ISLAMABAD: Jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party will hold a jirga, or meeting of elders, in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar on December 13 to discuss its grievances with the federal government, a senior PTI figure said on Sunday, following last month’s protests by Khan supporters in Islamabad that turned violent.
Khan’s party on Nov. 24 led thousands of supporters to Islamabad, seeking to pressure the government to release the ex-premier from jail and order an audit of Feb. 8 national election results. The protests resulted in clashes that Pakistan’s government says killed four law enforcers and injured hundreds of others.
The PTI has named 12 people and says it has evidence they lost their lives during the crackdown, however, several PTI members have given varied accounts of casualties during the protests. Pakistani authorities have denied the casualties, saying security personnel had not been carrying live ammunition during the protests.
The PTI has since been demanding a judicial probe into the crackdown in Islamabad on Nov 25 and during similar protests across the country on May 9 last year, which it says killed eight people. The party also demands the release of all arrested political workers.
Speaking at a press conference in Peshawar, PTI’s Omar Ayub said thousands of their supporters had been injured during the Islamabad protests, while more than 5,000 had since been arrested by the federal authorities.
“A jirga will be held in Peshawar on December 13,” Ayub told reporters. “We will contact all parties and pay a tribute to our martyrs.”
Khan’s PTI party has staged several protests this year to demand the release of the ex-premier, who has been in jail since August last year on a slew of charges, as well as to challenge results of the Feb. 8 national election, which it says were manipulated to keep the party from coming to power in the country. The Pakistani government and election authorities deny this.
Last week, Khan threatened to launch a civil disobedience movement and asked supporters to converge on Dec. 13 in Peshawar, the capital of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province which is ruled by his party.
Ayub said the ex-premier had formed a negotiation committee, comprising himself, KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, Asad Qaiser and Hamid Raza. He, however, did not clarify who the committee would hold talks with.
“If our demands were not met, then we will head toward civil disobedience,” he added.
Ex-PM Khan’s party announces jirga in Peshawar on Dec. 13 to discuss grievances
https://arab.news/8a4hb
Ex-PM Khan’s party announces jirga in Peshawar on Dec. 13 to discuss grievances
- Khan’s party on Nov. 24 led thousands of supporters to Islamabad, seeking to pressure the government to release the ex-premier from jail
- The protests resulted in clashes that government says killed four law enforcers, while the party says 12 supporters were killed in crackdown
Systems Limited to acquire Confiz in one of Pakistan’s biggest tech mergers
- Pakistan’s largest listed IT firm to absorb Confiz through court-sanctioned merger, PSX told in disclosure
- Deal expands Systems’ footprint in North America, Europe amid rising global demand for AI, cloud services
ISLAMABAD: Systems Limited, Pakistan’s largest listed IT services company, said on Thursday it will acquire Confiz, a global technology firm with strong operations in North America and Europe, in a merger that industry analysts describe as one of the biggest IT consolidation deals in Pakistan’s recent history.
In a disclosure to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX), Systems Limited said its board had approved a plan to merge Confiz with the company. Under Pakistani company law, such mergers require a court-approved process in which one company is legally absorbed into another. Instead of paying cash, Systems will issue new shares to Confiz’s owners, effectively exchanging ownership in Confiz for ownership in Systems Limited. The merger still needs formal approval from shareholders, creditors, regulators and the Lahore High Court before it can take effect.
Announcing the deal, Systems Limited said the acquisition would significantly expand its global delivery capacity and strengthen domain expertise in high-value markets.
"This high-powered acquisition marks the beginning of a new era in how we deliver innovation, create value, and empower enterprises globally,” Systems Limited Group CEO and Managing Director Asif Peer said in a company statement.
“By integrating Confiz’s expertise with Systems Limited’s global platform, we are positioned to drive deeper innovation, further expand our footprint in North America and Europe, and deliver transformative outcomes for clients worldwide,” he added.
“This acquisition strengthens our position as a leading technology organization and contributes to the ongoing evolution of Pakistan’s IT landscape."
The draft merger scheme will be circulated to shareholders following directions from the Lahore High Court, Systems Limited said.
According to the PSX filing, the merged entity will issue new Systems Limited shares to Confiz shareholders once the amalgamation is cleared by regulators and the court. The company’s CEO, CFO and company secretary have been authorized to finalize the Scheme of Arrangement and all associated transaction documents.
Systems Limited, founded in 1977 and widely regarded as the pioneer of Pakistan’s IT industry, has grown into a global systems integrator with operations across North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. The company provides large-scale digital transformation, cloud, AI engineering and managed services to Fortune 500 and major public-sector clients.
Confiz, established in 2005, has built a strong presence in the United States, Canada and Europe, specializing in retail and consumer-goods (CPG) digital transformation, advanced data engineering, AI-driven modernization and cloud solutions. The company serves several Fortune 100 enterprises and operates talent hubs across North America, EMEA, South Asia and Latin America.
A cornerstone of the merger is Confiz’s longstanding strength in retail digital transformation, a sector where demand for AI-enabled forecasting, supply-chain modernization and omnichannel commerce is accelerating. Systems said combining its scale with Confiz’s accelerators and technical depth would allow it to compete more aggressively in the US and European enterprise markets.
Pakistan’s IT exports have risen sharply in recent years as global companies expand outsourcing and cloud engineering partnerships. Analysts say the merger signals the increasing international ambition of Pakistani IT firms as they look to scale into full-service digital transformation providers competing for global enterprise contracts.
