Tag: High Court

  • Nawaz Sharif’s legal team all set to file protective bail

    Nawaz Sharif’s legal team all set to file protective bail

    Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s legal team is gearing up to file three petitions seeking protective bail in the Avenfield, Al-Azizia, and Toshakhana cases.

    These petitions are expected to be submitted to the Islamabad High Court (IHC) as per sources of Dawn’s reporter Malik Asad.

    It is pertinent to mention that Nawaz Sharif is set to address a public gathering at Minar e Pakistan on October 21, after spending almost four years in the UK for his ‘medical treatment’.

    Nawaz Sharif had previously faced convictions in the Avenfield and Al-Azizia references, along with being declared a proclaimed offender in the Toshakhana case, which is currently being heard in an accountability court in Islamabad. During his time abroad, he had been granted bail in these cases.

    The decision to approach the IHC for protective bail appears to have been influenced by prior instances where the court had granted protective bail to individuals who were declared proclaimed offenders, including Sharjeel Inam Memon, Arbab Alamgir, and Asma Arbab, without the requirement of surrender beforehand.

    Sources close to the proceedings disclosed that there would be at least two court hearings – one before Nawaz Sharif’s return and another where he would surrender himself before the court.

    Following this surrender, he would be required to pursue pending appeals against his convictions in the Avenfield Apartment and Al-Azizia references, as well as address the ongoing Toshakhana vehicle case.

    The Toshakhana case, previously put on hold under NAB amendments, was reopened following a Supreme Court ruling to revive corruption cases.

    In 2018, Nawaz Sharif was convicted in two cases – the Avenfield Apartments and Al-Azizia references. However, he was acquitted in the Flagship reference. The late Judge Arshad Malik, who presided over the Al-Azizia reference, later claimed to have authored the judgment under duress.

  • MDCAT results withheld by Peshawar High Court

    MDCAT results withheld by Peshawar High Court

    Results of the Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) have been withheld on the orders of the Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Friday following petitions filed by students in the light of cases of cheating via Bluetooth devices in examination halls.

    The court issued orders to the chief secretary, executive director of the Education Test and Evaluation Agency (ETEA), and the registrar of the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) to provide responses regarding these allegations.

    The court has asked the Education Test and Evaluation Agency (ETEA) to not publish the official results on its website for now as the investigation is underway.

    The hearing was chaired by Justice Syed Arshad Ali who passed orders that the online release of the results must be halted till September 21, the date of the next hearing.

    The case

    Dozens of candidates had been caught cheating in the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) MDCAT exams conducted in a number of cities on Sunday.

    Over 40 candidates, including 20 female candidates, were arrested in Peshawar while 10 were taken into custody in DI Khan.
    All of the detainees were said to be using Bluetooth to cheat in the test. And as reported by Geo, DI Khan police sources claimed that VIP passes were issued to the candidates for which a hefty amount was paid to take the exam through dishonest means.

    Students and parents filed complaints to the Human Rights Cell in Peshawar regarding the results and integrity of the system which were then sent to the PHC chief justice.

    The applicants asserted that approximately 200 students were caught using Bluetooth devices during the examination.

  • Country could face constitutional crisis if elections not held on May 14, warns Imran Khan

    Country could face constitutional crisis if elections not held on May 14, warns Imran Khan

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan appeared before Islamabad High Court on Friday to seek bail in a case pertaining to allegations against top officers of state institutions and inciting mutiny. The court approved Imran Khan’s interim bail till May 3.

    During an informal conversation with journalists after appearing at the Islamabad High Court, Imran Khan expressed concerns that if the upcoming elections were not held on May 14 as scheduled, it could result in a constitutional crisis.

    He stated that a failure to hold elections in a timely manner would amount to a violation of the constitution, suggesting that if the constitution were to be breached, the outcome would be determined by whoever was the strongest.

