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PTI PLANS TO THROW SPANNER IN IMF TALKS friday, 23 february, 2024 i 12 Sha'ban, 1445
Rs 20.00 | Vol XIV No 236 I 8 Pages I Islamabad Edition
NOT THE FIRST TIME
PML-N censures Imran’s move seeking IMF aid halt
Party ’s founder announces he will address a letter to IMF to halt programme over alleged poll rigging
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PROFIT
abdullah niazi
HE PTI’s claims that the controversial results of the February 8th elections could end up affecting Pakistan’s negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have materialised into a visible warning after the party’s incarcerated founder said he will write a letter to the fund over the alleged rigging. BUT COULD SUCH A LETTER HAVE ANY REAL IMPACT? It is worth mentioning that Pakistan is currently entirely beholden to the IMF to complete its debt repayments. The current situation is an amalgamation of policies and decision making that transcends different governments of different political parties in Pakistan. Pakistan is currently party to a ‘StandBy-Agreement’ that the IMF signed with the PDM government back in June 2023. The SBA worth over $3 billion had been signed after Pakistan and the IMF failed to successfully conclude a programme that had been marred first by the imposition of a petrol subsidy by Imran Khan’s government, and later by the bull-headed negotiation tactics of PDM’s finance minister Ishaq Dar. The SBA had been signed as a sort of bridging agreement that would see Pakistan
LAHORE
Staff RepoRt
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Deputy Secretary General Atta Tarar has strongly criticised Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan’s expected letter to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and termed it heinous attempts to “invite foreign interference” and “derail democracy”. “They [PTI] want to derail democracy
through its election period so that whoever came to power could then start negotiations anew with the fund. Two tranches of that $3 billion agreement have been made already. But now the fund is insisting that even the third tranche of the SBA will be negotiated by the new government. With Shehbaz Sharif’s bid for the PM house all but a certainty, the fund would perhaps have felt comfortable negotiating with the same prime minister that they last left off with. NOT A NEW THREAT However, Imran Khan’s decision to
write a letter to the IMF might cause some complications. The fund craves consistency from its partner countries as a general rule. One of the reasons Pakistan came so close to default during the PDM’s first government was the replacement of Miftah Ismail by Ishaq Dar at the helm of the finance ministry. “Ther IMF, European Union, and other organisations have their charter that says these organisations will work in a country where there is good governance. For good governance, a country needs to have democracy that requires free and fair elections,” Ali Zafar said while speaking to the media out-
side Adiala Jail. This is not the first time that the PTI has tried to use the necessity of the IMF programme to its advantage. Back in August 2023 when the PTI had been ousted from government through a vote of no confidence, audio conversations between the PTI’s finance minister Shaukat Tarin and his provincial counterparts in Punjab and KP, Mohsin Leghari and Taimur Jhagra, came to light in which he was instructing them to help derail negotiations with the fund. Two audio clips surfaced via TV channels and social media; in one, the man said to be Tarin can be heard guiding Punjab Finance Minister Mohsin Leghari to tell the federal government and the IMF that he
SC clarifies CJP Isa’s ‘blasphemy case remarks’ amid smear campaign ISLAMABAD
Staff RepoRt
Following an escalating online campaign targeting Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa, the Supreme Court on Thursday released a clarification regarding a recent verdict involving a blasphemy accused. The campaign gained momentum following Chief Justice Isa’s remarks in a blasphemy-related case, which surfaced online. In the judgment, CJP Isa underscored Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) duty to convey the Message without compelling belief. Citing Quranic verses, the chief justice emphasized Islam’s fundamental tenets, notably the freedom of faith. “Sadly, in matters of religion, tempers flare up, and the Quranic mandate is forsaken,” CJP Isa remarked, acknowledging the sensitivity
surrounding religious issues. He made these observations while deciding a case involving the deletion of charges against a blasphemy accused, including Sections 7 and 9 of the Punjab Holy Qur’an (Printing and Recording) Act, 2011, as well as Sections 298-C and 295-B of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). He stressed the need for caution in religious matters, noting that religious compulsion violates the Divine scheme of accountability. The court regretfully noted that emotions often override facts in cases related to religious offences. The court granted bail to the petitioner, Mubarik Ahmed Sani, upon providing a personal bond of Rs5,000. A press release issued by the top court addressed concerns regarding misreporting by the media, stating, “Misreporting of a Supreme Court decision on elec-
‘After coming to senses,’ ex-Pindi commissioner apologises for rigging allegations ISLAMABAD
Staff RepoRt
Former Rawalpindi commissioner Liaquat Ali Chattha, who had quit his post last week after ‘startling revelations’ about poll rigging, on Thursday issued a public apology and expressed regret at his statements. In a recorded statement before the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) committee on Thursday, Chattha acknowledged that he had made the rigging allegations at the behest of a political party, without explicitly naming Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). According to ECP sources, Mr Chattha appeared before the committee and recorded his statement in response to a notice sent by the investigation committee. The ECP has since completed its investigation into the allegations of rigging made by Chattha. Sources revealed that all the District Returning Officers (DROs) and Returning Officers (ROs) of Rawalpindi Division have categorically rejected the accusations of rigging in the elections levelled by the former commissioner. The inquiry committee collected written statements from all six DROs of Rawalpindi Division. During his fiery press conference last week, Chattha had raised serious concerns about election rigging.
