Page 66 - Pakistan

Pakistan PM Sharif picks Ex-JPMorgan banker Aurangzeb as finance minister

Aurangzeb was chosen over other possible candidates, including longtime Sharif ally Ishaq Dar and ex-central bank governor Shamshad Akhtar

Hope, happiness among Pak Hindu refugees in Delhi as CAA rules notified

Pakistani Hindu refugees residing in Delhi expressed hope and happiness on the implementation of the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act on Monday, saying they are elated that "we will be called Indian citizens finally". Ahead of the Lok Sabha election, the Centre announced the implementation of the contentious CAA 2019 for granting citizenship to undocumented non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who came to India before December 31, 2014. Dharamveer Solanki, who is considered the chief of the Pakistani Hindu refugee community in Delhi, told PTI that around 500 from the community will receive citizenship now. "I and my family have been waiting for this for over a decade now. We are extremely happy that finally we will be called Indian citizens now. I am glad I decided to return to my homeland in 2013," Solanki said. "It feels like a huge burden has been lifted from our shoulders. With the implementation of this act, around 500 Pakistani Hindu refugee ..

Pak Prez administers oath to 19-member Cabinet recommended by PM Sharif

Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday administered the oath to 19 members of the Cabinet of the newly elected Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, ending the tenuous wait for the completion of government formation. The oath-taking ceremony was held in the President's House and was attended by Prime Minister Sharif among others. Those who took oath included Ishaq Dar, Khawaja Asif, Ahsan Iqbal, Muhammad Aurangzeb, Azam Tarar, Rana Tanvir, Mohsin Naqvi, Ahad Cheema, Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Riaz Prizada, Qaiser Sheikh, Shaza Fatima, Aleem Khan, Jam Kamal, Amir Muqam, Awais Leghari, Atta Tarar, Salik Hussian and Musaddiq Malik. The portfolio of the new minister will be announced later. Aurangzeb will likely be the finance minister, Dar as the foreign minister, and Khawaja Asif the defence minister. Azam Tarar will be the law minister, Atta Tarar as information minister, Musaddik Malik as petroleum minister, Mohsin Naqvi as interior minister and Ahad Cheema as minister for Kashmir ..

Pak PM Sharif recommends 19 member list to Prez Zardari for his new cabinet

Pakistan's newly elected Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has recommended 19 names to President Asif Ali Zardari to be inducted into the federal cabinet, and if approved the ministers would take oath on Monday, according to media reports. The 19 names, which were sent to newly elected President Zardari as part of a letter, include 12 Members of the National Assembly and 3 senators as federal ministers among others and came a day after Prime Minister Sharif held a marathon meeting, which continued late into the night, to finalise the names, the Dawn newspaper reported. Pakistan Muslim League President Shehbaz Sharif was sworn in as the 24th Prime Minister of Pakistan on February 4. "Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has suggested newly elected President Asif Ali Zardari to appoint a 19-member cabinet. According to a letter written by the premier to Zardari, the cabinet includes 12 MNAs and 3 senators as federal ministers, as well as Shaza Fatima Khawaja as a minister of state," the report .

Pakistan's ruling PML-N, coalition partner PPP may scrap caretaker system

Pakistan's ruling PML-N party and its coalition partner PPP have reached a consensus to abolish the caretaker system and reform the politically volatile and cash-strapped country's electoral system, a media report said on Saturday. Three-time ex-premier Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and ex-foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari-led Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) have eliminated the need for a caretaker government, The Express Tribune newspaper reported. The two parties agreed that the outgoing government's head will remain in office until the new general elections, and the prime minister's cabinet will be dissolved after completing its term, while the premier will continue to serve. The PML-N and PPP have also endorsed the drafting of legislation for electoral reforms to make the electoral process "simple and easy", the report said It added that both parties will take other parties into confidence on the proposed reforms. The PML-N-led alliance is also aiming

PPP co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari elected Pakistan's 14th President

