Prime Minister Imran Khan should be the first to pay a penalty to get his posh Bani Gala property here regularised, Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Saqib Nisar said on Monday.&nbsp;

A three-member bench of the Supreme Court headed by Justice Nisar heard a case regarding encroachments in Bani Gala, a residential area located in Islamabad at the eastern bank of Rawal Lake.

The cricketer-turned-politician had sought the court's attention towards the large-scale encroachment, unchecked and unplanned construction in Bani Gala, massive denuding due to massive tree felling and pollution of the Rawal Lake due to sewage.

The apex court observed that it is the job of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-led (PTI) government of Khan to regularise all properties located in the Bani Gala area, including his private residence, Dawn newspaper reported.

Recalling that it was Khan himself who had approached the apex court with an application regarding illegal constructions in Bani Gala, Chief Justice Nisar said the prime minister would have to initiate the process of regularisation of the area by paying the required fine.

"Imran Khan should submit fees towards regularisation before anyone else," directed Justice Nisar.

During the hearing, the additional attorney general presented a report prepared by the Survey of Pakistan regarding illegal constructions in Bani Gala. He informed the court that the reports prepared by the Capital Development Authority and the federal ombudsman are similar to the report of Survey of Pakistan.

The top judge wondered how encroachments could be removed in Bani Gala, saying that besides illegal constructions issues like security and pollution are also impacting the area.

He said a new government is now in power and it should look towards resolving these issues.

"Those responsible for illegal constructions need to be fined," the top judge remarked.

Turning to Prime Minister Khan's counsel Babar Awan, the chief justice asked, "You are part of the government, tell us what measures are being taken to regularise properties."

In response, Awan said, "The Cabinet is taking up this matter."

Justice Nisar then remarked, "Prime Minister Imran will also have to get his property regularised and if it is not already then he should pay a penalty and get it done."

He observed that while the constructions outside the limits of Korang riverbed could not be razed, those within its perimeters are "not acceptable in any condition".

He directed the federal government to regularise all constructions in the area, including its own.

Wrapping up the case to the extent of encroachments, the bench also ordered the government to pay its own penalties, and collect those due to be paid by citizens.

The top court ordered authorities to demolish all unauthorised constructions around Korang riverbed in the light of the report drafted by the Survey of Pakistan.

The hearing of the case was adjourned until October 12.&nbsp;

Prime Minister Imran Khan should be the first to pay a penalty to get his posh Bani Gala property here regularised, Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Saqib Nisar said on Monday.

Prime Minister Imran Khan should be the first to pay a penalty to get his posh Bani Gala property here regularised, Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Saqib Nisar said on Monday. A three-member bench of the Supreme Court headed by Justice Nisar heard a case regarding encroachments in Bani Gala, a residential area located in Islamabad at the eastern bank of Rawal Lake. The cricketer-turned-politician had sought the court's attention towards the large-scale encroachment, unchecked and unplanned construction in Bani Gala, massive denuding due to massive tree felling and pollution of the Rawal Lake due to sewage. The apex court observed that it is the job of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-led (PTI) government of Khan to regularise all properties located in the Bani Gala area, including his private residence, Dawn newspaper reported. Recalling that it was Khan himself who had approached the apex court with an application regarding illegal constructions in Bani Gala, Chief Justice Nisar said the prime minister would have to initiate the process of regularisation of the area by paying the required fine. "Imran Khan should submit fees towards regularisation before anyone else," directed Justice Nisar. During the hearing, the additional attorney general presented a report prepared by the Survey of Pakistan regarding illegal constructions in Bani Gala. He informed the court that the reports prepared by the Capital Development Authority and the federal ombudsman are similar to the report of Survey of Pakistan. The top judge wondered how encroachments could be removed in Bani Gala, saying that besides illegal constructions issues like security and pollution are also impacting the area. He said a new government is now in power and it should look towards resolving these issues. "Those responsible for illegal constructions need to be fined," the top judge remarked. Turning to Prime Minister Khan's counsel Babar Awan, the chief justice asked, "You are part of the government, tell us what measures are being taken to regularise properties." In response, Awan said, "The Cabinet is taking up this matter." Justice Nisar then remarked, "Prime Minister Imran will also have to get his property regularised and if it is not already then he should pay a penalty and get it done." He observed that while the constructions outside the limits of Korang riverbed could not be razed, those within its perimeters are "not acceptable in any condition". He directed the federal government to regularise all constructions in the area, including its own. Wrapping up the case to the extent of encroachments, the bench also ordered the government to pay its own penalties, and collect those due to be paid by citizens. The top court ordered authorities to demolish all unauthorised constructions around Korang riverbed in the light of the report drafted by the Survey of Pakistan. The hearing of the case was adjourned until October 12.

Pak SC asks PM Imran to pay fine to reguralise Bani Gala property

Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan's cabinet minister, Noor Ul Haq Qadri, was spotted sharing the stage with Lashkar-e-Taiba chief and 26/11 Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed on Sunday at an event in Islamabad.

According to reports, Qadri, who is the Minister of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony in Imran Khan's government, was seen seated at the stage where terror mastermind Hafiz Saeed was also sitting.&nbsp;

The incident has raised questions on the Imran Khan-led government's commitment towards resolving Indo-Pak ties and clamming down on terrorism.&nbsp;

The incident comes shortly after Union External Affairs Minister, <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/sushma-swaraj-exposes-pakistans-duplicity-terror-unga-168464">Sushma Swaraj, exposed Pakistan's duplicity on terror</a> at the United Nations on Saturday.

At the 73rd United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Saturday, Swaraj said, "Our neighbour's expertise is not restricted to spawning grounds for terrorism; it is also an expert in trying to mask malevolence with verbal duplicity."

Swaraj lashed out at Islamabad for abetting and aiding terrorist and terrorist groups.&nbsp;

"Pakistan's commitment to terrorism as an instrument of official policy has not abated one bit," she added.

Pakistani PM Imran Khan had sought a meeting between Indian External Affairs Minister and Pakistan's Foreign Minister Qureshi on the sidelines of UNGA. India had initially agreed to the talks but declined over the recent killing of jawans at the border.&nbsp;

Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan's cabinet minister, Noor Ul Haq Qadri, was spotted sharing the stage with Lashkar-e-Taiba chief and 26/11 Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed on Sunday at an event in Islamabad.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan's cabinet minister, Noor Ul Haq Qadri, was spotted sharing the stage with Lashkar-e-Taiba chief and 26/11 Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed on Sunday at an event in Islamabad. According to reports, Qadri, who is the Minister of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony in Imran Khan's government, was seen seated at the stage where terror mastermind Hafiz Saeed was also sitting. The incident has raised questions on the Imran Khan-led government's commitment towards resolving Indo-Pak ties and clamming down on terrorism. The incident comes shortly after Union External Affairs Minister, Sushma Swaraj, exposed Pakistan's duplicity on terror at the United Nations on Saturday. At the 73rd United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Saturday, Swaraj said, "Our neighbour's expertise is not restricted to spawning grounds for terrorism; it is also an expert in trying to mask malevolence with verbal duplicity." Swaraj lashed out at Islamabad for abetting and aiding terrorist and terrorist groups. "Pakistan's commitment to terrorism as an instrument of official policy has not abated one bit," she added. Pakistani PM Imran Khan had sought a meeting between Indian External Affairs Minister and Pakistan's Foreign Minister Qureshi on the sidelines of UNGA. India had initially agreed to the talks but declined over the recent killing of jawans at the border.

After Swaraj lashes out at Pak, Imran Khan's minister spotted sharing stage with Hafiz Saeed

Lt Gen Asim Munir is likely to be made the new chief of Pakistan's powerful spy agency ISI after &nbsp;Lt General Naveed Mukhtar, and four other three-star generals retired on Monday, reports said.&nbsp;

As per reports, General Qamar Bajwa approved the promotion of Gen Munir and the six other generals on Monday.&nbsp;

It is highly expected that Lt Gen Munir would be appointed as the Director General of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), The News reported.

Traditionally, the coveted slot of DG ISI, considered the most powerful after the army chief’s post, goes to a three-star general with a considerable experience of working in intelligence agencies.

According to the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), the promoted officers are: Maj Gen Nadeem Zaki Manj, Vice Chief of General Staff Maj Gen Shaheen Mazhar, ISI DG (Planning) Maj Gen Abdul Aziz, Military Intelligence Director General Maj Gen Asim Munir, Maj Gen Syed Muhammad Adnan and Frontier Corps IG Maj Gen Waseem Ashraf.

Besides director general of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lt Gen Mukhtar, the others retiring on Monday are Peshawar Corps Commander Lt General Nazir Ahmad Butt, Commander of Army's Strategic Forces Command (ASFC) Lt General Mian Mohammad Hilal Hussain, Military Secretary at the General Headquarters (GHQ) Lt General Ghayur Mehmood and Inspector General of Training and Evaluation, GHQ, Lt General Hidayatur Rehman, Dawn newspaper reported.

Lt Gen Asim Munir is likely to be made the new chief of Pakistan's powerful spy agency ISI after Lt General Naveed Mukhtar, and four other three-star generals retired on Monday, reports said.

Lt Gen Asim Munir is likely to be made the new chief of Pakistan's powerful spy agency ISI after Lt General Naveed Mukhtar, and four other three-star generals retired on Monday, reports said. As per reports, General Qamar Bajwa approved the promotion of Gen Munir and the six other generals on Monday. It is highly expected that Lt Gen Munir would be appointed as the Director General of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), The News reported. Traditionally, the coveted slot of DG ISI, considered the most powerful after the army chief’s post, goes to a three-star general with a considerable experience of working in intelligence agencies. According to the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), the promoted officers are: Maj Gen Nadeem Zaki Manj, Vice Chief of General Staff Maj Gen Shaheen Mazhar, ISI DG (Planning) Maj Gen Abdul Aziz, Military Intelligence Director General Maj Gen Asim Munir, Maj Gen Syed Muhammad Adnan and Frontier Corps IG Maj Gen Waseem Ashraf. Besides director general of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lt Gen Mukhtar, the others retiring on Monday are Peshawar Corps Commander Lt General Nazir Ahmad Butt, Commander of Army's Strategic Forces Command (ASFC) Lt General Mian Mohammad Hilal Hussain, Military Secretary at the General Headquarters (GHQ) Lt General Ghayur Mehmood and Inspector General of Training and Evaluation, GHQ, Lt General Hidayatur Rehman, Dawn newspaper reported.

Lt Gen Asim Munir likely to be appointed as new ISI chief 

By Saloni Kapur

Pakistan’s prime minister Imran Khan called in September for a meeting between the Pakistani and Indian foreign ministers at the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly. The Indian foreign ministry initially confirmed that the two ministers would meet in New York. But, the following day, India cancelled over the killing of police officers in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir and the July 2018 release of Pakistani stamps depicting Kashmiri separatist fighters.

The cancellation of the meeting highlights the tense diplomatic relationship between Pakistan and India, which has long marred the prospects for regional cooperation in the broader South Asian region. However, as I argue in my forthcoming book, Pakistan after Trump: International Society’s Role in Counterterrorism Cooperation, despite the antagonism that has characterised relations in the Pakistan-India-Afghanistan triangle, all three states have consistently turned to the institutions of international society to resolve conflicts.

This was most recently exemplified by Khan’s diplomatic outreach towards India, and indicates that there are strong institutional foundations on which policymakers could build more cooperative relationships based on a recognition of shared values and interests. This challenges the assumption that the roots of conflict in the region are too deep to be dislodged.

The institutions of regional society 
 
Pakistan and India have fought three wars over the contested province of Jammu and Kashmir. While it may seem counter-intuitive to suggest that war is an institution of international society, its established rules make it an effective way of resolving interstate conflicts, maintaining a regional balance of power, bringing about shifts in international law, demarcating the borders between states, and enhancing justice in international society. This is not to suggest that war is “good,” but that it fulfils certain functions in international relations.

The first war, in 1947-48, transferred control over part of Jammu and Kashmir to Pakistan. A balance of power is a precondition of a regional society of states wherein countries cooperate in the functioning of shared institutions to realise common interests. In South Asia, where India is the predominant power, the 1947-48 war gave Pakistan control over the strategically important territory of Gilgit-Baltistan, which shares borders with Afghanistan and China and through which the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor now passes. Moreover, in the face of the failure of UN resolutions adopted from 1948 to 1951 to enforce the conduct of a plebiscite in the Muslim-majority province, the war brought about a transfer of territory that signified progress towards a settlement of the issue.

Pakistan regularly issues calls for the plebiscite to be held, while a retired Indian diplomat I interviewed in November 2016 told me that the only reason for the referendum not taking place was Pakistan’s failure to withdraw its troops from the province as per the terms of the UN resolutions. This suggests that both countries acknowledge the UN-mandated plebiscite, which represents the application of international law and democracy to resolve the conflict.

Also significant are the Karachi and Simla agreements. The Karachi Agreement of 1949 brought about the demarcation of a ceasefire line in Jammu and Kashmir. The Simla Agreement of 1972 introduced the Line of Control, which remains the de-facto border in Jammu and Kashmir. It also declared that India and Pakistan would peacefully resolve their differences through negotiations or other means. These agreements again show efforts to use international law to sort out the Kashmir conflict.

Human rights are an emergent norm in international society. Pakistan has repeatedly drawn attention to human rights violations in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir. The rape and murder of a Muslim child in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir also triggered widespread protests in mainland India in 2018 after provincial ministers defended the suspects. This marks a shift in the public narrative on human rights in Jammu and Kashmir within India. It highlights the potential for civil society to pressure both governments into negotiating a resolution of the conflict in a way that respects the rights of local people.

On transnational terrorism, the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation’s (SAARC) Convention on Suppression of Terrorism and its additional protocols represent legal efforts to forge regional counter-terrorism cooperation by SAARC’s member states, which include India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Diplomatic counter-terrorism initiatives by South Asian states have included the India-Pakistan Joint Anti-Terror Mechanism of 2006 and the SAARC Terrorist Offences Monitoring Desk of 1990.

Reason for hope

In 2016, India and Pakistan attempted to share information and collaboratively investigate a militant attack in the Indian city of Pathankot. Continued diplomatic engagement between the civilian administrations of both countries, even when attacks take place, would help to counter a longstanding pattern of terrorist attacks disrupting attempts to resume the peace process. It would also sideline the forces that benefit from the ongoing conflict.

International efforts, including the US, China and Russia, to negotiate with the Afghan Taliban are also evidence of a broad attempt to bring stability to Afghanistan. Willingness on the part of Afghanistan, Pakistan and India to participate in these diplomatic overtures underscores all three states’ efforts to engage with the institutions of diplomacy and great power management in order to stabilise the wider region.

Thus, Pakistan, India and Afghanistan have repeatedly turned to the shared rules, norms and institutions of international society to work out their problems. There is sufficient shared ground on which to build mutual understandings on contentious issues. Regional cooperation is in the interest of all three states and would weaken the actors who benefit from conflict.

India’s and Pakistan’s admission to, and Afghanistan’s observer status in, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation – an Asian security cooperation organisation led by China and Russia – are cause for hope. The rising clout of China and Russia in the international order may provide the necessary pressure for all three South Asian states to engage more constructively in regional security cooperation in the medium to long term.

(Saloni Kapur is PhD Candidate in International Relations, Lancaster University) 
&nbsp;

(This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article)

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

By Saloni Kapur Pakistan’s prime minister Imran Khan called in September for a meeting between the Pakistani and Indian foreign ministers at the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly.

