21st January 2024 News Headlines
A summary of today's important and breaking news regarding PTI and the country that the mainstream media of Pakistan will never show you.
Cipher case key witness Azam Khan retracts his August 28 forced statement.
Today, 169 days have passed since the illegal imprisonment of the founder chairman of Tehreek-e-Insaf and former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
The foundations of the cases against Imran Khan are experiencing a significant shakeup. A pivotal shift is observed in the statement of former Principal Secretary Azam Khan, who now states, "I do not know what paper was waved in the rally."
In his previous statement under Section 164, Azam Khan had asserted that the PTI founder waved a cipher in the March rally. He clarified that both his statements, 161 and 164, were not made under oath. It's noteworthy that Azam Khan was reportedly abducted for several days and reappeared on the scene on August 28, submitting a statement that was perceived to be coerced.
The principal witness in the Toshakhana NAB case against Imran Khan exposed.
The crucial witness in the Tosha Khana case for NAB faced significant challenges. The Pakistani Consul General in Dubai reached out to the Indian company Rainbow Enterprises, where an employee, working part-time as a salesman, assessed the value of the gifts. During cross-examination, lawyer Sardar Shehbaz Khosa exposed various inconsistencies. When asked if the gifts were physically handed over, the witness admitted they were not, he determined the value solely by examining pictures. Lawyer Shehbaz Khosa pointed out an anomaly: diamonds are typically measured in "carats," so why was the measurement written in "grams"? The NAB witness attributed it to a clerical error. Further, questioning revealed that the witness estimated the diamond's value based on specifications, contradicting his earlier statement that it couldn't be determined from pictures. Despite the witness acknowledging that gifts were never physically received, the Consul General provided him with photographs to assess their value. Additionally, the NAB witness mentioned that several multinational companies had refused to appraise the gifts, and ultimately, an Indian company was consulted.
"Grant my release just three days before the election and permit a public gathering, and then watch." Imran Khan's challenge.
Speaking to journalists yesterday, Chairman Imran Khan stated, "I am a politician. I will engage in politics. I will not resort to wielding a gun. Honor, disgrace, life, death, livelihood, power—Allah bestows everything. The match was already fixed in the election commission, which is why the matter of our intra-party elections kept getting delayed. We are not even permitted to carry out election campaigns. I propose, release me three days before the election and permit only one public gathering, and everyone will know know (who the public stands with)."
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf conducts it’s second successful virtual Jalsa.
Last night, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf orchestrated the second-largest virtual gathering in the history of Pakistan. Millions of participants from around the world, including party leadership, joined to express their affection for Chairman Imran Khan. The virtual rally by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf was broadcast simultaneously on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
Fear of Imran Khan’s popularity, government slowed down the internet during the virtual Jalsa causing global embarrassment.
The internet was deliberately shut down across Pakistan during the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf meeting, attracting attention from newspapers and magazines worldwide. This move follows a prior instance where the internet was intentionally slowed down during Tehreek-e-Insaf's first virtual meeting. Despite such governmental measures, a large number of people actively participated in the meeting.
Tehreek-e-Insaf launches a portal to find the names and election symbols of its candidates.
After the bat sign was taken away, Tehreek-e-Insaf started advertising the election sign of its candidates to the public through technology. In this regard, you can check your National Assembly (NA) candidate, their election symbol and their WhatsApp channel on the web portal using the links: insaf. pk/election2024 or pticandidates.com
The election campaign of Tehreek-e-Insaf candidates continues.
In Buner, the Tehreek-e-Insaf candidate from #NA10, Barrister Gohar, conducted a massive election rally. In Rawalpindi, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, candidate Shahryar Riaz continued his door-to-door campaign. Shahdara Lahore witnessed the ongoing election campaign of Tehreek-e-Insaf's nominated candidate, Ali Ijaz Butar, symbol, "bowl".
Barrister Salman Akram Raja, PTI candidate for NA 128 Lahore, urged the people to participate actively in the election on February 8. His symbol is "racket".
Shazia Hayat Tareen, the Tehreek-e-Insaf candidate from Lodhran PP 225 symbol "Dolphin", received a warm welcome from the local community during a meeting as part of her election campaign. Despite police brutality in various constituencies, the candidates continue their campaigns.
Case registered against Tehreek-e-Insaf leaders for holding a rally.
In Borewala, a case has been filed against 63 individuals, including candidates from the PTI, for organizing a rally, leading to the police demolishing the stage. Meanwhile, In Abbottabad, Nawaz Sharif and his daughter are conducting rallies with official protocol.
MQM attacks Tehreek-e-Insaf Karachi candidates.
The PTI office in NA-248 Karachi faced an attack from MQM members, resulting in serious injuries to Tehreek-e-Insaf candidate Arslan Khalid and four workers. A Milad event was organized in the office with the presence of women. It seems that people are no longer intimidated by such tactics.
Unconstitutional caretaker Punjab government's hostility to the people continues.
Until a few months ago, acquiring a car driving license in Lahore cost Rs. 350. However, the current caretaker government has raised the fee to 11,500 rupees. This substantial increase poses a challenge for individuals with limited financial means who aspire to secure driving jobs. It appears that the caretaker government in Punjab is implementing measures that adversely affect the economic circumstances of the less privileged.
Price of vegetables skyrockets.
The caretaker government has failed miserably to curb inflation. And the increase in inflation could not stop for ten consecutive weeks. The prices of vegetables have also skyrocketed, adding to the hardships of the underprivileged. The price of onion in Peshawar has reached from Rs. 300 to Rs. 330 for the first time. While potatoes are being sold at Rs. 80 to 100 per kg, tomatoes at Rs. 200, ginger and garlic at Rs. 600 per kg, potatoes at Rs. 200, cauliflower at Rs. 200 and eggplant at Rs. 150 per kg. Live chickens’ cost Rs. 455 per kg while the price of an egg reached Rs. 50. District administration and food department officials are absent instead of inspecting and fixing the prices.
The weekly rate of inflation reaches 44%.
Weekly inflation increased by 0.34 per cent to 44.64 per cent, while inflation remained above 40 per cent since November 16, 2023.