Tag: The Current

  • Khan ‘worried’ about change of judge in Zeba Chaudhry case, says Khan’s lawyer

    Khan ‘worried’ about change of judge in Zeba Chaudhry case, says Khan’s lawyer

    The legal team of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has said that the change of the judge hearing the Zeba Chaudhry case against Imran Khan is quite shocking for the former prime minister.

    “The PTI chairman was shocked and worried at the change of the judge hearing the Judge Zeba Chaudhry case,” said one of the PTI chief’s legal counsels, Salman Safdar, in a media talk outside the Attock jail after meeting his client.

    Justice Malik Aman should not have been changed at this critical time, the lawyer said, as he was going to announce the decision soon.

    Salman Safdar also said that the former prime minister apologised to Judge Zeba Chaudhry in her court for passing remarks against her in a public rally.

    In August last year, Imran Khan was booked under the Anti-Terrorism Act for threatening additional sessions Judge Zeba Chaudhry and other police officers of the Islamabad police in a public gathering.

  • ‘Bajwa, Faiz are Pakistan’s culprits’, says Rana Sanaullah

    ‘Bajwa, Faiz are Pakistan’s culprits’, says Rana Sanaullah

    Former interior minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Rana Sanaullah has said that former army chief Gen (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa and former Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Faiz Hamid are responsible for political and economic uncertainty in Pakistan.

    In an interview with Syed Talat Hussain on SAMAA, Rana Sanaullah said that former top military officials are, “culprits of the nation, adding that they should be held accountable for causing instability in the country.

    In response to a question, Sanaullah said, “These people are the culprits of the nation. They are the culprits of Pakistan. They are culprits of not just the PML-N but also of the entire nation.”

    “They will not be forgiven. These people must be held accountable. They are responsible for the current instability in the country, and they must be asked why they created instability in 2017,” he added.

  • Jamaat-e-Islami to stage dharna in Lahore against inflation

    Jamaat-e-Islami to stage dharna in Lahore against inflation

    Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) has announced the schedule of a sit-in in Lahore to protest against spiralling inflation in the country, ARY News has reported.

    According to the details, the JI sit-in will start today (September 21), with party workers gathering in front of the Governor House on Mall Road, Lahore.

    JI Ameer Sirajul Haq and senior leaders, including Liaquat Baloch, Ameerul Azeem, and other provincial leaders, will address protesters and party workers.

    Earlier, JI had staged a sit-in against high electricity bills and skyrocketing inflation.

    The secretary general of JI Ameerul Azeem headed the committee meeting of the party to finalise the schedule of sit-ins and protests against inflation.

    It should also be remembered that the caretaker government increased petrol price by Rs58 per litre and diesel price by Rs56 per litre within a month.

  • Shehbaz, Maryam leave for London with important message for Nawaz Sharif

    Shehbaz, Maryam leave for London with important message for Nawaz Sharif

    Shehbaz Sharif, President of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), has left for London a day after returning to Lahore with a special message for his brother and PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif.

    According to sources in The News, the PML-N president will reach London on Thursday night. On the other hand, PML-N vice president Maryam Nawaz will reach the British capital to meet her father on Thursday afternoon.

    “Shehbaz Sharif is coming back to London with an important message for Nawaz Sharif,” The News has reported.

    According to the report, Shehbaz, Maryam, and Nawaz Sharif will meet and discuss the return of PML-N supremo to Pakistan on October 21.

    “Nawaz Sharif’s return to Pakistan remains final, there is no change in plan”, a trusted source told The News.

    “Nawaz Sharif will reach Pakistan on October 21,” Shehbaz said earlier.

    Confusion persists about the return of the former Prime Minister. Senior leader Javaid Latif has on Wednesday said on Wasim Badami’s show that there will not be a large reception on Nawaz Sharif’s return, as was being planned earlier, stressing that the party doesn’t want people to face difficulties due to traffic jams.

    Instead, he hinted, the party night hold a rally or a gathering at Minar-e-Pakistan after Sharif has returned home.

  • ‘Last opportunity’ for police to recover Imran Riaz Khan: Lahore High Court

    ‘Last opportunity’ for police to recover Imran Riaz Khan: Lahore High Court

    The Lahore High Court (LHC) has said on Wednesday that it’s the “last opportunity” for Punjab Police to recover missing journalist and YouTuber Imran Riaz Khan by September 26, adjourning the hearing till then.

    Imran Riaz was arrested after May 9 riots. He was taken to the Cantt police station and then transferred to Sialkot prison.

    After that, the law officer told the court that Imran Riaz had been released from jail after taking a written undertaking on May 15.

    On May 16, the father of the anchorperson, Muhammad Riaz, filed a first information report (FIR) with the Sialkot Civil Lines police, alleging that Imran had been kidnapped.

