Tag: Lahore High Court

  • Man arrested for second marriage without taking consent of first wife

    A man convicted of remarrying without the permission of his first wife has been arrested in Lahore High Court. The convict was sentenced to six months imprisonment and a fine of Rs 560,000 in December last year by trial court. However, he ran away before getting arrested.

    Ghulam Rasool, who had remarried without permission from his first wife, had come to the Lahore High Court to file an appeal against the sentence, where he was arrested.

    A one-member bench of the Lahore High Court will hear the appeal against the sentence next week. Ghulam Rasool has requested the High Court to suspend the sentence till the decision on his appeal. The accused’s first wife had filed a case against her husband for remarrying.

  • ‘Doctors recommend Nawaz Sharif to get married, suffers from broken heart syndrome’, Twitter reacts to Shahbaz Gill

    ‘Doctors recommend Nawaz Sharif to get married, suffers from broken heart syndrome’, Twitter reacts to Shahbaz Gill

    Special Assistant to Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan on Political Communication Dr Shahbaz Gill took to Twitter and made fun of Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz’s (PML-N) supreme leader Nawaz Sharif’s medical reports.

    Gill tweeted, “Dr Sahib [Fayaz Shawl] has indirectly tried to recommend that Nawaz Sharif should get married.”

    Gill’s remark comes after Nawaz Sharif’s latest medical report was submitted in the Lahore High Court (LHC) on February 1, which said that he suffers from broken heart syndrome possibly caused by the demise of his wife, Begum Kulsoom Nawaz, who passed away on September 11, 2018 in London after a long battle with cancer.

    The three-page medical report – authored by Dr Fayaz Shawl, advised Sharif against undertaking any travel “without undergoing a definitive treatment in London”.

    “If he [Sharif] returns to solitary confinement, he may develop what we call the takotsubo syndrome due to stressful environment” and it could have “devastating consequences”, Dr Shawl warned in the report.

    Twitterati reacted to Gill’s tweet. Here are some reactions.

    Dr Osama Siddique said, “This man does have one qualification that no one can beat. And that qualification is that he is deeper than anyone breathing. Which is to say that he routinely sinks lower than anyone else conceivably can.”

    https://twitter.com/DrOsamaSiddique/status/1488573184001855488

    Amber Danish wrote, “Public’ll never forget that PM let Nawaz Sharif go. Now Why such hues and cry?Kindly make a note that PTI Govt is solely responsible for it.”

  • Supreme Court allows government to continue Ravi riverfront project

    Supreme Court allows government to continue Ravi riverfront project

    The Supreme Court (SC) on Monday suspended the ruling of the Lahore High Court (LHC) in the Ravi Urban Development Plan case and allowed the Punjab government to continue work on the project, reports The Express Tribune.

    The bench was hearing appeals against the annulment of the project, earlier declared “unconstitutional” by the Lahore High Court (LHC) on January 25 as the project lacked a master plan.

    The court allowed the provincial government to continue construction activity on plots of land for which dues have been cleared. However, the apex court restricted the Punjab government from continuing construction activity on plots for which dues are still pending.

    During today’s hearing, notices were also issued to the respondents in the case and stated that a review will be done to determine if it constitutes an intra-court appeal. If it is an intra-court appeal, the case will be referred back to the LHC, added to the bench.

    Earlier in the hearing, the apex court reprimanded the legal team of the Punjab government for appearing before the bench in the case unprepared.

    “You do not know what the case is?” asked Justice Ijazul Ahsan when AGP Owais was unable to answer the question. “It seems that you have not prepared.”

    The Punjab AGP replied that the provincial government was not a party to the case in the high court’s verdict. “Not being party to one of 18 petitions does not matter,” Justice Ahsan remarked, adding that the Punjab government had presented its position in the high court.

    The petitions were against the public hearing of the environment agency, AGP Punjab stated further.

    The justice replied that according to the records, acquisition of lands for the project was also challenged and added that the provincial government’s legal team should not misrepresent in court.

    Last week, Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan said that the government would move to the Supreme Court after LHC nullified the Ravi Urban Development Project.

    The prime minister during his visit to Rakh Jhok forest said that the case would be presented in a better manner to appraise the court about the significance of the project in view of urban development and civic facilities, further saying that the case was not presented correctly in LHC.

  • Ravi Urban project not presented correctly in court, govt will approach SC: PM Khan

    Ravi Urban project not presented correctly in court, govt will approach SC: PM Khan

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan said Friday the government would move the Supreme Court after the Lahore High Court (LHC) nullified the Ravi Urban Development Project.

    Prime minister during his visit to Rakh Jhok forest said that this time the case would be presented in a better manner to appraise the court about the significance of the project in view of urban development and civic facilities, further saying that the case was not presented correctly in LHC.

    PM Imran Khan said wealth creation would help run 40 affiliated industries.

    “We need to set up new cities in view of the growing population, otherwise we will not be able to provide civic facilities to people,” he said.

