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☆ Shehbaz Sharif Set for Pakistan's Top Job as Elder Brother Steps Aside
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +5 min

Before his stint as prime minister, the younger Sharif was known more as a good administrator than a politician, having served as chief minister thrice in the country's largest province, Punjab. The deal was signed after Sharif personally called on IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva last June. Although defence and key foreign policy decisions are largely influenced by the military, Sharif will have to juggle relations with the U.S. and China, both major allies. He started his political career as the chief minister of Punjab in 1997 with a signature "can-do" administrative style. As chief minister, the younger Sharif planned and executed a number of ambitious infrastructure mega-projects, including Pakistan's first modern mass transport system in Lahore.

Persons: Asif Shahzad, Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam, Sharif, Nawaz Sharif, Nawaz Sharif's, Maryam, Imran Khan, Shehbaz Sharif, Khan, Shehbaz, Kristalina Georgieva, Tehmina Durrani, Ariba Shahid, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Pakistan Muslim League, Nawaz, Monetary Fund, IMF, U.S Locations: Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam ISLAMABAD, Sharif, London, country's, Punjab, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, China, India, Iran, Afghanistan, Lahore, Panama, Karachi

☆ What's Next in Pakistan Election Deadlock
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-11 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

By Gibran Naiyyar PeshimamISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan's national election ended with no party winning a majority in parliament, in polls marred by militant violence, political turmoil and questions of transparency. The two, along with other smaller parties, form a coalition government in which Sharif or his brother is prime minister and important positions are given to other parties. The two parties were in government together for 16 months till August, with Bhutto Zardari as foreign minister and Sharif's brother Shehbaz as prime minister. BHUTTO ZARDARI PUSHES TO HEAD COALITION GOVERNMENTWhile Sharif and Khan's candidates won the most seats, no party can form government without the PPP. With both looking to keep the other out of power, the PPP strikes a deal to make the young Bhutto Zardari prime minister.

Persons: Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam, Nawaz Sharif, Imran Khan, SHARIF, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Benazir Bhutto, Bhutto Zardari, Shehbaz, Khan, BHUTTO ZARDARI, Sharif's, Gibran Peshimam, Sonali Paul Organizations: Monetary Fund, National Assembly, Pakistan Peoples Party Locations: Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam ISLAMABAD, Sharif, Pakistan

☆ Militants attack air force base in central Pakistan, says military
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-04 | by ( Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ISLAMABAD, Nov 4 (Reuters) - Nine Islamist militants attacked an air force training base in the central Pakistani area of Mianwali on Saturday damaging three "non-operational" aircraft, the military said, adding that all assailants had been killed by security forces. Three militants were killed before they entered the base while the others had been cornered before the clearance operation began, the military said in a statement. The military said nine militants had been killed in the attack on the Pakistan Air Force Training Airbase Mianwali. "No damage has been done to any of the Pakistan Air Force's functional operational assets, while only some damage was done to three already phased out non-operational aircraft during the attack," the military statement said. Islamist militant group Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistan (TJP) claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement sent to journalists by its spokesperson.

Persons: Zeeshan Niazi, TJP, Gibran Peshimam, Saud Mehsud, Dera Ismail Khan, Mubasher Bukhari, William Mallard, Jamie Freed Organizations: Nine, Reuters, Pakistan Air Force Training, Pakistan Air, Jihad, Thomson Locations: ISLAMABAD, Mianwali, Jihad Pakistan, Balochistan, Lahore

☆ Pakistan's Imran Khan indicted in official secrets case - party
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan speaks with Reuters during an interview, in Lahore, Pakistan March 17, 2023. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsISLAMABAD, Oct 23 (Reuters) - A Pakistani court indicted former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his deputy in an official secrets acts case on Monday, his party said, in another blow for the jailed former cricket star ahead of a general election expected in January. Both the United States and the Pakistani military deny that. The sentence was suspended but he remains in prison in connection with other cases, including instigating violence and the official secrets case. A guilty verdict under the Official Secrets Act could bring up to 14 years in prison or even a death sentence, lawyers say.

