Latest news with #Askari
Express Tribune
27-06-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
'No political space in sight for PTI'
Political space for opposition parties, particularly the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), may have further shrunk after the establishment bolstered its ties with the West, as analysts suggest that the beleaguered party's chances of making a political comeback during the current regime were virtually nonexistent. However, they caution that the budding relationship with the Trump administration could be a volatile, double-edged sword for the powers that be. Former Punjab caretaker chief minister and senior political analyst Hasan Askari said that PTI has no political future under the current dispensation, which he described as being firmly controlled by a powerful establishment. According to him, the establishment has only grown stronger in the wake of two mini-wars in the region. 'This setup will not cede any space to PTI, as it would mark the beginning of their own undoing. They cannot afford for PTI to do politicking on the streets. As long as they have power, they will keep Imran behind bars,' Askari said. He further noted that no government since Benazir Bhutto's first stint in power had ceded this much ground to the military as the current one has. Askari said that the current setup, which derives its strength "from the very top," could last for a considerable period. However, when it falls, 'it will go down like a house of cards'. He added that PTI will likely outlive this regime and will 'rise from the ruins' the moment it is granted political space. Regarding Pakistan's relations with the US, he said that Islamabad's 'relations with America will last for as long as their interests and ours are aligned'. Pakistan may benefit in the short term, he added, but this relationship is contextual. 'Tomorrow, when our utility diminishes, so will the warmth in the relationship.' Another political analyst, Rasool Bakhsh Rais, said that while PTI may currently be in a bind, it was rapidly regaining ground. 'PML-N and PPP are steadily losing what little public legitimacy they had,' he said. Rais pointed to the Supreme Court's recent decision to hand over PTI's reserved seats to PML-N and PPP, saying it 'has exposed the underbelly of this hybrid-plus regime'. He said that the West has a long history of supporting dictatorships and autocratic regimes when it suits its interests. 'Even in our case, American support for the establishment is only delegitimising the political government. The system might have gained strength, but constitutionally it has become frail.' He added that PTI founder Imran Khan would not buckle under pressure and would stand his ground. 'Imran Khan is a beacon of hope for Pakistan's political system. His stand is in the interest of the country,' Rais said. He noted that while the current dispensation may ignore public perception for now, 'soon they will understand what the opinion of a common man is worth'. Another analyst, Salman Abid, agreed that cordial ties with the US come at a price. He described the US-Pakistan relationship as purely transactional. 'America has significant strategic interests in this region, and it sees Pakistan as crucial to achieving those goals,' he said, adding that this friendship would not come as a 'free lunch". Abid expressed concern that Pakistan's growing closeness with the US could distance it from its long-time ally, China. 'This system has no political weight, and it will continue to function only so long as it has wind in its sails,' he said. He warned that such power structures in Pakistan have a long history of failing spectacularly.
Business Recorder
16-06-2025
- Politics
- Business Recorder
Pandemonium in Sindh PA as PPP, MQM MPAs trade allegations
KARACHI: The Sindh Assembly descended into chaos on Monday after a verbal clash broke out between members of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), following allegations of nepotism levelled by MQM-P MPA Adil Askari against Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah. Tensions flared when Askari, addressing the House, accused the Chief Minister of breaching good governance principles by appointing his brother-in-law as the Chief Secretary of Sindh. 'Murad Ali Shah is the Chief Minister of the province, and his brother-in-law is appointed as the Chief Secretary — this is clearly nepotism,' said Askari, triggering uproar from PPP benches. PPP's senior member Mukesh Kumar Chawla objected strongly to the statement, urging the acting speaker to expunge the Chief Minister's name from the proceedings. 'Such statements are not only provocative but unnecessary,' he asserted. As tempers rose, members of both parties stood up from their seats, exchanging sharp words and accusations, forcing the acting speaker to intervene. 