Tag: The Current

  • Supreme Court declares trial of civilians in military courts null and void

    Supreme Court declares trial of civilians in military courts null and void

    The Supreme Court (SC) on Monday has declared trials of civilians in military courts null and void.

    A five-member bench of the Supreme Court has announced its decision on applications challenging the military trial of civilians involved in the May 9 riots.

    In the short verdict, the court ordered that 102 individuals detained under the Army Act should face trial in civilian courts. It additionally dictated that any trial of a civilian in a military court is considered invalid.

    The apex court’s bench — headed by Justice Ijaz Ul Ahsan, and comprising of Justice Munib Akhtar, Justice Yahya Afridi, Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi and Justice Ayesha Malik — heard petitions filed by PTI chief Imran Khan and others on Monday.

    The Attorney General of Pakistan (AGP), Mansoor Usman Awan, completed his arguments and he had focused on jurisdiction of military courts to try civilians under the Army Act.

    The day before, the federal government had notified the top court that military trials of civilians had already begun.

  • 51 per cent people think that Nawaz’s return will help PML-N win next election

    51 per cent people think that Nawaz’s return will help PML-N win next election

    The political fortunes of Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz (PML-N) got uplifted after the return of three-time former prime minister and party head Nawaz Sharif, revealed a snap poll conducted by Gallup Pakistan.

    As per a report in The News, a sample of 1000 men and women were selected scientifically from 100 different district across the country.
    The survey included total eight key findings.

    According to the survey, 75 per cent adults of the country said that they have heard about Nawaz Sharif’s return.

    One in three adults said that they have heard the speech of the PML-N supremo, accounting for an audience of 40 million people across Pakistan.

    Thirdly, 80 per cent of the people who heard the speech said that they liked it. On the other hand, 12 per cent said that they didn’t like the speech and eight per cent have mix feelings.

    A total of 50 per cent respondents believed that Nawaz’s comeback to Pakistan would be beneficial for the nation and its people. In contrast, 14 per cent expressed concerns that his return would have a negative impact on Pakistan. Additionally, 18 per cent remained neutral, stating that his return would not affect the lives of the ordinary citizens.

    A key figure of 51 per cent people think that the former prime minister’s return to Pakistan will be helpful for PML-N to win the upcoming general election. On the other hand, 26 per cent people said that Nawaz Sharif’s return will harm PML-N.

    A total of 70 per cent people agreed that Nawaz Sharif should work with other political parties as well, including arch rivals PTI.
    Almost four in 10 respondents believed that Nawaz Sharif’s return to Pakistan was part of a certain deal.

    Lastly, 30 per cent people think that Nawaz Sharif has the ability to take the country out of its current economic situation. Meanwhile, 22 per cent were of the opinion that Imran Khan possessed the capability to alleviate the ongoing crisis in the country.

  • Imran Khan, SMQ indicted in cipher case

    Imran Khan, SMQ indicted in cipher case

    Former Prime Minister and Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan has been indicted on Monday in a case related to the leaking of secret state documents.

    Along with Khan, his party’s Vice-Chairman and former foreign minister, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, has also been indicted in the case. If proved, the charges carry sentences of up to 14 years imprisonment.

    Imran Khan was arrested in August in a case related to state gifts, however, he and Qureshi are currently jailed in the cipher case.

    Imran Khan’s lawyers told the media outside Adiala jail, where the indictment was read out, that they will contest the indictment.

  • PML-N competent enough to solve country’s problems, says Nawaz Sharif

    PML-N competent enough to solve country’s problems, says Nawaz Sharif

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has stated that he is returning back to Pakistan after “vindication”, expressing confidence in his party’s ability to navigate the country through its current challenges.

    “I am returning to Pakistan after being vindicated with the grace of Almighty Allah,” he said on Saturday while speaking to the journalists at Dubai airport ahead of Pakistan departure.

    The three time former prime minister is coming back to Pakistan after voluntarily living in self-imposed exile in London for four years. He aims to stage a political comeback in the forthcoming general elections, which are expected to take place in the last week of January next year.
    The ex-Prime Minister expressed confidence that his party can address the concerns of the public if they are elected into power. When asked about the upcoming general elections, Nawaz offered support to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

    “Only the Election Commission can make a better decision regarding the elections. What the Election Commission thinks is right is my preference on the elections,” said Nawaz when he was asked about the January polls.