Persons: Imran Khan, Akhtar Soomro, Khan, Shah Mahmood Quershi, Nawaz Sharif, Gibran Peshimam, Jacqueline Wong, Robert Birsel Organizations: Pakistani, Reuters, REUTERS, Rights, Thomson Locations: Lahore, Pakistan, Rights ISLAMABAD, Islamabad, Washington, U.S, Moscow, Ukraine, United States, Adyala

☆ Afghanistan earthquakes a 'disaster on top of a disaster', World Food Programme says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

KARACHI, Pakistan, Oct 11 (Reuters) - The World Food Programme on Wednesday called the recent Afghanistan earthquakes a 'disaster on top of a disaster,' urging the international community to provide humanitarian aid to the war-torn nation. Limited aid makes relief work difficult after earthquakes and aftershocks since Saturday rattled the religiously conservative nation. "In Afghanistan, this is a disaster on top of a disaster, on top of a disaster, on top of a disaster," said Philippe Kropf, head of communications at the World Food Programme (WFP) Afghanistan, in an interview. "If we can help them prevent malnutrition, that's how we do it, because preventing malnutrition is much cheaper than treating malnutrition." Women and children make up two-thirds of the injured in Afghanistan, said Dr. Alaa AbouZeid, head of the World Health Organization's emergency response in the country, on Monday.

Persons: Philippe Kropf, Kropf, Zinda Jan, Ali Khara, Alaa AbouZeid, Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam, Ariba Shahid, Richard Chang Organizations: tremblors, Food Programme, REUTERS, Health, Soviet Union, United Nations, WFP, Thomson Locations: KARACHI, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkey, Syria, Herat, Afghan, Zinda, Karachi

☆ Pakistan's interim PM says Saudi Arabia to invest $25 bln over next five years
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-04 | by ( Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

There was no immediate response to a Reuters request to the Saudi Arabian government for comment on Kakar's remarks. If confirmed, a series of investments worth $25 billion would be the biggest ever by the kingdom in Pakistan. Pakistan's state owned enterprises have long been an area of concern with bleeding financials adding to financial stress. Recently Pakistan added struggling state-run Pakistan International Airlines to the privatisation list again. Reporting by Gibran Peshimam; Additional reporting by Aziz El Yaakoubi in Riyadh; Editing by William MacleanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Akhtar Soomro, Anwaar, Haq Kakar, Kakar, Gibran Peshimam, Aziz El Yaakoubi, William Maclean Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, International Monetary Fund, Barrick Gold Corp, Pakistan's, Barrick, Pakistan International Airlines, Thomson Locations: Karachi, Pakistan, Rights ISLAMABAD, Saudi Arabia, Saudi, Saudi Arabian, Riyadh, Balochistan

"We feel that the applicant is entitled to the suspension of sentence and be released on bail," it said. Khan's lawyer Naeem Panjutha also announced the suspension on social media, saying "God be praised." Nor will the suspension of the corruption sentence undo the ban on Khan's contesting elections as long as the conviction remains. STATE SECRETSPakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan, gestures as he speaks to the members of the media at his residence in Lahore, Pakistan May 18, 2023. The possible overturning of Khan's graft conviction is pending a detailed hearing in the court, according to a lawyer Abdul Moiz Jaferii.

Persons: Khan, Imran, Khan's, Naeem Panjutha, Imran Khan, Mohsin Raza, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Abdul Moiz Jaferii, Jaferii, abetment, Zulfikar Bukhari, Asif Shahzad, Gibran Peshimam, Ariba Shahid, Simon Cameron, Moore, Alex Richardson, Angus MacSwan Organizations: ISLAMABAD, Reuters, REUTERS, Federal Investigation Agency, FIA, Thomson Locations: Pakistan, Lahore, United States, Russia, Ukraine, Washington, Islamabad, Karachi

☆ Pakistan senator picked as caretaker PM to oversee elections
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-12 | by ( Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KARACHI, Pakistan, Aug 12 (Reuters) - Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and opposition leader Raja Riaz agreed on Saturday to name Senator Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar as caretaker premier to oversee elections, the Prime Minister's office said. "The prime minister (Sharif) and leader of opposition have jointly signed the advice which will be sent to the president for approval," the statement said. Under Pakistan's constitution, a neutral caretaker government oversees national elections, which must be held within 90 days of the dissolution of the parliament's lower house - which in this instance means early November. The choice of caretaker prime minister has assumed heightened importance this time because the candidate will have extra powers to make policy decisions on economic matters, and amid fears the elections may be delayed by as much as six months. Kakar has been serving a six-year term in Pakistan's Senate since 2018.