By Saloni Kapur Pakistan’s prime minister Imran Khan called in September for a meeting between the Pakistani and Indian foreign ministers at the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly. The Indian foreign ministry initially confirmed that the two ministers would meet in New York. But, the following day, India cancelled over the killing of police officers in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir and the July 2018 release of Pakistani stamps depicting Kashmiri separatist fighters. The cancellation of the meeting highlights the tense diplomatic relationship between Pakistan and India, which has long marred the prospects for regional cooperation in the broader South Asian region. However, as I argue in my forthcoming book, Pakistan after Trump: International Society’s Role in Counterterrorism Cooperation, despite the antagonism that has characterised relations in the Pakistan-India-Afghanistan triangle, all three states have consistently turned to the institutions of international society to resolve conflicts. This was most recently exemplified by Khan’s diplomatic outreach towards India, and indicates that there are strong institutional foundations on which policymakers could build more cooperative relationships based on a recognition of shared values and interests. This challenges the assumption that the roots of conflict in the region are too deep to be dislodged. The institutions of regional society Pakistan and India have fought three wars over the contested province of Jammu and Kashmir. While it may seem counter-intuitive to suggest that war is an institution of international society, its established rules make it an effective way of resolving interstate conflicts, maintaining a regional balance of power, bringing about shifts in international law, demarcating the borders between states, and enhancing justice in international society. This is not to suggest that war is “good,” but that it fulfils certain functions in international relations. The first war, in 1947-48, transferred control over part of Jammu and Kashmir to Pakistan. A balance of power is a precondition of a regional society of states wherein countries cooperate in the functioning of shared institutions to realise common interests. In South Asia, where India is the predominant power, the 1947-48 war gave Pakistan control over the strategically important territory of Gilgit-Baltistan, which shares borders with Afghanistan and China and through which the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor now passes. Moreover, in the face of the failure of UN resolutions adopted from 1948 to 1951 to enforce the conduct of a plebiscite in the Muslim-majority province, the war brought about a transfer of territory that signified progress towards a settlement of the issue. Pakistan regularly issues calls for the plebiscite to be held, while a retired Indian diplomat I interviewed in November 2016 told me that the only reason for the referendum not taking place was Pakistan’s failure to withdraw its troops from the province as per the terms of the UN resolutions. This suggests that both countries acknowledge the UN-mandated plebiscite, which represents the application of international law and democracy to resolve the conflict. Also significant are the Karachi and Simla agreements. The Karachi Agreement of 1949 brought about the demarcation of a ceasefire line in Jammu and Kashmir. The Simla Agreement of 1972 introduced the Line of Control, which remains the de-facto border in Jammu and Kashmir. It also declared that India and Pakistan would peacefully resolve their differences through negotiations or other means. These agreements again show efforts to use international law to sort out the Kashmir conflict. Human rights are an emergent norm in international society. Pakistan has repeatedly drawn attention to human rights violations in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir. The rape and murder of a Muslim child in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir also triggered widespread protests in mainland India in 2018 after provincial ministers defended the suspects. This marks a shift in the public narrative on human rights in Jammu and Kashmir within India. It highlights the potential for civil society to pressure both governments into negotiating a resolution of the conflict in a way that respects the rights of local people. On transnational terrorism, the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation’s (SAARC) Convention on Suppression of Terrorism and its additional protocols represent legal efforts to forge regional counter-terrorism cooperation by SAARC’s member states, which include India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Diplomatic counter-terrorism initiatives by South Asian states have included the India-Pakistan Joint Anti-Terror Mechanism of 2006 and the SAARC Terrorist Offences Monitoring Desk of 1990. Reason for hope In 2016, India and Pakistan attempted to share information and collaboratively investigate a militant attack in the Indian city of Pathankot. Continued diplomatic engagement between the civilian administrations of both countries, even when attacks take place, would help to counter a longstanding pattern of terrorist attacks disrupting attempts to resume the peace process. It would also sideline the forces that benefit from the ongoing conflict. International efforts, including the US, China and Russia, to negotiate with the Afghan Taliban are also evidence of a broad attempt to bring stability to Afghanistan. Willingness on the part of Afghanistan, Pakistan and India to participate in these diplomatic overtures underscores all three states’ efforts to engage with the institutions of diplomacy and great power management in order to stabilise the wider region. Thus, Pakistan, India and Afghanistan have repeatedly turned to the shared rules, norms and institutions of international society to work out their problems. There is sufficient shared ground on which to build mutual understandings on contentious issues. Regional cooperation is in the interest of all three states and would weaken the actors who benefit from conflict. India’s and Pakistan’s admission to, and Afghanistan’s observer status in, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation – an Asian security cooperation organisation led by China and Russia – are cause for hope. The rising clout of China and Russia in the international order may provide the necessary pressure for all three South Asian states to engage more constructively in regional security cooperation in the medium to long term. (Saloni Kapur is PhD Candidate in International Relations, Lancaster University) (This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Regional cooperation could bring stability to South Asia

Pakistan Army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa called on Prime Minister Imran Khan Friday the third such meeting since he assumed the prime ministerial office in August -- and discussed with him&nbsp;"security and regional stability situation", according to media reports.

Director General of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lt Gen Naveed Mukhtar was also present during the meeting.&nbsp;

A statement by the Prime Minister's Office said that "security and regional stability situation" were discussed in the meeting, Dawn newspaper reported.

The interactions between the military head and newly elected premier have been frequent over the last one month.

The Army chief's maiden call on Khan took place on August 27, in which both had "expressed resolve to bring enduring peace and stability in the country while also continuing efforts for regional peace.

Khan visited the Army's General Headquarters on August 30 for a briefing on matters pertaining to national security.&nbsp;

The briefing which reportedly went on for more than seven hours covered security environment, threat spectrum and response, counterterrorism operations, the situation in Karachi and the Khushal Balochistan programme.

The Chief of Army Staff then called on the PM on September 3, ahead of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the US Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen Joseph Dunford's visit to Islamabad.

The elected prime minister, in an unprecedented move in recent times, was also invited to the annual Defence Day ceremony at the military headquarters on September 6, where the Army Chief has always been the main speaker.

In his speech at the ceremony, the Prime Minister had rejected the perception of civil-military imbalance in the country as a myth and said both sides were united to make the country great once again.

The following week on September 12, Khan visited the headquarters of the ISI where he was received by Gen Bajwa and Gen Mukhtar, and given a detailed briefing on "various strategic, intelligence and national security matters".

According to a statement by Federal Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry, the army chief and the ISI head had given an eight-hour-long briefing to the prime minister and the cabinet members who accompanied him.

Pakistan Army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa called on Prime Minister Imran Khan Friday the third such meeting since he assumed the prime ministerial office in August -- and discussed with him "security and regional stability situation", according to media reports.

Pakistan Army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa called on Prime Minister Imran Khan Friday the third such meeting since he assumed the prime ministerial office in August -- and discussed with him "security and regional stability situation", according to media reports. Director General of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lt Gen Naveed Mukhtar was also present during the meeting. A statement by the Prime Minister's Office said that "security and regional stability situation" were discussed in the meeting, Dawn newspaper reported. The interactions between the military head and newly elected premier have been frequent over the last one month. The Army chief's maiden call on Khan took place on August 27, in which both had "expressed resolve to bring enduring peace and stability in the country while also continuing efforts for regional peace. Khan visited the Army's General Headquarters on August 30 for a briefing on matters pertaining to national security. The briefing which reportedly went on for more than seven hours covered security environment, threat spectrum and response, counterterrorism operations, the situation in Karachi and the Khushal Balochistan programme. The Chief of Army Staff then called on the PM on September 3, ahead of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the US Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen Joseph Dunford's visit to Islamabad. The elected prime minister, in an unprecedented move in recent times, was also invited to the annual Defence Day ceremony at the military headquarters on September 6, where the Army Chief has always been the main speaker. In his speech at the ceremony, the Prime Minister had rejected the perception of civil-military imbalance in the country as a myth and said both sides were united to make the country great once again. The following week on September 12, Khan visited the headquarters of the ISI where he was received by Gen Bajwa and Gen Mukhtar, and given a detailed briefing on "various strategic, intelligence and national security matters". According to a statement by Federal Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry, the army chief and the ISI head had given an eight-hour-long briefing to the prime minister and the cabinet members who accompanied him.

Pak Army chief calls on PM Imran Khan, discusses security situation 

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan will visit China next month for his first trip to the country's all-weather ally, a media report said Friday.

A&nbsp;high-level delegation will also accompany Khan during his visit to China, Geo News&nbsp;quoting sources said.

It will be Khan's first visit to China after taking charge as Prime Minister in August.

Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqianq has invited Khan to visit China when he called the cricketer-turned-politician to congratulate him on his assumption of office.

The date of his visit in date and meeting schedule with Chinese officials is being finalised, the report said.

Khan will discuss the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project with Chinese leadership besides exchanging views on economic cooperation.

After assuming office, Khan first visited Saudi Arabia on September 18, where he met Saudi King Shah Salman, Prince Mohammad Bin Salman and discussed matters of mutual interest. He also visited the United Arab Emirates on September 19 and held talks with Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.&nbsp;

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan will visit China next month for his first trip to the country's all-weather ally, a media report said Friday. A high-level delegation will also accompany Khan during his visit to China, Geo News quoting sources said.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan will visit China next month for his first trip to the country's all-weather ally, a media report said Friday. A high-level delegation will also accompany Khan during his visit to China, Geo News quoting sources said. It will be Khan's first visit to China after taking charge as Prime Minister in August. Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqianq has invited Khan to visit China when he called the cricketer-turned-politician to congratulate him on his assumption of office. The date of his visit in date and meeting schedule with Chinese officials is being finalised, the report said. Khan will discuss the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project with Chinese leadership besides exchanging views on economic cooperation. After assuming office, Khan first visited Saudi Arabia on September 18, where he met Saudi King Shah Salman, Prince Mohammad Bin Salman and discussed matters of mutual interest. He also visited the United Arab Emirates on September 19 and held talks with Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan to visit China next month: Report

It's a far cry from those sponsored Facebook posts asking you to invest in a start-up's new digital watch or an unbreakable phone case.

But Imran Khan wants Pakistanis to crowdfund a whopping $14 billion for desperately needed dams, a plea capitalising on nationalist fervour but ridiculed by detractors as unrealistic.

If it succeeded it would be the largest crowdfunding effort in history -- shattering the current Kickstarter record 700 times over.

But while Pakistanis have responded to Khan's plea with enthusiasm, the tally so far is just a drop in the ocean of what's needed to alleviate the country's chronic water crisis.&nbsp;

"We have only 30 days water storage capacity," cricketer-turned-premier Khan warned in a televised appeal this month.

"We already have so many loans that we have problems in paying them back... We alone will have to build this dam, and we can."

The biggest crowdfunding effort in the world to date, a Kickstarter campaign for the Pebble Time Smartwatch, raised just over $20 million in 32 days, according to the Wall Street Journal.

But Khan appeared undaunted by the magnitude of what he was asking.

If the millions of Pakistanis living overseas all contribute $1,000 then Pakistan will have the funds to build the dams, he claimed.

"I promise to you that I will safeguard your money," he added.

Critics say Khan's plan is little more than pie in the sky.

"You can't collect $14 billion via crowdfunding. It's not feasible," Khaleeq Kiani, senior economics correspondent with Pakistani daily Dawn, told AFP.&nbsp;

"We have no example in which such a huge amount was collected to build such a huge project."

'Absolute water scarcity'

Few would deny Pakistan desperately needs new reservoirs.&nbsp;

The country is rich in glaciers and rivers, but has just two large-capacity dams, and has for decades slept through warnings of a water crisis. With its surging population experts warn Pakistan faces "absolute water scarcity" by 2025.&nbsp;

The government's plan is to build two facilities: the Mohmand dam in the country's northwest, widely seen as feasible, and the much larger, troubled Diamer-Basha project in the north, first mooted in the early 2000s.

Its location in territory disputed by India means major international donors have refused funding, while financing terms proposed by ally China were rejected as too harsh.&nbsp;

Experts also question whether the Diamer-Basha dam is feasible in an earthquake-prone region, while others point out that simply patching up Pakistan's current water infrastructure and rethinking its water policies would be more efficient.&nbsp;

This summer the issue caught the attention of maverick Supreme Court Chief Justice Saqib Nisar, who created the dam fund in July.

Khan's decision to join the fray in September has transformed Nisar's idea into a nationalist cause, with the fund at the State Bank of Pakistan doubling to $33 million, or 0.25 percent of the target.

That includes a $9,740 donation from the national football team, its winnings from a recent tournament, along with $8 million worth of salaries donated by the powerful army.

'Every single rupee'

The donations have flowed despite the fact that Khan, who took power in August, has offered no detailed plan for the money -- or explained how Pakistanis could recoup their cash if the project fails.

The lack of specifics has not bothered many citizens who, in a country riddled with corruption, have placed their faith in "honest" Khan.&nbsp;

"Imran Khan will take care of every single rupee," said Islamabad shopkeeper Muhammad Naseem.

Khan has form. He built two of the country's only state-of-the-art cancer hospitals purely on donations, raising over $300 million to date, a campaign that laid the foundations for his political career.

Concerns about the fundraising have centred on the Chief Justice Nisar, who used his power to force people to donate, demanding one lawyer give $8,000 if he wanted more time in preparing his case.&nbsp;

Nisar has even suggested that opposing the fund was tantamount to treason.

The remarks invited a backlash.&nbsp;

Political analyst Ijaz Haider, writing in the Pakistani edition of Newsweek, wondered if experts who pointed out legitimate problems might find themselves in trouble.

Would they be "considered traitors to the cause?" he wrote.

It's a far cry from those sponsored Facebook posts asking you to invest in a start-up's new digital watch or an unbreakable phone case. But Imran Khan wants Pakistanis to crowdfund a whopping $14 billion for desperately needed dams, a plea capitalising on nationalist fervour but ridiculed by detractors as unrealistic.

