Tag: SMQ

  • Dynastic politics: PTI slammed for giving ticket to Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s daughter

    Dynastic politics: PTI slammed for giving ticket to Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s daughter

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Vice President Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s daughter Meher Bano Qureshi is contesting the upcoming by-polls for a National Assembly (NA) seat vacated by her brother Zain Qureshi.

    She will contest the election from NA-157, Multan. Addressing a press conference, Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that they had filed nomination papers after the approval of PTI Chairman Imran Khan.

    “Meher Bano has a sense of the next generation. If we want to get our country out of this difficult situation, then mothers and daughters have to play a role because a mother has more sense of what will be the future of her child.”

    Meher Bano said that she has been working with the social media team of PTI since 2018.

    “My father has chosen me to keep Imran Khan’s narrative alive, contrary to tradition.”

    However, in Multan, PTI workers came to protest against their own party’s candidate, Meher Bano Qureshi, outside the Election Commission office and raised slogans of disapproval for dynastic politics. They argued that Mahmood couldn’t find anyone within the party for the candidacy.

    “First Mahmood gave a party ticket to his son, now her to his daughter,” they complained.

    A local PTI member, Engineer Waseem, who was also a part of the protest, said that if the party does not give him a ticket, then he would contest the election as an independent candidate.

    People on social media are expressing their disappointment over PTI continuing with the tradition of dynastic politics.

    https://twitter.com/Zara75520916/status/1555522618228445184?s=20&t=nDRe3scpPcj4cUJJzB3taA

    https://twitter.com/__Mugal/status/1555581107739004929?s=20&t=nDRe3scpPcj4cUJJzB3taA

    Reacting to the backlash, Meher Bano tweeted: “I have come across so many spreading fake news, doctored images and posters and attributing false statements to me. I wonder if it would have been different had I been a man. Anyhow, happy to work hard and prove myself.”

    Shah Mahmood’s son Zain Qureshi won PP-217 in the Punjab by-polls held on July 17. After becoming a member of the Punjab Assembly, he vacated his NA seat. His sister will now contest the election for the NA seat vacated by him.

    PTI Chairman Imran Khan himself has condemned and attacked the Pakistan Muslim-League (PML-N) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) for dynastic politics on multiple occasions.

  • Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Zardari to be new neighbours?

    Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Zardari to be new neighbours?

    Former President Asif Ali Zardari has reportedly bought two bungalows of 14 kanal in one of the elitist areas of Gulberg in Lahore, reports The News.

    According to media reports, discussions to purchase another bungalow of 6 kanal for residential purposes in Lahore are ongoing. This bungalow is situated in front of PPP’s rival Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s house near Gaddafi Stadium.

    If the deal finalises, Zardari and Qureshi would become neighbours. It is pertinent to mention that Qureshi left PPP in 2011 after almost two decades of serving under the leadership of Benazir Bhutto. Since then, he is on bitter terms with PPP.

    Zardari and his son Foreign Minister (FM) Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s current residence in Baharia Town in Lahore will be converted into a farmhouse.

    Earlier, the former president hinted at buying a residence in Gulberg so that he can hold more meetings with people, as it gets difficult for people to come to his residence in Bahira Town.

    Stronghold in Punjab

    According to Geo Urdu, Zardari is currently in Islamabad. However, he will later visit Lahore and hold meetings to discuss the political crisis in Punjab.

    Prior to this, the PPP co-chairman claimed that his party will form the next government in the Centre after winning the next general elections.

    “The next government (in the Centre) will be the PPP’s. I promise if I get a chance to return to power, I will turn around Pakistan 110 degrees. The PPP has the capability to help the country negotiate all the challenges,” said Zardari.

    Talking about politics in Punjab, Zardari said, “The PPP has to sacrifice its politics to save Pakistan. I will myself look into the party affairs in Punjab and ensure its revival here.”

    “We will strengthen our party in Punjab and ensure we get our fair share in the province,” he said.

    Criticising former Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, Zardari said that the policies of the “anokha laadla” (favourite) had caused price hike and inflation in the country.

    The PPP is currently ruling Sindh, where it is in power for the third time in a row, while it is also a major stakeholder in the incumbent federal government.

  • Fawad says anyone who kills innocents is a terrorist after FM Qureshi skips question on OBL

    Fawad says anyone who kills innocents is a terrorist after FM Qureshi skips question on OBL

    Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry tweeted on Monday that there is no confusion at any level regarding anyone who kills innocents. “That is terrorism and the perpetrators are terrorists. We have suffered pain of terrorism in our own land and can understand pain of all who have lost their loved ones in these cowardly attacks.”

    In an interview with Afghanistan’s Tolo News, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi skipped a question when asked if Osama bin Laden was a martyr. Qureshi paused for a few seconds and then said, “I will let that pass.”

    Senior Afghan journalist Lotfullah Najafizada had originally asked Qureshi about Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan calling Osama bin Laden a martyr. The foreign minister responded that the PM was quoted out of context. “Out of context. He was quoted out of context. And, a particular section of the media played it up.”

    Qureshi is being criticised for skipping this question and not taking a clear position.

    Last year, Prime Minister Imran Khan came under fire for calling al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden a “martyr” during his speech in the National Assembly.

  • SMQ labelled ‘anti-Semitic’ by CNN host

    CNN’s Senior Global Affairs Analyst and anchorperson Bianna Golodryga has labelled Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi “anti-Semitic” after she interviewed him on the ongoing violence in Gaza.

    Qureshi, who had appeared on Bianna’s show Thursday night, stated that the “tide was turning” against Israel as it was losing the media war despite its connections. The foreign minister had lashed out at Israel for its state-sanctioned massacre in Gaza, where nearly 250 Palestinian men, women and children have been killed in less than two weeks.

    The minister during the show had said a ceasefire was inevitable since Israel “is losing out”.

    When Golodryga asked Qureshi to explain Israel’s “connections”, Qureshi had said: “Deep pockets.”

    Golodryga further asked him to explain his point of view on the situation, to which Qureshi said: “They are very influential people, I mean they control media.”

    In response to this, the CNN journalist labelled him anti-Semitic.

    “The point is, they have a lot of influence, and they get a lot of coverage. What’s balanced that is the citizen journalist who has been reporting, sharing video clips, and that has jolted people and woken up people…people who were sitting on the fence are today, speaking up,” added Qureshi.

    Golodryga further stressed on the “anti-Semitic talk and rhetoric”. She stated that someone like Qureshi, who is in a powerful position, should say that’s wrong.

    Antisemitism is generally considered to be a form of racism and is defined as “hostility, prejudice, or discrimination against Jews”.

    When Qureshi was talking about the heavy Palestinian casualties as a result of Israeli airstrikes, she urged him to be objective and also focus on Israeli casualties caused by Hamas rockets.

    After two weeks of violent attacks, Hamas and Israel reached a ceasefire early on Friday.