Showdown
According to Daily Jang (10 June 2019), a number of women attacked policemen who had taken into custody an alleged drug dealer in Multan. Police removed the suspected man from the scene by motorcycle, but not before at least one operative was injured by a woman wielding a sickle.
Medal of Honour
CM Punjab Usman Buzdar, according to Daily Jang (10 June 2019), expressed his view that he could not pin a medal for being “Khadim-e-Aala” on his chest merely on the basis of some antics for publicity (mehz Showbazian kar ke) – but that it was necessary to selflessly serve the people to be worthy of it.
On the budget
Daily Jang (11 June 2019) quoted Faisal Vawda of the PTI as saying that the government had delivered a pro-poor (ghareeb-dost) and anti-rich (ameer-dushman) budget in difficult conditions.
Food for thought?
Rehman Malik, according to Daily Jang (11 June 2019), asked as to how it was Asif Ali Zardari’s fault if a sum of money were deposited in the account of a sugarcane seller.
Serene PM
Daily Jang (12 June 2019) reported that PM Imran Khan kept listening to the budget speech with his earphones on – and expressed his approval for the Minister of State for Revenue by thumping the table. The report noted that he was continuously telling his prayer-beads (musalsil tasbeeh parhtay rahay).
Counterstrike
The PML-N’s Mushahid Ullah Khan, according to Daily Dunya (13 June 2019), expressed his view that the country would not be able to move forward unless the whole cabinet of the Prime Minister were subjected to a dope test.
Another commission demanded
Shahid Khaqan Abbasi was quoted by Daily Dunya (14 June 2019) as saying that there was a record of any loans that are taken by a government. He further stated that the PM was welcome to fulfill his wish to make a commission on this matter (shauq poora kar lein) but that a commission was also needed to ascertain the mental state (zehni halat) of the PM.
In the near future?
The PPP’s Manzoor Wissan, according to Daily Express (13 June 2019), made the prediction that by January 2020, PM Imran Khan would be left with no option but to go to London (majbooran London jana paray ga).
Zardari’s advice
Speaking to reporters outside the courtroom, Asif Ali Zardari, according to Daily Express (15 June 2019), was quoted as saying that Imran Khan had first said that he would rather shoot himself than go into politics and then said that he would rather commit suicide than go to the IMF. Zardari further stated that if the PM were to take his advice, he would resign and go home.
Work in progress
Special Assistant to the Prime Minister for Information and Broadcasting Firdous Ashiq Awan, according to Daily Express (15 June 2019), opined that PM Imran Khan had brought the powerful under the law, that he was working to break the status quo and that he was succeeding at this.