It's a far cry from those sponsored Facebook posts asking you to invest in a start-up's new digital watch or an unbreakable phone case. But Imran Khan wants Pakistanis to crowdfund a whopping $14 billion for desperately needed dams, a plea capitalising on nationalist fervour but ridiculed by detractors as unrealistic. If it succeeded it would be the largest crowdfunding effort in history -- shattering the current Kickstarter record 700 times over. But while Pakistanis have responded to Khan's plea with enthusiasm, the tally so far is just a drop in the ocean of what's needed to alleviate the country's chronic water crisis. "We have only 30 days water storage capacity," cricketer-turned-premier Khan warned in a televised appeal this month. "We already have so many loans that we have problems in paying them back... We alone will have to build this dam, and we can." The biggest crowdfunding effort in the world to date, a Kickstarter campaign for the Pebble Time Smartwatch, raised just over $20 million in 32 days, according to the Wall Street Journal. But Khan appeared undaunted by the magnitude of what he was asking. If the millions of Pakistanis living overseas all contribute $1,000 then Pakistan will have the funds to build the dams, he claimed. "I promise to you that I will safeguard your money," he added. Critics say Khan's plan is little more than pie in the sky. "You can't collect $14 billion via crowdfunding. It's not feasible," Khaleeq Kiani, senior economics correspondent with Pakistani daily Dawn, told AFP. "We have no example in which such a huge amount was collected to build such a huge project." 'Absolute water scarcity' Few would deny Pakistan desperately needs new reservoirs. The country is rich in glaciers and rivers, but has just two large-capacity dams, and has for decades slept through warnings of a water crisis. With its surging population experts warn Pakistan faces "absolute water scarcity" by 2025. The government's plan is to build two facilities: the Mohmand dam in the country's northwest, widely seen as feasible, and the much larger, troubled Diamer-Basha project in the north, first mooted in the early 2000s. Its location in territory disputed by India means major international donors have refused funding, while financing terms proposed by ally China were rejected as too harsh. Experts also question whether the Diamer-Basha dam is feasible in an earthquake-prone region, while others point out that simply patching up Pakistan's current water infrastructure and rethinking its water policies would be more efficient. This summer the issue caught the attention of maverick Supreme Court Chief Justice Saqib Nisar, who created the dam fund in July. Khan's decision to join the fray in September has transformed Nisar's idea into a nationalist cause, with the fund at the State Bank of Pakistan doubling to $33 million, or 0.25 percent of the target. That includes a $9,740 donation from the national football team, its winnings from a recent tournament, along with $8 million worth of salaries donated by the powerful army. 'Every single rupee' The donations have flowed despite the fact that Khan, who took power in August, has offered no detailed plan for the money -- or explained how Pakistanis could recoup their cash if the project fails. The lack of specifics has not bothered many citizens who, in a country riddled with corruption, have placed their faith in "honest" Khan. "Imran Khan will take care of every single rupee," said Islamabad shopkeeper Muhammad Naseem. Khan has form. He built two of the country's only state-of-the-art cancer hospitals purely on donations, raising over $300 million to date, a campaign that laid the foundations for his political career. Concerns about the fundraising have centred on the Chief Justice Nisar, who used his power to force people to donate, demanding one lawyer give $8,000 if he wanted more time in preparing his case. Nisar has even suggested that opposing the fund was tantamount to treason. The remarks invited a backlash. Political analyst Ijaz Haider, writing in the Pakistani edition of Newsweek, wondered if experts who pointed out legitimate problems might find themselves in trouble. Would they be "considered traitors to the cause?" he wrote.

Imran Khan's bid to crowdfund $14bn for Pakistan dams

Jabir Moti, allegedly a "top lieutenant" in underworld don Dawood Ibrahim's organised crime syndicate, was denied bail for the second time by a UK court on Thursday, even as the Pakistani government vouched for him as a man of "good character".&nbsp;

The letter from Pakistani High Commissioner, Sahebzada Ahmed Khan, was submitted to the judge during Moti's ongoing extradition case hearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London in support of an application for his bail, which was denied and he was directed to appear for the next hearing in the case on October 19.

Moti has been described in UK court proceedings as a "senior member" and "top lieutenant" of D Company.&nbsp;

Mumbai bomb blasts' accused Dawood Ibrahim was not mentioned by name in the UK court but the judge was told that the leader of the network was based in Pakistan.

Moti, referred to in court as Jabir Motiwala, was arrested from a London hotel last month and is fighting extradition to the US on money laundering and extortion charges.&nbsp;

The 51-year-old had already been denied bail at an earlier hearing in August and to back up his second bail application on Thursday, his defence team presented a letter from the Pakistani High Commissioner among the many sureties that he would not jump bail and abscond.&nbsp;

"That (Pakistan High Commission) is a pretty unusual and unequivocal support," said barrister James Lewis, representing Moti.

He told the court that the letter from the Pakistani High Commissioner supports the application for bail for Moti, who is a "well known and respected

businessman" in Pakistan, and confirms that he does not possess any other travel documents besides the Pakistani passport in possession of Scotland Yard.

However, Judge Emma Arbuthnot was unconvinced that Moti did not pose a "flight risk" as acquiring travel documents through crime networks was not unheard of and denied him bail.&nbsp;

"I accept that you are a man of good character, with this letter from the Pakistani High Commissioner offering you support if granted bail... But this is not a straightforward matter, there is much more to this case," she said.

Prosecutor Ben Lloyd, from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), had opened the hearing on Thursday by reiterating the summary of the US charges against Moti, which cover allegations of laundering $ 1.4-million of purported proceeds from narcotics smuggling and "conspiracy to collect credit extensions by extortionate means", amounting to around $ 80,000. The charges relate to a period between December 2011 and September 2012, which carry a maximum sentence of 25 years behind bars in the US.&nbsp;

"This all has a very bad smell to it," the judge said in reference to a two-day "gambling" visit by Moti to Atlantic City during which one of the undercover FBI operations took place.

His defence claimed that the allegations were the result of entrapment and that he had informed the Pakistani police of the instances of laundering and extortion he was being accused of.

They also presented a London-based family friend of Moti, Gaffar Khan, as willing to offer him a spare room at his home on Edgware Road in London if he was to be granted bail and also offered to pose as much as GBP 1 million as security. But the judge indicated that she would not consider anything less than GBP 5 million in cash as adequate security in a "case like this".

Moti, who sat poker-faced in the dock during the hearing, has been remanded to custody until his next hearing on October 19, when the judge will consider the US government's evidence relating to his extradition. The extradition request follows an FBI investigation dating back to 2005.&nbsp;

The court was once again informed that the accused goes by multiple names, including Jabir Siddiq, as on his Pakistani passport and Jabir Motiwala, as on the provisional arrest warrant on which Scotland Yard had arrested him on August 17.

At previous hearings, the court was told that Moti had been under investigation by the FBI as a key aide of D Company, ?named after the leader of the company based in Pakistan?, associated with trafficking and money laundering through international smuggling routes across South Asia that were also linked to terrorist funding.

"For a fee, D Company uses the power of violence for debt collection and has a reputation of intimidating members of the family of its debtors in India and Pakistan," the prosecution had said in its case summary.

In his interactions with undercover agents in the US and Pakistan, Moti allegedly admitted to being involved with narcotics and dealing with large amounts of cash and the court was told that it is believed he is behind nearly $1.4 million laundered to date.

His barrister on Thursday disputed the allegations that he was a key aide of D Company as "obvious nonsense", describing his client as a "man of exemplary character"&nbsp;who was a tax paying, prominent businessman based in Karachi and accredited as a stockbroker, with a family stockbroking business dating back to the 1950s in Pakistan.

Moti had arrived in the UK on business on a 10-year visa and was due to leave the UK on August 22 before his arrest.

 
&nbsp;

Jabir Moti, allegedly a "top lieutenant" in underworld don Dawood Ibrahim's organised crime syndicate, was denied bail for the second time by a UK court on Thursday, even as the Pakistani government vouched for him as a man of "good character".

Jabir Moti, allegedly a "top lieutenant" in underworld don Dawood Ibrahim's organised crime syndicate, was denied bail for the second time by a UK court on Thursday, even as the Pakistani government vouched for him as a man of "good character". The letter from Pakistani High Commissioner, Sahebzada Ahmed Khan, was submitted to the judge during Moti's ongoing extradition case hearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London in support of an application for his bail, which was denied and he was directed to appear for the next hearing in the case on October 19. Moti has been described in UK court proceedings as a "senior member" and "top lieutenant" of D Company. Mumbai bomb blasts' accused Dawood Ibrahim was not mentioned by name in the UK court but the judge was told that the leader of the network was based in Pakistan. Moti, referred to in court as Jabir Motiwala, was arrested from a London hotel last month and is fighting extradition to the US on money laundering and extortion charges. The 51-year-old had already been denied bail at an earlier hearing in August and to back up his second bail application on Thursday, his defence team presented a letter from the Pakistani High Commissioner among the many sureties that he would not jump bail and abscond. "That (Pakistan High Commission) is a pretty unusual and unequivocal support," said barrister James Lewis, representing Moti. He told the court that the letter from the Pakistani High Commissioner supports the application for bail for Moti, who is a "well known and respected businessman" in Pakistan, and confirms that he does not possess any other travel documents besides the Pakistani passport in possession of Scotland Yard. However, Judge Emma Arbuthnot was unconvinced that Moti did not pose a "flight risk" as acquiring travel documents through crime networks was not unheard of and denied him bail. "I accept that you are a man of good character, with this letter from the Pakistani High Commissioner offering you support if granted bail... But this is not a straightforward matter, there is much more to this case," she said. Prosecutor Ben Lloyd, from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), had opened the hearing on Thursday by reiterating the summary of the US charges against Moti, which cover allegations of laundering $ 1.4-million of purported proceeds from narcotics smuggling and "conspiracy to collect credit extensions by extortionate means", amounting to around $ 80,000. The charges relate to a period between December 2011 and September 2012, which carry a maximum sentence of 25 years behind bars in the US. "This all has a very bad smell to it," the judge said in reference to a two-day "gambling" visit by Moti to Atlantic City during which one of the undercover FBI operations took place. His defence claimed that the allegations were the result of entrapment and that he had informed the Pakistani police of the instances of laundering and extortion he was being accused of. They also presented a London-based family friend of Moti, Gaffar Khan, as willing to offer him a spare room at his home on Edgware Road in London if he was to be granted bail and also offered to pose as much as GBP 1 million as security. But the judge indicated that she would not consider anything less than GBP 5 million in cash as adequate security in a "case like this". Moti, who sat poker-faced in the dock during the hearing, has been remanded to custody until his next hearing on October 19, when the judge will consider the US government's evidence relating to his extradition. The extradition request follows an FBI investigation dating back to 2005. The court was once again informed that the accused goes by multiple names, including Jabir Siddiq, as on his Pakistani passport and Jabir Motiwala, as on the provisional arrest warrant on which Scotland Yard had arrested him on August 17. At previous hearings, the court was told that Moti had been under investigation by the FBI as a key aide of D Company, ?named after the leader of the company based in Pakistan?, associated with trafficking and money laundering through international smuggling routes across South Asia that were also linked to terrorist funding. "For a fee, D Company uses the power of violence for debt collection and has a reputation of intimidating members of the family of its debtors in India and Pakistan," the prosecution had said in its case summary. In his interactions with undercover agents in the US and Pakistan, Moti allegedly admitted to being involved with narcotics and dealing with large amounts of cash and the court was told that it is believed he is behind nearly $1.4 million laundered to date. His barrister on Thursday disputed the allegations that he was a key aide of D Company as "obvious nonsense", describing his client as a "man of exemplary character" who was a tax paying, prominent businessman based in Karachi and accredited as a stockbroker, with a family stockbroking business dating back to the 1950s in Pakistan. Moti had arrived in the UK on business on a 10-year visa and was due to leave the UK on August 22 before his arrest.

Pakistan government vouches for Dawood aide Jabir Moti's 'good character' in UK court

The Pakistani premier's house milked its livestock reserves Thursday as dozens gathered for a buffalo auction in the capital Islamabad, in the latest push for Prime Minister Imran Khan's highly publicised austerity drive.

A total of eight buffalos were auctioned off for nearly 2.3 million rupees ($19,000) at the prime minister's residence, as Khan's new administration aims to cut expenditure and increase revenue collection to boost Pakistan's struggling economy.

"The auction was not just good. It was very, very good," said government official Javaid Iqbal, who oversaw the sale.

An auctioneer shouted prices to a crowd carrying stacks of rupees in the residence's backyard, where the shiny, black buffalos for sale were tied to nearby trees.

The animals were purchased in 2014 by the government of ousted premier Nawaz Sharif, with supporters of the erstwhile leader flocking to the auction and paying several times the market price for a piece of history.

"I bought a buffalo for 300,000 rupees, which is three times higher than the market price. But I am happy because it's a memory tied to my leader Nawaz Sharif," Malik Tayyib Nawaz told AFP.

Sharif -- who was removed from office last year by the Supreme Court for alleged corruption -- was freed from prison earlier this month after being jailed weeks ahead of July elections.

However, others at the auction complained of the high prices.

"A common man like me cannot afford to buy them," said Zameer Khan, who travelled to the event with the hope of netting a buffalo but left empty handed.

Khan was elected in July on promises to cut excessive government spending and build an Islamic welfare state in the impoverished South Asian nation.

As part of the ongoing austerity drive, Pakistan has auctioned off dozens of luxury vehicles belonging to the prime minister's house and also launched a crowdfunding campaign to build a dam in the country's north.

The Pakistani premier's house milked its livestock reserves Thursday as dozens gathered for a buffalo auction in the capital Islamabad, in the latest push for Prime Minister Imran Khan's highly publicised austerity drive.

The Pakistani premier's house milked its livestock reserves Thursday as dozens gathered for a buffalo auction in the capital Islamabad, in the latest push for Prime Minister Imran Khan's highly publicised austerity drive. A total of eight buffalos were auctioned off for nearly 2.3 million rupees ($19,000) at the prime minister's residence, as Khan's new administration aims to cut expenditure and increase revenue collection to boost Pakistan's struggling economy. "The auction was not just good. It was very, very good," said government official Javaid Iqbal, who oversaw the sale. An auctioneer shouted prices to a crowd carrying stacks of rupees in the residence's backyard, where the shiny, black buffalos for sale were tied to nearby trees. The animals were purchased in 2014 by the government of ousted premier Nawaz Sharif, with supporters of the erstwhile leader flocking to the auction and paying several times the market price for a piece of history. "I bought a buffalo for 300,000 rupees, which is three times higher than the market price. But I am happy because it's a memory tied to my leader Nawaz Sharif," Malik Tayyib Nawaz told AFP. Sharif -- who was removed from office last year by the Supreme Court for alleged corruption -- was freed from prison earlier this month after being jailed weeks ahead of July elections. However, others at the auction complained of the high prices. "A common man like me cannot afford to buy them," said Zameer Khan, who travelled to the event with the hope of netting a buffalo but left empty handed. Khan was elected in July on promises to cut excessive government spending and build an Islamic welfare state in the impoverished South Asian nation. As part of the ongoing austerity drive, Pakistan has auctioned off dozens of luxury vehicles belonging to the prime minister's house and also launched a crowdfunding campaign to build a dam in the country's north.

Cash cows: Pakistan PM's house auctions buffalos for austerity

Opposition lawmakers have criticised Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan for offering to re-start talks with India on key issues, including terrorism and Kashmir, without taking parliament into confidence, a media report said Tuesday.

Senate, the upper house of parliament, met Monday evening and among other issues discussed the government's efforts to revive talks with India.&nbsp;

In the letter dated September 14, the cricketer-turned-politician, who became the prime minister last month, proposed a meeting between Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and his Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York this month.&nbsp;

Khan had written the letter in response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's letter to him on August 18 in which the Indian leader had conveyed commitment to pursue "meaningful" and "constructive" engagement with Pakistan and emphasising the need to work for a terror-free South Asia.&nbsp;

Pakistan Senate's former chairman Mian Raza Rabbani of Pakistan Peoples Party said that Khan's offer for talks to India was incomprehensible given the situation in Kashmir.

He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's letter to Khan was ceremonial in nature, but an offer of dialogue was made in the letter written in response to it.&nbsp;

He also objected to the language used in Khan's letter that Pakistan was "ready to discuss terrorism".&nbsp;

Senator Abdul Ghafoor Haidri of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl questioned as to how a single individual could offer dialogue to India.&nbsp;

He criticised Khan for writing a letter to his Indian counterpart without taking parliament into confidence. He advised Khan to tread carefully, saying that the prime minister was taking decisions in haste which lacked vision.

Responding on behalf of the government, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry explained that Khan's letter to the Indian prime minister was in response to a communication he received from him. He said Pakistan wanted to find a solution to all bilateral disputes with India, including the core issue of Jammu and Kashmir.

