Khursheed Shah of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has hinted at the caretaker government colluding with Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N), stating that Prime Minister house is currently in the hands of party that was previously in power.
“The government will not work if someone is forcefully imposed on us to rule. If the (prime minister) is selected, then the country will only suffer,” said Shah while speaking to media persons in Lahore.
Shah mentioned that PML-N is teaming up with MQM-P for the elections, while highlighting that PPP is running independently.
“The people of Punjab had shown their trust in PPP in the past,” said Shah, adding if there are any ‘punctures’ in the elections, then there will be a lot of damage.
“There is no interference during the voting process around the world,” he said while calling for the restoration of democracy through voting in Pakistan.
Reiterating his party’s stance on level-playing field, the PPP leader wondered how can the parties have equal opportunities during the upcoming general elections when there are PML-N leaders in the incumbent caretaker government.
The Punjab government on Thursday revised the terms of the lockdown imposed in multiple districts of the province as major cities grapple with crippling fog.
In its amended notification, the Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department of the province notified that call centres and international information technology companies will be allowed to operate during the lockdown.
While markets in the eight smog-hit districts will be allowed to operate today and tomorrow; however, shopping malls and markets will be closed on Saturday and Sunday.
The notification also states that cinema halls, restaurants and gyms will remain open today as per routine.
The decision will remain in effect in Lahore, Nankana Sahib, Sheikhupura, Kasur, Gujranwala Narowal, Hafizabad and Sialkot.
Previous Notification
A day earlier, an environmental and health emergency had been declared in Lahore, Gujranwala, and Hafizabad divisions for four days due to the prevailing smog conditions.
Caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi made the announcement during a press conference on Tuesday when the air quality index (AQI) in the city measured 390, falling under the category of hazardous.
At this AQI level, the city maintained its position as one of the most polluted cities with citizens experiencing a hazy and smoggy atmosphere throughout the day. The air quality was severely poor, making it nearly impossible to breathe normally outdoors.
Notification issued on Tuesday detailed that from Thursday to Sunday i.e., November 9, 2023, to November 12, 2023, all markets, shopping malls, restaurants, cinemas, gymnasiums, schools (public and private), and offices (public and private) will remain closed in Lahore, Nankana Sahib, Sheikhupura, Kasur, Gujranwala Narowal, Hafizabad and Sialkot.
Also, the movement of people will be limited to and from these areas by public and private transport.
In preparation for the upcoming general elections, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has announced the creation of a ‘political engagement committee’ on Wednesday. The committee’s job is to talk to other political parties that PTI will compete against in the upcoming elections.
The five-member committee includes Senator Ali Zafar, Senator Dr Humayun Mohmand, Ali Muhammad Khan, Ali Asghar Khan and Raoof Hasan, the party notification shared on its official X account stated.
The development comes days after ecent announcement by the previous ruling party that they plan to participate in the upcoming elections in every constituency, both at the local and national levels.
The political party led by Imran Khan usually strongly criticizes its rivals, especially the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F), accusing them of corruption and stealing from the country. However, now PTI is willing to set aside old disagreements to work together to form new political partnerships, so they can be stronger in the upcoming general elections on February 8 next year. A day earlier, the PML-N and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) announced that they will “jointly contest” the upcoming polls.
Sindh Governor Kamran Khan Tessori has called for severe punishment for Imran Khan, the Chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, emphasizing that the former Prime Minister should be held accountable for planning and carrying out the attacks that targeted the Pakistan Army in various cities of Pakistan.
Speaking at a press conference held at the Pakistan High Commission in London, the Governor stated that he believes Khan should have been swiftly punished within a week after the attacks to send a strong message to deter others from trying to harm the country’s armed forces in a similar way. “I believe that those involved in the May 9 attacks should not have been processed through the courts, they should have been publicly sentenced. Those put in jail should have been sentenced a long time ago for their attacks on Pakistan army installations, for attacking the corp commander’s house, for attacking the [General Headquarters] GHQ, for attacking the Pakistan Army physically and for the vandalism. What they did were acts of terrorism.
“Nobody anywhere is allowed to attack even a police station. Protests happen all over the world but terrorism and vandalism are not allowed in the civilised world. It shouldn’t be like this where you get involved in acts of terror and then the cases go on in courts for years without any punishment for anyone. Our patriotism demands it,” he said.
