Tag: The Current

  • Asad Umar gets pre-arrest bail in cipher case; Qureshi, Imran bail pleas rejected

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Asad Umar got pre-arrest bail in US cipher case from a special court on Thurday. On the other hand, PTI’s Chairman Imran Khan and Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi’s bail pleas got rejected in the same case while their judicial remand has been extended till September 26.

    Special prosecutor Shah Khawar told the judge Abul Hasnat that Umar’s arrest is not necessary at this stage.

    “Asad Umar’s arrest is not required in the case as yet and no evidence against him has been gathered as of now,” Shah Khawar told the judge, adding that if investigators found evidence against the former finance minister, he would be informed.

    “If Asad Umar’s arrest is required, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) will proceed according to law,” the judge ordered.

    Judge Hasnat also instructed FIA to inform Asad Umar before arresting him.

  • JUI-F leader Hafiz Hamdullah injured in Mastung blast

    JUI-F leader Hafiz Hamdullah injured in Mastung blast

    Jamiat Ulema Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) leader Hafiz Hamdullah has been injured on Thursday in a blast in the Mastung area of Balochistan, Geo News has reported.

    According to initial details, the senator and JUI-F spokesperson was going to Mangochar when the roadside explosion took place.

    JUI-F has said in a statement that Hafiz Hamdullah was sent to Quetta after he was given initial medical aid and is “out of danger” now.

    The senator’s gunman, also injured in the blast, has been sent to Mir Ghaus Bakhsh Raisani Hospital for further treatment.

    Frontier Constabulary (FC) and Levies officials reached the site and cordoned off the area. Investigations have begun.

  • Naseem out, Zaman in; Rauf to possibly play today against Sri Lanka

    Naseem out, Zaman in; Rauf to possibly play today against Sri Lanka

    Right-arm fast bowler Zaman Khan has replaced Naseem Shah in today’s Asia Cup 2023 match against Sri Lanka.

    According to a press release issued by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Naseem Shah got injured on Monday in the last match against India. Pakistan team’s medical panel is continuously monitoring his health as the upcoming one-day international World Cup is going to start on October 5.

    Zaman Khan joined the team on Thursday and will bowl against Sri Lanka in today’s crucial match.

    PCB also said about pacer Haris Rauf that he “continues to recover well” after he felt discomfort in his right flank in the match against India.

    “These two fast bowlers are our assets, and the team’s medical panel will provide them the best possible care ahead of the all-important World Cup,” the press release quoted the team’s doctor, Sohail Saleem, as saying.

    Shahnwaz Dhani also joined the 17-player squad on Thursday.

  • Police chief tells court Imran Riaz investigation heading in ‘right direction’

    The Lahore High Court (LHC) adjourned till next week a hearing in the Imran Riaz recovery case as the Punjab Police chief told the court that investigation is heading in “right direction”.

    Television anchor and YouTuber Imran Riaz was arrested two days after May 9 riots, following former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s arrest. After the journalist’s arrest, he was taken to Cantt police station and then transferred to Sialkot jail.

    After this a law officer told the court on May 15 that Imran Riaz has been released from the jail after giving an undertaking in writing. His family and lawyer, however , were still not aware of his whereabouts.

    An FIR was registered against “unidentified persons” for allegedly kidnapping the journalist.
    In the previous hearing on September 6, conducted by LHC Chief Justice Muhammad Ameer Bhatti, the Punjab Inspector General (IG) Dr Usman Anwar said there was “positive progress” in the case.

    “We will give good news in the next 10 to 15 days,” he told the court. The hearing was then adjourned till today.

  • There was and is only one Chairman of PTI: Shah Mehmood Qureshi still loyal to Imran

    There was and is only one Chairman of PTI: Shah Mehmood Qureshi still loyal to Imran

    Vice-chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Shah Mehmood Qureshi said on Wednesday that there was and is only one Chairman of the party, putting to rest any speculation about his loyalty to Imran Khan.

    Appearing before a special court in Islamabad for a hearing of the cipher case, the former Foreign Minister said that Pakistan is very dear to him. “I am confident that I have never betrayed my country,” Qureshi said as he talked to media while in handcuffs.

    “The gallows are near where I am incarcerated. I am loyal to my country. If I have been disloyal, then hang me,” Qureshi told members of the press, adding that he is in solitary confinement. “I am not allowed to walk around like other prisoners are. I also eat the same food as the other prisoners, I am not allowed food from home,” he said, describing the conditions inside Adiala Jail.

    Shah Mehmood said that he met his wife and children on Tuesday. “My family is going through torture,” he commented.

