FARUKH SHEHZAD

KOHAT, MAY 17: PTI chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan on Tuesday expressed gratitude to the Supreme Court for saving the nation from further “deterioration of its moral standards”, which he said were compromised by his political rivals in a bid to topple his government under a US-orchestrated conspiracy.

The statement from the ex-premier came hours after the top court announced its decision on a presidential reference seeking interpretation of Article 63-A of the Constitution which is related to the status of defecting lawmakers, saying the votes of defecting legislators will not be counted.

The verdict by the larger bench of the apex court was a 3-2 split decision, with a majority of the judges not allowing lawmakers to vote against party line in four instances outlined under Article 63-A. The verdict went on to say that defections were “one of the most pernicious ways” in which political parties could be destabilised, noting that they could also delegitimise parliamentary democracy.

“Thank God, the Supreme Court rejected the votes of lawmakers who were committing betrayal with their people, the country, and the Constitution,” Imran told his audience in a public meeting in Attock today.

While hailing the decision, Imran also urged the court to seek the record of corruption cases of the Sharif family and conduct day-to-day hearings on the cases.

He said the incumbent government had deliberately “destroyed” institutions such as the Federal Investigation Agency in order to render them ineffective in probing corruption cases.

Imran also appealed to the Supreme Court to order an inquiry into the recent death of FIA officer Dr Mohammad Rizwan, who died of an alleged cardiac arrest. In his speeches over the past week, Imran had raised suspicions of foul play regarding the nature of Dr Rizwan’s death.

The PTI chief’s appreciation of the top court stands in contrast to his public criticism of the judiciary over the past few weeks in his political power shows where he had asked why the courts opened their doors at midnight prior to his ouster.

‘Only demand is immediate elections’

The ex-premier lamented that Shehbaz and his son would have been convicted a year ago, but added it could not happen due to the weak justice system in the country.

“We just want one thing and that is immediate elections. We do not accept this America-backed government,” he told the crowd.

Imran said he was “carefully planning” the date of his upcoming Islamabad march and would unveil it in days to come.

He also sought a promise from rally attendants that in future elections they would not vote for leaders whose properties and assets were stashed abroad.

The PTI chief also “congratulated” the Khyber Pakhtonkhwa for having just one “turncoat” in the entire province. He said the PTI will never forgive those who defected to other parties “for the sake of money”.

Lashing out at the current government, Imran reiterated that he had signed an agreement with Russia to procure oil and wheat at 30 per cent discount. However, he alleged that “the current government revoked all those agreements right after coming to power.”

‘No provision to be neutral’

He said there were two kinds of people in the country: “one, who are trying to fix the problems faced by the country, and the others others who have been looting the country for 30 years”.

“Allah has asked us to choose between the two and he has not allowed us to be neutral here.”

He predicted the government will now “hastily approach” the United States for help and seek money on the pretext that Imran will come to power if the amount was not provided.

The former PM further said that Asif Ali Zardari was “enjoying” the current political situation whereas Shehbaz was “struggling” as the PPP had control of Sindh alongside a share in the federal government.

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Courtesy Dawn News

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Sialkot, MAY 13: PTI Chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan said on Saturday his life was in danger and that he has recorded a video in which he has taken the names of all those who “conspired against me” since last summer.

Imran, who claims that he was ousted from the top office by made these remarks in his party’s political power show in Sialkot. “There is a conspiracy hatched against me in closed rooms in and outside the country, and they want that Imran Khan’s life [is lost],” he said.

“I knew of this conspiracy … so I have recorded a video and kept it in a secure place. If something happens to me then this video will be [made public] in front of nation. In it, whoever has conspired against me, whoever is complicit since last summer, I’ve named everyone.

“They think ‘Imran Khan can be an obstacle in our path and needs to be removed.’ And that’s why I’ve recorded this video because I think this is jihad and not politics. If something happens to me then I want all my Pakistanis to know who was complicit in this conspiracy.

“I’ve named everyone who planned and [revealed] how, through a foreign conspiracy, this corrupt lot, together with them, and others who were with them, ended my government. I recorded the video because it’s [part of the] history how the powerful are never brought under law and always remain safe. Those who betrayed this country, I want their faces to come in the open.”

