Tag: Pak

Burqa-clad women protest in Pak for release of political outfit’s chief

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Islamabad: Following the arrest of Maulana Hidayatur Rehman, chief of Pakistani political outfit Haq Do Tehreek (HDT), in January, the situation in Gwadar has been calm so far. But after the lifting of section 144 in the town, protests against the Maulanas arrest have simmered again.
A demonstration by Burqa-clad women on Sunday raised the voice for Maulana Hidayat’s release, Dawn reported.
Maasi Zainab is the female face of the Gwadar agitation that has grabbed the nation’s attention for over a year.
According to Zainab, the HDT chief was put behind bars for no reason.
“He is being punished for speaking out against the injustice meted out to the people of Gwadar,” Zainab said while speaking to Dawn in this town’s Mullah Band area, near the deep sea port.
“Our fishermen were not being allowed to go out to the sea due to security considerations. Families had to go without a square meal for days together.
“But after the protests led by Maulana Hidayat, the authorities provided a little relief to fishermen. Now we are able to make ends meet.”
According to Zaini, as she is commonly known, the Maulana has given a voice to the inhabitants of Gwadar, who were largely ignored by the authorities while charting out an uplift plan for this port town, Dawn reported.

Another vocal woman here is Zargul Baloch, a member of the HDT. She was one of the leading organisers behind the women’s march.
While speaking to Dawn, she laments that the state does not bother to meet the citizens’ basic needs like water, electricity, education and health.
“The most alarming development for us has been illegal trawling as it wipes out entire fish stocks, leaving nothing for our fishermen. Maulana Hidayatur Rehman has given some hope to us.
“But since he is in jail for giving voice to our grievances, the people of Gwadar, women included, have come out in his support.”
Hundreds of women, led by HDT leader Hussain Wadela and Senator Mushtaq Ahmed, took part in the rally.
The marchers passed through the major streets of Gwadar, including the Marine Drive, near the beach.
They also highlighted other issues, e.g. the matter of the missing, Dawn reported.
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#Burqaclad #women #protest #Pak #release #political #outfits #chief
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 27, 2023
Pak PM Sharif accuses President Alvi of following dictates of Imran Khan’s party

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Islamabad: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday hit back at President Arif Alvi, accusing him of being partisan and following the dictates of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party instead of remaining neutral as the head of the state.
His comments came two days after President Alvi in a letter on Friday accused the premier of using disproportionate force against politicians, political workers and journalists in recent clashes with former prime minister Imran Khan’s PTI.
The president, who was a member of Khan’s party before assuming the office, had also asked Sharif to direct all authorities to assist the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in holding the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa elections as per the orders of the Supreme Court.
In his five-page letter to President Alvi, Sharif said that he was writing to “set the record of the government straight” and bring the latter’s “partisan attitude” on record.
He said Alvi’s communication in parts read like “a press release of the opposition political party PTI whose one-sided, anti-government views you continue to openly espouse, notwithstanding your constitutional oath/office of President ”.
He said that the president on several occasions violated his oath, including the order of the dissolution of the National Assembly in April last year on direction of then prime minister Imran Khan, and also his failure to discharge his constitutional duty to give oath to Sharif on his election as the prime minister.
“Despite the foregoing and several other instances, where you actively worked towards undermining a constitutionally elected government, I have made all-out efforts to maintain a good working relationship with you. However, the contents of your letter, its tone, and language have compelled me to respond to it,” he stated in the letter.
Sharif said that actions by the law enforcement agencies were in accordance with the law.

“Regrettably and ostensibly due to your party allegiance, you have failed to note the sheer violation of laws, contumacious disregard of court orders, attacking the law enforcement agencies, damaging public property, attempts to create chaos, civil and political unrest, and in short, to bring the country to the brink of economic default and civil war by PTI,” he said.
He said the PTI’s complete disregard of law tarnished the image of Pakistan in the international community and cast negative repercussions on the future of democracy and state of human rights.
He also complained that Alvi as president had not once said anything regarding the conduct of Khan for his “aggressive, rather militant, attitude of a political order in complete defiance of court orders”.
“Regrettably again, you never raised your voice or shared your concerns in the manner that you have in your letter, in the past while the PTI was in power,” he said.
He further stated that Alvi’s reference regarding meaningful consultation between the president and prime minister was “out of place”.
“Mr President, in the exercise of your functions, you must act on and in accordance with the advice of the Cabinet or the Prime Minister under clause (1) of Article 48,” he wrote.
Talking about the election in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, he said that the federal government provided every support to the ECP which is an autonomous body and free to decide about election.
Sharif also said that he was “fully aware” of his duties, asserting that his government was fully committed to preserving, protecting, and defending the Constitution but would not allow anyone to violate the law or create unrest.
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#Pak #Sharif #accuses #President #Alvi #dictates #Imran #Khans #party
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 26, 2023
Pak court rejects FIA’s plea to cancel Imran Khan’s bail in prohibited funding case

