ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Bar Council said on Friday it would file a petition in the Supreme Court to defend a judge who wrote the verdict in the high treason case against the country’s former army chief, General (retired) Pervez Musharraf.
The government had criticized the wordings of the ruling, saying it would file a reference against the judge in the Supreme Judicial Council.
Justice Waqar Ahmed Seth’s order in the detailed judgment released on Thursday drew widespread criticism in which he instructed the authorities to “drag” Musharraf’s “corpse” to D-Chowk and hang it there for three days, if he was found dead before the execution of death penalty awarded to him in the case.
The government announced shortly after the release of the detailed judgment that it would move the Supreme Judicial Council — a constitutional body authorized to hear cases of misconduct against members of the country’s superior judiciary – against Justice Seth for his “despicable” observation in the judgment.
“We will challenge the government’s reference against Justice Seth in the Supreme Court, and defend his verdict in the case,” Syed Amjad Shah, vice chairman of the Pakistan Bar Council, the country’s top regulatory body of lawyers, told Arab News on Friday.
He said that the government’s “mala fide intent” against the judge was exposed by its stance against the verdict. “The government has the prerogative to file a reference against any judge, but under the law it cannot be entertained,” he said.
Shah said the government and other aggrieved parties can file a petition in the Supreme Court against the ruling, but “cannot get a judge removed” through the Supreme Judicial Council on the basis of a judgment.
The 76-year-old, former military ruler was handed down death sentence on Tuesday in absentia as he currently resides in Dubai and is undergoing treatment for multiple ailments. He seized power in October 1999 in a bloodless military coup and remained in power till 2008.
The apex court’s senior lawyers said it was a lengthy and complicated process to file a reference against any judge of the superior judiciary and then get him removed for misconduct, physical or mental incapacity.
“The government apparently wants to offset pressure from different sides by filing the reference,” Habibullah Khan, senior advocate Supreme Court, told Arab News. “The government wants to show it has adopted a legal course against the judge who used graphic reference in the Musharraf ruling.”
About the formation of Supreme Judicial Council, he said it consisted of five members — the chief justice of the Supreme Court, the next two senior most judges of the apex court and two senior judges from high courts.
The council may initiate a probe on the request of the president or on its own, if it suspects that a judge may be incapable of properly preforming his/her duties due to physical and mental incapacity or misconduct.
All proceedings of the council are held in-camera and are not open to public, he said.
“If a judge is charged with any of the offense, he is removed by the president,” he said. “But in Justice Seth’s case, the government is not in a position to establish a cogent case against him.”
However, political analysts said the government was left with no option but to file a reference against the judge after the ruling against the former chief of the all-powerful military.
“The government is trying to get a face saving by moving a reference against the judge,” Zebunnisa Burki, political analyst, told Arab News. “The government is caught in a catch-22: It can neither support the verdict nor oppose it openly.”
Pakistan lawyers’ body backs judge who issued Musharraf ruling
https://arab.news/8ma95
Pakistan lawyers’ body backs judge who issued Musharraf ruling
- The Pakistan Bar Council says it will challenge the government’s reference in the apex court
- The government can neither support nor oppose Musharraf’s death penalty, says political analyst
Pakistan uses drones to help rescuers evacuate thousands as floods devastate Punjab
- Since last week, rescuers, backed by the military and emergency services, have evacuated more than 700,000 people
- Punjab government saays drones deployed this week in Multan, Jhang and other districts, with priority to save lives
JHANG, Pakistan: Emergency workers in Pakistan’s Punjab province used drones to find people stranded on rooftops by massive floods as the government expanded what it called its largest rescue operation, with more than 700,000 evacuated, officials said Monday.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department warned of more heavy rain in Punjab’s flood-hit districts and elsewhere in the country, where weeks of above-normal rainfall and the release of huge volumes of water from dams in neighboring India last week caused rivers to overflow into low-lying regions.
In Multan and Jhang districts, residents on Monday waded through floodwaters carrying their belongings to roadsides and higher ground. They said they had waited for rescuers before crossing on their own nearly 5-foot (1 1/2-meter) -deep water to reach safety, while many others remained stranded.
Since last week, rescuers, backed by the military and emergency services, have evacuated more than 700,000 people, said Irfan Ali Kathia, director general of the Punjab Disaster Management Authority. More than 500,000 farm animals were also moved to safety, he said.
“We are handling an unprecedented situation, and we are responding to the country’s biggest-ever floods by using the latest technology and all available resources to save lives,” Kathia told The Associated Press. The Punjab government said drones were deployed this week in Multan, Jhang and other districts.
“Our priority is to save lives and ensure a steady supply of essential items to survivors,” Kathia said.
The deluge has swamped Narowal, Sialkot and Kasur districts while entire villages have been submerged in Jhang and Multan.
‘Everything is gone’
On dusty roadside embankments, displaced families complained of being abandoned.
