Tag: PTI

  • Free and fair elections can be held without Imran, says PM Kakar

    Free and fair elections can be held without Imran, says PM Kakar

    Caretaker Prime Minister (PM) of Pakistan, Anwaarul Haq Kakar, has said that free and fair elections can be held in the country without Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan who is currently incarcerated in Attock jail in the cipher case.


    “Free and fair elections can take place without [Imran] Khan or hundreds of members of his party who are jailed because they engaged in unlawful activities, including vandalism and arson,” said PM Kakar in an interview on Friday with The Associated Press.

    PM Kakar dismissed the possibility that the military establishment would manipulate the results to ensure that PTI doesn’t win as “absolutely absurd”.


    Earlier, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) announced that elections would be held by the end of January next year.

    Kakar said that once the ECP sets an exact election date, the caretaker government “will provide all the assistance, financial, security or other related requirements”.


    Imran Khan faces multiple charges in court including May 9 riots when PTI workers clashed with police. Some of the PTI workers were involved in the violent protests and attacks on military installations in different cities of the country.


    PM Kakar also said that the arrested PTI workers are involved in violent protests, attacks on military installations, and other illegal activities.


    “Thousands of PTI activists who did not engage in unlawful activities can partake in the upcoming elections,” he added.

  • Khan ‘worried’ about change of judge in Zeba Chaudhry case, says Khan’s lawyer

    Khan ‘worried’ about change of judge in Zeba Chaudhry case, says Khan’s lawyer

    The legal team of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has said that the change of the judge hearing the Zeba Chaudhry case against Imran Khan is quite shocking for the former prime minister.

    “The PTI chairman was shocked and worried at the change of the judge hearing the Judge Zeba Chaudhry case,” said one of the PTI chief’s legal counsels, Salman Safdar, in a media talk outside the Attock jail after meeting his client.

    Justice Malik Aman should not have been changed at this critical time, the lawyer said, as he was going to announce the decision soon.

    Salman Safdar also said that the former prime minister apologised to Judge Zeba Chaudhry in her court for passing remarks against her in a public rally.

    In August last year, Imran Khan was booked under the Anti-Terrorism Act for threatening additional sessions Judge Zeba Chaudhry and other police officers of the Islamabad police in a public gathering.

  • Imran Khan’s lawyers and doctor can meet him in jail: Court

    Under the Official Secrets Act 1923, the Official Secret Act Court has allowed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan to meet with his legal team and doctors on Thursday. Imran Khan was arrested in the cipher case and is currently in Attock jail.

    The Official Secrets Act Court decision came as Imran Khan’s attorney, Naeem Haider Panjutha, filed a petition on behalf of the former prime minister.

    Judge Abual Hasnat Muhammad Zulqarnain gave permission to the PTI chairman to meet with his legal team, including well-known lawyers Latif Khosa, Sameer Khosa, and Salman Akram Raja. Imran Khan can also meet with his doctor, Dr. Asim Yusuf, the court decided.

    Previously, the court allowed Imran Khan to talk to his sons via telephone in Attock jail.

    Official Secrets Act, 1923 is Pakistan’s Anti-Espionage Act and was enacted to consolidate and amend the laws relating to official secrets in the country.

  • May 9 attack; Imran Khan charged with ‘criminal conspiracy’

    May 9 attack; Imran Khan charged with ‘criminal conspiracy’

    The Punjab police have pressed charges of ‘criminal conspiracy’ against Imran Khan, the Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), and all other suspects in May 9 cases across the province. Official sources have disclosed to Dawn that a total of 50 cases were registered, encompassing charges under anti-terrorism and other relevant laws. Among these, 14 cases were filed in various police stations in Lahore and Rawalpindi, while nine were recorded in Sargodha, seven in Sheikhupura, five in Faisalabad, and one in Gujranwala.

    Moreover, the Punjab police have recently added offenses under sections 121 (waging or attempting to wage war or aiding such efforts against Pakistan), 131 (abetting mutiny or attempting to influence a soldier, sailor, or airman from their duty), and 146 (rioting) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) to the FIRs.

    Dr. Anoosh Masood Chaudhry, Lahore SSP (Investigation), while talking to the media, revealed that the police have also incorporated certain offenses/sections, including 34 and 120b of the PPC, into the May 9 cases.

    Section 34 reads: “Acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention. When a criminal act is done by several persons, in furtherance of the common intention of all, each such person is liable for that act in the same manner as if it were done by him alone.”

    Section 120b states: “Whoever is a party to a criminal conspiracy to commit an offence punishable with death, imprisonment for life or rigorous imprisonment for a term of two years or upwards, shall, where no express provision is made in this Code for the punishment of such a conspiracy, be punished in the same manner as if he had abetted such offence.”

    As per the Lahore police’s investigation, Dr. Chaudhry stated that there appears to be substantial evidence confirming incitement to mutiny and the planning of vandalism on May 9.

    Responding to a question regarding Imran Khan’s presence at the crime scene, she emphasized that it is immaterial whether he was physically there or not, as evidence suggests that he incited the suspects to carry out violent attacks on sensitive installations of the Pakistan Army.

    Dr. Chaudhry further noted that the prosecution and police are awaiting final reports from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) concerning videos and other evidence related to the planners and perpetrators of the May 9 incidents. She assured that all objections raised by the prosecution have been addressed, and the challans for the May 9 cases will be submitted to the courts of law after receiving reports from the FIA and Pemra.