The purported threat to Imran’s life was first spoken of by Faisal Vawda during the last few weeks of his government in late March.

Imran, in his speech tonight, said that his stance on rooting out corruption was not shared by those in “powerful positions”.

“During my 3.5 years I tried my best that those looting this country for the last 30 years got sentenced and action was taken against them, but those in powerful positions, who were supposed to do justice, did not consider corruption bad. They’ve accepted that powerful will steal and no one will catch them.”

Imran urged his supporters to participate in his planned march towards Islamabad, warning that if they did not do so then “this country will be destroyed.” He told his audience to brave the climatic hardships that the scorching summer is likely to throw at them on their way to the capital.

The PTI chairman also called on the youth to “start preparing immediately” for the march, adding that the government would try to impede the march by putting curbs on transport, petrol, internet and other services.

He predicted that a “sea of people” would be by his side when he heads to Islamabad.

Imran also questioned the judiciary about its handling of corruption cases against the Sharif family since the new government came into power, alleging that the officials in the Federal Investigation Agency were either being transferred or threatened.

He also lambasted the new government on the economic front, saying that the PTI regime had left it at a promising point but since the “regime change”, the rupee had depreciated alarmingly and the stock market had crashed.

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Courtesy Dawn News

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ISLAMABAD, MAY 13: Former prime minister Imran Khan on Friday warned that a “sea of people” set to march towards Islamabad would “sweep everyone away” if the government did not announce a date for elections.

Addressing a huge public gathering in Mardan, Imran said an “absconder” sitting in London must realise that he would not be allowed to take decisions about Pakistan.

Imran emphasised that he was calling people to Islamabad for a “revolution” and not for politics.

Referring to Shehbaz Sharif, Asif Zardari and Maulana Fazlur Rehman as the “three stooges”, the PTI chief said they were slaves of America with their wealth stashed abroad.

He alleged that the coalition government would soon approach the US for help, adding that Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was also set to hold a meeting in America in this regard.

“It is the same America that had tapped your phone call with your mother when she was sharing the details of your family assets abroad,” Imran said, referring to Bilawal.

He continued that the PPP chairperson would “beg for more money” from the US on the pretext that Imran would return [to power] if the money was not provided.

“I know Americans very well … they say there is no free lunch. Everything has a cost and in the context of Pakistan, the cost is to provide them [military] bases,” the ex-PM said.

Imran said his government was set to procure wheat and oil from Russia at a 30 per cent discount, adding that “the current government cannot trade with Russia due to US pressure.”

He said Pakistan, under the new regime, would have to give statements against Russia because the US wanted it. The PTI chief claimed he was also told the same. “But I refused it as we are a sovereign country and not slaves of anyone”.

Islamabad, MAY 13: Understanding and addressing the needs of Pakistanis travelling internationally, Zong 4G is offering an International Roaming Bundle for Turkey.

The International Roaming bundle for Turkey offers Zong’s prepaid subscribers 30 minutes of talk time, 30 SMS, and 1GB of data for a validity of 15 days at an affordable price of PKR 2,232 +Tax.

Travelers can activate the bundle offer by dialing *4255# or by visiting Zong's online shop at https://www.zong.com.pk/onlineshop/ir-bundles.

"Our efforts to help Pakistani international travelers stay connected with their loved ones back at home continue with the Turkey International Roaming offer," said the Zong 4G spokesperson.

"We remain committed to providing our customers with innovative and timely services and solutions to effectively meet their evolving connectivity and digital communications demands," he said.

With Turkey being one of the most popular tourist destinations, this bundle offers excellent value in terms of talk time, SMS, and data, allowing users to stay connected when travelling in the country.

Zong is the largest mobile connectivity provider in Pakistan and is driving the country's digital transformation. It is the industry's largest international roaming network with dozens of countries already covered.

Besides Turkey, Zong has previously introduced prepaid and postpaid roaming plans for China, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Europe, and many other countries.