    Imran further said that any discussion of elections in September or October would be pointless. He emphasised that the government should take action and hold elections as soon as possible, as the constitution should always take precedence over the parliament. The responsibility of holding timely elections now rests with the government, the former Prime Minister observed.

    On Thursday evening, Imran Khan tweeted that a “bizarre” FIR has been registered against him because of “Tauheen-i-Dirty Harry and Tayheen-i-Psycopath”.

    It is pertinent to mention that Khan has often referred ro Major General Faisal Naseer as Dirty Harry and accused him of being involved in assassination attempt on his life.

  • #MarchTuHoga: Additional Deputy Commissioner Lahore says full security will be provided to Aurat March

    #MarchTuHoga: Additional Deputy Commissioner Lahore says full security will be provided to Aurat March

    Additional Deputy Commissioner Lahore, Dr Atiya Sultan has assured full security to the Aurat March Lahore. “After the disposal of our petition, we had an excellent meeting with ADC Dr Atiya Sultan who assured us of full security for the March in Lahore. We are grateful for women in public office who pave the way and understand our movement and its importance,” a tweet from the official Twitter account of Aurat March Lahore, read.

    It is pertinent to mention here that, Aurat March Lahore filed a writ petition in the Lahore High Court (LHC) asking the court to protect its right to hold a women’s march petition in Lahore High Court (LHC). Earlier today, LHC observed that the administration has not stopped the Aurat march.

    Aurat March Lahore, in a statement on Sunday, said that on March 4, Lahore’s additional deputy commissioner issued directions to Civil Lines SSP to hold a meeting with the organizers and ask them not to take out the march. 

  • ‘Seems like PM Khan was not assisted correctly over PECA Ordinance’: Justice Minallah

    During the hearing of a plea challenging the Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Amendment) PECA Ordinance, 2022, Islamabad High Court (IHC) Chief Justice Athar Minallah reportedly issued a notice to the attorney-general of Pakistan and directed him to combine this petition with other petitions that are against PECA.

    Justice Minallah said that it seems like no one told the premier that there are laws for contempt other than PECA. He was referring to Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s address yesterday. “It seems like PM Khan was not assisted correctly over PECA Ordinance,” said Justice Minallah, adding that the law is used against critics here.

    The plea was filed by former president of Lahore High Court (LHC) Bar Maqsood Buttar. In the petition, it was argued that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) doesn’t have the authority to deal with a matter between two private parties.

    Previously, the IHC chief called the amendment “draconian in nature”. He said it is even worse than the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) law.

    Last month, President Arif Alvi passed an Ordinance amending PECA 2016, an attempt to make online “defamation” of authorities, including the military and judiciary, a criminal offence with harsh penalties.

    The high court adjourned the hearing till March 10.

  • After hijab, college in India asks Sikh girl to remove turban

    After hijab, college in India asks Sikh girl to remove turban

    A college in Bengaluru, India, has asked a Sikh girl to remove her turban in accordance with the order of the court, Hindustan Times reported. However, the 17-year-old Sikh girl who was asked to take off her turban refused to do so.  

    The college, while citing Karnataka High Court’s orders, has asked Muslim as well as Sikh students to abide by the rules. As per the the Karnataka High Court’s order, students should “refrain from wearing saffron shawls, scarfs, hijab, religious flags, or the likes within the classroom until further orders” in institutes that have “prescribed the student dress code/uniforms”.

    The family of the girl has responded and said that “the order does not mention anything about the Sikh turban”.

  • PUBG addict shoots four family members, Punjab Police wants ban on game

    PUBG addict shoots four family members, Punjab Police wants ban on game

    The Punjab Police has decided to request the Federal and Provincial government to ban the popular video game PUBG after a boy killed four members of his family in Lahore. An investigator found that the teenager was “addicted” to online game PUBG.

    The Punjab police spokesperson said that the boy thought that his family would come back to life just like the players in the game. The provincial police in a statement said that the boy shot his family out of frustration after continuous losses in the game.