Persons: Shehbaz Sharif, Raja Riaz, Anwaar, Haq Kakar, Arif Alvi, Kakar, Gibran Peshimam, Raju Gopalakrishnan, Mark Potter Organizations: Pakistani, Geo News, Pakistan's Senate, Senate, Balochistan Awami Party, Thomson Locations: KARACHI, Pakistan, Balochistan, Pakistan's

The parliament's five-year term is due to expire on Aug. 12, but this move would dissolve it three days earlier. "I will tonight advise the president to dissolve the parliament," the premier told parliament. He said he would start discussions with the opposition leader on Thursday to pick a name from candidate lists of both sides to nominate as caretaker prime minister. The vote, however, could be delayed several months with the election commission set to start redrawing hundreds of constituencies based on a fresh census. The last general election in July 2018 was won by the party of cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan, who was sworn in days later as prime minister for the first time.

Persons: Shehbaz Sharif, Arif Alvi, Imran Khan, Khan, Sharif, Asif Shahzad, Gibran Peshimam, Andrew Heavens, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Pakistan, International Monetary Fund, Thomson Locations: ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Islamabad, Karachi

☆ Imran Khan arrested after Pakistan court sentences ex-prime minister to three years in jail
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-05 | by ( Mubasher Bukhari Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam Charlotte Greenfield | Mubasher Bukhari | Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/4] Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan speaks with Reuters during an interview, in Lahore, Pakistan March 17, 2023. Khan's political party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), said in a statement it had already filed another appeal to the Supreme Court earlier on Saturday. Khan, 70, is a former cricket star who went on to forge a political career and who was prime minister from 2018 to 2022. Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said in a broadcast statement that Khan's arrest followed a full investigation and proper legal proceedings in a trial court. Khan was convicted by the court in a case that was first investigated by the election commission, which found him guilty of unlawfully selling state gifts while prime minister.

Persons: Imran Khan, Akhtar Soomro, Shehbaz Sharif's, Intezar Panjotha, Bilal Siddique Kamiana, Khan, Marriyum Aurangzeb, Sharif, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Khan's, Qamar Javed Bajwa, Asim Munir, Mubasher Bukhari, Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam, Charlotte, William Mallard, Simon Cameron, Moore, Frances Kerry, Giles Elgood Organizations: Pakistani, Reuters, REUTERS, Police, " Police, Central Adiala, wilfully, PTI, Thomson Locations: Lahore, Pakistan, LAHORE, Islamabad, Central, Rawalpindi, Toshakhana, Khan's, Karachi, Charlotte Greenfield

☆ Pakistan's Imran Khan expresses support for bailout deal in IMF meeting
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Hammad Azhar, a former finance minister under Khan, who attended the meeting virtually, said in a post on Twitter that the former premier and his economic team had discussed last week's staff-level deal between the IMF and Pakistan's government. The new deal, which will be vital to help stabilise Pakistan's struggling $350 billion economy, will be taken up for approval by the IMF board on July 12. Khan's government deviated from agreements under an earlier IMF programme days before he was ousted in a parliamentary vote last year, leading to a delay in the implementation of the programme and increased economic uncertainty. The meeting is the highest profile engagement for Khan and his the PTI since he was ousted from power less than four years into his five-year term. Many of Khan's key aides remain under arrest and many others, like Azhar, are in hiding.

Persons: Khan, Imran Khan, Hammad Azhar, Azhar, Nathan Porter, Esther Perez Ruiz, Shehbaz Sharif, Gibran Peshimam, William Maclean, David Holmes Organizations: International Monetary Fund, IMF, Twitter, Mission, Khan's, PTI, Thomson Locations: KARACHI, Pakistan, Lahore

☆ Pakistan hopes for bailout decision in day or two as IMF seeks deal 'quickly'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif attends a summit on climate resilience in Pakistan, months after deadly floods in the country, at the United Nations, in Geneva, Switzerland, January 9, 2023. "The IMF team continues discussions with Pakistani authorities with the aim of quickly reaching an agreement on financial support from the IMF," mission chief Nathan Porter said. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said earlier in the day that he hoped consensus over the IMF programme's points "will lead to a decision in a day or two". The statement from the prime minister's office added that Sharif spoke to IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva about the country's bailout funds, stalled since November. The IMF funds subject to approval by its board promise respite for Pakistan, which is battling its worst economic meltdown, with an acute balance of payments crisis and falling reserves of foreign exchange.