    The FIR was registered against “unidentified persons” and police officials for allegedly kidnapping Imran, invoking Section 365 (kidnapping or abducting with intent secretly and wrongfully to confine a person) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

    Imran Riaz’s father also filed a petition in the LHC for his recovery.

  • ANP leader Arbab Ghulam Muhammad Kasi found dead in Kuchlak area

    ANP leader Arbab Ghulam Muhammad Kasi found dead in Kuchlak area

    Arbab Ghulam Muhammad Kasi, a senior leader of the Awami National Party (ANP), was found dead on Tuesday in the Kuchlak area of Balochistan.

    The SHO of the new Kuchlak police station has said that the body of the senior leader was found in the village of Sheikh Jamal Atuzai in the Kuchlak area. Official authorities have taken custody of the body.

    According to the initial report, a gunshot wound on the right temple is visible, while a bullet casing was also found at the crime scene.

    Police and other official authorities are still investigating whether the incident was murder or suicide.

    The body of the ANP leader has been transferred to Quetta Civil Hospital for a post-mortem.

  • India’s terrorism in Canada is not surprising for Pakistan, says foreign secretary

    India’s terrorism in Canada is not surprising for Pakistan, says foreign secretary

    Syrus Qazi, foreign secretary, has said that it’s not surprising for Pakistan that the Indian government has been involved in the killing of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia, Canada, in June this year.

    The statement of the foreign secretary came during a media briefing at the Pakistan mission in the UN on Wednesday, as Syrus Qazi is on a five-day visit with caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar to the US to attend the 78th UNGA session.

    “India’s terrorism in Canada is not a matter of surprise for Pakistan,” the top diplomat remarked.

    The foreign secretary said that the Canadian PM’s allegations are not unusual for Pakistan, as Pakistan had arrested serving Indian spy Kulbhushan Yadav from Balochistan in March 2016.

    The Indian spy was later sentenced to death as he was the mastermind of multiple terror attacks all over the country.

    On Monday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau revealed in an assembly session that the Indian government played a role in the killing of Sikh Leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

    “Over the past number of weeks, Canadian security agencies have been actively pursuing credible allegations of a potential link between agents of the government of India and the killing of a Canadian citizen, Hardeep Singh Nijjar,” Trudeau said, addressing the House of Commons about an “extremely serious matter,” after informing the opposition party leaders.

  • PM Kakar ordered to appear before court over fuel price increase

    PM Kakar ordered to appear before court over fuel price increase

    Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar has received summons on Tuesday from a civil court in Gujranwala over the recent increase in the prices of petroleum products.

    Judge Mohammad Awais summoned the caretaker PM, secretary petroleum, and Gujranwala commissioner against the hike in petrol prices.

    Advocate Manzoor Qadir filed a petition on September 16 asking for a stay order on the decision of the caretaker government to increase fuel prices. According to the petition, the caretaker prime minister and other officials are “concerned parties” and responsible for the price hike.

    The court has ordered the caretaker prime minister and other officials to appear before the court on September 20 (Wednesday).

    The caretaker government had increased the petrol price by more than Rs 26 and the diesel price by over Rs 17 per litre last week.

    According to the Finance Ministry, the decision was taken due to the increase in oil prices in the international market.

  • Caretaker govt files appeal against Review Act verdict

    Caretaker govt files appeal against Review Act verdict

    The federal interim government has filed a review appeal against the Supreme Court’s decision on the Review of Judgment Act on Monday, asking the apex court Supreme Court to revise the decision.

    The petition contends that Article 142 empowers the Parliament to enact such legislation, the judicial decision being an encroachment on the powers of the legislature.

    It should be noted that the Supreme Court had annulled the (Review of Judgment and Orders) Act on August 11.

    “The Supreme Court (Review of Judgments and Orders) Act 2023 is ultra vires the Constitution being beyond the legislative competence of parliament,” declared a three-member bench led by former chief justice Umar Ata Bandial and comprising Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Munib Akhtar.
    Senior lawyers had voiced severe concerns regarding the verdict’s timing.

  • Number of voters reached 127 million this year: ECP

    Number of voters reached 127 million this year: ECP

    The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has released voter data of the country from 2018 to 2023. According to the data, the number of registered voters increased from 105.95 million (105,955,409) in 2018 to nearly 127 million (126,980,272) in 2023.  These numbers are according to the calculations done in July this year.

    The number of male voters is over 68.50 million (68,508,258), while female voters reached 58.47 million (58,472,014) in 2023.

    According to figures given by the electoral authority, the number of voters in Islamabad increased from 765,447 in 2018 to over 1.04 million (1,041,554) this year. This is one of the country’s major urban centres.

    The total number of voters in Punjab reached 72.3 million (72,310,582) this year, while the number was 60.6 million (60,672,771) in 2018.

    The number of voters in Punjab reached 72.3 million (72,310,582) this year. On the other hand, the number was 60.6 million (60,672,771) in 2018.