ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Law and Justice announced on Thursday that the government would file a reference against one of the judges who tried Pakistan’s former military ruler, General (r) Pervez Musharraf, in the Supreme Judicial Council — a constitutional body that is authorized to hear cases of misconduct against members of the country’s superior judiciary.
Justice Waqar Ahmed Seth, who is also the chief justice of Peshawar High Court, authored the detailed judgment in the treason trial against Musharraf, instructing the authorities to “apprehend the fugitive/convict” to “ensure that the punishment is inflicted as per law.” However, if the former army chief was “found dead,” his “corpse” should “be dragged to the D-Chowk, Islamabad, Pakistan and be hanged for 03 days.”
Addressing a news conference in Islamabad, the law minister questioned the authority that empowered the judge to make such “an unprecedented, despicable and wrong observation.” He reminded the media of a 1994 judgment issued by the former chief justice, Nasim Hasan Shah, that deemed public hanging against the country’s constitution.
The law minister added that Justice Seth was “mentally unfit” to be part of the superior judiciary and should be restrained from working in that capacity.
“This is an attempt to take Pakistan into dark ages,” he said after announcing that the government would file a reference against the judge in the Supreme Judicial Council.
Earlier in the day, Major General Asif Ghafoor, the director-general of the military’s media wing Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), also issued a brief statement in Rawalpindi, expressing his reservations at the language used in the detailed verdict against Musharraf, saying that it was against basic human, religious and cultural norms.
He said he had discussed the nature and character of war in his previous media briefings while highlighting that Pakistan was facing the specter of hybrid war.
Ghafoor said the country’s armed forces were keeping an eye on the situation and knew about the internal and external enemies.
He maintained that the army was not just an institution but a family, adding that it had sacrificed a great deal to bring about internal stability in the country and would not allow anyone to undermine the gains that were made.
The DG ISPR said there were elements who wanted to “provoke us” and trigger “internecine conflict” in the country. However, he noted that the armed forces were fully aware of how to defend Pakistan and secure their own institutional integrity.
Ghafoor revealed that the army chief had discussed the detailed verdict in Musharraf’s treason trial with the prime minister, though he said the “decisions” made during the conversation would be announced by the government.
He also urged the people of Pakistan to trust the country’s armed forces.
Government to file reference against judge who wrote Musharraf verdict
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Government to file reference against judge who wrote Musharraf verdict
- The law minister calls Justice Waqar Ahmed Seth “mentally unfit” to be part of superior judiciary
- Military spokesman also expressed reservation at the language of the detailed verdict
Authorities revoke permit for Imran Khan’s party to hold public rally in Islamabad today
- The decision was mentioned by the capital police that warned of legal action against anyone who violated it
- Earlier, the PTI accused state agencies of ‘abducting’ media team member to quell dissenting political voices
ISLAMABAD: Police in Pakistan’s federal capital said on Friday the district administration had revoked the permission to “a political party” to hold a rally on July 6 and warned of legal action against anyone who violated the decision.
The announcement came as former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party was preparing to hold the rally to protest the tax-laden budget presented last month, along with the spiraling cost of living in the country.
PTI said earlier this month that the federal government was delaying the issuance of a no-objection certificate for it to hold the public meeting, as its leaders promised record-breaking numbers.
The party maintained it never stopped its rivals from holding political rallies during its tenure in power.
“The district administration has revoked the permit for a political party’s rally on July 6,” the police announced in a post on X, formerly Twitter. “No rally will be allowed without a permit.”
“Legal action will be taken against those who take the law into their own hands,” it added. “Islamabad police will ensure the maintenance of law and order in the city at all costs.”
Earlier, the PTI criticized the state for “abducting” a senior member of its media team ahead of the rally in Islamabad, accusing it of focusing more on quelling dissent than dealing with the problem of militant violence.
“Rizwan Ahmad, a senior member of the PTI Media Department, has been abducted by agencies a short while ago,” Omar Ayub, a top PTI leader, said on social media. “This action by the agencies is just to silence his voice.”
