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NO TALKS WITH ‘ANARCHISTS, ARSONISTS’ IN GARB OF POLITICIANS: PM SHEHBAZ
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Wednesday, 31 May, 2023 I 10 Zilqad, 1444
ACKNOWLEDGES DIALOGUE HELPS DEMOCRACY MATURE AND EVOLVE
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ISLAMABAD
SAYS BUT THERE IS A MAJOR DIFFERENCE WHEN IT COMES TO KHAN-LED PARTY
STAFF REPORT
RIME Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday said dialogue was a key to evolving democracy, however categorically stated that it could not be held with ‘anarchists and arsonists’ in the garb of politicians. The prime minister, in a tweet, acknowledged that dialogue is deeply embedded in the political process, which helps democracy mature and evolve. “Many political and constitutional breakthroughs occurred when political leaders sat across the table to craft a consensus,” the premier mentioned. But he said there is a major difference when it comes to the Khan-led party. “The anarchists & arsonists who wear the garb of politicians and attack the symbols of the State do not qualify for a dialogue. They should rather be held to account for their militant actions.” The prime minister’s statement came after the former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan on Friday appealed for immediate talks with state officials. He also termed it a prevalent practice even in developed democracies. In a similar statement to that of the prime minister, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb also rejected the PTI chief’s offer for talks. Reacting to his offer, the information minister said: “Dialogue cannot be held with those who set the country on fire, create chaos and anarchy, fills the minds of masses with hatred, and harbour armed groups.” She said that Khan was not appealing for negotiations, he was, in
fact, seeking an “NRO”. The information minister said talks cannot be held with those who “poisoned the minds of the youth”, the “leaders of the criminals and terrorists”. Last week, former prime minister and PTI Chairman Imran Khan said he is ready to speak to “anyone who is in
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power” after his party’s top leaders began jumping ship following the May 9 riots. Khan had said that he was forming a committee which will talk to “anyone who is in power” on two things. “If it helps the country according to ‘them’, I will leave politics. Second, how is it beneficial for the country if elections
are held in October,” Khan had said about the objective of the committee. The PTI had last week announced the constitution of a seven-member team for negotiating with the incumbent government on the direction of its chairman. The negotiation team comprises PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi, former defence minister Pervez Khattak, former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser, PTI Sindh President Haleem Adil Sheikh, and former ministers Murad Saeed, Hammad Azhar, and Aun Abbasi. Khan’s party has been feeling the heat of the state’s might after his party workers burnt and smashed military installations, including the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, after his arrest on May 9 — a day the army dubbed as “Black Day”. Several party leaders and thousands of workers have been rounded up in connection with the violent protests and the army has insisted that the people involved in attacks on military installations be tried under the Pakistan Army Act and the Official Secrets Act.
Govt to prioritize relief to public, economic uplift in budget: PM
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that the federal government will prioritize providing maximum relief to masses and economic uplift in the upcoming budget for fiscal year 2023-24. While chairing a meeting held here on Tuesday to discuss the budget proposals for the industrial sector, the prime minister said the federal budget would also encompass measures to enhance industrial growth as well as exports. Premier Shehbaz Sharif said that he would personally make sure that the proposals coming for the industrial sector were incorporated into the budget. He instructed the authorities concerned to remove all unnecessary impediments in the in-
Irked by absence of NAB chief, PAC accuses accountability czar of ‘facilitating’ corrupt ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chairman on Tuesday accused the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) of “facilitating” corrupt people instead of going after them, saying NAB’s performance was “zero” as PAC has made more recoveries than the anti-graft body during his tenure. Irked by the absence of NAB chairman Lt Gen (retd) Nazir Ahmad Butt, PAC chairman Noor Alam Khan directed to fix a PAC meeting next week with directions to the NAB chairman to appear before the accountability arm of the parliament. When the NAB officials told the PAC chairman that Butt couldn’t appear before the committee as his scheduled flight had been cancelled, Alam said that he would dig out the claim if the NAB chairman was in Islamabad or somewhere else, saying “I have more powers than NAB.” Following PAC meeting, Alam while answering a question, said that finding out about flight cancellation, among other things, was not difficult. He reiterated that everyone is answerable to the PAC. Lashing out at the NAB chairman, Alam said that Butt takes roughly Rs1.8 million as salary but the recoveries are not up to the mark and dozens of cases referred to NAB by PAC were still pending for months. “I’m not satisfied with NAB’s performance,” Alam said, reiterating that they take hefty salaries but “performance is zero”. Alam made it clear that he won’t take briefing from the NAB officials, including NAB’s deputy chairman, saying the Principal Accounting Officer (PAO), the NAB chairman, should appear before the PAC to explain things next week. “Instead of going after corrupt people,” Noor said, “NAB is facilitating them.” At one point, Alam said that he doesn’t fear anyone and won’t take briefings from anyone other than the PAO even if people are not happy with him, approach him, or ask others to make calls to take briefing. The remarks came after PML-N’s Birjees Tahir asked why he was taking a lenient view when NAB chairman being PAO was absent.