"The two countries have been fighting for seventy years and we can continue to fight for another seventy years if India wants," he remarked and warned that a nuclear war, if it broke out, would mean devastation in the subcontinent.&nbsp;

Faisal Javed of Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf regretted that efforts were being made for point-scoring on the issues which required a complete unity in the ranks of the political class.&nbsp;

"We need to project Pakistan's narrative," he stressed.&nbsp;

Opposition lawmakers have criticised Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan for offering to re-start talks with India on key issues, including terrorism and Kashmir, without taking parliament into confidence, a media report said Tuesday.

Opposition lawmakers have criticised Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan for offering to re-start talks with India on key issues, including terrorism and Kashmir, without taking parliament into confidence, a media report said Tuesday. Senate, the upper house of parliament, met Monday evening and among other issues discussed the government's efforts to revive talks with India. In the letter dated September 14, the cricketer-turned-politician, who became the prime minister last month, proposed a meeting between Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and his Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York this month. Khan had written the letter in response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's letter to him on August 18 in which the Indian leader had conveyed commitment to pursue "meaningful" and "constructive" engagement with Pakistan and emphasising the need to work for a terror-free South Asia. Pakistan Senate's former chairman Mian Raza Rabbani of Pakistan Peoples Party said that Khan's offer for talks to India was incomprehensible given the situation in Kashmir. He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's letter to Khan was ceremonial in nature, but an offer of dialogue was made in the letter written in response to it. He also objected to the language used in Khan's letter that Pakistan was "ready to discuss terrorism". Senator Abdul Ghafoor Haidri of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl questioned as to how a single individual could offer dialogue to India. He criticised Khan for writing a letter to his Indian counterpart without taking parliament into confidence. He advised Khan to tread carefully, saying that the prime minister was taking decisions in haste which lacked vision. Responding on behalf of the government, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry explained that Khan's letter to the Indian prime minister was in response to a communication he received from him. He said Pakistan wanted to find a solution to all bilateral disputes with India, including the core issue of Jammu and Kashmir. "The two countries have been fighting for seventy years and we can continue to fight for another seventy years if India wants," he remarked and warned that a nuclear war, if it broke out, would mean devastation in the subcontinent. Faisal Javed of Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf regretted that efforts were being made for point-scoring on the issues which required a complete unity in the ranks of the political class. "We need to project Pakistan's narrative," he stressed.

Pak Opposition slams Imran Khan for offering to hold talks with India: Report

Pakistan's Supreme Court Monday rejected a petition seeking disqualification of Prime Minister Imran Khan for not being truthful and righteous as required under the Constitution.

A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Saqib Nisar rejected the petition, filed by barrister Danyal Chaudhry, on the grounds that the plea, filed at a time when Khan had not been elected prime minister, had become infructuous.

"The application has already been rendered ineffective," observed Justice Ijazul Ahsan.

The petition was filed in May last year after the apex court constituted a six-member Joint Investigation Team (JIT) to probe allegations of corruption against then prime minister Nawaz Sharif.

Besides other grounds, the petitioner had sought disqualification of Khan for not disclosing his alleged love child Tyrian White in his nomination papers for elections.

The court said that the petition was filed when Khan was an MP in the previous National Assembly, the lower house of Parliament, which has already expired, and the petition had become "ineffective".

The petitioner had also requested the court to restrain Khan from activities which could influence the JIT members.

The JIT report has led to the disqualification of Sharif in July 2017.

Sharif, 68, resigned as Pakistan prime minister last year after the Supreme Court disqualified him from holding public office and ruled that graft cases be filed against the beleaguered leader and his children over the Panama Papers scandal.

The Avenfield case was among the three corruption cases filed against the ex-premier by the National Accountability Bureau on the Supreme Court's orders in the Panama Papers case.

Pakistan's Supreme Court Monday rejected a petition seeking disqualification of Prime Minister Imran Khan for not being truthful and righteous as required under the Constitution.

Pakistan's Supreme Court Monday rejected a petition seeking disqualification of Prime Minister Imran Khan for not being truthful and righteous as required under the Constitution. A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Saqib Nisar rejected the petition, filed by barrister Danyal Chaudhry, on the grounds that the plea, filed at a time when Khan had not been elected prime minister, had become infructuous. "The application has already been rendered ineffective," observed Justice Ijazul Ahsan. The petition was filed in May last year after the apex court constituted a six-member Joint Investigation Team (JIT) to probe allegations of corruption against then prime minister Nawaz Sharif. Besides other grounds, the petitioner had sought disqualification of Khan for not disclosing his alleged love child Tyrian White in his nomination papers for elections. The court said that the petition was filed when Khan was an MP in the previous National Assembly, the lower house of Parliament, which has already expired, and the petition had become "ineffective". The petitioner had also requested the court to restrain Khan from activities which could influence the JIT members. The JIT report has led to the disqualification of Sharif in July 2017. Sharif, 68, resigned as Pakistan prime minister last year after the Supreme Court disqualified him from holding public office and ruled that graft cases be filed against the beleaguered leader and his children over the Panama Papers scandal. The Avenfield case was among the three corruption cases filed against the ex-premier by the National Accountability Bureau on the Supreme Court's orders in the Panama Papers case.

Pakistan SC rejects petition seeking Imran Khan's disqualification

Indian decision makers were too quick to be influenced by Imran Khan’s letter to Prime Minister Modi, calling for resumption of peace dialogue, by announcing the “Meeting between the foreign ministers of India and Pakistan on the side lines of UNGA later this month”. It was also clarified by MEA that “There was no change in its policy that talks and terror couldn’t go together”. Within a day, MEA on Friday announced calling off the meeting citing the two incidents - release of stamps to glorify terrorists and mutilation of the body of soldier in BAT action. In a sensitive subject involving public sentiments and having security implications, the fumble represents a lack of understanding of security issues by the people involved in it. &nbsp;

Imran's compulsion for writing letter to PM Modi

It is not difficult to understand that unless Pakistan shows some credible actions, it may get further punishment from Financial Action Task Force (FATF), which might declare it black. It would pose insurmountable economic problems for newly elected Prime Minister Imran Khan. A peace initiative like this can thus be an optical mirage to suggest that he is trying his best.

Even if we leave out the two incidents, and assess if terror activities/proxy war has reduced after his taking over as Prime Minister or otherwise, the answer is a clear NO. It is well known that he is a puppet Prime Minister propped up by Pakistan Army, which holds all levers of power. An active Indo–Pak border/LoC is Pakistan Army’s existential requirement to hold power which it will not compromise.&nbsp;

A pressure by US/China and loaning agencies like IMF could be another reason for initiating such a letter. The fact that the courts have allowed Hafiz Saeed to start business as usual, over-ruling the government indicates Imran’s inability in reigning UN declared terrorists. The courts in Pakistan have also acted at the behest of Army, which is proved by the fact that Nawaz Sharif is now out, when he is harmless to the Army.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Can India pin high hopes on Imran Khan?

In my opinion, India could try Imran’s experiment with peace. To experiment with him, his initiative has to be preceded with few steps like no ceasefire violations, no support to terrorist, taking immediate action on UN declared terrorists and convincing not only India but FATF, the US and global community of having done so.&nbsp;

When many diplomats/strategists and the establishment were justifying the meeting, they tried to explain the difference meeting and dialogue, justifying no change in Indian stance, but the letter of Imran Khan clearly indicated what he expected to be spoken in the meeting. It will be naïve to assume that it could have been a meeting with no issues of divergences discussed, ending with pleasantries and future plan of dialogue.

Even in informal meetings between leaders earlier, all issues of divergences were discussed. In fact, we should have understood that even if meeting was done as explained, we would have lost out in giving them a point to score in FATF and General Assembly. It is encouraging to see that a midcourse correction of cancellation of meeting took place.&nbsp;

What do we do to deter Pakistan from proxy war? &nbsp;

To deter a neighbour to stop proxy war, there is a need to have a clear National aim, National Strategy, Comprehensive National Power and the will to use it. For many decades, it has been seen that the need for hard power has been underplayed by diplomats/bureaucrats, who have been able to convince the political hierarchy that diplomacy can resolve security issues and relevance of military forces stands considerably reduced.

This is a major departure from basic teachings of Chanakya that no nation can be strong and secure without a strong military. This has resulted in inadequate defence budget, bulk of which is consumed by bloating, inefficient, defence civilians and inadequate modernisation taking away the conventional edge required to deter the notorious neighbor.

Politicisation of defence matters like surgical strikes, defence procurements by all politicians looking at political aim instead of national aim, has slowed down the pace of modernisation. &nbsp;&nbsp;

In fact not many decision makers understand the basic difference between Para-military forces, which are protective forces trained and equipped accordingly, and Defence Forces, which are the punch of the country, instruments of last resort, trained and equipped to project national power across the IB/LoC.

The confusion is evident from the fact that Defence forces are increasingly being employed for internal security and being targeted by legal and Human Right fraternity. The consistent lowering of the status of Defence Forces for decades confirms this confusion.

The end result is that the adversary is not deterred and continues with proxy war. Even within the country in border areas like Kashmir, the political games have not allowed to deal with internal enemies like separatists, which have created conditions for proxy war to succeed.

India therefore urgently needs to do the capacity building of its military and deal firmly with separatists, not in the form of speeches but convictions. India also needs to apply some lessons of the history of 1962 debacle due to lack of military advise and success of 1971 War due to direct military advice to decision makers, by getting some military specialists in the decision-making loop.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Indian decision makers were too quick to be influenced by Imran Khan’s letter to Prime Minister Modi, calling for resumption of peace dialogue, by announcing the “Meeting between the foreign ministers of India and Pakistan on the side lines of UNGA later this month”.

Indian decision makers were too quick to be influenced by Imran Khan’s letter to Prime Minister Modi, calling for resumption of peace dialogue, by announcing the “Meeting between the foreign ministers of India and Pakistan on the side lines of UNGA later this month”. It was also clarified by MEA that “There was no change in its policy that talks and terror couldn’t go together”. Within a day, MEA on Friday announced calling off the meeting citing the two incidents - release of stamps to glorify terrorists and mutilation of the body of soldier in BAT action. In a sensitive subject involving public sentiments and having security implications, the fumble represents a lack of understanding of security issues by the people involved in it. Imran's compulsion for writing letter to PM Modi It is not difficult to understand that unless Pakistan shows some credible actions, it may get further punishment from Financial Action Task Force (FATF), which might declare it black. It would pose insurmountable economic problems for newly elected Prime Minister Imran Khan. A peace initiative like this can thus be an optical mirage to suggest that he is trying his best. Even if we leave out the two incidents, and assess if terror activities/proxy war has reduced after his taking over as Prime Minister or otherwise, the answer is a clear NO. It is well known that he is a puppet Prime Minister propped up by Pakistan Army, which holds all levers of power. An active Indo–Pak border/LoC is Pakistan Army’s existential requirement to hold power which it will not compromise. A pressure by US/China and loaning agencies like IMF could be another reason for initiating such a letter. The fact that the courts have allowed Hafiz Saeed to start business as usual, over-ruling the government indicates Imran’s inability in reigning UN declared terrorists. The courts in Pakistan have also acted at the behest of Army, which is proved by the fact that Nawaz Sharif is now out, when he is harmless to the Army. Can India pin high hopes on Imran Khan? In my opinion, India could try Imran’s experiment with peace. To experiment with him, his initiative has to be preceded with few steps like no ceasefire violations, no support to terrorist, taking immediate action on UN declared terrorists and convincing not only India but FATF, the US and global community of having done so. When many diplomats/strategists and the establishment were justifying the meeting, they tried to explain the difference meeting and dialogue, justifying no change in Indian stance, but the letter of Imran Khan clearly indicated what he expected to be spoken in the meeting. It will be naïve to assume that it could have been a meeting with no issues of divergences discussed, ending with pleasantries and future plan of dialogue. Even in informal meetings between leaders earlier, all issues of divergences were discussed. In fact, we should have understood that even if meeting was done as explained, we would have lost out in giving them a point to score in FATF and General Assembly. It is encouraging to see that a midcourse correction of cancellation of meeting took place. What do we do to deter Pakistan from proxy war? To deter a neighbour to stop proxy war, there is a need to have a clear National aim, National Strategy, Comprehensive National Power and the will to use it. For many decades, it has been seen that the need for hard power has been underplayed by diplomats/bureaucrats, who have been able to convince the political hierarchy that diplomacy can resolve security issues and relevance of military forces stands considerably reduced. This is a major departure from basic teachings of Chanakya that no nation can be strong and secure without a strong military. This has resulted in inadequate defence budget, bulk of which is consumed by bloating, inefficient, defence civilians and inadequate modernisation taking away the conventional edge required to deter the notorious neighbor. Politicisation of defence matters like surgical strikes, defence procurements by all politicians looking at political aim instead of national aim, has slowed down the pace of modernisation. In fact not many decision makers understand the basic difference between Para-military forces, which are protective forces trained and equipped accordingly, and Defence Forces, which are the punch of the country, instruments of last resort, trained and equipped to project national power across the IB/LoC. The confusion is evident from the fact that Defence forces are increasingly being employed for internal security and being targeted by legal and Human Right fraternity. The consistent lowering of the status of Defence Forces for decades confirms this confusion. The end result is that the adversary is not deterred and continues with proxy war. Even within the country in border areas like Kashmir, the political games have not allowed to deal with internal enemies like separatists, which have created conditions for proxy war to succeed. India therefore urgently needs to do the capacity building of its military and deal firmly with separatists, not in the form of speeches but convictions. India also needs to apply some lessons of the history of 1962 debacle due to lack of military advise and success of 1971 War due to direct military advice to decision makers, by getting some military specialists in the decision-making loop. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Why MEA fumbled over Imran Khan's offer of peace talks

Saudi Arabia is set to join the multibillion-dollar project China Pakistan Economic Corridor(CPEC) as a third major economic partner.

In a tweet on September 20, PTI minister Fawad Chaudhry announced that Pakistan had invited Saudi Arabia to join CPEC as the third strategic partner.&nbsp;The decision was taken in alliance with China.

Saudi Arabia's decision to invest in the project came days after Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan visited Saudi and United Arab Emirates in his first foreign visit since assuming office.

Saudi's addition to the project is aimed at recovering&nbsp;the Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government from the financial crunch faced by the country.

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Pakistan has invited Saudi Arabia to join CPEC as the 3rd strategic partner - Minister Information Fawad Chaudhry (20.09.18)<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PTI?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PTI</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/fawadchaudhry?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@fawadchaudhry</a> <a href="https://t.co/vETts8eyhK">pic.twitter.com/vETts8eyhK</a>
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&nbsp;

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Yes China has been taken into confidence, expansion of CPEC is in China and Pakistan interest. Pak ll be a centre of economic activity of this region, era of darkness is over. <a href="https://t.co/m8AvLIuAEJ">https://t.co/m8AvLIuAEJ</a>
— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) <a href="https://twitter.com/fawadchaudhry/status/1043025612393181184?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 21, 2018</a></blockquote>
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The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), China's flagship project under its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) will connect China's largest province Xinjiang with Pakistan's Gwadar port.

The $50-billion project will facilitate China's reach to the Arabian Sea.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Saudi Arabia is set to join the multibillion-dollar project China Pakistan Economic Corridor(CPEC) as a third major economic partner. In a tweet on September 20, PTI minister Fawad Chaudhry announced that Pakistan had invited Saudi Arabia to join CPEC as the third strategic partner.

