The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has de-notified Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan from six seats of the National Assembly (NA) that the former Prime Minister won last year in by-elections.
According to a notification issued by the commission, Imran has been de-notified from the NA-22 Mardan-III, NA-24 Charsadda-II, NA-31 Peshawar-V, NA-108 Faisalabad-VIII, NA-118 Nankana Sahib-II, NA-Korangi Karachi-I seats. These seats are now vacant.
The Supreme Court (SC) on Monday directed Faisal Shahkar, Inspector General (IG) of Punjab Police, to register a first information report (FIR) of the gun attack on Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan within 24 hours.
A five-member bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial and comprising Justice Ijazul Ahsan, Justice Muneeb Akhtar, Justice Yahya Afridi and Justice Mazahar Akbar Naqvi, heard the plea.
During the hearing, CJP Bandial warned that the court will take suo motu notice if the FIR of the attack was not registered within 24 hours.
He also asked the IG, who joined the hearing from the SC’s Lahore registry via video link, why the FIR had not been registered as yet.
“Tell us when the FIR will be registered,” he asked, adding that there should be a concrete reason for not registering the FIR. CJP Bandial observed that it had been 90 hours since the attack. “How will an investigation be initiated without it? And without an FIR, even evidence can be altered,” he added.
On Sunday, Khan again questioned the delay in the registration of the FIR. He said the case should be registered against the prime minister, interior minister, and a senior intelligence official for “hatching a conspiracy to kill him”.
He added that despite the passage of three days, the case was not registered as the Punjab police were “reluctant to register the FIR”. He expressed surprise that the police were adamant about not including the name of the military officer in the FIR but ready to nominate the prime minister and the interior minister in the case.
“Policemen requested that they be transferred from the post…[and] some other officer may register the FIR nominating suspects mentioned by me,” he claimed.
Karachi police have registered a First Information Report (FIR) against ARY Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Salman Iqbal in connection with the controversial remarks made by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Dr Shahbaz Gill during a news transmission.
The police have also arrested Ammad Yousuf, the head of news and Senior Executive Vice President of ARY News.
The FIR said that a clip of a news bulletin, aired on August 8 by ARY News, had gone viral on social media, in which Gill had made “hateful remarks” against the Pakistan Army. Producer Adeel Raja, Yousaf, and anchorpersons Arshad Sharif and Khawar Ghumman have also been nominated in the case registered on August 8.
Meanwhile, ARY News reported that Yousaf was arrested in Karachi late on Tuesday night (August 9). Yousaf was arrested without a warrant from his residence located in Karachi’s DHA.
“Police officers along with plain-clothed persons forcibly entered the house of Ammad Yousaf. The raiding team diverted the CCTV cameras of Yousaf’s house, and jumped into the house from the top of the main entrance,” reported ARY News.
ArshadSharif flies to Dubai
After Yousaf got arrested, anchorperson Arshad Sharif left the country after his name was nominated in the FIR.
According to family sources, Arshad sharif has flown today morning from Peshawar to Dubai.. pic.twitter.com/iDpfnVu6aD
ARY News distances itself from Shahbaz Gill’s statement about army
ARY News and Salman Iqbal distanced themselves from Gill’s statement.
In a statement read out by ARY’s senior anchorperson Kashif Abbasi on his show, ‘Off the Record’, said that Salman Iqbal and the management condemns Shahbaz Gill’s statement.
Pemra issues show-cause notice to ARY News for airing ‘hateful, seditious’ content against govt
The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) on Monday issued a show-cause notice to ARY News for airing what it called “false, hateful and seditious” content based on “absolute disinformation with a clear and present threat to national security by instigating rebellion within the armed forces”.
Prior to the issuance of the notice, ARY News went off air in many parts of the country on Monday (August 8).
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.
Keeping in view the meteorological department’s prognosis of a heatwave for the coming week, the Punjab government issued an advisory on Friday, requesting that all relevant ministries in the province take steps to mitigate the effects of the heat.
The provincial and district crisis management agencies have been activated across the province to avert health-related occurrences, according to Punjab Chief Secretary Kamran Ali Afzal, who issued an advisory to several ministries.
Hospitals and the emergency service Rescue 1122 have also been placed on high alert, he said. For sensitive areas, temporary water-drinking sites and early reaction centers, according to the chief secretary, should be erected. He urged individuals to take all necessary precautions to protect themselves from the heatwave and to heed the health department’s advice.
The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) has already issued a warning for severe heatwave conditions in upper, central, and southern Punjab during the next week.
From May 15, a high-pressure system is expected to hold the upper atmosphere, according to the Met Office.
Day temperatures are expected to rise to 7-9 degrees Celsius above normal owing to the high pressure in upper Punjab, and 6-8 degrees Celsius beyond average in the central and south Punjab, during the heatwave.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has sent a notice to Federal Minister for Railways Azam Khan Swati and Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry.
Last week, Swati said that the ECP was responsible for destroying Pakistan’s democracy and for rigging all elections. Swati added that such institutions should be “set on fire”.
