Current Final

Tag: IHC

  • ‘PTI tickets are a sign of disgrace’ says Maryam Nawaz, PTI’s Gill fires back

    Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz (PML-N) leader Maryam Nawaz has said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has suffered a dreadful defeat in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Local Government (LG) elections.

    Maryam, while talking to the media outside of Islamabad High Court (IHC) stated that “In the future, nobody wants to get the PTI party ticket. Their tickets are a sign of disgrace. If anybody gets it, I would suggest that they wear a helmet.”

    “When a government performs so badly not only the public but your own party’s Member of National Assembly (MNA) and Member of Provincial Assembly (MPA) criticise you”, she added.

    “This is the first government in history that has one after the other faced defeat in the by-elections,” PML-N leader said.

    Moreover, she said that Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan should resign and accept the wrong-doings he did to the public.

    When asked about PML-N’s performance in KP LG elections she congratulated Maulana Fazlur Rehman and stated that PML-N considers Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) win as their win while claiming that her party has a big vote bank in the province, they just need to focus on it.

    While answering about the PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif’s nomination for the seat of PM she said that the decision is yet to be finalised by Nawaz Sharif.

    About her hearing, Maryam revealed that National Accountability Bureau (NAB) asked for an adjournment as they had no answers and evidence against her. The hearing is adjourned till January 18.

    In response to PML-N vice president’s statement, Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Political Communication Shahbaz Gill said that Maryam is talking just like Indian PM Narendra Modi.

    Talking about the loss in KP local elections, he claimed that “Once official results will be out you will see that PTI is still the biggest party in the province,” while admitting that it was PTI vs PTI.

    Gill said,” Unlike you [PML-N] we learn from past mistakes. We don’t abuse the establishment and the institutions like you,” while saying that party gives tickets to people whom their workers like.

    Gill also took a jibe at Junaid Safdar’s wedding and claimed that it was a campaign by PML-N as they hijacked all the media because of it.

  • UK oath commissioner claims Rana Shamim’s affidavit authentic, ready to appear in Pak court

    United Kingdom (UK) oath commissioner Charles Guthrie, who authenticated the affidavit of former Chief Judge (CJ) Gilgit Baltistan Rana Mohammad Shamim, has claimed the affidavit’s authenticity, reports Murtaza Ali Shah for Geo News.

    In an exclusive interview, the commissioner revealed that when CJ Rana Shamim came to him for signature, he [Shamim] was in his senses and under no pressure. The commissioner also said he is ready to appear before at any legal forum, including the Islamabad High Court (IHC), for confirmation.

    While confirming the authenticity, Guthrie said that the affidavit published in The News with the redaction of a key name was genuine and it’s the same affidavit that carries the stamp of his firm London Notary Public and the name and signature of the London oath commissioner.

    Commenting on Shamim, Guthrie said, “The former CJ is a highly educated, intelligent man. I think he was one of the most senior judges in Pakistan in his time. He confirmed to me that yes he understood exactly what he was swearing by in his oath. I saw him alone at the time he made that oath with me”.

    Guthrie provides services to the Pakistan High Commission in London and verifies papers for the Pakistan Foreign Office (FO) and the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). Back in 2017, he attested all Panama related papers.

    Furthermore, Guthrie — while saying that he was aware of the controversy caused in Pakistan — stated: “I am independent and neutral. I am a non-political person. So, if the Pakistan High Commission asks me to certify true and genuine papers, I will certify them if they are true and genuine. I have done that in the past. If a person comes to me to make an oath or statement of truth, I will make him produce proper proof of identity and to see they have a proper capacity to make a statement of truth on oath.”

    “I know it’s high news in Pakistan. I will generally refuse to say anything about it other than to state what happened that the person making it was identified to me.”

    Talking with Murtaza, Guthrie also disclosed the standard procedure of signing the papers in England. “The person has to produce proof of identity. They have to produce, for example, either a passport or a national ID card or photo driving license and I will be satisfied they are genuinely the person they are. That’s exactly what happened here. The person [CJ Shamim] produced his passport and I believe it was a national identity card as well. He made the statement of oath independently, alone with me.”

