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Islamabad court rejects plea to dismiss election tribunal’s verdict disqualifying ex-PM Khan

Former Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan (C) speaks during a lawyers' convention in Lahore on May 18, 2022. (AFP/File)
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Updated 24 October 2022
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Islamabad court rejects plea to dismiss election tribunal’s verdict disqualifying ex-PM Khan

  • Election Commission has barred chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party from holding public office
  • Case involves false declaration of earnings from sale of gifts from foreign states to Khan when he was PM
Updated 24 October 2022
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday rejected a request by former premier Imran Khan to suspend last week’s verdict by the Election Commission of Pakistan barring the chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party from holding public office.

The ECP decision came in a case involving gifts from foreign dignitaries and heads of state to Khan when he was prime minister. Khan has been found guilty of incorrectly declaring his earnings from the sale of the gifts in asset declaration documents submitted to the ECP.

The PTI chairman had approached the IHC against the verdict. The election tribunal is yet to officially release a detailed ruling providing details such as how long the former premier would be barred from public office.

“When there is no [detailed] judgment then which order should the court suspend?” IHC chief justice Athar Minallah asked Khan’s lawyer in court on Monday, rejecting a plea to suspend the ECP verdict immediately.

A five-member election tribunal announced the verdict in what has been come to be called the Toshakhana (state repository) case on Friday under Article 63(1) P, ruling that Khan was found “guilty of corrupt practices.”

Khan immediately rejected the verdict, accusing the ECP of being biased toward him. He has repeatedly called for the ECP chief to step down.

Since being removed from office in a parliamentary vote of no-confidence in April, Khan has held protest gatherings across the country calling for snap elections, but the government has said they will be held as scheduled in October or November next year.

The political instability has also fueled economic uncertainty, with international ratings agencies questioning if the current government can maintain difficult economic policies in the face of political pressure and looming polls.

Under Pakistani law, a legislator found guilty of corruption or misuse of public office can be barred for up to five years.

Topics: Imran Khan Toshakhana controversy

Babar holds key for success as unpredictable Pakistan gear up for World Cup

Updated 8 sec ago
AP
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Babar holds key for success as unpredictable Pakistan gear up for World Cup

  • Pakistan has experienced massive changes in its cricket board since T20 World Cup 2022
Updated 8 sec ago
AP

ISLAMABAD: The return of tried and tested Babar Azam as captain for the Twenty20 World Cup belies the massive changes in Pakistan cricket over the last 18 months.

Since Babar’s team lost the T20 World Cup final to England in November 2022, the Pakistan Cricket Board has had four chairmen, the selection panel has been overhauled, and the experiment with Shaheen Shah Afridi as skipper was quickly aborted.

A new head coach for the limited-overs formats joined the squad in England just weeks ahead of the June 1-29 World Cup in the US and Caribbean.

And to top it off, Pakistan will be the last team to confirm its 15-member World Cup squad as it continues to experiment with various combinations.

Babar is urging supporters to be patient, and there’s a plan in place for success.

Babar stepped down from all-formats captaincy during the tenure of Zaka Ashraf as head of the PCB after Pakistan failed to qualify for the semifinals of the 50-over World Cup in India last year.

But he was reinstated as T20 captain by Mohsin Naqvi — the fourth PCB chairman in less than 14 months — ahead of home series against New Zealand in April after Afridi lost the series in New Zealand 4-1.

Allrounder Imad Wasim and fast bowler Mohammad Amir came out of international retirement in the hope that their experience of playing in the Caribbean Premier League will benefit Pakistan in the West Indies.

South African Gary Kirsten, who was appointed last month as head coach, will gain some first-hand knowledge of the Pakistan squad during a four-match series in England that both teams are using to rehearse for the World Cup.

All these off-the-field happenings have impacted Pakistan’s preparations for the tournament.

It badly lost the away series to New Zealand, scraped to a drawn 2-2 series at home against the Black Caps and lost a T20 series against Afghanistan 2-1. A shock loss to Ireland in Dublin preceded back-to-back wins and 2-1 series result.

And so unpredictable Pakistan enters another world tournament as a team to watch because of its rich history in the T20 World Cup. It has featured in three finals, winning the title in 2009, and also reached the semifinals three other times.

