Shahbaz Sharif’s son-in-law declared absconder

LAHORE: An accountability court on Tuesday declared Imran Ali Yousaf, son-in-law of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president Shahbaz Sharif, an absconder in corruption case.
Accountability judge Najamul Hassan gave the decision on the request of NAB-Lahore, which states that Ali has fled abroad while escaping the investigation into Punjab Power Development Company scandal. The court declared him absconder after he failed to appear in the hearing despite summons.

In May this year, the NAB had summoned Mr Yousaf as he was asked to bring details of a transaction of Rs 120 million deposited to his bank account from the account of the PPDC, but he did not appear.

The Anti-Corruption Establishment had already conducted a probe into the matter involving Mr Naveed and Mr Yousaf in 2016. It had declared Mr Naveed guilty of embezzling Rs 450 m but gave a ‘clean chit’ to Mr Yousaf.

The ACE had found that Mr Naveed had purchased 19 properties in his and his family members’ names. It had also unearthed properties worth Rs 1bn allegedly belonging to Mr Naveed and his family. The property has been attached and suspects’ bank accounts frozen.

Read More

Former employee takes factory workers hostage, demands ‘unpaid salary’

KARACHI: An armed man took employees of a factory in Karachi’s Gulshan-e-Maymar area over alleged unpaid dues by owners of the mill, ARY News reported.

According to ARY News correspondent Salman Lodhi, the man who is a former employee of the factory claims that he was unjustly fired from his job and was not even paid at least three months salary by the owners of the mill.

“I will blow myself and my colleagues up if I am not paid,” said the man identified as Saleem Shahzad, a former employee.

Huge contingents of police cordoned off the area and surrounded the factory premises to negotiate with him but so far, the attacker has refused to budge.

Police say they have offered Shahzad to surrender and they will make sure he gets his dues but he wants his salary without delay.

A video obtained by ARY News shows one of the hostages saying Shahzad was fired three months ago and was not paid his dues despite repeatedly visiting the factory.

Read More

LHC rejects Firdous Ashiq Awan’s plea for vote recount

LAHORE: Lahore High Court on Tuesday rejected a request by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Firdous Ashiq Awan seeking votes recount in the NA-72 Sialkot constituency.
LHC judge Justice Mamoon Rasheed Sheikh was hearing the case filed by Ms Awan against the victory of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Chaudhry Armaghan.

The petition stated that Awan lost the election securing 91,392 while the winning candidate secured 129,041 votes while there there were 7015 rejected votes in the consituency.

It further said that the polling agents were not provided copies of the Form 45 which tabulates the final votes. The petitioner alleged that workers of the PML-N candidate forced their way in the polling stations and voted for him.

The petitioner pleaded the court to order a complete vote recount at all polling stations, and withhold the notification of the election results. However, the court turned down the request declaring it not unsuitable for hearing.

Read More

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.

Read More

Sheikh Rashid sees forward blocs in PML-N

LAHORE: “Forward blocs” would soon emerge within the PML-N, both at the Centre and Punjab, to facilitate Imran Khan in the number game, predicted chief of Awami Muslim League Sheikh Rashid here on Thursday.
Addressing a press conference, he said Imran Khan would finalise everything about governments both at the Centre and three provinces in the next 72 hours because he has the numbers.
“However, once these things are finalised, forward blocs will start emerging to help him further consolidate his grip on power. Imran does not have two-thirds majority in any of the house of the parliament or provincial assemblies, but he has emerged as a reality in the country and the opposition should cooperate with him to take the country out of current economic crisis,” he said.
Praising the chief justice and the army for their role in ensuring fair elections, Sheikh said these were the most fair and transparent elections the country has had. All those crying foul are doing so habitually.

“These guys cannot live without power and are only vying for it and rigging [allegation] is just a screen being used for it. Everyone is in contact with everyone,” he said in response to a question as to who is in contact with the PTI for formation of the government.

