Opposition discusses no-trust motion, talks with govt allies in latest moot

Tabling a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan and holding talks with the PTI-led government's allies were discussed in the Opposition's latest meeting.

The development came during a meeting of three big Opposition parties — PPP, PML-N, and JUI-F — at the residence of the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly and PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif.

The meeting between Shahbaz, Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, and PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari took place after a luncheon hosted by the PML-N president.

Another matter that came under discussion was the anti-government long march, sources told the media outlet, as the Opposition considers options of ousting the incumbent regime.

Following the luncheon at Shahbaz's residence, PDM and JUI-F chief Fazl visited the house of crucial government allies in Punjab and the Centre: the Chaudhry brothers.

Read more: Opposition leaders call PECA ordinance 'fascist, dictatorship' bill

Sources close to the matter told that the country's current political situation came under discussion during the moot — which was Fazl's second meeting with the PML-Q's Chaudhry brothers in a few days.

Meanwhile, PDM decided to join hands with the PPP to support the party's long march towards Islamabad against the PTI-led government, sources privy to the matter told Geo News.

PDM — the alliance of eight opposition parties — of which PML-N and JUI-F are the major ones, have decided to welcome the convoys of the long march.

PML-N will welcome the convoys in Punjab while the JUI-F will do so in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, sources added.

The development came a day after a meeting took place between Fazl and PPP co-chairman Asif Zardari.

During the meeting, different options were discussed for the success of the no-trust move against the prime minister, while the two leaders had also agreed to take estranged PTI leaders into confidence, sources had said.

It has been decided that the workers of component parties of the PDM will welcome the participants of the long march in each city across the country. The opposition leaders will deliver their speeches while standing on top of containers, sources said, adding that no stage will be set up in any city during the march.

Upon arrival in Islamabad, there will be a mass public meeting during which the date for the no-trust motion is likely to be announced.

Neither the long march will enter the Red Zone nor the PPP will stage a sit-in in Islamabad, sources said.

 

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Shahbaz Gill mocked Marriyum Aurangzeb's coffee after she posted a picture on Twitter

While it's common for politicians to take a swipe at each other on a regular basis, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Political Communication Shahbaz Gill on Wednesday went a step ahead and mocked PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb's coffee after she posted a picture on Twitter.

Aurangzeb captioned the picture: "Ordered coffee at a restaurant in Lahore and got this lovely surprise! Sher Agaya (lion is here)," referring to the election slogan of PML-N after she received a coffee with a "lion" as latte art.

Gill went on to mock her latte art, saying that it is "a lion made of froth that will soon dissolve". 

Asking her not to take things made of foam too seriously, Gill said that the "lion will turn into a goat" as soon as she would blow onto the coffee.

Ordered coffee at a restaurant in Lahore and got this lovely surprise!
شیر آ گیا ? @pmln_org pic.twitter.com/gbOsAyKjjO

— Marriyum Aurangzeb (@Marriyum_A) February 23, 2022

 

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PML-N decides to challenge PECA Ordinance

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on Wednesday, has decided to challenge the Prevention from Electronic Crime Act (PECA) ordinance 2022 in Islamabad High Court (IHC). According to details, PML-N has prepared the petition for withdrawal of ordinance against media and freedom of expression.

PML-N has stated the PECA ordinance is a violation of basic human rights and that they reject the recent amendments.

Earlier in the day, IHC had stopped the authorities from carrying out arrests under the section 20 of PECA Amendment Bill 2022.

While conducting hearing on petition filed by Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) against the ordinance, the court remarked that the director general of Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) will be responsible if detentions will be made under the section 20.

The IHC further strictly ordered to follow standard operating procedures (SOPs).

Earlier, PFUJ challenged the act in IHC and stated that the Constitution allows everyone to speak freely.

Media is being closed in the tenure of incumbent government of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) as unannounced restrictions were imposed on the journalists, the plea stated.

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Pakistan has reported 43 deaths in the last 24 hours

Pakistan has reported 43 deaths in the last 24 hours by novel coronavirus as the number of positive cases has surged to 1,503,873. The nationwide tally of fatalities has jumped to 30,096 on Wednesday.

According to National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) 1,232 persons tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 24 hours.

Punjab remains the worst-hit province in terms of deaths followed by Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Till now 13,471 individuals have lost their lives to the epidemic in Punjab, 8,045 in Sindh 6,226 in KP, 1,007 in Islamabad, 784 in Azad Kashmir, 374 in Balochistan, and 189 in GB.

