Tag: The Current

  • ‘Election will be held on February 8’, says General Asim Munir  

    ‘Election will be held on February 8’, says General Asim Munir  

    The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General Asim Munir, said last week while talking to the Pakistani-American business community in the United States that elections in Pakistan “will be held on February 8 next year.”

    The army chief gave the statement a few hours before the Supreme Court’s (SC) verdict suspending the Lahore High Court (LHC) staying the appointment of Returning Officers (ROs) from bureaucracy. conduct a general election on February 8, 2024.

    A Pakistani-American businessman posted a quote from General Asim Munir. Speaking with Geo News, Tanveer Ahmed, a Texas-based Pakistani businessman, quoted the army chief as saying, “As far as I know, general elections will be held on the 8th of February.”

    The businessman also shared the army chief’s words: “If elections get delayed, it won’t be beyond the limit when Senate elections are to be held.”

    The next senate elections will be held in March 2024.

    The notification to requisition returning officers (ROs) from the bureaucracy, important for the electoral process, was temporarily halted by the LHC on December 13, raising concerns about the timely conduct of elections.

  • ECP lists Imran Khan as Chairman of PTI

    ECP lists Imran Khan as Chairman of PTI

    The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has released a list of political parties after the issuance of the election schedule, as per The News on Thursday.
    The list comprises of 175 political parties that are going to take part in the upcoming general election, set to take place on February 8 next year.

    According to the list, former Prime Minister Imran Khan is still the chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), despite the fact that Barrister Gohar Khan was recently elected as chairman of PTI.

    The issue of PTI’s intra-party election conducted on December 2, 2023, remains undecided, as the ECP reserved its judgement after hearings.

    Former Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is the head of  Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), and ex-president Asif Ali Zardari leads the Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians (PPPP). On the other hand, former foreign minister, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, is a chairman of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).

    Similarly, Khalid Maqbool Siddique is the head of  Muttahida Qaumi Movement- Pakistan (MQM-P), and Abdul Aleem Khan is the president of a newly formed Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP).

  • Aakhir kaun kar raha hai audio recordings?

    Aakhir kaun kar raha hai audio recordings?

    During a court hearing, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) reported its inability to trace the source of audio leaks.

    The court was addressing pleas filed by Saqib Nisar’s son and Bushra Bibi, wife of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, concerning leaked audio conversations.

    Justice Babar Sattar of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) questioned why the ISI filed its report through the Ministry of Defence, prompting Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor Usman Awan to suggest that the intelligence agency should have submitted the report through the Prime Minister’s Office.

    The ISI report indicated that the investigation required assistance from social media platforms.

    “Any government agency conducting such recordings is doing so unlawfully,” AGP Mansoor Usman Awan said as he submitted a report on behalf of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

    Awan emphasized that no intelligence agency, including the ISI, Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), and Intelligence Bureau (IB), was authorized by the federal government to tap audio conversations.

    Presiding over the single-member bench, Justice Babar Sattar remarked that it was now the federal government’s responsibility to decide how they want to proceed with the case. “If the government does not disclose [who is tapping the calls], then we may seek assistance from national and international judicial bodies.”

    The FIA needs to review the case first to determine who conducted the call recording. “After court orders, the FIA is sending notices to telecommunication companies,” AGP Awan told the court.

    “The FIA needs access to IP addresses. If any government agency is conducting these recordings, it is doing so unlawfully,” he reiterated.

    The court was informed by the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) lawyer that TV channels were prohibited from broadcasting private audio leaks.

    Addressing senior lawyer Aitzaz Ahsan during the hearing, Justice Sattar said: “There is a balance between freedom of information and privacy. How should this case be moved forward?”

    Aitzaz suggested that self-regulation should be in place, as the Constitution is not being followed here. “The Constitution has not been implemented in 90 days, despite the election announcement.”

    The court instructed the AGP to check if there was any news that the Intelligence Bureau (IB) was given the authority to record priviate conversations. To which he said he would check and report back.

    The court directed the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) , FIA, and other parties to re-file their responses for the next hearing.

