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Tag: Supreme Court

  • Suo motu notice if FIR of attack on Imran not registered in 24 hours, warns SC

    Suo motu notice if FIR of attack on Imran not registered in 24 hours, warns SC

    The Supreme Court (SC) on Monday directed Faisal Shahkar, Inspector General (IG) of Punjab Police, to register a first information report (FIR) of the gun attack on Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan within 24 hours.

    A five-member bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial and comprising Justice Ijazul Ahsan, Justice Muneeb Akhtar, Justice Yahya Afridi and Justice Mazahar Akbar Naqvi, heard the plea.

    During the hearing, CJP Bandial warned that the court will take suo motu notice if the FIR of the attack was not registered within 24 hours.

    He also asked the IG, who joined the hearing from the SC’s Lahore registry via video link, why the FIR had not been registered as yet.

    “Tell us when the FIR will be registered,” he asked, adding that there should be a concrete reason for not registering the FIR. CJP Bandial observed that it had been 90 hours since the attack. “How will an investigation be initiated without it? And without an FIR, even evidence can be altered,” he added.

    On Sunday, Khan again questioned the delay in the registration of the FIR. He said the case should be registered against the prime minister, interior minister, and a senior intelligence official for “hatching a conspiracy to kill him”.

    He added that despite the passage of three days, the case was not registered as the Punjab police were “rel­u­c­tant to register the FIR”. He expressed surprise that the police were adamant abo­ut not including the name of the military officer in the FIR but ready to nominate the prime minister and the interior minister in the case.

    “Policemen requested that they be transferred from the post…[and] some other officer may register the FIR nominating suspects mentioned by me,” he claimed.

  • Supreme Court seeks reply from Imran on violation of May 25 order

    Supreme Court seeks reply from Imran on violation of May 25 order

    The Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday sought a detailed reply from Imran Khan, Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) over the violation of the apex court’s May 25 order, which restricted the party’s Azadi March from entering D-Chowk in Islamabad.

    A five-member larger bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice (CJ) Umar Ata Bandial, heard the contempt of court petition filed by the government against the PTI chief over his violation of previous orders. The government argued that the former ruling party went against SC’s order and entered D-chowk.

    In May, the top court had issued clear instructions to hold its Azadi March protest near Peshawar Mor between the H-9 and G-9 areas of Islamabad. However, Imran Khan and his protestors made their way to D-Chowk, prompting the government to call in the Pakistan Army for the security of the capital’s Red Zone.

    During the hearing, the CJ said, “We are giving another chance to Imran for an explanation”, adding that the court had been proceeding with “caution” and “patience” in this case.

    “According to the material available with the court, a notice should be issued to Imran Khan. We are still giving him a chance to explain,” he said.

    The bench further expressed disappointment to the two PTI lawyers present in the court, Babar Awan and Chaudhary Faisal Hussain, over violating the court’s trust in the May 25 order.

    “When our trust is breached then it is very wrong,” said Justice Bandial and he noted that it seemed that the apex court was misled through the two counsels.

    Justice Ijaz ul Ahsan also noted that the SC order was misused. The hearing of the case was then adjourned until next week.

    Earlier, in a reply to the SC over the contempt of court plea, Khan had maintained that he was unaware of any statement or undertaking having been submitted to the court on behalf of the “senior leadership” of the party ahead of its May 25 long march.

    In a video shared by journalist Talat Hussain, Imran Khan, standing on top of his container on May 25, can be heard directing his supporters to reach D-chowk. He told the public that Supreme Court has said that would be no hurdles.

  • PML-N’s Ayaz Sadiq appointed as the new law minister

    PML-N’s Ayaz Sadiq appointed as the new law minister

    Ayaz Sadiq, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senior leader and incumbent federal minister for Economic Affairs, has been appointed as the new Federal Minister of Law and Justice.

    In an official allocation notice, it is stated, “In terms of rule 3(4) of the Rules of Business, 1973, the Prime Minister has been pleased to allocate the portfolio of Law and Justice to Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, the federal Minister for Economic Affairs, with immediate effect.”

    The development has come a week after the unexpected and dramatic resignation of Azam Nazeer Tarar as the law minister.

    Sadiq began his career with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and joined PML-N in 2001. He has been elected twice for the slot of National Assembly (NA) speaker. He was also the acting President of Pakistan in 2014.

    Azam Nazeer Tarar steps down as law minister, citing ‘personal reason’

    On October 24, Federal Law and Justice Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar resigned from his post for “personal reasons”.

