Politics

President Arif Alvi urges not to make Pakistan Army ‘controversial’

Published

2 years ago

Farwa

President Alvi advises politicians to not discuss the army.
“They should be respected,” President Alvi says.
President says he is “worried” due to increasing polarisation.

LAHORE: President Arif Alvi Friday stressed against making the Pakistan Army “controversial” after the armed forces were criticised by PTI leader Shahbaz Gill.

“Time and again, I have been telling politicians to not bring the armed forces under discussion,” the president told journalists in Lahore.

The president stressed that the armed forces are responsible for the country’s security and in light of their role, politicians should refrain from making the institution controversial.

“It was the armed forces’ job to win the battle against terrorism; they should be respected,” President Alvi said.

PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s chief of staff, Gill, was arrested Tuesday from Bani Gali Chowk after his remarks on a private television channel went viral on social media.

Gill has been charged under serious sections of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) after he had attempted to incite hatred within the Pakistan Army while speaking on a private TV channel.

The president noted that he was the constitutional head of all the country’s institutions, and he respects all of them.

“There are talks of the appointment of the army chief and judges. For the judiciary, the chief justice has stated that there should be a standard; I agree with him,” the president said.

CJP Umar Ata Bandial had recently proposed the names of five judges in the last Judicial Commission of Pakistan’s (JCP) meeting, however, they were rejected altogether — and controversy has emerged since then.

‘Caught’ in ‘foreign funding case’

Moving on to the prohibited funding case, the president said that the PTI was “caught in the foreign funding case” as they kept records of their accounts.

The president, explaining the funding received from abroad, said that under United States laws, if a party wants to collect funds, it has to establish a company.

“[The ECP], however, claimed that a ‘company’ sent us funds, whereas, it were those companies which we established in line with the US and Canadian laws,” he said.

In a unanimous ruling, the election commission’s three-member bench had said earlier this month it found that the PTI received prohibited funding.

The case was earlier referred to as the “foreign funding” case, but later the election commission accepted the PTI’s plea to refer to it as the “prohibited funding” case.

As per the 68-page order, the commission states that the Imran Khan-led PTI did indeed receive funding from foreign companies and individuals, which it hid.

The ECP verdict states that the PTI received funds from 34 individuals and 351 businesses, including companies.

Thirteen unknown accounts have also come to light, said the commission in the verdict, adding that hiding accounts are a “violation” of Article 17 of the Constitution.

‘Worried’ due to increasing polarisation

The president, addressing all stakeholders of the country, said that the situation “was not ideal” and that it was crucial for politicians to sit at the talking table.

“Politicians are not sitting together at the talking table; they have to unite. If I don’t see the situation getting better, I will ask them to sit at the table. As the president, I can only ask, not order,” Alvi noted.

President Alvi said he was “worried” that the polarisation was increasing and noted that it had to end in the coming days. “Of course, politicians are not students that we’ll ask them to sit in a classroom forcefully.”

He also said that there was an issue of mismanagement in Pakistan and he told the same to the party chairman, Khan. However, he said that the former prime minister had his own stance.

The president said that he has only rejected four or five of the summaries that the current coalition government has sent him out of the total 85.

“I know my constitutional role.”

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Response from PTI to PM Shehbaz regarding party protests

Published

2 days ago

Farwa

PTI spokesperson: The government is attempting to deflect criticism away from its “failures,” the spokesperson stated in a statement.

The PTI spokesperson said, “The mandate thieves are just skilled at making pronouncements; in reality, they are obsessed with inflaming tensions between provinces and persecuting people.

All Pakistanis are aware, he continued, that “vote manipulation” was the means by which this regime was elected. “To defend their rights, democracy, and an independent judiciary, the people are now taking to the streets.”

In addition to pledging to resist what the party referred to as “injustices,” the PTI spokesperson stated that the country is committed to preserving Pakistan’s future.

PM Shehbaz claimed earlier in his speech to the federal cabinet that Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is “leading” the group of sabotage agents, which is made up of Afghan citizens, and it is utilizing government employees.

Ali Amin Gandapur is ‘guiding’ the protests, the prime minister stated, while the government is working to stabilize the economy and launch its own economic initiative.

One Islamabad Police official was martyred during the rally, and protesters allegedly fired from the air, according to PM Shehbaz. It is natural that investment will draw in a calm and safe environment, he said.

Regarding the PTI demonstration, the prime minister stated that attempts were made to incite unrest at a time when the Chinese Premier was scheduled to undertake a bilateral visit along with a Saudi team, and accusations were made against the government.

While comparing the PTI’s recent protest to the party’s 2014 sit-in, Prime Minister Shehbaz declared that a “gory tale” recurrence would not be permitted at all.

“Such situations are a recurrence of the events that occurred in 2014–2015, when a sit-in was organized for months and was not called off despite the Chinese president’s visit to Pakistan being announced without consideration for the consequences for the people and economy of the country. That won’t be permitted to happen again. Under any circumstances, we will not put up with it. I guarantee you of this. The prime minister pledged, “I will not allow it to happen.”

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APC Regarding Palestine: Deputy Prime Minister Invites JUI-F Leader to Join APC on Palestine

Published

4 days ago

Farwa

JUI-F Chief Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman has been asked by Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar to attend the All Parties Conference, which is being held today to discuss the Palestine problem and is being hosted by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

The leader of JUI-F and a high-ranking delegation from coalition partners met with the deputy prime minister at his home.

Khawaja Saad Rafique, Naveed Qamar, Sherry Rehman, and Nayyer Hussain Bukhari were among the delegation members.

Muhammad Aslam Ghori, Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haidari, and Maulana Salahuddin Ayubi took part in the meeting as well.

The discussion at the conference also covered the nation’s overall political predicament.

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PTI founder prohibited from meeting family and lawyers

Published

4 days ago

Farwa

The jail authorities have cited security concerns as the rationale for this prohibition.

Sources indicated that the Punjab government’s prohibition on meetings will be effective till October 18 and will extend to additional inmates at Adiala Jail.

Security agents have intensified investigations and apprehended six additional members of the jail staff for facilitating the PTI founder.

Sources indicated that the incarcerated personnel of the prison also comprised three women. “The apprehended prison staff comprises a janitor, two female wardens, and three CCTV surveillance operators,” sources reported.

Security agents have confiscated the employees’ cell phones. “Female employees were communicating messages between Bushra Bibi and the founder of PTI,” sources reported.

Former Adiala Jail Deputy Superintendent Zafar Iqbal has recently returned home following his detention on allegations of assisting former Prime Minister Imran Khan, according to sources.

Sources indicate that Zafar Iqbal was apprehended on August 13 for interrogation over his assistance to Imran Khan while incarcerated.