ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari on Wednesday appointed Justice Yahya Afridi, the third on the seniority list of judges, as Pakistan’s next chief justice after a 12-member special parliamentary committee selected him a day earlier for the position.
Afridi’s appointment was made by the committee formed under the contentious 26th Constitutional Amendment, which was tasked with choosing one of the three senior-most judges of the Supreme Court to succeed Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa, who is set to retire on Friday.
The committee also included opposition lawmakers from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, who boycotted the proceedings after objecting to the government’s handling of the constitutional amendment, accusing it of encouraging defections and undermining party loyalty.
“In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (3) of Article 175 A read with Articles 177 and 179 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is pleased to appoint Hon’ble Mr. Justice Yahya Afraid, Judge of Supreme Court, as Chief Justice of Pakistan, for a term of three years with effect from 26.10.2024,” said a notification circulated by the law ministry.
Among the three senior-most judges considered for the key post, the other two were Justices Mansoor Ali Shah and Munib Akhtar, with the government offering no explanation as to why they were passed over for the position.
The contentious constitutional amendment passed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s administration has sparked heated debate in the country, with opposition parties and prominent lawyers alleging that the new law aims to curtail the judiciary’s independence.
The government has rejected these allegations, with several officials stating that the amendment is intended to empower parliament and provide speedy justice to citizens through judicial reforms.
However, lawyers across the country threatened to protest before the adoption of the constitutional amendment if Justice Shah, who was expected to succeed the current chief justice, was not appointed.
These lawyers suspected the government of sidelining Shah due to recent Supreme Court rulings in political cases.
Pakistan’s Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, who was part of the parliamentary committee that agreed on Afridi’s appointment, defended the decision, saying it was made through a majority vote.
According to Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, Afridi’s name was chosen by “a two-thirds majority” of the committee members.
Pakistan president appoints Justice Yahya Afridi as new Supreme Court chief justice
https://arab.news/mtaf9
Pakistan president appoints Justice Yahya Afridi as new Supreme Court chief justice
- Justice Afridi was third on the seniority list provided to a parliamentary committee that took the decision
- His appointment was made under the contentious 26th Constitutional Amendment with ‘two-thirds majority’
Pakistan court grants bail to Imran Khan’s wife in state repository case
- Bushra Bibi faced the allegation of illegally retaining an expensive jewelry set from a state repository
- Islamabad High Court orders her release against a surety bond of Rs1 million after hearing the case
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court on Wednesday approved bail for former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi, in a case involving allegations of illegally retaining a jewelry set from a state repository, though it remains unclear if she will be released from prison.
Both Khan and his wife are currently in jail on multiple charges, including the illegal sale of gifts worth more than 140 million rupees ($501,000) received during his 2018-2022 premiership from a state treasury known locally as the “Toshakhana.”
The case, also referred to as the new Toshakhana reference, pertains to a jewelry set comprising a ring, bracelet, necklace and earrings gifted to the former first lady by a foreign dignitary. The couple allegedly undervalued the set and retained it at a lower price.
A single-member bench headed by Justice Mian Gul Hassan Aurangzeb heard Bibi’s case earlier in the day and approved her bail against a surety bond of Rs1 million ($3,600).
“IHC Justice Mian Gul Hasan Aurangzeb accepted Bushra Bibi’s bail application against a bond of Rs1 million,” Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party said in a post on the social media site X.
The party maintained the state machinery was used to “humiliate a woman,” adding that she had “fought courageously.”
Khan and his wife, already in prison at the time, were re-arrested on July 13 shortly after a district and sessions court ordered their immediate release, having accepted their appeals in another case against a ruling that they had violated the country’s marriage law.
The couple had been sentenced to seven years in prison and fined in February by a court that ruled their 2018 marriage violated the law. Bibi was accused of not completing the waiting period mandated by Islam, called “Iddat,” after divorcing her previous husband and marrying Khan.
At that point, two of Khan’s convictions had been suspended by the court, and he had been acquitted in the third, leaving the Iddat case as the only one keeping him in prison.
