Here’s what is happening across the border: Pakistan may get its first woman Prez and Nawaz’s hospital ward made a sub-jail.
Imran Khan says India, Pak should devise a joint anti-poverty action plan
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has congratulated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan for his party’s victory in the general elections, expressing hope that democracy will take deeper roots in the country, reports Dawn.
In a telephonic conversation with Khan, Modi reiterated his vision of peace and development in the entire neighbourhood, according to a statement released by the ministry of external affairs (MEA).
Khan thanked Modi for his wishes and said that the solution to conflicts should be through a dialogue, a PTI press release said. He also said that two governments should devise a joint plan of action to free both countries from poverty.
“We are ready to enter a new era of relations with Pakistan,” Modi was quoted by the PTI press release.
Will Pakistan see its first woman President?
Almost three decades after seeing its first woman prime minister, Pakistan might get its first female President soon, if social media gossips are anything to go by reports Gulf News. Rumours on social media indicate that Justice Nasira Iqbal, who served as a judge in the Lahore High Court from 1994 to 2002, is being considered for the post of President by PTI leaders.
She is being considered for the role of The President.
“PTI Officials has informed that the name of daughter in law of Allama Iqbal , Justice (R) Nasira Iqbal is being considered as Pakistan first female president…
Best wishes madam❤️❤️❤️ pic.twitter.com/0bZRu83LJR
— Anila Qazi (@AnilaButtPTI) July 29, 2018
Justice Iqbal, 89, is one of the first five women to have been appointed to Lahore High Court reports Daily Pakistan. She is the daughter-in-law of the famous Urdu and Farsi poet Muhammad Iqbal, widely known for his song ‘Tarana-e-Hindi’ or ‘Saare Jahaan Se Accha’. She is also the recipient of various awards, including Fatima Jinnah Medal for Women’s Rights in 2006, the Woman of the Year Star Award in 2007, and the Wonder Woman Award in 2011.
In Pakistan, Presidents are elected for a five-year term. The incumbent, Mamnoon Hussain, took the office on 9 September 2013. Speculation of Justice Iqbal being nominated for the post comes ahead of the presidential polls to be held early August.
Joint parliamentary strategy to counter rise of PTI
In order to counter the rise of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), which is four seats short of majority in the national assembly, major parliamentary parties such as Pakistan Mulsim League–Nawaz, Pakistan Peoples Party, Muttahida Majlis–e–Amal and Awami National Party have agreed to form a joint parliamentary strategy, reports Dawn.
The announcement to form a multi-party alliance came Monday after senior leaders of the parties met in Islamabad.
Former Pakistan Prime Minister and leader of PPP, Yousuf Raza Gilani, told the media that they all will form a strong opposition both outside and inside parliament.
MMA president Fazalur Rehman said, “We have unanimously rejected the election results. Now, we want to adopt a unanimous approach for a future course of action”.
Meanwhile, leader and convener of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, announced Tuesday that the final decision will be in the hands of Rabita Committee on accepting PTI’s invitation to join the Federal government, reports Geo TV.
A PTI delegation, led by Jahangir Tareen, had Monday approached the MMQ leaders to get their support in the formation of government.
Moreover, Siddiqui somehow found similarity in the views with the PTI leaders. He said, “To move forward we have to think of the masses. It’s in the manifesto of PTI to resolve basic issues of the metropolis”.
“We will resolve water, transport, and infrastructural issues of the city,” Siddiqui added.
Nawaz’s hospital ward given sub-jail status
The Chief Commissioner of Islamabad has announced that the hospital ward at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), where former PM Nawaz Sharif is staying, will be treated as a sub-jail, reports The Express Tribune.
Sharif complained of chest and arm pain so he was advised to be shifted to a hospital for immediate cardiac attention.
Following the announcement, nobody is allowed to meet him; the check-up is conducted under the surveillance of security officials
Corruption reference filed against former PM Shaukat Aziz
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has filed a “corruption reference” against Pakistan’s former prime minister Shaukat Aziz Monday, reports Geo News.
Former minister for power and water Liaquat Jatoi, former federal secretary Ismail Qureshi, Yousaf Memon and Dr Naseem A Khan are co-accused in the reference.
The former bureaucrats were accused of appointing a former director general of the Alternative Energy Development Board, Basharat Hassan Bashir, in 2006 without following prerequisite procedures.
NAB stated in the reference that, “After the expiry of his consultancy contract in May 2008, the accused Basharat Hasan Bashir illegally held the said post for almost 5 years without any extension, notification or regular appointment”.
Two young friends start a library for female jail inmates
Two young Pakistani girls, Perbhaat Khowaja and her friend Shirin Fatima, have started a library for female inmates lodged in the Karachi central jail. The library was inaugurated by Sindh prisons IG Nusrat Mangan Tuesday, reports Dawn.
The jail houese 122 women and 20 children currently. Shirin,18, wanted to make a safe reading place for them. She said, “We love books. They are an essential part of growing. These children don’t have access to education, and we thought these books might help.”
According to Perbhaat, a Potterhead, they had collected more than 250 books and planned to conduct a book drive to get more reading material.
To generate funds, the girls created an account but it got closed. Later, with the help of their friends and a school alumnus, they were able to arrange $70 and started the library.
How PTI’s Bashir Khan defeated JI’s Sirajul Haq
PTI’s Mohammad Bashir Khan defeated Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) chief Sirajul Haq by a margin of 17,000 votes in Lower Dir, the latter’s stronghold, The News reports.
Khan claimed that about 6,000 overseas Pakistanis took leave from their jobs to return home and spent their own money to support his campaign. He said his victory was also because the JI-elect MNA did not do enough to develop the hilly areas despite being in coalition with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government.
“They have voted for change represented by the PTI. It is rejection of traditional politics practised by the Jamaat-i-Islami,” he said.
Khan joined PTI in 1996 and has stood with Imran Khan “through thick and thin” since then. He is now a member of National Assembly from NA-7, where the JI has not lost for the past 40 years.
Contributors: Alind Chauhan, Anagha Deshpande, Hansa Kapoor, Manisha Mondal, Prateek Gupta, Rupanwita Bhattacharjee and Soniya Agarwal