Tag: Shehbaz Sharif

  • Boris Johnson greets PM Shehbaz, hopes to meet him soon

    Boris Johnson greets PM Shehbaz, hopes to meet him soon

    British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has congratulated Shehbaz Sharif on becoming Prime Minister of Pakistan, Radio Pakistan reports.

    According to a representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Britain’s Prime Minister wrote PM Shehbaz a letter on April 26 in which he stated that the UK and Pakistan have enjoying deep relations, bolstered by strong people-to-people contacts. In his letter, Boris Johnson noted that the United Kingdom and Pakistan have been locked in bonds supported by strong people-to-people links.

    “He also recalled their meeting in 2016 during his visit to Pakistan and the discussions held on a number of shared interests including girls’ education, health, economics and trade relations,” the statement issued by the ministry read.

    “PM Johnson looked forward to working together including in addressing global challenges,” the statement read.

  • BBZ follows ZA Bhutto, becomes Foreign Minister in 30s

    BBZ follows ZA Bhutto, becomes Foreign Minister in 30s

    Following in the footsteps of his grandfather Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has taken oath as 30th Foreign Minister of Pakistan today (Wednesday).

    The 33-year-old minister joined Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif-led cabinet in an oath-taking ceremony held at Aiwan-i-Sadr, Islamabad.

    He was elected as a Member of the National Assembly (MNA) in the general elections 2018. It is for the first time he will be serving as a member of the federal cabinet.

    Former PM Zulfikar Ali Bhutto first took the charge of the Ministry of Foreign Ministry in 1963 at the age of 35 during the regime of General Ayub Khan.

    As foreign minister, Bhutto significantly transformed Pakistan’s hitherto pro-Western foreign policy. Moreover, he began asserting a foreign policy course for Pakistan that was independent of the United States (US) influence.

    Bhutto worked to establish stronger relations with China. Bhutto also signed the Sino-Pakistan Boundary Agreement on March 2, 1963, which transferred 750 square kilometers of territory from Azad Kashmir to Chinese control. 

    Moreover, Bhutto advocated hardline and confrontational policies against India over the Kashmir conflict and other issues.

  • Exclusive: PM Shehbaz says next army chief will be appointed as per rules, regulations

    Exclusive: PM Shehbaz says next army chief will be appointed as per rules, regulations

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday called the PM House a ‘Jamhoori House’ (Democratic House) and said that his government believed in media freedom. In an interaction with journalists at the PM House on April 26, Sharif said that the previous government was not just incompetent and corrupt but had damaged the country’s economy and foreign relations. PM Shehbaz talked about several issues.

    New army chief

    PM said that he has the constitutional right to appoint a new army chief. He added that he will appoint the new army chief as per the constitution and rules and regulations when the time comes for his appointment. This was in response to a question about the appointment of a new army chief since General Bajwa will not take an extension as per DG ISPR.

    Pak-US relations

    While answering a question about Pakistan’s relationship with the US, PM said that the US is a superpower so we need to maintain good relations with them. “Amreeka dushmani hamaaray waaray nahin” (we cannot afford enmity with the US). He added that we need to do some stock-taking regarding Pak-US ties and improve relations with the US.

    Foreign Policy

    Talking about foreign relations, PM Shehbaz said that the previous government had alienated allies and friends. “How can we say that we can raise the Kashmir issue without Saudi Arabia?”

    PM said that the members of the previous government had lied about loans on 8% by China apart from allegations of corruption against Chinese investment by Pervez Khattak and several others in PTI. “China helped us get rid of load shedding by investing in power plants.”

    Saudi Visit

    PM will be visiting Saudi Arabia tomorrow (April 28-30) on the invitation of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz. PM Shehbaz said that he is likely to meet the Saudi leadership during his visit.

    Load shedding

    He said that there there is no other reason for frequent load shedding other than the negligence of previous government for not buying LNG and furnace oil on time. He also criticised the previous government for its baseless allegations against the LNG contract signed by the previous PML-N government. He said that Qatar must have been amazed that instead of thanking them for such a good deal, PTI indulged in “ilzaam taraashi” [allegations].

    Economic crisis

    “Pakistan is going through one of the most difficult times. We are trying to take the country in the right direction. We have seen how Japan and Germany rebuilt their economies after tough times. We have the examples of South Korea and Bangladeshi economies too. Once upon a time, Pakistan had a better per capita income than China but look at us now. Our currency was better than India’s. When India was ahead of us in the steel industry, we were ahead of them in textiles.”