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tronic, print and social media is creating a lot of misunderstandings and giving the impression that the Supreme Court has deviated from the Second Constitutional Amendment (definition of ‘Muslim’) and
has called for the abolition of provisions on ‘crimes against religion’. This perception is completely wrong.” The clarification from the court further explained, “In the concerned case, even if the allegations mentioned in the FIR are accepted as true, even then the provisions do not apply, adding that in such cases Section 5 of the Criminal Amendment Act, 1932 applies, under which publication of prohibited books can be punished with imprisonment for a maximum of 6 months.” “Since the petitioner/accused had already spent more than one year in prison, the Supreme Court, keeping in view Islamic injunctions, constitutional provisions and the requirements of law and justice, ordered the release of the petitioner/accused on bail,” it added.
Newly-elected MPAs to swear in as PA session convened today LAHORE
Staff RepoRt
The newly elected members of the 18th Punjab Assembly will take oath tomorrow in the inaugural session of the provincial legislature. Out of five assemblies that went to the polls on Feb 8, the Punjab Assembly is the first house convening its opening session, slated to take place at 10am on Friday. Punjab Governor Baligh Ur Rehman has issued a notification in this regard. Speaker Sibtain Khan will administer the oath to the newly elected members. The announcement about the assembly’s session comes a day after a parliamentary meeting of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) elected members took place at Jati Umra in Lahore. Party sources claimed a total of 218 members participated in the meeting, which included independent members and PMLN MPAs, while the members nominated for specific seats were also included.
Sources said 137 successful candidates of PMLN, 58 women nominated for specific seats and more than 22 independent members, who joined the PMLN after the elections, were present. It merits a mention that 186 members were required to form the government. Among the newly elected members, Maryam Nawaz will be one of the new entrants to step foot inside the provincial legislature as an elected member. She is also nominated as the party’s candidate for the chief minister slot after her victory from both the national and provincial assembly seats — NA-119 and PP159, respectively — in the February 8 polls. During the meeting on Wednesday, Maryam pledged to serve the province in a way that would “set records” of good governance in the country. Revealing her game plan for Punjab in a media talk, the CMhopeful said: “A new era will usher in Punjab. I congratulate the PML-N for securing victory [and gaining a
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majority in the Punjab Assembly].” If voted into power, Maryam will become the first woman to be elected as a chief minister in Pakistan’s seven-decade-plus history. She will take over the province with a population of more than 127 million people, more than half of Pakistan’s population. “This was a tough election, I thank the people of Punjab for providing us with a clear majority. We will set records of service; I haven’t rested since the election results, all of us will have to work as a team,” she added. Maryam, who holds the portfolios of PML-N’s senior vice-president and chief organiser, said it was a “huge honour” for her to be nominated as Punjab’s first chief minister and dedicated it to the “daughters, mothers, sisters, and reserved seats’ women”. The CM nominee said the province faces “major challenges” in the health care and education sectors as well as the local government. “There’s also a huge issue of sewage, clean water in rural areas.”
in the country […] Legal action should be taken against their ulterior motives to dent national economy,” Tarar said in a statement after the incarcerated former premier’s lawyer announced Khan’s next strategy to mount pressure on political opponents. The PML-N leader said that PTI wanted to see chaos in the country which won’t be allowed. The next government will have to revive the national economy, and eliminate unemployment, he added.
would not be able to commit to a provincial budget surplus in light of the recent floods that have wreaked havoc in Pakistan. In the other audio, Tarin can be heard asking Jhagra whether he had drawn up a similar letter. “[The IMF commitment] is a blackmailing tactic and no one will release money anyway. I won’t release them, I don’t know about Leghari,” says the man, alleged to be Jhagra. Tarin says the letter, once drafted, would also be sent to the IMF representative so “these b******* know that the money they were forcing us into giving will be kept by us”.
