ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) is scheduled to hear former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s appeal today, Thursday, challenging his seven-year sentence in the Al-Azizia corruption reference, as the country’s accountability watchdog has urged the judiciary to increase his sentence in the case.
The Al-Azizia Steel Mills case became a high-profile corruption case that centered on allegations of financial irregularities and money laundering linked to the establishment of the facility in Saudi Arabia by Sharif and his family.
A local accountability court in the federal capital sentenced him to seven years in December 2018 and imposed a fine of £2.5 million in the case. The verdict also disqualified the ex-premier from holding any public office for 10 years and ordered him to forfeit all his properties.
Sharif was arrested from the court premises and remained in prison for about seven months before leaving for London in November 2019 for medical treatment after securing a bail from the court.
Sharif returned to Pakistan from the self-imposed exile nearly after four years in October and filed appeals against his convictions in two separate corruption references, Al-Azizia and Avenfield. The IHC acquitted the former prime minister in the Avenfield reference last month.
A divisional bench of IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq is scheduled to take up Sharif’s appeal in Al-Azizia reference today seeking to overturn his conviction in the case.
During the ex-premier’s last court appearance in November, one of his party leaders and former law minister, Azam Nazir Tarar, sought exemption for him from personal appearance.
“There are security issues at every hearing,” he said.
The court asked Sharif’s legal team to file an application for exemption while promising to look into the issue.
Meanwhile, the National Accountability Bureau that had filed corruption references against the ex-premier was requesting the court through an appeal to enhance Sharif’s sentence in Al-Azizia reference as awarded by the accountability court in December 2018.
Counsels from both the sides will present their arguments before the court today to plead their case.
Pakistani court to take up ex-PM Sharif’s appeal against conviction in case today
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Pakistani court to take up ex-PM Sharif’s appeal against conviction in case today
- Sharif was given seven-year imprisonment in the Al-Azizia corruption case in December 2018
- Pakistan’s accountability watchdog has urged the court to enhance Sharif’s sentence in the case
Three arrested on suspicion of igniting forest fires in Islamabad’s Margalla Hills amid soaring temperatures
- Authorities say precautionary measures have been taken to keep the fire from spreading to residential areas
- 15 other people have already been facing cases after being suspected of starting a fire on the hills this week
ISLAMABAD: Authorities in Pakistan’s federal capital, Islamabad, announced the arrest of three people suspected of starting forest fires in the Margalla Hills, which stretch along the northern edge of the city, as temperatures soared to 41 degrees Celsius on Friday afternoon.
The Margalla range, part of the Himalayan foothills, has experienced bush fires relatively often in the summer months. There have also been multiple fires during this month, largely attributed to the extreme heat wave affecting the region.
Efforts to contain and extinguish these fires involved both ground and aerial firefighting resources, with the government ordering investigations to determine if they were started deliberately.
Islamabad’s Deputy Commissioner Irfan Nawaz Memon mentioned the arrest of the three suspects on Friday afternoon as residents of the city saw plumes of smoke rising from the hills while efforts to contain the flames continued.
“Three people have been arrested on suspicion of starting fires in the hills,” he continued. “Firefighters and helicopters are participating in the firefighting efforts. Precautionary measures have been taken to keep the fire contained away from residential areas.”
Memon said intensity of heat and strong winds were causing the fire to spread. He also informed that interrogations were underway with the arrested individuals, and cases had been registered against 15 individuals involved in arson two days ago.
“More arrests are expected in the coming days concerning the fires on the hills,” he added. “Citizens are requested to help identify those involved.”
Muhammad Ali Randhawa, the chairman of Islamabad’s Capital Development Authority, a public service corporation responsible for providing municipal services to the city, also mentioned the arrests in a social media post, saying the authorities would protect the beauty of the hills “at any cost.”
“We will ensure all those responsible are held accountable,” he added.
https://x.com/RandhawaAli/status/1796495948228776215
Pakistan battles forest fires amidst heat wave
- Raging fire on Islamabad hills with temperatures hitting 41 degrees Celsius on Friday
- Officials yet to confirm if fires are related to the high temperatures or due to arson
ISLAMABAD: Authorities in Pakistan battled forest fires in multiple areas, including the capital Islamabad, on Friday as the country grappled with heat waves and dry weather.
Officials are yet to confirm if the fires are related to the high temperatures or due to arson.
Parts of Pakistan have seen temperatures as high as 52.2 degrees Celsius (126 F) over the last week with South Asia sweltering in a hotter summer this year — a trend scientists say has been worsened by human-driven climate change.
Plumes of smoke could be seen rising from a raging fire in the hills of Islamabad with temperatures hitting 41 degrees Celsius on Friday afternoon.
“It is difficult to get a fire brigade there; rescue officials are trying how to douse the fire,” a police official in Islamabad, Sohail Khan, told Reuters, adding that it was not certain if the fires were heat-related or cases of arson.
A spokesman for the Islamabad police said they were investigating the reasons for the fire and a special team had been formed for the probe by the city’s police chief.
A member of the Islamabad Wildlife Board, Waqar Zakaria, said the fire could be a case of “wilful arson,” adding that high temperatures have continued longer than usual and May has been drier than normal, leading to fires spreading faster because of dry vegetation.
An area in Punjab close to Islamabad, Kallar Kahar, also saw fire engulf 25 acres of grassland, the province’s disaster management (PDMA) said, adding that the flames, which had spread rapidly, had been contained.
“The Kalar Kahar forest fire might be a heat-related eruption,” PDMA spokesman Mazhar Hussain told Reuters.
Forest fires were also seen in Lower Dir, 250 km (155 miles) northwest of Islamabad, local resident Mohammad Jalil told Reuters by phone, adding that the flames had begun engulfing hundreds of trees four days ago and were yet to be controlled.
