FARUKH SHEHZAD

Director General Karagoz says Armenia still takes lives of innocent people in places where Karabakh occupation came to end

ANKARA, JUN 5: Turkey’s international news agency on Saturday offered its condolences to Azerbaijan over the deaths of two Azerbaijani journalists in a landmine explosion planted by Armenia during its occupation of the Kalbajar region.

Serdar Karagoz, the agency’s chairman of the board and director-general, said in a letter of condolences that he has learned with great sorrow that three people, including Meherrem Ibrahimov, a journalist for the state news agency Azertac, and Sirac Abishov, a cameraman for Azerbaijan state television AZTV, lost their lives in the blast.

At least 20 Azerbaijani civilians and seven soldiers have been killed by landmines laid by Armenian forces since the two countries reached a truce in Nagorno-Karabakh last November. According to a statement issued by the Azerbaijani Prosecutor General’s Office on Friday, at least 86 soldiers and 29 civilians were also injured in these blasts.

“I strongly condemn that Armenia, which has committed terrible acts against humanity, still takes the lives of innocent people in places where the Karabakh occupation came to an end,” he said, adding that Anadolu Agency stands by all Azerbaijani media on this painful day.

“I wish Allah’s mercy upon our brothers who lost their lives, my condolences and patience to you and all their relatives,” he said.

At least three Azerbaijanis, including two journalists, were killed and four others injured on Friday when a mine planted by Armenia during its occupation exploded.

The explosion happened when a bus carrying journalists in the recently liberated Kalbajar region crossed over the mine.

The Kalbajar region was recently liberated after a nearly three-decade occupation by Armenian forces.

During a 44-day conflict last year, which ended in a truce on Nov. 10, Azerbaijan liberated several cities and nearly 300 settlements and villages in Karabakh from Armenia’s occupation.

The cease-fire is seen as a victory for Azerbaijan and a defeat for Armenia, whose armed forces withdrew in line with the agreement.​​​​​​​

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BAKU, JUN 2021: Ibrahimov, a correspondent for the Azerbaijani state news agency AzerTag, and Abishev, a camera operator with the Azerbaijani state broadcaster AzTV, were on assignment while riding in a bus in Kalbajar district, near Nagorno-Karabakh, when the vehicle hit a landmine, according to multiple news reports and a tweet by Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov.

Both journalists and an Azerbaijani government official were killed in the blast, which also wounded several other passengers including AzTV producer Emil Mammedov, according to those reports, which did not state the extent of Mammedov’s injuries.

For about 30 years, Armenia has mined a large part of occupied territories of Azerbaijan. So, today main duty is to clear these territories of mines.

Without a map, it’s difficult to ensure the safe return of peaceful Azerbaijanis who became internally-displaced persons 30 years ago. Unfortunately, we do not see the goodwill of Armenia in this matter. The fact that Armenia does not provide minefield maps to Azerbaijan is a war crime.

A landmine explosion has killed a cameraman of Azerbaijan State Television Siraj Abishov, and an employee of AZERTAC Maharram Ibrahimov in Kalbajar district of Azerbaijan.

Last year, at least six journalists were injured in shelling while covering the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, as CPJ documented at the time.

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ISLAMABAD, JUN 4: National Security Adviser Dr Moeed Yusuf said on Wednesday that the sudden withdrawal of the United States from Afghanistan was not ideal, adding that any shifting of blame on Pakistan for “facesaving” would be unacceptable.

Speaking on DawnNewsTV show 'Live with Adil Shahzeb', Yusuf said international media had been biased against Pakistan in the past and it was the same today.

“[The] United States has assured us that Pakistan will not be made a scapegoat amidst the withdrawal [of US troops] from Afghanistan, but only time will tell whether [they stay true to their word] as history suggests otherwise," he remarked.

He added that it was “too early to predict whether they [the US] will stick to their words.” The adviser said Pakistan had always wanted peace in Afghanistan and the hasty withdrawal of US troops from the country was not a good idea.

Yusuf also stressed that Pakistan needed to maintain bilateral ties with the US, which continued to view Pakistan as a regional player, without compromising on national interests.

“The approach is still regional. [Though], they [the US] have shifted focus from Af-Pak and are now obsessed with China, seeing India [as a country] that has a role to play [in this equation],” said Yusuf.

In reply to a question about Pakistan allowing the US to continue to use its airbases, Yusuf denied such reports.

