ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party on Monday approached the Supreme Court of Pakistan seeking implementation of its verdict that declared the party eligible for reserved seats in parliament, according to a PTI petition.
The July 12 verdict in favor of Khan’s PTI party dealt a blow to the ruling coalition of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, which may lose its two-thirds majority in Pakistan’s parliament. PTI candidates contested the Feb. 8 national election in Pakistan as independents after the party was barred from polls on the technical grounds that it did not hold genuine intra-party polls, which is a legal requirement.
Subsequently, they won the most seats in the election, 93, but the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) said independents were ineligible for their share of 70 reserved seats — 60 for women, 10 for non-Muslims. The reserved seats were then distributed among other parties, mostly those in the ruling coalition, a decision appealed by the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) that was joined by Khan-backed independents to claim their share of reserved seats.
In its petition, the PTI has requested the top court to direct the ECP to accept the affiliations or confirmations of party members signed by PTI Chairman Gohar Khan and General Secretary Omer Ayub, and implement the directions issued through the short order on July 12.
“Such other relief as is deemed just and fit in all the circumstances of the case may also graciously be granted,” Khan’s party requested in its petition.
Last month, the government also filed a petition seeking review of the Supreme Court’s ruling that declared the PTI eligible for reserved seats, noting that the issue of granting reserved seats to the PTI was not even in the pleadings of the SIC before the election commission, the Peshawar High Court and the Supreme Court.
“SIC and PTI are two separate political parties and two separate entities. The Order under Review, it seems has treated them as one party with different names which cannot be permissible under the Law,” the government petition read.
“It is submitted and reiterated here that PTI neither filed any case before the ECP, nor before Peshawar High Court, nor before the Supreme Court, hence it is not entitled to any relief, let alone a relief which was not even pleaded.”
All candidates of Khan’s PTI party were forced to contest the February polls as independents after the party was stripped of its election symbol of cricket bat by the ECP on the grounds that it did not hold intra-party elections, a prerequisite for any party to take part in polls.
The PTI is currently entitled to around 78 reserved seats in the national and provincial assemblies.
The July 12 verdict also bolstered the political position of Khan’s supporters, whose rallying cry has been that the election commission and a pro-military caretaker government that oversaw the polls indulged in “electoral fraud” to deprive it of a victory. The ECP denies this.
Ex-PM Khan party approaches top court seeking implementation of verdict on reserved seats
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Ex-PM Khan party approaches top court seeking implementation of verdict on reserved seats
- The Supreme Court on July 12 ruled that Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party was eligible for reserved seats in parliament
- The verdict dealt a blow to the ruling coalition of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, which may lose its parliamentary majority
UAE, other nations now require police verification for Pakistanis seeking work visas — official
- Pakistani immigration official says visit visa applicants to UAE do not need police certificates
- Secretary for Overseas Pakistanis says unskilled labor facing visa delays, no issue for skilled workers
KARACHI: Pakistanis seeking work visas for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and other countries are now required to produce police verification certificates, the director general of the Bureau of Emigration & Overseas Employment confirmed to Arab News this week.
The development comes amid recent media reports of a decline in UAE visas for Pakistanis and a decrease in overall overseas employment for nationals of Pakistan, allegedly due to their lack of respect for local laws and customs and for participating in political activities and sloganeering while abroad.
On Monday, the Senate Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development on Monday convened a special session at the Parliament House to deliberate what it described as the UAE’s “unofficial visa restrictions,” calling on the Pakistan government to keep the public informed about the real status of the issue.
Last week, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the UAE was taking steps to streamline visas for Pakistanis. The Gulf state’s consul general in Karachi, Dr. Bakheet Ateeq Al Remeithi, has recently said there was no visa ban on Pakistani nationals.
“This police verification is for work purposes, and it is also for other countries,” DG Bureau of Emigration, Muhammad Tayyab, told Arab News in an interview on Tuesday, adding that his statement in this regard to the Senate committee session only related to work visas.
“The media reporting on this matter, in my opinion, should have been a bit more cautious,” he said. “My department deals with people who go abroad for work. My department has nothing to do with people who are going on visits, personal visits or tours.”
