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  • Pakistan’s Pivot To Russia And Ouster Of Imran Khan

    Days before Imran Khan’s ouster on April 10 as prime minister in a no-trust motion in the parliament orchestrated by foreign powers, two impersonators were arrested in Washington for posing as US federal security officials and cultivating access to the Secret Service, which protects President Joe Biden, one of whom claimed ties to Pakistani intelligence.

    Justice department assistant attorney Joshua Rothstein asked a judge not to release Arian Taherzadeh and Haider Ali, the men arrested on April 6 for posing as Department of Homeland Security investigators for two years before the arrest, the Guardian reported on April 8.

    The men also stand accused of providing lucrative favors to members of the Secret Service, including one agent on the security detail of the first lady, Jill Biden. Prosecutors said in court filings they seized a cache of weapons from multiple DC apartments tied to the defendants.

    The post Pakistan’s Pivot To Russia And Ouster Of Imran Khan appeared first on PopularResistance.Org.

    This post was originally published on PopularResistance.Org.

  • Pakistan’s Pivot to Russia and Ouster of Imran Khan

    Days before Imran Khan’s ouster on April 10 as prime minister in a no-trust motion in the parliament orchestrated by foreign powers, two impersonators were arrested in Washington for posing as US federal security officials and cultivating access to the Secret Service, which protects President Joe Biden, one of whom claimed ties to Pakistani intelligence.

    Justice department assistant attorney Joshua Rothstein asked a judge not to release Arian Taherzadeh and Haider Ali, the men arrested on April 6 for posing as Department of Homeland Security investigators for two years before the arrest, the Guardian reported on April 8.

    The men also stand accused of providing lucrative favors to members of the Secret Service, including one agent on the security detail of the first lady, Jill Biden. Prosecutors said in court filings they seized a cache of weapons from multiple DC apartments tied to the defendants.

    Federal prosecutor Rothstein alleged one of the suspects, Haider Ali, “made claims to witnesses that he had connections to the ISI, Pakistan’s military intelligence service.” The Department of Justice (DoJ) is treating the case as a criminal matter and not a national security issue. But the Secret Service suspended four agents over their involvement with the suspects.

    “All personnel involved in this matter are on administrative leave and are restricted from accessing Secret Service facilities, equipment, and systems,” the Secret Service said in a statement.

    Clearly, planning and preparations were underway to declare Pakistan a rogue actor sponsoring acts of subversion against the United States. Soon after the US-led “regime change” in Pakistan and the formation of government by imperialist stooges, however, the tone of the judge and prosecutors changed. The defendants were released on bail and placed in home detention, though they will not be allowed to go to airports or foreign embassies or to talk to any of the federal agents they allegedly duped.

    During his hour-long ruling, Magistrate Judge Michael Harvey lambasted the Justice Department’s claims that the men were dangerous, were trying to compromise agents and were tied to a foreign government, the CNN reported on April 13.

    Before his ouster as prime minister in a no-trust motion in the parliament on April 10, Imran Khan claimed that Pakistan’s Ambassador to US, Asad Majeed, was warned by Assistant Secretary of State Donald Lu that Khan’s continuation in office would have repercussions for bilateral ties between the two nations.

    Shireen Mazari, a Pakistani politician who served as the Federal Minister for Human Rights under the Imran Khan government, quoted Donald Lu as saying: “If Prime Minister Imran Khan remained in office, then Pakistan will be isolated from the United States and we will take the issue head on; but if the vote of no-confidence succeeds, all will be forgiven.”

    During Imran Khan’s historic two-day official visit to Moscow on the eve of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, besides signing several bilateral contracts in agricultural and energy sectors, President Putin reportedly offered Imran Khan the S-300 air defense system, Sukhoi aircraft as replacement for the Pakistan Air Force’s dependence on American F-16s and an array of advanced Russian military equipment on the condition that Pakistan abandons its traditional alliance with Washington and forge defense ties with Russia, according to two government officials who accompanied Imran Khan on the Moscow visit.

    Alongside China, India and Iran, Pakistan under the leadership of Imran Khan was one of the few countries that adopted a non-aligned stance and refused to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, despite diplomatic pressure from Washington.

    After the United States “nation-building project” failed in Afghanistan during its two-decade occupation of the embattled country from Oct. 2001 to August 2021, it accused regional powers of lending covert support to Afghan insurgents battling the occupation forces.

    The occupation and Washington’s customary blame game accusing “malign regional forces” of insidiously destabilizing Afghanistan and undermining US-led “benevolent imperialism” instead of accepting responsibility for its botched invasion and occupation of Afghanistan brought Pakistan and Russia closer against a common adversary in their backyard, and the two countries even managed to forge defense ties, particularly during the four years of the Imran Khan government from July 2018 to April 2022.

    Since the announcement of a peace deal with the Taliban by the Trump administration in Feb. 2020, regional powers, China and Russia in particular, hosted international conferences and invited the representatives of the US-backed Afghanistan government and the Taliban for peace negotiations.

    After the departure of US forces from “the graveyard of the empires,” although Washington is trying to starve the hapless Afghan masses to death in retribution for inflicting a humiliating defeat on the global hegemon by imposing economic sanctions on the Taliban government and browbeating international community to desist from lending formal diplomatic recognition or having trade relations with Afghanistan, China and Russia have provided generous humanitarian and developmental assistance to Afghanistan.

    Imran Khan fell from the grace of the Biden administration, whose record-breaking popularity ratings plummeted after the precipitous fall of US in Kabul last August, reminiscent of the Fall of US in Saigon in April 1975, with Chinook helicopters hovering over US embassy evacuating diplomatic staff to the airport, and Washington accused Pakistan for the debacle.

    Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley squeamishly described the Kabul takeover in his historic Congressional testimony that several hundred Pashtun cowboys riding on motorbikes and brandishing Kalashnikovs overran Kabul without a shot being fired, and the world’s most lethal military force fled with tail neatly folded between legs, hastily evacuating diplomatic staff from sprawling 36-acre US embassy in Chinook helicopters to airport secured by the insurgents.

    Apart from indiscriminate B-52 bombing raids mounted by Americans, Afghan security forces didn’t put up serious resistance anywhere in Afghanistan and simply surrendered territory to the Taliban. The fate of Afghanistan was sealed as soon as the US forces evacuated Bagram airbase in the dead of the night on July 1, six weeks before the inevitable fall of Kabul on August 15.

    The sprawling Bagram airbase was the nerve center from where all the operations across Afghanistan were directed, specifically the vital air support to the US-backed Afghan security forces without which they were simply irregular militias waiting to be devoured by the wolves.

    In southern Afghanistan, the traditional stronghold of the Pashtun ethnic group from which the Taliban draws most of its support, the Taliban military offensive was spearheaded by Mullah Yaqoob, the illustrious son of the Taliban’s late founder Mullah Omar and the newly appointed defense minister of the Taliban government, as district after district in southwest Afghanistan, including the birthplace of the Taliban movement Kandahar and Helmand, fell in quick succession.

    What has stunned military strategists and longtime observers of the Afghan war, though, was the Taliban’s northern blitz, occupying almost the whole of northern Afghanistan in a matter of weeks, as northern Afghanistan was the bastion of the Northern Alliance comprising the Tajik and Uzbek ethnic groups. In recent years, however, the Taliban has made inroads into the heartland of the Northern Alliance, too.

    The ignominious fall of Kabul clearly demonstrates the days of American hegemony over the world are numbered. If ragtag Taliban militants could liberate their homeland from imperialist clutches without a fight, imagine what would happen if the United States confronted equal military powers such as Russia and China. The much-touted myth of American military supremacy is clearly more psychological than real.

