Tag: Imran

Former Pak PM Imran Khan’s Instagram head abducted in Lahore

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Lahore: Authorities in Pakistan allegedly abducted the Instagram head of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf here on Thursday as part of the federal government’s ongoing crackdown against social media activists from ousted prime minister Imran Khan’s party.
The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in collaboration with the intelligence agencies and police have launched a nationwide operation against social media activists, especially of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party following an alleged online smear campaign against Pakistan Army chief Gen Asim Munir.
Khan on Thursday claimed on Twitter that the party’s Instagram lead Attaur Rehman was “picked up” on Thursday morning from Lahore.

“Another abduction late last night — this time of PTI’s Instagram lead Attaur Rehman from Faisal Town Lahore. Strongly condemn these continuing abductions of our social media team. Atta has been with us for 15 years. The powerful are breaking all laws with impunity,” Khan tweeted and demanded his release.
Last week, the intelligence agencies picked another main social media activist, the PTI — ‘Humara Pak’ head Waqas Amjad — who was allegedly tortured in judicial custody.
Last month, Khan’s focal person on social media Azhar Mashwani was also picked up by authorities.
Khan has blamed the military establishment for “abducting” his party’s social media activists.
He deplored the torture of Amjad, saying, “today there is total law of the jungle in Pakistan.”

“Orders come from a higher authority (establishment)’ that seems above all laws & abductions are done first, then sham FIRs registered,” Khan lamented.
Khan said Pakistan has descended into a “banana republic,” where there is no rule of law and only the law of the jungle.”
Khan, 70, lambasted the PMLN-led coalition government and its handlers in the military for registering over 140 FIRs against him.
“As bail in one FIR is granted, another FIR pops up. I have over 145 FIRs against me. It’s a circus of FIRs. My Bani Gala caretaker, my Zaman Park cook, our social media’s Mashwani, Waqas & my security in-charge Ghumman — all abducted & tortured to try & update their software,” Khan said.
The PTI has written to international forums drawing their attention to the violation of human rights, abductions, torture of political workers and muzzling of dissenting voices by the fascist regime of Shehbaz Sharif with the help of the military establishment.
According to Khan, over 3,000 PTI workers are languishing in different jails in the country without a charge.
Khan, the cricketer-turned-politician, was ousted from power in April last year after losing a no-confidence vote, becoming the first Pakistani prime minister to be voted out by the National Assembly.
Since his ouster, he has been demanding snap polls in the country to remove what he termed an “imported government” led by Prime Minister Sharif.
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#Pak #Imran #Khans #Instagram #abducted #Lahore
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 20, 2023
BJP slams Cong for appointing ‘anti-national’ Imran Pratapgarhi as star campaigner

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Bengaluru: Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje on Thursday took strong exception to the inclusion of Rajya Sabha member Imran Pratapgarhi in the list of 40 star campaigners of the Congress for the upcoming Karnataka Assembly elections, calling him an “anti-national”.
The Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare and BJP’s Karnataka Election Management Committee Convener also sought to know the “connection” between Congress and slain gangster-politician Atiq Ahmed, who was recently shot dead in Uttar Pradesh.
“The person who should have been arrested for standing in support of Atiq, has become the star campaigner. What is the relation between Atiq Ahmed and Congress?” the minister sought to know.

She alleged that Pratapgarhi is a close friend of Ahmed and used to call the latter as his “guru” and brother. The MP used to write poetry in praise of Ahmed, who used to take part in ‘mushairas’ (a gathering at which Urdu poetry is read), Karandlaje said.
“Despite knowing that Imran Pratapgarhi was involved in ‘anti-national activities’, you (Congress) send him to the Rajya Sabha and appoint him as Karnataka’s star campaigner,” she said, lashing out at the opposition party, which released its list of star campaigners on Wednesday.
The ruling BJP is fighting the Assembly polls against its principal rival Congress while the JD(S) is also an important player in the state.
Karnataka will vote in a single phase on May 10 and the results are scheduled to be out on May 13.