'Do not address each other directly. Respect the sanctity of the House,' he warned, attempting to calm the heated atmosphere. The situation further deteriorated when another MQM member responded to PPP's Farooq Awan, referencing his past in the Sindh Police and questioning his silence during the early days of MQM's founder. 'If the MQM founder was a devil, as you claim, you should have shown courage back then instead of condemning him now when his politics has ended,' he remarked, adding fuel to an already combustible session. The confrontation overshadowed what was meant to be the start of a multi-day general debate on the provincial budget for fiscal year 2025–26. Earlier in the day, members from both treasury and opposition benches engaged in budget discussions, though political rivalries and deep-rooted grievances quickly dominated the session. Jamal Ahmed Khan of MQM highlighted critical civic issues in North Nazimabad, noting severe water shortages and dysfunctional waste management. He criticized the Karachi Mayor's claims about street cleaning. He also lamented that development schemes proposed by MQM had been discarded entirely from the budget. On the government's side, PPP's Shazia Kareem criticised the federal government for neglecting Sindh in the national budget, citing the exclusion of significant infrastructure projects like the Karachi and Hyderabad Motorways and the K-IV water supply scheme. 'Has Sindh become a slave of the federation,' she asked, further alleging that PWD schemes had been arbitrarily placed under federal control. Ejaz Shah Bukhari, another PPP lawmaker, invoked Karachi's past bloodshed, arguing that the PPP's dedication to public service had earned it a place in the people's hearts. He criticised the continuation of long power outages in Sindh and demanded the elevation of Tando Muhammad Khan Hospital to a district-level facility, as well as, the provision of a fire brigade to the local municipal committee. MQM's Abdullah Sheikh urged lawmakers not to incite ethnic tensions, referencing extortion-related violence in Surjani Town and warning against demonizing the Muhajir community. 'We have seen everything in Karachi,' he said, calling for calm and fair representation. PPP MPA Maliha Manzoor defended the budget, calling it a reflection of the party leadership's people-centric vision. She praised initiatives like the Sindh People's Housing Scheme, women's property rights for flood victims, and new public transport measures such as pink buses, electric scooters, and EV taxis. 'We are proud of the Sindh government,' she stated. On the opposition benches, MQM's Farah Sohail condemned the budget as 'anti-people,' arguing that even after 17 years in power, the PPP had failed to deliver. 'They boast about achievements in healthcare, but one of their own lawmakers took Rs 70 million from the government to seek treatment abroad,' she alleged. Ejaz-ul-Haq from MQM questioned the credibility of the PPP's development claims, saying, 'It feels like we're living in Japan — why don't we see any of this progress in Karachi?' He said there was nothing allocated for Orangi Town and repeated his long-standing demand for establishing a trauma centre at Qatar Hospital Orangi. PPP MPA Nuzhat Pathan said the federal government had completely sidelined Sindh, but despite that, a 'strong and balanced' provincial budget had been delivered — crediting the PPP leadership. She highlighted dysfunctional water services in Hyderabad and criticized WASA's poor performance. In a pointed remark, she claimed MQM had self-destructed. 'We are not eliminating them; they have already eliminated themselves,' she said. Another PPP lawmaker, Farzana Baloch, emphasised that the party's vote bank was growing steadily, which she saw as a sign of public confidence. She slammed K-Electric's over-billing practices, pointing out widespread illegal electricity connections in Karachi. 'People who pay are punished, those who don't are untouched. K-Electric has made life miserable. Whether acknowledged or not, PPP continues to serve.' From the PTI benches, Muhammad Owais criticised the arrest of his party's MPAs and workers during a recent youth rally, calling it political victimization. He also decried the exclusion of all opposition proposals from the budget and held the Sindh government responsible for K-Electric's ongoing failures. Despite repeated attempts by Acting Speaker Anthony Naveed to restore decorum, the session remained turbulent, reflecting the widening political chasm in the province. The assembly was ultimately adjourned until 10 a.m. Tuesday, leaving behind a day marked more by confrontation than consensus. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
West Australian
27-05-2025
- Business
- West Australian
Askari set for polymetallic field program alongside Namibian tin mine