To another question about the future of Nawaz Sharif, he said: “Even we are asking for more facilities for him so that there is no new national reconciliation order (NRO). If pressed further, the Sharifs would press for NRO because he is broke now. So, they may get some facilities.”
Talking about grand opposition alliance, he was of the view that it cannot materialise for two reasons. “Firstly, all those leaders, like Fazlur Rehman, talking about alliance are spent forces – no more relevant to national or electoral politics. Secondly, 67 per cent of top leadership of the top parties is wanted by the national accountability bureau (NAB) and it is especially true for former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, ex-chief minister Shahbaz Sharif and former minister for railways Saad Rafique. This is the reality of new Pakistan. They are spent and tainted. That is why I say that only the PTI has that critical mass that can provide new leadership to new Pakistan.”
He reiterated, “on behalf of Imran Khan,” that the result transmission system (RTS) failed and it was a fact. Beyond that failure, there was neither rigging nor manipulation. “I assure you that if there is any proof of rigging, the PTI is ready to open all such constituencies for recount, or whatever satisfies the opposition.”
He also took time to remind Imran Khan that the nation has given him mandate and it is his responsibility to come up to expectations of his voters and followers.
When asked which federal ministry he is expecting, Rashid said he considered it an insult at the age of 66 to ask for one. “I am part of Imran Khan’s team and it is for him to decide such things.”

Read More

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.”

Read More

22 independents, PML-Q votes take PTI tally to 153 in Punjab

LAHORE: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf has entered the `final phase’ of forming its government in Punjab with assertions that the party has already got the support of required number of MPAs-elect. However, there is no discussion on the selection of a candidate for Punjab chief minister for now.

Besides eight elected members of Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), including an independent, the PTI claims 22 independents have formally joined the party, taking its tally to 153 in the directly-elected house of 297 members.
The 22 independents, who have joined the party, are: Raja Sagheer Ahmad (PP-7), Syed Saeedul Hassan (PP-46), Muhammad Ajmal Cheema (PP-97), Ghulam Rasool Sangha (PP-83), Ameer M Khan (PP-89), Saeed Akbar Khan (PP-90), Khawar Shah (PP-203), Muhammad Umer Farooq (PP-106), Faisal Hayat (PP-125), Hussain Jahanian Gardezi (PP-204), Sheikh Salman Naeem (PP-2017), Fida Hussain (PP-237), Shaukat Lalika (PP-238), Sardar Abdul Haye Dasti (PP-270), Basit Bukhari (PP-272), Khurram Leghari (PP-275), Tahir Mehmood Randhawa (PP-282), Syed Rafaqat Ali Gillani (PP-284), Muhammad Hanif Pitafi (PP-289), Taimoor Laali (PP-93), Rai Taimoor Bhatti (PP-124) and Mehr Aslam Bharwana (PP-127).
Sources say the PTI will bag 34 women seats and five minority seats against its 153 members and show up with 192 members in the complete house of 371 members.
Sources say party chairman Imran Khan on Wednesday remained busy in discussions about party policies for the first 30 days, 90 days and 100 days. “However, there was no discussion on the chief minister candidate as the party is weighing all options,” says a party leader.
Owing to indecision, the candidates for the coveted chief minister slot are increasing and lobbying with their credentials besides discrediting others on different grounds.
Candidates in the run are: Abdul Aleem Khan, Dr Yasmin Rashid, Fawad Chaudhry, Mian Aslam Iqbal, Mian Mahmoodur Rasheed and new entrant Yassir Humayun (PP-21).

Read More

Rana Sanaullah confident of PML-N forming Punjab government

 

LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Rana Sanaullah is confident that this party will form the government in Punjab.
Speaking to Geo News on Friday, Sanaullah claimed his party had the support of 13 independent MPA’s-elect in the provincial assembly.
“We have won 130 seats and need an additional 18 MPA-elects. With the Pakistan Peoples Party's six elected MPAs and 13 independents we will have the numbers to form the government,” Sanaullah claimed.
The PML-N’s rival political party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has also claimed of having enough members to form the government in Punjab.
PTI leader Jahangir Tareen has claimed that the party has the support of 18 independents.
The PTI claims that with these independents, its own MPA elects and seven from the PML-Q, their strength in the Punjab Assembly stands at 148 members.