However, hours after the local court’s verdict in their favor, the new Toshakhana case was filed by Pakistan’s National Accountability Bureau, and the former prime minister and his wife were re-arrested, ruling out the possibility of their release from jail.
Khan’s convictions had already disqualified him from the February 8 general elections, as convicted people cannot run for public office under Pakistani law.
Arguably the country’s most popular politician, he claims all cases against him are politically motivated to keep him out of politics.
– With input from Reuters
Pakistan’s finance chief discusses trade, investment with Saudi counterpart in Washington
- Saudi minister shares kingdom’s energy sector reform experience with Muhammad Aurangzeb
- The officials from both countries agreed to advance cooperation in areas of mutual interest
ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Muhammad Aurangzeb on Tuesday discussed trade and investment with his Saudi counterpart, Mohammed Aljadaan, during a meeting in the United States, according to an official statement.
The Pakistani minister is currently in Washington, DC, attending the annual meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), where other global finance leaders have also gathered.
Last month, the IMF approved a fresh $7 billion bailout package for Pakistan after recognizing the government’s efforts to implement stringent economic reforms, saying they had contributed to gradual financial stability.
Saudi Arabia, along with other friendly nations such as China and the United Arab Emirates, played a key role in helping Pakistan secure the new IMF loan, which the Islamabad administration deemed essential for further macroeconomic stability.
“Finance Minister, Mr. Muhammad Aurangzeb, met with his Saudi counterpart, H.E. Mohammed Aljadaan, on the sidelines of the World Bank-IMF Annual Meetings in Washington DC,” the Finance Division announced. “Appreciating the historical, fraternal bonds between Pakistan and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the two Ministers resolved to further deepen mutually beneficial economic ties, enhance bilateral trade, and facilitate investments in key sectors.”
“The Saudi Minister also shared his experience of reforms in the energy sector,” the statement continued. “Both sides agreed to advance cooperation in areas of mutual interest.”
Pakistan has actively sought to attract foreign investment while aiming to boost trade with its allies.
In 2023, the government established the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), a civil-military hybrid body designed to streamline and facilitate foreign business operations, particularly targeting investment from Gulf states.
Alongside these efforts, Pakistan has expressed interest in exporting a larger pool of human resources to the region, enhancing its workforce contribution to the Gulf economies.
Additionally, the country is keen on developing partnerships across various economic sectors, including infrastructure, energy, mining and agriculture, to promote sustainable growth and economic cooperation with its allies.
Pakistan’s finance chief seeks greater developing nation role in global financial bodies at G-24
- Muhammad Aurangzeb urges all development partners to work closely to resolve climate and population issues
- He also discusses Pakistan’s plan to move toward sustainable growth via structural reforms with senior IMF official
ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Finance Muhammad Aurangzeb on Tuesday emphasized greater representation of developing nations in global financial institutions while attending the G-24 Ministers and Governors Meeting in Washington, DC, according to an official statement.
Aurangzeb is currently in the US to attend the annual World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) meetings, where global finance leaders have convened to address challenges such as sluggish international growth, managing debt distress and financing the transition to green energy.
The G-24 is an intergovernmental group established to coordinate the positions of developing countries on international monetary and financial matters. Pakistan has recently been appointed as the Second Vice Chair of the G-24 Bureau for the fiscal year 2024-25, a position that strengthens its influence in shaping global financial policies affecting developing countries.
“In his intervention, the Minister urged all development partners to work closely together to resolve the pressing issues of climate change, population growth and child stunting faced by developing countries especially Pakistan,” said a statement issued by the Finance Division.
“The Finance Minister also emphasized the need to address issues including high debt burdens on developing countries, need for climate action and greater representation of developing countries in the Bretton Woods institutions,” it added.
Aurangzeb held several meetings with his counterparts from other countries and representatives of international financial institutions, sharing details of the government’s economic reforms along with its plans to tap into global capital markets.
He had a fireside chat with Jihad Azour, Director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department at the IMF, during which Pakistan’s shift from stabilization to sustainable growth through structural reforms was discussed.
The minister highlighted the policy actions taken by the government to restore economic stability, increase tax revenues, make taxation fairer and more efficient and address deep-seated structural distortions to guide the country toward growth.
