Pakistan
‘If I come out on streets, you would not even find place to hide’, PM warns opposition
Imran Khan says people asked him why he did not shake hands with Opposition Leader Shehbaz Sharif

+Islamabad: Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan on Sunday warned the opposition and said that if he comes out on the streets, they would not even find a place to hide.
The prime minister said while receiving direct phone calls from the general public and answered their questions and complaints in a live programme “Aap ka Wazir-e-Azam, Aap ke Saath” on Sunday.
“I want to warn you that if I am forced out of the office, I would be more dangerous. If I come out on the streets, you would not even find a place to hide,” the prime minister said to the opposition.
Shebaz Sharif a criminal, not opposition leader
Criticising Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif.
Imran Khan said that he is ready to talk to everyone — even if their views differ from his — but he is never going to negotiate with the corrupt. "If I talk with the corrupt and give them NROs, then I will be deceiving the nation as well as my Allah," he added.
He said that he wanted to go to parliament and wanted to answer the people’s questions. But he could not answer the questions because of the ruckus the opposition created in the house.
He said that he never claimed that the government would dig out milk canals in the country. He said the criticizers should criticize government but they should also inform the public about things that are beneficial for the country.
He said that people asked him why he did not shake hands with Opposition Leader Shehbaz Sharif. He said that he did not consider Shehbaz as Opposition leader, rather he regarded him as ‘criminal of the nation’. He said Shehbaz read out speeches of long durations in the assembly. They seem more like a job application than a political speech, the PM mockingly said.
“I don’t consider Shehbaz Sharif as Opposition Leader, he’s a criminal. He can’t answer from where Rs.16 billion have come, he can’t answer TT scandal, but is ready to give 2h speech”- @ImranKhanPTI #آپکا_وزیراعظم_آپکے_ساتھ pic.twitter.com/lSNROc43JD
— PTI (@PTIofficial) January 23, 2022
Entered politics to crusade dacoits
The prime minister said that he entered politics to launch a crusade against ‘dacoits’. He also lamented that former foreign minister Ishaq Dar had fled the country during the PML-N tenure.
Imran deplored that the FBR brought Rs2,500 billion cases to the courts but three regulators informed him that the mafia got stay order from courts.
Rising inflation wakes me up at nights
Imran Khan has said that he could not sleep at night while thinking about rising inflation. When a woman caller asked the premier that since inflation has increased manifold ‘now should we be worried a bit’?
The premier replied that he too was worried about inflation and this thing gives him sleepless nights.
Inflation not an issue confined to Pakistan
At the beginning of the session, the premier said that it was his faith that the PTI government will aspire to work on the reasons Pakistan was built: an Islamic Welfare State.
"The biggest challenge we face today is inflation and the rising prices of commodities. I am well aware and cognisant of the issues being faced by the common man due to rising prices.” He then said that inflation is "not an issue occurring solely in Pakistan."
"I want my countrymen to understand that inflation is a global phenomenon caused due to the COVID-19 pandemic," he said. “From industrialised countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, to Europe and Japan, the entire world is faced with spiralling costs of living, a sharp increase in food prices, and a huge spike in energy prices.”
“Pandemics such as COVID-19 occur once in 100 years, it has had a global negative effect causing spiralling costs of living, and disrupting lives all across the world.”
Will ask businessmen to raise salaries
The prime minister said that the salaried class remains the most affected by the pandemic and he would invite top businessmen and ask them to raise the salaries of their staffers.
'Country progressing despite COVID-19'
Citing the 5.37% Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth of the country despite the prevalence of the pandemic, the premier questioned the Opposition, the critics, and the media as to how the country is progressing if there was complete economic turmoil.
"The construction sector is booming in the country and banks have received applications for housing loans worth Rs290 billion, while the government has already granted Rs140 billion to the applicants, which shows the public's trust in the government's policies."
He said that 45,000 housing units are under construction, while the private sector and building developers are constructing three million houses in their 342 projects.
"Thirty industries are directly linked with the construction sector and are getting benefit of this boom," the premier said.
PM asks media to refrain from fake news
Addressing the media of the country, the premier said that while it is the right of the media to criticise the government so that it could improve, it should refrain from resorting to propaganda and fake news. "Our government is against mafias, and unfortunately, some elements within the media have also sided with them to spread negativity," he said.
To pay taxes
To a question about high taxes on imported mobile phones, the prime minister said that his government is trying to manufacture everything within the country, saying that manufacturing goods within the country is the only solution as importing goods from abroad is very expensive. "Even the clothes I am wearing are made in Pakistan. I don't wear anything imported," the premier said, adding that the government is trying to document the economy so that tax collection could be increased.
"If we want to be a progressing nation, we have to pay taxes," he said.
The prime minister said that the PTI government will not only complete this tenure but it will also complete the next term.
Live calls session
Prior to taking the calls, the Prime Minister's Office had provided a landline number for citizens wanting to talk directly to the premier. They may dial 051-9224900.
The announcement for the live call session was made through the official Twitter account of the Prime Minister's Office on Saturday.
The prime minister has regularly been taking live calls from people and answering their queries. However, this session is being conducted after a short gap.
#آپکا_وزیراعظم_آپکے_ساتھ کے ایک اور سیشن میں وزیر اعظم عمران خان کل بروز اتوار ایک مرتبہ پھر بذریعہ ٹیلی فون عوام کے سوالات کے جوابات دیں گے۔
— Prime Minister's Office, Pakistan (@PakPMO) January 22, 2022
وزیراعظم سے آپ کی گفتگو کل سہ پہر 3:30 بجے ٹیلی فون، ریڈیو اور ڈیجیٹل میڈیا پر براہِ راست نشر کی جائے گی۔
📞Dial : 051-9224900 pic.twitter.com/ETTEuSA5Gq
Sunday's session was the seventh time PM Imran Khan interacted with the public. The last live session by the premier was held last year on August 29.
Pakistan
Youm-e-Takbeer being observed today with national zeal, fervour
This year theme of the day is "Na Jhuky thay na Jhuken gay".

