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RESERVED SEATS CAN’T BE GRANTED EXCEPT PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION: JUSTICE AYESHA Wednesday, 26 June, 2024 I 19 Zil-Hajj, 1445
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Justice Minullah says ‘currently, there’s failure to uphold constitution and we are avoiding it ’
Justice Shah says entire issue stemmed from ECP’s decision to declare PTI candidates as independents
Justice Akhtar questions how ECP could declare a candidate as independent despite showing party affiliation
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Rs 20.00 | Vol XIV No 355 I 8 Pages I Islamabad Edition
KARACHI
‘Audio leaks case’: IHC declares phone tapping without law as ‘illegal’ ISLAMABAD
Staff RepoRt
UPREME Court’s Justice Ayesha Malik on Tuesday emphasized that seats should only be allocated based on proportional representation. During the hearing regarding the reserved seats for the Sunni Unity Council (SIC), she reiterated that seats cannot be granted except according to the principle of proportional representation. Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa presided over a 13-member full court for the proceedings. The full court comprises 13 judges, and also includes Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Munib Akhtar, Justice Yahya Afridi, Justice Aminuddin Khan, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Justice Ayesha Malik, Justice Athar Minallah, Justice Hasan Azhar Rizvi, Justice Shahid Waheed, Justice Irfan Saadat Khan, and Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan presided over the case. At the beginning of the hearing, Faisal Siddiqui, representing the Sunni Ittehad
Staff RepoRt
Council (SIC), stated that Sahibzada Hamid Raza had contested the election independently but had mentioned his affiliation with the SIC in the nomination papers. Referring to the Peshawar High Court’s (PHC) decision, Makhdoom Ali Khan explained that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had declined to allocate spe-
cific seats to the SIC, a decision upheld by the PHC. CJP expressed surprise that Salman Akram Raja and Faisal Siddiqui did not discuss the PHC’s decision, focusing only on the Election Commission’s ruling. Justice Athar Minallah noted that Hamid Raza had indicated his commitment to the SIC in his nomination papers. Justice Jamal
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) ruled that any action of phone tapping without a legal mechanism as ‘illegal’ and turned down the additional attorney general’s request for an in-chamber hearing in the audio leaks case. IHC’s Justice Babar Sattar presided over the hearing of the petitions filed by former first lady Bushra Bibi and ex-CJP’s son Najam Saqib regarding the audio leaks. During the proceedings, Additional Attorney General (AAG) Manoor Iqbal Dogal informed the court that the Ministry of Interior had established a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) allowing ISI and Mandukhel added that party affiliation required a party ticket. Makhdoom Ali Khan clarified that Hamid Raza had submitted a letter stating he did not contest the election under any party banner. Justice Minallah stated that the election symbol does not necessarily indicate
‘Vision Azm-i-Istehkam’ entails intensifying ongoing IBOs rather than new military op: PM ISLAMABAD
Staff RepoRt
In the middle of strong criticism and opposition, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday clarified that the proposed counterterrorism campaign initially named Operation Azm-i-Istehkam but rebranded as Vision Azm-i-Istehkam would entail intensifying ongoing intelligencebased operations (IBOs) rather than a “new and organised” military offensive. The clarification comes after the PM’s Office (PMO) last night stated that the campaign would not be a large-scale military operation, nor would it entail the mass displacement of local population. “The prime minister took the cabinet members into confidence regarding the misunderstandings and speculations regarding ‘Vision Azm-i-Istehkam’,” PTV News quoted the PMO as saying during a meeting of the federal cabinet. The statement quoted PM Shehbaz: “Azm-i-Istehkam is an overall national vision of a multifaceted cooperation of various security agencies and the entire state system. “For this purpose, already ongoing IBOs will be intensified rather than [launching] a new and organised armed
operation,” he added. “A large-scaled armed operation that would require displacement — the initiation of such an operation under Vision Azm-i-Istehkam is merely a misunderstanding,” the premier was quoted as saying. The aim of the campaign was to “decisively root out the remnants of terrorists, crime and terrorism nexus, and violent extremism from the country”, the prime minister emphasised. On Saturday, the government had announced plans for a reinvigorated and reenergised national counterterrorism
campaign, which entailed augmenting the kinetic efforts of the armed forces with support from all law enforcement agencies, as well as effective legislation to address legal voids that hinder effective prosecution of terrorism-related cases. The announcement had come after a meeting of the Central Apex Committee of National Action Plan (NAP), which was chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and attended by key federal ministers, provincial chief ministers, army and airforce chiefs, and top bureaucrats. However, opposition parties — in-
cluding the PTI, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam— Fazl (JUI-F) and the Awami National Party (ANP) — had opposed the plan, both inside parliament and outside, demanding that the Parliament be consulted on the matter first. Following the PTI’s protests during Sunday’s National Assembly session, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur on Monday even denied that any such thing was discussed with him during the apex committee meeting last week. OPPOSITION CONCERNS TO BE ADDRESSED: ASIF Addressing a press conference in Lahore on Tuesday, Defence Minister Asif stated, “We will try to create consensus this time as well. We will definitely address the reservations expressed by the JUI-F, ANP and PTI. “There are no political aims of this operation. We only want to challenge and end the rising wave of terrorism ongoing since the past few months,” he asserted. The minister urged all government components, the judiciary, security forces, the Parliament and the media to support the operation.
