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Tag: IHC

  • Imran Khan to walk free from Adiala jail soon: Intezar Panjutha

    Imran Khan to walk free from Adiala jail soon: Intezar Panjutha

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawyer Intezar Panjutha has predicted that former Prime Minister Imran Khan will soon be cleared in all cases and will walk free without having to deal with anyone for freedom.  

    Panjutha told journalists after meeting Khan at Adiala jail that the former Prime Minister is spending time in prison for the sake of the public, claiming that Khan firmly refused to make any deal for personnel benefits.

    The political situation is comparatively better for PTI nowadays as the Islamabad High Court (IHC) acquitted Imran Khan and former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the cipher case on June 3.

    Panjutha also said in his presser that Barrister Salman Safdar briefed Imran Khan on the court’s decision.

    The PTI lawyer also stated that Khan accused Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and his wife of making secret assets through corruption and raised concerns over their names in “Dubai leaks.”

  • Vawda refuses to offer unconditional apology in contempt case

    Vawda refuses to offer unconditional apology in contempt case

    Senator Faisal Vawda has refused to render an unconditional apology to the Supreme Court in the contempt of court case, saying that his remarks were not different from others.

    In his defence, Vawda submitted transcripts of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Jamiat Ulema e Islam-Fazl chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Raoof Hasan’s speeches wherein they had passed hard-hitting statements against the judiciary.

    Vawda strongly criticised the judiciary over six Islamabad High Court (IHC) judges’ letter to SJC alleging intelligence agencies’ interference in judicial matters and also alleged dual nationality of Justice Babar Sattar of IHC.

    On May 15, the senator, in a press briefing, asked the court to show restraint in the contempt of court proceedings over his anti-judiciary remarks.

    He also asked the Supreme Court to withdraw the contempt charges against him, saying that the purpose behind the controversial press briefing was the country’s well-being.

  • Court rejects poet Ahmad Farhad’s bail plea

    Court rejects poet Ahmad Farhad’s bail plea

    An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Muzafarabad has rejected the bail petition of Kashmiri poet Ahmed Farhad on Tuesday, one day after the court reserved a verdict after hearing arguments from both sides.

    The poet’s wife Urooj Zainab told journalists that she will challenge the court’s decision.

    “Details of why the bail was rejected were not disclosed,” she said addressing the press.

    The poet came into the spotlight when he went missing amid recent protests in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

    The Attorney General of Pakistan (AGP), Mansoor Usman Awan told Islamabad High Court (IHC) on May 29 that Kashmir police arrested Farhad after he went missing for 15 days.

    The poet’s wife, Urooj Zainab stated in a petition for her husband’s recovery that Farhad was allegedly abducted on May 14 from Islamabad.

  • NOT GUILTY: Khan vindicated in cipher case

    NOT GUILTY: Khan vindicated in cipher case

    Islamabad High Court (IHC) acquits Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and the party’s vice president Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the cypher case on Monday.

    A two-member bench of the IHC, including Justice Aamer Farooq and Mian Gul Hassan Aurangzeb, heard the petition filed by the PTI founder. IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq announced the verdict in the case against both politicians.

    The PTI founder and the party’s vice chairman were sentenced to ten years each in the case.

    What is cyphergate?

    The issue first came to light less than a month before Imran Khan’s removal from the prime minister’s office on March 27, 2022, when the PTI founder waved a letter addressing a public rally, claiming that it’s a cypher sent from a country that wanted Khan removed, which was later said to be the United States.

    The former prime minister claimed, while addressing the public, that this letter was the reason for his ouster as prime minister.

    Initially, Khan didn’t reveal the name of the country, but after a few days, he blamed the United States for plotting against him. The convicted former prime minister alleged that Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Affairs Donald Lu was responsible for his removal.

  • Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani says either rule of law or rule of agencies can take place

    Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani says either rule of law or rule of agencies can take place

    Islamabad High Court (IHC) senior judge Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani on Monday strongly criticised intelligence agencies due to their alleged role in forced abductions.

    “The country will either be run as per the law or the whims of agencies,” Justice Kayani said.

    The Court held a hearing regarding the recovery of Kashmiri poet Ahmed Farhad Shah, abducted from his home last week. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) had called on authorities for his immediate release.

    A petition was filed by Shah’s wife in the IHC last Wednesday, requesting that he be found and produced before the court and to identify, investigate and prosecute those responsible for his disappearance.

    In a notable development, the petitioner filed a separate plea on Saturday to withdraw the main petition after officials from Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) contacted Shah’s wife and assured her that the poet would be released on Saturday night.

    Petitioner’s legal representation include Advocates Imaan Zainab Mazari and Hadi Ali Chatha. Mazari said that she received a Whatsapp call from Shah’s number on May 17 asking them to withdraw their petition but since he did not return back, “So we are not withdrawing the application.”