“The agencies are not doing their job of countering terrorism and the latest assassination of Senator Hidayat Ullah Khan is an example, but they are busy silencing the voices of PTI that dare to speak the truth,” he added, referring to the killing of a Pakistani lawmaker in the northwestern Bajaur district in a blast that killed four others.
Only a day earlier, Amnesty International condemned such incidents against PTI workers and their family members, pointing out that they had been “forcibly disappeared since June 2024.”
Pakistan’s disaster management authority warns of flash floods amid heavy monsoon rains
- According to an official advisory, the current spell of rains is likely to continue over the weekend
- Urban flooding is expected in several cities, with authorities being asked to take appropriate measures
ISLAMABAD: The National Disaster Management Authority’s Emergencies Operation Center warned of flash floods in a number of Pakistani cities, including the federal capital and its adjoining areas, amid the ongoing monsoon rains that are likely to continue over the weekend.
The newly established operation center is tasked with overseeing comprehensive disaster management efforts across Pakistan, including coordinating response activities and disseminating critical information.
Monitoring and forecasting weather patterns constitute a significant component of its mandate, enabling timely warnings to ensure proactive response.
Two years ago, Pakistan suffered a great deal due to the unprecedented monsoon rains and devastating floods, which resulted in the deaths of 1,700 people and caused over $35 billion in damages to homes, agricultural lands and public infrastructure.
“NDMA’s National Emergencies Operation Center anticipated that ongoing torrential rains may cause flash floods in local [water channels]/streams of Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Sialkot, Narowal, Murree, Galliyat, Kohistan, Abbottabad, Dir, Swat, Kashmir and hill torrent of D.G Khan and Rajanpur due to present monsoon spell till 7th July,” the center said in an advisory.
“Urban Flooding is expected [in] Lahore, Sialkot, Narowal, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi and Peshawar,” it added.
The advisory said that Provincial Disaster Management Authorities had been asked to monitor the situation and take appropriate measures to protect the population at risk.
“The public is advised to stay informed and follow instructions from local authorities,” it said.
Hundreds storm Pakistan power station over long outages
- The incident took place in Sibi in southern Balochistan where temperatures peaked at 45 degrees Celsius
- Power outages are prolonged in Balochistan due to electricity production deficits, unpaid bills by consumers
Hundreds of people in one of Pakistan’s hottest cities stormed a power station in protest against cuts lasting up to 20 hours a day, police said Friday.
The protesters also ransacked the station’s neighboring administrative office in Thursday night’s incident in rural Sibi, in southern Balochistan province, where temperatures peaked at 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit).
“People stormed the electricity supply office and ransacked it last night and a case has been lodged against them,” police official Anayatullah Bungulzai told AFP, adding that the group numbered up to 800 people.
Planned power cuts, also known as loadshedding, happen frequently in Pakistan due to fuel shortages, varying in length in different areas.
In Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province, power outages are prolonged due to both electricity production deficits and unpaid bills by consumers that affect entire neighborhoods.
Afzal Baloch, spokesperson for the Quetta Electricity Supply Company, told AFP the company suffers “significant” monthly losses due to outstanding payments.
However, protester Noor Ahmad said on Friday they were “compelled” to act over “the excessive loadshedding lasting for hours despite our timely payments of bills.”
Sibi is one of the hottest settled areas in Pakistan, where temperatures regularly reach 50C (122F) degrees during heatwaves.
Scientists say such conditions are becoming longer, more frequent and more intense as a result of climate change.
Balochistan is also one of Pakistan’s poorest provinces, and battles poor security, rugged terrain, an unreliable water supply and restricted employment opportunities.
Pakistan’s information minister hails PM Sharif’s ‘historic’ stance on Palestine at SCO summit
- Shehbaz Sharif said at the gathering Israel was committing ‘genocide’ and must be held accountable
- Minister Attaullah Tarar maintains no one has ever spoken so clearly about the Palestinian cause before
ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar applauded Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday for adopting a clear stance over Palestine at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Kazakhstan while describing it as “historic.”
