Posts in category: Politics

Lieutenant General (retd) Nauman Mahmood has been appointed the first secretary general of the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement.

According to the Foreign Office spokesperson, Nauman Mahmood will lead the allied general secretariat to be established in Riyadh.

According to details, the joint defence agreement between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia was signed on September 17, 2025, during Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to Saudi Arabia. The agreement was signed by the Pakistani prime minister and the Saudi Crown Prince at Qasr Al-Yamamah.

Turkey later joined the agreement, with a signing ceremony held in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman signed the agreement.

Under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, an attack on any one of the three countries will be considered an attack on all three countries.

Also Read: Govt Announces Rs5 Million Compensation for Families of PIMS Fire Victims

The Peshawar-Islamabad M-1 Motorway will remain closed from Wednesday evening until further notice, according to the Motorway Police.

A Motorway Police spokesperson said the M-1 would remain closed to traffic from the Islamabad Toll Plaza to the Chachh Interchange from Wednesday evening. The Islamabad Toll Plaza, Fateh Jang, Tarnol and Sangjani interchanges will also remain closed.

The spokesperson said the Brahma Bahtar, Burhan, Hazara Motorway, Ghazi and Chachh interchanges would also be closed.

According to the Motorway Police, the M-14 motorway will remain closed to traffic in both directions from Hakla to Kundal. The Hakla, Fateh Jang, Pindi Gheb, Kharpa, Tarap and Daud Khel interchanges will also remain closed.

The Motorway Police said the Kot Balian, Isa Khel and Kundal interchanges would also remain closed.

The GT Road N-5 will also be closed to traffic at Attock Khurd from Wednesday evening.

According to state television, the Lahore-Islamabad M-2 motorway will remain open to all traffic. However, citizens from Islamabad, Rawalpindi and other districts have been advised to avoid travelling on the M-1 motorway.

Also Read: KP IGP Directs Police Officers Not to Facilitate PTI March, Rally Towards Islamabad

Jamaat-e-Islami has deferred its ongoing long march towards Islamabad until the first week of October following Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s request and assurances of providing relief to the public.

The participants of the march will remain stationed in Multan, while the party’s workers will remain active until a meeting with the prime minister.

Speaking at a press conference in Multan, Jamaat-e-Islami Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said the prime minister had requested the postponement of the march. Following consultations, he said, the party decided to suspend the march until the first week of October.

He said the government was being given an opportunity until the meeting with the prime minister.

Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said the long march would continue and Jamaat-e-Islami would not withdraw from its movement. He said the party’s agenda was public relief, adding that if the government provided relief, the matter would proceed accordingly; otherwise, the first week of October remained the deadline.

He said the participants would remain camped in Multan and, if the government failed to provide adequate relief, the march would resume from the same city.

The Jamaat-e-Islami emir said the decision had not been easy, but the prime minister had personally contacted the party, prompting consultations before the decision was taken. He added that the workers would remain mobilised.

Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said the government would be asked to provide a written assurance and that Jamaat-e-Islami would not withdraw its demands. He added that a policy of merely delaying the matter would not be accepted.

Also Read: Jamaat-e-Islami to Hold Nationwide Protest on Aug. 7 Against Petroleum Levy: Hafiz Naeemur Rehman

ISLAMABAD:  Following announcements of long marches and sit-ins toward the capital, the administrations of Islamabad and Rawalpindi have prepared separate security plans.

Preparations to block key routes in the twin cities with containers and barriers have been accelerated, while police personnel from other provinces have also started arriving.

In Islamabad, large numbers of containers have been brought to key roads, including 26 Number Chungi, Faizabad, Kashmir Highway and Murree Road.

Three routes leading to the Red Zone have been sealed, while barriers will be placed on other routes depending on the situation.

Under Rawalpindi’s security plan, more than 11,000 police personnel will be deployed.

Authorities have decided to close 26 entry points to Rawalpindi and place barriers at 72 locations.

Eight routes leading to Adiala Jail will also be closed, while preparations have been made to block 50 main streets within the city.

Also Read: Islamabad Police Bans All Types of Leave Amid Protest Demonstrations

Six members of Parliament affiliated with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have been arrested from Islamabad’s Red Zone, including MNA Adil Bazai, Senator Saifullah Niazi, Sanaullah Masti Khel, Mian Jamal Ahsan Khan, Dawar Khan and Muhammad Ghaus.

The arrests of PTI lawmakers and workers are continuing in the federal capital, with police also taking Adil Bazai into custody.