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Islamabad: A Pakistani court on Wednesday rejected the country’s top investigating agency’s plea to cancel former prime minister Imran Khan’s bail in the prohibited funding case, a media report said.
Khan, the chief of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party was granted bail by an Islamabad-based banking court in a prohibited funding case.
The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in October last year filed a case in the banking court against Khan, 70, and other members of his party for allegedly receiving prohibited funding.
The prohibited funding case was filed by PTI’s estranged founding member Akbar S Babar in the Election Commission of Pakistan in 2014.
A two-member bench comprising Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani and Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri conducted the hearing on the plea in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday, according to the Express Tribune newspaper.
The court also rejected the request to cancel the bail of co-accused Tariq Shafi, the report said.
The FIA filed an application in the IHC on February 28 against the banking court’s decision to grant bail to the PTI chief and appealed to the court to annul the decision as it was “against the law”.
In 2022, Pakistan’s Election Commission said the allegations of taking prohibited funds from overseas Pakistanis against Khan were proven.

It issued a new show-cause notice to PTI asking why these funds should not be confiscated.
During Wednesday’s hearing, FIA Special Prosecutor Rizwan Abbasi argued that Khan has not yet been interrogated by the agency in the case, and urged the court to cancel his bail, the report said.
IHC Chief Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani asked if the money laundering allegations in the FIR were against Arif Naqvi and Imran Khan or if PTI was the recipient of the funds.
The FIA counsel argued that Khan in a recent interview admitted that he received funds for charity purposes but used them for political activities, according to the report.
Justice Kayani inquired if the funds were used by a political party and then how they became personal belongings, it said.
Justice Kayani asked the FIA counsel to submit the letter from the State Bank of Pakistan that the investigation agency received during the investigation.
“You did not include the employee of the State Bank in the investigation. Changing the name of a bank account is not a crime. Has the State Bank taken any action to change the name or nature of the account?” the judge asked.
Khan, the cricketer-turned-politician, was granted interim bail by a special court in Islamabad after being shot during an assassination attempt in November last year.
He was ousted from power in April after losing a no-confidence vote in his leadership, which he alleged was part of a US-led conspiracy targeting him because of his independent foreign policy decisions on Russia, China, and Afghanistan.
Khan, who came to power in 2018, is the only Pakistani Prime Minister to be ousted in a no-confidence vote in Parliament.
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#Pak #court #rejects #FIAs #plea #cancel #Imran #Khans #bail #prohibited #funding #case
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 22, 2023
Pak finance minister says technical reasons behind delay in deal

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Islamabad: Pakistan’s Finance Minister Ishaq Dar said on Monday that certain technical reasons were behind the delay in an agreement with the IMF as he clarified that his recent remarks about the country’s nuclear and missile programme were being used out of context.
His clarification hours after the International Monetary Fund (IMF) rubbished claims that it has attached nuclear-programme-related strings for the revival of Pakistan’s much-anticipated bailout programme that has been stalled for months.
Dar last week said in the Senate that there would be no compromise on the country’s nuclear and missile programme. He made the comment in response to Senator Raza Rabbani’s questions about the delay in signing the agreement with the IMF.
In a press statement, Dar said that his comments with regards to Pakistan’s nuclear programme were in response to a colleague Senator’s specific question, wherein, “I emphasised that Pakistan has the sovereign right to develop its nuclear programme, as it best suits our national interests. Without any external dictation, which, by no means should in any way whatsoever be linked with the ongoing negotiations with the IMF.”
“It is clarified that neither the IMF nor any country has attached any conditionality or made any demand from Pakistan with regard to our nuclear capability and the delay in IMF staff-level agreement is purely due to technical reasons, for which we are continuously engaged with the IMF in order to conclude it at the earliest,” he said.
Cash-strapped Pakistan is awaiting a much-needed USD 1.1 billion tranche of funding from the Washington-based global money lender, which was originally due to be disbursed in November last year.
The funds are part of a USD 6.5 billion bailout package the IMF approved in 2019, which analysts say is critical if Pakistan is to avoid defaulting on external debt obligations.
Pakistan, currently in the throes of a major economic crisis, is grappling with high external debt, a weak local currency and dwindling foreign exchange reserves enough to shore up for barely one month’s imports.

