Tag: Shahbaz Gill

  • ‘PTI tickets are a sign of disgrace’ says Maryam Nawaz, PTI’s Gill fires back

    Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz (PML-N) leader Maryam Nawaz has said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has suffered a dreadful defeat in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Local Government (LG) elections.

    Maryam, while talking to the media outside of Islamabad High Court (IHC) stated that “In the future, nobody wants to get the PTI party ticket. Their tickets are a sign of disgrace. If anybody gets it, I would suggest that they wear a helmet.”

    “When a government performs so badly not only the public but your own party’s Member of National Assembly (MNA) and Member of Provincial Assembly (MPA) criticise you”, she added.

    “This is the first government in history that has one after the other faced defeat in the by-elections,” PML-N leader said.

    Moreover, she said that Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan should resign and accept the wrong-doings he did to the public.

    When asked about PML-N’s performance in KP LG elections she congratulated Maulana Fazlur Rehman and stated that PML-N considers Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) win as their win while claiming that her party has a big vote bank in the province, they just need to focus on it.

    While answering about the PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif’s nomination for the seat of PM she said that the decision is yet to be finalised by Nawaz Sharif.

    About her hearing, Maryam revealed that National Accountability Bureau (NAB) asked for an adjournment as they had no answers and evidence against her. The hearing is adjourned till January 18.

    In response to PML-N vice president’s statement, Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Political Communication Shahbaz Gill said that Maryam is talking just like Indian PM Narendra Modi.

    Talking about the loss in KP local elections, he claimed that “Once official results will be out you will see that PTI is still the biggest party in the province,” while admitting that it was PTI vs PTI.

    Gill said,” Unlike you [PML-N] we learn from past mistakes. We don’t abuse the establishment and the institutions like you,” while saying that party gives tickets to people whom their workers like.

    Gill also took a jibe at Junaid Safdar’s wedding and claimed that it was a campaign by PML-N as they hijacked all the media because of it.

  • Shahbaz Gill says Captain Safdar looks like a waiter at son’s wedding

    Shahbaz Gill says Captain Safdar looks like a waiter at son’s wedding

    Special Assistant to Prime Minister Imran Khan on Political Communication, Shahbaz Gill criticised the outfit Captain (R) Safdar was wearing at his son, Junaid Safdar’s wedding.

    The wedding ceremony of PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz’s son took place on December 14 in Islamabad. Pictures and videos of the events went viral on social media. Netizens praised the singing skills of Junaid Safdar and Maryam Nawaz and political figures from the ruling government shared their thoughts on the wedding festivities. Among them, Shahbaz Gill did not waste time to comment on the outfits worn by the Sharif’s family.

    During a press conference in Lahore, Shahbaz Gill said, “Our nephew Junaid Safdar looked good and our sister Maryam Nawaz’s outfit didn’t fail to impress either”.

    However, Gill made fun of the outfit Captain Safdar was wearing at his son’s wedding.

    He said, “He looked like a waiter. He should have worn something nice.”

    Gill also raised his eyebrows on the singing of Indian songs at the events.

    “Everyone sang Indian songs at Junaid’s wedding event; They could’ve sung Pakistani songs as well,” Gill objected.

    While further discussing the wedding celebrations, Gill said that he is not against singing but they should have sung Pakistani songs. He added that he does not care even if they sing Pakistani songs on a “beat of Tabla” or to the “tune of a harmonium.”

    The reception of Junaid Safdar is set to be scheduled for December 17 in Lahore.

  • ‘PM Khan needed 30 lakhs and then 50 lakhs from PTI to run his home’, claims former PTI member, Fawad refutes

    ‘PM Khan needed 30 lakhs and then 50 lakhs from PTI to run his home’, claims former PTI member, Fawad refutes

    A former Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) member, Justice (retd) Wajihuddin Ahmed, recently claimed that Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s monthly household expenses were once catered by PTI’s disgruntled leader Jahangir Tareen. He made the claim while speaking on Bol news’ programme ‘Tabdeeli’.

    Wajihuddin revealed that Tareen initially gave funds worth Rs3 million per month for Imran Khan’s household expenses, which was later increased to Rs5 million per month.

    Speaking further about the honesty of the premier, Wajihuddin said that the notion about Imran Khan being an honest man is “completely wrong”.

    “This belief is entirely false that Imran Khan is a [financially] honest man,” Ahmed said. “His condition is such that he hasn’t been running his household himself for years.”

    He further said certain people within the party would try to outdo each other in footing the bills for things like keeping Imran’s car fuel tank and “keeping his pocket full at all times”.

