pakistan

Not liable to give date for elections, Punjab governor tells LHC

Published

8 months ago

February 9, 2023

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Not liable to give date for elections, Punjab governor tells LHC

Punjab Governor Balighur Rehman on Thursday told the Lahore High Court (LHC) that he was not liable to announce a date for the elections, arguing he has not dissolved the provincial assembly.

The governor stated this in a reply to a petition filed by a citizen Munir Ahmed against him for not announcing the election date after the dissolution of the assembly.

“It is emphatically denied that the answering respondent No 1 was in any manner obligated to appoint the date of elections when he has never dissolved the Assembly while acting on the so-called advice of the Chief Minister,” the governor state in its eight-page reply to the LHC.

He also rejected an impression that his move is creating any hurdles in the way of ECP to discharge its duties, calling the allegations “fallacious”.

“The content of the instant para are denied Io be false, vexatious and completely unfounded. It is unfortunate that malafides have been attributed to the answering respondent in complete disregard of the provisions of the Constitution,” the governor said while pleading the court to dismissed the petition.

Meanwhile, LHC Justice Jawad Hassan also heard an identical plea filed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) seeking the announcement of a date for elections in the province.

The hearing was attended by when PTI leaders, including Asad Umar, Fawad Chaudhry, and PML-N leader Rana Mashood and others.

Mr Chaudhry pleaded the court to decide the case tomorrow (Friday) as further delay would affect the 90-day period enshrined in the Constitution for holding the elections.

The ECP lawyer told the court the electoral body was facing various impediments in holding the elections, including funds.

The federal government’s lawyer, however, requested the judge to form a larger bench to hear the case.

The PTI lawyer said the government and ECP were not serious in holding elections timely. Asad Umar warned that a Constitutional crisis would emerge if a date for elections was not announced within three days.

After hearing the arguments, Justice Jawad Hassan directed the ECP and the Punjab governor to submit their detailed replies in the case on Friday.

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pakistan

Election date will alleviate uncertainty: Kaira

Published

1 day ago

September 21, 2023

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Election date will alleviate uncertainty: Kaira

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Qamar Zaman Kaira emphasised that providing a specific date by the Election Commission for general elections would help alleviate the prevailing uncertainty.

Kaira reiterated that the PPP firmly upholds its constitutional mandate to hold elections and believes it is essential for stability.

Furthermore, he clarified that the issue of a level playing field is distinct from this matter and should be addressed separately.

It is to be recalled that PPP co-chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari had earlier requested the Election Commission (ECP) to announce a date for polls in the country.

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pakistan

Solangi for eliminating extremism, prejudices from society

Published

1 day ago

September 21, 2023

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Solangi for eliminating extremism, prejudices from society

Federal Caretaker Minister for Information and Broadcasting Murtaza Solangi said Thursday that the elimination of extremism and all types of prejudices was not only part of Islamic religious norms and Islamic history, but it was also a cornerstone of the Pakistan ideology.

In his speech at a peace festival here, the minister said that the National Counter-Terrorism Authority had taken important steps to eliminate extremism and terrorism from society.

Solangi said that extremism was one of the elements that destroyed peace and violence which bred terrorism.

The minister said that Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah had highlighted the rights of minorities in his speech of August 11, 1947. He said that Islam also taught kindness to humanity, irrespective of caste and creed.

Solangi said that anti-peace forces wanted to weaken the power of Pakistan by targeting minorities as diversity was Pakistan’s strength. “All the people of the state of Pakistan enjoyed equal rights.”

The minister said the promotion and protection of minorities’ rights on the principle of equality was a major weapon against extremism. He said that time had come to eliminate all types of prejudices from society, as it was one aspect of the ideology of the creation of Pakistan.

The minister also recalled that 22 years ago in 2001, the United Nations had announced to celebrate the International Day of Peace on September 21 every year. In 2023, he added, 75 years of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights would also be marked which was an important milestone in itself.

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pakistan

Captain Safdar acquitted of sedition, MPO violation charges

Published

1 day ago

September 21, 2023

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Captain Safdar acquitted of sedition, MPO violation charges

A district court on Thursday acquitted Captain (r) Muhammad Safdar, the son-in-law of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, in two cases involving charges of sedition, criminal intimidation and violation of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO).

Judicial Magistrate Bilal Muneer Warraich pronounced the judgment which had been reserved on the previous hearing.

Advocates Farhad Ali Shah and Haroon Bhutta appeared before the court on behalf of their client Captain (r) Safdar.

Two FIRs had been registered with the Islampura police station against Safdar under different charges, including the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) and 124-A & 506 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).

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