Saudi Arabia is set to join the multibillion-dollar project China Pakistan Economic Corridor(CPEC) as a third major economic partner. In a tweet on September 20, PTI minister Fawad Chaudhry announced that Pakistan had invited Saudi Arabia to join CPEC as the third strategic partner. The decision was taken in alliance with China. Saudi Arabia's decision to invest in the project came days after Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan visited Saudi and United Arab Emirates in his first foreign visit since assuming office. Saudi's addition to the project is aimed at recovering the Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government from the financial crunch faced by the country. Pakistan has invited Saudi Arabia to join CPEC as the 3rd strategic partner - Minister Information Fawad Chaudhry (20.09.18)#PTI @fawadchaudhry pic.twitter.com/vETts8eyhK — PTI (@PTIofficial) September 20, 2018 × Yes China has been taken into confidence, expansion of CPEC is in China and Pakistan interest. Pak ll be a centre of economic activity of this region, era of darkness is over. https://t.co/m8AvLIuAEJ — Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) September 21, 2018 × The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), China's flagship project under its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) will connect China's largest province Xinjiang with Pakistan's Gwadar port. The $50-billion project will facilitate China's reach to the Arabian Sea.

Saudi Arabia to join CPEC project as third economic partner: Pakistan government

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pak-opposition-holds-imran-khan-responsible-diplomatic-debacle-india-167264">Pak opposition holds Imran Khan responsible for 'diplomatic debacle' with India</a>

Pakistan's two major opposition parties have questioned the "haste" shown by Prime Minister Imran Khan in making efforts to mend ties with India and held him responsible for the "diplomatic debacle", saying he should have done his "homework" before approaching India for a meeting.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/govt-has-taken-right-decision-army-chief-bipin-rawat-india-cancelling-indo-pak-talks">Govt has taken right decision: Army Chief Bipin Rawat on India cancelling Indo-Pak talks</a>

Indian Army Chief Bipin Rawat has said the "government has taken the right decision" in cancelling the meeting between the foreign ministers of India and Pakistan.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/maldives-votes-incumbent-yameen-expected-cement-grip-power-167251">Maldives votes, incumbent Yameen expected to cement grip on power</a>

The Maldives voted on Sunday in an election in which hardline President Abdulla Yameen is expected to cement his grip on power but which opposition and international groups have criticised for a lack of transparency and suppression of dissent.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/ready-war-choose-walk-path-peace-pakistan-army-167221">'Ready for war' but choose to walk </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/ready-war-choose-walk-path-peace-pakistan-army-167221">path</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/ready-war-choose-walk-path-peace-pakistan-army-167221"> of peace: Pakistan Army</a>

The Pakistan Army on Saturday said it is "ready for war" but chooses to walk the path of peace in the interest of its people, comments which came in response to Indian Army Chief General Bipin Rawat's remark that "stern action" is needed to "avenge" the brutal killing of Indian soldiers.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/irans-khamenei-accuses-us-backed-gulf-arab-states-carrying-out-attack-military-parade-167253">Iran's Khamenei accuses US-backed Gulf Arab states of carrying out attack on </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/irans-khamenei-accuses-us-backed-gulf-arab-states-carrying-out-attack-military-parade-167253">military</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/irans-khamenei-accuses-us-backed-gulf-arab-states-carrying-out-attack-military-parade-167253"> parade</a>

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused US-backed Gulf Arab states of carrying out a shooting attack on a military parade that killed 25 people, almost half of them members of the country's elite Revolutionary Guards.

Pak opposition holds Imran Khan responsible for 'diplomatic debacle' with India Pakistan's two major opposition parties have questioned the "haste" shown by Prime Minister Imran Khan in making efforts to mend ties with India and held him responsible for the "diplomatic debacle", saying he should have done his "homework" before approaching India for a meeting.

Pak opposition holds Imran Khan responsible for 'diplomatic debacle' with India Pakistan's two major opposition parties have questioned the "haste" shown by Prime Minister Imran Khan in making efforts to mend ties with India and held him responsible for the "diplomatic debacle", saying he should have done his "homework" before approaching India for a meeting. Govt has taken right decision: Army Chief Bipin Rawat on India cancelling Indo-Pak talks Indian Army Chief Bipin Rawat has said the "government has taken the right decision" in cancelling the meeting between the foreign ministers of India and Pakistan. Maldives votes, incumbent Yameen expected to cement grip on power The Maldives voted on Sunday in an election in which hardline President Abdulla Yameen is expected to cement his grip on power but which opposition and international groups have criticised for a lack of transparency and suppression of dissent. 'Ready for war' but choose to walk path of peace: Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army on Saturday said it is "ready for war" but chooses to walk the path of peace in the interest of its people, comments which came in response to Indian Army Chief General Bipin Rawat's remark that "stern action" is needed to "avenge" the brutal killing of Indian soldiers. Iran's Khamenei accuses US-backed Gulf Arab states of carrying out attack on military parade Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused US-backed Gulf Arab states of carrying out a shooting attack on a military parade that killed 25 people, almost half of them members of the country's elite Revolutionary Guards.

News brief: Big stories of the day

The Government of Pakistan on Friday reacted to India's move to call off the meeting between the Foreign Ministers of both the countries. Pakistan government stated that India's reason to cancel the meeting was 'unconvincing'.

India on Friday called off the meeting between Union Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj and Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi that was supposed to take place in New York, United States later this month on the sidelines of annual UN General Assembly (UNGA) session.&nbsp;

The move came after the bodies of three Jammu and Kashmir cops were found in the region on Friday. The soldiers were allegedly abducted and killed by a Pakistan-backed terrorist organisation. India also stated that the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/true-face-imran-khan-revealed-says-mea-after-calling-talks-pak-167000">true face of Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan has been revealed</a> in the wake of the brutal killings.&nbsp;

''Since yesterday's announcement of the meeting of foreign ministers of India and Pakistan, two deeply disturbing developments took place. Latest brutal killings of our security personnel by Pakistan entities and the recent release of series of 20 postal stamps by Pakistan glorifying terrorists,'' Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said on Friday.

Pakistan government rejected India's claim stating that India had announced the bilateral talks much ahead of the "disturbing developments." It described India's comments on Pak PM Imran Khan, "against all norms of civilised discourse and diplomatic communication."

"The reasons cited by the Indian side for the decision to cancel the Foreign Ministers' meeting, within 24 hours of its public confirmation, are entirely unconvincing," read an official statement.

"Firstly, the alleged killing of BSF soldier took place two days prior to the Indian announcement of its agreement to hold the bilateral meeting," the statement read.

"When the allegations of Pakistan's involvement first appeared, the Pakistan Rangers clearly conveyed to BSF through official channels that Pakistan had nothing to do with it. Pakistan Rangers also extended help in efforts to locate the soldier's body. These facts were known to the Indian authorities and a part of the Indian media also reported that Pakistan had refuted its involvement. Yet, this motivated and malicious propaganda continued. Pakistan takes this opportunity to categorically reject these allegations once again. Our authorities would be prepared to conduct a joint investigation to establish the truth," it said.

Reiterating the significance of dialogue, the Pak government stated that it "has always desired peaceful and good-neighbourly relations with India, on the basis of sovereign equality, mutual respect, and mutual benefit. In our view, dialogue and diplomacy are the only constructive way forward for the two countries to address mutual concerns, rebuild trust, resolve longstanding disputes, and establish durable peace in South Asia. For its part, Pakistan will persist in its quest for peace and development. But, as we have consistently emphasised, our approach will continue to be guided by the aforementioned principles and the dictates of national dignity."

Friday's incident angered India after which the government decided to call off the upcoming meeting with Pakistan.

In a letter to his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan had sought a meeting between foreign ministers Sushma Swaraj and Shah Mehmood Qureshi on the sidelines of the UNGA.&nbsp;

The Indian government had said that the two leaders will meet at a mutually convenient date and time. But, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar made it clear that "the coming meeting was not a resumption of the dialogue process".

(With inputs from ANI)&nbsp;

The Government of Pakistan on Friday reacted to India's move to call off the meeting between the Foreign Ministers of both the countries. Pakistan government stated that India's reason to cancel the meeting was 'unconvincing'.

The Government of Pakistan on Friday reacted to India's move to call off the meeting between the Foreign Ministers of both the countries. Pakistan government stated that India's reason to cancel the meeting was 'unconvincing'. India on Friday called off the meeting between Union Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj and Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi that was supposed to take place in New York, United States later this month on the sidelines of annual UN General Assembly (UNGA) session. The move came after the bodies of three Jammu and Kashmir cops were found in the region on Friday. The soldiers were allegedly abducted and killed by a Pakistan-backed terrorist organisation. India also stated that the true face of Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan has been revealed in the wake of the brutal killings. ''Since yesterday's announcement of the meeting of foreign ministers of India and Pakistan, two deeply disturbing developments took place. Latest brutal killings of our security personnel by Pakistan entities and the recent release of series of 20 postal stamps by Pakistan glorifying terrorists,'' Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said on Friday. Pakistan government rejected India's claim stating that India had announced the bilateral talks much ahead of the "disturbing developments." It described India's comments on Pak PM Imran Khan, "against all norms of civilised discourse and diplomatic communication." "The reasons cited by the Indian side for the decision to cancel the Foreign Ministers' meeting, within 24 hours of its public confirmation, are entirely unconvincing," read an official statement. "Firstly, the alleged killing of BSF soldier took place two days prior to the Indian announcement of its agreement to hold the bilateral meeting," the statement read. "When the allegations of Pakistan's involvement first appeared, the Pakistan Rangers clearly conveyed to BSF through official channels that Pakistan had nothing to do with it. Pakistan Rangers also extended help in efforts to locate the soldier's body. These facts were known to the Indian authorities and a part of the Indian media also reported that Pakistan had refuted its involvement. Yet, this motivated and malicious propaganda continued. Pakistan takes this opportunity to categorically reject these allegations once again. Our authorities would be prepared to conduct a joint investigation to establish the truth," it said. Reiterating the significance of dialogue, the Pak government stated that it "has always desired peaceful and good-neighbourly relations with India, on the basis of sovereign equality, mutual respect, and mutual benefit. In our view, dialogue and diplomacy are the only constructive way forward for the two countries to address mutual concerns, rebuild trust, resolve longstanding disputes, and establish durable peace in South Asia. For its part, Pakistan will persist in its quest for peace and development. But, as we have consistently emphasised, our approach will continue to be guided by the aforementioned principles and the dictates of national dignity." Friday's incident angered India after which the government decided to call off the upcoming meeting with Pakistan. In a letter to his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan had sought a meeting between foreign ministers Sushma Swaraj and Shah Mehmood Qureshi on the sidelines of the UNGA. The Indian government had said that the two leaders will meet at a mutually convenient date and time. But, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar made it clear that "the coming meeting was not a resumption of the dialogue process". (With inputs from ANI)

Pakistan calls India's reasons to cancel foreign ministers' meeting 'unconvincing'

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/imran-khan-slams-indias-arrogant-and-negative-response-his-call-resumption-peace">Imran Khan slams India's 'arrogant' and 'negative' response to his call for </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/imran-khan-slams-indias-arrogant-and-negative-response-his-call-resumption-peace">resumption</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/imran-khan-slams-indias-arrogant-and-negative-response-his-call-resumption-peace"> of peace dialogue</a>

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday slammed India for calling off the meeting between the foreign ministers of the two nations, which was scheduled to be held in New York later this month. Khan tweeted he was disappointed at the ''arrogant'' and ''negative'' response from India to his call for the resumption of the peace dialogue.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/rahul-gandhi-playing-hands-pakistan-ravi-shankar-prasad-167130">Rahul Gandhi is playing into the hands of Pakistan: Ravi Shankar Prasad</a>

Hours after Rahul Gandhi mounted a fresh attack on Narendra Modi and called the prime minister a 'thief for the alleged corruption in the Rafale deal, BJP hit back at the Congress president and described his comments as ''deplorable''.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/rahul-gandhi-asks-pm-speak-former-french-presidents-allegations-167116">Rahul Gandhi asks PM to speak up on former French president's allegations</a>

A day after former French president &nbsp;Francois Hollande dropped a bombshell by telling a French journal that the Indian government proposed Anil Ambani's Reliance Defence as the India partner for the 36 Rafale jet deal, Congress president Rahul Gandhi asked the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to clarify if what the Hollande is saying is true or false.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/gunmen-kill-25-including-12-revolutionary-guards-attack-iran-military-parade-167119">Gunmen kill 25, including 12 Revolutionary Guards, </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/gunmen-kill-25-including-12-revolutionary-guards-attack-iran-military-parade-167119">in</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/gunmen-kill-25-including-12-revolutionary-guards-attack-iran-military-parade-167119"> </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/gunmen-kill-25-including-12-revolutionary-guards-attack-iran-military-parade-167119">attack</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/gunmen-kill-25-including-12-revolutionary-guards-attack-iran-military-parade-167119"> on Iran military parade </a>

Gunmen fired on a military parade in southwestern Iran on Saturday, killing 25 people, half of them members of the Revolutionary Guards, state news agencies reported, in one of the worst attacks ever on the elite force.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/islamic-state-group-claims-responsibility-iran-parade-attack-167131">Islamic State group claims responsibility for Iran parade attack​​​​​​</a>

Islamic State group has claimed the responsibility of&nbsp;Iran army parade attack&nbsp;which claimed the lives of 24 people on Saturday.

Imran Khan slams India's 'arrogant' and 'negative' response to his call for resumption of peace dialogue Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday slammed India for calling off the meeting between the foreign ministers of the two nations, which was scheduled to be held in New York later this month.

Imran Khan slams India's 'arrogant' and 'negative' response to his call for resumption of peace dialogue Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday slammed India for calling off the meeting between the foreign ministers of the two nations, which was scheduled to be held in New York later this month. Khan tweeted he was disappointed at the ''arrogant'' and ''negative'' response from India to his call for the resumption of the peace dialogue. Rahul Gandhi is playing into the hands of Pakistan: Ravi Shankar Prasad Hours after Rahul Gandhi mounted a fresh attack on Narendra Modi and called the prime minister a 'thief for the alleged corruption in the Rafale deal, BJP hit back at the Congress president and described his comments as ''deplorable''. Rahul Gandhi asks PM to speak up on former French president's allegations A day after former French president Francois Hollande dropped a bombshell by telling a French journal that the Indian government proposed Anil Ambani's Reliance Defence as the India partner for the 36 Rafale jet deal, Congress president Rahul Gandhi asked the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to clarify if what the Hollande is saying is true or false. Gunmen kill 25, including 12 Revolutionary Guards, in attack on Iran military parade Gunmen fired on a military parade in southwestern Iran on Saturday, killing 25 people, half of them members of the Revolutionary Guards, state news agencies reported, in one of the worst attacks ever on the elite force. Islamic State group claims responsibility for Iran parade attack Islamic State group has claimed the responsibility of Iran army parade attack which claimed the lives of 24 people on Saturday.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday slammed India for calling off the meeting between the foreign ministers of the two nations, which was scheduled to be held in New York later this month.

Khan tweeted he was disappointed at the ''arrogant'' and ''negative'' response from India to his call for the resumption of the peace dialogue.&nbsp;

In a Tweet on Saturday, Khan wrote,"Disappointed at the arrogant and negative response by India to my call for the resumption of the peace dialogue. However, all my life I have come across small men occupying big offices who do not have the vision to see the larger picture".

