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Tag: Islamabad High Court

  • ‘Violation of rules’: IHC stops Bukhari from working as PTV chairman

    ‘Violation of rules’: IHC stops Bukhari from working as PTV chairman

    The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has stopped Pakistan Television (PTV) Chairman Naeem Bukhari from working as the chairman of the national TV, saying the appointment was made in violation of the Supreme Court ruling in a similar case.

    During the hearing, IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah said the government has ignored the guidelines set by the SC in a decision pertaining to the posting in the said position. It said there must be a clear reason for relaxing the upper age limit for 65-year-old Naeem.

    It had advised the counsel for the PTV chairman to peruse the decision of the top court that had set aside the appointment of Qasmi.

    It may be noted that the apex court had declared the appointment of Qasmi illegal in Nov 2018 over loopholes. It had said the government had failed to appoint a full-time managing director in accordance with the law.

    During today’s hearing, the IHC CJ said the cabinet did not take a clear decision to relax the age limit for the incumbent chairman. He said the matter will be referred to the federal cabinet so a decision could be taken in light of the SC decision.

    At this, the counsel said the cabinet had approved the summary for the appointment of Bukhari. “You should have informed the cabinet about the top court’s decision so that it could have avoided the embarrassment,” the IHC CJ said.

    The hearing was adjourned for two weeks.

    BUKHARI BECOMES PTV CHAIRMAN:

    In November, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting had notified Bukhari, who has a vast experience of doing TV programmes, as chairman of PTV. The appointment was made after a court ruling in Sept 2020 declared the appointments of PTV chairman Arshad Khan and independent members of the board of directors illegal while directing the government to fill the vacant slots in accordance with the law. 

    Bukhari, who has worked as an anchorperson and commentators on PTV for decades, had joined PTI in June 2016. At the time, he called Imran Khan the “only political leader who had the courage to speak the truth”. Bukhari also represented Imran when he went to the Supreme Court against then prime minister Nawaz Sharif following the Panama Papers leak.

    The pleas that were later admitted by the apex court which disqualified Nawaz Sharif for being “dishonest” under Article 62 (1)(f).

    The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had also hired the services of Bukhari as a special prosecutor to take up cases against close confidants of Sharif brothers — former Lahore Development Authority chief Ahad Cheema and former principal secretary Fawad Hassan Fawad.

  • ‘Pakistan’s governance system has become corrupt’

    The governance system in Pakistan has become corrupt, Islamabad High Court (IHC) Chief Justice Athar Minallah said Thursday.

    He expressed the belief that people do not even have access to “cheap and speedy justice.”

    According to Geo, he was hearing cases against the rising number of crime in Islamabad, obstacles in the delivery of justice, issues pertaining to naval farms and housing societies.

    Adviser to the Prime Minister on Accountability and Interior Mirza Shahzad Akbar also appeared before the court.

    Pointing out the flaws in the justice system, Justice Minallah said district courts, which are meant to deal with the problems of the common man, had never been anyone’s priority.

    In response, the PM’s adviser said he has already briefed Prime Minister Imran Khan regarding the matter.”

    You are the adviser on accountability, so I suggest you go to the accountability courts yourself and examine the conditions there,” Justice Minallah said.

    “The judges in those courts do not even have the staff for dictation. There is a lot of work pressure on those courts, but there is an acute dearth of staff.”

    The chief justice added that the Supreme Court of Pakistan has repeatedly stressed courts to hear cases on a daily basis, adding that judges are “ready to work day and night if the executives cooperate with them.”

    “You should visit the accountability courts and brief the prime minister about the situation,” Justice Minallah told Akbar.

    Responding to the judge’s remarks, Akbar said he has been appearing in the same courts for quite some time, adding that the situation in courts did not worsen overnight and it took 40 years of neglect to reach the current stage.

    “Advisers do not have executive authority, we can only provide suggestions,” Akbar said. “We will do whatever we can to improve the conditions of special courts.”

  • Islamabad High Court requested to bar Imran from saying ‘Naya Pakistan’

    Islamabad High Court requested to bar Imran from saying ‘Naya Pakistan’

    A petition in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) has sought a ban on Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s use of the term “Naya [new]” with Pakistan.

    “The word ‘Pakistan’ and the flag of Pakistan are protected by the constitution and any alteration to them is a clear violation of the same”, petitioner Tariq Asad, who is a lawyer of the Supreme Court (SC), has said seeking ban on what has become a trademark of the now ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

    Members of the PTI, including Imran Khan, had widely used the term “Naya Pakistan” while seeking votes ahead of the 2013 and 2018 general elections, highlighting the party’s aim to revamp the system if handed reins of the country.

