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LHC DIRECTS PM OFFICE TO ‘ADVISE AGENCIES’ AGAINST APPROACHING, CONTACTING ‘ANY JUDGE’ Sunday, 30 June, 2024 I |23 Zil-Hajj, 1445
g LIKEWISE, INSTRUCTIONS SHALL BE ISSUED BY WRITTEN VERDICT SAYS INSTRUCTIONS SHALL GO OUT BY PMO TO ALL CIVIL OR PUNJAB IGP TO ALL OFFICERS NOT TO DIRECTLY MILITARY AGENCIES INCLUDING IB, ISI CONTACT ANY JUDGE: JUSTICE SHAHID KARIM
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Rs 20.00 | Vol XIV No 359 I 8 Pages I Islamabad Edition
LAHORE
STAFF REPORT
HE Lahore High Court (LHC) has directed the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) to issue instructions to all civil and military agencies, including the Intelligence Bureau and Inter-Services Intelligence, against contacting or approaching “any judge” or member of their staff. LHC’s Justice Shahid Karim issued the directions in a written order issued on Saturday on a complaint filed by the Sargodha Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) judge against harassment after he allegedly refused to meet officials of an intelligence agency. In a written order the judge noted that it was “imperative” to proceed on certain issues that “regularly come before this court” and regarding which “directions are necessary to be issued in order to protect the independence of the judiciary”. Subsequently, he ordered: “Instructions shall go out by the Prime Minister’s Office to all civil or military agencies including the Intelligence Bureau as well as Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) regarding strict directions not to approach or contact any judge whether of the superior judiciary or sub-ordinate judiciary or any member of their staff in future.” It is to be noted that former LHC chief justice Malik Shahzad Ahmad Khan had taken a suo motu notice on the judge’s complaint filed with the registrar
and had started proceedings. Following his elevation to the Supreme Court, Justice Karim presided over the hearing of the case. At the previous hearing, Justice Karim had remarked that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was responsible and answerable for the actions of intelligence agencies as they came under his command. Similar directions were also issued for the Punjab police. “Likewise, instructions shall be issued by the Inspector General of Police, Punjab to all police officers […] not to contact directly any judge of superior judiciary or the sub-ordinate judiciary regarding the merits of any pending judicial proceedings before these courts,” the written order stated.
It said that measures regarding the security of ATCs across Punjab would only be put in place “with the consultation and concurrence of the learned judge of that court and not otherwise”, warning that the inspector general and police chief would be “held personally responsible” and proceeded against in contempt if the order was violated. Justice Karim also directed ATC judges across Punjab to download callrecording applications on their mobile phones. “[They] shall be bound to record all such calls which they receive and with regard to which the learned judges have apprehension that they have been made to influence any judicial proceedings before them,” he said. “A direction is issued to the judges
of ATCs across Punjab to deal and decide the cases relating to May 9, 2023, expeditiously and on priority,” the order added. The court further directed the Sargodha ATC judge and court staff to cooperate in the investigation. “All investigation proceedings should be video recorded and the record shall be maintained by the police as also remitted to this court through the registrar,” it said. The order concluded that the proceedings were adjourned till July 8. The complaint The complaint of the Sargodha ATC judge pertained to his first day as in charge on June 7 when he was told that “some authority of ISI” wanted to meet him in his chamber. The judge said he straightaway refused the request. Since then, he listed a number of harassment incidents targeted at his family, including damages to the gas meter installed outside his official residence in Bahawalpur, where he was serving before being posted to Sargodha. He also submitted that his family received an inflated electricity bill for the previous month, which was apparently a fake, and the possibility cannot be ruled out that it was sent in connivance with the power utility company and intelligence agency members. The judicial officer reported that his relatives were also “teased” by some unknown men about his personal information.
