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Tuesday, 15 November, 2022 I 19 Rabi us Sani, 1444 I Rs 15.00 | Vol XIII No 136 I 12 Pages I Islamabad Edition
Govt assails imran for ‘backtrackinG’ on reGime chanGe narrative ISLAMABAD
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Staff RepoRt
RIME Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Monday that PTI chairman Imran Khan’s rebuttal of the foreign conspiracy narrative was a reminder of the “vicious role he played to harm Pakistan’s external relations while pursuing his own petty politics”. The premier was referring to Imran’s recent interview with the Financial Times, wherein Khan said he had left the regime change claim was ‘behind’ him now. Khan, who has repeatedly claimed that an American conspiracy was behind his removal from office in April, said he now wanted a “dignified” relation-
ship if re-elected. “As far as I’m concerned it’s over, it’s behind me,” he said of the alleged conspiracy. “The Pakistan I want to lead must have good relationships with everyone, especially the United States,” asserted Khan. In a tweet today, the premier said that the nation was shocked by Imran’s “deceit and treachery inflicting irreparable damage on Pakistan”. Meanwhile, other government mouthpieces on Monday threatened former premier and PTI chief Imran Khan for consequences over what they called backtracking on his ‘false narrative’ of regime change in Pakistan. Speaking on a point of order in the National Assembly, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said PTI Chief Imran Khan
have to pay the political price for his lies and changing narrative regarding foreign conspiracy behind his ouster from power. Asif quoting Imran’s interview with Financial Times, said Imran took an other U-turn expressing the desire to mend relations with the United States despite accusing it of treating Paksitan as a ‘slave’. Imran has buried his narrative of Haqiqi Azadi and imported government. He said Imran’s politics revolves around fake narratives and lies which compromised national interests. Khawaja Asif said Imran Khan’s political rhetoric in the past and the recent one regarding cipher are based on local political consumption. Imran’s accusations against the US had embarrassed the entire country.
PTI urges Supreme Court to launch probe into assassination attempt on Imran Khan
ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt
Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has requested the Supreme Court to investigate the “various aspects” of the November 3 assassination attempt on former prime minister Imran Khan which left the nation in shock. The party said it has submitted a set of petitions to nationwide sub-offices of the apex court seeking the constitution of a trustworthy judicial commission to probe several “important matters” now in the public domain, including the attempt on Khan’s life. Speaking to the press in Lahore, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, vice chairperson of the
party, said the court has been requested through these petitions to probe the gun attack on the caravan carrying Khan; the purported refusal of police to nominate the prime minister, his minister for interior, and a senior intelligence official in the complaint; the leaked recording of moments of intimate closeness between party Senator Azam Khan Swati and his spouse; and the grisly murder of journalist Arshad Sharif in Kenya. The petitions were filed in Lahore, Islamabad, Karachi, Peshawar and Quetta. The former foreign minister expressed hope that Umar Ata Bandial, the chief justice of Pakistan, would consider the re-
quest. In the Lahore registry of the Supreme Court, the petition was filed by Qureshi, former Punjab chief minister Usman Buzdar, who is also the applicant, and other lawmakers. Buzdar handed the petition to Ejaz Goraya, a deputy registrar of the court. The petition requested the formation of a judicial commission. It implored the court to take action on its complaint by taking suo motu notice. In Karachi, two identical pleas were submitted by 26 party lawmakers, whereas in Peshawar, Deputy Speaker Mehmood Jan, Atif Khan, Shaukat Yousufzai, Kamran Bangash, and Senator Usman Tarkai, among others, filed the petition. Petitioners in the application filed in Islamabad were several PTI MPs and senators, including Shibli Faraz and Shahzad Waseem. In Karachi, the president of the Sindh chapter of PTI, Ali Zaidi, and Imran Ismail, former governor, were among those who reached the court registry to file the petition.
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No consultation held on COAS appointment yet: Khawaja Asif ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Monday said that appointment of next army chief is the prerogative of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and no consultation has taken place in this regard thus far. The statement comes following PTI chief Imran Khan accused premier Shehbaz Sharif of violating the Official Secret Act by consulting with Nawaz Sharif who he said was an absconder and a convict and vowed to move court against the consultation. Speaking to the journalists at Parliament House here, the minister clarified that a decision about the army chief’s appointment has not been made yet. The extended stay of Prime Minister Shehbaz along with his key advisers in London purportedly to discuss the key appointment and other issues of national importance with his elder brother Nawaz Sharif heightened confusion and sparked rumours about the issue. “Holding consolations on the appointment of the army chief is the prerogative of the prime minister. However, no consultation has been held on the matter so far,” the minister added. Legislation to extend army chief’s tenure
should be revoked: Sana In a bid to avoid conflicts and politics over the appointment of the army chief, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah on Monday suggested that the legislation introduced during PTI’s government to extend the tenure of the army chief should be abolished. In an interview with a private TV channel, Sanaullah said that the legislation will keep disturbing every army chief in the future as well. Referring to the procedure for the appointment of the chief justice of Pakistan, the interior minister underscored the need for devising a formula for the appointment of COAS. He was of the view that the senior-most officer should be appointed as the next army chief through a judiciary-like system. “The prime minister has discretion regarding the army chief’s appointment,” he said, adding that the prime minister should consult with all the stakeholders about the appointment. The interior minister said that the prime minister will announce the name of the new COAS in the next few days. Responding to a question about the differences between Nawaz Sharif and Shehbaz over the name of the next army chief, the interior minister termed the reports as rumours.
Now he was saying to forget that narrative which already damaged country’s relations abroad. Pakistan Tehreek-Insaf (PTI) should sit home instead of disturbing routine life of the people through its long march. Imran did not stand over his narrative more than a few weeks. He has compromised the honour and dignity of the country. He wrongly termed the constitutional process of his ouster from power by tabling a confidence motion as foreign conspiracy. He urged the august House to ponder over it as Imran Khan must not go scot-free. He should have to pay the price of his persistent lies. Separately, Minister for Information Marriyum Aurangzeb said the former prime minister would have to answer for the purported change in his narrative of
the vote of no-confidence against him being a foreign conspiracy. “The narrative upon which chaos and lies were spread throughout the country. It will not be over without an answer to that,” she declared in a series of tweets.Implying that Khan backed off his claims, the minister said: “Today is a question mark for all those who believed what Imran said.
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