One of Kirsten’s coaching tips has already resonated with the players.

“Gary told us, don’t play for the name on the back of your jersey but for the badge in front of your shirt,” Afridi told a PCB podcast. “And that stayed with me.”

The depth in its pace bowling, with the likes of Afridi, fit-again Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah and Amir, can pose a threat to any team. But Pakistan’s top-order batting was still unsettled going into the series in England. Left-hander Saim Ayub is yet to fire in his role after selectors decided to separate the successful T20 opening pair of Babar and Mohammad Rizwan.

Babar has faced criticism for not pushing the scoring rate in the T20 power play, particularly while batting first. Pakistan has mostly aimed for totals in the 170-180 range while other teams have crossed 200 on regular basis.

Political tensions between Pakistan and India means there hasn’t been a bilateral series for over a decade, but the ICC tournaments always attracts a huge TV audience when the archrivals meet.

Pakistan and India will play a group game on June 9 at a newly built 34,000-capacity Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York that will be the center of attention for South Asian communities.

Both teams are expected to advance to the Super 8 stage from a group that also contains tournament co-host US, Canada and Ireland.

Babar has twice gone close to lifting the trophy as captain, losing to eventual champion Australia in the 2021 semifinals and to England in the final in the Melbourne final the following year.

And for that, he’ll get the distinction of becoming the first player to lead a country in three successive T20 World Cups and will be aiming for third time lucky if his Pakistan lineup can reach the June 29 decider in Barbados.

Topics: Babar Azam World Cup Pakistan

Saudi aid agency distributes 9,000 shelters, non-food items among Pakistan’s flood-hit families

Updated 16 min 17 sec ago
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Saudi aid agency distributes 9,000 shelters, non-food items among Pakistan’s flood-hit families

  • The relief kits containing solar panels, blankets, kitchen sets, water coolers and soaps will benefit 63,000 individuals
  • These items have been distributed among people of Upper Dir, Lower Chitral, Swat, Gwadar, Chaghi and Pishin districts
Updated 16 min 17 sec ago
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSRelief) announced on Wednesday it has distributed 9,000 shelters and non-food items to flood-affected families in Pakistan’s two western provinces to meet the needs of people affected by recent rains.

The death toll from rain-related incidents in Pakistan’s Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) provinces surged to 78 last month.

Heavy rains in these provinces inundated the streets of several districts, damaging thousands of houses. The casualties included at least 33 children and 15 women, while many others were also injured and displaced.

“These relief kits, containing vital items such as shelters, solar panels, blankets, plastic mats, kitchen sets, water coolers, and antibacterial soap provided comprehensive support to 63,000 individuals,” KSRelief said in a statement.

The Saudi aid agency added the “vital assistance during this critical time” would benefit flood victims in Upper Dir, Lower Chitral, Swat, Charsada and Dera Ismail Khan districts of KP and Gwadar, Chaghi and Pishin districts of Balochistan.

“This initiative was executed in close collaboration with the National Disaster Management Authority and the respective provincial governments of KP and Balochistan through the Hayat Foundation,” the statement concluded.

Topics: Pakistan Saudi Ties

Pakistani security forces kill 29 militants in Balochistan, say violence originating from Afghanistan

Updated 22 May 2024
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Pakistani security forces kill 29 militants in Balochistan, say violence originating from Afghanistan

