Imran Khan Vs Nawaz Sharif

Pakistan Governance Forum (PGF) - August, 2014
Edition X, Volume 6
August 2014
Edition X, Volume 6
TABLE OF CONTENTS
GOVERNANCE WATCH --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4
Government Working ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 4
Leaders Agree Not To Back Any Unlawful Step ------------------------------------------------------------- 4
Government Rivals, Allies Oppose Article 245 -------------------------------------------------------------- 5
People Do Not Want Imran as PM: Gallup -------------------------------------------------------------------- 7
Model Town Tragedy: Case Registered Against Nawaz, Shahbaz and 19 Others--------------------- 8
Civil Disobedience Illegal, Equal to Treason: Ministers---------------------------------------------------- 9
National Assembly & Senate -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10
Opposition walks out of Senate over use of Article 245 ------------------------------------------------- 10
Provincial Assembly ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 12
KP Assembly Not Being Dissolved: CM ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 12
Opposition Submits Vote of No-Confidence against KP CM Pervez Khattak ------------------------ 12
Operation Zarb-e-Azb ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12
Army Making Steady Progress in Mir Ali ------------------------------------------------------------------- 12
Two Soldiers, Seven Uzbek Terrorists Killed In North Waziristan: ISPR ---------------------------- 13
Jets Flatten Six Hideouts, Killing 30 Terrorists ------------------------------------------------------------ 13
Government to Release Rs 15b for Zarb-E-Azb ----------------------------------------------------------- 14
48 Dead In Air Strikes on Taliban Hideouts ---------------------------------------------------------------- 14
BALOCHISTAN WATCH ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 15
Governance Watch -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15
Murree Deal Revealed: Zehri May Replace Dr. Malik----------------------------------------------------- 15
POLITICAL & ELECTION WATCH ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 17
Political Parties ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 17
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 17
PPP Will No More Be a Friendly Opposition ----------------------------------------------------------- 17
PPP MPAs Election Declared Void for Holding Fake Degree ---------------------------------------- 17
Other Political Parties ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 18
PM Must Step Down To Save Country: MQM ---------------------------------------------------------- 18
JUI-F Re-Elects Fazl as Chief-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 19
Ban Likely On Qadris Pakistan Awami Tehreek ------------------------------------------------------- 19
Asfandyar Elected ANP President Unopposed --------------------------------------------------------- 19
Marches (Azadi & Inqalaab March) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 20
Government Ready for Give And Take With Imran Khan ---------------------------------------------- 20
Youm-E-Shuhada: Police Gunned Down 8 PAT Workers, Claims Qadri ------------------------------ 21
Revolution March on 14th, Declares Qadri ----------------------------------------------------------------- 22
Imran Rejects Commission He Himself Demanded Last Month---------------------------------------- 23
Policy Statement: Marchers Need To Apply For Permission, Says Nisar ----------------------------- 24
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Saner Minds Prevail Amid Manoeuvring ------------------------------------------------------------------- 25

A Tale of Two Rallies: Marchers Swamp the Federal Capital ------------------------------------------- 27
Conflicting Claims about Participants of Marches -------------------------------------------------------- 28
PTI Fails To Put Up Impressive Show ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 29
Red Zone Is Red Line for PTI and PAT: Nisar -------------------------------------------------------------- 30
PTI and PAT Fail to Attract Expected Crowds ------------------------------------------------------------- 31
Khursheed Opposes Qadris Demands ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 31
PTI and PAT - Poles Apart Yet Similar At Heart ----------------------------------------------------------- 32
Demands Spelled Out: 48-Hour Deadline ------------------------------------------------------------------ 34
PML-N Meeting Terms Imrans Demands Illegal ---------------------------------------------------------- 35
Calming the Storm: Government Forms Committees for Talks with PTI and PAT ----------------- 36
Imrans Surprising Call for Civil Disobedience ------------------------------------------------------------ 37
Army Calls for Dialogue to Break Political Impasse ------------------------------------------------------ 38
Red Zone Breached: Dharna outside Parliament House ------------------------------------------------- 38
Long Marches: Opposition Leaders Take a Back Seat on Mediation ---------------------------------- 39
Ex-Military Men Back Call For Dissolution of Assemblies ----------------------------------------------- 40
Army Chief Meets PM, Discusses Emerging Situation ---------------------------------------------------- 41
Will PTI Mnas Return Rs. 70m Taken As Fake NA Members? ----------------------------------------- 41
Sit-Ins Continue: Negotiations Begin To Break the Logjam --------------------------------------------- 42
MNAs Give Rousing Welcome to Nawaz -------------------------------------------------------------------- 43
Protest Woes: PAT Workers Block Entry to Parliament ------------------------------------------------- 44
Army Advises Parties to Hold Talks, Refuses To Mediate ----------------------------------------------- 45
SC Refuses To Intervene In PTI, PAT Standoff with Government-------------------------------------- 45
Deadlock Deepens As Imran Calls Off Talks---------------------------------------------------------------- 46
Dialogue between Government and Marchers Resumes ------------------------------------------------ 47
PTI & PAT Fail to Draw Public Support Even After Lapse of One Week ------------------------------ 48
IBA Adopts Resolution to Protect Constitution ----------------------------------------------------------- 49
All PTI Demands except PMs Resignation Accepted: Sarwar ------------------------------------------ 50
Talks Falter as PM Asked To Step Aside For 30 Days ---------------------------------------------------- 51
Weekend Swells Tsunami, Inquilab Looks Worn Out ---------------------------------------------------- 52
Opinions - Marches -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 52
Any Attempt to Derail System Bound To Fail ----------------------------------------------------------- 52
Dont Drag Country towards Anarchy-------------------------------------------------------------------- 53
Time for Nation and Army to Join Hands ---------------------------------------------------------------- 53
Government Wont Let Anyone Challenge Writ of State --------------------------------------------- 53
Rs. 450bn Loss to Country Due To Protests: Dar ------------------------------------------------------ 54
Imran Speech Not More Than a Joke: Altaf ------------------------------------------------------------ 54
Political Affiliations - Marches ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 54
PTI and PAT Agree On Four-Point Joint Struggle ------------------------------------------------------ 54
Poll Rigging, Re-Polling & By-Elections ------------------------------------------------------------------ 55
Rigging Allegations: Re-Polling Ordered In 33 Polling Stations of PP-97 ---------------------------- 55
Fakhru Bhai Denies Poll Rigging, Pressure by Ex-Chief Justice ---------------------------------------- 56
Alleged Rigging: Imran Khan Lays Bare Identities of Poll Fixers ------------------------------------- 57
Tribunal Declares Election of Federal Minister Void ----------------------------------------------------- 59
Rigging Complaints: PM Offers Judicial Investigation---------------------------------------------------- 60
ECP to Brief PERC on Electoral Reforms on 26th August ------------------------------------------------ 61
Electoral Reforms Body Finalises Rules of Procedure --------------------------------------------------- 62
Spilling the Beans: 2013 Polls Massively Rigged ---------------------------------------------------------- 62
PML-Ns Counter-Inqilab Fails to Match Tsunami -------------------------------------------------------- 63
PML-N Holds Road Shows to Express Solidarity with PM----------------------------------------------- 65
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Last Phase of Revolution: PAT Sets 48-Hour Deadline ------------------------------------------------- 65

SC Orders PAT & PTI to Vacate Constitution Avenue ---------------------------------------------------- 66
HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 68
Human Rights Related Issues------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 68
NA Resolution Condemns Brutal Killings of Religious Minorities ------------------------------------ 68
GENDER WATCH -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 69
Women Empowerment--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 69
Legislative Agenda: Womens Caucus to become An Influential Group ----------------------------- 69
Gender Based Violence --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 70
Progress Promises Hope in Fight against Child Marriage ----------------------------------------------- 70
SECTARIAN CRISES & CONFLICT WATCH ------------------------------------------------------------------- 71
Conflict & Sectarian Crisis Incidents ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 71
Security Briefs for the Month of August -------------------------------------------------------------------- 71
ECONOMIC WATCH ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 74
Facts & Figures ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 74
To Start Business in Pakistan A Long Journey ------------------------------------------------------------- 74
Meeting IMF Conditions: Pakistan Likely To Win $550m Loan Tranche ----------------------------- 75
Political Unrest Slams Stocks, Pares 1,309 Points -------------------------------------------------------- 76
Capital Outflow Recorded At $478.56 Billion during Last 5 Years ------------------------------------ 76
1MFY15: Current Account Deficit Swells ------------------------------------------------------------------- 77
DEVELOPMENT WATCH ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 79
Education Projects -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 79
Rs. 10 Billion Endowment Fund Set Up To Promote Education --------------------------------------- 79
Health Projects ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 79
Health Reports/Controls --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 79
Fighting Polio in 2014: Pakistan Fares Worse Than Most Impoverished Nations -------------- 79
REGIONAL WATCH ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 81
Pakistan & India ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 81
Cancellation of Pak-India Talks Unfortunate -------------------------------------------------------------- 81
US Newspaper Blames Modi for India-Pakistan Talks Cancellation ---------------------------------- 81
Pakistan & Afghanistan -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 82
Afghan Election -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 82
Stop-Start Afghan Vote: Audit Gets Green Light ------------------------------------------------------- 82
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GOVERNANCE WATCH
Government Working
Leaders Agree Not To Back Any Unlawful Step
The national political leadership has agreed to uphold the sanctity of the Constitution, preserve
the supremacy of democracy and parliament, and vowed that the government and the
opposition will play their due role in strengthening the system and resolving their mutual issues
with consensus. Leader of the Opposition Syed Khursheed Shah, Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami
Party (PkMAP) Chairman Mehmood Khan Achakzai, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl chief Maulana
Fazlur Rehman and Qaumi Watan Party Chairman Aftab Sherpao met the prime minister on his
invitation here on , as he began consulting the political leadership over the upcoming Azadi
March and the revolution of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehreek
(PAT) respectively.
According to details, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif made the political contacts in the wake of the
heated political atmosphere caused by the highly publicised protest marches.Federal Minister
for Finance Ishaq Dar, Federal Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid and Federal Railways
Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique were also present in the meeting held at the PM house. Various
political matters, including the PTIs long march, came up for discussion.The PTI is gearing up
for its much-hyped Azadi March to protest against election irregularities and alleged rigging.
PTI chief Imran Khan announced in his press conference earlier on that his partys protest
march will not stop until his demands for the prime ministers resignation and a re-election
were met.
According to the declaration announced after the meeting, the current political situation came
under discussion.All the political leaders advised the prime minister to let Imran Khans march
enter Islamabad and also advised him to restrain his ministers from making any confrontational
statements in this regard. They further advised him to withdraw Article 245 from the federal
capital immediately. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has rejected the demand made by Imran Khan
to resign and hold fresh general elections in the country. Terming the demand undemocratic
and unjustifiable, the prime minister has made it clear that the present government came into
office with the heavy support of the people, was working in accordance with their aspirations
and will produce the best results in serving the people.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has extended the process of consultation with different political
leaders to make a fair assessment of the upcoming political situation in the backdrop of the long
march of the PTI pressing its demand for fresh polls. Well-placed sources told that a majority of
the political leaders earlier asked for the withdrawal of the requisition made by the federal
government for calling the army in aid of the civil administration in Islamabad under Article 245
of the Constitution.
Leader of the Opposition Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah impressed upon the prime minister to
withdraw the requisition forthwith, otherwise his Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) would protest
against it. He assured the prime minister that his party would continue to support the
democraticorder in the country and would play its effective role to foil any attempt to dislodge
the duly elected government. He made it clear that his party didnt support the demand for any
early elections since the people had given five years mandate to the incumbent assemblies and
the governments coming into being as the result of the polls.
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He urged Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to stop the ruling partys leaders and ministers from
issuing provocative statements regarding the political situation.The sources said that the prime
minister had invited Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) for consultation and it had been
accepted. The delegation of the MQM will be having meeting with the prime minister under Dr
Khalid Maqbool Siddiquee tomorrow () here at the PM House.Nawaz Sharif initiated present
round of consultations and it is likely that he will have further brainstorming sessions with
some other political leaders this week including Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), PML-F, NPP, PML-Z, Awami
Jamhoori Ittehad Party (AJIP) and ANP.
The News August 06, 2014
Government Rivals, Allies Oppose Article 245

The opposition parties and government allies joined hands in the National Assembly to demand
the lifting of Article 245 in the federal capital saying the PML-N government did not take
parliament into confidence while making the decision. The lower house of parliament held a
discussion on the orders issued by the federal government calling in the army under Article 245
in aid of the civil administration in the federal capital for 90 days. The motion to this effect was
moved by Minister for Science and Technology Zahid Hamid.Initiating the debate, Opposition
Leader Syed Khursheed Shah made it clear to the government that the Pakistan Peoples Party
(PPP) would not be able to continue supporting it under the umbrella of Article 245, warning
the rulers that the PPP would join in protest if the decision is not taken back. I want to ask
Nawaz Sharif whether he is a democratic prime minister, he said.
The opposition leader categorically stated that the PPP talks about saving democracy rather
than the government saying they would not allow anybody to derail the democratic system.He
said Article 245 could only be imposed in the case of an insurgency and war-like situation. He
pointed the PPP government called army in Malakand division in war-like situation. He was of
the view that invoking of Article 245 is the beginning to eliminate democratic forces demanding
immediate withdrawal of Article 245 which he said was a big challenge for democracy. He said
the PPP, during its government, had tackled Tahirul Qadris march in political way and defused
the situation adding that they also did not create panic during lawyers march and handled the
situation with care. What challenges and threats the government is facing in Islamabad, where
the life is normal, he said.
Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar, however, made it clear Article 245 was invoked to counter
any act of terrorism in the federal capital and there was no other background or motive behind
decision of the government. The Article 245 was not invoked to stop any protest and sit-in as
we will never involve Pak Army in political matters, the interior minister said winding up
debate on imposition of Article 245 in Islamabad in the National Assembly. He said Pak Army
was not a party; rather, it was national army. Rejecting some fears of the opposition members,
he clarified that despite calling army, the jurisdiction of the high court to hear cases would
remain intact. This article has been invoked to provide protection to masses and it will not be
used against any demonstration or sit-in, he maintained.
Nisar also offered the opposition to play its role to remove grievances of PTI. It will be a
national service and the government will respond to it positively, he said. He pointed out that
Article 245 had been invoked on many occasions since it became part of the Constitution. Since
2007, the Article 245 has been invoked 24 times but never joint session of the parliament was
convened to seek approval of the act, he said. He said imposition of article 245 would provide
legal protection to the armed forces against any litigation in the wake of operation against
terrorists.Chaudhry Nisar said it was not matter shame to invoke Article 245. This article is
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part of the constitution and if you do not want it, remove it from the constitution, he said
pointing out that army is called in countries like UK, Spain, Italy, US and Sri Lanka to maintain
peace and law and order situation.
He said it had been categorically mentioned in the notification that Army was called in aide of
the civil administration questioning if it was politics to call army for countering terrorism.He
regretted that some responsible politicians at press conferences were tilting facts and giving an
impression that martial law had been imposed in Islamabad. Sabotage acts took place in
Islamabad in reaction to Swat operation in 2009. Do you want the similar situation occur here
again, he questioned.
The minister told the house that army troops have been deputed at seven different strategic
places and would be called to assist the civil administration and police when required and they
would also enjoy legal protection under Article 245 of the Constitution. He said the rapid
response force has been deputed both in Rawalpindi and Islamabad. We have invoked this
article to provide legal protection to the Army. But it was not good to impose Article 245 for Lal
Masjid operation, he said.Nisar recalled that army troops were also deputed in four provinces
during month Moharramul Haram. Then this article was used but did we handed over
provinces to the army, he said. He categorically said that the government would not involve
army in political matters. We believe that political wars are not won through army and there
should be democratic response from everywhere, he said.
Interior minister said he would not spoke against PTI as it was a political party and its leaders
never talked in an undemocratic way. But there are some personalities in the party who talk
not only in undemocratic but also in an un-Islamic way, he observed. Nisar said every party
enjoyed the right to hold public meetings and demonstration but had no right to divide the
nation particularly on the countrys Independence Day. He regretted that unfortunately those
who used army for political purposes were also speaking against constitutional act of the
present government.
Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said the government has taken a decisive step
against terrorism. It gave time to dialogue and after failure of dialogue a military operation has
been launched to eliminate terrorism forever. He said in these circumstances there is a need of
demonstrating unity. The minister said political parties have demonstrated political maturity
during the last six years and institutions like judiciary and media gained strength. He
categorically stated that invoking Article 245 in the federal capital has no link with PTIs long
march on August 14. He said the government has no ill intention in this regard. He said
imposition of Article 245 would provide legal protection to the armed forces against any
litigation in the wake of operation against terrorists. He said army was also called during PPP
government for many times.
Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafique said the government would go to last extent to
convince the opposition not to hold long march.He rejected the notion that government wanted
to pit long march participants against army by invoking Article 245 in Islamabad. We assure
that army and protestors will not come face to face on August 14, he said. Dr Arif Alvi said the
government had no justification for imposing Article 245. He said PTI was forced to take the
matter to the public and added they only want measures for holding just elections. The PTI
parliamentarian demanded immediate withdrawal of Article 24 assuring that Azadi march
would be peaceful.Rashid Godail of MQM said the government should explain reasons behind
invoking the Article 245. He said if the imposition of Article 245 is necessary in view of the
operation Zarb-e-Azb in North Waziristan then the Article should be enforced from the time
when the operation started.
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Mahmood Khan Achakzai said it is said that some hidden hands are behind the PTI and PAT
protests and marches. He said the country is facing a dangerous situation and we have to take
decision to sagaciously. He proposed that prime minister should convene a meeting of the
party heads including Imran Khan to resolve the issues. Aftab Khan Sherpao said there is no
such situation in the federal capital which could justify the imposition of Article 245. He said
situation in Karachi and Peshawar was more dangerous than in the capital and there was not
reason for invoking Article 245 here. He said the demand of mid-term elections is not correct.
Sahibzada Tariqullah of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) proposed to form a house committee to resolve the
issue through dialogue otherwise a situation like 1977 could emerge.He appealed to all the
parliamentarians there should not be criticism against the army in the present circumstances
which could result in spreading hatred against them.He appealed to the government and PTI
and PAT to demonstrate patience as the country is in state of war. Sheikh Rashid Ahmed urged
the government to show flexibility to defuse the situation as confrontation will be harmful for it.
He was of the view that Article 245 was not in favour of government as the armed forces would
not take action on the orders of civil administration. He said no one wants to derail the
democratic system in the country.
Ijazul Haq said the nation should demonstrate solidarity on this occasion when a full-fledged
operation is going on in North Waziristan against terrorists. He said there was no danger to
democracy or to the government due to the long march suggesting resolution of issues through
dialogue. Amir Haider Hoti of ANP said the Article 245 could be invoked in a situation which
emerged in Swat in 2009 when the army was called in aid of the civil administration. He said
every party had the right to protest in a democratic way saying it was good if the agenda of the
PTIs protest is electoral reforms but if they have some other agenda then it was very
dangerous.He stressed the need for demonstrating political maturity to come out of the present
deadlock.
People Do Not Want Imran as PM: Gallup

As Imran Khan flexes his muscles to overthrow the elected government for the mid-term
elections hoping it will win him the top slot, an opinion survey has found majority of Pakistanis
opposed to electing him as the prime minister under the current circumstances. They thought,
the survey statistics indicate, Imran would wait for the next general elections to vie for the
prime ministers office and said they would not vote him for his dream position no matter the
elections were held today or four-years later. An over-whelming majority said they would
prefer democracy over dictatorship if a choice were to be made. The survey conducted by the
Gallup Pakistan at the close of one year of Nawaz Sharif government noted a decline in the PMLNs popularity as the no-confidence on the government increases but the people do not see a
savior in Imran Khan either.
Questions about the governments performance and Imran Khan as the alternative option were
separately asked as public opinion was sought from June 16 to June 18. Responding to a
question if they liked Imran Khan as the PM, 52% answered in negative and 47% approved the
idea whereas one percent didnt answer. Support for Imran further decreased in a follow-up
question that whether they would vote for him for the highest office as 60% opposed his
candidature for the PMs office, 39% voted for him and one percent abstained. Next came the
million dollars question as it is perfectly relevant in todays situation: Please tell us that Imran
Khan should or should not be appointed as the prime minister under the current circumstances?
Majority disapproved the idea as 59% vetoed the proposal and 41% voted for it.
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Interestingly, the highest disapproval came from the middle income group as 64% of them
answered in the negative followed by low income (55%) and high income (52%). Disapproval
rate was somewhat equal among the all age groups as 58% young, 59% middle-aged and oldaged each answered in the negative. When asked about his chances of becoming PM if the PMLN government is toppled, a sizeable respondents (34%) said Imran absolutely has no chance to
grab the power, another 38% saw very little chance. Only 26% were optimistic in this respect.
A follow-up question sought opinion whether Imran would wait for the next election for
becoming the PM or not, a significant majority (66%) thought he would and 31% were
pessimistic. Their observation appears to have turned out right.
Relative negative rating of Imran was despite the fact that PML-Ns popularity has also
plummeted as 53% said they wouldnt vote for the ruling party even if given an opportunity and
majority of them were from high income group (61%) followed by medium income (50%) and
low income (49%). In terms of urban-rural divide, 54% disapproval was given by the urban
respondents and 52% were of rural background. With reference to age bracket, decline of
popularity among young and middle-aged respondent was equal (52%). It was relatively lower
(46%) among the old-age population. Asked to rate the performance of Prime Minister Nawaz
Sharif, only 18% said they are very satisfied, a major chunk of 40% rated it somewhat
satisfied, 18% were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied, 8% were somewhat unsatisfied and
16% were very unsatisfied.
Responding to a question about one-year performance of the PML-N government, only 18%
termed it very good, 39% declared it good, another 26% rated it bad, 16% termed it very
bad and one percent didnt respond. The general public was asked if they personally preferred
democracy or dictatorship. In response, 81% said democracy compared to 13% who mentioned
dictatorship and 6% did not respond. Following up, respondents were asked if they had to
choose between democracy and dictatorship, what they would pick. 84% of the respondents
said democracy whereas 15% said dictatorship and 1% did not respond.
Model Town Tragedy: Case Registered Against Nawaz, Shahbaz and 19 Others
A sessions court in Lahore has ordered police to register murder charges against 21 individuals
including Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif over violence that
took place in Lahore's Model Town in June. At least eleven PAT workers were killed and over
100 people were injured as police clashes with workers of Tahirul Qadris Pakistan Awami
Tehreek (PAT) on June 17 in Lahore's Model Town locality.
PAT workers had submitted an application with police to file a First Information Report (FIR)
against a total of 21 people, though the police had so far not filed any charges. Issuing its orders
on the application here today, the court directed Station House Officer (SHO) Faisal Town to
immediately register cases against the 21 nominees which include the prime minister, CM
Punjab, Interior Minister Nisar Ali Khan, former Punjab law minister Rana Sanaullah, Federal
Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafique, the Inspector-General of Police Punjab and the
CCPO Lahore, among others. The court further directed the police to register cases against the
accused persons and ordered that a report should be presented before it after completion of the
said.
Meanwhile, Shahbaz met the premier at his Raiwind residence shortly after the court's order.
Sources said the two discussed the overall situation in the country as well as the court's
decision. No official word has yet been issued from either the prime minister or the Punjab chief
minister's offices regarding the court order. According to sources, the Punjab government has
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been keeping secret the report of a one-member judicial commission formed to probe the Model
Town incident. Sources say the report pins the blame solely on police, clearing Punjab
government officials of any responsibility of the incident.
Daily Times August 17, 2014
Civil Disobedience Illegal, Equal to Treason: Ministers

The federal ministers while reacting to Imran Khans rhetoric said that the announcement of the
civil disobedience movement was illegal and was tantamount to treason. Minister for Interior
Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan while addressing a press conference said that the movement of civil
disobedience announced by the PTI chief Imran Khan was against the state not against the
government. He said the government, as a goodwill gesture, had announced the formation of
two separate negotiation committees to hold talks with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and
Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT). He said that the committees, which would be operational and
would comprise the representatives of almost all the political parties. They will not be the
governments committees, as each member of them will represent his own party, the minister
said adding that the committees would start functioning from tomorrow.
He said that the political battle should and would continue. But the policy of might is right
would be a wrong approach to adopt. One with greater strength wins is no longer a way to
move forward in todays world. He warned that what one sowed today, one will have to reap
tomorrow. If you come to power tomorrow, the opposition can choose to launch a civil
disobedience against you. Is this the kind of trend you want to set in the country? he asked
Imran Khan. He said civil disobedience was adopted in case of foreign occupation in a country
and such a move was made against the state and not the government. This kind of step can tear
apart the state, he maintained.
During the press conference, Ch Nisar said that Imran Khan was taking revenge from the
government and the people of Pakistan for not being able to gather one million people as he had
claimed. He said that regardless of the provocation from the PTI and PAT, the government
responded with goodwill gesture and facilitated them fully and gave them a free hand to move
as they wished. There are serious security alerts from the sensitive intelligence agencies and
friendly countries informing of terrorist attacks on the leaderships of PTI and PAT as well as
rallies, Ch. Nisar Ali Khan said adding that the military intelligence agencies had sent security
alerts on the basis of strong evidence. However, the government has arranged strong security to
counter such attempts and strong security multi-tier cordons had been placed around the
venues of the PTI and PAT. He said the security situation was completely under control and no
untoward incident had taken place so far.
We have the responsibility of security on our shoulders, especially the Red Zone where
embassies of friends and antagonist countries are housed and we have international obligations
to provide protection to them at every cost, the interior minister said adding that the
government had to protect the embassy buildings and diplomats, a major compulsion. Other
than the Diplomatic Enclave, there are many sensitive buildings, including the Supreme Court of
Pakistan, Parliament House, President House, PM House and Foreign Office, housed in the Red
Zone, Ch. Nisar said. They have made the Red Zone fun by hurling threats to invade the zone
and not taking it as the most sensitive area of the country, the minister said adding that their
activities were causing a bad name to the country. This is not a banana republic, we will not
allow anybody to cross the limits, the interior minister said adding that they had to act within
the constitutional limits.
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Ch. Nisar said that he was deeply shocked and grieved when Imran Khan announced the civil
disobedience movement. He said that Imran Khan had to realise that the safety of the state was
more important than any government. A mature politician cannot even think about the civil
disobedience. The government is ready to negotiate on every issue within the limits of the
Constitution, he concluded. Meanwhile, Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal said that the
announcement of Imran Khan to start the civil non-obedience movement in the country
reflected his political immaturity. The PML-N leader said it seemed that some elements wanted
to hijack the PTI by taking Imran Khan to ultimate failure and ending his political career. Giving
such statements is like no ball bouncer, Ahsan Iqbal observed. He advised Imran Khan to
refrain from giving statements which could make the country and himself a mockery in the eyes
of the international community.
The PML-N Central Information Secretary, Senator Mushahidullah Khan, said the announcement
of Imran to start the civil non-obedience movement was tantamount to a revolt against the
Constitution and law and acting against the basic principles of the state. He called upon the
masses to reject the call of Imran Khan and continue to demonstrate as responsible and lawful
citizens of the country. By giving the call of the civil non-obedience movement, Imran Khan is
trying to pit the government and the masses against each other, he said. Mushahidullah Khan
said the PTI chairman also knew that none of his demands was in conformity with the
Constitution and law, saying Imran was trying for face saving by issuing such calls.
Meanwhile, Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafique has said that the Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf should respect the mandate of the majority of the people who had elected the PML-N
government in the 2013 general elections to run the democratic system in the country. He said
the PTI should focus on resolving the issues of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and avoid demonstrations
during the operation Zarb-e-Azb. Talking to a private television channel, he said that the people
living in the KP were facing a number of problems that had emerged due to heavy rains. There
was a dire need to start the rehabilitation work in Peshawar and the adjacent areas where
heavy rains had played havoc.
National Assembly & Senate