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IB to directly retrieve data from service providers. Justice Babar expressed concern that an SOP issued by a section officer, rather than the appropriate authority, raises questions about its legality. He questioned the Ministry of Interior’s basis for issuing such an SOP, asking under which law it was authorized to share live location without a warrant and access data from service providers. Justice Babar emphasized that the SOP issued by a section officer does not cover the specifics of phone tapping, which is a crucial distinction.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 03 party participation. Justice Ayesha Malik questioned why Hamid Raza was prevented from contesting on a party ticket, suggesting the case could take a different turn if confirmed by the ECP.
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NAB’s abolition part of PPP’s manifesto, Bilawal reiterates ISLAMABAD
Staff RepoRt
Pakistan People’s Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Tuesday declared that the National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) had been used to carry out political engineering, revenge, and defaming politicians, saying abolition of this bureau was part of the PPP’s manifesto. Addressing on the floor of the Nation Assembly during budget session, the PPP chairman claimed that the anti-corruption watchdog had dented the country’s economy and democracy. “NAB and the economy cannot work simultaneously”, Bilawal Bhutto said, regretting the lack of consensus on NAB’s abolition. On budget 2024-25, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said PPP decided to support PML-N for the sake of the federation’s survival and complained of PML-N not implementing the pact agreed between both the parties. It would have been better if suggestions of PPP and opposition parties were added to the budget 2024-25. “For National Economic Policy, everyone should be taken onboard”. Referring to PM Sharif’s inaugural speech of shutting down ministries as per 18th amendment, Bilawal said despite presentation of first budget, the issue remains standstill. He thanked PM Shehbaz Sharif for increasing 25pc budget of Benazir Income Support Program (BISP). The former foreign minister urged the premier to take a personal interest in addressing environmental change issues. He also emphasized on giving priority to the local energy rather than expensive imported one.
‘With a heavy heart,’ PPP decides to Country can’t afford any military support Azm-i-Istehkam operation operation for stability: PTI ISLAMABAD
Staff RepoRt
Despite having some ‘strong reservations’, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) on Tuesday decided to support Operation Azm-i-Istehkam, aiming at eradicating terrorism and extremism nationwide. During a parliamentary party meeting held in Islamabad on Tuesday, the PPP leadership and members deliberated on the operation. According to party insiders, the party decided to back the initiative after thorough discussion. “The PPP parliamentary party unanimously endorsed Operation Azm-e-Istehkam. However, the party has communicated its concerns to the government regarding the operation”, the insiders. They claimed the PPP leadership
expressed reservations about not being consulted on the operation. In response, the government assured that all stakeholders would be taken into confidence moving forward. “The PPP emphasised its commitment to national decisions through consultation and reiterated its support for all anti-terrorism efforts. The country’s welfare and the people’s safety have always been the PPP’s top priority,” a party insider stated. On Saturday, the country’s civil and military leadership decided launching a new campaign in an effort to tackle the resurgence of terrorism as Prime Minister Shehbaz highlighted the need for all institutions of the country to collectively combat this menace instead of relying on one. A meeting of the Central Apex Committee on NAP, which was attended by
key cabinet members, gave approval to Azm-e-Istehkam” after consensus among all the stakeholders, including the four provinces, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir. The office of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced on Monday that ‘Azm-e-Istehkam’ would not be a kinetic operation like the previous Zarb-e-Azab and Rah-e-Najaat, rather it aimed at reinvigorating the implementation of Revised National Action Plan (NAP). A statement issued by the Press Wing of the Prime Minister’s Office said that the ability of terrorist entities to carry out large scale organised operations inside Pakistan had been degraded by earlier kinetic operations, therefore, no large scale military operation was being contemplated.
