Page 2 - Nawaz Sharif

Former Pak PM Imran Khan demands probe in May 9 violence, Feb 8 polls

Jailed former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan once again on Wednesday demanded a judicial probe into the May 9 violence and the February 8 elections, urging Supreme Court Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa to hear the petitions filed by his party on the two issues. Khan, 71, while speaking to journalists after attending a court hearing in the 190 million pound corruption case, said the establishment was using the May 9 violence following his arrest in a corruption case as a pretext to dismantle his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party. Khan claimed that the plot to dismantle his party was hatched in London by the now-ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party and urged Chief Justice Isa to set up a judicial commission to probe the matter, Dawn News reported. Khan's supporters resorted to violence, burning civil and military installations following his arrest by the National Corruption Bureau (NCB) outside the Islamabad High Court premised in a corruption case. The May 9 violence, also

Imran's party loses seats it won to Sharif's coalition after recounting

This was evident as they first lost reserved seats and subsequently conceded several other seats to opponents during the recounting process

Pakistan needs another IMF bailout, says PM Sharif amid economic woes

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) concluded the review for issuance of the last tranche of USD 1.1 billion which hopefully be received by next month

Pak PM Shehbaz Sharif proposes 5-year plan for country's economic revival

The newly-elected government of Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has decided to work on a comprehensive five-year roadmap for the cash-strapped country's economic resurgence, according to a media report on Friday. This strategic blueprint will focus on curbing inflation, alleviating poverty and creating jobs, the Dawn newspaper reported. In the first meeting, the prime minister sought estimates from different ministries and divisions and formed a committee to go back to the ministries to set five-year targets in different sectors, such as IT, agriculture, industries, energy, food and livestock, reforms in FBR (Federal Board of Revenue), ease of doing business, etc, Minister of State for IT Shaza Fatima Khawaja said after the meeting. Khawaja said the committee, after getting the required information from the ministries and divisions, would prepare a consolidated document carrying five-year targets for all sectors. She said several meetings would be held soon on the five-year .

Pak EC announces Senate election schedule for 11 Balochistan seats

In this electoral process, the Balochistan Assembly will have the authority to elect 11 Senators, comprising seven for general seats, two for women, and two for technocrats

Pakistan's ex finance minister Ishaq Dar appointed new foreign minister

Ishaq Dar, a four-time former finance minister, has been appointed as Pakistan's Foreign Minister, as the new government settled in to tackle myriad problems at the domestic and external fronts, including its relations with India and other neighbours. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday inducted 19 members into his Cabinet, ending the tenuous wait for the completion of government formation in the cash-strapped country. Dar, an ethnic Kashmiri and chartered accountant by training, is a senior leader of the Pakistan Muslin League-Nawaz (PML-N). He is also a confidant of the party head and former three-time premier Nawaz Sharif. With little experience in managing foreign affairs, he has been given the important portfolio when Pakistan's ties with its neighbour India as well as Afghanistan are at their lowest ebb. The two sides broke off trade ties and lowered diplomatic presence in each other's capital in August 2019 after India revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and

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

Voting begins in Pak's presidential election: Asif Ali Zardari set to win

Voting began on Saturday in the Presidential elections in Pakistan in which Asif Ali Zardari is set to be elected for a second time. Asif Ali Zardari, the 68-year-old joint candidate of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), and Sunni Ittehad Council's candidate Mahmood Khan Achakzai, 75, are vying for the office of president. The voting began at 10 am and will continue till 4 pm. The new president 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. According to the Constitution, the president is indirectly elected by an electoral college comprising federal and provincial lawmakers.

Setback to Imran Khan as IMF refuses to interfere in Pak electoral dispute

This comes after incarcerated former PM Imran Khan penned a letter to the IMF, urging the global lender to give the poll results a thorough once-over before cutting any new cheques for Islamabad

Grand Democratic Alliance in Pak announces boycott of presidential election

The Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA), Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) earlier on February 21 declared that they would begin a protest against the suspected rigging of polls

As a woman, it was hard 'to 'make space' in father's PML-N: Maryam Nawaz

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, who scripted history when she became the first woman to occupy the post in any province of Pakistan, on Friday said she had to work "quite hard" for more than a decade to make space for herself in the ruling PML-N, a party founded by her father Nawaz Sharif. Speaking at an event to mark Women's Day in Lahore, she said, As this has been a very male-dominated party historically, I also had to work quite hard for 12-13 years to make space for myself. But if I am standing here, it is a message for every woman, mother and daughter, that if you want to do something, then being a woman cannot be an obstacle in fulfilling your dreams and mission, she was quoted as saying by the Dawn newspaper. Maryam, 50, who is considered a political heir to Nawaz Sharif, took oath as the chief minister of Punjab on February 26 reportedly as part of a deal worked out with the blessings of the powerful Pakistan Army when the three-time former premier's Pakistan Muslim ...

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

Maryam Nawaz's selection as Punjab CM a 'milestone' in Pak politics: US

The selection of Maryam Nawaz as the chief minister of the Punjab province is a milestone in Pakistani politics, the US has said, asserting that it looks forward to cooperating with Islamabad on integrating women more fully into the country's political life. Maryam, the 50-year-old daughter of three-time former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, took oath as the first-ever woman chief minister of Pakistan's most populous and politically crucial Punjab province last week. Her (Maryam Nawaz Sharif) selection as chief minister is a milestone in Pakistani politics, State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters at his daily news conference on Monday. Maryam is considered the political heir to 74-year-old Nawaz Sharif, the three-time former prime minister. We look forward to cooperating with Pakistan more broadly on integrating women more fully into the country's political life, in the economy, including through the US-Pakistan Women's Council, civil society, and other ...

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

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 set to return as Pak's PM after old-guard parties form coalition

Sharif was prime minister until parliament was dissolved in August in the leadup to elections, and he handed power to a caretaker government