Askari Metals is set to launch a phase one exploration campaign at the company's prospective EPL 7626 area, one of three exploration licences within the company's Namibian polymetallic Uis project. The licence is contiguous with and about 4 kilometres northeast along strike from Andrada Mining's operating Uis tin mine, which hosts a JORC-compliant estimated mineral resource of 77.51 million tonnes averaging 0.79 per cent lithium oxide, 0.15 per cent tin and 82 parts per million tantalum. Askari's planned field work includes mapping, rock chip sampling and tenement-wide soil geochemical sampling. The proposed work will be undertaken by Askari's African exploration crew under the guidance of the company's chief exploration and project manager, Clifford Fitzhenry. Fitzhenry, a geologist with 21 years' experience, joined Askari two years ago in a then-new role of chief exploration and project manager in Africa. His appointment was a key part of Askari's exploration strategy to accelerate its drilling and development program at its flagship Uis lithium project. Askari says soil sampling is the company's preferred means of conducting low-cost, effective exploration for buried lithium-caesium-tantalum (LCT) pegmatites in the EPL 7626 licence area. An LCT pegmatite target is a specific type of granitic pegmatites, which have geological and geochemical characteristics that help exploration companies identify lithium-caesium-tantalum-style pegmatites. The pegmatites may also include tin, niobium and rubidium. Following the soil geochemistry, the company can follow up and refine its priority targets with trench sampling. A previous in-house remote sensing study across EPL 7626 identified zones with spectral tin-tantalite signatures characteristic of mica schists, which were also mapped on another of Askari's nearby licence area, EPL 7345. The company believes mica schists in this second licence area continue northeast beneath Andrada's Uis tin mine and into the EPL 7626 area, most likely beneath cover. Askari based the remote sensing study on Sentinel-2 multispectral satellite imagery, which can differentiate rock types, map regolith units, and identify surface mineralogy. The company is now setting up for a licence-wide soil sampling program on an initial 200 metre by 200m sampling grid to pick up any geochemical anomalies associated with buried pegmatites. The program will comprise about 54 square kilometres and will collect about 1407 samples. The company will determine any next work from the results of the first phase soil geochemical program on EPL 7626 and will design a follow-up infill sampling program to further test any anomalies encountered. Askari also expects to receive assay results from its first phase trenching program at EPL7345 over the next few months. This means that further work on the greater Uis project will comprise a second phase of infill soil geochemical sampling, followed by first phase trenching program at EPL 7626, and then a first phase trenching program on a third licence area. In other work, Askari is progressing its Ethiopian gold strategy and its Tanzanian uranium strategy and is currently reviewing some prospective projects for potential acquisition. Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact:
Time of India
09-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
National Lok Adalat on 10 May: You can settle traffic challans, drink and drive case, select property dispute and more
National Legal Services Authority will organize a nationwide Lok Adalat tomorrow i.e. on May 10, 2025. People can settle traffic challans and property disputes in a speedy fashion. Family issues (except divorce matters), motor vehicle claims, and electricity bill cases can also be resolved. Lok Adalats offer a quick resolution for most cases which would otherwise be facing long litigation timelines in regular courts. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Courts where you can go for settlement in Delhi Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Kind of cases that you can try settling in a National Lok Adalat Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Long-standing property dispute settled in Mumbai in the Lok Adalat Are rulings delivered by Lok Adalats final and binding? If you have long pending traffic challan or are stuck in a long-standing legal dispute, now's your chance! NALSA National Legal Services Authority ) is organising a nationwide Lok Adalat on May 10, 2025. This means people in Delhi, Mumbai, and other parts of the country can settle their traffic challans, and also sort out other disputes related to property, family (except divorce) and even other cases such as settling motor vehicle-related claims, money recovery, electricity and water bill cases in a speedy, quick National Lok Adalat held on March 8 this year was a very successful one. As per twitter handle of NALSA 1.57 cases were disposed in a single day and settlement amount was Rs 5473. 