Tag: Shehbaz Sharif

  • State Bank announces a five-day work week for banks

    State Bank announces a five-day work week for banks

    The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Friday announced bank timings with five working days. The notification from the State Bank came after the federal government decided not to reinstate the Saturday weekly off, and decided to go with six working days with decreased working hours.

    According to a notification issued in this regard, banks will observe office hours from 9am to 5:30pm Monday to Thursday with a prayer/lunch break from 1:30pm to 2:15pm.

    On Friday, banks will observe timings from 9am to 6pm with a prayer/lunch break.

    The Securities & Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) offices will be open on Saturday, but the stock market and the business sector will operate on a five-day schedule and will be closed on Saturday.

    The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) government implemented two-day weekly holidays in 2011 with the goal of conserving energy.

  • Shireen Mazari urges UN to stop Govt from misusing blasphemy law against PTI

    Shireen Mazari urges UN to stop Govt from misusing blasphemy law against PTI

    Former Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Shireen Mazari wrote a special letter to United Nations (UN) to stop the Pakistani government from misusing blasphemy law against former Prime Minister (PM) PM Imran Khan and his party leaders.

    According to Dawn, the letter has been addressed to the UN’s special rapporteur on extrajudicial summary or arbitrary executions, special rapporteur on the freedom of opinion and expression, and special rapporteur on the freedom of religion and belief.

    The letter states that the country had been engulfed in a political crisis since PTI was ousted in the aftermath of [which PTI claims] is “regime change scheme” and replaced with a government led by Shehbaz Sharif, who has been named in “multiple money-laundering and corruption cases and is out on bail”.

    In the letter, Mazari pointed out major human rights violations conducted against Khan.

    “One: A complete blackout of media coverage by state-owned media as well as almost all private channels through a carrot (advertisements) and stick (establishment). In this connection, the government-controlled PTCL, which provides cable connections to cable operators, has denied this access to any private channel seen covering Khan’s massive rallies.”

    The second violation highlighted by Mazari was the registration of blasphemy cases against PTI leader in connection with the Masjid-e-Nabwi incident.

    According to her, it was not a planned incident. “To use the Madina incident as an excuse to file charges of blasphemy means endangering lives of Imran and party’s leadership,” the former minister wrote.

    She informed that one member of the NA from the PTI-allied party is already under custody on blasphemy charges.

    Last week, Faisalabad police registered a case under ‘blasphemy laws’ against the PTI chairman and over 150 others following the Masjid-e-Nabwi incident.

    Top leaders of the PTI and Imran’s close associates, including Chaudhry, Gill, Suri, Sahibzada Jahangir, Aneel Musarrat as well as Sheikh Rashid Ahmed and his nephew Sheikh Rashid Shafiq were nominated.

    The complainant— Muhammad Naeem, a resident of Faisalabad alleged the Masjid-e-Nabwi episode was a “planned and thought-out conspiracy” and supported his claims by referring to videos and speeches made by certain PTI leaders.

  • Pakistan, UAE reaffirm commitment to further strengthen bilateral relations

    Pakistan, UAE reaffirm commitment to further strengthen bilateral relations

    Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) reaffirmed their commitment to expanding their bilateral trade and economic ties.

    The agreement was struck during a meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi.

    PM Shehbaz Sharif met with the UAE dignitary to discuss the opportunities for advancing cooperation as well as a variety of bilateral, regional, and international concerns.

    PM Shehbaz Sharif was warmly welcomed by the UAE crown prince ahead of their meeting at the royal palace, Qasr-e Al-Shatie.

    During the meeting, the crown prince congratulated PM Shehbaz Sharif on his election as Pakistan’s leader and wished him well in his new role. He also expressed his best wishes for Pakistan’s ongoing success and prosperity.

    The prime minister expressed gratitude to the UAE for its longstanding support to Pakistan both bilaterally and multilaterally.

    He also noted the humanitarian projects implemented in Pakistan under the UAE-Pakistan Assistance Programme, as well as the UAE’s critical support during the Covid-19 pandemic.

