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  • Election date suo moto: Things you can’t miss in today’s Supreme Court hearing

    At the outset of Friday’s hearing, the Attorney-General told the court that the copy of the court order had not been received which is why all parties did not appear today.

    At this, CJP Bandial remarked that the purpose of today’s hearing was to inform the relevant authorities about the suo motu notice.

    The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) coalition government asked Supreme Court’s Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi to “recuse themselves” from the larger bench that is hearing suo motu proceedings regarding the delay in the announcement of a date for elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).

    The request was presented in a joint statement by the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Jamat-e-Ulema Islami-Fazl (JUI-F), read by lawyer Farooq H Naek, on behalf of the three parties when the nine-member bench resumed the hearing of the suo motu notice today. 

    At this point, Naek appeared before the bench and read out a joint statement of the PPP, JUI-F and PML-N regarding their objections over the bench.

    The lawyer said that both judges had made their observations on the matter when they heard Ghulam Mahmood Dogar’s plea against his removal as the Lahore police chief.

    The counsel also shared the dissenting note of Justice Mandokhail.

    Naek stated that they were objecting to the two judges’ inclusion in the “interest of justice, fair play and to protect the fundamental right to a fair trial and due process as guaranteed under Article 10A”.

    At this, Justice Minallah asked the lawyer if he felt there was a need to form a full court for the case.

    “[The] matter of elections is of public [importance] so there should be [a] full court on this,” responded Naek and formally appealed for a full court to hear the suo motu notice on the delay in elections.

    Meanwhile, the counsel for Awami Muslim League (AML) chief Sheikh Rasheed said that the judiciary is being ridiculed on social media since yesterday and urged the court to look into this matter.

    At this, CJP Bandial said that this matter will be looked into later. “Prepare for the case,” the CJP told the attorney general.

    However, Naek interjected that the matter pertaining to the bench formation and the objections surrounding it should be resolved first.

    “The decision was made on February 16 and the notice was taken on February 22,” said the CJP, adding that taking suo motu notice falls under the chief justice’s jurisdiction. He said that the petitions by Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assembly speakers are clubbed with the suo motu.

    The court is also looking into the questions raised in the petitions filed by the speakers, he added.

    Justice Mandokhail said that political matters should be resolved in Parliament. “Tell your political parties why should the court hear these cases?” he added.

    Referring to a PML-N rally held on Friday, he said that “derogatory remarks” were hurled at the judiciary in that public gathering.

    Justice Mandokhail said that political matters must be settled in the Parliament. “Go to your parties … why should the court hear this matter?”

    At that, Naek said that he would seek direction from his party on the matter. He also requested the court to first hear the government’s objection on the bench.

    Justice Bandial said that in normal circumstances, citizens knocked on the door of the court. “But today, the Constitution of Pakistan has knocked on our doorstep.”

    Subsequently, the court observed that it will decide on Monday whether to form a full-court bench to hear the case.

    “The court will also hear the objection raised against the two judges on Monday,” CJP Bandial remarked.

    “Today the Constitution knocked on our doors which is why we took the suo motu notice,” remarked the CJP as he adjourned the hearing till 11:30am on Monday.

  • ‘1970s Ittefaq Group was so big kay yeh Tata Birla waghera ka tou pata he nahi tha’: Suleman Shehbaz

    ‘1970s Ittefaq Group was so big kay yeh Tata Birla waghera ka tou pata he nahi tha’: Suleman Shehbaz

    Suleman Shehbaz, son of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, appeared on a podcast where among other matters, he discussed the history of Ittefaq Group, the Sharif family business.

    As a clip of the show went viral, Twitter had objections to Suleman Shehbaz’s version of history.

    He said that the Sharif family prioritised business first and politics second.

    “In 1970’s Ittefaq Group (Family business of Sharif family) was so big that no one knew about Tata and Birla in the region,” said Suleman to the host.

    It is pertinent to mention here that Tata Group was founded as a private trading firm in 1868 by entrepreneur and philanthropist Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata.

    Twitter had all kinds of reactions to Suleman’s statement.

    https://twitter.com/Aadil_Jillani/status/1629075777189822464?s=20
  • ‘Do not create controversies’: Khawaja Asif’s lashes out at judiciary on NA floor

    ‘Do not create controversies’: Khawaja Asif’s lashes out at judiciary on NA floor

    Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Friday demanded that the Supreme Court (SC) form a full court bench to hear the case pertaining to provincial elections and review past cases, starting with the Panama case in which former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was disqualified for life.

    In a fiery speech on the floor of the National Assembly (NA), Khawaja questioned why some judges were not criticised and raised concerns about judges intervening in parliament’s jurisdiction.

    The minister said he doesn’t want to cross the line in criticism and added that the election date suo motu case should be heard by the full court.

    “It has complained that parliamentarians criticise judges by naming them. I want to ask why some judges are not criticised?”