    Imran Khan is an educated and charismatic leader. Being an Oxford graduate, he is much better informed than most Pakistani politicians. And he is a liberal at heart. Most readers might disagree with the assertion due to his fierce anti-imperialism and West-bashing demagoguery, but allow me to explain.

    It’s not just Imran Khan’s celebrity lifestyle that makes him a progressive. He also derives his intellectual inspiration from the Western tradition. The ideal role model in his mind is the Scandinavian social democratic model which he has mentioned on numerous occasions, especially in his speech at Karachi before a massive rally of singing and cheering crowd in December 2012.

    His relentless anti-imperialism as a political stance should be viewed in the backdrop of Western military interventions in the Islamic countries. The conflagration that neocolonial powers have caused in the Middle East evokes strong feelings of resentment among Muslims all over the world. Moreover, Imran Khan also uses anti-America rhetoric as an electoral strategy to attract conservative masses, particularly the impressionable youth.

    It’s also noteworthy that Imran Khan’s political party draws most of its electoral support from women, youth voters and Pakistani expats residing in the Gulf and Western countries. All these segments of society, especially the women, are drawn more toward egalitarian liberalism than patriarchal conservatism, because liberalism promotes women’s rights and its biggest plus point is its emphasis on equality, emancipation and empowerment of women who constitute over half of population in every society.

    Imran Khan’s ouster from power for daring to stand up to the United States harks back to the toppling and subsequent assassination of Pakistan’s first elected prime minister, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, in April 1979 by the martial law regime of Gen. Zia-ul-Haq.

    The United States not only turned a blind eye but tacitly approved the elimination of Bhutto from Pakistan’s political scene because, being a socialist, Bhutto not only nurtured cordial ties with communist China but was also courting Washington’s arch-rival, the former Soviet Union.

    The Soviet Union played the role of a mediator at the signing of the Tashkent Agreement for the cessation of hostilities following the 1965 India-Pakistan War over the disputed Kashmir region, in which Bhutto represented Pakistan as the foreign minister of the Gen. Ayub Khan-led government.

    Like Imran Khan, the United States “deep state” regarded Bhutto as a political liability and an obstacle in the way of mounting the Operation Cyclone to provoke the Soviet Union into invading Afghanistan and the subsequent waging of a decade-long war of attrition, using Afghan jihadists as cannon fodder who were generously funded, trained and armed by the CIA and Pakistan’s security agencies in the Af-Pak border regions, in order to “bleed the Soviet forces” and destabilize and weaken the rival global power.

    Karl Marx famously said: “History repeats itself, first as a tragedy and then as a farce.” In addition to a longstanding CIA program aimed at cultivating an anti-Russian insurgency in Ukraine by training, arming and international legitimizing neo-Nazi militias in Donbas, Canada’s Department of National Defense revealed on January 26, two days following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, that the Canadian Armed Forces had trained “nearly 33,000 Ukrainian military and security personnel in a range of tactical and advanced military skills.” While the United Kingdom, via Operation Orbital, had trained 22,000 Ukrainian fighters.

    A “prophetic” RAND Corporation report titled “Overextending and Unbalancing Russia” published in 2019 declares the stated goal of American policymakers is “to undermine Russia just as the US subversively destabilized the former Soviet Union during the Cold War,” and predicts to the letter the crisis unfolding in Ukraine as a consequence of the eight-year proxy war mounted by NATO in Russian-majority Donbas region in east Ukraine on Russia’s vulnerable western flank since the 2014 Maidan coup, toppling Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych and consequent annexation of the Crimean Peninsula by Russia.

    Nonetheless, regarding the objectives of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in December 1979, then American envoy to Kabul, Adolph “Spike” Dubs, was assassinated on the Valentine’s Day, on 14 Feb 1979, the same day that Iranian revolutionaries stormed the American embassy in Tehran.

    The former Soviet Union was wary that its forty-million Muslims were susceptible to radicalism, because Islamic radicalism was infiltrating across the border into the Central Asian States from Afghanistan. Therefore, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in December 1979 in support of the Afghan communists to forestall the likelihood of Islamist insurgencies spreading to the Central Asian States bordering Afghanistan.

    According to documents declassified by the White House, CIA and State Department in January 2019, as reported by Tim Weiner for the Washington Post, the CIA was aiding Afghan jihadists before the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979. President Jimmy Carter signed the CIA directive to arm the Afghan jihadists in July 1979, whereas the former Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in December the same year.

    The revelation doesn’t come as a surprise, though, because more than two decades before the declassification of the State Department documents, in the 1998 interview to CounterPunch magazine, former National Security Advisor to President Jimmy Carter, Zbigniew Brzezinski, confessed that the president signed the directive to provide secret aid to the Afghan jihadists in July 1979, whereas the Soviet Army invaded Afghanistan six months later in December 1979.

    Here is a poignant excerpt from the interview. The interviewer puts the question: “And neither do you regret having supported the Islamic jihadists, having given arms and advice to future terrorists?” Brzezinski replies: “What is most important to the history of the world? The Taliban or the collapse of the Soviet Empire? Some stirred-up Muslims or the liberation of Central Europe and the end of the Cold War?”

    Despite the crass insensitivity, one must give credit to Zbigniew Brzezinski that at least he had the courage to speak the unembellished truth. It’s worth noting, however, that the aforementioned interview was recorded in 1998. After the 9/11 terror attack, no Western policymaker can now dare to be as blunt and forthright as Brzezinski.

    Regardless, that the CIA was arming the Afghan jihadists six months before the Soviets invaded Afghanistan has been proven by the State Department’s declassified documents; fact of the matter, however, is that the nexus between the CIA, Pakistan’s security agencies and the Gulf states to train and arm the Afghan jihadists against the former Soviet Union was forged years before the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

    Pakistan joined the American-led, anticommunist SEATO and CENTO regional alliances in the 1950s and played the role of Washington’s client state since its inception in 1947. So much so that when a United States U-2 spy plane was shot down by the Soviet Air Defense Forces while performing photographic aerial reconnaissance deep into Soviet territory, Pakistan’s then President Ayub Khan openly acknowledged the reconnaissance aircraft flew from an American airbase in Peshawar, a city in northwest Pakistan.

    Then during the 1970s, Pakistan’s then Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s government began aiding the Afghan Islamists against Sardar Daud’s government, who had toppled his first cousin King Zahir Shah in a palace coup in 1973 and had proclaimed himself the president of Afghanistan.

    Sardar Daud was a Pashtun nationalist and laid claim to Pakistan’s northwestern Pashtun-majority province. Pakistan’s security agencies were alarmed by his irredentist claims and used Islamists to weaken his rule in Afghanistan. He was eventually assassinated in 1978 as a consequence of the Saur Revolution led by the Afghan communists.

    It’s worth pointing out, however, that although the Bhutto government did provide political and diplomatic support on a limited scale to Islamists in their struggle for power against Pashtun nationalists in Afghanistan, being a secular and progressive politician, he would never have permitted opening the floodgates for flushing the Af-Pak region with weapons, petrodollars and radical jihadist ideology as his successor, Zia-ul-Haq, an Islamist military general, did by becoming a willing tool of religious extremism and militarism in the hands of neocolonial powers.

    The post Pakistan’s Pivot to Russia and Ouster of Imran Khan first appeared on Dissident Voice.

    This post was originally published on Dissident Voice.