    The two leaders also talked about regional and international challenges. They agreed to keep in regular contact on all areas of common interest and to coordinate views at multilateral venues such as the United Nations and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

  • No more load shedding in Pakistan from today: Ministry of Energy

    No more load shedding in Pakistan from today: Ministry of Energy

    After long hours of power outages across Pakistan in the month of Ramzan, the Ministry of Energy has announced that power load-shedding has been reduced to zero from 5am today (Monday).

    In a tweet, the ministry said, “As per the promise made by Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, load shedding in the country has been reduced to zero from 5am on May 1. The ministry has worked hard to add more than 2500 Megawatt of additional power to the national grid system.”

    “The ministry is constantly striving for uninterrupted power supply during the Eid holidays and beyond”, the tweet further said.

    In April, PM Shehbaz took notice of the situation and directed the concerned departments to reduce power outages by May 1. He said until the problem is resolved, he would not leave for China and would not allow anyone to relax.

    Last month, due to higher demand and reduced generation due to fuel shortages and reduced gas supplies to power plants, Pakistan experienced 6-10 hours of electricity load-shedding in various areas.

    As of April 25, generation was 17,976 Megawatt (MW), compared to the demand of almost 21,000 MW, indicating a significant discrepancy between demand and generation.

  • PCB finalises schedule for PSL8 without consulting franchises

    PCB finalises schedule for PSL8 without consulting franchises

    The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has finalised the eighth season of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) schedule without consulting the franchises, states Geo News’ sources.

    “There was no discussion between franchises and the PSL management regarding the schedule but despite that, it was finalised,” the franchises were quoted as saying by the sources.

    PSL8 will be held between February 15 and March 31, 2023. The venue has also been finalised as the tournament will take place in four cities of Pakistan — Karachi, Lahore, Multan and Rawalpindi.

    Before the start of the league, international cricket teams — New Zealand and West Indies will visit Pakistan in January 2023.

    It is pertinent to mention that some media reports suggest that the new federal government decided to remove the current Chairman of PCB Ramiz Raja from his position.

  • PTI Punjab Governor refuses to take oath of Hamza’s cabinet

    PTI Punjab Governor refuses to take oath of Hamza’s cabinet

    Omer Sarfraz Cheema, the governor of Punjab, has decided not to swear in the newly-formed provincial cabinet. According to him, the resignation of Usman Buzdar is illegal.

    “Yesterday, a crime was committed at Governor House. My official residence was held under siege to hold the illegal oath-taking ceremony of a ‘fake’ chief minister,” said Cheema, while addressing a press conference.

    In his statement he repeated that Buzdar’s resignation was addressed to the Prime Minister, not the governor, adding that the former governor Sarwar could not accept a resignation which was not addressed to him, he added.

    “The oath-taking of Hamza Shahbaz was illegal after I rejected the resignation of Usman Buzdar on legal grounds.”

    He questioned how Hamza’s cabinet could be legitimate when his election and swearing-in are both ‘unlawful’. He further added that he cannot endorse anything beyond the ambit of the constitution.

  • ‘Can’t show their face in public places’: Imran Khan breaks silence over Masjid-e-Nabwi incident

    ‘Can’t show their face in public places’: Imran Khan breaks silence over Masjid-e-Nabwi incident

    Former Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan termed the incident of hooliganism in Masjid-e-Nabwi a public reaction, saying it was the “consequence” of their [rulers] own deeds.

    In an interview with Arshad Sharif on ARY programme ‘Power Play’, Imran Khan pointed out that the masses have never reacted in such a manner in the entire history of the country, which has been observed outside Masjid-e-Nabwi. “We are not asking people to come out and the public is taking to the streets on their own as they are in pain and anger. However, I can challenge they [the rulers] won’t be able to show their faces in any public place,” the PTI chairman claimed.

    This week, a group of Pakistani protesters violated the sanctity of Masjid-e-Nabwi in Madina by chanting ‘chor chor’ slogans against newly-elected PM Shehbaz Sharif and members of his delegation.

    Following the incident, several personalities condemned the incident.

    “Neither can I think of inciting people to hooliganism at Masjid-e-Nabwi, nor can a true lover of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) think of doing this,” he said.

    “The place I have in my heart for Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), I don’t need to prove it, and I have raised my voice around the world against islamophobia,” the PTI chairman said, adding, “I believe that Iman [faith] cannot be completed until you love Prophet (PBUH).” 

