ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s supreme court on Monday granted bail to the owner and editor-in-chief of country’s largest independent group of newspapers and television stations, months after his arrest in a decades-old case related to allegations of tax evasion in a real estate purchase.
Mir Shakilur Rehman’s release comes amid increasing pressure on journalists in Pakistan by state institutions and security agencies. Human rights workers, activists and members of civil society also have been targeted in recent years.
Rehman’s Jang Group of Newspapers, which includes Geo TV, has been critical of the government. He was arrested in March in the eastern city of Lahore by the National Accountability Bureau. The bureau is pursuing an over 30-year-old case against him over a land sale, one it acknowledges did not defraud the government at the time.
The terms of Rehman’s bail were not immediately known.
Activists say the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan, elected in 2018, has failed to protect freedom of speech in Pakistan. Before becoming prime minister, Khan often publicly said that he would have Rehman arrested if he came into power and now considers Rehman’s media house to be one of his main critics.
Opposition party leaders as well have been targeted in anti-graft probes in recent weeks.
Pakistan’s supreme court orders release of detained TV mogul
https://arab.news/bhhx9
Pakistan’s supreme court orders release of detained TV mogul
- Mir Shakilur Rehman was arrested in a decades-old case related to allegations of tax evasion in a real estate purchase
- His release comes amid increasing pressure on journalists in Pakistan by state institutions
Pakistan court directs authorities to form medical board to assess Imran Khan’s eye condition
- Islamabad High Court rejects jailed ex-PM’s request for immediate transfer to private hospital
- Medical board comprising doctors from PIMS and Shifa to submit report on possible transfer
ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani high court on Thursday directed authorities to form a medical board of government doctors to assess whether jailed former prime minister Imran Khan needs to be transferred to a hospital, his party said, following a rejection of his request to be moved to a private facility for treatment.
The development comes after the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) said last week that Khan’s vision had “improved remarkably” since he was given an Anti-VEGF injection amid concerns related to his eyesight.
Anti-VEGF injections are commonly used to treat retinal vein occlusion and other retinal vascular disorders by reducing swelling and abnormal blood vessel growth inside the eye. Prior to the development, the ex-premier had complained of rapid deterioration in vision in one of his eyes.
“The Islamabad High Court has rejected Imran Khan’s request for immediate transfer to Shifa International Hospital,” the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party said in a post on X.
“The court directed that the Chief Commissioner immediately constitute a medical board comprising doctors from PIMS and Shifa Hospital,” it continued. “The medical board will submit a report, on the basis of which the Chief Commissioner will decide whether a hospital transfer is to take place or not.”
The PTI said the court’s decision had raised questions over the judiciary’s independence.
“Delaying a medical emergency and handing it over to administrative discretion is a violation of human rights,” it said. “The issue of Imran Khan’s health is not just about one individual but reflects the entire judicial and state system.”
The 74-year-old cricketer-turned politician has been in prison since August 2023 in cases that he and his party say are politically motivated.
Khan was taken to PIMS for a medical procedure earlier this year, as his party questioned the transparency of the medical update and demanded independent access to his care.
Khan was removed from office in April 2022 through a parliamentary vote of no confidence that he says was orchestrated at the behest of the former administration in Washington by his political rivals with backing from the military. His allegation has been denied by all parties involved.
Since his imprisonment, Khan has faced multiple convictions and ongoing legal proceedings that authorities say follow due process, while his party describes them as efforts to sideline him from politics.
