ISLAMABAD: An accountability court judge said on Sunday he had ruled in a corruption case against former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on the “basis of evidence,” rejecting accusations by the daughter of the jailed leader that her father was wrongfully convicted because the judge was “blackmailed” into issuing a wrongful verdict.
At a press conference flanked by senior leaders of the Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) party on Saturday, Maryam Nawaz Sharif said accountability judge Arshad Malik had confessed during a meeting with PMLN leader Nasir Butt that he was forced to issue an “unjust” verdict against Sharif by ‘people’ who blackmailed him with a “personal video.” The video of Malik’s conversation with Butt was ostensibly filmed in secret, without his permission.
Sharif was sentenced to seven years in prison and fined $25 million on corruption charges by Judge Malik in December last year who ruled that the three-time prime minister was unable to prove the source of income that had led to his ownership of a steel mill in Saudi Arabia. Under Pakistani law, this is taken to prove corruption. On the same day, Malik acquitted Sharif in a second case relating to Flagship Investments, a company established by his son, Hasan Nawaz, that owns luxury properties in Britain.
“If I had to bow to pressure or any material greed, I would not have exonerated [Nawaz Sharif] in one case and handed down punishment in another one,” Malik said in a press statement on Sunday. “I want to clarify it there was neither any direct or indirect pressure on me nor was there any greed. I decided all these cases on the basis of evidence.”
He added that representatives of the Sharif family had offered him bribes repeatedly to rule in the former prime minister’s favor and also threatened him: “I decided to stay firm … entrusted my life and wealth to Allah,” Malik said.
He said the video shown in Maryam’s presser was “fake and concocted,” urging legal action against those involved in making it.
Describing the clip as “divine help” for her family, Maryam had described during her press conference that the judge could be heard in the video highlighting several flaws in his own verdict that he wanted Nasir Butt to convey to the Sharif family lawyers to help him get an acquittal verdict in appeal hearings.
Sharif has always termed the charges against him politically motivated and accused the military and courts of working together to end his political career and destabilize the PMLN party. Both deny the charge.
PMLN spokesperson Marrium Aurangzeb rejected Malik’s accusations that he was offered bribes or threatened by Sharif family representatives, and said if there was pressure on the judge, he should have come forward earlier while the cases were being heard.
“If there was pressure on him, he should have told Supreme Court ... that Sharif family representatives had offered him a bribe,” she told Arab News on Sunday.
A day earlier, Pakistan’s de facto information minister, Firdous Ashiq Awan, had condemned the allegations against the accountability judge and said the PML-N had maligned the judiciary. She said a forensic audit of the video would be conducted, adding that it was important to ascertain if the contents of the video were “real or tampered.”
Pakistan’s Electronic Media regulatory Authority (PEMRA) has also sent a notice to several private news channels over the live broadcast of Maryam’s press conference, calling it “in violation of PEMRA laws and code of conduct.”
On Sunday, opposition leader and chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party, Bilawal Bhutto, expressed “grave concern” over Maryam’s allegations and called upon the superior judiciary to take appropriate action.
“If for some reason the judiciary is not inclined to address such issues then the opposition parties must deliberate on it and formulate a united course of action,” Bilawal’s spokesperson senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar said.
Politics professor Dr. Rasul Bakhsh Rais said if the video was indeed genuine, then “the burden of proof is on the honorable judge to prove he was blackmailed.”
“Ethically, professionally and legally, a judge, such as him, is wrong and guilty of miscarriage of justice if he admits that he has given a verdict under pressure,” Rais said. “I think the judge has been drafted into playing politics in support of the Sharif family. He had an option to recuse himself from the case if he felt someone was placing him under pressure.”
Pakistani judge rejects accusations he ruled against ex-PM Sharif under duress
Pakistani judge rejects accusations he ruled against ex-PM Sharif under duress
- Says decided all cases “on the basis of evidence” despite being offered bribes and threatened by Sharifs
- Sharif’s daughter held a press conference on Saturday, showed a secretly-filmed video of the judge admitting he wrote verdicts under pressure
Two soldiers killed as militants ambush security forces convoy in northwest Pakistan— army
- Nine militants killed by security forces in Lakki Marwat, Bannu and North Waziristan districts, says military
- Islamabad has struggled to contain militancy since a 2022 truce between state, Pakistani Taliban collapsed
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan military’s media wing said on Monday that two soldiers were killed were militants ambushed a security forces’ convoy in the country’s northwestern province bordering Afghanistan.
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said it conducted an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in the northwestern Lakki Marwat district on Sunday night, where five Pakistani Taliban militants were killed. In the second IBO in the northwestern Bannu district, the military said two militants were killed by security forces.
However, in the North Waziristan district, Pakistani Taliban militants ambushed a security forces convoy in which two militants were killed and also two soldiers.
