I will fight till the end for people's prosperity: Shehbaz Sharif

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Saturday the burden of foreign debts on Pakistan is such that it could not be paid off by generations to come.

"[Ex-premier] Imran Khan's government took such hefty amount of loans that our generations might not be able to pay them," the prime minister told a public gathering in Manshera.

The prime minister held the public gathering in Mansehra two days after he addressed the nation following the massive hike in the price of petroleum products.

The prime minister said his government was forced to increase the rates of petroleum products as the previous regime had left "emptied" the national exchequer.

PM Shehbaz acknowledged the "pain" of the people due to the rising inflation but blamed the PTI-led government for the issue and said his team would work to reduce it.

Lashing out at Khan, the prime minister said he did not deliver on his promise of five million homes during his tenure. "But we have, to cushion the inflation's effect on people, have announced a subsidy package."

"If I get a chance, I will turn Khyber Pakhtunkhwa into Punjab," he vowed, giving an ultimatum to KP CM Mahmood Khan to reduce the price of wheat in the province.

The prime minister termed himself as the "servant of Pakistan" and labelled Khan as a "miscreant" — in a reference to this week's riots in Islamabad and across the country, which saw the deaths of three people, including a policeman.

"I will fight till the end for people's prosperity," he added. 

Talking about Balochistan's local government polls, the premier said they were conducted in a peaceful manner throughout. "The voter turnout was 30%-35%."

PM Shehbaz said the people of Balochistan had now started believing in the province.

Balochistan polling, voting ends as counting begins

Polling for the local body elections in 32 districts of Balochistan ended at 5pm after it continued without breaks from 8am onwards.

As per the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), candidates in 1,584 wards were elected unopposed while 14,611 candidates contested elections in 4,456 wards today. A total of 5,226 polling stations were set up in the 32 districts of the province. Out of the 32, seven districts were declared as most sensitive.

The chief election commissioner and election commission secretary monitored the polling process from the central control room established in Islamabad, said a spokesperson of the ECP.

A control room was also set up in Quetta, he said, adding that all the monitoring teams were active in the 32 districts to ensure free and fair elections. Swift action was to be taken on any complaint against the violation of rules, the spokesperson added.

He maintained that no interference will be tolerated in the election process and urged the masses to exercise their democratic right without any fear.

“Legal action will be taken for stopping women from casting votes,” warned the spokesperson.

Around 3.5 million people were expected to exercise their right to vote today in the districts, he said, adding that strict security measures have been put in place to avoid any kind of untoward incident during the elections across the province.

The audiotape exposes Imran Khan’s hypocrisy: Shehbaz Sharif

Reacting to the leaked audio of a conversation purportedly between real estate tycoon Malik Riaz and PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday said that the audiotape has exposed Khan’s hypocrisy and double standards.

Taking to his Twitter handle, PM Shehbaz said, “The audiotape that surfaced recently exposes Imran Khan’s hypocrisy & double standards.”

A day earlier, real estate tycoon Malik Riaz’s telephonic conversation with PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari was leaked, according to media reports. In it, Malik Riaz could be heard giving the ex-president a message from PTI Chairman Imran Khan.

The audio's date and time have not been confirmed as of yet, but Riaz could be heard saying that Khan has requested him to mediate between the two political leaders.

The audio tape that surfaced recently exposes Imran Khan’s hypocrisy & double standards. Contrary to his claims, he sought NRO to save himself & his govt. The fake story of foreign conspiracy was manufactured after all his efforts failed. His lies stand exposed.

— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) May 29, 2022

Criticising the PTI chairman, the prime minister said, “Contrary to his claims, he sought [an] NRO to save himself & his govt.”

Moving onto the matter of the diplomatic cable, PM Shehbaz said, “The fake story of [a] foreign conspiracy was manufactured after all his efforts failed. His lies stand exposed.”

Japanese Red Army founder walks free after 20 years in prison

Fusako Shige­nobu, the 76-year-old female founder of the once-feared Japanese Red Army, wal­ked free from prison on Saturday after completing a 20-year sentence for a 1974 embassy siege.

Shigenobu was one of the world’s most notorious wom­en during the 1970s and 1980s, when her radical leftist group carried out armed attacks worldwide in support of the Palestinian cause.

She left the prison in Tokyo in a black car with her daughter as several supporters held a banner saying: “We love Fusako”.

“I apologise for the inconvenience my arrest has cau­sed to so many people,” Shig­e­nobu told reporters after the release. “It’s half a century ago... but we caused dam­age to innocent people who were strangers to us by prioritising our battle, such as by hostage-taking,” she said.

The former soy-sauce company worker is believed to have masterminded the 1972 machine gun and grenade attack on Tel Aviv’s Lod Airport, which left 26 people dead and injured about 80. She was arrested in Japan in 2000 and sentenced to two decades behind bars six years later for her part in a siege of the French embassy in the Netherlands. She had lived as a fugitive in the Middle East for around 30 years before resurfacing in Japan.

Her daughter, May, born in 1973 to a father from the militant Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), hailed her mother’s release on social media.

Shigenobu maintained her innocence over the siege, in which three Red Army militants stormed into the French embassy, taking the ambassador and 10 other staff hostage for 100 hours. Two police officers were shot and seriously wounded. France ended the standoff by freeing a jailed Red Army guerilla, who flew off with the hostage-takers in a plane to Syria.

She did not take part in the attack personally but the court said she coordinated the operation with the PFLP.

Shigenobu was the daughter of a World War II major who became a grocer after Japan’s defeat. Her odyssey into extremism began by accident when she pas­s­ed a sit-in protest at a Tokyo university when she was 20.

As Japan was in the midst of campus tumult in the 1960s and 70s to protest the Viet­nam War, she quickly became involved in the leftist movement and left Japan at the age of 25.

She announced the Red Army’s disbanding from pri­son in April 2001, and in 2008 was diagnosed with colon and intestinal cancer, undergoing several operations.

On Saturday, Shigenobu said she would first focus on her treatment and explai­ned she would not be able to “contribute to the society” given her frail condition. But she added: “I want to continue to reflect (on my past) and live more and more with curiosity.”

Justice (retd) Maqbool Baqar front-runner for NAB chairman slot: sources

The name of Justice (retired) Maqbool Baqar is on top of the candidates' list that the government is considering for the position of the next National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairman, it emerged on Saturday.

According to sources, Justice Baqar's name was acknowledged during the meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and PPP Chairman Asif Ali Zardari, while all parties of the coalition government have also agreed that he was the most suitable candidate for the position.

In addition, opposition leader Raja Riaz has expressed no objection to Justice Baqar's proposed appointment as the NAB chairman.

If there are no impediments, coalition parties have stated that Justice Baqar will be appointed as the next NAB chairman, sources added.

Justice Baqar had been promoted from the Sindh High Court to the Supreme Court and retired as a judge of the SC on Monday, April 4, 2022.

According to government sources, the judicial record of Justice Maqbool is immaculate.

PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry, on the other hand, told the reporters outside the Islamabad High Court that a "puppet had been appointed as a dummy opposition leader," adding that the nominations for the NAB chairman were being finalised".

"Justice (r) Maqbool Baqir is a reasonable man, hopefully, he will not be a part of this process," said Fawad.

local Bodies Elections in thirty two districts of Balochistan

Polling is underway for local Bodies Elections in thirty two districts of Balochistan under strict security arrangements.

According to details, polling will continue till 5:00 in Sunday evening without any break.

As per Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), over 3.5 million voters are eligible to cast their votes in the local bodies elections while 5,226 polling stations including 1,974 highly sensitive stations have been established for the Balochistan LB polls.

Tight security measures have been taken to avoid any kind of untoward incident during the elections across the province.

Senate passes NAB law amendment bill, Election Act amendment

The Senate on Friday passed the Elections (Amendment) Bill, 2022, making certain amendments in some sections of the previous Elections Act, 2017. Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Javed Murtaza Abbasi presented the bill before the house to amend the Elections Act, 2017, which was unanimously passed by the Senate.

The house was informed that Sections 94 and 103 of Elections Act 2017 were amended vide Act No.LV of 2021 for using I-voting and Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) from the next General Elections.

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Defining the reason, the house was informed that “The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) faces technical difficulties to embark upon conducting elections as per amended provisions ibid.”

“Since Article 218(3) of the Constitution obligates the ECP to conduct free, fair and transparent elections, the instant bill proposes to restore the amendments of Act No. LV of 2021 to their original contents for conducting more pilot projects before using I-Voting and EVMs in general elections.”

The house passed the insertion of new section 72B, Act XXXIII of 2017. Now in the said act, after 72A, the new section 72B will be inserted namely ‘72B.Effects of section 72A’.

As per amendment in section 94, Act XXXIII of 2017, “The Commission may conduct pilot projects for voting by Overseas Pakistanis in bye-elections to ascertain the technical efficacy, secrecy, security and financial feasibility of such voting and shall share the results with the government, which shall, within fifteen days from the commencement of a session of House after the receipt of the report, lay the same before both Houses of Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament).”

As per amendment in section 103, Act XXXIII of 2017 namely Electronic voting and biometric verification, “The Commission may conduct pilot projects for utilization of electronic voting machines and biometric verification, casting and counting of votes to assess the technical efficacy, secrecy, security and financial feasibility of the electronic voting machines and biometric verification system and shall share the results with the Government, which shall, within fifteen days from the commencement of a session of a House after the receipt of the report, lay the same before both Houses of Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament).”