Fazl to defend his independence day statement before court

ISLAMABAD: Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman on Saturday said he would repeat the same before the court as well what he had said on streets, ARY News reported.
A plea has been filed in a session court of Lahore against Fazl on his statement that he would not celebrate Independence Day.

Levelling allegations of rigging in the elections, he had said he would not celebrate Independence Day for his party was robbed of the right to vote.

Maulana Fazl held the Election Commission of Pakistan responsible for “rigging in the polls”. He lost polls on two National Assembly seats.

However, he said, his party would carry forward every struggle for Pakistan and its ideology. He said the JUI-F would take full part in elections of prime minister, speaker and deputy speaker and its candidate would be the same as nominated by the opposition.

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Shehbaz, Bilawal to be invited to Imran’s oath-taking ceremony: PTI

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) spokesman Fawad Chaudhry on Saturday said heads of all parliamentary parties, including Shehbaz Sharif and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, will be invited to Imran Khan’s oath-taking as prime minister.
The PTI claims to have garnered support of 180 members of the National Assembly and 200 of the Punjab Assembly.

Imran will take oath as PM on August 18.

Fawad Chaudhary said the demands of opposition will be considered.

“The parliament is the most important institution in democracy and in order to strengthen it, it is necessary to take opposition along,” he said.

He said the prime minister would himself be accountable to the parliament. He said the decision regarding residence of the PM would be made after security review.

He also told that PTI chairman Imran Khan had decided to retain the seat of NA-95 Mianwali.

The PTI spokesman said meeting of elected members of Punjab had been convened on August 14.

He said that three names had been shortlisted for the position of deputy speaker National Assembly.

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Ruet-e-Hilal Committee meets today to sight Zil-Haj moon

KARACHI: The Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee will meet in Karachi this evening to sight the Zil-Haj moon which marks the advent of the 12th month in the lunar Islamic calendar.
Chairman of the Committee Mufti Muneeb-ur-Rehman will preside over the meeting.

The Zonal Ruet-e-Hilal Committees will also hold separate meetings to collect evidence of sighting of the moon.

Yesterday, Saudi Arabia’s Supreme Court announced that the kingdom will mark August 12 as first day of the holy month of Zil-Haj.

According to Saudi Press Agency, the Saudi apex court announced this decision after a session presided over by the President of the Supreme Court Ghihab bin Mohammed al-Ghihab.

The kingdom marks Sunday (August 12) as first day of the holy month while Eid-ul-Azha will be celebrated on August 21.

Eid Al Adha, falls on the 10th day of Zil-Haj, is celebrated by Muslims around 70 days after Eid Al Fitr which marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan.

Also known as the Feast of Sacrifice is one of two Eid festivals celebrated by the Muslim faithful to commemorate Prophet Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his own son to God. Traditionally marked by the slaughter of animals, whose meat is shared with family members and the poor.

The faithful slaughter their sacrificial animals in remembrance of Sunnat-e Ibrahimi, which continues for three days of Eid.

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PTI’s ‘chaiwala’ MNA-elect speaks up about owning assets worth millions

BAJAUR: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) MNA-elect Gul Zafar Khan on Friday spoke to ARY News about the reports that he owns assets worth millions despite being introduced as a ‘chaiwala’ (tea-seller) by his party during July 25 elections.

Speaking during ARY News show ‘Sawal Yeh Hai’, Gul Zafar Khan said that he belongs to a noble family in tribal area bu back in 90s he rebelled against the prevalent system and had to leave his home and sell tea at a stall in Karachi.

“I worked in Karachi and sold tea from 1992 to 2002 and then two more years, so in total I worked as a tea-seller for 12 years,” said Gul Zafar.

He explained that the property he declared before Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) was all inherited.

Gul Khan who clinched victory in NA-41 (Bajaur) was widely reported to be a ‘chaiwala’ but a look into documents submitted with ECP revealed that he has assets worth over Rs30 million in his name including optical and garment businesses and a non-custom paid luxury car.

Social media trolls were quick to call him a fraud but Zafar Khan maintains that he sacrificed and stayed away from his family and its property to pursue his political ambitions.

