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FIRING AT BANNU PROTEST FOR PEACE CAUSED DEATHS, INJURIES: KP GOVT Saturday, 20 July, 2024 I | 13 Muharram, 1446
BARRISTER SAIF SAYS COMMISSIONER, DC BROUGHT SITUATION UNDER CONTROL AFTER TALKS WITH PROTEST LEADERS
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PESHAWAR
AMNESTY INT’L, HRCP CONDEMN INCIDENT, SAYING APPALLED TO LEARN PROTESTORS KILLED, INJURED AT RALLY
STAFF REPORT
HYBER Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government’s spokesperson Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif on Friday said that situation during a protest staged by people in Bannu escalated and turned unpleasant, resulting in gunfire which led to “some” deaths and injuries. In a video statement posted by the KP government on the X platform on Friday, Saif said that locals organised a protest rally in Bannu to press their demand peace which was attended by large number of people, social organisations, traders, and political parties. According to AFP, over 10,000 people waving white flags and calling for peace gathered for the rally in Bannu. Protesters told the news agency they rallied because “despite 20 years of military operations, stability had not been achieved, therefore, military actions could never be a substitute for peace”. Saif said Pakistan was a democratic country where everyone had the right to protest peacefully, including the people of Bannu, to demand peace and deliver a message to those in power. He, however, added that no one could be allowed to take the law into their own hands. “Unfortunately, some unpleasant events occurred [at the protest], which
escalated and resulted in firing,” he said. “Consequently, some people were killed and some were injured.” The KP govt’s spokesperson did not provide details about the number of casualties, the parties responsible for the gunfire, or the cause of the incident. Saif said that KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur took “immediate notice” of the events and instructed the local administration to take steps in this regard. The spokesperson added that the Bannu commissioner, deputy commissioner, and other officials engaged with the protest leaders and political figures in talks and had “brought the situation
Third judge excuses himself from taking ad-hoc role in SC ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
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under control”. He added a jirga was also being held to establish peace and security. “The chief minister has instructed that a transparent investigation be conducted into the incident and that exemplary punishment be imposed on those found responsible for unlawful actions and causing instability,” he said. The spokesperson said that compensation was also announced for those killed and injured during the violence, adding that further details would be revealed soon. KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi said he was “deeply concerned” about the incident and had summoned a report
from federal and provincial authorities. “The loss of precious lives is heartbreaking. Emotions must be set aside, and facts and reason must prevail. No one is above the law. In light of the country’s internal situation, all sectors must act responsibly,” he said. Govt imposes health emergency in Bannu Muhammad Numan, a spokesperson for three government hospitals in Bannu, told Dawn.com that one person was killed and 27 injured during the violence. Pakhtoon Yar Khan, the KP minister for public health engineering, who was a speaker at the protest, also confirmed the death to AFP. “During the rally, shots were fired directly at me and the people standing near me. This wasn’t just firing in the air — it was intended to kill us,” he told AFP. “The shooting was carried out by those who want to destroy our peace. They want to spill the blood of our people, but the community is no longer willing to tolerate this.” The minister also visited a hospital in Bannu to enquire about the condition of the injured. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Health Department also declared an immediate health emergency in all public sector hospitals in the district in light of the situation.
