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Health issues force PM Shehbaz to prolong stay in London

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  • PM Shehbaz was initially supposed to leave for Pakistan on Friday.
  • Following a fever on Saturday PM extended his stay second time.
  • Sharif family advised premier against travelling.

LONDON: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Saturday postponed his departure to Pakistan citing physical exhaustion, family sources said, as his hectic schedule during his stay in London took a toll on his health.

The premier, who arrived in London a few days ago after attending the COP27 meeting in Egypt, was scheduled to leave for Pakistan on Friday, but he extended his stay by one day. 

According to sources close to the Sharif family, PM Shehbaz developed a fever before leaving for the airport on Saturday and his family advised him not to travel, so he extended his stay for a second time.

Family sources further said that the younger Sharif could stay in London for two more days. 

It should be recalled that PM Shehbaz held several meetings with PML-N supremo and his elder brother Nawaz Sharif during his stay in London. The meetings were mostly focused on the country’s politics and the appointment of a new army chief.

Earlier on Friday, in a setback, PM Shehbaz’s request for an indefinite adjournment in the Daily Mail defamation case has been denied by a court in the United Kingdom.

Justice Matthew Nicklin heard the case, according to British media, which also reported that the court denied more time to the applicant, PM Shehbaz, whose hands are full with the PTI’s long march.

The PM’s counsels, in their reply to the court, said the prime minister was currently engaged in professional responsibilities and the court was requested that he be granted time to submit the answers.

To this, Justice Nicklin said, “in his court, the prime minister and the common man are equal”, as per media reports.

If PM Shehbaz and his son-in-law Ali Imran fail to respond to Daily Mail’s lawyers in court, they would have to pay the defendant all the cost of the legal proceedings.

In 2019, the prime minister served a legal notice on the British daily and its journalist David Rose for blaming him for misappropriating public funds.

“The article is gravely defamatory of PM Shehbaz, including false allegations that he misappropriated UK taxpayers’ money in the form of Department for International Development (DFID) aid intended for the victims of the devastating 2005 earthquake in Pakistan. PM Shehbaz denies these allegations,” the legal notice said.

At a hearing in a London court, Justice Nicklin ruled that PM Shehbaz’s lawyer will have to deposit £30,000 by November 23 after his lawyers applied unilaterally to the court to withdraw the stay application in favour of the trial proceedings to go ahead. 

PM Shehbaz’s lawyers at Carter Ruck made this move after he was cleared in the money-laundering case by a court in Pakistan but the application for stay at the London High Court was made much earlier than that.

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The IHC upholds Bushra Bibi’s request to be transferred from Bani Gala to Adiala Jail.

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Bushra Bibi’s request to be transferred from Bani Gala to Adiala Jail was granted by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday.

The former first lady Bushra Bibi’s application to be transferred from Bani Gala sub-jail to Adiala was heard today.

Details reveal that the Islamabad High Court heard a motion to restore the denied petition about the relocation of Bushra Bibi, the wife of PTI founder, from sub-jail Bani Gala to Adiala.

The application for the reinstatement of appeal was heard by Justice Miagul Hassan Aurangzeb. When state attorney Abdul Rehman entered the courtroom on behalf of the state, Usman Riaz Gill represented the former first lady.

State counsel did not object to the appeal being restored during court proceedings. At the following hearing, the court asked for assistance in determining what conditions must be met for a location to be designated as a sub-jail.

The court also mandated that Bushra Bibi’s medical examination be scheduled. The court subsequently delayed the hearing and gave instructions to fix the appeal for April 22.

Recall that the attorneys for former first lady Bushra Bibi, Barrister Salman Safdar, Usman Riaz Gill, and Khalid Yusuf Chaudhary, had filed an application to restore the dismissed appeal a day ago, but the Islamabad High Court had denied their request to pursue the case.

The petition contended that the traffic gridlock at the Sarina Chowk checkpoint was the reason for the delay in getting to the court.

The attorneys did not purposefully take their time getting to court. They warned that the petitioner would suffer irreversible loss if the petition was not resurrected.

IHC Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb has voiced his displeasure at the absence of attorneys from the court.

According to Judge Aurangzeb, the former first lady would have been imprisoned if Bushra Bibi’s attorneys had prevailed in this case. The attorneys themselves were opposed to Bushra Bibi’s incarceration.

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oath-taking ceremony for the Balochistan cabinet postponed

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The Balochistan cabinet’s oath-taking ceremony, which was supposed to take place at the Governor’s House today (Thursday), has been rescheduled.
The Governor’s House spokeswoman announced that the Balochistan cabinet’s swearing-in event has been postponed. Nevertheless, there was no explanation provided for the ceremony’s postponement.

It is important to note that the 14-member Balochistan cabinet, which consists of two members from the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) and six ministers from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) was set to take the oath of office today, Thursday.

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PMD forecasts rain throughout the majority of the nation.

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During the next 24 hours (Thursday–Friday), the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has predicted rain, windstorms, thunderstorms, and a few torrential downpours or hailstorms throughout the majority of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, Kashmir, Islamabad, Punjab, and Balochistan.

In several areas of Sindh, a rain-windstorm/thunderstorm is anticipated. Much of Balochistan is being hit by a powerful westerly wave trough, which is expected to spread to the top regions by April 18.

Prolonged downpours have the potential to cause flash flooding in Balochistani local streams and drains, particularly in Gwadar, Jiwani, Pasni, Ormara, Kech, Awaran, Kharan, Panjgur, Washuk, Noshki, Lasbela, Khuzdar, and Kalat.

On April 18–20, heavy rains could cause flash floods in tributaries of the Kabul River as well as in Dir, Swat, Chitral, Kohistan, Manshera, Gilgit–Baltistan, Kashmir, and other areas.

Lower Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Murree, Galiyat, Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan are among the regions where landslides may occur.

At this time, standing crops, power poles, cars, solar panels, and other objects may sustain damage from wind, hail, and lightning, according to meteorologists.

Upper Sindh and Balochistan saw rain, wind, and thunderstorms in the past 24 hours. During the era, there were also significant rainfalls in South Balochistan. Wednesday’s highs of 42 degrees Celsius in Mithi kept it as the country’s hottest spot.

Officials reported that lightning-related storm-related occurrences claimed the lives of at least 65 people in Pakistan, where the rate of precipitation in April has so far been roughly twice that of previous years. Floods and house collapses were caused by heavy downpours that occurred between Friday and Monday. Lightning claimed 28 lives.

32 people, including 15 children, have killed and over 1,300 homes have been damaged in northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which has suffered the greatest victim count.

The meteorological experts report that there is little probability of rain, despite the fact that drizzle fell in numerous areas of Karachi.

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