'Force of darkness': Info minister lambasts PDM after PM Imran's vote of confidence

Federal Information Minister Shibli Faraz on Sunday blasted the opposition Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) alliance as a "force of darkness and falsehoods", saying the first task of such forces was to destroy morals, hollow out institutions, eliminate meritocracy and attain goals through the use of money and force.

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, the minister spoke out the "wave of happiness" that he said was seen across the country and among overseas Pakistanis in the wake of Prime Minister Imran Khan's successful vote of confidence in the National Assembly on Saturday. The premier won the trust vote with 178 ballots — six more than required.

He said he received "thousands of phone calls and messages" and there was an atmosphere of celebration in the country because "those (opposition) forces were defeated". The minister stated that the PTI was "fighting a war" against forces represented by the PDM which had caused substantial damage to the country's morality, institutions, meritocracy, democracy and society.

The PDM "represents that segment of Pakistan which conducts politics based on [personal] interests, money, force and greed," said Faraz. He said no one had accepted this section at first but through bribery and involving money and personal interests in politics, it "gave birth to a group that became entrenched in Pakistan's roots".

He stressed that the purpose of the parliament was to serve the nation's interests instead of the personal interests of a few individuals or groups.

"How will they (opposition) do lawmaking against themselves and their interests? They used parliament and this was the reason the country and its poor people always suffered."

He questioned why the opposition did politics in the name of the poor while "making properties in Europe", adding that this was proof they only used politics for their own business interests.

"The PDM is not together for the interests of the nation. All of Pakistan knows they are using every method to pressure the government in order to protect their wealth but [Prime Minister] Imran Khan doesn't come under such pressure," he said.

On the other hand, the PTI "wants a system based on morals, rule of law and prosperity in this country", Faraz said, adding that the steadfastness with which the PTI had stuck to this vision was the reason it had political representation in all four provinces while the opposition parties were confined to single provinces.

"Their narrative and stance keeps changing. Whatever suits them becomes their stance and what goes against them is not their stance," he said, adding that the people could see through this "hypocrisy".

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AirAsia Group plans air taxi, drone delivery service

Malaysia’s AirAsia Group plans to launch an air taxi service and the country’s first drone delivery service as the budget carrier seeks to diversify amid the coronavirus pandemic, the company’s CEO said on Saturday.

As part of the group’s diversification push, it also aims to launch a ride-hailing service next month as COVID-19 continues to hit air travel.

“The air taxi will have a pilot and four seats. At the moment, we have our team working on this upcoming service by AirAsia,” Chief Executive Tony Fernandes said at the Youth Economic Forum 2021, state news agency Bernama reported on Saturday.

The service should start operating in about 18 months, Fernandes was quoted as saying.

He also announced that the airline’s logistics unit Teleport, which is currently testing an urban drone delivery service with state-backed firm Malaysian Global Innovation and Creativity Centre (MaGIC), would conduct its first commercial delivery by the end of this year.

“(The) idea was brought up three weeks ago and now it’s reality,” he wrote on Instagram.

Fernandes said the group was recovering from the impact of the pandemic and had used the opportunity to accelerate its digital transformation, Bernama reported.

The struggling airline, which reported a fifth straight quarterly loss in November, has been seeking to raise 2.5 billion ringgit ($613.95 million) from loans and investors.

Last month, it said its 33%-owned Japanese unit, which ceased operations last October, had begun bankruptcy proceedings.

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OGRA notifies reduction in LNG prices for March

The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) has notified a reduction in Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) prices for the month of February.

A notification has been released by the authority in this regards for the price cut of $0.02 per MMBTU for Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Company Limited (SNGPL) and $0.02 per MMBTU for Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC).

The price of LNG on the Sui Northern system set up to $9.59 per MMBtu and $9.31 for the Sui Southern system.

Earlier in February, the authority had announced a rise in Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) prices for the month of February.

The prices of imported LNG had been risen up to $0.88 per MMBTU for Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) and $0.89 for Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Company Limited (SNGPL).

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Bilawal calls for probe into 'controversy of insufficient members during vote of confidence'

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Sunday said a probe must take place into the "controversy" surrounding the vote of confidence held in the National Assembly a day earlier, which Opposition members boycotted, but have claimed that there "weren't enough people present" for the 178 votes obtained.

Speaking to the media following a meeting with Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly Hamza Shahbaz, Bilawal claimed: "Imran Khan was neither voluntarily voted as the prime minister by the Members of the Assembly, nor was he voluntarily voted for in this vote of confidence."

He termed the move to seek a trust vote "a joke".

"He ran a race alone and declared himself the winner," the PPP chairman said, adding: "But even this was rigged."

"This allegation raised by a member of the opposition present in the Assembly, that the number of votes announced do not match the number of people in attendance, must be investigated," said Bilawal.

Bilawal, in his briefing, also heaped scorn on the Punjab government, criticising it for incarcerating the leader of the opposition in the provincial assembly.

"Lahore's progress used to be a shining example for the rest of the country, but now it is an example of a wholly other kind," the PPP chairman said.

"Do you not wish for us all to be rid of the Wasim Akram Plus government?" he asked.

The PPP chairman said that the PML-N has the "greatest strength" in numbers in Punjab. He said now it is the opposition's turn to decide when and where a no-confidence vote will take place.

"We stand together and will InshaAllah remain united. We will strike together and win as well," he said, adding: "Had we not learnt from the past, we would not be here together."

Bilawal said the opposition wishes to use the "power of democracy" to compete with the government. "The power of the people and the parliament are our weapons," he said.