  • Justice prevails for Priyantha Kumara, 7 convict to death penalty.

    Lahore,

    An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Monday sentenced six accused to capital punishment for their involvement in the lynching of the Sri Lankan factory manager Priyantha Kumara.

    89 men have been indicted in the murder case of Priyantha, of which nine are minors. Among these, the court has awarded life imprisonment to seven, while 76 convicts have been awarded two years of jail time.

    Earlier a year back, a brutal mob beat to death and set alight Priyantha Kumara, a 48-year-old Sri Lankan citizen and factory manager in Punjab’s city of Sialkot. The then prime minister Imran Khan had condemned the vigilante violence and vowed to bring the perpetrators to justice.

    The anti-terrorism court completed the trial of the case in Kot Lakhpat Jail. Both the prosecution and the defense had concluded their arguments that was heard on a daily basis. The statements of the investigation officers and eyewitnesses had also been recorded.

    During the trial, the case presided over by judge Natasha Naseem, the prosecution had brought to court 46 eyewitnesses. Furthermore, the CCTV footage of 10 cameras submitted as evidence which was installed at the site of the murder, as well as videos taken from the mobile phones of 55 accused men.

    The investigation and trial were completed by a five-member team headed by public prosecutor Abdul Rauf Wattoo.

  • Jemima reacts on PML-N protest calls outside her house.

    London,

    Pakistan Tehreek Insaaf (PTI) top leader and former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s wife Jemima Goldsmith shared her horror of living in Pakistan as she shared the poster of a protest being planned outside her London house on April 17 (Sunday).

    “Protest outside my house, targeting my children, anti-Semitic abuse on social media… It’s almost like I’m back in 90s Lahore,” Jemima Goldsmith tweeted with #PuranaPakistan, in her first social media reaction after the ouster of Imran Khan through the no-confidence vote in the National Assembly.

    Imran Khan was married to Jemima Goldsmith in 1995 which lasted to 2004 and they have two children both were boys. Following her divorce, she left Pakistan and settled in London. In several interviews, Jemima revealed how she was subjected to anti-Semitic attacks for decades.

    In a bitter social media exchange last year, Jemima had said, “I left Pakistan in 2004 after a decade of anti-Semitic attacks by the media & politicians. But still it continues.”

    Meanwhile, Abid Sher Ali share an update on his social media handle that PML-N decides to protest outside the house of Jemima Goldsmith, first wife of Imran Khan on Sunday.

    The UK government, however, distanced itself from its foreign office minister’s statement and said it is not the position of the UK government. “With regard to Pakistan, we respect Pakistan’s democratic system and we would not get into its domestic political affairs. We have longstanding ties with Pakistan and are monitoring developments,” a spokesperson of the government said.

     

     

    This post was originally published on VOSA.

  • US-Backed Coup In Pakistan Overthrows PM Imran Khan Over His Independent Foreign Policy

    In this episode of the Multipolarista podcast, Benjamin Norton is joined by Pakistani scholar Junaid S. Ahmad to discuss how Pakistan’s elected Prime Minister Imran Khan was overthrown in a US-backed coup aimed at reversing his independent foreign policy – like his close alliance with China, improved relations with Russia and Iran, and staunch support for Palestine.

    The post US-Backed Coup In Pakistan Overthrows PM Imran Khan Over His Independent Foreign Policy appeared first on PopularResistance.Org.

    This post was originally published on PopularResistance.Org.

  • Late Abdul Sattar Edhi wife Bilquis Bano Edhi, 74 passes away.

    Karachi,

    The renowned humanitarian and philanthropist late Abdul Sattar Edhi wife Bilquis Bano Edhi, passed away at the age of 74 on Friday after a brief hospitalization.

    She was admitted to a hospital in Karachi for three days and was rushed after her blood pressure had suddenly dropped. According to an Edhi Foundation spokesperson, Bilquis was ill for the last one month.

    Bilal had added that Bilquis had congestive heart failure and she has already undergone a heart bypass twice.

    First Lady Tehmina Durrani had also visited her during Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s maiden visit to the port city on Wednesday.

    Earlier, Pakistan’s well known philanthropist and humanitarian was declared the “Person of the Decade”, along with human rights rapporteur of the UN Prof Yanghee Lee and the US ethicist Stephen Soldz.

    Bilquis was a professional nurse and headed the Bilquis Edhi Foundation. She spent more than six decades of her life serving humanity in need.

    Her charity has saved over 42,000 unwanted babies so far by placing “jhoolas” cradles at the Edhi Homes and centers across the country.

    This post was originally published on VOSA.

  • Tens Of Thousands Hit Pakistani Streets To Protest Imran Khan’s Ouster

    Tens of thousands of protesters have rallied across Pakistan while protests also took place in several countries in support of Imran Khan who was ousted in a parliamentary no-trust vote as prime minister even as the political opposition in South Asian country prepared to install Khan’s replacement.

    The post Tens Of Thousands Hit Pakistani Streets To Protest Imran Khan’s Ouster appeared first on PopularResistance.Org.

    This post was originally published on PopularResistance.Org.

  • Divorce News is fake, Amir and Dania responds.

    Karachi,

    The former PTI MNA Aamir Liaquat urged the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and the concerned institutions to take action against those involved in spreading false rumors about his divorce on social media.

    Aamir Liaquat’s wife Syeda Dania Aamir has also declined the news circulating on social media of her divorce and calling it false and urging people to “stop spreading rumours” of a divorce with Liaquat.

    She also post a video on Instagram and said that “Rumours are rumours, we will not allow anyone to spread false news. Aamir is Dania and Dania is Aamir, full stop,” she captioned the video.

    Former PTI leader Aamir Liaquat blamed the PTI social media team and workers are responsible for spreading false news about his divorce.

    Amir officially quit PTI and calling Opposition’s move against the premier is “justified” and respond to the rumors’ on social media handle.

    Amir said: “I vehemently deny all the rumors’ that PTI and its mercenaries are spreading that I have parted ways with Dania.”

    “We love each other immensely. I warned PTI and their rented goons. Don’t enter in my home, otherwise nothing will be left.” Amir added.

    This post was originally published on VOSA.

  • Regime Change In Pakistan

    On April 10, in Islamabad, Pakistan the Supreme Court upheld a vote of no confidence to remove Imran Khan of the Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) from power. The opposition parties, including the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN) and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) voted in favor of no confidence. 174 votes were in favor for no confidence, two more than 172 vote mark that needed for this to be passed.

    The post Regime Change In Pakistan appeared first on PopularResistance.Org.

    This post was originally published on PopularResistance.Org.

  • Political workers celebrates a day of salvation in New York.

    New York,

    Pakistan PML-N, PPP and opposition parties ousted Prime Minister Imran Khan from the post of Prime Minister and celebrates day of salvation in New York, political workers gathers at a Brooklyn’s local restaurant. The ceremony began with the recitation of the Holy Qur’an followed by Naat Rasool Maqbool Peace Be Upon Him.While addressing, the event host and PML-N president Amjad Jan and senior leader Danish Malik said, throughout Imran Khan blames everyone corrupt and thief but no one was found guilty of corruption. We accept old Pakistan not new and the dark night is over from Pakistan.President PPP US Khalid Awan and others said that we should thank Allah Almighty for our success and for saving Pakistan from economic and political crisis.

    President PPP US Khalid AwanPolitical workers also expressed their views on the occasion and termed the overthrow of the PTI government as a day of salvation.The participants congratulated each other on the success of no-confidence motion and the voting in favor of Shahbaz Sharif as Prime Minister. The participant congratulates each other and also distributes sweets.

