Here’s what’s happening across the border: Asif Ghafoor accuses Pashtun Tahafuz Movement of being foreign-funded, while Nawaz Sharif says everything was normal during his regime.
Defamation case filed against Reham Khan by ex-husband Ijaz, Wasim Akram, others
Several supporters and members of Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have now filed a case against Khan’s ex-wife Reham Khan for her forthcoming autobiography which they claim contains “malicious falsehood”.
PTI released a letter Monday, stating that Reham Khan’s former husband Ijaz Rehman, former cricketer Wasim Akram, businessman Zulfi Bukhari and PTI activist Anila Khawaja, have filed a case against Reham because of the “defamatory and malicious” content in her book, reported Geo News.
“Our clients will be seeking full redress through the courts for the serious damage and harm” reads the letter by West London law firm, who is representing the complainants. This comes after Khan’s manuscripts was leaked online and lead to a huge backlash against her by the PTI members on social media.
Asif Ghafoor accuses Pashtun Tahafuz Movement of being foreign-funded
Pakistani army director general of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor for the first time spoke about the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM).
He accused the social movement of being financed by foreign forces during a press conference in Rawalpindi Monday.
“We now have ample evidence that they (PTM supporters) are being used by foreign elements and we are being compelled to use force, though we don’t want that,” he said
According to Ghafoor, the army chief said the PTM activists are also Pakistanis and the state must listen to them if their demands are within the constitutional framework. However, Ghafoor added that the state will act if the country’s interests come under threat.
Everything was normal during my regime, says former Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif
Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif claimed Monday that everything in the country was ‘normal’ under his regime, reported Express News.
The ousted PM added that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) led government had left the country in good shape but Pakistan was plunging into darkness again.
Sharif was banned from contesting elections for life by the Supreme Court in July, 2017 in its ‘Panamagate’ verdict. He has since been summoned by the accountability court to record his testimony along with his daughter and son-in-law against corruption charges.
World Bank directs Pakistan to accept India’s ‘neutral expert’
The World Bank asked Pakistan to accept India’s offer of appointing a ‘neutral expert’ in the Kishanganga dam dispute, and withdraw from its stand of referring the dispute to the International Court of Arbitration (ICA), reported Dawn.
Pakistan considers the construction of the dam in Kashmir a violation of the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960.
Pakistan believes that withdrawing from its stand would mean surrendering its right of raising disputes before international courts.
Pakistan and Russia to sign $10 billion pipeline deal
Pakistan and Russia will be singing a memorandum of understanding for an offshore gas pipeline project worth $10 billion, reported The Express Tribune.
The project has been planned by Russia to capture the energy market of Pakistan and a feasibility study will be conducted by Russian energy giant Gazprom to assess the final cost of the project. Gazprom has been nominated by Russia to implement this project at its own cost and risk, with permission from Pakistan.
Water crisis intensifies in Sindh as govt doesn’t pay bills for 11 months
A private firm operating 513 reverse osmosis (RO) plants in Tharparkar district of Sindh in Pakistan warned the government that they will shut their solar plants after the government failed to pay the bills for 11 months, reported Dawn.
According to the newspaper, a survey of 680 water schemes show that the people in the region are only left with the option of solar RO plants. Sindh has been facing an acute water shortage. Small dams in area, a major source of water, have already dried up.
As the crisis continues, worried locals are urging the government to take action.
Bilawal Bhutto makes his first appearance in election campaign
Bilawal Bhutto, chairman of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) made his debut in the election campaign for the upcoming general elections supposedly in an attempt to revive the lost glory of the party, reported Geo TV.
Channel NewsAsia said that much like his mother, Benazir Bhutto, the 29-year-old Oxford educated followed the tradition of bringing a fresh appeal to the party.
“Zardari is looking at himself as a post-election facilitator rather than a major player in the actual electoral battle,” said political analyst Aamer Ahmed Khan.
Over the years, the PPP has lost its ground at a national level and retained power only in the province of Sindh. The corruption allegations levelled against the core members of the left-leaning party is supposedly the reason behind the fading popularity.
Compiled by Priyamvada