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Disappointed at the arrogant &amp; negative response by India to my call for resumption of the peace dialogue. However, all my life I have come across small men occupying big offices who do not have the vision to see the larger picture.
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ImranKhanPTI/status/1043432600046632960?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 22, 2018</a></blockquote>
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The <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/pakistan-calls-indias-reasons-cancel-foreign-ministers-meeting-unconvincing-167062">Government of Pakistan had earlier described</a>&nbsp;India's move to call off the meeting between the foreign ministers as of&nbsp;the two countries as 'unconvincing'.

India on Friday called off the meeting between Union Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj and her Pakistan counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi that was supposed to take place in the New York, United States later this month on the sidelines of annual UN General Assembly (UNGA) session.&nbsp;

The move came after the bodies of three Jammu and Kashmir cops were found in the region on Friday. The soldiers were allegedly abducted and killed by a Pakistan-backed terrorist organisation. India also stated that the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/true-face-imran-khan-revealed-says-mea-after-calling-talks-pak-167000">true face of Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan has been revealed</a>&nbsp;in the wake of the brutal killings.&nbsp;

''Since yesterday's announcement of the meeting of foreign ministers of India and Pakistan, two deeply disturbing developments took place. Latest brutal killings of our security personnel by Pakistan entities and the recent release of series of 20 postal stamps by Pakistan glorifying terrorists,'' Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said on Friday.

Pakistan government rejected India's claim stating that India had announced the bilateral talks much ahead of the "disturbing developments." It described India's comments on Pakistan PM Imran Khan, "against all norms of civilised discourse and diplomatic communication."

"The reasons cited by the Indian side for the decision to cancel the foreign ministers' meeting, within 24 hours of its public confirmation, are entirely unconvincing," read an official statement.

"Firstly, the alleged killing of BSF soldier took place two days prior to the Indian announcement of its agreement to hold the bilateral meeting," the statement read.

(With inputs from ANI)

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday slammed India for calling off the meeting between the foreign ministers of the two nations, which was scheduled to be held in New York later this month.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday slammed India for calling off the meeting between the foreign ministers of the two nations, which was scheduled to be held in New York later this month. Khan tweeted he was disappointed at the ''arrogant'' and ''negative'' response from India to his call for the resumption of the peace dialogue. In a Tweet on Saturday, Khan wrote,"Disappointed at the arrogant and negative response by India to my call for the resumption of the peace dialogue. However, all my life I have come across small men occupying big offices who do not have the vision to see the larger picture". Disappointed at the arrogant & negative response by India to my call for resumption of the peace dialogue. However, all my life I have come across small men occupying big offices who do not have the vision to see the larger picture. — Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) September 22, 2018 × The Government of Pakistan had earlier described India's move to call off the meeting between the foreign ministers as of the two countries as 'unconvincing'. India on Friday called off the meeting between Union Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj and her Pakistan counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi that was supposed to take place in the New York, United States later this month on the sidelines of annual UN General Assembly (UNGA) session. The move came after the bodies of three Jammu and Kashmir cops were found in the region on Friday. The soldiers were allegedly abducted and killed by a Pakistan-backed terrorist organisation. India also stated that the true face of Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan has been revealed in the wake of the brutal killings. ''Since yesterday's announcement of the meeting of foreign ministers of India and Pakistan, two deeply disturbing developments took place. Latest brutal killings of our security personnel by Pakistan entities and the recent release of series of 20 postal stamps by Pakistan glorifying terrorists,'' Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said on Friday. Pakistan government rejected India's claim stating that India had announced the bilateral talks much ahead of the "disturbing developments." It described India's comments on Pakistan PM Imran Khan, "against all norms of civilised discourse and diplomatic communication." "The reasons cited by the Indian side for the decision to cancel the foreign ministers' meeting, within 24 hours of its public confirmation, are entirely unconvincing," read an official statement. "Firstly, the alleged killing of BSF soldier took place two days prior to the Indian announcement of its agreement to hold the bilateral meeting," the statement read. (With inputs from ANI)

Imran Khan slams India for calling off talks 

A day after India responded to Pakistan agreeing to open the way for dialogue at United Nations General Assembly(UNGA)&nbsp;next month, the United States called it a "terrific news".

<a href="http://wionews.com/india-news/read-full-letter-of-pak-pm-imran-khan-to-pm-modi-166842">Read full letter of Pak PM Imran Khan to PM Modi</a>

"We saw that reports of meetings between Indian and Pak leaders. I think that's a terrific news for the Indians and Pakistanis to be able to sit down and have a conversation together," State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert told reporters at her daily news conference.

In his letter to Indian prime minister Narendra Modi, Pakistan PM Imran Khan had said the two countries owed it to the people especially the future generations to "peacefully resolve all outstanding issues, including the Jammu &amp; Kashmir dispute."

In the letter, PM Imran Khan had proposed a meeting with India's foreign minister Sushma Swaraj with her Pakistan counterpart Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi at the sidelines of the upcoming UN General Assembly in New York.&nbsp;

Speaking on India's approval, &nbsp;State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert said: "We saw the reports about the positive messages being exchanged between Prime Minister Khan and also Prime Minister Modi," adding,"we hope that the conditions will be set for a good strong relationship, a good strong bilateral relationship in the future," she said.

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We hope that the conditions will be set for a good, strong relationship, a good, strong bilateral relationship in the future: US State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert <a href="https://t.co/w6GmgYJkZk">pic.twitter.com/w6GmgYJkZk</a>
— ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1042980431597948929?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 21, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Pakistan PM had said his country was ready to discuss terrorism while endorsing Indian prime minister Modi's sentiment of opening “constructive engagement”.

Responding to Pakistan PM's invitation for dialogue, Indian external affairs ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said although the Indian government had agreed to meet the Pakistan foreign minister Quereshi but it had not decided what would be discussed at the meeting.

"It had so far only been decided that the two foreign ministers would meet," Ravish Kumar added.

Last month, PM Modi in his letter had said India was looking for constructive and meaningful engagement with Pakistan, while asserting that India was committed to peaceful and neighbourly ties with Pakistan. PM Modi also stressed the need to work for a terror-free South Asia. 
&nbsp;

A day after India responded to Pakistan agreeing to open the way for dialogue at United Nations General Assembly(UNGA) next month, the United States called it a "terrific news".

A day after India responded to Pakistan agreeing to open the way for dialogue at United Nations General Assembly(UNGA) next month, the United States called it a "terrific news". Read full letter of Pak PM Imran Khan to PM Modi "We saw that reports of meetings between Indian and Pak leaders. I think that's a terrific news for the Indians and Pakistanis to be able to sit down and have a conversation together," State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert told reporters at her daily news conference. In his letter to Indian prime minister Narendra Modi, Pakistan PM Imran Khan had said the two countries owed it to the people especially the future generations to "peacefully resolve all outstanding issues, including the Jammu & Kashmir dispute." In the letter, PM Imran Khan had proposed a meeting with India's foreign minister Sushma Swaraj with her Pakistan counterpart Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi at the sidelines of the upcoming UN General Assembly in New York. Speaking on India's approval, State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert said: "We saw the reports about the positive messages being exchanged between Prime Minister Khan and also Prime Minister Modi," adding,"we hope that the conditions will be set for a good strong relationship, a good strong bilateral relationship in the future," she said. We hope that the conditions will be set for a good, strong relationship, a good, strong bilateral relationship in the future: US State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert pic.twitter.com/w6GmgYJkZk — ANI (@ANI) September 21, 2018 × Pakistan PM had said his country was ready to discuss terrorism while endorsing Indian prime minister Modi's sentiment of opening “constructive engagement”. Responding to Pakistan PM's invitation for dialogue, Indian external affairs ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said although the Indian government had agreed to meet the Pakistan foreign minister Quereshi but it had not decided what would be discussed at the meeting. "It had so far only been decided that the two foreign ministers would meet," Ravish Kumar added. Last month, PM Modi in his letter had said India was looking for constructive and meaningful engagement with Pakistan, while asserting that India was committed to peaceful and neighbourly ties with Pakistan. PM Modi also stressed the need to work for a terror-free South Asia.

Positive messages between PM Imran, Modi good for strong bilateral relations: US

Former chief justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry on Sunday said he will file a case against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan in the Supreme Court for fathering a love child out of wedlock, and hence claim his ineligibility to hold public office.

Chaudhry, now the president of the Pakistan Justice and Democratic Party, claimed during an interview with a private news channel on Sunday that he has evidence to show that Khan has admitted to being the father of Tyrian White while abroad, but denies the same in Pakistan. He said his party would file objections against Khan’s nomination papers before the relevant ROs.

“Khan has mentioned his sons in his nomination papers but made no mention of his daughter. We shall take the case against him in the Supreme Court,” he said, adding that leaders should be ethically clean and honest. It is a matter of character, morality, and law,” he said.

He asked how Khan can go around the world speaking of justice when “he is not even willing to recognise his own daughter”.

He asked how Khan can go around the world speaking of justice when “he is not even willing to recognise his own daughter”.

Former chief justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry on Sunday said he will file a case against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan in the Supreme Court for fathering a love child out of wedlock, and hence claim his ineligibility to hold public office. Chaudhry, now the president of the Pakistan Justice and Democratic Party, claimed during an interview with a private news channel on Sunday that he has evidence to show that Khan has admitted to being the father of Tyrian White while abroad, but denies the same in Pakistan. He said his party would file objections against Khan’s nomination papers before the relevant ROs. “Khan has mentioned his sons in his nomination papers but made no mention of his daughter. We shall take the case against him in the Supreme Court,” he said, adding that leaders should be ethically clean and honest. It is a matter of character, morality, and law,” he said. He asked how Khan can go around the world speaking of justice when “he is not even willing to recognise his own daughter”.

Love child row: Ex-chief justice of Pakistan alleges Imran Khan ineligible for office

Bilawal Bhutto-led Pakistan People's Party has nominated former Sindh Assembly deputy speaker Shehla Raza to contest the general election 2018 against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan.

The party on Sunday officially announced the list of their candidates for 160 national and provincial seats of Sindh. Raza will contest the polls on July 25 from Karachi's NA-243 constituency, Geo News reported.

Raza recently made the headlines after a Member of Parliament assembly from Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F) raised a shoe at her.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, and Pakistan Tehreek-e- Insaf chief Imran Khan filed their <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/bilawal-imran-file-nomination-papers-from-karachi-constituencies-143389">nomination papers</a> on Friday for the upcoming general elections in the country, scheduled to be held on July 25.

As per reports by ANI, the two leaders went to file their papers themselves. Bilawal is contesting from two assembly seats namely Karachi's Lyari and Larkana while Imran has filed his nomination from NA-243 in Karachi East district.&nbsp

Meanwhile, Bilawal will fight the election from Larkana and the party's stronghold Lyari.

Further, former president Asif Ali Zardari will contest the elections from Nawabshah and former opposition leader Khurshid Shah has been nominated for a seat in Sukkur.&nbsp

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/shehbaz-sharif-will-contest-pakistan-general-polls-from-karachi-143574">Shehbaz</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/shehbaz-sharif-will-contest-pakistan-general-polls-from-karachi-143574"> Sharif</a> will file his nomination papers for three constituencies in Karachi.&nbsp

The party on Sunday officially announced the list of their candidates for 160 national and provincial seats of Sindh

Bilawal Bhutto-led Pakistan People's Party has nominated former Sindh Assembly deputy speaker Shehla Raza to contest the general election 2018 against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan. The party on Sunday officially announced the list of their candidates for 160 national and provincial seats of Sindh. Raza will contest the polls on July 25 from Karachi's NA-243 constituency, Geo News reported. Raza recently made the headlines after a Member of Parliament assembly from Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F) raised a shoe at her. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, and Pakistan Tehreek-e- Insaf chief Imran Khan filed their nomination papers on Friday for the upcoming general elections in the country, scheduled to be held on July 25. As per reports by ANI, the two leaders went to file their papers themselves. Bilawal is contesting from two assembly seats namely Karachi's Lyari and Larkana while Imran has filed his nomination from NA-243 in Karachi East district. Meanwhile, Bilawal will fight the election from Larkana and the party's stronghold Lyari. Further, former president Asif Ali Zardari will contest the elections from Nawabshah and former opposition leader Khurshid Shah has been nominated for a seat in Sukkur. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif will file his nomination papers for three constituencies in Karachi.

Shehla Raza fielded against PTI's Imran Khan

A woman lawmaker has slapped a Rs 5 billion defamation suit against Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chief Imran Khan after being accused by her party of horse-trading during the Senate elections earlier this year.

Member of the former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Bibi Fauzia filed a defamation suit with the Peshawar district and sessions judge yesterday, Dawn newspaper reported today.&nbsp

On April 18, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Khan had alleged that as many as 18 party lawmakers in the provincial assembly had sold their votes.

Amongst those accused of selling their votes was PTI lawmaker Fauzia. She had been elected to the provincial legislature on a reserved seat for women from Chitral.

The suit sought Rs 5 billion as damages from the PTI chief ahead of general elections in Pakistan on July 25.&nbsp

The case was assigned to additional district and sessions judge Shah Waliullah Hamid Hashmi, who fixed the preliminary hearing on June 27, it said.

She said she had followed the PTI's directions in the Senate elections by voting for the candidates named by it for general and reserved seats.

Fauzia said after the elections, the PTI chief began "uttering, spreading and resorting to publication, communication and circulation of maliciously false, baseless and unfounded oral statements and representation" against her.

She said Khan accused her of selling vote for money through electronic, print and social media.

The former lawmaker said she denied the charge by taking oath on the Holy Quran and replied to the show cause notice issued by the PTI Secretariat within the stipulated time.

She said she asked Khan of holding an 'open inquiry' into the matter, provide her with an opportunity of hearing, and confront her with all witnesses and material against her.

Fauzia however said the PTI chief failed to hold the inquiry and prove the horse-trading charge against her.

She claimed that the defamatory statement of Khan had damaged her political, social and family life besides destroying her personality.

"I served a legal notice on Imran Khan under Section 8 of the Defamation Ordinance asking him to tender an apology but he failed to respond to it," she said.&nbsp

A woman lawmaker has slapped a Rs 5 billion defamation suit against Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chief Imran Khan after being accused by her party of horse-trading during the Senate elections earlier this year

A woman lawmaker has slapped a Rs 5 billion defamation suit against Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chief Imran Khan after being accused by her party of horse-trading during the Senate elections earlier this year. Member of the former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Bibi Fauzia filed a defamation suit with the Peshawar district and sessions judge yesterday, Dawn newspaper reported today. On April 18, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Khan had alleged that as many as 18 party lawmakers in the provincial assembly had sold their votes. Amongst those accused of selling their votes was PTI lawmaker Fauzia. She had been elected to the provincial legislature on a reserved seat for women from Chitral. The suit sought Rs 5 billion as damages from the PTI chief ahead of general elections in Pakistan on July 25. The case was assigned to additional district and sessions judge Shah Waliullah Hamid Hashmi, who fixed the preliminary hearing on June 27, it said. She said she had followed the PTI's directions in the Senate elections by voting for the candidates named by it for general and reserved seats. Fauzia said after the elections, the PTI chief began "uttering, spreading and resorting to publication, communication and circulation of maliciously false, baseless and unfounded oral statements and representation" against her. She said Khan accused her of selling vote for money through electronic, print and social media. The former lawmaker said she denied the charge by taking oath on the Holy Quran and replied to the show cause notice issued by the PTI Secretariat within the stipulated time. She said she asked Khan of holding an 'open inquiry' into the matter, provide her with an opportunity of hearing, and confront her with all witnesses and material against her. Fauzia however said the PTI chief failed to hold the inquiry and prove the horse-trading charge against her. She claimed that the defamatory statement of Khan had damaged her political, social and family life besides destroying her personality. "I served a legal notice on Imran Khan under Section 8 of the Defamation Ordinance asking him to tender an apology but he failed to respond to it," she said.

