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“We are not far from Sri Lanka moment”: Imran Khan
Lahore: July 24, 2022 (ANI):Former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Saturday warned that Pakistan is not far from a ‘Sri Lanka moment’ when the public will pour out into the streets for ‘Haqeeqi Azadi’ against the ‘mafia’ led by Asif Zardari and the Sharif family.Taking to Twitter, Imran Khan said that the mafia led by Asif Zardari and the Sharif family has brought the country to its knees politically and economically in just over three months to save their illegally accumulated wealth.
“In just over three months the Zardari – Sharifs’ mafia has brought the country to its knees politically and economically; simply to save their illegally accumulated wealth amassed over 30 years of plundering Pakistan. My question is: how long will state institutions continue to allow this?” he tweeted.
“I can say with certainty after my interaction with our nation and their response to my call for Haqeeqi Azadi that the people of Pakistan have had enough and will not allow these mafias to continue their loot and plunder,” he added.
“We are not far from a Sri Lanka moment when our public pours out into the streets,” Mr Khan said.
Imran Khan’s remarks came as the Supreme Court is hearing a petition filed by the PML-Q leader Chaudhry Parvez Elahi challenging Punjab Assembly (PA) Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari’s decision on the Chief Minister’s re-election in Hamza Shahbaz’s favour a day earlier, ARY News reported.
A three-member bench of the Supreme Court of Pakistan headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial summoned Deputy Speaker Punjab Assembly after PTI and PML-Q filed petitions against the victory of Hamza Shahbaz during the election for the Chief Minister of Punjab.
A three-member bench of the top court headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Ijaz ul Ahsan and Justice Munib Akhtar led the proceedings of the case.The Supreme court also summoned Hamza Shahbaz, attorney general, chief secretary Punjab and advocate general Punjab, and further directed the deputy speaker to bring the record of the Punjab Chief Minister election, ARY News reported.
During the hearing, the chief justice remarked that there is nothing in their decision that the deputy speaker mentioned during the assembly proceedings.
“We are here to learn and will summon the deputy speaker so that he could identify the paragraph from the top court’s decision which he used to decide on the matter,” he said.
The Supreme Court has summoned Dost Muhammad Mazari at 2:30 pm today for citing Article 63A of the Constitution and not counting the votes of defecting lawmakers as well as electing Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Hamza Shahbaz as Punjab Chief Minister.
This comes after the former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) filed a petition against Dost Muhammad Mazari’s ruling to reject 10 PML-Q votes in Punjab Chief Minister’s elections, media reports said.
Leaders of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) reached the Supreme Court registry in Lahore late at night and submitted a petition against Punjab’s Chief Ministerial election.The petition stated that the ruling violated the top court’s decision with regard to the interpretation of Article 63 A of the Constitution and asked the court to annul the ruling.
Earlier, PML-N’s Shahbaz was re-elected as the chief minister of Punjab after the votes of Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) were rejected by the Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker.
On Friday, Pervaiz Elahi – joint candidate of PTI and PML-Q – received 186 votes, while Hamza Shahbaz got 179 votes. However, 10 votes of PML-Q were cancelled by Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari, hence taking the figure to 176.
Following the counting of votes, the deputy speaker, citing Article 63A of the Constitution, rejected ten votes cast by the PML-Q members. As a result, Hamza Shahbaz received 179 votes, while Pervaiz Elahi managed to bag 176 votes.Hamza Shehbaz took oath as Punjab Chief Minister on Saturday.
The U.S. Embassy in Colombo welcomed the U.S. Sports Envoys to Sri Lanka, former National Basketball Association (NBA) and Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) players Stephen Howard and Astou Ndiaye, from June 8 through 14.
The Public Diplomacy section of the U.S. Embassy said that it would launch a weeklong basketball program intended to harness the unifying power of sports, made possible through collaboration with Foundation of Goodness and IImpact Hoop Lab.
