IHC decides to indict ex-CJ Rana Shamim in contempt case on January 7

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December 28, 2021

ISLAMABAD: Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday has directed to indict Gilgit Baltistan’s former Chief Judge Rana Shamim on January 7, in contempt of court case.

During the hearing, IHC Chief Justice (CJ) Athar Minallah, while ordering to launch contempt of court proceedings against ex-CJ Rana Shamim, has summoned all the parties for arguments.

The IHC CJ remarked that it’s not contempt of court matter but a case of court’s accountability. It was being spread that this court has reached a compromise. The judiciary is presenting itself for accountability, he added.

Meanwhile, the court has ordered to reseal the affidavit envelop which was opened by Rana Shamim. The affidavit has nothing to do with former Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Saqib Nisar. it’s only an attempt to make IHC controversial, Athar Minallah stated.

Arriving at the court, the ex-CJ Rana Shamim said that he was alone at the time when he had filed his affidavit.

Responding to reporters, Rana Shamim said ask questions to those who are saying that I had recorded the affidavit in the presence of former Prime Minister (PM) Mian Nawaz Sharif.

Previously, IHC had received the original affidavit of Chief Judge Rana Shamim and deferred the decision of indicting him.

The high court had also termed replies of all the parties including Rana Shamim as unsatisfactory.

Earlier, IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah had directed Rana Shamim to submit his original affidavit till December 13 and also warned of indicting him in the case if he fails to present the document.

IHC judge asked Rana Shamin whether he accepts the content written in the affidavit over which he stated that he hasn t seen the affidavit which was submitted in this court as the original one is locked in his locker in United Kingdom.

Attorney general said it is strange that ex-CJ doesn’t remember what is in the affidavit. Every day of this court is important as it is the “season” of leaks, he added.

It is to be mentioned here that the high court had taken notice of revelations leveled by former chief judge of Gilgit Baltistan Rana Muhammad Shamim regarding PML-N leaders Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz and summoned all the parties and Attorney General Khalid Javed Khan in personal capacity.

Former CJ of Gilgit Baltistan was also served with contempt of court notice.

IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah remarked, “I trust each and every judge of the court. The judges can also be made accountable and criticized. An environment of disbelief will prevail in society if people stop trusting the courts.”

Athar Minallah told the he had also faced social media backlash. He further directed the journalist to read his story’s headline. The IHC CJ asked where the former judge had notarized this affidavit as it is not part of any record of this court.

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Cabinet to take up 18-point agenda

By

Sara Maqsood

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December 28, 2021

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Cabinet will meet today (Tuesday) in Islamabad to discuss 18 point agenda comprising of economic, political as well as coronavirus situation prevailing in the country.

Prime Minister Imran Khan will preside over the federal cabinet meeting to be held at the Prime Minister’s office. where the cabinet will be briefed on the progress of electronic voting machines (EVMs) and e-voting. The Cabinet will approve the appointment of the Board of Directors of the House Building Finance Company, they added.

The resignation of the chairman and member of the Securities Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) and the appointment of a new SECP member will be approved during the cabinet meeting.

The Cabinet will also take up the agenda of the Ministry of Finance with regard to the appointment of directors on the board of house building finance company limited (HBFCL).

The Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training division will present the draft of Inter Board Coordination Commission Act, 2021 whereas the Economic Affairs division has also proposed to constitute an inquiry commission in the Sajid Majeed Chaudhry case.

Moreover, the Cabinet will also rectify the decision taken by Cabinet Committee for disposal of Legislative Cases (CCLC) in its meetings held on December 16 and 17.

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Government all set to present mini budget on Wednesday to meet IMF conditions

By

Nuzhat Aftab

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December 28, 2021

ISLAMABAD: Federal Government is all set to present mini budget tomorrow (Wednesday) in the National Assembly to increase taxes on the behest of International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Annoncement in this regard was made by Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry.

He said that the government is in talks with the IMF to secure loan, adding that the conditions of the international lender will be clear.

Fawad Chaudhry said that the opposition talks like this whenever government has to present budget, adding that they must tell if they have any option other than IMF.

“The government is bound to approach the IMF due to the problems created by Asif Zardari and Nawaz Sharif,” he said.

Fawad Chaudhry went on to say that the whole world is facing inflation at the moment and the pressure of inflation is on the governments, adding that our economy is growing at 5 per cent today, while the big companies have earned more than $1000 billion.
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The minister further said that there is inflation for the salaried class but in general, the situation is not so bad, adding that defeat in election was not because of inflation but due to shortcomings in politics. He said there is pressure of global inflation on salaried class and there is no inflation for rural people, while cotton production is 44% higher.

