Tag: topnews

  • Motion to expel illegal immigrants from Sindh passes unanimously

    Motion to expel illegal immigrants from Sindh passes unanimously

    The Sindh Provincial Assembly on Tuesday passed the “substantive motion” unanimously demanding that authorities expel illegal immigrants of other countries from the province.

    The motion tabled by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) lawmaker Heer Soho read, “This Assembly is of the opinion that illegal immigrants residing in the Province Of Sindh belonging to other countries be extradited to their original countries.”

    However, the Sindh Assembly atmosphere heated up after Soho’s discriminatory comments on the Bihari community, terming them alien.

    Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) leadership strongly condemned Soho’s remarks, which were ultimately expunged from the proceeding at the request of Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Zia Lanjar.

    A member of MQM-P from Orangi town responded to Soho’s speech by stating that the Bihari community migrated twice to their homeland, Pakistan.

    “I am proud of being Bihari, and we cannot be termed illegal immigrants,” he concluded.

  • Bill tabled in Senate to increase number of Supreme Court judges to 21

    Bill tabled in Senate to increase number of Supreme Court judges to 21

    Senator Muhammad Abdul Qadir has introduced the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill in the Senate, proposing to increase the number of Supreme Court judges from 17 to 21.

    Lawmaker Qadir explained that the purpose of the amendment is to ensure quicker justice and to address the fifty-three thousand pending cases in the apex court. He emphasized that the amendment would significantly improve the judicial system’s efficiency.

    He also noted that billions of rupees in cases have remained unresolved due to the shortage of judges in the superior court and the lack of available time.

    The opposition, however, expressed concerns over the proposed amendment, arguing that it would favour the incumbent government and called it a “judiciary coup.”

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) parliamentary leader Barrister Ali Zafar advised the government to focus on reforming the lower judiciary rather than increasing the number of judges in the apex court.

    Law Minister Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar said, “Massive reforms are being introduced in the criminal procedure code, from registration of FIR to manner of arrest and discharge, and timelines in the material and sessions trial to the use of the modern device in the law of evidence,”

  • IMF urges Punjab to end electricity subsidy, imposes more conditions

    IMF urges Punjab to end electricity subsidy, imposes more conditions

    The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has put forward at least three strict conditions in Pakistan after the Punjab province gave Rs45 to Rs90 billion in electricity subsidies for two months.

    Last month, President of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Muhammad Nawaz Sharif announced that Punjab government would provide relief of fourteen rupees per unit to consumers using up to 500 units of electricity in August and September bills.

    The IMF has asked the province to end the temporary subsidy by September 30th while also clarifying that no province w
    could give such a subsidy during the 37-month Extended Fund Facility (EEF) programme.

    According to IMF, it was one of the conditions for the bailout that no provinces would take such a move. This brings into question Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s previous statement when he encouraged other provinces to follow suit of Punjab.

    Tribune reported that the IMF also introduced the condition that would bind the provinces to not introduce any fiscal policy that could undermine the commitments given under $7 billion loan.

    The provinces have committed to signing a National Fiscal Pact by the end of September, which would mean they undertake some expenditures that are currently the federal government’s responsibility.

  • Netherland court to try TLP’s Saad Hussain Rizvi on fatwa against Geert Wilders

    Netherland court to try TLP’s Saad Hussain Rizvi on fatwa against Geert Wilders

    A Netherlands high-security court has started a trial against the head of Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), Saad Hussain Rizvi, along with religious leader Muhammad Ashraf Jalali, for issuing a murder fatwa against far-right Islamophobic political leader, Geert Wilders.

    The Dutch prosecutor has demanded that the two religious leaders be sentenced to 14 years for promising his followers that they would be “rewarded in the afterlife” if they killed Geert Wilders.

    Wilders said, “This case has had a huge impact on me and my family. I’m asking this court (a high-security court) to send a strong signal that calling a fatwa in this country is unacceptable.”

    In 2018, a massive protest erupted in Pakistan after Wilders announced arranging a sketch competition of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

    After record protests in Muslim countries, he announced, “Due to violence, I decided that there will be no more sketching competition.”

  • ‘Boot ko izzat ko’; Imran lashes out at Nawaz

    ‘Boot ko izzat ko’; Imran lashes out at Nawaz

    Former Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has lashed out at ruling party Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) head Nawaz Sharif, stating that [he took] the fastest U-turn, turning the slogan “vote ko izzat do” into “boot ko izzat do”.

    Taking to X (formerly Twitter) Khan repeated what he had said to journalists in Adiala jail earlier in the day.

    He wrote that PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif had taken so many U-turns on his narrative that it could break the Guineas Book World Record.

    The founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) told journalists that federal ministers start ranting whenever PTI hints at dialogue over the May 9 event, stressing that he is always open to dialogue, even with the incumbent government.