He also thanked PTI for putting its trust in him over influential families in tribal areas.

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PTI consolidates position in NA as MNAs take oath tomorrow

ISLAMABAD: The newly elected members of the National Assembly are set to take the oath on Monday (tomorrow).
The leader of the lower house of parliament, who automatically becomes prime minister of the country, will be elected on August 17, according to schedule.

After the oath of MNAs, the elections of the speaker and deputy speaker of the National Assembly will be held on August 15. Candidates up for the coveted posts will file their nomination papers to the speaker office on August 14.

The NA speaker will be elected first after which he will conduct the election of the deputy speaker.

The deadline for the submission of the nominations for prime minister office is 2:00 pm on August 16 as the election of the PM will be held the next day (August 17). President Mamnoon Hussain will administer the oath to the prime minister after his election.

It is pertinent to mention here that the PTI has nominated party chief Imran Khan as its candidate for the prime minister office.

It has nominated Asad Qaiser for the post of speaker National Assembly, while the joint opposition, comprising 11 political parties, has fielded Syed Khursheed Shah for the post and Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s son Asadur Rehman for the post of deputy speaker.

The PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif has been named as the opposition’s candidate for the PM slot.

– PTI grabs 158 NA seats –
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) tally reached 158 members in the National Assembly after it secured 28 reserved seats for women and five for religious minorities.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) issued a notification, allocating reserved seats for women and minorities to political parties according to their total tally in the National Assembly.

The National Assembly has 342 seats. Of these, 272 are filled by direct elections. While, the reserved 10 seats for religious minorities and 60 seats for women are filled by proportional representation among parties with more than 5% of the vote.

Out of 60 reserved seats for women, the PTI has bagged 28, the Pakistan Muslim League-N 16, the Pakistan Peoples Party nine, the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal two and one each by the Grand Democratic Alliance, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan, the Pakistan Muslim League-Q, the Balochistan Awami Party and the Balochistan National Party.

Out of 10 reserved seats for minorities, the PTI has secured five, followed by the PML-N and the PPP with two each, while, the MMA has secured one seat.

The PTI maintains the lead as tally rises to 158 seats in the NA, followed by the PML-N with 82, the PPP 53, the MMA 15, the MQM-P seven, the PML-Q five, the BAP five and the BNP four.

The notifications have also been issued for 66 women and eight minority members in Punjab, 29 women and nine minority members in Sindh, 22 women and three minority members in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 11 women and three minority members in Balochistan.

The PTI claims to have garnered support of 180 members of the National Assembly. It has nominated Asad Qaiser as the speaker of the National Assembly and Imran is scheduled to take oath as prime minister on August 18.

As soon as the newly-elected prime minister would take oath, the job of the caretakers would be over and power would be transferred to the newly elected government under the law and the constitution.

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Islamabad, Rawalpindi receive heavy downpour

ISLAMABAD: Islamabad and Rawalpindi received heavy rainfall on Monday night.

The incessant downpour flooded many streets in the low-lying areas of the twin cities which lead to locals experiencing great difficulties in commute.

Scores of localities in Rawalpindi such as Shamsabad, Javed Colony, Committee Chowk and Sadiqabad are overflowed with water as it has entered houses, shops, mosques thus creating difficulties for the residents.

The two cities received 202 milimetres of rain so far, according to a report of the Flood Control Unit.

The water level in Nullah Lai has risen to 14 feet, as a result, Civil Defence, Rescue 1122, Wasa and other departments have been directed to remain on alert to meet any contingency.

Flooding in Nullah Dek
According to Punjab irrigation department nullah Dek flowing in high flood near Sialkot, while 17,000 cusecs flood stream passing through the Chhor point.

India has released water in Nullah Dek, and the water level continuously rising at Kangra, the point where the nullah enters into Pakistan.

Nullah Dek has a capacity of 17,000 cusecs, in case of flooding dozens of the villages in Sialkot will submerge under the floodwater, the irrigation department officials feared.

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Petition in court seeks removal of ‘N’ from PML-N

PESHAWAR: A petition has been filed in the Peshawar High Court seeking the removal of ‘N’ from the name of Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N).
The petition was submitted by Khanzada Ajmal Zeb to the PHC, according to reports.