Speaking of the upcoming Senate chairman and deputy chairman elections, he said: "We will establish contact with every senator. The Chaudhrys have been our allies during Yousuf Raza Gilani's premiership."

"I will go visit them myself and ask for their support," Bilawal said.

Hamza Shahbaz, meanwhile, said that the Pakistan Democratic Movement's aim is not only restricted to a "long march" or a no-confidence motion.

"The drastic fall from progress that Pakistan has witnessed in the past three years must be reversed," he stressed.

Hamza said that in the eight by-elections held across the country, the country had "buried the old slogan of 'change'".

He vowed that the opposition alliance will "move forward" and will make "important decisions" from the PDM platform.

The Punjab opposition leader said that he was congratulated by the PPP chairman on his release from jail and the two had spoken on a "range of issues".

"We have learnt much from the Charter of Democracy," he added.

The PPP leader met the PML-N leader at his Model Town residence in Lahore in the first meeting between the two leaders since Hamza's release from jail.

Hamza had been released from jail last month following the Lahore High Court's (LHC) decision to grant him bail in the money laundering investigation against the PML-N leader.

A two-member bench of the LHC comprising Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar and Justice Asjad Javed Ghural had heard the bail plea of ​​Hamza in the money laundering case.

The bench had ordered the release of the PML-N leader from the Kot Lakhpat Jail in Lahore.

After hearing the arguments of both parties, the court had granted bail to Hamza and ordered him to submit two surety bonds of Rs10 million each.

On June 11, 2019, NAB had arrested Hamza after the LHC rejected his interim bail in the Ramzan Sugar Mills and money laundering cases.

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PPP seeks PML-Q’s support for upcoming Senate chairman election

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, along with the PPP delegation on Sunday, held a meeting with Pakistan Muslim League-Q, seeking support in the election for the Senate chairman and deputy chairman.

The PPP delegation comprised of Bilawal Bhutto, Qamar Zaman Kaira and Jameel Soomro held meeting with PML-Q leadership to get support for the PDM in the Senate chairman and deputy chairman elections.

The PPP chairman reached the residence of the Chaudhry brothers and met with Speaker Punjab Assembly Chaudhry Pervez Elahi and PML-Q chief Chaudhry Shujat Hussain. Bilawal Bhutto also inquired about the health of the ailing PML-Q chief.

During the meeting, matters pertaining to the upcoming Senate chairman election and the overall political situation were discussed.

PML-Q’s Tariq Bashir Cheema, Moonis Elahi, Salik Hussian and Hussain Elahi were also present during the meeting.

After Senate polls 2021, all eyes are now set on the coming election for the key offices of chairman and deputy chairman of the upper house.

The PTI’s tally in the Senate stands at 25. Government allies, BAP has a total of 12 seats in the Senate and MQM-P three.

The opposition and the ruling alliances now have 53 and 47 members, respectively, in the 100-member new Senate.

The election to elect the Senate chairman and deputy chairman will be held on March 12 through secret balloting.

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PPP seeks PML-Q’s support for upcoming Senate chairman election

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, along with the PPP delegation on Sunday, held a meeting with Pakistan Muslim League-Q, seeking support in the election for the Senate chairman and deputy chairman.

The PPP delegation comprised of Bilawal Bhutto, Qamar Zaman Kaira and Jameel Soomro held meeting with PML-Q leadership to get support for the PDM in the Senate chairman and deputy chairman elections.

The PPP chairman reached the residence of the Chaudhry brothers and met with Speaker Punjab Assembly Chaudhry Pervez Elahi and PML-Q chief Chaudhry Shujat Hussain. Bilawal Bhutto also inquired about the health of the ailing PML-Q chief.

During the meeting, matters pertaining to the upcoming Senate chairman election and the overall political situation were discussed.

PML-Q’s Tariq Bashir Cheema, Moonis Elahi, Salik Hussian and Hussain Elahi were also present during the meeting.

After Senate polls 2021, all eyes are now set on the coming election for the key offices of chairman and deputy chairman of the upper house.

The PTI’s tally in the Senate stands at 25. Government allies, BAP has a total of 12 seats in the Senate and MQM-P three.

The opposition and the ruling alliances now have 53 and 47 members, respectively, in the 100-member new Senate.

The election to elect the Senate chairman and deputy chairman will be held on March 12 through secret balloting.

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Pope Francis arrives in Iraq's Mosul to meet Christian communities

Pope Francis arrived in Iraq's Mosul city on Sunday to meet Christian communities who suffered under the Daesh's rule a few years ago.

The heaviest deployment of security forces yet has been mobilised to protect the 84-year-old on what is perhaps his riskiest day in Iraq.

Francis landed early on Sunday at the airport in the Kurdish regional capital of Arbil, targeted just a few weeks ago by a volley of rockets that killed two people.

He held a brief meeting with regional president Nechirvan Barzani and his cousin, the prime minister Masrour Barzani.

The pontiff will then travel by helicopter to lead a prayer "for the victims of the war" in the city of Mosul, an ancient crossroads overrun by Daesh in 2014.

"We believers cannot be silent when terrorism abuses religion," Francis said at an interfaith service Saturday, one of the many stops on the first-ever papal visit to the war-scarred country.

Pope Francis' trip to Iraq as a "pilgrim of peace" aims to reassure the country´s ancient, but dwindling, Christian community and to expand his dialogue with other religions.

The leader of the world´s 1.3 billion Catholics on Saturday met Iraq's top scholar, the reclusive Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, who agreed that Iraq's Christians should be able to live in "peace".

"We all hope that this visit will be a good omen for the Iraqi people," Adnane Youssef, a Christian from northern Iraq, told AFP. "We hope that it will lead to better days."

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