ISLAMABAD, MAY 13: Steven Yi, President of Huawei Middle East, highlighted Huawei’s commitment to support governments across the region achieve their digital transformation visions with 5G networks and other advanced technologies as an enabler. This took place during an exclusive media roundtable from Pakistan and 9 other Middle East countries held on the sidelines of the SAMENA Leaders’ Summit 2022, the top telecom industry event hosted by Huawei for the 9th consecutive year and attended by indsutry leaders, experts and decision makers from telecom companies, regulatory bodies, industry organizations and related stakeholders from SAMENA Region (South Asia, Middle East North Africa). 

Steven Yi stressed that in Pakistan, Huawei works with local customers, businesses, and partners to improve local network connectivity and improve the quality of life for the people. Yi also highlighted the importance of the telecom sector as an enabler for other industries’ sustainable development and growth in light of the evolving 5G landscape and the immense opportunities for enterprises in the 5G era. Yi also noted that Huawei, together with carriers and partners, has signed 3,000 5G commercial contracts, and that 5G saw large-scale commercial deployment in many industries, including manufacturing, mining, steel, port, chemical, cement, power grid, and healthcare. "Middle East countries are leading globally in 5G deployment. As an end-to-end leader in 5G, cloud, AI, devices and chips, Huawei will continue its commitment to help countries in the Middle East achieve their visions with digitization and sustainable development as key drivers. Yi highlighted. 

Additionally, during the Summit, leading regional operators and Huawei launched IntelligentRAN, an advanced telecom network solution, which comes in line with Huawei’s objective to empower the telecommunication sector with more advanced innovations and value for its own business  and other sectors and industries businesses by means of injecting intelligent to wireless networks and achieve autonomous driving network in the wireless domain in the future. “The intelligentRAN architecture is constructed to develop a mobile network with intelligent service operation, intelligent network optimization, and simplified O&M. This feature helps customers and partners quickly provision services and guarantee user experience, maximize user experience, reduce energy consumption, and simplify O&M in multi-frequency and multi-mode scenarios.”

With digital technologies advancing rapidly, securing networks and cybersecurity continues to be Huawei’s top priority. “We have a sound cybersecurity and privacy protection assurance structure which has a leading global records.” Steven Yi said. “Our practices in cybersecurity have won the continuous trust of our partners including those in the Middle East. We believe that cyber security is a shared responsibility and it’s crucial to have an open discussion around cybersecurity governance architecture in line of international standards like 3GPP, GSMA NESAS and others. Last year, we unveiled the largest cybersecurity and transparency center around the world in Dongguan China, and we hope that we will be able to invite you to visit there after the pandemic to experience this open collaboration platform targeted at addressing cybersecurity challenges and come up with joint innovations for improving the future of cybersecurity.” Yi continued. 

Steven Yi also stressed on Huawei’s commitment to support building digital economies in the Middle East region “We need to be united to establish unified laws and regulations so that the digital economy can be protected.” 

“Huawei has worked with customers to deploy 5G technology and hope to see more use cases of 5G in vertical industries in the Middle East region. We are committed to openly collaborate with our customers and partners and extend our innovations and global expertise to the region players for achiving more value in 5G deployement, in-line with the ME countries socio- economic growth.” Yi said. 

“In terms of R&D, we will continue to invest heavily to serve our smart and intelligent future. In 2021, We invested over 22% of annual revenue in R&D targeted at supporting the long-term sustainable development of the ICT industry, we will continue to invest significantly in intelligent solutions and services such as ICT infrastructure and cloud services.” Yi added. 

But focusing and expanding the digital space comes with its own concerns over energy consumption, therefore, Huawei has made sustainability as a priority to achieve a low-carbon society through continuous technological innovation. “In the Middle East, Huawei Digital Energy is working with industry partners to develop the digital energy industry, building a low-carbon telecom sector, homes, factors, parks and smart cities, and moving from a low-carbon society to a zero-carbon one.” At the moment, over 100 operators from across the world have deployed Huawei’s low-carbon solutions, reducing carbon emissions by 40 million tons.

On talent development, Huawei’s long-term strategy in the MEA region is aimed at developing ICT knowledge for various markets by leveraging their strengths in advanced technologies. “In the digital economy era, digital talent will be the key to digital transformation and economic growth.” Huawei has committed to develop over 100,000 ICT talents in the Middle East in the next 5 years. In the Middle East, we have set up 154 Huawei ICT academies, and over 3,000 students have participated in the flagship program Seeds for the Future, and more than 17,000 students have obtained a Huawei certification.