The petitioner prayed the court to declare the word ‘Noon’ or ‘Nawaz’ with PML illegal and unconstitutional and “therefore, it should be expunged from the Pakistan Muslim League.”

The petitioner told the court that Nawaz was convicted in corruption charges and sentenced for 10 years. He asked how can the name of former prime minister is still attached to a political party despite being banned from participating in politics for life?

“Nawaz has hijacked the PML and has introduced his own group, which is against the policy of party’s original ideology and public interests,” he claimed.

A similar application was filed with the Election Commission of Pakistan in the last week of June. The plea had sought removal of Nawaz Sharif’s name from PML-N, arguing that the name of the disqualified person cannot be used in a title of a political party.

The ECP had also issued a notice to party’s supreme leader Nawaz Sharif to file his reply on the petition.

The NAB court had sentenced Nawaz Sharif to 10 years in prison for corrupt practices linked to his family’s purchase of upscale London flats.

Sharif’s daughter, Maryam, widely seen as his chosen political heir, was sentenced to seven years in prison and was disqualified from contesting the elections. Maryam’s husband capt (retd) Muhammad Safdar was handed a year in jail.

Sharif returned to country on July 13 and was arrested subsequently in the light of court orders. He is currently serving his jail term along with his daughter and son-in-law.

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ECP issues final list of election winners

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has notified the final results of the general election 2018, however, results of a few constituencies have been withheld due to pending disputes in courts.
According to the ECP declaration (attached below), the results of all five constituencies contested by PTI chairman Imran Khan have been withheld. Khan had contested from NA-35 (Bannu), NA-53 (Islamabad-II), NA-95 (Mianwali-I), NA-131 (Lahore-IX) and NA-243 (Karachi East-II).

According to the ECP, the notification of Khan’s win in NA-35, NA-95 and NA-243 is subject to a final ECP decision.

However, our correspondent Zahid Mashwani quotes the ECP spokesperson as saying that Mr. Khan can take oath of the prime minister despite withholding of notifications of the constituencies he won.

Meanwhile, the results of 16 constituencies in total have been withheld by the ECP.

The constituencies where results have been withheld are: NA-25, NA-35, NA-53, NA-60, NA-90, NA-91, NA-95, NA-103, NA-108, NA-112, NA-129, NA-131, NA-140, NA-215, NA-243 and NA-271.

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IHC approves transfer of Al-Azizia, Flagship Investment cases against Sharif family

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court on Tuesday approved transfer of two pending references against former premier Mian Nawaz Sharif and his family to other courts, ARY News reported.

According to details, a two-member bench of the IHC, comprising Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Mian Gul Hassan Aurangzeb, approved transfer of Al-Azizia and Flagship Investment references on the former PM’s plea.

The deposed premier’s counsel had filed a petition requesting the court to transfer Al-Azizia and Flagship Investment references from Judge Muhammad Bashir’s Accountability Court-I to another accountability court.

Sharif family had also appealed against its conviction in Avenfield verdict.

In the hearing on Monday, National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Prosecutor Sardar Muzaffar Abbasi submitted in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) that former prime minister’s petition of trial transfer to another accountability court could not be entertained because if an accused has been indicted by a court then the trial cannot be transferred to another judge.

“The reference is in its last stages henceforth the high court will have to decide on this matter now,” the NAB counsel had argued.

Nawaz Sharif was arrested on July 13 along with his daughter Maryam Nawaz Sharif when the duo returned to the country. The arrest was in compliance with July 6 court order against Nawaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz and her husband Captain (retired) Safdar.

The verdict was announced by accountability court judge Muhammad Bashir.

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1992 world cup champions to be invited for PM’s inauguration

ISLAMABAD: The recently held general elections put cricket star-turned politician Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in a comfortable position to form government at the Centre, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with the help of independents and small coalition partners.
With the PTI scooping 115 seats in the 272-member lower house of parliament, Khan is set to be elected as 21st prime minister of the country.