The minister said Pakistan is much better position today than three year ago and the economy is in the right direction and the sales of tractors, motorcycles and cars have doubled. “The salaries of the salaried class should be increased.”

“Instead of returning tomorrow, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif should return to Pakistan today,” the information minister and added the whole family is put in jail if someone steals a motorcycle but Shahbaz Sharif is a guarantor of his brother, he should be put in jail tomorrow.

Regarding relations between civil-military leadership, Fawad Chaudhry said there was no change in the relationship, adding that relationships are still in the position today they were 3 years ago.

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PML-N parliamentary party vows to give tough time to government

By

Sara Maqsood

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December 27, 2021

ISLAMABAD: Parliamentary Party members of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) on Monday discussed ways to oust the PTI-led government and decided to give it a tough time in the parliament.

Presided over by PML-N Vice-President Shahid Khaqan Abbasi they discussed proposed “anti people” legislations the government intends to pass from the parliament on behest of IMF. These include amendments in finance bill and taking State Bank of Pakistan out of finance ministry’s influence. PML-N’s parliamentary party decided to resist these legislations.

Former minister of foreign affairs Khawaja Muhammad Asif, PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb, Nisar Ahmed Cheema, Chaudhry Hamid Hameed, Zahra Wadood Fatemi, Riaz Hussain Pirzada, Maiza Hameed, and former member of the National Assembly Shaqila Luqman were part of this huddle.

Meanwhile, following the party’s success in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa local body polls last week, JUI’s President Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who is also the chief of the Pakistan Democratic Movement, vowed to continue struggling along with the PML-N to overthrow the incumbent government.

Fazl thanked PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif for congratulating him over JUI’s success against the ruling party.

JUI has won the most seats in the 2021 LG polls in KP, while PML-N has won two seats according to the unofficial and unverified results received so far.

The JUI leader, in a tweet, said that JUI-F and PML-N will continue to struggle for the complete restoration of democracy, provision of the right to vote to the people, and overthrowing the incumbent government.

“Our joint struggle will continue till the complete restoration of democracy, provision of the right to vote to the people, ousting of this selected government and Pakistan’s return to the way of a better and more sustainable future,” Fazl wrote.

The remark came in reaction to former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s tweet where he congratulated Fazl for his party’s success in the first phase of the LG polls.

“[I] present heartily felicitations to Maulana Fazlur Rehman and his comrades on JUI-F’s great victory in the first phase of the recent local body elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” Nawaz Sharif wrote.

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Shaukat Tarin sworn in as finance minister again

By

Tanzeel Ahmed

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December 27, 2021

ISLAMABAD: Shaukat Fayyaz Tarin on Monday sworn in as Finance Minister for a second time at an oath-taking ceremony held at the Aiwan e Saddar in Islamabad.

President Dr Arif Alvi administered the oath to Tarin.

After the oath, the president also extended felicitation to the newly sworn in member of the federal cabinet.

The ceremony was attended by federal and provincial ministers, State Bank Governor Raza Baqir and other senior government officers.

Shaukat Tarin, who was earlier serving as the finance adviser, was elected as senator last week in the by-election for a general seat from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The seat was vacated after the resignation of PTI’s Ayub Afridi.

In a statement on Monday, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain said Tarin’s efforts to stabilise the economy, alleviate poverty and promote the construction industry in the country under the vision of the Prime Minister are commendable.

Tarin will play an important role in the economic progress of the country, he said

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JCP to discuss Justice Ayesha Malik’s elevation to Supreme Court on Jan 6

By

Sara Maqsood

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December 25, 2021

ISLAMABAD: The Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) will consider elevating Justice Ayesha A Malik of the Lahore High Court (LHC) to the Supreme Court on January 6, 2022, despite opposition from the legal community, which believes judges should be appointed on the basis of seniority.

Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed has once again nominated Justice Ayesha A Malik, who is on seniority number 4 at the LHC.

The chief justice has informed members of the JCP about the meeting on January 6 during which Justice Ayesha Malik’s nomination as a Supreme Court judge will be considered, according to sources.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC), the apex body of the legal fraternity, warned to vigorously oppose Justice Ayesha A Malik’s consideration. Vice-Chairman of the PBC, Khush Dil Khan, raised grave reservations about the decision to disregard the seniority principle in appointing judges to the Supreme Court and High Court.

