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Mohsin naqvi picked as caretaker cM of punjab g
relaTed To chaudhrys of gujraT, naqvI Is known for close lInks wITh former PresIdenT asIf alI zardarI
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AbdullAh NiAzi
he election commission of Pakistan (ecP) on sunday unanimously decided to appoint syed mohsin raza naqvi, the owner of the city media group, as the caretaker chief minister of Punjab. naqvi was one of the two names suggested by Punjab’s opposition leader hamza shehbaz. considered a close friend and confidant of former President asif ali zardari, naqvi’s appointment will be a win for the Pakistan democratic movement (Pdm) which holds power in the federal capital. naqvi is also married into the family of outgoing chief minister chaudhry Pervez elahi and his cousin chaudhry shujat hussain. despite this relationship, the appoint-
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PTI, ch PervaIz elahI rejecT aPPoInTmenT and vow To Take To sTreeTs agaInsT ecP decIsIon
ment has rubbed Pervez elahi and his political allies, the Pakistan Tehreek i Insaaf (PTI), the wrong way. PTI’s fawad chaudhry rejected the appointment and said that the commission “never failed to disappoint.” “we reject the decision to appoint a controversial person such as mohsin naqvi as the chief minister,” he said while urging party workers to prepare for mass-scale protests led by their leader Imran khan. “appointing naqvi as the caretaker chief minister is making a mockery of the constitution. The PTI will challenge the decision and protest against it,” said the party’s general secretary asad umar in a tweet. Pervez elahi also brought up his own relationship with naqvi, saying “how can a person I am related to be appointed caretaker chief minister? we will approach the supreme court regarding the ecP’s deci-
sion,” he tweeted, also claiming naqvi had struck a plea bargain in the haris steel case. Who is Mohsin naqvi? a lahori by birth, mohsin naqvi was raised by his maternal uncle after he lost his parents at a young age. Today, his uncle also serves as the chairman of the city media group for mohsin. he followed a pretty traditional path for boys from good families in lahore. he was a sharp student at the city’s famous crescent school, displaying early signs of leadership even back then. he followed that up by going to government college, immersing himself in the ravian experience. even as a young student with an easy smile and a polite handshake always at his disposal, his networking was legendary even then. famously, even as a young undergrad at gcu he somehow established a relationship with the chief minister. he eventually found himself in the united states for his higher education. despite being based in miami, famous for its party schools, mohsin found himself making his way into an internship at cnn, where he got his first taste of journalism. Perhaps it was here in america, where the media industry has hundreds of local media outlets, that mohsin got the idea for local media networks in Pakistan. But it would be cnn that sent him back to Pakistan. when no journalist wanted to step into the country considering its slim pickings, the young intern raised his hand and made his way back home proudly wearing the cnn tag on his sleeve. It was at this point that he used the weight that came with the name of cnn along with his exceptional talent at networking to start making a place for himself in the news media business.
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imran niazi part of grand design to victimize nawaz, PML-n: PM iSLAMABAD stAff report
Prime minister shehbaz sharif sunday said Imran niazi had been part of a grand design to oust nawaz sharif and victimize Pakistan muslim league (n) in the name of accountability. In a tweet on social media platform Twitter, he said, “from 2013 onward, he has been an agent of anarchy and chaos in the country. his poisonous rants have debased politics, polarized society and undermined state institutions.” The prime minister blamed the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) chairman for political debasement in the country. The Pm wrote on his Twitter handle that Imran khan’s politics has divided the society into factions and weakened the state institutions. he further added that the former premier victimized nawaz sharif in 2013 in the name of accountability. “khan was part of the campaign to remove nawaz sharif from the political scene.” he alleged.
In his tweet, he further wrote that the PTI chairman was responsible for the turmoil and chaos since 2013. moreover, he also blamed khan’s strategy which poisoned the political culture in Pakistan. earlier in january, Pm shehbaz sharif slammed former prime minister and PTI chief Imran khan for ruining ties with friendly countries. he said that the former prime minister has not started any project for the people of Pakistan. The Pm said that instead of showing his gratitude to china which brought $30 billion investment in Pakistan, the PTI chief levelled corruption charges against the chinese officials thus enraging them. Pm shehbaz sharif termed Imran khan the worst and most unsuccessful prime minister the country ever had. The PTI chief proved himself ungracious towards those who helped him ‘with their full might’ to take the reins of power, he added.
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Cat’s out of bag: abbasi demands judicial review of ‘injustices’ against nawaz iSLAMABAD stAff report
as the rumoured return of nawaz sharif looms on the horizon, a call to action echoed through the halls of power in Pakistan, with his longtime confidante shahid khaqan abbasi rallying for the judiciary to take a hard look at past decisions and rectify any wrongs done to the former prime minister. joining forces with political heavyweights such as former finance minister miftah Ismail and former senator mustafa nawaz khokhar, the group held a series of non-partisan talks on the current economic and political issues facing the country. at a press conference, abbasi stated: “we talk about mian nawaz sharif returning to the country, but we should also rectify those injustices and those injustices are very evident.” The group, who recently addressed an event titled “national dialogue on re-imagining Pakistan” along with other leaders, placed blame on all stakeholders, including political parties, the mili-
tary establishment, and the judiciary for the problems faced by the people and urged them to find a solution in light of the constitution rather than focusing on a power struggle. abbasi also called upon the judiciary to review its past decisions, urging it to “rectify the injustices” done to former prime minister nawaz sharif. responding to a reporter’s question during a joint press conference today, abbasi said: “The injustices done to mian nawaz sharif sahab — we talk about mian nawaz sharif returning to the country but we should also rectify those injustices and those injustices are evident.” he said: “I always say that it is the judiciary’s job to review the decisions that have had [adverse] effects on Pakistan — immense ones. “I do not want to talk about those issues […] whatever effect the judiciary’s decisions and actions have had in running this country, they have played a major role in the matters that plague the country today.” at another point during the talk, he said that the speakers had not criticised
anyone but themselves, adding: “we all are responsible [for the current situation], including politicians, military officials, judges [and] the media. […] we are not here to blame anyone.” responding to another question, he asserted: “There have been martial laws for a long time in our country. There has also been the military’s interference in politics [and] has been present — even currently.” he went on to say: “There is a need to end it (military’s interference) and bring it within constitutional boundaries. This in particular will give you the solution to the issues. Is it possible within a day? only time will tell.” abbasi also underscored the need for end the military’s interference in politics and bring it within constitutional boundaries, acknowledging that it is a complex issue that may take time to resolve. meanwhile, as political leaders call for a review of past decisions and urge the rectification of perceived injustices, tensions continue to simmer in the port city of gwadar. former Balochistan chief minister
aslam raisani, part of the group, underscored the need for dialogue to address the ongoing societal issues, citing the recent protests in gwadar as an example of the state’s failure to provide basic rights to its citizens. he called for the release of those ar-
rested during the protests and for the state to fulfil their demands. separately, former senator mustafa nawaz khokhar took to social media to express his disappointment in the failure of politics to address key issues such as missing persons and fair distribution of resources.