Tag: resignation

  • Harvard’s first female black president resigns for not taking action against pro-Palestine students

    Harvard’s first female black president resigns for not taking action against pro-Palestine students

    The first black woman president of America’s Harvard University, Claudine Gay, has finally resigned in the face of pressure by the university administration over accusations of plagiarism and her refusal to stop pro-Palestine protests on campus.

    Her resignation marks the end of the presidency of the first Black president and second woman in Harvard’s nearly 400-year history.

    Claudine, under intense pressure to resign since the Israeli attacks on Gaza, said in her resignation that it was in the best interest of Harvard University because of her commitment to combating hate speech and upholding academic standards.
    Gay did not say when she plans to formally step down but she described the decision as “difficult beyond words.”

    It is important to note that in December 2023, Harvard University decided to retain Dr. Claudine in her position after the American University Board ruled in favor of the head of the institution on the issue of not taking action against pro-Palestinian students.

    After Harvard’s president was accused of not taking a strong stance on what was being called anti-Semitism but was anti-Zionism, in an appearance before the Congress Committee, Harvard University was under pressure to demand the resignation.

    Many at Twitter are attributing the exit of Dr. Claudine to the outrageous questioning in the Congressional hearing where she was brutally cornered leading to the withdrawal of donors and adding pressure to the administration to ask the president to resign.

    Her resignation has divided the internet largely into three debates. One group sees it as another manifestation of racism in America. The other is celebrating her exit for believing her to be a plagiarist and anti-semitic. The last viewpoint is seeing the whole scenario as a depiction of how America treats voices that are not aligned with the state’s pro-zionist and fake-liberal policy using anti-semitism and plagiarism as an excuse.

    Editor and Analyst Mara Gay called the move blatant racism, “This is really an attack on academic freedom … This is an attack on diversity. This is an attack on multiculturalism, & … I don’t have to say that they’re racist, because you can hear and see the racism in the attacks.”

    Fox News anchor CJ Pearson asserted that “Claudine Gay wasn’t fired for being black. She was fired for being an anti-Semitism-enabling plagiarist. I’m so tired of the black community using the color of our skin to shield people from accountability.”

    Mo Torres called out the duplicity in the resignation of Dr Caludine by saying, Gay should not have been forced to resign but it’s unfortunate to see that she still misses an obvious point: students on her campus never called for genocide against Jewish people. “Liberals seem strangely addicted to assuming good faith from their detractors on the right.”

    Professor of sociology Heba Gowayed, commented, “Do not cower just to be beaten away”. She added, “And with that Claudine Gay ends her tenure disliked on both the right and the left. Whew.”

    Pro-zionist voice Ben Shapiro outrightly called her a grifter, “Claudine Gay’s defenders are calling her a martyr for one reason and one reason only: if they admit she’s an unqualified grifter who became powerful thanks to DEI, their own grift is endangered.”

    Journalist Mehdi Hassan shared the Guardian’s article about how the hedge-fun manager, Zionist and billionaire Bill Ackman is behind the forced exit of Professor Gay.

  • Court suspends National Assembly Speaker’s order to accept PTI MNAs’ resignations

    Court suspends National Assembly Speaker’s order to accept PTI MNAs’ resignations

    The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday suspended National Assembly (NA) Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf’s order accepting the resignations of 43 Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmakers last month, putting by-elections in these constituencies on hold.

    During the hearing today, PTI lawyer Ali Zafar contended that PTI MNAs had withdrawn their resignation before the NA speaker had accepted them.

    The former ruling party had filed a petition stating that PTI lawmakers had requested the speaker not to de-notify them, as they had withdrawn resignations but the speaker still went ahead and accepted their resignations “without following due process”.

    Pervez Ashraf ‘approves’ resignations of 43 more PTI MNAs

    Earlier, Ashraf approved the resignations of 43 lawmakers in the lower house.

    Reacting to the development, senior PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry said the main reason to return to the assembly in small numbers was to remove Raja Riaz as the opposition leader because the legislature had “no importance”.

    “Right now, Shehbaz Sharif has lost the support of 172 members and is relying on lotas (turncoats) to save his government,” tweeted Fawad.

