KARACHI: The Counter Terrorism Department has filed a charge-sheet with the administrative judge of antiterrorism courts on Monday against a journalist accusing him of fanning religious disharmony.
According to the CTD, it arrested Nasrullah Khan Chaudhry, a journalist associated with Urdu-language daily Nai Baat, in Karachi’s Garden area on Nov 11. The agency alleged that Nasrullah Khan was carrying some journals and booklets about Afghan Jihad and the Punjabi Taliban which contained material intended to sow discord on sectarian grounds as well as to motivate people to take part in “Jihad”.
Later the court remanded the journalist to prison.
The investigating officer (IO) named five prosecution witnesses in the charge-sheet. The IO repeatedly cited the name of Khalid Mukshi in the remand papers and the charge-sheet, alleging that he was a leader of Al Qaeda and that the detained journalist had links to him.
However, the IO did not name Mukshi as an accused or absconder in the charge-sheet.
The administrative judge sent the case to ATC-VIII for trial and directed the jail authorities to produce Nasrullah Khan before the trial court on Friday (Nov 23).
The CTD booked the journalist under Section 11-F (i) of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1997 (a person is guilty of an offence if he belongs, or professes to belong, to a proscribed organisation), Section 11-W(i) (printing, publishing or disseminating any material to incite hatred or giving projection to any person convicted for a terrorist act or any proscribed organisation or an organisation placed under observation or anyone concerned in terrorism) and Section 7.
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday directed the counsel for former military ruler Pervez Musharraf to provide an itinerary of his client next month, as his return will enable a special court to proceed in the high treason case.
As Gen Musharraf, the sole accused in the high treason case, has been absconding since March 2016, there has been no progress in it for the past two years.
The special court seized with the high treason case had decided to move forward last month and constituted a commission to record a statement of Gen Musharraf under Section 342 of the criminal procedure code after which the prosecution and defence counsel were supposed to advance final arguments. However, defence counsel Barrister Salman Safdar challenged the recording of testimony through the commission last week. He argued that there was no concept of recording a statement of an accused person through a commission in criminal proceedings.
When the IHC division bench resumed hearing of the case on Monday, Barrister Safdar requested it to adjourn the proceedings explaining that the special court was lying dormant after the retirement of its president, former chief justice of the Lahore High Court Yawar Ali.
The bench, however, suggested to the counsel to visit his client in Dubai and convince him to face trial and bring the ex-army chief back if possible. “It would be good for Gen Musharraf if he comes back and face trial,” remarked the bench.
The IHC directed the counsel to consult Gen Musharraf and submit his travel itinerary at the next hearing. The bench also assured Barrister Safdar that foolproof security would be provided to the former military ruler if he returned.
The court adjourned further hearing till the second week of December.
A two-day international Rehmatulil Aalameen Conference commenced on Tuesday at Jinnah Convention Centre in Islamabad.
Prime Minister Imran Khan will address the opening segment of the conference. The topic of the conference is "finality of Prophethood and responsibilities of Muslims in light of the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)".
It is the 43rd conference aimed at promoting religious harmony, tolerance, brotherhood and equality, respect for humanity, non-violence, unity, reconciliation and culture of dialogue, according to Radio Pakistan.
Minister for Religious Affairs Noorul Haq Qadri alongside PM Khan at Jinnah Convention Centre in Islamabad. ─ DawnNewsTV
In his opening address, Minister for Religious Affairs Noorul Haq Qadri paid tribute to the services of the Prophet for humanity and shed light on various aspects of his personality.
He talked about how Prophet Muhammad treated non-Muslims and even his foes, saying he had pardoned even his worst enemies.
Scholars from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Afghanistan, Syria, Morocco, and the United Kingdom are participating in the event.
During the conference, cash awards and certificates will be given to 53 authors, whose books or articles were selected after a due process, in nine categories. These categories are Seerat and Naat Books in Urdu, English, Arabic, and regional languages of Pakistan.
Federal ministers, politicians, and diplomats of various countries are also attending the event.
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Imran Khan, while speaking to Qadri, had said that the government wishes to present an image of peaceful Islam before the world. For this purpose, "Rehmatul-il-Alameen Conferences" will be held across the country, while a two-day 'Khatm-i-Nabuwwat International Conference' will be held in Islamabad, he had said.
He had added that it was the responsibility of the state to present the true teachings of the Prophet to the next generation. PM Khan had also said that research on the life of the Prophet would be promoted under the government's supervision.
Arrangements for Eid-i-Miladun Nabi
Minister Qadri, while chairing a meeting of the organising committee for conference preparations on Saturday, had said that the occasion of Eid-i-Miladun Nabi would be celebrated with due honour and respect.
He said that special functions and ceremonies would be arranged during Rabiul Awwal in which the life and teachings of Prophet Muhammad would be highlighted.
Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry had said that arrangements would be made for the coverage of processions taken out on the 12th of Rabiul Awwal, and that state-owned PTV and Radio Pakistan would air qirat, naats and other programmes on the occasion, along with special programmes to highlight the the Prophet's teachings.
Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday, at the opening of the two-day international Rehmatul-il-Alameen Conference at Islamabad's Jinnah Convention Centre, said that Pakistan would spearhead an international campaign against the defamation of religions.
The topic of the conference is "finality of Prophethood and responsibilities of Muslims in light of the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)".
It is the 43rd conference aimed at promoting religious harmony, tolerance, brotherhood and equality, respect for humanity, non-violence, unity, reconciliation and culture of dialogue, according to Radio Pakistan.