Tayyab said he had informed the Senate committee that a large number of Pakistanis had visited the UAE during 2024.
“I made it very clear in the committee yesterday that if there were restrictions, then approximately more than 65,000 people would not have gone abroad this year,” he added.
Nadeem Sharif, a former chairman of the Travel Agents Association of Pakistan (TAAP), confirmed there was no police certificate requirement for UAE visit visas.
“There have been no such restrictions that those going to UAE on visit visas would require police clearance certificates. People have flown to the UAE yesterday and today [without them],” he told Arab News.
Addressing Monday’s Senate committee meeting as per a report published in Pakistan’s Geo News, Arshad Mahmood, the secretary of Overseas Pakistanis, said that while unskilled workers had faced delays in getting UAE visas, skilled laborers were receiving visas without problems.
Pakistan airstrikes target suspected TTP militant hideouts in Afghanistan
- Strikes carried out in mountainous area in Paktika province bordering Pakistan, training facility dismantled, insurgents killed
- Afghan Defense Ministry condemns airstrikes by Pakistan, saying they targeted civilians, including women and children
PESHAWAR: Pakistan in rare airstrikes targeted multiple suspected hideouts of the Pakistani Taliban inside neighboring Afghanistan on Tuesday, dismantling a training facility and killing some insurgents, four security officials said.
The strikes were carried out in a mountainous area in Paktika province bordering Pakistan, said the officials. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media on the record. It was unclear whether the jets went deep inside Afghanistan, and how the strikes were launched.
No spokesman for Pakistan’s military was immediately available to share further details. But it was the second such attack on alleged hideouts of the Pakistani Taliban since March, when Pakistan said intelligence-based strikes took place in the border regions inside Afghanistan.
In Kabul, the Afghan Defense Ministry condemned the airstrikes by Pakistan, saying the bombing targeted civilians, including women and children.
It said that most of the victims were refugees from the Waziristan region.
“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan considers this a brutal act against all international principles and blatant aggression and strongly condemns it,” the ministry said.
Local residents said at least eight people, including women and children, were killed in the airstrikes by Pakistan. They said the death toll from the strikes may rise.
In a post on the X platform, the Afghan defense ministry said the Pakistani side should know that such unilateral measures are not a solution to any problem.
“The Islamic Emirate will not leave this cowardly act unanswered but rather considers the defense of its territory and territory to be its inalienable right.”
The strikes came hours after Mohammad Sadiq, Pakistan’s special representative for Afghanistan, traveled to Kabul to discuss a range of issues, including how to enhance bilateral trade, and improve ties.
Sadiq during the visit met with Sirajuddin Haqqani, Afghanistan’s acting interior minister, to offer his condolences over the Dec. 11 killing of his uncle Khalil Haqqani. He was the minister for refugees and repatriation who died in a suicide bombing that was claimed by a regional affiliate of the Daesh group.
Sadiq in a post on X said he also met with Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and he “held wide ranging discussions. Agreed to work together to further strengthen bilateral cooperation as well as for peace and progress in the region.”
A delegation of the pro-Taliban Jamiat-e-Ulema Islam also visited Kabul on Tuesday to convey condolences over the killing of Haqqani’s uncle.
Islamabad often claims that the Pakistani Taliban use Afghan soil to launch attacks in Pakistan, a charge Kabul has denied.
Syed Muhammad Ali, an Islamabad-based security expert, said Tuesday’s airstrike “represents a clear and blunt warning to Pakistani Taliban that Pakistan will use all the available means against the terrorist outfit both inside and outside its borders.” However, it is not an indiscriminate use of force and due care was taken by Pakistan in ensuring that only the terrorist bases were hit and no civilian loss of life and property took place, he said.
The Afghan Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in 2021 and the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan has emboldened the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, whose leaders and fighters are hiding in Afghanistan.
The TTP has stepped up attacks on Pakistani soldiers and police since November 2022, when it unilaterally ended a ceasefire with the government after the failure of months of talks hosted by Afghanistan’s government in Kabul. The TTP in recent months has killed and wounded dozens of soldiers in attacks inside the country.