    He also pointed out that 40 per cent of seats in the NA were now empty. “The only solution to this crisis is elections.”

    NA speaker accepts resignations of 35 more PTI lawmakers

    Ashraf on Friday, January 20, accepted the resignations of 35 more PTI Members of Provincial Assembly (MNAs), days after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) de-notified 34 PTI MNAs after their resignations were accepted by Ashraf.

    PTI lawmakers had resigned en masse from the lower house of parliament following the ouster of PTI chief Imran Khan in April last year through a Vote of No Confidence.

    A total of 69 resignations were accepted this week after the PTI announced to return to the assembly and threatened to move a no-trust motion against the incumbent Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif.

    According to reports, President Arif Alvi had been all set to ask PM Shehbaz Sharif to take a vote of confidence from the lower house of the parliament.

    Raja Pervez Ashraf had previously accepted the resignations of only 11 MNAs in July last year.

    After ECP de-notified 35 PTI MNAs, the party’s senior leader Fawad Chaudhry announced that party Chairman Imran Khan himself will contest on all 33 National Assembly constituencies.

    This is not the first time that such an announcement has been made.

    Last year, in October, Khan announced that he would contest on seven seats of the national assembly. At the time, he lost from only one seat and won the remaining six.

  • Shahid Khaqan resigns, says my leader is ONLY Nawaz and Shehbaz

    Shahid Khaqan resigns, says my leader is ONLY Nawaz and Shehbaz

    Former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has resigned from his Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) post, spokesperson for Nawaz Sharif Mohammad Zubair confirmed the development.

    “He [Shahid Khan Abbasi] is a big leader, and quitting the post will not affect him,” Zubair told the media. He also added that Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb had also confirmed the resignation.

    Zubair said that he doesn’t want to “wash dirty laundry” in public, adding that Miftah Ismail is still with PML-N.

    “He is a very senior leader and a former prime minister. The party needs his experience.”

    It was reported in The News on Wednesday that Abbasi decided to step down after Maryam Nawaz was elevated as the party’s chief organiser and senior vice president by Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif, who is also the President of PML-N.

    According to media reports, Abbasi said that he had made it clear to Nawaz Sharif three years back that it would not be possible for him to continue with Maryam Nawaz if she was elevated to party’s top office.

    To a query, he said he had not talked to Maryam Nawaz ever since her return from London. “I am happy that her surgery has been successful,” he said.

    On January 30, Abbasi had said that he believed Maryam Nawaz will be able to organise the party. Speaking on Dawn News, Abbasi was asked if he accepted Maryam Nawaz as his leader. The former premier responded by saying that his leader is Nawaz Sharif, and after him, Shehbaz Sharif is the president of PML-N. “Apart from this, I don’t say a yes or no to anyone else.”

    However, Abbasi’s spokesperson said that the news of Shahid Khaqan Abbasi’s resignation is “baseless”. “He did not leave the party in difficult circumstances; why will he leave today?” the spokesperson asked.

    As per reports, former PM Abbasi was unhappy with the decision being taken without consulting other party members, adding Abbasi tendered his resignation a day after Maryam Nawaz’s appointment.

    Earlier this month, Maryam was promoted as the PML-N’s senior vice-president and was also asked to reorganize the party which has faced a series of electoral defeats in 2022.

    It was also reported that Abbasi said, “Maryam Nawaz is appointed senior vice president and in this situation, there’s no reason for me to work as party’s SVP.”

    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    PTI decides to take back resignations of remaining MNAs: Asad Umar
    
			
    PTI decides to take back resignations of remaining MNAs: Asad Umar
    
			
    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Secretary-General Asad Umar has said on Monday that 44 party lawmakers have decided to withdraw their resignations from the National Assembly (NA).
    

    Taking to Twitter, Umar announced that the remaining 44 MNAs of the party, whose resignations are yet to be accepted, have decided to take back their decision to leave the national assembly.
    

    “An email has been sent to the speaker,” said the PTI leader in his tweet. He also shared the names of the MNAs who have withdrawn their resignations.
    

    

    


    

    

    

    Meanwhile, PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry said 45 lawmakers had decided to withdraw their resignations so that the party could take back the post of the leader of the Opposition and parliamentary party leader.
    