  • How can a convicted man address a jalsa at Minar-e-Pakistan, asks Faisal Karim Kundi

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Faisal Karim Kundi appeared on Shahzeb Khanzada’s show on Geo News on Thursday night. The PPP leader criticised Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Nawaz Sharif, stating that Imran Khan was ‘selected’, but now PML-N is giving the impression that they are also going to be selected, stressing that Pakistani youth will not accept this.

    The PPP leader also asked how a convicted man can address a Jalsa in Minar-e-Pakistan after his return on October 21. PPP is not sure that general elections are going to be held in January next year, he said.

    On the other hand, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said on Wednesday that general elections have been put on hold because of just one person [Nawaz Sharif].

    PML-N leader Rana Sanaullah criticised Bilawal Bhutto’s statement while speaking on Khanzada’s show on Thursday that Nawaz Sharif is the only hope for nation and elections have been delayed due to delimitation process.

  • A timeline of Nawaz Sharif’s fall from power and return to Pakistan

    A timeline of Nawaz Sharif’s fall from power and return to Pakistan

    Former prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Nawaz Sharif got disqualified when the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SC) announced its decision on July 28, 2017 in the Panama Papers case.

    After that, Nawaz Sharif and three of his children were referred to an accountability court, which was ordered to file corruption cases against Sharif’s family within six weeks.

    In July 2018, the expelled prime minister was imprisoned for 10 years in Avenfield properties corruption case, an assets-beyond-means trial.

    Nawaz’s sentence then got extended to one more year for not cooperating with National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in the same case.

    His daughter, PML-N Chief Organiser Maryam Nawaz, had initially received a seven-year jail sentence in the same case. However, she was subsequently acquitted in September 2022, along with her husband, (retd) Captain Safdar.

    In Al-Azizia Steel Mills corruption case, the PML-N supremo was sentenced to seven years in jail on December 24, 2018. Nawaz Sharif was taken to Adiala jail in this case, and then he got shifted to Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat jail on the very next day. He was also fined Rs1.5 billion and US$25 million in this case.

    The former prime minister was released from jail in March 2019. After that, Lahore High Court (LHC) allowed Nawaz Sharif to go to London for treatment for fast depleting platelets levels, and then he left for London in November 2019.

    When he didn’t come back to Pakistan for almost a year, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) declared him a fugitive.

    On September 9, 2021, PML-N leader Javed Latif claimed that Nawaz Sharif will come back to Pakistan within the year, but that return didn’t work out.

    Latif, a PML-N MNA, was talking to media after visiting NAB’s Joint Investigation Team for a graft inquiry.

    On November 12, 2022, a PML-N party insider expressed confidence that Sharif will be back in Pakistan next month in December, but that didn’t happen either.

    Once again, on August 15, 2022, Javed Latif claimed that Nawaz Sharif will come back to Pakistan in September, as doctors had allowed him to travel.

    “The doctors change their opinion with time. The people are his doctors; the nation has announced its decision that Nawaz Sharif should come back,” Latif added.

    In June 2023, one of the well-informed sources within PML-N also claimed that Nawaz Sharif will come back to Pakistan next month, in July 2023.

    The former prime minister and PML-N president, Shehbaz Sharif, has confirmed multiple times in the last few months that Nawaz Sharif is coming back on October 21, 2023.

    The PML-N supremo left London for Saudi Arabia on October 11 and performed Umrah there. Nawaz Sharif is currently in Dubai and will land in Pakistan on October 21.

    Meanwhile, the IHC has approved Nawaz Sharif’s plea on Thursday, providing him with bail in the Avenfield and Al-Azizia cases until October 24.

  • Nawaz Sharif reaches Dubai to return to Pakistan

    Nawaz Sharif reaches Dubai to return to Pakistan

    Former prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) head Nawaz Sharif has arrived in Dubai on Thursday ahead of his much-anticipated return to Pakistan.

    After four years of self-exile in London, the former three-time prime minister is scheduled to come back to Pakistan on Saturday, October 21, even though he has been sentenced to prison.