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ECP ‘bows’ to SC, decides to implement reserved seats verdict ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
Former Supreme Court Judge Mazhar Alam Main Khail on Friday followed in his former colleagues – Justice (r) Maqbool Baqar and Justice (r) Mushir Alam and excused himself from taking up the position of adhoc judge in the apex court. Justice (r) Mazhar Alam Main Khail cited personal reasons and dissatisfaction with the subsequent social media campaign. Earlier this month, Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa proposed four retired judges, including Alam, Baqar, and Mian Khail, for the appointment on ad-hoc basis to address a backlog of over 54,000 cases pending in the SC. Justice (r) Mushir Alam and Justice (r) Maqbool Baqir have already declined to accept the offer, while Justice (r) Sardar Tariq Masood has expressed willingness to take up the ad-hoc judge position. The move, however, faced severe criticism from various quarters, including the Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf (PTI), which has challenged the decision in the Supreme Judicial Council. Barrister Gohar said that the appointment of ad hoc judges was mala fide. “Four judges are being appointed at the same time during the vacations with a view to bringing in like-minded judges,” Gohar said. “We are sending this issue to the Supreme Judicial Council,” he added. PTI has accused the appointments of being politically motivated and opposed any ad-hoc judges from hearing their cases. However, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar defended the appointments, stating that the Constitution permits the appointment of ad-hoc judges and suggested that any legal concerns, such as the invocation of Article 6 against PTI leaders, could be debated in Parliament. CJP okays name of Justice (r) tariq Masood Meanwhile, the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) on Friday approved the appointment of Justice (r) Sardar Tariq Masood along with Justice (r) Mazhar Miankhel as ad-hoc judges to the Supreme Court (SC). The latter, however, has refused to accept the offer. The JCP meeting considered the proposals for the appointment of ad hoc judges and approved two names for the role with the majority of votes. According to sources, Justice Munib Akhtar opposed the appointment of Justice (r) Sardar Tariq Masood as an ad-hoc judge.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Friday decided to fully implement the Supreme Court’s verdict declaring the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf as eligible for the reserved seats. On July 12, a 13-judge full bench of the apex court had declared that the opposition PTI was eligible to receive reserved seats for women and non-Muslims in the national and provincial assemblies, dealing a major setback to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s ruling coalition and potentially making the PTI single largest party in both houses of Parliament. The Supreme Court had also declared the PTI a parliamentary party. An ECP spokesperson, in statement issued on Friday that the election commission has decided to implement the decision of the Supreme Court and has issued instructions to its legal team to ensure the implementation of decision. It added that “instructions were issued to the legal team of the election commission that if there is any obstacle in the implementation of the decision of the Supreme Court, then they should immediately identify it so that the Supreme Court can be referred for further guidance.” Responding to criticism from the PTI, the commission said it condemned it and rejected it. “The demand for resignation from the commission is ridiculous. The commission will continue to work in accordance with the constitution and law without consider-
ing any kind of pressure,” the press release said. The ECP said that it “did not misinterpret” any decision, referring to the judgement’s observation that the commission had misinterpreted the court’s January 13 ruling stripping the PTI of its election symbol of the ‘bat’ and mentioned the party’s candidates as independents. The majority judgement had explained that the ECP had no authority to declare validly nominated candidates of a political party to be independent candidates. “The election commission did not declare PTI’s intra-party election as valid. Against which PTI went to various forums and the election commission’s decision was upheld. Since PTI’s intra-party elections were not valid. In the logical consequence of which, the symbol of the ‘bat’ was withdrawn under Section 215 of the Elections Act. Therefore, blaming the election commission is very inappropriate,” the ECP press release said. It said that 39 lawmakers who
were declared as PTI MNAs by the court had indicated their affiliation with the party in their nomination papers, adding that it was necessary to submit the party ticket and a declaration to the returning officer (RO) to be a candidate of any party, but the aforementioned candidates had not done so. Therefore, the ECP said it was not possible for the ROs to declare them as PTI candidates. “The 41 candidates who have been declared independent have neither mentioned PTI in their nomination papers nor disclosed the affiliation of the party nor submitted any party ticket. “Therefore, the ROs allowed them to participate in the election in an independent capacity. After winning the election, these MNAs voluntarily joined the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) within three days under the law. In the Supreme Court, the SIC appealed against the decision of the election commission and the Peshawar High Court (PHC).
Maryam Nawaz lashes out at Supreme Court judges, tells them to ‘let country function’ ISLAMABAD
NEWS DESK
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz launched a strong criticism against the Supreme Court’s decision to allow Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to claim reserved seats in parliament. Addressing an event in Lahore on Friday, she urged the apex court judges to permit the country to progress. “I would like to ask the SC judges to let the country function,” Maryam stated during her speech. She accused the judges of the Supreme Court of altering the constitution to reinstate a particular individual into mainstream politics. “Who are those who do not want the country to progress and re-write the Constitution?” she questioned. Maryam Nawaz argued that the Supreme Court provided PTI with relief that the party had not even requested. She highlighted that if anyone attempts to create political instability, they would be dealt with firmly. “They are trying to bring back the nation’s criminal,” she asserted. The Supreme Court’s verdict on July 12 marked a significant legal victory for PTI, declaring the party eligible for reserved seat allocations. This decision has facilitated PTI’s return to parliament, following their expulsion from the February 8 elections due to the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) ruling in December 2023. The judgment is expected to alter the composition of the National Assembly, increasing pressure on the coalition alliance. Maryam Nawaz criticized the top court for giving PTI 15 days to submit affidavits claiming their affiliation with PTI, despite previous submissions affirming allegiance to another party. “We will not let this be a cakewalk for you. This government will complete its five-year tenure. If anyone tries to create political instability, they will be dealt with iron hands,” she warned. She emphasized that verdicts should be based on the constitution, not on personal conscience. “It was said that verdicts were announced according to their conscience,” Maryam noted. “Decisions should be according to the constitution, not according to a person’s conscience.”