"Huawei is committed to cultivating innovative talents for higher and vocational colleges, accelerating innovation in teaching, research, and narrowing the digital divide, and promoting balanced education development in basic education" Yi added. 

Steven Yi also highlighted that Huawei is committed to use its global knowledge and expertise in over 170 markets and in mega projects such as the 2018 World Cup in Russia and 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics to the benefit of the Middle East region mega events, including  successfully guaranteeing Saudi Arabia's Hajj network for 16 years, accident free and offering unprecendnted experiences to the upcoming 2022 Qatar World Cup. “We remain committed to collaborate with our suppliers and partners to provide customized, secure, reliable, stable and competitive solutions to our customers in the Middle East Region.” Yi concluded. 

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Islamabad, MAY 11: Leaders and experts from the telecommunications industry came together at this year's SAMENA Council Leaders' Summit hosted by Huawei for the ninth consecutive year. The annual gathering was held under the theme of "Thriving with Resilience & Integration in the New Opportunity Realm" and focused on the new business opportunities that 5G and allied technologies provide for all industries and economic sectors. 

This year, Huawei shed light on the role of 5G, cloud and digital power in tackling the sustainability needs of the telecom industry and how an integrated intelligent ICT architecture will light up the future. Through its 'Everything as a Service' model, Huawei highlighted the cloud's integral role in enabling the digital economy and data sovereignty. The Summit also focused on the opportunities gained by integrating technologies, infrastructure investment, connectivity, and spectrum availability, which will benefit vertical industries and economic sectors. 

Steven Yi, President of Huawei Middle East, highlighted the crucial role of 5G in driving digital transformation across the region and the immense opportunities for enterprises in the 5G era. "Digital renaissance triggered by the pandemic has pivoted digital transformation to new heights, with 5G era infrastructure and communications technologies taking center stage. A strong drive for digital transformation is taking place worldwide, and Huawei is committed to bring the ingenious new technologies that will enrich people's lives with immersive digital services and enabling new opportunities in the industry’s digital transformation with smart digital solutions.” Yi noted.

Bocar A. BA, SAMENA Council CEO, said, "We held very fruitful discussions on the future direction of our networks, particularly in the 5G era. What was apparent is the transformational role of networks in driving digital transformation and economic growth. Participants also agreed that networks themselves must evolve to meet the region's sustainability goals. In this regard, the role of innovation in enabling net-zero transition through digital power technologies is increasingly important for the Middle East." 

Vanness You, Vice President of Marketing and Solution, Huawei Middle East, officially launched Huawei IntelligentRAN in the region. Vanness You noted that: “Towards the future, intelligence in every industry and connection, Huawei IntelligentRAN opens new paths to wireless intelligence, bringing the next level of service capability including agile service, smart experience, smart green and smart O&M.”

Additionally, IntelligentRAN allows intelligent air interfaces to use key technologies like smart grids, scheduling dictionaries, and channel graphs. These tools can configure air interface resources intelligently and achieve optimal user experience and capacity. Service prediction with IntelligentRAN also guides non-real-time spectrum and channel selection on the network side and real-time symbol scheduling and transmit power configuration on the base station side. This significantly reduces energy consumption across the entire network. 

Huawei Executives took part in several panel discussions. Mohamed Madkour, VP of Wireless Networks Marketing and Solutions at Huawei, participated in the "Leaders' Exchange Connectivity for the New Decade" panel. He noted that intelligent connectivity is the lifeline for everyone and integral to every country's digital economy. He reiterated Huawei's commitment to providing powerful, intelligent, simple and efficient digital infrastructure and operational tools to create more commercial and social values for societies, industries and economies. He also highlighted that growth oriented ICT policies are key to facilitate a favorable environment for business and technology innovations.

Emaad Ahmed, Chief Expert, Huawei Middle East, took part in a panel discussion titled "Techno-Business Convergence Achieving Sustainable Integration in the 5G Era." He noted that operators' OPEX increases due to system and network complexity. Therefore, reducing OPEX and achieving green development is essential for operators' future growth in light of the carbon-neutral background and the demand for cost reduction and increased efficiency.

