Tag: IHC

  • Justice Minallah questions whether Khan will put everything at stake for ‘game of thrones’

    Justice Minallah questions whether Khan will put everything at stake for ‘game of thrones’

    Irked by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s recent remarks about the appointment of a new Chief of Army Staff (COAS), the Chief Justice (CJ) of Islamabad High Court (IHC) Athar Minallah minced no words.

    “Did you hear Imran Khan’s speech from yesterday,” the Chief Justice asked the former prime minister’s lawyer on Monday. “Do political leaders deliver such speeches? Will everything be put at stake just for the sake of “game of thrones’?” The honourable judge asked during the hearing of a petition filed by the PTI against a ban imposed by the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) on the live telecast of the speeches of Khan.

    Khan on Sunday said that the government is buying time to “appoint an army chief of their own choice.” He alleged that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-Chairperson Asif Ali Zardari wanted to appoint their favourite as COAS because if a “strong and patriotic army chief” came, they would be questioned about their corruption.

    Read more: ‘Hamari fauj taggri hai’: Shehbaz, Zardari, Shujaat react to Khan’s anti-military remarks

    At today’s hearing, PEMRA’s lawyer informed the court that the regulator issued a show-cause notice to delay the airing of Khan’s live speeches. In response, the IHC CJ asked why the regulator did not ensure that the rule of delaying live speeches was followed.

    The media watchdog’s lawyer said that PEMRA’s orders were not aimed at a particular person.

    The court, addressing PTI’s lawyer, Barrister Ali Zafar, remarked “Let’s not make things difficult as your client also made irresponsible statements.”

    Justice Minallah said that the armed forces personnel were getting martyred “and you [Imran] are bringing their morale down”.

    He also asked the PTI counsel as to why [his party] was harming constitutional institutions. “You will only invite difficulties as a result of your statements,” he observed.

    IHC CJ Minallah said that the armed forces lay their lives for the nation and in case someone is involved in illegal activity, everyone should not be criticised over it.

    “Hold yourself accountable for your actions. You [Khan] want to issue statements as per your wishes and don’t want the regulator to do its job,” the CJ said.

    Meanwhile, the IHC ordered PEMRA to regulate in light of Supreme Court of Pakistan’s verdict and wrapped up Imran Khan’s application.

    On August 29 IHC suspended PEMRA’s recent notification that banned television channels from airing Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s live speeches.

    Read more: IK back on live TV: High Court suspends ban on IK’s speeches

    IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah suspended the notification till September 5 after hearing the arguments and issued notices to the regulatory authority and Attorney-General of Pakistan Ashtar Ausaf Ali.

  • Court fixes contempt case against former Chief Judge Rana Shamim

    Court fixes contempt case against former Chief Judge Rana Shamim

    The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has fixed a contempt case against former Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) Chief Judge (CJ), Dr Rana Muhammad Shamim, on September 5.

    Shamim allegedly signed an affidavit that incriminates former Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar.

    The affidavit contained allegations that Saqib Nisar attempted to influence a case against former Prime Minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif and his daughter, Maryam Nawaz, in an attempt to bring Imran Khan into power.

    The authenticity of the affidavit, which surfaced in one of Pakistan’s leading newspapers in November 2021, has been in question.

    Journalist Ansar Abbasi who published this investigative report has also been called in for contempt of court.

    Earlier in January, IHC indicted Rana Shamim for allegations that he levelled against Saqib.

    At the time, IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah deferred the framing of charges against the media personnel who were also named in the case, including journalist Abbasi and Jang Group owner Mir Shakeel-ur-Rehman.

  • IK back on live TV: High Court suspends ban on IK’s speeches

    IK back on live TV: High Court suspends ban on IK’s speeches

    The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday (August 29) suspended the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority’s (PEMRA) recent notification that banned television channels from airing Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s live speeches.

    IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah suspended the notification till September 5 after hearing the arguments and issued notices to the regulatory authority and Attorney-General of Pakistan Ashtar Ausaf Ali.

    The IHC chief justice said that PEMRA “does not have the authority” to issue such notifications.

    Justice Minallah asked Imran’s counsel if he defended Imran’s comments.

    “Can judges be threatened like this,” he asked, recalling the human rights violations that took place in the last three years.

    “I am saying this with a heavy heart that judges should not have been threatened. It is disappointing that the [incumbent] government is doing exactly what happened in the last three years,” he said.

    Justice Minallah pointed out that a woman judge was threatened. “Did your leader not say that he won’t spare her? If they had said something like this about me, it would have been fine […] But a woman judge?”