PM summons CCI meeting on Monday to ponder power sector issues ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has summoned a meeting of the Council of Common Interests (CCI) on Monday (July 22) to ponder over key energy projects and issues relating to the power sector. The meeting will be attended by the four chief ministers and the federal ministers, in which CMs will put up issues relating to their provinces in the meeting. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister will raise the issue of dues the Centre owes to his province and other incentives. The CCI meeting will also endorse key development projects of the Centre and the provinces. The meeting will also take decisions regarding distribution of hydel power profits, LNG import and electricity production. The meeting will also review different wind power projects of Sindh government and matters related to the Karachi ports. The meeting will also debate legislation from the Petroleum Division regarding windfall levy. Attorney General for Pakistan will brief the CCI meeting on water accords.
Trump promises to end military engagements, strengthen US global standing in potential second term MILWAUKEE AGENCIES
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump promised Thursday to bring an end to raging international crises and restore American prestige on the world stage, saying he could “stop wars with a telephone call.” The former president sought to paint a dire picture of the world under his successor Joe Biden, telling the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee that the planet is “teetering on the edge of World War III.” “We will restore peace, stability and harmony all throughout the world,” Trump said, without giving any detail on how he might do that. “Under our leadership the United States will be respected again. No nation will question our power, no enemy will doubt our might, our borders will be totally secure.” Trump placed the blame for conflicts around the world squarely on Biden — even
those with roots stretching back far before the Democrat took office. “There is an international crisis the likes of which the world has seldom been part of… war is now raging in Europe, in the Middle East, a growing specter of conflict hangs over Taiwan, Korea, the Philippines and all of Asia,” he said. He vowed to change all that if he is elected to a second term in the White House. “I will end every single international crisis that the current administration has created, including the horrible war with Russia and Ukraine,” Trump said. But “to achieve this future, we must first rescue our nation from failed and even incompetent leadership.” He also said he wanted Americans held abroad to be released — or else. “The entire world, I tell you this: we want our hostages back and they better be back before I assume office or you will be paying a very big price,” said Trump —
again failing to give any specifics. He pledged to build a version of Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system for the United States, ignoring the fact that the system is designed for short-range threats and
would be ill-suited to defending against intercontinental missiles that are the main danger to the country. And he suggested that Kim Jong Un — the reclusive North Korean dictator whom he met in person during his presidency, and whose country possesses a nuclear arsenal — longed to see him back in the White House. “I get along with him, he’d like to see me back too. I think he misses me, if you want to know,” Trump said. Trump recounts shooting Donald Trump predicted an “incredible victory” Thursday in accepting the Republican presidential nomination from a party euphoric over his escape from assassination and buoyed by the apparent implosion of Joe Biden’s re-election campaign. The 78-year-old former president commanded the stage for more than 90 minutes — well above average by convention standards — as he offered a deeply personal account of
his near-death experience before pivoting to grievances over the Democrats’ handling of the economy, immigration and other issues. “We will have an incredible victory, and we will begin the four greatest years in the history of our country,” Trump said at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. It was his first speech since a 20-year-old man shot at him, causing a wound to one ear and killing a bystander during a rally last weekend. In an emotional retelling of the shooting, where Trump said he had “God on my side,” the ex-president asked for a moment of silence to honor the victim, firefighter Corey Comperatore. Before a hushed crowd, he kissed the slain firefighter’s helmet on the stage. “I’m not supposed to be here tonight,” Trump said quietly, prompting supporters to shout out “Yes you are!” Minutes earlier Trump took the stage to chants of “USA” from a crowd which has spent the week talking of him in near-divine terms.