by Iftikhar A. Khan in Dawn, December 31st, 2023• Nominations of Imran, Qureshi, other bigwigs rejected; party cries foul; tribunals to decide appeals till Jan 10• GDA leaders Zulfiqar, Fahmida Mirza; Akhtar Mengal, Sheikh Rashid, Alvi’s son, Ayaz Amir face rejection• Nawaz, Shehbaz, Bilawal, Achakzai, Maryam, Khattak, Fazl, Siddiqui, Tareen, Awan, Siraj among those cleared ISLAMABAD: In the initial phase of elections slated for Feb 8, the top leadership of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and…
Posts published in “Pakistan”
by Kamran Yusuf in The Express Tribune, Dec 31, 2023ISLAMABAD: At the start of the year, which coincidentally happened to be two months after the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) announced the end of a ceasefire with the Pakistani government, Peshawar’s Red Zone was rocked by a suicide blast that killed hundreds. Although the TTP initially claimed responsibility for the heinous attack and later retracted the statement, the incident set the tone for Pakistan’s relations with…
edit in The Express Tribune, December 30th, 2023.A recent study, published by the Asian Development Bank, highlights the alarming emergence of domestic violence as a silent pandemic in Pakistan, presenting a significant challenge to both society and the state. Pakistan has consistently ranked poorly on gender equality indices, experiencing a sharp increase in violence against women and girls in recent years. This surge in violence is rooted in deeply ingrained patriarchal and misogynistic ideologies and…
Editorial in The News,December 30, 2023Many countries around the world recorded an increase in domestic violence against women and girls during the Covid-19 pandemic and the ensuing lockdowns. Sadly, Pakistan was no exception to this global trend. According to a study by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on the ‘Gendered Impacts of the Covid-19 Pandemic in Central and West Asia’, respondents to a survey in Sindh and Punjab carried out in the summer of 2020…
by Mahtab Nisar in Daily Times, Dec 30, 2023The writer is a freelance columnist.Balochistan, situated in the southwestern part of Pakistan, has long grappled with a pervasive issue that casts a dark shadow over the lives of its women. Within the confines of this province, particularly in cities like Quetta and Turbat, a disturbing trend has emerged, revealing a high incidence of women, especially teenage girls, falling victim to various forms of brutality. The urgency…
By Ansar Abbasi in The News, December 30, 2023ISLAMABAD: The PTI is going into elections without settling its issues with the military establishment or distancing its followers from the party’s Imran Khan vs Army narrative. Following the arrest of Imran Khan and owing to the post-May 9 crackdown against the PTI, senior leadership of the party has become a bit careful. However, no serious effort has been made by the party to change the minds…
by Noman Awan in The Express Tribune, December 30th, 2023KARACHI: Political observers have said that the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) parties, especially the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), were having a “rude awakening” as they struggle to muster voters’ support ahead of the February 8 general elections. “They thought that the PTI had become a thing of the past. They thought the PTI had been erased from the political arena for good,…
report in The Nation, Dec 30, 2023KARACHI – Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif on Friday met leaders of Muttahida Qaumi Movement- Pakistan (MQM-P) and Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) in a bid to finalise anti-Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) electoral alliance and seat adjustments on national and provincial assembly seats in the Sindh province. Welcoming Shehbaz Sharif at MQM-P headquarters, the party convener Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui said that inclusive democracy was need of the hour…
By Azeem Samar in The News, Dec 30, 2023KARACHI: Despite intense high-level negotiations, the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) on Friday failed to convince the Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan on a seat adjustment formula to jointly contest the upcoming general elections in Karachi. Similarly, they also failed to agree on fielding a joint candidate from NA-242 in Karachi. The high-level PMLN delegation, led by its president and former prime minister Shehbaz Sharif, visited the MQM headquarters…
Amjad Mahmood | Imran Ayub in Dawn, Dec 30, 2023• Teams up with GDA, secures MQM-P’s assurances during his Karachi visit• Pledges water, transport projects for metropolis if PML-N comes to power• Dar says seat adjustments with other parties ‘to be very limited’ KARACHI/LAHORE: In a decisive push to forge an anti-PPP electoral alliance in its stronghold Sindh, PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif wrapped up his two-day Karachi visit on Friday after finalising a deal with…
report in Daily Times, Dec 30. 2023 PML-N’s Shehbaz, GDA chief, announce consensus on a four-party seat adjustment formula involvingMQM-P and JUI-F Former PM urges joint efforts to address Karachi woesThe Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) have agreed to support each other in the upcoming general elections. The development came during a meeting between PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif and GDA chief Pir Pagara, with Khawaja Saad Rafique and Ayaz Sadiq…