Tessori emphasized that we shouldn’t forget that the events of May 9 made Pakistan look bad in front of the entire world. The attackers showed no respect for the people who died and their families. Those who were responsible for these actions also showed a great lack of respect for the people who protect our country.
Chaudhry Nauman Asif, a resident of Pind Dadan Khan in District Jhelum, has accused former federal minister Fawad Chaudhry of stealing six sacks of urea fertilizer and six sacks of DAP fertilizer from his house.
A First Information Report (FIR) registered on November 3, 2023 says.
سابق وزیر اطلاعات و نشریات فواد چودھری کے خلاف جہلم میں مقدمہ درج
تحریک انصاف کے دور میں 30 اکتوبر 2020 کو پنڈ دادن خان میں زمیندار کے گھر سے 6 بوری یوریا کھاد اور 6 بوریاں ڈے اے پی کھاد چوری کی فواد چودھری نے 4 عدد چارپائیاں، میز کرسیاں اور صوفہ سیٹ چوری کیا، ایف آئی آر متن pic.twitter.com/fBj2urGh2E
The complainant claimed that Fawad Chaudhry stole four ‘charpai’ [charpoy] from his house as well.
During a telephonic conversation with The Current, Nauman was asked why he didn’t lodge an FIR immediately after the incident. “At that time, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was in power, no one was ready to register an FIR against Fawad Chaudhry.”
The complainant also accused the former federal minister of being involved in the murder of his brother.
Fawad Chaudhry is currently in Adiala jail on a 14-day judicial remand in a fraud case.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has challenged his indictment in the cipher case in the Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday. The former prime minister approached the SC through his counsel Hamid Khan, urging the top court to declare illegal the Islamabad High Court’s (IHC) decision to withhold the indictment.
He had previously argued his case before the Supreme Court, claiming that he was being unfairly targeted for political reasons. The former prime minister further asserted that government machinery is being used to fabricate false charges against him.
This is the second petition the PTI chief has filed in the Supreme Court related to the cipher case.
Last week, Imran Khan submitted a request to the Supreme Court for post-arrest bail in the cipher case. Imran and party’s vice chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi are currently in Adiala jail.
President Arif Alvi has penned a letter to Interim Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar, expressing the concerns of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) regarding the “erosion of fundamental rights and a level playing field for all political parties” in the upcoming general elections.
This communication follows the announcement of elections being held on February 8, 2024, stirring political activity across major party lines.
The details mentioned on X (formerly Twitter) account state, “President Dr. Arif Alvi has conveyed to the Care-taker Prime Minister, Mr. Anwar ul Haq Kakar, the concerns of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on the erosion of fundamental rights and level playing field for all political parties.”
He also forwarded a letter addressed to him by the General Secretary of PTI, Mr. Omar Ayub Khan, to the Prime Minister containing the concerns of the party.
In his letter, the President stated that it was of utmost importance that the caretaker government under the Prime Minister’s leadership made efforts as a neutral entity to provide a level playing field for all political parties.
President Dr. Arif Alvi has conveyed to the Care-taker Prime Minister, Mr. Anwar ul Haq Kakar, the concerns of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on the erosion of fundamental rights and level playing field for all political parties.
“In this context, it was reassuring to hear your recent statements whereby you stated that it was the caretaker government’s policy that all registered political parties should have equal rights and opportunities to contest the forthcoming elections”, he wrote.
He said that “there was a resonance in Pakistan that for free, fair and credible elections, all political parties and leaders had right to contest and it was up to people to decide.”
In his letter, President Alvi said that he was constitutionally “duty-bound, along with the prime minister and all institutions, to protect the rights of the citizens”.
He said that in his missive, the PTI secretary general had conveyed the party’s concerns and allegations regarding the “erosion of fundamental rights, with particular reference to enforced disappearances, forced conversions of political loyalties, absence of level playing field for major political parties, crackdown on media and mistreatment of female political activists through prolonged illegal detentions”.
In response to the concerns, PM Kakar has offered assurances that individuals affiliated with PTI Chairman Imran Khan, currently incarcerated in connection with the cipher case and convicted in the Toshakhana case, will be permitted to participate in the upcoming polls.
