Experts say ban on Imran Khan’s party ‘unlikely’ to be approved by Pakistan top court

Supporters of Pakistan's former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) party leader Imran Khan, celebrate after a court verdict overturned his illegal marriage conviction, outside the court building in Islamabad on July 13, 2024. (AFP/File)
Short Url
Updated 16 July 2024
Follow

Experts say ban on Imran Khan’s party ‘unlikely’ to be approved by Pakistan top court

  • Article 17 of constitution says government has to refer decision to ban a party to Supreme Court for final decision
  • Experts say ban announcement latest effort by a weak governing coalition to squash Khan’s political popularity

ISLAMABAD: The federal government’s plans to push for a ban on former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was “unlikely” to be sanctioned by the Supreme Court and could be seen as a latest attempt to dent the popularity of the ex-premier and his party, political observers said this week.

Pakistan’s federal government announced on Monday it was planning to ban Khan’s political party and move the country’s Supreme Court to press high treason charges against him. The decision to ban the PTI was based on what Information Minister Ataullah Tara said was the “proven” charge of the party receiving foreign funding, which is illegal in Pakistan, rioting by its supporters last year that targeted military properties and because Khan had leaked state secrets by disclosing the contents of a classified diplomatic cable for political gains in what has come to be popularly called the cipher case. 

Under Article 17 of the Pakistani constitution, “should the Federal Government declare any political party as acting against these interests, it must refer the matter to the Supreme Court within fifteen days for a final decision.”

Several analysts Arab News spoke to agreed that it was unlikely that the decision to ban the PTI would be upheld in court and reflected an attempt by the federal government to assert its authority after a general election marred by accusations of rigging against the broadly popular PTI. The party won more seats than any other in the election despite what it says is a crackdown on its candidates and supporters and has become ever-more popular since Khan was ousted in a parliamentary vote of no-confidence in 2022.

“This move will probably backfire as it is the Supreme Court that will finally decide … and if the court does not see robust, solid evidence in support of declaring it unlawful, which I do not think they have, then probably the government will not succeed,” Ahmed Bilal Mehboob, president of the Islamabad-based Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development And Transparency (PILDAT) think tank, told Arab News.

“I do not think this will materially affect the PTI as long as there are people supporting the party, as long as there are people who love the party, who stand beside it.”

Chaudhry Fawad Hussain, a former close Khan aide, agreed. 

“The move is highly unlikely to succeed as under Article 17, government recommendations have to be approved by the SC and the likelihood of its approval is almost null,” he said. 

“BAD OPTICS”

The ban announcement comes in the wake of the PTI winning a number of important legal battles. Among four cases in which Khan was convicted and has been jailed since August last year, two have been suspended by courts since and he has been acquitted in the others, though new cases have since been brought against him. Arguably Pakistan’s most popular politician, Khan says all cases against him are motivated to keep him out of politics and behind bars.

Last week, the PTI also won a major victory when the Supreme Court declared that the party was eligible for over 20 extra reserved seats in parliament, which has stripped the governing coalition, led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, of its two-thirds majority in parliament, weakening an already fragile government that is widely believed to lack mass popular support.

All PTI candidates contested the Feb. 8 elections as independents after the party was barred from the polls on the technical grounds that it did not hold genuine intra-party polls, which is a legal requirement. Subsequently, they won the most seats in the national election, 93, but the election commission said independents were ineligible for their share of 70 reserved seats — 60 for women, 10 for non-Muslims — distributed among political parties in proportion to the number of seats they win in general polls. This completes the National Assembly’s total strength of 336 seats. 

The reserved seats were then distributed among other parties, mostly those in the ruling coalition, a decision Khan’s party appealed. On Friday the Supreme Court ruled that the PTI was indeed a political party for the purposes of the election and entitled to reserved seats. The court has now given the PTI 15 days, starting July 12, to submit its list of candidates entitled to the reserved seats and asked independent candidates to formally declare their allegiance to the PTI. 

Experts said the announcement of the ban could also be seen as the government’s way to discourage successful independent candidates from rejoining Khan’s party. 

“The government may be hoping that because of this announcement, some of the PTI members who currently have to give their affidavit, whether they will join the PTI or not — 41 of them in the National Assembly and about 60 in the Provincial Assemblies — they will get the message that if the party is declared unlawful by the Supreme Court, then they will also stand disqualified,” Mehboob from PILDAT explained, referring to a law that parliamentarians from a particular party stand disqualified if their party is banned. 

Mazhar Abbas, a senior journalist and longtime observer of Pakistani politics, was doubtful a ban on the popular political party could hold. 

“In any adverse situation, the PTI can come out with a new name with a more aggressive posture,” he said.

Chaudhry, the former Khan aide, also cautioned that a ban would weaken the government further as the public, already stirred up over what they saw as a rigged election and trumped-up cases against Khan, would see the ban a “an attempt to sabotage democracy and against the constitution.”

Political analyst Zoya Tariq warned a ban on the PTI or any other political party would have “serious repercussions” for the country.

“This is bad optics and will set a very wrong precedent as all political decisions in a democratic country should be made by the people,” she told Arab News. “It is the moral duty of the current government to take action to maintain stability in the country.”

