In a reference to the interview, Sharif, who is on a three-day visit to Turkey, asked Khan to rein his threats in and called him “unfit” to hold any public office….reports Asian Lite News
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday hit back at his ousted predecessor Imran Khan for making “naked threats against the country”.
In an interview, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman warned that if the establishment did not take the right decision then the country would split into three and quoted that as his reason for “putting pressure” on the powers that be, The Express Tribune reported.
In a reference to the interview, Sharif, who is on a three-day visit to Turkey, asked Khan to rein his threats in and called him “unfit” to hold any public office.
“Do your politics but don’t dare to cross limits and talk about division of Pakistan,” he warned.
In an interview with Bol TV, Khan had said: “If the establishment doesn’t make the right decisions then I can assure in writing that they and the army will be destroyed because what will become of the country if it goes bankrupt.
“Pakistan is going towards a default. If that happens then which institution will be (worst) hit? The army. After it is hit, what concession will be taken from us? Denuclearisation.
“If the right decisions aren’t made at this time then the country is going towards suicide.”
“Indian think tanks abroad are mulling to separate Balochistan, they have plans, this is why I am putting pressure,” the ousted premier said, without mentioning who he is pressuring.
Khan has warned that the country will descend into a civil war if elections are not announced.
“We will see if they allow us to go towards elections through legal and constitutional means otherwise this country will go towards (a) civil war,” Dawn news quoted the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief as saying in an interview.
The ousted premier further said there was “no question” of returning to the National Assembly as that would “mean accepting the conspiracy” that had removed his government.
Khan said he was waiting for the apex court to decide on his party’s plea to provide protection to the protesters, after which he said he would issue the date for the next march, Dawn new reported.
The PTI Chairman admitted he did not enjoy absolute power as the prime minister, indicating that the actual centres of power in the country lay elsewhere and “everyone knows where that is.”
Khan said his government had been “weak” when it came to power and had to seek coalition partners, adding that if the same situation were to arise again, he would opt for re-elections and seek a majority government or none at all.
“Our hands were tied. We were blackmailed from everywhere. Power wasn’t with us. Everyone knows where the power lies in Pakistan so we had to rely on them,” he said without elaborating any further who he was referring to.
Former Pakistan National Security Adviser retired Lt Gen Naeem Khalid Lodhi candidly admits that he too agrees with this, reports Asian Lite News
Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan’s surprise decision about not going ahead with the sit-in at the end of the long march left almost everyone baffled, foes and allies alike, but there is convergence on one thing, the manner in which it all ended, at least for now, carried clear indications of who made it happen, a media report said.
The general perception, though most shy away from saying that openly, is that the military had to ultimately play its role to prevent things from getting out of control, the Dawn news report said.
Former Pakistan National Security Adviser retired Lt Gen Naeem Khalid Lodhi candidly admits that he too agrees with this.
“There is a strong possibility of positive interference by the military to prevent chaos and seek a return of semblance of political stability so that the process for resuscitating the economy could begin.”
Another retired general, on the condition of anonymity, said there was a realisation in the top brass that no one at the helm of affairs would be able to escape responsibility if matters were to go in a wrong direction, Dawn reported.
The biggest challenge for the military, a source claimed, was to open up communication channels with Khan, especially in view of their frayed relations. But, as the former Prime Minister proceeded with the long march plans, a sense of urgency was felt everywhere and multiple channels were employed to bring him around, Dawn news reported.
The source said those who acted as a go-between included a former chief justice, a leading businessman, and a retired general.
“It was not an easy task given Imran Khan’s obstinacy and the fact that he had invested a lot of effort into it,” the source privy to the negotiations said.
Though the source did not share the chronology of the negotiations, it appeared from the discussion that they continued late into Wednesday night and probably into the early hours of Thursday.
“Despite being part of the Quad, India sustained pressure from the US and bought discounted Russian oil to provide relief to the masses,”Imran tweeted…reports Asian Lite News
Former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan once again praised India for buying discounted oil from Russia despite being a key member of a US-led Quad alliance.