    

    


    

    

    

    He added that the aim of the move was to get rid of the “fake” NA opposition leader and prevent “turncoats” from voting for Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in a vote of confidence.
    

    Following the announcement, the PTI lawmakers staged a sit-in outside the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) headquarters after being barred from entering the speaker’s house.
    

    However, authorities restricted the MNAs from entering the building by placing barbed wires on the road leading to the ECP.
    

    The development comes about after the National Assembly Speaker Pervez Ashraf, in a surprise move accepted the resignations of 69 MNAs during the previous week.
    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    Elon Musk will step down as Twitter CEO once he finds a ‘foolish enough’ replacement
    
			
    Elon Musk will step down as Twitter CEO once he finds a ‘foolish enough’ replacement
    
			
    The billionaire Elon Musk announced on Tuesday that he will step down as Twitter’s CEO once he finds a replacement, although he will continue to oversee some crucial departments of the social media network.
    

    “I will resign as CEO as soon as I find someone foolish enough to take the job! After that, I will just run the software & servers teams,” Musk wrote on Twitter.
    

    

    


    

    

    

    Some investors have questioned if Musk is too preoccupied to properly operate his electric vehicle automaker Tesla, in which he is actively involved in production and engineering. Musk’s $44 billion buyout of Twitter in October has been defined by upheaval and controversy.
    

    After Twitter users chose for him to stand down in a poll that the billionaire started on Sunday night, Musk has now publicly acknowledged leaving his position as the social media platform’s CEO for the first time.
    

    17.5 million individuals participated in the poll, and 57.5 per cent of them chose “yes.” Musk declared on Sunday that he will follow the outcomes. He has not specified a date for his resignation, and no replacement has been named.
    

    The survey findings brought to a close a hectic week that saw modifications to Twitter’s privacy policy and the suspension and reactivation of journalist accounts, all of which garnered criticism from news outlets, advocacy groups, and government officials across Europe.
    

    Musk stated in a Twitter Spaces session that Twitter’s cash flow will achieve break-even in 2023, according to a tweet from Bloomberg on Wednesday.
    

    Bloomberg claimed that Musk explained the forecast as a result of recent cost-cutting initiatives he has implemented on the social media site.
    

    Wall Street has been calling on Musk to leave for weeks, and more recently even Tesla supporters have questioned his focus on social media and whether it would be a distraction from operating the EV manufacturer.
    

    Musk has acknowledged that he has too much on his plate and that he will search for a new CEO of Twitter. But he claimed on Sunday that there was no one in place to take his place and that “no one wants the job who can actually keep Twitter alive.”
    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    ‘I’m not joining any political party’: Mustafa Khokhar denies rumours of joining PTI
    
			
    ‘I’m not joining any political party’: Mustafa Khokhar denies rumours of joining PTI
    
			
    Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, senator from the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), has formally submitted his resignation from the upper house.
    

    “Allhamdulillah, I have formally submitted my resignation today. I’m thankful for the positive response & support across party lines which was far beyond my imagination,” he said while announcing the resignation.
    

    “For those who are speculating about my political future, let me state clearly that I’m not joining any political party. I will try hard to maintain my independence,” the tweet added.
    

    “Allhamdulillah, I have formally submitted my resignation today. I’m thankful for the positive response & support across party lines which was far beyond my imagination,” he said while announcing the resignation.
    

    “For those who are speculating about my political future, let me state clearly that I’m not joining any political party. I will try hard to maintain my independence,” the tweet added.
    

    

    

    


    

    

    

    

    

    

    Social media users are praising the former senator.
    

    

    


    

    

    

    

    
https://twitter.com/UxamaAftab/status/1590618643947474944

    

    

    Khokhar had said that he had “gladly” agreed to resign from the upper house after a senior party leader had conveyed the leadership’s unhappiness with his “political positions”.
    

    In a series of bombshell tweets, Khokhar wrote, “Met a senior leader from the party today. He conveyed that the party leadership wasn’t happy with my political positions and wanted my resignation from the Senate. I gladly agreed to resign.”
    