Joined by senior executives from leading companies in the region, Mr. Paul M. Scanlan, CTO of Carrier Network Business Unit, Huawei, participated in "Cloud & Network Synergies: Achieving Resilience in Service Delivery" roundtable. The executives discussed Cloud Resilience, Hybrid-Cloud, Cloud Native Security, Multi-Cloud, Cybersecurity, Cloud Service Models, "X2B", Cloud and Network Synergies. 

The Summit also witnessed the launch of a joint UNESCO Huawei report titled "Talent Ecosystem for Digital Transformation: Insight Report on ICT in Higher Education and TVET (Technical and Vocational Education) in the Middle East and Pakistan". The report echoed the importance of developing ICT talents and creating relevant ecosystems to enhance ICT skills in the region and expand access to career opportunities in the digital world. The report showed a focus on ICT skills development has resulted in high ICT skills among the populations in the region. Data shows that 79% of individuals in the UAE have basic ICT skills in 2019. The corresponding figure is 61% in Saudi Arabia and 63% in Bahrain. With a legacy of developing high-quality human capital, Jordan has 63% of individuals with basic ICT skills. 

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Islamabad, MAY 10: The World Economic Forum held the EDISON Alliance Champions Deputies & Executive Network Meeting to discuss the 2022 roadmap, share commitments and initiatives, as well as calls for action to scale partnerships prior to the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting scheduled to take place in Davos in the last week of May.

The EDISON Alliance provides a platform for partnership between governments, industries, and people to advance digital inclusion as a foundation for achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. While private sector-led, it is the result of collaboration between financial inclusion industry leaders, governments and international organizations, who together formed an industry-led working group on financial inclusion.

Mr. Salman Ali, CEO of VRG (Virtual Remittance Gateway) participated in the meeting along with Mr. Ali Shah Asani (CEO iPath) and reaffirmed VRG's commitment to bring 50 million or about 40% of Pakistan's adult population under the financial ambit by 2024 through successful partnerships in the public sector.

Asaan 'Easy' Mobile Account is a revolutionary initiative undertaken by the State Bank of Pakistan and the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, under Pakistan's National Financial Inclusion Strategy. The scheme was mandated to Virtual Remittance Gateway (Pvt) Ltd, a member of the Pathfinder Group of Companies in 2017.

Asaan Mobile Account Scheme ("AMA") works on the USSD (Unstructured Supplementary Service Data) technology and the platform is accessible from any phone in the country by dialing a universal code *2262#. Geared towards the unbanked population the service can be accessed using a basic feature phone on any telecom service provider as no Internet or application is required. Therefore, every Pakistani has the accessibility to instantly open a bank account and undertake financial transactions on the go.

The Platform enables instant account opening by interconnecting all Telecom players with all Branchless Banks, whereas with seamless integration with NADRA (National Database and Registration Authority) and Pakistan MNP Database enables bariks to instantaneously authenticate mobile connection against customer provided identity credentials along with the

retrieval of KYC (Know Your Customer) data from NADRA which is processed to open an account in under a minute.

The service has received an overwhelming response and has gained tremendous momentum in the country since its soft launch on 13th December, 2021. AMA gained 4 million+ customers on the platform who have performed transactions amounting over $166 million in the first 4 months since launch.

With the launch of RAAST, SBP's Instant Payment System, and with AMA the State Bank of Pakistan has a dynamic-duo, to set a staunch foothold in the enablemen,t access of affordable, dependable and cost-effectivedigital financial payment services to the masses. A tremendous feat achieved by bringing together the best in digital payment services on the fingertips of the common man.

Both schemes can together provide the channel to enable a multitude of payment services, beginning from P2P (Person-to-Person)to merchant payments, and paving the way for advanced services such as micro-loans, small value international remittances, G2P (Government-to ­ Person) disbursements etc.

It was a great honor for VRG to participate in this meeting of the World Economic Forum and it was indicated that because of the VRG platform WEF will seriously consider to make one of the LIGHTHOUSE countries of the financial inclusion focus area. This would be a great honor for Pakistan to be considered in the forefront of Financial Inclusion technology and recognized this great public-private partnership.