    This post was originally published on VOSA.

  • Mian Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif elected as the 23rd premier of Pakistan.

    Islamabad,

    PMLN leader Mian Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif was elected as the 23rd premier of Pakistan on Monday following the ouster of PTI chairman Imran Khan from the office of the prime minister. He secured 174 votes.

    PTI’s candidate Shah Mahmood Qureshi, received no votes after his party decided to boycott the polling process.

    The poll took place under the chairmanship of MNA Ayaz Sadiq,  two days after the lower house of Parliament voted in favour of removing Imran Khan from office, following a nearly 14-hour standoff between the Opposition and Khan’s ruling party that started on Saturday morning.

    The Monday session formally started after a brief delay with a recitation of the Holy Quran and naat, with NA Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri in the chair.

    This post was originally published on VOSA.

  • Pakistan NA VNC success, first historic ousted of the Primer.

    Islamabad,

    National Assembly of Pakistan made an first historic ousted of the Primer Imran Khan from his office through a no-confidence motion after the National Assembly debated on the matter for more than 12 hours and the turmoil in the country’s politics took a critical turn.

    The NA session was chaired by Ayaz Sadiq a panel member of chairs after speaker Asad Qasier resigned from the post of the speaker.

    The New Speaker Ayaz Sadiq announced

    “174 members have recorded their votes in favour of the resolution, consequently the resolution for the vote on no-confidence(VNC) against Mr Imran Khan, the prime minister of Pakistan, has been passed by a majority,”

    After completion of the due process of VNC opposition leaders delivered their speeches while the session has been adjourned till 11am on Monday, April 11.

    Leader of the opposition PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif said the country was witnessing a new day and thanked to all joint Opposition leaders for their efforts against the government.

    “We cannot thank Allah enough for allowing us to see this new day,” said Shahbaz. “We thank everyone for their sacrifices, and now, once again, a Pakistan based on Constitution and law is about to come into existence,” the PML-N president said, hoping that the alliance would move the country towards progress.

    “When the time comes, we will speak in detail, but we want to heal the wounds of the nation; we will not send innocent people to jails, and we will not take revenge,” Shabaz said, noting that the law will take its course without interference, Shahbaz added.

    “Neither I, nor Bilawal, nor will Maulana Fazlur Rehman interfere. Law will be upheld and we will respect the judiciary,” Shahbaz said, thanking Sadiq for chairing the historic session.

    Shahbaz Sarif also update his social media handle and wrote,

    May Allah Almighty bestow His special blessings on this nation in the blessed month of Ramadan. Alhamdulillah, dear country and the House of Parliament, was finally freed from a serious crisis last night. Congratulations to the Pakistani nation on a new dawn and dawn. May Allah Almighty support Pakistan and all of you, Amen!

    “I would like to congratulate the whole nation and this House, as for the first time in the history of the country, a no-confidence motion has succeeded and we have made history,” said Bilawal.

    BBZ update his social media handle and recalls 10 April this house approved the constitution of Pakistan.

    “On April 10, 1986, Benazir Bhutto ended her self-imposed exile and arrived in Lahore to launch her struggle against Ziaul haq,” said Bilawal.

    The PPP chairman said that on April 10, 2022, the person who was declared “selected” by the Opposition and proved himself to be an “undemocratic burden” on the country saw the end of his rule.

    “Today [on] April 20, 2022, we welcome [you] back to the purana Pakistan,” said Bilawal.

    This post was originally published on VOSA.

  • Pakistan In The Midst Of A Full-Blown Constitutional Crisis

    Pakistan is in the middle of a full-blown constitutional crisis with each day bringing a fresh series of developments that increase the uncertainty surrounding the country’s future.

    Monday April 4, was a day of dramatic developments. The Supreme Court began hearing arguments on the constitutionality of the events of the previous 24 hours and is likely to arrive at a decision on Tuesday. On Sunday, the country’s National Assembly had met to vote on a no-trust motion against prime minister Imran Khan. However, in a surprise move, deputy speaker of the assembly Qasim Khan Suri dismissed the motion. Suri ruled that the motion was in violation of Article 5 of the country’s constitution which states that “Loyalty to the State is the basic duty of every citizen.” Earlier, information minister Fawad Chaudhry claimed in the Assembly that the no-trust motion was part of a foreign conspiracy to overthrow the government and hence violated Article 5. The deputy speaker accepted the argument and dismissed the motion.

    The post Pakistan In The Midst Of A Full-Blown Constitutional Crisis appeared first on PopularResistance.Org.

    This post was originally published on PopularResistance.Org.

  • Pakistan’s Prime Minister Dissolves Parliament to Prevent His Removal From Power

    Pakistan is facing a constitutional crisis after Prime Minister Imran Khan dissolved the country’s National Assembly and called for new elections in an effort to block an attempt to remove him from power. Khan was facing a no-confidence vote in Parliament that would have unseated him, but his allies blocked the vote from happening. Pakistan’s Supreme Court is now hearing a pivotal case on whether it was within the authority of the speaker of the National Assembly to reject the motion for a vote of no confidence, says Pakistani journalist Munizae Jahangir.

    TRANSCRIPT

    This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.

    AMY GOODMAN: Pakistan is facing a constitutional crisis after Prime Minister Imran Khan dissolved Pakistan’s National Assembly and called for new elections in an effort to halt an attempt to remove him from power. Opposition MPs were planning to hold a no-confidence vote in Parliament, but Khan’s allies blocked the vote from happening. Opposition lawmakers have accused Imran Khan of carrying out an “open coup against the country and the Constitution.” Pakistan’s Supreme Court is now weighing whether Khan’s moves were legal.

    Imran Khan has defended his actions, saying they block what he described as a plot by the United States to remove him from power. This is Imran Khan speaking last week.

    PRIME MINISTER IMRAN KHAN: [translated] This is a big conspiracy, not against Imran Khan but against Pakistan itself. Slowly people have started realizing what a big conspiracy has taken place, and it has been hatching since October by all these traitors who have been robbing the country for the past 35 years. They were doing it in league with external forces. Now, let me openly take the name of America. This conspiracy has been carried out in connivance with America. But I want to know: What does America have against me? I have never been anti-American.

    AMY GOODMAN: Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, speaking last week. The Biden administration has denied the allegations.

    We go now to Islamabad, where we’re joined by Munizae Jahangir, a journalist and host of a political talk show on Pakistan’s leading news network, also editor-in-chief of the digital media platform Voicepk.net. She’s the daughter of the pioneering Pakistani human rights activist and lawyer Asma Jahangir, who died in 2018. Munizae is on the board of the Asma Jahangir Foundation and a council member of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan.

    Munizae Jahangir, welcome back to Democracy Now! It’s an honor to have you with us. Can you start off by just laying out, especially for an audience not familiar with Pakistani politics, how significant what is happening in Pakistan is right now?

    MUNIZAE JAHANGIR: Well, firstly, thank you so much for having me on your show. It is a real honor to be here.

    Now, to tell you what exactly is happening in Pakistan — and it’s always very difficult to describe to people what is happening in Pakistan — Imran Khan was elected in 2018. He was widely accused by the opposition at that time that he was “selected.” They called him the selected prime minister because it was an accusation that the military had actually brought him in, that they had rigged the election and brought him in.

    Now, during the time that he has been in power, there has been very high inflation in Pakistan, 13 to 15%, a double-digit inflation. Unemployment has been on its rise. And what he has really done is, you know, have corruption cases against — lodged corruption cases against most of his opponents. And none of these corruption cases could be, you know, in a way that when they went to court — when the corruption cases went to court, they could not really prove that these people had committed corruption, and therefore, the cases just remain there.

