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PM REITERATES PLANNERS, ATTACKERS IN MAY 9 RIOTS TO BE BROUGHT TO JUSTICE Monday, 22 May, 2023 I 1 Zilqad, 1444
SAYS IT’S NOT JOKE TO ATTACK PAF INSTALLATIONS, CAUSE DAMAGE OF BILLIONS OF RUPEES TO PROPERTY
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LAHORE
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COMPARES JINNAH HOUSE LAHORE’S TORCHING WITH BURNING OF QUAID-E-AZAM RESIDENCY IN ZIARAT IN 2013
STAFF REPORT
RIME Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday said the planners, facilitators and attackers in the incidents of May 9 would be brought to justice. While chairing a high-level meeting on law and order here, he said May 9, 2023, would always be remembered as a dark day in the history of the country. “Imran Niazi and his followers stoked terrorism and violence that amounted to anti-state acts. They caused damage to such a huge extent that even the enemies of Pakistan could not do in the last 75 years.” He said miscreants did what even the enemy could not do in the last 75 years, adding the manner in which terrorists burned down residency of Quaid-e-Azam in Ziarat, was the same way the sanctity of Jinnah House in Lahore was violated. The PM said it should be kept in mind that Tehreek-e-Taliban attacked the General Headquarters (GHQ) and unfortunately this time the workers of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) attacked GHQ and burnt Radio Pakistan Peshawar to ashes. Many tragic incidents occurred in the country which would cause mental anguish for the whole nation forever, he said adding it was not a joke to attack installations of Pakistan Air Force and cause damage of billions of rupees to properties. He mentioned that the gangs of Imran Niazi in Mianwali made an evil attempt to burn airplanes which were purchased with the blood and sweat of the nation and were to be used against the enemy. He directed that legal requirements should not be ignored in haste and during the identification of attackers it should be
ensured that no innocent was arrested. He said the services of the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) and security agencies should be acquired to tighten the noose against the miscreants as early as possible. The prime minister said every patri-
otic Pakistani was hurt today as their fellow citizens attacked civil and military installations. Shehbaz Sharif appreciated the role of the Police, Intelligence Bureau, NADRA, Counter Terrorism Department, Federal Ministry for Information
LAHORE
Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and former prime minister, Imran Khan on Sunday expressed his fears he may be arrested by police in Islamabad when he appears in court on Tuesday to get bail in several cases. “On Tuesday, I’m going to make an appearance for various bails in Islamabad, [there are] 80 chances that I will be arrested. So right now there’s no rule of law,” he said while speaking in an interview with Fareed Zakaria on CNN. “Everything is being done just to dismantle our democracy, so right now, as we speak, over 10,000 workers have been arrested. My entire senior leadership is in jail.” According to Imran, these actions are driven by the government’s desire to eliminate him from the political landscape, stemming from their fear of losing the upcoming general elections. Drawing attention to a past as-
and Broadcasting and Safe City in tackling the situation. He instructed the Inspector General Police Punjab to arrest the miscreants at the earliest and conclude proceedings of cases without leaving any loophole in the investigations. He ordered that the progress in cases should be monitored on an hourly basis. Minister for Interior Rana Sanaullah Khan, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb, Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafique, Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazir Tarar, Advisor to PM Ahad Cheema, Special Assistants Attaullah Tarar and Malik Muhammad Ahmed Khan, Caretaker Chief Minister Punjab Mohsin Naqvi, Federal Secretary Interior, Chief Secretary Punjab, IG Police Punjab and other officers attended the meeting. PM, KHAWAJA SALMAN DISCUSS POLITICAL SITUATION: Former member of Punjab Assembly Khawaja Salman Rafique called on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif here on Sunday.
