Category: National

Supreme Court’s (SC) Justice Mansoor Ali Shah has written a letter to Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi, urging him to take the lead and engage the executive over the proposed 27th Constitutional Amendment.

In his letter, Justice Mansoor called on the top judge to immediately reach out to the executive and make it clear that no constitutional amendment could be made without consultation with judges of the constitutional courts.

He also suggested that a convention of judges from constitutional courts could be convened to discuss the matter collectively. “You are not just the administrator of this institution — you are its guardian. This moment calls for you to show leadership,” he wrote.

Justice Mansoor pointed out that the proposed amendment includes the creation of a separate Federal Constitutional Court and seeks to limit the Supreme Court to an appellate role only.

Referring to the 26th Constitutional Amendment, which is still pending before the court, Justice Mansoor questioned how a new amendment could move forward when the legality of the previous one remained undecided.

“Changes to the judicial structure cannot be made unilaterally by the executive or legislature,” he said, warning that bypassing judicial consultation would undermine constitutional balance.

Separately, a group of retired judges and senior lawyers also penned a letter to CJP Yahya Afridi, seeking a full court meeting over the proposed amendment.

They expressed “deep sadness and regret” over what they termed as the “greatest threat” to the apex court since its establishment in 1956.

They maintained that neither civilian nor military governments in Pakistan’s history had ever attempted, let alone succeeded, in relegating the apex court to a subordinate entity or depriving it of its constitutional jurisdiction — something they claimed was being done through the proposed amendment.

They urged the top judge to call a full court meeting immediately to discuss the proposed amendment and formulate a collective response to the federal government, maintaining that the SC “has every right and power to give its input” regarding any constitutional change that affects its structure and authority.

The letter was written by Advocate Faisal Siddiqui and signed by former senior puisne judge of the top court, Justice (r) Mushir Alam, and ex-Sindh High Court senior puisne judge, Justice (r) Nadeem Akhtar.

Senior lawyers Muneer A Malik, Anwar Mansoor Khan, Muhammad Akram Sheikh, Ali Ahmad Kurd, Abid S Zuberi, Kamran Amanullah, Khawaja Ahmad Hosain, Salahuddin Ahmed and Shabnam Nawaz Awan are also among the signatories of the letter.

After months of free testing for motorists, the Punjab Environment Protection and Climate Change Department has introduced new charges for emission testing of vehicles. 

According to a notification issued by the department, the charges going into effect today (Nov 10) include Rs500 for vehicles up to 1000cc, Rs800 for vehicles between 1001cc to 1500cc, Rs1,000 for 1501cc to 2500cc, Rs1,500 for 2501cc to 4500cc and Rs2,000 for all vehicles over 4500cc.

Reports said the fee must be paid online, after which a confirmation message will be sent to the user’s registered mobile number.

Citizens have been instructed to bring their CNICs when appearing for the emission test.

It may be noted that the announcement comes weeks after the Punjab Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that vehicles without “Green Stickers” will not be allowed on Lahore’s roads after November 15.

 
EPA Director General (DG) Dr Imran Hamid Sheikh had said that exhaust testing was now mandatory for all vehicles in the city, confirming that the agency has launched a strict crackdown on vehicles causing air pollution.

 
“From November 15, any vehicle found on the road without an Exhaust Testing System (ETS) certificate or a green sticker will be impounded,” Dr Sheikh warned.

 
“Only vehicles meeting Punjab’s environmental standards will be permitted to operate on the roads.”

 
The EPA reminded drivers that both emissions and noise testing are compulsory.

 
Dr Sheikh said the emission testing system was formally launched in July 2025 to control vehicular pollution ahead of the smog season. He added that vehicles manufactured between 2010 and 2015 are being targeted in the first phase of enforcement.

 
The previous deadline for green stickers was August 31.

 
Dr Sheikh said the agency had adopted a zero-tolerance policy toward vehicles that harm the environment. Vehicles not verified through the ETS will face legal action and possible confiscation.

 
The EPA urged citizens to have their vehicles tested immediately, saying this is the toughest anti-pollution campaign ever launched in Lahore.

The decisions come amid Punjab’s war against air pollution that had been rendering major cities, especially provincial capital Lahore, unbreathable for the past couple of years.

Recent weeks have seen strict enforcement of anti-smog measures by the government, which has significantly improved air quality in Punjab, including Lahore.

The 27th Constitutional Amendment Bill, signals that there are big changes coming and on Saturday, the standing committees of both houses of parliament on law and justice in a joint session went through 80 percent of it. A second session is planned for today in which the rest of the bill will be debated in the committees. But what is the bill and what does it mean. The Current has simplified the key features of the bill and what it means for you.