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Ready to deploy more Rangers in Karachi if Sindh govt requests: Interior Minister

Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid offered on Tuesday to deploy more Rangers paramilitary in Karachi to curb the rising incidents of street crime in the metropolis.

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, he said: "If the Sindh government asks, we are ready to increase [the deployment of] our Rangers forces. We are even ready to deploy them at police stations."

"If [Sindh] Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah ask us for any assistance, we are willing to provide it," he added.

In response to a question, he further said the situation in Karachi was not good.

"The situation that I saw in Karachi yesterday cannot be expressed in words ... It seems as if there is no law [and order] in Karachi and this could have adverse consequences."

Rashid's offer for increasing Rangers' troops in Karachi comes after Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf MPA in the Sindh Assembly, Khurram Sher Zaman, wrote a letter to the interior minister, urging federal authorities to look into the important issue of rising street crime in Karachi and "take whatever appropriate measures are available to you as per the Constitution and law".

In the letter, which he shared on his Twitter, Zaman cited data by the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee, highlighting that 80,661 incidents of street crime were reported in Karachi in 2021, a surge of 27.2 per cent from 2020.

"Predictably, the people of Karachi have lost confidence and hope in the Sindh government and Karachi police," he wrote. "We are looking towards you, the prime minister and the federal government, for crucial help to improve the law-and-order situation in Karachi, as the prevailing law of the jungle is unacceptable."

Over the past few days, there has been a surge in killing during armed robberies and other street crimes in the city, with growing complaints from all segments of society that have also called out the security administration and provincial government for its failure to curb such incidents.

The recent violent incidents included the murder of a journalist associated with Samaa TV, Ather Mateen, which renewed criticism over the provincial authorities failure to control the rise in street crime in Karachi.

On Monday, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah presided over a meeting to work out a strategy for eradicating street crime in the city.

It was decided in the meeting that targeted operations would be launched against criminals in the city, and there would be legislation on e-tagging of habitual criminals.

During the meeting, the chief minister also rebuked police and the Rangers for the surge in street crime, saying: "I usually visit the city secretly but hardly have seen the police and Rangers on the roads or on patrolling in areas.”

Today, the chief minister visited slain Samaa TV journalist's residence to condole with his family, according to a statement issued by the Chief Minister's Office.

Speaking to the media on the occasion, he said Mateen's family had been assured that his killers would be punished.

"We are taking strict measures" to curb crime, he said, adding that the investigation of Mateen's murder was under way and expressed resolve to "defeat street criminals".

Meanwhile, Rashid also announced during his press conference that Prime Minister Imran Khan would launch an e-passport service after his return from Russia.

He said 13 new passport offices would be established in Sindh while 28 identity card stations of the National Database and Regulatory would be set up in the four provinces.

The interior minister reaffirmed the commitment to crush foreign-funded terrorists.

Regarding the upcoming visit of the Australian cricket team, the interior minister said excellent arrangements had been made for their security.

He further said the armed forces realised the critical situation in the country and that is why they said "we are with the elected government".

With regards to the political situation, Rashid said opposition parties would not get anything from their protest campaigns.

He said their move to table a no-confidence motion would also fail.

"If the opposition says they have kept their cards hidden, Imran Khan also keeps his cards close to his chest," he remarked. "Your talks, meetings and requests will not work."

In response to a question, he said in his view, the PTI should also engage its estranged leader Jahangir Tareen in talks.

"But the decision is Imran Khan's."

To another question, he said after the recent amendments to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016, the IT ministry had decided that the "investigation of cases [under the law] would be taken up by us."

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PECA ordinance challenged in LHC

The recently passed PECA Ordinance 2022 was challenged in the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday with the petition claiming that the ordinance is a 'sheer violation' of not only the judgements passed by the apex court but also the Constitution of Pakistan.

Petitioner Mohammad Ayub also claimed that the law was amended to save the government from its 'illegal acts' and requested the court to declare the ordinance unlawful, as it is liable to be set aside in the supreme interest of justice.

The petition made the principal staff officer of President Arif Alvi, principal secretary Prime Minister Imran Khan, secretary Ministry of Law and Parliamentary Affairs, secretary establishment, establishment division, secretary cabinet and secretary law and justice division as respondents.

Ayub also implored the court that the president promulgated PECA amendment ordinance with 'mala fide intention and for ulterior motive' just to 'harass and blackmail the opposition' as well as the public at large, the impugned ordinance was promulgated which is against the scheme of law.

"The motive behind the promulgation of the impugned ordinance is a directl attack upon the independence of the judicial system as well as judges of constitutional jurisdiction."

