Category: Politics

News stories of Politics, for the topics that matter the most to young professionals and college students, political news reported with a different angle.

  • Chaudhry Parvez Elahi released from Kot Lakhpat jail after months

    Chaudhry Parvez Elahi released from Kot Lakhpat jail after months

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) president Chaudhry Parvez Elahi was released on Tuesday after being detained in Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat jail for months, Geo has reported.

    The development comes after the Lahore High Court (LHC) approved the bail of the senior politician in the Punjab Assembly illegal recruitment case. Justice Sultan Tanvir of the LHC announced the decision on Elahi’s bail request.

    After the release, the PTI president reached his residence in Lahore.

    Parvez Elahi was arrested after May 9 events, when authorities cracked down on the opposition party.

    Earlier last year, on May 9, violent protests erupted after the arrest of PTI founder and former Prime Minister Imran Khan.

    The protesters attacked public and private properties, including military installations, in multiple cities across the country. In prominent locations, General Headquarters (GHQ) Rawalpindi and Jinnah House Lahore are included, where violent protesters attacked.

    However, the PTI president said that the people of Gujarat “had to suffer a lot of abuse and cruelty”. He also stated that PTI’s mandate was stolen in his home city. “We will not talk to [Chaudhry] Shujaat sahib’s children until our mandate is given back to us.”

    “I was, am, and will stand with the founder of PTI,” he added.

  • Court rejects plea seeking Khan’s disqualification in Tyrian White case

    Court rejects plea seeking Khan’s disqualification in Tyrian White case

    The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has dismissed a plea seeking Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan’s disqualification in the Tyrian White case.

    A new IHC bench heard the petition filed against Imran Khan for not revealing his alleged daughter in the nomination papers for contesting the 2018 general elections.

    Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, Justice Arbab Mohammad Tahir, and Justice Saman Rafat Imtiaz heard the case today.

    The Tyrian White case was pending since May 2023, when IHC chief justice Aamer Farooq dissolved the three-member bench hearing the petition.

    Earlier, IHC CJ Aamer Farooq, Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, and Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir were hearing the case and had reserved the verdict on March 30 last year.

    However, Justice Kayani and Justice Tahir wrote an opinion rejecting the petition’s validity and posted it on the IHC’s website, but it was later taken down.

    On the other hand, during today’s hearing, the court said that the petition against Imran Khan’s disqualification had already been rejected by the bench.

    “The majority decision has already been issued,” remarked the court.

  • London plan included Imran Khan, Tahir-ul-Qadri and others in 2014, says journalist Murtaza Shah

    London plan included Imran Khan, Tahir-ul-Qadri and others in 2014, says journalist Murtaza Shah

    Geo News journalist Murtaza Ali Shah on Monday spoke on the channel’s ‘Report Card’ about the “London Plan” in 2014 which included the collusion of founder Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri and Imran Khan.

    Shah recounted that a friend had invited him to his house for dinner and when he went, “Imran Khan, Tahir-ul-Qadri, journalist Mubasher Lucman, some members of Chaudhary family [PML-Q] and two officials were present in that room.”

    Shah stated that the situation got awkward for all because they were afraid “I might break this story.”

    “I received a call from a mutual friend present there 20 minutes after I left that place and he told me that I mustn’t do a story because I already know the precarious condition of Geo News channel due to severe restrictions put on it after Hamid Mir was shot,” said Murtaza.

    Murtaza said that he was warned that there would be more severe consequences for Geo News if he broke the story.

    Murtaza said it is true that “Mubashar Lucman played the key role between Qadri and Khan because at that point there was no common ground between them.”

  • Shehbaz Government cracks down on wheat scandal, leaves Caretakers unscathed

    Shehbaz Government cracks down on wheat scandal, leaves Caretakers unscathed

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday ordered the suspension of four senior officers of the Ministry of National Food Security for “poor planning and negligence” regarding the wheat scandal.

    Interestingly, no action has been taken against the previous caretaker setup or its key officials under whom the wheat scandal took place originally.

    Earlier, PM Shehbaz had given Secretary Cabinet Division Kamran Ali Afzal the task of investigating the import of wheat last year despite a “bumper crop”, which has led to excess wheat stock leaving Balochistan and Punjab governments unable to purchase the crop from the farmers.

    The stock surplus has, so far, been attributed to the decision of the caretaker government — led by former caretaker prime minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar — allowing the import of 2,758,226 226 metric tonnes of wheat worth Rs225.783 billion till February 2024.

    Geo News reported that the Ministry of National Food Security had apprised PM Shehbaz’s cabinet that 28.18 million tonnes of wheat was produced last year and the caretaker government decided to import 2.45 million tonnes more.

    The government allowed for relevant action to be taken against federal Secretary of National Food Security Muhammad Asif and also ordered the suspension of former Director General Plant Protection AD Abid, Food Security Commissioner Dr Wasim and Director Sohail and Punjab Director of Food Security Imtiaz Gopang.

  • 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.

  • Civilians’ military trials are ‘no-no’ under international law, says Amnesty International

    Civilians’ military trials are ‘no-no’ under international law, says Amnesty International

    Amnesty International’s Secretary General Dr Agnès Callamard said on Tuesday that according to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, military courts can not conduct trials of civilians.