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#BJP #slams #Cong #appointing #antinational #Imran #Pratapgarhi #star #campaigner
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 20, 2023
Pak court grants Imran Khan interim bail till May 4 in three cases

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Lahore: An anti-terrorism court in Pakistan on Thursday extended interim bail to Imran Khan till May 4 in three cases related to the clashes between his supporters and the police during an operation to arrest the former premier in the Toshakhana corruption case last month.
Lahore’s Anti-terrorism court (ATC) granted one-time permission to Khan, the chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), to appear for the hearing via video link in the case.
Khan had filed petitions for bail in three FIRs registered with the Race Course police station under anti-terror laws.

Khan, 70, has been repeatedly claiming that his life is under threat because of which he was abstaining from attending court hearings.
ATC judge Ejaz Ahmad Bhutta asked Khan’s lawyer Salman Safdar what he had done for which he was facing threats to his life.
To this, Safdar said those who were behind a gun attack on his client (in last November) could answer this.
“If Imran Khan is assassinated Pakistan will descend into chaos like what had happened after the murder of former premier Benazir Bhutto,” he said.
“There are credible reports that Mr Khan can be targeted by snipers on his way to courts and these can be verified from the law enforcement agencies,” he said.

In November last year, Khan survived an assassination attempt on his life.
After hearing arguments, the judge allowed Khan to mark his attendance in court through a video link and extended his pre-arrest bail till May 4, a court official said.
The Lahore police had booked Khan and hundreds of his party workers in three terrorism cases during clashes with police last month in an operation to arrest him in the Toshakhana case.
Khan has been in the crosshairs for buying gifts, including an expensive Graff wristwatch he had received as the premier at a discounted price from the state depository called Toshakhana, and selling them for profit.
He was disqualified by the Election Commission of Pakistan in October last year for not sharing details of the sales.
The election body later filed a complaint with the district court to punish him, under criminal laws, for selling the gifts he had received as prime minister of the country.
Khan has vehemently denied those charges.
The other case is related to the killing of a PTI worker in which Khan was booked for attempted murder.
Khan, the cricketer-turned-politician, is currently facing over 140 cases registered against him under treason, terrorism, murder, attempted murder, blasphemy, and other charges.
Khan was ousted from power in April last year after losing a no-confidence vote, which he alleged was part of a US-led conspiracy targeting him because of his independent foreign policy decisions on Russia, China, and Afghanistan.
Since his ouster, he has been demanding early elections to remove what he termed an “imported government” led by prime minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Sharif has maintained that elections will be held later this year once parliament completes its five-year tenure.
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#Pak #court #grants #Imran #Khan #interim #bail #cases
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 13, 2023
Bushra Bibi married Imran Khan during Iddat period: Nikkah registrar

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Islamabad: A Pakistani cleric who solemnised former prime minister Imran Khan’s Nikkah with Bushra Bibi has said that the ceremony was not conducted in accordance with Islamic Sharia law, according to a media report on Wednesday.
Mufti Saeed, the cleric who solemnised the couple’s Islamic marriage in 2018, said it occurred during the iddat period of Bushra Bibi, The Express Tribune newspaper reported.
The iddat period (three months) is a waiting period that a Muslim woman must observe on account of the death of her husband or the dissolution of the marriage.

A recent court hearing in Islamabad has shed light on the controversy surrounding the marriage between the chief of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party and Bushra, the report added.
The alleged un-Islamic marriage of Khan, now 70, and Bushra was brought to light by a petition filed by one Muhammad Hanif. The hearing was presided over by Senior Civil Judge Nasr Minullah Baloch.
Saeed, who serves as the principal of a seminary, mentioned having a positive relationship with Khan and being a part of his core committee. He claimed that Khan took him to Lahore’s DHA to officiate the couple’s Nikkah in 2018.
According to him, a woman claiming to be Bushra’s sister has assured him that all the Sharia requirements for her marriage had been fulfilled and that she and Khan were free to wed, the report said.
Saeed stated that he officiated the marriage between both of them on January 1, 2018, based on the assurance of the woman. Following the wedding, the couple began living together in Islamabad, he added.