Opposition walks out of Senate over use of Article 245
The joint opposition on stormed out of the Senate against the invoking of Article 245 for the
deployment of the army in Islamabad while the House unanimously adopted a resolution to
condemn Israels aggression against Palestinians. The MQM also made an exit from the Senate
after its parliamentary leader Tahir Hussain Mashhadi made a brief speech against the
imposition of Article 245 and rejected it outright, dubbing it as an undemocratic move to
suspend the fundamental rights. PML-N Senator Mushidullah Khan and Mushahid Hussain
Sayed of PML-Q had a rare exchange of arguments over the handling of the Pakistan Awami
Tehreek programmes. Mashhadi called for the annihilation of Israel and its de-recognition by
some Arab countries that had established relations with the Zionist regime. Senators from
across the aisle paid glowing tributes to Saeeda Warsi for quitting as a UK minister to register
her disapproval of the British government policy on Gaza.
After recitation from the Holy Quran, PPPs Senator Mian Raza Rabbani moved a motion for the
suspension of the Question-Hour and then tabled a resolution on Gaza that was adopted
following speeches by senators of all political parties in the Senate.The resolution says: The
Senate of Pakistan condemns in the strongest terms the continuing genocide of the people of
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Gaza, more particularly of children and women. It is recalled that Israel, the aggressor,
continues to attack homes, schools, mosques, hospitals, and target women and children in
blatant violation of the Geneva Convention and international laws. It is noted that these acts of
Israel continue unabated and are a deliberate defiance of obligations that international law
imposes on state and falls within the category of crime against humanity and state terrorism,
the resolution said.
The House noted it was regrettable that the Western capitals, the UN and world leaders had
failed to have this genocide stopped. It was disturbing that the Muslim countries and the OIC
were unmoved. The resolution called on the Government of Pakistan to pursue an aggressive
diplomatic offensive to have these mass murders stopped and have the inhuman blockade of
Gaza lifted immediately. In their speeches, the senators came down heavily on the Muslim
rulers, particularly Arabs, for turning a blind eye to the mass killings of Palestinians.They
questioned the utility of the OIC in preventing the massacre of Palestinians and one senator
even suggested its disbanding and also of the UN for failing to ensure the implementation of its
charter by Israel.
The senators called for initiation of war crime cases against Israel and asserted it was high time
the Muslim nations played their role in halting the massacre of Palestinians. They noted
aggression by Israel on the Palestinians had been increasing over the years and this was
because of the silence of Muslim nations. Those who spoke included Raza Rabbani, Leader of the
House Raja Muhammad Zafarul Haq, Mushahid Hussain Sayed, Abdul Ghafoor Haideri,
Muhammad Hamza, Mushidullah Khan, Kulsoom Perveen, Haji Muhammad Adeel, Abdul Rauf,
Humayun Mandokhail and Mashhadi. Later, Rabbani raised the issue of Article 245 and said at a
time when the Senate session was not under way, the government resorted to this unnecessary
step in Islamabad and pointed out there was far greater security risks in Fata and Fana, but the
government did not invoke this article there. He recalled how the Interior Minister Ch. Nisar Ali
Khan had declared Islamabad the safest city and also talked about the readiness of the rapid
deployment force, then why the Article 245, which meant denial of fundamental rights and high
court jurisdiction, was invoked.
Rabbani said there was a horrible history of Article 245, which was invoked by Zulfikar Ali
Bhuttos government and later he conceded it was a mistake and called for learning from the
past mistakes. He asserted there was no justification for the PML-N government to invoke the
article. He pointed out the government had several related laws enacted, including the
Protection of Pakistan Ordinance and Anti-Terrorist Act and yet this article was invoked. He
asked the government to withdraw the article immediately. Then he led the opposition senators
walkout from the Senate, followed by the MQM senators. In the absence of the opposition
senators, Minister for Safron, Lt-Gen (R) Abdul Qadir Baloch, defended the governments
decision and clarified that there had been no imposition of Article 245, rather through it legal
cover was given to the army to carry out its constitutional duty in Islamabad.
He noted the army personnel would be ensuring security of sensitive buildings and installations
in the federal capital and would have no role in dispersing a political gathering. The minister
asserted that mobs could not be allowed to occupy the PM Secretariat, Radio Pakistan or move
to the Diplomatic Enclave in the name of democracy. He added the Parliament House also could
not be exposed to mobs at all. He noted the army would be the last tier of defence after the
police and the civil armed forces. He also made it clear that neither the jurisdiction of the courts
would be snatched nor the fundamental rights suspended.The debate on the matter is expected
to continue when the House will resume proceedings in the afternoon.
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Provincial Assembly
KP Assembly Not Being Dissolved: CM
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervaiz Khattak dismissed rumours that the Pakistan
Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has decided to dissolve the provincial government in a bid to press the
federal government to resign. According to media reports, rumours were rife in the federal
capital that Imran Khan would announce dissolution of the provincial government during his
address in the sit-in on . Earlier, a private TV channel on reported that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf
was considering dissolving the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly in a bid to reassert its demand
for resignation of the prime minister and reformation of democratic system in the country. The
PTI has been mulling to dissolve the KP Assembly as well as resigning from the Punjab
Assembly to pressurise the incumbent PML-N government to accept its demands. Imran has
summoned all his ministers and senior party leaders to discuss the issue.
Opposition Submits Vote of No-Confidence against KP CM Pervez Khattak

Opposition benches in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) legislature submitted a vote of noconfidence against K-P Chief Minister Pervaiz Khattak in the provincial assembly secretariat.
According to Awami National Party (ANP) parliamentary leader Sardar Hussain Babak, the
requisition was moved solely to stop Khattak from dissolving the provincial assembly. We dont
have any concern with PTI legislatures resignations from the provincial assembly. The
requisition for bringing vote of no-confidence against Khattak is a step to stop dissolution of the
K-P assembly, Babak told - adding that following PTIs resignations, the opposition parties will
sit together to form a new government in the province. The requisition was submitted by
Sikander Sharpao of the Qaumi Watan Party, the former coalition partners. The QWP left the
government after two of its members of the cabinet were removed on corruption charges.
Laeder of the Opposition in the K-P Assembly Maulana Lutfur Rehman claimed that the Jamat-eIslami would support the vote of no-confidence. However, K-P information Minister Mushtaq
Ghani said that opposition parties lacked the required strength, adding that the coalition
partners supported the PTI. On the other hand, sources told that Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz (PML-N) has been the main hurdle in bringing vote of no-confidence against Khattak.
The Express Tribune August 20, 2014
Operation Zarb-e-Azb
Army Making Steady Progress in Mir Ali
According to official sources, security forces killed three suspected terrorists during the military
operation, and a huge quantity of arms and ammunition was also recovered. The operation is
continuing quite successfully in NWA and the Pakistan Army is steadily advancing in Mir Ali.
Operation Zarb-e-Azb was launched by the Pakistan Army on June 15, following a brazen
Taliban-claimed attack on Jinnah International Airport in Karachi and the failure of peace talks
between negotiators representing the government and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
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Two Soldiers, Seven Uzbek Terrorists Killed In North Waziristan: ISPR

Seven Uzbek terrorists and two army soldiers were killed during the clearance of the
Miramshah to Datta Khel road, a military spokesperson said. However, this information could
not be independently verified as journalists have limited access to North Waziristan. While the
clearance was in progress, army troops carried out a snap operation on Uzbek terrorist hideouts
in Datta Khel Bazar. A spokesman for ISPR stated that Naib Subedar Mashkoor and Lance Naik
Zaheer were also killed in the ambush. According to the spokesman, towns including Miranshah,
Mirali, Boya and Degan, extending to Datta Khel have been cleared. However, the operation is
currently in progress as there are pockets of resistance between Miranshah-Mirali, villages of
Momin Gul Ziarat, Darpakhel, Tappi, Spalga and the south of Tochi River. Furthermore, he said
that a large number of IEDs and suicide jackets were recovered in the surrounding areas of
Mirali in Shahbaz Khel, along with 75 Rockets, chemicals and propaganda literature. In Umer Ki
Kalli, an additional IED factory was also discovered. The military launched an operation in the
restive tribal agency on June 15 in the aftermath of a deadly attack on the Karachi airport that
left over 30 people dead. The military has said that foreign and local militants, including
Tehreek-i-Taliban, Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan and Haqqani network members will be
targeted in the offensive.
Dawn August 05, 2014
Jets Flatten Six Hideouts, Killing 30 Terrorists

The military claimed on that warplanes strafed hideouts of militants in different areas of the
North Waziristan tribal region, killing at least 30 terrorists. Six hideouts were also destroyed in
the air raids carried out in the Dattakhel, Marshikhel and Kamsham areas, the militarys media
wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said in the latest updates on Operation Zarb-eAzb. Miramshah, Mirali, Boya, Degan and Dattakhel have been cleared in the operation which
was started on June 15. Troops are now clearing pockets of resistance between Miramshah and
Mirali in the villages of Momin Gul Ziarat, Darpakhel, Tappi, Spalga and south of the Tochi River,
military officials said.
The authorities have not given any timeframe for the completion of the operation. Military
officials say that giving a deadline would allow militants to plan their strategy accordingly. They,
however, added that the security forces would not allow militants to return to North Waziristan
once the operation was over. Both the United States and Afghanistan have raised concerns over
the effectiveness of the operation. They claim that militants belonging to the Haqqani Network
had slipped out of the area before the start of the offensive. Pakistan has publicly announced
that the operation would indiscriminately target all militants, including those from the Haqqani
Network.
Tens of thousands of tribesmen have been displaced by the Waziristan operation. Officially, they
have been designated as internally displaced persons (IDPs). A jirga of IDPs from Wazir and
Dawar tribes demanded that the government repatriate the IDPs in the areas that have been
cleared of militants. According to the military, terrorists have been flushed out from around
80% of the agency, the jirga said, adding that the government should now repatriate the IDPs
from these areas. It added that continued displacement could affect the future of 87,320
students of the agency. The jirga, however, clarified that the local tribes have no objection to the
continued presence of army troops in the agency.
The Express Tribune - August 06, 2014
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Government to Release Rs 15b for Zarb-E-Azb

The federal government decided to release Rs 15 billion to meet the expenses of the operation
Zarb-e-Azb launched in North Waziristan Agency to destroy the militant safe havens. The
Finance Ministry approved Rs 15 billion for the successful completion of Zarb-e-Azb. The
ministry will release Rs 8 billion and the remaining Rs 7 billion in the end of the current month,
said a Finance Ministry official. However, he did not share further details in this regard. Pakistan
Army on June 15 this year launched the long-awaited military campaign to destroy the militant
safe havens in North Waziristan Agency. The operation targeted foreign and local terrorists who
are hiding in sanctuaries in the tribal region.
Tauqeer Ahmad, director general, armys budget, on July 14 met Finance Minister Senator Ishaq
Dar and sought immediate funds of Rs 22 billion to meet the expenses of the operation. The
Finance Ministry at that time partially met the requirement and asked the military to cover the
shortfall from its own resources, which the federal government would pay, later. Keeping in
view that demand, the Finance Ministry released only Rs 15 billion. The finance minister
assured the director general that adequate resources would be provided for the military
operation and the internally displaced persons, according to a handout issued by the Finance
Ministry on July 14.
However, it could not be established either the government released Rs 15 billion from the
defence budget allocated for the ongoing fiscal year or it is an additional amount. The incumbent
government had apportioned Rs 700 billion for meeting the countrys burgeoning defence needs
for the financial year 2014-2015, which is almost 10 percent higher than the revised defence
budget worth Rs 637 billion of the previous fiscal year 2013-2014. The amount of Rs 700 billion
is exclusive of the militarys share in CSF, disbursed by the United States and receipts from the
United Nations on account of contribution to the UNs peacekeeping missions. However, the
International Monetary Fund (IMF) had projected in its report that Pakistans defence budget
would be Rs 706 billion for the financial year 2014-2015.
The Nation - August 17, 2014
48 Dead In Air Strikes on Taliban Hideouts

Air strikes targeting Taliban hideouts in Khyber and North Waziristan killed 48 suspected
militants, the military said. The armed forces have since June been waging an assault to wipe out
strongholds of Taliban and other militants in North Waziristan and other tribal areas, killing at
least 600 insurgents, according to the military. An initial round of strikes killed 18 militants, a
statement from the armed forces said, and 30 more died in later attacks from helicopter
gunships. Five hideouts were wiped out in Khyber and seven were eliminated in North
Waziristan, the military said. The claims could not be verified from independent sources
because journalists have no access to tribal areas. Security officials said a house belonging to
Hafiz Gul Bahadar, a Taliban leader with links to Al Qaeda, was destroyed in the strikes. Bahadar
had already fled the area, the officials said.
Dawn - August 20, 2014
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BALOCHISTAN WATCH
Governance Watch
Murree Deal Revealed: Zehri May Replace Dr. Malik
Balochistan Chief Minister Dr Abdul Malik Baloch is likely to be replaced by Sardar Sanaullah
Zehri halfway through his five-year tenure. Dr Baloch, who already completed a year in the job
in June 2014, will stay on as provincial chief minister for another 16 or so month. The decision
to break up the tenure into shorter but equal periods of time was taken last year by three
provincial coalition partners Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), National Party (NP)
and Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP). The three parties also decided that both the NP
and PML-N candidates would divide the five-year tenure among themselves, according to the
2013 Murree deal that had broken the deadlock over government formation.
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed by Mehmood Khan Achakzai, Mir Hasil
Khan Bizenjo and Sardar Sanaullah Zehri on behalf of their respective parties. Nawaz Sharif, his
brother Shahbaz Sharif, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Dr Abdul Malik Baloch and Lt Gen Abdul Qadir
Baloch oversaw the signing. A copy of the agreement which was never made public is
available. For the first half of the five-year term, the chief minister will be from the National
Party which has nominated its president Dr Abdul Malik Baloch, after which PML-Ns provincial
president Sardar Sanaullah Zehri will replace him, reads the document.
According to the deal, Balochistans new governor will be PkMAP nominee Muhammed Khan
Achakzai, the elder brother of Mehmood Khan Achakzai. Additionally, the three parties had
agreed that provincial assembly speaker and a senior minister will be from the PML-N. The
makeup of the cabinet including share of each party was also decided at Murree. A senior
leader of the ruling NP confirmed the existence of the deal. Yes, this is true, he told. However,
he wouldnt say whether or not his party would support a PML-N chief minister after two-and-ahalf years. Lets see what will happen because we still have one and a half year, he said.
Will the NP and PkMAP agree to the replacement? The local PML-N leadership is sceptical. Itll
happen only if the coalition partners honour the deal which was signed in the presence of the
top leadership of the three parties, a senior minister in the provincial cabinet, who belongs to
the PML-N, told. However, it doesnt appear they will honour their promise, he added. He
requested not to be named in the report. Differences cropped up between the provincial
chapters of the PML-N and NP since the slot of chief minister was given to the latter. At the
provincial level, the PkMAP has better understanding with the NP than the PML-N. The PkMAP
and NP will support each other on any future political development, a senior leader of the
PkMAP told The Express Tribune - requesting anonymity.
Off the record, leaders from all three coalition partners confirmed there was such a deal. They,
however, didnt want to be quoted in the report. The provincial government spokesperson says
he is unaware of any such MoU. The prime minister had agreed to a NP chief minister in
Balochistan. It was also agreed that the three parties will form a coalition government, Jan
Mohammed Buledi said of the Murree understanding. We will take any important decision with
mutual consultations. PML-N provincial president Sardar Sanaullah Zehri is our friend and ally.
We will see what the coalition government decides in the future, Buledi said when asked if
Zehri replaces Dr. Malik. Pakistan doesnt have a good history of democratic government. Lets
see what future holds for us, he added.
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The PML-N legislators in the Balochistan Assembly have lodged routine complaints with their
central leadership for being ignored in government affairs. At least twice, the PML-N
provincial leadership threatened to resign from the treasury benches en masse.
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POLITICAL & ELECTION WATCH

Political Parties
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP)
PPP Will No More Be a Friendly Opposition
The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) on announced to end its role of friendly opposition in the
parliament. We would now act as the opposition and not as the friendly opposition in order to
save parliamentary democracy, leader of the opposition in the National Assembly Khurshid
Ahmed Shah told a private TV channel. Shah slammed the government for invoking Article 245
of the constitution which it has employed to deploy the army in the federal capital and
termed it a political blunder by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Neither the parliament, nor the
political parties were taken into confidence over a decision as important as this, Shah said. An
in-camera joint session of the parliament should have been called before invoking this article,
he remarked. He said the prevailing political situation had led the government to behave in a
confused manner, adding that it had also closed dialogue with other political forces, a situation
that was resulting in chaos.
The government should urgently restart dialogue with varying political forces; otherwise I fear
that the democratic system may be jeopardised, Shah warned. Meanwhile, the PPP demanded
holding a joint session of the parliament on the governments decision to hand over the security
of the federal capital to the military. Talking to the media, PPP leader Senator Raza Rabbani said
the PML-N government should explain to the parliament why Article 245 had been imposed in
the capital. Rabbani said that Interior Minister Nisar Ali Khan only informed the lawmakers that
some politicians and important installations were under threat, but did not give any details in
this regard. He said that imposition of Article 245 was a big decision and the parliament should
be briefed on the matter. We want the government to come clean on this issue, he said.
PPP MPAs Election Declared Void for Holding Fake Degree

The election tribunal declared void the election of a candidate of the Pakistan Peoples Party on a
provincial assembly seat because the winning candidate held a fake masters degree. The
election of Ghulam Qadir Chandio on PS-27 in Nawabshah (Benazirabad) was challenged by the
runner-up candidate, Syed Zain-ul-Abidin of the Sindh United Party, who had bagged 32,120
votes against the PPP candidates 41,458. The petitioner filed an election appeal in the tribunal
questioning the qualification of the PPP candidate contending that Mr Chandio had claimed to
be an MA but his master degree is fake. He said the respondent candidate was not sagacious,
righteous, non-profligate, honest and Ameen within the contemplation of Article 62 of the
Constitution and Section 99 of the Peoples Representative Act.
The petitioner also alleged massive rigging in the polling, particularly in 36 polling stations,
which, according to him, were sensitive. He said armed workers and supporters of the rival
candidate took over those polling stations and forced the petitioners polling agents out of the
polling stations they had occupied. The petitioner also alleged that the returning officer
concerned connived with the rival candidate and the votes in favour of the petitioner through
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postal ballots were not correctly counted in the consolidated statement. He asked the court to
declare the election of the returned candidate as void on account of his disqualification. The
respondent PPP candidate claimed that he had obtained a masters degree in political science
from Shah Abdul Latif University in 1988, but he failed to objectively discharge his burden of
proof in the tribunal.
The PPP candidate could get verified from the university record only that he had passed MA
(previous) examination in 1986 by producing the record of his marks sheets and failed to get his
purported marks sheets of MA final on the grounds that such record was damaged during its
shifting from one building to another. The tribunal headed by a former judge of the Sindh High
Court Dr Zafar Ahmed Khan Sherwani observed in his 19-page judgement: However, it
remained unexplained by him that why the damage of this top secret register mentioning the
marks of MA final examination of the candidates was only to the extent of the page on which the
roll number of the returned candidate i.e. 1174 was mentioned whereas the other pages of this
register remained intact. The tribunal rejected the testimony of a university employee and
declared him as biased and in favour of the returned candidate.
The tribunal head wrote in judgement: His bias floats on the surface of the record which is
evident from the fact that during his cross-examination by the tribunal he deposed in favour of
the returned candidate that the marks sheets produced by the returned candidate with his
affidavit in evidence in respect of MA final examination and Certificate of MA final are genuine
without verifying from such record of the university. The tribunal observed that the documents
produced by the returned candidate in support of his claim were totally irrelevant. It noted that
none of the documents was a legal proof of the fact that he had passed an MA examination
because this could only and only be proved through the record of the university. The verdict
concluded: The petition is, therefore, allowed on the above ground with costs consequently the
election of the returned candidate is declared as whole to be void u/s 70 (a) of the act. The
Election Commission of Pakistan may be informed accordingly.
Other Political Parties

PM Must Step Down To Save Country: MQM
Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain urged Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to
step down from his high office if there was any imminent danger to the lives or property of the
people during the upcoming long march and protests. In a statement issued, the MQM chief
urged Nawaz to take the first step and address the genuine complaints of the opposition groups
through dialogue. He said if there was any danger during the upcoming long march or protests,
the premier should bravely step down and hand over the reins to someone else from within his
party after due consultations with party members. The other option would be to find a
constitutional solution to the crisis. Altaf urged the masses as well as political and religious
leaders to sort out differences through a meaningful dialogue. He urged the aggrieved parties,
who intended to carry out long marches and protest demonstrations on August 12 and 14, to
refrain from aggressive actions and confrontations. Instead, he asked them to seek a solution
through dialogue and discussions.
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JUI-F Re-Elects Fazl as Chief

Maulana Fazlur Rehman was elected unopposed chief of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam for the fourth
three-year term after senior party leader Maulana Mohammad Khan Sherani withdrew his
candidature. Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri retained the post of general secretary after
defeating Mufti Kifayatullah of the Sherani panel. Maulana Haideri, of Maulana Fazl panel, got
393 votes against Mufti Kifayatullahs 93. The election was held during the JUI-Fs general
council meeting at the partys Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial secretariat. About 500 members
of the council took part in the election. According to sources, Maulana Sherani, from Balochistan,
was a candidate for the top party post, but senior leaders persuaded him to withdraw. Talking
to reporters before his re-election, Maulana Fazl termed the demands of Pakistan Awami
Tehreek chairman Dr Tahirul Qadri unconstitutional and said his party would not accept any
undemocratic measures. He said that by making police officials hostage in Punjab Dr Qadri and
his followers had committed civil disobedience. What is the difference between Dr Qadri and
Maulana Sufi Mohammad, he asked and recalled that the latter had been put behind bars. The
JUI-F chief said that Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chairman Imran Khan had the right to gather his
supporters in Islamabad but the rally should be peaceful. He said political forces could take out
processions but their workers should not take the law into their own hands. He said there was
no possibility of imposition of martial law, adding that any unconstitutional act would
destabilise the country.
Ban Likely On Qadris Pakistan Awami Tehreek

The federal government is reported to have decided to declare the Pakistan Awami Tehreek
(PAT) as a proscribed organisation. Police sources privy to the development told that the
decision had been taken at a high-level meeting held in Lahore and Dr Tahirul Qadris party was
likely be included in the official list First Schedule of the Ministry of Interior. They said Dr
Qadris speeches had incited his followers and other people against the government, waging war
against the state and indulging in incidents of ransacking, arson and terrorism. The sources said
the procedure to be adopted in declaring PAT as a banned organisation would be in the light of
the Anti-Terrorism Act, meaning that its fund-raising campaigns would also come under
scrutiny.
Asfandyar Elected ANP President Unopposed

Asfandyar Wali Khan was elected president of the Awami National Party unopposed for a fifth
time. Ghulam Ahmad Bilour was elected as senior vice president, Mian Iftikhar Hussain as
general secretary and Zahid Khan as information secretary. According to details, ANP Central
Council meeting was held under Senator Haji Adeel at Wali Bagh in Charsadda. All positions in
the central cabinet were uncontested after the party leaders convinced the contesting
candidates to avoid election, party sources told. As feared, Latif Afridi challenged senior party
leader Senator Afrasiab Khattak for the general-secretary slot and both refused to reach a
deal. KP ANP President Ameer Haider Hoti proposed Mian Iftikhar Hussains name as
alternative when both leaders refused to budge, sources said. Both Afrasiab and Lateef Lala
accepted him as a consensus candidate. Talking to media after the party election, Asfandyar
said both Imran Khan and Tahirul Qadri would be held responsible if democracy gets derailed.
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Advising the government, he asked Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to call joint session of
parliament and ask members: who is standing on which side - democracy or march.
He said tsunami itself was destruction and those trying to bring change were increasing
confrontation. He said the ANP would never support national or technocrat government, as
there was no mention of them in the constitution. He said it is unconstitutional to force the PM
to resign at gunpoint, adding that there is a way in the constitution to remove a PM. He said
despite reservations, they accepted the 2013 election results and democratic traditions demand
that mandate of the people should be respected. He questioned whether it was politics and
democracy to demand resignations by gathering 50,000 to 60,000 people. He categorically said
that the nation would hold Imran and Tahirul Qadri hundred percent responsible if there was
any harm to democracy. He pointed out that in the past, political decisions were taken through
dialogue and understanding in the parliament but in new Pakistan, decisions are made in road
crossings. He made it clear that the ANP would never side with undemocratic forces. He strongly
criticized the KP chief minister, saying that he left the bodies of 18 children unattended and
went to Islamabad to dance.
Marches (Azadi & Inqalaab March)

Government Ready for Give And Take With Imran Khan
The federal government seems less inclined to call an All Parties Conference (APC) to discuss
the present political turmoil, but Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his top aides have made up
their mind to engage Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf in a meaningful political dialogue through the
good offices of Jamaat-e-Islami which could lead to acceptance of Imran Khans key but
acceptable demands. Some of PMs advisers think calling an APC will open up a Pandoras Box
and would give unnecessary leverage to forces outside parliament, Dr Qadri-led PAT being the
most prominent. PML-N ministers on established a telephonic contact with JI Chief in Peshawar
to request for a follow-up meeting with Prime Minister Sharif in a day or two, signalling clearly
federal governments inclination for a negotiated settlement through his good offices, sources
said.
Short of mid-term elections and demand of PM Sharifs resignation, PML-N insiders say,
recounting or re-election on four National Assembly constituencies and an independent inquiry
into the alleged rigging is most likely to become a pre-agreed agenda item on negotiating table if
the government-PTI talks see light of the day. Another key aspect of Premiers inclination to
engage Sirajul Haq as a mediator between government and PTI is JIs stakes in KPK government
as a major coalition partner. Interestingly, Sirajul Haq supports Imran Khans demands
regarding 2013 elections rigging, but fiercely opposes dissolution of KPK assembly. Apart from
four constituency opening demand, bargain will be on KPK government survival after August
14.
PML-N might say you dont invade our territory (federal government), we wont invade yours
(provincial government), an important political leader from KPK told this scribe. PM Sharif has
recently given a nod on holding a meeting, within days, with Fazlur Rehman led JUI, Aftab
Ahmed Sherpaos party and even PTI dissidents at a later stage in case peace overtures with
Imran fail. Fazlur Rehman and Sherpao are all geared up to form a coalition government with
PML-N in KPK if JI-PTI coalition breaks at a point of time, it was reliably learnt. PML-N, JI, JUI,
Sherpao Qaumi Watan Party are openly opposing dissolution of KPK assembly expected as a last
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wild card by PTI, and even some minister of KPK, PTI MPAs are opposing the move secretly
behind closed doors.
JI chief, Sirajul Haq, conveyed Imran Khans demands to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif which,
sources say, include re-counting or re-election on four National Assembly constituencies,
including that of Speaker National Assembly and Federal Railways Minister in Lahore.
Government sources claim it will be a bitter pill to swallow for the Premier as in case of a
negotiated settlement leading to a re-election on these constituencies, both key aides might
have to tender a resignation. NA Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, who handed a defeat to Imran Khan
in Lahore constituency, was a surprise pick of PM after 2013 elections to become Speaker, is
said to be ready and conveyed to the leadership of his willingness to tender resignation if
directed to do so.
Same stands for Federal Minister Saad Rafiq. The thorny part of Imrans demand to book
culprits of the alleged rigging through a Supreme Court judge is still being weighed by the
kitchen cabinet of Premier Sharif. Interior Minister Chaurdhy Nisar, who recently bounced back
into Sharifs unofficial kitchen cabinet, is said to be in favour of negotiated give and take
settlement with Imran Khan with whom he enjoys cordial and friendly relations. Sharif is said to
be less inclined to listen to hawks like Defence Minister Khawaja Asif who many in the power
echelons think misguided the Premier on Musharraf issue and thus created a rift with military
establishment. Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid, though able to maintain his position in the
kitchen cabinet, is less inclined to comment on political issues related to PTI as he doesnt want
to be seen as a spoiler like Khawaja Asif.
Youm-E-Shuhada: Police Gunned Down 8 PAT Workers, Claims Qadri

Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief Dr Tahirul Qadri has claimed that the police have gunned
down eight of his party workers and injured another 1,000 in different parts of the country.
Addressing a news conference at his residence, Qadri said peaceful caravans of his activists
were travelling to the city to participate in Youm-e-Shuhada but they were stopped, tortured,
tear gassed and shot at. He added that the police, on the orders of the Punjab government, were
not allowing the injured PAT activists to be treated at public hospitals in Lahore. Qadri advised
his followers to remain wherever they had reached during their travel to Lahore and register
their protest by placing the bodies of the victims on the road and keeping the injured with them
during the protest. He said caravans were travelling to Lahore from all tehsils of the province,
including Bhira, Gujranwala, Kamoke, Bhakkae, Faisalabad and Okara, and alleged that Chief
Minister Shahbaz Sharif ordered the police to open fire on the activists. He said the activists
were not carrying any weapons. He added that the police entered the homes of PAT activists
and subjected women and elderly people to torture. Qadri claimed the government was
threatening his security guards. The government wants to frighten the people by opening fire
on them and to stop the revolution, he said. The rulers are the enemies of the state. Qadri
claimed that the government has violated Articles 6, 15 and 16 of the Constitution as it has
taken away the peoples rights. The rulers must be tried on treason charges for violating the
Constitution, he added. The Sharif brothers have protected terrorists, funded them and given
them safe havens, he claimed. Now they have become the enemies of the people. By
suspending phone and internet services in Model Town, the government is trying to recreate
the massacre at Jallianwala Bagh of 1919, he claimed.
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Revolution March on 14th, Declares Qadri

