ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan government has demolished at least five lower judiciary courts that were found to be illegally constructed on private land in the federal capital, Islamabad, a government official said.
Last week, the Islamabad High Court raised the matter of “illegal encroachments” by courts with the Supreme Court through a ‘confidential’ letter, directing the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to demolish the constructions illegally built on a private citizen’s land.
Citing a letter of the district and sessions judge, the registrar of the Islamabad High Court had said “some courts were illegally constructed on a plot owned by a private citizen.”
Subsequently, CDA was directed to take action and remove the illegal encroachments, the IHC said.
On Wednesday, a spokesperson for CDA told Arab News the illegal constructions had been demolished.
“We have cleared the area as per directions of the court; the structures are demolished,” CDA spokesperson Syed Asif Raza Shah said, declining to provide further details of the case as it was still being heard in court.
The Supreme Court is hearing a case against encroachments by Islamabad’s lawyers in the upmarket F-8 sector and a nearby football ground. Last month, the government razed dozens of lawyers’ chambers illegally built in a parking lot, unleashing violent protests by lawyers.
Last week, the Islamabad High Court directed the CDA to “conduct an inquiry regarding construction of courts on a plot owned by a private citizen and submit a report within seven days.” Arab News has a copy of the letter.
“All illegal chambers must be demolished,” Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed said. “If someone wants to practice, then that person can open their office somewhere else.”
Mome Saleem, executive director at the Institute of Urbanism and a founder of the Reclaiming Green Islamabad campaign, said CDA did not have a land use policy which led to encroachments and land grabbing in the federal capital.
“Islamabad administration should focus on strengthening land laws to protect private citizens’ prized land from the mafia,” she told Arab News, adding that the local administration had failed in effective urban planning, which resulted in land grabbing by powerful and influential groups, including lawyers. “The government should allocate a designated piece of land for the courts and lawyers in Islamabad to get rid of the encroachments in the commercial centers.”
In a separate letter to the interior secretary and CDA chairman, the IHC registrar has said the executive was responsible for providing an appropriate place for the establishment of the courts.
The letter said: “The Capital Development Authority and the local administration appear to have been complacent to the construction of illegal courts on encroached land. The Capital Development Authority has already been directed to take action and remove the illegally constructed courts in order to uphold the rule of law.”
According to the letter, IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah has ordered that “urgent steps be taken to provide suitable buildings for establishing the courts, having regard to the litigants’ right of meaningful access to the courts and justice at their doorstep.”
Where there’s a will: Pakistan demolishes five courts illegally built on private land
https://arab.news/whq4g
Where there’s a will: Pakistan demolishes five courts illegally built on private land
- Last week, Islamabad High Court directed Capital Development Authority to demolish courts illegally constructed on a private citizen’s land
- In a separate letter, IHC said it was the responsibility of the executive to provide an appropriate place for the establishment of courts in the capital
Pakistan Navy takes over command of CTF-151 anti-piracy force at ceremony in Bahrain
- Task force set up in 2009 in response to piracy attacks in Gulf of Aden, off eastern coast of Somalia
- Pakistan has held command of CTF-151 a record 11 times followed by Turkiye which has led it 7 times
KARACHI: Pakistan Navy has taken over command for the eleventh time of the Combined Task Force-151 (CTF-151), a multinational body set up in 2009 as a response to piracy attacks in the Gulf of Aden and off the eastern coast of Somalia, the navy’s media wing said on Thursday.
CTF-151’s mission is to disrupt piracy and armed robbery at sea and engage with regional and other partners to build capacity and improve relevant capabilities in order to protect global maritime commerce and secure freedom of navigation. It operates in conjunction with the EU’s Operation Atalanta and NATO’s Operation Ocean Shield.
“Change of Command ceremony held at Combined Maritime Forces Headquarters, Bahrain,” the Pakistan navy said in a statement. “Commodore Sohail Ahmed Uzmi of Pakistan Navy appointed as new Commander of Combined Task Force-151.”
Earlier, the command was held by the Turkish Navy. Pakistan has held the command of the CTF-151 force a record 11 times followed by Turkiye, which has led it 7 times.
“Pakistan Navy will continue to work with navies of other countries for peace and stability in the region,” the statement quoted Uzmi as saying.
