ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's Supreme Court is meeting for the fourth time today, Thursday, to rule on the legality of political maneuvers that led Prime Minister Imran Khan to dissolve the national assembly last weekend and call for fresh elections.
Khan was due last Sunday to face a no-confidence vote tabled by the opposition in the National Assembly. But Qasim Suri, the deputy speaker of parliament, a member of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, threw out the motion, saying it was part of a foreign conspiracy and thus unconstitutional. He used Article 5 of the constitution, which deals with loyalty to the state, to make his case.
The president then dissolved the lower house of parliament on Khan’s advice.
The Supreme Court has since been hearing a case against the government moves filed by the opposition. The panel of five judges has not said when it will give a ruling but it could order parliament to be reconstituted, call for elections or bar Khan from power if he is found to have violated the constitution. The court could also decide that it cannot intervene in parliamentary affairs.
“The court doesn’t have authority to review the speaker’s ruling,” Lawyer Ali Zafar said at Wednesday’s hearing, adding that parliament could not comment on a case pending before the courts and the courts should likewise not interfere in parliamentary proceedings.
“Any direction from the parliament will be trespassing of the authority [of the court],” he said, adding that any direction to the speaker would mean giving direction to parliament.
The chief justice remarked that according to the petitioners, the court could review parliamentary proceedings in case there was a violation of the constitution.
“Your point is interesting that even if a ruling of the speaker is wrong, it enjoys a privilege,” he added, saying that what the speaker had done was “unprecedented” apart from the significance of Article 69, which says proceedings in parliament shall not be called in question on the ground of any irregularity of procedure.
“This will have many negative consequences if allowed to happen,” the chief justice said, adding that the no-confidence motion was about to be adopted on the day of voting when the deputy speaker gave his ruling that it was unconstitutional.
Zafar replied: “The court should leave the matter to the public instead of interfering [in parliamentary proceedings].”
The chief justice remarked that the judges would respect the sanctity of the parliament but the Supreme Court could interfere if there was a violation of the constitution.
Earlier, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) counsel Babar Awan raised legal points to justify the speaker’s ruling and the subsequent dissolution of the National Assembly, saying there was a foreign conspiracy to topple Khan.
“We want to know about the conspiracy before handing down judgment,” the chief justice said. “Apparently the deputy speaker’s ruling contains allegations instead of facts.”
The chief justice questioned if the deputy speaker could give such a ruling without revealing evidence and facts: “This is the constitutional point in which the court has to give its verdict.”
Bandial also asked Awan about the minutes of a March 31 National Security Committee’s meeting that reviewed a “blatant interference” in Pakistan’s domestic affairs by a foreign power.
Pakistan’s military, whose army, navy and air force chiefs were present at the NSC meeting, is facing growing calls by the opposition to clarify its position on the veracity of Khan’s complaints about a foreign conspiracy against him.
Khan has said the plot to dislodge him was being orchestrated by the United States, which the State Department and the White House have denied.
AFP adds: The court could decide that the National Assembly is responsible for its own rules and regulations, and the refusal of the deputy speaker to hold a vote is a matter for lawmakers to settle.
However, some legal analysts argue it is an issue for the court: according to the constitution, the prime minister cannot ask the president to dissolve the assembly if a no-confidence vote is pending.
Still, the court could decide the decision to refuse the vote effectively meant the matter was no longer pending, sending the issue back to the assembly, which would mean the dissolution likely stands.
In this case, the ruling would effectively nullify the subsequent decision to dissolve parliament, so lawmakers could be ordered to reconvene and Khan would almost certainly be booted out of office.
There is precedent, however.
In 1988, Muhammad Khan Junejo appealed to the court after the assembly was dissolved by then-president General Zia-ul-Haq, who had taken power in a military coup years earlier.
It agreed his government had been dissolved unconstitutionally, but ruled that since elections had been announced, it was best to move on.
No date has been set for elections in the current crisis, but a similar ruling could emerge.
Also, in 1993, the court ruled president Ghulam Ishaq Khan had illegally dissolved the assembly -- then with Nawaz Sharif as prime minister.
Although the government resumed business, it lasted less than two months before being dissolved again.
If the court rules nothing untoward happened, it seems likely all subsequent actions would also stand and Pakistan would go to polls within 90 days.
Pakistan Supreme Court meets for fourth time today to rule on political crisis
https://arab.news/89hkw
Pakistan Supreme Court meets for fourth time today to rule on political crisis
- Court could decide parliament responsible for its own rules, speaker's refusal to hold no-trust vote for lawmakers to settle
- Some legal analysts argue PM cannot ask president to dissolve assembly if a no-confidence vote pending
Baloch separatist group claims attack on Pakistan security convoy by woman suicide bomber
- One Pakistani troop was killed, four injured as suicide bomber targeted security convoy in Balochistan on Monday
- Baloch Liberation Army has previously used woman fighters to carry out suicide attacks against security forces
QUETTA: A prominent Baloch separatist outfit this week claimed responsibility for an attack by a woman suicide bomber targeting a convoy of Pakistani security forces that resulted in the killing of one paramilitary troop and injuries to four others in the southwestern Balochistan province.