PM Khan congratulated the conference organisers and stressed the need to study the life of the Prophet "who changed the world".
"Those people who are unable to understand the philosophy of the life of the Prophet have now become guardians of religion," he claimed.
"You can only follow the path of blessed people when you love the Prophet," he said, adding that the Higher Education Commission had been asked to establish chairs for research on the Prophet's life in three universities.
The prime minister said he had seen Hindus, Sikhs, and people from all religions visit the shrines of great personalities like Hazrat Moinuddin Chishti, Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya and Baba Farid. "They visit their mausoleums because they were great men," he said.
"We should examine what it was that the Prophet did, that later led to the defeats of super powers at the hands of Muslims," he said.
Referring to a blasphemous cartoon contest which was announced by a Dutch MP, the PM said that the Dutch government had cancelled the contest, and the matter had also been taken up by Pakistan on the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation platform.
Later, he said, the European Union also admitted that freedom of expression could be not be used as a pretext for blasphemy.
"Pakistan will spearhead a campaign for an international declaration against the defamation of religions. I have appointed Ahmer Bilal Sufi, a law expert, to reach out to various countries and convince them to sign the declaration," he said.
PM talks about personal spiritual journey
The premier also recalled his personal spiritual journey, saying he underwent a great change after he met his spiritual mentor, Mian Bashir, who was a Sufi.
"With his wisdom and knowledge, he was able to guide me to the path of religion," the PM said.
"I used to be a Muslim just in name," he said. "If my father urged me, I would go for Friday prayers with him. I would offer my Eid prayers," he said. "I did not have any extraordinary knowledge about Islam."
"Mian Bashir slowly eliminated the hurdles standing in the way of my faith. And a time comes when Allah lifts a veil and you realise 'This is God'."
"That instance ─ when you understand the existence of Allah, and the time that comes when you believe ─ it is a huge blessing of Allah when He guides you to the right path," PM Khan said.
"Then your life begins changing."
Rehmatul-il-Alameen Conference kicks off
Minister for Religious Affairs Noorul Haq Qadri alongside PM Khan at Jinnah Convention Centre in Islamabad. ─ DawnNewsTV
Minister for Religious Affairs Noorul Haq Qadri, in his opening address to attendees of the event, paid tribute to the services of the Prophet for humanity and shed light on various aspects of his personality.
He talked about how Prophet Muhammad treated non-Muslims and even his foes, saying he had pardoned even his worst enemies.
Scholars from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Afghanistan, Syria, Morocco, and the United Kingdom are participating in the event.
During the conference, cash awards and certificates will be given to 53 authors, whose books or articles were selected after a due process, in nine categories. These categories are Seerat and Naat Books in Urdu, English, Arabic, and regional languages of Pakistan.
Federal ministers, politicians, and diplomats of various countries are also attending the event.
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Imran Khan, while speaking to Qadri, had said that the government wishes to present an image of peaceful Islam before the world. For this purpose, "Rehmatul-il-Alameen Conferences" will be held across the country, while a two-day 'Khatm-i-Nabuwwat International Conference' will be held in Islamabad, he had said.
He had added that it was the responsibility of the state to present the true teachings of the Prophet to the next generation. PM Khan had also said that research on the life of the Prophet would be promoted under the government's supervision.
Arrangements for Eid-i-Miladun Nabi
Minister Qadri, while chairing a meeting of the organising committee for conference preparations on Saturday, had said that the occasion of Eid-i-Miladun Nabi would be celebrated with due honour and respect.
He said that special functions and ceremonies would be arranged during Rabiul Awwal in which the life and teachings of Prophet Muhammad would be highlighted.
Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry had said that arrangements would be made for the coverage of processions taken out on the 12th of Rabiul Awwal, and that state-owned PTV and Radio Pakistan would air qirat, naats and other programmes on the occasion, along with special programmes to highlight the the Prophet's teachings.
The Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday ordered the closure of Naubahar Bottling Company, the largest manufacturer and distributor of Pepsi Cola soft drinks in Pakistan, while hearing a suo motu case at the Lahore registry against companies that sell bottled water.
A report on the quality of bottled water submitted in court yesterday said that each company uses 90 million litres of water a day. There is no certified method to assess the quality of water, it said, adding that only Qarshi has a certified laboratory.
The report ─ which found that groundwater contains fluoride and arsenic ─ also highlighted that none of the other companies are aware of what is in the water that they extract from the ground.
A two-member bench of the SC headed by the Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar today directed a judicial commission to inspect companies that sell bottled water locally, and directed all such companies, including Nestle, to rectify their errors within 10 days.
During the hearing, CJP Nisar asked why cases hadn't been registered against companies selling poor quality water.
The Punjab Food Authority (PFA) Director General said that notices had been sent but the administration refused to receive it.
The auditor general's report found that the cost of a 1.5 litre water bottle, including packaging, comes to Rs8.79.
The court said it is focusing on reducing the price of water. "This is a matter of the lives of citizens. The court will have a strict investigation conducted. Water companies are lying and earning crores," Justice Nisar said.
He added: "Unless a 'big man' is reprimanded, he will not do the right thing."
The top judge also asked why Nestle had not retained the quality of its bottled water in Pakistan.
"We will not let Pakistan be treated like a third world country and we will not let discrimination take place," CJP Nisar asserted.
After the SC on Monday summoned the owners of 11 bottled water companies, Naubahar owner Adnan Khan also appeared in court today.