Pakistan Peoples Party co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari was elected as Pakistan's 14th President on Saturday, becoming the head of state for a second time. Zardari, 68, was the joint candidate of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) while his rival Mahmood Khan Achakzai, 75, was the candidate of the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC). The new president was elected by the electoral college of the newly elected members of the National Assembly and the four provincial assemblies, as per the provisions of the Constitution. A businessman-turned-politician, Zardari is the husband of slain Pakistan prime minister Benazir Bhutto. He received 255 votes while his opponent got 119, Pakistani media reported. Zardari would replace the incumbent Dr Arif Alvi, whose five-year term ended last year. However, he has continued since the new electoral college was not yet formed. Zardari, who served as the president from 2008 to 2013, will also be the first civilian t

Pakistan's PM Sharif thanks PM Modi for felicitating him on his re-election

Pakistan's newly-elected Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday thanked his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi for felicitating him on his re-election. Sharif, 72, took the oath as prime minister of Pakistan on Monday, assuming the cash-strapped country's reins for a second time, nearly a month after an inconclusive election marred by allegations of vote rigging. "Thank you @narendramodi for felicitations on my election as the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Sharif said in a post on X. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Modi congratulated Shehbaz on taking oath as the 24th prime minister of Pakistan. "Congratulations to @CMShehbaz on being sworn in as the Prime Minister of Pakistan," Modi posted on X. In his victory speech in the National Assembly soon after he was elected as the 24th prime minister and for a second time since 2022, Sharif said his government would not allow the country to become part of some "great game" and would maintain cordial relations with neighbours based on the ...

Pakistan: Nawaz Sharif's sons to surrender in 3 corruption cases on Mar 12

The counsel informed the judge that the sons are residents of Saudi Arabia and the UK, respectively, and were nominated as accused persons in these references along with the PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif

62 Hindus arrive from India to join Mahashivratri festival in Pakistan

Sixty-two Hindus arrived here from India via the Wagah border on Wednesday to participate in the Mahashivratri celebrations in Pakistan. "A total of 62 Hindu pilgrims arrived in Lahore from India on Wednesday to take part in Mahashivratri festivities," Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) spokesman Amir Hashmi told PTI. "The main function of Mahashivratri organised by the ETPB will be held on March 9 at the historic Katas Raj Temples in Chakwal, some 300 km from Lahore, in which various political, social and religious leaders will also participate," Hashmi said. At Wagah, he said Additional Secretary, Shrines, Rana Shahid Saleem greeted the visiting Hindus led by Vishwanath Bajaj. "After spending tonight at Gurdwara Dera Sahib Lahore the Hindu pilgrims will leave for Katas Raj Temples on Thursday to attend the main festival" he said and added the ETPB is providing security, accommodation and transportation for them. The pilgrims will return to Lahore on March 10 and on March 11 the

Pak elections this year were less fair than two previous polls: Report

A Pakistan independent organisation on Wednesday stated that the latest general elections were less fair than the two previous polls and demanded an independent probe into the allegation of electoral fraud. The Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDAT) issued a report detailing its assessment of the recently concluded general election, expressing deep concerns over a decline in fairness. Overall, the quality of General Election 2024 has scored 49% which is not only below 50% score but is also lower than the overall score of the past two elections 52% for GE-2018 and 57% for GE-2013 indicating greater concerns about the quality of the most recent General Election, PILDAT said in its report titled General Election 2024 Records Lowest Fairness Score Since 2013'. These overall scores, particularly the steady decline in them since 2013, are emblematic of the weakening of the democratic processes in general and electoral system in particular in Pakistan and

Pak PM Shehbaz Sharif off to a rocky start as US repeats poll probe demand

Shehbaz Sharif recently took oath as Prime Minister of Pakistan for a second time, amid serious economic and security challenges

44 yrs after hanging, Pak SC says Bhutto's trial didn't follow due process

Lahore High Court had sentenced Zulfikar Ali Bhutto to death on March 18, 1978, on charges of ordering the assassination of Ahmed Reza Kasuri, a founding member of the PPP

Time to speak up, women

Ahead of the upcoming elections, political parties have started announcing incentives to benefit women, but what do women truly seek for genuine gender parity?

