Tag: court

  • Physical remand approved for key PTI figures

    Physical remand approved for key PTI figures

    An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) has approved the physical remand of six Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders and thirty others for violating a new public protest law.

    Lawmakers associated with PTI including Sher Afzal Marwat, Zain Qureshi, Naseem Shah, Amir Dogar, Ahmed Chattha, are charged in connection with the Sanghjani police station case.

    However, PTI bigwig, advocate Shoaib Shaheen is exempted from physical remand, but the court has advised sending him to judicial custody.

    Earlier, the Federal Capital Administration allotted a three-hour time slot from 4 PM to 7 PM for the rally at Sangjani, which was violated by PTI leadership, resulting in a crackdown.

    Chairman PTI Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, Advocate Shoaib Shaheen, and Sher Afzal Marwat, were arrested from parliament premises.

    However, Islamabad police released barrister Khan after a few hours of detention.

  • Justice still pending as Jaranwala incident marks one year

    Justice still pending as Jaranwala incident marks one year

    The Christian community in Jaranwala is still awaiting justice one year after the mob attack on their community. The government of Pakistan had promised to provide justice to the victims of the vandalized Christian community and to punish those involved in the violence, but their efforts appear to have been ineffective.

    On August 16, 2023, two Christian residents were allegedly accused of blasphemy, a charge that was later disproved. Despite this, a large mob went on to vandalize 20 churches and around 80 Christian homes.

    Amnesty International has reported that more than 40 percent of the affected Christian families are still awaiting government compensation.

    Out of the 5,213 suspects, 380 were arrested, but 305 individuals were released on court orders.

    Only 85 out of 146 families have received compensation so far, while 61 are still waiting for their due.

    ‘’We saw our houses in complete shambles as the building would soon collapse. To date, we have received no support. My husband is unemployed for a year because no one hires him (due to stigma). Many people received the promised compensation of 2 million rupees (US$7,200), but we did not receive it’’ said Jaranwala resident Christian Khalida Bano.

    The apex court disapproved the police report on the Jaranwala incident in February 2024, stating that it lacked the required information.

    One year later, trials against the culprits have yet to commence.

  • CJP offers apology over delay of justice to murder convict

    CJP offers apology over delay of justice to murder convict

    Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa has ordered the immediate release of a man scheduled to be set free six years ago.
    Advocate Ahmad Shuja Butt, the convict’s lawyer, told the appellate bench that Mohammad Akram, a resident of Khanewal who was convicted in 1997 of murder, was still in jail six years after the reconciliation of both parties.

    Justice Isa offered an apology for the Apex Court’s inability to serve justice.
    In its order, the five-member Shariat appellate bench stated that the conclusion took time to reach due to the lack of proper assistance.

  • Asad Umar shifted to hospital after feeling chest pain in Court

    Former Pakistan Tehreek Insaf (PTI) leader Asad Umar has been shifted to a hospital on Tuesday after he experienced pain in the chest while attending a hearing in an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Lahore.

    Umar’s lawyer said his client felt chest pain in the courtroom, after which he was shifted to the hospital.

    Doctors conducted an ECG which turned out to be normal.

    Doctors determined that the former Finance Minister’s blood pressure dropped after he took hypertension medicine on an empty stomach, Geo News has said.

    A video has surfaced on social media where people can be seen carrying him to the vehicle.

    Umar faces multiple cases in relation to the May 9 riots, including incitement to vandalism, and the cypher case.

    On November 11, 2023, the ex-secretary general of PTI resigned from party membership and withdrew from politics, citing disagreement with the party’s aggressive approach towards state institutions.

  • Consumers not receiving electricity units at basic rate: Court hears petition

    Consumers not receiving electricity units at basic rate: Court hears petition

    The Lahore High Court has issued a written order for the previous hearing of a petition filed against the imposition of protective and non-protective tariffs on electricity consumers.

    The Supreme Court ordered the public prosecutor to appear with instructions at the next hearing.

    The written order said that according to the petitioner, tariffs related to electricity units have been imposed on the consumers.

    In the written order of the Lahore High Court, it has been said that according to the petitioner, electricity units are not being given to consumers as per the basic rate.

    Yesterday, the Lahore High Court issued a notice to National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) on the petition against the exorbitant increase in the electricity bills of more than 200 units on the basis of protective and non-protective tariffs and sought its response at the next hearing.

    Justice Risal Hasan Syed further questioned on what basis the prices of electricity have been increased.

