All posts tagged: Imran

Wife of Pakistan’s Imran Khan Moved to Jail on Her Request, Lawyer Says

Wife of Pakistan’s Imran Khan Moved to Jail on Her Request, Lawyer Says

Published by skeptic

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) -A court in Pakistan granted a request on Wednesday by the wife of former Prime Minister Imran Khan to be moved to jail, her lawyer said, instead of the house arrest ordered by the government. In her petition to the Islamabad High Court, Bushra Bibi had accused authorities of violating her privacy and serving contaminated food in her home cell, which she and her lawyers said was dominated by men, a charge the prison staff has denied. Bibi says she has been detained in one room at Khan’s hilltop mansion in Islamabad since the couple’s January conviction on charges of illegally selling state gifts. Through her lawyers Bibi had asked to be shifted to jail, which authorities complied with shortly after the court issued the order, her party and a local administration official Afzaal Ahmad said. The court ordered authorities to shift her to Adyala jail in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, where Khan, 70, a former cricket superstar, is serving his 14-year sentence, his party said in a statement. Photos You Should …

Pakistani judges say intelligence agency threatened them over Imran Khan | Imran Khan

Pakistani judges say intelligence agency threatened them over Imran Khan | Imran Khan

Published by skeptic

Claims by senior Pakistani judges that the intelligence agencies put pressure on them in cases involving the former prime minister Imran Khan have reached the country’s supreme court, following the publication of an unprecedented letter that has created a storm in Pakistan. The letter from the six high court judges alleged the abduction of family members, torture, installation of cameras in their bedrooms and threats from the powerful Inter-Services Intelligence agency (ISI). In one case the judges said they were forced to hear an appeal against Khan even after the majority of judges had decided it was not maintainable. “Considerable pressure was brought to bear on the judges who had opined that the petition was not maintainable, by operatives of the ISI, through friends and relatives of these judges. Fearing for their security, they sought additional protection for their homes. One of the judges had to be admitted in a hospital due to high blood pressure caused by stress,” the letter claimed. It alleged the brother-in-law of one judge was abducted by “individuals who claimed …

Pakistan court grants Imran Khan appeal of graft conviction, sentence suspended

Pakistan court grants Imran Khan appeal of graft conviction, sentence suspended

Published by skeptic

Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan, gestures as he speaks to the members of the media at his residence in Lahore, Pakistan May 18, 2023.  Mohsin Raza | Reuters A Pakistani court on Monday granted former Prime Minister Imran Khan an appeal of his conviction for graft and suspended his 14-year jail sentence, his party said. Just a week ahead of Feb. 8 elections, Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi were both handed a 14-year sentence on charges of unlawfully selling state gifts. Khan remains in jail after multiple other sentences were imposed on the ex-cricket star ahead of the national polls, which also disqualified him from holding any public office for 10 years. Islamabad High Court said that the couple’s sentence will remain suspended until a final decision on the conviction which will be taken up for arguments and evidence as a main petition after Eid holidays, the party said in a statement. Khan and his party say the legal cases against him were based on made-up charges to keep him out of politics at the …

Pakistan court suspends Imran Khan’s prison sentence in state gifts case | Imran Khan News

Pakistan court suspends Imran Khan’s prison sentence in state gifts case | Imran Khan News

Published by Sam

Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi were each handed a 14-year sentence in the case in January. Islamabad, Pakistan – A court in Pakistan has suspended former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s jail sentence in a case related to illegal selling of state gifts. Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi were each handed a 14-year sentence in the case on January 31 – just a week ahead of the February 8 elections, which Khan’s party alleges were rigged. The Islamabad High Court on Monday said the couple’s sentence will remain suspended until a decision is taken on the case after the Eid holidays, which begin in 10 days. Khan, 71, is accused of not disclosing assets based on the sale of state gifts worth more than 140 million rupees ($504,000) he received when he was the prime minister from 2018 to April 2022. The case was brought by Pakistan’s anticorruption agency, which accused Khan and his wife of unlawfully buying and selling the gifts. The sentencing had made the couple ineligible to contest for public office …

Imran Khan allies protest ‘rigged election’ as Pakistan swears in new parliament

Imran Khan allies protest ‘rigged election’ as Pakistan swears in new parliament

Published by Sam

Pakistan’s National Assembly swore in newly elected members on Thursday in a chaotic scene, as allies of jailed former Premier Imran Khan protested what they claim was a rigged election. Issued on: 29/02/2024 – 09:40 3 min Lawmakers from Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party repeatedly chanted “Vote-thief!” as Shehbaz Sharif, who’s expected to form the government, entered the lower house of parliament with his brother Nawaz Sharif. Both men are former premiers. Outgoing National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervez Ashraf administered the oath to incoming legislators at noon. The house echoed with chants of “Long Live Sharif!” when the brothers signed the register after taking their oaths of office. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the young chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party and a key Sharif ally, was met with similar chants. The new government will face challenges including a surge in militant attacks and shortages of energy; as well as an ailing economy that will force Pakistan to seek another bailout from the International Monetary Fund. Lawmakers from Khan’s PTI told reporters that they will continue their campaign …

