They are being taken to Rawalpindi on a special flight via the Hajj Terminal

They were accompanied by PPP leaders Rehman Malik and Qamar Zaman Kaira

Thousands have arrived to attend the former first lady’s funeral

Rashid said PM Khan should clarify whether war against terror is Pakistan’s war.

Former caretaker Punjab chief minister Hasan Askari said in Saturday that it was difficult to term the July 25 ‘completely’ fair. What happened after 6pm had nothing to do with the then Punjab government, Mr Askari said, adding that the Election Commission was responsible for the vote count. “We don’t know whether rigging was done…

Rana Sanaullah on Tuesday said that Aitzaz Ahsan was actually the presidential candidate of ‘Khalai Makhlooq’, referring to the establishment. He was nominated the PPP’s presidential candidate to facilitate the PTI, Sanaullah told SAMAA TV. “A property tycoon was campaigning for Aitzaz,” he said, “adding that the property tycoon works for the establishment and he…

Railways Minister Sheikh Rasheed, during a meeting at the Railways headquarters on Monday, ordered the ministry’s authorities to auction off the 100 rest houses that the department owns. The only problem is that Pakistan Railways only has 11 rest houses. The officials told the minister that he has been misinformed, adding that the department does not…

Kaira also said PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is not a candidate for the post of opposition leader. PPP leader Qamar Zaman Kaira said that the PML-N has gotten the mandate in the 2018 elections, so the opposition leader in the National Assembly should be from the PML-N. The PML-N got 64 general seats in…

The PML-N has suspended election activities for a day due to security risks. The party’s president, Shehbaz Sharif, said that incidents in which political parties are being attacked are rising. The former Punjab chief minister said that the election is only 10 days away and foolproof security should be provided to parties. Shehbaz postponed the…

PML-N leader Saad Rafique said that PML-N party workers were peacefully heading towards the Lahore airport to welcome former PM Nawaz Sharif. “We will express solidarity with our Quaid in a democratic manner,” Mr. Rafique told SAMAA. “We don’t intend to storm the airport and create a law and order situation.” Related story: Nawaz Sharif…

The leaders and workers of the PML-N will gather at Lahore’s Lohari Gate at 3pm and leave for the airport to welcome Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz. Shehbaz Sharif, the PML-N president, has instructed party supporters to reach the airport directly, if they are not allowed to organize a rally. Maryam and her…

Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s daughter, Maryam Nawaz, had filed her papers to contest the July 25 elections from NA-127 and PP-173. However, after being disqualified from contesting due to her conviction in the Avenfield reference case, the covering candidates of PML-N will vie for the seats. Ali Pervez Malik is the covering candidate from…

Disgruntled PML-N leader Zaeem Qadri has announced that he will register a new political party with the Election Commission of Pakistan after July 25 elections. Mr. Qadri said he will get Muslim League (Nazaryati) registered in the ECP after the elections. Sources said Qadri has also contacted estranged PML-N leaders Chaudhry Nisar and Chaudhry Abdul…

PML-N leader and Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation Managing Director Chaudhry Abdul Ghafoor Khan announced on Saturday that he is parting ways with the party. Talking to SAMAA TV, Khan said he cannot be a part of a maligning campaign against agencies and institutions. Khan said he had remained loyal to the party for 28 years…

Former Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said that Chaudhry Nisar is a senior party leader and he should have discussed his reservations within the party. “I have worked with Chaudhry Nisar as his parliamentary secretary for over two years and he taught me a lot,” she said. However, she said what happened in last few months…

Former Railways minister Khawaja Saad Rafique said Nawaz Sharif had sacrificed two of his close aides after Dawn Leaks controversy but didn’t get anything in return. “Mian sahib has sacrificed a lot,” he told SAMAA in an exclusive interview. “He sacrificed Pervez Rashid and Fatemi sahib,” Mr. Rafique said. He said that it was the…

The PML-N has decided to give election tickets to its former MPA Qamar-ul-Islam and former MNA Sardar Mumtaz Khan against Chaudhry Nisar, sources told SAMAA. Sardar Mumtaz Khan, an old party leader, has been given the ticket to contest election from NA-63 and Qamar-ul-Islam will contest election from NA-59, Nisar’s home-constituency. According to sources, the…

PML-N has found a strong candidate in Chaudhry Nisar’s home constituency, NA-59, to contest elections for national assembly seat. Qamar-ul-Islam, an MPA and the chairman of Punjab Education Foundation, has submitted a request to PML-N for the ticket to contest election from NA-59. According to sources, the PML-N leadership has assured its support to Mr….

The opposition staged a protest in the Punjab assembly over Law Minister Rana Sanaullah’s derogatory remarks against the women participants in PTI’s Lahore rally. The protesters demanded the Law Minister’s resignation and sought speaker’s permission to table a resolution against him. “We would table a resolution against Rana Sanaullah, if he doesn’t apologize for his…

LAHORE: PML-N has geared up efforts to form an alliance with political parties in Sindh to challenge the PPP in forthcoming general elections. PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif is coming to Karachi again on April 22 to hold important meetings with his possible allies. Shehbaz Sharif had visited Karachi on April 14 and met key political…

We knew there would be consequences if action had been taken against former president General (r) Musharraf, said Pervaiz Rashid.  Speaking exclusively to SAMAA TV, Rashid said that the government could not even send a medical board the hospital where Musharraf was kept. He said that the government was not able to take Musharraf to…