    Talking about PTI chairman Imran Khan, Qureshi said that no one can replace him. “Speculation and confusion are being spread about the chairmanship of the party,” he commented.

  • State institutions should respect ECP on delimitation process and election schedule: Law Ministers

    State institutions should respect ECP on delimitation process and election schedule: Law Ministers

    The interim federal and provincial law ministers have urged all state institutions to respect the authority of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in matters related to the delimitation process and election schedule.

    The statement was issued by the law ministers after a meeting chaired by caretaker Law and Justice Minister Ahmad Irfan in Islamabad was conveyed in the form of a press release today.

    The meeting was held to discuss a matter related to the upcoming general elections in the country. The provincial law ministers, Kanwar Dilshad (Punjab), Muhammad Omer Soomro (Sindh), Arshad Hussain Shah (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), and Amanullah Kanrani (Balochistan), attended the huddle.

    The conclusion of the important meeting was that the country’s electoral authority alone can announce the election date as per the constitution.

    “The Election Commission of Pakistan is an independent constitutional body,” the statement issued by the ministry read.

    The law ministry issued the statement a day after caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar said that President Arif Alvi has no power to announce the election date.

  • Nawaz Sharif will return to Pakistan on October 21, Shehbaz confirms

    Nawaz Sharif will return to Pakistan on October 21, Shehbaz confirms

    The president of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and former Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif confirmed on Tuesday that PML-N head Nawaz Sharif will return to the country on October 21, Geo News has reported.

    “Nawaz Sharif will reach Pakistan on October 21,” Shehbaz told Geo after a meeting of the top leadership of PML-N in London, headed by the party’s head.

    While speaking to the media after the high-level party huddle in London, Shehbaz said that the date for Nawaz’s return was finalised after consultation with party members.

    The former prime minister mentioned that the credit for starting big development projects like the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and an end to load-shedding in the country “goes to Nawaz”.

    “Nawaz returned with thanks the package which was offered to him for not making Pakistan a nuclear power, saying that Pakistan’s interest was much more valuable than $5 billion,” Shehbaz further said.

  • We are ready for the upcoming elections: Maulana Fazlur Rehman

    We are ready for the upcoming elections: Maulana Fazlur Rehman

    Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has stated on Tuesday that his party is prepared for the upcoming general election even if they are held tomorrow.

    He gave this statement while speaking on Hamid Mir’s program ‘Capital Talk’ on Geo News. Maulana’s statement comes one day after Chairman Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto Zardari took a jibe at his party’s former allies, saying that they are “running away” from the elections.
    “Conduct the elections tomorrow… we are ready for the polls even for tomorrow,” Maulana said.

    The President of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) also said that his party had consistently called for new elections during the three and half years of Imran Khan’s government, reminding Hamid Mir that his party didn’t accept the result of 2018 polls and that stakeholders in All-Parties Conference (APC) were also not happy about the results.

    “The APC agreed that the [2018] election results will not be accepted,” he said, adding that it meant that all political parties unanimously demanded new elections.

  • President Alvi has no power to announce the election date, says PM Kakar

    President Alvi has no power to announce the election date, says PM Kakar

    Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar has said on Monday that President Arif Alvi has no right to announce a date for general elections as it is the responsibility of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

    Multiple sources have told different media outlets that President Arif Alvi is set to announce the election date.

    Earlier in the day, during their second meeting in ten days, President Alvi had a discussion on the election schedule with the caretaker law minister.

    According to sources in the president’s house, the idea that President Alvi will choose a date for the upcoming general election is “wrong”, confirming that discussions on polls are still going on.

    However, PM Kakar said in an interview that, according to the law, ECP has the power to announce the election date.

    The caretaker PM further said that “We have no intention to prolong the tenure of the caretaker government.”

  • Political leaders should have equal opportunities to contest elections, says Bilawal Bhutto

    Political leaders should have equal opportunities to contest elections, says Bilawal Bhutto

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said on Tuesday that there should be a level-playing field for all political leaders, emphasizing that they do not have equal opportunities to contest the upcoming general elections.

    Addressing the media in Sukkur where he was paying a visit to the family of slain journalist Jan Muhammad Mahar, the former Foreign Minister said, “There is no level-playing field for everyone, and that is my objection.”

    The statement came in response to a question about the availability of a level-playing field for his party as two prominent politicians, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Nawaz Sharif and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Imran Khan, are currently ineligible to run in the upcoming general elections due to convictions in separate corruption cases.

    Talking about Mahar, who was shot dead on August 17 in Sukhur by unidentified men, the chairman of the PPP said that a joint investigation team (JIT) is looking into the case.

    “I have come here to offer my condolences to Jan Muhammad Mahar’s family, and we stand by them,” said Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.