Pakistan

The Supreme Court on Wednesday issued notices to the federation and Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and sought responses from them on PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s bail plea in the cipher case. The cipher case pertains to a diplomatic document that the FIA’s charge sheet alleges was never returned by Imran. The PTI has long held that the document contained a threat from the …

A subcommittee of the federal cabinet on Wednesday recommended placing the names of PTI Chairman Imran Khan and 28 others on the Exit Control List (ECL) in the Al-Qadir Trust case. The case alleges that the ex-premier and his wife, Bushra Bibi, obtained billions of rupees and land worth hundreds of kanals from Bahria Town Ltd for legalising Rs50 billion …

While the recent developments paint a seemingly hopeful picture for PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif, major legal hurdles remain in his path to contest the upcoming general elections on Feb 8, 2024. The biggest one arguably is the infamous Panama Papers case, in which he was disqualified from holding any public office in July 2017, and subsequently, stepped down from the role of the prime …

A Lahore Anti-terrorism court on Tuesday indicted PTI leaders Yasmin Rashid, Senator Ejaz Chaudhry and ex-MPA Rubina Jamil in a case of alleged vandalism of police vehicles and assault on the police. PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s arrest on May 9 in the Al-Qadir Trust case had resulted in widespread violence and saw important military installations come under attack, on the basis of which the state …

Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa on Tuesday observed that the practice of adding the word “sahib” to one’s job title should be discontinued as it “unnecessarily elevates the status of public servants”. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the word sahib means sir or master. It is used especially among the “native inhabitants of colonial India when addressing or speaking of …

ISLAMABAD: The Directorate General of Immigration and Passports has been running short of lamination paper resulting in delay in issuance of passports to people many of whom have their visas expired due to long gap. Excessive complaints have poured in against the directorate for the inordinate delay in issuing passports to applicants compelling the latter to approach the federal ombudsman …

ISLAMABAD: Amid talk of purported changes to the 18th amendment being on the table, a member of the caretaker government has also called for revisiting the National Finance Commission (NFC) award, which he claims has “held Pakistan back”. Speaking at the launch of former State Bank governor Dr Ishrat Husain’s book, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance Dr Waqar …

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court on Monday sought the appointment record of the judge conducting the trial of former prime minister Imran Khan under the Official Secrets Act. A two-judge bench comprising Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb and Justice Saman Rafat Imtiaz issued the directives while hearing Mr Khan’s intra-court appeal (ICA) against the IHC’s decision to dismiss his plea for …

ISLAMABAD: The defence ministry on Monday moved an intra-court appeal (ICA) before the Supreme Court challenging its Oct 23 unanimous decision to declare the trial of 103 civilians for their alleged involvement in the May 9 violence as against the Constitution. The defence ministry also requested the Supreme Court to suspend the operation of the Oct 23 short order during the pendency …

The Islamabad High Court on Tuesday reserved its verdict on an intra-court appeal filed by PTI Chairman Imran Khan against a single-member bench’s decision that had approved the ex-premier’s jail trial in the cipher case. An IHC division bench, comprising Justice Mian­gul Hassan Aur­angzeb and Justice Saman Rafat Imtiaz, is expected to announce the decision at 5:30pm. The cipher case pertains to a diplomatic …