Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar has received summons on Tuesday from a civil court in Gujranwala over the recent increase in the prices of petroleum products.
Judge Mohammad Awais summoned the caretaker PM, secretary petroleum, and Gujranwala commissioner against the hike in petrol prices.
Advocate Manzoor Qadir filed a petition on September 16 asking for a stay order on the decision of the caretaker government to increase fuel prices. According to the petition, the caretaker prime minister and other officials are “concerned parties” and responsible for the price hike.
The court has ordered the caretaker prime minister and other officials to appear before the court on September 20 (Wednesday).
The caretaker government had increased the petrol price by more than Rs 26 and the diesel price by over Rs 17 per litre last week.
According to the Finance Ministry, the decision was taken due to the increase in oil prices in the international market.
US, UK, Australia ‘deeply concerned’ over possible Indian role in Sikh leader’s murder
The world is reacting after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s statement citing suspicion towards India in Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s murder case.
The White House said it was “deeply concerned” about the allegations made by Trudeau.
“We remain in regular contact with our Canadian partners. It is critical that Canada’s investigation proceed and the perpetrators be brought to justice,” White House National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said.
Then, in an official statement, spokesperson for Australian foreign minister Penny Wong said, “Australia is deeply concerned by these allegations and notes ongoing investigations into this matter. We are closely engaged with partners on developments. We have conveyed our concerns at senior levels to India.”
Foreign Secretary of the UK posted on X (formerly Twitter), “All countries should respect sovereignty and the rule of law. We are in regular contact with our Canadian partners about serious allegations raised in the Canadian Parliament. Important that Canada’s investigation runs its course and the perpetrators brought to justice.”
All countries should respect sovereignty and the rule of law.
We are in regular contact with our Canadian partners about serious allegations raised in the Canadian Parliament.
Important that Canada’s investigation runs its course and the perpetrators brought to justice.
Pulling no punches, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gave a harshly worded statement on Monday about the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, mentioning links between the killers and the Indian government.
The Canadian government has been probing into Nijjar’s murder case and the latest findings direct the fingers at the involvement of the Indian Government.
Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian Sikh leader, was shot outside a Sikh temple on 18 June in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada. As per the police’ evaluation, it was a “targeted” attack.
“Any involvement of a foreign government in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty,”, said Trudeau.
“In the strongest possible terms, I continue to urge the government of India to cooperate with Canada to get to the bottom of this matter.”, he added
Canada’s PM Trudeau says India killed a Sikh leader in Canada – Modi is making India rogue state like North Korea! pic.twitter.com/5amEnTMRWW
Similarly, Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mélanie Joly, also gave a staemnt in which she told the media that Indian diplomat, Pavan Kumar Rai, the head of RAW — India’s external intelligence agency — had been expelled over the case.
“We see this possible breach of sovereignty as completely unacceptable, and so that is also why we’re coming [out] with this information today,” she added.
On the other hand, in a tit-for-tat move, India ordered a senior Canadian diplomat to leave the country, keeping in view the “growing concern at the interference of Canadian diplomats in our internal matters and their involvement in anti-India activities”.
In a statement, the ministry said: “Allegations of Government of India’s involvement in any act of violence in Canada are absurd and motivated,”
“We are a democratic polity with a strong commitment to rule of law.”
Previously, prime minister Trudeau shed light on the murder while in conversation with Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi at the G20 summit last week in New Dehli. He stated that the Indian role in the case would not be acceptable and that they expected the state’s cooperation in the investigation.
Who was Hardeep Singh Nijjar?
Nijjar moved to Canada in 1997, working first as a plumber and later establishing a plumbing business in Surrey, B.C. He also played a vital role in the Khalistan movement — a call for a separate Sikh nation in India.
Terming him a “terrorist”, the Indian government said he was wanted by the state for his alleged active involvement in the Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) — an organisation deemed as a terrorist group by the country.
Nijjar’s friend and fellow Sikh nationalist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun spoke with Global News, stating that he was warned that “Indian intelligence agents had put a bounty on his head”.
Similarly, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service also warned Nijjar that they had information that he was, “under threat from professional assassins,”.
The federal interim government has filed a review appeal against the Supreme Court’s decision on the Review of Judgment Act on Monday, asking the apex court Supreme Court to revise the decision.
The petition contends that Article 142 empowers the Parliament to enact such legislation, the judicial decision being an encroachment on the powers of the legislature.
It should be noted that the Supreme Court had annulled the (Review of Judgment and Orders) Act on August 11.
“The Supreme Court (Review of Judgments and Orders) Act 2023 is ultra vires the Constitution being beyond the legislative competence of parliament,” declared a three-member bench led by former chief justice Umar Ata Bandial and comprising Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Munib Akhtar. Senior lawyers had voiced severe concerns regarding the verdict’s timing.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has released voter data of the country from 2018 to 2023. According to the data, the number of registered voters increased from 105.95 million (105,955,409) in 2018 to nearly 127 million (126,980,272) in 2023. These numbers are according to the calculations done in July this year.
