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Talks ongoing to pick caretaker CM days after Punjab assembly dissolved in blow to government

Pakistani legislators of Punjab province take oath in the first assembly session in Lahore on April 9, 2008. (AFP/File)
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Updated 16 January 2023
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Talks ongoing to pick caretaker CM days after Punjab assembly dissolved in blow to government

  • The 17th Provincial Assembly of the Punjab was dissolved on January 14
  • Analysts say political pressure from assembly dissolution plays into hands of ex-PM Khan
Updated 16 January 2023
Aamir Saeed

ISLAMABAD: Negotiations are ongoing for the appointment of a caretaker chief minister in Pakistan's most populous province of Punjab, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s ruling party remaining tight-lipped over its candidates while the rival Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party has forwarded three names for the slot to the provincial governor. 

The discussions come days after the 17th provincial assembly of Punjab was dissolved on January 14. As per the law, the province has to elect a new legislature no later than April 14. 

Punjab is home to more than half of Pakistan's population of over 220 million, and is one of two provinces ruled by ex-PM Imran Khan's PTI party. PTI members have also announced they will dissolve the local assembly of the other province it rules, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. 

Political analysts say the new pressure created after the Punjab assembly's dissolution plays into Khan's demand for an early election, although any local assembly elections do not constitutionally trigger a national election.
On Monday, Punjab Governor Baligh-ur-Rehman said he had received three names for caretaker CM from Khan ally Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, which were being “forwarded to Opposition Leader Hamza Shehbaz Sharif.”  

“I would like to see both of the leaders jointly agree on any name within the stipulated time,” the governor said in a statement. 

Elahi, the outgoing chief minister, has suggested the names of Sardar Ahmed Nawaz Sukhera, Nasir Mahmood Khosa and Muhammad Naseer Khan for the caretaker CM's post.  

PM Sharif on Monday held a meeting with senior party leaders in Lahore to discuss his side's names for the interim chief minister, but the party had yet to make an announcement. 

Arab News tried reaching several members of the PML-N via calls and texts, but could get a comment on the appointment of the interim chief minister and the party’s strategy for the upcoming elections.  

Both the chief minister and the opposition leader are required to forward three names to the governor within three days of the dissolution of the provincial assembly, which falls tomorrow, January 17. If the chief minister and the leader of the opposition fail to agree on any name, they are then to forward two nominees each to a parliamentary committee to be constituted by the provincial assembly speaker, according to the constitution. 

This committee comprises six members of the outgoing provincial assembly, having equal representation from the treasury and the opposition. The members are nominated by the chief minister and the opposition leader. The committee has the mandate to finalize a name for the interim chief minister's post within three days of “the referral of the matter to it.”  

“Provided that in case of inability of the Committee to decide the matter in the aforesaid period, the names of the nominees shall be referred to the Election Commission of Pakistan for final decision within two days,” the constitution says.  

The provincial governor is empowered under the constitution to appoint members of the caretaker cabinet on the advice of the interim chief minister. However, members of the caretaker CM’s family and his cabinet are not eligible to contest the immediate election.  

Syed Hassan Murtaza, the Pakistan Peoples Party's (PPP) parliamentary leader in the outgoing Punjab Assembly, said his party was discussing names for the slot of the caretaker chief minister in Punjab, but the process “had yet to be completed.”  

“The senior leadership of our party is considering different names for the slot and hopefully, we’ll be able to announce it soon,” he told Arab News. 

Both the PPP and the Sharif-led PML-N are coalition partners in the center. 

Experts said it was the responsibility of the election commission to hold free and fair elections in Punjab, following the installation of a caretaker government.  

“The election commission has adequate powers under the constitution to ensure a level playing field for all the contesting candidates in the elections,” Rashid Chaudhry, a deputy director at the Islamabad-based Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) advocacy group, told Arab News.  

“The electoral body has the capacity and all the resources to hold transparent elections and all political parties should trust it fully for a transparent electoral process.”

Topics: Pakistan chief minister Punjab

Pakistan’s pre-Hajj flight operation in full swing as over 9,844 pilgrims arrive in Madinah

Updated 8 sec ago
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Pakistan’s pre-Hajj flight operation in full swing as over 9,844 pilgrims arrive in Madinah

  • Pakistan has operated almost 40 flights from major cities since May 9, says state-run media 
  • Pilgrims to depart for Makkah from May 17 after completing eight-day stay in Madinah 
Updated 8 sec ago
Shahjahan Khurram

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s pre-Hajj flight operation is in full swing as more than 9,844 pilgrims have so far reached Madinah from different parts of the South Asian country via 40 flights, the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported on Monday. 

Muhammad Umar Butt, a spokesperson of Pakistan’s religion ministry, told APP three flights each from Islamabad and Karachi, four from Lahore, and one each from Multan and Sialkot on Sunday transported 3,254 Hajj pilgrims to Madinah ahead of the Hajj pilgrimage. 