    During this report, it was revealed that at least three people attempted to pay Charles Guthrie for verification of documents and then tried to obtain the story as if the affidavit was fake. However, it didn’t work as Guthrie stuck to his legal and factual position. According to the UK commissioner, he has received lots of inquiries since the affidavit of Justice Shamim was made public.

    This interview came after the former CJ appeared before IHC and said that the affidavit he had signed accusing former Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Saqib Nisar was leaked.


  • Noor Mukadam case: SC demands evidence against Zahir Jaffer’s mother

    Noor Mukadam case: SC demands evidence against Zahir Jaffer’s mother

    The Supreme Court (SC) of Pakistan directed the prosecution to submit evidence against Zahir Jaffer’s (prime suspect in Noor Mukadam’s murder case) mother Asmat Adamjee, reports Dawn.

    The Court was hearing the bail pleas of ​​the parents of Zahir Jaffer, which were previously rejected by the Islamabad High Court (IHC).

    The petitioner’s lawyer Advocate Khawaja Harris stressed that the case against the petitioners was not based on solid evidence, rather the allegations were highly speculative.

    Justice Umar Ata Bandial, during the hearing, pointed out that there was no mention of Adamjee in the IHC’s order denying bail to the duo.

     “We are just trying to get the hang of the Noor Mukadam case,” Justice Bandial said while adding that the court was seeking information only to understand the facts of the case.

    Khawaja Harris argued that the order to complete the trial in two months will affect the right to a fair trial.

    To which the court said that the right to a fair trial was a must. “But the delay in handling the case only adds to anxiety.”

    Justice Bandial adjourned the court till October 18. However, last week a sessions court in Islamabad fixed October 14 for the indictment of 12 suspects in the case.

    Last week, Zahir Jaffer’s parents challenged IHC’s bail rejection by approaching the SC.

  • IHC suspends plot allotments to judges in Islamabad

    IHC suspends plot allotments to judges in Islamabad

    Chief Justice Islamabad High Court (IHC) Justice Athar Minallah suspended allotment of plots to the capital’s judiciary in sectors F-14 and F-15, observing that this award of land was a conflict of interest, reported Dawn.

    The court also issued a notice to the attorney general and sought an explanation from the Ministry of Housing and Works on the policy of distribution of plots among a few segments of society.

    Justice Athar Minallah was hearing a petition filed by property owners in villages Thalla Syedan and Jhangi Syedan in Islamabad district against the acquisition of their land.

    During the hearing of the matter, Justice Minallah remarked: “It has been reported that the Federal Government Employees Housing Authority had recently held a ballot for allotment of plots in F-14 and F-15. The list indicates that virtually every judicial officer of the district courts of Islamabad, who are expected to resolve and adjudicate upon the grievances and rights of the affected landowners, is a beneficiary.”

    “It, prima facie, raises serious questions regarding conflict of interest because the plots are given to the beneficiaries at substantially lower prices than the current market rates and thus each beneficiary has a financial interest,” said Justice Minallah.

    “Moreover, astonishingly the list also includes those judicial officers who have been dismissed on account of misconduct or corruption,” added Justice Minallah.

    Justice Minallah observed that the judicial officer who was convicted and sentenced by this court was also one of the beneficiaries.

    As per the record of the FGEHA, three sacked additional district and sessions judges — Pervaizul Qadir Memon, Raja Khurram Ali Khan, and Jahangir Awan — were allotted a Kanal plot each in F-14 and F-15 while two former civil judges, Adnan Jamali and Amir Khalil, were given plots measuring 14 marlas each in these sectors.

    Last week, two special assistants to the prime minister (SAPM), judges of the superior judiciary, and top bureaucrats were among those who had been allocated residential plots in Islamabad’s F-14 and F-15 sectors.

    Judges of the superior judiciary, as well as those of the subordinate judiciary, and a few journalists had been placed in Category I — plots measuring one Kanal.