    “There is no point crying over spilt milk but now it is time to rebuild our economy,” said PM Shehbaz. He said that it will be a difficult challenge but is not impossible to bring back our lost place in the comity of nations by strengthening our economy. “Rome was not built in a day.”

    “If we were economically strong, our foreign policy would have been stronger.”

    PECA

    The PM was asked if roll back of PECA was on the cards, to which he said that his government believes in freedom of media and media will not have to face any curbs but they need to differentiate between truth and fake news. “Media should highlight our mistakes. We welcome that. But it should not spread fake news.”

    Missing files

    When asked that there are reports that some files have been taken by the previous government from the PM House regarding sugar scandal and other scandals, Shehbaz said that if he is given evidence about the missing files, he will find them.

    Accountability

    He said that in the name of accountability, there will be no revenge. “Ehtesaab ke naam par intiqaam nahin leinge,” said PM Shehbaz. He said that businessmen say they will not invest here because the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) will either arrest them or harass them. “Businessmen kehte hain ya NAB giraftaar kar leinge ya zaleel kareinge unko.”

    Elections

    The PM said that we will go for elections after carrying out necessary reforms, especially electoral reforms.

    Threat letter

    PM Shehbaz said that the National Security Committee meeting issued a clear statement that there was no conspiracy. “The punchline of the statement was that there is no saazish, no conspiracy.”

    Shehbaz said that if the threat letter was received on March 7, why did the PTI government talk about it on March 28? “March tak moonh mein taalay kyun laga kar baithay thay?” He asked when did the previous government turn this letter into a conspiracy. “When they knew they were going to lose in parliament. There is no question of a conspiracy whatsoever.”

    Karachi attack

    “The attack in Karachi University is a huge tragedy where three Chinese nationals died. China is our friend. I went to the Chinese Embassy in Islamabad for solidarity,” said PM. He added that Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah will go to Karachi on Wednesday (today) and help and coordinate with the Sindh government. “After our Saudi visit, we will hold a comprehensive meeting on security.”

    Afghanistan

    Afghanistan is not just our neighbour but our “baraadar mulk” (brother country). “If there is peace in Afghanistan, there will be peace in Pakistan. What is good for Afghanistan is good for Pakistan.”

    PTI resignations

    PM said that they have found out that many resignations were taken by force from PTI MNAs and were not given voluntarily. “We will know the truth when the legal process has been completed.” He was asked whether the government could convince PTI to take back its resignations to be an effective Opposition.

    PTI long march

    While answering a question about Imran Khan’s call for march to Islamabad, PM said that if they won’t do anything unlawful, nothing will happen to them but he won’t allow anyone to spread anarchy on the roads.

    Pak Army

    The PM said that the Pak Army has given a lot of sacrifices for this country. “It is wrong to say anything negative about Pakistan’s army. It is condemnable,” said the PM when responding to a question about social media trends against the army.

  • ‘First time a PM is using Boeing 777, Khan used commercial flights’: Faysal Qureshi calls out Shehbaz Sharif

    ‘First time a PM is using Boeing 777, Khan used commercial flights’: Faysal Qureshi calls out Shehbaz Sharif

    Actor Faysal Qureshi called out Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif after the news riffed that he will be using Boeing 777 for his Umrah trip with family. The Fitoor star shared some details behind the usage of PIA’s Boing 777 after 4 years for PM Shahbaz Sharif Foreign tour.

    He also compared him to former PM Imran Khan and appreciated him for travelling in a cost-effective way.

    Soon after these rumours floated Federal Minister for Information Marriyum Aurangzeb denied reports of Shehbaz Sharif going for Umrah at government expense and said that the Prime Minister is not going to Saudi Arabia by a chartered plane.

    Politics over Sharif's illness deplorable: Marriyum Aurangzeb

    Marriyum while replying to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Fawad Chaudhry on social networking site Twitter, said that Fawad Chaudhry should be ashamed of making such nonsensical statements against journalists.

    She further bashed the PTI leader saying that fake news is an attribute of his identity. Before tweeting, you should know that no journalist is going at government expense, she said.

    She wrote that after coming out of power in disgrace, now they are firing on allegations. Sometimes they accuse journalists of involvement in conspiracies and sometimes they make false tweets of visits.