The PTI chief has directed that his oath-taking should be arranged at a simple and austere ceremony at the President House as no foreign dignitaries, players or actors are being invited for the purpose. No date for the oath-taking has been finalised yet.

However, he has decided to invite members of the Pakistan team which lifted world cup in 1992 under his captaincy to the oath-taking ceremony.

The champions – Waseem Akram, Javed Miandad, Ramiz Raja, Aamir Sohail, , Aqib Javed, Inzamam-ul-Haq Saleem Malik, Eijaz Ahmed, Moin Khan, Mushtaq Ahmed, Zahid Fazal, Wasim Haider and Iqbal Sikander are likely to be invited for the ceremony.

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‘MQM won the election, and we need them’: Fawad Chaudhry

ISLAMABAD: Making a firm stance on retaining electoral alliance with the former foes, senior leader Pakistan Tehreek-e-insaf Fawad Chaudhry says that Muttahida Qaumi Movement has won the election and PTI need them.

Speaking to journalists here, the PTI leader said his party would prefer to go forward with the MQM as a stakeholder.

He said the process of Imran Khan’s oath-taking was very important. He informed that the party’s parliamentary committee meeting would nominate Imran Khan as the prime minister today.

Imran, he said, will lay forward his proposals before the committee.

The high-level huddle is also likely to pick the candidates for speaker and deputy speaker of the National Assembly.

The PTI is said to have the support of 177 MNAs-elect against 172 required to elect the PTI chief as leader of the 342-member lower house of the parliament.

Yesterday, Fawad Chaudhry said the parliamentary party will nominate Mr. Khan as its pick for the coveted slot of premier.

He said the names of speaker and deputy speaker of the lower house of parliament will also be discussed in the meeting.

The PTI claims to be enjoying the support of 125 MNAs which include at least nine independent members out of the total of 13. However, its tally reaches 174 with addition of its small coalition partners and reserved seats for women and minorities.

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PTI officially nominates Imran as prime minister

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leadership and MNAs-elect on Monday formally nominated Imran Khan as party candidate for the office of prime minister.

The high-level huddle of the PTI parliamentary party is currently underway at a local hotel.

It is also likely to pick the candidates for speaker and deputy speaker of the National Assembly.

The PTI claims to be enjoying the support of 125 MNAs which include at least nine independent members out of the total of 13. However, its tally reaches 174 with addition of its small coalition partners and reserved seats for women and minorities.

It will also get support from Balochistan National Party (Mengal) after which its total numbers in the National Assembly would reach 177.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid-e-Azam (PML-Q), Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P), the Sindh based Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA), Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) and Awami Muslim League (AML) have allied with the PTI to help it form the new government at the Centre.

The PTI, which is now in a comfortable position to elect Khan as the next prime minister, is said to have also finalised the names of party leaders who will be part of his cabinet. The PM-in-waiting has already expressed the desire to have a smaller cabinet.

As per procedure, if a party has a clear majority or the magical number of 172 votes, it can easily elect the Leader of the House in the National Assembly.

The PTI emerged as the single largest party with 115 seats in the 2018 general elections but fell short of a clear majority in the 342-member house.

According to the Constitution, if the PTI chief manages to secure 172 or more votes in the first round, the president is bound to call him to take the oath as the country’s next prime minister.

In case, he doesn’t get the required number, then there will be a second round of voting between the top two contestants for the slot. In this round, the winner will not need at least 172 votes but the contender who gets the majority of votes will be elected leader of the lower house.

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PTI seeks UK, UAE help to recover looted money

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Saturday confirmed that an important point of discussion in Imran Khan’s recent meetings with envoys of UK and UAE — who visited Bani Gala to congratulate him over his party’s victory in general elections — was money laundering.
“Imran emphasised that these countries [UK and UAE] should cooperate with Pakistan to identify those Pakistanis who piled up properties worth billions of rupees abroad. Their cooperation is also sought to bring back all the looted money,” PTI spokesperson Fawad Chaudhry said.
Addressing a press conference outside the PTI chief’s Bani Gala residence, the party spokesperson said, “Imran also talked about the issue with other European countries’ envoys. The matter of fact is there are several Pakistanis who remained part of past governments and now they own costly properties abroad. It’s in the best interest of the country to bring back all the public money.”