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‘IK, former chief justice caused huge damage to PKLI’ LAHORE: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday said that it was his cherished desire to transform the Pakistan Kidney and Liver Institute (PKLI) into a splendid institute like Johns Hopkins, but PTI’s chief Imran Khan and a former chief justice had caused huge damage to it. On his Twitter handle, the prime minister said that the PKLI had always been close to his heart and he wanted it to become an identity for Pakistan in the rest of the world for the treatment facilities in kidney and liver diseases. “But alas! Imran Niazi and a former chief justice out of their politics and personal interests targeted this mission and inflicted huge damage,” he added in his tweet posted in Urdu language. The prime minister expressing his resolve said that these things would not deter them and it was his firm conviction that Allah Almighty supported those who worked with a passion to serve humanity. For transformation and restoration of PKLI into a world class health facility, they were striving and utilizing their energies, he said while referring to his yesterday’s visit to the facility where he reviewed different measures in this regard. The prime minister also appreciated Dr Saeed Akhtar and his devoted team for leading the efforts to achieve these objectives and assured his complete support to them. He further said that PKLI was a precedent in the health sector and they would turn it into ‘unprecedented’ (center in the health sector). STAFF REPORT
‘80pc chance’ I’ll be arrested during court appearance in capital on Tuesday: Imran STAFF REPORT
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sassination attempt on his life, the cricketer-turned-politician expressed lingering concerns for his personal safety. “In November, there was an assassination attempt which I had predicted. I had been warning that they are going to use this so-called religious fanatic who was going to kill me and then, just like Salman Taseer, our governor, he was killed by a religious fanatic…so they were going to use that to bump me off,” he responded to a question on whether he felt safe after the gun attack in Wazirabad. “The reason [for the assassination attempt] was that they had lost all the by-elections and the party was getting more and more popular. So I knew that my life was in danger and I sort of had to speak publicly about it.” The former prime minister voiced apprehension regarding the intentions of the coalition PDM government towards the scheduled national elections in October, raising concerns over the possibility that the polls might be postponed
until the government is confident that PTI does not succeed. Imran further highlighted the success of PTI in previous by-elections, which he believes has unsettled the ruling alliance, heightening their anxiety about facing his party in the upcoming polls. The PTI chief characterised the current period as “unpredictable”, stressing the significance of a robust defence system for Pakistan’s stability. Imran acknowledged his past collaboration with former army chief General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa. However, he claimed that, during the last six months of PTI’s government, attempts were made to remove him from power. He emphasised the importance of a unified Pakistan and urged the avoidance of confrontations with the army, warning that even in the event of a victory against the military, it would ultimately result in a loss for the country. ‘There’s something he has against me which I don’t know’
Decline in value of rupee per dollar expected next week PROFIT INP
The rupee, amid a lack of fresh triggers and an anticipated high dollar demand from importers at monthend, is expected to remain range-bound against the US dollar in the coming week. During the outgoing week, the local currency fell by 0.29% against the dollar in the interbank market. On Monday, the rupee closed at 284.97 to the dollar as opposed to 285.82 on Friday. However, in the open market, the domestic currency was reportedly trading with a premium of Rs15 as compared to the interbank rates. The rupee hit record Rs300 against the dollar in the open market during the week, according to the Exchange Companies Association of Pakistan (ECAP) rates. A currency dealer said: “The direction of the rupee over the course of the next week will be determined by the supply and demand for dollars. The rupee will depreciate if importers enter the market to buy foreign currency to meet seasonal [month-end] demand.” “We expect that the rupee will trade at 285-286 per dollar next week,” the dealer added. For the local currency, exporters are not selling forwards. In fact, due to the high cost of holding dollars (or rupee interest rates), most exporters are settling their proceeds relatively early, said Tresmark in
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a weekly note. “Whereas importers, though they can’t book forwards, are not ok with costing rupee materially higher than at 300 per dollar. These market factors signify that rupee is range-bound between the 280-300 level for the time being,” it said. “Of course, any negative trigger will make it volatile, as could be seen with Imran Khan’s arrest during which rupee traded as low as 299 per dollar.” The note stated that June would be heavy with government related outflows and the rupee to remain under pressure in next few weeks, but might not cross Rs300 a dollar in the interbank market. “While Pakistan’s credit default swap has been mostly unchanged during the last two months, bond prices trading below 50 cents to a dollar signify that investors are pricing in a default,” said Tresmark. If Pakistan is unable to acquire the financing, the rupee might fall as low as 350 to the dollar in June, Bloomberg reported citing an analyst. The chance that the IMF won’t provide a bailout, which is necessary for Pakistan to avoid default in the fiscal year beginning in July, is growing, according to analysts, and this is why the capital is departing the nation. Pakistan’s balance of payments position continues to remain under stress, with foreign exchange reserves still at low levels of $4.3 billion —enough to cover hardly one month of imports.
IN TODAY’S ISSUE
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GHQ ‘attack’ orchestrated to serve India’s objectives: Asif SIALKOT
STAFF REPORT
The “attack” on the General Headquarters (GHQ) during the violent protests which followed the May 9 arrest of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan was aligned with the anti-Pakistan agenda of India, declared the defense minister. The government claimed supporters of Khan had “attacked” important state buildings and damaged private and public vehicles. In Punjab alone, thousands of his supporters have been arrested after police vehicles and government buildings were set on fire allegedly by the protesters. Authorities in three of the four provinces imposed an emergency order banning all gatherings after the protestors clashed with police and the military. During a rally organised by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) in Sialkot on Sunday to demonstrate solidarity with the military, Khawaja Muhammad Asif said that “Pakistan’s very existence was assaulted [sic] on May 9. A person (Khan) orchestrated this attack solely for his own pursuit of power.” Asif expressed his deep regret over the impact of the “attack” on the sacred monuments and how the families and heirs of the martyrs must have felt. He asserted: “I never question anyone’s loyalty, but I do question the intentions of those who orchestrated the attacks on May 9.” He also made it clear that there will be no establishment of “new military courts” to prosecute individuals involved in the protests. “No new military courts are being set up. The law already exists at present. Courts are in place and have been functioning continuously for the past 75 years,” he said.
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