“Despite being part of the Quad, India sustained pressure from the US and bought discounted Russian oil to provide relief to the masses,” Dawn news quoted Khan as saying in a tweet.
“This is what our government was working to achieve with the help of an independent foreign policy,” he added.
In a second tweet, Khan claimed that for his government, “Pakistan’s interest was supreme but unfortunately the local Mir Jafars & Mir Sadiqs bowed to external pressure, forcing a regime change and are now running around like a headless chicken with the economy in a tailspin”.
The former premier also tagged to his tweet a South Asia Index report, saying: “After buying discounted oil from Russia, the Indian government reduced petrol price by 9.5 rupees per litre, Diesel price has also been reduced by 7 rupees per litre.”
Michael Kugelman, a scholar of South Asian affairs at the Wilson Centre, Washington, also referred to this report, saying: “This is why Khan was praising India during his final days as Prime Minister.”
He pointed out that Khan wanted to import wheat and eventually gas from Russia, Dawn reported.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that the entire nation, especially women, should strongly condemn the “deplorable language used against the daughter of the nation Maryam Nawaz”, reports Asian Lite News
After former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan issued an objectionable statement against PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz during his Multan address, politicians, journalists, and civil society members have censured Khan for his “sexist and misogynist” comments.
During his jalsa, Khan, referring to Maryam’s Sargodha rally on May 19 in which she continually berated him, said: “Someone had sent me the speech delivered by Maryam Nawaz in Sargodha yesterday,” Geo News reported.
“In that speech, she uttered my name with such passion that I would like to tell her: Maryam, please be careful, your husband may get upset because you were constantly repeating my name.”
Following his comments, condemnations started pouring in from politicians and civil society members on social media.
Taking to Twitter, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who also happens to be Maryam’s paternal uncle, expressed strong disapproval of Khan’s statement and said that the entire nation, especially women, should strongly condemn the “deplorable language used against the daughter of the nation Maryam Nawaz”.
Maryam Nawaz. (Photo: Twitter/@MaryamNSharif)
Censuring Khan for his statement against the PML-N vice president, former president Asif Ali Zardari said that he condemned the derogatory language used by the PTI chairman.
“Those who have mothers and sisters in their homes do not use such language against other women,” the PPP co-chairman said.
Afridi maintained that Imran Khan has always been his idol, adding that he started cricket after being inspired by him….reports Asian Lite News
Reacting to the criticism on social media for extending felicitation to newly-elected Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, former Pakistan cricket captain Shahid Afridi said that it is his right to disagree with the policies of former premier Imran Khan, Geo News reported.
In a video statement on his YouTube channel, Afridi said: “I always praised Imran Khan as captain, but it’s my right to disagree with his policies as Prime Minister.”
In civilised societies, a difference of opinion is respected, he said, adding that the difference of opinion should not be converted into hate.
“I knew that I was criticised when I congratulated Shehbaz Sharif on becoming the Prime Minister,” he added.
He maintained that Imran Khan has always been his idol, adding that he started cricket after being inspired by him.
“I never made a personal attack on him, but I have the right to disagree with his policies,” he added.
The star cricketer said that he expressed his views as a common Pakistani, Geo News reported.
The head of the state is respectable, regardless of his party affiliation, as he represents the country, Afridi said, adding, “If you want the respect of your country in the world, respect the premier.”
Shehbaz: Imran Khan sold Toshakhana gifts in Dubai
The government has also decided to extend the scrutiny of Khan and his party’s funding to foreign countries, from where, huge funds have been allegedly sent to various PTI accounts and members…reports Hamza Ameer
After ousting Imran Khan from power and tackling his claims of corruption against opposition party leaders, the incumbent government of Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has decided to scrutinise the legality and value of the former premier’s assets and income.
As per sources, the federal government has decided to launch a thorough inquiry and scrutiny of Khan’s assets and income, including details of at least four of his employees, who are under the payroll of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and dig deeper into finding irregularities, which may be used to book the ousted leader on assets beyond means, undeclared income and illegal inflow of huge sum of funds from unknown sources and accounts.