The attack took place in Balochistan’s Kalat district on Monday afternoon, when the paramilitary Frontier Corps (FC) convoy was en route to security forces’ mess from the FC Fort on N-25 Quetta-Karachi highway, according to Kalat Deputy Commissioner Bilal Shabbir.
The Baloch Liberation Army, (BLA) the most prominent ethnic Baloch separatist outfits in Balochistan, claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement on Monday night.
“A female suicide bomber struck the security forces convoy killing one soldier of the paramilitary Frontier Corps on the spot and injuring four others who were shifted to hospital,” DC Shabbir told Arab News.
“The female suicide bomber was standing outside the FC fort located at the highway and detonated herself when they were moving from the fort to the security forces’ mess in Kalat.”
The BLA has used woman fighters in its ranks to carry out suicide attacks against Pakistani security forces and Chinese nationals over the last few years.
In 2022, Shari Baloch, a woman suicide bomber linked to the BLA carried out a suicide attack that ripped through a passenger van, killing three Chinese nationals and a Pakistani in the southern port city of Karachi, according to Pakistani authorities.
In November last year, Pakistani officials arrested a woman among three suspects involved in a deadly suicide bombing, also claimed by the BLA, that killed two Chinese nationals and a Pakistani man outside the Karachi airport on Oct. 6, 2024.
Balochistan has for years been the scene of an insurgency, where separatist groups have frequently attacked police and security forces as well as civilians and foreigners they see as “outsiders” in the resource-rich region, where China has been building a deep-sea port in Gwadar on the Arabian Sea and has made huge investments under its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
The separatists accuse Islamabad of exploiting the province’s natural resources. Successive Pakistani governments deny the allegations and say they have prioritized Balochistan’s development through investments in health, education and infrastructure projects.
Pakistan, IMF kick off talks on $7 billion bailout program review
- IMF delegation led by Nathan Porter arrived in Pakistan on Monday to assess country’s economic performance
- Pakistan secured the $7 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF) last summer as part of an economic recovery plan
KARACHI: Pakistan and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Tuesday formally kicked off talks for the first review of a $7 billion bailout program that Islamabad secured last year, the finance ministry said in a statement.
A Pakistani economic adviser told Arab News on Monday, requesting anonymity, that a nine-member mission led by Nathan Porter had landed in Pakistan to assess the country’s economic performance to determine the release of a $1.1 billion tranche over the following three weeks.
Pakistan has made little economic gains since securing the IMF bailout last summer. The country’s consumer price index (CPI) inflation rate, maintaining a downward trend on Monday, hit a more than 9-year low at 1.51 percent year-on-year in February.
“Pictures of kick-off meeting held today, ” the finance ministry wrote as caption of two photos shared with media on WhatsApp. The pictures showed Pakistani officials, led by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, involved in discussions with an IMF delegation led by its Pakistan mission chief Nathan Porter.
Pakistan’s finance ministry has so far not shared any details of the talks between the government and the IMF. However, local media has widely covered the delegation’s visit.
Top Pakistani news channel, ARY News, reported that the IMF was demanding action against tax evasion in Pakistan’s real estate sector.
“During the talks, the IMF pushed for action against those misdeclaring property values,” ARY reported on Monday, saying the government had assured the international lender it would activate the Real Estate Regulatory Authority.
“Strict penalties, including imprisonment and fines, will be imposed on individuals and agents who falsely declare property values … As per sources, failing to register could result in a fine of up to Rs500,000,” ARY added.
Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper said the government “remains optimistic about a successful conclusion to the talks.”
“The performance review, in principle, is based on the first half of the current fiscal year — July 1 to Dec 31, 2024 — and while some shortcomings could be observed at that time, all those missing links have now been covered,” Dawn reported, quoting a Pakistani official.
The IMF team usually spends around two weeks reviewing fiscal reforms and policy.
Last week, a separate IMF team visited Pakistan to discuss around $1 billion in climate financing on top of the EFF. That disbursement will take place under the IMF’s Resilience and Sustainability Trust, created in 2022 to provide long-term concessional cash for climate-related spending, such as adaptation and transitioning to cleaner energy.
Upbeat New Zealand feel ‘lucky’ in Lahore for South Africa semifinal
- Kiwis face South Africa in Lahore on Wednesday in second Champions Trophy semifinal
- New Zealand won tri-series tournament involving Pakistan, South Africa in Lahore weeks ago
New Zealand bring “positive emotions” on their return to Lahore for the Champions Trophy semifinal against South Africa after good results during the Pakistan tri-series, coach Gary Stead said on Tuesday.
New Zealand beat a vastly different South Africa team by six wickets in Lahore three weeks ago, two days after beating Pakistan at the same venue in warmups for the ODI tournament.
“We are lucky. We’ve had some experience playing here in the tri-series before the tournament actually kicked off,” Stead told reporters on a video call.
“We’ve got some on-ground experience and I guess some positive emotions to fall back on the way we played here as well.”
Though losing to India on a spin-friendly wicket in Dubai, New Zealand were happy how their three-pronged pace attack of Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson and Will O’Rourke performed to restrict the South Asians to 249-9.
