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Tag: LHC

  • Three judges recommended for promotion to Supreme Court

    Three judges recommended for promotion to Supreme Court

    The Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) has sent the names of three high court judges on Friday to a parliamentary committee for approval for promotion to the Supreme Court (SC), Geo has reported.

    During the JCP meeting, the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) recommended the names of three judges: Lahore High Court Chief (LHC) Justice Malik Shahzad Ahmad, Sindh High Court Chief (SHC) Justice Aqeel Abbasi, and LHC Justice Shahid Bilal.

    JCP was established under the 18th Constitutional Amendment to select judges for top courts.

    Nine JCP members, including Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Munib Akhtar, Justice Yahaya Afridi, Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan, Justice (retd) Manzoor Ahmed Malik, Federal Minister for Law Azam Nazir Tarar, Attorney General Mansoor Usman Awan, and Pakistan Bar Council representative advocate Akhtar Hussain, attended the meeting.

    The total strength of judges in the SC is 17, but currently, only 14 judges are working, and three seats need to be filled.

  • LHC Chief Justice says respect the court otherwise don’t keep high expectations

    LHC Chief Justice says respect the court otherwise don’t keep high expectations

    Lahore High Court (LHC) Chief Justice Malik Shahzad Ahmad Khan has said while addressing a ceremony by Punjab Judicial Academy on Friday, “Beware of those who want to sow discord.”

    He emphasised the need to avoid institutional confrontation because it would only weaken the institutions.

    The Chief Justice emphasized that the “judiciary does not want a face-off” with any bar, institution, or government, however, “this gesture should be seen by all parties”.

    Justice Shahzad stressed the legal fraternity not become the “B team” of any government, agency or institution, except for enhancing coordination to improve the system.

    He further said that they will “respect everyone until the courts are given due honour, otherwise, no one should set high expectations”.

    The CJ advised the judges, who completed their pre-service training course, to realise a big responsibility on them which demands them to work fearlessly, without accepting any pressure and greed.

  • Lahore High Court grants bail to Parvez Elahi

    Lahore High Court grants bail to Parvez Elahi

    Former Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi received significant relief on Tuesday when Lahore High Court (LHC) approved his bail application in a case involving illegal appointments in Punjab Assembly.
    Justice Sultan Tanveer Ahmad of the LHC announced the decision on the reserved verdict.

    During the hearing, Parvez Elahi’s counsel argued that the former Punjab chief minister did not receive any money from candidates in exchange for hiring them. He alleged that the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) framed Parvez Elahi with fabricated evidence.

    In contrast, the ACE lawyer maintained that the case against Elahi is lawful, and he was arrested on October 25, 2023.
    According to an ACE spokesperson, Elahi made 12 illegal recruitments in the Punjab Assembly for grade 17 positions.
    The candidates were hired in the Punjab Assembly by illegally altering records.

  • Faisal Vawda demands ‘evidence’ of interference in judicial matters

    Faisal Vawda demands ‘evidence’ of interference in judicial matters

    Independent Senator Faisal Vawda has criticised judges of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) for their letter accusing spy agencies of interfering in judicial matters, saying we should stop targeting institutions.

    “Stop targeting the institutions, enough is enough. If there is any interference by institutions, then provide evidence, and we will stand together [against it],” said the former Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader during a press conference. 

    Vawda’s remarks came after he filed an application to ask the IHC registrar about revealing the exchange of a letter between former IHC chief justice Athar Minallah and IHC’s Justice Babar Sattar regarding Justice Sattar’s green card.

    The senator wrote a letter, mentioning the social media campaigns against Justice Babar Sattar, accusing him of holding dual nationality and business interests in a private school in the country.

    “A press release was issued that said Justice Sattar is Pakistani, but I didn’t get a reply. CJP Qazi Faez Isa, under Article 19, ordered that every Pakistani can get an answer,” he said.

    The former PTI leader stated that judges should be transparent and away from accusations.

    Vawda stressed that the accusations made by the IHC judges kept mentioning the names of agencies repeatedly. “Give evidence, and we will stand beside you,” he added.

  • Sardar Saleem Hiader takes oath as new governor of Punjab

    Sardar Saleem Hiader takes oath as new governor of Punjab

    Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Sardar Saleem Haider has taken oath as the new Governor of Punjab on Friday at the Governor’s House.

    Malik Shahzad Ahmad Khan, Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court (LHC), administered the oath to newly appointed Governor.

    Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Governor Faisal Karim Kundi attended the swearing-in ceremony.

    Last week, president Asif Ali Zardari gave approval for the appointment of Saleem Haider, Faisal Karim Kundi, and Jaffar Khan Mandokhail as governors of Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), and Balochistan, respectively.

  • CTD makes ‘progress’ in threatening letters case

    CTD makes ‘progress’ in threatening letters case

    The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) is getting closer to uncovering the person behind the threatening letters sent to judges of the Supreme Court and various high courts, Geo News reported on Monday.