The number of male voters is over 68.50 million (68,508,258), while female voters reached 58.47 million (58,472,014) in 2023.
According to figures given by the electoral authority, the number of voters in Islamabad increased from 765,447 in 2018 to over 1.04 million (1,041,554) this year. This is one of the country’s major urban centres.
The total number of voters in Punjab reached 72.3 million (72,310,582) this year, while the number was 60.6 million (60,672,771) in 2018.
The number of voters in Punjab reached 72.3 million (72,310,582) this year. On the other hand, the number was 60.6 million (60,672,771) in 2018.
Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, the chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), has stated that he will only be able to remark on making “alliances” with other political parties when the election date has been made public.
While addressing a press conference in Okara, the former foreign minister once more urged that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to announce the election date so that the party could plan and launch its election campaign.
“It is our request to the ECP to announce the election schedule,” the PPP chief said, emphasising that the matter of alliances can only be addressed once the election timetable is established.
When asked about the expected return of Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif, Bilawal stated: “Mian Sahib’s return has been a long-standing demand of the PPP.”
“The PPP is not being pushed to the wall, we didn’t even back out from the 2007-2008 elections,” the party chairman stated in response to a question.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif has said on Monday that the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government had saved Pakistan from defaulting.
His statement came during a party meeting via video link from London, where he emphasised that the PML-N rescued Pakistan from an economic crisis by making sacrifices. He was also confident that PML-N would achieve success in the upcoming elections.
In addition, the PML-N leader blamed former ISI chief General (retd) Faiz Hamid, former chief of the army, General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa, and former chief justice Mian Saqib Nisar for Pakistan’s current condition.
“Today, the poor is craving bread; who brought the country to this state” the senior politician questioned, regretting how people were worried about putting two meals on their table.
Recalling that the economic conditions were different in 2017 when he was in power, Sharif said that flour, ghee, and sugar were cheap but now the poor people of the country are unable to pay their bills.
On March 29 and March 30, 2023, the National Assembly and Senate, respectively, adopted and enacted the (Practice and Procedure Bill) 2023. Without his signature, the President remitted the bill for review, but on April 10, 2023, the Joint Session of Parliament once more passed the Act after it had complied with all rules and procedures.
According to the Act, each case, appeal, and subject before the Supreme Court will be heard by benches formed by a committee comprising of the Chief Justice and the two senior most judges.
It further stated that any issue involving the use of original jurisdiction under Article 184, paragraph (3), shall be brought before the committee for consideration first. The committee must then assemble a bench of at least three Supreme Court justices, which may also include committee members, if it deems that the issue involves the enforcement of one or more fundamental rights. According to the Act, an appeal must be submitted within 30 days of the larger bench of the Supreme Court obtaining jurisdiction over it and its hearing date must be scheduled no later than 14 days after that. When submitting a review application, it also offers a party the flexibility to choose the lawyer of its choice.
Today, for the first time in Pakistan’s history, proceedings of the full bench in the Supreme Court were broadcast on PTV. Most people were confused about who was who as they saw the 15 judges on screen for the first time.
If you’re not familiar with them, here is a short intro to each of the 15 judges.
1 Mr. Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah
Formerly the 45th Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court, Mr Ali Shah has been serving as a justice at the Supreme Court since 2018. He was born in Peshawar and educated at Aitchison College, University of the Punjab and then Downing College, Cambridge.
2 Mr. Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi
Mr Hasan Azhar Rizvi has been serving as a judge at the Supreme Court of Pakistan since November 2022, prior to which he was a Justice of the Sindh High Court from Febuary 2010 to November 2022.
3 Mr. Justice Sardar Tariq Masood
Mr Justice Sardar Tariq Masood has been serving as a justice at the Supreme Court of Pakistan since November 2015. He began practicing law in the Rawalpindi district in 1985 and became an Advocate of the Supreme Court in 2008.
4 Mrs. Justice Ayesha A. Malik
At the age of 55, Mrs Ayesha Malik made history by becoming the first female Supreme Court judge, a victory that was celebrated by all women in Pakistan. In 2021, she outlawed the deeply misogynist virginity test which was used on survivors of rape and sexual abuse. She earned her Bachelors of Commerce from Government College of Commerce and Economics, then received her law degree from Pakistan College of Law, and her LL.M from Harvard Law School.
5 Mr. Justice Amin-Ud-Din Khan
Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan was sworn in as a Supreme Court judge in 2019. He began practicing in lower courts in 1985 after which he was issued a license. He was appointed as an Advocate of the Lahore High Court in 1987, and later of the Supreme Court in 2001.