“It has been very clearly communicated to the Americans so it's not debatable,” he said, adding that Prime Minister Imran Khan had been opposing the war in Afghanistan for the past 15 years, so allowing the US access to airbases after its withdrawal from Afghanistan was not on the table.

To another question, he stressed that “it's important for all stakeholders in Afghanistan to sit together for a … political settlement.”

Yusuf also empahsised economic stability for Afghanistan, saying that the Afghan economy could not function without support from the outside.

“And for that, only Pakistan can give them the regional connectivity, and for investment from China [and the] US, Pakistan is the only linchpin. Afghans must understand this.”

The adviser reiterated that in the wake of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, Pakistan wanted bilateral relationships with America, but with a focus on “not what the US can give us, but what we can take from the US”.

He added that Pakistan had made its priorities clear to the world in Geneva, where he met the US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan last month.

He went on to say that Afghans should decide their own fate, adding that any terrorist activities in Afghanistan were not acceptable to Pakistan.

US pullout and security vaccuum

The US has announced troop withdrawal from Afghanistan by September 11. However, with the US troops pulling out from the war-torn country since May 1— a deadline set in the US-Taliban agreement signed last year— there have been reports of the withdrawal being completed by July 4, which is celebrated as the US Independence Day.

US President Joe Biden is determined to end what he called “the forever war”, announcing in April that the withdrawal of the remaining 2,500 American forces would be complete by the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.

The prospect of an end to the US presence in Afghanistan after 20 years comes despite fighting raging across the countryside in the absence of a peace deal, giving rise to security concerns and fears that violence will increase and could also spill over to neighbouring states, including Pakistan.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Foreign Office had said Pakistan was worried about a security vacuum in Afghanistan after the US pullout as the already dim prospects of successful reconciliation between warring Afghan groups were growing dimmer with every passing day.

Although another round of intra-Afghan talks is scheduled to begin in the next couple of days, Pakistani officials don’t seem very hopeful about a breakthrough.

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, while talking to Speaker of Afghanistan’s Wolesi Jirga Mir Rahman Rahmani on Tuesday, had urged the Afghan groups to “seize this historic opportunity and work out an inclusive, broad-based and comprehensive political settlement for durable peace and stability in Afghanistan and the region,” according to the statement.

The fears of a security vacuum have been growing because of the stalemate in the peace process.

The peace dialogue has made little progress since it started in September last year except for an understanding of the principles and procedures, which too was achieved after haggling for months over minor issues.

Several efforts were made by Pakistan and the international community to push all stakeholders to return to the negotiation table to settle the remaining outstanding issues for ending the conflict, but none of the efforts have succeeded so far.

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ISLAMABAD, JUN 4: Ambassador of Somalia, Khadija Mohamed Al-Makhzoumi visited the Embassy of Palestine on Thursday, Jun 3.

She was received by the Ambassador of Palestine, Ahmed Rabaie upon her arrival at the embassy.

During the meeting with Ahmed Rabaie Ambassador Khadija expressed solidarity with the Palestinian people against the heinous actions of the Israeli occupation against the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque and the inhumane actions.

Ambassador of Somalia, Khadija Mohamed Al-Makhzoumi also recorded her views in the visitor's book during her visit to Palestine Embassy.

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Exclusive by Editor-In-Chief / 

Farukh Shehzad

An Airblue flight took off on May 20-2021 from Jinnah International Airport [Karachi] was cruising towards Islamabad over the blue sky.

During the Airblue flight to Islamabad a couple started kissing to each other in front of other travellers openly.

This was the second non-Islamic below the line incident happened in recent times in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

Earlier, we saw Pakistani celebrity Mahira Khan dancing on middle of the road openly.

People talking about that the man and woman who kissed each other they were foreigners but this excuse will not be accepted because it is a purely Islamic country in which foreigners are also not allowed kissing openly in front of public as they did recently while travelling Airblue flight.

It is highly unfortunate and heartbreaking to watch that there is group of people in our society who has been supporting this foreign couple for doing kissing.

PTI govt and aviation authorities must take strict actions to stop happening of these kinds of vulgar acts in the days to come because this vulgar act will not produce good positive results for young boys and girls in our society in the future.

If I say that Pakistani culture has been hijacked by the western culture, so this would not be a wrong statement and I believe most people will agree with my opinion.