    Now, during this time, the opposition got together and got the allies of Imran Khan, Imran Khan’s government, together, as well, because he was not having such a smooth relationship with his allies, and his government was a thin majority cobbled together with different allies. The allies came with the opposition, and they filed a no motion — a vote of no confidence, a motion of vote of no confidence, in the National Assembly. After that, the speaker allowed the vote of no confidence to move forward. But on the day of the voting, the speaker did not appear in the National Assembly, which is our main house — it’s like the Congress — and it was, in fact, the deputy speaker who came in and said all of those who are in the opposition — and there were 198 of them, including the allies — that they have been disloyal to the state of Pakistan.

    And they quoted an Article 5, and they quoted — well, it was being widely understood and the prime minister had talked about this cable that had been received by the Pakistani ambassador in Washington, saying that they had a meeting with the U.S. under secretary of state, in which he said that if Imran Khan wins the no-confidence motion, then there will be dire consequences for Pakistan. And therefore, Imran Khan went on and said to the public that there is an American conspiracy against my government, and the person who is behind the Americans’ conspiracy and is with the Americans is, in fact, Nawaz Sharif, his main opponent in the Punjab.

    So, after having said that, the Assembly was dissolved by the prime minister. Now the entire issue has gone to the Supreme Court of Pakistan. And the question before them is that whether it was in the jurisdiction of the speaker to, firstly, reject the motion of no confidence — how can he reject the notion of no confidence when it was there to be voted upon, either yes or no? — and, secondly, whether the prime minister in fact enjoyed the confidence of the very house that it dissolved. So, that is really the question before the Supreme Court today.

    JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And, Munizae Jahangir, I wanted to ask you — in terms of the role of the military, the military in Pakistan has always played an outsized role, often intervening in the political life of the country. If you’re saying that he was perceived as a candidate of the military, where does the military stand right now?

    MUNIZAE JAHANGIR: Well, it’s very interesting, because one of the things that the opposition kept saying when they were moving the vote of no confidence, and even before they moved the vote of no confidence, they kept saying the allies will come to us, will back us, once the military becomes “neutral.” Now, we do not know whether the military in fact has been neutral or has not been neutral, but it is very certain that those allies, who have always aligned with the military, have now joined the opposition, and the military is now being seen by the opposition as being neutral.

    But on the other hand, the courts in our country have a very terrible history. They have always sided with the military. They have been a rubber stamp on all kinds of dictatorship and military intervention in Pakistan, except for the famous Asma Jilani case — you mentioned my mother — where one of the military dictators, Yahya Khan, was declared a usurper, and therefore, whatever came later was considered illegal. Whatever he did his entire rule was considered illegal. Now, that is considered the glorious moment of the Supreme Court. But if you set that aside and you look at the history of the courts in Pakistan, they have traditionally sided with the establishment.

    Therefore, all eyes are now on the Supreme Court of what the Supreme Court decides. Whether it will restore the assemblies, before the prime minister dissolved them, and allow the vote of no confidence motion to go through, that is something that we will have to wait and see. But certainly, the Constitution of Pakistan is very clear, which is that the prime minister, who doesn’t have the majority in the house, who has lost the majority in the house, he cannot dissolve the Assembly, because he doesn’t command the majority of the house, in which case there were 198 legislators that went against him, when in fact they only needed 172.

    JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And you mentioned the political role of the court. On Monday, Imran Khan named the former Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed for the office of caretaker prime minister. What’s behind that action of his?

    MUNIZAE JAHANGIR: Well, I think that he has just — this is the outgoing chief justice that he named, and he probably wanted to have some kind of influence with the Supreme Court, and therefore, he mentioned one of them, one of the outgoing Supreme Court judges. I think that is the reason why he named that particular chief justice. And that is how it is being seen here.

    But having said that, there has also been talk of a technocratic government in Pakistan, that the politicians will be pushed out and there would be a technocratic government in Pakistan. So, people in Pakistan and politicians in Pakistan are very skeptical of what is really going to happen, whether there will be early elections, whether the assemblies will be restored, whether in fact another setup will come which will be of technocrats, and they will do as the military pleases.

    AMY GOODMAN: Can you talk about Pakistan’s relations with Russia? I mean, the Prime Minister Imran Khan met with Vladimir Putin on February 24th in Moscow at the Kremlin on the same day Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine. Talk about the significance of this and the fact that all this is taking place against this backdrop of Russia’s war on Ukraine.

    MUNIZAE JAHANGIR: Well, absolutely. That’s one of the things that Prime Minister Imran Khan has said. He has said that “the reason that I am being ousted is because the Americans are upset with the way my country has aligned itself to China, with the way my foreign policy has aligned itself to Russia, and therefore, I am being ousted. And with the collaboration, with the conspiracy of the opposition, the Americans are moving this no-confidence motion.” He even went as far as saying that the dissidents who have deflected from his party to the opposition have met people within the American Embassy. So, he is building that narrative that he is anti-America, that he is pro-Russia, that he’s pro-China, that he’s aligning closer to these powers, and therefore, his country — his government is being voted out.

    Now, regarding the meeting, he said something very important, as well. He said that “We had discussed this,” because he’s very close to the military. So, he said, “I had discussed my trip with the military of Pakistan, and they both — the civilian side and the military side both agreed that this was the right time to go to Russia. And after that is when I went to Moscow.” So he says he got the greenlight from the military, in fact, to travel to Moscow at the time that he did.

    JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Yeah, I wanted to ask you, in terms of — last August, after the Taliban overthrew the U.S.-backed government in Afghanistan, Imran Khan said that the change in regime had, quote, “broken the shackles of slavery.” What did he mean there? Could you talk a little bit about the tortured relationship and the murky relationship between Pakistan and the Taliban throughout the period of the War in Afghanistan?

    MUNIZAE JAHANGIR: Well, I think that one of the things that perhaps Imran Khan and the military agree with, and their thinking is around the same, is that they do believe that the Taliban in Afghanistan — and they see them as a legitimate political entity in Afghanistan, and the Americans are obviously seen as invaders. And Imran Khan has always seen it that way, and that now that the Americans have gone and the Taliban have moved in, that the genuine people have moved in and taken control from the Western foreign invaders. And that is why he said that.

    So, there has been — I know Pakistan has been accused of having links with the Taliban, and, of course, they have had those links. And now Pakistan is being used to even talk to the Taliban. So, Imran Khan’s reasoning really is that Pakistan is being used to talk to the Taliban and everybody else is also talking to the Taliban, then why should we not say that these are the legitimate rulers of Afghanistan? So I think he is saying it in that context.

    But to give you a little bit of a background, Imran Khan has always been accused by his opponents of being called “Taliban Khan,” simply because he has not only supported the Taliban in Afghanistan but also has provided justification for the violence that they have leashed out in our country, in Pakistan. And he is seen to be conservative-minded. He is seen to be somebody who has supported the right-wing agenda in Pakistan. And he’s seen to be somebody who has always talked about the — and more and more, he’s done so more and more — about Islam in the state. So, he’s talked about Islam in politics, and he increasingly talks about Islam in politics. And he refers to all kinds of Islamic injunctions when he’s giving a speech. So, therefore, he is somebody who’s seen to be now more right-wing.

