Thursday, 17 November, 2022 I 21 Rabi us Sani, 1444 I Rs 15.00 | Vol XIII No 138 I 12 Pages I Islamabad Edition
Process of new coAs APPointment to begin tomorrow: Kh Asif g
RUBBISHES SPECUlATIONS ABOUT PMl-N, PPP DEADlOCK OVER THE ISSUE ISLAMABAD
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staff report
EFENCE Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif has said the process for appointment of a new Army Chief will start on Friday (tomorrow) and the nominations will be shared by Pakistan Army. “Consultations on the appointment of next Army Chief will begin after November 18 and Pakistan Muslim league-Nawaz (PMlN) has no ‘favourite’ for the position.” Speaking to journalists outside the parlia-
Six policemen martyred in Lakki Marwat terrorist attack PESHAWAR staff report
At least six policemen were shot and killed by unidentified gunmen in lakki Marwat city of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Wednesday, authorities said. Officials said the law enforcement personnel died when their mobile patrol came under gunfire in the morning. According to Radio Pakistan, which described the incident as a terrorist attack, the slain men also included the driver. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. Mahmood Khan, chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, sought a report from Moazzam Jah Ansari, chief of the provincial police. In a statement, Khan termed the incident “very unfortunate” and said the “sacrifice of the martyrs will not be in vain”. He also extended condolences to the families of the victims. The prime minister also condemned the incident. “Terrorists are the enemies of Pakistan and every possible step will be taken to safeguard the country,” he said in a statement. Paying tribute to the killed police, Shehbaz
Sharif said the “whole nation salutes the sons of the soil who sacrificed their lives for the motherland”. He urged the provincial government to immediately announce a financial assistance package for the police personnel. Attacks on security forces and civilians have recently increased in various parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. More than 450 people, mostly security forces, have been killed in such attacks, in the first nine months of 2022 alone. Officials dismissed the violence as “isolated incidents of terrorism.” “The scale of [Wednesday’s] attack shows the extent to which terrorism has spread in our province,” tweeted Mohsin Dawar, an MP from Miran Shah tehsil of North Waziristan district. “The mainstream and the state have chosen to ignore the large protests against Talibanisation in [Khyber] Pakhtunkhwa,” claimed Dawar who is a member of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) coalition movement. Islamabad has attributed the resurgence in militancy to the Taliban takeover of conflict-torn Afghanistan, where Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants have taken refuge and continue to direct cross-border attacks from there.
Imran vows to sue Geo TV, anchor over ‘baseless’ gifts sale show ISLAMABAD staff report
A day after a Geo News programme accused Imran Khan of selling gifts he received from foreign leaders while in power, the former prime minister on Wednesday denied the allegation and vowed to file a lawsuit against the TV station, its anchor Shahzeb Khanzada and a businessman purportedly involved in a banking fraud for defamation. A set of a specially crafted watch, gold pen, ring, and cufflinks — gifted to Khan by Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman of Saudi Arabia — were apparently sold off for $2 million to Umar Farooq Zahoor, a Dubai-based Pakistan-origin businessman. Zahoor made the claim in Khanzada’s political chat show Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath which airs on Geo News, a subsidiary of Jang Group. He, however, did not offer any evidence to back up the accusation. The allegation could have been explosive if only Zahoor, according to a Norwegian newspa-
per, did not have a chequered past. He purportedly defrauded a bank of $89.2 million in the Norwegian capital of Oslo in 2010 — and remains a wanted man in the Scandinavian nation — after allegedly remaining involved in another fraudulent scheme worth $12 million in Bern city of Switzerland in 2004. “Enough is enough. Yesterday, Geo [and] Khanzada supported by handlers slandered me through a baseless story cooked up by a known fraudster
[and] internationally wanted criminal,” said Khan in a tweet. “I have spoken to my lawyers [and] I plan to sue Geo, Khanzada [and] the fraudster not only in [Pakistan] but also in the UK [and] UAE.” The fiasco centres on a government department known as Toshakhana, which during the Mughal era referred to the “treasure houses” kept by the subcontinent’s princely rulers to store and display gifts lavished on them. Members of the government must declare all gifts, but are allowed to keep those below a certain value. More expensive items must go to Toshakhana, but in some cases, the recipient can buy them back at around 50 percent of their value — a discount Khan raised from 20 percent while in office. In a written submission to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), Khan said he purchased items worth nearly Rs22 million ($1 million), and later sold them for more than twice that amount.
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REJECTS ANY FAVOURITES AMONG NOMINEES FOR NEW COAS
ment house, Asif brushed aside the speculations about a deadlock between PMl-N supremo Nawaz Sharif and former president PPP co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari over the name of the next army chief. He said there was no question of a deadlock over the matter when the consultation has not even started yet. The Defence Minister said there is no deadlock over the nomination of the Army Chief, as the process has not started yet. Replying to a query, the Defence Minister rejected the possibility of any favourites of government among the nominees for a new Army Chief.
Speaking about PTI Chief Imran Khan, Khawaja Aisf said the government is mulling over a punitive action against him for damaging national solidarity, security and integrity for his vested interests. He said Imran Khan has committed a crime against the state by damaging the national cohesion and the country’s bilateral relations with other states. The minister said that the government was mulling over a punitive action against PTI chief Imran Khan for “damaging national solidarity, security and integrity for his vested interests”.
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