ISLAMABAD: Jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party has not held any talks with the government to ease political tensions, PTI leader Asad Qaiser said on Friday, denying media reports suggesting a dialogue having taken place between the two sides.
Pakistani media reported this week that the PTI and the government had agreed to ease political tensions in the country after PTI’s Qaiser and Salman Akram Raja met ruling party Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) member and National Assembly speaker, Ayaz Sadiq, this week to offer condolences on his sister’s death.
Reports of negotiations surfaced after Khan earlier this month announced the PTI would launch a civil disobedience campaign from Dec. 14, if the government did not meet their demands release of political prisoners and to set up judicial commissions to investigate May 9, 2023 and Nov. 24 protests, in which the government says his supporters partook in violence and caused vandalism.
In a message to supporters on Dec. 5, Khan, who has been in jail since August last year, said he was setting up a five-member negotiations committee to hold talks with the federal government. PM Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to the speaker’s residence for condolences, following Qaiser’s meeting with Sadiq, also fueled speculation that the reported negotiations were discussed between Sadiq and the Pakistani premier.
“It is being reported in media that some dialogue, some talks have been taking place [with the government] and that I have had this kind of discussions with the speaker,” Qaiser said, while speaking in the National Assembly.
“I only went to the speaker’s residence to offer Fatiha, we did not have any dialogue, any talks.”
He said the PTI committee would hold talks with the government only if the latter demonstrated “seriousness.”
“Yes, we have definitely formed a committee and when that committee deemed appropriate and the government demonstrated seriousness, then we will see and we will formally take instructions from our founding chairman and only then things will proceed further,” Qaiser added.
Khan’s party alleges the Sharif-led coalition government came to power after rigging polls with the help of Pakistan’s all-powerful military and has staged several protests this year to demand the release of Khan and to challenge results of the Feb. 8 national election. The government and the military deny the allegations.
Rana Sanaullah, a member of Sharif’s PML-N party, said they always encouraged political dialogue and a month ago, PM Sharif, in an interaction with opposition members in the National Assembly, had offered to hold a political dialogue with them, but Opposition Leader Omar Ayub did not respond to the offer positively.
“Now they have formed a committee but they have not conveyed us this message that ‘we want to talk to you’,” Sanaullah said on a Geo News show Friday morning.
“If they sent this message to the government or the prime minister that ‘we are ready to hold talks with you,’ then it is my assessment that the PML-N will never refuse to hold a political dialogue.”
Ex-PM Khan party denies any dialogue with Pakistani government to ease political tensions
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Ex-PM Khan party denies any dialogue with Pakistani government to ease political tensions
- Reports of talks between two sides surfaced after Khan’s party members met National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq
- Ex-PM Khan this month announced his party will launch a civil disobedience campaign against government on Dec. 14
Imran Khan’s party says no talks with Pakistan government unless it forms judicial commissions
- Khan’s party has demanded judicial commissions to probe anti-government protests of May 2023, November 2024
- Government’s negotiation committee says will respond to demands by Khan’s party in writing on January 28
ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party leader, Omar Ayub Khan, on Wednesday ruled out further negotiations with the government unless its forms judicial commissions to probe the May 9, 2023 and November 2024 anti-government protests, amid efforts by both sides to break the prevalent political deadlock in the country.
Khan last month set up a negotiation committee of PTI members, including Omar Ayub Khan who is also the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, to hold talks with the government to ease political tensions. During the third round of talks between the two sides on Jan. 16, the PTI presented its “Charter of Demands” in writing to the government.
The party’s key demands include the release of political prisoners and the establishment of judicial commissions to investigate the May 9, 2023, and November 2024 protests. Khan’s brief detention on graft charges on May 9, 2023, had sparked countrywide protests that saw his supporters attack and ransack military installations in an unprecedented backlash against Pakistan’s powerful army generals.
In November 2024, Khan supporters from across the country defied blockades from various parts of the country to arrive in the capital to demand his release from prison. The government says four troops were killed while the PTI says 12 of its supporters died in clashes between law enforcers and Khan supporters.
“I wrote this in a tweet last night and this is Imran Khan’s directives too: no commissions, no negotiations,” Omar Ayub Khan told reporters outside the National Assembly. “End of discussion, we don’t accept it. The [judicial] commission of May 9 and the commission of Nov. 26.”
The opposition leader’s statement came shortly after Irfan Siddiqui, a key member of the government’s negotiation committee, said it would respond to the PTI’s written demands on Jan. 28.
When asked whether the committee had decided to form the judicial commissions, Siddiqui responded:
“We have not decided on the question of whether to form or not form [judicial commissions],” Siddiqui told reporters after a consultative meeting of the committee ended.
“That is why deliberations are taking place. Had this decision been taken today, there would be no need to hold meetings tomorrow and the day after that,” he added.
Siddiqui hoped negotiations between both sides would produce fruitful results.