The four PTI employees are Tahir Iqbal, Muhammad Noman Afzal, Muhammad Arshad and Mohammad Rafique.
“Records of huge sums of money into the private accounts of four PTI employees are being sought from the SBP and arrests will also be made in the light of the evidences,” an informed source said about the development.
“Forensic examination of records will be carried out by independent auditors while FIA (Federal Investigation Agency) and FBR (Federal Board of Revenue) will take action by obtaining records at their respective levels.”
The government has also decided to extend the scrutiny of Khan and his party’s funding to foreign countries, from where, huge funds have been allegedly sent to various PTI accounts and members.
“The government has decided to write a letter to the International financial institutions for the record of PTI and Imran Khan’s international bank accounts,” the source said.
PTI is currently under scrutiny on charges of foreign funding from countries, including India and Israel. A case was filed by one of its founding members with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) seeking a ban on the political party and also put Khan to trial for getting foreign funding for his campaigns.
“The record of PTI foreign funding from 2013 to 2022 is also being sought,” the source revealed.
The Pakistan government had reached a data exchange agreement with the International financial institutions was reached during the tenure of former Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and the same will be used to take action in the current scrutiny process.
“Under the agreement, FBR has the legal authority to take records from foreign banks,” the source confirmed.
Khan’s income will also be scrutinised and any irregularity or illegality will be checked.
It seems that after Khan’s three and a half years in power and consistent pursuit to book the Sharif and the Zardari families under charges of illegal assets beyond means and financial crimes, the former Prime Minister is now facing the same challenge by his political archrivals in power.
Referring to the FIR registered against almost 150 people, including Imran Khan, the minister said that there is no justification for not filing a case against those who violated the sanctity of Roza-e-Rasool….reports Asian Lite News
Pakistan Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah on Sunday vowed that former Prime Minister Imran Khan will be arrested in a case relating to hooliganism and sloganeering against Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his delegation visiting Madina earlier this week, media reports said.
In a statement, Sanaullah said: “They will not be forgiven at all for what they did. Imran Khan will definitely be arrested,” reported Geo News.
Referring to the FIR registered against almost 150 people, including Imran Khan, the minister said that there is no justification for not filing a case against those who violated the sanctity of Roza-e-Rasool.
The government will not create any obstacle if any citizens comes forward and seeks action in this regard, he added. The incident relating to the harassment of PML-N leaders at the holy mosque was pre-planned, he said, adding that people were provoked to do this.
As per the planning, a group of people headed by Aneel Mussarat and Sahibzada Jahangir arrived in Saudi Arabia from the UK for hooliganism at the Masjid-e-Nabawi, he said.
“This man (Imran Khan) is bent on misleading the new generation,” he said and asked if anyone ever called for a protest on Chand Raat?
Talking about the plot behind the incident, the minister asked: “Is there any need for proof after Sheikh Rasheed’s press conference?”
Sanaullah said that the Saudi government has decided to take action against the people involved in the incident, adding that some people will be deported from the Kingdom.
Nobody can even think of taking personal animosity and politics to Masjid-e-Nabawi, he added, Geo News reported.
Imran Khan’s plan to begin the Islamabad march is expected after Eid. Khan said “people have begun to understand the joke that happened with them and the kind of people placed on us as rulers”…reports Hamza Ameer
Former Prime Minister and chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan has called on his supporters to be ready for a mass march and a protest sit-in in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad after Eid, announcing yet another anti-government march to pressure the Shehbaz Sharif government to announce immediate and early general elections in the country.
Khan, while addressing a press conference, said he would be announcing the date of the march in the coming weeks.
“I have asked my party members to begin preparations for marching to Islamabad. I have directed party leaders, including those at village level, to prepare for the march for true freedom,” he said.
“A huge sea of people would go towards the capital because I have never seen such political awareness among the people. Everyone will sit with me in protest in Islamabad until early general elections are not announced,” he added.