crease of small, medium and large-scale industrial production. He informed the meeting that the previous government deliberately obstructed the investment and industrial development in the country. The former government violated the agreement with International Monetary Fund (IMF) to save its rule, making 220 million of Pakistan bear its brunt, he added. The prime minister said being a resilient nation, Pakistanis were gradually coming out of the economic difficulties. He said the government, the whole nation, industrialists and the business community were working hard to improve the country’s economic situation. STAFF REPORT
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Imran to stand trial under Army Act for May 9 riots: Sanaullah ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah on Tuesday said PTI Chairman Imran Khan will be tried in a military court for the events of May 9 wherein military installations were also vandalized. At least eight people were killed, as many as 290 were injured, and over 1,900 enraged protesters were rounded up in running battles with the personnel of law enforcement agencies across the country on May 9 following arrest former prime minister and PTI chairman Imran in the Al Qadir Trust case. The protesters had also stormed the residence of the corps commander in Lahore — also called Jinnah House — and tore down a gate of General Headquarters in Rawalpindi. The riots had elicited a strong reaction from the government and military with vows of taking action against the culprits, leading to an ongoing crackdown against those involved. In an appearance on Dawn News show Live with Adil Shahzeb, Sanaullah accused Imran of personally carrying out the planning of the attacks on military installations before his arrest on the day, adding that there was evidence to prove the claim as well. When asked if Imran would be tried in the military court, Sanaullah said: “Absolutely, why shouldn’t he? The programme that he made to target the military installations and then had it executed, in my understanding absolutely is a case of a military court.”
The interior minister accused the PTI chief of personally orchestrating the May 9 riots. “They (PTI supporters) chanted a slogan that ‘Imran Khan is our red line’, and the planning and preparation were done on Imran Khan’s initiative and instigation. “He carried it all out. He is the architect of all this discord,” adding that there was evidence present to back the accusation as well. “[The evidence] is documented, it is in tweets and his messages,” he added. When asked how Imran was able to communicate with his party leaders even from jail, the interior minister replied: “All this [planning] was decided before he went [to jail] that ‘who will do what and where. And when he is arrested, what would be the strategy and duties’. All of this was decided.” The interior minister also ruled out talks with the PTI. Sanaullah’s remarks come a day after Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said that there was no decision yet on
Imran’s trial under the Army Act, adding, however, that he could not “rule out” such a possibility. “I don’t rule out the possibility that he was the planner and knew everything [about May 9],” Asif had said. Reacting to the interior minister, PTI Secretary General Omar Ayub said his recent “erratic actions and statements” had given rise to “serious questions on his cognitive abilities to carry on as a minister”. “From holding midnight dubious press conferences to making statements about trying PTI Chairman Imran Khan in a military court, it just proves that he has finally become unhinged and is unfit to perform duties as a minister,” he tweeted. Imran, aides coordinated efforts to storm military installations: Punjab Police The Punjab Police had previously claimed, citing a geo-fencing report, that Imran and his close aides allegedly coordinated efforts to storm the residence of the Lahore corps commander and other buildings Police had detected over 400 calls made by the PTI chairman and other senior leaders to allegedly incite party workers to move towards the military officer’s residence in Lahore Cantt, and other sensitive public buildings. It was observed that all the rioters were in contact with the PTI top leadership, based in Zaman Park. Punjab Inspector General of Police Dr Usman Anwar, when contacted by Dawn, had confirmed the geo-fencing record and the alleged use of Imran’s residence for planning the attack on the corps commander’s residence.
