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Tag: LHC

  • Bail granted to Shehbaz Sharif

    The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday granted bail to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif. The bail was approved by the three-member bench comprising Justice Ali Baqar Najafi, Justice Alia Neelum and Justice Syed Shahbaz Ali Rizvi. Sharif was first granted and then denied bail after a division bench issued a split decision on Sharif’s petition, sending the matter to the LHC chief justice for the nomination of a referee judge.

    Sharif was arrested by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in a money-laundering case last year in September.

    Shehbaz Sharif’s son Hamza Shehbaz was released in February after spending 20 months in jail as the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) probed money laundering accusations against him.

    While Shehbaz was incarcerated, a report in The News said that Maryam Nawaz, due to her hawkish stance, has gained popularity in the party and the public. Her control on the party is strengthened to such an extent that she has stopped “consulting him [Shehbaz] for political advice”.

  • Shahbaz Gill egged and inked in Lahore

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s aide Dr Shahbaz Gill was egged on Monday upon his arrival at the Lahore High Court (LHC).

    According to reports, the premier’s aide on political communication was also subjected to inking besides the two eggs that were hurled at him.

    “This ink is of their kaalay kartut [misdeeds],” said Gill while reacting to the incident.

    “Maryam [Nawaz], next time you do something like this, I will come to your house and wash my face there,” said Gill, adding: “We are Imran Khan’s followers, we will not take revenge. We will, instead, teach you values.”

    He maintained that the government could react to the incident but it won’t stoop down to the perpetrators’ level.

    Gill had earlier alleged that he has been informed that PML-N workers are planning an attack on him at LHC.


  • Rana Sanaullah case: ‘Political victimisation an open secret,’ court says

    Rana Sanaullah case: ‘Political victimisation an open secret,’ court says

    The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday issued its detailed verdict on the bail granted to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Rana Sanaullah in the drug trafficking case against him, saying that “political victimisation in the country is an open secret”.

    Opposition parties have been accusing the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) of cracking down on opposition leaders in what they call is “selective accountability”, alleging that members of the PML-N and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) are arrested “only because the government cannot tolerate dissent”.

    Among other opposition leaders’ arrests, Sanaullah’s detention in the case against him was also termed as “political victimisation” by opposition parties as they accused the government of being unable to take criticism.

    The nine-page judgement issued Thursday was authored by Justice Chaudhry Mushtaq Ahmad of the LHC, and gave some weight to the “political victimsation” argument made by the petitioner.

    “In the context of the petitioner being a vocal political leader of [the main] opposition party, this aspect of the case could not be ignored as political victimisation in our country is an open secret,” the court said.

    It questioned in its judgement as to why the former provincial minister’s physical remand had not been sought by the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) to investigate the allegations against him, and why were the formal documentary proceedings of the seizure of narcotics not conducted at the time of arrest.

    “Why a sample of only 20 grams of the heroin recovered was sent for testing when the seized quantity was as high as 15 kilogrammes,” the court questioned.

    In the judgement, it was reasoned that from the facts of the case, there needed to be further investigation of the charges against Sanaullah. However, since “the co-accused in the case were granted bail by a trial court, and their bail was not challenged by the prosecution in the high court”, it would be unfair to not allow Sanaullah the same recourse.

  • LHC directs lawyers to seek public’s apology over PIC attack

    The Lahore High Court (LHC) has directed the lawyers involved in Punjab Institute of Cadiology (PIC) to seek public’s apology and correct their ranks, The News International reported.

    According to the details, a two-member bench, headed by Justice Ali Baqar Najfi, took up the petition seeking cancellation of FIRs [FIrst Information Report] registered against lawyers and their immediate release.

    Justice Najfi during the hearing said that it seemed the law of jungle is prevailing in Pakistan, as lawyers attacked the PIC, adding that no society could exist long under law of jungle.

    The court asked Azam Nazir Tarar, a Member Pakistan Bar Council (PBC), who appeared in the court on behalf of lawyers as to how lawyers dared storm a hospital?

    “What would be your reaction if such invasion of bar council’s office takes place?”, the judge asked, adding that it had not happened even in war times. “Black sheep are present among lawyers and they should be kicked out”, the judge remarked.

    Petitioner’s lawyer said that the entire lawyer community felt regret over the PIC incident and condemned the incident soon after it happened. Justice Najfi asked Azam Tarar could you present a single justification of attack on a hospital and said that the lawyers should seek public apology and correct their ranks.

    The judge added that the court was hearing the case with heavy heart and pain.

    Justice Anwarul Haq Punhun who is the other member of the bench, asked whether any bar council had shown willingness to take action against the delinquent lawyers.

    To this, Azam said that the bar council was going to take action against them and their practice licences would be suspended.

    However, Justice Najfi said that apparently lawyers were aggressor, adding that the arrested lawyers would have to seek bail from the trial court.