A session court in Islamabad has sent former federal minister Fawad Chaudhry to Adiala jail on judicial remand in a fraud case on Wednesday.
After the end of a one-day physical remand, Fawad Chaudhry was brought before the judicial magistrate, Yasir Mehmood.
The former minister’s council, Qamar Inayat, requested that the court remove his client’s handcuffs, to which the court agreed.
The lawyer asked for time to hold consultations, upon which the court ordered a 15-minute break.
After the break, Fawad Chaudhry told the court that it’s the third hearing, but a complainant has not been presented. After that, the court announced its decision to send Chaudhry on a 14-day judicial remand to Adiala jail.
Later, Fawad Chaudhry said in his media talk that Nawaz Sharif should play a role in decreasing political tension.
The legal saga surrounding Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s jail trial and the controversial cipher case took center stage in Islamabad this week.
On Tuesday, three witnesses provided their testimonies against the PTI chief and his party’s Vice Chairman, Shah Mahmood Qureshi.
Judge Zulqarnain presided over the proceedings at Adiala jail under the special Official Secrets Act court. PTI legal representatives included Barristers Salman Safdar, Taimur, and Gohar Ali Khan, while special prosecutors comprised of Shah Khawar, Zulfikar Abbas Naqvi, and Raja Rizwan Abbasi.
During the proceedings, PTI’s lawyer, Salman Akram Raja, representing Khan, raised concerns over the trial’s confined space within the jail premises, emphasizing that it wasn’t in line with legal protocols.
Family members met the two leaders before witnesses’ statements and cross-examination were conducted; legal teams consulted with Khan and Qureshi. The PTI chief met with his wife Bushra Bibi and sisters Aleema Khan, Noreen Khanum, and Uzma Khan, within the jail premises.
Qureshi’s daughter, Meharbano, was also present during the trial. She also spoke with the media outside the jail, and demanded justice and a fair trial for her father.
“Let the family in; no one can have security concerns from their family. Fair trial is my father’s right and as a daughter, I have the right to see the trial,” she added.
Contempt of court petition
Adiala jail superintendent responded to the contempt of court petition filed by Khan on Wednesday, requesting the court to dismiss the contempt of court petition.
“Can’t even think of disobeying the court order,” he stated in his reply.
The superintendent told the court there is no permanent facility to make phone calls abroad on WhatsApp. He informed the court that the PTI chief spoke with his children on October 18, after the jail took special measures to make the call possible.
“Arrangements are made for prisoners to speak with family and lawyers at the jail PCO,” he said, adding that the court can direct the Punjab Home Department to amend the rules with regard to making phone calls.
The court, meanwhile, adjourned the hearing of the contempt petition till Monday due to the absence of Judge Abual Hasnat Zulqarnain.
Islamabad High Court
Islamabad High Court’s Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb asked the Attorney General of Pakistan to ensure that the cipher case trial was not conducted in an inappropriate manner, otherwise, it might collapse like a house of cards.
An IHC bench, comprising Justice Aurangzeb and Justice Saman Rafat Imtiaz, heard the intra-court appeal filed by Khan against his jail trial and the appointment of the special court’s judge in the cipher case.
The court adjourned the proceedings to November 14, allowing time for the attorney general to present arguments.
Nawaz wants his own umpires
Talking to media persons outside Adiala Jail, Imran Khan’s lawyer Barrister Umair Niazi said the PTI chief had criticised PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and also rejected the trial of civilians in military courts.
The PTI lawyer quoted Mr Khan as saying that Nawaz Sharif cannot play without his own umpires and is again looking towards them. All political parties, except the PML-N, are calling for a level playing field, he added.
Khan expressed concern over the fresh wave of terrorism in the country and said this was because of a “weak” Afghan policy as Mr Bhutto-Zardari, being the foreign minister, did not visit Kabul to address the issue of terrorism.
Former prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) head Nawaz Sharif will visit Balochistan on November 13, marking his first visit within the country after his return to Pakistan on October 21.
Nawaz Sharif will meet more than 20 electable politicians and known political personalities of the province.
According to Samas, the politicians will join PML-N after meeting Sharif.
On the other hand, the PML-N will announce seat adjustment with the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP).
The former prime minister will also meet with the newly formed party structure in Balochistan.
