Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa has said during today’s hearing in a case related to harassment of journalists that “Nowadays there is selective reporting and sometimes outright lies, so we will run our own YouTube channel.”
Category: Politics
-
Senate elections delayed in KPK
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday postponed Senate elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after opposition members filed a plea for postponement because of an issue with the provincial government over oath-taking of MPAs on reserved seats.
Interestingly, polling is underway in the National Assembly, Punjab and Sindh assemblies.
KP speaker Babar Saleem Swati did not comply with the Peshawar High Court’s (PHC) recent order to administer the oath to the legislators-elect and filed a review petition in court on the eve of polling.
An official from the ECP pointed out that elections were postponed in KPK because of a delay in oath-taking ceremonies of MPAs-elect, as per the PHC order.
-
Did Gen (r) Faiz Hameed plans TLP’s Faizabad sit-in?
The commission set up to probe the Faizabad sit-in case has completed its report and is ready to submit it to the government and other authorities at any time.
One of the members connected to the commission told The News that the investigation in the case is already complete and the commission can submit its report to relevant authorities soon.
“It will be submitted to the government and other authorities at any time,” the source said.
The commission interviewed many individuals, including some high profile persons like the then DG (C) Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and former ISI chief Lt Gen (retd) Faiz Hameed, the then prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, the then interior and defence ministers Ahsan Iqbal and Khawaja Aasif respectively and concerned senior police and civil administration officials of Rawalpindi and Islamabad.
The commission will focus on figuring out what the former ISI chief’s role was. Its report will reveal if Hameed was responsible for the Faizabad sit-in.
The government formed the commission on the instructions of the Supreme Court (SC) to investigate who was involved in the Faizabad sit-in. The commission investigated who had planned, financed, and supported a sit-in at Islamabad’s Faizabad area six years ago.
-
PTI demands full court, rejects ‘like-minded’ judges bench
In an echo to past objections, former ruling party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has rejected the constitution of a seven-member bench led by the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) to investigate the six judges’ letter documenting alleged interference by intelligence agencies in judicial matters.
At a press conference, former Chief Minister of Gligit-Baltistan Khalid Khurshid along with the party’s central information secretary Raoof Hasan declared that PTI would not accept the legitimacy of the seven-member bench terming it “like-minded judges” that was made at the behest of the CJP to get a decision of their choice.
He demanded that a full court be constituted to investigate the serious allegations levelled by the six IHC judges and the proceedings should be telecast live. Raoof also added that judges should be allowed to tell their stories in a judicial conference as well.
He lauded ex-CJP Tasadduq Hussain Jillani’s decision to recuse himself from the inquiry commission and congratulated the legal fraternity for their principled stance. He also commented that the IHC judges demonstrated great courage by writing the letter.
-
Tasadduq passes the buck back to the Supreme Court
Former Chief Justice Pakistan Tassaduq Hussain Jillani on April 1 recused himself from heading the “inquiry committee” that was approved by the Federal Cabinet regarding the Islamabad High Court judges’ letter.
Jillani’s letter was written to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif with the subject “One Man Inquiry Commission.”
Last week, on Tuesday, six judges of IHC wrote an explosive letter to the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) alleging blatant interference of intelligence agencies in judicial matters.The very next day, calls for investigations began to gain ground which led to CJP Qazi Faez Isa holding a full court meeting of the Supreme Court judges.
On Thursday, the PM met with CJP and an inquiry commission was made to probe into the matter. The Federal Cabinet approved and appointed Tassaduq Jillani as the commission head on Saturday.
However, more than 300 lawyers wrote a joint letter to the Supreme Court urging them to take Suo Moto initiative in the judges’ allegations.
The Supreme Court on Monday took suo motu notice of the IHC judges’ letter while the former CJP Jillani also refused to head the one-man inquiry commission citing that the letter referenced the top court to intervene so it would be “violative of judicial propriety” for him to inquire into a matter which “may fall within the jurisdiction of a constitutional body which is the SJC or the Supreme Court itself”
-
CTD arrests terrorists involved in Shangla Suicide attack
The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) has arrested more than 10 terrorists and their facilitators involved in the recent suicide attack in Shangla’s Bisham city last week.
The attack took the lives of six people, including five Chinese nationals, drawing widespread condemnation from the country’s civil-military leadership.
