| India-Pakistan |
| Lahore court acquits PM Shehbaz, son |
| 2023-07-21 |
 [GEO.TV] In a major development, an accountability court in Lahore on Thursday accepted Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his son Hamza Shahbaz's plea for acquittal in a Rs7 billion money laundering case.The court acquitted the prime minister along with all the co-accused, including Hamza, Nusrat Shehbaz (wife), Javeria Ali (PM's daughter), Muhammad Usman, Masroor Anwar, Shoaib Qamar, Qasim Qayyum, Rashid Karamat, Ali Ahmed and Nisar Ahmed, except for one. The court, however, issued a perpetual arrest warrant for PM Shehbaz's daughter Rabia Imran, who had been declared absconder in the case. The accused had filed petitions seeking acquittal, basing their argument on NAB's inability to present any evidence against them. The NAB Sherlocks also confirmed that no evidence was found. While announcing the verdict reserved earlier this month, the court said that it had no other choice except to acquit the accused, as NAB has said that it did not have anything against them. The anti-graft watchdog had filed the reference for the inquiry underway since 2018, in August 2020, when PM Shehbaz served as the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly. He was arrested by NAB after the Lahore High Court rejected his bail in the case on September 29. An accountability court indicted the prime minister, Hamza, and others accused after over a month on November 11, 2020. However, nothing needs reforming like other people's bad habits... the prime minister was released on bail in April 2021. |
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| India-Pakistan |
| NAB arrests another Sharif family employee in money laundering case |
| 2019-12-15 |
| [DAWN] An accountability court on Saturday remanded in the National Accountability Bureau's (NAB) custody another suspect in a case against members of the Sharif family pertaining to alleged money launderingThe accountability watchdog today arrested the suspect, Rashid Karamat, an employee of Hamza Shehbaz Sharif since 2007, for allegedly holding a benami company to facilitate several members of the Sharif family. The prosecution alleged that the suspect, an employee of Sharif Group of Companies, represented himself as the owner of the company ‐ M/s Nisar Trading Concern. It added that the company was established with the funds of the accused nominated in the case, including PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif and his sons Hamza and SLearned Elders of Islamn, who also benefited from it. Related: Shehbaz Sharif: 2019-09-05 Hamza Shahbaz sent to jail on 14-day judicial remand Shehbaz Sharif: 2019-08-20 Opposition parties hold multi-party conference on Maulana Fazlur Rehman's call Shehbaz Sharif: 2019-07-17 Opposition leaders lavished billions on themselves under security, camp office expenses: Murad Saeed |
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| India-Pakistan |
| Million march decision irreversible, says JUI-F chief |
| 2019-10-01 |
| [DAWN] Chief of his own faction of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F) Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Sunday said that his party’s decision about the “million march” towards Islamabad was irreversible, saying “neither do we want to strike any deal with the government nor do we want to give it any space”. Speaking at a press conference after JUI-F district executive council’s meeting here on Sunday, he said they don’t accept the “illegitimate” government of Imran Khan which had been imposed on the masses as a result of “rigged” elections. “The establishment is responsible for the illegitimate government,” he said, but added that his party did not want any confrontation with state institutions. Commenting on the prime minister’s speech on the Kashmir issue at the UN General Assembly, the JUI-F chief said that emotional speeches alone were not enough for a just settlement of the Kashmir issue and practical steps were necessary to convince the world about the seriousness of Pakistan’s stand. “What message the prime minister wants to convey to the world when he threatened to start nuclear war with India and admitted during an interview that the ISI and Pakistan Army had trained the activists of Al Qaeda,” he said. Related: JUI-F: 2019-09-29 3 including central JUI-F leader dead as explosion rocks Chaman in Balochistan JUI-F: 2019-09-26 PPP and JUI-F agree on sending government home, opposition leaders say after meeting JUI-F: 2019-09-19 PM Imran vows 'accountability for all' over Kasur deaths Related: Maulana Fazlur Rehman: 2019-09-15 Adiala jail, its surrounding areas fumigated Maulana Fazlur Rehman: 2019-09-12 PPP not to join Fazlur Rehman's Islamabad march but will provide 'moral support', says Bilawal Maulana Fazlur Rehman: 2019-09-05 Hamza Shahbaz sent to jail on 14-day judicial remand Related: Imran Khan: 2019-09-29 India tightens restrictions in #Kashmir after Imran Khan's #UN address Imran Khan: 2019-09-28 Islamophobia began after 9/11 because some western leaders equated terrorism with Islam: PM Imran Khan Imran Khan: 2019-09-28 In meeting with UN chief, PM Imran highlights world body's responsibility to help resolve Kashmir |
