Latest news with #PakistanTehreek-e-Insaf
Business Recorder
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Business Recorder
Punjab Assembly Speaker suspends 26 opposition members
The Speaker of the Punjab Assembly Malik Ahmed Khan on Saturday suspended 26 members of the opposition party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), for disrupting Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz's speech and causing chaos in the assembly session, according to Aaj News. The Assembly Secretariat confirmed that the suspension was issued under Rule 210(3) of the Assembly Rules, barring the members from attending the next 15 assembly sittings. During the session, opposition members shouted slogans, engaged in physical shoving, and tore official documents, violating the assembly's rules of conduct. The Speaker 'condemned' their behavior, saying such disorderly conduct damages the dignity and discipline of the House. He acknowledged that while protesting is a right of assembly members, it must follow the limits set by the Constitution and parliamentary procedures. The Speaker emphasized that maintaining order in the assembly is essential and will be strictly enforced. The suspended lawmakers include Malik Fahad Masood, Muhammad Tanveer Aslam, SSyed Riffat Mehmood, Yasir Mahmood, Kaleem Ullah, Ansar Iqbal, Ali Asif, Zulfiqar Ali Shah, Ahmad Mujtaba Chaudhary, Imtiaz Mehmood, Ali Imtiaz, Muhammad Ejaz Shafi, Sajjad Ahmad, and others. The suspension came after the opposition's loud protests disrupted the assembly during the Chief Minister's address, forcing the Speaker to take action to uphold the assembly's dignity and ensure smooth proceedings.
Business Recorder
9 hours ago
- Business
- Business Recorder
PTI says budget will enrich elite at the cost of masses in Pakistan
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Friday launched a scathing attack on the recently passed Federal Budget for 2025-26, denouncing it as a 'banker's blueprint' crafted to enrich the elite at the expense of the masses. Speaking at a presser, the opposition leader in National Assembly Omar Ayub, flanked by Asad Qaiser, Gohar Ali Khan, and other senior party leaders, condemned the budget as a 'giveaway written by a banker, for his banker buddies'. 'This is not a people's budget; it's a banker's business plan,' Ayub said. 'The hybrid regime plans to borrow another Rs6,300 billion from local banks, allowing four or five bank owners to graduate from billionaires to trillionaires. Meanwhile, the nation sinks deeper into debt.' Ayub accused the government of both fiscal cruelty and political repression, warning that the prices of essential commodities such as flour, sugar, and lentils would soar under the new fiscal measures. 'They couldn't even face the opposition in Parliament. Both the finance minister and the prime minister evaded accountability.' Moreover, Ayub claimed that former MNA Ijaz Chaudhry was abducted in the dead of night, while former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi remain in jail as hostages of political vendetta. He said several senior PTI leaders including Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Omar Cheema, Hassaan Niazi, and Yasmin Rashid and others were imprisoned without bail. However, Asad Qaiser accused the government of reducing Parliament to a rubber stamp. MNA Sanaullah Mastikhel criticising the powerful energy lobbies, alleged that Independent Power Producers (IPPs) were 'untouchable profiteers' who have plundered the nation for decades under successive governments. 'These IPPs have become a cartel, bleeding the country dry through inflated capacity payments and ironclad contracts. They get paid whether they produce electricity or not while the average Pakistani is left in the dark, both literally and financially.' Masti accused the government of shielding these corporate giants while the public suffers from rolling blackouts and sky-high electricity bills. 'Every time the people tighten their belts, these energy barons loosen theirs. And now, with this budget, the same crooks are getting even more incentives. It is daylight robbery, institutionalised.' He demanded an open audit of all IPP contracts and called for a complete overhaul of the power sector. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Business Recorder
14 hours ago
- Business
- Business Recorder
PTI says budget will enrich elite at the cost of masses
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Friday launched a scathing attack on the recently passed Federal Budget for 2025-26, denouncing it as a 'banker's blueprint' crafted to enrich the elite at the expense of the masses. Speaking at a presser, the opposition leader in National Assembly Omar Ayub, flanked by Asad Qaiser, Gohar Ali Khan, and other senior party leaders, condemned the budget as a 'giveaway written by a banker, for his banker buddies'. 'This is not a people's budget; it's a banker's business plan,' Ayub said. 'The hybrid regime plans to borrow another Rs6,300 billion from local banks, allowing four or five bank owners to graduate from billionaires to trillionaires. Meanwhile, the nation sinks deeper into debt.' Ayub accused the government of both fiscal cruelty and political repression, warning that the prices of essential commodities such as flour, sugar, and lentils would soar under the new fiscal measures. 'They couldn't even face the opposition in Parliament. Both the finance minister and the prime minister evaded accountability.' Moreover, Ayub claimed that former MNA Ijaz Chaudhry was abducted in the dead of night, while former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi remain in jail as hostages of political vendetta. He said several senior PTI leaders including Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Omar Cheema, Hassaan Niazi, and Yasmin Rashid and others were imprisoned without bail. However, Asad Qaiser accused the government of reducing Parliament to a rubber stamp. MNA Sanaullah Mastikhel criticising the powerful energy lobbies, alleged that Independent Power Producers (IPPs) were 'untouchable profiteers' who have plundered the nation for decades under successive governments. 