Page 10 - Shehbaz Sharif

Pak PM Sharif, Hina Khar's discussion on US-China tussle leaked: Report

US intelligence documents have been leaked on the Discord messaging platform revealing conversations between Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his junior Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar on the foreign policy matters, according to a media report on Sunday. In one internal memo titled 'Pakistan's Difficult Choices', parts of which were published by the Washington Post on Sunday, Khar cautions that Pakistan should avoid giving the impression of "appeasing" the West, The Express Tribune newspaper reported. She warns that the country can no longer attempt to maintain a middle ground between regional neighbour China and the US. In the memo, Khar argues that preserving Pakistan's partnership with the US would ultimately sacrifice the full benefits of its "real strategic" partnership with China. The undated document does not specify how the US obtained access to Khar's memo, a report published by the Washington Post revealed. The leak of US intelligence documents, posted large

Pak PM Shehbaz reiterates support for one China policy amid Taiwan tension

Pakistan on Thursday reiterated its support for China on the sensitive Taiwan issue as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif spoke to his Chinese counterpart Li Qiang in their first contact since the latter took charge in March. Shehbaz congratulated Li and reiterated Pakistan's "unstinting" support to Beijing's one-China policy, as well as its stance on Tibet, Xinjiang, Hong Kong, and the South China Sea, The Express Tribune newspaper, cited an official statement as saying. "As all-weather partners and close friends, Pakistan appreciated China's peaceful development as a positive factor of international peace and stability, and confident that China will continue to achieve milestones on its journey towards modernisation and rejuvenation," the Pakistani prime minister said. The Pakistani premier also thanked his Chinese counterpart for China's "principled position" on the disputed Jammu and Kashmir issue. Li, for his part, "praised Pakistan's support for China and reaffirmed his country's

Shehbaz stands firm on Parliament's supremacy amid Pak SC standoff

"The Prime Minister was told by the government's legal brains that he is 'legally safe' if the Supreme Court takes note of the violation of its order," report said

IMF has no excuse to delay loan, Pak was not created to act like beggar: PM

PM Shehbaz referred to the terms of the global lender for seeking loan agreements and said that the government made every effort to meet them

Pak Army chief played role in securing funds from Saudi, UAE: PM Sharif

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday disclosed that Army Chief General Asim Munir played a role in securing funds from Saudi Arabia and the UAE -- a pre-condition by the IMF to seal a bailout deal with the cash-strapped nation. Addressing a ceremony here, Sharif also expressed hope that now the IMF will not delay in reaching an agreement for USD 1.1 billion sought by Pakistan. "Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir has contributed to the government's efforts to secure funds from Saudi Arabia and the UAE," Sharif said. Debt-ridden Pakistan and the IMF have failed to reach a staff-level agreement on the much-needed USD 1.1 billion bailout package aimed at preventing the country from going bankrupt. The funds are part of a USD 6.5 billion bailout package the IMF approved in 2019, which analysts say is critical if Pakistan is to avoid defaulting on external debt obligations. Earlier, the Pakistani Army had announced that Gen.

Imran's lust for power imperiled Pakistan's foreign policy: Shehbaz Sharif

The Pakistan premier took to Twitter to launch a tirade against the former Prime Minister, saying that "his hypocrisy knows no bounds", The Express Tribune reported

Shehbaz govt to table Pak SC bill in joint session of parliament today

The bill was aimed at curtailing the powers of the chief justice of Pakistan (CJP) -- including the suo motu and the formation of benches

Pakistan PM hits back at Chief Justice Bandial for his critical remarks

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday hit back at Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial for his critical remarks, taking the polarisation in the coup-prone country to new limits amid economic meltdown and bitter political divide. During a hearing on the postponement of polls in Punjab on March 31, the chief justice said: "Today, when you go to parliament, you find people addressing the parliament who were till yesterday in captivity, imprisoned, declared traitors. They are now talking over there, and being respected because they are representatives of the people." The stark reference was interpreted as a jibe at the Prime Minister who was arrested twice during the government of Imran Khan on the charges of alleged corruption but was bailed out by the courts. Speaking in the National Assembly, Prime Minister Sharif said that he faced unfounded allegations in the previous government followed by arrests but he succeeded to counter them on merit. "It is God's grace that I was ..