According to the impugned amendment in section 2 of the said Ordinance the word person of age less than 10 years or less than 14 years is replaced and according to impugned interpretation “person’ includes any company, association or body of persons whether incorporated or not, institution, organization, authority or any other body established by the government under any law or otherwise”.

The petitioner cited the case proceedings of Mohsin Baig claiming Islamabad High Court discouraged the power abuse by the public officers as well as FIA, furthermore the court discouraged the promulgation of harsh laws just to escape the public pressure.

According to the impugned amendment, the definition of aggrieved person is changed to achieve ulterior motives, any person either informant or complainant can file a complaint under the impugned amendment, it is not out of context to narrate here that due to said amendment the proxy litigation will increase and ultimately that will result in overburden the courts as well as prosecution, added the petition.

Shedding light on how the judicial system will be pressurised through this ordinance, the petitioner contended that judges are bound to submit their monthly reports to a higher forum, the high courts also have to submit their reports to secretary law and subsequently, secretary law would recommend the high court to take action against the judges. "It is very much regretted to state here that said amendment is an attack upon the freedom of the judicial system and same is liable to be declared illegal and unlawful."

"Article 19 of the Constitution talks about the freedom of speech, freedom of expression and freedom of the press. Every citizen of Pakistan has the right to hold an opinion, the right to express them, and the right to speech. Hence this impugned ordinance is a sheer violation of Article 19 of the Constitution of Pakistan 1973."

The petitioner also prayed to the court that the ordinance is set aside and till the final decision on the writ petition and the execution of the ordinance be suspended.

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Last thing Pakistan wants is world divided into blocs: PM Imran Khan

Pakistan wants to establish trading relations with all other countries to lift people out of poverty rather than becoming part of any bloc, Prime Minister Imran Khan said.

Ahead of his visit to Moscow, the premier gave an exclusive interview to Russian TV, reiterating that the last thing that Pakistan wants "is the world divided into blocs."

The PM will leave for Moscow on a two-day official visit tomorrow. This is the first visit of any Pakistani premier in the last 23 years.

During the interview, the premier noted that greater cooperation between the US, China and Russia will benefit everybody much more than the conflict.

Underscoring the need for a peaceful solution to the Ukraine issue, PM Imran Khan reiterated that military conflicts do not solve problems.

He said: "Pakistan wants to strengthen bilateral relations with Russia," adding that he looks forward to his Moscow visit.

"Pakistan is a gas deficient country," he highlighted, stating that the country's North-South Gas pipeline has suffered a delay because of the US sanctions on the Russian company "we were negotiating for the construction of the pipeline."

He further added the lifting of sanctions on Iran will also help Pakistan get the cheapest gas from the neighbouring country.

Replying to a question regarding relations with India, the premier said his government immediately reached out to India after coming to power in order to resolve the outstanding Kashmir dispute.

He, however, regretted that India has adopted a "racist ideology inspired by Nazis".

To a question, PM Imran Khan said climate change and illicit flow of money from poor countries to the developed world are the two major challenges faced by the world. He said the western countries should frame laws as they have on terror financing to check the illicit flows.

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Noor Mukadam murder case: Islamabad court to announce verdict on Feb 24

Following multiple twists and deferrals, a local court in Islamabad has finally reached a decision in the high-profile case pertaining to the murder of Noor Mukadam.

The District and Sessions Court judge, Justice Ata Rabbani, reserved the verdict in the case, after petitioner's counsel completed his arguments in the case. The reserved verdict will be announced on February 24.

The counsels representing the accused had already presented their final arguments in the last hearing.

At the outset of today's hearing, the main accused Zahir Jaffer was presented before court.

Advocate Khawar Shah, the counsel representing Noor's father, restated the details and events before the murder as per the CCTV footage submitted in evidence.

"The case has solid evidence against the accused, based on DVR, CDR, forensic and DNA reports. All the evidence gathered scientifically has been made part of the case," he said.

Maintaining that the prosecution has proved the case against Zahir, the counsel pleaded to the court to award strict punishment to all the accused.

Meanwhile, prosecutor Rana Hassan asked: "What would have a father gone through when he saw the decapitated body of his daughter?"

He contended that the biggest evidence against Jaffer is that he was arrested from the crime scene with the murder weapon and bloodstained clothes and the DVR was declared authentic and presented as the last evidence in the case.

"Each and every Pakistani is following [developments in] this case and observing how the country's system is working. The court should make this case an example by punishing the accused as strictly as possible," the prosecutor stated.

Countering the prosecution's arguments, Zahir's counsel maintained that the prosecution has been claiming that every object [evidence against accused] has Zahir's fingerprints, but it is still unable to state the reason for why his fingerprints weren't found on the murder weapon.