    “The judges had taken oath to do justice in accordance with the Constitution and law of the land, he added.

    The court then adjounred the hearing and directed provincial law officer to furnish record of cases and details of arrested lawyers by Dec 16.

  • Mother kills son’s murderer after seven years

    Mother kills son’s murderer after seven years

    A mother, Parveen Akhtar, has killed her son’s acquitted alleged murderer Nouman, after the Lahore High Court (LHC) had exonerated him of murder charges due to lack of evidence, ARY News reported.

    According to the details, Nouman, around seven years ago had allegedly murdered Parveen’s son Tasleem, age 21 over a domestic issue in Sialkot.

    Parveen had lodged a case agianst the suspect in the lower court and after the proceedings, the court had found Nouman guilty of killing her son, handing down a death sentence to him.

    Later, Nouman had filed a plea in the LHC against the death sentence, awarded to him in the murder case. After which in April 2019, the court had annulled the lower court’s verdict and declared Nouman innocent.

    Nouman after getting released from the court left for Dubai and remained their for several months, and upon his return to Pakistan, he was killed by the mother in revenge.

    Police have now registered a case against Parveen and her four accomplices for killing the man. A police official has said that they have arrested the woman and conducting raids to apprehend her other accomplices.

    He added that two murder cases were also registered against Parveen Akhtar’s son who had been allegedly killed by Nouman.

  • Maryam Nawaz granted bail in Chaudhry Sugar Mills case

    Maryam Nawaz granted bail in Chaudhry Sugar Mills case

    The Lahore High Court (LHC) has granted bail to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Maryam Nawaz in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills (CSM) case.

    A two-member bench of the LHC comprising Justice Ali Baqar Najafi and Justice Sardar Ahmad Naeem announced the verdict. The legal representatives of Maryam and National Accountability Bureau (NAB) were also present in the court.

    Maryam Nawaz had approached the high court on September 30 seeking post-arrest bail in the CSM case, in which she is suspected of money laundering.

    Following the sudden deterioration in the health of her father, PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif, she then filed a miscellaneous petition on October 24 seeking immediate bail on the basis of fundamental rights and humanitarian reasons.

    The bench had reserved its verdict in the case on October 31 after both the petitioner and NAB had concluded their arguments.

    In its verdict, the court on Monday directed Maryam to submit her passport with the court besides two surety bonds of Rs100 million each. The court also directed the PML-N leader to deposit Rs70 million separately with the court.

    According to her lawyer, bail has been granted on the merits of the case and not on humanitarian grounds.

    Maryam and her cousin Yousuf Abbas were arrested by NAB on August 8 in the CSM case. Later, on September 25, they were sent to jail on judicial remand by an accountability court in Lahore.

    NAB suspects PML-N president of involvement in money laundering through investments of variable heavy amounts being the main shareholder of the CSM. It has alleged that she was involved in money laundering with the help of some foreigners during the period of 1992-93, when Nawaz was the prime minister.

  • ‘Maryam distances herself from NAB judge’s scandalous video’

    The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has informed the Supreme Court (SC) that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President (VP) Maryam Nawaz has “distanced herself” from the video scandal of ex-accountability court judge Arshad Malik, Express Tribune reported Thursday.

    Maryam on July 6 had presented to journalists a secretly recorded video of judge Arshad Malik and claimed that he was “forced to give the verdict against Nawaz Sharif in the Al-Azizia reference case”.

    According to latest reports, FIA presented before the court a 105-page report, wherein it said that Maryam has now distanced herself from the video and placed burden of the details and specifics of the video upon Nasir Mehmood Butt.

    Butt is the person who reportedly recorded the conversation during which Malik had allegedly confessed convicting Nawaz under pressure.

    The FIA report further said that PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif has also distanced himself from the videotapes.

    The Islamabad High Court (IHC) had on July 12 removed Malik as a judge and directed the registrar to repatriate him to his parent department, the Lahore High Court (LHC).

  • Lahore High Court bans promotional texts to telecom customers

    Lahore High Court bans promotional texts to telecom customers

    The Lahore High Court (LHC) has directed the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to take action on complaints against unwarranted promotional text messages and calls to telecom customers.

    Hearing a citizen’s petition questioning business promotions by different companies on Friday, Justice Shahid Jamil Khan observed that mobile phone users frequently complained about receiving text messages from water tank cleaning service providers.

    The PTA representative stated that there was no mechanism to control such text messages being received on a daily basis. However, the judge said that the authority could take action against mobile numbers used for sending these unnecessary promotions.

    The petitioner’s lawyer, on the other hand, demanded that PTA being a regulatory body be ordered to ban such promotional activities on phones.

    The hearing was then adjourned till July 19 and the judge hinted at summoning the PTA chief if an action was not taken on complaints against unwanted text messages and calls.