Imran Khan’s plan to begin the Islamabad march is expected after Eid. Khan said “people have begun to understand the joke that happened with them and the kind of people placed on us as rulers”.
“There is an unprecedented number of criminals and those who were out of bail in the newly formed federal cabinet,” said Imran Khan.
Imran Khan has been claiming that his government has been taken off power through a foreign conspiracy led by the US, and implemented through his opposition political parties. Khan claims that the findings of the National Security Committee (NSC) which has discussed details of the cypher from then Pakistan’s Ambassador to US Asad Majeed, has confirmed that what he is claiming is correct.
However, the NSC’s second meeting in relation to the same threat letter concluded that “there has been no foreign conspiracy” as no such evidence was found to establish the foreign intervention for regime change in Pakistan.
But Khan said that NSC confirmed that the cypher a.k.a. telegram was correct and real, adding that the language used in the cable was undiplomatic.
“NSC had confirmed that the cable was genuine and the conversation with US Assistant Secretary of State for Central and South Asia Donald Lu was real,” he said.
“The language used was undiplomatic. I will say it was arrogance,” he added.
In the end, however, all this did not help. Back on the table, the usual issues – inflation, unemployment, food security, corruption and so on prevailed….writes Aditi Bhaduri
When Imran Khan had to unceremoniously give up the office of Prime Minister, he left behind a troubled legacy. Pakistan’s economy was in shambles and the relations with several key foreign powers in free fall.
However, in one area where he tasted some success was in forming an “Islamic alliance” with pal Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey and Mahathir Mohammed of Malaysia, and in crying himself hoarse about ‘Islamophobia’, instigating an almost riot like situation near the French Embassy after caricatures of prophet Mohammed were published in France. He feverishly tried to internationalise the Kashmir issue, taking it after decades to the UN Security Council where nothing came of it. And he managed to get the UN to adopt a resolution to mark an international day for combating Islamophobia.
Under Imran Khan’s watch the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) strengthened its position in Pakistan, while Khan himself became an unofficial spokesperson for the Afghan Taliban on the international arena. He also called Osama bin Laden “martyr”, and instead of directing Pakistan to become a modern society, he invoked the concept of “Riyasat I Medina”. Scholars and writer Farahnaz Ispahani writes, “…Khan’s reputation as a Westernised former cricketer and playboy sometimes misleads foreigners into assuming that he might represent a liberal vision for Pakistan. In fact, Khan and his PTI represent Pakistan’s further descent into obscurantism and unabashed bigotry.”
Pakistan secret delegation held talks with TTP, Haqqani network
In the end, however, all this did not help. Back on the table, the usual issues – inflation, unemployment, food security, corruption and so on prevailed.
Which poses the question – is Islamism losing ground, at least in Muslim majority countries?
Let’s rewind to 2019. On December 18-21, 2019 the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur hosted an Islamic summit, in spite of the fact that the Organisation of Islamic conference routinely holds summits to discuss issues pertaining to the Muslim world. In the words of former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir bin Mohammad, “The five countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Iran and Turkey) will be pioneering the beginning of broader Islamic cooperation that includes several fields facing the Islamic world.”
The idea for the summit was floated earlier in Ankara when Mahathir was on an official visit to Turkey. After discussions with Erdogan, both leaders announced the summit at a joint press conference. On his part, Erdogan said that solidarity between Turkey, Malaysia and Pakistan was necessary for the unity of the Islamic world. Mahathir echoed the statement saying: “Cooperation between Malaysia and Turkey will help to relieve the Muslim Ummah from being @subjugated by others.” In other words, Malaysia, Pakistan, and Turkey were to fashion the ummah and Muslim solidarity anew.