He also met with a Citibank delegation, briefing them on the energy sector, “right-sizing” efforts within state institutions and outlining the long-term strategy for accessing capital markets.
US declines to comment on PM Sharif’s request for Dr. Aafia Siddiqui’s release
- PM wrote a letter to President Joe Biden earlier this month, seeking her release on humanitarian grounds
- A State Department official tells a media briefing he will not ‘get into private diplomatic communications’
ISLAMABAD: The United States on Tuesday declined to comment on Pakistani neuroscientist Dr. Aafia Siddiqui’s case, who is serving an 86-year sentence in an American prison on terrorism charges after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif requested her release on humanitarian grounds in a letter to President Joe Biden earlier this month.
The information about the letter emerged last Friday after a state lawyer submitted a copy to the Islamabad High Court, which had recently requested a detailed report on the efforts made by Pakistani authorities to extradite Siddiqui.
A US-trained neuroscientist, Siddiqui married a nephew of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, a self-proclaimed mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, before being convicted in 2010 on multiple charges, including attempting to kill US soldiers in Afghanistan.
In his letter, Sharif noted that Pakistani officials, during consular visits, had raised concerns about her treatment in prison, expressing fears that she might take her own life.
US State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel was asked about the prime minister’s letter during a media briefing in Washington, DC, though he refused to comment on the Biden administration’s response to the issue.
“I certainly wouldn’t get into private diplomatic communications,” he said. “And on the case itself, I would refer to the Department of Justice to speak to any inquiries regarding Dr. Siddiqui’s incarceration.”
Siddiqui’s sister, Fauzia, has taken up her case in the media and has visited her in captivity in the US.
During the hearing, she urged the government to make every effort to bring her back to the country, as the court reviewed the details of how the Pakistani neuroscientist ended up in an American prison.
– With input from AP
Pakistan says renewed Kartarpur Corridor agreement with India to facilitate Sikh pilgrims
- The corridor connects Sikh shrines of Dera Baba Nanak in India to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, the final resting place of Sikhism’s founder, in Pakistan
- The agreement, originally signed in Oct. 2019 for a period of five years, grants Indian Sikh pilgrims visa-free access to one of their holiest sites
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has renewed its agreement with India for the Kartarpur Corridor that gives Indian Sikh pilgrims visa-free access to the final resting place of their religion’s founder, the Pakistani foreign office said on Tuesday.
The visa-free border crossing, from India to Kartarpur in the Narowal district of Pakistan’s Punjab, was inaugurated in November 2019 just ahead of the 550th birthday of Sikhism’s founder Baba Guru Nanak.
The corridor connects the Sikh shrines of Dera Baba Nanak in India to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, the final resting place of Guru Nanak, in Kartarpur and is seen as a rare example of cooperation and diplomacy between the two South Asian neighbors.
Originally signed on October 24, 2019 for a period of five years, the Kartarpur Corridor agreement between the nuclear-armed rivals was due to complete its term on Thursday.
“Its renewal underscores Pakistan’s enduring commitment to fostering interfaith harmony and peaceful coexistence,” the Pakistan foreign office said in a statement.
“The agreement continues to offer visa-free access to pilgrims from India, enabling them to visit the sacred site of Gurudwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur where Baba Guru Nanak, the revered founder of Sikhism, spent his final days. Since its inception, the Corridor has facilitated the pilgrimage of thousands of worshippers to this holy site.”
Much of the Sikh heritage is located in Pakistan. When Pakistan was carved out of India at the end of British rule in 1947, Kartarpur ended up on the Pakistani side of the border, while most of the region’s Sikhs remained on the other side.
For over seven decades, the Sikh community had lobbied for easier access to their holiest temple.
Pakistan’s initiative to open the corridor earned widespread appreciation from the international community, including the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres who described it as a “Corridor of Hope.”
“The Kartarpur Corridor fulfills the long-cherished aspirations of the Sikh community for an access to one of their most revered religious landmarks,” the Pakistani foreign office said.
“It reflects Pakistan’s recognition of the importance of safeguarding the rights of religious minorities.”