THE 27th CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT BILL

The bill, presented in the Senate by the law minister, Azam Nazeer Tarar, suggests creating a Federal Constitutional Court, change how high court judges are appointed, adjusting the size limits for provincial cabinets, and altering the structure of military leadership.

“CHIEF OF DEFENCE FORCES”

You must’ve heard about the changes to Article 243 this week.

Currently, Article 243, states that “The Federal Government shall have control and command of the Armed Forces” and “the Supreme Command of the Armed Forces shall vest in the President”.

THE CHANGES

The position “Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee” (CJCSC) is going to be abolished. This position is currently in seniority to all other military titles, as it is the head of all the wings of the military: Army, Naval, Air. The position currently is not held by anyone who is chief of the other departments.

The bill proposes to introduce a new title, “Chief of Defence Forces” and the Chief of Army Staff will also be the Chief of Defense Forces.

The bill also proposes that honorary titles such as Field Marshal, Marshal of the Air Force, and Admiral of the Fleet awarded to senior military officers in recognition of their services will carry a lifetime status.

Lifetime status means that the Field Marshal shall remain in uniform for life and can only be removed through impeachment. The government will determine the duties of a Field Marshal and he/she will also have legal immunity. The legal immunity will be for life since the position has a lifetime status.

A NEW ‘BIGGER THAN SUPREME COURT’ COURT?

The bill includes the formation of a federal constitutional court (FCC) which will be a court that includes senior judges from all provinces.

The FCC will handle cases of constitutional importance and the Supreme Court (SC) will be handling cases of ordinary civil, criminal and statutory appeals. The first appointees for the FCC will be decided by the president and prime minister and parliament can determine the number of judges serving in the FCC.

THE PROS

According to lawyers and analysts, the pros for the FCC are that it will ‘modernise the judiciary,’ because it will reduce backlogs for the SC, many of which have been pending for years, and will also separate constitutional issues from other issues that will make the judicial system more clear and in turn, efficient.

Law Minister Tarar explained that SC judges spent most of their time listening to other cases, even though constitutional case benches were present in the SC. “The fact of the matter is that five to six per cent of cases take 40pc of the court’s time and the rest of the cases remain as is,” he said.

THE CONS

The selection of the FCC chief justice will be done by the president and the prime minister and he or she will be chosen from the top three senior most judges of the Supreme Court. If the nominee declines, and the other two judges do as well, all three will have to retire from service.

Currently, the Supreme Court works in a ‘seniority cycle’. The senior most judge is made the chief justice and they have to retire at the age of 65. So you know years in advance who the next chief justice will be. With the FCC, the president and prime minister will be selecting the top judge of the top Pakistani court, and parliament will decide who the other judges serving in the FCC will be. The chief justice of the FCC will serve three years or until he turns 68 years old.

OPPOSITION

PTI’s Senator Ali Zafar said that, the proposed 27th Amendment is “nothing short of a conspiracy against the Constitution. The entire process is being carried out in haste, without consultation or deliberation, in complete disregard of democratic norms and parliamentary traditions.”

He also added that the opposition had been given very little time to examine the bill since they had received it yesterday.

WHAT NEXT?

PMLN and PPP are working on gathering the numbers to pass the bill, as JUI-F Maulana Fazalur Rehman is set to meet Bilawal and Zardari. Meanwhile, committees that are finalising the bill are also likely to change the mechanism for the transfer of high court judges — a process which may not require the consent of the judges being transferred.

JUI-F had earlier boycotted the meeting of the joint committees yesterday (which were discussing the bill) and PPP Senator Farooq Naek said that the meeting continued after the JUI-F left and 80 percent of the amendments were discussed.

The committees will meet again today to discuss the ‘chief of defense’ clauses since they have not been examined yet.

You can download the bill here.

Weeks into Islamabad-Kabul negotiations with the help of mutual friends, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has said that the same have been suspended with “no plans for the fourth round of talks”.

Appearing on Geo News’ ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’, the defence minister said there was “a complete deadlock” as negotiations had entered an “indefinite phase”.

He thanked Turkiye and Qatar for their “sincere efforts” to mediate tensions between the two neighbouring countries, and revealed that the mediators had supported Pakistan’s stance.

“They support our stance. Even the Afghan delegation agreed with us… however, they were not ready to sign a written agreement,” Asif said, adding that Pakistan would only accept a formal and written accord.

He said the Afghan delegation wanted verbal assurances to be accepted, which is not possible in international negotiations.

The defence minister further revealed that the mediators had done their best but eventually lost hope.

“If they had even a little optimism, they would have asked us to stay. Our return empty-handed shows that even they have given up on Kabul,” he said, reiterating that Pakistan’s position remained firm and clear.