ISLAMABAD, MAY 10: Zong, Pakistan’s digital services frontrunner, and Huawei have joined hands with the Akhuwat-(World’s Largest Interest Free Micro Finance Organization with poverty alleviating interventions in MicroFinance, Education and more), to help promote digital education in Pakistan and introduce the less privileged students to the modern ways of learning.

Under the partnership, Zong in collaboration with Huawei will be donating 200 tablets to Akhuwat

Education Services to make digital education for the less privileged students accessible across Pakistan, including the far-flung areas of Sindh. Through high-tech studios facilities, interactive content, highly qualified teachers, a team of academic and IT professionals and the tablets donated, Akhuwat will be leading the mission of digitally imparting quality learning.

“As an organization that places a huge emphasis on the well-being of the underprivileged strata of the society, Zong 4G has always stepped forward to integrate them in the modern and digital society of today,” Zong 4G’s spokesperson said.

“With digitization being on top of our agenda, we’re pleased to have partnered with Akhuwat Foundation and are glad to have a chance to help Pakistan’s underprivileged youth get introduced to advanced ways of learning,” she added.

Deputy CEO Huawei Pakistan, Mr. Wuhan reiterated the sentiment, stating, “At the heart of the Huawei ethos is our belief in openness and knowledge-sharing. We are committed to supporting the development of an ICT talent ecosystem in Pakistan and very happy to aid Akhuwat Foundation, in collaboration with Zong 4G, in this endeavor.”

Huawei’s aim is to openly collaborate with the public and private sectors to create an ICT ecosystem which drives forward digital transformation. Zong believes that Akhuwat Foundation has all the means to establish and deliver a nationwide e-learning platform which will be free to access. NJV Government School in Karachi is going to be the transmission center of this e-learning project. Classes will be conducted by highly qualified teachers and will be streamed live to students all over the country.

Students who can’t afford such advanced learning will benefit greatly from this initiative. The partnership initially targets 200 students belonging to the remote areas of Sindh, hosting online classes for grades VI to XII. Training on usage of these devices and connecting with Akhuwat’s LMS (Learning Management System) will be provided to students/parents by Akhuwat.

Zong is leading the country’s ICT-powered digital transformation and is geared to digitize the educational landscape of Pakistan, especially in the wake of Covid-19 which brought the wide digital divide to light in Pakistan. Zong’s support for Akhuwat Foundation in its mission of ending social inequality is just one instance of Zong’s commitment to Pakistan.

Akhuwat, World’s largest interest free micro finance organization and one of the leaders in alleviating poverty through quality education, believes that a hybrid style quality education is the need of today in nurturing the students coming from less privileged backgrounds. Exposing them to the technological tools of today’s learning environment, gives these students a fighting chance to stand at par with everyone else and nurture them to be future leaders in their respective fields. The Huawei tablets will greatly facilitate in NJV School’s objective to impart hybrid style Free of Cost Quality education to the students coming from rural areas of Sindh.

These tablets will greatly improve the students’ technological skills, enable them to access apps that promote learning along with research and the accessing of LMS. Above all prepare them for more technological advancements years down the road.

Zong is leading the country’s ICT-powered digital transformation and is geared to digitize the educational landscape of Pakistan, especially in the wake of Covid-19 which brought the wide digital divide to light in Pakistan. Zong’s support for Akhuwat Foundation in its mission of ending social inequality is just one instance of Zong’s commitment to Pakistan.

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ISLAMABAD, MAY 9: PTI chairman Imran Khan on Monday hit back at Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for accusing him of vilifying the army, saying that he was well aware of the importance of key state institutions.

During his speech in the National Assembly today, PM Shehbaz criticised Imran for his comments regarding state institutions the previous day and said that action should be taken against him within the ambit of the law and the Constitution.

The prime minister reiterated that if Imran’s comments were not clamped down on then “nothing would be left” and there would be a crisis in the country. He lambasted the PTI chairman for taking the country in a direction where democracy could be eliminated.

Addressing a gathering of party leaders in Islamabad, Imran hit out at PM Shehbaz, saying: “He (Shehbaz) is a liar. He is unable to speak the truth. He says that Imran Khan vilified the army. Tomorrow, I have a rally in Jhelum where I will give you (Shehbaz) an answer about the extent to which I insulted and what you traitors did with the country.”