Why wasn't Noor's mother made part of the investigations, he questioned.

"Noor Mukadam could have called anyone to inform [about her situation] by locking herself in a bathroom but she didn't."

After completion of the arguments, the court reserved the verdict for announcement on February 24.

Zahir Jaffer pleads not guilty

The case took a new turn on February 10, when Zahir pleaded not guilty to the crime.

On behalf of the main accused, his lawyer submitted his client’s defence in the case in a questionnaire given by the court.

Zahir told the court that he was in a "relationship" with the victim for a long time and both the families also knew each other. However, he clarified that he was “not in touch with Noor for six months."

“On July 18, she voluntarily came to my house with a huge quantity of drugs. Noor told me to host a drug party and I refused,” said Zahir.

The accused then claimed before the court that on July 20 the victim invited her friends to the said party. He added he was alone at home at the time, as his parents and other family members were in Karachi for Eid celebrations.

“A few hours later when I woke up, I found myself tied in my lounge,” said Jaffer, adding that after a few minutes, uniformed police and people in civil clothes “rescued” him.

“When I was rescued, I got to know that Noor was murdered by someone attending the drug party or someone else murdered her,” said Jaffer.

He also claimed that the victim’s father is an “influential” person and got him involved in the case by pressurising the police.

The murder

The prime suspect in the murder of Noor Mukadam, Zahir, was formally charged for the crime by an Islamabad court in October 2021. Besides him, two of the family's employees — Jamil and Jan Mohammad — were also indicted, along with Zahoor.

Noor Mukadam, a 27-year-old woman, was murdered on July 20 within the limits of the ​Kohsar police station in Islamabad's F-7 area.

A case of murder was later registered at the same police station by Noor's father, former Pakistani ambassador Shaukat Ali Mukadam.

The Islamabad police arrested suspect Zahir on the night of July 20 from his house where, according to Noor's parents, he killed her with a sharp instrument and severed her head.

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PM Imran Khan launches spring tree plantation drive

Prime Minister Imran Khan launched Spring Tree Plantation Drive 2022 in Islamabad today (Tuesday) on the occasion of World Scout Day.

Following planting 1.4 billion trees under ten billion tree Tsunami program, a target of planting five hundred and forty million trees has been set for the spring tree plantation campaign.

Seven hundred and fifty thousand scouts of Pakistan Boy Scouts Association will also participate in this drive to achieve the target.

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COAS pays tribute to the supreme sacrifices of Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Tuesday has paid tribute to the supreme sacrifices of Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad (RuF) martyrs and spirit of the great people of Pakistan.

In a message on Twitter handle of Director General of military media wing Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), it was stated, “Today marks 5 years of Operation RuF. Aimed at consolidating gains of two decades long War on Terror and eliminating remnants of terrorists across the country, RuF placed security of people of Pakistan as core objective.”
The DG ISPR added, “Operations continue successfully as the country transitioned from uncertainty to peace.”
“The achievements of RuF have only been possible due to blood of martyrs and resilience of our people,” DG ISPR stated.

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No confidence motion, Zardari Shahbaz to meet today

Former President, Co-chairman Pakistan People s Party (PPP) Asif Ali Zardari and President Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) Shahbaz Sharif will hold meeting today (Tuesday) to discuss matters pertaining to no-confidence motion.

The meeting between the two leaders will be held at Bilawal House Lahore.

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari will host a dinner in honor of former Punjab Chief Minister and his delegation.

During the meeting, the political situation, progress on the no-confidence motion will be discussed while the two leaders will finalize the anti-government strategy in the meeting.

Earlier on February 5, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and former President Asif Ali Zardari met PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif in Model Town.

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Pakistan records 961 fresh corona cases in a day

Pakistan has reported 13 deaths in the last 24 hours by novel coronavirus as the number of positive cases has surged to 1,502,641. The nationwide tally of fatalities has jumped to 30,053 on Tuesday.

According to the latest figures by the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) 961 persons tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 24 hours.

Punjab remains the worst-hit province in terms of deaths followed by Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Till now 13,461 individuals have lost their lives to the epidemic in Punjab, 8,030 in Sindh 6,210 in KP, 1,005 in Islamabad, 784 in Azad Kashmir, 374 in Balochistan, and 189 in GB.

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Suisse secrets: Hundreds of Pakistanis included in Swiss bank leak

A leak from a Swiss bank has revealed the hidden wealth of its clients, including hundreds of Pakistanis, ranging from business people to politically exposed individuals and those who have been investigated, and in some cases convicted, in connection with various criminal actions.