“Our only demand is that Afghanistan must ensure its soil is not used for attacks on Pakistan,” he said and went on to warn that Pakistan would respond if provoked.

“If there is any attack from Afghan soil, we will respond accordingly,” he said. The defence minister, however, maintained that ceasefire would remain intact for as long as there was no aggression.

Earlier, Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban regime continued negotiating in Istanbul following an extension of ceasefire that came after deadly cross-border clashes last month.

The talks collapsed after Pakistan refused to accept the Taliban delegation’s “illogical” arguments and refusal to address Islamabad’s concerns regarding cross-border terrorism.

With mediators persuading Pakistan to give the talks another chance, the third round of talks had started Thursday, in an effort to ease escalating tensions.

The Istanbul meetings followed the earlier five-day talks that resulted in a last-minute interim agreement.

It merits a mention that Khawaja Asif had also in last week of October warned of an all-out war with Afghanistan if negotiations between Islamabad and Kabul failed to resolve the issues.

 
Speaking to journalists in Sialkot, the defence minister said that the country’s armed forces and police were sacrificing their lives to safeguard the nation, and the reason we sleep peacefully is because our protectors remain vigilant.

 
“Pakistan hosted Afghans for 40 years, and those we are negotiating with in Doha all grew up in Pakistan,” he had said in reference to the negotiations.

A 22-year-old police constable has committed suicide by shooting himself in the Wadala Dayal Shah area of Ferozewala, months before his wedding.

As per the details, Constable Sheroz Afzal Ansari, who belonged to Battalion No. 7 of the Punjab Constabulary and was posted on security duty at the MPA Hostels in Lahore, ended his life by shooting himself in the head at his home.

After the incident, Ferozwala police moved the body to the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital for postmortem while further investigation is underway.

The incident is not the first of its kind as last month Islamabad also witnessed a distressing incident when Superintendent of Police (SP) Adeel Akbar of Industrial Area I-9 took his own life.

Initial reports said he was talking to someone over the phone before snatching the service pistol from a guard and shooting himself in the chest.

Rescue teams shifted him to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in critical condition where doctors tried to save his life, but he succumbed to injuries.

A heavy police contingent reached PIMS soon after the incident. Islamabad Police Inspector General Ali Nasir Rizvi visited the hospital, received updates from doctors and supervised postmortem arrangements.

Investigators retrieved SP Adeel Akbar’s mobile phone data as they tried to determine who made the final call to him and what had been discussed. Officers also detained the operator on duty, the gunman and other officials present at the scene for questioning.

SP Adeel Akbar belonged to the 46 Common Training Programme (CTP) batch. He had previously served in Balochistan and hailed from Kamoki.

His death raised serious concerns about stress, pressure and mental health challenges within the police force after it was revealed that a day before his death the cop visited a doctor at his private clinic and informed the medical practitioner that he was having suicidal ideation.

Psychiatrist Dr Sultan Muhammad, who checked the SP, suggested he take leave and get admitted to PIMS, but the deceased informed him that he had applied for leave that was not approved.

The doctor also asked the police official’s wife to keep his service weapon, knives and any other objects that could be used for self-harm out of his reach.

The deceased police officer held an MPhil in governance and public policy from the National Defence University and was an expert in security management, community policing, human rights protection, counter-terrorism and crisis response.

He was known among colleagues for his professionalism, humility and commitment to public service.

Losses worth millions were reported by shopkeepers as Lahore Development Authority (LDA) razed a pet market in Lahore, allegedly killing or injuring hundreds of animals locked up inside – a claim rubbished by officials.

According to reports, Lahore’s famous Bird Market near the shrine of the famous saint Ali al-Hajveri, commonly known as Data Darbar, was bulldozed to the ground during the wee hours of Wednesday.

Business owners accused authorities of carrying out the operation without prior notice, claiming that hundreds of pets were buried under the rubble as a result.

They said they had earlier been informed that the site would be cleared to construct a bus stand for Data Darbar, however, “no notice was given prior to demolition” despite a meeting with LDA officials for clearance of outstanding dues, rent and utility bills amid negotiations.

The market, which reports said housed at least 165 shops, had been operating for decades since then-Punjab chief minister (CM) Nawaz Sharif’s government allotted the land back in 1992, shopkeepers said.

Reports quoted one shopkeeper as claiming that they requested a few hours to collect their earnings and relocate the animals, but officials ignored their plea and began the demolition immediately.

Viral videos on social media also showed several shopkeepers recovering animals, including birds and cats, from the rubble.

The visuals were also shared by animal rights groups who criticised the authorities over the action.

