Tag: pakistani law

  • Smoking: ‘impermissible, undesirable, unlawful’, Islamic scholars issue fatwa

    Smoking: ‘impermissible, undesirable, unlawful’, Islamic scholars issue fatwa

    The Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) assembled a group of Islamic experts on Thursday who issued a fatwa (ruling) declaring smoking impermissible, undesirable and unlawful due to its negative consequences of health, reports Dawn.

    The Islamic experts were gathered at a conference that was organised by Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child (Sparc) in collaboration with (CII).

    It was noted that increasing lethal effects of smoking are increasing in the society.

    Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Mohammad Khan said that in a youthful country like Pakistan, the impact of smoking will be magnified as the population ages and develops a variety of health problems linked to tobacco use, such as chronic lung and heart disease, as well as practically all cancers.

    He further said that in the absence of changes in tobacco taxation for years, policy planning to check tobacco consumption and meet international targets needs urgent revision.

    Chairman of CII Qibla Ayaz while addressing the audience talked about a saying of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and added that smoking is not only a danger to oneself but to others as well, as cigarettes have proved to be a source of several diseases, both for smokers and those exposed to second-hand smoke.

    He stated that, in light of the dangers of cigarettes, the CII and other major Islamic scholars present at the meeting agree that smoking falls into the category of behaviours that must be avoided under Islamic law.

  • Minar-e-Pakistan incident: Ayesha Akram says Rambo responsible, Rambo denies accusations

    Minar-e-Pakistan incident: Ayesha Akram says Rambo responsible, Rambo denies accusations

    The victim of Minar-e-Pakistan incident Ayesha Akram — in a supplementary statement — has nominated her associate Amir Sohail alias Rambo, for planning to go to Minar-e-Pakistan, Dawn News reported.

    Rambo in a video statement has said that he did not plan to go with Ayesha that day but that he went with her after someone else backed out. He continued by adding that what happened at Minar-e-Pakistan was neither his nor Ayesha’s fault.

    She also accused Rambo of making obscene videos of her and blackmailing her. “I have been giving half of my salary to him,” she said, adding that Rambo —along with one of his partners, Badshah — had been running a “TikTok gang”. Rambo has been arrested, Dawn reported.

    A video went viral on social media in August that showed a woman being sexually assaulted by a large group of men at Minar-e-Pakistan in Lahore on August 14, Pakistan’s Independence Day. The incident was later confirmed after a First Information Report (FIR) was registered. The incident sparked nationwide protests.

  • Mufti Aziz-ur-Rehman indicted in the madrassa sexual abuse case

    Mufti Aziz-ur-Rehman indicted in the madrassa sexual abuse case

    Mufti Aziz-ur-Rehman, his sons, and accomplices have been indicted in the madrassa sexual abuse case by a Lahore court, Samaa has reported.

    The court had adjourned the hearing till October 5. The court ordered the prosecution department to produce its witnesses at the next hearing to record their testimonies.

    As per the challan, the cleric sexually abused his student by promising him help in passing his exam.

    Read more- Police find Mufti Aziz-ur-Rehman guilty in madrassa sexual abuse case

    Previously, Mufti Aziz confessed that the video was not fake and confirmed that he was secretly filmed by his student.

    Related Stories- Usman Mirza threatened to gang-rape victim if she did not have sex with her friend

    The victim in his statement said that Mufti Aziz accused him of cheating in his exams after which he was banned from taking the exams for three years. Mufti Aziz then asked the student to “make him happy” in order to get the ban lifted.

  • FBR extends date for filing income tax returns ‘due to serious technical problems’

    FBR extends date for filing income tax returns ‘due to serious technical problems’

    The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has extended the date for filing income tax returns till October 15. Earlier, the last date for filling income tax returns was September 30. FBR had said at many times that it would not extend the deadline for people seeking to file their income tax returns, but the deadline was extended on Thursday.

    “In exercise of powers conferred under Section 214A of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001, the Federal Board of Revenue is pleased to extend the date of fling of income tax return for tax year 2021, by 15 days i.e. up to 15.10.21 due to serious technical problems in online return filing system (IRIS),” said the notification issued by FBR.

    As per Geo News, Minister for Finance Shaukat Tarin decided to extend the date considering the constant demands from the business community. The tax-collection body had received several applications for the extension of the deadline for filing income tax returns.

  • Zahir Jaffer’s parents knew Noor Mukadam was being held hostage: Islamabad High court

    The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has rejected the bail applications submitted by Zahir Jaffer’s parents, Zakir Jaffer and Asmat Jaffer, in the Noor Mukadam murder case. The IHC, in the order, has said that Zahir’s parents knew that Noor Mukadam was being held hostage by their son, Geo Urdu has reported.

    The IHC t wrote in its judgment that despite having information, Zahir’s parents did not inform the police. The guard has also stated that he had informed Zakir Jaffer.

    “Asmat and Zakir will stay in jail until the case trial is completed,” Justice Aamer Farooq ruled. He also directed the trial court to complete the trial within eight weeks.

    Read more- ‘It is very hard to imagine a life without her’, Noor Mukadam’s sister demands justice

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

  • Usman Mirza threatened to gang-rape victim if she did not have sex with her friend

    The police has submitted a challan in the the Islamabad couple harassment case. The challan submitted at an Islamabad sessions court states that there are seven accused in the crime. In addition to Usman, the others are Farhan Shaheen, Hafiz Ataur Rehman, Adaras Qayyum Butt, Rehan Hassan Mughal, Umar Bilal and Mohib Bangash.