    The premier mentioned that Lahore in near future could face similar civic problems like Karachi as a result of unplanned urban development.

    The LHC on Tuesday had declared the Ravi Riverfront Urban Development Project (RRUDP) illegal while announcing a verdict on the petitions against the project.

    The court also declared Section 4 of the Ravi Urban Development Authority (amendment) Ordinance 2021 unlawful and unconstitutional.

    The mentioned section is contradictory to Article 144 of the Constitution of Pakistan, it said.

  • PM Khan’s pet project River Ravi declared illegal by LHC

    PM Khan’s pet project River Ravi declared illegal by LHC

    The River Ravi Urban Development Project, which is considered a pet project of Prime Minister Imran Khan, has been declared illegal by the Lahore High Court (LHC). The court ordered its construction to be halted immediately.

    The verdict was announced by Justice Shahid Karim. “The Section 4 of the Ravi Urban Development Authority Act, 2020, is against the Constitution,” said the court and added that the land was not acquired legally.

    Section 4 of the Ravi Urban Development Authority Act, 2020:

    “The government shall, by notification in the official Gazette, establish an Authority to be known as the Ravi Urban Development Authority for carrying out the purposes of this Act.”

    “The authority shall be a body corporate, with perpetual succession and a common seal, with powers, subject to the provisions of this Act, to acquire and hold property, both movable and immovable, and may by the said name, sue and be sued. The Government shall review the performance of the Authority and may, from time to time, give general policy directions to implement such directions.”

    “The loans for the project have been borrowed illegally,” the bench said. Justice Shahid Karim added that the Ravi authority immediately repay the loan of Rs5 billion it took from the Punjab government for the project. The court also observed that environmental laws have been ignored in the Ravi River Urban Project,

    The Ravi UrbanDevelopment Authority was inaugurated by Prime Minister Imran Khan in August 2020.

  • Board to examine Nawaz’s medical conditions, report in five days

    Board to examine Nawaz’s medical conditions, report in five days

    In line with the federal cabinet’s decision, the Punjab government on Friday has formed a medical board to examine Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif’s health reports submitted in Lahore High Court (LHC).

    Punjab government spokesperson Hassan Khawar confirmed that a notification has been issued in this regard, according to which the medical board comprises of Dr Mohammad Arif Nadeem, Dr Ghias-un-Nabi Tayyab, Dr Saqib Saeed, Dr Shahid Hameed, Dr Bilal S Mohi-ud-din, Dr Ambreen Hamid, Dr Shafiq-ur-Rehman, Dr Moona Aziz, and Dr Khadija Irfan.

    The board has been directed to submit its report/expert medical opinion to the specialised healthcare secretary within five days.

    Earlier this week the attorney general’s office asked the Punjab government to consider establishing a medical board or a committee that could determine the current status of Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

    In a two-page letter, addressed to Punjab Home Secretary Zafar Nasrullah Khan, the attorney general’s office wrote: “In order to initiate the process of verification in the light of the Nov 16, 2019, Lahore High Court order, the government of Punjab is requested to constitute a medical board/committee to examine the documents submitted as medical reports on behalf of the petitioner and Mian Mohammad Nawaz Sharif so that expert medical opinion regarding the physical condition of Mian Mohammad Nawaz Sharif and his ability to travel back to Pakistan is made available.”

    The letter was written in line with the federal cabinet’s instructions to the Attorney General of Pakistan (AGP) Khalid Javed Khan to initiate proceedings against the Sharif family.

    The letter pointed out that Nawaz Sharif’s “apparent present physical condition was available in the media”.

    “Given the fact that he had left the country claiming to be in extreme critical condition which prima facie improved significantly after his arrival in London and the fact that he has apparently never been hospitalised and his political, social and other recreational activities have continued uninterrupted… indicate that severe ailment, if any, that may have existed in [the] past is no longer evident or [constrains] his activities,” the letter said.

    Nawaz Sharif had left for the United Kingdom (UK) in November 2019 after the Lahore High Court granted him a four-week bail for his treatment.

  • Higher consumption of BBQ the reason behind smog, PDMA tells court

    Higher consumption of BBQ the reason behind smog, PDMA tells court

    The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday heard petitions regarding environmental issues, including smog. During the hearing, an official of the Punjab Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) told the court  that increase in the consumption of grilled fish and BBQ in the winter season was one of the factors contributing to pollution and smog.

    The official also asked the court to order early closure of these (BBQ) shops. However, the suggestion was not approved by the court.

    Lahore recorded the worst air quality in four years on Wednesday (December 15).

    Read more-Lahore’s air quality reaches 981, normal air quality should be below 50

    An Air Quality Index (AQI) of 981 was recorded near the Mall Road, Samaa has reported. As per United States Environmental protection agency, the hazardous category indicates an AQI of 301–500. The ‘good’ category is 0–50, which is followed by ‘moderate’ at 51–100 while anything in the 101–301 AQI range is considered unhealthy.