    The PEMRA ban was issued on August 21 after Imran Khan threatened Additional District and Sessions Judge Zeba Chaudhry, DIG and IG Islamabad.

    Imran Khan is set to host a telethon today (August 29) to appeal for funds for the flood affectees.

  • Fawad Chaudhry says Khan will not apologise in contempt case

    Fawad Chaudhry says Khan will not apologise in contempt case

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Fawad Chaudhry has said that former prime minister Imran Khan will not tender an apology to the Islamabad High Court (IHC) in a contempt of court case.

    Fawad said that it was “really sad” that a full bench was hearing the contempt of court case. He said that PTI leader Dr Shahbaz Gill was tortured and the IHC directed the IGP to hold an inquiry despite confirmation of a medical board that Gill was indeed tortured.

    Fawad said that Gill’s “private parts were given electric shocks and they [police] should feel ashamed of such barbaric acts”.

    He called on the political forces to play their part in making Pakistan a truly democratic country. Fawad added that PTI, during its tenure, had made it clear that institutions should reduce their interference in the government.

  • US refuses to comment on Imran Khan’s terrorism charges

    US refuses to comment on Imran Khan’s terrorism charges

    The United States (US) refused to comment on the terrorism case registered against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan.

    “This is a matter for the Pakistani legal and judicial system”, said US State Department spokesperson Ned Price.

    “It is not directly a matter for the US and that’s because we don’t have a position on one political candidate or party versus any other political candidate or party.”

    Ned Price added that the US supports the “peaceful upholding of democratic, constitutional, and legal principles in Pakistan and around the world”.

    Read more: Rejected: White House says they have nothing to do with Khan’s allegation of a US-backed ‘foreign conspiracy’

    Imran Khan was booked under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) after he threatened Additional District and Sessions Judge Zeba Chaudhry and senior officers of the Islamabad Police. However, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) granted transit bail to Khan till August 25.

    The IHC also issued a show-cause notice to the PTI chairman today (August 23) and summoned him on August 31 in a contempt of court case.

  • Imran Khan’s close aides’ names placed on no-fly list

    The federal government placed the names of two of former Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s close aides — Mirza Shahzad Akbar and Ziaul Mustafa Naseem — on the no-fly list pertaining to a private housing scheme at the request of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

    According to media reports, the cabinet removed the 22 names from the Exit Control List (ECL) and added the names of 10 people to it.

    Both Akbar and Naseem are presently in the United Kingdom (UK). According to Dawn, as per practice, if a person whose name is placed on ECL is abroad, he is arrested on his return and handed over to the relevant law-enforcement agency.

    Akbar has served as an adviser on interior and accountability to former PM Khan. He left for Dubai on April 17, from where he flew to London five days later, five days after the Islamabad High Court (IHC) suspended FIA orders placing his name on the stop list.

    Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah accused Akbar and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi of accepting Rs5 billion and hundreds of kanals from a housing developer in return for “providing protection” to the real estate firm in the same case during their term.

    Earlier this month, the coalition government reportedly decided to put the names of Khan and other PTI leaders on the no-fly list to prevent them from leaving the country.

  • Are we obsessed with the The Minor case?

    Are we obsessed with the The Minor case?

    The Minor is a household name these days. A young girl, came into the limelight when a case of a missing minor girl was reported in Karachi. The missing or allegedly abducted girl was later found in Punjab where she had gotten married and was apparently living a happy life with her husband. This is where the case unravelled.

    The Minor happens to be underage and her marriage to her husband is not considered a legal one per law. A girl/boy getting married under the age of 18 years is considered to be illegal. Earlier this year, Justice Babar Sattar of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) declared any marriages under the age of 18 years unlawful even though each province has different legal age for marriage.

    The problem, in this case, is that no one is talking about the law here. The Minor is being dragged to the hospital every now and then to check her age through medical tests. Her parents come on television, record videos, and say how their daughter has been trapped. The Minor, on the other hand, keeps saying that she is happy and is not under any pressure. The court allowed her to decide who to stay with instead of keeping her in a government shelter until everything had been settled, under the law. Legal observers have raised another question including why a medical test, which is not accurate, is allowed when NADRA documents prove that she is a minor. Did the court not trust NADRA records and if not, why? These questions have so far not been answered.