    According to Gulf News, the petitioner has maintained that the PM has frequently been referring to “Riasate Madina [State of Madina]” while sharing his vision of a welfare state that again is without context and in contrast to the unique history of Pakistan.

    Justice Amir Farooq of the IHC, in this regard, has issued notices and sought a reply from the respondents, including the Law Ministry secretary, principal secretary to the PM, information secretary and the chairperson of the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA).

    Asad has maintained that PM Imran has disgraced the national integrity giving Pakistan a nickname as “Naya Pakistan”.

    “Imran Khan having altered and distorted the name of Pakistan as ‘Naya Pakistan’ is inter alia violation of Article 1 and Article 5 of the constitution and fundamental rights of the citizens of Pakistan guaranteed by Article 14 of the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan, 1973,” said the petitioner.

    The premier, as per the petition, has also made an insignia i.e. of a flag of Naya Pakistan Housing & Development Authority which is different from the national flag of Pakistan.

    The petitioner maintains that the new insignia of the Naya Pakistan Housing & Development Authority comprises green and red colours and there is no white colour that is a representation of minorities. Speaking to Gulf News, Advocate Asad said that by omitting the white colour from the housing authority’s insignia, the government authorities had implied the scheme was not meant for the non-Muslims.

    In his prayer, the petitioner has requested the court to restrain the government functionaries, including the members of parliament and cabinet as well as the PTI workers and opposition parties, from patching and using the word “Naya“ with Pakistan or calling this state “Naya Pakistan”.

    The court has also been requested to issue orders to PEMRA to restrain television channels from airing the said word with Pakistan.

  • System on verge of collapse owing to ministries, state institutions’ illegal real estate business: IHC CJ

    The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has issued a scathing verdict on increasing crime, abductions and land-grabbing activities in the federal capital, saying that government ministries and state institutions are involved in “illegal real estate business”.

    IHC Chief Justice (CJ) Athar Minallah issued the remarks in a five-page order pertaining to the rise in said cases in Islamabad.

    It also noted that the involvement of state institutions and ministries in real estate business raised “questions of conflict of interest”.

    “Land-grabbing crimes are on the rise in Islamabad,” said the IHC top judge in the verdict, adding that reports were indicating how much corruption had made its way into the system.

    He warned that the system was on the “verge of collapse”.

    “Islamabad’s powerful elite is directly responsible for flouting laws,” said Justice Minallah. He added that there was no harm in saying that the “state has failed” to protect the common citizens.

    The verdict also said that an alarming law and order situation in Islamabad was “unacceptable”.

    “Institutions set up to protect fundamental rights of citizens are directly or indirectly involved in breaking the law,” noted the court.

  • American blogger Cynthia Ritchie told to leave Pakistan within 15 days

    American blogger Cynthia Ritchie told to leave Pakistan within 15 days

    Ministry of Interior has denied the request of a further extension in the visa of American blogger Cynthia Ritchie, telling her to leave the country within 15 days.

    Earlier, the Interior Ministry had changed its stance on Ritchie’s stay in Pakistan and told the Islamabad High Court (IHC) that she was not associated with any government institution of the country.

    The court had on Tuesday sought the business visa policy from the ministry on September 22 in the case seeking Ritchie’s deportation. The additional attorney general had informed the court that the blogger had stated before the ministry that she was not associated with any government institution of the country.

    At this, Chief Justice Athar Minallah noted that previously the ministry’s stance was that Ritchie was serving some government institution in Pakistan. He said the ministry had not adopted a clear stance on the matter so far.

    Expressing displeasure with the representative of the Interior Ministry, the bench remarked what orders the ministry had passed.

    “Is there any law or policy?” the chief justice asked.

    He also asked whether the ministry had any documents, which tell the visa policy for foreigners.

    The court asked if tomorrow someone came on a business visa and gave a statement against the prime minister, would they be would be treated in the same way.

    The bench also ordered the lower court to decide the registration of First Information Report (FIR) against Ritchie after listening to the matter again.

    The court also stopped the blogger from giving any controversial statements against politicians, to which she had assured the court that she would not give any controversial statements against any politician.

