Politics

Supreme Court serves notice to Imran Khan in ECP contempt case

Published

1 year ago

Farwa

Supreme Court adjourns the case hearing for the next two weeks.
SC also seeks responses from Fawad Chaudhry and Asad Umar.
ECP alleges Khan levelled “baseless allegations” against commisison.

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court Tuesday served notices to PTI Chairman Imran Khan and his aides — Fawad Chaudhry and Asad Umar — in contempt of the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) case.

A three-member SC bench comprising Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Ayesha A Malik, and Justice Athar Minallah heard the case filed by the ECP to transfer all its contempt cases against PTI leaders from different high courts to a single one.

The election commission has accused the ex-premier of levelling “baseless allegations” against the ECP and its chief in his addresses on July 18, 21, 27, August 4 and 10.

Today’s hearing

During the course of proceedings, the bench remarked that the election commission requested to transfer the cases pending in different high courts to one high court.

The ECP was of the opinion that they should prepare for local and general elections or had to fight cases in different courts, it added.

The chief justice said that the ECP also presented a judicial precedent of merging cases with the order of the Supreme Court. The Election Commission is relying on Article 186A, he added.

He asked the ECP counsel whether there was a precedent of the Supreme Court to merge the cases of different high courts. At this, the lawyer said that the top court ordered the consolidation of income tax cases pending in various high courts in 1999.

(L tor R) PTI leaders Asad Umar, chairperson Imran Khan, and Fawad Chaudhry. — AFP/File

Upon this, the CJP said that clubbing of cases pending in different high courts must have the same point of law. He asked who were the petitioners in contempt of election commission cases in the high courts.

The counsel replied that PTI leaders Khan, Chaudhry, and Umar had filed cases against the election commission in the different high courts.

Justice Malik said that the Supreme Court, in the PEMRA cases, had declared that the high court cases would continue and would not be clubbed.

But Justice Minallah said that the Supreme Court had clubbed all the cases of the high courts in the Hajj assistants case.

The ECP counsel said that cases of the same nature would have conflicting judgments in different high courts.

Justice Malik said that the apex court would decide when the conflicting decisions are challenged before the Supreme Court.

The Chief Justice asked under which constitutional authority did the Supreme Court order clubbing of cases pending in the different high courts.

The counsel then said that the injunctions of the high courts in the contempt of election commission case had also been challenged in the Supreme Court.

The court directed the ECP petitions against the injunction of the high courts should also be fixed with this case.

Subsequently, the hearing of the case was adjourned for two weeks.

Petition

The ECP, in its petition, had stated that it had issued contempt notices to PTI chief Khan as well as other party leaders, including Umar and Chaudhry in the months of August and September.

However, these notices were challenged in high courts.

The ECP noted that under Section 10 of the Election Act, 2017, it had the authority to initiate contempt proceedings being a constitutional body.

The commission further stated that Khan and Chaudhry had challenged the contempt notices before the Lahore High Court’s Rawalpindi bench, while Asad Umar had challenged it before the Sindh High Court.

Another one was challenged before the Islamabad High Court.

Latest News

MQM-P seeks the chairmanship of standing committees

Published

12 hours ago

Farwa

According to people familiar with the case, a MQM-P team met with Sindh Assembly Speaker Qadir Shah and Sindh Interior Minister Zia-ul-Hassan Lanjar.

During the meeting, the provincial assembly’s standing committees were discussed, and MQM-P demanded that 14 standing committees be chaired by them.

The gathering focussed on discussions about the formation of standing committees within the provincial assembly. It was revealed that MQM-P advocated for the appointment of chairmanships to 14 standing committees.

The MQM-P has prioritized the Standing Committees on Interior, Education, Health, Finance, Industries, and KMC, submitting a list to the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leadership.

According to sources, the PPP has sought time to reflect on the situation and respond after conferring with senior leadership.

Meanwhile, the MQM claimed that as the second-largest party in the House, they should be given chairmanship of the 14 standing committees.

Latest News

Fazlur Rehman supports the consensus between JUI-F and PTI.

Published

12 hours ago

Farwa

In an interview with a private news channel, Maulana Fazlur Rehman stated that the two parties’ divisions were’mountain-sized’. “The PTI delegation has arrived, and we have welcomed them in accordance with our traditions,” Maulana Fazalur Rehman said.

The JUI-F president stated that resolving their disputes with the PTI would be beneficial. “If not, every political party has its stance and opinion,” he added.

Maulana Fazalur Rehman stated that the PTI team suggested settling various concerns, to which both parties agreed.

He stated that one or two PTI members make ‘inappropriate’ statements against the JUI-F, and that those words are not taken seriously.

“We consider solely the delegation liable because they stated that they were dispatched by the PTI founder. We shall keep to our stand as long as they do not violate it.” Maulana Fazalur Rehman

He claimed that the JUI-F has never offended anyone and will not do so in the future. The JUI-F president stated unequivocally that their million-man march on May 9 had nothing to do with the tragedy.

Earlier on May 2, Maulana Fazlur Rehman disputed the results of the general elections and sought new ones, citing ‘widespread rigging and anomalies’.

Speaking to a crowd in Karachi, Maulana Fazlur Rehman stated that assemblies had been’sold’. “Sindh Assembly and President House were also sold,” said the official.

The JUI-F chief requested quick re-elections to ensure the democratic process’s integrity.

“The recent elections were fake, and its results are unacceptable,” he continued. The JUI leader called new elections to ensure that the people’s voices are heard and their mandates are respected.

Maulana Fazlur Rehman also criticized the federal government’s foreign policy, particularly its position against Israel and Palestine. “We are being punished for supporting Palestine and opposing Israel,” he declared.

Latest News

Salim Haider’s inauguration as Punjab governor will be attended by Bilawal.

Published

2 days ago

Farwa

Punjab governor Sardar Salim Haider Khan, the leader of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), will take the oath of office today (Tuesday).

The oath-taking ceremony is scheduled to begin at 6:00 p.m. at the Governor’s House, according to sources. Chief Justice Sardar Salim Haider of the Lahore High Court (LHC) will administer the oath.

The leaders of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Punjab cabinet members, Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, and PPP leaders will be present at the oath-taking event.

The ceremony to take the oath of office was originally slated for Sunday, May 5, but it was postponed for two days due to the absence of the current governor, Balighur Rehman. The PPP leaders had been asked by the PML-N to reschedule the event by two days.