Here’s what’s happening across the border: CPEC security top priority for Pakistan Army; I&B minister says US has no intent of blocking IMF aid.
Parole of Sharif and daughter Maryam extended for 3 days
Pakistan’s Punjab government has released former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and her husband Capt. Safdar (retd) on parole to make arrangements for the last rites of his wife, Begum Kulsoom Nawaz, Geo TV has reported. The parole that was granted earlier for just 12 hours has now been extended for three days.
Soon after being released from the Adiala jail, the three left for London aboard a special plane from Islamabad airport late Tuesday. An early decision to release them by Punjab’s chief minister Sardar Usman Buzdar was taken on compassionate grounds.
Begum Nawaz’s body will be brought back to Lahore after completing legal formalities. Before this, funeral prayers will be offered at London’s Regent Park mosque Thursday after Zuhr (prayers after midday), Geo TV has reported.
The former premier’s son, Hussain Nawaz, has stated that the former first lady will be buried Friday in Lahore’s Jati Umrah area.
Hamid Mir, a prominent journalist and author, attached a letter of Shahbaz Sharif, currently leading PML-N, asking for permission to grant parole to his brother Nawaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz and her husband in a Twitter message early Wednesday.
Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz released on parole good gesture by Govt pic.twitter.com/xsUi9wCz0A
— Hamid Mir (@HamidMirPAK) September 11, 2018
Video shows Nawaz’s desperate attempts to communicate with wife
The three-time first lady, Begum Kulsoom Nawaz, passed away Tuesday at a London Hospital. She had been hospitalised since 14 July and was being treated for lymphoma, throat cancer, between which she also suffered cardiac arrest two times.
Amidst condolences pouring in from all across the globe, a video of the former prime minister Nawaz Sharif trying to communicate with his hardly-conscious wife has gone viral on social media. In this 12 July video, Sharif can be seen trying to establish a contact with his ventilator-ridden wife with whom he had been married for 47 years. Their daughter Maryam Nawaz can be seen shedding tears at the sight. This last visit of the husband and daughter was just before they flew back to Pakistan to serve the 10-year imprisonment sentenced to them by Pakistan’s accountability court.
The now deposed prime minister can be heard repeatedly saying ‘Baoji’ as though he was present there to see her. He further says “Open your eyes Kulsoom, Baoji … Kulsoom, Baoji. May the almighty give you health and strength”.
Unseen video of Nawaz engaging with Kulsoom before returning to Pakistan pic.twitter.com/WsGwnNgjIx
— Syed Talat Hussain (@TalatHussain12) September 11, 2018
Interesting tweets of the day
Eminent journalist and Lahore-based human rights defender Gul Bukhari tweeted, saying there is a striking coincidence between Jinnah and Nawaz Sharif. While both share the same birthday, December 25, Jinnah passed away on 11 September, the same date as Nawaz Sharif’s wife, Kulsoom.
How poignant is it the Quaid Mohammed Ali Jinnah was born on 25 Dec, same as Nawaz Sharif. He died on 11 Sept, same day as Kulsoom Nawaz. Is history playing a joke on us?
— Gul Bukhari (@GulBukhari) September 11, 2018
Hamid Mir tweeted Tuesday, recalling the ‘silent support’ the former first lady Begum Nawaz offered to him. She apparently made Nawaz Sharif apologise to Mir after his newspaper was ‘attacked’ by the then National Accountability chief.
I cannot forget silent support of First Lady for me.20 years ago when my newspaper was attacked on the orders of NAB Chief Senator Saif ur Rehman it was Begum Kalsoom Nawaz who forced the then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to call me and he said sorry to me pic.twitter.com/8WTQLTGrnF
— Hamid Mir (@HamidMirPAK) September 11, 2018
Won’t compromise on the security of CPEC, says Bajwa
Pakistan’s chief of army, Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa, said Tuesday that there will be no compromise on the security of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, reports The Nation.
Bajwa said this during a meeting with China’s ambassador to Pakistan Yao Jing at General Headquarters of Pakistan Army in Rawalpindi.
The army chief said that CPEC is the economic future of Pakistan. He said that deals under CPEC will be assessed again.
“We should put everything on hold for a year so we can get our act together,” he said.
The meeting came in the wake of a report published by UK-based Financial Times, which allegedly misquoted prime minister’s commerce adviser Abdul Razak Dawood saying, CPEC “unfairly benefits Chinese companies” through tax breaks and many other incentives that are unavailable to local counterparts.
Statement:Chinese Embassy has taken notice of the report in Financial Times.Such ill-intentioned reports based on distorted and misquoted information only demonstrate that the report contributor has total ignorance and neglect of the CPEC or China-Pakistan traditional partnership pic.twitter.com/ssSPJVXwUU
— Chinese Emb Pakistan (@CathayPak) September 10, 2018
Minister says US won’t block IMF aid to Pakistan
Pakistan information and broadcasting minister Fawad Ahmed Chaudhry has said that the US will not create any obstruction if Pakistan seeks International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout, reported The News.
According to Chaudhry, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had assured this during his visit to the country last week. He said, “He (Pompeo) assured Pakistan that…if Pakistan opted to go to IMF for any financial help, the USA will not oppose it”.
While talking to Reuters, Chaudhry said that the relations between the US and Pakistan were broken, however, Pompeo’s recent trip to Pakistan had “set many things straight”.