Tag: Gilani

  • Kashmir freedom fighter Yasin Malik sentenced to life imprisonment

    Kashmir freedom fighter Yasin Malik sentenced to life imprisonment

    Mohammed Yasin Malik, 54, founder of the organization Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front who was accused and charged with participating in alleged ‘acts of terrorism, illegally raising funds, being a member of a “terrorist organization”, terrorism financing, criminal conspiracy and sedition’, has now been sentenced to life in imprisonment.

    On 19 March, Judge Praveen Singh set May 25 as the date for hearing arguments from both sides and sentencing. She also directed Malik to provide an affidavit regarding his financial assets. JKLF reports that while in court, Malik said, “Terrorism-related charges leveled against me are concocted, fabricated and politically motivated.”

    The case is based on events from the 1990s when Malik and his associates were charged with the kidnapping of Rubaiya Sayeed in 1989 and the killing of four Indian Air Force officers in 1990.

    Malik’s wife Mushaal Malik also appeared in a press conference in Islamabad, alongside PML-N’s Marriyum Aurangzeb. She spoke of the severely unjust treatment that the Indian government is subjecting on her husband, absolutely restricting the family from communicating with him and taking away his right to a free and fair trial. She demanded that her husband’s case be tried in the International Court of Justice and requested the United Nations to take action and establish an inquiry into this case.

    On Monday, the Pakistani Senate passed an unanimous resolution condemning the case against Hurriyat leader and expressing solidarity with his family. The resolution was tabled by former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani.

    Cases against Yasin Malik

    Malik, who has been kept under arrest at New Delhi’s Tihar Jail was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in April 2019, when he was already in jail for violating the Indian Public Safety Act, according to which one can be jailed for an entire year without any trial.

    Malik, along with seven others, is charged with killing four Indian Air Force officers in 1990. However, their counsel has argued that since the group announced a unilateral ceasefire in 1994, the charge is not true.

    Secondly, Malik is accused of abducting the then federal home minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s daughter, Rubaiya Sayeed in 1989. Both of these cases have been presented in courts by the NIA under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act [TADA].

    Unfair trial

    Despite there being no cases or new charges against Malik and his group throughout the BJP government, the court is now rushing through to reach sentencing in the trial.

    In his open letter from prison, Malik wrote, “Though I have every legal right to be presented physically before the court, but the judge and the CBI at the behest of government are not allowing me to present myself before the trial court physically. I am being presented through video conference, where neither I am able to hear the arguments of the lawyers nor am I being allowed to speak.”

    Commenting on the speed with which the case is being tried, Malik’s lawyer Tufail Raja told Al Jazeera, “When you reopen a 30-year-old case and pursue it at a fast pace in a bid to hastily produce judgement, you can understand the intentions of this government.” He added “This is a political rather than a judicial move.” 

    The verdict

    Leading up to the announcement of the verdict, people had started coming out on the streets in Kashmir, on either side of the issue – in his support as well as those against him. The court also imposed various fines including a 5,000 INR and a 10,000 INR fine on Yasin Malik, along with two life imprisonment sentences, which will both run simultaneously.

    DG ISPR and wife Mushaal Malik have vehemently condemned this decision on Twitter and held up Kashmir’s right to self determination.

  • PPP’s Gilani becomes leader of house in Senate

    PPP’s Gilani becomes leader of house in Senate

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) senior leader and former Prime Minister (PM) Yusuf Raza Gilani has taken charge as the leader of the House in the Senate today (Monday).

    Earlier, Gilani contested for the slot of Senate chairman against Sadiq Sanjrani but lost. Gilani has been appointed to fill the slot by the current PM Shehbaz Sharif. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) Senator Dr Shehzad Waseem will now become the leader of the Opposition.

    The National Assembly (NA) session has resumed today and it has been indicated that a resolution of condemnation against PTI Chairman Imran Khan for using obnoxious language against Maryam Nawaz in his Multan rally would be tabled in the two houses separately by women lawmakers.

    According to The News that PM Shehbaz Sharif will avail the sitting of the upper house to make an important policy statement on the political and economic situation in the country.

    In January, Gilani stepped down as the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate after his absence led to the passage of the State Bank (Amendment) Bill, 2021, in the Upper House of Parliament.

  • Bilawal declines Gilani’s resignation as Leader of Opposition Senate

    Bilawal declines Gilani’s resignation as Leader of Opposition Senate

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has refused to accept his party leader Yusuf Raza Gilani’s resignation as the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate.

    The party chairman said that Gilani has given exemplary services for democracy in the country. Bilawal Bhutto also backed the PPP leader’s statements and expressed his regret over the role of Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani in the passing of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Amendment Bill, 2021 by calling the act “in connivance with the government”, reports Geo News.

    Moreover, Bilawal said that the PPP is the only political party in which the elected representatives present themselves for accountability.

    Yesterday, Gilani said that he had handed over his resignation to his party after he received criticism for being absent from a key Senate session.

    Gilani took the mic in the Upper House on Monday and condemned the biasness shown by the chairman Senate. He said, “In the history of Pakistan Senate, it was the first time the Chairman Senate had to give a vote. As a neutral person, you should have not done this. As the custodian of the House, you should have protected the rights of both sides of the House.”

    On January 28, the Leader of the Opposition was absent when the government passed the SBP amendment bill in the Senate. He said that he had received the agenda of the House only a few hours before the session and it was not possible for him to travel in such a short period of time.