“At 4 am Lahore Develop Authority (LDA) demolished the pet and bird market without warning. Thousands of innocent cats, dogs, birds, rabbits, were buried alive under the rubble. Shopkeepers begged them to spare the animals. But the bulldozers continued to kill all in their path [sic],” Todd’s Welfare Society (TWS) said in a post on X.

At 4 a.m Lahore Develop Authority (LDA) demolished the pet and bird market without warning. Thousands of innocent cats, dogs, birds, rabbits, were buried alive under the rubble. Shopkeepers begged them to spare the animals. But the bulldozers continued to kill all in their path pic.twitter.com/rgu8GZdIyz

— TWS (@tws_pk2) November 6, 2025

Tahira Animal Welfare Foundation (TAWF) said authorities had the right to demolish the market if it was built illegally, but could have relocated the animals first.

“Last night, the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) did something no one with a heart could ever justify. They demolished the bird and pet market in Lahore — and with it, buried thousands of innocent lives alive. If the market was built illegally, demolish it — but move the tiny lives first,” the group said in a post on X.

Last night, the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) did something no one with a heart could ever justify. They demolished the bird and pet market in Lahore — and with it, buried thousands of innocent lives alive.

If the market was built illegally, demolish it — but move the tiny… pic.twitter.com/ynMP8BoKY6

— Tahira Animal Welfare Foundation – TAWF (@tawf_uk) November 6, 2025

“Those cats, dogs, birds, and rabbits were not criminals. They were living, breathing beings who depended on humans for mercy. Islam teaches that taking one innocent life is like killing all of humanity. Yet, they buried countless souls without a second thought. Can anyone imagine if nature takes revenge and buries us alive the same way? We’ve already seen signs — horrific earthquakes and floods that remind us of how powerless we are before the Creator. Have we learned nothing? Where is our humanity?”

In Lahore, the LDA demolished a pet market at 4 am, burying hundreds of animals alive under the rubble. A horrifying act that exposes the inhumane reality of pet markets and a complete disregard for animal life.

Pet Market Lahore | Lahore | Pet Market | Animal rights | Animal… pic.twitter.com/Ac3Uj5fghv

— Mosaic Radar (@mosaicradar) November 6, 2025

TAWF went on to say that the cries of the helpless beings still echoed, and silence made people a part of the cruelty. “Please speak up. Raise your voice for the voiceless before we lose the right to ask for mercy ourselves.”

According to local accounts, at approximately 4 AM last night, the LDA conducted a demolition operation at the pet and bird market. The market housed pigeons, birds, cats, rabbits, and puppies all of which were kept in cages. Despite the pleas of shopkeepers, the demolition was… https://t.co/aOb0mwzXze pic.twitter.com/xF3t0RDMaP

— عبداللہ (@Blahhhhhh34) November 6, 2025

Amid widespread outrage, reports quoted LDA officials as saying that the shops had been built unlawfully at 16-kanal state land that was included in the Bhati Chowk remodeling project aiming to get rid of the constant traffic mess and increasing noise and dust pollution in the area.

“There are no reports of birds killed during operation as the shopkeepers had already taken out all of them and other goods from their shops. And if they have any solid proof, show us,” a spokesperson said.

A new designation titled “Commander of the Defence Forces” is among the key issues that will be discussed as part of new amendments to Article 243 of the Constitution, media outlets have reported. 

The new title is part of an effort to ensure greater coordination and unified command among army, air force and navy. 

Sources have said that the move to finalise the new title has been shaped by both the recent May clashes with India and the emerging nature of new warfare that demands integrated responses. 

The 27th Constitutional Amendment remains largely under wraps. However a few pointers had been revealed by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the Chairman of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), in a tweet he posted last Monday. Among the key points he listed were amendments to Article 243. 

The Article states: “The Federal Government shall have control and command of the Armed Forces” and “the Supreme Command of the Armed Forces shall vest in the President”, among other things. 

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif made it clear during an appearance on a news channel that that consultations on 243 are underway. “Defence requirements have changed,” Asif said categorically, adding that his party, the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is aiming for mutual consultations. 

PPP, on the other hand, rejected most of the proposed amendments, but hinted at offering support to changes in Article 243. After a prolonged CEC meeting held in Lahore, Bilawal addressed a presser late on Thursday night, stating that his party will offer conditional support to amending Article 243. 

Flanked by senior members of his party, Bilawal stated that the proposed changes included giving a new title to the office of the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, creating a new office regarding Strategic Forces Command, and conferring the rank of Field Marshal upon the incumbent army chief following Pakistan’s declared military victory against India earlier this year.

The head of PPP, the party largely responsible for the 18th Amendment, then firmly rejected changes to National Finance Commission (NFC) formula for allocating resources to the provinces.