Current Final

Category: Politics

  • PTI Wins: What does the Supreme Court verdict mean?

    PTI Wins: What does the Supreme Court verdict mean?

    In a significant political and symbolic win for the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), a thirteen-member bench of the Supreme Court on Friday ruled that the party has the legal and constitutional right to reserved seats.

    It was Justice Mansoor Ali Shah who, with his announcement of the 8-5 majority verdict, dismissed the Peshawar High Court’s (PHC) order that had upheld the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) ruling denying reserved seats to the Sunni Ittehad Council, which was backed by PTI.

    Geo News reported that eight Justices, Justices Athar Minallah, Shahid Waheed, Muneeb Akhtar, Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Ayesha Malik, Syed Hassan Azhar Rizvi, and Irfan Saadat Khan supported the verdict.

    The Supreme Court, in its verdict today, declared that a party’s lack of electoral symbol does not affect its legal rights to participate in an election.

    The Supreme Court also stated that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) ‘misinterpreted’ its January 13 verdict of taking away PTI’s bat symbol and they never ruled that PTI could not participate in the elections.

    “PTI was and is a political party, which secured general seats in the national and provincial assemblies in the general elections of 2024,” emphasised the verdict.

    The ruling said that PTI should present a list of eligible candidates for the reserved seats to the electoral body within 15 days after the verdict.

    TIMELINE

    On 13 January 2024, the Supreme Court upheld the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) decision to revoke PTI’s electoral symbol ‘bat’. PTI leadership called the decision “unfair and damaging to democratic constitutionalism.”

    Following this landmark decision, PTI members contested the general elections as the party-backed independent candidates with their own allotted electoral symbols.

    Following the February 8 elections, PTI-backed independents won the highest number of seats, making history in the country.

    To get the reserved seats according to proportional representation, PTI-backed independents joined the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) because the laws dictated that only a political party could be eligible for the allocation of reserved seats.

    The SIC then approached the ECP on February 21 seeking allocation of reserved seats. However, the PTI suffered a setback after the electoral body, citing the party’s failure to submit its list of candidates, denied allocating the reserved seats to the SIC via its 4-1 majority verdict on March 4.

    The party then approached the Peshawar High Court on March 6, which, in yet another setback to the party, upheld the electoral body’s decision on the matter in its March 14 ruling.

    Subsequently, on April 2, the SIC moved the SC seeking to set aside the PHC verdict.

  • Khan wins, X goes crazy

    Khan wins, X goes crazy

    The Supreme Court of Pakistan (SC) announced a reserved verdict on Friday, declaring that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is eligible to obtain reserved seats. The SC also dismissed the Peshawar High Court’s (PHC) decision to deny the reserved seats of the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC).

    After the court’s decision, people reacted to it on X (formerly Twitter).

    Journalist Gharidah Farooqi posted, “PTI is not present in the parliament, but they have to submit a list of their candidates for reserved seats in the next 15 days as per the court’s orders.”

    PTI’s official account wrote, “Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja must IMMEDIATELY resign after violating the constitution of Pakistan.”

    Several PTI leaders also expressed their support for the court’s decision on reserved seats.

    Prominent party leader, Zulfi Bukhari posted, “Congratulations to the entire nation for the massive win in the revered seats case. Not only did PTI win 8-5 in the Supreme Court but 11 judges declared PTI a political party and allowed it to contest elections. More than us, this case was for the survival of the Supreme Court and hope of justice in the country.”

    Journalist Shehzad Iqbal said while speaking on Geo News that the court’s decision benefits PTI but is not good news for the coalition government.

    The famous journalist Asad Toor wrote in a post on X, “No extra seats for government.”

    On the other hand, users on X posted memes about today’s verdict.

    One user posted an image with the caption, “Itni Jaldi Mithai Nahi Khani Chahye.”

    PTI leader Dr Shahbaz Gill posted the picture of journalist Hassan Ayub with the caption, “Aida ki Karna hai?”

  • PTI suspends Sher Afzal Marwat’s party membership

    PTI suspends Sher Afzal Marwat’s party membership

    Sher Afzal Marwat’s party membership has been suspended by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

    Marwat, who was elected as a Member of the National Assembly (MNA) in the February 8 elections, had his membership suspended according to a report by ARY News on Friday.

    PTI’s senior leadership met with incarcerated former Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday and decided on Sher Afzal Marwat’s status within the party.

    The cancellation of Marwat’s membership was confirmed by the party’s top leadership, citing multiple violations of party discipline.

    “It was concluded in the meeting with Imran Khan that no leader is above the party, and similar consequences await any leader who crosses the party line,” stated the party’s leadership.

    Previously, a show-cause notice had been issued to Marwat by PTI for his reckless statements. The notice was issued by the party’s Secretary General, Omar Ayub, who directed Marwat to respond within three days.

    Sher Afzal Marwat was also informed about potential further disciplinary actions in case he failed to submit a response.

  • KP to provide free solar panels to low-income families

    KP to provide free solar panels to low-income families

    Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has decided to provide two KV solar panels to poor families in the province, ARY News reported on Wednesday.

    Muzammil Aslam, the provincial advisor for Finance, told journalists that the KP government will provide one lakh solar systems to poor families.