    The court directed the Attorney General to investigate whether the Intelligence Bureau (IB) had the authority to record calls, and the AGP committed to providing the court with the necessary information.

    Additionally, the IHC instructed the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to submit a detailed report at the next hearing.

    If the government failed to provide the required information, the court expressed its intention to appoint national and international amici curiae for the investigation.

    It was also decided that senior journalists would be appointed as amici curiae to provide insights into the matter related to the code of conduct for TV channels.

  • ‘Judges ligitimise the rule of military dictators,’ Nawaz Sharif

    ‘Judges ligitimise the rule of military dictators,’ Nawaz Sharif

    Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday lashed out at judges for legitimising military dictators and taking action against elected prime ministers.

    “Judges garland the ones (military dictators) who break the constitution, rather they legitimise their rule. When the parliament is dissolved and the prime minister is sent to jail, they (judges) endorse these actions,” Sharif said while addressing ticket aspirants from Faisalabad at the party secretariat in Model Town.

    Sharif specifically pointed to instances where judges allowed military dictators to amend the constitution, attributing such decisions to the current challenges faced by Pakistan.

    He asserted that responsibility for the country’s predicament lies with the nation itself, dismissing external factors such as India, the United States, or Afghanistan.

    Without directly naming him, Sharif indirectly referred to former ISI chief Gen (retd) Faiz Hamid, suggesting interference in the judicial process to deny post-arrest bail to himself and his daughter Maryam Nawaz. He claimed that pressure from certain quarters jeopardized their legal proceedings.

  • Nawaz Sharif comes up with a surprise move

    Nawaz Sharif comes up with a surprise move

    Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN) head Nawaz Sharif, is set to contest elections from a constituency which is rather a surprise for many.

    Founding Editor of Khorasan Diary, Iftikhar Firdous, stated in a tweet, “PML-N’s supremo Nawaz Sharif will also be contesting elections from Mansehra, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The PMLN flexing its muscle in its once stronghold now lost to PTI while Nawaz’s previous partners from the area have abandoned the party.”

    Mansehra has witnessed a shift in political dynamics with PTI gaining ground in what was once considered the traditional bastion of Nawaz Sharif’s party. The decision to field Nawaz Sharif as a candidate from the area reflects the PML-N’s determination to regain political influence and challenge the current political landscape in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

    The former Prime Minister’s constituency, NA-120 in Lahore, is a pre-partition locality, part of Lahore’s famed ‘old city’, with historic buildings — many of which have since been demolished and made into commercial plazas.

    The constituency also comprises the shrine of Data Darbar, the city’s biggest wholesale market (Shalmi), an electronics market (Hall Road), and the vehicle parts market (Bilal Gunj).

  • Election candidates can submit their nomination papers by tomorrow

    Election candidates can submit their nomination papers by tomorrow

    The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will start receiving nomination papers from expected candidates tomorrow as the upcoming general elections are set to take place on February 8 next year in the country, The News has reported.

    District Retuning Officers (DROs) and Returning Officers (ROs) will take oaths today as per the Election Act of 2017. After that, the process of receiving nomination papers will start.

    A day earlier, at least 859 ROs completed their training for the upcoming polls while 144 DROs will complete their training today. The training of DROs and ROs was halted on December 14 after the stay order of Lahore High Court (LHC) on a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) petition against the appointment of officers.

    However, the Supreme Court (SC) suspended the LHC order and directed the ECP to release the election schedule as well as restore the training of DROs and ROs.

    Candidates who want to take part in the upcoming general elections can submit their nomination papers to their respective ROs from December 20 to December 22.

  • Government blocks CNICs of 18 PTI leaders

    Government blocks CNICs of 18 PTI leaders

    The caretaker federal government has blocked the CNIC of former minister Hammad Azhar and 18 other leaders of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

    The party leaders are facing legal charges following the May 9 riots. The list of leaders with blocked CNICs consists of Ali Amin Gandapur, Muhammad Aslam Iqbal, Malik Karamat Khokhar, Wasiq Qayyum Abbasi, Jamshed Iqbal Cheema, Zubair Khan Niazi, Malik Nadeem Abbas, and Ghulam Mohiuddin Dewan.