He said the PTI chairman had conveyed to the foreign envoys that his government would take stringent measures regarding money laundering.

On formation of government, he said the Election Commission of Pakistan would release official results on August 7 and afterwards the election body would give three days to independents to join any party of their choice or remain independent.

He said all the independent MNAs and MPAs, who joined the PTI, had submitted their undertakings with the party about their decision to join PTI.

The ECP, Chaudhry said, would notify returned candidates on seats reserved for women and minorities and the process would be completed by August 11.

He said that the PTI still had no reservations over recounting of votes in any constituency as was earlier offered by Imran himself.

“Recounting has so far been held in 48 constituencies and no major difference has been reported in results before and after the fresh tally,” said Chaudhry, adding that all opposition parties had the right to protest but it should only be done if the government “does not pay heed to their reservations”.

“PTI has already announced that it will support each and every party in recounting of votes in any constituency of their choice, but still the opposition is giving protest calls,” he said, reminding that the PTI didn’t conduct the polls but the ECP did, which was formed by the PML-N and the PPP.

“Fazl lost elections on two NA seats so now he is busy agitating other political parties just to receive his share,” alleged Chaudhry, adding that the PTI would soon address all the genuine reservations of the opposition.

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PTI MPA-elect dies of brain haemorrhage

MULTAN : Sardar Tariq Khan Dareshak, an MPA-elect of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), on Sunday passed away at the age of 66.

The funeral prayer was offered in his ancestral town in Punjab’s Rajanpur district. DSP Ibrahim Khan Daresak said that his brother suffered from a brain haemorrhage five days ago, after which he was shifted to intensive care unit (ICU) of a private hospital in Multan. He spent the last three days on a ventilator, the brother also said.

Tariq Khan secured a seat from PP-296 Rajanpur. He bagged 42,119 votes and defeated independent candidate Sardar Mohammad Yousaf Dareshak with a margin of 15,000 votes.

 In a tweet, PTI’s senior leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi offered condolences to the bereaved family.

Tariq started his political career in 2008. He contested his first elections in 2013 on a Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) ticket against his maternal uncle Sardar Nasrullah Khan Dareshak who contested polls as an independent candidate and won.

In July 25 polls though, the deceased family ended all political differences and united under the banner of “Dareshak Ittihad” and extended support to the Imran Khan-led PTI.

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Khan Sahib where are the women?

Bushra Maneka is in purdah. It means Pakistanis will not see their First Lady stand beside her husband when he takes the oath of prime minister or walk shoulder-to-shoulder with him at national events. Meanwhile, all we have is a meandering story from Imran Khan’s second wife. It’s the story of an ambitious divorced wife allegedly wronged by her two husbands. Reham Khan’s attacks on IK are getting more virulent and desperate as he’s slotted to lead the country. So, we now turn to IK’s first wife Jemima Goldsmith who tweeted immediately after IK’s victory. It was such a breath of fresh air. She wrote: “22 years later, after humiliations, hurdles and sacrifices, my sons’ father is Pakistan’s next PM. It’s an incredible lesson in tenacity, belief & refusal to accept defeat. The challenge now is to remember why he entered politics in the 1stplace. Congratulations @ImranKhanPTI”.

The key in this tweet is the invaluable advice: “The challenge now is to remember why he entered politics in the 1st place.” And that brings me to the most important question of the day: while IK has surrounded himself with ‘advisors’ of all stripes and hues rushing to join the queue for favours from him, his first moral duty is to consider giving weightage to the advice of men and women, particularly women, who have sacrificed their time, resources and energy in helping IK achieve his dream that began 22 years ago. Please do not leave them by the roadside while you entertain and welcome outsiders who are knocking at your door to be let in as your most loyal servants.

Let me quote IK the most successful prime minister of Britain Margaret Thatcher who said: “If you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman.” How true! It’s the women who will execute your orders and wishes while the men around will be too busy jockeying for power and jobs. I agree that IK faces a heavy load on his shoulders to allow him to choose wisely and well but he will have to do it if he wants us to believe in his leadership qualities. Remember Thatcher’s immortal words: “Disciplining yourself to do what you know is right and important, although difficult, is the high road to pride, self-esteem and personal satisfaction.”