    

    


    

    

    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    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”.
    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    Miftah Ismail responds to a follower, reveals which restaurant he will visit when back in Karachi
    
			
    Miftah Ismail responds to a follower, reveals which restaurant he will visit when back in Karachi
    
			
    After resigning from the post of Finance Minister, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader, Miftah Ismail, can’t wait to get back to dine at his favourite restaurants in Karachi.
    

    Miftah took to Twitter on Sunday and announced his resignation.
    

    

    


    

    

    

    Where many commended and congratulated Miftah for his dedicated work as finance minister, a follower questioned him about which restaurant he would like to visit once back in Karachi.
    

    Miftah replied, “I am going to visit Zahid, Idris & Javed Nihari houses, Al-Kebab, Ghaffar and Meerut Kebab, & Gola at Dhoraji. Many choices fortunately.”
    

    Karachi is Miftah Ismail’s hometown.
    

    

    


    

    

    

    It is pertinent to mention here that the PML-N leader and Senator, Ishaq Dar, is coming back home to Pakistan after almost five years. It is being reported that Dar will take over the finance ministry from Tuesday (September 27).
    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    ‘PTI MNAs can return to Assembly if PM announces elections’: Asad Qaiser
    
			
    ‘PTI MNAs can return to Assembly if PM announces elections’: Asad Qaiser
    
			
    Former Speaker of the National Assembly, Asad Qaiser, has said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) can return to the House if Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif announces date for general elections.
    

    Speaking to Dawn News’ Adil Shahzeb on Thursday, the PTI leader said, “I am telling you about the party policy. But first, they need to decide on a date for elections and dissolving the assemblies.”
    

    “But the date of elections must not be too far away”, he added.
    

    

    

    

    

    		
    

    
	

    

    

    

    

    

    

    It is pertinent to mention that PTI leaders had tendered their resignations together after former PM Imran Khan’s government was ousted through a no-confidence motion in April of this year. Since then, most of the resignations remain with the current Speaker, Raja Pervez Ashraf.
    

    Discussing another possibility, Asad Qaiser said the party can consider rejoining the NA if there is a need for legislating or passing amendments regarding election reforms, stressing that his party chairman Imran Khan is also of the same view.
    

    About the dissolution of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) assemblies, where PTI is in power, Qaiser revealed that the option is “still alive” and that discussions are taking place regarding this matter.
    

    Talking about PTI long march, he said whatever steps are taken would be within constitutional limits.
    

    Asad’s remarks came after Supreme Court (SC) suggested on Thursday that PTI should go back to the lower house as voters had elected them for five years.
    

    ‘Return to the National Assembly’: CJP Bandial says PTI should play its role in parliament
    

    Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial reminded PTI that public had elected their representatives for a term of five years.
    

    “People have elected [PTI lawmakers] for five years. The party should play its role in parliament. Playing a due role in parliament is the actual obligation,” said CJP Bandial.
    

    Initially, PTI had moved the IHC and challenged the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) acceptance of the resignations of 11 MNAs and not accepting a “piece-meal” resignation of all 123 lawmakers.
    

    But the IHC dismissed the plea on September 6.
    

    During today’s hearing, the top court said that the IHC has given a clear ruling on the phase-wise acceptance of MNAs’ resignations.
    

    “The speaker has the legal right to accept the resignations of MNAs. Prima facie, if the speaker’s rights are infringed upon, it will attract Article 69,” the court said.
    

    “Convince the court that the high court’s decision had some drawbacks,” it said, telling PTI’s counsel Faisal Chaudhry that the people elected his clients for a term of five years and the party should play its role in parliament.
    

    “Your [PTI] real responsibility is to play your role in parliament. Millions of people have been affected by floods,” the CJP told the counsel, drawing light on the country’s grim situation.
    

    “You will also have to look at the country’s economic situation. Does the PTI have any idea how much it will cost to hold by-elections on 123 seats?” he asked.
    

    The CJP said one should conduct themselves in a dignified manner and exercise “tolerance in matters of the state”.
    

    “We are giving you another chance to think. Take instructions from the party,” he told the PTI’s counsel.
    

    The CJP asked, “Why do you want the court to issue a stay order on by-polls on the 11 National Assembly seats?”
    

    The PTI’s counsel replied that elections cannot be held in selected constituencies.
    