Persons: Shehbaz Sharif, Denis Balibouse, Ishaq Dar, Nathan Porter, Sharif, Kristalina Georgieva, Dar, Asif Shahzad, Ariba Shahid, Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam, Shivam Patel, Charlotte Greenfield, Krishna N, Das, William Maclean, Mark Potter Organizations: Pakistan's, United Nations, REUTERS, Pakistan, International Monetary Fund, IMF, Thomson Locations: Pakistan, Geneva, Switzerland, ISLAMABAD, Islamabad, Paris

☆ Pakistan's economic meltdown spurs more people to risk lives to reach Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

He is missing and presumed dead, according to his brother, highlighting the perils faced by people who seek to enter Europe illegally. Cash-strapped Pakistan's $350 billion economy is in a meltdown, with inflation at a record 38%. Pakistan's information ministry did not respond to questions from Reuters about economic factors fuelling migration. 3 nationality registered in Italy coming from Libya, after Egyptians and Bangladeshis, a Frontex spokesperson told Reuters in an email. At least 209 Pakistanis were believed to be on board, according to official data based on information provided by relatives.

Persons: Muhammad Sarwar Bhatti, Hameed Iqbal Bhatti, Salahuddin, Bhatti, Hafeez Pasha, Muhammad Nadeem, Nadeem, Kosar Bibi, Bibi, Sarwar Warraich, Muhammad Zubair, Muhammad Nazim, Nazim, Muhammad Ali, Anish Raza, Haji Ilyas, Ilyas, puffing, Israr Mirza, Mirza, Gibran Peshimam, Ariba Shahid, David Crawshaw Organizations: Reuters, REUTERS, Cash, Federal Investigation Agency, FIA, OF, International Monetary Fund, Migrant Resource Centre, College, Thomson Locations: Greece, Khuiratta, Pakistan, Kashmir, Saudi Arabia, Europe, Libya, Italy, Gujrat, Italian, Ferrara, Turkey, Bhojpur, Gujrat district, Spain, EU, Lahore, Islamabad

☆ Greece boat tragedy: At least 209 Pakistanis were on board, data suggests
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A undated handout photo provided by the Hellenic Coast Guard shows migrants onboard a boat during a rescue operation, before their boat capsized on the open sea, off Greece, June 14, 2023. The FIA has been tasked by the Pakistan government with handling investigations into the tragedy. Pakistan is yet to officially confirm how many of its citizens were on the boat, but kick-started a DNA sampling effort to help Greece identify those who died. The data shared by the FIA showed that 181 people were from Pakistan and 28 from Pakistan-administered Kashmir. The FIA said 29 suspected human smugglers had been arrested in Pakistan so far over the case.

Persons: Rana Abdul Jabbar, Gibran Naiyyar, Sudipto Ganguly, Gareth Jones Organizations: Hellenic Coast Guard, REUTERS, Reuters, Federal Investigation Agency, FIA, FIA Islamabad, Officials, Thomson Locations: Greece, KARACHI, Pakistan, Pakistani, Libya, Kashmir, Pylos

[1/3] A man with a mobile phone takes a picture of rising waves before the arrival of the cyclonic storm Biparjoy over the Arabian Sea, in Karachi, Pakistan, June 14, 2023. The cyclone is likely to cross Saurashtra, Kutch, and neighboring Pakistan coasts on Thursday noon with winds of 125-135 kmph gusting to 150 kmph. "As of now, our forecast is it will cross as a very severe cyclonic storm. After crossing, its intensity will fall and become a cyclonic storm and depression." In neighbouring Pakistan 62,000 people were evacuated from high risk areas, according to the country's National Disaster Management Authority.