    The PMLN leader brutally criticized Fawad Chaudhry for targeting journalist exclaiming that in four years, those who have consumed the flour, sugar, medicine, employment, economy, electricity, oil and gas (the essential rights of people). They are having trouble with the food of journalists.

    The Federal Minister said that a tweet should also be done on the watch, necklace and rings of Tosha Khana but for that the condition is awakening ones of conscience.

    She even taunted the PTI leader over their display of refraining from extra expenditure and termed it to be a frugal drama.

    Earlier the Dil-e-Momin hero schooled Sharif for his choice of words while discussing the motorway rape case in Parliament.

    Faysal Qureshi schools Shehbaz Sharif over choice of words

  • US think tank Brookings urges Biden to call PM Shehbaz

    US think tank Brookings urges Biden to call PM Shehbaz

    Brookings, a United States (US) think tank has urged President Joe Biden to call the newly-elected Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif to amend ties between the two countries.

    According to Brooking’s report, Biden should initiate a high-level dialogue with Sharif. The writers of the report Bruce Riedel and  Madiha Afzal argued that “the end of American involvement in Afghanistan and the change in leadership in Pakistan presents the US with an opportunity to reset its long-troubled relationship with the world’s fifth-most populous country.”

    They argued, “Now Washington can engage with Islamabad without prioritising Afghanistan issues at the expense of our broader interests in regional stability with India and China, encouraging development in South Asia, and supporting the strengthening of the elected democratic forces in Pakistan.”

    Further, they pointed out that the US gave a ‘cold shoulder’ to Pakistan. Biden didn’t call the former PM Imran Khan while Khan was in the office although Brookings argued Bided should have.

    It is pertinent to mention that the Taliban’s victory in Afghanistan strained the already fraught relations between Pakistan and America.

  • Nawaz free to fly back to Pakistan, name removed from ECL

    Nawaz free to fly back to Pakistan, name removed from ECL

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will go on his first foreign trip to Saudi Arabia on April 27. He will be accompanied by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz and Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman.

    PM Shehbaz will call upon Saudi Prince Muhammad Bin Salman. The Pakistani delegation will also perform Umrah during the trip, reports The News.

    Member National Assembly Mohsin Dawar was supposed to accompany PM Sharif on his trip to Saudi but will most likely miss the trip as his name is on the Exit Control List (ECL). For being in the ‘anti-state category’, the names of Mohsin Dawar and Ali Wazir were not removed from the ECL as per the new policy.

    The new government removed the names of PM Shehbaz Sharif, Punjab Chief Minister-elect Hamza Shehbaz, PML-N head Mian Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz from the Exit Control List (ECL) under a new policy, reported Azaz Syed for Geo News.

    Senior anchorperson Saleem Safi asked federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar why Dawar’s name has not been removed from the ECL when the Sharif family removed their own names. Tarar said that it is due to two categories of cases: one that deals with anti-terrorism, anti-state cases and narcotics while the other category is banking offences, misuse of authority, loans, etc. He added that now they will have to amend the Act and also take rules to the cabinet again.

    “I believe that when someone is an elected member of parliament and represents millions of people, there should be no travel ban for him/her. As a firm believer in human rights, I think this law is wrong and only should be applicable on extreme cases. But nobody should be placed on ECP indefinitely,” said Law Minister Azam Tarar.

    READ MORE: Maryam Nawaz moves court to get her passport back to travel

    Last week, Maryam Nawaz filed a plea before the Lahore High Court (LHC) to get her passport back in order to travel travel to Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah in Ramzan. She also said that she wants to travel to London to visit her ailing father, Mian Nawaz Sharif.

    “I want to go to Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah but cannot because my passport is surrendered at the LHC,” read Maryam’s plea.

  • PM Shehbaz plans grand jirga over NWA situation

    PM Shehbaz plans grand jirga over NWA situation

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he will soon convene a grand jirga of North Waziristan tribal elders in Islamabad to find a way out of the prevailing situation in the tribal region.

    “Restoration of lasting peace in North Waziristan tribal district is the top most priority of my government.”

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was speaking during a daylong visit to Miramshah, the headquarters of North Waziristan on Thursday. The prime minister addressed a gathering the elders of Uthmanzai tribe. Earlier, senior civil and military officials and elders of the area received the prime minister.

    Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, Defence Minister Khwaja Asif, Minister for Religious Affairs Mufti Abdul Shakoor, PM’s adviser Amir Muqam and MNA Mohsin Dawar accompanied the PM. According to officials, Peshawar Corps Commander Lt-Gen Faiz Hameed briefed the prime minister on the prevailing law and order situation in the area.