  • People want Waqar Zaka to be PM after court orders to lift PUBG ban

    People want Waqar Zaka to be PM after court orders to lift PUBG ban

    With the Islamabad High Court (IHC) ordering Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to immediately lift the ban imposed on popular online multiplayer game PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG), Pakistanis are taking to social media to praise VJ-turned-television host Waqar Zaka’s efforts in this regard and seek his election as the country’s prime minister (PM).

    Pakistan’s ban on PUBG had been challenged in the Sindh High Court (SHC) by Zaka who had taken to social media to express his outrage as well as “expose” some shady conspiracy theories behind the ban.

    According to the YouTuber, the ban on PUBG, which the authorities said had come after PTA received “numerous complaints against PUBG wherein it was stated that the game is addictive, wastage of time and poses a serious negative impact on the physical and psychological health of children”, was “actually to prevent Pakistani youth from excelling in e-sports”.

    “These are the same people who don’t want our children to become famous around the world, who don’t want our country to generate revenue online, who want to send out a message to the e-sports providers around the world to prevent them from setting up their business here – reason why YouTube never did. These people will not allow us to evolve, a digital revolution needs to be brought,” Zaka had said in a video message.

    With the popular television personality continuing to raise his voice against the ban and separately the IHC on Friday finally ordering PTA to lift it, here’s what people have to say as ‘#ThankYouWaqarZaka’ trends on Twitter in Pakistan.

    https://twitter.com/Qasim6tweets/status/1286562678362779648
    https://twitter.com/WaleedYousuf18/status/1286556157604225024
    https://twitter.com/Talha007Ch/status/1286564251423956995

    On June 23, Lahore Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Zulfiqar Hameed had recommended a ban on the online game.

    The CCPO had taken up the matter with the higher authorities through a letter referring to the death by suicide of a teenage boy, who was an ardent player of the game. It had led to a temporary ban on the game, which was followed by a PTA statement on Thursday, according to which the ban was to stay in place.

  • Islamabad High Court orders govt to lift ban on PUBG

    Islamabad High Court orders govt to lift ban on PUBG

    The Islamabad High Court on Friday ordered the government to lift the ban on the popular online multiplayer game PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG), Geo reported.

    The decision to lift the ban was announced by Justice Amir Farooq while hearing a petition filed against the banning of the game. 

    The decision comes a day after the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) had announced that PUBG will remain blocked in Pakistan. 

    In a statement released on Twitter, the telecom watchdog and internet regulator said it reached the decision to keep the game banned after a detailed hearing conducted at the PTA premises on July 9 on the directions of the Lahore High Court (LHC).

    It said the hearing was attended by other interested parties also.

    The PTA said it also approached the PUBG management to share data about PUBG sessions and users in Pakistan and controls in place by the company. The response from PUBG is awaited, it said.

    On July 1, the PTA announced the decision to temporarily suspend the PUBG game in the country after it received multiple complaints from different segments of society.

    The authority said it received numerous complaints against PUBG wherein it was stated that the game is addictive, wastage of time, and poses a serious negative impact on the physical and psychological health of the Children.

    According to recent media reports, cases of suicide attributed to PUBG game have also been reported.

    The LHC also directed the PTA to look into the issue and decide the matter after hearing the complainants.

    The authority had also solicited views of the public to reach any decision about the online game.

  • ‘Demolish illegal buildings’: Court orders sealing Navy’s elite sailing club

    ‘Demolish illegal buildings’: Court orders sealing Navy’s elite sailing club

    The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has ordered the Capital Development Authority (CDA) administration to seal the newly-constructed Navy Sailing Club, declaring the sports complex’s construction illegal.

    Two weeks ago, the CDA had served a notice to the navy for its allegedly illegal and unauthorised construction of the club and directed to immediately stop the construction of the building.

    During the hearing on Thursday, a board member told the court that the CDA had not issued any allotment letter for the land in question. To which, IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah asked if the authority had taken any action to halt the construction. “We had issued notices to the Navy,” the CDA representative informed the judge.

    “What do you mean ‘you issued notices’,” asked Justice Minallah. “Demolish the illegal buildings,” he said.

    READ: Islamabad admin at odds with Navy over construction of elite sailing club

    Last week, the navy had clarified that the land in question was, in fact, allotted to it in 1994 for the development of a water sports centre. A statement issued at the time had asserted that navy divers are trained at the club who, then, take part in rescue operations in all four provinces and the federally administrative units, including Azad Jammu and Kashmir, as the club is the only such facility in the north of the country.

    Citing a 1994 order of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the CDA official informed the court that the permission to build the sports facility was granted by prime minister of the day, Benazir Bhutto.