    While the judges of all the provincial high courts have been allotted plots in F-14 and F-15, not a single judge from the Islamabad High Court was among the applicants.

  • Vawda resigns from National Assembly after casting his Senate vote

    The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday reserved its judgement in the case seeking Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Faisal Vawda’s disqualification. Prior to this development, Vawda cast his vote for the Upper House and resigned from his National Assembly seat, The Express Tribune has reported.

    Read more – Aamir Liaquat trolls Vawda over award of Senate ticket

    A single bench of the IHC comprising Justice Aamer Farooq was hearing the petition moved against the federal minister by Barrister Jahangir Jadoon. During the hearing, Vawda’s counsel argued that the case against him in the court stands ineffective following his resignation.

    However, Jadoon objected to the argument, stating that several members of the assembly resigned from their seats and joined the parliament again in the past. He added that a person remains a member of the assembly unless the Speaker of the National Assembly accepts the resignation.

    Faisal Vawda was a dual national at the time of filing nomination papers for 2018’s General Election and concealed his American citizenship by falsely declaring on the oath he submitted to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

  • JCP endorses Babar Sattar’s nomination as IHC judge

    JCP endorses Babar Sattar’s nomination as IHC judge

    The Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) has endorsed the nomination of eminent lawyers Babar Sattar and Tariq Jahangiri as additional judges of the Islamabad High Court in its recommendation sent to the Parliamentary Committee on Appointment of Judges.

    The meeting of JCP — which comprises besides the chief justice of Pakistan senior most judges of the Supreme Court, chief justice and senior most judge of the Islamabad High Court, law minister, attorney general, members of the Pakistan Bar Council and Islamabad Bar Council — was held in the Supreme Court building under Article 175-A of the Constitution, reported Dawn.

    Under Article 175-A of the Constitution, the commission recommends appointment and confirmation of the judges whereas the Parliamentary Committee on Appointment of Judges endorses these recommendations. It may be noted here that Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Athar Minallah had forwarded these names to the JCP for the post of the IHC judges.

    Babar Sattar, who is based in Islamabad, appeared on TV shows as an analyst and also wrote columns for national dailies. He also represented Supreme Court judge Qazi Faez Isa, who was facing (now-quashed) a misconduct reference filed by the federal government over undeclared assets, in the Supreme Court.

    According to Salahuddin Ahmed, the president of the Sindh High Court Bar Association (SCBA), Sattar “is one of the most qualified and upright advocates to be ever chosen for elevation as a judge”.

    According to reports, Jahangiri is a former advocate general for Islamabad. He is an expert in criminal, constitutional and civil laws. He was elected as president of the Islamabad High Court Bar Association in 2016. Previously, he was president of the District Bar Association of Islamabad.

  • IHC to decide on petition seeking removal of aviation minister

    IHC to decide on petition seeking removal of aviation minister

    The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday reserved its verdict on the maintainability of a petition seeking the removal of Minister for Aviation Ghulam Sarwar Khan from office for bringing the issue of pilots’ dubious licences out in the open.

    The petition, filed by one Advocate Tariq Asad, submitted that the remarks tarnished the image of the country in the international community.

    The petition was filed a day after the European Union Air Safety Agency (EASA) has suspended the authorisation for the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) to operate in Europe for six months. In another related development, the United Kingdom’s Civil Aviation Agency suspended PIA flight operations from three airports — Birmingham, London Heathrow and Manchester.

    Recalling the EASA decision, the petitioner said if a pilot possessed a fake/dubious licence, the minister should have taken action against them instead of bringing the matter in the knowledge of the National Assembly from where the national and international picked it up.

    Subsequently, IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah reserved his verdict on the matter which he said to announce later.

  • Ishaq Dar to take govt to court for turning his residence into shelter home

    Ishaq Dar to take govt to court for turning his residence into shelter home

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader and former finance minister Ishaq Dar has accused the federal and Punjab governments of contempt of court for turning his Lahore residence — seized as part of the National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) action against him in an assets beyond means case — into a shelter home.