But the SC expressed its displeasure with Khan for being rude to the Punjab Food Authority Director General
The CJP commented that Khan may be his father's eldest son at home, but he was not accorded this status in court. After Khan asked the court for forgiveness, his arrest was halted.
While hearing the case, the court also directed an inspection of Shezan International Limited today.
The court appreciated Qarshi for selling quality water.
"Gourmet's water is also very good. Companies selling clean water are praise worthy," CJP Nisar remarked.
The hearing of the case was postponed till December 3.
The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Tuesday suspended a notification for the increase in compressed natural gas (CNG) price during a hearing of a petition submitted in the court against the hike.
According to the petitioner's lawyer Advocate Yasir Khattak, the federal government had increased CNG price on October 4.
He added that the federal government had issued a notice for the increase in gas price without consultation with Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra).
On Oct 6, CNG price crossed the Rs100 per kg mark for the first time in the country’s history after the government hiked it by 40 per cent from Rs700 MMBTU to Rs980 per MMBTU.
The two-member of the PHC, comprising Justice Roohul Amin Khan Chamkani and Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim, today issued notices to the federal government, Ogra Chairperson Uzma Adil Khan and Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) Managing Director Amjad Latif.
The court summoned a reply from the involved parties in the next hearing.
Mashhood Rastgar, CTO Sastaticket.pk, conducting workshop on "Building Modern APIs using Django 2.0
"Python is a magical language," University of Central Punjab (UCP) Pro-Rector Dr. Muhammad Zafarullah gushed during his keynote speech, as he opened the session at Pakistan’s second-ever PyCon event.
On November 17 and 18, the Python community returned for a second show. For those who don’t know, PyCon stands for Python Conference. It is the coming together of professionals and amateurs who share a love for the high-level programming language. Attendees at the event called themselves “Pythonistas”.
Ayesha Mehmood, member PyCon Pakistan Organising team, opening the first day of conference
“This is an easy language, so you can learn just about anything at home from tutorials – however, the exposure that you get from events such as this one is unbeatable,” Dr. Zafarullah said.
Arbisoft CEO Yasser Bashir’s Keynote looked into what makes Python the fastest growing language in the world. “Python is to programming what Ed Sheeran is to music — no matter what chart you make he’s on it,” he joked, while reviewing the many charts that the language has been topping around the world.
So where is it being used?
A speaker delivering his talk at PyCon Pakistan 2018
From schools to heavy-duty development, the language can be seen everywhere. While the younger lot is picking up the language in large numbers, its simplicity has made it enticing for a much larger web of people.
The applications are diverse indeed. You can find python in artificial intelligence chatbots just as easily as you’ll find it being used in satellite technology.
Attendees and speakers
While last year was more focused on students, this year more than 80% of the attendees were professionals.
Despite this, the conference’s presence on university campuses is deliberate. “We were in FAST last year and we came to UCP this here,” Nuddrat Khawaja, one of the organisers said. “The reason we do this is to ensure that as we build the community we also branch out and engage future Pythonistas,” she added.
Registration desk at PyCon 2018
“We have put together a set of seasoned Pythonistas with ground-breaking work, including books and research, and this drew a substantial crowd,” said Ayesha Mahmood, another organiser.
Quansight Founder, CEO/CTO Travis Oliphant joined the event remotely as a Keynote Speaker.
He spoke about changing the world by participating in open source communities – an idea that is at the heart of PyCon.
“I welcomed the chance to share my experiences to hopefully inspire developers in Pakistan to participate in open-source communities. I also hope to lower the barrier for someone in Pakistan to reach out and work remotely with me. I appreciated meeting people and being part of PyCon Pakistan - if only virtually,” he said.
Oliphant sees a bright future for the language in Pakistan. “Python is an open-source language with an enormous community and many, many users. People anywhere in the world can contribute meaningfully to any of the libraries and the core language itself with sufficient motivation to read the code, understand it, and engage with the online community."
He added: "Companies in Pakistan can use the language to build solutions with computers efficiently. Some people in Pakistan will also be able to consult remotely with companies."
Ahmad Ammar, a student and future professional had shown up at the event looking for fuel for his research. “I travelled from Pindi to be here. I feel that academic solidarity is just as important for building this community – it is needed for society and the larger picture,” he said.
Mashood Rastgar, CTO Sastaticket.pk, echoed Ammar’s sentiments. He runs the official community for Python in Karachi. He believes that the start-up community in Pakistan has begun creating locally relevant solutions and Python can help make this easier. “Python comes in where it’s easier to learn so non-technical people can even grasp and build their businesses around it, and it’s definitely a positive point for our start-up communities,” he explained.
However, Rastgar felt that it is critical that the community exist first.“The basic idea is very new here. We don’t have this concept of communities, especially tech communities. What we are doing right now is starting the process,” he added.
Apart from the obvious advantage of learning and networking, Rastgar is of the opinion that people coming together to discuss ideas is the need of the hour. “The kind of learning that you get over here you can’t get anywhere else. You get to talk to people who are working in the industry on similar problems. The exposure is different,” he said.
As one walked through the halls at UCP, the excited conversations between professionals and practitioners were palpable. This is an exciting time to be in Pakistan and watch as Python fever takes over the tech industry.
Dawn.com is the media partner for PyCon Pakistan 2018
Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) operations Islamabad Faisal Raja replaced Superintendent of Police (SP) Investigation Gulfam Nasir as head of the joint investigation team (JIT) formed to probe the abduction and murder of SP Tahir Khan Dawar, DawnNewsTV reported on Tuesday.