Shehbaz Sharif sworn in as Pakistan's prime minister for second time

Shehbaz Sharif was on Monday sworn in as Pakistan's 24th Prime Minister, taking over the reins of the cash-strapped country for a second time since 2022, amidst staggering economic and security challenges. President Arif Alvi administered the oath to the 72-year-old Shehbaz in a ceremony held at the Aiwan-i-Sadr, the presidential residence. The oath-taking ceremony comes days after the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and the Pakistan Peoples Party agreed on a power-sharing deal to form a coalition government. Shehbaz earlier served as prime minister of a coalition government from April 2022 to August 2023 before Parliament was dissolved to hold general elections last month. The ceremony was attended by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and other PML-N workers. PPP leader and Sindh chief minister Murad Ali Shah was also present on the occasion. On Sunday, Shehbaz comfortably won a majority in the newly-elected Parliament amidst sloganeering by the

Mixed signals from Pakistan

India can afford to bide its time in normalising relations

China wants to deepen strategic ties with Pak during Sharif's new tenure

As Shehbaz Sharif took the oath as the Prime Minister of Pakistan for a second time on Monday, China said it hopes to deepen its "all-weather" strategic ties and upgrade the USD 60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects. China warmly congratulates Shehbaz Sharif on being elected as Pakistan's Prime Minister, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a media briefing here. On Sunday, President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang sent congratulatory messages to Sharif soon after his election. China highly appreciates Prime Minister Sharif's positive statements on China-Pakistan relations and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, Mao said. We stand ready to work with Pakistan to carry forward our traditional friendship, advance exchanges and cooperation across the board, upgrade the CPEC, and deepen China-Pakistan all-weather strategic cooperative partnership, she said. In his victory speech yesterday, Shehbaz Sharif vowed to further promote the CPEC projects

Pakistan's PM-elect Shehbaz Sharif to take oath of office on Monday

Prime Minister-elect Shehbaz Sharif will take the oath of office for the second time on Monday, days after his Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and the Pakistan Peoples Party agreed on a power-sharing deal to form a coalition government. Shehbaz, 72, earlier served as prime minister of a coalition government from April 2022 to August 2023 before Parliament was dissolved to hold general elections last month. President Arif Alvi will administer oath to Shehbaz in a ceremony at the President's House at 3 pm on Monday, sources said. They said that Army Chief Gen Asim Munir, caretaker Prime Minister Anwarul Haq Kakar, Chief Ministers and governors of all provinces will attend in the ceremony. On Sunday, Shehbaz comfortably won a majority in the newly-elected Parliament amidst sloganeering by the Opposition. Shehbaz, the consensus candidate of the PML-N and the PPP, received 201 votes in the 336-member Parliament.

Joint session of Parliament to elect Pakistan's president called on March 9

Newly-elected National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq on Sunday summoned a joint session of the Parliament to elect the next president of Pakistan on March 9, a position that former president Asif Ali Zardari is almost certain to win again after nearly 11 years. In a notification issued today, the speaker summoned the session at 10 am, with Zardari, 68, set to face off against his rival ethnic Pashtun politician Mahmood Khan Achakzai. Zardari, who is a joint candidate of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif-led Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), is set to become the president for the second time as he is being supported by the parties that enjoy a majority in the electoral college. He also served as president from 2008 to 2013. Achakzai, 75, from Balochistan, is the chief of the Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party and was nominated by Imran Khan, the jailed leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party. In Parliament, Achakzai would be supported by the ..

PM Shehbaz Sharif vows to revive Pakistan economy; to secure G20 membership

Pakistan's newly-elected Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday vowed to do a "deep surgery" and bring changes in the system to bring the cash-strapped country out of the alarming debt crisis and secure G20 membership by 2030. Shehbaz, who was the consensus candidate of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), became the Prime Minister on Sunday for a second time after receiving 201 votes in the 336-member Parliament.

Shehbaz Sharif becomes Pakistan's Prime Minister for a second time

Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday became the prime minister of Pakistan for a second time to lead a coalition government after he comfortably won a majority in the newly-elected Parliament. Shehbaz, 72, who was the consensus candidate of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), received 201 votes in the 336-member house.