Pakistan Awami Tehrik (PAT) chief Dr Tahirul Qadri made public the much-awaited date for
launching his march on Islamabad, declaring that the Revolution March would start on August
14. He ordered his party workers not to return from Islamabad till toppling the incumbent
government of the Pakistan Muslim League-N.Nobody should return until the government is
removed and the system is changed, Dr Qadri commanded a crowd comprising workers of PAT
and those of his four allied parties including the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), Majlis
Wahdatul Muslimeen (MWM), Awami Muslim League (AML) and Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC).
The gathering was there to observe the martyrs day at the park ground outside the PAT
secretariat. Leaders of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement
(MQM) also addressed the gathering and expressed solidarity with Dr Qadri.
A highly charged Dr Qadri took a solemn pledge from his workers by asking them to raise their
hands vowing not to leave him and his march before achieving the promised revolution or
embracing martyrdom for the cause. What stunned the whole nation was that Dr Qadri
threatened the possible deserters of death by ordering the workers that if anyone returns
before changing the system, he should be martyred. Strangely, for those who considered his
words a slip of the tongue, he did not correct himself or clarify his threat. Dr Qadri said both the
Azadi March of Imran Khan and his Revolution March will go side by side on August 14 to
achieve the goal of ridding the 180 million people of Pakistan of killers, liars and plunderers.
Earlier, he ordered the workers gathered there to stay put for the next three days till August 14,
the day they are now scheduled to start their march on Islamabad. He asked the workers to
keep reciting the Holy Quran, Durood and pray for the martyrs, and observe their Qul on August
14, before starting the Revolution March. Amidst a blockade of roads and transport, PAT and its
allies succeeded in observing the proposed martyrs day outside the PAT secretariat. However,
hardly 5,000 workers of PAT and its four allies could reach the ground situated opposite the
party secretariat. The previous days rains and suspension of mobile service compounded their
problems as large patches of muddy water, developed in the ground, allowed hardly half of the
space to be used by the participants to sit or stand on.
The tents and carpets laid there three days back had been left unusable after being soaked in
mud and water. The most miserable was the condition of hundreds of women stationed there
for the last three days without proper toilet and sleeping facilities. During the speech, Dr Qadri
repeatedly claimed he was not afraid of death and was ready to embrace martyrdom for the
cause of providing justice to the nation. However, he ordered his workers to avenge his
martyrdom and those of their colleagues from the Sharif family or by killing whoever they
believe was responsible. He asked the workers not to expect justice from the countrys
institutions, but take revenge themselves.
He claimed receiving threats of being martyred at any time. He dared the rulers and killers to
come and kill him as I am not sitting in any container. He said, I am fighting a war for a
revolution for the oppressed, poor people of Pakistan including farmers, traders, labourers etc.
Paying rich tributes to the martyrs of his party, he said the incumbent governments days are
numbered. Qadri claimed while reciting several Hadiths that his workers sitting at the Model
Town for the next three days amounted to greatest Jihad and better than praying whole night
in Lailatul Qadr. He claimed that all those sitting in the ground had gathered for the cause as
sacred as that of Hazrat Imam Hussain (AS) and termed the policemen deployed around Model
Town Yazids and Ibne Ziyads.
In one breath, he asked workers to remain peaceful but in the second he ordered them to
retaliate forcefully if the police and other security agencies attack them. Reiterating that he was
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a firm believer in democracy, Qadri said he had been struggling for true democracy. He said
the Inqilab March would be non-violent and democratic. Qadri claimed that since Model Town
tragedy of June 17, 22 workers of his party have been killed by the police. He lamented that FIRs
for four martyred party workers and 90 injured had not yet been registered. Dr Qadri said
Model Town had been turned into Gaza for the past seven days, while thousands of PAT
workers had been injured and hundreds are still missing. He said the country had never
witnessed such atrocities in its entire history and now neither the cruel nor the cruelty would
prevail. Their days are numbered, he warned.
The PAT chief said no one should expect the revolution to be like a bed of roses. A bright future
cannot be secured without sacrifices, he added. Dr Qadri said baseless charges of moneylaundering and tax-evasion had been levelled against him. He said he had never missed paying
taxes over the past 30 years. Do you want a revolution? the PAT chief asked his supporters
thrice, telling them that he is prepared to get killed along with them. The Sharifs are
establishing global business empires while the people in Pakistan are deprived of basic
necessities, he said, adding that we want the culture of democracy which is transparent and
which has a system of accountability and which is free of corruption. Qadri said: Our struggle
is for true democracy in Pakistan. We want devolution of powers. Power should go to the union
councils, to the districts, to the tehsils through devolution, he added.
We want high courts at the district headquarters and magistrate courts in union councils so
that justice arrives at the doorsteps of every person living in this country. We are totally against
imposition of a martial law, added Qadri. He said the entire nation will have to come out for the
revolution. The efforts of PAT, PML-Q, AML, SIC, PTI workers will not be enough, he added.
Lashing out at the police, the PAT chief said those who committed murders of his workers on
the orders of the Sharif brothers would no longer be able to hide behind Shahbaz Sharif and
Nawaz Sharif. We want proper punishment through law, he said, rejecting accusations of
violence against his workers. My followers have never committed a single act of violence
anywhere, Qadri claimed.
Our workers did not torture anyone or cause any damage to anyone. But more than 25,000 PAT
workers have been arrested so far, he added. Referring to the FIR registered against him for the
death of police constable Muhammad Ashraf, Qadri said his workers cannot kill anyone. It has
been proven that the constable died in an accident with a motorcycle, he said. Meanwhile,
addressing the party workers at their residence and later on at the PAT Secretariat, PML-Q
leaders Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Ch Pervaiz Elahi said togetherness of the Inqilab March
and Azadi March reflected the sentiments of the people. They pledged to change the lot of the
poor and common man and brighten the future of their children.
Ch Shujaat said why Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is keeping mum after the speech of Israeli
prime minister. He said if Imran Khan and Dr Tahirul Qadri join hands then the decision may be
taken on August 13 and there would be no need for going to Islamabad. Ch Pervaiz Elahi said in
the current democracy, people have been deprived of their fundamental rights and facilities. He
said despite writing letters to the federal and provincial governments that there were threats to
them; security cover had been withdrawn from them. If God-forbid any harm comes to them,
Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif would be responsible for that, he warned.
Imran Rejects Commission He Himself Demanded Last Month

Imran Khan had been demanding the formation of a three-member Judicial Commission (JC) till
last month but outright rejected it as soon as Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif announced it in his
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national address. Now he wants nothing less than the resignation of the prime minister, arguing
that an independent inquiry is not possible in his presence, not realising the fact that it is not the
PM but the provincial governments that will be assisting the commission. At no point of time in
the past one year, he alleged that the office of the PM was involved in rigging. Instead, the
barrage of his criticism centered on former chief justice (CJ) Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, the
Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and interim CM Punjab Najam Sethi. However, he has
not demanded the resignation of chief ministers as doing so would cost him the PTI government
in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Also the fact remains, the commission would comprise serving judges of the Supreme Court of
Pakistan (SCP) who are answerable to CJ Nasir-ul-Mulk in whom he has already posed his trust.
His many interviews can be produced wherein he agreed to any inquiry under his watch, saying
he rated him very high in terms of professional integrity. It is another story that he used to say
the same about Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry as long as he was the CJP. Imrans rejection of the
proposal of JC notwithstanding, the government has decided to go ahead and a formal request to
the CJ would be sent. As the PM announced his plan of conducting an investigation into the
rigging charges through a three-member JC, his decision was greeted with relief by the public at
large who thought that a head-on collision between the government and the PTI had been
averted. But Imran surprised the nation as usual by sticking to his plan of August 14 march and
refused to accept anything less than the resignation of the PM.
This is in contrast to his past demands for the formation of the JC. Only last month, he reiterated
this in a TV interview conducted a week after his announcement of the long march. As the
anchor asked him if he would call off his march if a three-member JC comprised serving judges
of the SC was formed to investigate the alleged rigging in elections, Imran gave his consent to
the proposal, saying that he will welcome the formation of such a commission provided there
was a specific time-frame of 2-4 weeks to submit its findings. Even before the PMs speech was
aired, a private TV channel ran his interview wherein he echoed the same line, however, adding
the condition of the PMs resignation. It has been learnt that the law secretary was directed
morning to draft a letter requesting the CJP for the formation of a judicial commission in order
to probe the rigging charges.
Policy Statement: Marchers Need To Apply For Permission, Says Nisar

The government has said it will allow long marches only if the district administrations give
permission to protesting parties including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami
Tehreek (PAT) to hold rallies. If any party wants to go and hold political procession
anywhere, it should apply to the district administration for permission. The district
administration(s) will decide if this is within the ambit of the Constitution, Interior Minister
Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said. He was addressing a press conference to present what appears to
be the governments policy statement soon after the Lahore High Court (LHC) gave its verdict
barring any unconstitutional processions and sit-ins. He said the district administrations
would have to first assess if they could provide security to the processions before granting
permission. Additionally the protestors will have to guarantee that their activities would not
affect the daily life of citizens, he added.
If statement of the interior minister is taken literally, the protesting parties will have to get
permission from administrations of all the districts from where their protestors will pass
through to reach their announced destination - the federal capital Islamabad. While major cities
and towns of Punjab are already sealed off with shipping containers and heavy contingents of
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police and other law enforcement agencies are deployed, there is likely to be a showdown when
Imran Khan, Dr Tahirul Qadri and other parties start their protest march on capital city. It must
be noted that Islamabad administration had sent letters to the protesting parties to apply for
permission but they have not responded to the authorities so far. Nisar, in his opening
statement, termed the demands of the PTI chief Imran Khan and the PAT chief Tahirul Qadri as
unconstitutional. One of the key demands of these protesting parties is resignation of Prime
Minister Nawaz Sharif. He said since Imran Khan and Dr Tahirul Qadri had joined hands, the
government had now decided to treat them on equal footing. The government was already
aware that Dr Qadri and Imran were going to join forces at some point in time, he claimed.
The minister warned that there were serious security threats to marchers and their leaders. I
have received 15 security threats during past few minutes. These alerts are not from
government agencies, but military agencies. Similar threats have been conveyed by
international security agencies of our friendly countries he said. The minister said the
government had announced formation of a three-member high level commission of Supreme
Court of Pakistan to probe allegations of rigging in 2013 general elections. He said the
government was ready to conduct such a probe at any level. We had already said that the
government is ready to open as many constituencies as the opposition wanted but under the
law of land the government could not do so, he added.
The minister claimed that civil and military leadership were on the same page and military had
nothing to do with current political turmoil. In reply to a question, he said he had been having
frequent meetings with army chief, which, according to him, revolved around professional
matters. I meet army chief more often than you can think of. It is because of my office as
interior minister. We have discussed internal security matters, he said. The minister thanked
the political parties for their support to the government in the testing time and termed the role
of what he called democratic forces as remarkable. The interior minister was satisfied with the
manner Punjab police handled the August 10 function of the PAT. Nisar castigated Dr Qadri for
his recent statements, adding that the government could not allow a bunch of people to topple
the system through violence and threats. Dr Qadri is using women and children as human
shield to promote his agenda of violence, he said.
Saner Minds Prevail Amid Manoeuvring

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, General Raheel Sharif and other military officials and political
leaders stand in respect for the national anthem at the Independence Day ceremony. But it was
only after darkness fell that the feverish activities that had kept the ruling party occupied
behind closed doors were revealed, making it clear that the government was following sane
advice and had not just rolled over in the face of the march, but also continued to take steps to
establish a judicial commission to investigate the alleged malpractices in the general elections of
2013. The prime minister may have been holed up on Constitution Avenue as his administration
was lugging containers around, but he was consulting his advisers and ministers. In addition, he
was probably also in touch with his brother, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, and Interior
Minister Nisar Ali Khan, who were carrying out an important mission for him. As the chief
minister and the interior minister were holding an all-important meeting in Rawalpindi, the
federal government announced that it had sent a request to the Supreme Court to form a
commission to investigate the 2013 elections, in line with the elder Sharifs offer in his televised
address the night before.
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SC Commission: Law Secretary Barrister Zafarullah Khan, in a formal correspondence

addressed to Supreme Court Registrar Syed Tahir Shahbaz, said the government had decided to
constitute a commission of inquiry consisting of three judges of the Supreme Court. Whether
the allegations levelled by the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chairman that the general elections of
2013 were manipulated or influenced by anyone for the benefit of a political party or
individuals, have any basis in fact or law, and if so, to fix responsibility thereof, the law
secretary said, explaining the committees terms of reference. He then added that suitable
nominations might be sent to the Ministry of Law, identifying the three judges, one of whom is
to be the commissions president. The Prime Ministers Office released both the summary
prepared by the law ministry for the prime minister and the letter written to the Supreme Court
registrar.
In the two documents, dated August 13, the allegations of electoral rigging levelled by the PTI
are referred to. On Aug 11, PTI Chairman Imran Khan had alleged that ex-chief justice Iftikhar
Moham-mad Chaudhry and caretaker Punjab chief minister Najam Sethi had, in connivance with
Election Commission officials, helped rig the elections and ensure a victory for the PML-N.
Though the PTI had rejected Prime Minister Nawaz Sharifs offer and others too had criticised
the idea of involving the judiciary in political issues, the government is clearly set in its
reconciliatory gesture. Perhaps this letter was made public while the Sharif junior and Chaudhry
Nisar were still in their meeting.
Meeting at Army House
The chief minister is said to have arrived from Lahore on his special aircraft at about 3.45pm. He
was received at the airport by the interior minister, after which the two headed for Army House.
The two remained there for nearly two hours before leaving for Islamabad at nearly 6pm, where
they met the prime minister. Though Chaudhry Nisar, in his media interaction later, tried to
downplay the meeting as a routine affair and hence not big news, the rendezvous set tongues
wagging about a possible settlement between the PML-N government and the military ahead
of the PTI long march. The meeting at Army House, according to a source, took place at the
request of Chaudhry Nisar and Shahbaz Sharif. After meeting the prime minister, the chief
minister is said to have left for Lahore, while the interior minister addressed a press conference
at Punjab House. However, before he spoke to the media, the decisions the government seemed
to have made in the day started becoming public.
Consultations
After the news of the letter that was sent to the Supreme Court, it was revealed that Jamaat-iIslami (JI) emir Sirajul Haq had been called by Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid and passed a
message from the prime minister. The JI confirmed the telephone call and said that the prime
minister sent the message that the government was going to allow the long march and in
exchange now Mr Haq had to live up to his side of the bargain by ensuring that the protesters
would remain peaceful. Though this was not immediately confirmed by the government, Dawn
learnt later that the prime minister spent most of the day consulting his own as well as other
party leaders he told them that the government had decided to allow the PTI to hold its march
provided that the protesters remained peaceful.
The information minister was given the responsibility of getting in touch with other political
party leaders and passing on the message. A government official told that by early evening, the
government had made up its mind but it deliberately delayed the announcement because it was
waiting for the Lahore High Courts judgment on the long march. The LHC was hearing a petition
on the march and announced its decision around eight at night. A source privy to the
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governments plan, however, told Dawn that the government was deliberately keeping its plans
for the PTI march vague, so as to throw off party workers and confuse them.
Court Order
In his press conference, the interior minister made it clear that while there were differences
between the government and the military over the trial of retired Gen Pervez Musharraf, it was
inappropriate to drag the army into the prevailing political quagmire. Talking about the LHC
order regarding the Azadi march, he said the government would implement the order, but then
seemingly backtracked and asked the PTI to properly request permission for the march from
the district administration. He said the district administration would examine the objectives of
the political gathering and see whether they fell within the ambit of the Constitution. The
interior minister was apologetic, asking the people of Islamabad and Lahore to excuse the
inconvenience they had faced over the past few days, but that it was all for a good reason.
I have received 15 security alerts in the last half hour from security agencies regarding the
march, he disclosed. A government official claimed that multiple teams of law-enforcement
agencies will strictly monitor the march and arrest anyone who creates any trouble. A
contingency plan will remain in place to stop the rally at any point on the GT Road if its leaders
and participants dont behave, the source said. He claimed that it was being considered that the
protesters would be asked to head to Jinnah Stadium in the sports complex, provided the PTI
agreed. PTIs information secretary Dr Shireen Mazari wasnt available to comment on the
government proposal. Another official of the PTI, however, told Dawn that the rallys first
stopover in Islamabad will be Zero Point. We have a moveable stage; therefore, a last minute
change of plan will not be an issue.
A Tale of Two Rallies: Marchers Swamp the Federal Capital

More than 38 hours after their leaders and supporters departed from Lahore, the motorised
cavalcades of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehreek banded separately in
the Azadi and Inqilab marches reached their destination the federal capital Islamabad. Once
his motorcade pulled in, Imran Khan announced on the micro-blogging website Twitter that PTI
leaders, workers and participants would stage a sit-in at the Kashmir Highway, Serena Chowk,
which was initially chosen as the venue. He also said that he planned to stay overnight at the
same site. Crowds at Kashmir Highway broke into dance as soon as they found out that the
Azadi March rally had entered the capital amid heavy rainfall. Workers rushed to prepare for
the speeches, the sit-in and the throngs of people, despite puddles of water and mud. Imran
Khans motorcade closely followed Tahirul Qadris rally, which had a smoother journey than
PTI. Earlier, addressing the media in Jhelum, Dr Qadri claimed that over 600,000 supporters
were participating in his march.
Meanwhile, a few hundred more activists joined the PAT rally from Jhelum and Dina. A PAT
caravan from the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) also joined in. A two-kilometre line of vehicles
welcomed and joined PAT rally at Gujjar Khan at about 7:30 pm. Both parties met with throngs
of flag-waving, cheering supporters as they entered the capital separately. Senior leaders of the
party, led by Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervez Khattak, Secretary General Jahangir
Tareen, senior leaders Saifullah Niazi, Azam Swati, provincial ministers, MPAs and MNAs are in
Aabpara Chowk, where the main stage was set up. However, there was a short-lived confusion
about the sit-in venues for both the rallies. PAT spokesperson Sheikh Zahid Fayaz announced on
social media that the rally will be held on Khayaban-e-Suhrawardy, parallel to the PTI rally on
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the Kashmir Highway. Officially, the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration
designated Faisal Avenue as the site of the PAT rally.
In the end, it was decided that both the PTI Azadi march and PAT Inqilab March convoys will
converge at Aabpara Chowk. Earlier, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar said PTI leader Saifullah
Niazi has assured him in writing that their workers will not cross the Red Zone in Islamabad,
Express News reported. He added that 3,000 FC personnel from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa had been
deployed in Islamabad along with 30,000 police personnel. At the beginning of Day 2 of Azadi
march, the main rally convoys first inched towards the capital but then later sped ahead after
violence erupted between PTI activists and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz workers at
Gujranwala. Following the attack on their convoy in Gujranwala earlier, Imran Khan sent a
message to all his workers: Wherever you are, head to Islamabad as soon as you can. Today is
the day for Naya Pakistan.
Meanwhile, talking to reporters upon reaching Jhelum, PAT chief Dr Tahirul Qadri
congratulated the nation, saying, The time to change the countrys fate has arrived. He
condemned the attack on the PTI convoy, terming it as an act of cowardice. The PTI rally
scurried northwest towards Islamabad, crossing many districts within a few of hours. According
to PTIs official Twitter account, while the head of the rally was at Gujjar Khan, the tail was at
Dina; district Jhelum, which makes the Azadi March rally 44 kilometres long. Imran Khan said he
would follow his supporters to Aabpara and spend the night there. In the morning, we will
bring a revolution in the country and we wont leave until we secure our freedom, he added.
Conflicting Claims about Participants of Marches

Conflicting claims were made by the independent media, government circles and organisers of
Azadi and Inqilab Marches about the strength of participants. According to British Broadcasting
Corporation (BBC), when PTIs Azadi March reached Shahdara after coming out of Lahore at
3:00am, the number of participants was drastically reduced but later more people started
joining it at various spots. PTI chairman Imran Khan claimed that he would leave his residence
in Zaman Park (Lahore) with one lakh motorbikes but the record showed that only 237
motorcycles crossed the Ravi Bridge along with the PTI caravan. However, according to Geo TV,
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Pervaiz Khattak said that more than one million
workers and supporters would gather at the venue of the PTI sit-in. He said that it would the
biggest sit-in in the history of the country.
A private TV channel reported that the PTI rally had not more than 6,000 to 7,000 people. It
claimed that the crowd was not unusual as such a number of people gathered even in the wake
of a traffic jam. A minister said that not more than 10,000 people attended the Azadi March
when it took off from Lahore.The BBC reported that there were three caravans of PAT that were
heading towards Islamabad and all of them had a smart number of participants but on the other
hand the size of PTI caravan was comparatively smaller even in Lahore where it spent 11 hours
to mobilise its workers. It said the Inqilab March of PAT in Kharian, Sarai Alamgir and Jhelum
were traveling separately and workers were behaving in disciplined way despite facing
hardships due to warm weather and lack of basic facilities like drinking water.
The record of Jhelum Toll Plaza revealed that there were 75 Land Cruisers, 22 trucks, 21 buses
and 233 motorcycles in the PTIs Azadi March when it crossed it so the maximum number of
participants was between five to seven thousand quite contrary to the tall claims of Imran Khan
who was saying that it would be a million march that would head towards Islamabad. The
sources said some leaders of PTI were of the view that the Khyber-Pakhtunkhawa (KP) chapter
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of PTI asked Imran Khan to start his Azadi March from Peshawar, a stronghold of PTI and from
where he could have utilised unlimited government resources, but he insisted that he would
start the journey from his residence in Lahore and this decision had paid him dearly as he failed
to pull a big crowd from the city. The eye-witnesses stated that there were almost 12,000 to
16,000 participants in the PAT caravan when it reached Jhelum Toll Plaza but its leaders on
local news channels were claiming that the number of people was quite large from the estimates
by various quarters.
According to senior journalists who had experience in covering political rallies and marches
said when the Inqilab March entered the jurisdiction of Islamabad the number of participants
was not more than 15,000. The situation was quite similar with Azadi March that had almost
7,000 to 8,000 participants with it at the time of entering Islamabad. The PTI and PAT leaders,
however, rejected all these estimates as biased and claimed that lakhs of people accompanied
them from Lahore to Islamabad and people will see that millions will stage sit-in in Islamabad.
The adverse weather conditions disturbed PTI and PAT workers gathered on various locations
of Islamabad including Zero Point and Aabpara were forced to leave their spots due to heavy
rain just before arrival of their leaders with their respective caravans.
PTI Fails To Put Up Impressive Show

As the two Azadi and Inquilab Marches finally reached federal capital now the people started
comparing between the strength of Azadi March and Inquilab March unlike the few previous
days when they were comparing between the strength of government and protesting marches.
From August 08 till August 14 the whole nation was witnessing every development taking place
over the political landscape of the country with awe and despair as the routine life particularly
in Punjab and federal capital had come to halt. General public while talking to these two
correspondent have put its weight more toward the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) Inquilab
March while terming it better in numbers, organisation and discipline. The also favoured the
PAT demands being more reasonable and within legal framework as it has been demanding
strict implementation of the fundamental rights for general public enshrined in the constitution
of Pakistan.
General public said that the demands of PTI chief Imran Khan were aimed at spreading anarchy
and restlessness in the country as the country has finally started of with fewer terrorism
incidents after the successful Zarb-e-Azb. Some of the people and political workers of PTI
however, expressed that the protest would dislodge the nepotism policy of the government and
it would be resulted toward a better and a stronger election commission. General public termed
failure of Imran Khans attempt to show Tsunamis influence and show of strength, which
remained far less to dislodge the elected government of PML-N. However, the supporters and
activists of PTI defend partys position held the rain responsible, preventing people to
participate in large number. Similarly, a large number of people term the participation of crowd
in PTIs Azadi March below all expectations of Imran Khan and his company as well.
While PAT Chief, Dr. Tahir ul Qadri Inquilab March was more powerful and well organised and
the demands put up were also genuine to be met and needed to be resolved by the PML-N
government. According to views, Imran Khan and his accomplices had predicted to gather one
million people in the Azadi March, but the predictions failed and the participation was less than
even 40 thousand people which also were mostly children, young and emotional men besides
women folk. Even in this department, PAT stole the show as hundreds of women workers of this
party gathered to express their protest against the governments policies. Eyewitnesses of both
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these much-trumpeted marches also believe that the demand of Prime Ministers resignation
was also not genuine and the timing was also not perfect. On the other hand, Dr Tahir ul Qadri
who managed to put up an impressive show compared to PTIs Azadi March intelligently put
up a 10 point demands before the government for resolution on emergent basis, which also
included problems confronted to the people and the nation.
The major were ending price hike, provision of jobs, elimination corruption, and resolution of
power crisis with particular reference to excessive loadshedding which the entire people of the
country are facing. Comparing to PATs demand, PTI chief and its other leaders never discussed
problems confronted to the people and just demanded resignation of Nawaz Sharif and holding
of mid term elections. Rana Siddique of G-6 sector, Islamabad claimed that the objective of
Imran Khan is just to achieve power through hook or by crook. If PTI chief had been sincere and
determined why he himself left the participants alone to suffer in the heavy rain and open sky
on several occasions, Rana questioned.
Ishrat Hussein who had come from Westridge, Rawalpindi to witness the two big shows
expressed his disappointment and annoyance over the number of participation of people in
PTIs Azadi March. For more than one month PTI had been blowing trumpet of drawing historic
crowd of one million people in the Azadi March in the federal capital. However, the result had
not gone in PTIs favour, he claimed. People belonging to community of lawyers, educationists,
businessmen, traders, politicians of different political groups and scholars termed the PTIs
show poor. On the other hand, PAT chief managed to meet good and impressive crowd by all
ways and means. A large segment of people also believe that PTI has gained nothing from Azadi
March while the affects of poor show would go in the way of the PML-N government.
Red Zone Is Red Line for PTI and PAT: Nisar

Minister for Interior Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said that the Red Zone was the red line for both
the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) and those who crossed
the line would be dealt with by force. There are serious security alerts from the sensitive
intelligence agencies and friendly countries informing of terrorist attacks on the leadership of
PTI and PAT as well as on their rallies, Ch Nisar Ali Khan said, adding that the intelligence
agencies had informed the authorities that two suicide bombers had reached the capital to hit
their targets. However, the government had taken stringent security measures to counter such
attempts, and strong multi-tier security cordons had been placed around the venues of the PTI
and PAT. While addressing a press conference in the Punjab House, he said, Our forces are
deployed in different tiers to secure the Red Zone.
The interior minister, however, said that both the PTI and PAT were extending cooperation with
the district administration of Islamabad and following the terms and conditions put forward by
the local administration, adding that the PTI and PAT had agreed that they would not cross the
limits marked as the Red Zone. The government provided the venues of their choice, the
minister said, and added that the administration was facilitating the participants of the rallies as
Pakistani citizens. The interior minister said that the security of Islamabads Red Zone had been
multiplied and strengthened manifold as it was the governments obligation to provide
foolproof protection to foreign missions. Over 30,000 well-equipped personnel of the law
enforcement agencies, including the Rangers, Frontier/Punjab constabularies and other civil
military forces, are ready along with the police to counter any attempt to cross the Red Line,
the interior minister warned.
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We are responsible for security, especially of the Red Zone housing embassies, and we have
international obligations to provide protection to them at every cost, the interior minister said
adding that the government had to protect the embassy buildings and diplomats as a major
compulsion. Other than the Diplomatic Enclave, there are many sensitive buildings, including
the Supreme Court of Pakistan, Parliament House, President House, PM House and Foreign
Office, in the Red Zone to protect, Ch Nisar said. The minister said that coordination of security
management between the protesting parties and the civil administration was a must to ensure
foolproof security. PAT is extending cooperation with the civil administration regarding
security issues but a message of lack of mutual aid of security matters was recorded from the
PTI, the minister maintained.
We have to think about the other issues of the country, including the military operation against
terrorists and IDPs facing problems in camps, but the entire media is concentrating on the PTI
and PAT rallies, Nisar said. The Red Zone is prohibited for political activities and it is sealed
for them but some roads will be opened for the people working in the Red Zone, the minister,
responding to a question, said. He said that entry and exit between Rawalpindi and Islamabad
would be opened gradually with the normalisation of the situation, adding, however, that some
important roads would be opened. Responding to another question, the minister said that the
federal capital was taking care of the food and residential requirements of the heavy
contingents of borrowed forces. He said that the government would separately pay allowances
and extra salaries to the forces that came from other areas.
PTI and PAT Fail to Attract Expected Crowds