  • Security forces say these militants were killed in intelligence-based operations within the last one month
  • Pakistan also lost one officer in firefight, asks Afghan authorities to ensure effective border management
Updated 22 May 2024
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Security forces in Pakistan lost one officer and killed 29 militants within the last month while carrying out intelligence-based operations in the country’s southwestern Balochistan province, an official statement said on Wednesday, adding the violence was generated by armed groups operating from Afghanistan.
Pakistan has blamed the Taliban administration in Kabul in recent months for not doing enough to clamp down on militant outfits that have allegedly taken sanctuary in the neighboring state.
The top official of the military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said on May 7 a deadly suicide car bombing targeting Chinese nationals in Shangla earlier this year was also planned in “terrorist sanctuaries” in Afghanistan.
However, Afghan authorities denied the claim the very next day.
“Pakistan has witnessed a surge in terrorist incidents orchestrated from Afghan soil, wherein, terrorists from Afghanistan attempt to infiltrate through Pakistan-Afghanistan Border and target Security Forces as well as the innocent civilians,” the ISPR said in a statement.
“In this context, in addition to other areas along Pakistan-Afghanistan border, Security Forces are conducting operations in general area Sambaza in Zhob District of Balochistan, since 21 April 24,” it continued. “As a result of effective engagements, 29 terrorists have been successfully neutralized by the Security Forces in past one month. In the same series of operations, during an intelligence based operation on 14 May 2024, Maj Babar Khan also embraced Shahadat [martyrdom], while fighting gallantly.”
Balochistan is a strategically significant province where Pakistani and Chinese governments are jointly working on a series of infrastructure and regional connectivity projects. However, the area has also witnessed a low-level insurgency carried out by Baloch nationalist groups seeking independence from the central government in Islamabad.
The security situation in the province is further complicated by armed networks such as the proscribed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), whose leadership broke a fragile ceasefire with Pakistan in November 2022.
“Pakistan has consistently been asking Interim Afghan Government to ensure effective border management on their side,” the ISPR statement continued. “Interim Afghan Government is expected to fulfill its obligations and deny the use of Afghan Soil by terrorists for perpetuating acts of terrorism against Pakistan.”

Pakistan forms inquiry committee to probe mob attacks in Kyrgyzstan, says over 4,000 students evacuated

Updated 49 min 34 sec ago
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Pakistan forms inquiry committee to probe mob attacks in Kyrgyzstan, says over 4,000 students evacuated

  • Ishaq Dar says the inquiry committee will coordinate with the Kyrgyz authorities and submit report in two weeks
  • Deputy PM says he asked his Kyrgyz counterpart to legalize 1,100 Pakistani workers being pursued for deportation
Updated 49 min 34 sec ago
SAIMA SHABBIR

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday constituted an inquiry committee to establish what led to the mob attacks on its students in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, said the country’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, as over 4,000 Pakistani nationals were brought back from the Central Asian state.
Dar visited Bishkek on Tuesday to address the concerns of young students from his country enrolled in various educational institutions who witnessed the mob violence last week.
According to some media reports, the situation went out of hand in Bishkek last Friday after videos of a brawl between Kyrgyz and Egyptian students went viral on social media, prompting groups of local residents to target university hostels and private lodgings of international students, including those from Pakistan.
Official figures shared by the Pakistan embassy in Kyrgyzstan reveal nearly 10,000 Pakistani students are enrolled in the Central Asian country, with about 6,000 in Bishkek. The frenzied violence forced them to confine themselves for several hours in their rooms without food and drinking water, prompting many of them to make evacuation requests online.
“The additional secretary administration of the foreign ministry, Muhammad Saleem, will head a fact-finding committee to look into the incident, including the reason for such developments and subsequent reaction of the Pakistani mission and the government,” Dar told the media in a news briefing.
He said the committee would coordinate with the Kyrgyz authorities to review all the findings and developments in Bishkek and submit its report within two weeks.
The deputy prime minister informed a total of 4,036 students had returned from Bishkek by last night.
“To date, 3,233 students have returned on commercial flights, while 513 have benefitted from special flights arranged by the federal government,” he added. “The special flights arranged by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government have also brought back 290 students.”
Dar said during his meeting with the Kyrgyz deputy PM, he inquired about the fate of the perpetrators of the violence and was told that the administration in Bishkek had zero tolerance in such matters.
“My counterpart told me that the Kyrgyz President had publicly announced that action would be taken [against those involved in the mob violence],” he added. “Many people have already been arrested by law enforcement agencies.”
Asked about the future of the returning students, he informed he had called for a meeting of the all stakeholders on Friday to look into the possibility of accommodating them in the Pakistani medical institutions.
Dar said he also found out that nearly 1,100 workers from Pakistan residing in Kyrgyzstan were being pursued for deportation by the government due to their illegal stay.
“I requested the Kyrgyz deputy prime minister to legalize them instead of deporting them and he agreed by saying that he would seek approval from the National Security Committee and Ministry of Immigration to make that possible,” he continued.
Dar said he had instructed the foreign secretary and the country’s diplomatic mission in Bishkek to pursue the issue until its implementation.
“This will benefit around 1,100 families in Pakistan,” he added.