In a statement released here, he reiterated the legal community’s position that judges should be elevated/appointed on the basis of seniority in all courts, and that the practice of pick and choose should be abolished. “If the seniority principle is violated in elevation/ appointment of judges to the Supreme Court, High Court and the lower courts, the legal fraternity will resist it with full force,” he said.

It is pertinent to note that CJP Gulzar Ahmed has proposed the female judge’s name for appointment to the Supreme Court for the second time. Her elevation had remained inconclusive earlier in September due to a divide in the JCP, with four members opposing and four others supporting her elevation. The matter was then deferred by the Judicial Commission.

Justice Maqbool Baqar, Justice Sardar Tariq Masood, former judge Dost Mohammad Khan and a representative of the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC), Akhtar Hussain, had opposed the proposal whereas the CJP, Justice Umar Ata Bandial, Federal Law Minister Barrister Dr Farogh Naseem and Attorney General (AGP) Khalid Jawed Khan had favoured Justice Malik.

Justice Qazi Faez Isa, another JCP member, was unable to attend the meeting because he was in Spain for his wife’s medical treatment. Justice (retd) Dost Muhammad Khan, who opposed the nomination, has retired from the panel after his two-year tenure ended earlier this year. Justice (retd) Sarmad Jalal Osmani, the new JCP member, may support Justice Ayesha’s nomination to the SC.

At the same time, PBC’s Khushdil Khan and President Supreme Bar Association Abdul Latif Afridi, as well as other lawyer’s representative organisations, held a protest in front of the Supreme Court, with lawyers also refusing to appear. They argued that Supreme Court appointments should be made solely on the basis of seniority.

In March 2012, Justice Ayesha was appointed to the LHC as a judge. If she is elevated, she will serve as a Supreme Court Judge until June 2031. After Justice Yahya Afridi retires in January 2030, she will take over as Pakistan’s chief justice.

It’s important to note that in Pakistan’s judicial history, no female judge has ever been elevated to the Supreme Court.

Attorney General Khalid Javed said in a statement after the last meeting of the Judicial Commission of Pakistan in September that the appointment of the first woman judge to the apex court would have been a historic occasion, and that while he supported the Chief Justice of Pakistan’s nomination of Justice Mrs Ayesha A. Malik, he would prefer that the first woman judge be appointed by unanimous recommendation of members of the JCP as well as full support of the Bar.

“Since the consensus for evolving criteria for appointment to the Supreme Court is yet to develop and the response of the Bar is awaited, I would recommend that subject to the permission of the Chief Justice/Chairman, JCP, the Members of JCP may consider, decide and resolve that there should at least be one seat, with the possibility of more in future, earmarked for appointment of a woman as Judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan,” the AG had suggested to Commission.

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Islamabad reports first case of Omicron strain

By

Nuzhat Aftab

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December 25, 2021

ISLAMABAD: Federal Capital has reported first case of the Omicron Variant as the health officials of the capital city have confirmed that they have received one patient contracted by the variant.

District Health Officer, Dr Zaeem Zia on Saturday, said that first patients affected by the Omicron, the new COVID-19 strain.

Dr Zia said the patient has no international travel history; nonetheless, the patient recently travelled to Karachi.

The patient reportedly is in good health and has only minor symptoms. Contact tracing is currently being done to detect more cases, the officials added.

The DHO reports that healthcare staff are ready to deal with the Omicron variant.

He urged citizens to exercise caution and get vaccinated.

According to Dr Zia, citizens who are eligible for the booster shot should get one.

It is pertinent to note that six more Omicron cases were reported in Karachi yesterday taking the total number of infections in the city to eight.

According to the reports, the suspected patients have a travel history.

Four of them came from South Africa, where the Omicron variation was first detected, while two others came from the United Kingdom.

They stated that the suspected patients’ samples had been sent to a private hospital for confirmation and that the patients had been moved to a quarantine centre.

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OIC conference on Afghanistan a big initiative, but inclusion of Kashmir, other issues was must: Tahir Tabassum

By

Our Correspondent

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December 21, 2021

ISLAMABAD: Dr. Muhammad Tahir Tabassum, President of the Think Tank Institute of Peace and Development (INSPAD) and Secretary General of the International Harmony Council, has said that the extraordinary conference of OIC Foreign Ministers in Islamabad was a commendable initiative.

However, besides Afghanistan, it should have included conflicts facing Kashmir, Palestine, Syria and other issues facing the Muslim world, he added.

Efforts are needed to understand and resolve disputes between Turkey, Iran, Yemen, and other Muslim countries, and progress must be made towards inter-Muslim unity, he said.

Effective measures must be taken against the atrocities, massacres and serious human rights violations committed by Israel and India in Palestine and Kashmir.