Esther Perez Ruiz, IMF’s resident representative in Islamabad, has denied attaching any strings to the External Fund Facility (EFF), according to Geo TV.
“Regarding recent speculation that programme discussions with the authorities for the ninth review under the IMF-supported programme may have covered Pakistan’s nuclear weapons programme, I want to be categorical that there is absolutely no truth to this or any insinuated link between the past or current IMF supported programme and decision by any Pakistani government over its nuclear programme,” the report said, quoting the official.
The IMF chief said discussions have exclusively focused on economic policies to solve Pakistan’s economy and balance of payments problems, in line with the Fund’s mandate for promoting macroeconomic and financial stability.
Apart from the IMF, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party’s Shah Mahmood Qureshi assailed Dar and demanded that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif issue a policy statement on remarks of Dar.
“No one has the right to tell us what kind of nuclear programme we should have and missiles of which range we should have. We have our atomic arsenal South Asia-specific and to ensure our defence,” he said.
The controversy erupted after Dar assured Parliament that the federal government would not make any compromise on the country’s nuclear and missile programme despite tough economic conditions and hurdles to secure a loan from the IMF.
“Let me assure you that nobody is going to compromise anything on the nuclear or the missile programme of Pakistan no way,” Dar told Parliament last week.
Dar also indirectly held Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party and its chief Imran Khan responsible for the delay in the IMF funding as he blamed the then government of Imran Khan for agreeing on tough conditions to get the funding.
Separately, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that Pakistan’s nuclear programme was being “jealously guarded by the state”.
Pakistan has been hosting the IMF mission since early February to negotiate the terms of the deal, including the adoption of policy measures to manage its fiscal deficit ahead of the annual budget due around June.
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 20, 2023
Pak police register terrorism case against ex-PM Imran, PTI leaders

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Islamabad: Pakistani police on Sunday registered a terrorism case against Imran Khan and over a dozen PTI leaders for indulging in vandalism, attacking security personnel and creating unrest outside the judicial complex here ahead of a court hearing in a graft case involving the ousted premier.
Clashes erupted outside the Islamabad Judicial Complex on Saturday when Khan arrived in Islamabad from Lahore to attend a much-awaited hearing in the Toshakhana case.
During the confrontation between Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers and police, over 25 security personnel were injured, prompting Additional District and Sessions Judge Zafar Iqbal to defer the court hearing till March 30.
The case was registered against arrested PTI workers and wanted party leaders. About 17 PTI leaders were named in the FIR lodged by the Islamabad Police, Geo News reported.
The FIR states that the workers damaged the police check post and the main gate of the judicial complex, it said.
As many as 18 people were arrested for arson, pelting stones and breaking the judicial complex’s building, said the FIR.
“About two police vehicles and seven motorcycles were burned, and the official vehicle of the station house officer (SHO) was damaged,” it added.
Khan, 70, arrived in Islamabad from Lahore to appear before the court. He was accompanied by his supporters in a convoy.

Soon after he departed for Islamabad to attend the hearing, over 10,000 armed Punjab police personnel stormed Khan’s Zaman Park residence in Lahore and arrested dozens of his party workers.
The police personnel, using a power shovel, removed the barricades and tents at the entrance of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party chief’s residence and evicted hundreds of his supporters camping there to prevent Khan’s arrest in the Toshakhana case.
They conducted a search at the house after demolishing its main gate and walls. Punjab Police, whose action ended later, were reportedly met with resistance from PTI workers from inside, resulting in violence. About 10 workers were reportedly injured in the police operation in Lahore.
PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry said on Sunday said the party will get cases registered against police officers involved in the “illegal operations” and violence at Khan’s residence.
“Today, a meeting of the legal team has been called. The way in which the police defied the Lahore High Court’s decision entering Imran Khan s residence has trampled every rule of the home’s sanctity. [things were] stolen. [They] also took away juice boxes. Innocent people were subjected to torture,” he tweeted.
“Defying court order is unforgivable. The high court should guard its judgment. Cases are being registered on all police officers who conducted illegal operations and were involved in violence,” he said.
Earlier, Khan appeared before Lahore High Court on Friday and assured that he was ready to present himself on Saturday before Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADSJ) Iqbal handling the corruption case against him.
The PTI chief has been in the dock for buying gifts, including an expensive Graff wristwatch, he had received as the premier at a discounted price from the state depository called Toshakhana and selling them for profit.
Established in 1974, the Toshakhana is a department under the administrative control of the Cabinet Division and stores precious gifts given to rulers, parliamentarians, bureaucrats, and officials by heads of other governments and states and foreign dignitaries.
The cricketer-turned-politician was disqualified by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in October last year for not sharing details of the sales. The top electoral body later filed a complaint with the district court to punish him, under criminal laws, for selling the gifts he had received as prime minister of the country.
Khan was ousted from power in April last year after losing a no-confidence vote, becoming the first Pakistani prime minister to be voted out by the National Assembly.
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#Pak #police #register #terrorism #case #exPM #Imran #PTI #leaders
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 19, 2023
Pak police breach Imran Khan’s residence after he leaves for court hearing in Islamabad