The data reveals that 1,400 Pakistani citizens are linked to approximately 600 Credit Suisse accounts. It also included information about accounts that were closed but were still operational in the past.

Details relating to around 18,000 accounts and 30,000 account holders holding in excess of $100 billion in one of the world's largest private banks, Credit Suisse, are included in the breach. This is not all of the data available about the bank, which has 1.5 million private banking clients. Suisse Secrets is the only recorded leak of client data from a major Swiss bank to the media.

According to the report, the accounts of Pakistanis are diverse in nature. Additionally, they include individuals who have been or are currently under investigation by the National Accountability Bureau. Additionally, there are instances where the accused opened accounts while the investigation was ongoing and NAB was unaware of the transaction.

Numerous politically exposed individuals opened their accounts while holding public office and failed to disclose this fact in their asset declarations submitted to the Election Commission of Pakistan. One such individual received a substantial sum of money from Credit Suisse, at the height of his political career.

One of the wealthiest accounts held by a Pakistani at the bank was also owned by a politically exposed individual.

Additionally, the data contained details about several cases currently under investigation in Pakistan in which investigators were given incorrect information about the assets under scrutiny. While many believe that the phenomenon of fake accounts is limited to Pakistani banks, it has emerged that Pakistanis have also used Credit Suisse to open accounts in their proxies' names in the absence of the bank conducting proper due diligence.

The average maximum balance in Pakistanis' accounts was 4.42 million Swiss francs (Rs841 million), compared to the leaked data's overall average of 7.5 million Swiss francs (Rs1.42 billion). Almost two hundred clients worth more than 100 million Swiss francs (Rs19 billion) were discovered in the data, and more than a dozen had accounts worth billions.

A whistle blower shared this data with German newspaper, Süddeutsche Zeitung, which coordinated the project along with the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, the world’s biggest investigative journalism organisation with its presence in all continents. In a statement, the whistleblower declared the secrecy laws of Swiss banking as immoral.

He said: “The pretext of protecting financial privacy is merely a fig leaf of covering the shameful role of Swiss banks as collaborators of tax evaders.” Credit Suisse responding to questions sent by journalists rejected the allegations and said the details uncovered by reporters are based on “selective information taken out of context, resulting in tendentious interpretations of the bank’s business conduct.” More than 160 journalists from 48 media outlets in 39 countries across the world spent months analysing bank account information leaked from Credit Suisse, Switzerland’s second-largest lender.

While some accounts in the data dated back to the 1940s, more than two-thirds were opened from 2000 onward. Many of them were still open well into the last decade. News Desk adds: The client rosters of Swiss banks are among the world’s most closely guarded secrets, protecting the identities of some of the planet’s richest people and clues into how they accumulated their fortunes, the New York Times reported.

The data covers accounts that were open from the 1940s until well into the 2010s but do not cover the bank’s current operations. Among the people listed as holding amounts worth millions of dollars in Credit Suisse accounts were King Abdullah II of Jordan and the two sons of the former Egyptian strongman Hosni Mubarak.

Swiss banks have long faced legal prohibitions on taking money linked to criminal activity, said Daniel Thelesklaf, the former head of Switzerland’s anti-money laundering agency. But, he said, the law generally hasn’t been enforced.

The leak follows the so-called Panama Papers in 2016, the Paradise Papers in 2017 and the Pandora Papers last year. The new disclosures are likely to intensify legal and political scrutiny of the Swiss banking industry and, in particular, Credit Suisse. The bank is already reeling from the abrupt ousters of its two top executives.

With its ironclad bank-secrecy laws, Switzerland has long been a haven for people who are looking to hide money. In the past decade, that has made the country’s largest banks — especially its two giants, Credit Suisse and UBS — a target for the authorities in the United States and elsewhere who are trying to crack down on tax evasion, money laundering and other crimes.

In 2014, Credit Suisse pleaded guilty to conspiring to help Americans file false tax returns and agreed to pay fines, penalties and restitution totaling $2.6 billion. The bank also kept accounts open for a Zimbabwean businessman who was sanctioned by US and European authorities for his ties to the government of the country’s longtime president, Robert Mugabe. The accounts stayed open for several months after the sanctions were imposed.

The leaked bank information included many accounts linked to government officials across the Middle East and beyond. The data raises questions about how public officials and their relatives accumulated vast fortunes in a region rife with corruption.

Senior officials and their offspring from several countries that cooperated with the United States in the war on terrorism also had money stashed at Credit Suisse.

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