Pakistan

SHC tightens screws on ECP for holding LG polls in Karachi, Hyderabad

Published

1 year ago

Farwa

SHC voices displeasure over LB polls holdup.
Seeks reports from DG Rangers, IGP Sindh.
Asks ECP to hold polls as soon as possible.

KARACHI: Sindh High Court (SHC) on Thursday censured the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for sitting on the local bodies (LB) elections in Karachi and Hyderabad, warning them against further delay.

The court voiced its displeasure over the holdup during the hearing of the petitions submitted by PTI and JI.

A two-member bench, headed by Chief Justice Sindh High Court Justice Ahmed Ali M Shaikh, took up the case.

During the hearing, Justice Yousaf Ali, questioned the ECP counsel why local government elections were being delayed repeatedly. CJ Shaikh remarked that it was ECP’s responsibility to hold local government elections.

The ECP’s counsel, in his reply, said it was a public holiday on Wednesday due to which the commission’s meeting could not be held.

“It’s ECP, not a school. So what if it was a holiday? The meeting could have been held. Enough is enough. Go hold LB elections,” the Chief Justice SHC remarked.

He asked where were the reports the court had sought from DG Rangers and IG Sindh.

Regarding the ECP’s excuse that LB polls were not being held because of a shortage of security personnel for the election, CJ SHC unleashed a flurry of questions at the defendant’s lawyer.

“Which police go to secure flood-affected areas? What are they doing with flood victims and what kind of duty are they performing there,” the CJ Sindh High Court asked.

The court sought reports from IG Police and DG Rangers Sindh on the total strength of personnel in the province and how many of them are deployed in flood-affected areas.

CJ SHC also questioned the ECP counsel with regard to police duty in flooded parts of the province.

“Name a village in Sindh where police carried out an operation for the victims of the flood. What is the total strength of the police in Sindh and where are they deployed right now?” CJ SHC asked.

Having no reply, the advocate general, prayed to the court for more time. CJ SHC said the court would not grant the government a lot of time and it would need a report as soon as possible. The court also directed the DG Rangers and IGP Sindh to furnish the court with all the details of their strength or appoint an officer for that.

SHC later adjourned the hearing will November 14.

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PM Shehbaz will meet with Saudi ministers and speak at the WEF special session today.

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1 hour ago

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On the third day of his visit to the Kingdom, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will speak at the World Economic Forum Special Meeting’s final plenary, which is titled “Rejuvenating Growth.”

Other speakers at the concluding plenary, in addition to the prime minister, are Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Economy and Planning Faisal Alibrahim, British Secretary of State David Cameron, WEF Geneva President Brørge Brende, and WEF Head of Middle East and North Africa Maroun Kairouz.

Meetings with Saudi ministers of trade, energy, the environment, and agriculture are also scheduled for the third day of the prime minister’s visit. He will probably also meet with his counterpart from Malaysia.

Mohammed bin Salman, the prime minister and crown prince of Saudi Arabia, will be present at the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Special Meeting on Global Collaboration, Growth, and Energy for Development, which gets underway here today.

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The nomination of Ishaq Dar as deputy prime minister raises concerns.

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2 hours ago

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A lot of doubts have been raised by Ishaq Dar, the foreign minister, being appointed deputy prime minister.

No reference to the Constitution, regulations, or any other law was mentioned in the Cabinet Division’s notification of the appointment.

What powers Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif used to designate Ishaq Dar as deputy prime minister has come under scrutiny in light of this.

There are questions about the legal foundation for the deputy prime minister’s nomination as it appears from the notification’s phrasing that rules for the position have not yet been established, according to insiders.

Likewise, the announcement is vague about the deputy prime minister’s proposed authority.

Deputy prime minister would be purely symbolic, according to government sources, and would not be authorized to carry out prime ministerial duties. In Pakistan, the deputy prime minister has previously been nominated.

The PPP administration appointed Chaudhry Parvez Elahi as deputy prime minister.

Observe that Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar was appointed deputy prime minister on Sunday with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s consent; the Cabinet Division formally announced the appointment.

Dar holds the position of Pakistan’s fourth deputy prime minister. Previous appointments to the position of deputy prime ministers included Parvez Elahi, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, and Begum Nusrat Bhutto.

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Audio leaks case: FIA, PTA, and PEMRA pleas seeking Justice Sattar’s recusal dismissed

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2 hours ago

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The Islamabad High Court fined each of the three government departments Rs. 500,000 on Monday after dismissing their arguments against a bench trial over audio leaks.

The court may also hold the heads of the aforementioned departments—the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA), and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA)—culpable for contempt.

In the audio leak case, four government agencies—the PEMRA, PTA, FIA, and Intelligence Bureau—filed separate petitions with the IHC, pleading for Justice Babar Sattar’s recusal and asking for the case to be heard by the same bench that has previously decided a case of a similar nature.

The petitioners contended that in order to prevent a different ruling, Justice Babar Sattar should recuse himself from the case that was decided in 2021. The petitions of Bushra Bibi, the wife of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder Imran Khan, and Najamul Saqib, the son of former chief justice of Pakistan Saqib Nisar, should also be brought before the same bench.

During the current hearing, Justice Sattar also issued a summons to IB Joint Director General Tariq Mehmood, directing him to come before the court for the case’s subsequent hearing.

Following the issue’s discovery in 2023, the judge has been considering the aforementioned petitions.

The government agencies contended in the petitions in the case before Justice Sattar that Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani had already resolved an analogous issue in 2021. Thus, in order to prevent a conflicting ruling and for the sake of justice, they asked the judge to recuse herself from the case.

The departments are requesting that Justice Sattar recuse himself after six IHC judges—among them, himself—complained in writing to the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) about intelligence agencies interfering with the court’s decision.

On March 25, the judges called for the calling of a judicial convention to address the issue of purported meddling by intelligence agents in the judicial activities or “intimidation” of judges in a way that jeopardised the judiciary’s independence.