    In his resignation letter, addressed to President Dr Arif Alvi, Tarar wrote: “I have had the great honour and privilege to serve my country as the Federal Minister for Law and Justice under the leadership of Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.”

    Citing the reason for his resignation, the PML-N leader said, “Due to personal reasons, I am unable to discharge my duties as the federal minister”.

    “Therefore, in terms of Clause (3) of Article 92 of the Constitution of the Republic of Pakistan, I hereby resign from my office,” his resignation letter added.

    Prior to this, Tarar supported Chief Justice (CJ) Umar Ata Bandial’s nominations of junior judges for elevation to the Supreme Court on the instructions of the federal government.

    However, it was being speculated that he was not comfortable with the government’s decision, therefore, he decided to tender his resignation, reports Express Tribune.

    Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) President Ahsan Bhoon welcomed Tarar’s resignation. He said that Tarar showed loyalty to the party by following the government’s instruction, but he stood with the bar by resigning.

    Moreover, some media reports said that some powerful circles were upset at the sloganeering during the Asma Jahangir Conference the other day, in his presence. This resignation is seen in the context of that episode.

    Tarar is a senior PML-N leader, a lawyer, and a bar representative who assumed the responsibilities of Federal Minister for Law and Justice in April 2022.

  • ‘Inshallah,’ says Nawaz Sharif when asked about becoming PM for the fourth time

    ‘Inshallah,’ says Nawaz Sharif when asked about becoming PM for the fourth time

    Former Prime Minister (PM) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif’s pre-recorded press conference with his daughter PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz was released on Sunday.

    During the interview, when Sharif was asked about the possibility of becoming PM of Pakistan for the fourth time, he smilingly said, “Inshallah” (Hopefully).

    The former premier began the interview by narrating the whole incident of his wife’s [Kalsoom Nawaz] illness and then her death. He said that he and Maryam were both in jail when they got to know about his wife’s death in London.

    He said when his wife was on her deathbed, people made fun of it. He said that one time when he was in court, he was informed that his wife’s health had worsened.

    “I went back to the jail and asked the jail superintendent to give me the phone so I can contact my family but he didn’t allow it.”

    He revealed that after three hours, he was informed about his wife’s death. He then said the bearers of the news were on their way to inform his daughter [who was also in Kot Lakhpat]. “At that point, I said no, I will do it and when I told her, she was in shock,” Nawaz said.

    He added that such events “are never forgotten and this loss can never be repaired or forgotten”.

    ‘We were the ones to say absolutely not’: Nawaz Sharif

    Addressing Imran’s stance of “absolutely not” to US airbases, Nawaz said, “We were the ones to say absolutely not. They offered us $5 billion but we said absolutely not. We don’t want it,” he was referring to the nuclear tests conducted during his tenure.

    According to Nawaz, when he was in power, his government had brought economic prosperity, finished loadshedding, increased employment, and eliminated terrorism but Imran Khan ruined it all. He said that now there is inflation everywhere.

    “He [Imran Khan] has taken a U-turn with regard to everything. He claimed that he would prefer dying by suicide instead of striking a deal with the IMF,” Nawaz said.

    Taking a jibe at Khan, Nawaz said that during Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) tenure foreign relations had also been affected.

    ‘Revenge, not a court’s decision’: Nawaz Sharif

    Moreover, he alleged that he was punished and disqualified for life by the Supreme Court (SC) but now lifetime disqualification is being criticised as “draconian” by SC judges.

    Nawaz questioned whether there was a “valid reason” for the decision. “Disqualified for life and removed from the PML-N presidency. This is revenge, not a court’s decision,” he added.

    Regarding the recent alleged audio leaks of Khan, Nawaz said that “the one who plotted has turned out to be the biggest conspirer”.

  • Brazil polls: Bolsanaro faces off against Lula in tough competition on October 30

    Brazil polls: Bolsanaro faces off against Lula in tough competition on October 30

    Brazil’s top two presidential candidates—incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro and Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva— will face each other again in a runoff vote on October 30 after neither of them got a clear majority.

    The polls released a day before the elections had predicted a 14 percentage point gap between Lula and Bolsonaro. However, Lula da Silva is ahead, as he had managed to gain 48.4 per cent of support while President Bolsonaro had 43.2 per cent. Nine other candidates were also competing.