27 on to know more about some of the cases in Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, and other parts of India, which have been resolved through Lok Adalats , and how you can get back your money stuck in cases related to property, traffic challans, and other Delhi, National Lok Adalat sessions will take place in Dwarka, Karkardooma, Patiala House, Rohini, Rouse Avenue, Saket, and Tis Hazari court complexes, between 10 am and 4 pm on May 10, people throng to Lok Adalats to get their traffic challans waived. Himanshu Gupta, Founder and CEO of Lawyered, recounts a case of drinking and driving in Gurgaon, where the penalty was Rs 10,000.'During the last National Lok Adalat on March 8, 2025, we managed to bring down the Rs 10,000 fine for this drink and drive case to Rs 3,000, reducing the challan value by 70%', he experts also note that Lok Adalats do not typically cater to cases where drinking and driving has caused substantial injury or there is loss of human life, or the person in concern has a track record of repeated upcoming Lok Adalat, like its previous versions, expects to clear up to 1,80,000 challans/notices. Compoundable challans/notices up to January 31, 2025, will only be considered. Per private vehicle, only 5 notices and 2 challans, i.e., a total of 7 notices/challans will be taken, while for every commercial vehicle, only 2 notices/challans will be Askari, Senior Associate, PSL Advocates & Solicitors, was slapped with a Rs 20,000 penalty for violating GRAP-IV norms this year. He approached Lok Adalats, which noted that a BS - IV diesel hybrid car is a different vehicle category not covered under the notification since it is categorised as a mild hybrid vehicle distinct from typical petrol or Diesel cars.'In the end, I did not have to pay a single rupee in fines. Essentially, under the act and the rules, Petrol and Petrol/CNG are separate classes of vehicles; similarly, diesel and Diesel (Smart) Hybrid are separate and distinct classes of vehicles - one a polluting kind, the other is a non-polluting kind, hence the exemption in the law, and no penalty for me.'Vipul Wadhwa, Partner, Singhania & Co. highlighted 2023 a motor vehicle accident claims-related case, which was resolved in Lok Adalats within a single day.'In a 2023 motor accident matter in Punjab, a family battling for compensation after the death of the sole earning member managed to settle their claim for Rs. 25 lakh in a single day through the National Lok Adalat. What could have dragged on for years in the Motor Accident Claims Tribunal was resolved quickly with both parties walking away satisfied', he a National Lok Adalat last year, a 20-year-old property dispute in Juhu, Mumbai, was resolved in a Lok Adalat. The property, located in a prime area of India's financial capital, was valued at well over Rs 75 croreExplains Advocate V K Dubey, founder of VK Dubey Associates, a Mumbai-based law firm, 'Four parties, laying ownership claim to the same property, had been entangled in a legal dispute for a long time. However, the final awardee, who was granted ownership, proved that the documents being provided by other parties were fake and forged'.As Dubey highlighted, the documents provided by one of the other claimants dated back to 1970 and mentioned the area's pincode. This led to questions being raised on the authenticity of the documents, since the PIN code system was introduced in India only in 1972.'As a result, all three parties were granted nominal awards each (around Rs 50-60 lakh), and the case was speedily disposed of', Dubey another case in Jaipur, as Wadhwa explains, two brothers involved in a 12-year-old property dispute over ancestral land opted for a Lok Adalat session, saving nearly Rs. 30 lakh each in pending litigation costs. They left with a signed partition agreement'One of the most compelling aspects of Lok Adalats is how they make justice accessible, especially in cases where litigation costs would outweigh the outcome', he note that property-related disputes can only be resolved via Lok Adalats if both parties mutually agree to settle the issue through this process. If even one party disagrees and does not want to opt for resolving the dispute through mediation in Lok Adalat, the matter will then proceed to the regular The cornerstone of the awards and rulings passed by Lok Adalat lies in their conclusive nature. The award passed by the Lok Adalat is considered equivalent to a decree passed by a Civil Advocate Gaeti Khan, 'The award (decision) made by the Lok Adalat is final and binding on all parties and no appeal against such an award lies before any court of law'.The challenge to Lok Adalat's decisions can only be made under certain, exceptional circumstances. Explains Arman Roop Sharma, Partner, Anand Sharma & Associates, '. The Award passed by the Lok Adalat can be challenged by way of Writ in the High Court, where the party challenging it has to specifically allege that the award has been obtained by way of fraud, misrepresentation, or coercion. In other words, they have to prove that the settlement was not voluntary, the award is violative of the law, or was passed without jurisdiction. The High court also cannot set aside the award in a casual manner without including the reason for the same. So, the Statute intends to uphold the finality of the award of the Lok Adalat'.