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Lahore: Over 10,000 policemen launched a major operation at Imran Khan’s Zaman Park residence here and arrested dozens of workers of his party even as the former Pakistan prime minister is in Islamabad to attend a hearing in a corruption case.
The police personnel removed barricades from the entrance of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party chief’s residence and removed all camps the PTI activists had erected to protect their leader.
During the operation, some 10 workers reportedly were injured and over 30 were arrested.
Footages on social media show police beating PTI workers after entering Khan’s residence, where the 70-year-old leader claims his wife Bushra Bibi is also present.
Punjab caretaker government information minister Amir Mir told reporters that the police operation has been launched to clear the Zaman Park area.
“Zaman Park had become a no-go area. As many as 10,000 Punjab police took part in the operation to clear it. We had also reports that the members of banned organisations were also hissing there,” he said.
The minister further said a number of PTI workers have been taken into custody.
During the operation, Mir said three policemen and six PTI workers suffered injuries.

He said that police had search warrants for Imran Khan’s residence. “The anti-terrorism court had issued the search warrants of Khan’s residence and (only) after that police entered his house,” he said.
The ousted prime minister, decrying the police operation, tweeted: “(As I left for Islamabad to attend Toshakhana hearing) meanwhile Punjab police have led an assault on my house in Zaman Park where Bushra Begum is alone.” “Under what law are they doing this? This is part of the London Plan where commitments were made to bring absconder Nawaz Sharif to power as quid pro quo for agreeing to one appointment.” Khan, in a video message, said the incumbent government wanted to put him in jail at the demand of its exiled leader Nawaz Sharif. “They wanted to hold elections after sending me to jail. They have completely been exposed,” he said.
Today’s action comes as the Lahore High Court earlier on Friday granted a request by Punjab IGP Dr. Usman Anwar to search Khan’s Zaman Park residence as part of an investigation into attacks on police teams, Dawn newspaper reported.
Khan also tweeted the siege of Lahore was not about ensuring his appearance in the court but aimed at imprisoning him and preventing him from leading the PTI’s election campaign.
The PTI leader has been in the crosshairs for buying gifts, including an expensive Graff wristwatch he had received as the premier at a discounted price from the state depository called Toshakhana, and selling them for profit.
Established in 1974, the Toshakhana is a department under the administrative control of the Cabinet Division and stores precious gifts given to rulers, parliamentarians, bureaucrats, and officials by heads of other governments and states and foreign dignitaries.
Khan was disqualified by the Election Commission of Pakistan in October last year for not sharing details of the sales.
The election body later filed a complaint with the district court to punish him, under criminal laws, for selling the gifts he had received as prime minister of the country.
Khan, who has vehemently denied those charges, is set to be indicted in the case.
Meanwhile, Islamabad police have issued a traffic advisory, stating that due to tight security measures around the Judicial Complex in G-11, citizens may face difficulty in traffic movement, leading to inconvenience.
The Islamabad administration on Friday night imposed Section 144 in the capital, prohibiting private companies, security guards, or individuals from carrying weapons. It is mandatory for drivers to carry their vehicle registration documents while driving.
The government had on Friday shifted the venue of the additional sessions court to a comparatively safer Judicial Complex for the hearing of the case after the PTI raised security concerns, Dawn reported.
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#Pak #police #breach #Imran #Khans #residence #leaves #court #hearing #Islamabad
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 18, 2023
Pak: Imran Khan’s convoy meets with accident en route Islamabad, says report