Former Pak woman lawmaker sues Imran Khan for defamation

Pakistan's cricketer-turned-politician and Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan has filed nomination papers from Karachi for the upcoming general elections due on July 25.

He had during a visit to Karachi last month announced his intention to contest a National Assembly seat from Pakistan's biggest city, which since 1988 has been dominated by the Mutthaida Qaumi Movement (MQM) party in national and provincial elections.&nbsp;

Khan filed his nomination papers from NA-243 constituency but PTI's senior leader Asad Umar said he would also be contesting on other NA seats.

Umar added that the PTI chairman would contest the elections from four or five different constituencies scattered across the country.

In the 2013 elections, Khan had contested from NA-1 (Peshawar - II), NA- 56 (Rawalpindi VII), NA-71 (Mianwali - I) and NA-126 (Lahore - IX).

Karachi has assumed significance in the coming elections as Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) vice chairman Bilawal Bhutto has also filed his nomination papers day from NA-246.

Bilawal's sister Aseefa Bhutto and father Asif Ali Zardari will also contest elections from seats in Karachi.

Prominent human rights activist and lawyer Jibran Nasir has also announced he will be contesting a seat from Karachi as an independent candidate.

Political analysts believe that with the MQM now scattered into several groups and their founder-leader Altaf Hussain banned from politics in Pakistan, other political parties now see an opportune moment to end the MQM's stronghold on Karachi.

Since 1988, the MQM has won the majority of the national assembly and provincial assembly seats from Karachi and dominated the city's political landscape.

He had during a visit to Karachi last month announced his intention to contest a National Assembly seat from Pakistan's biggest city, which since 1988 has been dominated by the Mutthaida Qaumi Movement (MQM) party in national and provincial elections.

Pakistan's cricketer-turned-politician and Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan has filed nomination papers from Karachi for the upcoming general elections due on July 25. He had during a visit to Karachi last month announced his intention to contest a National Assembly seat from Pakistan's biggest city, which since 1988 has been dominated by the Mutthaida Qaumi Movement (MQM) party in national and provincial elections. Khan filed his nomination papers from NA-243 constituency but PTI's senior leader Asad Umar said he would also be contesting on other NA seats. Umar added that the PTI chairman would contest the elections from four or five different constituencies scattered across the country. In the 2013 elections, Khan had contested from NA-1 (Peshawar - II), NA- 56 (Rawalpindi VII), NA-71 (Mianwali - I) and NA-126 (Lahore - IX). Karachi has assumed significance in the coming elections as Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) vice chairman Bilawal Bhutto has also filed his nomination papers day from NA-246. Bilawal's sister Aseefa Bhutto and father Asif Ali Zardari will also contest elections from seats in Karachi. Prominent human rights activist and lawyer Jibran Nasir has also announced he will be contesting a seat from Karachi as an independent candidate. Political analysts believe that with the MQM now scattered into several groups and their founder-leader Altaf Hussain banned from politics in Pakistan, other political parties now see an opportune moment to end the MQM's stronghold on Karachi. Since 1988, the MQM has won the majority of the national assembly and provincial assembly seats from Karachi and dominated the city's political landscape.

Pak elections: Imran Khan files nomination for Karachi seat

Ahead of Pakistan's general elections, a stiff broke&nbsp;out between the former wife of Imran Khan, Rehan Khan and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder Imran Khan's supporters.

Reham Khan has written an autobiography: "a mother, wife, journalist and a warrior" which contains Reham's life experiences as per&nbsp;the book's promotional teaser video.

The book is scheduled to release this month the general elections will take place in July. According to media reports, the book is going to make major revelations.

A Twitter war erupted after actor and supporter of PTI, Hamza Ali Abbasi posted a summary of the book on Twitter.

"Had a very unfortunate experience of reading a manuscript of Reham Khan's book. Here is the summary: IK is the most evil man to walk the face of this planet. Reham is the most pious righteous (Tahajjud guzaar) woman ever and Shehbaz Sharif is an amazing guy! #RehamOnPMLNAgenda", Hamza wrote on Twitter.

And as a response to that later Reham also tweeted and alleged that the PTI has threatened her. She also attached a copy of an email sent to her by Abbasi.

She has alleged that Hamza Abbasi has been threatening her since August 2017. She further asked Abbasi that how he was able to read the manuscript when the book is not released yet. "Only possible through fraud or theft", she said.

Hamza Abbasi, however, has not responded to her to the allegation yet.

In February also she has alleged that she is receiving threats after which she left the country.

That time she had said that she will break her silence on certain matters.

Some people have also&nbsp;called this an agenda of The Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) party with Reham Khan.

Reham Khan has written an autobiography: 'a mother, wife, journalist and a warrior' which contains Reham's life experiences as per the book's promotional teaser video.

Ahead of Pakistan's general elections, a stiff broke out between the former wife of Imran Khan, Rehan Khan and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder Imran Khan's supporters. Reham Khan has written an autobiography: "a mother, wife, journalist and a warrior" which contains Reham's life experiences as per the book's promotional teaser video. The book is scheduled to release this month the general elections will take place in July. According to media reports, the book is going to make major revelations. A Twitter war erupted after actor and supporter of PTI, Hamza Ali Abbasi posted a summary of the book on Twitter. "Had a very unfortunate experience of reading a manuscript of Reham Khan's book. Here is the summary: IK is the most evil man to walk the face of this planet. Reham is the most pious righteous (Tahajjud guzaar) woman ever and Shehbaz Sharif is an amazing guy! #RehamOnPMLNAgenda", Hamza wrote on Twitter. And as a response to that later Reham also tweeted and alleged that the PTI has threatened her. She also attached a copy of an email sent to her by Abbasi. She has alleged that Hamza Abbasi has been threatening her since August 2017. She further asked Abbasi that how he was able to read the manuscript when the book is not released yet. "Only possible through fraud or theft", she said. Hamza Abbasi, however, has not responded to her to the allegation yet. In February also she has alleged that she is receiving threats after which she left the country. That time she had said that she will break her silence on certain matters. Some people have also called this an agenda of The Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) party with Reham Khan.

Ahead of general elections, Imran Khan's ex-wife Reham Khan's upcoming book stirs political controversy

The workers of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) vandalised a party office here on Saturday.

The PTI workers broke into the premises of the Insaf House and smashed down doors and shattered windows. They also wrote on the walls of the party office which read - 'Karachi president usurping seats of candidates unacceptable PS-102' and 'Go Arif Alvi Go', Geo News reported.

The workers were unhappy with PTI chief Imran Khan's decision to field Firdous Shamim Naqvi as the candidate to contest from PS-102 in Karachi.

Local police later arrived at the scene and was not allowed inside the Insaf House by the party officials, according to Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Gulshan-e-Iqbal.

He added that the scuffle broke out due to an internal matter within PTI.

It has been learnt that Imran will contest from the NA-243 constituency in Karachi for the upcoming general elections, according to the report.

Hence, other PTI leaders are keen to contest the polls in provincial assembly constituencies (PS-101 and PS-102) along with Imran.

Taking cognizance of the incident, the local party leadership has said that it will take strict disciplinary action against the workers who were involved in the incident.

Pakistan will go to polls on July 25. For the time being, the country is governed by an interim government headed by former Pakistan Chief Justice Nasir-ul-Mulk, who was sworn-in on Friday.

&nbsp;

The workers were unhappy with PTI chief Imran Khan's decision to field Firdous Shamim Naqvi as the candidate to contest from PS-102 in Karachi

The workers of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) vandalised a party office here on Saturday. The PTI workers broke into the premises of the Insaf House and smashed down doors and shattered windows. They also wrote on the walls of the party office which read - 'Karachi president usurping seats of candidates unacceptable PS-102' and 'Go Arif Alvi Go', Geo News reported. The workers were unhappy with PTI chief Imran Khan's decision to field Firdous Shamim Naqvi as the candidate to contest from PS-102 in Karachi. Local police later arrived at the scene and was not allowed inside the Insaf House by the party officials, according to Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Gulshan-e-Iqbal. He added that the scuffle broke out due to an internal matter within PTI. It has been learnt that Imran will contest from the NA-243 constituency in Karachi for the upcoming general elections, according to the report. Hence, other PTI leaders are keen to contest the polls in provincial assembly constituencies (PS-101 and PS-102) along with Imran. Taking cognizance of the incident, the local party leadership has said that it will take strict disciplinary action against the workers who were involved in the incident. Pakistan will go to polls on July 25. For the time being, the country is governed by an interim government headed by former Pakistan Chief Justice Nasir-ul-Mulk, who was sworn-in on Friday.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf workers vandalise party office in Karachi

The United States today said it supports free, fair, transparent and accountable elections in Pakistan which faces general elections on July 25.

It also expressed hope that the 2017 electoral reforms law, being put into effect from these elections, would help facilitate the peaceful transfer of civilian power to a democratically elected government.&nbsp

"The United States supports free, fair, and transparent, accountable elections in Pakistan as we do in other countries around the world," State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert told reporters during her biweekly news conference.

The United States along with other international partners has supported Pakistan's implementation of its historic 2017 electoral reforms law, she said.

"My understanding is that this is the first time that that law will actually be put into effect for these elections. We hope that the new comprehensive and transparent legal framework facilitates the peaceful transfer of civilian power to a democratically elected government," Nauert said.

In response to a question, she said she is not aware if the United States is sending any observers on the ground.

"We tend to support international organisations that do participate as observers," she said.&nbsp

In the elections announced earlier this week, Cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) is expected to be the main challenger to the ruling party.mangl

The present government will complete the tenure on May 31 and the caretaker government will take over form June 1 and remain in office until a new government is set up through elections.

It also expressed hope that the 2017 electoral reforms law, being put into effect from these elections, would help facilitate the peaceful transfer of civilian power to a democratically elected government

The United States today said it supports free, fair, transparent and accountable elections in Pakistan which faces general elections on July 25. It also expressed hope that the 2017 electoral reforms law, being put into effect from these elections, would help facilitate the peaceful transfer of civilian power to a democratically elected government. "The United States supports free, fair, and transparent, accountable elections in Pakistan as we do in other countries around the world," State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert told reporters during her biweekly news conference. The United States along with other international partners has supported Pakistan's implementation of its historic 2017 electoral reforms law, she said. "My understanding is that this is the first time that that law will actually be put into effect for these elections. We hope that the new comprehensive and transparent legal framework facilitates the peaceful transfer of civilian power to a democratically elected government," Nauert said. In response to a question, she said she is not aware if the United States is sending any observers on the ground. "We tend to support international organisations that do participate as observers," she said. In the elections announced earlier this week, Cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) is expected to be the main challenger to the ruling party.mangl The present government will complete the tenure on May 31 and the caretaker government will take over form June 1 and remain in office until a new government is set up through elections.

US says it supports free, fair and transparent elections in Pakistan

Pakistani cricket star-turned-politician Imran Khan's party vowed&nbsp;Sunday&nbsp;to oust the country's "corrupt" rulers, as the nuclear-armed state announced it will hold general elections on&nbsp;July 25.

The poll will bring to head political tensions that have been building since former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was ousted by the Supreme Court on corruption charges and later barred from politics for life.

Khan is hoping to achieve a years-long dream of leading the country as its prime minister, and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party is the main challenger to the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), which was headed by Sharif until his ban.

PTI leaders have said they are confident they will be able to defeat the PML-N.

"The Pakistani nation... can see the dawn of a new Pakistan, which will not be ruled by the corrupt," the party said in a statement posted&nbsp;Sunday&nbsp;on Twitter along with a graphic that read "Mafia's Game Over".

"Stop us if you can," it said in another tweet.

The bullish comments came after Pakistan's President Mamnoon Hussain&nbsp;on Saturday&nbsp;approved&nbsp;July 25&nbsp;as the date for the elections, which offer the prospect of what would be only the second-ever democratic transfer of power in the South Asian country.

The current government, led by Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, is expected to hand over power to a caretaker administration in the coming days.

Despite Sharif's ouster, the ruling party says it has invested in improving Pakistan's rickety infrastructure and attracted billions of dollars in Chinese investment. It has also denied allegations of graft against its leadership by opponents like Khan.

PTI has vowed to fight corruption, presenting itself as a polar opposite of what it calls status-quo politicians.

Since he was ousted, Sharif and the PML-N have become increasingly vocal in their confrontation with the country's powerful military establishment and the courts, claiming there is a conspiracy afoot to reduce the party's power.

Sharif was the 15th prime minister in Pakistan's seven-decade history -- roughly half of it under military rule -- to be removed before completing a full term.

The country saw its first ever democratic transfer of power following elections in 2013, which the PML-N won by a landslide.

"This is the second consecutive parliament to complete its tenure and we are now looking forward to... (going) to the people to get their verdict on our performance," Finance Minister Miftah Ismail told AFP.

Despite the numerous court rulings against the PML-N, the party has won a string of recent by-elections, proving it will likely remain a powerful force.

It continues to enjoy large swathes of support in Punjab, the country's most populous province but will enter the election under increasing pressure.

In April, a Pakistan court disqualified Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif for violating the country's election laws, while Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal was shot in the arm in a suspected assassination attempt by an Islamist gunman earlier this month.

Sharif also sparked a firestorm after suggesting Pakistani militants were behind the 2008 Mumbai attacks, approaching what is seen as a red line in the country by touching on criticism of Pakistan's military.

The current government, led by Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, is expected to hand over power to a caretaker administration in the coming days

Pakistani cricket star-turned-politician Imran Khan's party vowed Sunday to oust the country's "corrupt" rulers, as the nuclear-armed state announced it will hold general elections on July 25. The poll will bring to head political tensions that have been building since former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was ousted by the Supreme Court on corruption charges and later barred from politics for life. Khan is hoping to achieve a years-long dream of leading the country as its prime minister, and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party is the main challenger to the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), which was headed by Sharif until his ban. PTI leaders have said they are confident they will be able to defeat the PML-N. "The Pakistani nation... can see the dawn of a new Pakistan, which will not be ruled by the corrupt," the party said in a statement posted Sunday on Twitter along with a graphic that read "Mafia's Game Over". "Stop us if you can," it said in another tweet. The bullish comments came after Pakistan's President Mamnoon Hussain on Saturday approved July 25 as the date for the elections, which offer the prospect of what would be only the second-ever democratic transfer of power in the South Asian country. The current government, led by Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, is expected to hand over power to a caretaker administration in the coming days. Despite Sharif's ouster, the ruling party says it has invested in improving Pakistan's rickety infrastructure and attracted billions of dollars in Chinese investment. It has also denied allegations of graft against its leadership by opponents like Khan. PTI has vowed to fight corruption, presenting itself as a polar opposite of what it calls status-quo politicians. Since he was ousted, Sharif and the PML-N have become increasingly vocal in their confrontation with the country's powerful military establishment and the courts, claiming there is a conspiracy afoot to reduce the party's power. Sharif was the 15th prime minister in Pakistan's seven-decade history -- roughly half of it under military rule -- to be removed before completing a full term. The country saw its first ever democratic transfer of power following elections in 2013, which the PML-N won by a landslide. "This is the second consecutive parliament to complete its tenure and we are now looking forward to... (going) to the people to get their verdict on our performance," Finance Minister Miftah Ismail told AFP. Despite the numerous court rulings against the PML-N, the party has won a string of recent by-elections, proving it will likely remain a powerful force. It continues to enjoy large swathes of support in Punjab, the country's most populous province but will enter the election under increasing pressure. In April, a Pakistan court disqualified Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif for violating the country's election laws, while Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal was shot in the arm in a suspected assassination attempt by an Islamist gunman earlier this month. Sharif also sparked a firestorm after suggesting Pakistani militants were behind the 2008 Mumbai attacks, approaching what is seen as a red line in the country by touching on criticism of Pakistan's military.