Read More

Choosing right man for Punjab CM real test for Imran

LAHORE: The biggest test of Imran Khan’s political acumen will be choosing the right man as chief minister for the biggest and politically most sensitive province of Punjab. His choice will indicate the PTI’s future planning about Punjab. If a compromise is made on the candidate due to different pressure groups within the party, it will have to pay heavy price in future.
 
The powerful slot of CM Punjab has become an open tug of war between Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Jahangir Tareen groups. Both of these top PTI leaders want to bring their dummies as CM so that they can get the slot when legal and political requirements are fulfilled. Both cannot be candidates now but are ready to kill whole cow for their pound of flesh. With a strong opposition having almost the same strength as the PTI benches, it will not be easy for any chief minister from any group to smoothly run the government. Only a wise, crafty, wily and well-reputed chief minister can be successful in a system with a marginal majority. PTI also needs an established party face to give symbolic boosting message to the party workers.
The names being discussed include Abdul Aleem Khan, Maj (retd) Tahir Sadiq, Chaudhry Fawad Husain, Rai Murtaza Iqbal, Dr Yasmin Rashid, Raja Yasir and Aslam Iqbal. The front runner of the CM slot is still Abdul Aleem Khan, president of PTI central Punjab. He spearheaded the PTI campaign in Punjab for last four years, bearing heavy losses to his real estate business. He is said to have spent millions of rupees for the party sake. His residence and office in Lahore were a hub of the party campaign for the last many years. He enjoys the trust of Imran Khan and is fully supported by Jahangir Tareen as well. However, he has cases in NAB and is still not clear from them. It may be mentioned that the NAB first issues a notice to a person to clarify his position, after which investigation takes place if needed. An issuance of notice does not mean the person concerned is guilty of an offence. A person is declared guilty only if a thorough investigation in the wake of any new evidence establishes the commission of offence.
His supporters claim that if half of the Musharraf cabinet was involved in NAB cases why Aleem Khan can’t be given a chance. They say that Aleem Khan stood like a rock by Imran Khan and only a Lahore urbanite like him can defeat the well entrenched Sharifs in the heart of Punjab. They think that any other choice for this post will ruin the years-long struggle and the rivals from N League will recapture the space taken by PTI.
Aleem is the only PTI candidate who has experience of being a provincial minister under Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi. He is a Kakazai Pathan by caste and is married in a Jat family having connections in both biradaris. He being a party insider and loyalist can prove to be a game changer in the province if he keeps himself from his business interests.
The other big name for the CM slot is of Chaudhry Fawad Husain, a Vains Jat, though relatively young yet energetic. He is lawyer by profession but tasted politics in his teen days while living in the Governor’s House Lahore where his legendary uncle Ch Altaf Hussain ruled the roost. Another uncle Chaudhry Iftikhar Hussain remained a strong Chief Justice of Lahore High Court.
Chaudhry Fawad is also media savvy and handled media earlier for PPP and later for PTI very skilfully. He is the face of the party as spokesperson. His young age may be an excuse for not giving him this huge responsibility but he is the only one with innovative ideas and can prove to be an agent of change in the province of Punjab.
If the choice has to be made on the basis of the party performance in the different regions of Punjab than northern Punjab deserves to be rewarded. PTI has almost swept the region by winning 11 out of 13 National Assembly seats and 22 out of the total 27 provincial assembly seats. If PTI wants a strategic decision on the basis of regional politics than Major (retd) Tahir Sadiq is the obvious choice. An ex-military officer who served as a bureaucrat as well for a long period, Tahir Sadiq belongs to the Khattar family of Attock. Quite interestingly another branch of the Khattars ruled Punjab before the Partition. Sir Sikandar Hayat the first Punjab premier was also Khattar.