Closing Remarks:

What lesson we can learn from Airblue Kissing?

As we know that every incident leaves a lesson for us!

Well, as a Muslim nation we all want to build a virtuous society to live and I know personally there are many people who are putting their best efforts to spread good deeds to make our society better for our upcoming generation.

But on the other hand, the collective efforts are also needed to be performed by the government and concerned authorities to stop such vulgar acts to be happened in future.

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ISLAMABAD, JUN 3: Salesflo (Retailistan Pvt. Ltd) started the retail digitization journey for Pakistan in 2015 with the launch of Pakistan’s first cloud enabled Sales and Distribution platform.

Since its inception, Salesflo has onboarded more than 40 enterprise FMCG, Pharma & Distribution companies representing close to Rs.400 billion in annual transacted goods (Roughly 1% of Pakistan’s GDP).

Salesflo, through its continuous digitization has laid down the rails for the entire Information, Financial and Physical Supply Chain of Pakistan allowing efficient access to over 300,000 retailers across Pakistan.

To further accelerate the digital retail transformation, Pakistan’s premier B2B e-commerce platform (Jugnu) was launched to empower more than a million small businesses to directly procure from manufacturers and improve their financial inclusion.

Jugnu operates as one of the most advanced B2B e-commerce technology platforms in the world with a complete eco-system having state-of-the-art fulfilment centers, optimized routing & vehicle load management to AI enabled CRM platform that delivers world-class customer experience.

Today, Jugnu is one of the fastest growing B2B platform with a mission to empower a million small businesses in Pakistan by 2023.

With this pre-seed raise of Rs.500 million, the Jugnu team seems to be more prepared than ever to make a mark and transform the retail distribution segment which is estimated to account for $100 billion in annual transacted goods.

Furthermore, the collaboration between Jugnu, Systems and OneLoad will enable financial inclusion for millions of small businesses that form the backbone of the Pakistan economy.

The team behind Salesflo, Jugnu and Systems stands for Pakistan and is well-positioned to transform the retail and economic outlook of the country.

#EmpoweringRealPakistan

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ASHGABAT, JUN 3: Ambassador John McGregor has been appointed as new head of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) center in Turkmenistan, Trend reports with reference to Turkmenistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov met with McGregor on June 2, 2021, where the ambassador presented his credentials.

The parties discussed promising areas of cooperation for the coming period, the report said.

The sides also talked about the issues of cooperation in the field of energy security, including the development of sustainable energy initiatives within the OSCE.

The topic of sustainable transport was also touched upon. The sides exchanged views on acceptable joint projects to optimize the activities of the East-West corridor.

Turkmenistan's relations with such OSCE institutions as the Office of the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities, OSCE Office for Democratic Institutes and Human Rights, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media was emphasized.

As reported, Turkmenistan is promoting the idea of creating a specialized structure of the OSCE - the Council for Sustainable Energy.

Turkmenistan intends to promote the development of "green" ports, digitalization and simplification of trade procedures and transport links in Central Asia and the Caucasus.

Expert meetings are continuing to explore the possibility of preparing a Comprehensive environmental program of the OSCE.

Earlier, the OSCE and Ashgabat discussed possible steps to develop a program of Turkmenistan for the development of energy diplomacy.

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ISLAMABAD, JUN 3: Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Thursday that Pakistan was among the countries most at risk due to climate change even though it contributed less than one percent to global carbon emissions.

The premier expressed these views while addressing a special event in Islamabad on green financing innovations. The event was organised by the Ministry of Climate Change as part of World Environment Day, according to Radio Pakistan.

"We are more vulnerable than Bangladesh [...] due to the melting of our glaciers," he said. "It is not our fault. There are giants that contribute to carbon emissions but countries like us face the consequences," he said, adding that awareness was slowly spreading.

"For the first time in the United States, President Joe Biden's administration is focusing on climate change. The previous administration was not thinking about environmental degradation."

PM Imran reiterated that if we wanted to protect future generations from the impact of climate change, it is imperative to take steps to protect the environment, which include making national parks, planting trees and carrying out urban forestry.

"We need to utilise all available resources to increase the number of trees in the country," he said, adding that China had also developed a green city. "We can learn a lot from China."

PM Imran lauded that fact that mangroves had increased in the country during the last 20 years despite deforestation. He also said awareness about climate change had increased among the public, especially among school children.