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| India-Pakistan |
| PPP not to join Fazlur Rehman's Islamabad march but will provide 'moral support', says Bilawal |
| 2019-09-12 |
| [DAWN] PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Wednesday said that his party will not join the anti-government long march that Jamaat Ulema-e-Islam ...the political wing of the Pak Taliban... (JUI-F) Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman ...Deobandi holy man, known as Mullah Dieselduring the war against the Soviets, his sympathies for the Taliban have never been tempered by honesty... announced to set out on, but promised to provide "moral and political support". Bilawal, while speaking to news hounds in Jamshoro, said that PPP has had a "clear and consistent policy when it came to dharna politics in Islamabad". "Whether it is a sit-in by Tahirul Qadri  ...Pak politician, and would-be dictator, founder and head of Tehreek-e-Minhajul Quran and Pakistain Awami Tehrik. He usually resides in Canada, but returns to Pakistain periodically to foam at the mouth and lead demonstrations. Depending on which way the wind's blowing, Qadri claims to be the author of Pak's blasphemy law. Other times he says it wasn't him..., Imran Khan ...aka The Great Khan, who who convinced himself that playing cricket qualified him to lead a nuclear-armed nation with severe personality disorders... or by Tehrik-e-Labbaik; we were in opposition when [those sit-ins] took place but we never joined them," he said. "We support Maulana Fazlur Rehman's politics and the issues he is raising. We provide moral support, political support for his initiative [but] strategically, we don't see eye to eye." Bilawal announced that he will go around the country as part of his mass contact campaign and raise the same issues as Rehman. "While Rehman will be in Islamabad, I will be going across the country and our narrative will be the same, which is that this puppet, incapable prime minister, who has been imposed upon us through rigging, who has ruined our economy, who has weakened our national security position on every issue including Kashmir ...a disputed territory lying between India and Pakistain. After partition, the Paks grabbed half of it and call it Azad (Free) Kashmir. The remainder they refer to as "Indian Occupied Kashmir". They have fought four wars with India over it, the score currently 4-0 in New Delhi's favor. After 72 years of this nonsense, India cut the Gordian knot in 2019, removing the area's special status, breaking off Ladakh as a separate state, and allowing people from other areas to settle (or in the case of the Pandits, to resettle) there.... [...] he will have to go home," said the PPP chief. Related: Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari: 2019-08-28 Long march call against govt receives cold response Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari: 2019-08-15 Bilawal raises doubts over govt’s sincerity with Kashmir cause Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari: 2019-08-13 Qureshi, Bilawal spend Eidul Azha in AJK to show solidarity with Kashmiri people |
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| India-Pakistan |
| Govt will never strike a deal with Fazlur Rehman: interior minister |
| 2019-09-12 |
| [DAWN] Interior Minister retired Brig Ijaz Ahmad Shah on Wednesday said that the government will never strike a deal with Jamaat Ulema-e-Islam ...Assembly of Islamic Clergy, or JUI, is a Pak Deobandi (Hanafi) political party. There are two main branches, one led by Maulana Fazlur Rahman, and one that was led by Maulana Samiul Haq. Fazl is active in Pak politix and Sami spent more time running his madrassah until his secretary rubbed him out in a jealous rage. Both branches sponsor branches of the Taliban, though with plausible deniability... -Fazl (JUI-F) Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman ...Deobandi holy man, known as Mullah Dieselduring the war against the Soviets, his sympathies for the Taliban have never been tempered by honesty... and was confident that his call for a march on Islamabad will not be met with