“However, during the intense fire exchange, two brave sons of soil, Sepoy Farhad Ali Turi (age: 29 years, resident of District Kurram) and Lance Naik Sabir Afridi (age: 32 years, resident of District Kohat) having fought gallantly, paid the ultimate sacrifice and embraced shahadat [martyrdom],” the ISPR said.
The military’s media wing said sanitization operations were being conducted to eliminate any other “Khawarji” found in the area, the term the army uses for Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) or Pakistani Taliban militants.
“Security forces of Pakistan are determined to wipe out the menace of terrorism perpetrated by Indian proxies, and such sacrifices of our brave soldiers further strengthen our resolve,” the ISPR said.
The Pakistan military described TTP militants as “Indian-sponsored,” emphasizing its earlier allegations that New Delhi funds and arms militants in Pakistan.
India, however, denies using militant proxies in Pakistan.
Pakistan has struggled to contain a surge in militancy in KP since a fragile truce between the Pakistani Taliban and Islamabad broke down in November 2022. The TTP and other militant groups have frequently targeted security forces convoys and check-posts, besides carrying out targeted killings and kidnappings of law enforcers and government officials in recent months.
Pakistan says the takeover of Kabul by the Afghan Taliban in 2021 has emboldened the TTP as it is able to operate out of and launch attacks from safe havens in neighboring Afghanistan. Kabul denies the allegation.
Pakistan says $2 billion received since creation of special investment council
- Pakistan formed Special Investment Facilitation Council in 2023 to attract foreign investment in priority sectors
- Minister says SIFC plays crucial role in removing “bureaucratic hurdles” that earlier discouraged investors
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr. Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said on Monday that the country has received $2 billion in foreign investment since the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) was formed in 2023.
Pakistan’s government formed the SIFC in June 2023 to attract international investment in key economic sectors such as tourism, livestock, trade, infrastructure, mining and minerals.
The government decided to form the hybrid civil-military forum after Islamabad narrowly avoided a sovereign default in 2023 before it was saved by a last-gasp bailout program by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
“Since its inception, more than $2 billion in foreign investment has flowed into Pakistan, and our economic indicators are improving,” Chaudhry informed lawmakers during a question hour at the National Assembly, the lower house of Pakistan’s parliament.
Responding to a question by lawmaker Shazia Marri, Chaudhry said the SIFC played a crucial role in removing “bureaucratic hurdles” that previously discouraged international investors.
Answering a supplementary question from lawmaker Arshad Abdullah, the minister acknowledged that Pakistan’s bureaucratic processes had long deterred global investors.
“In our system, even setting up a petrol pump requires 21 NOCs (no objection certificates), while in Indonesia, only one NOC is needed to establish an industry,” Chaudhry said.
He stressed that the SIFC’s goal is to eliminate such inefficiencies.
“We are moving from manual to automated systems to streamline investment processes,” he shared.
Since its inception in 2023, the SIFC has also been instrumental in ensuring several trade and investment deals were signed between Pakistan and its regional allies Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were signed.
Pakistan explores collaboration opportunities with UAE-based banks for economic growth
- Pakistan finmin meets representatives of Sharjah Islamic Bank, Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, and Ajman Bank
- Pakistan finance ministry says Islamabad open to commercial partnerships that contribute to economic growth
KARACHI: Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb on Monday held meetings with three UAE-based banks which concluded with both sides expressing their desire to explore potential avenues for collaboration for economic growth, Pakistan’s finance ministry said.
The ministry held a series of virtual meetings with three UAE-based banks, Sharjah Islamic Bank, Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, and Ajman Bank. The meeting, chaired by Aurangzeb, focused on the banks’ support for Pakistan’s development and fiscal objectives, the finance ministry said.
“The meeting concluded with mutual interest in continuing the dialogue and exploring potential avenues for collaboration,” the finance ministry said.
“The finance minister reaffirmed Pakistan’s openness to quality commercial partnerships that contribute to economic growth, development financing, and investor confidence.”
Aurangzeb said Pakistan is on the path to macroeconomic stability. He noted that this year, Pakistan’s forex reserves are approaching the $14 billion mark, which would provide the nation with three months of import cover.
Pakistan has undertaken structural, financial reforms in recent months mandated by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in exchange for bailout programs from the international lender.
These include increasing its tax base, introducing reforms in the energy sector and privatizing loss-making public assets. Aurangzeb underscored that the government is “firmly committed” to long-term reforms.
“We have broken away from the old boom and bust cycle,” the minister said. “The current stability is backed by difficult but necessary reforms— and we are staying the course.”
He shared that Pakistan is set to reach a tax-to-GDP ratio of 10.6 percent by June 2025, with a target of 11 percent in the next fiscal year, the ministry said.
“During the interactive sessions, senior executives of the three banks acknowledged the progress and shared their comments and views on Pakistan’s economic plans,” the statement said.
The UAE is Pakistan’s third-largest trading partner after China and the US, and a major source of foreign investment, with over $10 billion invested in the last two decades.