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) ramped up calls for the
ouster of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharifs government on , but failed to attract massive crowds of
a protesters promised at rallies in the capital. Addressing protesters, Imran Khan said he would
stage a sit-in that would continue until Sharif left office, lashing out at the government he
claimed was elected fraudulently. Meanwhile, Tahirul Qadri demanded Sharifs arrest over what
he alleged was the murder of his supporters, and called for the installation of an interim
national government. Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif have no right to sit in the government,
their cabinets should be dissolved and they should be arrested on murder charges, Qadri said.
Qadri also called for all four provincial assemblies and national assembly to be dissolved
because they were formed in unconstitutional manner, in a wide ranging list of demands
made. Words not backed up by numbers - But the fiery rhetoric was not matched by manpower:
of the million promised in Islamabad by Khan and Qadri, just thousands remained in the capital.
Khan himself spent a portion of the day at his residence in the suburbs of the capital, explaining
he had to rest after the long journey while commanding his supporters to stay firmly in
Islamabad streets. We will not go back until all our demands are accepted, Khan said earlier,
demanding that all the officials involved in the alleged vote rigging should be tried under the
treason law. The demonstration is the culmination of the long march in reality a motorised
cavalcade that set off from Lahore to try to topple the government.
Khursheed Opposes Qadris Demands

The leader of opposition in the National Assembly, Syed Khursheed Shah, has dismissed Dr
Tahirul Qadris 10-point charter of demands as undemocratic and unconstitutional. He
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opposed the demand for formation of a national government or a caretaker set-up of

technocrats and said the country could not afford an unconstitutional change. Talking to
reporters at the residence of former senator Munawwar Abbasi after condoling with him over
the death of his mother and PPP leader Begum Ashraf Abbasi here on , he asked what would
happen if the prime minister did not resign as demanded by the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT)
chief. Talks provide the only way to find an amicable solution, Mr Shah said. Jamaat-i-Islami
chief Sirajul Haq has talked to me and we are meeting in Karachi to discuss the situation and try
to find a way to resolve the issue. I am optimistic that we will find a solution through political
dialogue, he added.
After consultations with the Jamaat chief, the PPP leader said, he would go to Islamabad. Mr
Shah said the government should initiate negotiations with the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI)
chairman, Imran Khan. He insisted that there was no way other than negotiations. When asked
whether the government had asked him to play a role in defusing tensions, he said: We are in
constant touch. He said mainstream political parties were generally not part of the ongoing
protests and were trying to look for a middle way out of the crisis. Answering a question, he
said: We (the PPP) are trying to save democracy, not Nawaz Sharif. Rejecting the politics of sitins to bring about change, he said if the practice continued a day would come when the PPP and
Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam would also hold a sit-in. But this is not a democratic method.
When asked if the sit-ins organised by supporters of Dr Qadri and Mr Khan could provide an
opportunity to a third force to intervene, he said if any institution tried to cross its
constitutional limits it would create difficulties for itself as well as the nation. Answering
another question, he said the PPP would not support any undemocratic and unconstitutional
move. Talking to reporters at the Sukkur airport, Mr Shah said the situation in Islamabad was
critical. Efforts were under way, however, to resolve the differences between the government
and PTI. He said if an FIR could be lodged against PPP founder Z.A. Bhutto a case could be
registered against anyone. The veteran leader said nobody would object to changes in the
Constitution if Dr Qadri made them after winning general elections.
Dawn - August 17th, 2014
PTI and PAT - Poles Apart Yet Similar At Heart

With the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) contingents
parked almost side-by-side on parallel roads in the capital, observers are beginning to draw
parallels between the crowds that both parties have managed to pull. Despite very little
ideological overlap, both parties have demonstrated idiosyncratic similarities when it comes to
the politics of sit-ins and demonstrations. The most striking aspect of these two marches is the
resilience demonstrated by party workers and activists, who have spent nearly three days,
camped out on the roads of Islamabad, braving rain and shine and the occasional scuffle with
law enforcers. Women, children, men young and old; all have persevered in the face of the
elements. The PTI, supporters say, is a liberal party, striving for change in the political culture
of country, while in the words of PAT workers; they are a group rooted in the religious rather
than the political.
Womens Participation
Both parties also boast a large contingent of women among participants in their respective sitins. This is a trend not seen among mainstream political parties, whose women usually travel
and protest separately from the men. In the case of both PTI and PAT, however, women of all
ages have constantly been at the forefront. In fact, several women Dawn spoke to at the sit-ins
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said they had come to the demonstration of their own accord, without any other male family
members. We portray the picture of youth in country that is not only active and energetic but
striving for a change too, Asad Umar, the PTI MNA from Islamabad.
Music
Unlike most other political parties, both the protesting groups seem to be quite fond of using
music at their public meetings. While the PTI has their signature DJ Butt, who intersperses
political speeches with brief interludes of song, the beat of the drum and the rousing rhythms of
patriotic anthems set the tone at the PAT sit-in. Whether they are shouting slogans or clapping
their hands to the beat of the music, supporters of both parties are quite adept at keeping time
with the soundtrack of revolution.
Discipline
Even though thousands of charged supporters descended upon the capital over the course of the
past few days, no major disturbances have been reported and it does not appear that the
presence of PAT or PTI workers has interfered too much with the daily lives of the rest of the
city. According to party office-bearers, no one has been plucking flowers, leaves or branches
from trees in the densely vegetated greenbelts around Sector G-6 and along Kashmir Highway.
Similarly, workers from both parties have been quite well-behaved with shopkeepers in
Aabpara Market. Despite long queues at food vendors stalls and their own strength in numbers,
PTI and PAT workers have so far conducted themselves admirably. There have been no reports
of any vandalism, shoplifting or harassment, despite the overwhelming numbers of people that
spent the night in the narrow alleys of Aabpara. Most people do not even argue when being
overcharged by shopkeepers looking to make a quick buck. While prices of a cup of tea or a
plate of rice have doubled in the vicinity, there have been no grumblings among the patient
crowds.
Differences
But not everything is the same between these two parties, and the contrast becomes clear as
you move from one rally to the other. PTI workers are far more disorganised than their PAT
counterparts. Tahirul Qadris cadres are, in fact, quite well-equipped to deal with any situation.
A few volunteers that Dawn spoke to at Aabpara said they had been trained to deal with
situations such as tear-gas shelling or baton charging. A young woman wearing safety goggles
said she was supposed to be deployed at the front of the march and had been trained to cope
with tear gas. Others with first aid training would be at the rear, tending to the wounded. In
addition, the PAT contingent is looked after by four committees of volunteers: the security,
rescue, discipline and mess committees.
One of the most noticeable differences was also the PAT workers willingness to queue, either
for food or to avail toilet facilities. PTI workers, as is the norm in the country, were far more
rowdy and ill-organised. But the PTI, in comparison, demonstrates nowhere near the
organisation on display at the Pakistan Awami Tehreek march. There were reports of incidents
where PTI workers manhandled press personnel at the sit-in. Some workers did get annoyed
by one-sided reporting by a certain media group, but we have asked everybody to refrain from
interacting with the media, Shireen Mazari, spokesperson for the PTI, told Dawn.
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Demands Spelled Out: 48-Hour Deadline

Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief Dr Tahirul Qadri on gave the government a 48-hour
deadline to accept his 15-point charter of demands for Inqilab (revolution) that, among other
things, called for Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif to step
down, dissolve federal and provincial legislatures and pave the way for a national government.
The revolution cannot come through parliament, because the whole election process is invalid
and unconstitutional, Qadri told tens of thousands of his followers and supporters at Khaybane-Soharwardy in the Aabpara Chowk neighbourhood. Qadris speech came hours after a Lahore
court ordered registration of an FIR against 21 people, including the prime minister and
Punjabs chief minister, in a case involving the killing of 14 PAT workers in a police crackdown
at the PAT Secretariat in Lahores Model Town on June 17.
Nawaz has no right to stay in power after the Lahore sessions courts order to register a case
against him and 18 of his government officials in the Model Town tragedy, the fiery cleric said.
I give the Sharif brothers 48 hours, which means two days, to step down, court arrest and
dissolve the assemblies, he said. He also called upon the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to
place the names of the Sharif brothers and their colleagues on the Exit Control List (ECL). We
have reports that former Punjab law minister Rana Sanaullah, who is the main culprit in the
Model Town massacre, has booked a seat on an [outbound] flight for tomorrow, Qadri said. At
the same time, he warned that if the rulers managed to flee the country the FIA and immigration
authorities would be held responsible.
The 14 innocent people killed in Model Town on June 17 are asking me if I and millions of
participants of the Inqilab march will betray their blood, the populist cleric said as he flashed a
poster showing blood-stained bodies of two women, Shazia and Tanzila, who were among the
victims of the Model Town tragedy. The martyrs ask: will their murder be forgotten; will their
killers be roaming scot-free? Will they be arrested? Will our families get justice? The massive
crowd shouted yes or no to each question their leader posed in a speech full of emotional
undertones. We will not leave until the prime minister and the chief minister step down, Qadri
said. The crowd agreed, breaking into chants of Go, Nawaz, go.
Reading from his charters of demands, the PAT chief said the national and provincial assemblies
should immediately be dissolved. The assemblies comprise the lawmakers 60-70 per cent of
whom are corrupt and known defaulters and tax evaders, which is against Article 62 and 63 of
the Constitution. The problems of 200 million people cannot be solved by recounting polls in a
couple of constituencies, he said, referring to the earlier demands of PTI chief Imran Khan. After
the assemblies are dissolved, a national government for democratic reform should be formed,
he added. The national government will take steps to ensure a transparent and stringent
accountability of corrupt people. I am a staunch believer in democracy a democracy that
eradicates all kinds of corruption, Qadri said and questioned, If this [PML-N government] is a
democracy where people are homeless and are unable to educate their children.
The poor of this country, who have been deprived of their rights for the last 65 years, will be
taken care of under a 10-point revolutionary social agenda, Qadri said. Every homeless family
will be given a house and the middle class will be provided interest-free loans, to be returned in
25 years. Moreover, every person will be given food and clothing. He also demanded a health
plan, where the poor and low-income classes are given healthcare and free treatment through a
national health insurance policy. Provision of free, compulsory education and adult literacy will
also be responsibility of the national government so that ignorance, social unrest and poverty
can be alleviated, he said. Basic food goods and other necessary items should be provided at
half the price, he stressed. Similarly, electricity, gas and water tariffs should also be slashed by
half from the first month of the national government in power, Qadri demanded.
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The latter half of his charter touched on integral issues of discrimination against women,
sectarian violence, terrorism, minorities, and devolution of administrative and political power.
Women need to be given respectable employment so that they could be given socio-economic
security, stability and equality and oppressive, discriminatory laws against women need to be
done away with, he said. Similarly, the income structure needs to be revised so that the gap
between the rich and the poor can be bridged. He emphasised the need for the eradication of
sectarianism and terrorism. Terrorism should neither be imported nor exported. The
Constitution should be amended in a way so that no section of society can declare anyone a
kaafir (non-believer), he added.
The PAT chief also demanded the establishment of peace-training schools, which he explained
would play an integral role in reducing extremism in society and make Pakistan a peaceful,
enlightened and democratic country. Qadri demanded the de-politicisation of state institutions.
He added that he would not allow dichotomy of law for the poor and the rich. The national
government will not allow any corrupt person to be a public officer, he added. Qadris charter
also envisages devolution of power to the grassroots level to ensure speedy solution of
problems. We want a system of devolution in which the issues of the poor are settled by their
union councils, he added. The government has not conducted local bodies elections.
Similarly, as part of devolution the PAT chief called for at least 23 provinces to improve
administration. Separate provinces should be formed for Gilgit-Baltistan, south Punjab and
Hazara.
Qadri said the rights of minorities would be protected. No one will be allowed to raise a hand
on any minority, and if they do, their hands will be chopped off, he said. While the PAT chief
was delivering his speech, the partys volunteers caught hold of an armed man, suspecting he
had bad intentions. However, Qadri asked the crowd not to hurt the man and bring him on the
stage. When the gun-wielding man was brought to the stage, Qadri showed his weapon to the
media before hugging him. I forgive the Gullu Butt of Islamabad, he said, referring to the
infamous vandal who had smashed windows and windscreens of vehicles during the Model
Town tragedy. Qadri also requested shopkeepers in the area to open their shops and sell edibles
to participants of the Inqilab march. They are your brothers and sisters. I guarantee you that no
supporter will damage your businesses, he said. There is no terrorist, thug or criminal in the
Inqilab march.
PML-N Meeting Terms Imrans Demands Illegal

The PML-N termed Imran Khans demands illegal. Meanwhile, the government has finally came
up with its action plan to deal with the situation after back to back deadlines by the PTI and PAT
leaderships at the respective sit-ins in the heart of the capital. The government plans to deal
with the PTI and PAT separately through two separate committees by involving ally and
opposition politicians. Composition of the two committees will be announced by the
government today (). The government also plans to seek political support from allies and
opposition parties through the National Assembly which convenes today after a recess of few
days. Earlier, the government went into closed-door consultations as soon as Prime Minister
Nawaz Sharif reached Islamabad from Lahore. Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, federal
ministers, and prominent PML-N leaders also attended. The government remained in contact
with MQM chief Altaf Hussain and JI chief Sirajul Haq.
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Calming the Storm: Government Forms Committees for Talks with PTI and PAT
Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on signalled the ruling partys eagerness to listen to
all constitutional demands put forth by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami
Tehreek (PAT) by announcing two separate committees to negotiate with them. The federal
government is willing to listen to each and every constitutional demand of PTI and PAT as a
goodwill gesture, we have decided to constitute two separate committees to negotiate with
them, he told a news conference in Islamabad. The minister said the panels, which will
comprise leaders of various parties, will be soon formed and announced. Nisar pointed out that
despite provocations by the PTI and PAT, the government exercised restraint and facilitated the
long marchers. We allowed them to stage their sit-in where they wanted to and provided them
security, Rs. 1 billion have been spent on their security.
Nisar expressed amazement over PTI chief Imran Khans call for civil disobedience. Today, you
are advocating civil disobedience what if tomorrow, when your party is in power, your
opponents launch a civil disobedience campaign against you. Civil disobedience is less to do
with the government. It is more about the state, he said. I request Imran Khan not to make the
nation suffer. Alleging that the long marches were aimed at diverting the nations focus from
the military operation in North Waziristan, Nisar urged the PTI and PAT chiefs to help unite the
nation at this crucial juncture instead of pursuing the path of confrontation and violence. It is
not a question of the governments future, but the future of our state, democracy and
institutions, he said. If a precedent is set this time, a more violent group may try and oust a
government the next time.
High-Level PML-N Meeting
The decision to hold talks with PTI and PAT leaders came after a high-level meeting, held to
chalk out a strategy for resolving the ongoing political crisis. Sources privy to the meeting said
participants discussed a wide range of related issues, including the Azadi and Inqilab rallies, and
the Lahore court order for registering cases against the premier and 21 other key political
figures and officials. During the course of the meeting, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif
offered to resign if it would help resolve the political crisis in the country, PML-N sources told.
However, the possibility of Prime Minister Nawaz quitting office is out of the question for PMLN, they said. The party is willing to discuss all demands put forth by PTI and PAT apart from this
one, one source in the ruling party said. Nisars announcement that the government is willing to
listen to all constitutional demands of the two parties reflects this stance.
According to sources, the interior minister who has been tasked with spearheading the
negotiations with PAT and PTI was given a weeks time to resolve differences with the
protesting parties. He was also directed to refrain from employing heavy-handed measures
against the marchers in the capital. Party insiders said Nisars efforts to bridge the divide have
been endorsed by Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Mutahidda Qaumi
Movement (MQM). Meanwhile, Railways Minister Saad Rafique has been tasked with soliciting
MQMs assistance in order to convince PAT chief Dr Tahirul Qadri to extend his 48-hour
deadline. Reportedly, Rafique has approached MQM chief Altaf Hussain to discuss the issue.
The meeting also discussed the recent Supreme Court ruling which restrains state functionaries
from taking any extra-constitutional steps in the current political scenario. Weighing in on
rigging allegations, sources said that the prime minister would call on political leaders from
Sindh and Balochistan today () to discuss the issue. Regarding the Lahore sessions court ruling,
legal experts gave a briefing to Prime Minister Nawaz and other meeting participants. According
to sources, PML-N leaders found the verdict to be one-sided since no one from the party was
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summoned or issued a notice. On the other hand, PML-N leaders assessed the report of the
judicial commission probing the Model Town incident. Sources said the party leadership
believed the findings of the probe to be inconclusive and misleading, and has decided to solicit
the services of legal experts over in this regard. The premier and Punjab chief minister
proposed that a committee comprising legal experts, the home and law secretaries revisit the
report and propose suggestions, they added.
Imrans Surprising Call for Civil Disobedience

Addressing a charged crowd that was all set to storm the red zone on night, Pakistan Tehreeki-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan surprised everyone by saying that he would give the government
time to comply with his demands. He initially began by saying he would camp out on the streets
of the capital for a week, but then revised his deadline down to two days after that drew jeers
from the crowd. Mr Khan declared once again that he would not settle for less than the
resignation of the prime minister, but then ordered his supporters to launch a civil disobedience
movement against the government. These seemingly irreconcilable demands threw off many,
who were confused whether to treat this as a step forward or a step back. But over at Khayabani-Suharwardy, the much hyped Inqilab of Pakistan Awami Tehreek chief Dr Tahirul Qadri
seemed to have run out of steam, having already issued his own ultimatum to the government.
In an effort to reenergise his supporters, Dr Qadri presented a formula that he promised would
fetch the country over Rs4 trillion, which could be spent on the betterment of the common man.
He also challenged Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to prove him wrong or his grand plan flawed, at
any forum. Stressing that he wanted to avoid violence and clashes between PTI workers and
police, Mr Khan called on all his supporters to stop paying utility bills and taxes, such as income
tax and general sales tax, to what he called this corrupt government. He took pains to build his
argument for the civil disobedience movement. The prime minister has perfected the art of
buying off everything and everyone that comes his way. The PML-N chief has bribed judges,
journalists and even tried the same tactics with military generals, he alleged.
It was difficult to keep up with the PTI chief as he oscillated between two seemingly
irreconcilable positions, passionately invoking violent imagery while espousing peaceful means
to achieve his partys main goal: drumming Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his party out of
office. I personally want to storm this fake parliament and Prime Minister House, hold Nawaz
Sharif by the neck and subject him to ruthless accountability. But we believe in a peaceful
struggle. In the same breath, he had a warning for Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan.
You have a couple of days left to inform your prime minister that its better to leave peacefully,
otherwise, my workers will come your way and there will be nothing I can do to stop them. Mr
Khan also appeared cognizant of consequences of a showdown between party workers and lawenforcers. A conflict could lead to martial law in the country, which we dont want, he said. He
also repeatedly asked Islamabads police not to get in the way and called on the government not
to block entryways into the city, as they would not be able to stop the tsunami.
Grand Plan
The PAT chairman, who gave a 48-hour ultimatum asking for the resignations of Prime
Minister Nawaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and their cabinets said the
new set-up that he had proposed could generate trillions through austerity measures, tax
reforms, revenue generation, elimination of corruption, the exploitation of natural resources in
the country, the better utilisation of international funds, Zakat collection and the recovery of the
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nations looted wealth. Both Dr Qadri and Mr Khan have been making periodic
announcements over the past couple of days to keep their supporters charged. In the same vein,
Dr Qadri reiterated his pledge to not leave Islamabad until the revolution he had dreamt of had
materialised. He said that even though international barometers had declared that corruption
was rife in Pakistan and the growth rate had declined severely, there was still ample potential in
the country.
Saying that he had prepared his plans after two years of research in consultation with his
experts, the PAT chief claimed that by cutting 50 per cent of the federal and provincial
governments expenditure, more than Rs7.65 billion could be saved every day. Quoting a former
National Accountability Bureau chairman, he said that the exchequer lost Rs12bn every day due
to corruption. Even if we can control this menace by 50pc, we can save Rs6bn per day, he said.
Dr Qadri claimed that more than Rs20bn in tax was evaded every day and if the proposed
national government made tax reforms and managed to recover even 25pc of the lost money,
more than Rs500bn could be collected. The country, he said, possessed abundant natural
resources, which could be exploited to generate income. Different donor agencies roughly gave
Rs17bn in grants to Pakistan every year for education, vocational training, health, women
welfare, youth and others, he said. But this money was not spent on the poor, rather it went into
the pockets of the rulers. We will end this culture and utilise this money on the welfare of the
people.
Army Calls for Dialogue to Break Political Impasse

The Pakistan Army called for breaking the prevailing political impasse through meaningful
dialogue in the larger national and public interest. The situation requires patience, wisdom and
sagacity from all stakeholders to resolve prevailing impasse through meaningful dialogue in the
larger national and public interest, said a statement issued by the ISPR. The Pakistan Army has
deployed troops in the federal capitals Red Zone, the statement said. A request had been made
for the armys deployment to the Red Zone for security reasons, it added. Earlier, Interior
Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan announced that a decision had been taken to deploy the army
in the Red Zone. The army will assume security of the Red Zone within the next few hours,
Nisar said, adding that a formal request was made in this regard. Nisar added army troops will
guard key buildings located on the Constitution Avenue. Television footage showed army troops
being deployed at important buildings in the Red Zone, including parliament and Supreme
Court. The decision was taken after the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami
Tehreek (PAT) announced that they would be holding sit-ins in the Red Zone. The ISPR said
buildings in the Red Zone are symbols of the sate and are being protected by the army;
therefore sanctity of these national symbols must be respected.
Red Zone Breached: Dharna outside Parliament House

As Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) marchers reached the
front of Parliament House late night, Imran Khan gave Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif till 8:00pm
to step down from his office. We will march towards the prime minister house if Nawaz Sharif
does not resign by 8:00pm, the PTI chief told his supporters, as the Azadi march prepared to
breach the federal capitals Red Zone and push on towards Parliament House. By midnight, both
PTIs Azadi march and PATs Inqilab march had reached the front of Parliament House without
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any incident. The federal government, despite calling out army troops to provide security for
sensitive installations, did not try to stop the marchers as they forced their way into the Red
Zone. Before venturing there, Imran made his party workers and supporters promise, among
other things, that they would remain peaceful at all costs. He also cautioned his supporters
against entering Constitution Avenue and the Diplomatic Enclave.
PAT chief Dr Qadri, meanwhile, advised his supporters to brace themselves ahead of the march.
Keep important people in the middle as you move peacefully no one is allowed to approach
any embassy or the Supreme Court, he said, setting clear limits for his activists. Both the Azadi
and Inqilab marches entered the Red Zone from Ataturk Road rather than the Constitution
Avenue, the route adopted to minimise the risk of breaching the Diplomatic Enclave in case
things spiralled out of control. Qadri reiterated that he was not coercing anyone to go to the Red
Zone and it was up to the people to breach the secured, cordoned-off area or to go home. Do
you want to go and protest in front of Parliament House? he asked. The crowd roared, Yes! in
response If we dont avenge the blood of our martyred workers, would you like to return? he
asked. This time his supporters yelled, No!
The PTI chief similarly asked his supporters if they are ready to march into the Red Zone, which
also prompted a loud yes from the crowd. But as he reiterated his call for non-violence, he
warned supporters that the government has punctuated the route to Red Zone with Gullu
Butts. Nawaz Sharif, if there is any violence, I will not spare you. If you try and hide in London,
I will find you there and you will have no place to hide, he said, reminding the crowd to avenge
him if anything happened to him. He also urged the police not to accept orders from a corrupt
prime minister. Imran criticised PM Nawaz for cordoning off the Red Zone, claiming that as
Pakistanis, they have every right to go there. We will turn the Red Zone into the Green Zone.
He says the idea to deploy police to stop his supporters is futile since they cannot be stopped.
Do you think that we will go there and come back? The longer you [Nawaz] stay, the more
difficult we will make your life. Imran also said his supporters and workers will not pay taxes
until the prime minister resigns. The government has decided to shut down cellular services in
the area. Emergency was imposed in Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) and
polyclinic hospital.
I Have Burnt All Bridges
In an exclusive interview, PTI chairman Imran Khan said he has burnt all his bridges and would
not turn back from his demands. Terming the parliament illegitimate, Imran said he would
stage a peaceful protest in front of Parliament House. I do not want people and the police to
clash, which is why I will lead the march into the Red Zone myself. Responding to a question
about whether the PTI chief would accept the resignation of only Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz
Sharif, he echoed his constant demand that both Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz
would have to step down. Calling Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Khursheed
Shah Nawazs private secretary, Imran said Shah is not playing the role of an opposition leader.
Long Marches: Opposition Leaders Take a Back Seat on Mediation

After failing to bring Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman Imran Khan and Pakistan Awami
Tehreek leader Dr Tahirul Qadri to the negotiating table, opposition leaders have distanced
themselves from the showdown. Instead of attending the National Assembly session, leaders of
parliamentary parties gathered in the chamber of the Leader of the Opposition Khursheed Shah.
The opposition leader reportedly told the meeting that even though he had served as a
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guarantor for PTIs and PATs marches, the PTI leadership ridicules him. We are not with the
government nor are we going to suggest anything but during meeting we vowed to protect the
Constitution, democracy and parliament, said Shah. All participants of the meeting expressed
concerns over the conduct of the PTI and PAT chiefs. They decided to convey to the government
that they will no longer serve as guarantors for both parties. Shah said he tried to meet Imran
and Qadri until 3am but was unable to.
The parliamentary leaders also decided to not interfere in the governments attempts to tackle
the two long marches in the capital. Opposition parties will not urge the PTI and PAT to enter
into negotiations, but will remain available for any mediation. Participants at the meeting
included Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party chief Mehmood Khan Achakzai, former interior
minister and Qaumi Watan Party chief Aftab Ahmad Sherpao, Jamaat-e-Islamis Liaquat Baloch,
JIU-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Hasil Khan Bizenjo and Awami National Party senior leader
Ghulam Ahmed Bilour. The second tier leaders of all these parties discussed the current political
situation during National Assembly session. One PTI MNA reportedly attended assembly
session, but left the session without saying a word. It is unclear whether he was sent to the
session by party leadership or attended of his own accord.
Addressing the media, Shah said all political parties are united for democracy. All opposition
parties support dialogue with Imran Khan and Dr Qadri, he said. Clarifying that the government
let the two parties hold their protests in Islamabad on the guarantee given by the PTI and PAT
chiefs to Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar that they will not cross into the Red Zone, Shah said
that if the PTI enters the Red Zone, it will be a regrettable act. While Defence Minister Khawaja
Asif said Imran had promised not to enter the Red Zone, Shah backed his claim, saying he had
served as guarantor for this agreement. The government, a day earlier had formed two fivemember committees to negotiate with PTI and PAT. However, things turned when both Imran
Khan and Tahirul Qadri refused to hold talks with the committee. An addition government
committee was formed to assist the opposition leaders committee including Minister for
Housing and Works Akram Khan Durrani, Minister for Planning, Development and Reform
Ahsan Iqbal, Minister for Railways Saad Rafique, Adviser to the Prime Minister Irfan Siddiqui
and Minister for States and Frontier Regions Lt Gen Qadir Baloch.
Ex-Military Men Back Call For Dissolution of Assemblies

The Pakistan Ex-Servicemen Association, headed by Retired Vice Admiral Ahmed Tasnim,
jumped into the fray by supporting the call for dissolution of assemblies, formation of a
caretaker government, introduction of electoral reforms and appointment of an independent
election commission to hold fresh elections. The associations executive council held a meeting
in Rawalpindi to discuss current crises-like political situation prevailing in the country. The
participants said political leaders had failed to rise above party affiliations at the cost of
countrys interests, says a press release issued by the association. Also read: Islamabad march:
Imran threatens to storm PM House unless Nawaz steps down
According to it, the government and parliament have failed to perform their institutional
functions and fulfil their responsibilities to address serious issues being raised through public
protests. The ex-servicemen, who call themselves former military strategists expressed
concern at the failure of the government to implement orders of the additional session judge of
Lahore to register the FIR of the Model Town killings, and termed it an instance of contempt of
court and breach of fundamental rights of people enshrined in the constitution. They urged the
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Punjab government to immediately issue directives for implementation of the court orders and
said the accused could claim innocence at the trial.
They said enough doubts had been raised regarding the fairness of last years general elections.
The continuing process of disqualifications of elected members, including some ministers, is a
testimony to those doubts. They advised the federal government to take initiative and resolve
the crisis through political and constitutional means while avoiding use of force. The association
also offered its services to act as facilitator to defuse the political crisis. The meeting was
attended by retired Admiral Fasih Bokhari, Lt Gen (retd) Naeem Akbar, Air Marshal (retd)
Masood Akhtar, Brig (retd) Mohammad, Brig (retd) Mian Mahmud, Brig (retd) Masud ul Hassan,
Brig (retd) Simon Sharaf and Major (retd) Farouk Hamid Khan.
Army Chief Meets PM, Discusses Emerging Situation

As the PTI and PAT protests in Islamabad entered into the fifth day, the army put its troops on
high alert soon after a two-and-a-half hour meeting between Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz
Sharif and Army chief General Raheel Sharif. According to sources, other military leaders were
also present along with the COAS Gen Raheel Sharif during the meeting with Prime Minister
Nawaz Sharif.The sources said the military leadership advised the prime minister to resolve the
issue politically and avoid the use of force against the protesters. The prime minister has
directed the authorities not to use force against the marchers as they include women and
children.The Operation Zarb-e-Azb and the border security situation also came under
discussion. A military source put the number of troops stationed in the capital at about 350.
However, the city administration told reporters that over 500 soldiers had been deployed.The
prime minister, before meeting the army chief, also met Interior Minister Nisar Ali Khan and
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif.
Will PTI Mnas Return Rs. 70m Taken As Fake NA Members?