"We need to take this further so that our entire country is focused on ensuring a better future for coming generations."

Commenting on the concept of "green bonds", he said that the world was slowly realising the greed with which it had exploited nature. "There were always going to be consequences of that. Thankfully, awareness has increased in the past 10 years."

He said Pakistan would take the lead in raising awareness about climate change.

"People only started caring about global warming in the past 20 years. Before that when someone used to talk about it, others used to laugh. Even now, in the past three to four years, some developed countries did not take it seriously."

He said that the California wildfires and Australia bush fires had jolted the global community. Major personalities, like Microsoft founder Bill Gates, had realised that steps were needed to mitigate the challenges of climate change before it was too late, he said.

PM hails launch of green bond

Earlier this week, the premier formally launched Pakistan's first green Eurobond by the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) to meet the financial needs for the construction of Diamer-Bhasha and Mohmand dams.

Out of nearly $2.2 billion that Wapda needs over five years ($1.1bn in first two years), it is initially raising $500m through the Indus bond. The number of bonds will gradually be increased based on the financial needs of the projects to be funded.

Speaking at the ceremony, PM Imran had said: "Unfortunately, one of Pakistan's biggest weaknesses is the implementation of projects. In my government I am also seeing that some things lag behind when it comes to implementation."

"A nation can't progress if you carry out planning from one election to the next," he had said, adding that there was a need to invest in the country's children and to think about where the country was headed.

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ISLAMABAD, JUN 2: Online Roundtable Discussion on "Climate Change as Non-Traditional Security Challenge: Relevance for Pakistan" was held in Islamabad, on Wednesday.

It was jointly organized by Center for Global and Strategic Studies (CGSS), Islamabad and Hanns Seidel Foundation (HSF) Pakistan.

Shakeel Ramay Advisor, Asian Institute of Eco-civilization Research and Development, Consultant SDPI & Member board of Advisors, CGSS, commenced the session with opening remarks.

Dr. Steffen Kudella, Resident Representative, Hanns Seidel Foundation, Pakistan gave the welcome remarks. He welcomed all the participants and distinguished panelists.

Dr.Kudella highlighted that on 5th June 2021, Pakistan is hosting the international Environment Day. Last year this day was hosted by Germany and Colombia.

Dr. Kudella said that it is important for Pakistan to raise awareness on climate change and mitigate its negative impacts.

He stated that climate change is both, the rise of the average temperature of the Earth’s climate system and also large-scale weather shifts.

It is one of the most threating situations for Pakistan.  These non-traditional security challenges are non-militaryin nature, but risks to the survival and well-being of people.

Dr. Kudella stated that the rising temperatures are leading to the melting of glaciers in Pakistan. Moreover, they lead to a degradation of ecosystems, impact biodiversity, and cause desertification and flooding, which in turn can cause serious problems such as mass migration, starvation or poverty.

He emphasized on the importance of holding these roundtables to address critical issues.

Ms. Romina Khurshid Alam, Member of the National Assembly of Pakistan and Former Secretary of Climate Change Ministry stated that climate change is a subject on which we all need to work cohesively.

She said that pollution has also increased in this pandemic and explained that Pakistan has the Climate Committee and is working to mitigate the negative impacts of climate change.

She suggested that in this regard think tanks can play an important role in policy orientation process and Government should implement the devised policies.

Dr. Rashid Aftab, Director of Riphah Institute of Public Policy, Riphah International University stated that the outcomes of climate change are devastating as Pakistan is among the top ten most effected countries.

This has led to water insecurity. Dr. Rashid explained that climate change can lead to a number of challenges.

One is the scarcity of water. Second, water availability will become erratic and put strains on population.

Third, this situation will result in higher evaporation rate and raise demand of water.Dr. Rashid said that if these factors are likely to continue, it will increase frequency of droughts.

While concluding, Dr. Rashid suggested that the government should devise policies which can be practically implemented.

Dr. Yusuf Zaraf, TI, Former Chairman, Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC)explained the relevance of climate change with agriculture sector.

He stated that Pakistan energy consumption is low and it is not contributing much to GHG. He said that there are so many plans like agriculture emergency plans.

He suggested that if we want our national food security, we should properly opt practical solutions. Dr. Yusuf discussed that Pakistan is facing certain issues related to food security this year which is alarming as our productivity is low.