Meanwhile, Fawad Chaudhry in a press conference said, “The ECP seems to be acting as a mouthpiece of the Opposition, so much so that it seems to have become the headquarters for Opposition parties”.
Fawad Chaudhry responding to the notice tweeted, “If a notice comes, will give a detailed answer.”
الیکشن کمیشن کا احترام اپنی جگہ لیکن شخصیات کے سیاسی کردار پر بات کرنا پسند نہیں تو اپنا کنڈکٹ غیر سیاسی رکھیں نوٹس آیا تو تفصیلی جواب دیں گے، بحیثئت ادارہ الیکشن کمیشن کی حیثئت مسلمہ ہے لیکن شخصیات غلطیوں سے مبراء نہیں اور تنقید شخصیات کے کنڈکٹ پر ہوتی ہے ادارے پر نہیں ۔
In March, seeking to disband the election watchdog, the ruling party had called on the CEC to resign for “failing to hold the Senate elections in a transparent manner”.
Federal Minister Shafqat Mahmood said, “To ensure transparent elections are held is the responsibility of the election commission. This responsibility was not fulfilled,” he said. “The election commission failed to act as a neutral umpire hence it should resign,” added Mahmood.
On the other hand, the ECP has given dates to the politicians from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf’s (PTI) and Pakistan Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) leaders’ pending cases, which are due tomorrow (Wednesday) i.e. September 15.
Those who have been called by the ECP from PTI include Senator Faisal Vawda who has a total of three cases, MNA Farrukh Habib and Mian Asif Mehmood. From PPP, Qadir Ali Mandokhel and Nawabzada Ghazanfar Ali Gul among others have also been asked to appear.
“If the government is making such threats, it is the responsibility of Pakistan’s civil society and political parties to fulfill their responsibility and their voice [against such verbal attacks],” he reiterated.
PML-N leader further added that the relevant institutions, whose responsibility was to serve justice, should take notice of action over threats made against the ECP.
A day earlier, Swati said that the ECP was responsible for destroying Pakistan’s democracy and for rigging all elections. Swati added that such institutions should be “set on fire”. This happened when the Senate Standing Committee on Parliamentary Affairs met today to vote on two key election bills.
The Supreme Court of India has issued notices to the makers and producers of the web-series Mirzapur and Amazon Prime Video.
According to reports, a bench headed by Chief justice of India (CJI) SA Bobde admitted the plea and sought a response from the makers of the web-series and Over The Top (OTT) platform Amazon Prime Video.
The petition sought a direction that the government of India set up a core screening committee for web series, films, or other programmes that are directly released on online platforms.
The plea said, “The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting must make a certificate from a government authority mandatory before releasing any web series, movies, or program on OTT platforms.”
“By showing such ridicules and shameless things on the name of a city/ district is the insult of approximately 30 lakh population and rich culture of Mirzapur,” added the plea.
Supreme Court issues notice to makers and producers of web series ‘Mirzapur’ and Amazon Prime Video, on a petition complaining about the portrayal of Mirzapur district, UP in a bad light in the web series. SC seeks response from the OTT platform and series makers pic.twitter.com/NW074JKI9b
The PIL was filed by Sujeet Kumar Singh, a resident of Mirzapur, who said the web-series makers had shown Mirzapur as a city of goons and adulteress. The show, which was released on Amazon Prime Video on November 16, 2018, explores crime, murder and general lawlessness in a typically dysfunctional fictional town in the Purvanchal region of Uttar Pradesh. Its second season was released in October 2020.
The plea has made the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Excel Entertainment Private Limited and Amazon Prime Video as parties in the case.
The court’s notice comes two days after an FIR was registered in Uttar Pradesh (UP) against the creators of Mirzapur for hurting “religious, social and regional sentiments” and “damaging social harmony”.
The FIR was filed by local journalist Arvind Chaturvedi who alleged that the Amazon Prime Video show hurts religious, social, and regional sentiments and damages social harmony. Chaturvedi also claimed that the series has hurt religious beliefs and feelings by focusing on abusive and illicit relationships. It is pertinent to add here that Chaturvedi has also written a book on the life of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Chaturvedi also accused the makers of spoiling the image of UP and presenting the city of Mirzapur in a poor light. He claimed that the web series shows abusive content, incest, and illicit relations.
Meanwhile, Amazon Prime is also under fire for its recently released political drama Tandav. The show is facing backlash for its portrayal of Hindu Gods and it has been alleged that the show depicts them in a poor light. Several BJP leaders have called for a complete ban on the show.
Tandav creator Ali Abbas Zafar on Tuesday announced that the cast and crew of the show has decided to implement changes in the series in order to pacify viewers who have been hurt because of the content.
Zafar shared an official statement from the cast and crew of Tandav on Twitter and asserted that the team had no intentions to hurt or offend the sentiments of any caste, race, community, or religion.
“We have the utmost respect for the sentiments of the people of our country. We did not intend to hurt or offend the sentiments of any individual, caste, community, race, religion or religious beliefs or insult or outrage any institution, political party or person, living or dead,” read the statement.