Nasir is still a member of the investigation team, while DIG operations has been added to the JIT as its chairman.
A notice issued by Islamabad chief commissioner's office today said that the JIT had been "reconstituted". The team now comprises the following members:
Deputy superintendent of police Crime Investigation Department, Islamabad
A representative of the Inter-Services Intelligence
A representative of the Military Intelligence
A representative of the Intelligence Bureau
Investigating officer of the case
Islamabad chief commissioner had formed the JIT on Nov 16. The notification released today did not specify the reason for the change of the investigation team's head.
The JIT shall complete its investigation within the time period stipulated in the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) 1997, the notification said.
Following a two-day delay and hours-long negotiations on Thursday, the Afghan side had reluctantly handed over the body of the officer of Peshawar police to his family. The issue of handing over of the body of SP Dawar flared up a diplomatic row as government officials accused the Afghan side of playing politics over a body and delaying its handover.
Mashhood Rastgar, CTO Sastaticket.pk, conducting workshop on "Building Modern APIs using Django 2.0
"Python is a magical language," University of Central Punjab (UCP) Pro-Rector Dr. Muhammad Zafarullah gushed during his keynote speech, as he opened the session at Pakistan’s second-ever PyCon event.
On November 17 and 18, the Python community returned for a second show. For those who don’t know, PyCon stands for Python Conference. It is the coming together of professionals and amateurs who share a love for the high-level programming language. Attendees at the event called themselves “Pythonistas”.
Ayesha Mehmood, member PyCon Pakistan Organising team, opening the first day of conference
“This is an easy language, so you can learn just about anything at home from tutorials – however, the exposure that you get from events such as this one is unbeatable,” Dr. Zafarullah said.
Arbisoft CEO Yasser Bashir’s Keynote looked into what makes Python the fastest growing language in the world. “Python is to programming languages what Ed Sheeran is to contemporary pop music — no matter what chart you create, he's somewhere near the top,” he joked, while reviewing the many charts that the language has been topping around the world.
So where is it being used?
A speaker delivering his talk at PyCon Pakistan 2018
From schools to heavy-duty development, the language can be seen everywhere. While the younger lot is picking up the language in large numbers, its simplicity has made it enticing for a much larger web of people.
The applications are diverse indeed. You can find python in artificial intelligence chatbots just as easily as you’ll find it being used in satellite technology.
Attendees and speakers
While last year was more focused on students, this year more than 80% of the attendees were professionals.
Despite this, the conference’s presence on university campuses is deliberate. “We were in FAST last year and we came to UCP this here,” Nuddrat Khawaja, one of the organisers said. “The reason we do this is to ensure that as we build the community we also branch out and engage future Pythonistas,” she added.
Registration desk at PyCon 2018
“We have put together a set of seasoned Pythonistas with ground-breaking work, including books and research, and this drew a substantial crowd,” said Ayesha Mahmood, another organiser.
Quansight Founder, CEO/CTO Travis Oliphant joined the event remotely as a Keynote Speaker.
He spoke about changing the world by participating in open source communities – an idea that is at the heart of PyCon.
“I welcomed the chance to share my experiences to hopefully inspire developers in Pakistan to participate in open-source communities. I also hope to lower the barrier for someone in Pakistan to reach out and work remotely with me. I appreciated meeting people and being part of PyCon Pakistan - if only virtually,” he said.
Oliphant sees a bright future for the language in Pakistan. “Python is an open-source language with an enormous community and many, many users. People anywhere in the world can contribute meaningfully to any of the libraries and the core language itself with sufficient motivation to read the code, understand it, and engage with the online community."
He added: "Companies in Pakistan can use the language to build solutions with computers efficiently. Some people in Pakistan will also be able to consult remotely with companies."
Ahmad Ammar, a student and future professional had shown up at the event looking for fuel for his research. “I travelled from Pindi to be here. I feel that academic solidarity is just as important for building this community – it is needed for society and the larger picture,” he said.
Mashood Rastgar, CTO Sastaticket.pk, echoed Ammar’s sentiments. He runs the official community for Python in Karachi. He believes that the start-up community in Pakistan has begun creating locally relevant solutions and Python can help make this easier. “Python comes in where it’s easier to learn so non-technical people can even grasp and build their businesses around it, and it’s definitely a positive point for our start-up communities,” he explained.
However, Rastgar felt that it is critical that the community exist first.“The basic idea is very new here. We don’t have this concept of communities, especially tech communities. What we are doing right now is starting the process,” he added.
Apart from the obvious advantage of learning and networking, Rastgar is of the opinion that people coming together to discuss ideas is the need of the hour. “The kind of learning that you get over here you can’t get anywhere else. You get to talk to people who are working in the industry on similar problems. The exposure is different,” he said.
As one walked through the halls at UCP, the excited conversations between professionals and practitioners were palpable. This is an exciting time to be in Pakistan and watch as Python fever takes over the tech industry.
Dawn.com is the media partner for PyCon Pakistan 2018
The Supreme Court on Tuesday released its detailed order of the November 16 hearing into the 2017 Faizabad protest staged by the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), making some damning observations regarding state institutions and the implementation of national laws.
The court had during last Friday's hearing rejected reports furnished by the Defence Ministry, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and the Pakistan Electronic Media Regularity Authority (Pemra) on the sit-in and directed them to file comprehensive explanations on November 22.
Below are some of the significant elements of the top court's order:
SC 'amazed' at ECP stance
During the Nov 16 hearing, the SC took up the ECP's report regarding TLP's registration as a political party and raised several questions about the religiopolitical party's background.
