Pakistan

PML-N lashes out at Bugti for suggesting Nawaz’s arrest

Published

2 months ago

September 26, 2023

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ISLAMABAD:

Lashing out at Caretaker Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti on Tuesday over his comments regarding the possible arrest of PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif, former interior minister Rana Sanaullah said that his predecessor Sheikh Rashid’s current predicament should be considered before making such remarks.

The country has suffered the impact of conspiracies against Nawaz, said Sanaullah, adding that the Almighty’s blessings and the force of the public were with the three-time former premier.

He warned Bugti to look at Rashid’s current state – the latter was detained earlier this month and has not been produced before the courts yet.

“Implicating Nawaz in false cases was tantamount to enmity with the country and its people,” claimed Sanaullah.

Read Shehbaz insists return schedule unchanged

He advised Bugti against attempting to increase his “stature” by building rhetoric against the PML-N supremo. “Don’t worry about Nawaz. He has faced both prisons and the forces. You worry about your own work. It won’t be the federal government or the interior minister who will decide where Nawaz will go when he lands at the airport on October 21, but the public.”

Sanaullah further claimed that Nawaz has always abided by the courts and will do so again.

The former interior minister’s remarks were seconded by PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb, who took to X, formerly Twitter, to caution Bugti against exceeding his “political stature”.

She advised the interim interior minister to use his resources to provide security and peace to the people. Nawaz is “for life” while Bugti is in office temporarily, she said, reminding the latter that the PML-N supremo has occupied the prime minister’s office thrice.

سرفراز بگٹی صاحب جتنا سیاسی قد ہے اُتنی بات کریں نواز شریف نے ائیرپورٹ سے کہاں جانا ہے یہ نہ آپ کا مسئلہ ہے اور نہ آپ کا فیصلہ ۔اپنی فورس اور تیاری عوام کو تحفظ اور امن فراہم کرنے کے لئے استعمال کریں .قائد نواز شریف نے 21 اکتوبر کو ایئرپورٹ سے کہاں جانا ہے؟ یہ نواز شریف اور عوام…
— Marriyum Aurangzeb (@Marriyum_A) September 26, 2023

Nawaz’s arrival, possible arrest

Meanwhile, Bugti issued a clarification regarding remarks he made during a news segment broadcast by a private media outlet, earlier this week.

Bugti was reported to have said that a huge force would not be required to arrest one accused from the airport but Nawaz would not want to be arrested.

Later, the interim minister said that his comment was given a “political color” and was “taken out of context”, Express News reported.

Read further Nawaz not to ‘adopt anti-establishment stance’

“The caretaker government does not have any political agenda,” he said, welcoming Nawaz’s return to the country’s political sphere.

Nawaz will be treated according to the law, said Bugti, adding that a large section of the public awaits his return.

The minister further said that the state has its own process for the return of any accused person. “Nawaz is a former prime minister returning to the country. He has cases pending against him in courts and the interior ministry has nothing to do with that,” said Bugti.

He said that the state has its own arrangements for the return of any accused, Nawaz Sharif is the former prime minister who is returning to the country and the cases are pending in the courts and the Ministry of Interior has nothing to do with this matter. The statement was given a political color even though the caretaker government has no political agenda.

The three-time former premier is slated to return from the United Kingdom on October 21, after roughly four years.

Nawaz, who is embattled in various cases, including the National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) Avenfield, Al-Azizia and Hill Metal and the Flagship references, had left for his current abode in London in December 2019 on the pretext of a medical ailment after the Lahore High Court had granted him permission to travel abroad for four weeks.

Related Topics:arrest Bugti lashes Nawazs PMLN suggesting

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Pakistan

MQM-P urges devolution via constitutional amendments

Published

32 mins ago

December 9, 2023

Admin

Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) Senior Deputy Convener Mustafa Kamal has said that his party has proposed three constitutional amendments for the devolution of powers from the Chief Minister’s House to the people in the streets in order to save the country.

Addressing the ‘Meet the Editors’ programme of the Council of Newspaper Editors (CPNE) on the theme of ‘General Elections and Future Strategy’, Kamal said that the amendments proposed by the MQM-P were vital to save the country. He said that the party was sending these proposals to the leaders of all political parties.