    AMY GOODMAN: Last minute we have with you, Munizae, if you can talk about what you predict will happen? The Supreme Court adjourned until Wednesday the hearing to decide the legality of the prime minister’s blocking of the opposition ousting him, a dispute that, of course, has led to political turmoil in your country, in the nuclear-armed Pakistan. Either way it goes, what will happen?

    MUNIZAE JAHANGIR: It’s very, very difficult to predict what is going to happen in Pakistan. But having said that — and I would just like to add one more thing. Also, Imran Khan’s views on women are very similar to the views the Taliban have on women. So he does believe most of the things that the Taliban say about women. And we’ve seen, you know, a manifestation. We’ve seen that when he’s given interviews to the Western press, as well.

    But coming back to what is going to happen in Pakistan, well, if they follow the law and the Constitution, then what the speaker did, which was throw out the motion for vote of no confidence, would be deemed illegal and unconstitutional, in which case the assemblies will be restored. And we will go back to the situation which was before the 3rd of April, where the vote of no confidence was submitted before the house to be voted upon. That is one scenario.

    The second scenario really is that they will take a middle ground, that they will say the speaker, whatever he did was unconstitutional and illegal, but they will move towards early elections, and they will allow the country to have early elections, and not say anything about what will happen to the assemblies.

    And, of course, the third is that they say that whatever the speaker did was part of his — was allowed to him under his jurisdiction, and therefore, you know, we move towards elections.

    So, either which ways, we are looking at elections in the next couple of months. In Pakistan, there was discussion before the vote of no confidence was thrown out that there is going to be an interim setup. And after that interim setup, there will be a caretaker and then elections. Now, in that interim setup, there would be everybody, all allies, except for Imran Khan’s party. And they would make some electoral reforms that are very necessary to hold free and fair elections in Pakistan, and then move on to a caretaker and then to elections. So, it’s anybody’s guess in what will happen in Pakistan.

    AMY GOODMAN: Well, Munizae Jahangir, thank you so much for explaining it, journalist and host of a political talk show on Pakistan’s leading news network, also editor-in-chief of the digital media platform Voicepk.net. She also serves on the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan.

    This post was originally published on Latest – Truthout.

  • Imran Khan Takes On America

    After a humiliating defeat in Afghanistan and loss of credibility over Ukraine, the era of US unipolarity seems to be entering its terminal phase, marked by lashing out ferociously in all directions. The most recent of these offensives occurred last week when the government of Pakistan alleged that Washington was trying to engineer regime change in Islamabad.

    This time the US was caught red handed. The claim was not made via a leak or a fringe observer, but by the prime minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, himself. While the US State Department has denied any involvement, the political drama has only just begun.

    Emerging from a crucial meeting of Afghanistan’s neighbors, China’s top diplomat took a public whack at Washington’s behavior. Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that China will not allow the US to drag smaller nations into conflict and sharply rebuked the ‘US Cold War mentality.’

    The post Imran Khan Takes On America appeared first on PopularResistance.Org.

    This post was originally published on PopularResistance.Org.

  • Pakistani boxers Knock out and defends tittle in UAE.

    UAE,

    Pakistani boxers raise the flag high and make a nation proud. Asif Hazara of Quetta, Pakistan won the 52kg category super-fly fight, Asian title organized by World Boxing Council. The fight lasted for ten rounds and Asif won nine out of ten rounds.

    While, on another fight Usman Wazir knock out’s Indonesian top boxer Ray Mann Weirm in the first round and defended his Middle East title. He visited the ring in Dubai with friends and Pakistani community.

    Pakistan’s world champion Aamir Khan Khan was present on the occasion to encourage the young boxers. The Pakistani community in Dubai was excited on victory of Asif Hazara and Usman Wazir and thanked Allah for this victory.

    This post was originally published on VOSA.

  • South Asian navies show strong presence in Qatar

    South Asian navies turned up in force at the latest edition of the Doha International Maritime Defence Exhibition and Conference (DIMDEX)s held in Qatar from 21-23 March, with five vessels from three countries – Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan – constituting over a third of the 14 warships that docked at Hamad Port north of the […]

    The post South Asian navies show strong presence in Qatar appeared first on Asian Military Review.

  • NYPD Deputy Inspector and President M.O.S. Adeel Rana meet the press at KPC.

    Karachi,

    New York Police department, Muslim officer Society President and Deputy Inspector (D.I.) Adeel Rana visited the Karachi Press Club (KPC) on Wednesday. General Secretary of KPC Rizwan Bhatti welcomed on his arrival.

    Former Secretary Press Club A.H. Khanzada also present on the occasion and briefed D. I. Adeel Rana about the historical prospectus of the Club and the political movements started for democracy from the club. While talking to reporters, D.I. Adeel told about the Muslim Officer Society of NYPD and said, the number of Muslim officers in the NYPD has increased every passing day. NYC is the largest police reformation state in US, 500 Pakistani-American and more than 2000 Muslims served in NYPD, Rana added.In response to a question, D.I. Adeel said, the Pakistani community in New York is participating in local politics and has gained good positions in government departments. More over Ahsan Chughtai becomes the first Pakistani-American who appointed as the Senior Advisor to the Mayor of New York.

    At last, KPC Secretary Rizwan Bhatti and members of the Governing Body presented him cultural and traditional gift of Sindhi Ajrak and Honorary Shield of Press Club.

    This post was originally published on VOSA.

  • Husband allegedly set on fire wife in Nawan Kot area, Lahore.

    Web desk,

    Husband and in-laws allegedly set a woman on fire in Nawan Kot area of Lahore on Wednesday, according to 24 News channel.

    Amna was burnt by her husband Hamza, sister-in-law Zoya and her mother-in-law, according to the victim’s relatives.

    Amna was taken to the Jinnah Hospital in critical condition. The suspects sent her to her parents’ house instead of the hospital.

    The victim had recently married Hamza her face and neck were affected by the burn, police said.

    Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Fayyaz Ahmed Dev took notice of the tragic incident and summoned a report from SP Iqbal Town. The CCPO has directed the concerned officers to thoroughly investigate all the aspects of the incident and immediate arrest of the suspects involved in the incident.

    Incidents of violence, abuse and harassment against women will not be tolerated, said Fayyaz Ahmed Dev.

    This post was originally published on VOSA.

  • Pakistan observes Pakistan Day with traditional zeal and fervor

    Web Desk:

    According to The Nation, Pakistan is celebrating the 82nd Pakistan Day across the country with great national spirit and enthusiasm.

    The day is observed to commemorate the passage of the historic Lahore Resolution on 23rd March in 1940, under which Muslims of the sub-continent set the agenda of a separate homeland for themselves.

    The day dawned with a 31-gun salute in the federal capital and a 21-gun salute in provincial capitals. Special prayers were offered in mosques after Fajar prayers for the progress and prosperity of the country.

    Photo Courtesy: Radio Pakistan

    The main feature of the day is the grand military parade in Islamabad, where contingents of the three armed forces and other security forces are conducting the march past while fighter planes will present aerobatic maneuvers.

    The march of different floats depicting various aspects of culture of different provinces is also part of the parade, Radio Pakistan reported.

    Photo Courtesy: Radio Pakistan

    The dignitaries participating in the 48th Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation are also witnessing the Pakistan Day Parade as Guests of Honor.

    President Arif Alvi, Prime Minister Imran Khan, Chief of the Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa and other guests are among the attendees.

    President Arif Alvi, in his address on the occasion, said Pakistan was a responsible atomic power that desired peace with all countries. He also stated that the country would never compromise on its security and sovereignty and would give a fitting response to any aggression.