Tahir Sadiq has strong family credentials as he is married to the sister of Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, a Jat Warraich, but his joining of PTI without consulting his in-laws have estranged the two families having strong ties for many decades.
Tahir Sadiq has won two National Assembly seats and a provincial assembly seat in 2018 Election, showing his total political hold on his district and regional politics. Like all old and hardened politicians, Tahir Sadiq has also some forests department cases against him but in local politics such cases are not taken very seriously. His shortcoming could be his relatively new entry into PTI but his bold decision to join party while leaving his powerful Gujrati in-laws could be a plus point for him. He is zealous and hardworking. His selection will neutralise powerful and ambitious Chaudhrys and the retreating but revengeful Sharifs will be further marginalised in the northern region because of his strong demeanour.
The latest entry to the race is that of Rai Murtaza Iqbal of Chichawatni. A grandson of Rai Iqbal, Murtaza has been elected from both national and provincial seats.
The Rai family migrated from the village of Raikot, District Jalandhar, and is now well-established in the city of Chichawatni, District Sahiwal. His uncle has been a minister with Nawaz Sharif and another uncle Rai Hassan Nawaz was declared ineligible because of the misdeclaration of his assets. The name of this young Rajput is being tipped by the rivals of Aleem Khan who don’t want Aleem and Tareen duo to lead the province. Shah Mahmood has offered Imran Khan Khusro Bakhtiar’s younger brother Hashim Jawan Bakht‘s resignation from provincial assembly to get himself elected. Jahangir Tareen though not eligible yet but he is optimistic about his review petition in the Supreme Court. Both of these top players are desperate for the CM slot and Imran has to be careful in the selection so that no group feels defeated.
The list of aspirants does not end here. Aslam Iqbal, an influential Arain, from the heart of Lahore met Imran Khan recently to discuss the Politics of Punjab. His friends say he will make a very good choice for the top slot of Punjab because he has proved himself a leader of Lahore by winning election when N League was at the zenith of its power. Aslam Iqbal is an astute businessman running a bakery chain. His selection can unite scattered Arains voters around him which can give tough time to the Lahori Kashmiris led by Sharifs.
If it has to be someone new than Raja Yasir elected from Chakwal will also come into consideration. All and sundry know that the Chakwal group is the strongest clique nowadays so Yasir can benefit from this group’s influence.
Sabtain Khan, MPA-elect from Imran’s ancestral Mianwali can prove to be a dark horse for the coveted race of CM slot. Sabtain – a Blach Pathan of Piplan, Mianwali – is a seasoned politician and parliamentarian who knows the traditional politics from inside. He is related to both Jahangir Khan Tareen and Humayun Akhtar Khan. Interestingly, Sabtain’s elder brother Husnain is a childhood friend of Shah Mahmood Qureshi. Sabtain Khan, related to Khans of Dera Ismail Khan, enjoys the full confidence of Zinfandel Khan as well. But selecting him will mean too much focus on Imran’s home district Mianwali which may not augur well to other areas.
Last but not the least Dr Yasmin Rashid, elected on the reserved seat, can also be considered for a temporary period if Shah Mahmood Qureshi is to be given this slot ultimately. Dr Yasmin Rashid is a hard working politician married to the son of Pakistan Movement leader Kakazai leader Malik Ghulam Nabi. She learnt her politics from Malik Ghulam Nabi who remained a minister under Zulfikar Ali Bhutto .Shah Mahmood Qureshi has an eye on this slot since years. He even sacrificed his prestigious post of the foreign minister to be at the moral high ground during the Raymond Davis crisis with USA. But Qureshi’s defeat on the provincial assembly seat has proven to be an irreparable loss for him and his rivals within party won’t let him the chance to compete for the slot now.
The final decision has to be taken by Imran Khan himself. If he chooses right person his party can deliver in Punjab. But if he made a bad or a wrong choice, he will soon face a trouble in the biggest province of Punjab which can destabilise even the federal government.

Read More

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.

Read More