Page 9 - Shehbaz Sharif

Pak PML-N chooses Shehbaz Sharif as party president; Maryam Nawaz his VP

The ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on Friday picked Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif as the party's president while Maryam Nawaz was chosen as the senior vice president. The decision was taken in a meeting of the PML-N general council, which also chose several office bearers, including Ahsan Iqbal as secretary general. Among other party leaders, Marriyum Aurangzeb was picked as the secretary of information, Ataullah Tarar as the deputy secretary, and Ishaq Dar as the secretary of finance and overseas affairs. The elections were uncontested, apparently indicating a show of unity within the PML-N, but actually an indication of the iron grip by the Sharif family members who virtually hand-picked every office holder of the party. Shehbaz was elevated in 2018 to hold the reins of the party after his elder brother as well as former premier Nawaz Sharif was first disqualified as prime minister and later barred by the country's apex court to lead the party as the president. It i

$30 billion loss to Pakistan due to floods, rains: PM Shehbaz Sharif

Sharif reiterated that the ninth review with the IMF will be completed during the current month of July as he held an hour-long telephonic conversation with the fund's chief

Pak PM hopes to strike IMF deal as 'all conditions met' despite hardship

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday hoped the IMF would resume the stalled USD 6.7 billion bailout programme as his country has already met all prior conditions set by the global lender despite economic hardships. The premier's remarks came as Finance Minister Ishaq Dar presented a PKR 14 trillion budget for the fiscal year 2023-24, which the government claims to have shared with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The budget needs to satisfy the IMF to secure the release of more bailout money for the cash-strapped Pakistan, which is due to hold a general election by November. "The ninth review will be complete soon," Sharif said during his address to the federal cabinet of the coalition government, which presented its second budget. Referring to the devastating floods triggered by climate change, he said it inflicted losses worth over USD 30 billion on the country's economy. He added that the Ukraine crisis also pushed the prices of commodities in the internation

Pakistan PM Sharif tells FinMin to follow IMF parameters in budget: Report

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed the finance ministry to ensure that the budget is in line with the parameters set by the IMF, amid ongoing negotiations with the global lender for a bailout package for the cash-strapped country, according to a media report on Wednesday. The country's budget is likely to be presented on Friday. A week back, Sharif held a telephone conversation with International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva and urged her to revive the USD 6.5 billion deal that was initially signed in 2019 and is set to expire by the end of this month. Geo News, citing an informed source, said Sharif, during a meeting with Finance Minister Ishaq Dar on Tuesday, expressed optimism that the government would reach an agreement with the IMF. The source also dismissed speculation that the government would present a populist election-year budget and said, "Pakistan can't afford any budget that violates the set basics of the IMF." The prime

Pak PM calls for providing relief to poor, middle class in budget 2023-24

Cash-strapped Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed the authorities to take major steps in the budget for the welfare of poor and middle class, in an effort to make it people-friendly ahead of general elections which are expected in October. "Despite economic challenges, special measures should be taken for the protection of vulnerable sections of society," he said while chairing a meeting on Monday to finalise measures to provide relief to the poor and middle classes of society. Pakistan, currently in the throes of a major political as well as economic crisis, is grappling with high external debt, a weak local currency and dwindling foreign exchange reserves. The inflation level rose by a whopping 36.4 per cent in the year in April, driven mainly by food prices. This is the highest in South Asia, and up from 35.4 per cent in March, according to the country's statistics bureau. The budget 2023-24 is expected to be presented in the parliament on June 9 and the ...

Pakistan deploys troops to halt unrest from ex-PM Imran Khan's arrest

Pakistan police arrested Fawad Chaudhry, Khan's deputy and vice president of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, outside the Supreme Court in Islamabad

Imran Khan's supporters attack house of Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif

Over 500 miscreants from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party reached the Model Town Lahore residence of the prime minister in the early hours of Wednesday and set ablaze vehicles parked over there

Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif says protesters to be dealt with 'iron fist'

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday condemned the deadly protests by the supporters of former premier Imran Khan after his arrest in a corruption case and warned to deal with demonstrators with an iron fist. The prime minister made a brief address to the nation after the country was rocked by deadly violence during the last two days which saw attacks on military installations and state properties. Attack on public property is an act of terrorism and enmity towards the country, the prime minister said, adding that those taking the law into their own hands would be dealt with an iron fist. They will be given an exemplary punishment, he said. The premier said the protection of the State and ideology of Pakistan is more precious to us than our lives and we will not allow anyone to conspire against it and vowed to defeat the "nefarious designs of enemies.

Pak's anti-graft body declares PM, son innocent in a money laundering case

In a major relief for Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his son Hamza, the National Accountability Bureau has declared the father-son duo were innocent in a money laundering case after it conducted a re-investigation, a media report said on Wednesday. The case was filed by the anti-corruption agency in 2020, which alleged that Shehbaz and his family members were involved in money laundering and illegal transfer of funds through fake accounts. The supplementary report was submitted to the accountability court and presented during the hearing conducted by Accountability Court judge Qamar-ul-Zaman, Samaa TV reported on its website. During Wednesday's hearing, Hamza Shehbaz filed a petition seeking an exemption from attendance on medical grounds, which was approved by the court. The supplementary report, submitted on Monday, stated that the 71-year-old prime minister, his wife Nusrat Shehbaz, son Hamza Shehbaz, and other accused were found to have no involvement in the matter

Elections in country will take place on same day: Pakistan's Shehbaz Sharif

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif here on Saturday said elections in Pakistan will take place on the same day, Dawn reported

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in India today: A look at the legacy of his family

SCO Foreign Ministers' meeting: A Pakistani foreign minister will attend a meeting in India after 12 years, but Bhutto Zardari comes with a long political legacy

Pakistan planning to hold provincial, national elections at the same time

Khan wants to hold snap elections but the ruling coalition planned to complete the government's term, which would mean national elections in October

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 ..