The ECP informed the court through its report that the documents submitted for the TLP's registration "were by a person who held a National Identity Card for Overseas Pakistanis (Nicop) which showed his residence to be in the United Arab Emirates", the order says.
However, according to the order, ECP Director General (Legal) Mohammad Arshad was unable to answer whether the said person possesses a Pakistani passport, or is a dual national or a foreign national, and he "instead states that a political party can also be registered by those having Nicops, but without referring to any provision of the law".
The apex court was not pleased with the stance taken by the ECP when Arshad conceded that the TLP had not provided financial details of their election campaign but added that those provisions were “cosmetic in nature” having no consequences for the political parties for defying.
"We are amazed that a senior employee of the ECP... is himself undermining the Elections Act and the Elections Rules [under which parties are required to submit expenditure details]," the bench writes.
"Needless to state, the credibility of the ECP is tarnished and undermined when its own senior officer states that its law is 'cosmetic'."
The court also said it would "would want to hear the ECP and the learned [attorney general] on the question whether a party that brought the country to a standstill, caused massive economic loss, the loss of life, injured law enforcement personnel and caused destruction of public and private property can be registered as a political party or be allowed to continue as such".
Rejecting the ECP report, the bench directed the commission to submit in writing whether it agrees with the views of the DG (Legal) "and if not then what action it proposes to take against the [TLP]".
Pemra's report is 'non-serious': SC
The top court was dissatisfied with the account submitted by Pemra regarding the blocking of certain TV channels' transmissions in parts of the country.
According to the order, the Pemra chairman verbally informed the bench that they had imposed a fine of Rs50,000 on a cable operator who had interrupted the channels' broadcasts but that no evidence was provided to confirm the same.
Pemra was represented in the court by seven officials, "but not one of them has the proof of the purported fine/penalty that has been allegedly imposed", the order says.
The bench recalled in its order that the "broadcast of any channel cannot be curtailed at the whim of any cable operator".
Although the Pemra chairman did not dispute that transmissions of certain channels have been interrupted, he "expressed his ignorance on whose bidding this was done".
"Pemra's inability to trace out the culprits [behind the blocking of channels] is undermining [the] fundamental rights [of freedom of speech and press] and the laws governing Pemra," the order reads.
Terming the report submitted by Pemra as "non-serious", the court directed the authority to submit a fresh report signed by its chairman.
ISI's mandate
The order states that the court was informed by Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) through a report that the agency can neither ascertain whether a person has a bank account, nor whether he or she is a taxpayer, and that such information could only be obtained from the State Bank and the Federal Board of Revenue, respectively.
In response to the bench's inquiry, the order says, Defence Ministry Director (Legal) Brig Falak Naz, stated that the intelligence agency is governed by the laws of the country, "but without mentioning any law".
The court has directed the Defence Ministry secretary and the attorney general to "submit the law/rules/instructions governing ISI and its mandate".
'Parameters of protests'
The SC bench has stated it will determine in the future hearings of the case "the parameters of protests and how these have to be handled by the state".
The court will also examine whether there are parallels to protests staged by religiopolitical groups in past protests and how those were handled, including the May 12, 2007 demonstrations in Karachi and the 126-day sit-in jointly staged by the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) in 2014 at D-Chowk, Islamabad.
In November 2017, TLP workers demanding the resignation of then law minister Zahid Hamid had staged a weeks-long sit-in at the Faizabad interchange that had virtually paralysed the federal capital and led to several people losing their lives.
On Nov 21 last year, the apex court had taken notice of the sit-in and directed the Defence and Interior secretaries to submit a detailed report on the matter.
Days later, the then PML-N government had launched against the protesters an operation which, when failed, had forced the authorities to cave and Hamid to resign.
The court will take up the case again on Thursday, Nov 22.
Chief of Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa on Tuesday highlighted Pakistan's efforts in the war against terrorism and for regional peace, saying the country "has done much more for peace in Afghanistan than any other country".
"Pakistan has successfully fought against terrorism while also contributing to regional peace," a tweeted by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor quoted the army chief as saying.
In an apparent reference to Trump’s remarks regarding alleged inaction on Pakistan's part on the Afghanistan issue, Gen Bajwa said Pakistan has "paid the highest military, economic, political and social cost and the world should acknowledge that".
"We shall continue to contribute towards peace in Afghanistan," the army chief said, "but Pakistan’s honour and Pakistan’s security shall always stay premier".
Prime Minister Khan had on Monday led the sharp reaction by political leaders to Trump’s rant against Pakistan by hinting at a review of foreign policy options and asking the US president to introspect on the real reasons for America’s failure in Afghanistan.
Trump, however, looked unwilling to end the row that began with his interview to Fox News on Sunday and followed Khan’s rejoinder with more tweets in which he repeated the allegations and insisted that the US was no more in a giving mood.
“Instead of making Pakistan a scapegoat for their failures, the US should do a serious assessment of why, despite 140,000 Nato troops plus 250,000 Afghan troops & reportedly $1 trillion spent on war in Afghanistan, the Taliban today are stronger than before,” Khan said in one of his four tweets in response to Trump’s remarks.
President Trump, while talking about the reasons for ending the over-a-billion-dollar annual aid for Pakistan, said the country didn’t do “a damn thing for us”. He raked up allegations of Al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden having lived in Pakistan with relative ease.
“But living in Pakistan right next to the military academy, everybody in Pakistan knew he was there,” Trump alleged.