Pakistan is seen as by global organizations as one of the most vulnerable countries to extreme weather and climate change. In 2022, floods wreaked havoc in the country, killing over 1,700 people and displacing millions.
In India, at least 15 people died of suspected heat-stroke on Thursday with the region gripped by a debilitating heat wave expected to continue until Saturday.
Pakistan, UK sign letter of intent to combat illegal migration, drugs
- Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi meets British counterpart James Cleverly during London visit
- LoI to help cooperation in combating illicit financial threats, tracking air and sea border crimes
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the United Kingdom have signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) to improve coordination between their law enforcement agencies in fighting illegal migration and drugs, state-run broadcaster Radio Pakistan said on Friday.
The South Asian nation’s security czar Mohsin Naqvi is currently on an official visit to the United Kingdom.
“The LoI was signed in the presence of Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and British Home Secretary James Cleverly in London,” Radio Pakistan said on Friday. “The initiative will help combat illegal migration in addition to fostering cooperation in drug prevention and crime investigations on serious matters.”
The initiative will also help improve cooperation in combating illicit financial threats and tracking crimes along air and sea borders.
The report said it would be the responsibility of a Joint Steering Committee to implement the LoI. The body will include representatives from the Ministry of Interior, National Police Bureau and the British High Commission.
The interior minister will also visit Italy and Vatican City early next month.
The UK signed a major deal with Pakistan in 2022 under which foreign criminals and immigration offenders from the UK can be returned to Pakistan.
Under the new plan, Pakistani nationals with no legal right to remain in the UK, including criminals, failed asylum seekers and immigration offenders, can be removed.
Pakistan nationals make up the seventh largest number of foreign criminals in prisons in England and Wales, totaling nearly 3 percent of the foreign national offender population.
Pakistan PM urges automakers to start local manufacturing, exporting products
- Shehbaz Sharif made the remarks during his meeting with a delegation of Pakistani automakers
- Pakistan has been facing low foreign exchange reserves, currency devaluation and high inflation
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday urged automakers to start local manufacturing of vehicles and exporting them to contribute to the country’s development, Sharif’s office said, amid Pakistan’s efforts to reduce import bills.
Sharif made the remarks during his meeting with a delegation of Pakistani automakers, comprising Toyota Pakistan Chief Executive Officer Ali Jamali, representative of the auto parts industry Amir Allahwala and others.
Pakistan, which has been facing low foreign exchange reserves, currency devaluation and high inflation, averted a sovereign default last year, thanks to a $3 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) program.
The South Asian country is currently making desperate efforts to cut its import bills, increase exports and to boost foreign direct investment to address its macroeconomic crisis.
“Auto sector should manufacture vehicles locally in Pakistan,” Sharif said. “Auto sector should export a substantial part of its products and play its role in the country’s development.”
He urged the Pakistani automakers to become a part of the global value chain by exporting their products.
Pakistan last year averted a default after it secured a $3 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan program. Islamabad says it is seeking a new loan over at least three years to help achieve macroeconomic stability and execute long-overdue reforms.
The $350 billion South Asian economy faces a chronic balance of payments crisis, with nearly $24 billion to repay in debt and interest over the next fiscal year — three-time more than its central bank’s foreign currency reserves.
Pakistan’s finance ministry expects the economy to grow by 2.6 percent in the fiscal year ending in June, while average inflation for the year is projected to stand at 24 percent, down from 29.2 percent the previous fiscal year.
Saudi Aramco completes acquisition of 40% stake in Gas & Oil Pakistan
- The Saudi oil giant signed the agreement to acquire stake in GO in Dec. 2023, which was approved by the Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) last month
- Pakistan, Saudi Arabia have lately been working to increase bilateral trade and investment, and the Kingdom recently reaffirmed expediting $5 billion investment
KARACHI: Saudi oil giant, Aramco, has completed the acquisition of a 40 percent stake in Gas & Oil Pakistan Ltd. (GO), Aramco said on Friday, officially marking the Saudi company’s entry into Pakistan’s fuel retail market.
Aramco is a global integrated energy and chemicals company that produces approximately one in every eight barrels of the world’s oil supply and develops cutting-edge energy technologies, while GO is involved in the procurement, storage, sale, and marketing of petroleum products and lubricants. GO is also one of Pakistan’s largest retail and storage companies.
The Saudi oil giant signed the agreement to acquire stake in GO in Dec. 2023, which was approved by the Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) last month. The acquisition represents Aramco’s first downstream retail investment in Pakistan and signals the company’s growing retail presence in high-value markets.
“Our global retail expansion is gaining pace and this acquisition is an important next step on our journey. Through our strategic partnership with GO, we look forward to supplying Aramco’s high-quality products and services to valued customers in Pakistan,” Yasser Mufti, Aramco’s executive vice president of products and customers, was quoted as saying in an Aramco statement.
“We are also delighted to welcome another high-caliber addition to Aramco’s growing network of global partners, and look forward to combining our resources and expertise to unlock new opportunities and further grow the Aramco brand overseas.”
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia enjoy strong trade, defense and cultural ties. The Kingdom is home to over 2.7 million Pakistani expatriates and serves as the top source of remittances to the cash-strapped South Asian country.
In February 2019, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia inked investment deals totaling $21 billion during the visit of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Islamabad. The agreements included about $10 billion for an Aramco oil refinery and $1 billion for a petrochemical complex at the strategic Gwadar Port in Balochistan.
Both countries have lately been working to increase bilateral trade and investment, and the Kingdom recently reaffirmed its commitment to expedite an investment package worth $5 billion.