Imran Khan eyes victory as Pakistan announces elections on July 25

Pakistan's minister for privatisation Daniyal Aziz was slapped by a senior leader of Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf during a TV talk show.

A 36-second clip posted on Geo News website showed Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leader Naeemul Haque and Aziz mudslinging each other's party in the Aapas Ki Baat programme yesterday.&nbsp

Then all of a sudden Aziz, in an aggressive tone, addressed Haque and said: "Am I afraid of you... Afraid of thieves like you".

Haque lost his temper when Aziz called him a "thief".

Aziz kept his cool after being slapped and just said: "How dare you slap me?" At this Haque retorted: "How dare you call me a thief?"

Pakistan's former ousted prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz supemo Nawaz Sharif said that "it showed culture of PTI".

This is not the first time Haque is getting involved in such trouble. In 2011, during a TV show, he threw a glass of water on Pakistan Peoples Party leader Jameel Soomro.

This is not the first time Haque is getting involved in such trouble.

Pakistan's minister for privatisation Daniyal Aziz was slapped by a senior leader of Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf during a TV talk show. A 36-second clip posted on Geo News website showed Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leader Naeemul Haque and Aziz mudslinging each other's party in the Aapas Ki Baat programme yesterday. Then all of a sudden Aziz, in an aggressive tone, addressed Haque and said: "Am I afraid of you... Afraid of thieves like you". Haque lost his temper when Aziz called him a "thief". Aziz kept his cool after being slapped and just said: "How dare you slap me?" At this Haque retorted: "How dare you call me a thief?" Pakistan's former ousted prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz supemo Nawaz Sharif said that "it showed culture of PTI". This is not the first time Haque is getting involved in such trouble. In 2011, during a TV show, he threw a glass of water on Pakistan Peoples Party leader Jameel Soomro.

Imran's Khan's party member slaps Pakistan minister

Multiple petitions&nbsp;filed in the Pakistani courts against the country's former prime minister Nawaz Sharif over his statement on Tuesday seeking action against him for treason.

A politician from Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Sharif party also moved the Sindh high court demanding to restrict Sharif from traveling&nbsp;outside the country as he also sought charges of treason&nbsp;against Sharif.

According to the media report, Party leader Imran Khan has also demanded Sharif to be put on trial.

News agency Reuters quoted Sharif saying,"He hurt the national interest of Pakistan by violating his oath as an ex-prime minister and should be proceeded against for treason."&nbsp;

Similar petitions were also filed by the members of two more political parties -- the Pakistan Awami Tehreek founded by Pakistani-Canadian Islamic scholar Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri and Pakistan zindabad party -- in the Lahore high court.

Some of the petitioners alleged that sharif's remarks appeared prejudicial to the safety and the interests of the state, and they amounted to high treason.

Earlier this week Sharif triggered a controversy by giving an interview to a Pakistan daily during which he said that "Militant organisations are active. Call them non-state actors, should we allow them to cross the border and kill 150 people in Mumbai? Explain it to me. Why can't we complete the trial?"

Following the statement, allegations of Pakistan's involvement in the admission of terrorist in the country were also made by Indian media.

Pakistan's national security committee also held a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Monday to review the statement in detail. After the meeting, the committee unanimously termed the statement <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/nawazs-statement-on-mumbai-attacks-incorrect-and-misleading-terms-pakistans-nsc-136742">"incorrect and misleading</a>".

NSC meeting also&nbsp;"rejected the allegations and condemned the fallacious assertions", and concluded saying that it continue its efforts to eliminate terrorism on all fronts.&nbsp;

However, Nawaz Sharif defended himself saying that he stood by his comments as he did nothing wrong and that he was seeking answers as to why militants killed 166 people in Mumbai.

On November 26 in 2008, ten Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist sailed to Mumbai from Karachi and carried out coordinated attacks that killed 166 people and injured over 300.&nbsp;

Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) Chief Hafeez Saeed is said to be the mastermind behind 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.

Even after ten years of the terror attack in Mumbai, Pakistan has not punished any of the suspects in the case and the trials are stalled in a Rawalpindi anti-terrorism court

Also read:<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/nawaz-sharif-admits-pak-militant-groups-role-in-mumbai-terror-attacks--136372"> Nawaz Sharif admits Pakistan militant group's role in Mumbai terror attacks</a>

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A politician from Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Sharif party also moved to the Sindh high court demanding to restrict Sharif from traveling outside the country

Multiple petitions filed in the Pakistani courts against the country's former prime minister Nawaz Sharif over his statement on Tuesday seeking action against him for treason. A politician from Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Sharif party also moved the Sindh high court demanding to restrict Sharif from traveling outside the country as he also sought charges of treason against Sharif. According to the media report, Party leader Imran Khan has also demanded Sharif to be put on trial. News agency Reuters quoted Sharif saying,"He hurt the national interest of Pakistan by violating his oath as an ex-prime minister and should be proceeded against for treason." Similar petitions were also filed by the members of two more political parties -- the Pakistan Awami Tehreek founded by Pakistani-Canadian Islamic scholar Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri and Pakistan zindabad party -- in the Lahore high court. Some of the petitioners alleged that sharif's remarks appeared prejudicial to the safety and the interests of the state, and they amounted to high treason. Earlier this week Sharif triggered a controversy by giving an interview to a Pakistan daily during which he said that "Militant organisations are active. Call them non-state actors, should we allow them to cross the border and kill 150 people in Mumbai? Explain it to me. Why can't we complete the trial?" Following the statement, allegations of Pakistan's involvement in the admission of terrorist in the country were also made by Indian media. Pakistan's national security committee also held a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Monday to review the statement in detail. After the meeting, the committee unanimously termed the statement "incorrect and misleading". NSC meeting also "rejected the allegations and condemned the fallacious assertions", and concluded saying that it continue its efforts to eliminate terrorism on all fronts. However, Nawaz Sharif defended himself saying that he stood by his comments as he did nothing wrong and that he was seeking answers as to why militants killed 166 people in Mumbai. On November 26 in 2008, ten Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist sailed to Mumbai from Karachi and carried out coordinated attacks that killed 166 people and injured over 300. Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) Chief Hafeez Saeed is said to be the mastermind behind 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. Even after ten years of the terror attack in Mumbai, Pakistan has not punished any of the suspects in the case and the trials are stalled in a Rawalpindi anti-terrorism court Also read: Nawaz Sharif admits Pakistan militant group's role in Mumbai terror attacks

Multiple petitions filed against Nawaz Sharif seeking treason charges for his 26/11 remarks

A day after former Nawaz Sharif admitted his country's role in the 26/11 Mumbai attack, Imran Khan slammed the former Pakistan prime minister for speaking "PM Narendra Modi's language" to protect his wealth stashed in his son's companies.

"Nawaz Sharif is the modern-day Mir Jafar, who collaborated with the British to enslave his nation for personal gains. Nawaz speaking Modi's language against Pakistan State simply to protect his ill-gotten Rs 300 billion stashed in his son's companies abroad,'' Khan tweeted.

(A commander in Siraj- ud -Daulah's army, Mir Jafar colluded with the East India Company leading to the defeat of Siraj- ud -Daulah, the Nawab of Bengal, in the Battle of Plassey in 1757. Following the battle, he became the first Najafi Nawab of Bengal with the support of British East India Company.)

Khan was referring to Sharif's recent interview to a Pakistani media, ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif has admitted to Pakistan's role in the 26/11 terror attacks on Mumbai.

Blaming the Militant organisation in Pakistan, he asked: "should we allow them to cross-border and kill 150 people in Mumbai?".

He further questioned that why the trials in the case are not being completed?

He said,"Militant organisation are active. Call them non-state actors, should we allow them to cross-border and kill 150 people in Mumbai? Why can't we complete trial?"

He added further,"We have isolated ourselves. Despite giving sacrifices, our narrative is not being accepted. Afghanistan's narrative is being accepted, but ours is not. We must look into it".

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Nawaz Sharif is the modern-day Mir Jafar, who collaborated with the British to enslave his nation for personal gains. Nawaz speaking Modi's language against Pak State simply to protect his ill-gotten Rs 300b stashed in his sons companies abroad.
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Khan was referring to Sharif's recent interview to a Pakistani media, ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif has admitted to Pakistan's role in the 26/11 terror attacks on Mumbai.

A day after former Nawaz Sharif admitted his country's role in the 26/11 Mumbai attack, Imran Khan slammed the former Pakistan prime minister for speaking "PM Narendra Modi's language" to protect his wealth stashed in his son's companies. "Nawaz Sharif is the modern-day Mir Jafar, who collaborated with the British to enslave his nation for personal gains. Nawaz speaking Modi's language against Pakistan State simply to protect his ill-gotten Rs 300 billion stashed in his son's companies abroad,'' Khan tweeted. (A commander in Siraj- ud -Daulah's army, Mir Jafar colluded with the East India Company leading to the defeat of Siraj- ud -Daulah, the Nawab of Bengal, in the Battle of Plassey in 1757. Following the battle, he became the first Najafi Nawab of Bengal with the support of British East India Company.) Khan was referring to Sharif's recent interview to a Pakistani media, ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif has admitted to Pakistan's role in the 26/11 terror attacks on Mumbai. Blaming the Militant organisation in Pakistan, he asked: "should we allow them to cross-border and kill 150 people in Mumbai?". He further questioned that why the trials in the case are not being completed? He said,"Militant organisation are active. Call them non-state actors, should we allow them to cross-border and kill 150 people in Mumbai? Why can't we complete trial?" He added further,"We have isolated ourselves. Despite giving sacrifices, our narrative is not being accepted. Afghanistan's narrative is being accepted, but ours is not. We must look into it". Nawaz Sharif is the modern-day Mir Jafar, who collaborated with the British to enslave his nation for personal gains. Nawaz speaking Modi's language against Pak State simply to protect his ill-gotten Rs 300b stashed in his sons companies abroad. — Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) May 13, 2018 ×

Imran Khan slams Nawaz Sharif, says he speaks PM Narendra Modi's language

Ahead of the general elections in Pakistan, former president Asif Ali Zardari said that the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) may forge an alliance with Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

The PPP and PTI earlier joined hands in the Senate elections.

"Necessity is the mother of all inventions. There was a necessity in the Senate and if there is a necessity we will do it [form an alliance] and if not we are willing to sit in the opposition or form the government," Zardari said while addressing a gathering in Lahore, Geo TV reported.

Zardari who is the PPP co-chairman was addressing a gathering in Lahore on Friday, stating that his party had no qualms being a part of the opposition as well, adding that his party had been in rule earlier.

"They (PTI) haven't seen the Prime Minister House.They are in a hurry to get power," the PPP co-chairman added.

He also slammed former prime minister Nawaz Sharif for weakening the country's democracy, " Nawaz turned into Prince Saleem and became our undoing."

The general elections in Pakistan are due to be held in the last week of July or first week of August.

Asif Zardari said that Nawaz Sharif has weakened democracy and it is vulnerable in these times.&nbsp;On Thursday, Nawaz Sharif had also claimed that he is not contesting against the PPP or PTI but ‘outside beings’.

The PPP and PTI earlier joined hands in the Senate elections

Ahead of the general elections in Pakistan, former president Asif Ali Zardari said that the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) may forge an alliance with Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). The PPP and PTI earlier joined hands in the Senate elections. "Necessity is the mother of all inventions. There was a necessity in the Senate and if there is a necessity we will do it [form an alliance] and if not we are willing to sit in the opposition or form the government," Zardari said while addressing a gathering in Lahore, Geo TV reported. Zardari who is the PPP co-chairman was addressing a gathering in Lahore on Friday, stating that his party had no qualms being a part of the opposition as well, adding that his party had been in rule earlier. "They (PTI) haven't seen the Prime Minister House.They are in a hurry to get power," the PPP co-chairman added. He also slammed former prime minister Nawaz Sharif for weakening the country's democracy, " Nawaz turned into Prince Saleem and became our undoing." The general elections in Pakistan are due to be held in the last week of July or first week of August. Asif Zardari said that Nawaz Sharif has weakened democracy and it is vulnerable in these times. On Thursday, Nawaz Sharif had also claimed that he is not contesting against the PPP or PTI but ‘outside beings’.

Former president Asif Ali Zardari may ally with Imran Khan's PTI for Pakistan elections

Pakistan's Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman Imran Khan on Sunday, addressing his party's power show at the iconic Minar-e-Pakistan in Lahore, touted his 11-point agenda for "naya (new) Pakistan".

The cricketer-turned-politician's 11-point agenda lays emphasis on education, health, revenue generation, corruption, investment, employment, agriculture, federation, environment, police system, women education, Geo TV reported.

"Ask yourself, why was this country made?" Khan asked the crowd to question itself.

The PTI Chief lamented on the fact that Pakistan was nowhere close to the vision of the country's Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

"The Pakistan that Quaid-e-Azam wanted would afford equal rights to all citizens including the minorities, where the Hindu community, Sikhs, and Christians would be equal citizens. This country was to be formed on the model of Madina, where the basis of law was justice," Geo TV quoted Imran as saying.

According to the report, Imran Khan, who earlier branded the jalsa as "Tsunami plus show", expressed his gratitude to the participants who turned out in quite a huge chunks to witness the "historic" gathering.

"During Imran Khan's speech number is now between 90 Thousand to 1 lakh. Families and women seen leaving the venue to avail clear exits. Still good presence on the ground though," Pakistani journalist Mansoor Ali Khan tweeted.

Imran Khan told the crowd, "Whenever I gave a call to you, you never disappointed me."

&nbsp;

Imran Khan's 11-point agenda lays emphasis on education, health, revenue generation, corruption, investment, employment, agriculture, federation, environment, police system, women education

Pakistan's Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman Imran Khan on Sunday, addressing his party's power show at the iconic Minar-e-Pakistan in Lahore, touted his 11-point agenda for "naya (new) Pakistan". The cricketer-turned-politician's 11-point agenda lays emphasis on education, health, revenue generation, corruption, investment, employment, agriculture, federation, environment, police system, women education, Geo TV reported. "Ask yourself, why was this country made?" Khan asked the crowd to question itself. The PTI Chief lamented on the fact that Pakistan was nowhere close to the vision of the country's Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. "The Pakistan that Quaid-e-Azam wanted would afford equal rights to all citizens including the minorities, where the Hindu community, Sikhs, and Christians would be equal citizens. This country was to be formed on the model of Madina, where the basis of law was justice," Geo TV quoted Imran as saying. According to the report, Imran Khan, who earlier branded the jalsa as "Tsunami plus show", expressed his gratitude to the participants who turned out in quite a huge chunks to witness the "historic" gathering. "During Imran Khan's speech number is now between 90 Thousand to 1 lakh. Families and women seen leaving the venue to avail clear exits. Still good presence on the ground though," Pakistani journalist Mansoor Ali Khan tweeted. Imran Khan told the crowd, "Whenever I gave a call to you, you never disappointed me."

Imran Khan touts 11-point agenda for 'naya' Pakistan

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