“Since May 9, different airlines operated almost 40 flights from major cities of Pakistan to transport the guests of Allah Almighty to the holy city of Madinah in first leg of their pilgrimage,” APP said. 

Butt said from May 17, Pakistani pilgrims who have completed their eight-day stay in Madinah will start departing for the holy city of Makkah where Muslims from across the world will start gathering for the annual pilgrimage. 

He said the ministry has taken “elaborate arrangements” to extend maximum facilities to pilgrims from both Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. He said before the pre-Hajj flight operation kicked off on May 9, the religion ministry held extensive training sessions to teach Pakistani pilgrims about Hajj obligatory acts and informed them about key arrangements made by the government to ensure their pilgrimage remains hassle-free. 

Butt said the ministry, under the Pakistan Hajj Mission has established two full-fledged hospitals, one each in Makkah and Madinah. There, he said, doctors and paramedic staff perform duties round the clock. 

“A total of 66 doctors and paramedics have been deployed at the hospitals, where medical checkups are conducted and medicines are being provided free of cost,” he said. 

Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam and requires every adult Muslim to undertake the journey to the holy Islamic sites in Makkah at least once in their lifetime if they are financially and physically able.

Pakistan has a Hajj quota of 179,210 pilgrims this year, according to the Pakistani religious affairs ministry. Of them, 63,805 pilgrims will be performing the pilgrimage under the government scheme, while the rest would be accommodated by private tour operators.

This year’s pilgrimage is expected to run from June 14 till June 19.

Topics: Pakistan Hajj 2024

IMF mission in Pakistan for bailout loan talks 

Updated 13 May 2024
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IMF mission in Pakistan for bailout loan talks 

  • Pakistan last month completed a short-term $3 billion program, which helped stave off sovereign debt default
  • Pakistan expected to seek t $6 billion, request additional financing from Fund under Resilience and Sustainability Trust
Updated 13 May 2024
SAIMA SHABBIR

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani government confirmed on Monday that an International Monetary Fund team was in Islamabad and holding discussions with finance ministry officials, as Islamabad kicks off talks with the fund over a longer-term bailout program.

Pakistan last month completed a short-term $3 billion program, which helped stave off sovereign default, but the government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has stressed the need for a fresh, longer term program.

Finance minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said last week the IMF mission would visit Islamabad in May and Pakistan hoped to have a deal by early July. 

“The IMF team has arrived in Islamabad and currently talks are underway with them in the finance ministry,” Raeesa Adil, Director General Media at the Finance Ministry told Arab News, declining to share further details of what was being discussed.

Pakistan narrowly averted default last summer, and its $350 billion economy has stabilized after the completion of the last IMF program, with inflation coming down to around 17 percent in April from a record high 38 percent last May.

It is still dealing with a high fiscal shortfall and while it has controlled its external account deficit through import control mechanisms, it has come at the expense of stagnating growth, which is expected to be around 2 percent this year compared to negative growth last year.

Pakistan is expected to seek at least $6 billion and request additional financing from the Fund under the Resilience and Sustainability Trust.
 

Topics: Pakistan IMF Talks

Pakistan skipper Babar Azam becomes most successful T20I men’s captain after Ireland win

Updated 13 May 2024
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Pakistan skipper Babar Azam becomes most successful T20I men’s captain after Ireland win

  • Pakistan beat Ireland on Sunday by seven wickets, making it Babar Azam’s 45th win as skipper
  • Pakistan and Ireland will play the final of three-match T20I series in Dublin on Tuesday 
Updated 13 May 2024
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan skipper Babar Azam became the most successful men’s T20I captain after his side clinched a seven-wicket victory over Ireland recently, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said on Monday. 

Pakistan beat Ireland on Sunday by seven wickets and more than three overs to spare, chasing the Irish team’s impressive target of 194 runs. Azam made 0 runs off four balls after he was dismissed by Graham Hume when he edged the ball straight into the hands of Lorcan Tucker but his poor performance had no effect on Pakistan. 

An impressive 140-run partnership between Mohammad Rizwan and left-arm batter Fakhar Zaman helped Pakistan to victory over Ireland. it also helped Azam to a new record. 

“It took Babar past Uganda’s Brian Masaba for the most wins by male T20I captains and in front of former skippers in the ilk of England’s Eoin Morgan, India’s MS Dhoni and Australia’s Aaron Finch,” the ICC said. 

Separately, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi congratulated Azam in Dublin after the match and presented him a jersey with the words “45 T20I wins” written on its back. Naqvi also presented fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi with a jersey for taking 300 international wickets in his career so far. The fast bowler also achieved the feat in the match against Ireland after he returned figures of 3/49. 

The three-match series stands leveled at 1-1 after Pakistan’s win. Ireland beat the 2009 T20 world champions by five wickets in an upset victory in the series opener on Friday. 

Pakistan will head to England for a four-match T20I series after the final match of the Ireland series on Tuesday. Following the England series, with matches scheduled at Headingley (22 May), Birmingham (25 May), Cardiff (28 May), and The Oval, London (30 May), both England and Pakistan will head to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024. 

