Here’s what’s happening across the border: When an army chief met a prince; and railway minister accused of assault an elderly woman.
Stand united under Imran Khan, says wife in message to country
In her maiden Eid address as Pakistan’s First Lady, Bushra Maneka urged the country’s citizens to stand united under her husband Imran Khan’s government, reported The Express Tribune.
In her message, Maneka prayed for the country’s progress and prosperity in the coming days. She also asked the people to join hands as a nation and be hopeful for a ‘Naya Pakistan’.
Earlier, after Khan was sworn in as Prime Minister, Maneka had said she was scared for her husband. However, she added, “I am sure Imran Khan will fulfil his promises to Pakistan. Allah has given us a great responsibility.”
Chief of Pakistan army meets Saudi prince Salman
Pakistan army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa met the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammad bin Salman, in Mecca Tuesday evening, reported Dawn.
On Wednesday, military spokesperson Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor tweeted that the Saudi prince, credited with efforts to liberalise the kingdom, had invited the army chief for a meeting and dinner at Mina. Discussions touched upon several topics of mutual interest, including regional security, he added.
Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammad Bin Salman invited Chief of Army Staff for a meeting followed by dinner at Mina last night. Saudi Crown Prince congratulated COAS on performing Hajj. Both discussed wide ranging issues of mutual interest including regional security (1 of 2).
— DG ISPR (@OfficialDGISPR) August 22, 2018
In a subsequent tweet, Ghafoor said the Saudi prince extended his best wishes and support for Imran Khan’s government.
Prince Mohammad Bin Salman expressed his strong optimism about success of Pakistan in defeating challenges at hand. Crown Prince also expressed his best wishes & support to the newly elected government.
COAS thanked his highness for best wishes and support for Pakistan (2 of 2).
— DG ISPR (@OfficialDGISPR) August 22, 2018
According to the report, during a meeting with the Iranian ambassador to Pakistan, Khan had offered mediation between Tehran and Riyadh to resolve differences between the two arch rivals.
The proposal, welcomed by the Iranian envoy, comes at a time when a crippling US crackdown threatens to leave Tehran in a precarious position.
Interesting tweets of the day
Geo TV Wednesday night held a debate on Prime Minister Imran Khan’s fashion choices.
‘Is Imran Khan the most handsome prime minister in the history of Pakistan?’ is the topic of debate on @geonews_urdu and it’s not a joke #GeoNews #PakistaniMedia
— Pakistan Media Watch (@PakPressWatch) August 22, 2018
Meanwhile, Khan and his government have dedicated an email ID exclusively for people to report the use of abusive language on social media.
PTI Official has a zero tolerance policy on the use of abusive language on social media. Accounts using abusive language will be blocked as per policy.
Report any such account at
abuse.control@insaf.pk— PTI (@PTIofficial) August 22, 2018
Parody account ‘Jungjoo Gernail’, known for his scathing remarks on Twitter, took a jibe at Pakistan army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa for his meeting with Saudi crown prince Mohammad bin Salman.
https://twitter.com/GernailSaheb/status/1032296124860780545
Imran Khan to help treatment of teen cancer patient
Days old in office, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has stepped in to offer help for the treatment of a national-level teenage table tennis player who suffers from cancer.
According to information minister Fawad Chaudhry, Khan learnt about Mehak Anwar’s condition after coming across media reports about Mehak Anwar, 16, reported The Express Tribune.
In an interview with a TV channel, the girl’s father, a peon in a government school, had earlier sought the Prime Minister’s support for financing her expensive treatment.
Currently admitted in a Karachi hospital, Mehak has represented the Sindh province in several table tennis tournaments.
Days after constable’s death, a plea from the grave
It was Sindh head constable Muhammad Imran’s last message for his country’s new government.
Days after he was shot dead during an attempted robbery at a shop in Karachi Sunday, a video of Imran emerged online with a plea for Prime Minister Imran Khan, reported Daily Pakistan.
In the viral video, he sought to draw Khan’s attention to the “plight” of Sindh police officials. He requested Khan to revise the salaries of Sindh police personnel, saying their pay was far lower than that earned by contemporaries in Punjab.
https://www.facebook.com/DAILYPAKISTANIPOST/videos/1017257721788070/
Minister accused of manhandling elderly woman
Pakistan railway minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad has been accused of manhandling an elderly woman at his Lal Haveli residence Tuesday, and damaging the phone of a reporter who tried to film the episode, Dawn reported.
Aqib was at the minister’s residence to cover Eid celebrations, while the elderly woman reportedly wanted to approach the minister for financial help. She is said to have started crying when refused entry. Rashid heard the commotion and stepped out, and allegedly shoved the woman away after a brief conversation.
In a statement to DawnNewsTV, Rashid has denied the allegations. Neither the cameraman nor the woman has filed a complaint with police yet.
Contributors: Aastha Singh, Alind Chauhan, Manisha Mondal, Priyamvada Grover and Rupanwita Bhattacharjee