    Recalling the statement of another party member without revealing the name, Wajihuddin said, “The man who doesn’t even pay for his shoelaces, how can you call that man honest?”

    Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry on Tuesday, responding to the claims of retired Justice, called him a “buffoon”.

    “Such buffoons roam around trying to seek importance in media by making such allegations. These people are not even given respect in their own homes, therefore please do not give importance to them,” the minister told media persons.

    Special Assistant to PM for Political Communication Dr Shahbaz Gill rubbished Ahmed’s claim as “completely false and illogical”.

    “Whoever knows Imran Khan, knows his honesty and dignity. Wajih sahib often makes illogical remarks such as these in despair over being expelled from the party,” he tweeted.

  • PTI’s Shahbaz Gill’s entry in press clubs to be banned for maligning journalist Asma Shirazi

    PTI’s Shahbaz Gill’s entry in press clubs to be banned for maligning journalist Asma Shirazi

    Special Assistant to the Prime Minister for Political Communication Dr Shahbaz Gill in a press conference on Thursday allegedly accused senior journalist Asma Shirazi of maligning First Lady Bushra Bibi in an article about the existing political situation and the government’s handling of it.

    Gill held a presser in connection with the article written by Shirazi for BBC Urdu, which criticised the government without naming any individual, including Prime Minister Imran Khan’s wife.

    Critising Shirazi for her article, Gill said, “While criticising, people forget that First Lady Bushra Bibi is a daughter of Pakistan first, then she is a mother and then a wife. If you have any proof Asma Shirzai Sahiba of all the things you have accused her of, then you have every right to report news if you have the proof of it, but don’t make news out of assumptions.”

    “If you dislike the prime minister’s family, you can hold a grudge against them, but there are ethical limits.”

    Gill expressed resentment with some senior journalists for supporting Shirazi [on Twitter] with the hashtag ‘I stand with Asma Shirazi’.

    He asked whether she was doing “all this after failing to find any scandal of the PM in the last three years”.

    Gill’s presser was widely critised. Press clubs in Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad, Peshawar, and Quetta will ban Gill’s entry unless he apologises to Asma Shirazi for baseless allegations.

    Lahore Press Club released a statement condemning the vile comments of PM’s aide and said, “All Press Clubs of Pakistan will ban the entry of Shahbaz Gill, and the media will boycott him.”

    Human Rights Commission of Pakistan tweeted, “HRCP is appalled by @SHABAZGIL’s slurs against senior journalist @asmashirazi and his attempts to disparage her professional and personal integrity. Such behaviour reflects the govt’s regrettable antipathy towards critical reportage, which is every journalist’s right.”

    Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) warned of serious consequences for the use of abusive and intimidating language against Asma Shirazi by Shahbaz Gill.

    Journalist Benazir Shah tweeted, “The special assistant to the prime minister for political communication just held a press conference against journalist Asma Shirazi, who is already being viciously trolled and attacked since yesterday. This is what targeted harassment looks like by govt officials.”

    Lawyer Reema Omer tweeted, “Shahbaz Gill’s vile press conference against @asmashirazi is a new low for this Government And given their already atrocious record on media freedom, this is saying a lot.”

    Earlier, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) official Twitter account posted a video of an old telephonic conversation between Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif and journalist Asma Shirazi during a telephonic press conference. The tweet came after journalists condemned the ruling party for targeted harassment.

    PTI’s official account also asked social media users to mention the names of the journalists who have blocked them for ‘questioning’ the journalists.

    “We have received a lot of feedback from folks who have been blocked unfairly by journalists for asking questions (no abuse or harsh language at all). If you suffered an unfair block, mention in this thread. We will request journalists to unblock you,” the tweet from the official Twitter handle of the ruling party read.

  • ‘No one can become Nawaz Sharif,’ PTI’s Shahbaz Gill responds to Maryam Nawaz

    Special Assistant to Prime Minister (PM) on Political Communication Dr Shahbaz Gill said that no one can become Nawaz Sharif. “Such people are born this way,” said Gill while responding to Maryam Nawaz’s earlier comments about PM Khan. Maryam Nawaz had said that PM Imran Khan should not try to be Nawaz Sharif.

    “These people are dangerous for the entire nation,” Gill said in a press conference, along with the Minister of State for Climate Change Zartaj Gul and Member of the National Assembly (MNA) Maleeka Bokhari.

    While criticising Maryam Nawaz, Gill stated, “No one is safe from Maryam’s shadow, including her father [Nawaz Sharif] and her uncle [Shehbaz Sharif].”