PM Khan reminded Trump that Pakistan’s support for the US in the war on terror cost it 75,000 casualties and over $123 billion in financial losses, tribal areas were devastated because of terrorist attacks and millions of people were displaced because of counterterrorism operations that had to be carried out to reclaim the area from terrorists.
He recalled that Pakistan continued to provide “free lines of ground and air communications (GLOCs/ALOCs)” for providing supplies to the US and other coalition troops in Afghanistan. “Can Mr Trump name another ally that gave such sacrifices?” Khan questioned.
Police on Tuesday arrested two students who were allegedly involved in supplying drugs at the Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) campus in Islamabad.
A team of Secretariat Police also seized more than 3 kilogrammes of hashish and ecstasy pills from the two suspects during a raid.
Both the arrested suspects, Adnan Wazir and Mohammad Tayyab, are students at QAU, police told DawnNewsTV. A first information report is yet to be registered against them.
The suspects were arrested based on information revealed by a Nigerian national, who was already in custody for drug peddling.
The capital police had last month arrested three Nigerian nationals, who were suspected of supplying drugs to students in educational institutions, from near the QAU campus. Narcotics worth Rs8.5 million were recovered from them.
The inspector general of Islamabad police praised the Secretariat Police Station House Officer (SHO) Shabir Tanoli and his team for the action that led to the arrests today, police said.
An Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) official had revealed earlier this year that as many as 67 per cent of university students in the country use drugs.
About 7.6 million people in Pakistan are drug addicts, out of which 78pc are men and 22pc women, ANF Director North Brig Hammad Dogar had said while speaking at a seminar in Rawalpindi.
ISLAMABAD: Power Minister Omar Ayub Khan on Tuesday said the government would not further increase electricity tariffs “soon” on the demand of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Talking to the media after a consultative session on the proposed renewable energy (RE) policy, he said the government had only recently increased electricity rates by Rs1.27 per unit, instead of Rs3.28 per unit determined by the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra), and there was no more room for increasing burden on the consumers.
He said even in the recent tariff increase, the government had protected the poor and the lower middle class and added burden on to those who could afford. “We have not increased tariff for small commercial consumers and have given relief to the industrial sector. We have also reduced tariff for agriculture tubewells,” he added.
Replying to a question about K-Electric, the power minister said the privatised utility should increase investment in its system upgrade, recalling that Nepra had also penalised K-Electric for not giving desired results.
Earlier speaking at the workshop, Mr Ayub said Pakistan could not compete in the international market due to its high cost of energy from imported fossil fuels as the world had moved to alternative sources of renewable energy whose costs were continuously falling.
He said there were a lot of technical hurdles in the National Transmission and Dispatch Company and that the government would have to work on grid value of alternative energy. “The government is increasing dependence on the domestic resources to reduce electricity basket’s price,” he said, adding that an energy policy framework was being reviewed on the basis of fresh analysis of energy demand and supply situation for long-term policies and predictability.
The participants in the workshop asked the government to extend the existing Renewable Energy Policy-2006 until the new policy was developed or amendments were introduced to it, as this policy had been successful in attracting investment in renewable energy sector.
The session concluded that the policy framework should be announced for long-term without any cut-off dates and interim sudden policy changes should be avoided because that sent negative signals to the investors. There should be continuity of policies supported by an integrated energy plan for 20 to 25 years which should be updated regularly.
It observed that renewable energy tariffs were reducing and already low tariffs had been achieved in Pakistan.
Inducting more RE power will impact the economic situation in a positive way by reducing the petroleum bill that reached $12.9 billion last year and is expected to increase this year and years ahead due to increase in global oil prices.
The participants were of the opinion that a detailed realistic demand analysis should be carried out keeping in view growth rate and accordingly renewable energy targets needed to be set out in energy mix of the country. Grid constraints need to be addressed on priority basis to enable smooth injection of renewable power.
ISLAMABAD: Expressing concern over a ‘broken criminal justice system’ and an inordinate delay in the Benazir Bhutto murder case, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has called for an overhaul of the justice system involving creating a separate constitutional court in the country besides the Supreme Court, provision of appeal against decisions in all suo motu cases and a review of the procedure for appointment of superior court judges.
The demand was made by PPP Secretary General Farhatullah Babar and former attorney general for Pakistan Latif Khosa at a news conference at Zardari House here on Tuesday.
Mr Khosa alleged that the judiciary had double standards in dealing terrorism-related cases. On one hand, he said, the Supreme Court had stayed the Peshawar High Court’s order of releasing 76 people who had been convicted by military courts on terrorism charges and on the other hand, the five accused of the Benazir Bhutto murder case had been set free despite the fact that they had made “judicial confessional statements” before a magistrate.
He claimed that two of these five acquitted persons had received the suicide bombers from a bus stand and kept them at a house in Rawalpindi and their involvement had been proved through the DNA tests of the bombers carried out by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of the US.
In September last year, an anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Rawalpindi had acquitted five suspects allegedly linked with the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) for lack of evidence while announcing its verdict in the Benazir Bhutto murder case. The ATC, however, had convicted two senior police officials Saud Aziz and Khurram Shehzad in the case for their failure to provide security to Ms Bhutto.
The ATC judge had announced the judgement during in-camera proceedings at Adiala jail, declaring former president retired Gen Pervez Musharraf a proclaimed offender in the case and ordering the attachment of his movable and immovable properties.
The PPP leader said that former president Asif Zardari had filed an appeal against the ATC’s verdict, which was still pending. He said 11 years had passed since Ms Bhutto was assassinated outside Liaquat Bagh in Rawalpindi, but the case was still unresolved.