Thirty-four MNAs of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have received 69.211 million since June
01, 2013 under the head of their salaries and other benefits from that assembly which is being
declared fake by the PTI chief Imran Khan. According to available record of 14 months, the PTI
MNAs including Hamidul Haq Khalil has received Rs2.221 million, Sajid Nawaz Rs2.071 million,
Gulzar Khan Rs2.06 million, Imran Khattak Rs1.4 million, Siraj Muhammad Khan Rs2.181
million, Ali Muhammad Jan Rs23,200, Majid Ali Rs1.96 million, Aqibullah 1.55 million, Shahriyar
Afradi Rs1.97 million, Nasir Khan Khattak Rs1.8 million, Khayal Zaman Rs1.68 million, Azhar
Khan Jadoon Rs1.8 million, Dilavar Khan Khundi Rs1.5 million, Amirullah Marwat Rs1.36
million, Murad Saeed Rs1.86 million, Saleem Rehman Rs2.1 million, Junaid Akbar Rs2.4 million,
Qasir Jamal Rs2 million, Asad Umar Rs1.57 million, Ghulam Sarwar Rs1.4 million.
Similarly, Imran Khan has received Rs1.1 million, Amjad Ali Khan Rs0.7 million, Shafqat
Mehmood Rs2 million, Javed Hashmi Rs2.5 million, Shah Mehmood Qureshi Rs2.5 million, Rai
Hassan Nawaz Rs1.9 million. Arif Alvi remained on the top as he has received Rs3.4 million,
Sheerin Mazari Rs2 million, Muniza Hassan Rs1.9 million, Nafisa Anayatullah Khattak Rs2
million, Mussarat Ahmed Zaib Rs2.1 million, Sajida Begam Rs2.1 million, Ayesha Gulalai Rs1.8
million and Lal Chander Rs3.4 million. The PTI MNAs received all this money in the head of
salaries from the parliament, which is declared fake by its leader Imran Khan. This money was
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generated from the taxes paid by the general public. After getting their salaries and other
benefits, Imran Khan has asked the people for civil disobedience and not to pay utility bills and
other taxes. Now the question is whether Imran Khan and his partys MNAs will return this
money which they have got from the parliament, which is fake, according to Imran Khan, or not?
Sit-Ins Continue: Negotiations Begin To Break the Logjam

The ice broke as a government negotiating team engaged senior leaders of the Pakistan
Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in an exploratory round of talks where the PTI team put forward six
demands of their party which were spelled out by Imran Khan earlier in the day. The
government negotiating team, comprising Punjab Governor Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar,
Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, SAFRON Minister Lt Gen (retd) Abdul Qadir Baloch,
Planning and Development Minister Ahsan Iqbal and PML-Zia chief Ijazul Haq met with a fivemember team of the PTI at a local hotel. PTI stalwarts Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Makhdoom
Javed Hashmi, Dr Arif Alvi, Asad Umar and Jahangir Tareen represented their party at the talks
which continued past midnight.
Appearing before the media after the talks, Qureshi said that they have informed the
government team about the six demands of their party. The government will get back to us
today [], he added. He said that the resignation of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif figured on top
of the list of their demands. On his part, Ahsan Iqbal said that the government side was hopeful
about a positive outcome of the talks. We have started negotiations and would soon find a
solution. I am sure it will be a win-win solution for all, he told the media. The Punjab governor
also sounded optimism, saying that both sides would work out a solution which is in the larger
interest of the nation. Earlier in the day, Jamaat-e-Islami chief Sirajul Haq said a breakthrough
was expected in next 48 hours.
Hours before the talks began, PTI chairman Imran Khan reiterated that he was ready to engage
in talks with the government only after Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif resigned. In his first
address to marchers in front of the Parliament House after their entry into the Red Zone, Imran
said he was ready for talks but was not going to accept anything less than the prime ministers
resignation. This was the first of his six demands announced. The PTI chief said D-Chowk had
become Azadi Square like Tahrir Square, adding, We will sit in Azadi Square until Nawaz Sharif
resigns. Justifying his demand for the resignation, Imran quoted Interior Minister Nisars
speech in the National Assembly in which he had said that 60,000 to 70,000 votes in every
constituency could not be verified. This led to his second demand of holding a re-election.
Nawaz Sharif has stolen the peoples mandate. How can there be any inquiry under his rule, he
questioned.
Addressing the government, he said if they think Imran would go back without getting the
resignation, then they are mistaken. I will sleep in this container for a year if needed, he added.
The PTI chief did not spare Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed
Shah saying, Dont become the personal secretary of Nawaz Sharif. His third demand was the
introduction of electoral reforms. The entire country pointed out that there had been rigging in
the general elections and so the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has failed to perform its
constitutional role, he said. If you have failed to hold free and fair elections, then resign.
Explaining his fourth demand, he said his party wanted a neutral caretaker government, which
should not be like the previous one. The caretaker government should be installed after
consultation with all political parties, he added. He then demanded a new election commission
be formed as well.
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All those who played their role in the rigging of the 2013 general elections should be tried
under Article 6 of the Constitution, he said, while announcing his final demand. Those people
should also be questioned about others who were involved in the rigging. Talking about the
electoral systems, he referred to India and said the neighbouring country had fair elections,
meanwhile, on this side of the border, the winners and the losers agree that rigging took place.
Once all these steps are taken, then elections should be held after which Naya Pakistan would
emerge, said Imran. The PTI chief said that Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif was
responsible for killing innocent people in Lahore. I can give you in writing that Shahbaz Sharif
would not go behind bars unless they [Nawaz and Shahbaz] are in power. In his speech, the PTI
chairman also mentioned the attack on Shah Mehmood Qureshis house in Multan and said the
government was behind that.
Earlier in the day, Shah Mehmood Qureshi had announced that PTI had agreed to negotiate with
the government. We want to strengthen democracy and not derail it, he reiterated. Speaking
exclusively the PTI chief said there is no other option left. They have rigged the election, which
the government has admitted also. The polls were fake, the ink they used was unverifiable, and
if elections are held again, they will do this again. Referring to the prime minister, he said,
When he buys the election commission, buys the judiciary, buys the caretaker government,
how can you expect anything? He alleged that bogus ballot papers were used in 89
constituencies in Punjab. About Qadris demands for the dissolution of the government and the
registration of an FIR against the Sharif brothers, he said the demands are legitimate and
justified. The whole country saw the eight-hour carnage at Model Town.
MNAs Give Rousing Welcome to Nawaz

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif entered the National Assembly session to the sound of members of
the opposition and treasury benches thumping their desks in a show of support. The premier
received the support of MNAs from all parties, who urged him not to resign in order to meet the
demands of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and Pakistan Awami Tehreek protesters. During the
session, PAT supporters surrounded the parliament building on the orders of party leader Dr
Tahirul Qadri. An estimated 200 MNAs were present in the session. The lawmakers called upon
the prime minister to publicly announce that he would not resign. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif
should not resign at any cost, said Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party chief Mahmood Khan
Ackakzai, who added that the assembly session should not be moved to any other location due
to the sit-ins outside the Parliament House. We will not allow anyone to move the session to
another place and will hold it here even if we are murdered, he said. If Dr Qadris so-called
Peoples Parliament has the support of hundreds of thousands, the parliament has the support
of millions in this country, he added.
We are standing by the prime minister and no one will dare to destabilise the democratic
system, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rahman said. All political parties will stand against all those
who want to grab power by bypassing parliament, he added. The JUI-F chief questioned unseen
forces backing Qadri and threatened to disrupt any system set up if Qadri succeeded in toppling
the government. If we go for sit-ins then Qadri and Imran will forget about their small sit-ins,
he added. The objective of the Azadi march should not be to disgrace parliament and the
Constitution, but parliament should be the priority for all democratic forces, said Pakistan
Peoples Party MNA Shazia Marri. She took the opportunity to remind the ruling party that if it
hadnt set a precedent when Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif had called for then-president
Asif Ali Zardaris to resign in 2011, it is likely that the chief minister of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
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would not be calling for the prime ministers resignation today. Give us a concrete reason why
the prime minister should resign, added PPP MNA Ijaz Jakhrani.
Meanwhile, MQM Rasheed Godil called for the PTI to resign from the assemblies as the party
had announced earlier in the week. PML-N MNAs shuttled from one corner of the assembly to
another as they spoke with almost all members of the House. The speeches of some PML-N
members were also cut short in order for the MNAs to confer with other parliamentary groups.
Imran Khan is not the kind of person to understand the language of reconciliation, said PML-N
MNA Obaidullah Shadi Khel, who lost the NA-71 seat to Imran Khan in the May 2013 elections
and subsequently won it in the by-elections. The assembly chair called for some of Shadi Khels
words to be expunged for the record, saying, It does not suit you to behave like Imran Khan.
Prime minister will address the Parliament today. Sources have revealed that Nawaz will take
the House into confidence over the prevailing situation.
Protest Woes: PAT Workers Block Entry to Parliament

The workers of Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) literally blocked the entry and exit gates to
Parliament House after the PAT chief Dr Tahirul Qadri ordered them to block entry to the
building. Stage a sit-in and block all the roads leading to the Parliament, so that nobody can get
in or out, said Dr Qadri in a speech, delivered in the morning. After the speech, hundreds of PAT
workers gathered around the Parliament in the afternoon and chanted slogans against the
parliamentarians, who were leaving the building after the session was adjourned. The PAT
members shouted anti-government slogans. Many of them also started stopping vehicles and
inquiring about the persons inside. They also started to block entry-exit points to Cabinet
Secretariat and Pak Secretariat.
Soon the gate was banged shut and security officials were deployed in and outside the
Parliament. Hundreds of female PAT workers also spread mats on the road and blocked it. In the
meanwhile, the administration opted for the alternative route and directed the
parliamentarians to use the Presidencys exit gate to avoid any untoward scenario. Meanwhile,
hundreds of protesters also reached the Cabinet Divisions main gate next to President House
and blocked it. Here army took positions and locked the gate. Sagheer Ahmed has come with Dr
Qadri from Lahore and is committed to change the system. He was chanting slogans against the
government and the prime minister. Only common [people] can break the status quo, he
remarked.
Around 4pm PAT workers reached the Pak Secretariat and started checking the vehicles. The
building has government offices and several ministries including Ministry of Interior and
Ministry of Finance. The army also cordoned off the main entrance of the Pak Secretariat after
all the staff left. Later containers were put on the entry point and PAT workers were pushed
back. Late in the evening all the entry points to the Constitution Avenue were again blocked
with the containers that were removed by protesters. Only people on foot were allowed to enter
the marching area. Later, despite an appeal by Dr Qadri the workers did not move from the
entry points of the several gates around Parliament House. An official of the Ministry of Housing
and Works told that more than half of the workers in their building and other offices were
absent as they could not reach due to several barricades and obstructions.
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Army Advises Parties to Hold Talks, Refuses To Mediate

The army has refused to mediate between the government and the protesting parties to defuse
the political crisis and has instead asked both sides to work for a settlement on their own.
Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali met Army chief
Gen Raheel Sharif for the fourth time in eight days. They were told to directly engage the
Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) in a meaningful
dialogue and find out an urgent solution. Gen Sharif asked the government to demonstrate
seriousness in opening talks with the protesters. A source privy to the discussions between
the government and the army chief said the civilian leadership, besides seeking help for
security, had been asking for assistance in negotiating a settlement. The PML-N had in the past
been a staunch opponent of military involvement in political issues. The source said that the
message delivered to the government in the meetings was that the army had no intention of
intervening in the political conflict.
Gen Sharif sees it as a political issue which needs to be expeditiously addressed in a political
way, he said. The best the government could get from the military through the contacts was a
statement that both sides should break prevailing impasse through meaningful dialogue in
larger national and public interest. The feeling emerging out of the GHQ to some extent helped
in dispelling an impression created by the government that the armed forces had sided with it in
the dispute. It is said to have compelled both sides to at least begin direct parleys, though they
stuck to their guns in the preliminary rounds they had. PTI chief Imran Khan, who announced
his partys decision to start negotiations with the government, said in a television interview that
the army wanted them to negotiate, but it does not mean that Ill strike an under-hand deal.
But the armys insistence on an urgent settlement would put additional pressure on the
government. At the same time, the militarys description of Red Zone buildings as symbols of
the state which are being protected by the army has set the red line for the protesters.
SC Refuses To Intervene In PTI, PAT Standoff with Government

The Supreme Court of Pakistan refrained from any observation about the PTI and PAT sit-in at
the Constitution Avenue, and remarked that court has no concern with the political matters.
It is an administrative issue so the government stands responsible to resolve it, the apex court
observed. The larger bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice
Nasirul Mulk heard the petitions filed by Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) and other bar
councils. During the hearing senior advocate Hamid Khan appeared on the behalf of Pakistan
Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan and pleaded before the court that the PTI had
never supported any unconstitutional act. He requested the top court to grant more time to
submit a written reply. Hamid Khan assured the court that the PTI was a peaceful political party
and it would remain in the ambit of constitution and ensure the supremacy of law. No one from
the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) appeared before the top court.
CJP Nasirul Mulk expressed his anger over this and directed re-issuance of summons to the PAT
leadership. Attorney General of Pakistan Salman Aslam Butt requested the court to issue an
order or at least an observation regarding the sit-ins of PAT in front of parliament which, he
said, have led to a siege of the federal capital. However, Justice Nasirul Mulk remarked, No
order would be issued on the current situation. Meanwhile, Justice Asif Saeed Khosa said: Both
parties should respect the fundamental rights of the people. The parties claiming their struggle
for the access of justice apparently have blocked the ways leading to the apex court. In his
remarks, Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali said the protesting parties and the government should
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avoid humiliating each other and restrain from using derogatory words. Justice Saqib Nisar
remarked that protest was a constitutional right of the citizens but others had the right to move
freely.
Deadlock Deepens As Imran Calls Off Talks

Only a day after the start of talks between the government and the protesting Pakistan Tehreeki-Insaf (PTI), the latter announced to suspend the dialogue saying the government was placing
shipping containers in the way of its workers and had started a crackdown against them. On the
7th day of the sit-in, PTI chief Imran Khan said that the next couple of days were crucial as the
destiny of the nation would be decided. Khan, while addressing his supporters, lashed out at the
US for issuing a statement in support of the Nawaz government and asked the US State
Department to withdraw it. Refrain from interfering in Pakistans internal affairs, he asked the
US. The talks with the government are over. How can these talks proceed when we first want
resignation of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif? Khan said. I want to tell you, Nawaz Sharif, that I
will not leave this place until you step down... As long as I am alive I will not leave this place and
stay here even for a year. He charged his supporters by saying that the finger of empire will be
raised.
The local administration of Islamabad had again started sealing off the Red Zone by placing
more shipping containers, some of which were placed at the Constitution Avenue in front of
Pakistan Television (PTV) building. Similarly, containers were also placed on the entrances of
the capital causing inconvenience to the residents of the twin cities. Imran urged his supporters
to remove the containers from the Red Zone, saying he will stay in the Red Zone as long as he is
alive. It is our democratic right to protest... we are not breaking any laws. I request the
Supreme Court to have these containers removed so that life can return to normal, said Khan,
addressing his supporters camped outside the parliament. A visibly charged Khan called on his
supporters to expand the civil disobedience movement into all the provinces. He asked his
supporters from all provinces to converge in Islamabad as he vowed to fight until the last ball.
Nawaz should resign because the man who orchestrated the biggest electoral robbery in this
country cannot deliver justice... Pakistanis, today is your test... listens to your conscience and not
to the coward man who is sitting in the prime minister house, he said.
Khan alleged that Islamabad IG was removed because he refused to give orders of batoncharging protesters. The angry Khan also threatened the interior secretary and newly appointed
Islamabad IG, warning that they would not be spared if any of the supporters of the PTI was
harmed. In my passion, I may punch you, Imran said. Today we will decide if Nawaz Sharif
can hide behind police and the US or not, he added. We will not spare you Nawaz, we will
retrieve all the wealth you have looted, the PTI leader roared to thousands of protesters.
Criticising the US State Departments statement that it supports Nawaz Sharif as an elected
prime minister, Khan asked US Ambassador to Pakistan, Richard Olson, I find you a reasonable
person, please convey my message to the State Department, it has no right to interfere in the
internal politics of Pakistan... Please dont take sides and dont back Nawaz Sharif.
The PTI chief said, If you want Pakistan a friendly country, please remember, Imran Khan will
not become a stooge like Nawaz Sharif, we dont need dictation from the US. He questioned the
US ambassador, If a representative of Congress would say that 60 to 70 thousand votes in each
constituency were unverifiable, will you accept this election? If we are children of a lesser god...
do we need no objection certificate from the US to bring democracy here? He said that he knew
better Western democracy than Nawaz does, and called him a US stooge. Imran Khan promised
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to his supporters he would bring back looted money amounting Rs200 billion dollars, and
alleged that Nawaz Sharif had taken Rs. 1,000 billion as commission during his present oneyear stint in power. He again alleged Leader of the Opposition in NA Syed Khurshid Shah for
siding with the government and also accused head of Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PKAMP)
Mahmood Khan Achakzai and JUI-F chief Fazlur Rehman for taking benefits from the present
government. He said that PPP leader Qamar Zaman Kaira was a fair politician and PTI was ready
to talk with him.
Earlier in the day, PTI Vice-Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Secretary General Jehangir
Tareen in a hurriedly-called press conference told reporters that the PTI was suspending talks
with the government as the movement of their workers into the Red Zone was being restricted
by placing containers and a crackdown had been launched against them. Qureshi said Punjab
Governor Chaudhry Sarwar had been informed about the suspension of talks. As a result of this
decision, the PTI team also did not reach the venue of talks at a local hotel at 2pm where they
had to come to negotiate with the government. Qureshi said the PTI had decided to suspend
negotiations until the government would stop crackdown against party workers and remove
barricades. He made it clear that the PTI was not negotiating with the government on any ones
dictation. Khan insists the May 2013 general elections, won in a landslide by Sharifs PML-N,
were rigged, despite independent international observers judging it as free and credible. The
former cricket star has demanded Sharif resign and call new elections. He repeated his
insistence the PM must quit before talks.
The Nation August 22, 2014
Dialogue between Government and Marchers Resumes

The federal government on persuaded Imran Khan led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf to resume the
stalled talks amidst reports that the countrys powerful military had lately advised both sides to
work for an early resolution of the current political impasse prompted by PTI and PAT sit-ins at
the Constitution Avenue. Though the PTI and government side did not admit any pressure or
tacit advice from the military side to kick-start the stalled talks, but informed circles in the
capital said countrys military establishment was compelled to use its influence at the back end
as the whole scenario at hand was paralysing the government functioning, and at the same time
giving disturbing signals to the world community. There was, however, no headway in talks as
the PTI-government ended and both exchanged proposals and counter-proposals while sticking
to their respective positions, it was learnt. We have told them our concerns and suggestions
about their (government) proposalsand will meet them again, PTI leader Shah Mahmood
Qureshi told media briefly as he came out of the local hotel board room where the parleys were
taking place till wee hours on .
We are trying to find a middle ground and the talks will resume today on , government
committee member Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal told media. The PTI side was represented by
Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Javed Hashmi, Jahangir Tareen, KP Chief Minister Pervaiz Khattak, Arif
Alvi, Asad Umar. The PML-N side was led by Punjab Governor Mohammad Sarwar, and
comprised federal ministers Ahsan Iqbal, Pervaiz Rashid, Lt Gen (r) Abdul Qadri Baloch and
Zahid Hamid. Sources said the PTI leadership wants Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to proceed on
leave, with a pre-condition to resume his office as soon as the proposed Supreme Court
Commission comes up with its findings on the 2013 elections fraud allegations. In case the
commission finds irregularities in the specimen constituencies agreed in prior between the
ruling PML-N and PTI, the government would have to hold fresh elections next year through a
neutral caretaker set-up, the PTI proposal says.
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The PML-N side was not ready to concede on PMs resignation or proceeding on leave idea, and
was instead asking the PTI to negotiate on rest of the agenda items, including elections audit,
recounting, reduction of the governments tenure from five to four years, as well as mutually
agreed mid terms elections date. Though nothing is concrete, but everything is on the table, a
federal minister confided on anonymity. The government is also working on a proposal to offer
resignation of Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif or a long leave for the provincial chief
executive till PATs demanded inquiry into the Model Town killings of its workers is completed,
it was learnt. As they reached a local hotel to resume the stalled dialogue process with the
government, the PTI team leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi said the party had not changed its top
most demand of resignation of the prime minister that was part of its six demands presented to
the government.
He claimed that PPPs leader of opposition in the National Assembly Khurshid Shah was also
supportive of their six demands, but with a changed order of lowering PMs resignation demand.
Our demand that the PM should resign, still remains the top agenda item, party President
Javed Hashmi told media as he went in for talks. The PML-N side however saw a ray of hope to
woo the PTI side on heels of a statement by PTI leader Naeemul Haq who is a close aide of PTI
chief Imran Khan. There is a provision in the constitution that the prime minister can go on
leave. And he can do so till the elections fraud allegations are completed, Naeemul Haq told
media in the evening. Both the March leaders, meanwhile, continued to deliver fiery speeches to
their respective crowds through mid night hours amidst intermittent monsoon rain at the
venue. The protesters led by the PAT and PTI remain well entrenched in the heart of capital
through their separate sit-ins even on eighth straight day, and for a consecutive sixth day on the
Constitution Avenue nerve centre of the Pakistan government machinery.
PTI & PAT Fail to Draw Public Support Even After Lapse of One Week
The sit-ins by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) have failed
to win support of public despite lapse of more than a week. People from different walks of life,
including lawyers, traders, doctors, teachers, students and daily wagers; have rejected the rigid
stance shown by the leadership of both groups. On the other hand, the participants of the sit-ins
are waiting for resolution of the crisis so that they can return home safe and sound. Talking to
the residents of Rawalpindi and Islamabad said that besides parliamentarians, public has also
rejected Imran Khans negative politics. They said that Imran Khan would not be able to achieve
his agenda.
The support, which Imran Khan is able to draw, comprises young people and families who
want some enjoyment after finishing their days work. They only come in the evening for the
concert, which the PTI leadership arranges for them daily. It should not be considered as overall
support from the country because as per PTI claims they bagged over seven million votes but
could not muster even 100,000 people on any day. The security agencies and interior ministry
as well as police have given figures of PTI supporters ranging from 15,000 to 30,000 on
different days. So how could Imran Khan claim that he is the leader of 180 million people and
can play with future of Pakistani nation by virtually paralysing the whole nation, said a
disgruntled shopkeeper, Idrees Abbasi.
Rawalpindi Bar Association (RBA) General Secretary Junaid Akhtar Khokhar condemned
dharnas of Imran Khan and Dr. Tahirul Qadri, which have paralysed life in the federal capital
for seven days. He said that lawyers want rule of law and true democracy in the country. We
cannot support any act in the country, which is illegal and unconstitutional, he said. He said
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that legal fraternity across the country has rejected dharnas of Imran and Qadri in Islamabad
and insisted on adoption of legal and constitutional ways for acceptance of their demands. All
Pakistan Traders Association Chairman Shaikh Muhammad Siddique said that people would
have to choose between Imran Khans way and the way to prosperity and progress led by Prime
Minister Nawaz Sharif. He said that the PTI wants to promote anarchy in the country. The
business in Rawalpindi and Islamabad had dwindled due to sit-ins of Imran and Qadri for seven
days. We have suffered losses to the tune of billions of rupees. Who is going to compensate for
our losses? he asked.
Saeed Ahmed Qureshi, a teacher, said that by calling a long march on August 14, the PTI has left
a negative impact on the minds of people as PTI Chief Imran Khan used rough language during
his speeches. The personality of Imran Khan has suffered irreparable damage due to his
baseless allegations and rude language during his speeches. He is doing it only to appease his
supporters standing in front of him, he denounced. Noor Fatima, a government employee, said
that Imran and Qadri should consider the difficulties of public for last seven days. They should
consider the problems faced by public, which they brought with them. How the prime minister
could resign on pressure of only 15,000 to 20,000 people. He has mandate of 180 million people
of Pakistan, she said.
Meanwhile, at the PAT camp, the participants of sit-ins complained about lack of facilities in
front of the Parliament House. Absence of drinking water, shortage of food, scorching heat,
unbearable humidity and absence of fans has increased our miseries, they said. The difference
between PTI and PAT camps is that the majority of supporters of PTI are not present in the sitin at daytime, but PAT supporters, including men, women and children, stay round the clock in
the camp, no matter how harsh the weather is. But they are paying the price of the
perseverance, said Shakeel Ahmad, a shopkeeper.
IBA Adopts Resolution to Protect Constitution

The Islamabad Bar Association on unanimously adopted a resolution to protect the democracy
and constitution besides resisting any ultra-constitutional step to derail the democracy.The
resolution was presented by the founding president of the IBA Muhammad Ashraf Gujjar before
the general body meeting of the Association that was adopted unanimously.Addressing the
gathering, Ashraf Gujjar said likewise the lawyers from across the country, those from
Islamabad would also never let succeed in any nefarious design to abrogate the constitution and
derail democracy.He said Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan raised allegations of polls
rigging and himself gave a judgment to prove these without pursuing the petitions filed by PTIs
candidates before the election tribunals.He alleged that by demanding a technocrats
government and announcing civil disobedience move, Imran Khan was trying to create anarchy
and instability in the country to execute the agenda of some anti-state elements.Ashraf Gujjar
also asked Dr Tahirul Qadri to experiment his idea of peoples parliament in Canada instead of a
poor and developing country like Pakistan.Naseer Kiani Advocate said IBA had already filed a
petition in the Supreme Court of Pakistan against any ultra constitutional step.He said the legal
fraternity would allow no one to violate the constitution and wrap up the democratic system of
the country.
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All PTI Demands except PMs Resignation Accepted: Sarwar

Punjab Governor Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar said that the negotiation teams of the
government and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had agreed on all the points except one and
the dialogue process ended in a deadlock because the government did not accept the PTI
demand for Prime Minister Nawaz Sharifs resignation for one month. He said this while talking
to newsmen after the third round of talks between the government and PTI teams. Chaudhry
Sarwar said that the prime ministers resignation was tantamount to giving a punishment
without proof. He said that the government and the PTI negotiating teams had reported
progress in the third round of their dialogue except for one sticking point relating to the
resignation of the prime minister. He said that the government agreed on all the other demands
of the PTI, including electoral reforms through parliament, and a probe into alleged rigging in
the elections through a judicial commission.
The PTI negotiating team accepted the governments offer for the formation of the judicial
commission to probe the alleged rigging in the 2013 general elections. However, a condition
that the prime minister should resign till the judicial commission completed its findings proved
to be a stumbling block leading to a deadlock. The meeting lasted for one hour and 40 minutes.
The government team comprised Punjab Governor Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar, federal
ministers Pervaiz Rashid, Ahsan Iqbal, Zahid Hamid and Lt General (retd) Abdul Qadir Baloch
while the PTI team included Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Javed Hashmi, Khyber-Pukhtunkhwa (KP)
Chief Minister Pervaiz Khattak, Jehangir Tareen, Dr Arif Alvi and Asad Umar.
However, the government negotiating team rejected the PTIs proposal, saying that the demand
for the PMs resignation for 30 days during which the judicial commission would complete its
investigation was not acceptable as it was a universal law that one is innocent until proved
guilty. Talking to newsmen after the meeting, Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan
Iqbal said that the insistence on the resignation of the prime minister smacked of a minus one
conspiracy and the PML-N could not accept this formula. He was of the opinion that the demand
for the resignation of the prime minister when his entire cabinet and the government would
remain intact was not understandable. The government cannot and will not discuss anything
devoid of logic and the PTIs first two demands fall in that category for they are based on a myth
that the PML-N defeated the PTI in the polls by unfair means, said Ahsan Iqbal.
This shows that the removal of the prime minister has become a question of ego for the PTI
leadership, he said. Ahsan Iqbal asked how the prime minister could resign when he was
elected by an overwhelming majority of the National Assembly and only recently all the political
parties adopted a unanimous resolution urging him not to resign under pressure. He said the
Senate of Pakistan where the PML-N was in a minority also passed a resolution opposing the
resignation of the prime minister and the dissolution of the assemblies. Ahsan Iqbal said the two
sides agreed that the judicial commission consisting of three judges of the Supreme Court
should investigate the allegations of rigging. He said the government offered that all those
institutions and organisations that could help the commission in carrying out its inquiry could
be placed under the supervision of the commission so as to ensure transparency in the
investigation process.
Ahsan Iqbal said the government also offered that a sub-committee of experts should assist the
parliamentary committee on electoral reforms so that its recommendations would be
comprehensive enough to ensure full transparency of future elections. Ahsan Iqbal said he made
an appeal to the PTI to move forward the dialogue process and put ego behind, Why are the
180 million people being punished, he asked. Earlier, Shah Mahmood Qureshi told newsmen
that the PTI team accepted the proposal for the constitution of the judicial commission to probe
allegations of rigging. He said the PM should step down for one month during which the judicial
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commission might complete its probe. And then if the commission declares the elections
transparent, the same PM would be acceptable to the PTI, he added. He said they gave
proposals encompassing the terms of reference of the commission to ensure the transparency of
its inquiry.
The PTI leader said that an electoral reforms committee had already been formed but another
committee of experts should also be set up. Legislation could be introduced in parliament after
the recommendations of both the committees, he added. Shah Mehmood Qureshi dispelled the
impression about the PTIs demand for the dissolution of the assemblies, saying that the PTI did
not demand the dissolution of the assemblies, the formation of a national government and is
also opposed to the military intervention. He further said that the ball was now in the
governments court and that the PTI had now presented a reasonable package to the
government. The PTI vice chairman said that the FIR of the Model Town tragedy must be
registered as per the orders of the sessions court judge.
Talks Falter as PM Asked To Step Aside For 30 Days