6 Mr. Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail
Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail was elevated to the Supreme Court of Pakistan as a Judge on August 2021. He completed his Matriculation from the Federal Government High School, Quetta Cantonment, and then his FSc. from Government Science College, Quetta. Mr Mandokhail completed his Masters in Political Science and Economics from the University of Balochistan, and later did his LLB from University Law College Quetta in 1987.
7 Mr. Justice Munib Akhtar
Justice Munib Akhtar took oath as a Supreme Court judge in 2018. He is the son-in-law of the former law minister Khalid Anwar.
8 Mr. Justice Ijaz Ul Ahsan
Justice Ijaz Ul Ahsan was appointed as a Judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan in 2016. He had earlier been appointed the Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court in 2015. He recieved his early education in Lahore and then graduated in 1979 from Forman Christian College with a merit scholarship.
9 Mr. Justice Athar Minallah
Justice Athar Minallah was appointed as a judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan in November 2022. Prior to this, he served as the 5th Chief Justice of the Islamabad High Court from 2018 till 2022.
10 Mr. Justice Shahid Waheed
Justice Shahid Waheed completed his graduation from Government College Lahore in 1986, after which he did his LL.B from the University Of Punjab in 1989. He was elevated as a judge of the Lahore High Court on March 2012, and appointed as a judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan in 2022.
11 Mr. Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi
Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi was appointed as a judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan in March 2020, and has been a practicing Advocate of the Supreme Court of Pakistan and at the High Courts since 2001 and 1988.
12 Mr. Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar
Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar was appointed as a judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan in August 2021. Before his tenure in the apex court, he became a judge of the Sindh High Court in February 2010. Born in Karachi, he completed his graduation in Commerce and later passed his LL.B examination in 1990.
13 Mr Justice Qazi Faez Isa
Mr. Justice Qazi Faez Isa was appointed as a judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan in September 2014, and was elevated to the position of Chief Justice on Sunday. He completed his early education from Karachi, then went on to earn a Bachelors in Law from London, where he completed his Bar Professional examination at the Inns of Court School of Law.
14 Mr. Justice Yahya Afridi
Justice Yahya Afridi was elevated as a judge of the Supreme Court in June 2018, and was previously appointed as the Chief Justice of the Peshawar High Court in December 2016.
15 Ms. Justice Mussarat Hilali
Justice Mussarat Hilali became the first woman Chief Justice to be appointed at the Peshawar High Court in March 2023, and later became the second female judge to be appointed at the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, the interim Prime Minister, has urged his Afghan counterpart in a letter to cooperate in order to accomplish shared objectives, The News reported on Monday.
The letter from PM Kakar to Mullah Muhammad Hasan Akhund, the acting Prime Minister of Afghanistan, comes as tensions between the two nations are rising as a result of an increase in cross-border terror incidents.
In his letter, PM Kakar said: “Pakistan has close fraternal relations with Afghanistan, as we are neighbours and brothers. Pakistan-Afghanistan relations are rooted in religion, culture, and history.”
The Premier declared that Kabul and Islamabad will continue to work together to strengthen bilateral, political, security, and economic ties.
Earlier, Pakistan accused the Afghanistan government of misusing the transit trade agreement.
“It is important for our customs authorities to ensure that any border trade that takes place complies with the understandings and agreements that exist between Pakistan and Afghanistan and that such commercial activities do not contravene Pakistani laws,” the Foreign Office had said.
The live transmission of the Supreme Court’s (SC) full bench led by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qaez Faez Isa on Monday has led to social media blitz of memes.
Delighted viewers got to see a Supreme Court hearing for the first time, and they did not hold back on jokes.
Lawyers, particularly Khawaja Tariq Rahim, came under particular scrutiny, and the internet was not particularly impressed with his arguments, or lack thereof.
We have gathered the best of the internet’s comments on proceedings, judges’ remarks and lawyers’ arguments.
One user used a meme about what lawyers think they do, what public thinks lawyers do and what lawyers actually do.
کیا آپ بھی کچھ نیوز چینلز پر چلنے والے ٹکرز اور بلاوجہ کی بریکنگ نیوز سن سن کر خواجہ طارق رحیم کو ایک منجھا ہوا اور بہت ہی اعلٰی پائے کا وکیل سمجھتے تھے؟ آج کی کاروائی کے بعد میری تو غلط فہمی دور ہو گئی ہے۔
Haha hum khayal judges tout petitioner was so bad and unprepared, Munib Akhtar and Ijal ul Ahsan have had to come themselves to rescue him and give arguments on his behalf 😆😄
Lawyers not exactly covering themselves in glory in #SupremeCourtofpakistan live proceedings. Not prepared, not articulate, not persuasive. Is this the norm or exception?
This live broadcast of the Supreme Court full court hearing is also a great expose of the mediocrity rampant in the legal profession garbed in ‘respectable’ suits. They take millions for such buffoonish and amateurish arguments.