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A car in former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s escort was involved in an accident on his way to Islamabad for the hearing into the Toshakhana case.
The hearing in Imran Khan’s Toshakhana case is slated to resume. Despite Pakistan government’s efforts, the former prime minister has escaped arrest thus far.
Ahead of the hearing, Imran Khan tweeted, “It is now clear that, despite my having gotten bail in all my cases, the PDM govt intends to arrest me. Despite knowing their malafide intentions, I am proceeding to Islamabad & the court bec I believe in rule of law. But ill intent of this cabal of crooks shd be clear to all.”
“It is also obvious now that the entire siege of Lahore was not about ensuring I appear before the court in a case but was intended to take me away to prison so that I am unable to lead our election campaign,” he said in another tweet.
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 18, 2023
Pak HC suspends non-bailable arrest warrant against Imran Khan

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Islamabad: A high court in Pakistan on Friday suspended the non-bailable arrest warrant against former Prime Minister Imran Khan in a corruption case till March 18, giving the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief a chance to appear in a district court here.
The District and Sessions Court in Islamabad issued the arrest warrant against the ousted premier on February 28 in the Toshakhana case about the concealment of the proceeds of the state gifts and directed the capital city police to bring Khan to court by March 18.
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) Chief Justice Aamer Farooq, passing the order suspending the non-bailable arrest warrant on Friday, also asked police to provide 70-year-old Khan security to appear in the sessions court.
The development comes a day after Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADSJ) Zafar Iqbal dismissed a plea by Khan to suspend his non-bailable arrest warrant in the state depository case.
Khan has been in the crosshairs for buying gifts, including an expensive Graff wristwatch he had received as the premier at a discounted price from the state depository called Toshakhana and selling them for profit.
Established in 1974, the Toshakhana is a department under the administrative control of the Cabinet Division and stores precious gifts given to rulers, parliamentarians, bureaucrats, and officials by heads of other governments and states and foreign dignitaries.
Khan was disqualified by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in October last year for not sharing details of the sales. The election body later filed a complaint with the district court to punish him, under criminal laws, for selling the gifts he had received as prime minister of the country.
On Thursday, Judge Iqbal dismissed Khan’s plea to suspend a non-bailable arrest warrant against him and said that he would halt attempts by the Islamabad police to arrest him if the ousted premier surrendered before the court.

He ordered the police to arrest Khan and present him on March 18 as per law.
“Law is the same for everyone,” the judge wrote in his judgment after three back-to-back hearings.
While hearing the case, the judge remarked that Khan should surrender unconditionally before seeking any favour from the court.
Khan has skipped several hearings in the case.
The PTI chief has been resisting arrest in the Toshakhana case, holed up inside his Zaman Park residence in Lahore, surrounded by hundreds of his supporters, who have fought pitched battles with the police and Rangers over the past few days, resulting in injuries to more than 60 people, mostly policemen.
The clashes ultimately subsided after the courts intervened on Wednesday, a day after which Khan’s supporters placed shipping containers outside the main entrance of his residence and equipped themselves with clubs and slings to protect the former premier from any further police action.
As police laid siege to his Lahore residence, Khan had once again rushed to the IHC with a petition against the arrest orders.
The IHC refused to intervene and asked the lawyer to go to the district court and give a commitment that Khan would appear on March 18 when the court had scheduled a hearing of the case.
Khan appeared before Lahore High Court on Friday and assured that he was ready to present himself on Saturday before the judge handling a corruption case against him, PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry told media persons on Friday, adding that “an undertaking has also been given to the court”.
Separately, Khan was set to appear in the Lahore High Court (LHC) for a protective bail to let him travel to Islamabad. Earlier, the Lahore High Court stopped the police from any action till 3 pm to arrest Khan.
According to Khan, he was facing over 80 different cases in various courts across Pakistan.
Khan was ousted from power in April last year after losing a no-confidence vote, which he alleged was part of a US-led conspiracy targeting him because of his independent foreign policy decisions on Russia, China and Afghanistan.
Since his ouster, Khan has been asking for early elections to oust what he termed an “imported government” led by prime minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Sharif has maintained that elections will be held later this year once the parliament completes its five-year tenure.
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 17, 2023
Pak court stops police operation outside Imran Khan’s residence till Thursday

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Lahore: In a temporary relief for Imran Khan, a Pakistani court on Wednesday ordered the police to stop till Thursday its operation outside the former prime minister’s residence here to arrest him in a corruption case after a scuffle between the security personnel and his supporters.
Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party on Tuesday challenged the police operation in the Lahore High Court, requesting it to direct the government to end it.
On Wednesday, the Lahore High Court (LHC) stopped police operation at Zaman Park till 10 am Thursday, the Dawn newspaper reported.
Hearing the petition filed by PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry, LHC’s Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh passed these orders, the paper said.
Earlier, the court had instructed the Punjab inspector general, chief secretary and Islamabad police (operations) head to appear in court by 3 pm.
In a separate development, Islamabad High Court on Wednesday reserved its judgment on a petition filed by Khan to suspend arrest warrants against him in the Toshakhana case.
The district and sessions court in Islamabad on February 28 issued non-bailable arrest orders against Khan in the Toshakhana case about the concealment of the proceeds from the sale of state gifts.
The Islamabad High Court heard the petition by Khan against arrest orders. He also submitted an affidavit through his counsel that he would appear before the court at the next hearing on March 18.