Last week, a Chinese investigation team arrived in Pakistan to probe the unfortunate incident and expressed its interest to collectively work with Pakistani authorities. CTD sources said that the terrorist commander who was primarily responsible for bringing the suicide bomber into Pakistan has been arrested.
Moreover, the explosive-laden vehicle used in the attack was made in Afghanistan and smuggled into Pakistan through the Pak-Afghan Chaman border crossing in Balochistan. From there it was transported to Chakdara in Lower Dir via a smuggler – who has also been arrested.
The mastermind behind the attack has been named as Hazrat Bilal who is currently wanted by the authorities.
-
‘Possible short circuit’, Police launch investigation into Gujjar Khan church fire
The Punjab government has initiated a thorough investigation into the burning of a church in Gujjar Khan, The News reported on Monday.
However, police of that specific location didn’t register a first information report (FIR) of the case.
Investigators explained that the church had been constructed on land owned by the National Highway Authority (NHA) many years ago. NHA authorities themselves erected a building measuring 12 marlas on Kaliam Road approximately 25 years ago and relocated the church there.
They also said that Gujjar Khan Church had been empty for more than 12 years. The elders of the Christian community started Sunday services at Kaliam Road Church peacefully around 10 years ago. A preliminary investigation report has been sent to the Punjab Home Office, but it hasn’t identified any particular group or person involved.
Regional Police Officer (RPO), Rawalpindi Region, Babar Sarfaraz Alpa, when contacted to obtain his version about the occurrence, said, “The police recovered nothing yet except that the fire erupted due to a short circuit. However, the police have not given up the probe.” The investigators have collected forensic evidence and examined it, but have gotten no clue so far, the RPO concluded.
Dr. Majeed Abel, the Executive Secretary of the Presbyterian Church of Pakistan, urged authorities to uncover and disclose what happened to the church. He demanded that those responsible be held accountable under the law.
-
Imran Khan does not want to get out of Adiala Jail, says Shandana Gulzar
During a talk show with Nadir Gurmani at Dawn News, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Shandana Gulzar remarked that Imran Khan does not want to come out of Adiala jail because he is safe under the supervision of jail authorities.
When the anchor asked Shandana Gulzar about the lack of unity of party leadership on a one-point agenda that Imran Khan must get out of jail, she replied that the former Prime Minister does not believe in this agenda.
“Only Imran Khan can set an agenda, nobody else. Khan has a three-point agenda; the first is to give us back our stolen mandate, the second is to release all PTI workers who have been arrested without any valid reasons and the third is to get our workers free from illegal military trials,” she stated.
She said that Shehryar Afridi told Khan that they wanted him to get free, to which he replied “I don’t want to get out of jail. My priority is Pakistan so it does not disintegrate like Bangladesh.”
“After God, Khan’s life is in the hands of jail authorities,” she said on the show, expressing concerns that there would be no guarantee of his safety if he gets shifted to sub-jail.
-
Why did PTI’s Sher Afzal Marwat slap a private guard?
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Sher Afzal Marwat can be seen in a video slapping a man at a political rally in Peshawar.
As per the details of Geo News, Marwat slapped his personal guard in anger as he got stuck in the midst of a crowd of PTI supporters.
“In view of terrorism, my guard was telling me to sit in the car,” the politician said, adding that he was pushing the workers away and restricting them from coming near him.
“I forbade the guard not to pull me,” Marwat said.
Whatever the reason for the slap, violence in any form is reprehensible, especially when it’s unleashed by a powerful individual against a weaker one.
-
‘Crime is part of life’; Astonishing statement by Sindh home minister
Sindh Home Minister Zia ul Hasan Lanjar has said that Karachi’s law and order situation is being “exaggerated”. In a press briefing held on Sunday, he said “Street crime exists in Karachi, however, it has been exaggerated in media.”
On March 13, the provincial cabinet was informed that nearly 16,000 street crimes had been recorded in Karachi since January 2024. He termed street crime as “part of daily life.” Since January, 49 citizens have been killed resisting street crimes.
The Minister showed sympathy with the families of those who lost their lives, stating that measures were being taken to end the wave in Karachi, including action against the station house officer (SHO) where crime would occur.
Furthermore, he said that around 1,000 policemen would be sent to Kashmore District for an operation against the criminals in that area.