Rivals of jailed former Pakistan leader Imran Khan agree on coalition government

Rivals of jailed former Pakistan leader Imran Khan agree on coalition government

Published by skeptic

ISLAMABAD — The political rivals of Pakistan’s imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan announced details of a power-sharing agreement late Tuesday, naming Shehbaz Sharif as their joint candidate for prime minister. The much-awaited announcement followed days of talks among the leadership of the Pakistan Muslim League, or PML, the Pakistan People’s Party, or PPP, and other parties that did not gain enough seats in the Feb. 8 vote to govern on their own. Candidates aligned with Khan won the most seats in the parliamentary elections but did not win enough of them to form a government. Sharif, the brother of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, is himself a former prime minister, who replaced Khan when he was ousted through a no-confidence vote in parliament in 2022. Since then, Khan has been convicted of several offenses in what his supporters call politically motivated moves to keep him out of office. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party, in Islamabad on Feb. 13.Anjum Naveed / AP Khan’s rivals said at a late-night news conference of party leaders that …

Pakistan’s youth supported Imran Khan, upending traditional politics

Pakistan’s youth supported Imran Khan, upending traditional politics

Published by Sam

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — The actions taken against former prime minister Imran Khan’s political party in recent months followed a familiar playbook for a disgraced political movement in Pakistan. Khan was jailed on charges that his supporters say were politically motivated, party offices were raided, and its election efforts were ignored by TV networks. But the apparent campaign to dismantle Khan’s party, it now appears, may have vastly underestimated the generation that followed Khan online and not on television, and that already accounts for around half of all voters in this nuclear-armed country of 240 million. On Thursday, millions of young voters rallied behind the party they said the establishment was most determined to keep down. Pakistan’s youth delivered the biggest election surprise in this country in half a century, with candidates backed by Khan gaining more seats than any other party in Parliament. After Pakistan’s shocking election result, all eyes are on the generals “The election results have shown one thing: The old playbook won’t do anymore,” said Mohammad Malick, a Pakistani political analyst. “If …

Imran Khan’s Opponents Reach Deal to Shut His Allies Out of Government

Imran Khan’s Opponents Reach Deal to Shut His Allies Out of Government

Published by Sam

Pakistan’s two main political dynasties reached an agreement late on Tuesday to form a coalition government, ensuring that candidates aligned with former Prime Minister Imran Khan will not take power despite having won the most seats in last week’s election. Leaders of the party favored by the country’s powerful military, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, or P.M.L.N., announced that they had joined forces with another major party, the Pakistan People’s Party, and others to reach a two-thirds majority in the incoming Parliament. “This is not a time for disagreements, but to unite,” said Shehbaz Sharif, a former prime minister whom the coalition said it would nominate to regain that post. “Let’s move forward, move the economy forward, end mutual differences.” The announcement came five days after a national election that most had expected P.M.L.N. to win easily after it received the backing of the military, which has frequently engineered electoral outcomes. In a stunning upset, candidates allied with Mr. Khan routed the two longstanding major parties, defying a monthslong military crackdown on their own party and …

Imran Khan – victory speech from jail shows AI genius

Imran Khan – victory speech from jail shows AI genius

Published by skeptic

Although the technology has previously been employed during Pakistan’s notoriously oppressive election season, this instance garnered international notice. Imran Khan, Pakistan’s former prime minister, has been in jail for the entire electoral campaign and was disqualified from running. With the U.S. presidential campaign trail on its way for the 2024 elections, this deepfake in Pakistan was done by the person himself while campaigning from jail — even though he is prohibited from doing so. It has garnered much attention. On Saturday, Mr. Khan’s A.I. voice declared victory as official tallies revealed candidates affiliated with his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or P.T.I., gaining the most seats in an unexpected outcome that sent the nation’s political structure into disarray. This video looks like the one Khan released from jail on December 19, 2023 — with a few updates to the speech and declaring victory in the election. After the first part of the video spoken in Urdu — you can hear it spoken in English with English subtitles. You may find it interesting to listen to. Says Khan, “I had …

Imran Khan Uses A.I. To Give Victory Speech in Pakistan

Imran Khan Uses A.I. To Give Victory Speech in Pakistan

Published by skeptic

Imran Khan, Pakistan’s former prime minister, has spent the duration of the country’s electoral campaign in jail, disqualified from running in what experts have described as one of the least credible general elections in the country’s 76-year history. But from behind bars, he has been rallying his supporters in recent months with speeches that use artificial intelligence to replicate his voice, part of a tech-savvy strategy his party deployed to circumvent a crackdown by the military. And on Saturday, as official counts showed candidates aligned with his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or P.T.I., winning the most seats in a surprise result that threw the country’s political system into chaos, it was Mr. Khan’s A.I. voice that declared victory. “I had full confidence that you would all come out to vote. You fulfilled my faith in you, and your massive turnout has stunned everybody,” the mellow, slightly robotic voice said in the minute-long video, which used historical images and footage of Mr. Khan and bore a disclaimer about its A.I. origins. The speech rejected the victory claim …