    However, the judge ordered the CDA to seal the facility before the next hearing, saying in case the authority fails to comply, the court will summon Cabinet Secretary Ahmad Nawaz Sukhera. He also directed the issue to be presented before the cabinet.

    The judge wondered if the flagship military project was supported by any legal provision providing space for a purportedly commercial project.

    When a Pakistan Navy representative, who was present in the court, sought time to submit a response, Justice Minallah asked what did the navy need time for. “We respect you, appreciate your sacrifices and honour your martyrs but an illegal construction isn’t allowed,” he said.

    “Why are you defending something which is indefensible [according to relevant laws],” he questioned.

    “Islamabad is the country’s capital, not a tribal area. No one is above the law. Not even this court.”

  • Clean chit for Cynthia Ritchie as Interior Ministry says American blogger won’t be deported

    Clean chit for Cynthia Ritchie as Interior Ministry says American blogger won’t be deported

    Islamabad-based American Blogger Cynthia Ritchie’s stay in Pakistan has been cleared by the government as the Interior Ministry has said that she won’t be deported.

    “Cynthia Ritchie can stay in the country till August 31,” the Interior Ministry said in an order, a written copy of which was submitted to the Islamabad High Court (IHC) during the hearing of the blogger’s case on Friday.

    “I’m surprised that the petitioner is not present in the court today,” Ritchie said while speaking to the media outside the court. “In America, it’s compulsory for both the petitioner and defendant to be present in court for every hearing.”

    The blogger said that she was happy that the ministry had passed a decision in her favour, which comes a month after an additional district and sessions judge on June 15 directed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to file a case against her for passing defamatory remarks about the late former prime minister (PM) Benazir Bhutto on social media.

    Ritchie had approached the IHC, challenging the ruling, while naming the justice of peace — lower court judge –, the FIA and the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) as respondents in the case.

    READ: Cynthia Ritchie denies working for intelligence; adds to allegations, drags PML-N through the mud

    Former Punjab governor and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Latif Khosa has, however, said that he was not satisfied with the decision and will be challenging it. “This is an attempt to mislead the court by the secretary of the Interior Ministry,” he remarked.

    The interior ministry’s report has tried to dismiss PPP’s plea as it says that Ritchie has a visa and she’s not involved in any criminal activities, Khosa said. “We will prove the reality behind Ritchie and make sure that she’s deported.”

    He added that his party had lost faith in the federal government which was why they had approached the court.

    The tussle between the blogger and the PPP continues ever since Ritchie had made derogatory remarks against the former and current leadership of the PPP. She had later also accused PPP stalwart and former interior minister Rehman Malik of raping her, and former PM Yousaf Raza Gilani of manhandling her in 2011.

    The accusations have been denied by the PPP leaders.

  • KYA BOLA? (Jul 16): ‘Noon League ne PIA ko naa baich kar ghalti ki’ to ‘Benazir ki waseehat’

    KYA BOLA? (Jul 16): ‘Noon League ne PIA ko naa baich kar ghalti ki’ to ‘Benazir ki waseehat’

    Following are some of the best snippets from Urdu newspapers on July 16, 2020, which The Current takes no responsibility for.

    ‘Noon League ne PIA ko naa baich kar ghalti ki‘

    According to Daily Jang, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) stalwart Khawaja Asif has admitted in a meeting of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Privatisation that“Noon League nay pichley daur mein PIA ko naa baich kr ghalti ki”.

    Meanwhile, managing director of PIA Investments Limited told the meeting that United States (US) President Donald Trump was interested in buying the national carrier-owned luxury hotel in New York.

    ‘Court aur Wazir-e-Azam kay muawin‘

    Daily Dunya has reported that Islamabad High Court (IHC), while hearing a petition filed against special assistants to the prime minister (SAPMs), has remarked that, “Wazir-e-Azam ka muawin wohi ho sakta hai jo mutalka shaubay [department] ka maahir ho.” The court ruled that if an answer was not submitted at the next hearing, unilateral action will be taken.

    ‘Benazir ki waseehat’

    It has been reported by Daily Dunya that Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Ali Haider Zaidi of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has demanded that the late former PM Benazir Bhutto’s will be presented before the nation.

    As a war of words continues between ruling PTI’s leaders from Sindh and members of the PPP-led provincial government, Zaidi has alleged that a handwritten “unverified” note was presented by the PPP to hand the reins of the party to the family of the deceased PM while “fooling the nation” and “ruining Sindh”.