The Pakistan PM Imran Khan and the Crown Prince met in Jeddah and held wide-ranging talks on bilateral, regional and international issues…reports Asian Lite News
Visiting Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman on Saturday have affirmed their commitment to fortify the ‘upward trajectory’ in bilateral relations, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) in Islamabad said.
The Prime Minister and the Crown Prince met in Jeddah and held wide-ranging talks on bilateral, regional and international issues, The Express Tribune quoted the Ministry as saying.
“The talks were marked by exceptional cordiality and a commitment to fortify the upward trajectory in the bilateral relationship.
— Foreign Ministry 🇸🇦 (@KSAmofaEN) May 7, 2021
“The two leaders reaffirmed the strong and historic bonds between the two countries rooted firmly in shared beliefs, common values, mutual trust and longstanding tradition of mutual support,” it added.
During the meeting, special emphasis was laid on increasing Saudi investments in Pakistan, collaboration in the field of energy, and increased job opportunities for Pakistanis in Saudi Arabia, according to the MoFA.
The two leaders also signed an agreement on the establishment of the Saudi-Pakistan Supreme Coordination Council (SPSCC).
Imran meets Saudi Crown Prince(Twitter)
Khan also extended an invitation to Crown Prince Salman to visit Pakistan, stated the MoFA.
Besides Foreign Minister Qureshi, Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed, Senator Faisal Javed and other senior officials are also part of the official delegation, reports The Express Tribune.
On May 4, Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa reached Riyadh to meet Saudi civil and military leadership in what seemed to be part of the preparation of the prime minister’s visit.
The Imran Khan-led PTI government last week had agreed to move a resolution in the National Assembly for the removal of the French Ambassador from the country…reports Asian Lite News
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88ShBpWXRVk
The Imran Khan government’s move to form a special parliamentary committee on the issue of the French envoy’s expulsion from Pakistan seems to have failed after opposition parties joined hands to oppose the idea and called for a debate in the country’s National Assembly instead.
“The PPP does not support the idea of formation of any special committee and believes that the debate on the issue must be held in the National Assembly after converting it into a committee of the whole house,” PPP secretary general Farhatullah Khan Babar told Dawn on Sunday.
Dismissing the need for any special committee, Babar said the party leaders had decided to support the stand taken by all opposition parties, including the PML-N and the JUI-F. He also said every member should be allowed to speak on the matter which was sensitive in nature.
Farhatullah Babar(Twitter)
Ban on Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan
As things stand, the opposition members in the country are demanding that the Imran Khan government should present the agreement it had signed with the banned Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), before the Parliament. Furthermore, they want people responsible “for the bloodshed” in the country to be identified.
Last week, Dawn in one of its editorials, had said that the Pakistan government’s “bad decision-making and weak management” have allowed now proscribed TLP to garner more importance and heft than it deserves.
The Pakistani newspaper noted that the TLP affair should have been handled better and it is fairly obvious now that the Imran Khan-led government has run circles around itself while attempting to get a grip on the situation.
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan
The Imran Khan-led PTI government last week had agreed to move a resolution in the National Assembly for the removal of the French Ambassador from the country.
“This becomes even more obvious when the resolution is contrasted with the speech that Prime Minister Imran Khan delivered on Monday in a bid to explain his strategy. The crux of his argument was reasonable. He said that no Muslim would ever compromise on the finality of Prophethood, but this did not mean that one party should be allowed to monopolise the issue,” the editorial read. (ANI)
Pakistan’s anti-graft watchdog on Wednesday filed a reference in the Quetta accountability court against three former Balochistan Development Authority (BDA) chairmen for misuse of authority and corrupt practices…reports Asian Lite News
While Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan-led government “plans” to make Gwadar the “next Dubai” under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) initiative, the National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) Balochistan chapter has unveiled a total corruption of approximately 1.24 billion rupees in the Gwadar Water Desalination Project.
According to The Express Tribune, the Water Desalination Project was initiated to provide clean water to the residents of the port city of Gwadar.
Pakistan’s anti-graft watchdog on Wednesday filed a reference in the Quetta accountability court against three former Balochistan Development Authority (BDA) chairmen for misuse of authority and corrupt practices in the installation of the water desalination plant.
Gwadar Port(wikipedia)
NAB had also filed a reference against 15 persons including 5 tehsildars for tampering with the revenue record and an illegal sale of government land in Gwadar, reported The Express Tribune.
It further reported that the investigation into the incident revealed the current Tehsildar Gwadar Buhair Dashti and former Gwadar Tehsildars including others sold 844 acres of land to private individuals after tampering with the official record.
The illegal sale of government land had caused a loss of approximately Pakistani Rs 214 million to the national exchequer, reported The Express Tribune.
In 2015, China announced an economic project in Pakistan worth USD 46 billion. With the CPEC, Beijing aims to expand its influence in Pakistan and across Central and South Asia in order to counter the influence of the United States and India.