    As per the his statement, the killer went to sleep after the murder with a sense of accomplishment. The bodies of the four family members were discovered on January 19.

    PUBG has been banned before. On July 1 2021, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority announced the decision to temporarily suspend the PUBG game in the country after it received multiple complaints from different segments of society. However the ban was lifted later.

  • Noor Mukadam’s father records statement in court, wants death for Zahir Jaffer

    Noor Mukadam’s father records statement in court, wants death for Zahir Jaffer

    Noor Mukadam’s father Shaukat Ali Mukadam has demanded capital punishment for the murderer of his daughter Zahir Jaffer. Mukadam, recorded his statement today in an Islamabad court.

    During today’s hearing Noor’s father said that he did not have a “personal enmity” with anyone. “My daughter was unjustly killed”, he added.

    “Zahir Jaffer should be given a death sentence,” he said. During his statement, he recalled the events leading to Noor’s death. He said that he and his wife had left for some work on July 19 and when he returned back to the house, Noor was not there.

    “[On] July 20 — I know Zahir’s family — Zahir called me on two numbers in the afternoon and said Noor was not with him,” he stated. He further added that later in the day at 10pm he got a call from the Kohsar police station informing him that his daughter had been killed and asking him to visit the police station.

    He went on to add that after the call he went to the police station and then went to Zahir’s house where he saw Noor’s body. He told the court that he signed a statement with Assistant Sub-Inspector Zubair Mazhar after identifying Noor’s body. He later signed off on a report on the cause of death. Shaukat added he had handed over Noor’s body for postmortem on July 21.

    Noor Mukadam was brutally murdered at a residence in Islamabad’s upscale Sector F-7/4 on July 20. Her death sparked national outrage, including protests and candlelight vigils across the country.

  • Shehbaz involved in Nawaz leaving fraud, bring him back or face investigation says, Fawad Chaudhry

    Shehbaz involved in Nawaz leaving fraud, bring him back or face investigation says, Fawad Chaudhry

    Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry, while addressing a press conference after a cabinet meeting, said that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif is not seeking medical treatment for the past 17 months.

    “Shehbaz Sharif was the guarantor of Nawaz Sharif,” said the minister.

    “The drama of Nawaz Sharif’s health was created here,” said Fawad, adding that Nawaz went out of Pakistan through fraud.

    Fawad further stated that the High Court ordered that Nawaz Sharif would remain in touch with the Pakistani embassy in London, adding, “the Pakistan embassy contacted Nawaz twice, but he did not respond.”

    “[PML-N President] Shehbaz Sharif is involved in this fraud. According to his statement, Shehbaz Sharif should take steps to bring Nawaz Sharif to Pakistan,” said Fawad.

    “The Federal Cabinet has decided to approach the High Court on the false affidavit of Shehbaz Sharif,” said the minister.

  • AGP asks Rana Shamim to arrange delivery of his ‘original affidavit’ to Pak High Commission in London

    AGP asks Rana Shamim to arrange delivery of his ‘original affidavit’ to Pak High Commission in London

    Attorney General of Pakistan (AGP) Khalid Jawed Khan asked Rana Shamim, the former chief judge of Gilgit-Baltistan, to arrange the delivery of his ‘original affidavit’ to the Pakistan High Commission in London, reports Dawn.

    The AGP asked Shamim to arrange the delivery of his affidavit “at the earliest” so that it could be forwarded to the Islamabad High Court (IHC) registrar through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

    The High Court had observed that in case the original affidavit was not produced on the due date, it would raise an assumption of its non-existence.

    The AGP forwarded a copy of his letter to Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary and the country’s High Commissioner in London.

    Meanwhile, United Kingdom (UK) oath commissioner Charles Guthrie, who authenticated the affidavit of Shamim, has claimed the affidavit’s authenticity, and also said that he was ready to appear before at any legal forum, including the IHC, for confirmation.