Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Thursday called out the incumbent government for what he termed its “dual standards of accountability”, saying that he can “no longer remain quiet” on the matter.

He was addressing a PML-N central working committee meeting via a video link from London.

“Nawaz Sharif is not made of the kind of stuff that can stand remaining quiet on dual standards of accountability,” he said, adding that “no one should try to silence him”.

As he began his address, he spoke of how it had been a long time since such an address had taken place. “I am addressing you all after a long time. And in these two-and-a-half years we have all endured much.”

“But it is with God’s grace we are seeing each other now,” Nawaz said.

“When I look at the state the country is in, it saddens me deeply,” the former prime minister said. “We were on such a great path to progress and look at where we are now.”

Nawaz said he sees a world of a difference between the Pakistan of a few years ago and the one before us now. “I do not understand why this has happened.”

“We were so prosperous until 2018. Our tenure lasted 2013-2018 and with your prayers and God’s mercy and your support from 2013-2017, I was prime minister,” he said.

“Me and my team who are sitting here and also those not here, such as Shahbaz Sharif who is in jail, paying for crimes not committed. Together, we were changing the fate of Pakistan.”

“These are not empty words, you yourself have witnessed the fruits of our efforts,” Nawaz said.

The PML-N supremo then began to list the “great achievements won” during the three years he was in power.

“We installed power projects, eradicated terrorism, the economy was soaring high, poverty was diminishing, gas was plentiful and people were employed,” he said.

Nawaz said Pakistan “was looking to join the G20 countries”. “We had become a tiger in the South Asian region,” he said, adding: “The world was praising our progress.”

“This is not me who is saying this. You all bear witness to this. The entire nation.”

‘PML-N’s achievements’

He criticised the PTI’s Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project in Peshawar, saying it has yet to actually take off despite the passage of six years.

“The buses burn, or the roof collapses, the lifts don’t work and how much did it all cost?

“Our BRT projects — Lahore, Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Multan — all costed less than Peshawar, in my estimate, and they are all working,” Nawaz said, adding that he can say with certainty that “no one would have seen such speeds that were witnessed in the projects PML-N completed”.

“Were these jinns who were doing this? It was us,” he said, as he highlighted PML-N’s various “achievements” over the years.

He said the country’s growth rate in the party’s tenure stood at 5.8% and “now it is approaching -1.4%”.

Nawaz said the PML-N had kept the rupee rate “under control for four years” and claimed the party “would have brought it down below Rs100 per dollar even had the party come into power”.

He said that similarly, the prices of essential commodities were maintained. “We had left sugar prices at Rs50, whereas now they have doubled to Rs100.”

“If you cannot answer this question then ask those who are going hungry […] they can either eat or go to school or pay their electricity bills or buy medicines which are far out of their reach now.”

After receiving heaps of praises from in and out of the country for his comprehensive UN General Assembly address, Prime Minister Imran Khan’s speech has now become the most viewed UNGA address as compared to other world leaders – including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Donald Trump and others – since it went up on the online video-sharing platform.

The premier’s speech was uploaded on September 27 and to date, has been viewed over 170,000 times, however, second comes United States President Donald Trump, whose address received 138,000 views after it was uploaded a week ago on September 22.

The US president made headlines after he accused China of “unleashing” COVID-19 on the world and told the United Nations General Assembly to hold it accountable, prompting Beijing to accuse him of “lies” and abusing the UN platform to provoke confrontation during his UNGA address.

Meanwhile, Modi’s speech was viewed 63,000 times after it was uploaded on September 26. The Indian premier’s address made no direct mention of climate change or of India’s rising border tensions with China following a clash in June when 20 Indian troops died.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ruler also stayed away from directly mentioning Pakistan despite PM Imran’s denunciation on India over occupied Kashmir and the New Delhi government’s Hindu nationalist ideology.

PM Imran Khan warns India against any ‘misadventure’

PM Imran, in his fierce UNGA address, warned India against carrying out any misadventure, saying “it will be met by a nation that is ready to fight till the end for its freedom” as he addressed the 75th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session via video earlier last week.

“While the Nazis’ hate was directed at the Jews, the RSS directs it at the Muslims, and to a lesser extent, the Christians,” the premier had said, adding that the extremist ideologists believe that India is exclusively for Hindus and others are not equal citizens.

“The secularism of Gandhi and Nehru has been replaced by the dream of creating a Hindu Rashtra, by subjugating, even cleansing India’s 200 million Muslims and other minorities,” he had said.

PM Imran at length spoke about the RSS’s attempt to destroy the Babri Masjid and the massacre of 2,000 Muslims in the Gujarat riots. “And this was [Gujarat massacre] under the watch of chief minister Modi,” he had said.

ISLAMABAD : The federal government has changed its visa policy for Afghan nationals after modifying the number of visits, entries and validity period.

The new policy was introduced to facilitate Afghan nationals for the issuance of visas at border crossing instead of visiting the Pakistan embassy in Kabul. The relevant authorities modified the number of visits, validity period and entries under the new visa policy.