Mr Khosa, a lawyer by profession, criticised the authorities for not conducting a post-mortem on the slain leader. In response to allegations that her spouse had not allowed the authorities to conduct autopsy, he said no such permission from legal heirs was required. He said no one had the powers to allow or stop post-mortem in such cases.
The PPP leader said that no one was held answerable over such a huge incident and the police officials who were deputed on duty were allowed to continue to work for ensuring a “complete cover-up”.
He recalled Ms Bhutto had already complained that Gen Musharraf had withdrawn her security and “if anything happens to her he will be responsible for it” and said it was testified by American journalist and lobbyist Mark Siegel.
He said Gen Musharraf did not appear in the court and was even declared a proclaimed offender. However, he said, the former military dictator appeared before the court after five years and demanded that the proceedings should be initiated again at a time when they had already managed to record statements of 27 witnesses.
Responding to a question, Mr Khosa said the PPP and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had agreed in the Charter of Democracy that there should be a separate constitutional court in the country, besides the Supreme Court. However, he said former prime minister Nawaz Sharif backtracked from the agreement and now “he is facing the music”.
PPP Secretary General Farhatullah Babar said his party wanted a complete overhaul of the justice system in the country. He said the PPP also wanted an amendment to the Constitution to provide right of appeal against decisions in all suo motu cases under Article 184(3).
ISLAMABAD: The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has announced suspension of UNHCR-facilitated voluntary repatriation process for all registered Afghans holding valid proof of registration cards from December 1 for the next three months.
The voluntary repatriation process will resume on March 1, 2019.
During the winter break, the UNHCR will not facilitate repatriation from the Voluntary Repatriation Centres at Azakhel, Nowshera and Baleli, Quetta, the UN refugee agency announced on Tuesday.
KARACHI: A banking court was informed on Tuesday that the Omni Group was offering a deal to banks for dispute settlement pertaining to pilferage/disappearance of Rs11 billion worth of sugar stocks that had been pledged as security with banks by the group in return for loans taken from the banks.
Ten suspects — including Khawaja Anvar Majeed, Khawaja Mustafa Zulqarnain Majeed, Khawaja Ali Kamal Majeed, Khawaja Nimr Majeed, Rashid Ahmed Khan, Mohammad Zeeshan Khan and Sajjad Ahmed — have been nominated as accused by the National Bank, Silk Bank, Summit Bank, and Sindh Bank for pilferage of the pledged sugar stocks.
The banks had filed around 26 direct applications seeking registration of criminal cases against the CEOs/directors of eight sugar mills and imposition of penalties on them under Section 20 of the Institutions (Recovery of Finances) Ordinance, 2001.
When the matter was taken up before the banking court-III, Judge Muhammad Saad Qureshi asked the complainants to provide copies of the documentary evidence against suspects and fixed the matter for their indictment on Dec 6.
The judge also repeated non-bailable warrants for arrest of an absconding suspect who was reportedly abroad.
The judge expressed his displeasure over non-production of detained businessman Anvar Majeed, said to have been admitted to the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases over health problems, and summoned his doctor.
The judge also directed Barrister Jamshed Malik to file his power of attorney on behalf of Majeed.
Meanwhile, Advocate Khawaja Naveed Ahmed, counsel for Sindh Bank, submitted that the Omni Group had proposed to settle the dispute with the complainant banks.
Under the proposal, the Omni Group had offered to give Rs1bn in cash, two sugar mills and two industrial plots to the banks, the counsel explained.
Mr Ahmed further informed that three banks — Sindh Bank, Summit Bank and Silk Bank — had agreed to the proposal while the National Bank of Pakistan had some reservations over it.
He maintained that the proposal was made before the Supreme Court, which had already asked the parties to finalise it.
The matter is likely to be taken up before the apex court on Dec 5 for passing an appropriate order in this regard, the counsel added.
Graft case against ex-PPP MPA
The administrative judge of the accountability courts on Tuesday accepted a reference against a detained former legislator belonging to the Pakistan Peoples Party and others regarding Rs55 million corruption.
The administrative judge transferred the reference to the accountability court-II for trial.
In the reference, the federal anti-graft watchdog mentioned Babul Bhayo, a former MPA from PS-12 Shikarpur, his driver Maqsood Bhayo and Afzal Bhayo as suspects in the reference.
The watchdog claimed that an inquiry was authorised against them on the basis of suspicious transactions made in the account of the former legislator by different contractors of Shikarpur district.
The accused with connivance of the contractors and representatives of the provincial works and services department had deposited huge amount in accounts of the accused, causing a loss to the tune of Rs55m to the national exchequer, it added.
Bhayo had failed to provide any lawful justification of the amount deposited in his account and the watchdog pleaded for his physical remand in order to complete investigation and other legal formalities, it added.
LARKANA: Four suspects, currently at large on bail in fake bank account cases, appeared before reporters at the local press club on Tuesday claiming that they had nothing to do with the accounts allegedly opened in their name clandestinely for certain heavy transactions.
“We came to know about the accounts only on Oct 28 when a team of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) raided our houses in their investigation into Rs90 million transactions through these accounts, which we have never opened or maintained,” Zulfikar Ali Shaikh, Khalid Hussain Shaikh, Rizwan Ali Shaikh and Ghulam Ali Jakhar said.