    According to officials, the CNICs have been blocked at the request of the police and will remain suspended until investigation is completed.

    Authorities also said that if PTI leaders do not appear before the court, they will be deprived of their legal rights.

    Earlier On Sunday, PTI conducted its first virtual jalsa through various social media platforms, amid accusations of an alleged ‘internet crackdown’ aimed at stopping the event’s impact,.

    Chairman PTI Barrister Gohar Khan spoke to approximately one million social media users globally, reaching audiences in Asia, Europe, and America.

  • Court grants bail to Fawad Chaudhry in corruption case

    Court grants bail to Fawad Chaudhry in corruption case

    A special court in Rawalpindi granted post-arrest bail to former federal minister Fawad Chaudhry on Sunday in a corruption case.

    The court announced its decision to release the former minister, ordering him to submit a surety bond of Rs200,000.

    Fawad Chaudhry was arrested in November, in a case pertaining to a Rs5 million bribe paid by a citizen in August 2022.

    Following the extension of his physical remand, he was subsequently placed on judicial remand and is currently incarcerated at the Adiala jail.

    While speaking with reporters outside the court, Fawad’s brother, Faisal Chaudhry, said that the ex-minister will take part in the upcoming polls, which are set to take place on February 8, 2024.

    He also said that it has not been decided yet on what party ticket Fawad will contest the election.

    “This decision will come as a surprise,” Faisal said.

    Faisal Chaudhry also said that the conflict between him and his sister-in-law, Hiba Fawad, is a family matter.

    “Hiba is my elder sister. [We] will resolve the domestic matter at home,” he stated.

  • Zardari stops party leaders from forming alliance with PTI in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

    Zardari stops party leaders from forming alliance with PTI in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) co-chairman and former president Asif Ali Zardari met PPP Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) leaders on Sunday to discuss the upcoming general elections and political alliances with like-minded parties.

    During the huddle, the former president also directed the PPP leaders to not form an alliance with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for the forthcoming polls on February 8 next year.

    Asif Zardari said that local leaders of PPP can form alliances with any other political party except the PTI in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

    The former president stayed at the Governor House, while KP Governor Haji Ghulam Ali met him as well.

    Governor Ghulam Ali and Mayor Peshawar Zubair Ali gave a traditional shawl to a PPP co-chairperson as a gift.

    Meanwhile, PPP’s senior leaders also ruled out an election alliance with the PTI in KP. “We never brought under discussion alliance with PTI in our meeting with party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Sunday,” said PPP leader and former MPA Mohammad Ali Shah Bacha.

    The head of the PPP women’s wing, Faryal Talpur, also attended the PPP KP parliamentary board meeting.

    Former Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani, former deputy speaker of the National Assembly (NA) Faisal Karim Kundi, Mohammad Ali Shah Bacha, and Rubina Khalid also attended the huddle.

    On the other hand, another PPP leader, Ziaullah Afridi, said that the former president didn’t visit KP. He claimed that he invited Zardari to his son’s wedding, and the former president just accepted it.

  • PML-N ticket applicants to submit nomination papers on December 20

    PML-N ticket applicants to submit nomination papers on December 20

    The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on Monday asked applicants to submit their nomination papers by December 20 for the forthcoming general elections, which are set to take place on February 8, next year, as per The News.

    Sources within the PML-N told The News that the process of review will be completed on Tuesday this week. He also confirmed that the senior leaders of the party will release the final list of ticket holders for both national and provincial assemblies on Thursday, and tickets will also be issued on the same day.

    Individuals who have submitted their nomination papers will be requested to withdraw. They will be reassigned to other prominent positions, such as the Senate or executive offices, if they do not receive the ticket.

    PML-N head Nawaz Sharif and party president, Shehbaz Sharif, after consultation with senior leaders, will release the list of ticket holders.

    The Sharif brothers are chairing the 12th session of the parliamentary board to access the constituencies. All recommendations from each session were compiled at the end of the huddle.

    The source also told the publication that the announcement about ticket holders was not disclosed because of seat adjustment matter with like-minded parties.