdaan,’ Shah Mahmood Qureshi warns Senate

    Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi while addressing the Senate lashed out at Leader of the Opposition Yusuf Raza Gilani.

    “I said it yesterday and I am saying it today, he [Gilani] said that I don’t want to be Leader of the Opposition, he was lying. He will stay, he will take back his resignation. He will stick to this chair. This was all a drama,” said Qureshi.

    Qureshi said, “I am warning you, honourable members of the Senate, listen and pay attention to what I am saying. Members of the Senate, the Leader of the Opposition is a compromised leader. Don’t rely on him.”

    “Don’t you see a seasoned and respected parliamentarian like Raza Rabbani? Don’t you see a respected politician like Sherry Rehman sitting in your rows? He [Gilani] is compromised and a sellout,” said Qureshi.

    On Monday, Gilani announced that he had submitted his resignation as Leader of the Opposition to his party. “In the end, I will say that I have already submitted my resignation to my party that I don’t want to be the Leader of the Opposition.”

  • Politicians, civil society unite with journalists, support protest against media authority bill

    Politicians, civil society unite with journalists, support protest against media authority bill

    As journalists continue with sit-in outside of the Parliament House, against the government’s proposed Pakistan Media Development Authority (PMDA), prominent leaders from political parties, student unions, and members of the civil society also joined in to show solidarity.

    The protest began on Sunday and is said to continue until President Dr Arif Alvi’s address to the joint session of parliament on Monday.

    Former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Information Sec­retary Marriyum Aurangzeb, and MNA Mohsin Dawar, among others, visited the protest site on Sunday night to extend their support.

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president, Shehbaz Sharif speaking on the media authority bill termed it as “black law” and expressed solidarity with journalists. He said the media had fought a war for its freedom and no one could snatch it. 

    https://twitter.com/pmln_org/status/1437373043542736902

    “The government doesn’t have the guts to pass it and we won’t allow it,” added Shehbaz warning the government against passing the “black law” or bear the consequences.

    He tweeted in solidarity with the protestors and said, “PTI government is demolishing every institution that represents democracy. We support journalists in their struggle against PMDA.”

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari Monday slammed the Pakistan Media Regulatory Authority (PMDA), saying that the proposed bill is an “attack on the freedom of media and judiciary.”

    The PPP chairman vowed his party will not let the government get away with snatching livelihoods from the masses. He showed solidarity with journalists who have been attacked, saying that the PPP “will not be satisfied till they [journalists] are not satisfied.”

    “Even if they manage to have this black law passed, journalists will [struggle to] have it abolished,” he added.

    Bilawal warned the government that if it tried to have the PMDA law passed via force, the PPP will challenge it in the courts. The PPP chairman said he feared the government will try to pass the bill during a joint sitting of the Parliament.

    Bilawal said his party will attend the joint sitting of the Parliament with a two-point agenda; to advocate for the rights of 20,000 government employees who were sacked and to campaign for freedom of speech.

    PPP leaders, Senator Sherry Rehman and Raza Rabbani, visited the protest camp and addressed the protesters.

    “We have repealed all the ordinance regarding media censorship, whether it was Ayub Khan or Zia-Ul-Haq. This is why the government won’t bring this on the Parliament floor because we will repeal the PMDA bill and they are scared”

    Marriyum Aurangzeb, along with PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal, also visited the protest site on Monday.

    Addressing the protesters, Iqbal criticised the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government for “attacking and attempting to muzzle” the media.

    Referring to the PMDA bill, he called it a “conspiracy” and said if the bill was passed, “democracy will die in this country”.

  • Top PPP leaders also unhappy over reason behind differences with Opp alliance

    Top PPP leaders also unhappy over reason behind differences with Opp alliance

    Former Senate chairman and senior leader of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Senator Mian Raza Rabbani has said that the party should not have taken the support of Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) and Dilawar Khan group in the Senate for the post of opposition leader in the upper house of Parliament.

    The move, that has also been spoken against by PPP’s Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, is the latest bone of contention among members of the joint opposition, the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM).

    “Though the slot of the opposition leader in the Senate was right of the PPP being a largest single party at the opposition benches, it should not take n the support of the BAP Senators Dilawar group for the slot of opposition leader in the Senate,” he said while answering a query of The News on Wednesday.

    Rabbani said the support of BAP in the Senate was not good for the ideological foundations of the PPP, adding that rules of the Senate were clear that the slot goes to the single largest party at the opposition benches.

    He advised the opposition to keep its unity intact for broader object of supremacy of the constitution and parliament and objectives of supremacy of the constitution could not be achieved without unity in the ranks of the opposition.

    “It’s time to stand united to achieve the objectives,” he said.

    Earlier, Khokhar also said that the party should not have sought the support of BAP and led to this infighting that is only benefitting the government.

  • Arabic teaching compulsory in Islamabad schools after Senate okays bill

    Arabic teaching compulsory in Islamabad schools after Senate okays bill

    All primary and secondary schools in Islamabad are required to introduce the Arabic language as a compulsory subject after the Senate approved the Compulsory Teaching of the Arabic Language Bill 2020 on Monday.

    The bill presented by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senator Javed Abbasi was endorsed by all members of the upper house, except Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Senator Raza Rabbani who wrote a dissenting note. The bill will be implemented within six months.

    As per the bill, Arabic will be taught in schools in Islamabad from grades 1-5, while Arabic grammar will be taught in grades 6-12.

    Senator Abbasi said Arabia is “the fifth most spoken language in the world”, adding that it would also open up more job opportunities for Pakistanis in the Middle East. According to the senator, the Holy Quran is in Arabic and “we would not go through the problems we are currently facing had we understood the Holy Quran”.

    Parliamentary Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Ali Muhammad Khan also agreed with Abbasi. He said the bill was in line with Article 31 of the Constitution that says: “Measures should be taken to spend our lives according to the Holy Quran and Sunnah.”

    According to Khan, learning Arabic was crucial to “become a good Muslim […] and understand God’s message”.

    However, PPP’s Rabbani said that legislation to make Arabic a mandatory language in schools was an attempt to “use Islamic for political purposes”. He further termed this an attempt to erase the diversity of Pakistan by imposing the foreign Arabic culture.

    “The Arab culture is not mine, [the] Indus Valley [Civilisation] is my culture,” he said, adding the Arabic language has nothing to do with Islam or Quran beyond being the language it was revealed in.

    In a response to The Current’s story on Instagram, PPP Senator Sherry Rehman said that contrary to the media reports, the PPP opposed the said bill.