    In his message to the nation, Prime Minister Imran Khan said March 23 was the day for the nation to renew its commitment to adhere to the principles of justice and equity; the real objectives of the creation of Pakistan.

    “Today, we pay tribute to the Father of the Nation and all the leaders of the Freedom Movement who struggled for uniting the nation through their unparalleled sacrifices. It is important for our youth to note that Pakistan came into being through a long democratic struggle and now the key to its stability and development also lies in hard work, honesty and morality.” “While commemorating this day, we need to adhere to the principles of unity, faith and discipline given by Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, and rededicate ourselves to develop Pakistan as a truly democratic welfare state on the model of Riyasat-e-Madina.”

    Various organizations and departments have also planned a number of activities including seminars, conferences and discussion programs to highlight the historical significance of Pakistan Day.

    This post was originally published on VOSA.

  • OIC 48th conference for Partnering Unity, Justice and Development begins in Islamabad.

    Islamabad,

    Pakistan is hosting the two-day Council of foreign Ministers (CFM) meeting of the Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC) in Islamabad on March 22 and 23. The focus of the Ministerial Conference is ‘Partnering for Unity, Justice and Development’. The meeting will coincide with the Pakistan’s resolution 75th anniversary celebrations.Foreign Ministers and high-level dignitaries from OIC Member and Observer States are attending the conference and will also witness the Pakistan Day Parade on March 23 as guests of honor.

    State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi of China, is in Islamabad and will attend as a special guest.

    Senior officials from non-OIC countries, representatives from the United Nations, regional and international organizations, including the Arab League and the Gulf Cooperation Council will also participates the two day conference.

    Prime Minister Imran Khan delivered a keynote address at the 48th CFM of the OIC in Islamabad and regretted that Muslims have failed the Kashmiris and Palestinians.

    “We are 1.5 billion people and yet our voice to stop this blatant injustice is insignificant. We are simply talking about human rights”, PM Imran Khan said.

    They were denied their right to a plebiscite even though international law was on their side and added that Kashmir’s special status was taken away by India illegally in Aug 2019.

    Imran said he was not saying that Muslim countries alter their foreign policies but unless “we have a united front on core issues these abuses will keep on happening”.

    India is changing the demography of Kashmir by bringing settlers from outside, this was a war crime but nobody censured India on it, P.M. added.

    Social media exposed the crimes committed by Israelis in Palestine, “Like Palestine, where daylight robbery is happening,” he added.

    The prime minister further said that the world was heading in the wrong direction, adding that there was a chance of the world being divided into blocks. “Unless we take a united stand, we would be going nowhere.”

    Speaking about Afghanistan, Imran said it was extremely important to stabilize Afghanistan. He said due to sanctions and non-recognition, Afghanistan may fall into another humanitarian crisis and the only way to stop terrorism emanating from Afghan soil is to support a stable Afghan government.

    Denying the existence of a “radical” version of Islam,

    Imran said there was only one kind of Islam that was preached by Prophet Mohammad (PBUH).

    The premier said the narrative of ‘Islamic terrorism’ went on unchecked after the 9/11 attacks.“We, the Muslim countries, did not do anything to stop this narrative,” he said, adding that the heads of Muslim states should have taken a stand on this issue but they “instead a lot of them kept saying things like we are moderate”.

    This meant that they were acknowledging that there was a radical version of Islam.

    “There is only one Islam that is of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH),” he said,

    There were fanatics in every human community but only Islam was singled out by the use of such terms Khan added.

    Islam was vilified yet there was no “coherent response” by the Muslim world. PM Imran said after the resolution on Islamophobia, he hoped that a narrative would be put forward that why blasphemy hurt Muslims so much.

    According to the premier, the Objectives Resolutions by the “founding fathers” in 1951 envisaged Pakistan as an Islamic welfare state based on the model of Madina. He said he came in politics for the very same goal.

    “In the history of mankind, there was never a more just and humane state than the state of Madina,” he said, adding that unfortunately, Muslims didn’t know about it.

    PM Imran said Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) came to “unite mankind not divide mankind”. The charter of Madina was signed with Jews, Christians, and Pagans, he said, adding that everyone became part of the community. “It was a revolution of ideas; he created a new system,” Imran said referring to the holy prophet (PBUH).

    Speaking about the rule of law, he said the poor countries have one thing in common, they cannot catch white-collar criminals. “The developing world is poor because they cannot put powerful criminals in jail.”

    Citing a UN report, he said $1.6 trillion are siphoned off from poor countries by powerful criminals.

    This post was originally published on VOSA.

  • Meet-the-press at National Press Club in honor of Sam Khan.

    Islamabad,

    Chairman American Council and Social figure of United States Sam Khan now days in Islamabad and has announced to launch the portal named Connect Pakistan Global. The purpose of the portal to connect Pakistani professionals in the US with Pakistanis. He was addressing a meet-the-press organized in his honor at the National Press Club Islamabad.Senior Journalist Afzal Butt Introduces Sam Khan and his organization “Pakistan American Council”. Syed Wasim and Khayam Ali Shakir also attend meet-the-press.While addressing the participants Sam Khan said that they are working on creating a Connect Pakistan Global Portal, which is expected to be launched by August and September.

    On the occasion, Sam Khan also announced that he will organize a mega convention in New York at the end of this year and will present all the products of Pakistan at the international level.Khayyam Ali Shakir of Pakistan American Council also addressed the meeting. The club officials and governing body presented a bouquet of flowers to Sam Khan.

    This post was originally published on VOSA.

  • UN adopts Prime Minister Imran Khan Islamophobia resolution.

    Web desk,

    United Nations has adopted a land mark resolution on Islamophobia presented by Pakistan Prime Minister during UN session in 2021.

    While Prime Minister Imran Khan congratulated the Muslim Ummah after the United Nations (UN) finally recognized the grave Islamophobia challenge confronting the world.

    The prime minister congratulates in a series of tweets.

    The prime minister congratulated the Muslim Ummah, and tweet “our voice against the rising tide of Islamophobia has been heard”.

    The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), designating 15 March as “International Day to Combat Islamophobia”.

    The OIC passed a resolution presented by Pakistan at the 47th session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers in the year in November 2020.

    The day (March 15) will mark the Christchurch mosque attack in New Zealand, where 51 people were murdered and dozens of others were injured the worst mass shooting in the country’s history.

    PM Imran Khan has raised his voice against the rising trend of Islamophobia at international forums, including at the UN, and called on the global community to combat the challenge.

    In January, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had said that Islamophobia is not acceptable at any cost and vowed to make his country safer for Muslims.

    In December 2021, Russian President Vladimir Putin had said insulting Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) does not count as freedom of expression.

    Insults to the Holy Prophet (PBUH) are a “violation of religious freedom and the violation of the sacred feelings of people who profess Islam,” Putin had said.

    This post was originally published on VOSA.

  • Shahbaz’s midnight visit at Islamabad’s hotel.

    Staff Correspondent,

    Islamabad’s political temperature is soaring up for the Government and Requisition is submitted to Speaker of the Pakistan Supreme Assembly for vote of No confidence. Parliamentary session is due and opposition party calls for the long March on 23rd of March. Both opposition and Government were busy to raise their numbers for the voting session.

    In this situation, Leader of the Opposition Mian Shahbaz Sahrif of PML N’s reached 3:20AM on Tuesday morning to the private hotel located behind Islamabad convention center, many of PTI federal minsters, MNA’s, PTI overseas office bearers and officials stayed for attending the PTI overseas convention.