  • Court issues notice to FIA for Imran Khan’s bail plea in cipher case

    Court issues notice to FIA for Imran Khan’s bail plea in cipher case

    The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has issued a notice to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) regarding the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman plea seeking bail before arrest in the cipher case.

    The court issued the notice during the hearing of Khan’s petition challenging the decision of the special court in a diplomatic document case. Imran Khan filed the plea on Saturday.

    The bail pleas of Imran Khan and vice president of PTI Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the missing cipher case got rejected by the special court made under the Official Secrets Act.

    PTI’s lawyer, Salman Safdar, filed a petition on behalf of Imran Khan while IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq issued the notice to FIA in response to the petition.

    Imran Khan’s legal team repeatedly requested an early hearing of the case, but the chief justice of the IHC said that the case would be decided according to proper procedure.

    On the other hand, the court ordered the FIA to submit its response regarding Imran Khan’s petition.

  • Awami Muslim League Chief Sheikh Rasheed arrested in Rawalpindi

    Awami Muslim League (AML) chief Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed got arrested on Sunday evening in Rawalpindi. Sardar Abdul Razzak Khan, Rasheed’s lawyer, confirmed his arrest, Dawn has reported. 

    “Rasheed was taken into custody by men in plain clothes from a housing society in Rawalpindi,” the lawyer added.

    According to the lawyer, the nephew of the former interior minister has also been arrested.

    In a video message, Sheikh Rashid Shafiq, the nephew of the AML chief, said that his uncle has been arrested from Bahria Town Phase III in Rawalpindi, adding that no one knows about his whereabouts.

    “Both the Islamabad and Punjab police have told the high courts in writing that Sheikh Rasheed is not proclaimed in any case,” he said.

    Shafiq also requested that the higher courts take notice of the incident and ensure the safe recovery of the former interior minister.

    “We will fight the legal battle and have always indulged in politics of principles,” he added.

  • ‘My condition is like the setting sun’: CJ bids emotional farewell

    ‘My condition is like the setting sun’: CJ bids emotional farewell

    The Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP), Umar Atta Bandial, was overwhelmed with emotions during his farewell address to the officers and staff of the Supreme Court.

    The outgoing Chief Justice compared himself to the setting sun and said that, “Nine years have passed well with you as a Supreme Court judge, now my condition is like the setting sun. You people have time now, all of you should work with your full dedication.”

    He further said that the country is facing economic and other challenges, stressing that when everyone is united, this crisis will not remain.

  • Parvez Elahi arrested again by Anti-Corruption Establishment

    Parvez Elahi arrested again by Anti-Corruption Establishment

    Parvez Elahi, the president of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has been arrested by the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) Punjab on Saturday after getting bail in the Federal Judicial Complex (FJC) attack case.

    The former chief minister of Punjab has been taken by ACE personnel to the judicial complex for temporary detention; later this evening, he will be brought to the ACE headquarters in Lahore.

    An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Islamabad had earlier granted bail to the PTI president in the case pertaining to the attack on the judicial complex.

    According to officials, Parvez Elahi faces four corruption cases.

    Elahi’s bail was granted by ATC Judge Abual Hasnat Zulqarnain in exchange for a Rs 20,000 surety bond, which Elahi’s legal team failed to pay.

    Elahi was taken into custody from the Adiala jail by ACE as a result of the bail bond not being paid.

  • Court verdict will not affect Nawaz’s return to Pakistan, says Ata Tarar

    Court verdict will not affect Nawaz’s return to Pakistan, says Ata Tarar

    Attaullah Tarar, deputy secretary general of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), has stated that the Supreme Court’s (SC) ruling on the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) amendments will not have an impact on party head Nawaz Sharif’s planned return to Pakistan on October 21.

    No case, said Tarar during press conference “is a hindrance in his way of returning to Pakistan,” as there is overwhelming evidence that former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is an innocent.

    “Nawaz’s return date remains the same. The date has been announced. He is coming back on the same date,” Tarrar insisted.

    He also said that the former prime minister didn’t disobey any law when it came to Toshakhana gifts. On the other hand, chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan sold state gifts and made profit out of them, Tarar mentioned.

    Following the Supreme Court’s decision in the NAB law amendments case on Friday, it is anticipated that some 2,000 NAB cases, including those at the reference, complaint verification, inquiry, and investigation levels, will be reinstated.

    According to the report, Asif Ali Zardari, a former president, and six former prime ministers—Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, Shaukat Aziz, Yusuf Raza Gilani, Raja Pervez Ashraf, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, and Shehbaz Sharif—are among suspects in cases that stand to be reinstated.

  • Court fails to recognise legislative authority of parliament: Justice Mansoor Ali Shah

    Court fails to recognise legislative authority of parliament: Justice Mansoor Ali Shah

    In a 2-1 majority decision, the Supreme Court (SC) invalidated changes made by parliament to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) regulations. Justice Mansoor Ali Shah commented that the decision failed to recognise the legislative authority of parliament.

    Imran Khan, the leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), received approval on Friday from a three-member SC panel for his appeal challenging amendments made to the country’s accountability legislation under the previous administration, which was led by the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM).

    The majority decision, according to the verdict, found the petition against the NAB changes valid, reopening all closed inquiries submitted to the anti-graft body.

    “The majority judgement has also fallen short to appreciate that what Parliament has done, Parliament can undo; the legislative power of the Parliament is never exhausted,” Justice Shah said in his dissenting note.