On founding father’s birthday, Christmas, PM reminds nation of vision of ‘inclusive Pakistan’
- Committed to safeguarding rights of minorities, Pakistani leaders say in Christmas messages
- Christianity is the third-largest religion in Pakistan, with over three million Christians
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari on Wednesday reaffirmed the government’s commitment to safeguarding the rights of all religious minorities as they wished the nation’s Christians on the occasion of Christmas, reminding citizens of founding father Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s message of inclusivity and unity.
Prayer ceremonies were held in various cities across Pakistan on Christmas morning as participants gathered to pray for the safety, security, and prosperity of the nation. In the port city of Karachi, a central celebration was held at St. Patrick’s Church, while the eastern city of Lahore marked the celebration with a 100-pound cake, which was cut at St. Luke’s Church in Shahdara. Similar events took place in Islamabad, Bahawalpur, Quetta, Multan, Sargodha, and Lodhran, with churches organizing prayer gatherings under tight security.
Dec. 25 is also celebrated in Pakistan as the birth anniversay of Jinnah, a barrister, politician, and the founder of Pakistan who served as the leader of the All-India Muslim League from 1913 until the inception of Pakistan on Aug. 14, 1947. Jinnah was also Pakistan’s first governor-general until his death a year later.
“The government of Pakistan remains firmly committed to safeguarding the rights of all religious communities and fostering an environment of mutual respect and understanding,” Sharif said in his Christmas message to the nation.
“We will continue to ensure that people of all faiths can practice their beliefs freely and contribute to the collective progress of our nation.”
In a separate message, Sharif said founding father Jinnah had dreamed of a Pakistan” where every citizen could live with dignity, freedom, and equal opportunity, irrespective of faith or ethnicity.”
“His vision for Pakistan was one of inclusivity, unity, and prosperity,” the PM added.
In a statement released by his office, President Zardari said the constitution of Pakistan guaranteed the “fundamental rights of all citizens, irrespective of their faith,” adding that upholding the rights of all citizens was “essential for fostering national unity and progress.”
Christianity is the third-largest religion in Pakistan, with results from the 2023 census recording over three million Christians, or 1.3 percent of the total population in Pakistan. The majority of Christians in Pakistan are members of the Catholic Church or the Church of Pakistan.
Christians face institutionalized discrimination in Pakistan, including being targeted for blasphemy accusations, abduction, and forced conversions to Islam. Christians are also reserved for low-status jobs, such as working in sewers or on brick kilns.
Historical churches in Pakistan are monitored and have been targeted with bomb attacks on multiple occasions.
Multan to host back-to-back cricket Tests between Pakistan and West Indies next month
- Multan has been the only option for Pakistan to host matches, with stadiums in Rawalpindi, Lahore and Karachi being upgraded for Champions Trophy
- It will be West Indies’ first Test series in Pakistan for more than 18 years, although both nations played a Test series in the United Arab Emirates
ISLAMABAD: Multan will host back-to-back Tests when Pakistan plays the West Indies next month, the domestic cricket board said on Tuesday.
With stadiums in Rawalpindi, Lahore and Karachi being upgraded for February’s Champions Trophy, it has left the Pakistan Cricket Board with Multan as the only option to host the two-Test series against the West Indies.
England also played back-to-back Tests in Multan in October because of the renovation work in Karachi and Lahore.
The West Indies squad arrives on Jan. 6 and will play a three-day warm-up game in Rawalpindi against Pakistan Shaheens. The first Test is held from Jan. 17-21 and the second starts on Jan. 25.
It will be West Indies’ first Test series in Pakistan for more than 18 years, although both nations played a Test series in the United Arab Emirates in 2016 when UAE was Pakistan’s home venue.
West Indies named uncapped batter Amir Jangoo in its 15-strong squad after he smashed a century on his ODI debut against Bangladesh earlier this month.
Left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie returns to the fold after missing the two Tests against Bangladesh last month because he was playing in the inaugural Global Super League.
Kevin Sinclair and Jomel Warrican are the other spin options in the squad.
West Indies is without fast bowler Shamar Joseph, who is suffering from shin splints. Alzarri Joseph is also unavailable because of his commitments with International League T20 in the UAE.