Chief Justice Amir Farooq observed during the hearing that the court would come out with an order to avoid conflict and ensure respect for the courts.
The court reserved the decision without giving any time when it would be announced today.
Khan was disqualified by the Election Commission of Pakistan last year in October for not sharing details of the sales. The election body later filed a complaint with the district court to punish him under criminal laws for selling the gifts he had received as prime minister of the country.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Rangers and police personnel who were closing in on Khan’s residence to arrest him in a corruption case on Wednesday started retreating, prompting cheers and celebrations among his supporters.
In a tweet, the party said that more workers were reaching Zaman Park and vowed not to let the “impure intentions” of the coalition government succeed.
Earlier in the day, authorities deployed the elite Rangers outside Khan’s residence, a day after clashes with police left over 60 people injured, including 54 policemen.
Lahore’s Zaman Park area was turned into a battleground after 70-year-old Khan’s defiant supporters engaged in pitched battles with policemen on Tuesday to stop them from arresting their leader in the Toshakhana case, resulting in injuries on both sides.
Khan has been in the crosshairs for buying gifts, including an expensive Graff wristwatch he had received as the premier at a discounted price from the state depository called Toshakhana and selling them for profit.
Established in 1974, the Toshakhana is a department under the administrative control of the Cabinet Division and stores precious gifts given to rulers, parliamentarians, bureaucrats, and officials by heads of other governments and states and foreign dignitaries.
Khan was ousted from power in April last year after losing a no-confidence vote, which he alleged was part of a US-led conspiracy targeting him because of his independent foreign policy decisions on Russia, China and Afghanistan.
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 15, 2023
India invites Pak Defence Minister Khawaja Asif for SCO meeting: Report

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Islamabad: India has invited Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif to attend the meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) to be held in New Delhi in April, according to a media report on Wednesday.
India currently holds the presidency of the SCO, which comprises China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
As President of the SCO, India is set to host a series of meetings.
Diplomatic sources told The Express Tribune newspaper that the Indian government shared the formal invitation with the Pakistan Foreign Office on Tuesday.
There was no immediate confirmation from New Delhi on the Pakistani media report.
India earlier invited Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial, as well as shared an invitation for the meeting of foreign ministers of SCO, the report said.
The chief justice, however, skipped the meeting of the SCO chief justices and instead Justice Muneeb Akhtar attended the meeting through a video link recently, it said.
The foreign ministers’ meeting is scheduled for May in Goa while the defence ministers’ huddle will be held in New Delhi in April.

The Pakistani government has said that it has not yet taken a decision on whether Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari or Defence Minister Asif will attend the meetings in India.
Bilawal and China’s Qin Gang are among the foreign ministers of the SCO member nations invited by India for the meeting it is scheduled to host in May.
The Pakistan Foreign Office has said that the decision will be taken at an appropriate time.
If the Pakistani foreign minister attends the meeting in person, it will be the first such visit from Islamabad to India since 2011. Then Pakistani foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar visited India that year. Khar is currently serving as the minister of state for foreign affairs.
In May 2014, then-Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif visited India to attend Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s swearing-in ceremony.
In December 2015, then external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj visited Pakistan and days later, Modi made a brief visit to the neighbouring country.
The ties between India and Pakistan came under severe strain after India’s warplanes pounded a Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist training camp in Pakistan’s Balakot in February 2019 in response to the Pulwama terror attack.
The relations further deteriorated after India announced the withdrawal of Jammu and Kashmir’s special powers and the bifurcation of the erstwhile state into Union territories in August 2019.
The SCO was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the presidents of Russia, China, the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
Over the years, it has emerged as one of the largest trans-regional international organisations. India and Pakistan became permanent members of the Beijing-based SCO in 2017.
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#India #invites #Pak #Defence #Minister #Khawaja #Asif #SCO #meeting #Report
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 15, 2023