Talks between the government and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) collapsed again on following
Imran Khans demand that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif go on leave for 30-days while a
Supreme Court-led judicial commission investigates claims of rigging in the May 2013 elections.
We came with a reasonable proposal. The ball is in the governments court now, the partys
vice president Shah Mehmood Qureshi said following the third round of negotiations. It is up to
the government to decide whether or not they want to engage in talks. Although the
government again insisted that there was no justification for asking Prime Minister Nawaz to
step aside, its leaders said they would persist with efforts to engage PTI in dialogue. We have
not given up yet we will continue our efforts to carry out negotiations, said Punjab Governor
Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar, who is part of the government team conducting talks with the
PTI.
Negotiators from the protesting party, however, hinted there may not be another round of
negotiations. Talking to reporters, Qureshi justified PTIs amended demand for the premier to
go on leave for a month, saying it was necessary to ensure that the judicial commission carries
out a fair investigation into rigging allegations. Nawaz can continue as prime minister if the
commission finds no proof of rigging, the PTI leader said. But if reports of rigging are
confirmed, there should be fresh elections under an independent election commission, he
added. Qureshi spelled out other conditions as well, without which he said the commissions
findings would be unacceptable. The government must appoint uncontroversial heads of
NADRA and FIA, and an uncontroversial ECP secretarythe commission must conduct daily
hearings and finish its task in 30 days.
PTI also demanded that the government register an FIR according to the findings of the Lahore
sessions court judge. Responding to criticism, Qureshi said PTI wants to strengthen, not derail
democracy through its actions. We are not asking for a national government or dissolution of
assemblies We dont support martial law, he said. We had come [for talks] with sincerity,
keeping in view the interest of the country, but it seems they [the government] is bent on
destroying everything to save one person. On the other hand, Punjab Governor Chaudhry
Sarwar said that while government has agreed to accept PTI demands regarding the NADRA and
FIA chiefs, and ECP secretary, forcing the premier to step aside was out of the question.
Everyone is innocent until proven guilty, he said.
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Planning and Development Minister Ahsan Iqbal, who was also part of the team negotiating on
the governments behalf, said the government was willing to introduce electoral reforms and
ready to accept a solution in harmony with both the law and the Constitution. We agreed to
form a judicial commission, and we agree there should be new elections with rigging allegations
are proven, he said. But there no justification to demand the prime ministers resignation, he
added. We accepted every reasonable demand put forth by PTI, Iqbal said.
Weekend Swells Tsunami, Inquilab Looks Worn Out

On the eighth day of sit-ins on Constitution Avenue, exhaustion was writ large on the faces of
many Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) participants who do not have the luxury of going back to
their homes overnight. However, the weekend brought glad tidings for the Pakistan Tehreek-iInsaf (PTI), as their ranks swelled and, the crowd of PTI supporters stretched beyond the
barricades separating Parade Lane from Blue Area. Several PTI supporters Dawn spoke to said
they were forced to park their vehicles either in Melody Market or Aabpara Market in Sector G6. Others who came down Margalla Road had to walk the length of Ata Turk Avenue as police
had cordoned off the thoroughfare leading to the Red Zone and Blue Area. At the sit-in, pop
musician Salman Ahmed and DJ Butt kept the crowds in the high spirits.
Visible Discomfort
Rows of tired and uncomfortable PAT supporters were laid out under the awning erected to
afford the demonstrators some defence against the elements on Constitution Avenue. But
despite their predicament, they voiced hope that their hardship would bear fruit. Unlike most
PTI supporters, who either have friends, family or their own homes in Islamabad; PAT workers
have come to the capital from across the country and, as such, are completely reliant on party
discipline for their day-to-day needs. Even though volunteers and civic agencies are working to
ensure food and water for the protesters, the situation is becoming quite alarming due to the
unhygienic conditions the extended sit-in has engendered. Many supporters spoke to said they
had not had a bath in days. Other complained that they did not have a change of clothes and,
even if they could arrange more clothes, they were not allowed to leave the venue.
PAT also seemed to take a leaf out of the PTI book and began to play catchy anthems and music
to entertain their bored workers. Workers danced to beat of music, even as heavy contingents of
law enforcers began to amass in another corner of Constitution Avenue. A contingent of women
police has also been stationed near the PAT womens enclosure. The Red Zone is now fair game
for street-food vendors, who come there by the dozen. They congregate at D-Chowk, which has
become a veritable fairground of sorts, with paapars, ice cream and gola ganda, sherbet selling
like hotcakes. Barbers have also descended upon the venue and can be seen offering grateful
demonstrators a much-needed shave or three.
Opinions - Marches
Any Attempt to Derail System Bound To Fail
PPP Co-Chairman and former president Asif Ali Zardari vowed to resist any attempt to derail
democracy on any pretext. PPP pledges to play its role in protecting and promoting democracy,
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promoting tolerance and harmony and ending violence against our non-Muslim brethren,
Zardari declared in his message on the eve of Minorities Day on August 11. On the eve of
Minorities Day today there is a grim thought that crosses the mind: There is no minority
community in the country that does not feel besieged and hardly any minority community is
able to assert that it is completely safe. Indeed minorities communities in varying degrees feel
besieged and threatened, he said. Zardari stated; The PPP strongly condemns the recent spurt
in violence against different minorities communities in the country. He noted that the
Minorities Day today is an occasion to pause and ponder on the causes of increasing intolerance
towards them.
Dont Drag Country towards Anarchy

Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) leader Altaf Hussain appealed to the Punjab government
and Pakistan Awami Tehreek to not use torture and avoid steps which could spread anarchy in
the country. Altaf Hussain said that due to the present situation of Lahore, MQM Coordination
Committee has decided to provide food and drinking water through the KKF for the participants
of PATs Yaum-e-Shuhda. He also appealed to Lahores inhabitants to enthusiastically
participate in Yaum-e-Shuhda. Altaf thanked the provincial government for removing containers
and hurdles and appealed it to remove fences from the street passing through to the house of
Tahirul Qadri and Minhajul Quran. He directed his party workers to reach Lahore to help
distribute food and edibles among the participants of Yaum-e-Shuhda. The MQM chief condoled
with Qadri and bereaved families for their losses and expressed his deep grief over the killing of
PAT workers.
Time for Nation and Army to Join Hands

Former president General (r) Pervez Musharraf said on that it is time for the nation and army
to join hands. He also said that he would not run away, rather live and die in Pakistan. I do not
want to run away from here. Why would I run away from my own country? If I leave for some
time to inquire after the health of my ailing mother, I would definitely return back and be with
my countrymen, he said in a telephonic address to his partys central convention from Karachi
where he is based for the last many weeks. Musharraf asked the present government to resign if
it is not able to resolve issues being faced by the country. Present regime has miserably failed
to deliver, and for the last six years, the country has been facing difficult circumstances, he said.
Government Wont Let Anyone Challenge Writ of State

Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid said that holding protests within legal and constitutional
parameters was a right of every one but the government would not allow anyone to challenge
writ of the state. He said it was the duty of the state to protect its citizens. He regretted that
Tahirul Qadri was not ready to accept the democratically elected government and courts
working under the constitution. He said youngsters were being asked to submit their CVs with
PAT Secretariat for jobs, which will be given to them after coming into power. The minister
appreciated Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) chief Sirajul Haq for making sincere efforts to resolve the issue.
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He expressed the hope that the efforts of reconciliation and unity would bear fruit and
politicians would succeed in giving the message of unity on the Independence Day. Rashid
remarked Tahirul Qadri has the freedom to speak, yet he claims to be imprisoned.
Rs. 450bn Loss to Country Due To Protests: Dar

Federal Finance Minister Ishaq Dar on said that the countrys economy suffered Rs 450 billion
due to ongoing protests being staged by Imran Khan and Dr Tahirul Qadri. Addressing a press
conference, Dar said an IMF delegation has called off its visit to Pakistan due to security reasons.
IMF officials are surprised whatever is happening in Pakistan, he said. Pakistan is progressing
economically. What is the objective of this protest? he asked. Commenting on Imran Khans
addresses, he said that there was a terrible situation in the country. Some things are very
strange, he commented. He said Nawaz Sharif might ask Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif
to step down. Separately, talking to a private TV channel, Dar said termed the civil disobedience
movement of Imran Khan as unlawful and unconstitutional and urged the PTI chief to review his
decision in the interest of the country.
Imran Speech Not More Than a Joke: Altaf

Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief
Imran Khans speech was no more than joke. He appealed to PTI and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf
to withdraw their ultimatums to the government and remain limited to putting forward their
demands. He said that they had exhibited patience and restraint so far and should keep their
protests peaceful for the sake of the country. According to an MQM statement, Altaf paid tribute
to the PAT and PTI leaders, office-bearers, workers and supporters for continuing their protests
peacefully in bad weather and heavy rains. He also thanked the federal and governments of the
Punjab for showing restraint and not using force against the participants of the marches. Altaf
said that there were reports that the police and administration had arrested workers of the
protesting political parties and demanded that those workers be released immediately.
Political Affiliations - Marches

PTI and PAT Agree On Four-Point Joint Struggle
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) have agreed that their
struggle (March) will be democratic, under the constitution and non-violent. They warned the
government would be held responsible for any kind of violence during this struggle. The fourpoint agreement came during a meeting of PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi and
Jehangir Tareen with PAT chief Tahirul Qadri at the Minhajul Quran Secretariat where they
discussed the current situation of the country. After the meeting, Qureshi told the media that
they have demanded the government release all the workers of the PTI and PAT and remove
hurdles and containers from across Punjab. It is an un democratic move to block the roads. If
the government respects the law then it should obey the law and remove all barriers, he
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demanded. He said the PTI and PAT have agreed on four points that all the struggles are
democratic.
The entire struggle is under the constitution of Pakistan. The struggle will be non-violent. If any
type of violence happens then the government will be responsible. Qureshi said the democratic
government was negating the spirit of democracy by resorting to undemocratic steps to stop the
PTI Azadi March. He said roads have been blocked everywhere. It does not happen in a
democracy. He urged human rights activists to take notice of restrictions put in place by the
Punjab government against PTIs march. He said the objective of PTIs democratic movement
was establishment of democracy in Pakistan in letter and spirit. We are a peaceful people and
our movement will be based on non-violence, he added. Qureshi said those who are accusing
the PTI of reading from a script should make public the name of its scriptwriter. We have
chosen to go back to the people after being fed up with the non-serious attitude of the
government (towards real issues), he said.
While noting that said some people are of the view that the PTI was taking out a long march to
secure a safe exit for former military dictator Pervez Musharraf, Qureshi said,. Let me tell them
that we have nothing to do with Pervez Musharraf. He said the PTI must not be counted on any
side when it comes to Musharraf issue. Speaking on the occasion, PAT leader Raheeq Abbasi
said a detailed discussion was held with the PTI leadership on Azadi March and Qadris
Revolution March.
Poll Rigging, Re-Polling & By-Elections

Rigging Allegations: Re-Polling Ordered In 33 Polling Stations of PP-97
An election tribunal declared the results of 33 polling stations of PP-97, Gujranwala, void and
ordered re-polling in 60 days at those stations. The seat was won by a Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz candidate. The tribunal issued the order for re-polling on a petition filed by the losing
candidate, Pakistan Muslim League-Quaids Nasir Cheema, who challenged the winning
candidate, Chaudhry Muhammad Ashraf Warraichs victory claiming vote rigging. After hearing
arguments from both sides, the tribunal appointed a commission which confirmed that rigging
had taken place at 33 polling stations in the constituency. The tribunal declared the results of
the polling stations void and directed the election commission to hold fresh polling there in 60
days.
On March 10, an election tribunal in Sukkur ordered re-polling at 21 polling stations in NA-202
Shikarpur-2. The order was issued on an application by the losing candidate Aftab Shaban
Mirani who challenged PML-Ns candidate Muhammad Ibrahim Khan Jatois victory at the polls.
The re-polling took place on May 6, 2014, and Mirani won the election by a margin of 233 votes.
On March 26, an election tribunal ordered re-polling for PP-136 (Narowal) after declaring the
polls rigged. Independent candidate Muhammad Wakeel Khan Manj, the runner up, challenged
the victory of Col (r) Shujaat Ahmad Khan of PML-N. The tribunal said they had found serious
flaws and discrepancies in records for the constituency. They ordered fresh polls for the
constituencies which were held on May 22. Khanzada won again.
On April 9, an election tribunal declared the victory of PML-N candidate Sheikh Muhammad
Akram from NA-89 Faisalabad void. Akram had defeated Maulana Ludhianvi at the polls but was
later disqualified by the tribunal. The election commission issued a notification declaring
Ludhianvi the winner but on April 22, the Supreme Court, a on a petition by Akram, suspended
that notification. On July 25, an election tribunal in Karachi ordered re-polling in PS-114 after
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Muttahida Qaumi Movements Rauf Siddiqi challenged PML-N candidate Irfanullah Marwats
victory at the polls. Siddiqi had accused Marwat of rigging the elections. The National Database
and Registration Authority had informed the election tribunal that 17,504 votes cast in PS-114
were bogus.
Fakhru Bhai Denies Poll Rigging, Pressure by Ex-Chief Justice

Dispelling the impression of large-scale rigging in the 2013 elections, former Chief Election
Commissioner (CEC) Fakhruddin G Ebrahim has said that the political leadership of the country
should not let democracy derailed and made it clear that there was no pressure from former
chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry on the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) with
regard to the elections 2013. Asking Fakhru Bhai to break his silence, was never easy,
particularly in a situation when a leading opposition party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI),
has termed the election 2013 most fraudulent, demanding resignation of Prime Minister Nawaz
Sharif and fresh elections under the new Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). While most of
the conversation remained off the record, he allowed this scribe to use some of it on record,
particularly when asked about his regrets during his term, and proposals to improve the
electoral process.
His three regrets include (1) Army should have been given a more supportive role, (2) Elections
should have been held in phases, and (3) Serving judges should have been appointed as
Chairman Election Tribunal making it necessary for them to give the verdicts within 120 days.
Fakhru Bhai advised the political leadership to show patience and not to let democracy
derailed. For the new ECP and electoral reforms, he suggested (1) No serving bureaucrat
should be in the ECP (2) Voting should be made compulsory (3) ECP members should not be
from the judiciary but should have an experience of dealing with administration with good
reputation (4) Elections should be held in phases like in India, considering the resources and
manpower (5) ECPs bureaucratic structure should also be revamped. Fakhruddin G Ebrahim
had told the then leader of the opposition Ch Nisar Ali Khan, who approached him to accept the
job that he would quit as the CEC after the elections despite having a five-year term in the office.
A retired judge, who already draws Rs. 600,000 as pension could have been getting an
additional Rs. 600,000 as the CEC, till the expiry of his term, meaning Rs. 1,200,000 a month.
But, Fakhru Bhai stepped down as per his commitment. Since the resignation of Fakhru Bhai,
the government and the opposition have been unable to agree on a single candidate for the Chief
Election Commissioner. Within a year, they were supposed to agree on four other ECP members
as the incumbent ECP members tenure would expire in a year. The ECP perhaps also needs a
new secretary as the present one is already on extension. Perhaps, the people from the civil
society with administrative background should also be considered as ECP members.
The way forward is a complete overhauling of the ECP, making it stronger and more
independent. Fakhruddin G Ebrahim was appointed as the CEC when Ch Nisar Ali Khan
approached him and requested him to accept the job because he was the only among the three
candidates who enjoyed the confidence of all the major political parties. He did not accept his
plea that holding such a huge task was not his cup of tea, particularly at this age. He was 84 at
that time. Nisar insisted there was a consensus on his name and even Imran Khan had full
confidence in him. Khan, who once offered Fakhru Bhai to contest the elections as his party
candidate, had also met him after he accepted the job for two, three times and also spoke to him
after the polls.When he first met former army chief General (retd) Ashfaq Pervez Kayani, he
found him a nice man and till this day had good relations with him. He asked the general if he
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could post one officer at each polling station but the ex-army chief regretted, saying that it was
not possible. The army did help in maintaining law and order.
Fakhru Bhai was perhaps looking for a more supportive role of the army for the smooth process
during polling, particularly during the counting. I asked the army chief for one officer at each
polling station, but he said its not possible for him, he said. His other regret was that his plea
for holding the elections in phases like in India was not accepted by his fellow colleagues.Yes, I
believe elections should have and should be held in phases because of the limited resources and
manpower. However, my colleagues did not agree with me. However, he did not agree with
critics that former chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry put any pressure on him during
the elections, except when he asked for voting verification in Karachi, without realising the
limited resources and manpower available to the ECP.
It was not possible to verify several million voters and to go house-to-house in Karachi. Even the
then corps commander, Karachi refused to do so on the ground that it would not be possible to
assign one army personnel with each ECP team to go house-to-house. The maximum he agreed
on deployment of troops in the area for security. He also believed that voting should be made
compulsory in the new electoral reforms. Everyone who qualifies and reaches the voting age
must cast his/her vote. Elections decide the destiny of a nation and every person must
participate in the elections. He was of the view that for complete independent ECP, it should be
better to avoid appointing serving bureaucrats or giving them extension. Perhaps, good
administrators are required not necessarily people from the judiciary as members. He faced a
lot of criticism during and after the elections, but not many people knew about his integrity as
he had the history of resigning on principles.As a Supreme Court judge, who could have become
the Chief Justice of Pakistan, he refused oath under General Ziaul Haqs Provisional
Constitutional Order (PCO) in 1981.
He was the only governor in the history of Pakistan, who had refused to dissolve the Sindh
Assembly in 1990 when former president Ghulam Ishaq Khan dissolved the National Assembly
and all the provincial assemblies on August 6, 1990. Thus, he was removed and late Mahmood A
Haroon was appointed governor and the assembly was dissolved after the office timing. But,
during his brief tenure he constituted the Citizen-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) to bridge the
gap between the police and common citizens. When former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto
appointed him as the Attorney General for Pakistan, he resigned because he was not consulted
on a legal matter and the case was given to Sharifuddin Pirzada without his consent.
I am too old. At the age of 85, it would not have been possible for me to continue, he said.
Though he dispelled the impression of large-scale rigging in the elections and about the
pressure on him from any quarter including the former chief justice, he said had the elections
were held in phases like in India, it would have been much better.He was all praise for the
Indian Election Commission and was surprised when told by the chief election commissioner of
India that they never got a single petition against the elections.
Alleged Rigging: Imran Khan Lays Bare Identities of Poll Fixers

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan revealed the names of four key players who
allegedly plotted and executed a massive rigging plan in the May 2013 elections. Addressing a
news conference on , the PTI chief alleged that former chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad
Chaudhry, former judge Khalilur Rehman Ramday, Punjabs former caretaker chief minister
Najam Sethi and Punjabs Election Commission member Riaz Kayani were behind the poll
rigging. The PTI chief, however, did not provide any documentary proof to substantiate his
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claim. These players manipulated the elections with the help of returning officers and the
Punjab administration and carved out the electoral victory of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz
(PML-N), he said. In return, he said, the PML-N rewarded them with favours upon coming into
power. He said since the PML-N was unhappy with the PTIs tsunami marches in 2013, it had
laid out an election rigging plan. To execute this plan, Punjabs election commissioner Tariq
Qadri was transferred to Sindh after he resisted implementing the illegal orders of the Election
Commissions member Riaz Kayani and Anwar Mehboob was brought from Karachi to replace
Qadri.
Imran claimed that some bureaucrats had informed him about the possibility of a match-fixing.
But I was confident that in the presence of the former chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, there will
not be any rigging. The assumption proved wrong though as the ex-CJ himself was involved in
the match-fixing, he said. The PTI chief alleged that the former apex court judge Khalilur
Rehman Ramday had arranged a special meeting of selected returning officers at his residence
days before the elections a meeting in which, according to him, the former CJP was also invited
and a special covert election cell was formed. The third player, Punjabs caretaker chief
minister Najam Sethi, was to play the key role of deputing these officers in key places, he said,
adding that Sethi dispatched additional ballot papers to five divisions.
Imran Khan claimed that he had eyewitnesses, who had seen ballot papers being dispatched at
the PML-Ns leader Khawaja Saad Rafiques residence. The ballot papers were privately printed
by the PML-N on substandard papers and because of these fake ballot boxes, the votes of the
PML-N increased from 6.8 million to 15 million, he said, adding that some unscrupulous people
were caught printing ballot papers on May 9, 2013. Wherever the inquiries were conducted
and results were opened, up to 50,000 bogus votes were discovered, he said. He also claimed
that Justice Ramday was behind Nawaz Sharifs victory speech and it was part of the game. The
ROs accelerated their work after the speech and the number of votes in farvour of PML-N
started to increase abruptly. He said that after the polls, the PML-N started paying these
players for their services and Najam Sethi was the first as he was appointed Pakistan Cricket
Board (PCB) chairman. Later, the son of Justice Ramday was appointed Punjabs advocate
general, Ramdays brother was also obliged, he claimed.
He claimed the former CJP Iftikhar Chaudhry also congratulated ROs over this rigged election
and then announced his support for the PML-N during his visit to Quetta. In return, his son was
made Balochistans Board of Investments vice chairman, he added. The PTI chief also alluded
to a letter written to the then president Asif Ali Zardari by the National Accountability
Bureaus (NAB) former chairman Admiral Fasih Bokhari in which he had expressed fears
about possible poll fraud. In the letter, Bokhari said a big media group was being give tax
exemption and the former CJP was behind the game. For this purpose, Tariq Bajwa was
appointed Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) chairman, he added. Imran Khan demanded an
extensive inquiry into these irregularities and manipulation through an independent
commission, which, he said, was possible only under a neutral set up.
We Dont Support Martial Law
Imran clarified that his party will not support military rule and that free and fair election is the
only way to build a robust democracy an aim which he seeks to achieve though his Azadi
march, which will be held on August 14 at any cost. No martial law will come due to the
democratic protest and I will also motivate Dr Tahirul Qadri that revolution should come only
through free and fair elections and everyone should struggle for this, he said. He said nothing
less than resignation of prime minister and announcement of fresh elections would be
acceptable at this point. The armed forces and police will not stop Azadi march as it will be a
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march of people and these forces will respect the wishes of the masses, Imran said later to his
workers after reaching his residence in Lahore. He said the Azadi march would end corruption,
monarchy, ignorance, injustice, all wrongs and would do ruthless accountability to bring
prosperity among the masses. We will not leave Islamabad till Nawaz Sharifs monarchy ends
and country get real independence and freedom from family politics, he said, adding that the
governments days were numbered. Khan urged the workers to remove all barriers and
containers from their way because such hurdles could not stop us from achieving goal.
Tribunal Declares Election of Federal Minister Void

The Election Tribunal in Karachi declared the election of a member of the national assembly
void and held that the winning candidate was not sagacious, righteous, non-profligate, and
honest and Ameen. The runner-up, a candidate of the Pakistan Peoples Party, was declared to
have won the NA-211, a National Assembly seat in Naushahro Feroze. The victory of Ghulam
Murtaza Jatoi, a sitting federal minster, was challenged by Zulfiqar Ali Behan of the PPP who had
lost the seat to the winning candidate with a margin of 6,622 votes. Mr Jatoi, who had secured
83,960 votes, was the fourth lawmaker in the row whose election was declared void by the
election tribunal, headed by Dr Zafar Ahmed Khan Sherwani, a former judge of the Sindh High
Court.
On Aug 8, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf leader Syed Hafeezuddin who had defeated JI leader Abdur
Razzaq with a margin of 4,472 votes became the third member of the provincial assembly
whose election was declared void by the election tribunal in Karachi. Earlier, the tribunal had
declared void the election of PPP MPA Ghulam Qadir Chandio to PS-27 (Nawabshah), because he
held a fake Masters degree. On July 26, it had proclaimed the election in PS-114, a provincial
assembly seat won by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz candidate Irfanullah Marwat, void on
account of corrupt practices committed by the winning candidate.
In his election petition, Mr Behan against the winning candidate alleged that the returned
candidate was not qualified to be parliament member under Articles 62 and 63 of the
Constitution as he was not sagacious, righteous, non-profligate, and honest and Ameen. The
petitioner submitted that Mr Jatoi had falsely claimed himself to be a graduate and also failed to
disclose his assets and liabilitiesas required under Section 12 of the Peoples Representation Act
by hiding the fact that he and his wife were shareholders in Moro Textile Mill. He also alleged
that the returned candidate failed to provide information as provided under Sections
12(2)(a),(c)(d)(e) and (f) of the Act and also defaulter in payment of wealth tax as well as
agriculture income tax and other taxes.
The petitioner submitted that in the 2008 general elections, he had raised similar objections and
filed a petition against Mr Jatoi but it was dismissed on May 16, 2013 after the completion of the
tenure of the National Assembly. However, he said, an appeal was preferred against the
judgement before the Supreme Court of Pakistan. He also alleged commission of corrupt and
illegal practices against him during the elections at 97 polling stations. The petitioner said that
the returned candidate, his agents and workers abducted his polling agents from the polling
stations, captured some of the polling stations harassed his voters by firing to refrain them from
casting their votes and other similar acts in this regard.
He alleged that mass rigging was committed by them in connivance of the polling staff and
prayed to the court to declare that the election of the returned candidate was void and the
petitioner was a returned candidate or declare the election as a whole void. In its judgement, the
bench observed: In this case also, the returned candidate who had claimed to be a graduate
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during the 2002 elections but he was not found as such therefore he was disqualified under
Article 62 of the Constitution which disqualification is permanent in nature which could not be
vanished if he has passed B.A examination thereafter. The tribunal allowed the petition of PPP
candidate and concluded: The election of the returned candidate is declared void under Section
68(b) and the petitioner is declared as returned candidate under Section 69 of the Act. The
Election Commission of Pakistan may be informed accordingly to issue such notification in the
official gazette.
Rigging Complaints: PM Offers Judicial Investigation