    Meanwhile, in November, Provincial Minister of Punjab for Environment Protection Muhammad Rizwan claimed that there has been no smog in Punjab, including Lahore, for the last two years.

  • Supreme Court orders Education Commission to close illegal private universities

    Supreme Court orders Education Commission to close illegal private universities

    The Supreme Court of Pakistan (SC) on Wednesday ordered the Higher Education Commission (HEC) to close down campuses of private universities all over the country that are running illegally.

    The SC remarked campuses of Preston University and Al Khair University have been set up illegally in Lahore and Karachi. Students sought help from the court about the HEC not issuing degrees to those who have studied from these universities.

    The case was heard by a three-member bench headed by Justice Umar Ata Bandial.

    The court gave directions to HEC to make special arrangements to award degrees to the students who had graduated from these illegal campuses. It also said that policies of HEC should be implemented with uniformity all over the country.

    The bench gave remarks that there should be no compromise on the provision of higher education to all young students. Provincial and Federal governments need to work closely and cooperate to maintain the standards of HEC.

    The SC noted that the issue was whether private universities are allowed to open sub-campuses outside their territorial limits or not. It added that HEC already made it very clear that they could set any sub-campuses and they issued many alerts as well.

    Counsel for students, Ali Zafar said that the session court had ordered the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to take action against these universities. However, Justice Bandial replied, “The HEC has the powers. There is no need for NAB to investigate the matter.”

    The court said that the federal government would be ordered to change the laws if HEC is weak.

    “The students had approached the Lahore High Court (LHC) for their degrees. The LHC declared the [sub-]campuses of private universities illegal,” the counsel added.

    Justice Bandial acknowledged the high court verdict and emphasised pursuing the shut down of illegal campuses at the earliest.

  • Remove ban on imported cars, petitioner moves Lahore High Court

    Remove ban on imported cars, petitioner moves Lahore High Court

    While hearing a case on prices of locally manufactured vehicles, the Lahore High Court (LHC) court has asked the government to level the prices of domestically assembled cars and also mitigate the ban on imported cars. The government had decided in principle to impose a temporary ban on the imported cars from Jan 2022 – June 2022 to help reduce the current account deficit .

    On Monday, the LHC was hearing a case in which looked for strategy concerning fixing cost of locally assembled cars. The plaintiff said that the demand for locally manufactured cars had increased drastically ever since the government had banned the import or vehicles.

    The plaintiff said that the government has failed in stabilising prices and the prices of cars are increasing daily. He pleaded to the court to make a decision regarding the fixing of prices of the vehicles and relaxing the ban.

    The LHC has been pleaded to pass judgment regarding the fixing of the domestically manufactured vehicles and the ban on the import of vehicles should also be relaxed.

  • Ex-CJ GB’s son asked for permission to play ‘video’ in Saqib Nisar case

    Ex-CJ GB’s son asked for permission to play ‘video’ in Saqib Nisar case

    The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday issued show-cause notices during a hearing of the case relating to the allegations against ex-Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Saqib Nisar by former Chief Judge of Gilgit-Baltistan Justice (retd) Rana Shamim.

    During the hearing, apologising for his father’s absence, Justice Shamim’s son asked the court staff for permission to play a ‘video’ in the courtroom.

    The video was in relevance to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senator Faisal Vawda’s comments where he said that Rana Shamim, should be beaten up in public.

    However, the court refused to include it in the case and told Shamim’s lawyer to file a separate appeal.

    Senator Vawda, while speaking on ARY News’ programme, Off the Record’, said: “These retired and retarded judges who are maligning courts and judiciary should be beaten up in public. They are paving the way for chaos in society. They are maligning the noble and honest judges and dragging Pakistan towards anarchy. That is why it is important to punish them.”

    “It is questionable why their conscience woke up after three years,” said Vawda and asked as to why they did not react at the time when it happened.

    The senator further said that there were many like them in all the departments who wake up to the call of their conscience after retirement and labelled them “shameless, and disgraceful”.

    Describing Rana Shamim as a ‘bhagora’ [absconder], Vawda said, “He is an absconder, for filing an affidavit in London after retirement,” adding, “there are places where a layman goes for justice, honest judges are present there who have a career ahead of them, and then you malign them.”

    “You pit one institution against the other, you malign the military, certain elements are acting on behalf of hostile countries were maligning the institutions and pitting them against the other,” said Vawda.

    Vawda asked whether there was a video or it was money that stirred his [Rana Shamim’s] conscience, adding, “He was appointed by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in 2015 and benefitted throughout. His son was also made the advocate general. If a common thief is disgraced and criticised, then a judge who scandalises the judiciary and honest judges cannot be awarded for it. He is acting like a pimp.”

    Anchorperson Kashif Abbasi interjected and said, “I am saying this again to kindly mind your words. These are judges we are talking about, this is not how it works. Don’t do that, don’t do that.”

    “These retired and retarded judges who are maligning courts and judiciary should be beaten up in public,” asserted Vawda.