He claimed that Shehbaz and his brother were Pakistan’s “real Mir Sadiq and Mir Jafar”, accusing them of transferring money earned through corruption abroad. “These are the people responsible for the current state of the country,” he said.

He also hit out at the new government for saying it had come into power during tough times, saying in reality it was the PTI government which faced a tough time. “They had left behind a current account deficit of Rs20 billion,” he said, while highlighting the achievements of his government.

Imran further said that “criminals” had now assumed positions of power and questioned how a country would run when such people were behind the helm.

Turning his guns on the Sharif family, he said that Nawaz used to badmouth the army when he fled abroad while Maryam was also doing the same.

“Look at who was happy after they came into power. India celebrated the most as they were coming and I was going,” he said, adding that Nawaz also met Indian premier Narendra Modi in Kathmandu to conspire against the country and its institutions.

“My life and death belong to this country, I do not have any properties abroad. I don’t have any bank accounts and I will not flee to London with my tail between my legs. We have to stay here and aware of the need for strong institutions […].”

Imran said a “group of corrupt rulers” had assumed power with the help of foreign elements, adding Israel, India and those behind fueling Muslim sentiments through blasphemous caricatures were among the happiest on his exit.

The PTI chief said the incumbent rulers will face a strong public reaction wherever they visited. “There is extreme resentment among the public on what happened with the country and the toppling of the elected government.”

He lamented that Donald Lu, a man with the rank of a secretary, was ordering the elected government to remove the prime minister. “I challenge them to send a similar letter to India and see reaction.”

The PTI chairman stated that the “foreign plotters” knew PM Shehbaz was going to be the next premier, hence they assured Pakistan of “forgiving” the country once the change in power took place.

Imran said people would refer to the government leaders as “traitors and thieves”. He also reiterated his demand for early elections and called upon citizens to be ready for the call to march to Islamabad after after May 20.

PTI launches mobile app to expand membership drive

Earlier in the day, Imran launched a mobile application as part of a campaign aimed at expanding the membership of the party.

Addressing the ceremony, he urged people to join his party using the “PTI Raabta” mobile application. Imran said his party wanted to make the most of the modern technology, adding “through our Raabta App, we will be able to collect data and engage with our supporters who can help us in ticket allocation too.”

He also conceded that the party suffered setbacks in the past through the wrong distribution of tickets.

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Courtesy Dawn News

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RAWALPINDI, MAY 8: The Army has taken a “strong exception” to “intensified and deliberate attempts” to drag its name into the country’s ongoing political discourse by “some political leaders, journalists and analysts”, according to a press release issued by the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Sunday.

The military’s media wing noted that attempts to involve the armed forces and its senior leadership in the political discourse were “manifest through direct, insinuated or nuanced references made by some political leaders, few journalists and analysts on public forums and various communication platforms, including social media”.

“This practice of unsubstantiated, defamatory and provocative statements/remarks is extremely damaging,” the ISPR said.

It added that the military took strong exception to such “unlawful and unethical practices” and expected everyone to abide by the law and keep the armed forces out of political discourse in the “best interest of the country”.

The ISPR statement did not specify which incident or incidents it was referring to. However, it is pertinent to mention here that Punjab Governor Omar Sarfraz Cheema has sought the army’s intervention to lead the province out of the crises plaguing it for months despite the armed forces repeatedly refusing to be pushed into the country’s perpetual political quagmire.

On Thursday, the governor wrote a letter to Chief of Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa, requesting him to play a defining role in the current chaotic times, as he was of the opinion that the constitutional crisis-ridden Punjab had been held hostage.

Last month, senior retired army officials termed audio clips attributed to them, in which statements were given against the Pakistan Army and its leadership, “fake” and a “conspiracy against the Pakistan Army”.

The clarifications from the retired army officials had come two days after the country’s military leadership took notice of an ongoing “propaganda campaign” against the army on social media and endorsed the position taken by the army’s leadership on the political crisis in the country that climaxed with ex-premier Imran Khan’s ouster.