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ISLAMABAD
Staff RepoRt
Reiterating opposition to Operation ‘Azm-e-Istehkam,’ PTI’s Barrister Gohar on Tuesday declared that the country could not sustain more military operations for stabilization. “Any decision must be brought to the house. This country cannot afford any operation for stability as stability is linked with rightful representation in the assembly,” Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Gohar Khan stated while speaking to the media outside the Election Commission Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday. On the occasion, the PTI lawmakers and leaders reiterated their opposition against the newly approved military operation. Declaring the party’s firm stance against the operation, they argued that military operations would disproportionately impact KhyberPakhtunkhwa (K-P) and Balochistan. “Investment isn’t coming because there’s no rule of law,” they claimed, challenging the necessity of military action. Barrister Gohar Ali Khan called for immediate jus-
tice and the release of former premier Imran Khan and other party members. He condemned their re-arrests as human rights violations. “When justice is delayed, it is also injustice,” he stated, demanding the PTI chief’s immediate release. Gohar said that the party protested from Parliament all the way to the ECP during today’s budget session. “This isn’t just a walk of 180 parliamentarians, but of 30 million voters,” Gohar maintained.“Our protest will continue until all our members are freed,” he affirmed. The lawmakers highlighted that PTI conducted three intra-party elections in the last 18 months, contrasting with other parties. “We will not accept double standards in this country,” they said. On June 23, PTI and Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) declared their refusal to support any military operation, demanding that military leadership take Parliament into confidence first. The development came a day after the Apex Committee of National Action Plan, chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, approved “Operation Azm-e-Istehkam” to eliminate terrorism and extremism across the country.
Federal cabinet decides not to impose new duty on solar panels
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Government will make low-cost renewable solar energy available to ever y citizen, says PM PROFIT app
The federal cabinet decided on Tuesday that no new duties will be imposed on solar panels to ensure access to renewable solar energy for all citizens. Chairing a meeting of the Federal Cabinet, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that the economic security of the common man and the provision of opportunities for equal development are the foremost priorities of the government.
He said that the government will make low-cost renewable solar energy available to every citizen. He said exports of the country will be increased by developing small and mediumscale industries. Further, the privileges of elites over the country’s resources will be abolished. He directed the ministers to ensure their presence in Parliament during the debate on the Budget 2024-25. The prime minister said the objective of the operation is to decisively root out the
remnants of terrorists, criminal and terrorist nexus and violent extremism in the country. The meeting was apprised of the progress on the privatization of state institutions, especially the privatization of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA). It was informed to the meeting that the process of privatization of PIA is in progress, and companies showing interest in the pre-bidding process were visiting various sites of PIA. The cabinet members were apprised that the bidding of PIA will be held in the first week of August.
The Prime Minister directed to expedite the process of privatization of PIA and give key importance to the element of transparency. On the recommendation of the Ministry of Commerce and the request of the United Nations World Food Program Afghanistan, the Federal Cabinet granted permission for the transit of a container containing truck parts from Karachi to Kabul. The Federal Cabinet was informed about the decision of the Economic Coordination Committee to export sugar. The
meeting was told that there are ample reserves of sugar in the country at present. The forum granted its approval to export a small amount of sugar. On this occasion, the prime minister issued a clear directive that no increase in the price of sugar would be allowed. The Federal Cabinet on the recommendation of the Cabinet Division approved to allow to table in the Parliament, the National Economic Council annual report for the financial year 2022-23 prepared by the Ministry of Planning Division.