So Khan Sahib, please take a deeper look at all the women from Karachi to Khyber who were staunchly loyal, unwaveringly steadfast and unswerving firm in their commitment to you. Give them the tickets to the reserved women’s seats and not newcomers with shiny promises of supporting you with the intent to carry on with their corrupt practices as they’ve done in the past.

My humble suggestion will be to form a committee of wise women and men where the dumb idiots and corrupt hangers-on would be forbidden entry and told to go and do some good work for the poor of this country. I know it’s easier said than done, but it’s doable if done the proper way. Allow me to name one loyalist who has stood by you through thick and thin: Naeemul Haque. I’ve seen him stand behind you as your faithful lieutenant, not wanting to steal your thunder, but only following your orders. The man has brains. He’s had a successful career in banking, serving overseas and later as an anchor for a TV channel where his every broadcast required a must listening. He nursed his sick wife when she was struck with cancer. Nazli Jamil was my classmate in Convent of Jesus & Mary, Murree. When I was down in the dumps, the girl who cheered me was Nazli Jamil. Smart, chirpy and confident, I secretly wished I were like her. Nazli married Naeemul Haque, Imran Khan’s trusted deputy. She passed away some years ago after losing a battle with cancer.

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Nine 'militants' arrested for burning down Diamer schools

PESHAWAR: Nine suspected militants involved in torching schools in Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) Diamer district were taken into custody by local police on Saturday.

During the operation in the Tangir area this morning, Arif Hussain, a police official, was killed in a shoot out with the culprits.

Two suspected militants were taken into custody from the house, sources say.

“We have managed to apprehend a total of nine suspects up till now,” an official choosing to remain anonymous told The Express Tribune.

The official privy to the details said that the ‘militants’ are a part of a wider nexus with links to another province.

He, however, refused to comment any further as an investigation into the incident is still under way.

Back on August 3, at least 12 schools were set on fire by unidentified attackers late Thursday night in Gilgit-Baltistan’s Diamer district.

Initial reports revealed that at least six school were all girls educational institutes situated in Diamer’s Chilas area.

The school attacked include Royini Girls School, Takya Girls School, one school each in Hodur and Thor neighbourhoods and three all-girl schools in Darel division, Giyal village and Khanbanri. Another two schools were torched in Gali Bala and Gali Payen.

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PTI team meets Akhtar Mengal at Balochistan House

ISLAMABAD: A delegation of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Thursday reached out to Balochistan National Party President Sardar Akhtar Mengal for support in the formation of government in the Centre.

Sardar Akhtar Mengal presented his demands to the PTI team. The meeting took place at the Balochistan House as the BNP-N chief refused to visit Banigala. The PTI delegation was led by Imran’s close aide Naeemul Haq and PTI Balochistan chapter President Sardar Yar Muhammad Rind.

Talking to journalists after the meeting, Mengal said he was grateful to PTI leaders, who visited him and invited his party to become a part of the coalition government. However, he maintained that stung by political parties in the past, the decision would be made with caution.

“PTI desires us to be their partners and we also want to take the mandate of our people to the assemblies. We will extend support only on categorical assurance on acceptance of our demands,” Mengal pointed out.

About the all parties conference of the opposition parties in Islamabad, he explained that they were not invited to the event and if invited, they would present their demands before those parties. “And whosoever would accept our demands, we are prepared to go along,” he emphasized. Earlier, he informed the PTI delegation about the issues faced by the people of Balochistan and said that till and said that till core issues were not resolved, Balochistan would not make progress. He raised the issue of missing persons with the visitors and said that the missing persons should be recovered safe and sound and the CPEC be implemented with regard to its share for Balochistan.

About formation of a coalition government in Balochistan, he made it clear that BNP would not blindly support anyone if a provincial chief minister was to be named without taking them on board.

He explained, “JUI-F is an ally and we will sit together and decide whether to sit in the opposition benches or not," he added. Speaking on the occasion, Rind said that Mengal's demands would be presented to PTI chairman. He was confident that the Imran-Mengal meeting would yield positive results and they would work together.