    He arrived a few hours late due to an important meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, as reported by Geo News. Upon his arrival at the Dubai airport, he received “special protocol”.

    Nawaz is scheduled to have meetings with a specific set of individuals while staying in Dubai for two days. He will for Pakistan on Saturday morning, initially heading to Islamabad and then continuing on to Lahore.

    Nawaz is set to return to Pakistan on a chartered plane, with approximately 150 individuals, including journalists, politicians, and activists, who have booked tickets to accompany him on his journey.

    The three-time premier went to London on November 19, 2019, when he fell critically ill in prison.

  • Nawaz Sharif gets green signals from courts; three bails granted

    Nawaz Sharif gets green signals from courts; three bails granted

    The Islamabad High Court (IHC) approved the request of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Nawaz Sharif on Thursday, providing him with bail in the Avenfield and Al-Azizia cases until October 24.

    In July 2018, Nawaz Sharif, who had been removed from office, received a 10-year prison sentence in the Avenfield properties corruption case, for assets that exceeded his known income, and an additional one-year sentence for failing to cooperate with the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

    In the Al-Azizia Steel Mills corruption case, he was handed a seven-year prison term and subsequently taken to Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi.

    On the other hand, an accountability court has deferred the arrest warrant of PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif in the Toshakhana case, as the NAB raised no objections.

    The court announced the decision after reserving a verdict on Nawaz’s petition seeking postponement.

    A day earlier, the former prime minister filed a petition in an accountability court to restrict authorities from arresting him on his return to the country on October 21.

    During today’s hearing, Nawaz Sharif’s lawyer, Qazi Misbah, requested the court to suspend the arrest warrant as he is coming back to Pakistan and wants to appear before the court himself.

    The legal team of PML-N supremo has also filed a bail petition in Islamabad High Court (IHC) to prevent officials from arresting him on October 21.
    During the hearing, Qazi Misbah argued that Nawaz Sharif wanted to appear before the court on October 24, telling the judge that his client was not well, which is why he didn’t appear before the court.

  • PM Kakar, President Putin decide to increase collaboration in various fields.

    PM Kakar, President Putin decide to increase collaboration in various fields.

    Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a meeting on the sidelines of the Third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing. They talked about a variety of topics, including trade, investment, and energy cooperation.

    During their conversation on Tuesday, the two leaders conveyed their contentment with the consistent growth of relations between Pakistan and Russia while emphasising the necessity of increased collaboration in various fields.

    President Putin received PM Kakar before they held a meeting that encompassed bilateral, regional, and international affairs.

    They also talked about the potential for improving Eurasian connectivity along with Pakistan’s crucial role in regional integration through rail, road, and energy corridors.

    The prime minister highlighted the significance of increased regional cooperation to foster economic growth in the region and reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to strengthen and enhance its bilateral relations with Russia in areas such as energy, connectivity, trade, investment, and the fight against terrorism.

    The leaders also exchanged views on regional and global developments, including the evolving situation in the Middle East.

  • Nawaz’s legal team files protective bail to prevent him from being arrested

    Nawaz’s legal team files protective bail to prevent him from being arrested

    The legal team of frmer prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Nawaz Sharif has filed a bail petition in Islamabad High Court (IHC) to prevent officials from arresting him when he reaches Pakistan on October 21.

    Sharif was declared a proclaimed offender by IHC in the Avenfield and Al-Azizia cases due to non-compliance. After that, he went to London in November 2019 for medical treatment with the permission of the court.

    An accountability court sentenced Nawaz Sharif for 10 years in 2018 in the Avenfield and Al-Azizia references.

    His appeal against the sentence was rejected by an IHC bench comprising of IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Mohsin Akhtar Kayani for non-compliance.

    The Lahore High Court (LHC) suspended the sentence of the three-time former prime minister in Al-Azizia reference in 2019 because of his medical condition.

    Nawaz Sharif is also a fugitive in the Toshakhana case.

    His legal team has filed three protective bail applications, requesting that the IHC direct authorities not to arrest Sharif when he returns to country on October 21.

    After that, the court sent out a notice on Nawaz’s request for protective bail and requested an answer from the NAB by tomorrow.