The Gulf country is also home to over a million expatriates from Pakistan, the second-largest overseas Pakistani community globally, and a major source of remittances.
Pakistan Met Office says heatwave to continue this week
- High pressure likely to persist in upper atmosphere during current week, says Met Office
- Says temperatures likely to remain 04 to 06°C above normal in southern Pakistan this week
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Meteorological Department said on Monday that the ongoing heatwave in various parts of the country is expected to continue this week, calling on citizens to take precautionary measures for safety.
The Met Office warned last Wednesday of a heatwave in the country that it said will last from May 15 to 20. Its warning came amid increasingly erratic climate patterns across South Asia, with cities in Pakistan experiencing more frequent and intense heat waves in recent years, a trend climate experts link to global warming.
The Met Office said in its latest advisory that high pressure is likely to persist in the upper atmosphere during the current week.
“Heatwave is likely to continue during the current week,” it said. “Day temperatures are likely to remain 04 to 06°C above normal in the southern half (Sindh, southern Punjab and Balochistan) from 20th to 24th May.”
It said temperatures during the day are likely to remain 05 to 07°C above normal in the upper half of the country (central and upper Punjab, Islamabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan) from 20th to 24th May.
“Dust storm/gusty winds are expected at isolated places over plain areas due to excessive heating during the forecast period,” it added.
The Met Office advised women, the elderly and children to take precautionary measures during the heatwave period. It warned them to avoid exposure to direct sunlight during the day and remain hydrated at all times.
The Met Office advised farmers to manage their crop activities, keeping in view the latest weather conditions and to also take care of their livestock.
“Rising temperatures in northern areas may enhance snow melting rate during the forecast period,” it said. “Judicious use of water is requested in all fields of life.”
Pakistan ranks among the top ten countries most vulnerable to climate change and has grappled in recent years with increasingly frequent extreme weather events from deadly heat waves and floods.
In June 2024, almost 700 people died in a heat wave in less than a week, with most deaths recorded in the port city of Karachi and others in the southern province of Sindh, according to the Edhi Foundation charity.
A 2015 heatwave claimed over 2,000 lives in Karachi alone while floods in 2022 left more than 1,700 dead and over 33 million displaced nationwide.
Pakistan denies Indian reports of nuclear-capable missile deployment
- Indian media outlets reported Pakistan used ‘Shaheen’ ballistic missile during recent conflict with Delhi
- Pakistan’s foreign office says “inflammatory and unverified” content by Indian media undermines regional stability
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s foreign office spokesperson on Monday rejected “baseless” reports by the Indian media which claimed Islamabad had deployed its nuclear-capable ‘Shaheen’ missile against India in the recent conflict between the two countries.
India and Pakistan were involved in the worst fighting between the two nuclear-armed neighbors since 1999 earlier this month. Both Pakistan and India struck each other with missiles, fighter jets, drones and artillery fire for four days before US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire on May 10.
The Indian Army shared a video on Twitter on Sunday purportedly showing the use of Pakistan’s Shaheen missile. The video was picked up by several Indian media outlets, such as NDTV and News Arena India.
The Indian Army, however, deleted the video from its Twitter account upon realizing “the claim was unsubstantiated,” Pakistan’s foreign office said.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has firmly rejected the unfounded allegations circulating in certain segments of the Indian media, which falsely claim that Pakistan employed the Shaheen missile during Operation Bunyanun Marsoos (BM),” the foreign office spokesperson said.
He said some Indian outlets have continued to propagate the “misinformation,” noting that the Indian Army has not offered any clarification or retraction on the matter.
“Analysts observe that such disinformation campaigns are part of a deliberate attempt to obscure India’s setbacks in Operation Sindoor, which were a result of Pakistan’s demonstrated conventional military capabilities,” it said.
“Additionally, these fabricated stories align with New Delhi’s ongoing efforts to promote a misleading narrative regarding the ceasefire and baseless allegations of so-called ‘nuclear blackmail’ by Pakistan.”
The foreign office said Pakistan Army had mentioned the use of the weapons it used against India in a press release issued by the military’s media wing on May 12.
It said the army used precision-guided, long-range Fatah series missiles— F1 and F2— as well as advanced munitions, highly capable long-range loitering killer drones and precision long-range artillery.
“Disseminating unverified and inflammatory content not only undermines regional stability but also reflects poorly on the professionalism of official institutions,” the foreign office said.
India’s defense minister last week urged the International Atomic Energy Agency to take charge of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons, calling Pakistan an “irresponsible and rogue” nation.
Pakistan responded by saying that India’s “irresponsible remarks reveal his profound insecurity and frustration regarding Pakistan’s effective defense and deterrence against Indian aggression through conventional means.”
Both India and Pakistan have fought two out of three wars since 1947 over the disputed Himalayan territory of Kashmir. They both administer parts of the territory but claim it in full.