While in Sri Lanka, Howard and Ndiaye, both retired professional basketball players, will conduct a weeklong program, Hoops for Hope: Bridging Borders through Basketball. The Sports Envoys will lead basketball clinics and exhibition matches and engage in leadership sessions in Colombo and Southern Province for youth aged 14-18 from Northern, Uva, Eastern and Western Provinces, offering skills and leadership training both on and off the court. The U.S. Envoys will also share their expertise with the Sri Lanka Basketball Federation, national coaches, and players, furthering the development of basketball in the country. Beyond the clinics, they will collaborate with Sri Lankan schoolchildren to take part in a community service project in the Colombo area.
“We are so proud to welcome Stephen and Astou as our Sports Envoys to Sri Lanka, to build on the strong people-to-people connections between the United States and Sri Lanka,” said U.S. Ambassador Julie Chung. “The lessons that will be shared by our Sports Envoys – communication, teamwork, resilience, inclusion, and conflict resolution – are essential for leadership development, community building, equality, and peace. The U.S. Sports Envoy program is a testament to our belief that sports can be a powerful tool in promoting peace and unity.”
SJB Colombo District MP Mujibur Rahuman in parliament demanded to know from the government the reasons for CEB suspending the leave of all its employees until further notice from Thursday.
MP Rahuman said that the CEB has got an acting General Manager anew and the latter yesterday morning issued a circular suspending leave of all CEB employees with immediate effect until further notice.
“We demand that Minister Kanchana Wijesekera should explain this to the House. This circular was issued while this debate on the new Electricity Amendment Bill was pending. There are many who oppose this Bill. The Minister must tell parliament the reason for the urge to cancel the leave of CEB employees,” the MP said.However, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena prevented Minister Wijesekera responding to the query and said that the matter raised by MP Rahuman was not relevant.
The Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM) successfully concluded the 8th Annual CIPM Symposium, which took place on 31st May 2024. Themed “Nurturing the Human Element—Redefining HRM in a Rapidly Changing World,” the symposium underscored the pivotal role of human resource management (HRM) in today’s dynamic global landscape. Since its inception in 1959, CIPM has been dedicated to advancing the HR profession through education, professional development, and advocacy, solidifying its position as Sri Lanka’s leading professional body for HRM.
Ken Vijayakumar, the President of the CIPM, graced the occasion as the chief guest. The symposium commenced with the welcome address by the Chairperson, Prof. Arosha Adikaram, followed by the Web Launch of the Symposium Proceedings and Abstract Book by the CIPM President. The event featured distinguished addresses, including a speech by Chief Guest Ken Vijayakumar, President of CIPM, and an address by Guest of Honor Shakthi Ranatunga, Chief Operating Officer of MAS Holdings Pvt. Ltd., Sri Lanka.
The symposium also featured an inspiring keynote address by Prof. Mario Fernando, Professor of Management and Director of the Centre for Cross Cultural Management (CCCM) at the University of Wollongong, Australia.
Vote of Thanks of the inauguration session was delivered by Dr. Dillanjani Weeratunga, Symposium Co-chair.
The symposium served as a comprehensive platform for researchers to present their findings across a wide range of critical topics in HRM. These included Cultural Diversity and Inclusion, Talent Development and Retention, Ethical Leadership and Corporate Social Responsibility, Adapting to Technological Advancements, Mental Health and Well-being at Work, Global Workforce Challenges, Employee Empowerment, and Reskilling and Upskilling.
The plenary session was led by Prof. Wasantha Rajapakse. Certificates were awarded to the best paper presenters during the valedictory session, followed by a vote of thanks delivered by Kamani Perera, Manager of Research and Development.
The annual symposium of CIPM was a truly inclusive event, attracting a diverse audience that spanned undergraduates, graduates, working professionals, research scholars and lecturers. This widespread interest highlights the symposium’s significance in the field of HRM, offering a unique opportunity for everyone to network and learn from scholarly brains.The CIPM International Research Symposium was sponsored by Hambantota International Port, Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT), E B Creasy & Co. PLC, and Print Xcel Company.
US sports envoys to Lanka to champion youth development
Rahuman questions sudden cancellation of leave of CEB employees