    “If you are talking about magic, tell us what kind of djinns helped you transfer your money abroad, tell us about the witches who helped you build these apartments [in London], which djinns and witches printed dollars for you to buy these apartments,” asked Gill, responding to Maryam’s comments about magic.

  • Fact check: Is Junaid Safdar’s name in Pandora Papers?

    Fact check: Is Junaid Safdar’s name in Pandora Papers?

    Claim: PMLN Leader Maryam Nawaz’s son Junaid Safdar’s name came up in the Pandora Papers.

    Fact:

    Following the revelations in the Pandora Papers, featuring names of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) ministers as well as Opposition members, some channels shared the news that Junaid Safdar, who is the son of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Maryam Nawaz, also has five offshore companies registered in his name.

    As per reports, the government-run channel, Pakistan Television Network (PTV), aired the news of Junaid Safdar’s offshore companies.

    Prime Minister Imran Khan’s aide, Dr Shahbaz Gill, shared an image of PTV News with his tweet about Junaid Safdar’s offshore companies.

    Shahbaz Gill, while speaking on ARY News programme ‘Sawal Yeh Hai’, backed the news stating that PTV broke the news of Maryam Nawaz’s son owning offshore companies. “It is not possible that when it comes to theft or hiding information, we don’t see Maryam Baji’s [Maryam Nawaz’s] name there. Her son’s three to five companies have also been uncovered.”

    Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry also took to Twitter and tweeted, “The latest information is that there are five offshore companies in the name of Junaid Safdar, son of Maryam Nawaz. How much money does this family need?”

    Chaudhry also claimed the same in Nadia Mirza’s programme on Dawn News.

    In response to the news, which was shared by a section of the media quoting state-run PTV, Maryam Nawaz issued a statement saying that if the TV channel that ran the news does not apologise immediately, she will take them to court and file a defamation lawsuit.

    Responding to a suggestion by someone to seek legal action in the UK, she said that if the UK desk aired it, the family will sue them there too.

    However, Aoun Sahi from PTV — in response to senior journalist Nasim Zehra — refuted the claims of the news of Junaid Safdar being run on the channel and tweeted, “PTV hasn’t run the story. It’s photoshopped ma’am.”

    Umar Cheema and Fakhar Durrani, the two journalists from The News who participated in the Pandora Papers investigation from Pakistan, were asked by Geo News about Junaid Safdar’s name in the Pandora Papers. They both said they did not come across Junaid Safdar’s name during their investigation.

    “We checked the names of each member of the Sharif family,” Durrani said.

    Umar Cheema also tweeted that a Twitter account by the name of ‘PandoraLeaks’ is fake. The account tweeted: “Our research has found out that Junaid Safdar, grandson of former PM Nawaz Shareef has 3 shell and 2 offshore companies in Seychelles and Virgin Islands.”

    The account has since been deleted.

    The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), which has been investigating international finance and tax havens, has released a detailed list of public figures with offshore companies called the ‘Pandora Papers’ as part of their new investigation.

    VERDICT: FAKE

  • VIDEO: Heated argument between PTI’s Shahbaz Gill and anchor Kamran Shahid

    VIDEO: Heated argument between PTI’s Shahbaz Gill and anchor Kamran Shahid

    Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM), Dr Shahbaz Gill, alleged that anchorperson Kamran Shahid was asked to spread fake news and misquote facts about the United Kingdom’s (UK) court order to unfreeze Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif and his family’s bank accounts for lack of evidence of corruption and money laundering. A heated exchange took place between the two on Dunya News‘ programme, ‘On the Front with Kamran Shahid’.

    Gill started off by reading a few statements by Kamran Shahid and gave details of the statements, which as per him were fake news and were factually incorrect.

    Gill’s comments led to a heated exchange of words between Gill and Kamran.

    “Sir, no one can make me misquote statements, not the prime minister or Azhar Javed [UK-based journalist working for Dunya News],” replied Kamran Shahid.

    “You cannot say that I misquote my facts. I have been in journalism for the past 15 years. I am not indulging in any personal attacks against you and neither should you. No one can make me say things that are factually incorrect, not PM Imran Khan, not Shehbaz Sharif, no one,” added Shahid.

    “You are wrong here, no one has the courage to make me misquote my statements or facts. Refrain from doing this.”

    “Let the masses decide about your statements, seems like you are running for an election,” said Gill in response to Shahid’s answer.

    “I have the right to judge the prime minister, he is my PM as well. I supported him long before your [Shahbaz Gill] career as a politician started in Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI),” said Shahid.