PM Sharif orders withdrawal of review petitions against senior SC judge

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday announced that his government will withdraw a case against a Supreme Court judge as differences among the judges of the superior judiciary sharpened over the issue of taking cognizance of political cases. Justice Qazi Faez Isa, who is the senior-most judge after the Chief Justice, has been facing challenges since the government of Imran Khan filed a case, called reference, against him in May 2019 for allegedly not disclosing assets owned by his family in London. The prime minister tweeted that he had directed Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar to withdraw the curative review reference filed against Justice Qazi Isa, observing that the action was taken by the previous government on "flimsy" and "baseless" grounds. "On my direction, the government has decided to withdraw the Curative Review Petition against the senior-most Judge of the Supreme Court, Justice Qazi Faez Isa. The Curative Review was based on ill-will & meant to harass &

Imran Khan ready to talk to anyone for country's sake as PM calls again

Imran Khan, the embattled Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman, struck a conciliatory tone on Thursday, declaring that he was willing to talk to anyone

Vengeful politics, weary friends prevent IMF from $7 bn dole to Pakistan

Pakistani media is reporting that the IMF agreement with Pakistan, which has been on the verge of materialising for the past many days, is not happening simply because of political instability

Pak PM sees 'more burden' on masses as country scrambles to secure IMF deal

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday said he sees "more burden" coming on the already inflation-hit public as Pakistan scrambles to secure the International Monetary Fund's conditions for reviving the stalled USS 1.1 billion loan tranche. Pakistan's economy is in dire straits. The country is awaiting a much-needed USD 1.1 billion tranche of funding from the Washington-based International Monetary Fund (IMF). The funds are part of a USD 6.5 billion bailout package the IMF approved in 2019, which analysts say is critical if Pakistan is to avoid defaulting on external debt obligations. The prime minister, in an interview with the private Geo News channel, said joint efforts were being made by both his economic team and other national institutions to make the process a success. The prime minister spoke at length on multiple national issues, including the one-year performance of his government, the economic situation and elections. Sharif said that when he came into power, he and h

Pak govt makes public record of Toshakhana gifts; retainers include Shehbaz

The Pakistan government has for the first time made public details of foreign gifts retained by officials amidst the controversy over the Toshakhana gifts sold by former premier Imran Khan. The details of Toshakhana or the state depository were revealed on Sunday on the website of the Cabinet Division, showing the gifts retained by former presidents, prime ministers, federal cabinet members, politicians, bureaucrats, retired generals, judges, and journalists from 2002 to 2022. The 446-page document showed those who benefited include President Arif Alvi, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, former prime minister Imran Khan, ex-prime minister Nawaz Sharif, ex-president Asif Ali Zardari, late military dictator Pervez Musharraf, former premier Shaukat Aziz, ex-PM Yousuf Raza Gilani, ex-PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, ex-PM Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, ex-PM Zafarullah Khan Jamali, Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, ...

Toshakhana case: What's behind the arrest drama at Imran Khan's residence

The police were supposed to arrest Khan for his persistent absence from the court hearings of the Toshakhana case, but they could not

Pakistan PM's office demands hike in budget defying cost-cutting policies

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's office has sought PKR 75 million or 16 per cent additional budget for allowances, fuel, and food rather than placing a cut on the expenses

Pak PM underscores importance of cooperation as he meets US delegation

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday highlighted the significance of long-standing cooperation with the US and the need to make this partnership diverse and multidimensional. He was talking to a six-member US Senate delegation from the Democratic Party, led by Senate Majority Leader Senator Chuck Schumer that called on him. Other members of the delegation included Senators Maria Cantwell, Amy Klobuchar, Gary Peters, Catherine Cortez Masto, and Peter Welch. According to a statement by the Prime Minister's Office, the Prime Minister underscored the significance of long-standing cooperation between Pakistan and the US and the need to make this partnership diverse and multidimensional. He underlined that parliamentary exchanges between the two countries, as vibrant democracies, are vital to promoting understanding of each other's perspectives at the political level. The Prime Minister highlighted that Pakistan and the US celebrated 75 years of diplomatic relations last year and t

Pak: Nationalist parties threaten protest if govt impose digital census

Chandio, who chaired the meeting, told journalists that the digital census was unconstitutional, illegal, and anti-Sindh

Pakistan's remittances decrease 9.9% in January, says Central bank

The workers' remittances recorded an inflow of 1.894 billion US dollars in January, as compared to the previous month's figure of 2.102 billion dollars

Turkey refuses to host Pak PM as country busy in earthquake relief work

Turkey has been facing a major humanitarian crisis after earthquakes jolted the country on Monday

Pakistan lifts ban on Wikipedia after PM orders immediate restoration

Pakistan has lifted the ban on the online encyclopedia, Wikipedia after the country's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday directed the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to restore it