    In an exclusive interview with Dawn, Dr Agnès Callamard, who is on an official visit to South Asia, said that conducting civilian’s trials in military courts is a “no-no” under international law; “sadly it has happened throughout Pakistan’s political history… [and] is not a novelty”.

    Dr. Callamard said that Pakistan must maintain its international obligations and follow the country’s constitution for fair trials. She stressed the importance of transparency, due process, and urged Pakistan to protect civilians’ rights. 

    “The use of military courts is threatening the constitutionality of what’s happening right now,” she said.

    Talking about the ban on X (formerly Twitter) in Pakistan, she said yhat Amnesty is quite concerned by constricting space for freedom of speech in Pakistan.

  • Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani says either rule of law or rule of agencies can take place

    Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani says either rule of law or rule of agencies can take place

    Islamabad High Court (IHC) senior judge Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani on Monday strongly criticised intelligence agencies due to their alleged role in forced abductions.

    “The country will either be run as per the law or the whims of agencies,” Justice Kayani said.

    The Court held a hearing regarding the recovery of Kashmiri poet Ahmed Farhad Shah, abducted from his home last week. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) had called on authorities for his immediate release.

    A petition was filed by Shah’s wife in the IHC last Wednesday, requesting that he be found and produced before the court and to identify, investigate and prosecute those responsible for his disappearance.

    In a notable development, the petitioner filed a separate plea on Saturday to withdraw the main petition after officials from Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) contacted Shah’s wife and assured her that the poet would be released on Saturday night.

    Petitioner’s legal representation include Advocates Imaan Zainab Mazari and Hadi Ali Chatha. Mazari said that she received a Whatsapp call from Shah’s number on May 17 asking them to withdraw their petition but since he did not return back, “So we are not withdrawing the application.”

    “I want the man (Shah) from the ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence). You should inform the DG (director general) ISI [Nadeem Anjum] that the man should be produced at any cost. Remove the label from yourself that you abduct [people],” said the judge to SSP Zafar.

    Justice Kayani went on to say “The sector commander [ISI] is not living on the moon, what is his status?”

    Judge asked the defence ministry official whether any of his relatives were ever abducted to which he said no, to which the judge said: “That’s why you don’t understand. Ask the feelings of those whose [relatives] are abducted.”

    When AAG Duggal requested an extension of the hearing because “the ISI has said they do not have him,” the judge replied, “They send messages on one hand and now they are saying we don’t have him.”

  • Islamabad High Court to hear petition against Dar’s appointment as deputy PM

    Islamabad High Court to hear petition against Dar’s appointment as deputy PM

    The Islamabad High Court (IHC) will hear a petition filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) today against the appointment of Ishaq Dar as deputy prime minister, ARY News has reported. 

    IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq will hear the plea filed by PTI’s Sher Afzal Marwat.

    In the submitted petition, the famous PTI leader said that the appointment of Dar as deputy prime minister is illegal because the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader is also working as the foreign minister.

    “The office of the deputy prime minister is unconstitutional, and there is no provision in the Constitution of 1973 that allows the Prime Minister to appoint someone as his deputy,” the PTI leader added.

  • Maryam Nawaz’s govt stabbed our back after holding negotiations over bill, say journalist leaders

    Maryam Nawaz’s govt stabbed our back after holding negotiations over bill, say journalist leaders

    The Punjab Assembly on Monday approved the highly controversial Defamation Bill 2024 amidst immense opposition from journalists, human rights organisations and political opponents.

    The government considers the bill, aimed at stopping ‘fake news’, necessary while journalist leaders and opposition leaders labelled it “draconian” and a “black law”.

    Earlier in the day, representatives of media bodies met Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari and requested her to defer the controversial bill for a few days.

    However, the government decided to bulldoze the bill through Punjab Assembly despite strong opposition.

    Journalist leaders were of the view that the government stabbed them in the back after holding negotiations over the bill.

    Meanwhile, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has also expressed grave concern over the defamation bill, saying that it aims to uphold “parallel judicial structures” for defamation cases which goes against the very spirit of the Constitution.

    HRCP remarked that implementation of this bill would be a huge blow to freedom of speech and dissent in our society because there would be no due process or fair trials.

    “This is not a democratic bill. There is no compromise on press freedom,” stated Lahore Press Club President Arshad Ansari.

    He slammed the PML-N-led provincial government for passing the controversial bill and remarked, “You have cheated us. You have trapped us.”

  • CJP Isa deposits expensive gift in Toshakhana

    CJP Isa deposits expensive gift in Toshakhana

    Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa on Monday deposited a luxurious pen gifted to him by the Muslim World League in the Toshakhana.

    The pen, named Bab-e-Kaaba, was gifted to the chief justice by the Muslim World League’s Secretary Muhammad bin Abdul Karim Issa, who met him last month.

    Muslim World League is an international non-governmental organisation headquartered in Makkah with members from all Islamic countries and sects.

    CJP Isa got approval from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the pen has now been placed in the museum of the Supreme Court.

    Toshakhana was established in 1974 which is under the control of cabinet division and is used to store precious gifts given to rulers, parliamentarians, bureaucrats and officials by heads of other governments.