    Bolsonaro had questioned polls that showed him losing to Lula in the first round, saying they did not capture the enthusiasm he saw on the campaign trail. He has also attacked the integrity of Brazil’s electronic voting system without evidence and suggested he might not concede if he lost.

    It is pertinent to mention that Lula could not run in the 2018 election because he was in prison after being convicted on corruption charges which were later annulled.

    Lula left the presidency 12 years ago with record popularity. His conviction was later overturned by the Supreme Court, allowing him to run again for president this year.

    Deforestation and forest fires have soared during President Bolsonaro’s time in office. Climate activists have warned that if he is re-elected, the area could reach a tipping point.

    His popularity has suffered since the coronavirus pandemic, which he called a “little flu” before Covid-19 killed 686,000 Brazilians.

    Voters now have four weeks to decide which of the two should lead the country.

  • PM Shehbaz audio leaks: PTI Supreme Court pohanch gayi

    PM Shehbaz audio leaks: PTI Supreme Court pohanch gayi

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) moved Supreme Court (SC) on Saturday to investigate the matter of Prime Minister (PM) House audio leaks of PM Shehbaz Sharif and his party members including some federal ministers.

    The former ruling party has requested the top court to seek criminal charges against PM Shehbaz and his team for hatching a “criminal conspiracy”.

    One of the many audio leaks allegedly concerns a conversation between PM Shehbaz, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Law Minister Azam Tarar, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, and former National Assembly (NA) speaker Ayaz Sadiq about the resignations of PTI MNAs. The audio is said to be a recording of a cabinet meeting.

    Party leaders can be allegedly heard discussing whose resignations from PTI will be accepted. Moreover, the leaders can be heard saying that the final decision will be taken by PML-N Supremo Nawaz Sharif who is in London.

    “The incumbent prime minister and his cabinet members can be heard discussing a heinous strategy to outplay the petitioner from the parliamentary politics in a most illegal, unlawful and objectionable manner,” the PTI said in the petition about the audio leak.

    The petition said that the entire discussion revolves around a “criminal strategy/conspiracy” to affect and target the party through piecemeal acceptance of the resignations tendered by PTI’s MNAs on April 11.

    The party said that PM Shehbaz, Information Minister Maryum Aurangzeb and Rana Sanaullah have admitted the existence of audio leaks.

    The PTI claimed that the PM and his cabinet members with the aid of incumbent NA Speaker Raja Pervez Ashraf violated their oath and utterly disregarded the law and constitution.

    A total of six audios featuring PM and his party leader have been leaked while two audio leaks featuring Imran Khan and his party members have come to light.

  • Imran Khan to be indicted on Sept 22, response deemed ‘unsatisfactory’ by court

    Imran Khan to be indicted on Sept 22, response deemed ‘unsatisfactory’ by court

    The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday decided to indict Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on September 22 after he failed to submit an unconditional apology in contempt of court proceedings against him for passing controversial remarks against Additional District and Sessions Judge Zeba Chaudhry.

    “Imran Khan’s response was unsatisfactory”. said IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah, who is heading a five-member bench — comprising Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb, Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangir, and Justice Babar Sattar — that heard the case.

    Justice Athar Minal­lah observed that Khan’s replies to the court’s show-cause notice appeared to be “Justifying contempt of the judiciary” and showed “No remorse or regret”.

    Justice Minallah went on to ask why the judges of the lower courts were considered different to those of higher courts. “You are justifying contempt of court which means that you have no remorse or regret,” the judge observed.

    Expressing his disappointment in the response given by Khan to the court, which was the second of its kind, the court asked: “Even after the court’s input on the matter, this is the response submitted?”

    “It seems you want to fight this case […] and you have no realisation that the case against you is extremely seriously,” noted Justice Minallah.

    Declaring subordinate judiciary a ‘red line’, IHC CJ Minallah warned the PTI chairman that threatening a district judge is a more serious offence than a Supreme Court justice.

    Before appearing for the hearing, the PTI chairman told journalists that he would become “more dangerous” if the government decides to send him behind bars.

    “They have been trying to [put me in jail for long now]. I will be more dangerous if they send me to jail,” Khan said to media, confidently smiling ahead of the hearing.

    Hours before the proceeding, Khan filed a new plea at the high court. He argued that the high court cannot exercise suo moto jurisdiction as per the Constitution. The arguments on the inadmissibility of the contempt case should be kept on record.

    “The written arguments will also be explained in the oral arguments during the course of the proceedings,” read the plea.