Sharif participated in the SCO and SCO-Plus summits in Astana where he addressed a range of global and regional issues, including Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza that has entered its tenth month.
He criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s administration for the bloodshed of thousands of women and children and demanded an immediate ceasefire.
“I would especially like to mention the unambiguous words and clear and blunt stance adopted by the Pakistani prime minister regarding Palestine at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, which were historic,” Tarar said. “No one has ever spoken so clearly about the Palestinian cause before.”
He said that Sharif had not only maintained that Israel was “committing genocide” against the unarmed and oppressed Palestinians but also highlighted that it was “engaging in war crimes.”
“The prime minister said very clearly that Israel must be made answerable: Israel must be held accountable,” he added.
Tarar said Sharif had echoed the sentiments of every Pakistan, regardless of their political affiliation and faith, by presenting his country’s stance over the Palestine issue.
Israel launched its air and ground offensive targeting Gaza last October following a surprise attack by Hamas in which around 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 were taken hostages.
The Palestinian group said its attack was in response to the deteriorating condition of Palestinian people living under occupation.
Israel’s response was widely viewed as disproportionate by the international community in which nearly 38,000 people, mostly women and children, have died.
Israel was taken to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) by South Africa on the allegaton of committing genocide where other nations joined the proceedings as well.
Army raises alarm over ‘unwarranted’ criticism of anti-militancy operation amid opposition’s concerns
- The army says Operation Azm-e-Istehkam aims to dismantle the nexus of ‘terrorism’ and other crimes
- It says the military will assist the government in addressing challenges that undermine investor confidence
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s top military brass on Friday raised concerns over “unwarranted” criticism of a newly announced operation against militant violence in the country, saying it would assist the government in addressing all security-related challenges undermining investor confidence.
The military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), announced this in a statement circulated after the 265th Corps Commanders’ Conference held at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, presided over by Army Chief General Asim Munir.
The participants reviewed the overall security landscape and focused on Operation Azm-e-Istehkam — or Resolve for Stability — which was announced last month during the meeting of the country’s top security body.
The opposition parties, including former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), raised objections to the planned operation, pointing out that it should have first been debated in the national parliament. They also expressed fears it could create further instability in the country.
“The forum undertook a comprehensive review of internal and external security situation of the country and had detailed discussion on various aspects of ‘Azm-e-Istehkam’, which is aimed at harnessing the national counter terrorism efforts in a synchronized manner to dismantle the nexus of terrorism and illegal spectrum in the country for enduring stability and economic prosperity,” the ISPR said.
“Forum noted with concern the unwarranted criticism by some quarters and deliberate misrepresentation of the vision, only for furthering their vested interests,” it added.
The statement said Pakistan’s military leadership was cognizant of the full spectrum of challenges faced by the country, as it pointed out that it would “shoulder its constitutionally mandated responsibilities with support of the resilient people of Pakistan.”
The conference also raised alarm over the “onslaught of politically motivated digital terrorism” against state institution, saying it was to create despondency among the nation and sow the seeds of discord through “fake news and propaganda.”
“Armed Forces along with the nation are fully aware of all such machinations and stand united and committed in defeating the notorious designs of the enemies of Pakistan,” the ISPR statement maintained.
“Forum reiterated to continue full support of ongoing efforts in uplifting the socioeconomic growth and wholeheartedly assisting the government in curbing all illegal activities which hamper investors’ confidence, economic stability and growth.”
The government’s decision to launch the new operation against militants came against the backdrop of a surge in violence in different parts of the country.
It also came shortly after a top Chinese leader visited Pakistan and expressed concern over militant attacks, noting they causing consternation among investors in his country.
The government plans to hold an all-parties conference in the coming days to take all political stakeholder on board with its anti-militancy plan, though its exact date is yet to be announced.