The Pakistani embassy in Kabul and consulates will issue visit visas to Afghan nationals with multiple entries for one year. Moreover, they can also get business visas for a period of five years that will be extendable in Pakistan.

Under the new policy, Afghan students could acquire visas till the completion of their studies in Pakistan instead of renewing it every year, whereas, six-month visas will be issued to Afghan patients at Torkham border.
The visa policy of Pakistan for Afghan nationals had remained unchanged till September 2020 as the Foreign Office (FO) confirmed last year that Pakistani missions were issuing around 3,800 visas a day without charging any fees that were more than any other country.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had made the statement when reports had been circulated for the introduction of a new visa policy for Afghan nationals last year and abolishment of on-arrival visa facility owing to security concerns.

A report had quoted Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Director Immigration Ismatullah Junejo as saying that the Afghan nationals used to be issued a 30-day visa at entry points in Pakistan. But now, they will have to apply for a visa at Pakistani diplomatic missions in Afghanistan.

Once issued a visa, the Afghan nationals would be required to provide details, including the time and place of their stay, in ‘Form C’ which they would fill upon entry into Pakistan.

The Form would then be forwarded to security agencies for verification. After the details are verified, the Afghan visa-holders would be issued residence and travel permits.

ISLAMABAD : PML-N has decided to dismiss five members of the party for violating the party’s rules and meeting Chief Minister Punjab Usman Buzdar without permission.

The decision which was approved by senior party leadership was announced by PML-N general-secretary Ahsan Iqbal.

The members to have been removed are Punjab Assembly lawmakers Ashraf Ansari, Jaleel Sharaqpuri, Faisal Niazi, Nishat Daha and Moulvi Ghayasuddin.

The inquiry against the aforementioned members came into effect with the approval of PMl-N Punjab president Rana Sanaullah.

Besides this, a few PML-N parliamentarians were issued show-cause notices for having been absent during the crucial voting that took place in a joint session of the parliament for Financial Action Task Force (FATF) related legislation.

Despite the opposition’s concerns regarding a few clauses, the bills were passed by the assembly with a majority of votes by government representatives.

Those asked to explain their absence that day include Raheela Magsi, Kulsoom Parveen, Dilawar Khan and Shamim Afridi.

ISLAMABAD : The Foreign Office has said that Pakistan supports Azerbaijan’s position on the Nagorno-Karabakh issue which is in line with the several unanimously adopted UN Security Council Resolutions.

“Pakistan stands with the brotherly nation of Azerbaijan and supports its right of self-defense,” the Foreign Office Spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri said in the opening remarks of his weekly media briefing in Islamabad on Thursday.

The Spokesperson also expressed Pakistan’s deep concern over the deteriorating security situation in the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri said that the intensive shelling by the Armenian forces on civilian populations of Azerbaijani villages is reprehensible and most unfortunate.

The fresh escalation of tension between Azerbaijan and Armenia resulting in fierce fighting has caused 23 more fatalities.

Since September 27, dozens have been killed and hundreds wounded in the fighting between Azerbaijan and Armenian forces in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan but it is illegally occupied and governed by ethnic Armenians.

Islamabad, October 1: Islamabad Citizens Committee (ICC) has evolved a sector-wise consolidated plan to address the civic problems of the federal capital.

The plan will soon be presented to the Mayor of Islamabad for necessary action. This was announced here by the President of ICC, Syed M.Siddiq Hasan at a meeting of Committee’s Executive Council.

The plan underlined some serious problems, being faced by the residents that needed urgent attention of the Capital Development Authority (CDA), ICT administration and the Mayor, IMC.

The ICC that was established in 1977 by late Syed M.Shakir Hasan, father of its incumbent President striving hard to improve and upgrade the living status of the citizen of federal Capital in line with the CDA’s Master Plan.

Syed M.Siddiq Hasan who was re-elected as President ICC for the next two-year term by the Executive Committee, said that shortage of water, deteriorating sanitation system and growing encroachment have badly affected the life of the citizens of Islamabad.

The ICC, he said has always been cooperating with the local authorities for improving civic conditions. It has also been extending a helping hand to the ICT police for improving the security condition in the city.

About the proposed plan, he said it carried a number suggestions for improving general Cleanliness, sewerage works, cleaning of streets, roads, construction of foot paths and maintenance of parks, etc.

There are some other problems, like defective street and traffic lights and traffic hazards like, enforcement of one way traffic in and around all the major markets of Islamabad.

Through the proposed plan, the attention of the authorities is also being drawn towards the problems relating to schools and hospitals, self-constructed speed breakers, proper maintenance of parks and play-grounds, he added.

The President, ICC appreciated the follow- up action taken by the Mayor, IMC after its meeting with him last month. Immediate action was observed on his part with regard to the maintenance of roads, street light and cutting of grace in H-8 grave yard etc.

The ICC plans to meet the Mayor, IMC on a regular intervals to address the problems on regular basis, he added.