the kind of response Rehman seeks. "People will not join Fazlur Rehman in this exercise," the interior minister declared in an exclusive interview with DawnNewsTV. He went on to say that not only will there be no deal, but the JUI-F chief will himself lose interest and back off from the idea. The interior minister said that he respects Rehman, "as he is, after all, a religious scholar," but questioned the wisdom of such a move "when India has its hands over our jugular vein (Kashmir  ...a disputed territory lying between India and Pakistain. After partition, the Paks grabbed half of it and call it Azad (Free) Kashmir. The remainder they refer to as "Indian Occupied Kashmir". They have fought four wars with India over it, the score currently 4-0 in New Delhi's favor. After 72 years of this nonsense, India cut the Gordian knot in 2019, removing the area's special status, breaking off Ladakh as a separate state, and allowing people from other areas to settle (or in the case of the Pandits, to resettle) there.... Brig Shah expressed conviction that the government will not only prevail in this term but will succeed in getting re-elected for another. "In the next four years, Pakistain will witness substantial improvements," he added. He said that the condition the country was currently in could not be blamed on one individual. "The ruling class has destroyed Pakistain," he said, holding all previous governments equally responsible. |
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| India-Pakistan |
| Hamza Shahbaz sent to jail on 14-day judicial remand |
| 2019-09-05 |
 [DAWN] An accountability court in Lahore on Tuesday rejected a plea by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for an extension in the physical remand of Hamza Shahbaz, sending him to Lahore's Camp Jail on judicial remand in a case of alleged money laundering and assets beyond means.Hamza, the son of PML-N president and National Assembly opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif, is facing inquiries in cases related to Ramzan Sugar Mills, money laundering and owning assets beyond means. NAB had appealed to the court for a five-day extension in Hamza's physical remand, who has been in the bureau's custody since June 11. The PML-N leader was present in court during today's proceedings which were led by Judge Ameer Mohammad Khan, and was asked to stand in the defendant's box. Related: National Accountability Bureau: 2019-08-11 2 suspects confess to have laundered money for Shahbaz, sons National Accountability Bureau: 2019-08-10 NAB deputy prosecutor general says was targeted in gun attack National Accountability Bureau: 2019-08-09 Nawaz, Maryam face another corruption reference Related: Hamza Shahbaz: 2019-08-11 2 suspects confess to have laundered money for Shahbaz, sons Hamza Shahbaz: 2019-08-06 Arrest warrants for Salman Shahbaz issued Hamza Shahbaz: 2018-10-29 JUI-F chief fails to convince Nawaz to attend opposition APC Related: Shehbaz Sharif: 2019-08-20 Opposition parties hold multi-party conference on Maulana Fazlur Rehman's call Shehbaz Sharif: 2019-07-17 Opposition leaders lavished billions on themselves under security, camp office expenses: Murad Saeed Shehbaz Sharif: 2019-07-09 Maryam warns of going on a hunger strike if Nawaz not allowed homemade food |
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| India-Pakistan |
| 2 suspects confess to have laundered money for Shahbaz, sons |
| 2019-08-11 |
| [DAWN] Two suspects on Saturday turned approvers against PML-N president Shahbaz Sharif...Pak dynastic politician, brother of PM Nawaz Sharif, chief minister of Punjab... and his two sons in a money laundering case . The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) is pursuing the case in an accountability court. The suspects, Aftab Mehmood and Shahid Rafique, recorded their statements before a judicial magistrate in Lahore today, confessing to have committed money laundering at the behest of Shahbaz and his sons, Hamza and Salman. Another suspect in the case, Mushtaq Cheeni, had earlier also turned approver against Hamza and his brother Salman. Mehmood, whom NAB had described as the frontman of the Shahbaz family at the time of his arrest, in his statement recorded before judicial magistrate Zulfiqar Bari confessed that he made illegal telegraphic transfers (TTs) worth more than $2.4 million to Pakistain to benefit the Shahbaz family in 2008-09. He said he operated a money exchange named Usman International in the United Kingdom and transferred the amount through TT in the bank accounts of Hamza Shahbaz, Salman Shahbaz, Nusrat Shahbaz and Rabia Imran Ali using fake identities. |