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif made a valiant attempt to steal a march on his increasingly
bellicose rivals Imran Khan and Tahirul Qadri, offering to set up a three-member judicial
commission to investigate election rigging claims. Addressing the nation on the penultimate day
before Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehreeks (PAT) march on the
capital, PM Nawaz raised the possibility of reaching a compromise with the PTI. We request
chief justice of the Supreme Court to form a three-member judicial commission to probe
allegations of rigging and present their findings after a through probe, said the prime minister
at the end of his 25-minute speech. Nothing more can be done with sincerity in this regard, he
added, requesting the nation to decide whether there was any justification left to march on
Islamabad against the government on August 14. Recalling the May 2013 election, the premier
said several measures had been taken by the authorities in the interest of transparency and
fairness.
Voters lists bore photographs of voters and computerised national identity card was made
compulsory for casting of ballots. It was on the demand of those who are alleging rigging that
the judiciary appointed judges as returning officers, he added. No international or local body
[that observed the elections] said that these elections were rigged or that the losers were the
real winners, he added. The prime minister also questioned the transparency of the 2002 and
2008 general elections, pointing out that his family was not allowed to return to the country to
contest the elections. Both Shahbaz and I were declared ineligible but we played our role. I was
not allowed to become a member of the National Assembly but I did not cry foul, he added.
However, the prime minister acknowledged the need for electoral reform. He said that a 33member parliamentary commission had been formed to finalise recommendations for electoral
changes. The 2018 elections will take place under the recommendations of this committee, he
said.
Tough Talk
But despite his conciliatory tone, ostensibly directed at the PTI, the prime minister spoke firmly
about Dr Tahirul Qadris PAT. Lamenting that Pakistan had remained a victim of political
instability for which the country had paid a heavy price, he said his government will not allow
anyone to spread anarchy in the country. Taking a swipe at the role of media, the prime
minister said the media needs to reassess its role. They need to check if certain elements are
trying to misuse the media for their goals.
Recounting Achievements
Earlier, the prime minister exchanged fecilitations with the nation on its upcoming
Independence Day and stressed the need for resolve in promoting political stability for
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development and progress. He said that history bore testimony to the fact that the developed
nations achieved their goals because of political stability and continuation of policies. Nawaz
added that the mandate given by the people in the 2013 general elections was accepted at every
level. He said that his party had set new democratic traditions by accepting the mandate of
other parties in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. Talking about his governments
performance during the last 14 months, the prime minister said; I am not claiming any miracles
when it comes to the progress of the country, but there has been improvement on several fronts
when it comes to the economy.
He added that new mega projects had been initiated by his government, the economy had
improved, confidence of foreign investors had been restored and exports had picked up.
Highlighting his governments initiatives, the prime minister said that while he had started
towards the journey of economic progress, prosperity, socio-economic development and peace,
a few elements had unfortunately raised negative slogans of protest without any reasons. We
need to identify which hollow slogans have kept us stuck in poverty, he added. Are these
protests occurring because there are no corruption scandals since this government took over?
the prime minister rhetorically asked the nation.
ECP to Brief PERC on Electoral Reforms on 26th August

Parliamentary Electoral Reforms Committee (PERC) Chairman Senator Ishaq Dar said that the
Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) would brief the body on electoral reforms on August 26.
While talking to journalists after chairing a PERC meeting at the Parliament House, the senator
said that all political parties had unanimously decided that there would be no compromise on
supremacy of the Parliament and Constitution. Dar said the committee had finalised all
modalities, rules and regulations under which the parliamentary body would hold its
proceedings to improve the existing electoral system. The committee, he said, had invited public
suggestions with regard to bringing improvement in the electoral system, which got a positive
response and received proposals through email, fax and SMSs. He also invited Pakistan Tehreeki-Insaf (PTI) to participate in PERC meetings and give constructive suggestions to improve the
existing system. Deploring that the national economy suffered Rs 450 billion losses due to long
marches and sit-ins while a team of International Monetary Fund (IMF) could not visit Pakistan
in the prevailing situation, he said the business community had out-rightly rejected the civil
disobedience call given by PTI Chairman Imran Khan.
Why Isnt PTI Concerned?
Moreover, National Wattan Party (NWP) chief Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao regretted that PTI, on
whose demand the committee was formed, was not attending the PERC proceedings. Accusing
the PTI chief of not being a man of his word, he said that PTI would have participated in the
meetings if it really wanted the reforms. Naeema Kishwar of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) also
criticised PTI for its absence from the meeting, urging PTI leadership to send their
representatives with positive suggestions at the parliamentary forum. The parliamentary
committee meeting was attended by Naveed Qamar, Abdul Rahim Mandokhel, Abdul Hakeem
Baloch, Abdul Qadir Baloch, Shazia Mari, Anosha Rehman, Ejazul Haq, Naeema Kishwar, Aftab
Ahmed Khan Sherpao, GG Jamal and Zahid Hamid among others.
Pakistan Today August 20, 2014
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Electoral Reforms Body Finalises Rules of Procedure

Amid high political tension, the Parliamentary Committee on Electoral Reforms at its meeting
finalised its 20-point rules of procedure. The committee which met here with Finance Minister
Ishaq Dar in the chair decided to invite Election Commission of Pakistan on August 26 for
briefing. The PTI that have more reservations on the current electoral laws and on the roads for
the electoral reforms was not represented at the meeting. None of its three members in 33members body attended the meeting. Other members of the committee criticised PTI for their
cold shoulder response towards the proceedings. Senior parliamentarian Aftab Ahmed Khan
Sherpao said the party which made noises on the law and the committee was formed on their
demand had avoided to attend the meeting that shows their double standards. It was told that
so far 108 proposals from different segment of the society were received, 55 SMs and one fax
were received.In the last meeting, and the committee had invited proposals from all the
stakeholders including the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) by September.
The rules of procedure of the committee that was approved stated that the quorum of the
committee would be of 50 percent of the total composition of the committee and 17 members
needed in the meeting and all the decision would be made with the majority votes and 17 votes
needed to propose amendment in the law or for bringing the reforms in the electoral process.
The scope of work of the committee shall include, but not be limited to: (a) evaluating the
shortcomings of previous elections and making (b) drafting legislation or constitutional
amendments, if required, and recommendations for electoral reforms to ensure that elections
are held in a free, fair and transparent manner; and recommend ways and means to improve the
system of elections including adoption of the latest technology available for holding
elections.The committee shall present its report to the Parliament within three months.
Spilling the Beans: 2013 Polls Massively Rigged

A former additional secretary of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), Afzal Khan has
claimed that the 2013 parliamentary polls were massively rigged. I had doubts, but now Im
convinced that there was widespread rigging in the May 2013 general elections, Khan said in
an interview to a private television channel. The day Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan admitted that
60,000 to 70,000 votes were unverifiable in each constituency, I was convinced that the
elections were rigged, he said. The ECP member from Punjab, Justice (retd) Riaz Kayani, has
90% role in undermining the authenticity of the polls, while former chief justices of the
Supreme Court Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and Tassaduq Husain Jillani were also
responsible for what he called stealing the mandate of people. I disagree that there were 35
punctures as claimed by [Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman] Imran Khan. I believe there were
hundreds of punctures.
Barring Islamabad and a few other places where cameras were installed, there was widespread
ballot stuffing, Khan said. He claimed that the rigging was well planned and orchestrated. How
could Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar know that thousands of votes cannot be verified in each
constituency while the ballot boxes were sealed? All the returning officers (ROs) were
appointed by Iftikhar Chaudhry. Fakhruddin G Ebrahim as the chief election commissioner was
only approving the decisions taken by Riaz Kayani. Fakhru Bhai should have spoken out or at
least taken notice on record, Afzal said. Even the ECP members representing the other three
provinces were afraid of speaking out against Kayani.
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The whole machinery was working in a coherent manner to fix the elections, he said. Cases
challenged in election tribunals were deliberately delayed. Though the tribunals were mandated
to decide the complaints within 120 days, they took more than 365 days and were still delaying
verdicts, he said. The election tribunals are compromised, Khan said. The ECP had asked for
the appointment of ex-judges as returning officers so that they might decide the cases quickly,
but we see that instead they delayed the whole process and enjoyed benefits and perks from
taxpayers money while taking decisions on the whims of a particular group, Khan alleged.
Asked about the printing of ballots, he said these are printed under the militarys supervision.
For last many elections, the printing of ballots in Karachi and Islamabad is done in the presence
of military officials, it is a rule, he said. About ballots being printed in Lahores Urdu Bazaar, he
said the Printing Corporation of Pakistan, Islamabad, and the Securities Printing Press, Karachi,
are strictly monitored institutions, the paper and the ink they use can be verified even after a
hundred years. Khan said he doubts that there was over-casting because of on-ground
experience. A constituency shows 50% turnout and suddenly there was 100% voting or even
more than registered voters, then we could be sure that there was ballot stuffing. He agreed
with the allegations levelled by Imran Khan and said that there should be an investigation and
the responsible persons should be tried and punished. Khan said re-election or mid-term
elections under the present set-up would be useless. The ECP needs to be reconstituted, he said.
There should be biometric verification and locally developed electronic voting system.
PML-Ns Counter-Inqilab Fails to Match Tsunami

As the crowds at the ongoing sit-ins on Constitution Avenue continue to dwindle and swell and
more supporters take to the streets for Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) sit-ins in Lahore and
Karachi, the supporters of the ruling party Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) have
decided to take countermeasures to show their own strength, albeit with limited success.
According to a PML-N leader, the three rallies that the party held in the garrison city only
managed to gather around a hundred participants each. A considerably larger rally of Pakistan
Muslim League-Nawaz supporters was held at Aabpara Chowk in Islamabad, where the
speakers condemned Imran Khan and Dr Tahirul Qadri for demanding the prime ministers
resignation. l Ruling partys rallies in Pindi fail to attract crowds, women participants l Unruly
workers mob party leaders truck l Special Branch monitoring performance of pro-government
rallies. However, unlike PAT and PTI rallies, the ruling party still came out short in terms of
sheer numbers, as well as womens turnout.
Gender Imbalance
One of the most integral parts of the protest sit-ins by PTI and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT)
was the participation of women and children from all backgrounds. The parties proved their
claim of enjoying a strong support from people of both genders and different backgrounds. This
was one strong element that lacked tremendously in the PML-N rally. Meanwhile, almost all
speakers condemned PTI over their so-called singing and dancing and the participation of
modern ladies at the D-Chowk sit-in. PML-N General Secretary Sajid Abbasi told I agree that
there is no participation of the women in todays show. We did not invite them as it becomes
hard to manage a huge gathering. We are organising this event on a short notice. He went on to
claim that his party enjoys the support of thousands of women in the federal capital.
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Unruly Demonstrators
Contrary to the PTI and PAT rallies that seems to be peaceful and disciplined so far the
organisers of the PML-N event failed to maintain decorum. Dozens of supporters rushed
towards Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhrys truck to get photographs taken, despite the party leaders
repeated warning that his truck is overloaded. Our workers should behave maturely, everyone
wants to embark on the truck for a photo session, said Gulzar Ahmed, who had come from Bari
Imam.
Anti-PTI Sentiment
Dr Chaudhry stated in his speech that seeking resignation from Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif
and calling for civil disobedience was an unconstitutional demand by PTI, which, according to
him, had been rejected by the nation. There is no weight in Imran Khans allegations regarding
poll rigging. He has no solid evidence to establish his claims, Dr Chaudhry, adding that the
elections were held in a free and transparent manner. He said that if Imran Khan wants to
become the prime minister of Pakistan, he will have to follow the method laid down in the
Constitution. He also accused PTI of ignoring Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and wasting their
resources on false allegations of electoral rigging. Ajmal Baloch, a traders leader, claimed
during his speech that the citizens of Islamabad and the traders have been waiting for the
permission from the party leadership to get the D-Chowk vacated from the protesters. He said
that the ongoing protests have dampened the business activity in the city.
Low Attendance
The ruling party brought out three rallies in Rawalpindi on , from different parts of the city. A
rally from Kalar Syedian to T-Chowk was brought out by party workers on 40 motorcycles. The
participants stopped the traffic between Islamabad and Rawalpindi for more than an hour and
chanted slogans against Imran Khan and Tahirul Qadri. Another rally of about 150 PML-N
workers came out at Sadiqabad, in which the participants were holding placards and banners
while chanting in favour of the prime minister.The third rally was brought from Committee
Chowk till Chandni Chowk. The rally stopped the traffic at Murree road, which is already
congested due to the Metro Bus Project construction.
Security Measures
After witnessing a weak response from the participants in the rally, PML-N asked its local
leaders to bring out at least 300 people from each constituency and joined the main Isteqam-iPakistan rally which will be led by Punjab Labour Minister Ashfaq Sarwar on , from Faizabad to
Zero Point. The attendance at the rally will be monitored by the law enforcement agencies. The
Special Branch has been assigned the duty to keep a check on the number of participants and
inform about the performance of the local party leaders and the number of people they bring
along, said a senior PML-N leader, while talking to Dawn - and added that three PML-N rallies
came out but only gathered around a 100 people in each. He said that the Special Branch of
police has been asked to take picture and report the attendance at the rallies to some senior
workers in Rawalpindi. PML-N City President Sardar Naseem said that the party workers
brought three rallies on , but the main rally will be organised by the party on from Rawalpindi
to Islamabad.
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PML-N Holds Road Shows to Express Solidarity with PM

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) held a huge rally to strengthen democracy and
show solidarity with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif against the anti-democratic forces.
Addressing the participants of the rally, PML-N Member National Assembly from Islamabad
Tariq Chaudhry expressed support for democracy and solidarity with the PM. The PML-N is the
largest and most popular political party in the country at the moment and it enjoys full public
support, he said and added that millions of people could be gathered on only one call of the
PML-N chief. He said the democratic forces would not allow any anti-democratic move to
succeed, which otherwise could lead to further political crisis. Dr Tariq opined that marches and
sit-ins were rendering irreparable loss to the countrys economy, with the stock market
witnessing negative trend due to unstable political situation. Sit-ins in front of the Parliament
House are marring the democratic face of the country at international level which should be
stopped, he said. The PML-N leader said the government wanted to solve the ongoing political
predicament with talks.
Earlier, the rally started from Chak Shahzad and culminated at Aabpara Chowk, which was
participated by a large number of people, including women and children. The participants of the
rally raised slogans in support of democracy and in favour of the PM. In Karachi, the PML-N and
Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PMAP) took out rallies separately to express solidarity with
democracy. The two rallies reached Karachi Press Club simultaneously, where their leaders
addressed their activists and supporters. The supporters of both parties chanted slogans in
favour of democracy and their party leaderships. Addressing the rally, Sindh PML-N President
Ismail Rahu said that his party would not allow a small section of society to reject a huge
mandate given by people to PML-N. Nawaz is elected after taking millions of votes and PML-N
would not allow people staging sit-in in Islamabad to derail the system, he said. Rahu said that
PML-N would resist demand seeking resignation from Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and in case
of any undemocratic move to remove him; PML-N would stage provide-wide protest.
Sindh PML-N General Secretary Nehal Hashmi said that rallies being taken out by PML-N and
other parties in the country in support of democracy had proved that the political parties had
joined hands against any undemocratic move. Support of democracy from different segments of
society has shown a trend, which indicates a positive atmosphere for prosperity of democracy in
the country, he said. He said that the revolution that Imran Khan and Tahirul Qadri were eyeing
to bring to the country was revolution of dictatorship and the forces helping them behind the
curtains should know that PMAP would strongly resist any undemocratic move in the country.
In Multan, hundreds of the PML-N took out a rally in support of democracy and the government.
Addressing the participants, PML-N MNA Javed Ali Shah, MPAs Tahir Shabbir, Mehdi Abbas
Langah and Mujahid Ali Shah said Dr Qadiri and Imran Khan wanted to destabilize democracy in
the country. In Faisalabad, the PML-N office-bearers, workers and activists held a rally.
Last Phase of Revolution: PAT Sets 48-Hour Deadline

The Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) gave the government a 48-hour ultimatum to meet its
demands, saying that otherwise the peaceful sit-in would enter the final phase of revolution
and there would be a graveyard of martyrs where the Parliament House stands. I give a 48hour ultimatum to the government to meet my demands and step down, said PAT chief Dr
Tahirul Qadri as he brandished a kaffan (shroud) that he reportedly purchased for himself.
Today, I am going to give you the good news that your peaceful sit-in will enter the final phase
and transform into an Inqilab (revolution), Qadri told the crowd. I have purchased a shroud
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for myself and am ready to embrace martyrdom, said Qadri in a sombre tone, with tears in his
eyes. The display of the shroud charged the crowd and participants of the sit-in cried out that
they too were ready to sacrifice their lives at their leaders call.
The PAT gave the government its first deadline to step down on the twelfth day of the sit-in. A
day later, it entered into talks with the government. However, after a televised interview of
former additional secretary of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Afzal Khan regarding
alleged rigging in the 2013 elections, Qadri announced the final round of the sit-in. It would be
better for Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and federal ministers to dissolve the assemblies and
leave the corridors of power before the expiry of the deadline as they do not have a moral
justification to stay in power now, Qadri said after the interview was aired. We will fight till
the last minute and from now onwards two things might happen: either this kaffan will be for
me or for this system, he said. PATs first demand is the dissolution of assemblies and includes
the registration of an FIR in the clash in Lahores Model Town on June 17 wherein 14 PAT
workers were killed, and the publication of the reports of the Joint Investigation Team and
judicial commission on the incident.
The rulers thought that the protesters will leave after some time, Qadri said. But if I am sitting
here, then how can any of these marchers leave? Qadri said the participants of the march were
representative of 180 million people, just as those sitting in the Parliament House claim to be
representatives of their constituencies. Referring to Afzal Khans allegation that 90 per cent of
the polls were rigged, he said, The assemblies are unconstitutional and undemocratic because
they came to being under the supervision of a commission (ECP) which itself was
unconstitutional. The ECP was constituted in violation of Article 213 of the Constitution.
Though Qadri did not pinpoint former chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, he claimed a
representative of politicians took directions from Raiwind and did not carry out justice. He
referred to negotiations with the previous government after which he ended his long march in
2013, saying, All had accepted the fact that they have committed a mistake in the formation of
the ECP. They asked me to take the matter to the Supreme Court and promised, under oath, to
give their statements. But they perhaps knew that no one would ask them to appear for a
statement. Addressing Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan, Qadri said there is
now no need for investigations into the rigging of the 2013 general elections.
SC Orders PAT & PTI to Vacate Constitution Avenue

The Supreme Court set a 24-hour deadline to Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) and Pakistan
Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) supporters to abandon their Constitution Avenue camps whose
presence has restricted public access to the court. A five-member bench of the apex court,
headed by Chief Justice Nasirul Mulk, was hearing the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA)
presidents petition against the anti-government demonstrations that have virtually paralysed
the capital. In his petition, the SCBA president pointed out that the demonstrators are infringing
upon the rights of the common citizen by restricting their movement in the area. The court
directed attorney general and lawyers representing both parties to work out a possible solution
to ensure free movement of people in the area. The test will be when we (the judges) try to
come to the Supreme Court tomorrow using Constitution Avenue, Justice Mulk said.
Both parties are staging sit-ins on the Constitution Avenue in the heart of Islamabads heavily
fortified red zone which includes parliament house and the Supreme Court building, blocking all
kinds of traffic from the main avenue. Supporters of Imran Khans PTI and Tahirul Qadris PAT,
who have encamped in the area since August 19 have refused to leave until Prime Minister
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Nawaz Sharif steps down. Referring to a picture showing clothes hanging out to dry outside the
top court, the chief justice lamented that courts boundary was being used by protesters to dry
their clothes. The bench directed PATs counsel Ali Zafar to take notice and prevent such
actions. Similarly, Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali said that the encampments have paralyzed key
institutions including Election Commission of Pakistan and the Federal Shariat Court. He
questioned if the protesters were peaceful, why were they wielding sticks and batons?
During the hearing, Attorney General Salman Aslam Butt told the bench that the government is
willing to provide an alternate site to both parties for their sit-in. Subsequently, he proposed the
Sports Complex as an alternate venue for protests in the capital. The chief justice, however, said
that court just wanted clearance of Constitution Avenue for the free movement of public while
an alternate venue was not its concern. He said protesters had set up hurdles not only for the
judges but also the lawyers and litigants, while certain groups were also carrying out an identity
check of individuals entering the court premises. PTI chiefs counsel Hamid Khan contended
that party supporters were camping in an open area in front of the parliament house and were
not disrupting the flow of traffic on Constitution Avenue. On the benchs query, he explained
that Imran was referring to God, when he mentioned the third empire during a fiery speech to
his supporters last week.
Similarly, PATs chief counsel also assured the bench that he conveyed the courts concern
regarding obstruction of free movement on Constitution Avenue to the party leadership. Taking
a swipe at the PAT chief, a Canadian national who has sworn an oath of loyalty to the Britains
Queen Elizabeth, Justice Jawad Khawaja said that protests on the streets must be the norm in
Canada. One of the players of this game is a Canadian citizen, the judge said. Referring to
statements made by Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai,
Justice Khawaja said that the repercussions of the ongoing protests are very serious. Justice
Mian Saqib Nisar, however, made it clear that the court was not concerned about political issues
and demands made by both protesting parties in Islamabad. He said that the court would
enforce its authority under Article 184 (3) of the Constitution, ensuring free movement in the
capital.
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HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH

Human Rights Related Issues
NA Resolution Condemns Brutal Killings of Religious Minorities
The National Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution to condemn the brutal killings of
religious minorities and to reject all forms of discrimination against them in the country on the
occasion of National Minorities Day. The resolution, tabled by Religious Affairs Minister Sardar
Yousaf, appreciated the pivotal role religious minorities were playing in the nation building and
paid tribute to sacrifices and services rendered by them towards creation of safe and inclusive
Pakistan. It also reiterated the commitment to adhere to the principles laid down by Quaid-iAzam Mohammad Ali Jinnah in his address to the Constituent Assembly on August 11, 1947,
laying the foundation for a tolerant and progressive Pakistan. It urged the government to take
concrete steps to establish and maintain interfaith harmony in order to safeguard fundamental
rights of minority communities as enshrined in the constitution.
Later, PPPs Shazia Marri, who first pointed out that August 11 was being observed as National
Minorities Day and that she wanted to move the resolution but later agreed to the one tabled by
the government, said that non-Muslims were feeling severe sense of insecurity in the country.
She called for holding accountability of those committing crimes against non-Muslims. She said
that lip service would not serve the purpose, as Pakistan did not belong to Muslims only but that
I was also a country of non-Muslims living here. The non-Muslim members of the house,
including Khalil George, Aasiya Nasir and Sanjay Parwani, also objected to the usage of word
minorities for non-Muslims and called for its removal. Another non-Muslim member, Ramesh
Lal, demanded that non-Muslims should be taught subjects relating to their religions; rather
than Islamic Studies.
Earlier, lawmakers from both sides criticised the auditor general of Pakistan (AGP) for his
refusal to appear before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and sought an action from the
speaker against the conduct of the auditor general. The house also adopted special report of PAC
presented by PAC Chairman Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah on Excess Salary and Privileges of
the Auditor General of Pakistan in the light of the SRO 1074(1)/2007, dated 3rd October, 2007.
Shah said that the AGP was given the opportunity to appear before the committee and give his
point of view but that he refused to do so. In his usual rhetoric, Mahmood Khan Ackakzai
declared that parliament was supreme and that every institution of the country, including
Armed Forces, was required to surrender before it. About AGPs refusal to appear before the
PAC, Achakzai urged that the AGP should be summoned before the parliament and that in case
he refuses to do so, he should be sacked. Other members of the house across party divides also
criticised the AGP and asked the speaker to take appropriate action against him.
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GENDER WATCH
Women Empowerment
Legislative Agenda: Womens Caucus to become An Influential Group
Describing Khurshida Mais ordeal as a challenge would be an understatement. Raising 10
children is a monumental task under ordinary circumstances, but as a divorced parent, the task
is nothing short of an ordeal. Khurshida, a resident of Kot Addu, 100kms from Multan and a part
of Muzaffargarh district, runs a small shop selling groceries and operating an oil-change facility
for vehicles in the area. Vehicular traffic here may be less than that found in the hustle and
bustle of cities in Punjab, but Khurshida, aged 40, believes she can eke out a living for her
children if she works hard enough. Khurshida grew up working on agricultural land where she
would earn Rs. 2,500 to Rs. 3,000 per month. After her divorce, the meagre amount was simply
not enough. However, after she was selected for an enterprise training programme organised by
Shell Tameer in collaboration with Care International Foundation and Awaz Foundation
through which women are specifically employed to help build basic infrastructure in remote
areas, Khurshidas life changed. For two years, she helped in the construction of roads as part of
the Care-Awaz joint programme, earning Rs. 5,600 per month.
Of this amount, Rs. 4,500 was given to her while the rest was kept aside by the organisation in
order to help her build her savings. Khurshida was trained during her two-year tenure in the
programme in basic courses, including business management, humanity and gender, health and
hygiene. Once her savings reached Rs. 26,000, she opened a grocery shop. Five months later, she
has been able to operate an oil-change facility through additional training in the Shell Tameer
programme. Khurshida earns around Rs. 8,000 a month and hopes to boost this income further,
with her son by her side to assist her. I feel much more comfortable than I was two years ago,
she said. My life has taken a turn for the better and I have managed to enroll my children in
school. My life has changed and so has the future of my children. Sultan Mehmood, project
manager at Awaz Foundation, said more still needed to be done. Khurshida Mai is just one
example from the Care-Awaz programme, in collaboration with Shell Tameer, which conducts
these sessions with 1,875 women in four districts in Punjab. We will expand with time as well.
Some women are earning up to Rs. 20,000 per month, which is considered a good amount in the
rural areas.
Meanwhile, the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority, which is facilitating the
programme by handling various logistics issues, also put its weight behind the project. We
want to assist in employment generation and value addition to the national income through the
development of the SME Sector, read a statement from the authority. The Canadian
government, which is handling the financial end of the programme, has also been pleased with
the progress of the project. Through the project, the objective is to support women
empowerment in remote areas of Pakistan through community partnerships and
entrepreneurship, a statement said. Working with partners toward common objectives is one
of the strengths and success of Shell Tameer, read a statement issued by Shell Tameer.
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Edition X, Volume 6
Gender Based Violence

Progress Promises Hope in Fight against Child Marriage
According to the statistics collected by Hyderabad DIG Sanaullah Abbasi, a total of 1,119 crimes
against 1,152 women were registered in the nine districts of the Hyderabad police range during
the last five years. These comprise 264 murders, 84 attempts to murder, 105 rape cases, 539
kidnappings, one acid attack and 126 miscellaneous crimes. His statistics reveal that the most
cases of murder, rape and kidnappings were reported from the Dadu district, with as many as
94 murders, 24 rapes and 182 kidnappings. Second in rank was Badin with 18 rape and 39
murder cases. Jamshoro followed with 16 rape and 33 murder cases, and Hyderabad with 15
rape and 25 murder cases. According to Abbasi, an overwhelming number of 1,054 victims were
uneducated. As many as 446 of them were between 15 and 20 years of age, while 441 were aged
between 20 years and 30 years. Most of the victimised women, his research shows, were
married. Only 479 victims were unmarried. Up to 3,755 people were accused in the cases but
only 2,115 of them were apprehended. Another set of data of the last 10 years, which the DIG
collected from the Larkana range police, shows that 575 women were killed for honour in the
ranges five districts of Larkana, Qambar, Shikarpur, Jacobabad and Kashmore. In comparison,
281 men were murdered for honour during the same time in these districts. Interestingly, most
of the women were killed by their husbands and least by their sons, Abbasi said. The statistics
show 297 husbands, 65 brothers and nine sons accused in the 575 murders of women.
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SECTARIAN CRISES & CONFLICT WATCH

Conflict & Sectarian Crisis Incidents
Security Briefs for the Month of August
DATE
INCIDENTS
KILLED
INJURED
August 01,
2014
August 02,
2014
Three persons, including a woman, were killed in