However, Khan contacted him again in February 2018 and requested him to conduct the Nikkah again, saying that at the time of their first Nikkah, Bushra’s iddat period had not been completed as she was divorced in November 2017.
Therefore, Khan deemed their first Nikkah to be not in accordance with Sharia.
Saeed claimed that Khan and Bushra knew the situation and arranged their Nikkah and marriage ceremony accordingly. He also alleged that Khan had confided in him that he believed marrying Bushra would lead to him becoming the prime minister.
He further said that petitioner Muhammad Hanif approached him after Taraweeh prayers (special night prayers) on the fourth day of Ramzan and inquired about the marriage of Imran and Bushra, to which he revealed the details.
The court has adjourned further hearings on the case until April 19.
Khan, a cricketer-turned-politician became Pakistan’s prime minister in August 2018 and was ousted from power in April 2022. Khan is the only Pakistani prime minister to be ousted in a no-confidence vote in Parliament.
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#Bushra #Bibi #married #Imran #Khan #Iddat #period #Nikkah #registrar
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 12, 2023
Video: Imran Khan enters Pak court wearing bulletproof ‘bucket’

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Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday appeared in an anti-terrorism court in Lahore amid tight security with a black bucket like bullet proof bucket like structure on his head, leading to interest online.
Fearing another assassination attempt, he appeared surrounded by bullet-proof shields, with Khan himself donning the odd protective equipment.
A viral video showed Khan heading into the Lahore court while his security surrounded him with black bullet-proof shields.

Meanwhile, two persons were spotted holding his hands and directing him towards the court while the black helmet hid his whole face.
Many people on the internet derided the bulletproof ‘bucket,’ making jokes about its utility.
Former Pаkistаn PM Imran Khan was brought in Anti-terrorism Court in Lahore. The bucket on Imran Khan is for the security of his head. pic.twitter.com/k20oNomzKg
— Megh Updates 🚨™ (@MeghUpdates) April 4, 2023
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#Video #Imran #Khan #enters #Pak #court #wearing #bulletproof #bucket
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 5, 2023
Gen Bajwa put pressure on me to develop friendly ties with India, claims Imran Khan

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Lahore: Pakistan’s ousted prime minister Imran Khan has claimed that the then Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa had put pressure on him to develop friendly ties with India.
Relations between India and Pakistan have often been strained over the Kashmir issue and cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan. However, their ties nose-dived after India abrogated Article 370 of the Constitution, revoking the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcating the State into two Union Territories on August 5, 2019.
“Gen Bajwa wanted me to develop friendly ties with India. He put pressure on me for this and it was one of the reasons our relationship deteriorated,” Khan claimed during an interaction with social media journalists at his Lahore’s Zaman Park residence on Saturday evening.

He, however, reiterated his stance that Pakistan should only hold peace talks with India provided New Delhi restores the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.
India has repeatedly told Pakistan that it desires normal neighbourly relations with Islamabad in an environment free of terror, hostility and violence.
The 70-year-old Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman further said what Gen (retd.) Bajwa did to Pakistan even an enemy couldn’t do. “Bajwa should be held accountable by the army,” he said.
Khan in the past accused Bajwa of not only toppling his country that laid a foundation of economic disaster but also committing atrocities against him, his party members and journalists. “Bajwa wanted me killed,” Khan alleged.
Khan has been at loggerheads with Gen (retd.) Bajwa ever since his ouster from power in April last year by a no-confidence motion.

Gen (retd) Bajwa retired on November 29 last year after two consecutive three-year terms.
Regarding the PML-N led federal government’s assertion that it would not accept the verdict of a three-member bench of Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial in polls in two provinces, Khan said: “I know what kind of benefits this cabal of corrupts would get by delaying the elections in Punjab and Kyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces. They are just delaying elections hoping to crush the PTI or finish Imran Khan.” Khan asked the ruling alliance to explain the reasons for postponing polls till October, 2023. “If elections are not held within 90 days in two provinces Pakistan will be without a constitution,” he said.
Khan’s party had dissolved assemblies in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces in January after which a caretaker setup took over. Under the constitution, elections are held within 90 days from the date of dissolution of an assembly.
“Pakistan is facing a critical moment in its history. The nation must stand by the Constitution and rule of law,” Khan asserted.
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#Gen #Bajwa #put #pressure #develop #friendly #ties #India #claims #Imran #Khan
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 3, 2023
General Bajwa put pressure on me to restore ties with India: Imran Khan

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New Delhi: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan has said former army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa had pressurised him to restore friendship with India, the media reported.
Bajwa wanted friendship with India and put pressure on him for this, Khan was quoted as saying by The News.
Bajwa said something one day and retracted it the next day. His accountability should be initiated within the army, he said.