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| India-Pakistan |
| Arrest warrants for Salman Shahbaz issued |
| 2019-08-06 |
| [DAWN] An accountability court in Lahore on Monday issued non-bailable arrest warrants against Salman Shahbaz in a money laundering and assets beyond means case. Judge Amir Mohammad Khan ordered police to arrest Salman, a son of PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif ...Pak dynastic politician, brother of PM Nawaz Sharif, chief minister of Punjab..., and produce him before the court by August 10. The arrest warrants were issued on an appeal of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). NAB Chairman retired Justice Javed Iqbal had issued arrest warrants for the suspect on April 3. In June, an alleged frontman of Salman and his brother, Leader of the Opposition in Punjab 1.) Little Orphan Annie's bodyguard 2.) A province of Pakistain ruled by one of the Sharif brothers 3.) A province of India. It is majority (60 percent) Sikh and Hindoo (37 percent), which means it has relatively few Moslem riots.... Assembly Hamza Shahbaz, had confessed to have laundered over Rs600 million for the two brothers. Mushtaq Cheeni, a wholesale dealer for Ramzan Sugar Mills, in his confessional statement recorded by a judicial magistrate under Section 164 of the CrPC had claimed that Hamza and Salman used to receive foreign remittances through bank accounts of his company, Mushtaq and Co. In this case, Hamza is already in NAB's custody, while Salman is out of the country. The accountability watchdog had alleged that Hamza maintained various accounts in different banks in which credit turnover of Rs500 million was observed between 2006 and 2017. It also claimed that Hamza received fictitious foreign remittances of Rs181 million in one of his bank accounts and Rs2.11 billion in the accounts of his brother Salman, mother Nusrat, benamidars and employees of their companies. Shahbaz Sharif 2019-07-05 Shahbaz sees a ‘Hitler-like fascist’ in Imran Shahbaz Sharif 2019-04-24 NAB says it has arrested 'suspects who laundered money for Shahbaz Sharif's family' Shahbaz Sharif 2019-03-26 Death of dialogue |
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| India-Pakistan |
| JUI-F chief fails to convince Nawaz to attend opposition APC |
| 2018-10-29 |
| [DAWN] Jamaat Ulema-e-Islam ...Assembly of Islamic Clergy, or JUI, is a Pak Deobandi (Hanafi) political party. There are two main branches, one led by Maulana Fazlur Rahman, and one led by Maulana Samiul Haq. Fazl is active in Pak politix and Sami spends more time running his madrassah. Both branches sponsor branches of the Taliban, though with plausible deniability... -Fazl (JUI-F) chief Fazlur Rehman met ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif  ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf, then by the courts...at the latter's Jati Umra residence but reportedly failed to convince him to attend an All Parties Conference (APC) being proposed by the opposition parties. According to DawnNewsTV, despite a two-hour-long conversation between the two leaders, Nawaz remained unwilling to commit and said he would first consult with his brother, PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif ...Pak dynastic politician, brother of PM Nawaz Sharif, chief minister of Punjab...‐ currently being held by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) ‐ before he can give a response regarding his participation. Later while speaking to media, Rehman commented that PML-N leader Hamza Shahbaz and other members of the family were not permitted by the NAB authorities to meet the detained leader of the opposition. On October 16, an accountability court extended the physical remand of Shahbaz, for 14 days (till Oct 30) in the Rs14 billion Ashiyana-e-Iqbal housing scheme scam. The JUI-F chief said it was not unusual in politics for two leaders to meet and hold discussions over various matters. Rehman said he and Nawaz were in agreement over the fact that regardless of the latter's participation, an APC was inevitable given the current political climate. |
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| India-Pakistan |
| Hamza Shahbaz's alleged wife seeks help from CJP, asks for security against threats |
| 2018-06-03 |