  • ‘Don’t blame Imran, imported government responsible itself’: Haroon Shahid slams PML-N

    ‘Don’t blame Imran, imported government responsible itself’: Haroon Shahid slams PML-N

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his ministers on Friday were stuck in Saudi Arabia’s Masjid-e-Nabawi (PBUH), located in the holy city of Madina, as some people, apparently, supporters of the PTI, gathered around them, shouting slogans of “thieves” and “beggars” – one of the pictures captured on the scene showing the premier sitting in a vehicle visibly perturbed over the incident.

    Many celebrities took to social media to condemn the incident while others thought it was genuinely public’s outrage.

    Senior actress Iffat Omar tweeted that the former Prime Minister Imran Khan is responsible for the offensive slogans and misconduct against PML-N leaders. The Aangan star said that Khan should be arrested for instigating hatred amongst Pakistanis.

    Actor Haroon Shahid took to his twitter handle to defend Imran Khan amidst the ongoing controversy. The Verna star mentioned that the PML-N leaders are themselves to be blamed for this as it was a result of public’s years of frustration against them.

    Terming the incident of hooliganism at Masjid-e-Nabawi as a “public reaction”, ousted prime minister Imran Khan Friday said it was a “consequence” of their deeds.

    On Thursday, a group of Pakistani protesters violated the sanctity of Masjid-e-Nabawi in Madina when they chanted slogans against Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his delegation as soon as they entered the holy mosque to pay their respects at the Roza-e-Rasool (PBUH).

    Following the incident, the political and religious leadership of Pakistan and others from different sections of society vehemently condemned it.

    Speaking on the matter after keeping mum for more than 24 hours, Imran Khan said that in the history of the country masses were never reacted in such a manner.

    “We are not asking the people to come out, it’s the public themselves coming out to protest as they are in pain and anger, however, I can challenge they [the rulers] won’t be able to show their faces in any public place,” he added.

  • ‘Load shedding, life has become miserable in Purana Pakistan’: Maya Ali calls out Shehbaz Sharif for electricity crises

    ‘Load shedding, life has become miserable in Purana Pakistan’: Maya Ali calls out Shehbaz Sharif for electricity crises

    Actor Maya Ali took to her Instagram stories to share her disappointment on the increasing electricity crises in the country. The A-list heroine said that life has become miserable ever since the new the government has taken over. She is upset with the load shedding being at its peak.

    It is being reported that due to higher demand and reduced generation because of fuel shortages, reduced gas supplies to power plants, Pakistan is experiencing 6-10 hours of electricity load-shedding.

    Earlier the Teefa In Trouble star came forward in support of Imran Khan who has been removed as Prime Minister of Pakistan through a no-confidence motion in the National Assembly.

    The Parey Hut Love diva lamented the success of the no-confidence motion and termed the day as the saddest and darkest day in the history of Pakistan. 

    “We have lost a gem, a true politician and honest PM. I salute Imran khan that he tried his best and fought for the sovereignty of Pakistan till the last moment. Thank you Kaptaan,” she added.

    She also took to her Instagram handle and wrote, “There is only ONE MAN in politics who really wants to do something good for Pakistan. It takes time to rebuild and construct things. Pakistan needs him. Our votes do matter and I stand with him.”

  • PM Shehbaz might meet Turkish President Erdogan in Saudi Arabia

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif, who is currently in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is likely to meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, states Geo News’ sources.

    Erdogan, who also reached KSA yesterday conveyed a message to PM Shehbaz to meet him. The message reads, “I would like to meet you.”

    The premier is on a three-day visit while the Turkish president is on a two-day visit. Shehbaz held a brief meeting with Madina’s governor, where both the leaders exchanged views on bilateral relations.

    Foreign Office (FO) Spokesperson Asim Iftikhar said that the prime minister will have bilateral interaction with the Saudi leadership, with a particular focus on advancing economic, trade and investment ties, and creating greater opportunities for the Pakistani workforce in KSA.

    Erdogan met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Thursday to mend relations between the two countries in his first visit since the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

    It is pertinent to mention that ties between the two nations were strained after Khashoggi was killed in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul in 2018.