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Miftah Ismail blames Ishaq Dar for orchestrating his removal

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  • Miftah says Ishaq Dar held TV programmes against him.
  • PM Shehbaz was satisfied with my performance, says Miftah.
  • The way I was removed was not respectful: PML-N leader.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Miftah Ismail claimed on Thursday that his successor Ishaq Dar ran campaigns against him for more than six months as he could not tolerate someone else from the party as the finance minister. 

In a podcast on a YouTube channel on Wednesday, the former finance minister said that Dar went on TV and claimed that he would bring the dollar rate to Rs160. He also claimed that the finance minister asked anchors to tweet against him and host TV programmes.

The PML-N leader said Dar is closer to Nawaz Sharif because his son is married to Nawaz’s daughter and was with him in London. He added that Dar used to tell the PML-N supremo that he would bring the dollar rate and petroleum prices down.

Miftah added that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was satisfied with his performance and did not want to replace him. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) deal was restored, and default risk had also minimised in my tenure, he said.

The finance minister added that even though it was the PM’s prerogative to remove him, the way it was done was not respectful. Nawaz Sharif called him to London and told him that he was being replaced in front of 12 people, Miftah said. 

On a question regarding Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan, Miftah said that there is no doubt that Imran is a good politician and no one is close to him when it comes to political strategy and narrative building. 

However, he added that Imran lacks policy-making skills, adding that Imran wants to be the PM badly but does not know what to do after becoming the PM. 

Miftah-Dar row

This is not the first time the two PML-N leader have openly confronted each other. Dar and Miftah have been in a verbal war since Miftah took over as the finance minister in April. 

Earlier in October, Miftah took a jab at Dar for slashing the petrol price by Rs12.63 per litre.

In a tweet, the former finance minister expressed his displeasure over the government’s decision not to increase the petroleum development levy (PDL) without IMF approval and termed it “reckless”.

In response to the tweet, Dar said in the Geo News programme “Capital Talk” that Miftah should not worry about the IMF deal as now he has to deal with the lender.

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May 9 arsonists also attacked police on March 8 outside Zaman Park: Mohsin Naqvi

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  • Naqvi says “propaganda” being done on arrest of female PTI workers.
  • Caretaker CM says 2-year-old videos were shared on social media.
  • Punjab IG says police ready to appear before the judicial commission. 

LAHORE: Caretaker Punjab Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Tuesday shared that those who attacked the police in Zaman Park on March 8 were also involved in the rioting that took place on May 9 after Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s arrest.

On March 8, the PTI chief planned to launch a rally in Lahore but things turned sour when the interim government-imposed Section 144 within the provincial capital. Following this, there was a clash between the police and PTI workers.

However, today CM Naqvi said that the same people that had clashed with the police on March 8 were also involved in the May 9 rioting.

On the “propaganda” being done regarding the arrest of female PTI workers, the caretaker chief executive claimed that 2-year-old videos were being shared on social media.

He also said that 32 women were arrested related to the attack on military installations in Punjab. However, 21 of those have already been released while only 11 are on judicial remand.

CM Naqvi added that nearly 500 women were involved in the May 9 incidents but the interim government avoided their arrest.

Meanwhile, Inspector General of Punjab (IGP) Police Dr Usman Anwar, while clearing the air on the arrest of female PTI workers, said that the police have videos of people getting arrested on the spot.

He further added that those involved in the May 9 mayhem uploaded videos themselves.

“Various agencies verified with their own camera system. These lists [of people involved] are complete, and action is being taken,” the police chief said. 

He also slammed the PTI for claiming he had sent his men to torch the important installations. “Whoever wants to form a judicial commission can form it we are ready to go before any judicial commission.” 

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PTI’s Shehryar Afridi re-arrested upon release from Adiala jail

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  • “Afridi was released on completion of his ‘house arrest’ period.”
  • Police officials take the PTI leader to an undisclosed location.
  • Shehryar Afridi along with his wife was picked up on May 16. 

Amid the ongoing crackdown against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in connection with the May 9 attacks on the civil and military installations, the party’s leader and former state minister Shehryar Afridi was re-arrested shortly after being released from Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail on Tuesday.

Afridi along with his wife was picked up on May 16 from his residence in Islamabad under Section 3 of Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) Ordinance 1960, which enables the government to arrest persons “acting in any manner prejudicial to public safety”. His wife, however, was released later on the orders of the Islamabad High Court (IHC).

Soon after his release from the jail, police officials again took him into custody and transported him to an undisclosed location.

According to the jail administration, Afridi was released on completion of his “house arrest” period under the MPO.

It is pertinent to mention here that the Rawalpindi deputy commissioner has extended Afridi’s house arrest under MPO for another 15 days.

The duo was apprehended after violent protests, triggered by the arrest of PTI chairman Imran Khan from the IHC in the Al-Qadir Trust case, erupted almost across the country.

During the days-long protests, which ended only after Khan’s release, enraged PTI workers allegedly attacked private and public properties, including military installations — the Lahore Corps Commander’s House or Jinnah House and the General Headquarters (GHQ) entrance. At least eight people lost their lives during the violent protests.

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ATC declares Zaman Park search warrant ‘ineffective’

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  • One-time search warrants are not for forever, judge says.
  • PTI chief Khan had moved ATC against search warrants.
  • He claimed LEAs secured warrants with “malicious intent”.

LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Lahore Tuesday declared a police search warrant for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s Zaman Park residence “ineffective”.

ATC Judge Abhar Gul Khan, while announcing the reserved verdict on the PTI chief’s plea, said one-time search warrants are not for forever.

The PTI chief had moved the court three days back against the search warrants, naming the state, commissioner of Lahore, DIG operations Lahore, SSP operations Lahore, and others as respondents.

In the plea, the PTI chief claimed that law enforcement personnel secured the warrants with “malicious intent”.

“It is most respectfully prayed that the search warrant relating to petitioner’s house situated at Zaman Park, Lahore may kindly be set-aside /cancelled/recalled being illegal, unlawful, inappropriate which lacks the requisite legal parameters for a valid warrant in the interest of justice and fair play,” he said in the plea.

Urging the court to take strict action against the respondents, Khan asked the court to deal with them severely for “their unlawful and illegal misuse of authority under the pretext of the search warrant”.

The authorities had secured the search warrants claiming that they wanted to arrest the “terrorists” present inside the PTI chief’s residence. However, when they arrived there on May 19, Khan refused to allow a search operation at his residence.

The hearing

At the outset of the hearing, the judge asked the commissioner what was the reason behind the law enforcers’ action at Zaman Park. The commissioner said his men went here to remove encroachments.

But, he noted, they had not followed up on the search warrants so far.

The judge asked the investigating officer whether he still needed the search warrants. At this, he said that he would respond to the court’s question after consulting his colleagues.

The court, after hearing arguments, had reserved the verdict.

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