The talks opened last month as Khan had threatened a civil disobedience movement and amid growing concerns he could face trial by a military court for allegedly inciting attacks on sensitive security installations during the May 9 protests.
The negotiations also began two days after 25 civilians were sentenced by a military court to periods of two to 10 years of “rigorous imprisonment” in connection with the attacks on military facilities on May 9, 2023. Just days later on Dec. 26, another 60 civilians were sentenced by a military court to jail time ranging from 2 to 10 years.
Khan, facing a slew of legal cases from jail, says all charges against him are politically motivated to keep him and his party out of power. Khan had to sit out February 2024 general election as convicted felons cannot run for public office in Pakistan.
An anti-graft court last Friday sentenced the former premier to 14 years in jail and his wife, Bushra Khan, to seven years in prison, on charges of receiving land as bribe for a real estate tycoon in exchange for favors. Khan, his wife and the real estate tycoon have denied any wrongdoing in the case.
Pakistani cricketers Saud Shakeel, Noman Ali break into ICC top 10 Test rankings
- Saud Shakeel and Noman Ali were both instrumental in Pakistan’s recent Test win against West Indies in Multan
- Shakeel moves up to number 8 in batter’s rankings as Noman Ali moves to number 9 in ICC bowler’s rankings
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani cricketers Saud Shakeel and Noman Ali have broken into the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) top 10 Test batter’s and bowler’s rankings, the cricket governing body said on Wednesday, after their recent heroics against the West Indies at home.
Shakeel, Ali and spinner Sajid Khan were instrumental in Pakistan’s 127-run convincing victory against the West Indies in Multan last week. Noman grabbed six wickets in the Test match, including a fifer in the West Indies’ first innings that helped dismiss the Caribbean team before they could amass a sizable lead over Pakistan’s first innings total.
Shakeel scored a heroic 84-run knock to steer Pakistan out of the woods in the first innings, helping the team reach 230 runs before they were dismissed.
“Batter Saud Shakeel and bowler Noman Ali are Pakistan’s big movers in the newly updated ICC Men’s Test Rankings,” the ICC said in a report on its website. “Saud Shakeel (753 ratings points) scored 84 in the first innings, climbing three Rankings spots to 8th on the batting list, moving above Steve Smith (746, 9th) and Rishabh Pant (739, 10th).”
Ali, with 761 points to his credit, broke into the top 10 by securing the number nine position. India’s Jasprit Bumrah with 908 points and Australia’s Pat Cummins with 841 points occupy the first and second position, respectively.
“Other notable movers include Pakistan’s Sajid Khan (621), who climbed 18 places to No. 23 after his standout performance in Pakistan’s victory in the first Test,” the ICC said.
Pakistan, who lead 1-0 in the two-match Test series, will next face the West Indies in Multan for the second Test on Jan. 25. Both teams are placed at the bottom of the World Test Championship after successive losses to other teams.
Pakistan are expected to head into the second Test with both Khan and Ali in the playing XI. The South Asian team have been making spin-friendly tracks in Multan and other venues across the country ahead of Test series to capitalize on its home conditions.
Pakistan beat England 2-1 in a three-match Test series at home, capitalizing again on the spin-friendly tracks. However, the South Asian team lost to South Africa 2-0 in an away Test series this month.
Pakistan’s most populous Punjab province launches cash cards for minorities
- Punjab government to provide $37.65 per family every quarter to minorities under ‘Minority Card’
- Pakistan’s minorities have suffered attacks from religiously motivated militants in the recent years
ISLAMABAD: The chief minister of Pakistan’s most populous Punjab province, Maryam Nawaz, launched cash cards for minorities on Wednesday, stressing the importance of undertaking measures to ensure they are not marginalized in the country.
Nawaz announced the ‘Minority Card’ in October last year during the Hindu festival of Diwali. Through the card, the provincial government will provide Rs10,500 [$37.65] per family every quarter to Sikhs, Christians, Hindus and other minorities residing in Punjab.
The chief minister had said that 50,000 individuals from minority communities in Punjab would receive the card during the first phase of its launch. She had said that the provincial government would increase both the number of beneficiaries to 75,000 and the per quarter funds as well.
“I am very happy that that for the first time in Pakistan and Punjab’s history we have launched the minority card,” Nawaz said at the launching ceremony of the card.
She thanked Punjab Minority Affairs Minister Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora and the Bank of Punjab for helping the provincial government in “making and implementing” the card.
Emphasizing that minorities were like the “crown on her head,” Sharif said the true identity of minorities was not non-Muslims but “true Pakistanis.” She distributed minority cards among participants at the ceremony.
Pakistani minorities have often suffered attacks at the hands of religiously motivated militants and hard-liners. There have been dozens of instances of mob violence against religious minorities in the South Asian nation in recent years, including an attack on Christians in Punjab’s Jaranwala town in August 2023. An angry mob had torched churches, homes and businesses targeting the Christian community there over blasphemy allegations.