Answering a question about the general elections, the PTI chairman said if the elections were not held in 90 days, there would be no Constitution left in the country and then he would take direct action.
Earlier this month, Pakistan again denied it was holding any “backchannel” talks with bordering India but reiterated its desire for a peaceful neighbourhood, The Express Tribune reported.
“At this stage, there is no back channel (talks) between Pakistan and India,” said Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch while responding to a question at a weekly briefing, The Express Tribune reported.
Relations between the two neighbouring countries have remained at a standstill for the last many years.
Pakistan had not only downgraded diplomatic ties but suspended bilateral trade with India.

However, there was a chance of a possible thaw in ties when two countries engaged in backchannel talks in 2021. The secret meetings between senior security officials of Pakistan and India in the UAE led to the renewal of ceasefire understanding along the Line of Control (LoC) in February 2021, The Express Tribune reported.
The next move was to restore bilateral trade but the process came to a halt when the government of then premier Khan turned down the decision to import sugar and cotton from India.
Some reports later claimed that backchannel talks even discussed the possibility of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Pakistan.
(Sanjeev Sharma can be reached at Sanjeev.s@ians.in)
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 2, 2023
Pak PM Sharif accuses President Alvi of following dictates of Imran Khan’s party

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Islamabad: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday hit back at President Arif Alvi, accusing him of being partisan and following the dictates of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party instead of remaining neutral as the head of the state.
His comments came two days after President Alvi in a letter on Friday accused the premier of using disproportionate force against politicians, political workers and journalists in recent clashes with former prime minister Imran Khan’s PTI.
The president, who was a member of Khan’s party before assuming the office, had also asked Sharif to direct all authorities to assist the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in holding the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa elections as per the orders of the Supreme Court.
In his five-page letter to President Alvi, Sharif said that he was writing to “set the record of the government straight” and bring the latter’s “partisan attitude” on record.
He said Alvi’s communication in parts read like “a press release of the opposition political party PTI whose one-sided, anti-government views you continue to openly espouse, notwithstanding your constitutional oath/office of President ”.
He said that the president on several occasions violated his oath, including the order of the dissolution of the National Assembly in April last year on direction of then prime minister Imran Khan, and also his failure to discharge his constitutional duty to give oath to Sharif on his election as the prime minister.
“Despite the foregoing and several other instances, where you actively worked towards undermining a constitutionally elected government, I have made all-out efforts to maintain a good working relationship with you. However, the contents of your letter, its tone, and language have compelled me to respond to it,” he stated in the letter.
Sharif said that actions by the law enforcement agencies were in accordance with the law.

“Regrettably and ostensibly due to your party allegiance, you have failed to note the sheer violation of laws, contumacious disregard of court orders, attacking the law enforcement agencies, damaging public property, attempts to create chaos, civil and political unrest, and in short, to bring the country to the brink of economic default and civil war by PTI,” he said.
He said the PTI’s complete disregard of law tarnished the image of Pakistan in the international community and cast negative repercussions on the future of democracy and state of human rights.
He also complained that Alvi as president had not once said anything regarding the conduct of Khan for his “aggressive, rather militant, attitude of a political order in complete defiance of court orders”.
“Regrettably again, you never raised your voice or shared your concerns in the manner that you have in your letter, in the past while the PTI was in power,” he said.
He further stated that Alvi’s reference regarding meaningful consultation between the president and prime minister was “out of place”.
“Mr President, in the exercise of your functions, you must act on and in accordance with the advice of the Cabinet or the Prime Minister under clause (1) of Article 48,” he wrote.
Talking about the election in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, he said that the federal government provided every support to the ECP which is an autonomous body and free to decide about election.
Sharif also said that he was “fully aware” of his duties, asserting that his government was fully committed to preserving, protecting, and defending the Constitution but would not allow anyone to violate the law or create unrest.
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 26, 2023
Pak court rejects FIA’s plea to cancel Imran Khan’s bail in prohibited funding case

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Islamabad: A Pakistani court on Wednesday rejected the country’s top investigating agency’s plea to cancel former prime minister Imran Khan’s bail in the prohibited funding case, a media report said.
Khan, the chief of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party was granted bail by an Islamabad-based banking court in a prohibited funding case.
The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in October last year filed a case in the banking court against Khan, 70, and other members of his party for allegedly receiving prohibited funding.
The prohibited funding case was filed by PTI’s estranged founding member Akbar S Babar in the Election Commission of Pakistan in 2014.
A two-member bench comprising Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani and Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri conducted the hearing on the plea in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday, according to the Express Tribune newspaper.
The court also rejected the request to cancel the bail of co-accused Tariq Shafi, the report said.
The FIA filed an application in the IHC on February 28 against the banking court’s decision to grant bail to the PTI chief and appealed to the court to annul the decision as it was “against the law”.
In 2022, Pakistan’s Election Commission said the allegations of taking prohibited funds from overseas Pakistanis against Khan were proven.