He suggested that isolated actions should not be beneficial, therefore the government should revisit the plan under climate change scenario and incorporate technological advancement in agriculture sector to enhance productivity.

Prof. Dr. Irfan Khan,Dean, Faculty of Basic and Applied Sciences, International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI)shared his views on environment security and human security.

He stated that environment security in terms of water, food and energy is considered an important aspect of national security.

Therefore, the nexus builds important links between environment and national security. Dr. Khan stated that the link is reshaping the contemporary political discourse as it has been impacting the national security.

Dr. Irfan said that this changing discourse is to translate contemporary security concerns and broaden the national security agenda that should include climate security.

Mr. Tariq stated that now, environment security concerns have been incorporated into the foreign policy agenda.

While concluding, Dr. Irfan suggested that there is need of environment policies among the provinces and also SARRC countries to develop environment security and peace which are imperative to achieve sustainable development.

Prof. Dr. M. Khan, Member Board of Experts, CGSS discussed that the NTS challenges transcend the national boundaries as they are transnational in character.

They have sudden unexpected appearances. Dr.Irfan said that human security is endangered in South Asia because of regional sensitivity to climate change.

Prof. Irfan stated that as far as climate change is concerned, it has been impacting the humanity. Every country has a strategic linkage and effective policy making to mitigate negative impacts of climate change that need to be explored.

Climate change has adverse effect. Therefore, mitigation could not be successful until or unless there is cooperation among all sectors.

Dr. Irfan statedthat water security, agriculture and availability of clean drinking water are the key concerning areas. While concluding his speech, Dr. Irfan suggested that we have to preserve water resources and not disturb the natural cycles.

He stated that the sooner we realize preserving water sources, it would be significant for Pakistan and the next generation.

Dr. Shaheen Akhtar, Professor at the Department of International Relations, National Defense University, Islamabadstated that we need to looked between environment change and national security. She stated that climate change is an emerging threat to national security.

Dr. Shaheen explained the link of these two concepts while highlighting the proponents (international scholars) such as Barry Buzan and Robert Kalpan, who introduced the two concept as inter linked.

She highlighted that the rising temperature will increase irregular rainfall patterns and precipitation level. She discussed that this situation will lead towards food and water insecurity as they are interlinked.

While conducing her discussion, Ms. Akhtar suggested that there has to be sectoral approaches. If there is no preparedness to mitigate these challenges, there would be huge repercussions.

She stated that disaster-risk reduction plan and preparedness is important with the involvement of all stakeholders to mitigate the repercussion imposed by climate change.

Dr. Kanwar Muhammad Javed Iqbal, Lead Researcher of the National Institute of Maritime Affairs (NIMA)elaborated that the global community has consensus that climate change has emerged as the issue of national security and human security.

Dr. Kanwar statedthat ocean base economy is more vulnerable to climate change as sea level is rising.  He also raised points on Pakistan’s drought situation that the Sindh province is highly affected by the droughts, increasing vulnerability to its huge population.

He stated that the drought condition has impacted the Melon crops. While concluding, Dr. Kanwar suggested that there is a need to have a national policy on environment plan.

He also suggested active engagement and safe participation between multiple think tanks and relevant stakeholders.

Dr. Sarah Amir, Department of Environmental Sciences, International Islamic University stated that the climate change and its impacts is the pressing issue.

She discussed that a lot of jargons have been introduced in the last decade like climate smart agriculture or non-traditional security threats and that climate change is not a myth but reality. She suggested that we cannot delay implementing climate change related policies.

Mr. Munir Ahmed, Executive Director of DEVCOM, Pakistan stated that we need to have specific researches. There has been no significant agenda of the working climate committees.

 Climate change is the biggest threat. It affects everyone. Therefore, non-traditional security threats should not be handled by traditional method.

Mr. Munir stated that there is a need to educate people in each constituency.  He also suggested that the funds that are being given by certain organization and NGOs and how, in this regard, the role of civil society is significant.

Mr. Ali Tauqeer Sheikh, founding CEO & National Program Director of LEAD Pakistan, and CDKN’s Regional Director for Asiaraised certain significant aspects. He stated that the response to non-traditional security threats should be non-traditional in nature.

NTS need not be totally domestic or interstates as they are over lapped. Mr. Ali stated that many issues that are domestic also become regional or international.

