Tag: IHC

  • 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.”

  • IHC bans entry of intelligence officials within court premises

    IHC bans entry of intelligence officials within court premises

    The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on May 16 prohibited the entry of spy agency officials within the court’s premises.

    Justice Tariq Mahmood Jahangiri gave the ruling which was confirmed by a police official at the court.

    The development followed the release of an explosive letter penned to the Supreme Judicial Council by six judges if IHC on March 27, alleging the interference of intelligence agencies in judicial matters.

    The six judges of the IHC who wrote the letter were Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kiyani, Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, Justice Babar Sattar, Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan, Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir, and Justice Saman Rafat Imtiaz.

  • Imran Khan gets bail in £190 million settlement case

    Imran Khan gets bail in £190 million settlement case

    The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday approved founder Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan’s bail plea in the £190 million National Crime Agency (NCA) settlement reference.

    A two-member bench, comprising IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq, Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, heard the petition and reserved the verdict a day earlier.

    The IHC said in its order today to release the former prime minister against surety bonds of Rs 1 million.

    The verbal orders were announced today in open court; however, the detailed verdict will be issued later.

    On the other hand, the PTI founder can’t be released until the suspension of his sentence in cipher and iddat cases.

    The former prime minister has been facing multiple charges, including corruption and terrorism, since being ousted via a no-confidence motion in April 2022.

  • Poet Ahmad Farhad abducted from his residence

    Poet Ahmad Farhad abducted from his residence

    Well-known poet and media personality Ahmad Farhad has been abducted by unknown men on Wednesday from his house in Islamabad, his wife Ain Naqvi confirmed on X (formerly Twitter).

    Farhad’s wife wrote on X, “They broke the CCTV cameras of the house and took away the digital video recorder (DVR).”

    In another post on X, Ain Naqvi wrote that the police didn’t register  First Information Report (FIR) against her husband’s abduction.

    “My husband, Syed Farhad Ali Shah, was abducted from his house tonight at 1:03 am by unidentified men without warrants.”

    “These men broke into the house, damaged CCTV cameras, and took the DVR along with them. The unidentified men dragged him to a vehicle. There is no clue as to where he is taken,” Naqvi mentioned in her complaint.

    Naqvi also filed a petition in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) against Farhad’s enforced disappearance.

  • IHC stops government from blocking SIMs of non-filers

    IHC stops government from blocking SIMs of non-filers

    The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday stopped the government from blocking phone SIMs of non-filers.

    IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq issued a stay order effective till May 27 as the court took up the petition today filed by a mobile phone company challenging the government’s decision to block SIMs of non-filers.

    Salman Akram Raja, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader, was the petitioner’s counsel and gave forward the argument that the amendment in the law is at odds with Article 18 of the Constitution which guarantees freedom to do business.

    The High Court order came out after the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and telecom operators agreed on blocking of SIMs of tax non-filers in a bid to reduce tax evasion and improve revenue.

    FBR had announced that telecom companies have agreed to commence the manual blocking process of SIMs in small batches until their systems are fully equipped to automate it.

    It also announced initially 5,000 non-filers would be targeted and then further more batches would be sent to telecom operators.

  • 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.

  • Contempt proceedings for culprits running smear campaign against Justice Babar Sattar

    Contempt proceedings for culprits running smear campaign against Justice Babar Sattar

    The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has decided to start contempt of court legal proceedings against the individuals running an online campaign against Justice Babar Sattar, The News has reported on Tuesday.

    The latest development comes after Justice Babar Sattar wrote a letter to IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq regarding the online propaganda being run against him.

    The High Court has decided to take action based on the contents of the letter and a bench is likely to be constituted today.

    A few days ago, a social media campaign against Justice Sattar claimed that he had dual citizenship which was against the law.

    However, the IHC in a press release on April 28 refuted the claims.

    The IHC, in its press release, said that Justice Sattar’s confidential information is being posted and reposted online. It further said that the judge’s wife and children’s travel documents were also uploaded online.

    Justice Sattar is one of the six IHC judges who have complained of interference in judicial affairs by the country’s spy agencies.

  • Court fines FIA, PTA, PEMRA Rs. 500,000 each

    Court fines FIA, PTA, PEMRA Rs. 500,000 each

    The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday fined FIA, PTA, and PEMRA Rs500,000 each while also dismissing their petitions regarding Justice Babar Sattar’s recusal from the audio leaks case.

    Last week, PEMRA filed a petition asking that Justice Babar recuse himself from hearing the case.

    At least four departments filed the applications and said that petitions of Bushra Bibi, Imran Khan’s wife, and former CJP Saqib Nisar’s son Najamul Saqib should be placed before the same bench that had decided an identical matter in 2021.

    Justice Sattar had been hearing the audio leaks case ever since it surfaced in 2023.

    Now interestingly, the applications by the four departments came after a letter by six IHC judges, including Babar Sattar, was written to the Supreme Judicial Council alleging interference by spy agencies in judicial matters.

    Separately, on April 28, a press release was published by the IHC condemning the “malicious campaign against Justice Babar Sattar” on social media.

    Press-Release-Babar-Sattar-Latest-Final_240428_135444Download

    Allegations of dual citizenship and Sattar’s mother’s business enterprises abound. However, the IHC wholly defended Justice Babar Sattar saying that “confidential information” of the judge has been posted on social media.

  • Imran Khan was against IHC Justice Babar Sattar’s appointment

    Imran Khan was against IHC Justice Babar Sattar’s appointment

    Nadeem Afzal Chan, former advisor to Imran Khan, stated in a talk show with Geo’s Shahzeb Khanzada that Imran Khan was against the appointment of Babar Sattar as a judge of the Islamabad High Court (IHC).

     “Imran Khan said that he writes and speaks against us so we will not let him become a judge,” Chan narrated.

    Nadeem said he intervened by saying, “He’s [Justice Babar Sattar] a very fair person and people like him will be beneficial for us in hard times.”

    But the former Prime Minister did not agree with him and even told his party member Ali Muhammad Khan to speak against the judge in the parliamentary committee.

    Shahzeb Khanzada asked Nadeem that would he give the same advice to the current ruling government that they shouldn’t go against these judges. Nadeem replied, “Absolutely, we should appreciate those judges who are free and fair.”

  • Fawad Chaudhry to be investigated in relation to May 9 cases

    Fawad Chaudhry to be investigated in relation to May 9 cases

    Lahore police decided to involve former federal minister Fawad Chaudhry in an ongoing investigation linked to vandalism that occurred on May 9 last year. The Express TRIBUNE reported on Wednesday. 

    The police said in their statement that they will investigate the former federal minister as the detained people in the May 9 cases gave statements against him. The investigation will be based on evidence provided by detained individuals.

    Police officials also stated that although Fawad Chaudhry has interim bail in all cases but they can include the former Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader in probe for May 9 vandalism case.

    Fawad’s involvement will be examined in Case No. 97/23, filed at the Sarwar Road police station, as well as in Case No. 366/23 registered in Model Town. Besides, he will be incorporated into the investigation of Case No. 103/23, lodged at the Sarwar Road police station.

    The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has sent a notice to the interior secretary and other officials for not providing correct information regarding cases filed against Fawad Chaudhry.