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Barrister Ali Zafar to run for PTI chairman’s slot in intra-party polls: Gohar ISLAMABAD
Staff RepoRt
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s next chairman nominee is Barrister Ali Zafar, PTI leader Barrister Gohar Ali Khan announced Thursday, as the former ruling party’s top post remains vacant for more than a month. “This time, our candidate for party chairman will be Barrister Ali Zafar and Omar Ayub secretary general,” Gohar told journalists outside Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail after meeting party founder Imran Khan. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) batted the PTI party from keeping its electoral symbol, citing irregularities in their internal polls that did not comply with the party’s own constitution and election laws — also leaving it without top posts. Despite relief from the Peshawar High Court, the Supreme Court took away PTI’s symbol in December, just two months before the February 8 general elections, which caused a major blow to it as securing reserved seats even after joining hands with the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) post-polls remains a challenge. The fresh intra-party elections will take place on March 3, announced Gohar, and said that everyone would do everything in their power to ensure that Zafar is elected as the party’s next chairman. Earlier this month, PTI spokesperson Raoof Hasan had announced holding intra-party polls to elect the chairman, central and provincial organising bodies on February 5 but the party, however, postponed the elections. As per the PTI’s election schedule, candidates intending to contest the intra-party polls can submit their nomination papers on February 23 and 24, with the scrutiny being carried out on February 25. Meanwhile, the final decisions on nomination papers will be announced on February 27 and the polling will be held on March 3 at the party’s central office as well as provincial secretariats. Earlier this week, the party — whose candidates won over 80 National Assembly (NA) seats, secured victory in more than 100 Punjab Assembly seats and emerged as the largest party in the KP Assembly in the Feb 8 polls — announced joining hands with the SIC in the Centre, Punjab and KP in a bid to secure its share of the 70 NA reserved seats for women and minorities which are allocated proportionally to the parties.
Cabinet likely to greenlight 80km section of IP despite sanctions threat g
Project mired in decades of delay because of persisting geo-political realities ISLAMABAD
ahmad ahmadani
Months after tit-for-tat military attacks across the Balochistan border, Pakistan and Iran are set to move ahead on the long stalled IranPakistan (IP) pipeline. A meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Energy (CCoE) to be held on Friday (today) will be discussing the start of construction on an 80 kilometer (KM) pipeline from the Pak-Iran border to Gwadar as part of the IP Gas Pipeline Project. The Iran-Pakistan pipeline, also known
as Peace Pipeline, emerged from a plan dating as far back as 1994 and had originally included India. The $7.5 billion, 1,700-mile project would bring gas from the South Pars Gas Fields through Baluchistan (in western Pakistan) into India. Over the decades, however, the pipeline has faced multiple delays including India stepping back from the original plan in 2008. One of the reasons for the delay have been consistent worries surrounding international sanctions on Iran. The problem is that hat if Pakistan does not start construction of the IP Gas Pipeline
Project within the next three months it will have to face $ 18 billion worth penalty. Back in August 2023, Iran refused to accept Pakistan’s force majeure notice to halt construction of the multibillion-dollar Iran-Pakistan (IP) gas pipeline project and has instead granted two five-year extensions to meet the responsibilities of the IP Project. The scheduled CCoE meeting will address the long-pending issue of construction of an 80-kilometer pipeline from the PakIran border to Gwadar under the Iran-Pakistan (IP) Gas Pipeline Project.
They said that the Petroleum Division has forwarded a summary containing five recommendations to the Cabinet Committee on Energy pertaining to implementation of IP gas pipeline project. They said the laying of a pipeline from the Iranian border to Gwadar may also face US sanctions while if Pakistan constructs an 80 km pipe from the Iranian borders to Gwadar, the penalty will be waived and Pakistan has received a legal opinion from an international legal firm. They said the Ministry of Finance has proposed to the petroleum division to seek the
opinion of the Attorney General and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the matter. However, the final decision regarding implementation on the IP gas line project will be taken tomorrow by the CCoE, said sources. This move comes as a significant development following years of setbacks and challenges faced by the project Over the years Pakistan has postponed a decision to seek exemption from US sanctions while keeping in view the geopolitical situation in the region. Foreign legal firms have opined that Pakistan will face US sanctions if it starts construction of Iran-Pakistan (IP) Gas Pipeline Project, said the sources.
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