Pakistan

SC wraps up Dua Zahra case as petitioner withdraws plea

Published

2 years ago

Farwa

SC orders Dua Zahra’s father to approach relevant forum to determine her age.
Court summons lawyers and petitioner again after reserving verdict.
Kazmi’s lawyer says they will approach SHC if request for medical board not accepted.

Supreme Court’s Karachi registry on Thursday wrapped up the Dua Zahra case over the request of her father’s lawyer to take back the plea challenging Sindh High Court’s verdict in the case pertaining to the teenager’s recovery.

Zahra had made headlines across the country after she had mysteriously disappeared from Karachi in April but later declared that she had run away from her home to marry 21-year-old Zaheer Ahmed.

Following the incident, her father — Mehdi Kazmi — had tried recovering his daughter, saying that since she was underage, her marriage was illegal according to Sindh laws.

However, the SHC — on June 8 — had issued a verdict in favour of Dua, allowing her to decide if she wants to go with her parents or her husband.

Unsatisfied with the court’s ruling, Kazmi submitted a petition to the top court in which he pleaded for an immediate hearing of the case and called the SHC’s decision faulty.

A three-member bench of the apex court conducted a hearing on Kazmi’s petition today.

Court reserves verdict

The apex court had earlier reserved a verdict on the plea after hearing the arguments from Kazmi’s counsel. However, the court summoned the lawyers and petitioner to court again.

During the hearing, the court inquired if SHC allowed the parents to meet the girl.

At this, Kazmi replied that they were allowed to have a talk with Zahra for only five minutes in the police’s presence at the SHC CJ’s chambers.

Justice Muneeb Akhtar remarked that the SHC disposed of the plea seeking Zahra’s recovery, asking if the case is currently under trial in any other court.

“Have you requested the court [SC] to recover Dua Zahra?” Justice Akhtar inquired.

‘Approach relevant forum for determining Zahra’s age’

Meanwhile, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar remarked that the marriage is supposed to be challenged in a family court.

“The girl has recorded her statement before the high court and magistrate,” the justice remarked.

He inquired if the petitioner has challenged the medical board’s report determining Zahra’s age.

“Medical examination was performed as per the court’s order,” remarked Justice Sajjad Ali Shah.

At this, Kazmi’s counsel Jibran Nasir informed the court that they have written a letter to the health secretary.

However, the court directed the petitioner to approach the relevant forum for formation of a medical board, stating that the case doesn’t fall under SC’s jurisdiction.

Later, the court wrapped up the case over Nasir’s request that Kazmi wants to take the plea back.

It may be noted that an ossification test carried out on Zahra as per SHC’s order revealed that the girl is between 16 to 17 years of age, with a confirmation by radiologist Dr Saba Jamil.

While talking to the media, Nasir said that the court has told them that they can challenge the ossification test report and seek formation of another medical board to determine Zahra’s age.

He said that they have made a request to the medical board but they will reach out to SHC again if the health secretary doesn’t accept the request.

Business

Price of LPG “slashed” by Rs. 20 per kilogram

Published

4 hours ago

Farwa

Sources claim that LPG rates have been lowered by Rs 20, making the cost per kilogram drop from Rs 280 to Rs 260.

It is noteworthy to remark that the costs of LPG were reduced by Rs 20 per kilogram earlier, resulting in a total reduction of Rs 40 per kilogram within a few weeks.

The price of liquefied petroleum gas for the month of May 2024 was lowered by the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) on April 30.

The LPG tariffs were lowered by Rs 11.88 to Rs 238.46 per kilogram in accordance with the OGRA’s notice. On Wednesday, May 1, 2024, the new rates will go into effect.

In April of last year, the price per kilogram of LPG was Rs 250.34. pricing reduction of Rs 140.18 has resulted in a new pricing for home LPG cylinders set for May 2024 of Rs 2813.85.

The OGRA reported a drop in liquefied petroleum gas pricing in April. The price of LPG is now Rs 250.34 per kg instead of Rs 256.78 due to a reduction of Rs 6.44 per kg.

The price of the household cylinder was fixed at Rs 2954.03 for the month of April, down from Rs 3030.12, a decrease of Rs 76.9.

Business

ADB delegation stops by FBR headquarters

Published

4 hours ago

Farwa

Senior Director ADB Tariq Niazi oversaw the expedition, which also involved Sana Masood, Farzana Noshab, and Senior Public Sector Management Specialist Laisiasa Tora. The meeting included presentations from economists as well, according to an FBR press release.

The officers focused on structural and policy adjustments as they discussed the Domestic Resource Mobilization Program’s implementation at the meeting.

$300 million was given to the Pakistani government by ADB in December 2023 as a result of the hard work and dedication of FBR. Better laws, regulations, and institutional capability for the FBR were established by Sub-Program I.

With the $300 million in funding provided by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to the Government of Pakistan in December 2023, the delegation conveyed satisfaction with the program’s effective launch.

The FBR also underlined how crucial digitization is to recording the economy and boosting productivity in a sustainable way.

In order to promote the Government of Pakistan’s Digital Tax Administration Project, both parties decided to look into measures to improve their cooperation.

Latest News

Off-duty police in Islamabad are prohibited from donning uniforms.

Published

4 hours ago

Farwa

The new directives, according to specifics, were sent via wireless by the federal capital police and state that no officer may wear a uniform when reporting for duty or leaving it.

According to the police official, uniforms will only be worn when on duty; otherwise, two policemen will accompany each other during duty hours and will always be required to carry guns.

A different development was the earlier release of an app by the Islamabad Police with the goal of improving crime prevention and public safety.

Launched on the orders of former Interior Minister Sarfraz Akbar Bugti, the recently released ICT-15 app aims to empower the people of the capital city by giving them the ability to actively engage in the battle against crime and protect their areas.

Residents of Islamabad can now easily download and utilize the ICT-15 app because it is easily accessible on the Google Play Store.

Citizens can report a variety of issues with this easy-to-use application, such as incidents, unlawful behavior, complaints against law enforcement, the presence of undocumented people, or any suspicious criminal activity.

The police promise quick reaction times as soon as information is reported using the app, so assistance will be provided as quickly as feasible.