    On the occasion, Correspondent VOSA tv raise a question, “sir is your visit for any political scoring, but Mr. Shahbaz Sharif did not answer and avoid to talk about the reason of coming to hotel”. More over Shahbaz Sharif stayed till 5 Am morning and then left the hotel.

  • Journalist, poet and scholar, Farhad Zaidi passes away.

    Karachi,

    Leading journalist, poet and scholar Farhad Zaidi passed away in Karachi on Friday at the age of 91. Survivors include a widow and two sons, family confirmed.

    According to Hasan Zaidi, son of the deceased, funeral prayer will be offered at the Masjid-o-Imam bargah Yasrab, DHA, Phase 4, and will be laid to rest at the DHA Phase 8 Cemetery in Karachi.

    Farhad Zaidi had been the president of The All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS) and vice-president of Arts Council of Pakistan Karachi. He had also served as the managing director of PTV and an editor of a native publisher.

    PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari expressed deep grief and sorrow over the sad demise of Farhad Zaidi and extended his condolences to the bereaved family.

    He prayed to Almighty Allah to rest the departed soul in eternal peace and grant courage and fortitude to the bereaved family members to bear this irreparable loss.

    This post was originally published on VOSA.

  • Abdullah Riar and Amjad Nawaz arrives Islamabad for PTI overseas convention.

    Islamabd,

    PTI overseas convention preperations are in full swing and PTI overseas party workers office bearers arrived Islamabad to attend the convention.President New york PTI Amjad Nawaz alongwith several other PTI US officials arrived and meeting scheduled with Prime Minister Imran khan spokesman Dr. Shahbaz Gill in his office. The two party officials discuss the current political senario in Pakistan.

    Moreover, Abdullah Riar PTI USA also join the meeting.Earlier, chairman, National Press Trust of Pakistan Munir Ahmad Khan invites PTI USA overseas delegates in his office and discuss the party issues. Chairman emphasized that PTI USA overseas chapter work according to the PM Imran Khan vision and strngthen the Party and Pakistan.

    This post was originally published on VOSA.

  • Social Media flooded with International Women’s day in Pakistan.

    Web desk,

    International Women’s Day celebrates around the globe on March 8, a day women celebrate and raise awareness for their rights around the world. Many of Pakistan’s public figures, politicians and celebrities shared special messages on the occasion.

    Celebrities like Shehzad Roy, Atiqa Odho and Shaniera Akram to wish everyone a happy Women’s Day on Instagram.

    Roy wished the “students, teachers and management team of Zindagi Trust and everyone else” on the occasion and celebrated the achievement of school going girls in various sports. “There is no field that girls can’t excel in when given the opportunity,” he said. “They can leave all us men behind.”

    Odho shared her views Instagram, “May we always embrace our strengths and empower each other”.

    Akram wished everyone on March 8, saying the day is “not about putting down men but about respecting and uplifting each other”. “It is a day to celebrate so loud that those who don’t think they are enough will hear our roar!” she said.

    PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz took to Twitter to post a special message as well. “To every woman out there. You are the epitome of strength and courage. You define the very fabric of the society. You make the world beautiful. It is said that being a woman itself is a superpower. Make the most of it. You go girls,” she posted.

    Every year on March 8, men and women take part in Aurat Marches across the country to demand institutional and social change to uplift women in Pakistan. PPP Senator Sherry Rehman took to Twitter and urged everyone to keep fighting the good fight.

    Cricketers Shahid Afridi also posted on social media.

    “You are the nourishing power of the universe,” Afridi wrote. “You make it come alive, more colourful and inspirational. Being a father of 5 wonderful girls, I can proudly say women have the strength to move the world. Let’s celebrate them everyday and support them to break the bias.”

     

    This post was originally published on VOSA.

  • Father guns down his seven-day-old daughter

    Web Desk:

    A cold-hearted man named Shahzaib, who wanted to have a son, brutally killed his seven-day-old daughter by shooting her multiple times.

    Per the report, the tragic incident happened in the Noor Pura neighborhood of Mianwali, where the father killed the infant by opening fire on her just because she was a girl. The police said that the man, who wanted a son, fled after committing the crime. A first information report (FIR) of the incident was filed by the deceased child’s maternal grandfather.

    Commenting on the incident, the National Commission on Status of Women’s (NCSW) Chairperson Nilofar Bakhtiar said that the sole purpose of killing the child was because of her gender, adding that the law enforcement authorities will leave no stone unturned to catch the culprit.

     

     “The protection of human rights, especially women’s rights, is very important in our country,” Bakhtiar said.

    Inspector General (IG) Punjab has taken notice of the killing and has summoned a report from RPO Sargodha. He ordered to arrest the accused immediately and take strict legal action against him. He also instructed to keep close contact with the victim’s family.

    The cruel incident has left Pakistan in anger. Netizens have flocked to twitter to condemn the brutal murder. The incident was widely condemned after reports and pictures of the innocent victim went viral. Ever since the incident occurred, netizens have been sharing images of the infant while calling for strict action against the culprit.

    This post was originally published on VOSA.

  • Former Pakistan President Rafiq Tarar passes away

    Web Desk:

    Former president of Pakistan Muhammad Rafiq Tarar died on Monday at the age of 92 after prolonged illness.

    Rafiq Tarar had been suffering from health issues since long, the sources said, adding that the time and place of his funeral prayers will be announced later today.

    Taking to Twitter, his grandson and PML-N leader Attaullah Tarar said,” My grandfather Muhammad Rafiq Tarar passed away.”

    Born on November 2, 1929, Muhammad Rafiq Tarar served as the ninth president from January 1998 until his resignation in June 2001. He had also been elected as a senator from Punjab in 1997.

    Before joining politics, Tarar served as senior justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan from 1991 to 1994 and as the 28th Chief Justice of Lahore High Court (LHC) from 1989 to 1991.

    This post was originally published on VOSA.

  • Legendary Pakistani actor Masood Akhtar passes away

    Web Desk:

    According to APP, Veteran Pakistani actor, Masood Akhtar who worked in a multitude of Pakistani films and television serials throughout his career, passed away on Saturday morning.

    As per details, the actor’s death was confirmed by his family. The famous actor had been facing multiple medical complications for a long time. On January 28, Pakistani well-known senior actor Masood Akhtar was transferred into hospital during the critical condition, a private news channels reported.

    Photo Courtesy: dailytimes.com

    Akhtar made several contributions to the film and television world. He participated in theatre productions too. Akhtar shot to fame with one of his early plays, Paisa Bolta Hai, which was staged at Alhamra Arts Council in the 1970s.

    He starred in around 150 Lollywood Punjabi and Urdu films, including Neelam, Qatil, Main Akela, Khoon Da Rishta, Badal and Zakhmi, among others.

    It is noteworthy here that actor Masood Akhtar received the “Pride of Performance Award” for his artistic services.

    Governor Punjab Chaudhary Muhammad Sarwar, expressed his sorrow over Akhtar’s demise.

    “Masood Akhtar will always be remembered for his contributions to the entertainment industry of Pakistan. The void he has left can never be filled,” said Sarwar. “With his roles, the late actor always aimed to right the wrongs in society. I pray he receive the highest rank in Jannatul Firdous and may God give his family the patience and strength to bear the loss,” he added.

    Chief Minister Punjab Usman Buzdar also prayed for Akhtar and offered his condolences to the bereaved.

    “Akhtar was a versatile actor. He was always convincing onscreen and made several contributions to the field of entertainment. His serials and the characters he played will always be remembered by fans.”

    This post was originally published on VOSA.