    “I want the man (Shah) from the ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence). You should inform the DG (director general) ISI [Nadeem Anjum] that the man should be produced at any cost. Remove the label from yourself that you abduct [people],” said the judge to SSP Zafar.

    Justice Kayani went on to say “The sector commander [ISI] is not living on the moon, what is his status?”

    Judge asked the defence ministry official whether any of his relatives were ever abducted to which he said no, to which the judge said: “That’s why you don’t understand. Ask the feelings of those whose [relatives] are abducted.”

    When AAG Duggal requested an extension of the hearing because “the ISI has said they do not have him,” the judge replied, “They send messages on one hand and now they are saying we don’t have him.”

  • IHC bans entry of intelligence officials within court premises

    IHC bans entry of intelligence officials within court premises

    The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on May 16 prohibited the entry of spy agency officials within the court’s premises.

    Justice Tariq Mahmood Jahangiri gave the ruling which was confirmed by a police official at the court.

    The development followed the release of an explosive letter penned to the Supreme Judicial Council by six judges if IHC on March 27, alleging the interference of intelligence agencies in judicial matters.

    The six judges of the IHC who wrote the letter were Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kiyani, Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, Justice Babar Sattar, Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan, Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir, and Justice Saman Rafat Imtiaz.

  • Imran Khan gets bail in £190 million settlement case

    Imran Khan gets bail in £190 million settlement case

    The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday approved founder Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan’s bail plea in the £190 million National Crime Agency (NCA) settlement reference.

    A two-member bench, comprising IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq, Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, heard the petition and reserved the verdict a day earlier.

    The IHC said in its order today to release the former prime minister against surety bonds of Rs 1 million.

    The verbal orders were announced today in open court; however, the detailed verdict will be issued later.

    On the other hand, the PTI founder can’t be released until the suspension of his sentence in cipher and iddat cases.

    The former prime minister has been facing multiple charges, including corruption and terrorism, since being ousted via a no-confidence motion in April 2022.

  • Poet Ahmad Farhad abducted from his residence

    Poet Ahmad Farhad abducted from his residence

    Well-known poet and media personality Ahmad Farhad has been abducted by unknown men on Wednesday from his house in Islamabad, his wife Ain Naqvi confirmed on X (formerly Twitter).

    Farhad’s wife wrote on X, “They broke the CCTV cameras of the house and took away the digital video recorder (DVR).”

    In another post on X, Ain Naqvi wrote that the police didn’t register  First Information Report (FIR) against her husband’s abduction.

    “My husband, Syed Farhad Ali Shah, was abducted from his house tonight at 1:03 am by unidentified men without warrants.”

    “These men broke into the house, damaged CCTV cameras, and took the DVR along with them. The unidentified men dragged him to a vehicle. There is no clue as to where he is taken,” Naqvi mentioned in her complaint.

    Naqvi also filed a petition in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) against Farhad’s enforced disappearance.

  • IHC stops government from blocking SIMs of non-filers

    IHC stops government from blocking SIMs of non-filers

    The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday stopped the government from blocking phone SIMs of non-filers.

    IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq issued a stay order effective till May 27 as the court took up the petition today filed by a mobile phone company challenging the government’s decision to block SIMs of non-filers.

    Salman Akram Raja, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader, was the petitioner’s counsel and gave forward the argument that the amendment in the law is at odds with Article 18 of the Constitution which guarantees freedom to do business.

    The High Court order came out after the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and telecom operators agreed on blocking of SIMs of tax non-filers in a bid to reduce tax evasion and improve revenue.

    FBR had announced that telecom companies have agreed to commence the manual blocking process of SIMs in small batches until their systems are fully equipped to automate it.

    It also announced initially 5,000 non-filers would be targeted and then further more batches would be sent to telecom operators.

  • The cipher was classified, copies to be destroyed within six months, Khan kept it knowingly, without authorisation: Investigation agency tells court

    The cipher was classified, copies to be destroyed within six months, Khan kept it knowingly, without authorisation: Investigation agency tells court

    Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) prosecutor Hamid Ali Shah informed Islamabad High Court (IHC) that former Prime Minister Imran Khan was aware of the sensitivity of the diplomatic cipher but he didn’t protect it. The FIA prosecutor also said that Imran Khan not only kept the copy of cipher without permission but also failed to safeguard it.

    He also said that the main purpose of cipher security is to prevent its circulation to unauthorised individuals.

    Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb heard the petitions of founder Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan and former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Monday in the cipher case.  

    “The cipher document is stamped as classified, and its copies are mandated to be destroyed after six months,” the FIA prosecutor explained, and added that even after declassification, stringent measures are in place for its disposal.  

    However, the chief justice asked how the accused will present a defence without a lawyer and what the impact of the accused’s statement will be. In response, the FIA prosecutor said that the defence doesn’t need legal representation under Section 342.