    “You have a fascist regime, your party is monitoring everything, you all do one-sided reporting on Pakistan Television Network (PTV), there is no mention of the Opposition in their reporting. If you so highly support journalism why haven’t you made media independent from the information ministry,” said Shahid.

    Shahid added, “PM promised in my show that he will raise the standard of PTV like that of the BBC, now should I say the PM lied?”

  • ‘Prove that I called anyone,’ Saleem Safi shares his banned politician list

    ‘Prove that I called anyone,’ Saleem Safi shares his banned politician list

    Senior Journalist and Talk Show Host Saleem Safi, while speaking to The Current, revealed that he has a banned list for his show ‘Jirga’ on Geo News.

    “I have a ‘banned list’ on my show and I am very particular who I call on my show,” said Safi.

    The banned list includes Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) Dr Shahbaz Gill, Chairman Parliamentary Committee on Kashmir Shehryar Afridi,  Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan and Minister for Prisons, Punjab, as Official Spokesperson for the Government of Punjab, Fayaz-ul-Hassan Chohan. From Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, the list includes (PML-N) Talal Chaudhry and MNA Javed Latif.

    “I do not shake hands with SAPM Dr Shahbaz Gill and Minister of Science and Technology, Shibli Faraz,” added Safi.

    “Provide me with proof that my team or I contacted or called any of these people on my show, and I am ready to face the consequences,” said Safi.

    Clarifying his stance, Safi informed The Current, “I did not call Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry on my show till he became a minister. It became a necessity to call him then.”

    Safi’s comments come after Fawad Chaudhry commented on the former’s program, saying that, “Meray elawa apka koi phone nahi uthata [No one attends your call except for me]”

    To which Safi replied, “Meiny kisi aur ko phone kiya hi nahi hai kabi [ I have not called any one before].”

  • Hindu temple vandalised in Rahim Yar Khan

    Hindu temple vandalised in Rahim Yar Khan

    A video clip of a mob attacking a Hindu temple in Rahim Yar Khan (RYK) is doing the rounds on social media. People are urging Prime Minister Imran Khan to take action against the mob.

    Hundreds of people reportedly vandalised a Hindu temple in Bhong town and blocked the Sukkur-Multan Motorway (M-5) after a nine-year-old Hindu boy, who allegedly urinated in a local seminary, was granted bail by a local court on Wednesday.

    Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Political Communication, Dr Shahbaz Gill, said in a tweet that the PM Office had taken notice of the sad and unfortunate incident.

    He said that the prime minister had directed the district administration to probe the matter and take strict action against the culprits.

    Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed has also taken notice of the attack on the Hindu temple in Rahim Yar Khan and has set a hearing in relevance to the matter tomorrow.

    Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari tweeted, “The act was a violation of the Constitution and the basic human rights of Pakistanis. Ministry of Human Rights (MoHR) is in touch with RYK police since yesterday to ensure action against perpetrators – got a report – following up – our Parl Secy going to visit today.”

    There are reports of some old monetary dispute between Hindu and Muslim groups in the area, which was stated to be the actual cause of the unrest.

    A small town close to the River Indus and Sindh-Punjab border, Bhong houses a number of gold traders who originally hail from Ghotki and Dehrki (Sindh).

  • Petrol price to be raised Rs1.71 per litre on Aug 1

    Petrol price to be raised Rs1.71 per litre on Aug 1

    Prime Minister Imran Khan’s aide on political communication, Dr Shahbaz Gill, announced that the government has raised the price of petrol by Rs1.71 per litre, starting August 1.

    According to Gill, the decision was made as per the recommendation of the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA). Petrol will consequently cost Rs119.80 per litre.

    Gill said that it was decided that the rate of high-speed diesel be kept constant, as a hike in this commodity impacts the “common man and farmers more”. Thus, diesel will continue to be priced at Rs117.53 per litre.

    Similarly, no change has been made to the price of light diesel oil.

    Meanwhile, Kerosene, starting August 1, will cost Rs0.35 dearer, at Rs85.75 per litre.

    It was rumoured that OGRA recommended a Rs1.71 per litre increase in the price of petrol and a Rs2.27 per litre increase in the price of diesel.

    Gill asked the nation to “bear in mind” that the majority of the 27 countries that have petrol prices lower than the rate in Pakistan are “self-sufficient in petroleum products”.

    “At this time, the government is collecting a nearly zero per cent tax on petroleum products,” Gill said, adding: “Right now, the whole world is in the grip of inflation due to corona.”