ISLAMABAD: Pakistani anti-corruption authorities ordered one of the leaders of the opposition Pakistan Peoples Party to be confined to her residence on Friday as they continued an anti-graft crackdown that critics say is aimed at stifling dissent.
The National Accountability Board (NAB) ordered Faryal Talpur, sister of former President Asif Ali Zardari, to be confined to her residence in Islamabad in connection with a case of suspected money laundering through fake bank accounts.
A NAB spokesman said Faryal Talpur had been ordered to remain in her house. He said she would be attended by female police officers and her treatment should not be described as an arrest.
The move follows the arrest earlier this week of Zardari, widower of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, who was killed in a 2007 suicide attack and whose father, PPP founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, also served as president and prime minister.
The government has denied any role in the arrest of Zardari and says that NAB operates independently. But the crackdown has prompted an angry response from PPP officials, including Zardari’s son, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.
“We will have to go out into the streets and show people how their rights are being taken away,” Bhutto Zardari told a hastily called news conference. “We can see in these days that the rule of law is not being applied.”
As well as Zardari, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is also in jail on corruption charges.
Sister of former Pakistani president ordered held in graft probe
Sister of former Pakistani president ordered held in graft probe
- Zardari’s female sibling Faryal Talpur has been ordered to remain in her house
- NAB spokesman says her treatment should not be described as an arrest
UAE President to make first official Pakistan visit today with Islamabad set for arrival
- Foreign office says talks will cover investment, energy cooperation and regional stability
- UAE is Pakistan’s third-largest trading partner and a key source of long-term investment
ISLAMABAD: Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, is scheduled to arrive in Pakistan today, Friday, for his first official visit since assuming office, with Islamabad adorned with Pakistani and Emirati flags to mark the occasion.
The visit, taking place at the invitation of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, is aimed at reviewing bilateral ties and exploring ways to deepen cooperation in trade, investment, energy and development, according to Pakistan’s foreign office.
Ahead of the visit, Islamabad has been decked out with large billboards carrying images of the visiting UAE president alongside President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Sharif.
Rehearsals were also held a day earlier along roads leading to Constitution Avenue, the seat of the government, where groups dressed in traditional attire lined both sides of the route to welcome the visiting delegation.
“During the visit, His Highness will hold a meeting with the Prime Minister of Pakistan, where the two leaders will review the entire spectrum of bilateral relations and exchange views on regional and international issues of mutual interest,” the foreign office said in a statement announcing the UAE president’s planned arrival earlier this week.
“The visit will provide an important opportunity to further strengthen the longstanding brotherly relations between Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates,” it added.
The Islamabad administration has declared a public holiday in the capital, while the traffic police have rolled out an extensive plan to manage vehicular movement during the visit.
According to the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan, heavy traffic entering the city has been barred from 6 a.m. to 12:30 a.m., with several main arteries closed and alternative routes designated.
Pakistan considers the UAE one of its closest regional and economic partners. The Gulf state is Islamabad’s third-largest trading partner after China and the United States and remains a major source of foreign investment.
Over the past two decades, Emirati investment in Pakistan has exceeded $10 billion, according to the UAE’s foreign ministry.
Policymakers in Pakistan also consider the UAE an optimal export destination due to its geographical proximity, which minimizes transportation and freight costs while facilitating commercial transactions.