West Australian
06-05-2025
- Business
- West Australian
Askari identifies more than 4% tin oxide at Namibian project
Askari Metals has identified high-grade tin, tantalum and rubidium in old rock chip assays from its Uis project in Namibia, with best hits including 4.05 per cent tin oxide, 1121 parts per million (ppm) tantalum pentoxide and 0.83 per cent rubidium oxide. The revelation comes from a review of third-party data from Askari's central tenement in its Uis project, which is contiguous at its northeastern extremity with Andrada Mining's operating Uis tin mine. Andrada's mine hosts a JORC-compliant mineral resource estimate of 77.51 million tonnes at average elemental metal grades of 0.15 per cent tin, 3655ppm lithium, 1355ppm rubidium, 82ppm tantalum and 114ppm niobium. In comparison, Askari's highlighted historical rock chip oxide numbers - drawn from 1163 samples - convert to elemental metal equivalents as 3.19 per cent tin, 7589ppm rubidium and 918ppm tantalum. Askari's 2-kilometre by 26-metre OP pegmatite target features high-grade mineralisation up to 1.64 per cent tin oxide, 392ppm tantalum pentoxide and 0.22 per cent rubidium oxide. Rock chip samples from its PS pegmatite exhibit values to 1.63 per cent tin oxide, 639ppm tantalum pentoxide and 0.27 per cent rubidium oxide. Fieldwork at its DP pegmatite target has also revealed high-grade mineralisation with values up to 0.89 per cent tin oxide, 635ppm tantalum pentoxide and 0.29 per cent rubidium oxide. Other pegmatites near the DP target produced higher grades, with best results including 4.05 per cent tin oxide, 1121ppm tantalum pentoxide and 0.44 per cent rubidium oxide. The three projects lie in a cluster close to the northern border of the tenement, about 3.5km southwest of Andrada's mining operation. Askari also has a fourth established K9 target, about 5km south of the triad of targets near the tenement border. K9 also shows respectable grades, with values up to 0.27 per cent tin oxide, 216ppm tantalum pentoxide and 0.49 per cent rubidium oxide. Historical drilling on the tenement also produced high-grade intercepts, which include 4m assaying 0.16 per cent tin oxide, including 1m at 0.26 per cent, 4m at 314ppm tantalum pentoxide, including 1m at 695ppm, and 2m at 0.30 per cent rubidium oxide, including 1m at 0.38 per cent. The highest tin grade obtained from the results is 4.05 per cent tin oxide, which equates to 3.19 per cent tin, while 66 samples produced grades of more than 0.25 per cent tin oxide or 0.19 per cent tin. At the OP target, analyses from 175 drilling samples yielded an average grade of 0.11 per cent tin oxide, while 175 samples from the company's DP target averaged 0.19 per cent tin oxide. The results point to strong tin potential within the licence. The company has also identified significant tantalum mineralisation in the central licence area, which has produced three top grades of 1121ppm, 803ppm and 639ppm tantalum pentoxide. A total of 268 samples assayed better than 100ppm tantalum pentoxide, which points to significant potential for the valuable metal in the northeastern corner of the licence area. Rubidium hits attain a maximum of 0.83 per cent rubidium oxide, with 61 samples assaying better than 0.2 per cent rubidium oxide and 174 samples from the DP target averaged 0.14 per cent rubidium oxide. With rubidium rising in significance in the growing panoply of critical commodities, the prevalence of the metal in Askari's Uis ground could prove to be an important sweetener to any future production stream. Importantly, in addition to the company's known PS, OP, DP and K9 pegmatite targets, its exhaustive review of historic assay data has highlighted three significant new anomalous tin, tantalum and rubidium zones that extend northwest within and parallel to the northern licence border. These distinct individual trends range from 2km to 4km long and are centred between 2km to 3km inside the northern licence border, northwest of the PS, OP, DP cluster. Askari is looking at further exploration to develop and expand the known tin and tantalum mineralisation in the central licence area. The company will review its phase one trenching assays from the licence when they are received and plans to undertake detailed mapping and rock chip sampling of the three new target zones northwest of the current target cluster. Subject to trenching results and indications from detailed mapping, Askari also plans to mobilise an excavator to site for a phase two trenching program. The company's immediate further work will focus on better defining the company's tin and tantalum targets across the licence and will also embrace extensions of the known current OP and DP targets. The Uis project is shaping up to be a valuable polymetallic project with strong economic potential. It is rapidly emerging as a major but significantly under-explored asset for the company.