Persons: Akhtar Soomro, gusting, Sherry Rehman, Manorama Mohanty, Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, Mohapatra, Alok Kumar Pandey, Sumit Khanna, Rajendra Jadhav, Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam, Sudipto Ganguly, Raju Gopalakrishnan, Barbara Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, India Meteorological Department, IMD, Gujarat's, Disaster Management Authority, Ships, Rajendra, Thomson Locations: Karachi, Pakistan, Akhtar Soomro AHMEDABAD, MUMBAI, Jakhau Port, Indian, Gujarat, Pakistan's, Saurashtra, Kutch, Mandvi, Jakhau, India, Ahmedabad, Mumbai

ISLAMABAD, June 10 (Reuters) - Pakistan is working on the possibility of restructuring its bilateral debt regardless of whether it successfully completes its IMF review, the country's finance minister said on Saturday, but reiterated it would not approach Paris club nation creditors or seek haircuts. The country is grappling with record inflation, fiscal imbalances and critical levels of reserves that cover barely a month worth of imports. The fiscal deficit for the following fiscal year was projected at 6.54% of GDP, according to the budget. Dar said on Saturday there was no more room in the budget to reduce the fiscal deficit target by any further. The government has received commitments of only $4 billion, mainly from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Persons: Ishaq Dar, Dar, Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam, Shahid, Charlotte Greenfield, Michael Perry, William Mallard, Frances Kerry Organizations: IMF, Pakistan's IMF, United, United Arab Emirates, Thomson Locations: ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Paris, Pakistan's, China, Saudi Arabia, United Arab

Finance Minister Ishaq Dar announced the target during his budget speech to the national legislature. The deficit target for the fiscal year ending this month had been revised higher, from a previous projection of 4.9%. The government had prepared "a responsible budget, not an election budget", Dar said. The total spending target would be 14.46 trillion rupees ($50.45 billion), Dar said, with 1.8 trillion rupees going to defence. It would target net external financing of 2,527 billion rupees for the fiscal year ending in June 2024 of which 1,601 billion rupees would come via commercial and Eurobond borrowing.

Persons: Akhtar Soomro, Ishaq Dar, Dar, Shehbaz Sharif, Shahbaz Ashraf, Mustafa Pasha, Asif Shahzad, Gibran Peshimam, Shahid, Charlotte Greenfield, Louise Heavens, Mark Heinrich, Mark Potter, Sriraj Organizations: REUTERS, IMF, Finance, Pakistan, FRIM Ventures, Lakson Investments, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Karachi, Pakistan, IMF ISLAMABAD

☆ Pakistan's Imran Khan openly accuses military of trying to destroy his party
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-04 | by ( Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/5] Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan pauses as he speaks with Reuters during an interview, in Lahore, Pakistan March 17, 2023. A bruising year-long standoff between Khan, Pakistan's most popular leader according to polls, and the army came to a head when military buildings and property were ransacked last month, allegedly by his supporters. "I have absolutely no doubt that the military courts are meant for me," said Khan, who is out on bail. Amnesty International says Pakistan's military courts have previously shown disregard for due process, lack of transparency, coerced confessions and executions after unfair trials. Munir was later selected as the country's top general by Khan's successor and political rival, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

Persons: Imran Khan, Akhtar Soomro, Khan, Asim Munir, Munir, Pakistan's, Shehbaz Sharif, who's, Gibran Peshimam, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Pakistani, Reuters, REUTERS, Authorities, Amnesty, military's Inter Services Intelligence, PTI, ISI, Thomson Locations: Lahore, Pakistan, LAHORE

☆ Analysis: Pakistan in uncharted territory as army seeks to vanquish Imran Khan
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/2] Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan, gestures as he speaks to the members of the media at his residence in Lahore, Pakistan May 18, 2023. There has never been that kind of challenge to Pakistan's military, which has held sway over the country since independence in 1947 with a mixture of fear and respect. The 1971 fall of Dhaka in what was then East Pakistan and the birth of Bangladesh after defeat by arch-enemy India has been the lowest point for Pakistan's military since 1947. Khan was released by court order two days after his arrest, but his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party now faces the ire of the military. "The military's power comes from its ability to deploy force, not popularity - Pakistan's generals like being liked but they like being in control even more," he said.