    The woman’s statement recorded in front of the magistrate states that that Usman Mirza and the other suspects threatened to gang-rape her if she did not have sex with her friend while they filmed it. 

    “I was frightened because of their threats; they tortured me and forcibly removed the trouser of my friend,” the woman stated, adding: “The accused persons then forced her to perform a nude dance in front of them.”

    “Upon my refusal, he [Usman] started beating me. He slapped me and forced me to walk nude in front of his friends,” the challan cited the statement of the girl as saying.

    The man and woman were being blackmailed by Usman Mirza. “The men extorted Rs1.15 million from the complainants,” the investigation officer told the court. Out of the Rs. 1.15 million, Rs600,000 was taken by Mirza and the remaining amount was distributed among other suspects, he added.

    The police have forwarded the mobile phones of the accused for forensic analysis and requested the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

    Usman Mirza was arrested on July 7 after the disturbing video went viral on social media where he could be seen torturing and assaulting a couple. He was also seen stripping a woman in the video.

  • Cat incident fake, cat has left the world for a better place: DC Islamabad

    Deputy Commissioner (DC) Islamabad Mohammad Hamza Shafqaat has said that the complaint regarding the incident of a cat hanging in a house is ‘fake’.

    “Complaint regarding cat incident turned out to be fake after investigation,” DC Islamabad wrote in a tweet.

    He went on to add, “The person who shared the picture misguided. Owner of the cat also submitted statement that it was her collar. No torture found. All hype was for nothing.”

    Hamza also said that they have apologised to the person.

    A social media user inquired about the cat is alive, to which Hamza replied, “She had an anccident and has left the world for a better place.”

    Earlier, the police arrested former bureaucrat, Abdul Qayyum, after a dead cat was found hanging in his house located in Bahira Town. He was later released.

    The accused denied the accusations but the police suspected the statement given by the accused is false, adding: “Cats are not usually found with ropes around their neck.”

  • Former bureaucrat accused of torturing, hanging cat released on bail, police shocked at explanation

    Police has released former bureaucrat, Abdul Qayyum, who was arrested after a dead cat was found hanging in his house located in Bahira Town, Dawn News has reported.

    A police officer while talking to Dawn said that “during preliminary investigation, the man denied this allegation and told police that two cats were fighting inside his house and there was a loop of rope around the neck of one animal”.

    “During the fight, the cat with the rope around its neck fell from the stairs, which led to it dying by hanging as the rope got stuck in a pipe,” added the accused.

    However, the police suspects that the statement given by the accused is false, adding: “Cats are not usually found with ropes around their neck.”

    A case was registered against the man under section 429 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). The complaint was lodged by Anila Umair, who is an animal welfare activist.

    As per details, the prime suspect has also been allegedly involved in domestic abuse.

  • Father of Asma Rani pardons his daughter’s murderer

    The father of the medical student Asma Rani, who was killed in 2018, has ‘pardoned’ the murderer of his daughter, Samaa has reported.

    “They wronged my daughter but I have decided to pardon the culprit for the sake of Allah’s blessings,” said Asma’s father.

    “I was also receiving threats in connection with the case and I was also told that ‘we are in the government, so you should consent to the settlement’ but I was adamant that I will see Asma’s killer at the gallows,” Dastageer said.

    Police say Dastageer pardoned the death sentence of Mujahid Afridi at a Jirga and the formal declaration of the settlement would be announced on September 5.

    However, the the member of Marwat Qaumi Jirga has said that they had turned down the request of Asma Rani’s father to attend the meeting that will take place at Kohat’s Tableeghi Markaz, Dawn has reported.

    Timeline:

    January 2018: Asma Rani was shot dead in Kohat in January 2018 for refusing a marriage proposal. She was taken to a nearby hospital after being shot thrice. In her last video, Asma named her murderer Mujahid Afridi. The video caused outrage in the country. Later, the accused fled the country.

    March 2018: Afridi was arrested from Dubai.

    April 2018: The trial was transferred from Kohat to Peshawar on the directives of the Peshawar High Court in April 2018.

    25 June 2021: District and Sessions Court in Peshawar handed over the death sentence to Mujahid Afridi.

  • Women’s Action Forum condemns ‘reprehensible’ attack at Minar-e-Pakistan

    Women’s Action Forum (WAF) has condemned the “reprehensible attack” at Minar-e-Pakistan, Lahore. The statement of condemnation came a day after FIR was registered against 400 unidentified men for assaulting a woman.

    “This is yet another painful reminder that women and girls are not safe in Pakistan, and that public spaces are increasingly becoming breeding grounds for harassment, violence, and abuse inflicted upon women. We are horrified by the inhumane behaviour the men at Minar-e-Pakistan displayed and that too on Independence day, which reflects the free reign men in this country possess to behave violently without facing any form of accountability,” the press release shared by the forum stated.

    The statement also shed light on the irresponsible reporting of the incident by the local media. “Interviews given by the survivor on digital media has clearly shown how trauma is also being used to create sensationalism and it is important to remember that clips of her being mass groped may continue to haunt her in years to come.”

    The forum called on Chief Minister of Punjab Usman Buzdar, IGP Punjab Inam Ghani and DC Mudassir Riaz Malik “for their blatant neglect towards women’s safety in public spaces, and for failing to provide the adequate measures that should have been in place to prevent such a dreadful incident from occurring.”

    WAF is a non-partisan, non-hierarchical and non-funded women’s rights group.