Panjgur District of Balochistan.
Three suspected militants were killed during the
ongoing Zarb-e-Azb operation in the Mir Ali tehsil of
NWA in FATA.
Seven Uzbek militants and two soldiers were killed
during the ongoing Operation Zarb-e-Azb in Data Khel
area of NWA of FATA.
At least 30 militants were killed in airstrikes carried
out by fighter jets in Dattakhel, Marsikhel and
Kamsham areas of NWA in FATA.
At least six suspected militants were killed and two
others were injured when a drone fired two missiles in
a house in a village in Dattakhel area of NWA in FATA.
Three militants, including two LI militants and one TI
militant were killed as the two rival militant outfits
clashed in Zakhakhel area of Tirah Valley in Khyber
Agency of FATA.
At least seven militants and two security personnel
were killed and more than 20 others were injured in
an operation in Turbat District of Balochistan after
unidentified militants opened fire at a SFs convoy in
the same area.
Taliban militants from Afghanistan stormed the house
of Nazmeen Khan, chief of a local anti-Taliban militia,
and killed him along with his two sons and a nephew,
in Tenai Dara village in Upper Dir District of KP.
At least three militants were killed in a joint operation
carried out by the Security Forces and peace militia in
Sonai Darra Barawal area of Upper Dir District in
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Unidentified assailants shot dead three brothers,
including a Constable, near Yarak area of Dera Ismail
Khan town (Dera Ismail Khan District) in KP in the
night. Two persons were also injured in the incident.
At least 12 militants, wearing suicide vests and armed
with RPGs and automatic weapons were killed and 11
SFs were injured in an 11-hour gun battle near Khalid
Aviation Airbase and Samungli Airbase in Quetta of
Balochistan.
30
20
12
11
August 04,
2014
August 05,
2014
August 06,
2014
August 07,
2014
August 09,
2014
August 10,
2014
August 12,
2014
August 14,
2014
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Edition X, Volume 6
DATE
INCIDENTS
KILLED
INJURED
August 15,
2014
At least four suspected militants were killed when SFs

opened fire on an explosives-laden vehicle in the Fort
Slope area of Bara tehsil in the Khyber Agency of FATA.
At least 48 suspected militants were killed, seven
hideouts, nine vehicles and several motorcycles were
destroyed in fresh air strikes carried out by fighter jets
and Cobra gunship helicopters in the Khyber and
North Waziristan Agencies of FATA.
Six persons were killed when a remote-controlled
explosive device went off in the Tangi area of Salarzai
tehsil in Bajaur Agency of FATA.
FC claimed to have killed 16 militants during an
operation in Dasht area of Turbat District of
Balochistan.
Six people were killed when unidentified armed men
opened fire on Malik Agha Hotel along Super Highway
in Karachi of Sindh.
Three persons were killed when unidentified armed
men opened fire near Nasir Jump in Korangi within the
limits of Zaman Town Police Station in Karachi of
Sindh.
Five militants were killed and three others were
injured in a clash with a tribal militia in Dana Khola
area of Lower Orakzai Agency in FATA.
At least six suspected militants were killed during a
search operation conducted by Police in Sohrab Goth
area of Gadap Town in Karachi, the provincial capital
of Sindh.
Senior journalist and Secretary General of BUJ Irshad
Mastoi, trainee reporter Abdul Rasul and an
accountant Mohammed Younus of a news agency were
shot dead in Kabir Building near Jinnah Road in Quetta
of Balochistan.
Unidentified militants opened fire on worshippers at a
shrine in Awaran District of Balochistan, killing at least
six persons and wounding seven others.
Three missing Baloch men, two of them said to be
related, were found shot dead on the outskirts of Malir
town of Karachi (Karachi District), the provincial
capital of Sindh.
At least 32 militants were killed when SFs targeted the
suspected hideouts of militants as a part of Operation
Zarb-e-Azb in NWA of FATA.
At least 12 militants and one FC official were killed in
exchange of fire in Gomazai area of Turbat District in
Balochistan.
Three protesters were killed and around 534 others
injured as violent clashes between PTI and PAT
48
16
32
13
534
August 19,
2014
August 22,
2014
August 23,
2014
August 25,
2014
August 28,
2014
August 29,
2014
August 30,
2014
August 31,
2014
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Edition X, Volume 6
DATE
INCIDENTS
KILLED
INJURED
activists and personnel of the law-enforcement

agencies continued in the 'Red Zone' of Islamabad, the
National capital, till the evening.
Compiled from different dialies
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ECONOMIC WATCH
Facts & Figures
To Start Business in Pakistan A Long Journey
There is a long journey to start any small or longstanding business in Pakistan as it needs 21
days long procedure as compare to develop and under developing countries. Economy
indicators of the World Bank (WB) toward different countries of the globe have interestingly
showed business procedures, economic infrastructure and administrative system in Pakistan
was much tougher to other countries like United States of America, Turkey, Bangladesh even to
Afghanistan, which was highly disturbed by war and facing uncertainty in all sectors. The report
of the WB providing business data and commenting over procedural systems existing in
different countries of the world has disclosed any businessman required around 21 days long
procedure to start his business in Pakistan.
While, the time to start any business in USA required only 5 days and United Kingdom needed
around 12 days for the same purpose. The time needed to start a business in Australia 3 days,
Armenia 4 days, Azerbaijan 7 days, Bahrain 9 days, Belgium 4 days, Canada 5 days, Hong Kong
SAR, China 3 days, Denmark 6 days, Egypt 8 days, France 7 days, Georgia 2 days, Ireland 10
days, Israel 14 days, Italy 6 days, Korea 6 days, Qatar 9 days, Singapore 3 days, South Africa 19
days, United Arab Emirates 8 days and Uzbekistan 9 days. New Zealand is the country where
only one day is required to start any business while some of the war zone (countries) like
Afghanistan and Lebanon are required only 5 and 9 days respectively.
Due to some economic crises especially in the shadow of electricity shortfall at large level,
Pakistani businessmen are losing their interest to continue their businesses especially industrial
units in the land and they are investing in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Turkey and Malaysia where
they have less hurdles to boost up their businesses or industries as the business in these
countries could be set up with in 3 days in Bangladesh, 6 days required to Malaysia and Turkey
and only 8 days needed to start business in Sri Lanka. There are also some countries on the
globe which are required not days but months to start any business on their land in which
Suriname is on a top where 208 days are required while 144 days and 135 days are required in
Venezuela and Equatorial Guinea respectively. And, the international economist termed the long
procedure to start business in these countries as hurdle to big economic boost up of them.
The local economic experts and traders in their comments said in Pakistan there was a long
filing procedure especially in absence of one window operation to open any new business or
even to continue businesses existing in the country. Load shedding of electricity and
mismanagement in energy sector as well as lack of merit and practice of bribery for getting any
right in business at every level are big signs of wasting money in Pakistan, they said. They
opined due to long procedure to introduce any business in Pakistan, they got exhaust physically
as well mentally running between one to other office to get permissions or NOC (no objection
certificate) while their money also devalues or wastes during the procedural matters. They
urged the governments of Pakistan it should think over it seriously if they were sincere to boost
up local businesses and living standard of the people.
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Edition X, Volume 6
Meeting IMF Conditions: Pakistan Likely To Win $550m Loan Tranche

Pakistan and International Monetary Fund (IMF) are set to open talks to review performance of
the economy during the last quarter of previous fiscal year as Islamabad is likely to win the fifth
loan tranche of $550 million after meeting most of the conditions. The two sides are scheduled
to meet from August 6 to 14 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to review the performance of the
economy in the last quarter (April-June) of the previous fiscal year, said officials in the Ministry
of Finance. Both sides will also discuss the performance criteria and indicative targets for the
first quarter of the new fiscal year, they added. While the performance in the last quarter largely
remained on track on back of certain out of book adjustments, the sources said the IMF is likely
to flag the issue of backpedaling on some budgetary measures that could affect the new fiscal
years budget deficit target. They added the pace of withdrawing Statutory Regulatory Orders
(SROs) and huge increase in backlog of Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) are likely
to be highlighted by the IMF.
The officials said the government has performed well on most of the targets but lagged behind
on its commitment to improve the situation in the energy sector. It also could not meet the
condition of introducing amendments to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Act aimed at
strengthening the administrative authority of the central bank. The structural benchmark on
hiring a financial adviser for Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) was met with a delay of three
weeks. Similarly, delay in restructuring the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority
(Nepra) was also a cause for concern for the IMF. The IMF has already given fresh dates on
amending the SBP Act and filling the vacancies in the Nepra Board. The talks were originally
scheduled for July but were delayed after the IMF desired to see a clear roadmap that deals with
outstanding issues in the areas of energy and privatisation, said the officials. Ministry of
Finances spokesman Rana Assad Amin was not available for comments. A successful
completion of the fourth review and subsequent approval of the IMFs Board will lead to the
release of the fifth loan tranche of roughly $550 million.
One of the major conditions for the last quarter was to increase the net international reserves of
the SBP to $1.8 billion. The net reserves are calculated by excluding all reserves related
liabilities. The gross SBP reserves as of July 25 stood at $9.275 billion including the borrowings
from China and commercial banks. The SBP does not deem it appropriate to share information
prior to discussions with the IMF, said the central banks spokesman Khubaib Usmani, in his
brief reply. Under the agreement, the IMF has also placed ceiling on net domestic assets at
Rs2.324 trillion. The central bank had missed the third quarters NDA target. According to yet
another important performance criterion, the federal government was bound to restrict the
budget deficit to Rs1.464 trillion by end June. The sources said the government was expected to
achieve this threshold. However, there was an issue over the actual tax collection by the Federal
Board of Revenue (FBR) in the last fiscal year.
The FBR has claimed that it collected Rs2.266 trillion in taxes while the SBP was not confirming
this figure, they added. In an agreement with the IMF, the government was required to
undertake a diagnostic study of the power sectors regulatory framework and prepare an
interim report by the end of April. The two sides would discuss the report in the fourth review
meetings. Sources said the IMF was concerned about delay in restructuring of the power sector,
particularly Nepras refusal to accept the governments directive to increase the ceiling of
transmission and distribution losses, also called line losses. The delay in restructuring may also
mar the privatisation plan for power distribution companies.
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Edition X, Volume 6
Political Unrest Slams Stocks, Pares 1,309 Points

Karachi stock market ended its worst day in five years as the index lost 4.46 percent on political
uncertainty, which triggered panic selling across the board, dealers said. The KSE-100 Index
shed 1,309.09 points biggest ever single day fall in the index to 28,071.41 points. The drop
follows the calls of Inqilab (revolution) and Azadi (freedom) marches by Imran Khan and cleric
Tahir-ul-Qadri on August 14, who vowed to topple the government of Prime Minister Nawaz
Sharif. Mohammad Sohail, the head of Topline Securities said political uproar in the country has
played a catalyst role in bearish sentiment. However, there were also hopes pinned on
government strategy to deal with the situation and a meeting of top military commanders held
to ease the political tension. Sohail said political activities at the weekend have added more
uncertainties rather than reducing. And more uncertainty is not good for Pakistan market that
is still up 16% (23% in US$-terms) in 2014 to date and trades at forward PE of 7.7x and
dividend yield of 6%., he added. Sohail said in spite of a sharp fall foreigners funds were active
in the market and were net buyers of $5 million.
Turnover was expanded by 144 million shares to 215.62 million shares and trading value
surged to Rs8.89 billion as against Rs4.13 billion, while market capital dropped to Rs6.60
trillion against Rs6.90 trillion. Of a total of 376 companies active in the session, 14 closed in
green, 353 in red whereas nine remained unchanged. Following suit, the KSE-30 index fell
sharply by 892.02 points, or 4.37 percent, to 19,537.67 points. Ahmed Hanif, an analyst at KASB
Securities, feared the 100-share index could lower at 27,300-27,400 points. He recommended
the sale on intraday positions and a wait for that level to accumulate positions. While small
bounces could be seen from the current levels, yet these could only be short-lived, Hanif said.
Fahad M Ali, an analyst at JS Research, also attributed the fall in the equity market to political
unrest. Almost all index heavyweights hit their lower circuit as major investors preferred to be
net sellers and individuals sold off positions due to margin calls, he said. Market sentiments
will continue to be sensitive to the political situation; hence, we recommend a defensive
strategy with the preference to stocks with high dividend yield, Ali added.
Highest increase was recorded in shares of Indus Dyeing, which rose by Rs. 19.70 to Rs. 698.00
per share, followed by Khyber Tobacco that improved by Rs. 8.75 to Rs. 377.90 per share. Major
decline was registered in shares of Rafhan Maize, which fell by Rs. 540 to Rs. 10,260 per share,
followed by Nestle Pak that was down by Rs. 380 to Rs. 7,220 per share. Significant turnover
was recorded in stocks of Lafarge Pak, Bank of Punjab, Fauji Cement, K-Electric Ltd, Lotte
Chemical, Adamjee Insurance, Bank Al-Falah, Azgard Nine, National Bank and Pakistan
Petroleum Limited. Lafarge Pak emerged as the volume leader with 19.70 million shares with a
decrease of 53 paisas to Rs. 15.07 per share. It was followed by Bank of Punjab with 18.30
million shares with a slide of Re1 to Rs. 7.57 per share. Turnover of shares in the futures market
increased to 16.16 million shares from 6.71 million shares traded in the previous session.
Capital Outflow Recorded At $478.56 Billion during Last 5 Years

The registered flight of capital from the country during the last five years (2009-14) is $478.56
billion with the approval of State Bank of Pakistan and Economic Coordination Committee of the
Cabinet. Official document revealed that during the year 2009-10, the SBP approved $21.39
billion while in 2010-11 the total outflow recorded $35.44 billion ($15 billion and $20.44 billion
approval). During the year 2011-12, the total capital outflow remained $44.66 billion (SBP
$24.50 and ECC $20.16 billion). The maximum capital outflow recorded during 2012-13, which
stand for $298.23 billion (SBP $271.39 billion and ECC $26.84 billion approval). This was last
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year of PPP led coalition government where maximum capital outflow recorded in the country.
In the last fiscal year 2013-14 the capital outflow has recorded $78.84 billion (SBP $40 billion
and ECC $38.84 billion approval).
The document revealed that the SBP accords approvals and maintains data for permissible
transactions for investment abroad through the formal channels. The Bank has been
empowered to approve such investment proposals of Pakistanis involving an amount up to US$
5 million. The investment proposals exceeding the above amount are approved by the Economic
Coordination Committee (ECC). It should be noted here that the SBP does not have record of any
illegal flight of capital from the country. However, the government agencies/departments (such
as; Customs, FIA and FBR) having the requisite legal jurisdiction and physical presence at exit
points to control unauthorized movement of funds outside Pakistan.
The flight of capital generally occurs when assets and/or money rapidly flows out of the country
due to factors such as an adverse economic event, poor investment climate, worsening law and
order situation, political upheaval etc. The flight of capital may also include outflow of funds
from the country through illegal channels, which are undocumented, and as such these
transactions are unquantifiable. The opinions on illegal outflows are generally speculative in
nature and the data reported in the press varies. The SBP has enhanced its coordination with
the concerned law enforcement agencies to check outflow of currency through illegal channels.
On active persuasion by SBP, FBR has established currency detection units at major airports of
the country. Moreover, increased coordination between the SBP and FIA is expected in a drive
against illegal foreign exchange operators. These administrative steps with the support of law
enforcement agencies are likely to check the outflow of capital through illegal channels.
Apart from pursuing Swiss case, FBR is actively pursuing other initiatives which will help track
funds that may have been drained off from Pakistan and invested in offshore jurisdictions. The
FBR like the rest of the world is pursuing bilateral as well as multilateral framework, the
document further revealed. Pakistan joined the Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of
Information in Tax Matters (Global Forum) in 2013 as its 111th member, Global Forum allow
with ease generation, access and exchange of all critical tax information across the globe.
Federal Cabinet has approved FBRs proposal to Pakistan becoming signatory to the Multilateral
Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters (MC), which allows a signatory
to receive all types of assistance and tax information, for example on request, in-routine,
automatic, and /or spontaneous, from all MC signatories.
1MFY15: Current Account Deficit Swells

Pakistans current account deficit in the first month of 2014-15 increased to more than $454
million as opposed to $125 million recorded in the corresponding month of 2013-14, according
to data released by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP). The current account deficit has widened by
$319 million in July over the preceding month when it stood at only $135 million. It amounted
to $2.97 billion at the end of 2013-14. As a percentage of the gross domestic product (GDP), the
current account deficit widened to 1.9% in July as opposed to 0.6% in the same period of the
last fiscal year.
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The countrys balance of payment (BoP) position deteriorated during the last fiscal year, as
foreign exchange reserves held by the central bank reduced to just $2.8 billion in February. SBPheld reserves improved following alleged intervention from policymakers into the foreign
exchange market, resulting in a year-on-year increase of more than 50% by the end of the fiscal
year in June. SBP-held reserves currently stand at $8.9 billion. Pakistan exported goods worth
$1.9 billion in July as opposed to exports totalling $2.2 billion in the comparable month of 201314, reflecting a year-on-year decrease of 13.2%. The value of goods exported in July decreased
by $184 million on a month-on-month basis, which is 8.8% less than the exports of a little over
$2 billion recorded in June. Pakistans total imports of goods in July were almost $3.8 billion as
opposed to $3.4 billion in July 2013, which means an increase of 10.2%. On a month-on-month
basis, the value of goods imported increased 6.1%, as Pakistan imported goods valuing $3.5
billion in June. Balance of trade in both goods and services at the end of the first month of 201415 clocked up at negative $2.1 billion as opposed to the deficit of $1.4 billion recorded in the
same month of the preceding fiscal year. Workers remittances remained $1.6 billion in July, up
17.4% from the same month of the last fiscal year when they totalled $1.4 billion. Workers
remittances increased by $150 million in July, registering a rise of 10% on a month-on-month
basis. The substantial increase during the last month was because of Eid, which is typically
preceded by larger than usual workers remittances. They amounted to a little less than $1.5
billion in June.
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DEVELOPMENT WATCH
Education Projects
Rs. 10 Billion Endowment Fund Set Up To Promote Education
Minister for Planning, Development and Reforms Ahsan Iqbal announced various projects,
including a Rs10 billion Endowment Fund, for promotion of education in the country. We are
establishing an Endowment Fund of Rs. 10bn under which poor and talented students will be
provided scholarships/fees, while a Rs. 1bn Science Talent Scholarship for Grade 1 to 10 will
also be started, Mr Iqbal said at the inaugural ceremony of the Vision 2025. More than 50,000
students will benefit from the Endowment Fund, he said. Mr. Iqbal said that 8,000 PhDs had
returned home from abroad to serve the country but due to absence of research facilities they
joined universities as teaching professionals and now the government would set up a Rs. 5bn
`technology and innovation fund to promote research, particularly in the agriculture sector.
Under the Reforms Project of Vision 2025, the government in collaboration with the United
Nations Development Programme would initiate a project on good governance, modernisation
of public administration reforms, institutional reforms and modernisation of public sector.
Under the Vision 2025, Rs. 500 million would be spent on holding of national games to produce
players of international standards to revive the past glory of the country in the field of sports at
international levels. Mr Iqbal said that the government would enhance exports from the current
$25bn to $150bn to create jobs and reduce poverty. In the Vision 2025, education and human
capital development had been given top priority and enough resources would be allocated for
these sectors, he said. The minister said the PML-N government had forecast that Pakistan
would require 28,000MW of electricity, but the roadmap for the energy need under the Vision
2010 was not implemented and as a result the country was now facing severe load-shedding. He
said the Vision 2025 was a consensus document agreed to by the four provinces, Azad Kashmir
and Gilgit-Baltistan governments to put the country on the track of sustainable economic
growth trajectory and for creating a globally competitive and prosperous country by providing
high quality of life for all.
Health Projects
Health Reports/Controls
Fighting Polio in 2014: Pakistan Fares Worse Than Most Impoverished Nations
In an embarrassing development, Pakistan has been ranked on top of a list of 10 countries that
recorded the highest number of polio cases so far this year. As many as 108 fresh cases
including four Wild Type-1 cases one each from Punjab, Sindh, K-P and Fata have been
reported in Pakistan in eight months of 2014. Afghanistan has been ranked 2nd, with only 8
cases, according to the list compiled by the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI). The GPEI
figures show that last year there were 93 confirmed polio cases in Pakistan, while the numbers
have soared well past 100 so far this year while four months are still to go. Somalia reported
194 cases and topped the same list last year. The impoverished countrys performance has been
stunning this year as only 4 new cases have surfaced so far.
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Afghanistan had reported 14 cases last year but the country has reported only 8 cases until
August this year. Similarly, Nigeria had reported 53 cases in 2013, but the African nation has
confirmed only five cases so far this year. Last year, no polio cases surfaced in Equatorial Guinea
and Iraq but the two countries reported five and two cases, respectively, in eight months of
2014. Similarly, four cases were reported from Cameroon in 2013 and the country has
confirmed four fresh cases so far this year. Ethiopia recoded 9 cases in 2013, while only one
case has been confirmed this year. Last year, 35 polio cases were reported from Syria, a Middle
Eastern country torn by a deadly insurrection. However, only one case has been confirmed in
the battered country so far this year. Kenya is the first country where 14 cases were confirmed
last year but there has been no fresh case this year.
The GPEI data shows that no new WPV1 case was reported in Afghanistan last week. There have
been a total of eight WPV1 cases so far this year the most recent one being a June 17 paralysis
case reported from the Afghan province of Khost. Khost borders North Waziristan Agency,
where Pakistani military has launched a massive operation against militants, forcing families to
shift to other towns and cities in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Health authorities in surrounding
districts of Pakistan and across the border in Afghanistan have been vaccinating the displaced
children. A K-P Health Department official conceded that health authorities and supporting
organisations are responsible for the high number of polio cases in Pakistan. They are not
serious in eradicating poliovirus from the country as they receive high salaries and perks in the
name of fighting this crippling disease, the official told on the condition of anonymity. If they
were serious, they shouldnt have launched a vaccination campaign for the IDPs in the month of
Ramazan.
Field workers and inoculators did not perform their duties due to the fasting month and due to
the hot weather in Bannu and other parts of the country, the official said. Now they have
stopped immunisation campaigns. He said the government should continue the anti-polio
campaign for the IDPs as it was a golden chance to immunise those IDPs children who were
inaccessible to inoculators over the last three years. However, the focal person of the Chief
Minister Polio Monitoring Cell, Dr Imtiyaz Khan, said that the main reason for the high number
of polio cases in Pakistan was lack of access to the areas which are more vulnerable to
poliovirus. Most of the fresh cases have been reported from Fata where children could not be
vaccinated over the last three years due to a ban from militants on vaccination, he added. He
agreed that a large number of families have been displaced from North Waziristan and it offers
the government a golden opportunity to vaccinate the maximum number of children. He said
the government has conducted four polio campaigns for the IDPs and has also designed a new
drive to effectively control poliovirus. He hoped that the government steps would bear fruit and
next year the number of cases will drop.
The Express Tribune August 11, 2014
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REGIONAL WATCH
Pakistan & India
Cancellation of Pak-India Talks Unfortunate
The United States has described the cancellation of talks between the foreign secretaries of
India and Pakistan as unfortunate and urged both countries to take steps to improve their ties.
The foreign secretaries were to meet in Islamabad on Aug 25 for exploring various options for
improving their strained relations. But India cancelled the talks following a meeting in New
Delhi between Pakistan High Commission-`er Abdul Basit and Kashmiri leaders. It is
unfortunate that planned talks between India and Pakistan have fallen through, US State
Depart-ment Deputy Spokesperson Marie Harf said at a briefing in Washington. We continue to
support efforts by India and Pakistan to improve all aspects of their bilateral relations. And that
is a position we will continue making clear to both parties here, she said. Pakistan has defended
its consultations with Hurriyat leaders, pointing out that it was a longstanding practice to
consult them before talks with India. It also urged India to reconsider its decision, which it said
was a setback for efforts to improve ties. But India insisted that Pakistan would have to
abandon this practice and decide whether it wanted to hold talks with New Delhi or stay
engaged with the Kashmiri leaders. The US official, however, refused to get involved in a
discussion over who and what caused the cancellation of the talks. Irrespective of why either
side says the talks were cancelled, or why, in fact, they were cancelled, what matters now is that
both sides take steps to improve their bilateral relations, Ms Harf said. Weve been very clear
about that directly in conversations with both. The State Department official also made it clear
that the US policy on Kashmir had not changed. She acknowledged that the Kashmir issue raised
strong sentiments on both sides but urged India and Pakistan to stay engaged with each other
on all issues. We know there are a lot of issues on the table. Therere a lot of emotions involved
here as there are many issues but what we think needs to happen now, again, is additional
steps, Ms Harf said.
US Newspaper Blames Modi for India-Pakistan Talks Cancellation

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been faulted for cancelling a high-level meeting with
Pakistans top foreign affairs official irked by a meeting of a Kashmiri leader with Pakistans
High Commission in New Delhi. There are no two countries in the world that need to talk, and
talk regularly, more than these nuclear-armed South Asian neighbours whose tensions must be
carefully managed, the New York Times editorial board said in a lead article. Noting the
significance of talks, the NYT said that cancelling the meeting was an over-reaction on Indias
part, especially when it could have served as an opportunity to discuss grievances and press for
a solution. It observed that absent such an airing, there is a tendency on both sides to escalate
the tensions, with the Indian news media emphasising Mr Modis willingness to take a tough
stand and Pakistan asserting it was not subservient to India. There will always be political
excuses not to take risks, the newspaper said Mr Modi, who won a huge victory in the May
election, is in the strongest political position, while Mr Sharif is facing street protests led by
politicians seeking his ouster.
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Whats needed is a meeting between the leaders to establish a continuing dialogue. Next
months United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York offers a good venue. It would be
foolish and dangerous to let this episode destroy the chance for a more stable relationship. The
Times said: Mr Modi raised expectations that he would work harder at resolving cross-border
differences when he took the unorthodox step of inviting Pakistans Prime Minister Nawaz
Sharif, along with other regional leaders to his inauguration in May. The photo of the two men
shaking hands came to symbolise the promise of that moment. But that felicitous picture
seemed a fading memory when, on , India cancelled foreign-secretary-level talks, which would
have been the first in two years, that were scheduled to take place in Islamabad on Aug 25. The
proximate cause was Indias anger over a meeting that Pakistans ambassador to India held with
a separatist leader from Kashmir, the disputed territory over which the two countries have
fought three wars.
Pakistan & Afghanistan

Afghan Election
Stop-Start Afghan Vote: Audit Gets Green Light
The mammoth task of auditing eight million votes cast in the second round of Afghanistans
presidential election will restart, the electoral commission said on , but disputes still hang over
the process. Allegations of mass fraud have cast doubt over the outcome of the vote that aims to
transfer power democratically for the first time in Afghan history before most foreign troops
pull out at the end of the year. A U.S.-brokered agreement to audit all ballots defused a crisis this
month, but the process has stalled three times since and the candidates have yet to agree on
how to disqualify votes. The audit stopped last weekend because of technical differences, and
the suspension was extended due to the Eid al-Fitr holiday this week. The United Nations asked
both candidates, Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani, to fully engage in the process, warning
against further delays. Any delays, any uncertainties, have a major, negative impact on both the
political and economic situation in Afghanistan, said Jan Kubis, the top U.N. official in
Afghanistan.
Daily Times - August 01, 2014
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Imran Khan Vs Nawaz Sharif

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Pakistan Governance Forum (PGF) - August, 2014

Pakistan Governance Forum (PGF) - August, 2014

Saner Minds Prevail Amid Manoeuvring ------------------------------------------------------------------- 25

Pakistan Governance Forum (PGF) - August, 2014

Last Phase of Revolution: PAT Sets 48-Hour Deadline ------------------------------------------------- 65

Pakistan Governance Forum (PGF) - August, 2014

Pakistan Governance Forum (PGF) - August, 2014

Government Rivals, Allies Oppose Article 245

Pakistan Governance Forum (PGF) - August, 2014

Pakistan Governance Forum (PGF) - August, 2014

People Do Not Want Imran as PM: Gallup

Pakistan Governance Forum (PGF) - August, 2014

Pakistan Governance Forum (PGF) - August, 2014

Civil Disobedience Illegal, Equal to Treason: Ministers

Pakistan Governance Forum (PGF) - August, 2014

National Assembly & Senate

Pakistan Governance Forum (PGF) - August, 2014

Pakistan Governance Forum (PGF) - August, 2014

Opposition Submits Vote of No-Confidence against KP CM Pervez Khattak

Pakistan Governance Forum (PGF) - August, 2014

Two Soldiers, Seven Uzbek Terrorists Killed In North Waziristan: ISPR

Jets Flatten Six Hideouts, Killing 30 Terrorists

Pakistan Governance Forum (PGF) - August, 2014

Government to Release Rs 15b for Zarb-E-Azb

48 Dead In Air Strikes on Taliban Hideouts

Pakistan Governance Forum (PGF) - August, 2014

Pakistan Governance Forum (PGF) - August, 2014

Pakistan Governance Forum (PGF) - August, 2014

POLITICAL & ELECTION WATCH

PPP MPAs Election Declared Void for Holding Fake Degree

Pakistan Governance Forum (PGF) - August, 2014

Other Political Parties

Pakistan Governance Forum (PGF) - August, 2014

JUI-F Re-Elects Fazl as Chief

Ban Likely On Qadris Pakistan Awami Tehreek

Asfandyar Elected ANP President Unopposed

Pakistan Governance Forum (PGF) - August, 2014

Marches (Azadi & Inqalaab March)

Pakistan Governance Forum (PGF) - August, 2014

Youm-E-Shuhada: Police Gunned Down 8 PAT Workers, Claims Qadri

Pakistan Governance Forum (PGF) - August, 2014

Revolution March on 14th, Declares Qadri

Pakistan Governance Forum (PGF) - August, 2014

Imran Rejects Commission He Himself Demanded Last Month

Pakistan Governance Forum (PGF) - August, 2014

Policy Statement: Marchers Need To Apply For Permission, Says Nisar

Pakistan Governance Forum (PGF) - August, 2014

Saner Minds Prevail Amid Manoeuvring

Pakistan Governance Forum (PGF) - August, 2014

SC Commission: Law Secretary Barrister Zafarullah Khan, in a formal correspondence

Pakistan Governance Forum (PGF) - August, 2014

A Tale of Two Rallies: Marchers Swamp the Federal Capital

Pakistan Governance Forum (PGF) - August, 2014

Conflicting Claims about Participants of Marches

Pakistan Governance Forum (PGF) - August, 2014

PTI Fails To Put Up Impressive Show

Pakistan Governance Forum (PGF) - August, 2014

Red Zone Is Red Line for PTI and PAT: Nisar

Pakistan Governance Forum (PGF) - August, 2014

PTI and PAT Fail to Attract Expected Crowds

Khursheed Opposes Qadris Demands

Pakistan Governance Forum (PGF) - August, 2014