Stead, also a selector, said it was likely New Zealand would stick with the same trio and complement them with spin from their contingent of all-rounders as they did against India and in the previous win against Bangladesh in Rawalpindi.
New Zealand produced 300-plus totals in both their recent wins in Lahore, and Stead said taking wickets in the early and middle overs would be key to prevent South Africa from batting big.
“We haven’t been down to the ground yet to see if we’re on a used wicket or not, but generally these wickets are pretty good batting surfaces,” he added.
“They don’t bounce too much.”
South Africa will have a very different team than the lineup that played in the tri-series.
Tabraiz Shamsi has not appeared at the Champions Trophy but Stead suggested the left-arm wrist spinner might be called up in place of paceman Lungi Ngidi.
“They’re a very, very good side and we’re going to have to play right near our best to beat them,” he added.
Pakistan, Saudi Arabia resolve to strengthen trade and investment relations
- Deputy PM Ishaq Dar meets Saudi Ambassador Nawaf bin Said Al-Malki in Islamabad
- Pakistan has been eyeing Saudi investment in minining, oil and gas, and energy sectors
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador Nawaf bin Said-Al Malki expressed their resolve to strengthen existing ties between the two countries, particularly in trade and investment, state broadcaster reported this week amid Islamabad’s efforts to attract investment from Gulf countries in its priority sectors.
Pakistan has pushed in recent months to strengthen trade and investment ties with friendly nations, particularly the Kingdom, which last year promised a $5 billion investment package that cash-strapped Islamabad desperately needs to shore up foreign reserves and fight a chronic balance of payment crisis.
Pakistani and Saudi businesses signed several agreements and memoranda of understanding (MoUs) in October 2024 worth $2.8 billion. Islamabad is also looking to attract Saudi investment in key sectors such as oil and gas, renewable energy, mining and minerals, infrastructure and others to keep its fragile $350 billion economy afloat.
“Saudi Ambassador Nawaf bin Said Al-Malki called on Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar in Islamabad,” state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported on Monday. “Both expressed their commitment to further strengthen the existing deep-rooted ties between the two countries, particularly in the areas of trade and investment.”
The state media said Malki conveyed Ramadan greetings for Dar and the people of Pakistan. The deputy prime minister wished the same to the Saudi leadership and the Kingdom’s people.
Apart from strong trade and investment ties, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia also share deep cultural, defense and economic relations. The Kingdom is home to over two million Pakistanis and for years has remained the largest contributor to the country’s workers’ remittance inflows.
These remittances play a major role in supporting Pakistan’s external account, especially at a time when the country is recording small gains after a prolonged economic crisis that diminished its foreign exchange reserves and weakened its national currency.
‘Blatant violation of law’: Pakistan condemns Israel for blocking Gaza aid
- Israel blocked entry of aid trucks into Gaza on Sunday as standoff over uneasy truce with Hamas escalated
- Pakistan urges world to hold Israel accountable for “imposition of collective punishment” on Palestinian civilians
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s foreign office spokesperson this week criticized Israel for blocking humanitarian aid to Gaza, calling it a blatant violation of law and urging the international community to hold the Jewish state accountable for collectively punishing millions of civilians through the move.
Israel blocked the entry of aid trucks into Gaza on Sunday as a standoff over the truce that has halted fighting for the past six weeks escalated.
Medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres warned that the suspension of aid will add significant pressure on the two million Palestinians in the enclave who are still suffering from shortages of essential goods following 16 months of war. Israel has previously accused Hamas of hijacking aid, which the group denied.
“The Government of Pakistan condemns in the strongest possible terms Israeli decision to block critical humanitarian aid from entering Gaza, during the holy month of Ramadan,” the foreign office said in a press release on Monday.
“This latest action is part of Israel’s systematic campaign to deny much needed humanitarian aid to millions of Palestinians in dire need. This constitutes yet another blatant violation of international law by the occupying power and could imperil the ceasefire agreement.”
Pakistan urged the international community to ensure unrestricted humanitarian access to Gaza and to hold the Jewish state accountable for “imposition of collective punishment” by denying millions of civilians humanitarian aid.
“We also reiterate our call for the full implementation of the agreement to secure a permanent ceasefire in the Gaza as well as the revival of a political process to achieve the two-state solution, with a viable, sovereign State of Palestine based on pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital,” the foreign office concluded.
Phase two talks between Israel and Hamas to negotiate a final end to the war have barely begun. Israel, while announcing the halt to aid entry, said it will not allow a ceasefire without the release of all remaining hostages. Hamas has denounced Israel’s move as “blackmail” and a “blatant coup against the agreement.”
Hamas’ attack on southern Israel on Oct.7, 2023, killed 1,200 people and 251 people were taken into Gaza as hostages. The subsequent Israeli campaign killed more than 48,000 Palestinians, displaced almost all of its 2.3 million population and left Gaza a wasteland.
Both sides agreed to an uneasy, six-week truce on Jan. 19 which paved the way for the release of hostages from both sides. Israel’s move to block humanitarian aid to Gaza has renewed fears among the international community that the conflict would restart.