“Motie rejoins the squad to bolster the spin attack, while Jangoo’s selection comes on the back of his consistency across formats in regional cricket, as well as his demonstrated high level of competency against spin bowling,” head coach Andre Coley said.
The series is part of the World Test Championship. Pakistan is seventh in the standings while rock-bottom West Indies is ninth.
West Indies squad: Kraigg Brathwaite (captain), Joshua Da Silva, Alick Athanaze, Keacy Carty, Justin Greaves, Kavem Hodge, Tevin Imlach, Amir Jangoo, Mikyle Louis, Gudakesh Motie, Anderson Phillip, Kemar Roach, Kevin Sinclair, Jayden Seales, Jomel Warrican.
Pakistan defends military court sentencing of civilians after US, UK and EU voice concerns
- Pakistan’s military on Dec. 21 announced the sentencing of 25 civilians for partaking in violent protests in May last year
- The US, UK and EU said the verdicts were ‘inconsistent’ with Pakistan’s international obligations and lacked ‘transparency’
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Tuesday defended the recent sentencing of 25 civilians by military courts for partaking in violent protests last year, dismissing concerns expressed by the United States (US), United Kingdom and the European Union (EU) regarding Islamabad’s global human rights obligations.
Pakistan’s military on Dec. 21 announced the sentencing of 25 people to “rigorous imprisonment” of two to 10 years for participating in violent protests on May 9, 2023, when hundreds carrying flags of former prime minister Imran Khan’s party attacked government and military installations.
The protests erupted after Khan’s brief detention on corruption charges, resulting in damage to major military facilities and martyrs’ monuments in the country. Khan’s party challenges the military’s version, denying it was involved in the violence and calling the May 9 incident a “false flag” operation aimed at crushing it.
The EU said on Sunday the sentencing was “inconsistent” with Pakistan’s international obligations and every person was entitled to a “fair and public trial in a court that is independent, impartial and competent.” The US and the UK joined the EU in expressing concern over the convictions, with the State Department saying on Monday the Pakistani military courts lacked “judicial independence and due process guarantees.”
“Pakistan’s legal system is consistent with international human rights law including provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). It has remedies of judicial review by the superior courts and guarantees promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms,” the Pakistani foreign ministry said in a statement.
“Pakistan is fully committed to fulfilling all its international human rights obligations.”
The Foreign Office in London said while the UK respected Pakistan’s sovereignty over its own legal proceedings, “trying civilians in military courts lacks transparency, independent scrutiny and undermines the right to a fair trial.”
In its statement on Sunday, the EU had noted that under the its Generalized Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+), beneficiary countries, including Pakistan, had voluntarily agreed to effectively implement 27 international core conventions, including the ICCPR, in order to continue benefitting from the special trade arrangement. The preferential trade status under the GSP+ scheme grants Pakistani exports duty-free access to the European market.
The Pakistani foreign ministry responded by saying that the verdicts had been made under a law enacted by the Pakistan parliament and in line with a judgment of the country’s top court.
The Dec. 21 announcement of sentences by the military followed a ruling by a seven-member Constitutional Bench of the Supreme Court of Pakistan on Dec. 13, in which it allowed the military courts to share their verdicts. Prior to that, the top court had unanimously declared last year that prosecuting civilians in military courts was in violation of the Constitution.
“Pakistan believes in constructive and productive dialogue to promote principles of democracy, human rights and the rule of law. We remain fully committed to implementing our commitments under the GSP Plus Scheme and core international human rights conventions,” the foreign ministry said.
“We will continue to engage with our international partners including the European Union to uphold the international human rights law, without any discrimination and double standards.”
The sentencing of civilians in May 2023 riots cases has also raised concerns among supporters of ex-PM Khan, who has been in jail since August 2023 on a slew of charges, including inciting attacks against the armed forces, and may potentially be tried in a military court.
Pakistan has remained gripped by political unrest and uncertainty since Khan’s ouster from power through a parliamentary no-confidence vote in April 2022, which has also exacerbated Pakistan’s economic hardships.
The Pakistani government this week opened talks with Khan’s PTI opposition party in a bid to address political polarization. Senior government representatives have also recently acknowledged that the negotiations could offer a pathway out of the current political impasse.