IHC rules no FIR can be registered for an offense in different regions ISLAMABAD
India become T20 World Champion for second time after 17 Years ISLAMABAD
NEWS DESK
India won the T20 World Cup title with a thrilling seven-run victory over South Africa in a classic final at Kensington Oval on Saturday. Virat Kohli’s 76 led India to a strong 176-7 but after Heinrich Klaasen blasted a superb 52 from 27 balls, South Africa were closing in on victory only to be halted by some outstanding Indian bowling at the end. South Africa ended on 169-8 with Hardik Pandya taking 3-20 for India to the delight of the huge Indian following at the stadium. Kohli had struggled in the tournament but he delivered his best innings at the perfect moment with his balanced batting. It was just what was needed for India who had slipped to 34 for three after their captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and opted to bat. In what has been a low-scoring tournament, the total looked to be a daunting one for South Africa but then Quinton de Kock (39) and Tristan Stubbs (31) set the Proteas on their way before Klaasen turned the game in their direction in the 15th over, smashing Axar Patel for 24, including two fours and two sixes. When Klaasen was finally removed, caught behind off Hardik Pandya, the Proteas needed just 26 off the last 23 balls. Knowing they had to take the initiative, Rohit turned early for Jasprit Bumrah’s final over and he answered the skipper’s call perfectly, bowling Marco Jansen and conceding just two runs in the 18th over. That meant South Africa needed 20 from the final two overs and Arshdeep Singh bowled a superb length to allow just four.
ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will leave for a threeday tour of two Central Asian countries next week. Senior federal ministers will accompany the prime minister during the visit. According to media reports, the prime minister will land in Tajikistan on July 2 as part of the first leg of his tour. Shehbaz Sharif is visiting Tajikistan at the invitation of Tajik President Imam Ali Rahmanov, the reports added. During the visit, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will also meet Tajikistan’s Foreign Minister Sirajuddin Mehruddin. He will also hold a meeting with Tajik President Imam Ali Rahmanov in Dushanbe. In the meetings, the situation in Afghanistan, mutual engagements and promotion of trade and investment will be discussed, the sources said. Global and regional issues of mutual interest will be discussed in meetings with Tajik leaders. Both Pakistan and Tajikistan have serious concerns over the situation in Afghanistan, the sources said, adding the presence of terrorist groups in Afghanistan and the use of Afghan territory for terrorism is a headache for both the countries. In second leg, PM Shehbaz Sharif later will go to Kazakhstan for a two-day visit. The prime minister will visit Kazakhstan on July 3 and 4 to participate in the summit meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Astana. Many world leaders including Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin will participate in the meeting. On the sidelines of the SCO summit, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is expected to meet several world leaders. During his visit to Kazakhstan, Shehbaz Sharif will also meet Kazakh President Kassym Jomrat Tokayev and Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu.
Khan seeks names of ‘belligerent members’ as PTI turmoil escalates
STAFF REPORT
The Islamabad High Court on Saturday ruled that no FIR can be registered for an offense outside the jurisdiction of the respective police station and termed such a practice violation of the law as determined by the Supreme Court. While issuing a detailed verdict on the plea against the registration of cases in different regions against former Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid for an offense committed in Islamabad Polyclinic, the court emphasized that constitutional courts must protect citizens’ rights. IHC’s Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri issued a 41-page verdict on a plea filed by Awami Muslim League (AML) Sheikh Rashid against the registration of cases in Karachi’s Mochkaa and Lasbela police stations and dismissed all cases. These cases were filed against Sh Rashid for derogatory language against Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto. In it’s verdict, the court declared that the incident involving Sheikh Rashid took place at the Islamabad Polyclinic, thus falling under its jurisdiction while the cases against Sheikh Rashid were registered in different region including Karachi’s Mochkaa and Lasbela police stations. The court underscored that it was a well-settled principle of law that a person could not be prosecuted multiple times for the same offence. On June 25, the IHC dismissed the case filed against the Awami Muslim League (AML) chief in February last year for using offensive words against the PPP chief. The FIR was registered by
PM Shehbaz to undertake tour of two Central Asian states next week
Karachi’s Mochkaa police station in Keamari on a complaint of a local PPP leader. The high court expressed regret over the fact that political parties, while in power, often lodge baseless cases against their political opponents, filing multiple cases for the same charge in different parts of the country, according to the verdict. It added that this practice of harassing and torturing political opponents was a blatant violation of established laws of the land. The detailed verdict further said that apart from the relevant police station, no other FIR could be registered for a single incident. “It is the constitutional courts’ responsibility to protect citizens’ rights. In Sheikh Rashid’s case, the incident occurred at Polyclinic Hospital in Islamabad, hence the court exercised its jurisdiction over it,” the verdict read. The decision criticized the practice of political parties filing frivolous cases against opponents, noting that such actions undermine democracy and the rule of law. The court stressed that political oppo-
nents are often subjected to harassment through multiple cases filed across different regions for the same offense, which is a violation of the law as determined by the Supreme Court. The judgment highlighted that judicial assistants and police officials confirmed that FIRs of the incidents in Islamabad are invalid in other provinces. Following this, petitioners withdrew their applications. The court noted that a case was filed against Sheikh Rashid in Karachi’s Mochkaa and Lasbela police stations for derogatory remarks about Bilawal Bhutto, made while he was at the polyclinic in Islamabad. The police acknowledged that the incident was rooted in Islamabad, and thus, there was no valid reason for registration of a case in Karachi. However, the police official refrained from making an official statement due to the involvement of the PPP chairman. Referencing the Supreme Court’s Sugra Bibi case, the judgment reiterated that the same incident cannot be registered in different locations.
ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
Incarcerated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan on Saturday sought the names of those party members allegedly involved internal strife and a forward bloc within the party, emphasizing that strict action should be taken against those repeatedly violating party rules. According to PTI leaders privy to the development, the party’s founder has taken notice of the situation following reports about a forward bloc in the party. The unconfirmed reports claim that almost two dozen lawmakers have hinted at forming a forward bloc due to the leadership’s failure to secure the release of Imran Khan from jail. According to the insiders, persistent reports of groupings within PTI have prompted the PTI supremo to seek the names of members involved in factionalism and forward blocs. They claimed that Khan had directed party leadership in a yesterday’s meeting to present the names of those involved in the Senate and National Assembly (NA) forward blocs in the upcoming meeting. The former premier has also emphasised strict adherence to party discipline, instructing that action be taken against those repeatedly violating party rules. String of Resignations PTI has seen a wave of resignation pouring in recently after rumours of forward blocs and internal strife became apparent. Amid escalating conflicts within PTI, lawmaker Junaid Akbar resigned from the party’s core committee on Saturday.
Justice Minallah takes ECP to task over verdict in SIC reserved seats case ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
Supreme Court Justice Athar Minallah has issued a four-page additional note criticising the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) verdict regarding the Sunni Ittehad Council’s reserved seats case. In the note issued on Saturday, he stated that the decision deprived voters of their fundamental rights and misinterpreted the Supreme Court’s ruling. Justice Minallah asserted that the Supreme Court’s decision was not intended to disqualify any political party. He argued that the misinterpretation of the judicial decision has unfairly excluded a major political party from the electoral process. He further remarked that the Election Commission’s decision has raised numerous questions of public importance, highlighted
by the arguments presented by the Commission’s counsel. Justice Minallah called for a detailed report of complaints before and after the general elections. The four-page note by Justice Minallah has been published on the Supreme Court’s official website. The ECP had told the Supreme Court last week that the SIC’s constitution is violative of articles 17, 20 & 25 of the Constitution and the party is not entitled to any reserved seats for women and in particular for non-Muslims. “Article 3, Chapter 1, of the Constitution of the SIC restricts membership of the SIC to only adult Muslims, and places further three other conditions of a like nature to membership. “The conditions in said Article 3 of SIC’s Constitution are violative of Articles 17, 20 and 25 of the Constitution, in view
thereof, SIC clearly is not entitled to any reserved seats for women and in particular for non-Muslims,” the ECP said in, a concise statement submitted to the to court. A full-bench of the Supreme Court is hearing a petition filed by the SIC—which primarily comprises PTI-backed independent lawmakers—regarding allocation of reserved seats in the parliament and provincial legislatures. The ECP on December 22, 2023 stripped the PTI of its election symbol in view of irregularities in its intra-party polls. The Supreme Court on January 13 upheld the ECP order, forcing the PTI candidates to contest the February 8 general elections as independents. The independent candidates joined the SIC after the announcement of official election results. The SIC later sought reserved seats in the parliament and provincial assem-
blies in proportion to its general seats. However, the ECP on March 1 refused to allot these reserved seats to the SIC. The
Peshawar High Court (PHC) on March 25 also upheld the ECP order, prompting the SIC to approach the apex court.