| [DAWN] Chief Justice of Pakistain Mian Saqib Nisar on Saturday ordered inspector general of Punjab 1.) Little Orphan Annie's bodyguard 2.) A province of Pakistain ruled by one of the Sharif brothers 3.) A province of India. It is majority (60 percent) Sikh and Hindoo (37 percent), which means it has relatively few Moslem riots.... to provide security to Ayesha Ahad ‐ the woman who claims to be the spouse of PML-N politician Hamza Shahbaz and accuses former provincial Law Minister Rana Sanaullah of harassing and threatening her. The matter was taken up by the court after Ayesha, in her individual capacity, had contacted the chief justice a day earlier and told him how her and her daughter's lives were under threat. At this, the chief justice had asked her to appear in the Supreme Court's Lahore registry today. After the court's proceedings began on Saturday, the chief justice, while presiding a two-member bench, summoned Hamza to appear in the court at 1pm and directed the advocate general Punjab to ensure his presence. "We cannot see anyone's life under threat," Justice Nisar remarked. Later in the day, the advocate general told the chief justice that Hamza is out of the country and is expected to return in three to four days. The chief justice, following the development, instructed the IGP to provide security to Ayesha and ordered for her complaint record to be submitted to the court by June 6. He also ordered Hamza to personally appear in the court at its next hearing. Ayesha, who is the daughter of a PML-Q leader, claims that in October 3, 2011 Hamza and his father Shahbaz Sharif ...Pak dynastic politician, brother of PM Nawaz Sharif, chief minister of Punjab...had registered a ’false and baseless case’ against her, following which she and her daughter were locked away Book 'im, Mahmoud! by police and subjected to torture. She had claimed that her only fault was that she wanted Hamza to recognise her as his wife. The Lahore High Court (LHC) had released her on bail on October 7 that year and had also ordered the police high-ups to take action against the police personnel involved in torturing Ayesha. But the sessions court's directives for action against Ayesha's torturers was never acted upon ‐ at which Justice Nisar expressed his irritation today. The chief justice ordered for an immediate filing of a first information report (FIR) against those nominated in Ayesha's complaint ‐ including Hamza ‐ and also called for the names of the coppers who had prevented any action from being taken against the court's earlier directive. |
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| India-Pakistan |
| Speculations about Pak PM’s successor: Shahbaz seems to tread cautiously |
| 2017-07-13 |
| [DAWN] The focus was on Punjab 1.) Little Orphan Annie's bodyguard 2.) A province of Pakistain ruled by one of the Sharif brothers 3.) A province of India. It is majority (60 percent) Sikh and Hindoo (37 percent), which means it has relatively few Moslem riots.... Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif ...Pak dynastic politician, brother of PM Nawaz Sharif, chief minister of Punjab... as he on Tuesday attended a ’very important’ meeting of the party stalwarts chaired by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... to discuss the situation arising out of the joint investigation team (JIT) report. Shahbaz, who seems to have escaped indictment in the JIT report, is a big Sharif missing from the diatribe against the family unleashed by the opponents and disapproving analysts in media. He is now being reinforced as an ’all-important player’ of the Sharif family in case the premier and his children get an adverse court decision in the Panama Papers case. "Shahbaz Sharif is playing his cards very carefully. He is standing by his brother in this hour of crisis and at the same time he has been in contact with those who matter," says a PML-N leader who would remain anonymous in the interest of his own politics. "There has been a lot of talk in the party about the possibility of Shahbaz replacing Nawaz in case the latter is disqualified. Who will then take charge of Punjab if Shahbaz is moved to the Centre. In fact, Shahbaz will never let Punjab slip out, even when he is destined for greater heights at the Centre. But of course he will have to do a lot of manoeuvering to secure and keep Punjab -- say under his son Hamza Shahbaz," he says. "But the big question is, does the PML-N leadership trust Shahbaz blindly and will it allow him to play a role in the Centre (in Nawaz’s absence) or choose someone else in the party (to replace the prime minister for remainder period till 2018 election should such a need arise) or will it go for any other option," he says. Unlike a bunch of close aides of the premier who according to one legal view risked contempt of court in challenging openly the establishment and judiciary in their outburst to defend Nawaz Sharif, Shahbaz has treaded a cautious path in his defence of Nawaz and his children since their offshore holdings revealed by the Panama Papers. |
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