pakistan
India invites Pakistan’s chief justice, foreign minister to SCO moots
India has invited Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial and Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari to attend the meetings of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) scheduled for later this year.
The SCO is a key regional forum comprising Pakistan, China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and India. It focuses primarily on the areas of trade, finance, commerce and socio-economic cooperation among the SCO member states. Currently, the presidency of the forum is held by India, which will organise a series of events, including a conference of the chief justices of member states and a moot of the foreign ministers this year.
The chief justices of the SCO will meet in March while the meeting of the foreign ministers is scheduled for May in Goa.
Sources said CJP Bandial and FM Bilawal had not yet responded to the invitations.
Relations between the nuclear-armed neighbouring countries have remained tense since India revoked the special status of the occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
Addressing the 26th meeting of the Council of Ministers of Economic Cooperation Organization in Tashkent, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari stressed the need for a collective approach to address the issues faced by the region. He said the regional countries needed to develop a strategically robust emergency response to any climate crisis in future. He noted that the issue of climate cooperation was very significant.
The foreign minister welcomed the proposal of Uzbekistan for the establishment of a dialogue platform on environmental cooperation within the framework of ECO.
Alluding to the devastation caused by floods in Pakistan, he said Pakistan s urgent priority was to ensure rapid economic growth and lift millions out of destitution and hunger. He said we would not only build back better but do so in a climate-resilient manner.
Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said Pakistan believed the ECO led by shared principles of solidarity and mutual support had the collective strength to measure up to the challenges. “Together we can and should make a difference.” He said regional preferential trade framework amongst the ECO members would help us in enhancing cooperation. He said Pakistan would continue to accord high priority to trade promotion and facilitation within the ECO.
The Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) Islamabad has discharged 32 individuals arrested in connection with the PTI protests, clearing them of the charges.
The 32 accused were brought before the ATC Islamabad late at night after being sent for an identification parade.
The case was heard by ATC Judge Abulhasnat Zulqarnain, with the accused represented by their lawyer Ansar Kiani.
Although the police had claimed that the arrests were made at the I-9 and Margalla police stations, the accused were brought to the court from Jhelum Jail, which led to the judge expressing displeasure.
During the proceedings, the police argued that the accused were arrested on November 25 and the identification parade had not yet been conducted. The police requested a 30-day physical remand for each of the accused.
However, the defense lawyer opposed the request, stating that there had been no identification parade and the police were seeking remand for recovery purposes.
The lawyer further claimed that the police had picked up laborers from their homes just to meet arrest quotas, involving them in the protest case.
After hearing the arguments, Judge Abulhasnat Zulqarnain ordered the release of the 32 accused by discharging them from the case, removing their handcuffs in the courtroom.
He also warned that if the police re-arrested them, the officers would be handcuffed as well.
An anti-terrorism court in Islamabad on Saturday extended bail of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser in a case pertaining to vandalism in Sangjani public gathering held by his party on Sept 28.
Justice Abual Hasnat Zulqarnain of the ATC conducted hearing of the case against the former NA speaker.
The petitioner’s lawyer requested exemptionof her client from appearance, citing terminal illness.
The lawyer also attached medical certificate of the former NA speaker.
Later, the court accepted the plea of Qaiser by extending his bail till Jan 7.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Adviser Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif claimed on Saturday that “secret meetings” were being held in the President House to oust Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and bring Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari as the new PM.
In a statement, the adviser said both father and son (President Asif Ali Zardari and Bilawal) were making all the necessary efforts for premiership of the latter, adding that the president was on a secret mission to see his son as the PM.
“Zardari should make his son the PM through fair means instead of stealing the mandate given by the people to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). Both Sharifs and Zardaris are enjoying the power through a stolen mandate,” he added.
He reiterated that Zardari should keep it in mind that the PTI would continue its struggle to restore its mandate.
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