According to sources, the detained PTI lawmakers have been sent to Jhelum Jail under the Maintenance of Public Order (3-MPO) law. Those detained include Mian Ahsan Jamal and Sanaullah Masti Khel, while Senator Saifullah Niazi, Ghaus Muhammad and Dawar Kundi are also in custody.

Sources said the number of detained PTI members of Parliament from Islamabad has now reached six.

The political situation in the country has also remained tense ahead of PTI’s proposed protest on September 27. While opposition leaders have issued strong statements, the government has begun measures aimed at maintaining law and order.

Also Read: PTI Leader Ejaz Satti Reportedly Dies After Police Detention in Rawalpindi

On Sunday, Lahore’s deputy commissioner ordered the detention of PTI founder Imran Khan’s sister, Aleema Khan, in Kot Lakhpat Jail for 30 days under the 3-MPO.

Meanwhile, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Malakand district, two Levies personnel were injured in alleged firing by a guard of PTI MPA Shakeel Khan. Following the emergence of videos showing the incident and the MPA’s presence at the scene, authorities took notice, registered an FIR and initiated legal proceedings and arrests. Officials said no concessions would be given in the matter.

On the political front, a statement by PTI Khyber Pakhtunkhwa president Junaid Akbar has also sparked a new debate. Addressing workers in Mardan, Junaid Akbar said the party would not retreat and claimed that it would travel to Islamabad on September 27. He said the party would not use a single route to enter the capital, but would also come through the motorway, GT Road and the Margalla Hills.

ISLAMABAD: Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Allama Raja Nasir Abbas has offered talks to the government, calling on the prime minister to form a committee of political leaders for negotiations.

According to details, Allama Raja Nasir Abbas said that both the government and opposition should constitute negotiation teams.

He said that if political committees from both sides sit together, the issues can be resolved. He added that political leaders sitting together could help find solutions to the difficulties and problems being faced.

Allama Raja Nasir Abbas said the opposition’s offer for negotiations was available today or whenever the government wished to sit for talks.

Also Read: We Are Political People, Not Terrorists: Barrister Gohar

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar has said that the party has remained peaceful and will continue to do so, adding that despite being provoked, its members will not act like terrorists because they are political workers.

Speaking to the media in Peshawar, Barrister Gohar said that the party was also being punished for remaining peaceful, adding that the sisters of PTI founder Imran Khan were in jail while party workers, senators and members of the assemblies had been arrested.

He said that threatening one another would not improve the situation. “When we come to Islamabad, there will be Pakistani flags everywhere and the entire country will be happy to see us,” he said.

The PTI chairman said the party was not going to launch an attack on Islamabad and would never take the law and order situation into its own hands.

Also Read: PTI Leader Ejaz Satti Reportedly Dies After Police Detention in Rawalpindi

He said PTI had raised its voice at Parliament, the Senate and every other forum, but no one was listening. He questioned why the party’s senators and ministers had been arrested and what the grounds for their arrests were.

Barrister Gohar asked whether raising one’s voice for justice was not a democratic process.

He said political leaders should tell the party what other option it had besides protesting. He reiterated that PTI was a political party and would continue to raise its voice for its founder, Imran Khan.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has alleged that one of the reasons for the rising terrorism in the province is a failed foreign policy, saying that a policy of making decisions behind closed doors is neither effective nor productive.

Chief Minister Sohail Afridi visited Kohat, where he went to the hospital and inquired about the health of police personnel injured in the Kohat Police Lines terrorist attack.

He also met the families of those martyred in the Kohat Police Lines attack and expressed his condolences.

Speaking on the occasion, Sohail Afridi said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had made countless sacrifices in the fight against terrorism since 2004. He said 80,000 precious lives had been lost in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa due to terrorism, while peace had been witnessed in the province during the government of PTI founder Imran Khan.

He said the economic conditions in the tribal districts had deteriorated, while terrorism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had increased and was continuing to rise. According to him, one of the reasons for the increase in terrorism was a failed foreign policy, while a policy based on decisions taken behind closed doors was not effective.

Sohail Afridi said the current policy was not proving effective for lasting peace. He said the policy of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government was not for the benefit of PTI but for the benefit of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the country.

Also Read: Sohail Afridi Dares PML-N to Choose the City, Date and Time for a Public Rally

The chief minister claimed that peace could be restored within 100 days if his policy was implemented, but added that the issue was who would implement the policy.

He further said that some people were working to eliminate PTI. He questioned the treatment given to a chief minister when he travelled to another province, saying that a chief minister was prevented from holding protests in another province. He alleged that federal institutions were working to eliminate PTI.

