LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain Wednesday proposed to become a mediator between the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM)-led coalition government.

“Damage to the economy can be avoided if politicians stay in contact. If Imran Khan asks, I will personally speak to Prime Minister [Shehbaz Sharif] in this regard,” he told Geo News.

The PTI has been pressurising the coalition government in the Centre to hold early elections in light of the “deteriorating economy”, but the former has not heeded to demand.

Khan had last week said that he would delay the dissolution of the assemblies if the government decides to hold general elections in March, but the government rejected the offer saying that polls will be held on time — October 2023.

But even though the PTI has been persistent in its demand for early polls, its ally Chief Minister Punjab Pervez Elahi believes that he did not see elections taking place in the next four months.

As a result of the tumultuous political situation in the country, the Pakistan rupee has been losing its value and the investors have remained jittery. Not only that, the stalemate between the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the government has also led to a drop in the local currency’s value.

In today’s talk with Geo News, Shujaat also noted that all the assemblies should complete their respective tenures as even if Punjab Assembly was dissolved, it would trigger a Constitutional crisis.

Talks with Parvez Elahi, Asif Zardari

Shedding light on PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari’s recent visit, Shujaat said the former president had come to his residence for inquiring about his health — nothing more.

“I did not speak about Punjab’s situation with Asif Zardari. It is indeed possible that we might speak about Parvez Elahi in the future,” the ex-prime minister said.

Shujaat said that neither did he discuss Elahi nor did he speak about the PDM with Zardari.

However, sources told Geo News that Zardari asked him to not dissolve the assemblies, assuring of a new setup after consultations. The sources said that Zardari assured Shujaat that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Hamza Shahbaz would not be the chief minister of Punjab in the new setup.

On his terms with Elahi, Shujaat said he does not speak about politics with the chief minister and that they only discuss matters related to “national interest”.

“I had suggested Parvez Elahi not to have the FIR (first information report) registered against the army officer.” 

ISLAMABAD, /DNA/ – China’s Ambassador to Pakistan Nong Rong called on the Prime Minister here today. Welcoming the Ambassador, the Prime Minister recalled his visit to China on 1-2 November 2022, which had demonstrated the abiding vitality of the Pakistan-China All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership.

On behalf of the government and people of Pakistan, the Prime Minister reiterated his profound condolences on the tragic demise of former Chinese President Jiang Zemin, noting that he was a trusted friend of Pakistan whose loss would be felt keenly.

The Prime Minister and Chinese Ambassador discussed major outcomes of the recent high-level visit, agreeing on the need for effective follow-up to translate understandings reached in Beijing between the Prime Minister and China’s leadership into tangible benefits for both countries and peoples.

ISLAMABAD: A fire broke out Wednesday on stalls at a Sunday Bazaar in the federal capital’s Peshawar Mor in H-9 Sector.

The extent of the fire was so massive that it rapidly engulfed shops leaving over 150 burnt. No causalities have been reported following the incident.

Rescue sources said that the blaze is reported to have caught the bazaar’s gate number seven at Srinagar Avenue section engulfing and damaging several shops, which sell carpets and second-hand clothing for the winter season — many of which have been reportedly burnt to ashes.

The Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI) and the city’s fire brigade department are engaged in extinguishing the fire, while the capital police and district administration were also present at the site of the incident, including the federal capital’s deputy commissioner.

At least 10 fire engines are busy dousing the fire. Meanwhile, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah has taken notice of the incident. He has directed the city’s deputy commissioner to personally monitor the situation and ensure all resources in putting out the fire.

The minister has sought the incident’s report from the district administration of Islamabad.

this was not the first time that this bazaar caught fire. A similar incident has taken place four times in the past leaving shops destroyed and shopkeepers bearing losses of millions of rupees as the business is heavily invested.

All routes going toward the bazaar have been sealed by the police.

the deputy commissioner said: “The cause of the fire has not yet been ascertained, no casualty has been reported. The Islamabad and Rawalpindi’s rescue teams are busy in getting the fire under control.”

A spokesperson of the Pakistan Navy said that civil administration is also helping in dousing the blaze, while the navy’s team and two of its fire brigades are also engaged in putting it out.

ISLAMABAD, DEC 7: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi said Wednesday party’s chairman Imran Khan decided to announce the dissolution of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP)  assemblies within the next few days.

“Today, the party and the party’s leadership has given the authority to Imran Khan [for the assembly’s dissolution]. Imran Khan now intends to dissolve the assemblies soon so that the process can be taken forward,” he said while addressing a press conference along with the party’s top brass.

Qureshi said as a result of Khan’s back-to-back consultative meetings with the party’s lawmakers and local leadership, he is “convinced” that the way forward is the dissolution of both assemblies and snap polls.

The PTI has been pressurising the coalition government in the Centre to hold early elections in light of the “deteriorating economy”, but the former has not heeded to demand.

Khan had last week said that he would delay the dissolution of the assemblies if the government decides to hold general elections in March, but the government rejected the offer saying that polls will be held on time — October 2023.

But even though the PTI has been persistent in its demand for early polls, its ally Chief Minister Punjab Pervez Elahi believes that he did not see elections taking place in the next four months.