  • Court issues notice to PTA in TikTok ban case

    Court issues notice to PTA in TikTok ban case

    The Peshawar High Court has sought a response from the federal government within 15 days on the request to impose a complete ban on TikTok. The petition stated that relevant authorities have failed to remove ‘profane and obscene’ content on the app.

    According to media reports, the bench, comprising of Chief Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim and Justice Sahibzada Asadullah, fixed June 20 for the hearing.

    The petition was filed by a lawyer, Imran Khan, who requested the court to order the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and the Ministry of Information to arrest the defendants on TikTok in Pakistan and to ban the platform permanently.

    According to the petition, the guidelines of Tik Tok violate the Constitution of Pakistan.

    It has also been requested to the court to direct the defendants to not allow social applications in future which would affect the moral values of the people of Pakistan.

    Barrister Babar Shehzad Imran appeared on behalf of the petitioner and argued that while there are benefits of social media, some social media platforms have opened the way for blasphemy against decency, morality and the glory of Islam in countries like Pakistan.

  • Court grants bail to Kashmiri poet Ahmad Farhad

    The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) High court has granted post-arrest bail to Kashmiri poet Ahmad Farhad on Friday.

    The court approved the poet’s plea against a surety bond worth Rs200,000. AJK High Court Chief Justice Sadaqat Hussain Raja announced the verdict.

    Last week, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) declared Farhad a “missing person” and described his arrest as “illegal.”

    According to the court order, the poet has been missing since May 15, and the First Information Report (FIR) against his disappearance was filed at Lohebher Police Station in Islamabad under Sections 427 and 365 PPC.

    AJK Chief Justice said in his remarks during the hearing that, “Ahmed Farhad should only write poetry, not journalism”.

  • Imran Riaz not allowed to go abroad despite court orders

    Imran Riaz not allowed to go abroad despite court orders

    YouTuber Imran Riaz was allegedly stopped by immigration authorities at Islamabad International Airport and not allowed to perform Hajj because his name was on Exit Control List (ECL).

    In a video shared on social media, Riaz could be seen talking with an immigration official grabbing a paper and saying, “According to this, my name should be removed from Exit Control List (ECL) and Passport Control List (PCL) and if the Judge has ordered this then this list should have been updated.”

    The officer agreed with him and said, “Either the list should be updated or you require a one-time special permission to fly abroad.”

    On May 29, the YouTuber shared on social media that his name was removed from the no-fly list on the orders of the Islamabad High Court and he would go to perform Hajj.

    On June 3, Riaz wrote on X that despite the court orders his name wasn’t removed from ECL and PCL.

  • Imran Khan appears in court via video link

    Imran Khan appears in court via video link

    The Supreme Court (SC) has started proceedings in the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) amendments case as Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan appeared before the bench via video link to present his arguments, Geo reported today. 

    Earlier in the day, arrangements were completed at Adiala jail on the order of the SC for the appearance of the PTI founder via video link.

    The Adiala jail administration informed the former prime minister about his appearance via video link in today’s hearing. The staff of the SC and jail authorities tested the video link before Khan’s appearance.

    A day earlier, Khan’s lawyers, Khawaja Haris and Intezar Panjutha, met him shortly in Adiala jail after the top court’s order to the federal and Punjab governments to give video link facility to incarcerated politician.

    “The PTI founder can present his arguments in the upcoming hearing via video link if he wishes to do so […] arrangements should be made for the presentation of arguments via video link,” Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa had said Tuesday.

  • The cipher was classified, copies to be destroyed within six months, Khan kept it knowingly, without authorisation: Investigation agency tells court

    The cipher was classified, copies to be destroyed within six months, Khan kept it knowingly, without authorisation: Investigation agency tells court

    Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) prosecutor Hamid Ali Shah informed Islamabad High Court (IHC) that former Prime Minister Imran Khan was aware of the sensitivity of the diplomatic cipher but he didn’t protect it. The FIA prosecutor also said that Imran Khan not only kept the copy of cipher without permission but also failed to safeguard it.

    He also said that the main purpose of cipher security is to prevent its circulation to unauthorised individuals.

    Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb heard the petitions of founder Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan and former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Monday in the cipher case.  

    “The cipher document is stamped as classified, and its copies are mandated to be destroyed after six months,” the FIA prosecutor explained, and added that even after declassification, stringent measures are in place for its disposal.  

    However, the chief justice asked how the accused will present a defence without a lawyer and what the impact of the accused’s statement will be. In response, the FIA prosecutor said that the defence doesn’t need legal representation under Section 342.