Imran sends Rs10b defamation notice to Qadir Patel for ‘disparaging allegations’ ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Tuesday sent a Rs10 billion defamation notice to Health Minister Abdul Qadir Patel over his ‘false, disparaging, malicious and defamatory’ allegations in a press conference wherein he raised questions regarding PTI Chairman’s medical status. The notice served to Patel was sent under Section 8 of the Defamation Ordinance, 2002 for circulating “wrongful, baseless, false, misleading, erroneous, malicious and defamatory” information in his May 26 press conference. The notice served by PTI Chairman’s lawyer Abuzar Salman Niazi urged Qadir Patel to tender his unconditional apology to Imran Khan and take back his ‘shameful allegations’ within 15 days and admitted that you have misstated. “The press conference was watched in Pakistan as well as all over the world through electronic media channels, YouTube and various other social media platforms. Moreover, details regarding the press conference were also published in newspapers nationally as well as internationally,” the notice said. The notice said that Imran had sustained a head injury on the day of his “illegal arrest” on May 9 but there was no mention of it in the medical report shared by the minister. It said that the medical report had emphasised “a lot” on Imran’s mental state but no details were provided of an examination being conducted in this regard. The notice said that Patel made the remarks “knowingly, consciously, willingly, deliberately and maliciously”. It added that the minister’s remarks were also in “violation of the standards and ethics which a member of the federal cabinet must possess.” It said that Patel’s defamatory claims had caused damage to Imran’s good will, “injury to his reputation”, and had adversely affected his “honour”. “Likewise, you (Patel) have also caused emotional trauma, mental agony and anguish and distress to our client (Imran),” the notice added. The notice called on Patel to retract his statements “in the same mode and manner in which you made them in the first place” and tender an unconditional apology and admit “you have misstated”. It also called on the minister to pay Rs 10 billion, which would be donated to Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, for defaming Imran and levelling false allegations against him. It called on Patel to refrain from making further defamatory comments. The notice said that Imran would be compelled to initiate legal proceedings if the minister failed to take the aforementioned steps within 15 days. ABDUL QADIR PATEL PRESS CONFERENCE: During last week’s press conference, the health minister had rejected questions surrounding the moral and ethical grounds for releasing someone’s health records. He had also announced he would share more information about Imran as a detailed report was still awaited. Patel said it all began on May 9 after Imran’s urine sample was obtained at a NAB office shortly after the former prime minister was arrested in a corruption case. He claimed Imran was completely examined by a medical board comprising five senior officials of the Polyclinic and Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims). Reading from the medical fitness report, the only one shared with the media, the health minister said Imran appeared under stress and displayed symptoms of anxiety during the examination. The report claimed that Imran was also angry about recent events and had little insight into the seriousness of the current situation. It also questioned his mental stability. Ironically, however, the report’s findings showed nothing to support these remarks. In fact, it showed almost all tangible indicators were normal. Patel then referred to Imran’s “initial” urine test report, which he claimed suggested extensive drug and alcohol use, but the minister was unsure about the ratio of their consumption. Still, he insisted on its findings. He said a detailed report would be shared with the media once finalised. On legal action against Imran based on these findings, the minister said the government would go to the police once the ratios of such substances were finalised and reported.
Russian oil to help gradually reduce fuel prices: Musadik g
SUPPLY OF INEXPENSIVE OIL TO COMMENCE WITHIN WEEK PROFIT
STAFF REPORT
Minister of State for Petroleum Musadik Malik on Tuesday, while addressing the Pakistan Energy Conference 2023, said that while the immediate effect on fuel prices would not be significant, a gradual decline would ensue once a continuous supply of Russian oil was established. Malik assured the audience that the import of Russian oil was not mere talk but a tangible reality. Ships carrying the oil had already arrived in Oman, and within a week, the supply of inexpensive Russian oil
to Pakistan would commence. He acknowledged that the arrival of a single ship of oil would not immediately impact fuel costs. However, once the supply became consistent, a gradual decrease in fuel prices could be expected. The government’s objective is to fulfill one-third of Pakistan’s crude oil requirements using cheap oil, including imports from Russia. Malik emphasised the government’s plan to ensure a sustainable and affordable energy supply for the country. Pakistan has long faced chronic energy shortages, relying on imports for 84% of its petroleum products, primarily from Saudi
Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Importing affordable Russian oil is part of Pakistan’s strategy to mitigate its energy crisis, even as global efforts aim to curtail Russian oil exports due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Earlier this month, Malik confirmed that an initial order for Russian oil had been placed, with its arrival in Pakistan expected within a month. The government will assess the quantity of future imports based on this initial shipment. Malik also expressed openness to exploring additional sources of cheaper energy, stating that if such sources were available, Pakistan would pursue them.