President quashes sPeculations about delay in Polls

iSLAmABAd StAFF rePOrt

PRESIDENTDr Arif Alvi on Tuesday rejected speculations about any delay in elections, saying that he strongly believed that the polls would be held on time. The president, talking to a delegation of the Council of Pakistan Newspapers Editors (CPNE) here at the Aiwan-e-Sadr, said the timely elections would pave the way for improving the political and economic situation of the country.

On this occasion President CPNE Kazam Khan, Sr. Vice President Ayaz Khan, Secretary General Aamer Mahmood, Deputy Secretary General Yousaf Nizami, Vice Presidents Dr. Jabbar Khattak, Irshad Ahmed Arif, Tahir Farooq, Arif Baloch, Finance Secretary Ghulam Nabi Chandio, Information Secretary Dr. Zubair Mehmood, Joint Secretaries Maqsood Yousufi, Zia Tanoli,

Mumtaz Ahmed Sadiq, Yahya Khan Saduzai, Senior Members Aijaz-ul-Haq, Sardar Khan Niazi, Hamid Hussain Abidi, Muhammad Haider Amin, Khalilur-Rehman, Abdul Khalique Ali, Zulfiqar Ahmed Rahat, Muhammad Owais Raazi, Tanveer Shaukat, Sher Muhammad Khuhawar, Waqas Tariq Farooq, Sajjad Abbasi, Muhammad Akmal Chohan, Tazeen Akhter, Mehmood Alam Khalid, Fazl-e-Haq, Syed Safeer Hussain Shah, Qaswar Jameel Roohani, Munazah Seham and Bilqees Jehan were also presented.

President Alvi emphasised the need for upholding the Constitution as the country’s history had proven that the delay in elections had harmed democracy.

Referring to his meeting with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Haji Ghulam Ali earlier in the day, the president said the KP governor was a democratic person and he had encouraged him to fix a date for elections in accordance with the Constitution and the order of the Supreme

deal with iMF just few days away: PM shehbaz

ContinuEd fRom PAgE 01

When asked about the ongoing police attempts to arrest Imran Khan, the prime minister said he had been avoiding the arrest on the excuse of illness or injuries. Despite using foul language against the national institutions, Imran Khan was given relief every time.

He said during the PTI government, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leadership, including himself, Nawaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz, Hamza Shahbaz, Khawaja Asif and Rana Sanaullah, were implicated in false cases and made subject to inhumane treatment in jails.

With regards to the registration of around 80 cases against Imran Khan, the prime minister said it was not done by him. “He is wanted by courts, not me. The arrest warrants were issued by the courts, not me or the administration. Now what will happen if the administration does not abide by the court orders?” he questioned.

To a question about the implementation of the Supreme Court verdict on elections, PM Shehbaz said no political party could escape the polls. Being the PML-N president, he had already asked the party to submit their applications for the party tickets, to contest elections for which he was also interviewing the candidates.

However, it was for the Election Commission of Pakistan to hold the elections, he added.

Coming to the publicizing of the Toshakhana record, he said retaining gifts by paying a specified amount was a legal process. However, Imran Khan got the gift of a precious watch from a brotherly country and sold it out in Dubai whereas he committed a criminal act of getting a fake receipt from a local merchant.

The record of Toshakhana was made public as per the cabinet decision as well as the Lahore High Court’s verdict, he added.

Prime Minister Shehbaz rubbished the notions of any differences within the party and explained that PML-N Chief Organiser Maryam Nawaz had earned the office through her tireless struggle even when Nawaz Sharif was in jail.

He was confident to say that the party would get stronger as its Quaid Nawaz Sharif would return soon following his doctors’ permission.

Pti approaches admin to seek permission for Minar-e-Pakistan rally

LAHoRE StAFF rePOrt

Pakistan Tehreek- e-Insaf (PTI) on Tuesday approached the Lahore administration, seeking permission for its public rally scheduled to be held at Minar-e-Pakistan on March 19. PTI Lahore President Sheikh Imtiaz has submitted an application to the district administration in this regard. On the other hand, the district administration denied receiving any application from PTI, for permission the Minar-ePakistan rally. According to the district admin, the permission for Minar-e-Pakistan rally would be given by district intelligence committee by reviewing all safety measures as PSL final is also scheduled on March 19 in Qaddafi Stadium. Former premier and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan has announced holding a power show at Minar-e-Pakistan on Sunday. A large number of PTI workers and supporters attended the rally led by chairman Imran Khan on Monday. After crossing different routes, the rally reached Data Darbar where the PTI chief addressed the workers.

Court of Pakistan.

He said he had been playing his constitutional role and his decisions had also been affirmed by the apex court. He added that timely elections would pave the way for improving the political and economic situation of the country. He also emphasized the need for upholding the Constitution of Pakistan as our history had proven that delay in elections had caused harm to democracy. He also mentioned that he had good working relations with the government.

While talking about the prevailing economic situation of the country, the President said that he was of the firm opinion that Pakistan would not default, adding that better and effective financial management could help overcome the economic difficulties faced by the country.

The President said that he was against corruption as Pakistan had badly been damaged by it, and therefore, he returned the NAB Amendment Bill to the

Parliament. He regretted that delayed decision-making, violation of merit, nepotism and corruption had caused immense damage to Pakistan.

The President urged the media to educate the people by providing truthful and responsible analysis and opinions. He stated that despite the rise of new media, print media was still playing a vital role in shaping people’s opinions and informing them about important issues.

The President emphasized the need for upholding the freedom of speech in Pakistan. President Alvi said he had been playing his role to reduce differences and promote reconciliation among the political parties. He was willing to meet any person or political party for the sake of the country, he added.

The president remarked that he had also asked the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf leadership to negotiate with other political parties. He also mentioned that he had good working relations with the government.