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Long march won’t be delayed past October: Imran Khan warns govt

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  • Giving them more time before launching long march.
  • Dialogue with the ruling elite out of question.
  • Demands re-election in Karachi, Daska.

ISLAMABAD: PTI Chairman Imran Khan said Monday that his party’s anti-government “Azadi March” would not be delayed past October as they have completed their preparations.

In a press conference, the PTI chairman said: “My march will be held in October if the government does not announce the date for the next general election.”

The PTI chief warned the government that multitudes of people would take to the streets responding to his call to the nation for the anti-government march.

Khan said he was still cutting the government some slack so that they could decide on it. “I am actually giving them some more time before embarking on our long march protest.”

“[Interior Minister] Rana Sanaullah won’t even know what hit him, such is my preparation,” Khan warned the top minister, who recently claimed the government’s preparation was 10 times more as compared to May 25.

He said dialogue was out of the question with the ruling elite. “There’s no negotiation with criminals. You can hold reconciliation talks with Baloch or Sindhi nationalists, but not with the felons like them,” Khan added.

Khan’s press conference came after his party won Sunday’s by-election by a major margin. The PTI chief won six of the eight National Assembly seats up for grabs and his party added two more to their seat count in the Punjab Assembly.

But not completely satisfied with the results, Khan alleged that the elections were held in the constituencies where PTI was weak and the ruling coalition fielded joint candidates to ensure his party’s defeat.

He said that the government did not wish to hold elections and used floods as an excuse. “They said that there were floods. But in the constituencies where elections were held, floods did not have an effect there.”

Khan claimed that he lost Karachi’s Malir by-polls to a PPP candidate — Abdul Hakeem Baloch — as it was rigged.

“Sindh’s election commissioner was on the provincial government’s payroll. We reject [Malir’s] by-election and demand re-election. The PPP swung the polls to their advantage through indiscriminate rigging,” Khan alleged.

He said the nation had rejected this legislature as well as this government and wanted new polls across the country.

Khan condemned the law enforcement agencies for booking the ageing PTI leader Azam Swati in a “baseless case” and then allegedly subjecting him to grievous bodily harm in police custody. “They beat up the 75-year-old in front of his grandchildren.”

Chiding the government for allegedly torturing PTI leader and former federal minister, he said that what the authorities did to him was “utterly shameless”. 

“Doesn’t the Constitution provide the people of Pakistan the right to their self-esteem? These rulers were afraid of elections,” Khan said adding, it was time to move forward.

 “We will approach the international human rights bodies against these violations.”


Khan announces decisions of party’s senior leadership pertaining to torture:

  • PTI to call special session of KP, Punjab assemblies on torture of its leaders, journalists;
  • PTI senators to file petition against torture of its leaders;
  • Party to write letters to int’l oragnisations — human rights committee in Geneva, UN special rapporteur on torture, EU special representative on human rights, int’l parliamentary union;
  • Long march anytime soon.

CEC PML-N’s ‘inside’ man

Khan said that they can win elections without the support of umpires.

Berating Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, the PTI chair said: “I have not seen a more dishonest election commissioner than Sikandar Sultan Raja in this country.”

“Sikandar Sultan is PML-N’s man inside the election commission,” Khan alleged and added that this election was held by the ECP in cahoots with the government.

“Raja did not allow electronic voting machines (EVM),” he said, adding that If there were EVMs, they could not have rigged the elections.

Khan also disclosed they had moved Supreme Judicial Commission and their case was being heard.

The PTI leader also demanded re-election in Daska.

“I have been saying this for the last three years that they (the government) were actually trying to get away with an amnesty for their wrong deeds under the NRO,” Khan said adding that Gen Musharraf dealt a blow to the country by offering them NROs.

He said the PML-N was imposed on the country when it was on an upward trajectory. “Ironically, in this country, a small-time thief always gets caught but the big-time one remains at large,” Khan said.

The US issue

Saying that he was accused of isolating the country, Khan dared his accusers to read his reply to the tweet of former US president Donald Trump immediately after his “illegal” ouster.

“Americans respect nationalists,” Khan said.

He alleged that the government spent hundreds of millions of rupees on their US visits. “Bilawal was touring the whole world, while Sindh was sinking.”

He said it was old propaganda against Pakistan that was still being actively pursued and they were pushing the country to the brink of default. “I had said they left the country in the lurch of default twice before.”

According to Khan, he and former finance minister Shaukat Tarin had conveyed the message to the establishment that the economy would become hard to handle [in the hands of the PML-N-led government].

“They are not giving any consideration to the country.”

Politics

Bilawal toes father Zardari’s line of political ‘unity’ ahead of polls

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  • PPP chief Bilawal calls for burying politics of hatred, division.
  • Says wants to introduce new style of politics to end rivalries.
  • Zardari not afraid of “forces”, wants son Bilawal to become PM.

Following reports of differences between the top Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leaders, party chairman Bilawal-Bhutto Zardari has called for “burying” politics of hatred and division in line with the vision of his father Asif Ali Zardari’s reconciliatory politics.