    “They have violated the decision of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) and I will take them to court for it,” Dar said in a video message tweeted by the PML-N.

    Dar’s 4 kanal 17 marla residence in Lahore’s posh Gulberg area was seized on July 27, 2019, on NAB’s orders and was to be auctioned last month.

    “The government had raided my residence in Lahore and wanted to auction it in January, but the court had on January 27 barred it from doing so,” Dar said in the video, adding that when the government failed to auction it, it decided to convert the house into a shelter home.  

    He termed the conversion of his residence as “state terrorism”, and maintained that he had proof of his innocence. “I can show it to the world in a global conference but I’m waiting for the right time.”

    Dar had left Pakistan in 2017 to seek medical treatment abroad and hasn’t returned since. On May 8, 2018, he was ordered by the Supreme Court (SC) to return to the country and Pakistan had even sought Interpol’s help for the same, however, on November 7, 2019, Interpol had said there was insufficient evidence against Dar for his extradition.

    His house is going to be inaugurated as a shelter home by Punjab Social Welfare Department on Saturday. As many as 40 people will be given a place to stay in the house, and beds have been set up in what was once a living room. Each room is air-conditioned and separate rooms for women have also been set up.

  • Musharraf treason case: Special court refuses to obey IHC’s order to halt verdict

    Musharraf treason case: Special court refuses to obey IHC’s order to halt verdict

    The special court overseeing former military ruler Gen (r) Pervez Musharraf’s high treason case has refused to accept Islamabad High Court’s (IHC) order to halt the verdict due Thursday, a private media outlet reported Thursday.

    According to reports, the special court has said that they “are not bound to accept IHC’s order” that on Wednesday had stopped it from issuing a ruling in the case filed against Musharraf by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government for the imposition of an extra-constitutional emergency in November 2007.

    The special court was set to announce the ruling in the treason case Thursday, however, the IHC, which was hearing petitions filed by former president Musharraf and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government to postpone it, had told the court to not announce the verdict just yet.

    It had also directed the special court to admit the arguments of all parties in the case before announcing the ruling and ensure a fair trial.

    MUSHARRAF TREASON CASE:

    The PML-N government had in 2013 filed the treason case against Musharraf over the president’s imposition of extra-constitutional emergency in November 2007.

    Earlier this year, head of the prosecution, Mohammad Akram Sheikh, tendered his resignation. In his resignation letter sent to the interior secretary, Sheikh expressed his inability to proceed with the case after the imminent change of government at the centre.

    Akram was appointed as the head of the prosecution in the case in November 2013, by the then ruling PML-N.

    Musharraf was indicted in the case in March 2014 after he appeared before the court and rejected all charges.

    On March 18, 2016, the former president left the country for Dubai for medical treatment after his name was removed from the exit control list (ECL) on the orders of the Supreme Court (SC).

    A few months later, the special court had declared him a proclaimed offender and ordered the confiscation of his property owing to his continuous inability to appear.

    Later, his passport and identity card were also cancelled on orders of the apex court.

  • PM’s aide served show-cause notice over anti-judiciary media talk

    PM’s aide served show-cause notice over anti-judiciary media talk

    The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday served a show-cause notice to Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (PM) for Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan for her anti-judiciary press conference.

    Awan, while criticising the judiciary for granting former premier Nawaz Sharif bail on medical grounds, had on Tuesday said that the court had been “brought to order during the evening only to provide justice to jailed Nawaz”.

    “This will open a floodgate of similar requests by prisoners suffering from various diseases,” she had said.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    “While maligning the honourable courts [she] went to say that the case of the accused was heard during the evening ‘as a special dispensation’,” read Wednesday’s show-cause notice highlighting Awan’s remarks.

    The IHC observed that Awan “made an attempt to scandalise the court in the eyes of the public, thereby, tried to lower the esteem of the judiciary.” Seeking reason as to why the court should not proceed with contempt of court against the premier’s aide, IHC also summoned her on November 1.