Command of CTF 151 is rotated between participating nations on a three-to-six-monthly basis. Countries that have led CTF 151 include Bahrain, Brazil, Denmark, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Pakistan, the Philippines, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Türkiye, the UK, and the US. A variety of countries assign vessels, aircraft, and personnel to the task force.
Pakistan arrests suspected human smuggler behind Morocco migrant boat tragedy
- Boat capsized near Morocco’s coast on Jan. 15 while carrying 86 migrants including 66 Pakistanis
- Moroccan authorities have said 36 people were rescued, survivors include 22 Pakistanis
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) said on Thursday it had arrested a human trafficker suspected of illegally sending Pakistanis to Spain on a migrant boat that capsized off the coast of Morocco last week.
The boat capsized near Morocco’s coast on Jan. 15 while carrying 86 migrants, including 66 Pakistanis, according to migrant rights group Walking Borders. Moroccan authorities said a day later 36 people were rescued from the vessel which left Mauritania on Jan. 2, while the Pakistani Foreign Office has said the survivors include 22 Pakistanis.
The tragedy has once again underscored the perilous journeys many migrants, including Pakistanis, embark on due to conflict and economic instability in their home countries.
“Human smuggler involved in Moroccan boat accident arrested,” the FIA said in a statement, identifying the suspect as Muhammad Aslam and saying he was arrested after a raid in the small town of Sambrial in Pakistan’s Punjab province.
The statement said Aslam and his accomplices had taken Rs5.35 million from the family of Aamir Ali, who died in the boat accident, and had tried to smuggle him to Spain via Mauritania.
“A case has been registered against the accused and an investigation has been launched. More arrests are expected after the accused are identified,” the FIA said.
A record 10,457 migrants, or 30 people a day, died trying to reach Spain in 2024, most while attempting to cross the Atlantic route from West African countries such as Mauritania and Senegal to the Canary islands, according to Walking Borders.
In 2023, hundreds of migrants, including 262 Pakistanis, drowned when an overcrowded vessel sank in international waters off the southwestern Greek town of Pylos, marking one of the deadliest boat disasters ever recorded in the Mediterranean Sea. More recently, five Pakistani nationals died in a shipwreck off the southern Greek island of Gavdos on Dec. 14.
The Pakistani government has ramped up efforts in recent months to combat human smugglers facilitating dangerous journeys for illegal immigrants to Europe, resulting in several arrests.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has also urged increased collaboration with international agencies like Interpol to ensure swift action against human trafficking networks.
Imran Khan calls off talks with Pakistan government over deadlock on judicial commissions
- First round of talks aimed at cooling political instability took place on Dec. 23 with two follow up sessions on Jan. 2 and 16
- At last round of talks, PTI gave government seven days to announce judicial commissions into May 2023 and Nov. 2024 protests
ISLAMABAD: Jailed former prime minister Imran Khan has called off negotiations with the government over its failure to establish judicial commissions to investigate violence at anti-government protests organized by his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), party chairman Gohar Khan said on Thursday.
Negotiations started last month with the aim of cooling political temperatures in the South Asian nation and three rounds have been held so far.
The PTI’s demands to the government revolve around the release of all political prisoners including Khan, and the formation of two judicial commissions to probe into violent protest rallies, including one on May 9 , 2023, when PTI supporters rampaged through military offices and installations, and a second one on Nov. 26, 2024 to demand Khan’s release, in which the government says four troops were killed. At the last meeting on Jan. 16, the PTI had given the government seven days to announce the truth commissions, a deadline that expired today, Thursday.
A Pakistani court last week sentenced Khan to 14 years in prison in a land corruption case, a setback to the nascent talks’ process.
“We [PTI] had given the government time of seven days [to form commissions],” Gohar told reporters outside the Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi where Khan has been incarcerated since 2023.
“Khan had made it clear that if the formation of the commissions is not announced during this time, then further rounds of talks will not continue … It is sad that the government did not announce anything till today. Hence Khan has called off the negotiations.”
Irfan Siddiqui, the spokesperson for the government’s negotiation committee, said on Wednesday the government would respond to the PTI party’s written demands on Jan. 28.
The talks opened last month as Khan had threatened a civil disobedience movement and amid growing concerns he could face trial by a military court for allegedly inciting attacks on sensitive security installations during the May 9 protests.
Khan’s first arrest in May 2023 in the land graft case in which he was sentenced last week sparked countrywide protests that saw his supporters attack and ransack military installations in an unprecedented backlash against Pakistan’s powerful army generals. Although Khan was released days later, he was rearrested in August that year after being convicted in a corruption case. He remains in prison and says all cases against him are politically motivated.