He gave examples of climate-related transboundary issues i.e.,cyclones and tsunamis, air pollution, smog, migration and refuges, pandemic and epidemics. While suggesting, Mr. Ali stated that NTS need not be a zero-sum game.

By adopting effective policies, it can be a win-win situation if common grounds are crafted to work together. Mr. Ali discussed that NTS can be process oriented. Therefore, NTS need intelligence with engagement of knowledge economy.

Brig Aslam Khan (Retd), Chairman Gomal Daman Area Water Partnership Pakistan stated that we need effective strategies to beat climate change. Therefore, Pakistan should undertake reforms plans like the KP government. 

Dr. Aslam also suggested that there should be effective water management program along with protection and restoration of ecosystem.

Dr. Aslam highlighted the role of youth in building awareness. While concluding, he stated that government alone cannot do anything on its own and that community efforts are required.

Dr. Hassan Abbas, Chairman Forte, Integrated Water Resources Management stated that we should not forget that a lot of products which we are using are imported materials.

Therefore, we have to do careful consideration to our consumption related to industrial GHG emissions. He emphasized that water is the most impacted element by the climate change.

He explained that we have developed infrastructure to modify our natural flow regime. Dr. Hassan recommended that before focusing on one type of solution like the old-mind set of diverting rivers, we should move toward alternatives to manage water.

Therefore, climate change should be discussed widely in parallel to invest in same amount of investment in developing the alternatives.

Mr. Faizanul Hassan, Director, Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR)discussed that the challenges are due to climate change.

In this regard, there are some questions we need to answer related to climate change its vulnerability and mitigation.

Mr.Faizan stated that the German watch Global Climate Risk Index 2021has placed Pakistan among top 20most vulnerable countries.

He explained that climate vulnerability has been ignored. Therefore, there is a need to generate awareness among people regarding the issue of climate change.

Dr. Steffen Kudella, Resident Representative, Hanns Seidel Foundation Pakistan presented concluding remarks.

He stated that Pakistan is vulnerable to climate change and suggested to respond to these ffects is a responsible manner, collectively.

The Online Roundtable was moderated by Mr. Shakeel Ramay, Advisor, Asian Institute of Eco-civilization Research and Development, Consultant SDPI & Member Board of Advisors, CGSS.

A total number of 80 participants from all across Pakistan attended the online roundtable discussion and was also viewed live on various social media platforms.

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ISLAMABAD, JUN 2: The federal government on Wednesday withdrew its appeal in the Supreme Court against the Lahore High Court's (LHC) May 7 decision to grant PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif conditional permission to travel abroad for his medical treatment.

Attorney General for Pakistan Khalid Jawed Khan informed the court that the government was withdrawing its appeal as Shehbaz had decided to take back his petitions against the government in the high court. The apex court subsequently disposed of the petition.

In May, the LHC had granted conditional permission to Shehbaz to travel abroad for medical treatment. However, when the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly attempted to leave the country on May 9, he was stopped by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) which cited "procedural hiccups". On May 17, the interior ministry placed the opposition leader's name on the no fly-list.

Responding to the developments in court, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said that the government's appeal in the apex court was no longer necessary as Shehbaz's name had been placed on the Exit Control List and he had withdrawn his petition from the high court.

During today's hearing, a two-judge Supreme Court bench, comprising Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Sajjad Ali Shah, took up the Ministry of Interior’s appeal against the high court order.

Justice Ahsan remarked that the high court did not give the attorney general's office adequate time to file a reply. "Was Shehbaz's Sharif's plea fixed for hearing according to the system?" he questioned.

The high court registrar replied that it was decided that a decision on the objection would be taken during the hearing. The objection was filed at 9:30am and the case was heard at 11:00am, he said.

To this, Justice Ahsan observed that the government's counsel was given only 30 minutes to prepare. "In the past year, how many cases were heard at 12pm on a Friday?" the judge asked.

He further observed that the LHC did not even ask which list Shehbaz's name had been added to. He questioned whether such a "general order" could be issued.

Shehbaz had initially filed a contempt of court petition against the officials of the interior ministry and immigration staff. However, the LHC registrar did not entertain the plea, saying that contempt petitions did not fall in the categories of cases permitted to be instituted during the enforcement of Covid-19 related restrictions.

Therefore, Shehbaz’s legal team had moved a civil miscellaneous application, urging the court to get its May 7 order implemented.

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