The CPEC would link Pakistan’s southern Gwadar port (626 kilometres west of Karachi) in Balochistan on the Arabian Sea to China’s western Xinjiang region. It also includes plans to create road, rail, and oil pipeline links to improve connectivity between China and the Middle East. (ANI)
Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan, a hardline religious organisation, was declared as proscribed by the Imran Khan-led government after the former had detained security officials and unleashed mayhem in the country, reports Hamza Ameer
The Islamic Republic of Pakistan, a country formed on the basis of freedom of religious rights for its citizens, is a Muslim majority state, where religious groups and organisations play a pivotal role in the country’s democratic system and political setups.
It is common in Pakistan for political parties to seek allegiance from various conservative and hardline religious groups to attain political strength, which could lead them to the victory throne to rule the country.
Hardline religious groups, under the guise of political gains by many political parties, have been supported, facilitated and protected, giving them the leverage to practice and spread their narratives of the religion among the masses.
However, while many such religious groups have made headways and have challenged the country’s democracy in the past, the recent surge of popularity and intensity of the Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP) has certainly raised serious questions over how the country’s democratic setup and government operate.
TLP, a hardline religious organisation, which was part of the political race during the last general elections, was declared as proscribed by the Imran Khan-led government after the former had detained security officials and unleashed mayhem in the country.
TLP’s popular identity is its aggressive reaction to any activity or action by any person or country that targets Islam and its Prophet Muhammad.
TLP’s prime agenda has been to protest against any blasphemous action or intent, which has seen support pouring in from all corners of the country.
TLP’s protests have seen violence, blockages, killings and vandalisation, chocking the whole country through its widespread massive support across the nation.
Imran Khan
TLP has certainly demonstrated that its public presence and violent reaction to issues related to religion has time and again brought the sitting government and the authorities to their knees.
This poses a serious threat to the country, which is now witnessing a backlash by such organisations, which were its own creations.
Islamist hardline groups in Pakistan have been able to spread their narrative openly and have been mainstreamed by the governments to the level that they have now become a threat to their own country’s security and its standing in front of the world.
TLP’s demand for expulsion of the French Ambassador from Pakistan and severing relations with France in protest against the ‘blasphemous’ caricatures of Islam and Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) has put the Imran Khan-led government in a difficult position as the premier has stated that the country cannot afford to sever ties with France or with Europe at large.
However, the government, succumbing to the pressure from the Islamist group, has tabled a resolution in the Parliament, seeking its vote on the expulsion of the French Ambassador.
Such Islamist hardliner elements have also enjoyed support from the country’s establishment, which has in the past supported them in their protests.
In 2017, TLP had staged a protest sit-in in Faizabad, the connecting bridge between the capital Islamabad and its twin city Rawalpindi, demanding the resignation of the then sitting law minister over his alleged role in proposing changes to the wording of the oath taken by the parliamentarians, as they deemed it to be blasphemous.
The demand back then was met as the law minister had to resign, even after repeated clarifications that he had never intended to commit any blasphemy.
What is shocking to see is that these Islamist hardliners have been able to dictate terms to the government, both in terms of foreign policy and parliamentary agenda.
This has now become a serious concern for the Imran Khan-led government, which has been trying to portray a positive image of Pakistan to the world.
Pakistan is using the Chinese vaccine, Sinopharm against Covid-19 pandemic. Recently a batch of 5,00,000 doses was received in Pakistan from China…report Asianlite News.
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
Faisal Sultan, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on National Health Services, Regulations & Coordination confirmed the development on Saturday.
Sultan said that the 68-year-old former cricketer-turned-politician has quarantined himself at home.
“PM Imran Khan has tested positive for Covid-19 and is self isolating at home,” Sultan said in a tweet.
Pakistan is using the Chinese vaccine, Sinopharm against Covid-19 pandemic. Recently a batch of 5,00,000 doses was received in Pakistan from China.
The vaccination drive in Pakistan is currently underway for senior citizens.
Modi wishes for a speedy recovery
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday wished speedy recovery to his Pakistan counterpart Imran Khan, who has tested positive for the novel coronavirus or Covid-19 pandemic.
As the news came out that the 68-year-old former cricketer-turned-politician had quarantined himself at home, the Prime Minister took to Twitter to wish him a speedy recovery from the deadly disease.
“Best wishes to Prime Minister @ImranKhanPTI for a speedy recovery from Covid-19,” Modi tweeted.
Best wishes to Prime Minister @ImranKhanPTI for a speedy recovery from COVID-19.
Khan tested positive for Covid-19 two days after receiving his first vaccine dose, government officials said on Saturday.
Faisal Sultan, Special Assistant to the Pakistan Prime Minister on National Health Services, Regulations & Coordination confirmed the development.
Pakistan is using the Chinese vaccine, Sinopharm against Covid-19 pandemic. Recently a batch of 5,00,000 doses was received in Pakistan from China.
People wearing face masks walk on a road in Rawalpindi of Pakistan’s Punjab province
The vaccination drive in Pakistan is currently underway for senior citizens.
Khan’s positive test comes at a time when Pakistan is seeing a steep rise in coronavirus infections.
As per the Pakistan Health Department, 3,876 people have been tested positive in the last 24 hours in the country “the highest number of daily infections since early July”, taking the total number of infections in the country past 620,000. There were also 42 more deaths, taking the total to 13,799.