    In this case, we have left the main issue, i.e. underage marriage behind and are only catering to the drama that is unfolding: the fact that she sat on a cushion during an interview or that she wore make-up. Why is no one talking about how important it is for parents to talk with their children? Why is no one talking about how this case will impact the minds of children whose television screens keep flashing The Minor and her husband, the crying mother, and sister of The Minor ? Why is no one talking about how traumatic all this is for girls and boys of this age? Why is no one talking about how two children — who are apparently underage — got married after meeting online? Why did the boy’s family agree when the girl was quite obviously a minor? Why is there silence around these issues?

    We hope that parents start to have open conversations with their children and create an environment where children can speak openly and a relationship of trust is built between them.

  • ‘Produce missing persons or appear before court’: IHC sends notice to Musharraf, IK, PM Shehbaz

    ‘Produce missing persons or appear before court’: IHC sends notice to Musharraf, IK, PM Shehbaz

    The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has directed the government to issue notices to former President General Pervez Musharraf, former Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan and the current PM Shehbaz Sharif for following an “undeclared tacit approval of the policy regarding enforced disappearances.”

    The court directed that the federal government shall produce the missing persons before the court on June 17 or justify the failure of the state to effectively investigate.

    IHC Chief Justice (CJ) Justice Athar Minallah said, “Musharraf and all other successor chief executives [PM Shehbaz and Khan] shall submit their respective affidavits explaining why the court may not order proceedings against them for alleged subversion of the Constitution in the context of undeclared tacit approval of the policy regarding enforced disappearances and thus putting national security at risk by allowing the involvement of law enforcement agencies, particularly the armed forces.”

    The court also noted that the involvement or even a perception of the involvement of the armed forces in acts “amounting to a violation of human rights and freedom of the citizens weakens and undermines the rule of law.”

    On Sunday, the high court issued a 15-page order in a case related to the disappearance of journalist Mudassar Mahmood Naro and five other people after their petitions were in their final phases, but the federal government requested an “adjournment.”

    The court also noted the fact that how the Pakistani media ignores this form of abuse and that reporting on the matter is not a priority. Moreover, the court also expressed dissatisfaction over the role of parliament in regard to the disappearances. It said that “they are the most important and crucial organs of the state but nothing has been placed on record to indicate that they may have adopted a proactive role to fulfill their Constitutional obligations.”

    Journalist Mudassar has been missing since 2018 from Khyber Pakhtunkhua.

  • Sindh House attack case: bail cancelled of PTI MNAs, back in jail

    Sindh House attack case: bail cancelled of PTI MNAs, back in jail

    Islamabad High Court (IHC) cancelled the interim bail of two accused Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Members of National Assembly (MNAs) Attaullah Niazi and Faheem Khan of being involved in the Sindh House attack.

    On March 18, PTI workers barged into the PPP’s stronghold in Islamabad, Sindh House to allegedly attack disgruntled PTI MNAs who were staying there to seek refuge from the former government.

    The decision was made during the hearing by Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangir. Complainant Jamal Mandokhail’s counsel Raja Nazeer and the defendants’ lawyer Advocate Faisal Siddique presented their arguments before the court.

    After hearing their arguments, the two were arrested outside the courtroom.

    Other than them,12 PTI members were arrested by the Islamabad Police for being the part of protest.

  • ‘Every gift belongs to the office, not to be taken home’: High Court

    ‘Every gift belongs to the office, not to be taken home’: High Court

    The Islamabad High Court’s (IHC) Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb has ordered to take Toshakhana gifts [state gifts] back from the officials who took them home and asked Deputy Attorney General Arshad Kayani to put the gifts on display.

    “People come and go but the Office of the Prime Minister remains at the same place. Every gift given [to the head of the state/government officials] belongs to their office, not to be taken home,” Justice Miangul Hassan remarked.

    The directives were issued during hearing of two petitions on the Toshakhana gifts matter, one by a citizen who demanded that the details should be put forward and the other by the Cabinet Division challenging that.

    The Justice directed to make a policy to ensure that the gifts received by the head of the state will only be deposited in the treasury. He also objected that the policy to pay a certain percentage of the gift’s value and take it home shouldn’t have been there.

    “There is no stay on the Pakistan Information Commission’s (PIC) order. The Cabinet Division is bound to provide information,” he observed. The case was adjourned for two weeks.

    However, the cabinet division challenged the PIC order in the high court, claiming that it is “illegal, without lawful authority”. The former government was of the view that the revelations of details of these gifts can affect Pakistan’s relations with the countries which have given the gifts.

    Earlier this week, an investigation by news organisation Fact Focus revealed that former PM Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi kept all 112 presents worth Rs142.02 million from the Toshakhana of Pakistan.