Read MQM-P plans election rallies across Sindh

“Those who are angry with the slogan of province should support our constitutional amendments,” he said. “Despite the 18th Amendment, powers and financial resources have not been transferred to the grassroots level.” He criticised the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), saying that the former ruling party in the provinces was banking on the boycott from London.

However, he asserted that the MQM-P would win all 22 National Assembly seats from Karachi in the upcoming general elections.
“The MQM is fully active for the preparation of the elections,” Kamal said. The MQM-P leader added that currently, there were three major political parties in the country – the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the PPP.

On the occasion, MQM-P Coordination Committee member and former federal minister Aminul Haq said that elections would be held on Feb 8. He assured that the MQM-P fully believed in the freedom of expression and the rights of journalists. Whenever any attempt was made to usurp the rights of journalists or restrict the freedom of expression, Haq added, the MQM-P, along with the CPNE and other journalist organisations, resisted and thwarted such moves at every forum, including parliament.

Pakistan

Ahad Cheema acquitted in NAB reference

Published

2 hours ago

December 9, 2023

Admin

LAHORE:

An accountability court on Friday acquitted Ahad Cheema, the special assistant to the caretaker prime minister, in assets beyond means reference filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

Accountability Judge Ali Zulqarnain had reserved the ruling on the acquittal plea after hearing arguments of the NAB prosecutor and the defence counsel earlier in the day. Cheema also appeared before the court during the proceedings.

On Nov 27, in a supplementary report, NAB informed the court that Cheema’s assets were consistent with his known income, asserting that properties held by alleged benamidars/relatives were not his. Based on evidence, the case under NAO, 1999, was not substantiated, it added.

Read Three PM aides fail to submit asset statements

Cheema had served as the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) director general during the PML-N government in Punjab. The bureau had arrested Cheema in 2018 when he appeared before a joint investigation team in connection with the Ashiana-e-Iqbal Housing Scheme case.

Later, NAB initiated assets beyond means and other inquiries against him. However, Cheema obtained bail in three cases, including assets beyond means case in 2021.

Pakistan

Bilawal consults legal minds on ZAB reference

Published

3 hours ago

December 9, 2023

Admin

ISLAMABAD:

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Friday consulted legal minds of his party on the presidential reference case of his late grandfather, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

The development came during a meeting of central and provincial officials as well as legal experts of the Peoples Lawyers Forum (PLF) at Zardari House here. Bilawal chaired the meeting.

During the meeting, the PLF officials briefed Bilawal on the presidential reference case of ZAB. Farooq H Naik and Shahadat Awan participated in the meeting through video link while Qazi Bashir, Bahram Khan Tareen, Raheel Kamran Cheema, Sajid Tanoli, Gohar Rehman Khattak, Ghiyasul Haque and Asrar Abbasi were present.

Read Bhutto murder reference to be heard after 11 years

Syed Nayyar Hussain Bokhari, Faisal Karim Kundi, Raza Rabbani and Amna Paracha were also present in the meeting.
Meanwhile, a civil society delegation also met with Bilawal and discussed the challenges faced by the masses and their solutions.
Bilawal appreciated the delegation for their services and performance in their respective fields.

Ahmed Faraz Khan Advocate, Barrister Saifullah Ghori, Bilal Tariq Khan, Dr Abdul Mohiman, Dr Maria Hamid, Dr Salma Malik, Faheem Sardar, Hafiz Muhammad Tahir, Huma Fawad, Jahanzeb Durrani and Kanwal Malik were among those who met the PPP chairman.

Lubna Bhayat, SM Tariq, Javed Akhtar, Pir Mohammad Anwar, Junaid, Raja Mohammad Khan, Sania Kamran, Shehbaz Zaheer, Shamamata Al Ambararbab, Buland Sohail, Kashaf Ahmed, Talha Rahmani, Osama Malik, Usman Iqbal Bandal and Yusuf Masih were part of the delegation. PPP Information Secretary Faisal Karim Kundi was also present on this occasion.