    “The government will also provide electric wires and inverter fans with panels in a package,” Muzammil Aslam said.

    The advisor also stated that more than 90 power plants have been installed in the province, with electricity for six to seven rupees per unit.

    “Wapda is demanding Rs 27 per unit price for supplying electricity to consumers,” the provincial advisor stated. “We will also lay down the province’s own electricity transmission line,” he remarked.

  • ‘Aisi baaten hi na karo jin par dar ho’; Rana Sanaullah on call tapping

    ‘Aisi baaten hi na karo jin par dar ho’; Rana Sanaullah on call tapping

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s Adviser on Political and Public Affairs Rana Sanaullah, appearing on the Geo News programme Capital Talk, has stated that people shouldn’t engage in such controversial conversations that lead to fear that their calls are being tapped.

    The federal government has authorised the country’s top spy agency, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), to intercept and trace calls and messages to apprehend an offence against national security.

    “If somebody is worried over their conversations being ‘heard’, then they should not engage in such verbal exchanges to begin with,” Sanaullah reiterated, echoing the government’s stance on the issue.

    “If the content of my call is something I cannot face, something I cannot defend or something that I can be blackmailed over – then I shouldn’t be engaging in that in the first place,” said the advisor.

  • PML-N is incapable of running government, says Asif Zardari

    PML-N is incapable of running government, says Asif Zardari

    Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Punjab leadership has expressed concerns against the federal and provincial governments in a meeting with Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari, ARY News reported on Wednesday.

    PPP Punjab leaders stated after a huddle that provincial and federal governments are not cooperating with the party and that it is not getting its rights.
    Ticket holders told Zardari that the issues of their constituencies are not being solved.

    “We also received votes, and the people of our constituencies have to be satisfied,” the leaders told the President who remarked that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) cannot run the government.

    “Now I have returned to the ground myself, and uplift works will be carried out from Islamabad to Lahore. No political party can compete with the PPP,” Asif Zardari remarked.

  • Hafiz Naeem wants Army Chief and bureaucrats to give up their privileges

    Hafiz Naeem wants Army Chief and bureaucrats to give up their privileges

    Central Ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman has demanded that bureaucrats and the Army Chief give up their extra privileges as the country grapples with exorbitant taxes.

    Addressing a media group dinner in Lahore, Hafiz Naeem said that the country is facing a severe and immediate “brain drain.” The Army Chief should announce the withdrawal of extra privileges, and the country’s bureaucracy should also withdraw their privileges.

    He lamented the country’s socioeconomic problems, saying, “People are leaving Pakistan, and the education system is getting worse.”

    Furthermore, he stated, “Installing solar panels is not the solution to the problem because electricity tariffs should be reduced.”

  • IMF proposes 45 percent tax on agriculture income

    IMF proposes 45 percent tax on agriculture income

    The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has suggested that the government impose income tax of up to 45 percent on agriculture income as Pakistan seeks another multi-billion dollar bailout to stabilise its economy.

    The condition is part of the structural benchmarks the IMF has set for Pakistan to follow in order to access the next IMF loan that the country is negotiating with the global lender, Tribune reported.

    It also reported that the IMF has set October 2024 as the deadline for amending provincial tax laws to align with federal tax laws.

    Under the constitution, the federal government cannot impose taxes on agricultural income, as it is the provinces’ responsibility.

    Currently, the provinces are authorised to collect taxes from the agriculture sector, which contributes 24 percent to the economy but does not contribute even 0.1 percent of the total taxes collected across the country.

    President Asif Ali Zardari expressed apprehension at the move, saying the government was planning to tax agricultural income as per the IMF’s condition. Still, the provincial governments will lead the initiative to tax large land-holding farmers per their profitability and expenditures.

  • HRCP condemns government’s decision to allow phone tapping

    HRCP condemns government’s decision to allow phone tapping

    The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has raised concerns about the government’s “unconstitutional notification”, which gives immense power to security agencies to trace calls of any citizen.

    “HRCP is deeply concerned by the recent unconstitutional notification issued by the federal government giving intelligence personnel carte blanche to intercept and trace the calls of any citizen in the interest of ‘national security’,” the commission wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

    On Monday, the federal government gave the authority to Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) to trace the calls and messages of citizens to deal with terrorism in the country.

  • Pervez Khattak testifies against Khan in Al-Qadir trust case

    Pervez Khattak testifies against Khan in Al-Qadir trust case

    Former Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pervez Khattak, testified against Imran Khan, the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), in the Al-Qadir Trust case on Wednesday.

    The case alleges that Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi obtained billions of rupees and land worth hundreds of kanal from Bahria Town to legalise the amount through the federal cabinet.

    Before parting ways with the party, Khattak was a close aide of Khan and served as the defence minister of Pakistan, which he claimed had approved a confidential deed to transfer money to Malik Riaz.

    This is not the first time Khan’s former allies have testified against him in cases. His ex-secretary Azam Khan testified against him in the cipher case, while Aun Chaudhry recorded his statement in the Iddat case.

    Dawn News reported that Imran Khan usually does not move from his chair when witnesses record statements. But in yesterday’s hearing, Khan rose from his chair and approached the witness box to look at his former ally, who had now turned against him.