In the country’s southern Sindh province, Hindus have frequently complained about forced conversions, particularly of young girls, and attacks on temples.
Over 96 percent of Pakistan’s population is Muslim, according to the population census of 2023, with the remaining four percent comprising 5.2 million Hindus, 3.3 million Christians, 15,992 Sikhs and others.
Islamabad, Ankara discuss enhancing training and job opportunities for Pakistanis in Turkiye
- Pakistan’s religious affairs minister meets Turkish Ambassador Irfan Nazir Oglu in Islamabad to discuss matters of bilateral interest
- Foreign remittances sent by thousands of overseas Pakistanis help cash-strapped country keeps fragile $350 billion economy afloat
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Religious Affairs Minister Chaudhry Salik Hussain met Turkish Ambassador Irfan Nazir Oglu on Wednesday to discuss provision of modern technical education and enhancing job opportunities for the country’s skilled workers in Turkiye, the religion ministry said in a statement.
Pakistan exports skilled manpower to several countries around the world such as Turkiye and the Gulf countries. Foreign remittances sent by overseas Pakistanis help the cash-strapped country keep its fragile $350 billion economy afloat.
Pakistan enjoys cordial relations and cooperation with Turkiye in various sectors such as trade, defense, media and economy. In May 2024, both countries resolved to enhance the volume of bilateral trade to $5 billion.
“During the meeting, various proposals were discussed regarding religious harmony, respect for humanity and providing more job opportunities for Pakistani workers in Turkiye,” Pakistan’s Ministry of Religious Affairs said.
Hussain pointed out that both countries share similar stances on regional and global issues, and have supported each other on various global issues at the international stage.
“Turkish Ambassador Irfan Nazir Oglu expressed sorrow over the deaths of Pakistanis in the Morocco boat incident and reaffirmed the commitment to providing more job opportunities for skilled Pakistanis in Turkiye,” the religion ministry said.
The ambassador pointed out that Turkiye is working on increasing the supply of machinery to Pakistani industries and expanding technical training and educational projects in the South Asian country.
He said that though several Turkish companies are operating in Pakistan, there remains significant potential to increase joint investment and trade volume between the two countries, the religious affairs ministry said.
Hussain said 600,000 Pakistanis went abroad for employment last year, adding that by December 2024 overseas Pakistanis sent a record remittance of 3.1 billion dollars to Pakistan.
“The establishment of better banking channels between Turkiye and Pakistan is also essential for promoting mutual trade,” the ministry said.
It said the meeting concluded with an agreement to enhance cooperation toward eliminating extremism and “terrorism,” promoting interfaith harmony and providing skilled Pakistanis with modern technical education.
Pakistan seeks to boost trade through infrastructure, logistics cooperation with Dubai’s DP World
- Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb meets top officials from logistics giant DP World on sidelines of Davos conference
- Meeting comes days after DP World launched a feeder service to transport shipping containers from Dubai to Karachi
ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb met top officials from Dubai-based logistics giant DP World and discussed boosting trade through cooperation in infrastructure and logistics frameworks, Pakistani state media reported on Wednesday.
The meeting comes days after DP World, in collaboration with Pakistan’s National Logistics Corporation, launched a feeder service to transport shipping containers from Dubai to Karachi. DP World operates in over 75 countries, specializing in port operations, terminal management and logistics services. Feeder services use smaller vessels to transport containers between regional ports, reducing shipping costs and transit time.
Earlier this month, Pakistani officials and DP World also finalized terms for a freight corridor project from Karachi Port to the Pipri Marshalling yard in southern Pakistan.
“Aurangzeb met with Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of DP World Rizwan Soomar and Deputy CEO and Chief Financial Officer Yuvraj Narayan in Davos, Switzerland,” Radio Pakistan reported after the meeting.
“During the meeting, discussions focused on enhancing infrastructure and logistical frameworks in Pakistan to boost trade,” the report said, adding that the finance minister assured DP World it wanted to advance business-to-business and business-to-government collaboration with the company.
The UAE is Pakistan’s third-largest trading partner after China and the United States, and a major source of foreign investment, valued at over $10 billion in the last 20 years, according to the UAE foreign ministry. It is also home to more than a million Pakistani expatriates.
In January last year, Pakistan and the UAE signed multiple agreements worth more than $3 billion for cooperation in railways, economic zones and infrastructure.
The agreements cover the development of a dedicated freight corridor, multi-modal logistics park, and freight terminals.
Under the agreements, DP World will carry out infrastructure improvement at Qasim International Container Terminal, Pakistan’s leading trade gateway. The Emirati firm also plans to develop an economic zone near the terminal.
DP World is also involved in the Karachi Freight Corridor, an infrastructure project in Pakistan aimed at improving the movement of freight from the port city of Karachi, Pakistan’s largest, to various parts of the country. The project involves the construction of a dedicated double-track corridor and other related facilities that will run 50 km from Karachi port to the Pipri Marshalling yard.