    Addressing the jirga, PM Sharif said the people of North Waziristan had suffered miseries and rendered matchless sacrifices for the motherland, adding that the government would not ignore their sacrifices.

    On the demand of Mohsin Dawar, the prime minister announced the establishment of a university, a medical college, a mobile hospital and Danish school in North Waziristan. The prime minister said he would soon announce more development schemes for the district.

    He expressed gratitude to the tribal elders for their support in the war against terrorism for a peaceful and prosperous Pakistan and assured them that the government would do all to bring comfort in local populace and ensure socio-economic development as dividends of the fight against terrorism.

    On arrival in Miramshah, PM Sharif was received by Chief of the Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa. The prime minister laid floral wreath at the Shuhada monument and offered fateha for valiant sons of the soil who rendered supreme sacrifices while defending the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Pakistan.

  • Had an excellent relationship with Nawaz Sharif: Former Afghan President hopes for good ties with Pakistan

    Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai has expressed his hope for a cordial relationship with Pakistan under the administration of the newly-elected Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif.

    In an interview with BBC, Karzai said, “I can tell you that when I was in the last year of my office, I had an excellent relationship with Mian Nawaz Sharif, the then Prime Minister of Pakistan, who I found to be very willing to engage fruitfully with Afghanistan. I hope that Shehbaz Sharif [Nawaz’s brother] would follow the same path.”

    “Afghan people would respond to them very very positively. We do wish a good relationship with Pakistan.”

    Responding to the airstrikes [allegedly made by Pakistan] in bordering Khost province, the former president condemned the airstrikes and termed it clear violations of Afghan sovereignty.

    He called the recent attacks on Afghan education institutions as an “attack against Afghanistan’s efforts for educating its young, its peace and movement towards stability and progress.” Hamid Karzai emphasised the need for allowing girls above sixth grade to return to school.

    Hamid Karzai has served as the President of Afghanistan from 2001 to 2014. He still lives in the country under the the rule of Taliban who gained power in August 2021.

  • Govt to remove PCB chairman Ramiz Raja after seven months

    Govt to remove PCB chairman Ramiz Raja after seven months

    The new government has reportedly decided to remove Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ramiz Raja from his position.

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif himself will recommend two names for the governing board soon, states Geo News’ sources.

    Previously, it was reported that the PCB chairman had directed the directors and the staff to focus on work. Raja said, “I have been told to continue working, so now the uncertainty should end.”

    It is pertinent to mention that there were media reports that suggested that Raja is likely to quit following the defeat of former PM Imran Khan in a no-confidence motion and former PCB chairperson Najam Sethi is expected to hold the position again as the next PCB chairman.

    Former Captain Ramiz Raja was elected unanimously as the 36th PCB chairman for a three-year term in September 2021.

    

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    Justice for Dadu fire victims, demands Twitter
    
			
    Justice for Dadu fire victims, demands Twitter
    
			
    Nine children, a woman lost their lives and more than 20 other persons including women suffered severe burns after a fire broke out in three villages in Dadu district of Sindh Province on Monday night. 
    

    Dadu Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Irfan Ali Samoo confirmed the deaths. 
    

    The fire reportedly broke out in the kitchen of a small hut. More than 150 buffaloes, cows, goats and other animals also perished in the fire. 
    

    According to the affected families, the blaze started around 9 pm on Monday and raged throughout the villages, over the next 12 hours. No fire tenders reached the village until it subsided at 8 am in the morning, they said. Moreover, they told that even the Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Dadu and other officials had arrived after 12 hours
    

    The villagers later held a protest against the administration and urged the provincial government to take notice of the situation.
    

    Following the news, Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif said the federal government will take measures to provide relief to the victim families of the fire incident. 
    

    Due to devastating effect that the incident has left on people, social media users have strongly condemned it and questioned the incompetency of the concerned authorities. 
    

    

    


    

    

    

    

    


    

    

    

    

    


    

    

    

    

    


    

    

    

    

    
https://twitter.com/SaifSamejo/status/1516561598948659200?s=20&t=T1PFVBvdrZwfUzIpOmOZtA

    

    

    

    


    

    

    

    

    


    

    

    

    

    


    

    

    

    

    
https://twitter.com/arshadalikhoso/status/1516714870342754310?s=20&t=T1PFVBvdrZwfUzIpOmOZtA