    Geo sources say that CTD has been actively following key developments in the investigation since they received the forensic report on the handwriting in the letters.

    The investigation department matched the letters written to judges in the Supreme Court, Islamabad, and Lahore High Courts. According to forensic reports, the same person wrote the letters to judges in all three courts under the names Resham, Reshaman, and Gulshad Khatun. The letters were also sent through the same post office.

    “There is a single mastermind behind sending threatening letters to judges,” sources within CTD told Geo News, adding that arsenic found in the letters to the judges was also bought by the same person.

  • Arsenic found in suspicious letters sent to judges

    Arsenic found in suspicious letters sent to judges

    The Counter Terrorism department (CTD) has obtained a forensic report of the powder found in the suspicious letters sent to judges of the High Court and Supreme Court (SC).

    At least four SC judges and judges of the high court—eight of the Islamabad High Court and six of the Lahore High Court—received the letters, creating fear among the judiciary.

    Justice Ali Baqar Najfi of Lahore High Court (LHC) was the last judge to receive a letter filled with white powder.

    The CTD registered two FIRs against unknown people and initiated an investigation into the matter.

    The report revealed that arsenic was mixed in powder found in the letters. The sources of GEO also uncovered that 10 percent arsenic was mixed in the powder, as a higher amount of arsenic could be “very poisonous” and harmful to the human body.

    The investigators have obtained videos of the CCTV cameras installed near the letterboxes in the sub-divisional post office in Satellite Town, Rawalpindi.

  • Tehreek e Namoos Pakistan sends threatening letters to SC

    Tehreek e Namoos Pakistan sends threatening letters to SC

    After arriving at the doorsteps of Islamabad High Court (IHC) judges, letters containing suspicious powdery substance and threatening messages have been sent to the four Supreme Court (SC) judges – including Justice Qazi Faez Isa and Justice Mansoor Ali Shah.

    Importantly, on the same day four judges of Lahore High Court received the threatening letter as well containing suspicious powdery substance.

    The suspicious powder was suspected to be anthrax.

    The letter sent to the SC jurists read, “You people at the Supreme court of Pakistan are pretending to do justice since the inception of this country. Year after year this country is pluming into chaos, poverty, corruption and disorder. SCP was supposed to be the final and ultimate check for all that is wrong in our holy country instead it became very part of the problem and rescuer of evil.”

    It further said, “Judges, Generals and politicians are the curse and disease of motherland. We Tehreek e Namoos e Pakistan say NO More…”

    Tehreek e Namoos Pakistan (TNP) is a relatively new militant group whose name emerged once before last year. It was when a team of the Wild Life Department discovered explosives and maps related to sensitive installations of the Red Zone at Margalla hills, on Trail 5 of Islamabad, September 17 2023.

  • Supreme Court upholds Pervez Musharraf’s death sentence in a treason case

    Supreme Court upholds Pervez Musharraf’s death sentence in a treason case

    The Supreme Court (SC) upheld the death sentence imposed on former President General (ret) Pervez Musharraf by a special court in 2019 in a high treason case.

    A four-member bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa and comprising Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Aminuddin Khan, and Justice Athar Minallah conducted the hearing. 

    A special court awarded a death sentence in 2019 to the former dictator according to Article 6 of the Constitution. A high treason case was filed against Musharraf during Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) tenure for imposing an “unconstitutional” emergency in the country in 2007.

    The Lahore High Court (LHC) declared the verdict of special court to hear the case against Musharraf under Article 6 “unconstitutional” on January 13, 2020.

    After that, the Pakistan Bar Council and senior lawyers, including Taufeeq Asif, challenged the LHC decision in SC.

    The court announced its reserved decision today on the petition filed by the former dictator against a death sentence.

    “Pervez Musharraf’s heirs did not follow the case even on multiple notices,” the SC remarked while rejecting the former president’s appeal.

  • ‘Election will be held on February 8’, says General Asim Munir  

    ‘Election will be held on February 8’, says General Asim Munir  

    The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General Asim Munir, said last week while talking to the Pakistani-American business community in the United States that elections in Pakistan “will be held on February 8 next year.”

    The army chief gave the statement a few hours before the Supreme Court’s (SC) verdict suspending the Lahore High Court (LHC) staying the appointment of Returning Officers (ROs) from bureaucracy. conduct a general election on February 8, 2024.

    A Pakistani-American businessman posted a quote from General Asim Munir. Speaking with Geo News, Tanveer Ahmed, a Texas-based Pakistani businessman, quoted the army chief as saying, “As far as I know, general elections will be held on the 8th of February.”

    The businessman also shared the army chief’s words: “If elections get delayed, it won’t be beyond the limit when Senate elections are to be held.”

    The next senate elections will be held in March 2024.

    The notification to requisition returning officers (ROs) from the bureaucracy, important for the electoral process, was temporarily halted by the LHC on December 13, raising concerns about the timely conduct of elections.