He said a policy of hostility between Muslim countries and hypocritical relations with Israel and India also needs to be decided and Saudi Arabia’s growing influence and arbitrary thinking in the OIC should be addressed.

Dr. Tahir Tabassum further said that many issue of Afghanistan needs the sympathy of all humanity. Afghanistan should be included in the global mainstream, he added.

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Pakistan hosts extra-ordinary OIC FMs meeting on looming humanitarian crisis of Afghanistan

By

Nuzhat Aftab

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December 18, 2021

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will host an extra-ordinary meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC) in Islamabad today on Saturday.

The meeting is being hosted by Pakistan at insistence of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and purpose of the OIC meeting is to address the looming humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan and turn the world’s attention to the people of the war-ravaged country, who are at severe risk of starvation and disease.

Prime Minister Imran Khan will deliver the keynote address at the event. Islamabad is playing an instrumental role in gathering the world and the Taliban on the same platform in hopes to find a lasting solution to the crises faced by Afghanistan.

The Afghan delegation attending the moot is being led by Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.

Pakistan has time and again emphasized that the lack of prompt response would lead to food shortages for some 22.8 million people and affect about 3.2 million children with malnutrition.

“The OIC Extraordinary session in Islamabad would prove to be a stepping stone in finding solutions to the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan and this was also an opportunity for world capitals to know about ground realities from Taliban representatives,” said Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi earlier.

“In case of such a crisis, the country’s neighbours, including Pakistan, and European Union states, would have to prepare for another influx of refugees. We are expecting some financial support from the OIC member states.”

Special representatives on Afghanistan from the United States, Russia, China and European Union would also attend the event, the Pakistani foreign minister had said.

Besides the foreign ministers from the OIC member states and observers, participants would also include special invitees from the United Nations system, international financial institutions and some non-member states including the US, UK, France, China, Russia, Germany, Italy and Japan.

“Besides expressing solidarity with the Afghan people, the CFM is expected to explore avenues for containing and reversing the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, especially in terms of food shortages, displacement of people and a potential economic collapse,” said the Foreign Office.

Later a meeting of the Troika Plus – comprising Pakistan, China, Russia and the United States — P5 countries and Germany, Japan, Italy and Australia would also be held in Islamabad to discuss the Afghan situation.

A delegation from Saudi Arabia including Afghan affairs department head Prince Abdullah bin Khalid bin Saud al-Kabir and Prince Jiluwi bin Turki have arrived. Official sources say that Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan will also attend the conference.

According to the tentative program for Saturday, the conference will include statements from Foreign Minister Qureshi, Saudi Foreign Minister Farhan Al-Saud, who is also the OIC Summit Chair, Hissein Brahim Taha, Secretary-General of the OIC, statements on behalf of OIC Regional Groups (Asia, Africa, Arab) and a final statement by President

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PML-N triumphs in PP-206 Khanewal by-election, beats PTI

By

Qamar Malik

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December 17, 2021

KHANEWAL: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) kept its winning stream alive in by-elections and returned victorious in PP-206 Khanewal by-polls with more than 14,000 lead and defeated the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

Taking a lead of more than 14,000 votes over ruling PTI candidate Naureen Nishat Daha, who got 33,402 votes, PML-N, candidate Rana Mohammad Saleem with 47,214 votes won the PP-206 Khanewal by-election, according to unofficial results.

The interesting thing about this election is that Rana Muhammad Saleem, who lost the election on the ticket of PTI in 2018, defeated his own old party PTI on the ticket of PML-N in the by-election of 2021.

The husband of current PTI candidate Noorin Nishat Daha was a PML-N candidate in 2018 and won the election. The seat was vacated due to the death of Nishat Daha.

After winning the election, the PML-N workers danced on the drum beats and celebrated. The PML-N workers also distributed sweets to celebrate the victory.

Polling for the by-poll ended at the scheduled time of 5:00 PM and vote count is still underway.

However, according to unofficial and unverified initial results, PML-N’s Rana Muhammad Saleem is leading with 47,214 votes. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidate Naureen Nishat is currently at second position with 33,402 votes.

The seat fell vacant after the death of disgruntled PML-N MPA Nishat Ahmed Khan Daha.

A total of 183 polling stations had been set up in the constituency for by-elections and 230,698 voters exercised their right to vote, with Rangers providing security along with police at each polling station.

The ECP said that Rangers personnel were deployed along with police at all polling stations in view of law and order situation.

At the polling station 45, a scuffle broke out between the PML-N workers and Tehreek-e-Labbaik workers.

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