Like Khan, both Mahathir and Erdogan have presided over the growing Islamisation in their countries. Under Mahathir’s watch, the new state institutions proliferated in Malaysia, such as the Institute of Islamic Understanding and the International Islamic University of Malaysia. Primary and secondary education curricula were revised to include more material on Islamic civilisation, and Malaysia passed legislation to reflect this change by implementing Shariah law, especially in divorce and religious conversion cases. Zakir Naik, an Islamist rabble rouser found refuge there, and Malaysia refused to extradite him to India.
Erdogan
Similarly, Erdogan did away with family planning in Turkey, extolled motherhood, condemned feminists, saying men and women cannot be treated equally, introduced educational reforms that banned Darwin’s Theory of Evolution from curricula, while incorporating Islamic teachings in the syllabi. He even went a step further to support in different ways Islamist ideologues in other countries, especially Arab ones, which put him at loggerheads with the rulers and governments in those countries.
Alas, things didn’t turn out the way they were meant to be. In Malaysia in spite of the growing religiosity, together with a political crisis and bad economics, Mahathir resigned soon after the Islamic summit. Similarly, in Turkey, thanks to the disastrous economic policies, Erdogan and his AKP Party is on shaky ground, having lost their bases in the two largest cities – Ankara and Istanbul. Future projections point to an electoral defeat for Erdogan and his party in the upcoming parliamentary elections in 2023. Clearly, an Islamist agenda has not worked.
A similar trend is visible in the Arab world too.
In Tunisia, where the Arab spring began in 2010, President Kais Saied dissolved the Tunisian government and the Assembly of People’s Representatives in July 2021 last year in what is widely perceived as a move to tackle corruption and general dissatisfaction of the people with political elites, many of whom were allied to the Islamist Ennahada party and to the Muslim Brotherhood. A poll conducted in August-September 2021 found that the majority of Tunisians backed the president’s action, considering his actions necessary to remove a corrupt and unpopular political elite after years of economic stagnation. This is also seen as a vote against the Islamists in power. A constitutional referendum is due to take place in July 2022.
Finally, Moroccans threw out the ruling Islamic Justice and Development Party in parliamentary elections in mid-September 2021. The party lost 113 out of 125 seats that it had won in the last election in 2016, heralding a big triumph against political Islam.
Of course, much earlier in 2014, Egypt had outlawed the Muslim Brotherhood and removed from power, Mohamed Morsi who had taken charge as President following the Arab Spring.
In Pakistan, it is still too early to say that Imran Khan’s exit from government marks the end of Islamists in decision making in Pakistan. The country is too tightly in the clutches of different radical groups. The current coalition of Shehbaz Sharif includes the Islamist Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA).
Nevertheless, what the trend shows is that economics trumps Islamist policies; at the very least they are not a substitute for stable governance and a stable economy. So, while identity politics may be growing amongst Muslims in countries where they are a minority, or while the Taliban may still be comfortably lodged in Kabul, in more developed Muslim societies, Islamists appear to be beating a retreat. (The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com)
Shehbaz: Imran Khan sold Toshakhana gifts in Dubai
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he can confirm that his predecessor, PTI Chairman Imran Khan, took gifts from the Toshakhana and sold them in Dubai, media reports said on Friday…reports Asian Lite News
“Imran Khan sold these gifts for Rs140 million in Dubai,” the PM was reported as telling journalists during an iftar he hosted on Thursday in the federal capital, Geo News reported.
According to Sharif, the expensive gifts that former Prime Minister Imran Khan traded for money included diamond jewellery sets, bracelets, and wrist watches.
Pic credits Twitter @PakPMO
PM Shehbaz Sharid said that he also received a watch once, but deposited it to the Toshakhana, adding that he “does not need to hide anything”.
The premier’s revelation came in response to a question regarding a petition seeking the details of the Toshakhana that had been filed in the Islamabad High Court on which then PM Imran Khan had commented that the details cannot be revealed as per the Official Secrets Act, 1923.
Former federal minister and PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry, however, refuted PM Shehbaz Sharif’s statement, saying that the new Premier is “throwing dirt on Imran Khan”.
He claimed that Khan bought a watch that he received from a foreign country from the government of Pakistan and sold it.