On naming of Balochistan Awami Party President Jam Kamal Khan as chief minister, Rind said that he had no objection on his nomination. Naeemul Haq said that meeting with Mengal was quite pleasant and that the demands made by him were new, which would be presented to Imran, who was going to be prime minister of Pakistan shortly. He said they assured Mengal that Imran would be the only prime minister, who would give due rights to Balochistan.

Mengal desired to receive Imran at Balochistan House on the possibility of mutual cooperation in future. In an another development, an independent lawmaker-elect from NA-190 Mohammad Amjad Farooq and two MPAs-elect of Punjab Assembly Mohsin Atta Khosa and Malik Ghulam Rasool Sangh from PP-288 and PP-83 respectively Thursday announced to join Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.

They had a meeting with PTI Chairman Imran Khan at Chairman’s Secretariat Banigala here. The new-comers expressed complete confidence and trust in the leadership and party’s manifesto. Imran warmly welcomed the lawmakers into PTI’s fold.

Meanwhile, a delegation of Majlis-e-Wahdatul Muslimeen, led by Allama Raja Nasir Abbas called on Imran Khan here at Banigala to congratulate him on his victory in the general elections.

Speaking on the occasion, MWM leadership lauded chairman’s resolve to make the country a welfare state on the principles of the State of Madina. “We hope that preserving national integrity and honor will be the most pressing consideration of the foreign policy”, MWM leaders emphasised. Imran thanked MWM delegation for paying a visit to felicitate him.

In another development, Imran has directed to arrange the oath-taking event with austerity. He will take his oath in a simple ceremony at Aiwan-e-Sadr. According to the PTI’s Central Media Department, the party’s Central Secretary Information Fawad Chaudhry said that no foreign dignitaries were being invited and hence the ceremony would be completely national in its facade and essence.

“Only a few close friends of Imran Khan will be invited, as PTI chairman has directed to arrange the oath-taking event in a simple ceremony at the Presidency without any show of extravagance," he explained.

PTI leader Senator Faisal Javed also refuted the reports circulating in the media regarding invitations being sent to foreign players and actors to the oath-taking ceremony. “Being the custodians of taxpayers’ money, we are looking forward to hold a simple and austere oath-taking ceremony completely national in its façade and essence”, he maintained.

He stated that players from across the world including India had sent warm wishes to the Prime Minister-designate Imran Khan. PTI chairman, he added, heartily thanked everyone for wishing him on his party’s historic win in the elections.

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Who wants to spoil Aleem Khan’s bid for Punjab CM slot?

ISLAMABAD: Whether it was twist of fate or a deliberate attempt on part of NAB and CDA to spoil Aleem Khan’s bid for the office of the Punjab chief minister, the PTI leader was thrown in possible hot water by the two government entities at a time when he was being seriously considered for the high profile slot.

