Author: News Desk

The Peshawar High Court (PHC) has banned the use of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government resources, including official vehicles, for personal or political use.

Reports quoted a court order as saying that the provincial administration was banned from using official vehicles without authorisation as it was “misconduct and abuse of authority”.

“This court is of the view that the use of official vehicles, machinery, or any other government resources for participation in, or facilitation of, political gatherings, protest rallies, or long marches constitutes a blatant misuse of public property and authority,” read the PHC order.

It further stated that the practice was not only violating public trust but also undermining the concept of neutral governance.

“Public resources, including official vehicles and heavy machinery, are procured and maintained from the public exchequer for the sole purpose of performing official duties and providing services to the citizens in accordance with law,” the order said, adding that the diversion of public resources for political purposes undermined the sanctity of the public office and affected public confidence in the impartiality of the administration.

Stating that nobody holding public office could employ government resources for partisan or personal use, the PHC ruled that Articles 4 (right of individuals to be dealt with in accordance with law), 5 (loyalty to state and obedience to Constitution and law) and 25 (equality of citizens) of the Constitution implied that public resources could not be used by any one party or individual “to the disadvantage of others”.

“In a democratic system governed by the rule of law, the state must maintain strict separation between official functions and political activities,” the order read.

“The use of government vehicles or personnel in political events conveys an impression of state endorsement or complicity in partisan matters, which is impermissible,” it said, ordering the KP government to ensure that “no official vehicle, machinery, or manpower under their control is deployed, used, or permitted to be used for any protest, long march, rally, or political activity of any nature”.

It may be noted that the order comes a year after a petition against the KP government in November 2024 sought a ban on the use of government vehicles like fire engines during the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) long march to Islamabad.

It said that the provincial government had used government resources from the local government department that government officials had been mobilised to join the march.

Justice Musarrat Hilali of the Supreme Court (SC) has refused appointment to the newly-established Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) over health concerns, reports said Friday.

A private media outlet quoted sources as claiming that Justice Hilali was under consideration for appointment to the FCC but expressed her unwillingness to serve.

The refusal came a day after Justice Hilali’s bench was also delisted due to health issues.

It merits a mention that the report comes a day after both houses of Parliament approved the 27th Constitutional Amendment, paving way for the creation of the FCC.

The FCC would be headed by its own chief justice and staffed by an equal number of judges from each of Pakistan’s four provinces as well as from Islamabad. It would adjudicate in disputes between governments, either the federal government and a state government or when different state governments clash.

Judges of the FCC would retire at 68, unlike SC judges, who retire at 65. The FCC chief justice’s tenure would be capped at three years.

On the recommendation of Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif, Justice Ameenuddin has been appointed as the court’s first chief justice.

Meanwhile, senior puisne judge Mansoor Ali Shah and apex court Justice Athar Minallah have tendered their resignations from their posts.

Both the judges forwarded their resignations to President Asif Ali Zardari following the enactment of the much-touted 27th Constitutional Amendment.

In his 13-page-long resignation, Justice Shah termed the amendment as “a grave assault on the Constitution of Pakistan”, which “dismantles the Supreme Court of Pakistan, subjugates the judiciary to executive control, and strikes at the very heart of our constitutional democracy”.

In his resignation letter, Justice Minallah registered protest against the amendment, declaring that the Constitution he swore to protect “no longer exists”.

He wrote that his oath as a judge was not merely to a constitution in form, but to “the Constitution in spirit.” He said that despite his repeated attempts to believe otherwise, “what is left of it is a mere shadow — one that breathes neither its spirit, nor speaks the words of the people to whom it belongs”.

Justice Minallah also revealed that prior to the passage of the amendment, he had written to the chief justice expressing serious concerns about its implications for the constitutional order. However, he lamented that his fears had now been realised “against a canvas of selective silence and inaction”.

India has carefully termed the deadly New Delhi explosion a “terror” incident without directly blaming Pakistan unlike what was witnessed after 2019’s Pulwama attack or, more recently, April’s Pahalgam attack, and netizens have a lot to say about it.

On November 10, a car exploded near the Red Fort in the Indian capital in the evening, killing at least 13 people and injuring over 20 others.

Investigators told a foreign media outlet they were checking if it has any links to the recent arrests of seven men by police in Indian-occupied Kashmir. They said they were also investigating if it has any connections to the recent seizure of 2,900kg of explosives from Faridabad – a Delhi suburb.

While the federal cabinet issued a resolution calling the incident “a heinous terror incident, perpetrated by anti-national forces”, the reaction matched earlier comments by Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi who spoke of a “conspiracy”, warned that “the conspirators will not be spared” and “all those responsible, will be brought to justice”.

Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Home Minister Amit Shah made similar observations, saying officials had been instructed “to hunt down each and every culprit behind this incident”.

Despite the passage of four days, the Modi administration has cautiously steered away from its earlier practice of immediately blaming Pakistan for any terror activities – that too within minutes of an attack, and internet believes it could have something to do with the thrashing India was handed out by Pakistan in May’s military clashes.

“It took 48 hours for the Modi regime to admit that the Delhi blast that killed 10 was a terror attack. No more chest thumping, mo more crude jingoism, no more threats to Pakistan [sic],” Indian-Swedish Peace and Conflict expert Ashok Swain wrote in a post on X.

The cost might have been the loss of six or seven fighter jets “but at least some sanity has come to India’s Hindutva crowd”, he went on to add in reference to the clashes that erupted in response to India’s cross-border aggression after the Pahalgam attack.

At least six Indian jets were shot down by Pakistan on the night of May 7 in what was termed one of the biggest aerial confrontations since World War II. The beyond-visual-range battle had followed days of cross-border skirmishes that ended with a United States (US) brokered ceasefire as Pakistan destroyed several Indian military targets in retaliatory strikes.

Swain, however, was not the only person to make said observation as dozens of netizens jumped in with hilarious comments.

“This means software updated successfully installed on Modi government by Pak army,” wrote one.

Another said “India had learnt its lesson at the cost of seven jets and global embarrassment”.

“Obviously May 7-10, those four days were/are/will [be] worse than a nightmare for them,” read a comment.

A rather serious reaction talked about India’s homegrown terror problem – a fact also highlighted by Pakistani authorities as they rubbished Indian claims and offered an independent probe into April’s Pahalgam attack.

“This is homegrown terrorism perpetrated by radical religious group[s]. Instead of attributing such incidents to Pakistan, it is imperative to identify and address the local issues. From Punjab to Nagaland, a dozen separatist movements pose challenge to India’s geographical integrity,” the post read.