“We have to do politics wherein we should think about unity and not of division. The PPP wants to start a new kind of politics in the country,” Bilawal said while addressing a public rally held to mark the PPP’s 56th foundation day in Quetta.

Bilawal said his party wanted to promote a style of politics under which there is no rival party of the PPP.

“PPP is fighting against inflation and poverty due to which people are suffering. The old style of politics is based on hatred, division, and revenge. The country’s youth needs to bury such politics,” the PPP chief added.

The PPP chief apparently lowered his rhetoric against his rivals in his first public interaction since his father Asif Ali Zardari’s interview wherein the top PPP leader termed his son “inexperienced” while expressing displeasure over his tirade against the elder politicians.

The interview broadcast on Geo News last week triggered speculations that there were cracks among the top PPP leadership.

However, the party quickly rejected the rumours, and Bakhtawar Bhutto-Zardari, the daughter of PPP Co-chairman Zardari, put to rest the speculation asking people to not pay heed to the headlines

She also shared an image with her family — including Zardari, Bilawal, and aunt Faryal Talpur. All of them seemed in a happy mood.

In the same gathering, Bilawal also fired a broadside at his political rivals saying that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is now known as the “mehangai [inflation] league” in the country.

“People know that they are showbaz [showmen] of politics,” the PPP chief added.

Bilawal said Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the PML-N wanted to roll back the provincial autonomy granted under the 18th Amendment.

“They want to occupy the resources of the provinces..PPP will not let this conspiracy to succeed.”

Jiyala next PM’

Bilawal also announced giving a surprise to the entire in the February 8, 2024 general elections saying the jiyala [PPP worker] will become the country’s new prime minister.

Addressing the gathering, Zardari called for the support of his son to make him the country’s youngest prime minister.

“We have to teach Bilawal what we know […] we have to train him to make him a leader of the youth.”

The former president also said that some forces are always at play to pull the legs of a leader who wants to take the country forward.

“We are not afraid of such forces. We trust our people.”

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Pakistan

COAS Gen Asim Munir meets Kuwaiti crown prince

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  • PM Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar to meet Kuwaiti crown prince today. 
  • Both army chief and PM are in Kuwait on official visit. 
  • PM Office says multiple MoUs expected to be signed during visit. 

Army chief General Asim Munir on Tuesday met Kuwait’s Crown Prince Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah as part of his official visit to the gulf country, reported Kuwait News Agency (KUNA).

The meeting was also attended by Caretaker Law Minister Ahmed Irfan Aslam, Pakistan Ambassador to Kuwait Malik Mohammad Farooq and other members of the delegation.

Meanwhile, PM Kakar has also arrived in Kuwait City after concluding the UAE visit and is expected to meet the crown prince today, the PM Office said on Wednesday.

The premier will also meet his Kuwaiti counterpart Sheikh Ahmed Al-Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah.

The PM office said that a number of memorandum of understanding (MoUs) will be signed for mutual cooperation in various sectors including manpower, information technology, minerals and mining, food security, energy and defence.

In UAE, Pakistan signed several MoUs worth multi-billion dollars in a range of areas on Monday to boost economic and strategic cooperation between the two countries, PM Kakar said.

The prime minister said with the signing of the MoUs, the bilateral economic and strategic relations had entered into a new era of bilateral cooperation.

Congratulating the people of Pakistan and the UAE, he said the foundation of friendship with Pakistan which was laid by Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan in the 1970s, had been taken forward by his son Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to a new era.

PM Kakar expressed the hope that the MoUs that were signed by the two countries would turn into tangible projects very soon.

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Imran Khan’s aide kickstarts PTI funding campaign in Europe

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LONDON: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Zulfi Bukhari has kickstarted a mass mobilisation and fundraising campaign for the party in the United Kingdom and Europe.

Addressing a workers’ convention in High Wycombe in London along with Sahibzada Jahangir, one of the founders of PTI, Zulfi said that the mass mobilisation and fundraising has been started for the elections scheduled for February next year.

“We will take part in elections at any cost. We need funds and effort from the overseas regions. The party needs funds for its legal challenges as well for the election campaign,” he said.

Zulfi said the entire leadership is prepared for the elections and will not be deterred by the arrest threats.

The former cabinet member said he will be going to Pakistan himself as soon as the party leadership directs him, adding that he was prepared to go to jail.

However, it is unlikely that Zulfi will be travelling to Pakistan anytime soon as the caretaker govt has requested Interpol for his arrest. He was in Dubai when the Interpol request was made, he left UAE and since then has not travelled outside London.

Zulfi said he will be personally visiting cities in the United Kingdom and Europe to raise funds.

The PTI leader revealed that the campaign in the UK is scheduled to start shortly and arrangements are in place. He said the PTI Core Committee was meeting daily to discuss affairs of the party to formulate strategies on a daily basis.

Zulfi Bukhari has so far stayed away from PTI UK events but his decision to take part in mobilisation suggests he has been asked by the leadership in Pakistan to engage with the local chapter.

Two weeks ago, he told an audience at the University of London that making Usman Buzdar Punjab’s chief minister was a mistake but Imran Khan did the right thing by not sacking him.

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