    Talking about the September 8 rally at Islamabad, Khan stated, “We want the return of our stolen mandate, getting rid of the ‘qabza group’ and independence of the judiciary.”

    “It will be an honour for Pakistan to have an Oxford University chancellor; if I doesn’t make it, it doesn’t matter,” he concluded.

  • ‘CJP Qazi Faez Isa has rejected extension,’ claims Rana Sanaullah

    ‘CJP Qazi Faez Isa has rejected extension,’ claims Rana Sanaullah

    Prime Minister’s Special Assistant for Political Affairs, Rana Sanaullah, claimed in an interview with ARY News that Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa has rejected any possibility of an extension to his tenure.

    “CJP Isa is an honourable judge; an age limit extension for everyone is acceptable,” he said.

    “The government is short of the required number of constitutional amendments in parliament. It is the privilege of parliament to amend the constitution,” he added.

    Commenting on the previous extension of former Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Sanaullah said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif never hinted at an extension for Bajwa.

    “It is possible that after Isa’s retirement, WhatsApp messages may surface regarding communications between the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and former spymaster General Faiz Hameed on May 9th, and those who facilitated their communication may speak out later,” he concluded.

  • Objectionable material found on Orya Maqbool’s phone, claims Umar Cheema

    Objectionable material found on Orya Maqbool’s phone, claims Umar Cheema

    In a short clip that has gone viral on X (formerly Twitter), journalist Umar Cheema alleged that police have found objectionable material on Orya Maqbool Jan’s mobile phone while in custody.

    YouTuber Orya Maqbool Jan, known for his right-wing religious views, was arrested on August 22 by the FIA’s cybercrime wing in Lahore for alleged hateful social media posts regarding the Mubarak Sani case.

    “Charges brought up against him include sharing of vulgar and nude media in some drinking party where Orya Maqbool Jan is present.”

    He also alleged that the authorities have found evidence that indicates Orya’s team was involved in creating trends against Army Chief Gen Asim Munir.

    Umar opined that the coming days will tell how the case unfolds.

  • Raoof Hasan ‘hoped and prayed’ for end to deadlock between PTI and Army

    Raoof Hasan ‘hoped and prayed’ for end to deadlock between PTI and Army

    A day after former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif called for an across-the-board dialogue to end the political crisis in the country, PTI’s spokesperson Raoof Hasan stated he “hoped and prayed” that the deadlock between the military and the PTI would end.

    Raoof Hasan, who was recently released from jail in a cybercrime case, also stated to Voice of America that his party was interested in talking to the powers that be for the state’s interests.

    “PTI has done whatever it could to improve ties with the army,” he said, emphasising that any supposed talks would be within the Constitution’s ambit.

    “Instability will end once all institutions start working within the limits of the Constitution,” he added.

    Hasan also alleged that the ruling government was “desperate” to extend the tenure of Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa.

  • Guardian columnist not happy with Imran Khan’s Oxford Chancellor candidacy

    Guardian columnist not happy with Imran Khan’s Oxford Chancellor candidacy

    Guardian columnist Catherine Bennett has questioned former Prime Minister (PM) Pakistan Imran Khan’s candidacy for Chancellor of Oxford University, bringing up controversial statements that he said in the past.

    Bennett brought up the time Imran called Osama Bin Laden (OBL) a “martyr”, stressing that he refused to call Bin Laden a terrorist.

    She also showed concern on him congratulating the Taliban on the fall of Kabul, a development Imran said was “breaking the shackles of slavery,” after American troops withdrew from the Afghanistan region.

    The article raised eyebrows at the conservative peer Lord Hannan for calling Imran Khan, the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), “a towering figure.”

    Bennett further questioned Imran’s controversial statements on rape, that women should remove “temptation” because “not everyone has willpower.”

    She wrote, “The appointment is for a decade. Khan is months into his latest 14-year sentence, and the Oxford job involves, along with administrative duties, presiding over several key ceremonies. The chancellor must be readily accessible and available throughout the year.”

  • PML-N approaches Mahmood Khan Achakzai for direct negotiations with PTI

    PML-N approaches Mahmood Khan Achakzai for direct negotiations with PTI

    Prime Minister’s Advisor for Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah has been approached by Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) to negotiate with Chairman Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami party Mahmood Khan Achakzai, a source told Geo News.

    Achakzai has been approached to counsel the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) top leadership on direct negotiation and requested that PTI should appoint a committee that can discuss this behind the scenes.

    Earlier, former Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan along with PTI leadership had tasked Achakzai to negotiate with the incumbent government to achieve “political stability” in the country and to get back the party’s “stolen mandate.”

    Chairman PTI Barrister Gohar Khan had announced recently that PTI is not in favour of direct negotiations with Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P), Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).