Topics: Bishkek mob violence Bishkek

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Brokers say Pakistani investors reap 80% returns as stock market soars to historic levels

Updated 22 May 2024
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Brokers say Pakistani investors reap 80% returns as stock market soars to historic levels

  • Benchmark KSE100 index surged by over 85 percent within a year, constituting its best performance in over two decades
  • Analysts say small investors should take long-term view of the situation to make about 30 percent annualized returns
Updated 22 May 2024
KHURSHID AHMED   

KARACHI: With Pakistan’s stock market trading at historic levels, its robust performance has benefitted small investors who have earned approximately 80 percent returns on their investments, according to investors and brokers on Wednesday.
The country’s equity market has experienced an unprecedented surge, setting new records at a remarkable pace since June last year, after Pakistan secured a $3 billion short-term bailout program from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Within a span of a year, the benchmark KSE100 index has soared by over 85 percent, marking its swiftest recovery witnessed in over two decades. Last week, it breached 75,000 points for the first time in history.
According to stock analysts and brokers, the historic performance of the country’s bourse has been a blessing for people trading in the market, especially small investors.
“They [the small investors] are very happy,” Shahid Ali Habib, CEO of Arif Habib Limited, a Karachi-based brokerage firm, told Arab New. “I think if you ask any small investor today definitely, they are happy because the market has given them 78-79 percent of returns in the last 9-10 months.”
Pakistan was brought back from the brink of sovereign debt default last June, though the IMF loan provided a new lifeline to the country and revitalized the equity market. 
Habib said many retail or small investors who had been put their money in fixed income could not benefit from the recent market performance and had only made 20-22 percent returns.
Despite giving 78-79 percent performance, the stock market still remains attractive in terms of price earning multiple and price to book since the profitability of companies has grown substantially.
“In 2019, our total profitability of all the listed companies was around Rs600-700 billion, but today it is Rs1.4 trillion,” he continued. “So, we have seen a lot of growth in the profitability of the companies, and this is the reason that the price earning multiple is coming down.”
Muhammad Tariq, a broker and investor, agreed the current market performance had made investors happy, but he pointed out not every share has performed well.
“Small investors are happy to some extent, but it’s not the case that every scrip within the 75,000 index has moved,” he said.
Tariq hoped the shares which did not perform well in the past would do better in the coming days to make everyone benefit.
“Some scrips are still stagnant and in the coming days, they too will perform well, because as there is a saying that when it rains, every place gets some drops,” he added.
Abdul Rauf, an investor, said those who were dealing in ready delivery of shares had earned very well and even recovered their losses.
“Small or big investors who dealt in ready deliveries of shares 10-15 days they earned very well, enough to cover their previous losses,” Rauf told Arab news.
However, at historic high levels, Abdul Rauf advised other investors to remain cautious due to high volatility linked with upcoming fiscal budget.
“You should keep your capital flexible so that after June, when the results [of budget] are out, you can start new buying,” he said, adding: “Since the 75,000 mark has been crossed for the first time in Pakistan’s history, a bit of caution is advisable.”
Pakistani analysts said the stock market’s continued performance would be contingent on the outcome of talks between Pakistan and the IMF along with economic improvement including easing of the inflationary pressure.
“The flurry of activity in Pakistan’s stock market reflects a surge of enthusiasm and optimism among investors,” Topline Security said in its report las week. “The index could reach 87,000 by December 2024 and 106,000 by June 2025.”
Amid high trading at higher level, analysts advised small investors to take a long-term investment view to make decent returns on equity investment instead of other asset classes.
“I think for a small- to medium-term investor, if they take a year to two-year view in making investment in the equity market, then definitely they can make decent returns compared to other asset classes,” Habib said, adding the investors could get 25-30 percent of annualized return if they took a long-term view of the situation.

Topics: Pakistan Stock Exchange Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) Pakistan economy

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