It issued a new show-cause notice to PTI asking why these funds should not be confiscated.
During Wednesday’s hearing, FIA Special Prosecutor Rizwan Abbasi argued that Khan has not yet been interrogated by the agency in the case, and urged the court to cancel his bail, the report said.
IHC Chief Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani asked if the money laundering allegations in the FIR were against Arif Naqvi and Imran Khan or if PTI was the recipient of the funds.
The FIA counsel argued that Khan in a recent interview admitted that he received funds for charity purposes but used them for political activities, according to the report.
Justice Kayani inquired if the funds were used by a political party and then how they became personal belongings, it said.
Justice Kayani asked the FIA counsel to submit the letter from the State Bank of Pakistan that the investigation agency received during the investigation.
“You did not include the employee of the State Bank in the investigation. Changing the name of a bank account is not a crime. Has the State Bank taken any action to change the name or nature of the account?” the judge asked.
Khan, the cricketer-turned-politician, was granted interim bail by a special court in Islamabad after being shot during an assassination attempt in November last year.
He was ousted from power in April after losing a no-confidence vote in his leadership, which he alleged was part of a US-led conspiracy targeting him because of his independent foreign policy decisions on Russia, China, and Afghanistan.
Khan, who came to power in 2018, is the only Pakistani Prime Minister to be ousted in a no-confidence vote in Parliament.
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#Pak #court #rejects #FIAs #plea #cancel #Imran #Khans #bail #prohibited #funding #case
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 22, 2023
Imran Khan gets protective bail in two terrorism-related cases

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Lahore: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Tuesday secured a protective bail from the Lahore High Court (LHC) in two terrorism cases registered against him in Islamabad post-clashes at the Federal Judicial Complex (FJC) held last week, Dawn reported.
An FIR was registered against Imran Khan at the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) and the Glora police stations in Islamabad accusing the PTI chief and party workers of their involvement in attacking cops and creating a situation of unrest outside the FJC in Islamabad during the Toshakhana case hearing on March 18.
Imran Khan was granted protective bail in the terrorism cases until March 27 by a two-judge LHC bench comprising Justice Shehbaz Rizvi and Justice Farooq Haider.
Khan arrived at the LHC on Tuesday at around 1 pm. According to a Dawn correspondent in court, the ex-premier’s vehicle entered LHC through the Mosque Gate.
Fawad Chaudhry, a PTI aide, party lawyers, and private security guards accompanied the PTI chairman.
Imran has renewed his claims that his life is in danger, saying that the incumbent rulers wanted to kill him and that a “trap” was set up at the Islamabad Judicial Complex on Saturday during the Toshakhana hearing. Last year, the PTI chief survived an assassination attempt and blamed the senior government and military figures for it.
Justice Sheikh of the LHC also heard a separate petition filed by the PTI on Tuesday seeking records of cases against the former prime minister.
The police presented a report in court during the hearing, stating that six cases had been filed against Imran Khan in Punjab. Three of these FIRs were filed at the Race Course police station in Lahore. In contrast, others were filed at the Sarwar Road police station, the New Airport police station in Rawalpindi, and the Madina Town police station in Faisalabad, according to Dawn.

However, Justice Sheikh directed the police to submit information about cases filed against Imran by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIR) and the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
Khan also obtained bail in two summonses issued by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in the Toshakhana investigation before leaving the LHC.
The NAB Rawalpindi summoned the PTI chief to record his statements in connection with the Toshakhana gifts case on March 9 and March 21. Khan is accused of keeping some state gifts given to him by various foreign dignitaries, including Rolex wristwatches, which he allegedly bought on the cheap and then sold for millions of rupees, Dawn reported.
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#Imran #Khan #protective #bail #terrorismrelated #cases
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 22, 2023