  • Abbasi, Haideri of PDM decide to not accept Gilani as Senate Opp leader

    Abbasi, Haideri of PDM decide to not accept Gilani as Senate Opp leader

    • PPP sources share a counter strategy

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Abdul Ghafoor Haideri of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) have refused to accept ex-prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani as the leader of opposition in Senate.

    According to reports, the two, during a meeting, said that the behaviour of opposition alliance’s Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) had disappointed all others.

    “Seeking support from Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) was disappointing,” they said and added that a new huddle would decide future course of action in light of PPP’s backstabbing.

    They, however, announced the decision to not accept Gilani as the opposition leader in the Upper House.

    Abbasi also inquired after the health of JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman during the meeting.

    Meanwhile, PPP sources told The Current that if the other members of the opposition alliance decide to sit on separate benches in Senate and not accept Gilani as the leader of opposition, the party would also have to take drastic measures.

    “If it stays like this, they should also know that we could sit separately in the National Assembly and not recognise Shehbaz Sharif as the leader of opposition in the National Assembly.”

  • Opposition ready to challenge Sanjrani’s win in Senate

    Opposition ready to challenge Sanjrani’s win in Senate

    The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) is all set to challenge the rejection of seven votes that were cast in favour of Yousaf Raza Gilani as per news reports. Sadiq Sanjrani bagged 48 votes in the election for the slot of Senate Chairman while Gilani bagged 42 votes. Seven votes cast in Gilani’s favour were rejected due to a technicality.

    The seven votes that were rejected had stamps on the candidate’s name but were inside the box. Senator Farooq H Naek said that the presiding officer does not have the right to reject “our vote if it has been stamped inside the box and on the candidate’s name”. Presiding officer Muzaffar Hussain Shah explained why those votes were rejected.

    It was pointed out that the written instructions in the Senate Hall were different from the reasons being given by the presiding officer.

    Former Secretary to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) said on Geo News that the votes should have been valid and this decision can be challenged in the Supreme Court.

    Meanwhile, government senators say it was clearly stated in the Instruction Book how to vote and that these votes were wasted deliberately.

  • Senate chairman vote: ‘Govt will do whatever is necessary to win this time’

    Senate chairman vote: ‘Govt will do whatever is necessary to win this time’

    Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Shibli Faraz has said that the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) will do whatever is necessary to ensure the victory of Sadiq Sanjrani in the Senate chairman election.

    Speaking in Geo News programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’ as the country heads towards another critical vote following the government’s defeat at the hands of opposition alliance for Yousuf Raza Gilani’s election, the minister said the government would do whatever is required to win the Senate chairman slot.

    While responding to media reports about the government’s offer to JUI-F, Faraz said no formal offer has been made to Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri for the post of Senate deputy chairman, and neither it is possible.

    “The JUI-F is just raising the matter to gain importance,” he said.

    “Abdul Ghafoor Haideri came to meet us and we informally discussed these things while having food in the library,” he said, adding that the government also goes to Opposition senators for seeking votes in the Senate elections.

    To a question whether the Senate chairman would be elected by seeking votes, using power or using money, Faraz said the opposition always violates rules and uses money.
    “We are ready this time. It can’t happen that we play Sharif Sharif [morally] and do everything according to law. We would do everything necessary for winning,” Shibli said.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    He added that it was not possible that the government remains unmoved, while the opposition uses every tactic for its benefit, which was witnessed in the Senate elections.
    Faraz said the government would not play “nicely” and would make every effort for the success of its candidate.

    “It’s not happening that the opposition is allowed to even touch the ball in a football game with hand, while the government just plays with the foot. Love begets love and vice versa,” he said.

    The minister, however, made it clear that he was not talking about using money in the Senate election.

  • ECP rejects PTI petition seeking stop on Gilani notification

    ECP rejects PTI petition seeking stop on Gilani notification

    The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has rejected a petition filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) seeking to stop the notification of newly-elected Senator Yousaf Raza Gilani.

    According to reports, the election watchdog sought amendments to the petition.

    Last Wednesday, Gilani, who was fielded as a joint candidate of the 11-party Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) on a technocrat seat from Islamabad, defeated Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Sheikh in Senate elections in a major setback to the government. He received 169 votes to the latter’s 164.

    On Saturday, three PTI leaders — Farrukh Habib, Maleeka Bokhari, and Kanwal Shauzab — approached the election commission to halt the issuance of the victory notification for Gilani until a probe into a contentious video, showing the former prime minister’s son Ali Haider Gilani explaining to MPs how to waste their votes, is completed.

    In another petition filed on Monday, the trio sought an early hearing of the case which was earlier scheduled for March 11 — a day before the election for the office of Senate chairman.

    “The matter is extremely important as a senator elected with corrupt practices is now aspiring to become the chairman of Senate,” the petition said.

    “It is a matter of utmost importance, which will have far-reaching consequences.”

    “The election of Yousuf Raza Gilani has been a rare incident in the national political history,” the request further said.

    “Hopefully, the election commission will hear the matter urgently, as it heard the issue related to [the] by-election in NA-75, Daska.”

    “The issuance of the notification should be stopped till the action on the video scandal is completed,” the petition said.

    The video, which had emerged hours before legislators across the country were set to go to Senate elections, showed Ali Gilani explaining to MPs how to cancel their votes. In a press conference, Ali Gilani accepted that he was in the leaked video, but denied he was engaging in a deal to buy votes for his father.

    A separate video clip showed Sindh Local Government Minister Nasir Hussain Shah assuring four MPs of getting paid “over and above” the agreed amount and also resolve all issues from the provincial government.

    The person, who was seen finalising the deal, told Shah that all the four were “sold” and, in return, Shah also assured the legislators that all the tasks of his “brothers” were now his own responsibility.