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Sunday, 12 March, 2023 I 19 Shaban, 1444
Rs 15.00 | Vol XIII No 253 I 08 Pages I Islamabad Edition
Prospective car buyers stare into abyss as Toyota and Lucky Motors announce fifth price hike for 2023
Pakistani gold demand jumps as prices rebound
Bilawal and UN boss discuss Afghanistan and other key issues
DMG Officers likely to ‘capture’ key slots of DG, Director Hajj Operations
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RefuTing ToRTuRe allegaTion, naqvi claiMS PTi SuPPoRTeR died in accidenT g
PUNJAB POLICE CHIEF CLAIMS ALI BILAL WAS HIT BY PTI LEADER’S VEHICLE
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IN ‘LEAKED’ CONVERSATION, MARYAM ADVISES ‘UNCLE’ TO PORTRAY INCIDENT AS AN ACCIDENT
LAHORE
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Staff RepoRt
HE caretaker government in Punjab of Mohsin Naqvi has refuted the allegation of police involvement in the suspected custodial killing of a young Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) supporter in a mental health crisis. The incident occurred in Lahore on Wednesday when a scheduled election rally, which was yet to commence, was violently stopped by the caretaker government. The police used water cannons and fired tear gas to disperse supporters of former prime minister Imran Khan. More than 40 supporters of Khan, including Ali Bilal, also known as Zill-i-Shah, were arrested for defying a sudden government ban on holding rallies in the city. Hours later, at least two unidentified people driving a Black Toyota Hilux truck sneakily dropped Bilal, 34, at Services Hos-
pital where he was pronounced dead. The opposition party claimed he was viciously assaulted and killed while in police custody. According to his postmortem examination, conducted by a team from General Hospital, Bilal died due to massive blunt trauma, including a skull
fracture and intracranial haemorrhaging. Subsequently, on Friday, the police announced the arrest of two alleged suspects, who claimed that Bilal died in an accident involving their car, and not as a result of police brutality. However, Dr. Usman Anwar, the inspec-
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IMRAN LAMENTS COUNTRY ‘TAKEN OVER BY DANGEROUS DUFFERS’
tor general of Punjab police, in a press conference on Saturday, denied the involvement of the provincial administration in the incident, calling it an “accident case” that was “unfortunately misinterpreted” by members of the public. The police official cited CCTV footage and said the suspects had tried to save the victim after hitting him. False videos and messages were posted on social media to portray the police and the administration in a bad light, he added. Addressing the reporters, Naqvi claimed Raja Shakeel, a leader of the PTI party, whose car he claimed dropped Bilal’s body at the hospital, informed former health minister Dr. Yasmin Rashid that Bilal was hit by the car. Anwar said two people who “brought Bilal to the hospital” had been arrested and the vehicle belonged to Shakeel. He stressed that Bilal was killed due to an accident and that the CCTV footage showed the people who brought him to the hospital trying to revive him.
He also promised to share the investigation with Bilal’s father. Interestingly, both Naqvi and Anwar failed to explain why Khan was charged with the death of Bilal if it was a road accident. ‘DANGEROUS DUFFERS’ Responding to the presser, Khan, in a scathing tweet, said the police chief and caretaker chief minister, “in any civilised country, […] would have been jailed not just for lying so blatantly but for insulting the intelligence of our nation.” “This is what happens when the country is taken over by dangerous duffers who believe everyone is as dumb as them,” he said. Meanwhile, BOL TV released an audio recording allegedly featuring Maryam Nawaz, the senior vice president of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), proposing to cover up the incident by portraying it as an accident caused by PTI workers. The ruling party is yet to comment on the leaked conversation.
PDM decides against contesting as ECP unveils schedule for KP by-polls PESHAWAR Staff RepoRt
Suspect in triple murder, Minister Khetran freed from jail on bail QUETTA/KARACHI Staff RepoRt
Balochistan Minister for Communication and Works (C&W) Sardar Abdur Rahman Khetran has been released from District Jail Quetta on Saturday. Abdul Rahman Khetran is one of the suspects in the case registered for the grisly murder of three people including a woman whose bulletriddled bodies were found from a well in the Barkhan district. It is to be noted that a sessions court in Barkhan granted bail to Sardar Abdur Rehman Khetran on Friday. The gruesome Barkhan incident took place days after a video of a woman with the Holy Quran in her hands appeared on social media last month. In the video, the woman claimed that she and her children were detained by Khetran. She pleaded with the people to get her and her children freed. Initially, Khan Muhammad Marri, a resident of Kohlu, claimed that the deceased are his wife and two sons. He then went on to allege: “Five slaves are still in the possession of Sardar Abdul Rehman.” The triple murder incident took a dramatic twist, when a police surgeon, after the post-mortem examination of the bodies, revealed that one of the victims was a 17 to 18-year-old female. The surgeon said that the deceased was raped and tortured before being shot dead. The medico-legal officer said that the autopsy found that the girl was shot thrice in the head and her face and neck were mutilated with acid to hide her identity. She said that the girl may not be Giran Naz but her daughter. Moreover, the other two were also tortured before being killed, she added. On February 22, Levies personnel recovered Marri’s wife Giran Naz — who had been presumed dead — and their five children including a girl, allegedly abducted by Khetran. The operation was conducted in light of Khan Muhammad’s allegations. During the search operations, Naz along with her children Farzana, Abdul Majeed, Abdul Ghaffar, Imran, and Abdul Sattar was recovered, the Levies officials said. The force took action in the areas of Kohlu, Dakki, Barkhan and Dera Bugti as Khan Muhammad Marri’s family was held hostage at different locations.
Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) has announced not to participate in the by-elections while Returning Officers (ROs) for by-elections to three vacant seats of the National Assembly from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Saturday issued public notices for by-elections. In a statement issued here on Saturday, the provincial spokesman for PDM – the multi-parties alliance – said all allied political parties in the PDM had already decided not to participate in the by-elections. He added that this was a unanimous decision
of the alliance reached after lengthy deliberations among the leadership. Meanwhile, Returning Officers (ROs) for by-elections to three vacant seats of the National Assembly from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Saturday issued public notices for by-elections. These vacant NA constituencies include NA-22 (Mardan-III), NA-24 (Charsadda-II) and NA-31 (Peshawar-V) respectively. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is holding by-elections to these seats for second time. The seats were earlier declared vacant in wake of the acceptance of the resignations of PTI legislators, Ali Mohammad Khan, Fazal Mohammad Khan and Shaukat Ali by the Speaker National Assembly. In by-elections held on October
Section 144 imposed again as Imran announces rally today LAHORE Staff RepoRt
What is being described as “intentional coincidence” the Punjab caretaker government on Saturday announced imposition of Section 144 in Lahore with immediate effect, hours after the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) geared up for holding a public rally on Sunday (today) as part of its campaign for upcoming general elections in the province. Addressing a press conference, Caretaker Information Minister Amir Mir said that the government had imposed Section 144 in Lahore with immediate effect, due to “serious terror threats” and beginning of Pakistan Super League (PSL) matches in the provincial capital. “Imran Khan has announced the rally on a day – when PSL matches will start in Lahore and a marathon will also be taking place,” the minister elaborated, adding that a ban has been imposed on carrying out public rallies in Lahore on Sunday…. to “avert any untoward situation.” Amir Mir also said the election campaign in the province will start from April 6, urging PTI Chairman Imran Khan to cooperate with the Punjab government. He also warned the former premier against violating law, saying that strict action will be taken if “writ of the state is challenged”. Reacting strongly to the Punjab government’s decision, PTI Senior Vice President Fawad Ch rejected the imposition of Section 144 in
the provincial capital, saying the party would carry out it’s rally as per schedule. Taking to his twitter handle soon after the caretaker minister’s press conference, Fawad Ch wrote: “We reject the Punjab government’s attempts to ban political activities. These people have never fought any election in their lives, they have only obtained positions through conspiracies.” “We have asked the Election Commission to annul the imposition of 144 by the Punjab government, and our rally will go on according to the program.” PTI leader Hammad Azhar also tweeted and wrote: “Now only a psychologist can treat fears of the regime. Imran Khan sits at home and announces that he will leave now and all of them become goats.” He wrote: “The rulers have started using Section 144 as an anti-depressant for themselves.” Earlier, the Lahore district administration denied permission to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to hold the public rally in the provincial capital, the party planned in connection with Punjab Assembly elections. A team of Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf (PTI) leaders held a meeting with the Deputy Commissioner (DC) Lahore to seek permission for the public rally on Sunday. However, the deputy commissioner refused to grant permission to the PTI, citing the ongoing HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) matches. The Lahore administration also warned of imposing Section 144 if the ‘party does not postpone the rally’.
16, 2022, these seats were won by PTI Chairman Imran Khan, but, he did not retain any of them, so all these seats were declared vacant and now another by-election would be held on them. The public notices for holding by-elections on the seats have been issued under Section 57 and Section 102 of the Elections Act, 2017 by the Returning Officers of each vacant National Assembly seat. According to the notices, aspiring candidates could file nomination papers with the Returning Officers from March 12, to March 14, 2023, whereas the initial list of the candidates would be issued on March 15, 2023, which would be followed by the scrutiny of nomination papers till March 22, 2023.