    “Have you ever asked the speaker why is he not confirming the resignations?” inquired the CJP.
    

    The chief justice observed that they cannot interfere in the jurisdiction of the speaker.
    

    “Every institution has its own limitation,” the CJP remarked.
    

    Turnout in by-elections is low, CJP Bandial said, adding that expenses for by-elections in 123 constituencies at a time will be very high.
    

    According to the Constitution, the first duty of elected members is to join the assembly, observed the CJP.
    

    “It is possible that you will gain political advantage from the elections, but prima facie, the procedure adopted by the speaker is not wrong,” remarked the CJP.
    

    Meanwhile, the court adjourned the case for an indefinite period.
    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    Boris Johnson resigns as British Prime Minister
    
			
    Boris Johnson resigns as British Prime Minister
    
			
    Following the resignation of dozens of cabinet members, Boris Johnson will step down as the leader of the Conservative Party on Thursday, according to BBC. This will make room for a new prime minister of the United Kingdom.
    

    At 1 pm, he is scheduled to address the country and lay out his agenda for the coming few weeks.
    

    Although it is not yet known when the selection process to succeed him would start, Attorney General Suella Braverman has already entered the race. It took six weeks to hold the last Tory leadership contest.
    

    Since the initial Cabinet walkouts on Tuesday, the PM has come under great pressure to resign. On Wednesday, he declared his intention to “keep going” in the position, but it now seems that the pressure may have been too much.
    

    According to a government source, he thought about it overnight and decided to quit when he awoke “with a clarity of thinking.” Today, he will call with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to ensure that the UK will continue to help Ukraine.
    

    As a courtesy, he also informed the Queen of his plans this morning.
    

    Just 24 hours after accepting the position left empty by Rishi Sunak’s departure, the new chancellor, Nadhim Zahawi, made the extraordinary decision to urge his employer to leave, making it very evident that the end was near.
    

    Less than a day after accepting Mr Zahawi’s position as education secretary, Michelle Donelan, who may have held the record for the shortest tenure in UK history, announced her resignation.
    

    Sajid Javid’s departure as health secretary on Tuesday evening set off a wave of resignations in the cabinet, which was swiftly followed by Mr Sunak’s resignation as chancellor and Sajid Javid’s resignation as health minister.
    

    Although there have been 56 resignations overall, it seems like that number is continually rising.
    

    Nearly all of those who resigned cited Mr Johnson’s integrity as a reason for their actions, citing scandals like Partygate and the more recent Chris Pincher affair; some, however, also highlighted problems with the government’s LGBT+ policy.
    

    The way Mr Johnson handled the charges of sexual misbehaviour against Mr Pincher, who quit after allegedly “groping” two men last week, seems to have been the tipping point for many.
    

    After Mr Javid and Mr Sunak left, Mr Johnson apologised for appointing Mr Pincher as deputy chief whip while being aware of the allegations made against him on Tuesday.
    

    On Wednesday during PMQs, he apologised once more, but by that point, the crowd seemed to have fully turned against him.
    

    The prime minister responded to a Tory MP’s question about whether there was ever a situation in which he would resign by saying: “The role of a prime minister in tough circumstances when he has been awarded a massive mandate is to keep going and that’s what I’m going to do.”
    

    UPDATE: Boris Johnson’s nearly three-year term as prime minister of the United Kingdom ended abruptly on Thursday due to scandal and controversies.
    

    Addressing outside Downing Street, Johnson argued that the selection process for the new Conservative Party leader should start right away, with a timeline to be revealed the following week. He declared that he would continue in that position until a new Tory leader was chosen.
    

    Despite a glaring lack of support from his own party and mounting pressure from across the political spectrum to resign immediately, he has decided to stay in office.
    

    Johnson acknowledged that “no one is remotely indispensable” in politics but expressed sadness at leaving “the best job in the world.”
    

    At Westminster, the herd instinct is strong, and when the herd moves, it moves, Johnson observed in reference to members of his own ruling party who turned against him.
    

    He tried to end his approximately six-minute speech on a positive note. “Our future together is golden, even though things often seem gloomy now.”
    

    There are a tonne of tweets mocking PM Boris Johnson’s resignation on social media.