Islamabad: Youm-e-Takbeer is being observed today with national zeal and fervour to commemorate historic nuclear tests at Chagai in 1998.
This year theme of the day is "Na Jhuky thay na Jhuken gay".
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has also released a national song in connection with the "Youm-e-Takbeer". It was aimed at highlighting the importance of "Youm-e-Takbeer".
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif had already announced ten-day celebrations on the completion of 24 years of nuclear tests.
Regional
Balochistan set to hold local government elections tomorrow
Over 2,000 polling stations declared extremely sensitive

Quetta: Balochistan is all set to hold local government elections in 32 districts on May 29 (Sunday) amid tight security arrangements.
According to details, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has declared over 2,000 polling stations sensitive and the provincial government has enhanced security to avert any untoward incident during polling.
In Balochistan, a total of 17,774 candidates are contesting the LG elections. Chief Minister Balochistan, Mir Quddus Bizenjo ordered the release of Rs600 million to meet the expenses of the elections including logistics expenditures of the election staff and law enforcement agencies.
According to Provincial Election Commission, the total number of registered voters in the 32 districts is 3,552,398 with over 2,000,000 male voters and 1,546,124 female voters.
The ECP has set up 13,533 polling booths in 5,624 polling stations across 32 districts. Election results will be announced on June 2.
The voters will exercise their votes for seven Municipal Corporations, 49 Municipal Committees, and 838 Union Councils in these districts. There are 6,259 wards including 5,345 rural and 914 urban.
On the other hand, a special security plan was made to ensure peaceful and smooth polling.
Besides, 45,438 security personnel — including members of the police, Levies, Anti-Terrorist Force and Frontier Corps (FC) — will be deployed in and around polling stations. Army troops along with FC personnel would be deployed at all tentative polling stations.
World
Israeli forces shoot and kill Palestinian teen in West Bank: health ministry
The death raises to five the number of Palestinian teenagers killed during Israeli military operations in the West Bank in a month

The Palestinian Health Ministry said Israeli forces shot and killed a teenager during an operation in a town near Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank.
The ministry identified the slain teen Zaid Ghunaim, 15. It said he was wounded by Israeli gunfire in the neck and back and doctors failed to save his life.
The death raises to five the number of Palestinian teenagers killed during Israeli military operations in the West Bank in a month. Israeli-Palestinian violence has intensified in recent weeks with near-daily arrest raids in Palestinian-administered areas of the West Bank and tensions around a Jerusalem holy site sacred to both Muslims and Jews.
The official Palestinian news agency, Wafa, cited witnesses as saying Ghunaim came upon the soldiers in al-Khader and tried to ran away but the troops fired at him. Online videos purportedly of the aftermath of the shooting show bloodstains near a white car parked in a passageway.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military, which has stepped up its operations in the West Bank in response to a series of deadly attacks inside Israel.
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said Israeli forces “deliberately” shot at Ghunaim with the intention to kill him.
On Sunday, Israeli ultranationalists plan to march through the main Muslim thoroughfare of the Old City of Jerusalem. The compound houses Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest site in Islam. The hilltop site is also the holiest for Jews, who refer to it as the Temple Mount.
The march is meant to celebrate Israel’s capture of east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war. Israel subsequently annexed the area in a step that is not internationally recognized. The Palestinians claim east Jerusalem as the capital of a future state.
SOURCE: AP NEWS
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