    Asif said that when judges intervene in the parliament’s jurisdiction, politicians will raise questions about it.

    “Why former justices Saqib Nisar and Asif Khosa are criticised and not Justice Nasir ul Mulk and Tassaduq Hussain Jillani’s name should be raised as well?” he asked.

    Taking a jibe at PTI’s Jail Bharo Tehreek, Khawaja said Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s son came to bail his father out one day after his arrest. 

    “No one came for us when we were arrested for several days. We were sent to 90 days remand. PM and his daughter served jail sentences for numerous days. No one got bail for this. On the other side, they [PTI] get instant bail,” said the minister. 

    “They carry out photo sessions in front of a police van and then leave for home. Jail Bharo Tehreek has flopped. Now it should be doob maro film (Drown in Shame),” said Asif.

    “Imran does not come out of his home, gets pre-arrest bail and then directs his party workers to offer their arrests. Imran’s medical record has not been done yet as he went to his own hospital,” said Asif. He added that the PTI chief considers the people of Pakistan fools. 

    Khawaja questioned how the treatment meted out to Nawaz Sharif justified.

    “Rewriting the Constitution is not the judiciary’s job. This is the outcome of the way Article 63 was rewritten. The way Nawaz Sharif’s government was removed was unfair.”

    Asif urged the judiciary to “prove its gracefulness”. 

    “I would say, correct the mistakes of the past which you have made so that the structure of the state could rely upon a strong foundation that no one can ever dare to challenge it. Do not generate controversies. Do not rewrite Article 63. If such would continue to happen God forbid, an unfortunate incident could take place,” warned Asif.

  • Six terrorists shot down by CTD in Lakki Marwat operation

    Six terrorists shot down by CTD in Lakki Marwat operation

    At least six terrorists were gunned down during an operation in the Dadowala area of Lakki Marwat in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), counter-terrorism department (CTD) officials have confirmed.

    According to the CTD, ammunition and explosives were recovered from the slain terrorists who were involved in terror attacks and assaults on security forces.

    CTD added that the operation was launched after it received information regarding the presence of the terrorists in Dadowala. The department added that the terrorists were planning to launch an attack on the Abbasia police check post.

    Terrorism is rising again across the country as attacks increased since the end of the ceasefire with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) last year.

  • ‘Why order investgation on hearsay’; Justice Faiz Isa says cipher investigation is govt’s job

    ‘Why order investgation on hearsay’; Justice Faiz Isa says cipher investigation is govt’s job

    The Supreme Court on Wednesday has rejected all three pleas seeking an investigation into a cipher — presented by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)- endorsing objections raised by the apex court’s registrar.

    Justice Qazi Faiz Isa heard the in-chamber appeals filed by the PTI against the registrar’s objections to the petitions seeking an investigation into the cipher — the cable from the United States of America, allegedly threatening that Imran Khan’s government should be overthrown.

    Asking if dealing with foreign affairs the court’s job, the judge said, “Did Imran Khan make any decision to investigate the matter as the prime minister?”

    He added: “Imran Khan had all the powers to have an investigation conducted. All authorities are under the prime minister.”

    He asked what the court could do in the cipher matter.

    “How can we order an investigation based on hearsay? We do not believe in speculations,” Justice Isa stated.

     “Why do you bring such cases before us? We already have so much on our plate,” the judge asked the petitioners.

    Categorically stating that he will not interfere in state matters, Justice Isa dismissed the three appeals and upheld the registrar’s objections.  

    “How can the judiciary interfere in government affairs? I will not interfere in state matters and neither will allow the government to interfere in judicial matters,” said Justice Isa.

    The judge observed that the Parliament is right beside the Supreme Court, telling the petitioners to “go ask them Parliament” to give them the “authority to intervene into state matters.”

  • ‘Biased’; Rana Sanaullah calls out two Supreme Court judges for conduct towards PML-N

    ‘Biased’; Rana Sanaullah calls out two Supreme Court judges for conduct towards PML-N

    Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah on Wednesday objected to the impartiality of two Supreme Court judges, terming their conduct “biased” towards Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

    In a series of tweets, Sanaullah naming Justice Ejaz ul Hassan and Justice Mazahir Ali Akbar Naqvi, alleged that they “have a biased attitude towards the PML-N”.

    The minister, while naming both the justices, said one was a supervising judge in the case against Nawaz Sharif and the party doesn’t expect justice.

    He also mentioned a purported audio leak related to the second judge, saying that it had raised questions on his impartiality.

    “Both judges have given verdicts in dozens of cases against Nawaz Sharif and Shehbaz Sharif. Panama, party leadership, Pakpattan allotment case, Ramzan sugar mills cases are included in the list,” the minister added.