What raises suspicions is the fact that a senior NAB official personally told different newsmen during the last a few days that Aleem Khan had “failed to justify the means” to buy his London flats and other properties in Dubai.
The newsmen were even told that the Bureau has a strong case of assets beyond means against the senior PTI leader. Usually even for an ordinary query, it is hard for journalists to get to the NAB’s official spokesman but in this case a senior Lahore-based Bureau official has been found willingly telling the journalists that Aleem may face serious trouble.
In a strange coincidence, the CDA has also issued notice to different housing developers including Aleem Khan and his company, who have been told to appear before the Authority or get ready for criminal proceedings.
Although Aleem Khan was already being probed by the NAB, this time when the PTI was finalising its candidate for the office of Punjab chief minister, the NAB shared a twisted “leak” which clearly suggested that Khan is going to face the music. With such a message from “NAB sources” making headlines in the media, the obvious objective could be to shoot down Aleem’s name from among those being considered for Punjab chief minister office.
NAB, however, has repeatedly reiterated that it has no political objective and is performing its duty as per law and on merit. As it happens mostly, the NAB spokesman was contacted by this correspondent on Thursday but he did not attend the call.
Contrary to NAB’s claim that it has no political objectives, the history of the Bureau is full of instances where it has been used for arm twisting for political gains of rulers or others in different times.
Before and after the 2002 elections, NAB was massively used in the making of the King’s Party- the PML-Q- and to create forward block in PPP to make a choice government for the then military dictator.
Although Aleem Khan has a controversial reputation, he was a strong contender for the CM slot for the PTI. But, it is believed that the NAB’s latest move has almost ruined his case. As if NAB was not enough to dent Aleem’s chances, the CDA also came into action and issued on Thursday notices to the operators of various housing developments including PTI leader Aleem Khan.
According to a newspaper report, the notices were issued for various violations and directed operators to appear before the CDA and explain themselves on Aug 8, or else the Authority will initiate criminal proceedings against them.
The notice issued to Aleem Khan said that based on a site report by Building Control field staff and the available records, the CDA can begin criminal proceedings against him for allowing construction in his housing development without approval from the Authority’s Building Control Directorate. The notice said the case will also be referred for cancellation of the layout plan of the Park View Housing Scheme, but gives Mr Khan and others a chance to explain their positions on Aug 8 before proceedings begin.
According to the report when asked about the timing of the notices, CDA Director Building Control II Shafi Marwat said: “We issued notices to operators of around 50 housing schemes, including Aleem Khan’s Park View society.”

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Pakistan to decide on over $12 billion bailout in 6 weeks: Asad Umar

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Asad Umar, who is likely to be the next finance minister of the country, says the country’s economy may need more than $12 billion to fend off a looming financial crisis.  

In an interview to a foreign media outlet, he said the country faces a financing gap of $10 billion to $12 billion.

“The decision needs to be taken in the next six weeks, the further you go forward the more difficult, the more expensive the options become,” Umar said. Pakistan could turn to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), friendly countries and issue diaspora bonds to bolster the nation’s depleting foreign reserves, he added.

Umar said his Movement for Justice party hasn’t yet spoken to any potential lenders. “No formal work can be started until the government is formed,” he said.

The PTI leader said the new government plans to decrease taxes on energy supply factories and agriculture to make businesses more competitive with regional countries.

He said the move will help cover up the lost revenue by introducing a wealth tax.

PTI leader said the new government will bring more transparency to more than 60 billion dollar Belt and Road infrastructure projects in Pakistan.

He said within the first 100 days of the new administration, the state-owned firms will be shifted into a wealth fund similar to Singapore’s Temasek Holdings Pvt to remove them from political interference.

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LHC larger bench to hear petition against Sharifs’ conviction

LAHORE: Lahore High Court (LHC) Chief Justice Muhammad Yawar Ali has constituted a larger bench to hear a petition challenging the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO) 1999 and conviction of former premier Nawaz Sharif and members of his family in the Avenfield properties reference. 

The larger bench comprising Justice Shams Mehmood Mirza, Justice Sajid Mehmood Sethi and Justice Mujahid Mustaqeem will hear the petition on August 8.

A non-profit organization, Lawyers Foundation, moved the petition, contending that the accountability court handed out sentences to three-time premier, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law retired Captain Safdar on the basis of the law that has been rendered ineffective.

It stated that former military ruler Pervez Musharraf promulgated the NAO in 1999, which was not endorsed by parliament. As a result, the law has become ineffective after the 18th amendment, it argued.

The petitioner, therefore, pleaded that the high court may overturn the accountability court’s verdict in the Avenfield reference.

On July 6, the accountability court sentenced former premier Nawaz Sharif to a total of 10 years in prison and directed him to pay a fine of £8 million after finding him guilty on different charges in the Avenfield properties case.

Judge Muhammad Bashir found Mr. Sharif guilty of accumulating assets beyond his known sources of income.

He handed out seven-year imprisonment to the former premier’s daughter Maryam Nawaz and a fine of £2 million. She has been awarded an additional one year’s imprisonment on charges of using Calibri font to fabricate Avenfield properties trust deeds.

Whereas, her husband Captain retired Safdar has been awarded one year’s jail term.

Moreover, the judge ordered confiscation of the Sharif family’s London properties in question in the case.

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