☆ Pakistan's external financing requirements for IMF deal unchanged - IMF
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KARACHI, May 14 (Reuters) - Pakistan's external financing requirements have not been changed in talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) over bailout funds, the IMF Resident Representative in Pakistan said, denying local media reports that the Fund was seeking fresh financing. Pérez Ruiz said that external funding requirements had not changed throughout the discussions, under a review that would unlock $1.1 billion in financing for the cash-strapped South Asian nation as part of a $6.5 billion IMF package. On Thursday, the Fund reiterated that obtaining commitments on external financing from friendly countries would be essential before the IMF approves the release of bailout funds. IMF Resident Representative Pérez Ruiz said that Pakistani authorities committed to the IMF during last month's spring meetings that they would not introduce the cross-subsidy scheme in fiscal year 2023 or beyond. "The announced fuel cross-subsidy scheme raises new quasi-fiscal and balance of payments risks, and it is amenable to fraud," she said, in a separate text message to Reuters.

☆ Pakistan arrests ex-PM Khan's party leaders as protests continue
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Pakistan's Former Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi speaks with the media after the proceedings at the Supreme Court in Islamabad, Pakistan April 4, 2022. REUTERS/Akhtar SoomroISLAMABAD, May 11 (Reuters) - Pakistani authorities arrested a senior leader of former Prime Minister Imran Khan's party on Thursday as the government deployed the army to help end deadly unrest sparked by Khan's arrest three days ago. Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who served as foreign minister in Imran Khan's cabinet during his four year premiership, was arrested overnight, a statement on his Twitter profile said. Two other senior leader of Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, Asad Umar and Fawad Chaudhry, were also arrested on Wednesday. Police have arrested more than 1,300 protesters in Khan's home province of Punjab for violence.

Khan's colleagues in his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party did not immediately respond to a request for comment on his indictment. Mobile data services were shut for a second day on Wednesday as street protests continued, with federal ministers accusing Khan's supporters of torching several buildings and vehicles. MORE THAN 1,000 ARRESTS[1/8] Supporters of Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan throw stones towards police during a protest against Khan's arrest, in Peshawar, Pakistan, May 10, 2023. Khan, a cricket hero-turned-politician, was ousted as prime minister in April 2022 in a parliamentary no-confidence vote. In most of the cases, Khan faces being barred from holding public office if convicted.

☆ Imran Khan, the cricket star who ditched playboy image to rule Pakistan
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] Pakistan security forces guard a vehicle carrying former Prime Minister Imran Khan after his arrest at a court in Islamabad, Pakistan, May 9, 2023. REUTERS/StringerMay 9 (Reuters) - Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, a cricketing hero-turned-politician who was arrested on Tuesday, whipped up popular support amid decades-high inflation and a crippling economic slowdown before his ouster last year. Khan had for months averted arrest in a number of cases registered against him that include charges of instigating crowds to violence. His rise to power in 2018 came over two decades after he first launched his political party, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), or Pakistan Movement for Justice party, in 1996. Once in power, Khan embarked on his plan of building a "welfare" state modelled on what he said was an ideal system dating back to the Islamic world some 14 centuries earlier.

☆ Factbox: Imran Khan's arrest adds to Pakistan's economic, political challenges
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

May 9 (Reuters) - The arrest of former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and the call from his party for nationwide protests present another blow to the nuclear-armed country struggling with an economic crisis. The South Asian nation of 220 million people is running out of dollars, inflation is running at over 36% and an expected IMF bailout has been delayed by months. POLITICAL PRESSUREKhan, arrested for alleged corruption and ousted as prime minister last year, had been ratcheting up pressure on the government through a sustained political campaign as he vied to return to power. Authorities had made several attempts to arrest Khan since March, which had resulted in clashes between his supporters and law enforcement personnel. Khan's arrest came a day after the military issued a rare statement denouncing him for making allegations against a serving officer.

May 9 (Reuters) - Pakistan's anti-graft watchdog arrested former Prime Minister Imran Khan at Islamabad High Court on Tuesday, in a dramatic move that threatens fresh turmoil in the nuclear-armed country. You won't get any other opportunity," the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party wrote on Twitter. In most of the cases, Khan faces being barred from holding public office if convicted, with a national election scheduled for November. Previous attempts to arrest Khan from his Lahore home resulted in heavy clashes between his supporters and law enforcement personnel. Political infighting is common in Pakistan, where no prime minister has yet fulfilled a full term and where the military has ruled for nearly half of the country's history.

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