Sohail Afridi said they were called terrorists and were told that there was no threat from India. He questioned why, if there was no threat from India, three provinces were being declared a threat.

The chief minister said the people and police of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would have to stand up for themselves. He said he stood with his people and would remain with them.

It may be recalled that a suicide blast near the mosque of the old Police Lines in Kohat a day earlier killed 22 people, including 16 police personnel. Several people were also injured in the incident.

ISLAMABAD: An important contact has taken place between the government and the opposition, with Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Allama Raja Nasir Abbas confirming his meeting with Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi.

A journalist asked Raja Nasir Abbas whether he had met Mohsin Naqvi during the week. He confirmed that the meeting had taken place.

According to Raja Nasir Abbas, matters concerning PTI founder Imran Khan and the long march were discussed in detail during the meeting. He said the meeting took place at Mohsin Naqvi’s request and that he had not approached anyone seeking the meeting.

According to sources, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar arranged the meeting between Raja Nasir Abbas and Mohsin Naqvi. The meeting lasted around 1 hour and 15 minutes, and Barrister Gohar also participated in it, the sources said.

Sources said the meeting was held at the residence of a relative of Raja Nasir Abbas, where the proposed PTI protest on September 27 was also discussed.

According to sources, Mohsin Naqvi asked Raja Nasir Abbas to meet the prime minister so that the matters concerning relief for PTI founder Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi could subsequently be discussed. Sources said Mohsin Naqvi also discussed the possibility of cancelling the September 27 protest.

Raja Nasir Abbas maintained that meetings with the PTI founder would have to be restored for negotiations to move forward.

Also Read: Raja Nasir Abbas Alleges Rigging in Gilgit-Baltistan Elections, Questions Transparency of Polls

Sources said that if the protest call was withdrawn, the possibility of transferring Bushra Bibi to Bani Gala could also be discussed. Sources further said that Raja Nasir Abbas also arranged a telephone conversation between Mohsin Naqvi and Mahmood Khan Achakzai.

Raja Nasir Abbas said a meeting with the PTI founder should be arranged so that he could be consulted regarding withdrawal of the protest call.

According to sources, Mohsin Naqvi said that if the protest call was withdrawn, there should be no fresh protest afterward. His position was that once the call was withdrawn, it should remain withdrawn.

Sources said Barrister Gohar also met the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa regarding the matter, while consultations on the protest were also held on Monday and Tuesday.

However, sources within the opposition alliance said that no final progress was made during the meeting regarding the September 27 protest and that the meeting did not produce a meaningful breakthrough.

Tahreek Tahafuz e Aaen Pakistan has issued a declaration following a meeting chaired by Leader of the Opposition Mahmood Khan Achakzai, with the opposition alliance deciding to convene an All-Parties Conference to address the country’s political and economic crises.

According to the declaration, the September 27 long march will be a peaceful, constitutional and democratic struggle. The alliance said the September 27 protest would seek, through public mobilisation, to restore what it described as the people’s right to rule. It called on all democratic political forces to unite on a single platform to help steer the country out of crisis.

The declaration said inflation, unemployment, petrol prices and law and order would form part of the core agenda of the September 27 protest.

The opposition alliance has also formed committees to establish contacts with other political parties. The meeting discussed the law and order situation in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as well as the proposed 28th Constitutional Amendment and the creation of new provinces.

The declaration stated that an “unrepresentative government” had no authority to break up provinces or divide them merely into administrative units. It said such proposals would be harmful to the federation, national units and the federal structure. The alliance maintained that provinces could not be deprived of their constitutional rights through a referendum or any other means, and particularly stressed maintaining Sindh’s existing geographical and administrative status.

The meeting also demanded a direct meeting with PTI founder Imran Khan and the provision of accurate information about his health. Participants condemned raids on the homes of PTI workers, arrests and what they described as violations of the sanctity of homes and privacy. The alliance also condemned the treatment of Sohail Afridi during his visit to Punjab.

According to the declaration, the meeting agreed on the immediate restoration of cross-border trade and rejection of the Mines and Minerals Act. It also called for the relevant provinces and local populations to be taken into confidence in decisions concerning natural resources.

The meeting also discussed domestic politics, the ongoing crisis in the Middle East and its effects on Pakistan.

The declaration said the alliance supported an effective diplomatic and mediatory role by Pakistan to help end rising tensions in the region.

Also Read: 155 PTI Workers Ordered Detained in Rawalpindi, List of 118 More Prepared