    “The legal team of PML-N will ask the two judges to recuse themselves from the benches hearing the cases of Nawaz Sharif and other leaders of the party,” Sanaullah stated, adding that the two judges will be asked not to hear cases of the PML-N.

  • PTI’s ‘Jail Bharo Tehreek’ begins today

    PTI’s ‘Jail Bharo Tehreek’ begins today

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has announced that the party’s ‘Jail Bharo Tehreek (court arrest movement)’ is set to start today.

    Taking to Twitter, Khan shared two main reasons behind starting the Jail Bharo Tehreek.

    “One, it is a peaceful, non-violent protest against the attack on our constitutionally-guaranteed fundamental rights. We are facing sham FIRs and NAB cases, custodial torture, attacks on journalists and social media people,” wrote Khan.

    Khan went on to say that the second reason is the economic meltdown brought on by a “cabal of crooks who have money laundered billions in looted wealth and gotten NROs for themselves while crushing the people, especially, the poor and the middle class, under the burden of spiralling inflation and rising unemployment.” 

    The former prime minister also released a video message, urging his followers to “fill up prisons and shatter the idols of fear”.

    In the first phase of the movement, the party’s senior leaders — Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Asad Umar — will voluntarily surrender themselves to the authorities on Tuesday.

    It is unclear what offense party leaders and followers are expected to commit to initiate arrest proceedings.

  • NAB summons Khan and wife on March 9 in Toshakhana case

    NAB summons Khan and wife on March 9 in Toshakhana case

    The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has summoned Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi on March 9 in connection with the Toshakhana reference.

    The anti-graft watchdog’s Rawalpindi branch summoned the PTI chief hours after NAB Chairman Aftab Sultan tendered his resignation after reportedly refusing to “toe the line”.

    In its notice to Khan, NAB wrote: “The competent authority has taken cognizance of an offence allegedly committed by the accused persons under the provisions of NAO, 1999.”

    The questions on gifts included in the notice are on six Rolex watches and an iPhone given by the Chief of Staff of the Qatari Armed Forces.

    On November 19, NAB had taken notice of the alleged non-disclosure of the actual value of gifts received by the former prime minister, his wife, and other cabinet members.

  • ECP to consult with AGP on Alvi’s election date

    ECP to consult with AGP on Alvi’s election date

    The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday held a meeting to review the situation evolving after President Arif Alvi’s unilateral announcement of a date for elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).

    ECP decided to consult Attorney General for Pakistan and other legal experts in this regard.

    The meeting was called to after the president announced April 9 as the date for the polls of provincial assemblies.

    On Monday, Alvi exercising his power under Section 57 (1) of the Elections Act, 2017, announced the election date and further asked the ECP to issue an election programme in accordance with Section 57 (2) of the Act.

    Alvi’s move was rejected by federal ministers who were of the view that the president had abrogated the Constitution and he had no right to announce the date.

    The ECP stated that “the commission has been and will continue to make decisions without any pressure according to the Constitution and law”.

    It added that the electoral watchdog is always ready to conduct an election within 90 days as per the Constitution and law, but nowhere in the Constitution, it is written that the commission will give the date for the election.

  • Military, civilian leadership has put full stop on Khan’s appeasement policy on terrorists: Bilawal

    Military, civilian leadership has put full stop on Khan’s appeasement policy on terrorists: Bilawal

    Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has said that negotiating with those people who don’t accept Pakistan and its constitution is not in favour of the country or it’s people.

    In an interview with German broadcaster DW Urdu, the foreign minister said that the previous government was asking the interim Afghan government to facilitate reconciliation with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and had plans to resettle the militants in Pakistan.

    “Every Pakistani was saying that terrorists who were involved in heinous attacks such as the Army Public School massacre could never be our friends”, said Bilawal.

    Earlier in an interview with CNBC, Bilawal said, “Unfortunately, following the fall of Kabul, the government that preceded ours started negotiating with these very same terrorist groups and without preconditions such as disarming.”

    The foreign minister said that the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) coalition government and military leadership have “put a full stop to the policy of appeasement”.

    Citing the porous border with Afghanistan, the Foreign Minister said that the new government doesn’t have the capacity to man it.

    “We are confident that we’ll be able to take on the terrorist groups that are functioning within Pakistan,” he said.

    Discussing Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, Bilawal said that if he strives to pursue a democratic path and commits to play a constitutional role, he can have a future, adding that Khan’s ouster through a vote of no-confidence motion was the first time parliament removed a prime minister in a democratic way.

    However, since his ouster, Khan has been asking the army for help in getting back to power, the foreign minister alleged.

     “If the military says it wants to change its controversial conduct constitutionally, it should be welcomed.”

    While responding to a question regarding the statement about Pakistan’s bankruptcy made by Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Bilawal said: “He was talking in a political context at a political gathering and he was referring to the harsh economic times rather than speaking technically. He was talking in the overall context of the country.”