They said they came to know that their data submitted for opening the accounts showed them as government ‘contractors’. “Though we are currently self-employed, we had once submitted photocopies of our academic certificates and computerised national identity cards (CNICs) with the deputy accounts officer and cashier of the Bakrani taluka municipal committee in 2012-13 to seek employment. They said they did not get any job against the applications.
“We believe that the officer and cashier may have misused our documents in the opening of these accounts in three different banks,” they said.
KARACHI: The Sindh Food Authority (SFA) on Tuesday informed Chief Secretary Mumtaz Ali Shah that 17 companies selling bottled water and nine commercial concerns dealing in loose ghee were sealed in Karachi as the drive against hazardous food continued.
Action against illegal abattoirs in the city was also initiated, SFA officials told a meeting chaired by the chief secretary.
They said that the bottled water companies were sealed in compliance with the relevant order issued by the chief justice of Pakistan.
The meeting was also informed that inspection of food being sold at school canteens, which had largely been ignored in the past, was being conducted and sale of cold drinks in schools was prohibited due to public health concerns.
A spokesperson for the provincial government said that the CS appreciated SFA’s efforts and advised it to maintain coordination with the Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) vis-à-vis authentication and registration of food items and commodities.
According to SFA officials, 40 food inspectors would soon be recruited in order to evolve an effective mechanism to inspect food outlets.
The CS called for a permanent campaign to keep people aware of dangers of hazardous/expired food.
The SFA director general informed the meeting that notices had been issued to 5,806 businesses asking them to improve quality of their food products. They included factories, restaurants and school canteens, he said, adding that fines to the tune of Rs1.6 million had been imposed on various restaurants found serving substandard food to consumers.
CS Shah said that necessary legal action be taken against those found marketing adulterated and substandard food products and include poultry products in their inspection. He said SFA would require a food testing lab of its own.
Food Secretary Mohammad Rashid informed the meeting that the SFA raided various places to check quality of commodities/items being produced at ice factories and confectionery concerns.
KARACHI: Maintaining that his party was against all types of encroachments, Pak Sarzameen Party chairman Syed Mustafa Kamal said on Tuesday that the government should have made alternative arrangements before “displacing hundreds of thousands of people and snatching their livelihood in the name of anti-encroachment operation”.
Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters, he said that the government had promised 10 million new jobs, but in its initial days it had made hundreds of thousands of people jobless.
He said that when he was the mayor of Karachi he had demolished 28,000 illegally constructed houses to pave the way for construction of the Lyari Expressway.
“But the then judiciary, government and other institutions had decided that the people would not be rendered shelter-less and instead they would be shifted in three new settlements,” he said adding that infrastructure work was carried out first and then those living in illegal settlements along the Lyari River were given alternative plots and Rs50,000 each for their rehabilitation.
He said likewise the government had provided alternative plots to people affected by the Preedy Street rehabilitation plan and then it had demolished 1,285 houses.
Mr Kamal appealed to the apex court to keep an eye on the operation being carried out on its directives so that “those currently demolishing shops will not permit people to resettle on the same places after taking heavy bribes”.
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court was requested on Tuesday to revisit its Oct 17 order on removal of billboards in the country with a plea that outdoor advertising is a lawful occupation and not barred under any law.
A petition seeking the review of the Oct 17 order has been filed jointly by Mohammad Rehman, Irfan Iqbal and Qurban Ali through their counsel Chaudhry Faisal Hussain.
The public places are the main sources of income for outdoor advertisement, the petition argues, adding that the rule of propriety and the principle of fairness demand an immediate reconsideration of the verdict affecting the lawful and constitutional rights of the petitioners as well as a large number of daily-wage earners associated with this lawful profession.
The review petition is aimed at raising voice for thousands of mostly poor workers who belong to the pauper class and also fall in the lowest income bracket of society and are totally dependent on this industry, the petition contends, adding that the judgement is jeopardising their fundamental rights without giving them ample opportunity to save their livelihood.
Petition says outdoor advertising is source of earning for millions of people
Outdoor advertising, the petition contends, is one of the trades or businesses for millions of common people and their families. The trade is also contributing hugely to the national economy in the shape of Rs50 billion on a yearly basis.
The petition highlights that public places are not under any law barred to be used for advertising of taxation, hence excluding outdoor advertising at public places amounts to selective treatment by the apex court.
The Supreme Court by using the jurisdiction of suo motu has always been serving in the interest and the causes of poorest of the poor, thus creating a bar on itself to act only to the benefit of those who have no voice, the petition says.
Therefore, it says, the petitioners look towards the apex court to save their families from hunger and starvation and they have all the legitimate expectations to be treated fairly as the Supreme Court has always been saving the deprived classes from the miseries and difficulties.
In its order, the Supreme Court had held that allowing hoardings/billboards would endanger the life and property of the public and, therefore, installation of any billboards or hoardings by cantonment boards or any other agency or a public property would deem to be illegal.
The judgement had stated that there were so many other ways by which businesses could market themselves through print or electronic media which was one of the most popular means to advertise in today’s day and age.
The court had also held that if billboards/hoardings were to be used for the purpose of advertisement, then the businesses should advertise on private buildings.
The court had also ordered the government to amend the bylaws so that a nationwide uniformity could be achieved to ensure safety measures of citizens by regulating the hoardings or billboards in the country.
“The Supreme Court is the custodian of the fundamental rights of the public at large, but the Oct 17 judgement seems to be the result of inadequate and improper assistance,” the petition argues.
It is the fundamental right of the petitioners as well as other citizens to enter upon lawful occupation and trade of business, but the persons associated with the outdoor industry have been condemned unheard, the petition contends.