“We have been destroyed. Everything is gone in the flood,” said Haleema Bibi, 54, who fled her damaged home in Jhang with seven relatives. They now shelter under the open sky without tents or food.
“Whatever we had to eat has nearly finished. You can see how miserably we are living,” she told The Associated Press.
Allah Ditta, a farmer from the same district, said he and his neighbors slept on plastic sheets and carts. “Rescuers came once by boat, but no one has brought us supplies. We keep looking to the road, hoping someone will come with help,” he said.
Authorities in Punjab say they had set up more than 1,000 relief camps, but government figures show that only about 36,550 of over 800,000 evacuees are housed in them. It is unclear where the vast majority were staying.
Evacuations also took place in southern Sindh province, where Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah warned of a possible “super flood” of the Indus River if water levels top 900,000 cubic feet per second.
Officials blame the catastrophic flooding on weeks of heavier-than-normal monsoon rains, compounded by cross-border waters released from India’s swollen rivers and dams last week. The Ravi, Chenab and Sutlej rivers rose simultaneously, inundating wide swaths of farmland and villages.
India had alerted Pakistan about the water release, marking the rivals’ first public diplomatic contact since a military crisis brought them to the brink of war in May.
Punjab, home to some 150 million people and the country’s main wheat-growing region, has recorded 33 flood-related deaths in 10 days — far fewer than the catastrophic 2022 floods — but damage is widespread.
Pakistan’s weather center said Punjab received 26.5 percent more monsoon rainfall between July 1 and Aug. 27 compared with the same period last year. Nationwide, at least 854 people have died in rain-related incidents since late June.
Pakistan’s monsoon season typically lasts until the end of September.
Pakistan offers support as Afghanistan earthquake kills over 800, injures 2,500
- Magnitude 6 earthquake on Sunday night causes devastation in Afghanistan’s Kunar and Nangarhar provinces
- Afghanistan is prone to deadly earthquakes, with one in June 2022 killing at least 1,000 people across country
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif offered support to Afghanistan on Monday as it reels from one of its deadliest earthquakes, which officials say have killed over 800 people and wounded more than 2,500.
The magnitude 6 earthquake killed at least 800 people and injured over 2,500 in Afghanistan’s eastern provinces of Kunar and Nangarhar when it took place on Sunday night, Afghan government spokesman Mawlawi Zabihullah Mujahid said. The jolts were felt in several areas of northwestern Pakistan on Sunday night, including the country’s capital Islamabad. However, Pakistan did not report any loss of lives from the calamity.
“On behalf of the people and government of Pakistan, I extend my heartfelt condolences & prayers to the bereaved families,” Sharif wrote on social media platform X. “We stand in solidarity with our Afghan brothers & sisters in this hour of grief, and we are ready to extend all possible support in this regard.”
The earthquake leveled homes of mud and stone in Afghanistan’s areas bordering Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The quake was Afghanistan’s deadliest since June 2022, when tremors of magnitude 6.1 killed at least 1,000 people in the country.
The devastation also prompted UN Secretary General António Guterres to offer support to Afghanistan.
“The UN team in Afghanistan is mobilized and will spare no effort to assist those in need in the affected areas,” Guterres wrote on X.
Afghanistan is prone to deadly earthquakes, particularly in the Hindu Kush mountain range, where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates meet.
A series of earthquakes in its western region killed more than 1,000 people last year, underscoring the vulnerability of one of the world’s poorest countries to natural disasters.
There are fears that the disaster will further stretch the resources of the country, which is already grappling with humanitarian crises, from a sharp drop in aid to a huge pushback of its citizens from neighboring countries Pakistan and Iran.
At SCO summit, Pakistan urges immediate halt to Gaza war, reaffirms two-state solution
- Israel has killed at least 63,000 Palestinians in Gaza since it began military operations there almost two years ago
- Pakistan PM says suffering and starvation unfolding in Gaza a “festering wound” on the world’s collective conscience
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday called for the immediate halt of Israel’s military hostilities in Gaza, reiterating Islamabad’s stance of supporting a two-state solution to the Middle East crisis at the regional Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in China.
Sharif’s statement at the 25th Council of Heads of State summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Tianjin came as Israel pushes ahead with the initial stages of a new military offensive in Gaza. At least 63,000 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli military in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, as per the Gaza Health Ministry.
“We reiterate our call for an immediate end to this gruesome violence and heart wrenching bloodshed in Gaza,” Sharif said. “Pakistan has consistently supported the UN-mandated two-state solution that is the creation of an independent state of Palestine with pre-1967 borders and Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.”
Israeli restrictions on the entry of supplies into Gaza since Israel began its military operations there nearly two years ago have led to shortages of food and essential supplies, including medicine and fuel, which hospitals require to power their generators.