The military came under criticism last month, especially in the wake of Imran’s ouster through a successful vote of no-confidence. Trends against the armed forces and its leadership saw intense activity on social media platforms such as Twitter.

the ‘Imported Hukoomat Namanzur’ (imported government unacceptable) hashtag in Urdu alone generated a volume of 17 million tweets, while one anti-army hashtag generated over 69,000 tweets and a similar one over 410,000 tweets in the past few days.

The Federal Investigation Agency had also launched a crackdown against those allegedly involved in running these online campaigns and was making arrests.

The watchdog has also initiated an inquiry against Bol anchorperson Sami Ibrahim for allegedly transmitting “anti-state” videos and statements on various social media platforms, including regarding the army.

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Courtesy Dawn News

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Mianwali: Former prime minister and PTI Chairman Imran Khan on Friday told his party’s workers to remain prepared for the long march to Islamabad, saying he would announce the final date any day after May 20.

Addressing a gathering in his hometown, Mianwali, he said a sea of people would reach the capital to demand only one thing – elections.

“Let people decide who will rule us. We will not accept any imported government.”

The PTI chairman is conducting a whirlwind series of rallies, starting from today to May 20. According to a tweet by party leader Azhar Mashwani, the next rally will take place in Jhelum on May 10, followed by Attock on May 12, Sialkot on May 14, Faisalabad on May 15 and Chakwal on May 19.

Referring to his former aide Shahbaz Gill’s recent accident, Imran, during his address today, said he was warning the government that if it touched any PTI worker in the future, he would hold “three stooges and their handlers” responsible.

Addressing the loudly cheering crowd, Imran said he had not seen such a huge rally previously.

Talking about his government’s achievements, he said it had reduced the current account deficit for the first time in 11 years, adding that Pakistan was among a few countries which protected their people from the ramifications of the coronavirus pandemic.

In addition, there were record remittances and crops, he said.

“Shehbaz Sharif, you lodged a false FIR against me, and jailed [MNA] Rashid Shafique [in connection with the Madina incident]. Our women and children will take part in the march in Islamabad. If you try to stop it or lodge a similar FIR, then you will be responsible for what will happen,” he warned.

Since all party workers would not be able to reach the capital on the day of the long march, they should instead protest in Mianwali, he said.

“I am calling my sisters, brothers, youth and mothers to the capital because this is the matter of Pakistan. I want everyone of you to come to Islamabad to tell this boot-polisher that slavery and imported government is unacceptable and [demand that he] hold elections.”

He said it was the nation that would decide who would form the government instead of the US.

The PTI’s Punjab government was toppled through bribery, he claimed, adding that the then-opposition should be ashamed of paying people to switch loyalties. He also asked the judiciary why it had not taken suo motu action over the events.

“If our courts can be opened at midnight, why can these thieves not be disqualified? If these looters come to your constituencies, you have to decide about them. These people who betrayed their country, Constitution, nation and voters should be taught a lesson by you so that in future, they should be afraid of repeating such actions.”

Vow to continue ‘jihad’

Imran vowed to continue “jihad” against the leaders of the incumbent coalition government, who he termed “looters”.

He lashed out at the United States, saying the “conspiracy” had originated there. “The biggest conspiracy was that Americans joined hands with Mir Jafars and Mir Sadiqs here to oust a government that inherited a bankrupt Pakistan.”

Terming the new coalition government’s leaders as dacoits, he claimed they had looted money from the country and built palaces in London. “These were the people who had been looting the country for the last 30 years and bankrupted it.”

“We do not bow down before any power. We are the ummah of the greatest leader Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him). There were two superpowers at the time in Iran and Rome. Did my Prophet try to ask for alms or loans or did he surrender before anyone? He did not.”

Imran said it was the nation’s choice whether it wanted to take to the skies or become a “boot polisher”. The nation’s founder, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, would never have served the US like these rulers are doing, he added.

Stressing that Pakistanis were independent people, he said the public did not accept “looters” like PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif, Shehbaz and Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz.

“We will not let these thieves be imposed on us. You (the government) lodged an FIR against me, claiming we managed the incident that happened in Madina,” he said, referring to pilgrims who had hounded and chanted slogans against PM Shehbaz and his delegation at the Masjid-i-Nabwi last month.

Calling the coalition government’s leaders as “liars”, he said wherever they want, they would face chants of thieves and traitors.

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Courtesy Dawn News

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