    A day earlier to the proceedings, Khan submitted a fresh response to the contempt of court case, in which in he expressed deep regret for his words.

  • ‘Not liable to answer or provide information to you,’ Khan tells FIA

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Wednesday (August 17) asked the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to take back the notice sent to him in the prohibited funding case in two days, further stating that he would take legal action against the organisation.

    “Neither am I liable to answer to you nor is it liable on me to provide information to you. If notice is not taken back in two days, then I will take legal action against you,” said Khan to FIA.

    “ECP [Election Commission of Pakistan] did not give a decision but issued a report. ECP cannot order FIA or any other organisation based on this report,” said the PTI chief. He added that the FIA does not have the authority to act under the Political Parties Order 2002.

    “The notice issued is also contrary to the FIA Act. Supreme Court has declared the ECP as an administrative institution in several decisions,” said Khan, adding that the ECP is neither a court nor a tribunal.

    FIA sought records from Khan regarding the total funds provided to PTI by national and international companies, and business firms.

  • Hamza Shehbaz files petition to review SC’s verdict declaring Elahi as CM

    Hamza Shehbaz files petition to review SC’s verdict declaring Elahi as CM

    Former Chief Minister (CM) Punjab Hamza Shehbaz has filed a review petition in the Supreme Court (SC) against the apex court’s July 26 verdict, which declared Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi as the Punjab CM.

    Hamza filed the petition through his lawyer Mansoor Awan in which it has been requested that the SC should review the decision of declaring Pervaiz Elahi as the CM of Punjab and the ruling of former Punjab Assembly (PA) Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari should be declared constitutional.

    The review petition stated that the court in its order had “failed” to appreciate that when a justice signs a judgement, then to the extent that judgement is not expressly controverted in the separate opinion, that justice remains bound by the judgement he has put a signature to, whereas the order makes the inverse and counter-intuitive inference because other aspects were covered in the separately rendered decision.

    The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader further demanded that a full court be constituted to decide the matters involving the interpretation and application of Article 63-A of the Constitution in this regard.

    Earlier, a three-member bench of the SC declared Mazari’s ruling in the Punjab Chief Minister election “illegal” and ruled that Pervaiz Elahi will be the new CM of the province.

  • ECP verdict: Govt decides to place Imran and other PTI leaders on no-fly list

    ECP verdict: Govt decides to place Imran and other PTI leaders on no-fly list

    After the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) verdict was announced yesterday in the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) foreign funding case, the coalition government has reportedly decided to put the names of PTI Chairman Imran Khan and other PTI leaders on the no-fly list to prevent them from leaving the country. The government has also decided to move the Supreme Court (SC) to hear the reference it is going to file in the wake of the ECP verdict.

    The government will put the names of former premier Imran Khan, ex-governors of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Sindh and former chairman of the Utility Stores Corporation (USC) Zulqarnain Ali Khan on the no-fly list, reports The Express Tribune.

    The government will also request Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial to constitute a full court to hear the case, which is yet to be filed, reports Geo News.

    All the government allies were unanimously on board for taking strict legal action in light of the ECP’s verdict.

    PTI to move IHC

    “The PTI will file two different petitions — one contempt of court petition against ECP for violating the Supreme Court and high court’s decisions for not giving verdict against PPP and PML-N together with PTI, whereas the second petition would be filed against the ECP’s decision for having too many loopholes in the verdict,” announced Asad Umar yesterday.

    “People trust Imran Khan and that’s why they sent their money to him when he started the fundraising events. If you block political donations, the only other way is that of powerful people,” he added.

    Just after the decision was announced, PTI leader Fa­­wad Chaudhry said that most of the money was donated by overseas Pakistanis.

    He said that he could not understand why the PML-N, JUI-F and PPP declared overseas Pakistanis as an “enemy”.

    “We consider overseas Pakistanis to be the backbone of Pakistan’s economy and will continue to rely on them for our funding,” said Fawad. About the certificates that were submitted to the ECP by Khan, Fawad said that these certificates were made by the auditors and Khan had just signed them so the responsibility cannot be put on Imran.

    The former premier had personally issued certificates to the ECP in regards to Article 13(2) of the PPO to the effect that PTI “does not receive funds from prohibited sources”, meaning thereby that the PTI is not a foreign-aided political party.

    On Tuesday, the ECP said that PTI received ‘prohibited funds’ from 34 foreign nationals. The PTI was issued a show-cause notice after the unanimous verdict by a three-member bench of the ECP headed by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja.