Tag: Special Assistant to the Prime Minister

  • PML-N’s Hanif Abbasi resigns after court stops him from working

    PML-N’s Hanif Abbasi resigns after court stops him from working

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) Hanif Abbasi resigned from his post as Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) after Islamabad High Court (IHC) had stopped him “temporarily” from performing his duties.

    In a letter, the former federal minister addressed PM Shehbaz Sharif and said that he would be “unable to perform at present” and requested the premier to accept his resignation while thanking him for the opportunity.

    Read more- PML-N’s Hanif Abbasi has fled country, media reports claim

    IHC stopped Abbasi from working as SAPM

    Last month, IHC Chief Justice (CJ) Athar Minallah stopped Abbasi from working, saying that “a person convicted in any case is ineligible to hold any public office in the country.”

    He issued the directives while hearing a petition filed by former Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed, who challenged Abbasi’s appointment as SAPM on grounds of his 2018 conviction in an ephedrine case.

    During the hearing, Hanif Abbasi’s counsel Muhammad Ahsan Bhoon argued that the post of SAPM is not similar to other public offices.

    Justice Minallah said he hoped Abbasi would not use public office till the next hearing.

    “The SAPM’s job is to advise the prime minister, he can do that without a notification as well,” he observed.

  • PTI says strict legal action will be taken against those who spread false news about Bushra Bibi

    PTI says strict legal action will be taken against those who spread false news about Bushra Bibi

    First lady Bushra Bibi’s friend Farah Khan refuted “rumours” that Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s wife was staying with her in Lahore after fighting with the premier.

    A few days ago, a journalist had claimed that Bushra Bibi had “gotten into a fight with PM Khan” and had left Bani Gala for Lahore to stay at her friend, Farah Khan’s house. The rumour soon started spreading on social media and WhatsApp groups.

    Speaking with Geo News, Farah Khan said, “I am surprised how someone made this up because Bushra Bibi has not visited Lahore in a long time.”

    “The first lady is still in Bani Gala with her husband and they have not had any fights,” she added.

    Farah Khan said that people’s personal lives should not be dragged into politics and condemned the “fake propaganda” spread about the first lady.

    Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) Imran Khan on Political Communication Dr Shahbaz Gill said that the government has approached the country’s courts against a journalist who issued “insulting and fabricated” statements about First Lady Bushra Bibi.

    Gill said that “strict legal action will be taken against those who spread false news about the first lady”.

    Gill also confirmed that both Bushra Bibi and Prime Minister Imran Khan are currently in Islamabad and that the rumours of a separation are completely baseless.