Protests demanding Khan’s release in November also turned violent, with the PTI saying 12 supporters were killed while the state said four troops had died.
Pakistan holds first training session for Hajj 2025 pilgrims
- Around 500 selected pilgrims from the Pakistani capital, suburban areas attended the training workshop
- The first phase of pilgrim training sessions will continue across the country till February 27, ministry says
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s religious affairs ministry has held its first training session in Islamabad for pilgrims selected for this year’s Hajj pilgrimage, it said on Thursday.
Around 500 selected pilgrims from the federal capital and its suburban areas attended the training workshop, who were briefed on administrative matters and Hajj rituals.
Hajj pilgrims are being provided training through audio-visual devices and other materials, according to the Pakistani religious affairs ministry.
“The first phase of training will continue across the country till February 27,” the ministry said. “The second phase of training will start after Ramadan.”
The development comes days after Pakistan began training of pilgrims, with the first session in the northwestern city of Peshawar.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia this month signed the Hajj agreement 2025, under which 179,210 pilgrims from the South Asian country will perform the annual pilgrimage this year. The quota is divided equally between government and private schemes.
Pakistan’s latest Hajj policy has allowed pilgrims to make payments in installments for the first time. Under this scheme, the first installment of Rs200,000 ($717) had to be submitted with the application, the second installment of Rs400,000 ($1,435) within 10 days of balloting and the remaining amount by Feb. 10 this year.
The Pakistani religious affairs ministry has also launched the Pak Hajj 2025 mobile application, available for both Android and iPhone users, to guide pilgrims.
Additionally, the government has announced a reduction in airfare, lowering ticket prices for federal program pilgrims to Rs220,000 [$785.41], down from last year’s Rs234,000 [$835.39].
The Pakistan International Airlines, Saudi Airlines, and private carriers have agreed to transport pilgrims this year.
Pakistan lawmakers seek Musk apology before Starlink approval
- Musk’s Starlink satellite Internet service has applied for a license to operate in Pakistan, but is awaiting clearance before users will be allowed to log on
- ‘Several senators denounced’ Musk’s ‘anti-Pakistani propaganda’ in recent comments he made on social media platform X, says Senate committee chair
Islamabad: Pakistan senators are demanding an apology from billionaire Elon Musk, a lawmaker told AFP on Thursday, accusing him of “anti-Pakistan propaganda” as he seeks regulatory approval for his Starlink service in the country.
Musk’s Starlink satellite Internet service has applied for a license to operate in Pakistan but is awaiting clearance before users will be allowed to log on.
A senate committee on information technology and telecommunications met Wednesday to hear updates from officials assessing his application.
But committee chair Palwasha Mohammad Zai Khan told AFP “several senators denounced” Musk’s “anti-Pakistani propaganda” in recent comments he made on his social media platform X.
Musk has repeatedly highlighted claims that men of Pakistani origin were responsible for a spate of historic rape cases targeting mostly white girls in England.
“It was said that approval should be given on condition of his apology,” Khan told AFP.
“We are not saying it should be a pre-condition but it was a part of the discussion and we can only give our recommendations to the government,” she added.
Musk began launching attacks against the UK government this month after it resisted calls for a national inquiry into the historic abuse cases.
In Rotherham, a town of 265,000 inhabitants, a gang drugged, raped and sexually exploited at least 1,400 girls over a 16-year period from 1997, a public inquiry concluded in 2014.
A series of court cases eventually led to the conviction of dozens of men, mostly of South Asian origin. The victims were vulnerable, mostly white, girls.
An Indian lawmaker made a post on 8 January saying: “They aren’t ASIAN Grooming Gangs but PAKISTANI grooming gangs. Why should Asians take the fall for one absolute rogue nation?“
Musk commented with a message saying: “True.”
The historic abuse cases regularly prompt debate in the UK, where some claim they are used to enflame Islamaphobia while others say they are being quashed to prevent debate.
Whilst Musk’s electric vehicle and space ventures made him a billionaire, he has recently emerged as a political figure affiliated with newly inaugurated President Donald Trump.
Trump has tasked Musk, the world’s richest man, with slashing billions of dollars of federal government spending as head of a new “Department of Government Efficiency.”