'These IPPs have become a cartel, bleeding the country dry through inflated capacity payments and ironclad contracts. They get paid whether they produce electricity or not while the average Pakistani is left in the dark, both literally and financially.' Masti accused the government of shielding these corporate giants while the public suffers from rolling blackouts and sky-high electricity bills. 'Every time the people tighten their belts, these energy barons loosen theirs. And now, with this budget, the same crooks are getting even more incentives. It is daylight robbery, institutionalised.' He demanded an open audit of all IPP contracts and called for a complete overhaul of the power sector. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Business Recorder
14 hours ago
- Politics
- Business Recorder
PTI assails SC verdict
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Friday criticised on the Supreme Court's Constitutional Bench verdict in the reserved seats review case, alleging that it was violation of the party's constitutional rights. Speaking at a presser following the apex court's ruling, PTI spokesman Sheikh Waqas Akram termed the verdict a blatant attempt to trample on the will of the people and desecrate their votes. He alleged that the judgment was a dark stain in Pakistan's constitutional and democratic history, exposing the catastrophic fallout of the controversial 26th Constitutional Amendment. 'This amendment has crippled the judiciary and wiped He alleged that the judiciary was siding with a 'privileged elite' while stabbing fairness in the back, redistributing 'PTI's hard-earned seats to parties rejected by the voters'. Labelling the verdict as part of a vicious, ongoing campaign against PTI, Akram dredged up what he called a blatant electoral fraud of the February 8, 2024 polls to the relentless harassment and intimidation of party workers and candidates. He claimed that the prolonged imprisonment of PTI chief Imran Khan and senior leaders was a punishment for daring to defend constitutional supremacy and democratic freedoms. He opined that the country can no longer claim to be a constitutional or representative democracy. However, he reiterated his g faith in the masses and in Imran Khan's leadership. 'Truth will prevail. The constitution will be restored. And the people's mandate will roar back to life.' Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Business Recorder
2 days ago
- Politics
- Business Recorder
PTI's Gohar, Omar, other leaders acquitted in two cases
ISLAMABAD: A local court has acquitted Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders, including party chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Omar Ayub Khan, citing insufficient evidence and vague allegations in the two cases filed against them. Judicial Magistrate Shahzad Khan issued a detailed judgment regarding the acquittal of PTI leaders, Aamir Mughal, Ali Bukhari, Shoaib Shaheen, Malik Rafique, and others from two cases registered under sections, 159, 188, 186,353 under PPC and another case under Sections 506II,290,341, 188,159,353,186 under PPC at Karachi Company police station, stating that the prosecution failed to present 'cogent, strong, and hard evidence' necessary for conviction. The court dismissed the charges, calling the continuation of the trial a 'sheer waste of court['s] time.' The judgment highlighted that it is evident that the case against the petitioners and other accused individuals is fraught with serious legal and factual deficiencies. The allegations are vague and lack specificity, the prosecution has failed to establish individual roles or a common objective, and no incriminating evidence has been recovered from the accused persons/petitioners, it says. It says these shortcomings collectively weaken the prosecution's case and raise significant doubts about the validity of the charges. 'Without further evidence or clarification, the case appears to be built on shaky foundations, and the accused cannot be held liable for the alleged offenses based on the current record', it says, adding that as such, the charges against the petitioners and other accused individuals may well be dismissed for lack of merit. It says that the record reflects that general allegations are levelled in the first information report (FIR) and no specific role has been attributed to the present accused persons/petitioners. The record further shows that accused persons/petitioners, along with approximately 150 people, made a procession in which they made slogans against the state and also violated the lawful order of the authority; resultantly a case was registered, it says. The judgment says a critical issue is that the allegations are entirely general, targeting a large group of around 150 individuals without attributing any specific role, act, or overt criminal intent to the accused petitioners. This violates a fundamental principle of criminal law that accusations must be clear, specific, and individually attributable to sustain a prosecution, it says. It says that shockingly, despite the alleged involvement of 150 people, only two witnesses were cited in the challan, and there is no CCTV footage, NADRA facial recognition data, or other forensic evidence to connect the petitioners to the offence. Additionally, the absence of modern investigative techniques (CCTV, biometric verification) violates the right to a fair trial under Article 10A of the Constitution, it says. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