England will face Scotland in Barbados on June 4 in their opening match, while Pakistan will launch their campaign against the United States (US) in Dallas on June 6. Pakistan will take on arch-rivals India on June 9 in New York which is set to be one of the most anticipated clashes of the T20 World Cup.

Topics: Babar Azam Pakistan vs Ireland Cricket Pakistan team Arab News Pakistan Dublin

Egypt’s Zakaria beats Pakistan’s Iqbal to clinch international squash competition in Karachi

Updated 43 min 58 sec ago
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Egypt’s Zakaria beats Pakistan’s Iqbal to clinch international squash competition in Karachi

  • Mohamed Zakaria beat Nasir Iqbal 11-13, 11-4, 11-5 and 11-7 to clinch the international squash competition 
  • Five local players and 19 international ones participated in the CNS International Squash Competition in Karachi 
Updated 43 min 58 sec ago
Shahjahan Khurram

ISLAMABAD: Egypt’s Mohamed Zakaria defeated Pakistan’s Nasir Iqbal on Sunday to clinch the 16th Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) International Squash Championship 2024 in Karachi. 

Held in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi, five domestic and 19 international squash players participated in the championship. Competitors from Egypt, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Czech Republic, Japan, Germany, Great Britain and the Netherlands took part in the competition, Pakistan Army’s media wing said in a statement on Sunday. 

Zakaria beat Iqbal 11-13, 11-4, 11-5, and 11-7 to clinch the trophy and walk away with the lucrative prize money of $20,000. 

“Mohammed Zakaria of Egypt declared the winner of the 16th Chief of the Naval Staff International Squash Championship 2024,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the army’s media wing, said. 

The closing ceremony of the tournament was held at the Pakistan Navy Roshan Khan Jahangir Khan Squash Complex in Karachi. Pakistan Navy Chief Admiral Naveed Ashraf was the chief guest at the ceremony. 

“The naval chief distributed prizes to the winners and runners-up players of the championship,” the ISPR said, adding that the closing ceremony was attended by a large number of civil and military dignitaries, sponsors, national players and fans. 

Pakistan has always been counted among the world’s top squash-playing nations, introducing legendary players of the sport such as Jahangir Khan, Jansher Khan, Azam Khan, and Qamar Zaman to the world. Between themselves, Jansher Khan and Jahangir Khan won the World Squash Open title 14 times for Pakistan during the ‘80s and the ‘90s.

Topics: Egypt Pakistan

Deputy PM in China as Beijing pushes for safety of personnel working in Pakistan

Updated 13 May 2024
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Deputy PM in China as Beijing pushes for safety of personnel working in Pakistan

  • Ishaq Dar will co-chair strategic dialogue with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on four-day visit to Beijing 
  • Visit comes amid investment push by Islamabad, rising Beijing concerns about security of personnel in Pakistan
Updated 13 May 2024
SAIMA SHABBIR

ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar arrived in Beijing on Monday to take part in a strategic dialogue with Chinese FM Wang Yi, Pakistan’s foreign office said in a statement, during a four-day visit in which the security of Chinese organizations and personnel working in the South Asian nation is expected to be at the top of the agenda. 

China is a major ally and investor in Pakistan but both separatist and other militants have attacked Chinese projects over recent years, killing Chinese personnel, including five workers in a latest suicide bombing in March. Under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship project under China’s Belt and Road Initiative, Beijing has pledged more than $65 billion for road, rail and other infrastructure developments in the South Asian nation of 241 million people.

Beijing has also readily provided financial assistance to bail out its often-struggling neighbor, including in July last year when China granted Pakistan a two-year rollover on a $2.4 billion loan, giving the debt-saddled nation much-needed breathing space as it tackled a balance-of-payments crisis.

This is Dar’s first official trip to China since assuming the post of foreign minister and deputy prime minister. He will co-chair the fifth round of the Pakistan-China Foreign Ministers’ Strategic Dialogue with Yi, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said. 

“The Deputy Prime Minister will also hold meetings with Chinese leaders and senior officials and with prominent business enterprises,” MoFA said. 

In an earlier statement, MoFA said Dar and his counterpart would discuss issues of core interest like economic and trade cooperation, including CPEC and regional peace and development.

Dar’s visit to China takes place as Pakistan moves to seek foreign investments from its allies while navigating an economic crisis that has seen its reserves dip to dangerously low levels and its currency weaken against the dollar. In recent weeks, Pakistan has seen visits by top officials from Saudi Arabia, Japan and Uzbekistan to discuss investment deals. 

Topics: Pakistan China Ties Ishaq Dar

Latest updates

Pakistan’s pre-Hajj flight operation in full swing as over 9,844 pilgrims arrive in Madinah
IMF mission in Pakistan for bailout loan talks 
Pakistan skipper Babar Azam becomes most successful T20I men’s captain after Ireland win
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