A global hunger monitor said last month that Gaza and its surrounding areas are officially suffering from famine, adding that it will likely spread. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification system said 514,000 people — nearly a quarter of Palestinians in Gaza — are experiencing famine and that is due to rise to 641,000 by the end of September.
“The suffering and starvation unfolding in Gaza is a festering wound on our collective conscience,” Sharif said.
Pakistan, as well as other countries around the world, have increased calls for Israel to desist from its military operations in Gaza after Israel’s government approved a plan last month to take over the territory.
Pakistani politician arrives in Tunisia to sail with global flotilla seeking to break Gaza blockade
- Mushtaq Ahmad Khan is part of global Sumud flotilla, comprising over 100 ships carrying food, water and humanitarian supplies for Gaza
- Flotilla, deemed as largest civilian maritime mission for Gaza, features climate activist Greta Thunberg, Hollywood actress Susan Sarandon
ISLAMABAD: Former Pakistani senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan arrived in Tunisia on Sunday to set sail with a global flotilla seeking to break Israel's blockade of Gaza, amid fears of starvation and disease becoming widespread in the Palestinian territory.
The fleet of more than 100 vessels, which will converge in the Mediterranean, brings together four regional alliances: Sumud Nusantara from Asia, Sumud Maghrib from Africa, the Global March to Gaza from the Middle East and the Freedom Flotilla Coalition from Europe. Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg and Hollywood actress Susan Sarandon, who are part of the flotilla, left Barcelona on Sunday vowing to try to "break the illegal siege of Gaza."
Khan, affiliated with the Pakistani Jamaat-e-Islami religious party, earlier said he would be part of the Global Sumud Flotilla, which is deemed as the largest civilian maritime mission ever assembled for Gaza. Training for the voyage will be held in Tunisia from Sept. 1 to 3, after which Khan and others will set sail on Sept. 4. The cargo will consist of food, water and medicine.
"From this very [Tunisian] port and on these very ships, we will break the Gaza blockade," Khan said in a video message he posted on social media platform X on Sunday, carrying a large flag of Pakistan atop a ship.
Khan urged the people to pay their part in supporting the flotilla by highlighting its activities on social media and protesting against Israel's military offensive in Gaza.
The development takes place as Israel intensifies its military offensive in Gaza, limiting the deliveries of food and basic supplies there. The move has earned the ire of several countries around the world, including Pakistan, who have demanded Israel lift the blockade and allow medicines and food to reach the people. Food experts warned in August that Gaza was in famine and that half a million people across the territory were facing catastrophic levels of hunger.
The Sumud flotilla will be the fourth attempt to break Israel's maritime blockade so far this year. In June this year, Thunberg sailed from Sicily with humanitarian supplies on another Freedom Flotilla vessel, the Madleen, which was intercepted and seized by Israeli forces in international waters.
In a statement last week, Khan had said he and other participants of the flotilla were prepared for the risks. He recalled blockades of and attacks on past flotillas, including a deadly 2010 raid on the Turkish ship Mavi Marmara that left 10 activists dead.
Israel's war on Gaza has killed more than 63,000 people, with at least 332 Palestinians dying of malnutrition, including 124 children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
Strong quake in eastern Afghanistan near Pakistan border kills at least 250, injures 500
- Magnitude 6 quake hit a series of towns in Kunar province late Sunday, near the city of Jalalabad
- Tremors were felt in northwestern Pakistan on Sunday, which reported no casualties from the quake
KABUL, Afghanistan: A strong earthquake in eastern Afghanistan near the Pakistan border has killed at least 250 people and injured at least 500 others, officials said.
The quake late Sunday hit a series of towns in the province of Kunar, near the city of Jalalabad in neighboring Nangahar province. The 6.0 magnitude at 11:47 p.m. was centered 27 kilometers (17 miles) east-northeast of the city of Jalalabad in Nangarhar province, the US Geological Survey said. It was just 8 kilometers (5 miles) deep. Shallower quakes tend to cause more damage.
The Kunar Disaster Management Authority said in a statement that at least 250 people were killed and 500 others injured in the districts of Nur Gul, Soki, Watpur, Manogi and Chapadare.
Jalalabad is a bustling trade city due to its proximity with neighboring Pakistan and a key border crossing between the countries. Although it has a population of about 300,000 according to the municipality, it’s metropolitan area is thought to be far larger. Most of its buildings are low-rise constructions, mostly of concrete and brick, and its outlying areas include homes built of mud bricks and wood. Many are of poor construction.
Jalalabad also has considerable agriculture and farming, including citrus fruit and rice, with the Kabul River flowing through the city.
A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck Afghanistan on Oct. 7, 2023, followed by strong aftershocks. The Taliban government estimated at least 4,000 people perished.
The UN gave a far lower death toll of about 1,500. It was the deadliest natural disaster to strike Afghanistan in recent memory.