In today’s presser, Qureshi said: “We believe that even if the PDM’s (Pakistan Democratic Movement) federal government is keeping its own interests above the state’s and not thinking about holding general elections, then new governments should be formed in both provinces before Ramadan.”

The former foreign minister said PTI does not want anarchy in the state and wishes to “end the differences” that have taken place in the last eight months, hinting at the party’s worsening relations with the establishment.

Qureshi said that the PTI leadership, including Khan, believe that the incumbent government has lost the trust of the business community as well as the agriculturists.

“The growth figures are dropping — whether it be industrial production, private sector investment, or any other indicator — shows that the economy is deteriorating.”

Cash-strapped Pakistan is currently waiting for funds from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as cataclysmic floods, depleting foreign exchange reserves and depreciating currency adversely affected the economic situation in Pakistan.

In the meeting today, the party also appreciated the Supreme Court’s decision to take suo motu notice of senior journalist Arshad Sharif’s murder, PTI’s vice chairman said.

Qureshi said a fact-finding report has also been presented before the five-member SC bench. “We believe that justice should be done in this case and the human rights violations that have been taking place were unprecedented.”

‘No stability without elections’

For his part, PTI Senior Vice President Fawad Chaudhry said the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja wanted to disqualify Khan.

“But the people will not accept the decisions taken behind closed doors. [The government] should accept the people’s decision and move forward. There can be no stability without new elections.”

Taking over the presser, PTI Secretary-General Asad Umar said inflation has sky-rocketed in the last eight months — since the party’s ouster in April.

He said that all financial experts believe that the “economy’s devastated” and the government has no plan on how to revive it.

The PTI leader added that when the Khan-led government was ousted, the foreign exchange reserves stood at $16 billion — which now stand below $8 billion.

“There are fears that the foreign exchange reserves might fall to $5 billion by December’s end,” he warned, as current reserves held by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) can only cover imports for 1.11 months.

ISLAMABAD: /DNA/ – Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senior Vice President Fawad Chaudhary said that the imported government wrecked the fast thriving economy, the governance and the hard-won peace in the country in the daily’s war to save their rule.

In a statement on Wednesday, Fawad Chaudhary stated that the terrorist incidents witnessed an alarming 52 percent upsurge since the imported government was imposed on the nation.

Fawad Chaudhary went on to say that the imported government had nothing to do with the country but they were just busy in the war as how to save their government, adding that they ruined the governance and the economy in this battle of power. Therefore, he stated that fair, transparent and snap should be conducted in order to establish new stable government, which could look into the matters.

ISLAMABAD, DEC 7: Chief Election Commissioner Sikander Sultan Raja on Wednesday said the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) faced “unwarranted criticism” for allegedly opposing the use of electronic voting machines and balloting rights for overseas Pakistanis, saying the electoral watchdog was never opposed to them as was “widely propagated”.

The remarks from the ECP chief comes in reference to the criticism from the PTI, particularly its chief Imran Khan, who has on multiple occasions called out the commission on various occasions for allegedly scuttling the introduction of EVMs in support of his political rivals — a claim it denies.

“I challenge all critics to show one instance where the ECP opposed electronic voting machines or voting rights for overseas Pakistanis, but there should be a procedure,” he said during his address in Islamabad, while insisting one should avoid raising slogans in favour of EVMs without considering the overall mechanism that would eventually make the entire election process “suspicious”.

He said local government elections in Punjab will take place in the last week of April. “We are conducting de-limitations again and the provincial government has been asked to ensure polls are held by the stipulated time.”

Raja said the ECP had already informed the Punjab government that the commission would make use of previous laws under Article 283 of the Constitution, if the administration attempted to again amend the local government law.

He underlined that the commission was in support of the use of technology in elections, saying, however, it must be backed by all stakeholders.

He elaborated that by-elections on 17 National Assembly seats and 34 Punjab Assembly elections were held in 2020-21 and 2021-22. “Of them, 35 by-polls were won by then opposition and 16 by the government, which proves the transparency of the electoral process,” he added.

The ECP chief blamed the Punjab government for delay in LG polls due to repeated changes in laws. “We need at least three to four months for delimitations.”

Raja said the ECP was also not provided funds at the time of [by-elections], adding some funds were released later while many of them were still in the pipeline.

He emphasised that the local government polls held the utmost importance in the country.

He said the federal government had been conveyed that the ECP needed seven to eight months for delimitations. “We are confident once the census is completed to the core, we will be ready to hold general elections.”

KARACHI: /DNA/ – Chief of Army Staff, General Syed Asim Munir visited the mausoleum of Quaid- e -Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah today, to pay homage to the Nation’s founder. COAS laid a floral wreath and offered Fateha.

Later, COAS visited Corps Headquarters Karachi . COAS was briefed on Operational, Security and other matters of the formation including assistance to civil administration during recent natural calamity in Sindh particularly interior Sindh. COAS appreciated Army and Ranger’s troops for operational preparedness and reaching out to people of Sindh during recent unprecedented floods in the country. 

COAS praised formation, allied organisations and law enforcement agencies for maintaining safe and secure environment in the province particularly megalopolitan city of Karachi.
Earlier, on arrival at Karachi, COAS was received by Lieutenant General Muhammad Saeed Corps Commander Karachi.