“This [ban announcement] has caused no worry to PTI,” PTI spokesman Zulfi Bukhari said in a video message to reporters. “It has only demonstrated what we have been trying to say earlier that there is absolute fascism in Pakistan, there is an undeclared martial law in Pakistan.”
 


‘Unconstitutional’: Pakistan journalists union challenges contentious cybercrime law in Islamabad High Court

Updated 06 February 2025
Follow

‘Unconstitutional’: Pakistan journalists union challenges contentious cybercrime law in Islamabad High Court

  • Bill creates four new government bodies to regulate online content and broadens the definition of online harm
  • Parliament adopted amendments last month in the context of what is widely seen as a digital crackdown

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) on Thursday challenged recent amendments to the country’s cybercrime law before the Islamabad High Court, urging it to strike them down for being “unconstitutional.”
The Pakistan Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Act, 2025, enacted on January 29, includes provisions making the dissemination of “fake or false” information a criminal offense punishable by up to three years in prison without clearly defining “fake or false” news. Stakeholders like journalists and digital rights experts say they were excluded from consultations on the bill, which prevented genuine public scrutiny of the new law.
The amendments to the Electronic Crimes Act create four new government bodies to regulate online content and broaden the definition of online harm. The government bodies are authorized to block and remove content based on ambiguous criteria that do not meet the standards of proportionality and necessity required under international human rights law, rights bodies like the Human Rights Watch and Amnesty have said.
“[It is] prayed that a writ may be issued declaring that the PECA (Amendment) Act 2025 is unconstitutional, being violative of the fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution, due process, fair trial and the concept of regulatory independence, as well as the doctrines of fairness, proportionality, reasonableness, and constitutional limitations or restrictions, hence void, non-est and liable to be struck down,” the PFUJ plea before the IHC reads.
The petition urged the court to “restrain and prevent” the government from using “coercive powers” granted under the PECA Act 2025 against journalists, listing the law, interior and information ministries along with the chief secretaries of all provinces and the Federal Investigation Agency as respondents in the petition.
One of the new regulatory bodies created under the law, the Social Media Protection Tribunal, comprises government-appointed members rather than independent members of the judiciary.
Another new body, the Social Media Protection and Regulation Authority, is authorized to order any social media company to remove or block content deemed to be “against the ideology of Pakistan,” be known to be “fake or false,” or to cast aspersions on various public officials. The authority can also require any social media company to register with it and impose any conditions it deems “appropriate” upon registration.
Parliament adopted the amendments last month in the context of what is widely seen as an escalating crackdown on digital speech in Pakistan, including frequently shutting down the Internet and throttling Internet networks. The social media platform X has already been banned since days after February general elections last year as allegations of rigging emerged online. There are regular reports of VPN restrictions, and the government is also moving to implement a national firewall, though it denies these moves are aimed at censorship.


Pakistani PM, son acquitted in long-running sugar mills corruption case

Updated 06 February 2025
Follow

Pakistani PM, son acquitted in long-running sugar mills corruption case

  • Case involved allegations of the misuse of authority by Shehbaz Sharif when he was chief minister of Punjab provinces
  • Anti-graft authority had charged Sharif with using public funds to built a sludge carrier that would benefit a family-owned mill

ISLAMABAD: An anti-corruption court on Thursday acquitted Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his son Hamza Shahbaz on charges of using public funds to benefit Ramzan Sugar Mills, built by the premier’s father in 1992 and part of the Sharif Group of Companies.
The case, filed by the National Accountability Bureau on Feb. 18, 2019, involved allegations Sharif had used public funds to build a sludge carrier in Chiniot district in Punjab province to benefit Ramzan Sugar Mills, owned by his sons. Sharif was the chief minister of Punjab province at the time. NAB had alleged the project inflicted a loss of Rs213 million to the national exchequer.
“An Anti-Corruption Court Lahore has acquitted Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and former Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz in the Ramzan Sugar Mills case,” state broadcaster Radio Pakistan said on Thursday. “The verdict was announced by Judge of Anti-Corruption Court Sardar Iqbal Dogar in Lahore.”
Sharif and son Hamza were indicted in the case in 2019. They had pleaded during hearings since that the sludge carrier was not constructed only to cater to the family’s mill but to benefit the area.
“The acquittal came after the NAB informed the court that it had found no evidence of financial corruption or misuse of authority by Shehbaz and stated and stated that the allegations of misuse of authority and corruption against the former prime minister were not substantiated under the National Accountability Ordinance of 1999,” Pakistan’s top news channel, Geo News, reported.
“The premier and former chief minister, in the 2018 reference, was accused of causing massive financial loss to the national kitty by awarding the contract to a construction firm without a competitive bidding process.”
In Nov. 2023, Sharif and 10 others were acquitted by an accountability court in the Lahore in the Ashiana-e-Iqbal Housing Scheme reference. 
Sharif, 73, is the younger brother of three-time Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who spearheaded their Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party’s election campaign for the 2024 general election.
This is Sharif’s second term as prime minister. He first replaced cricketer-turned politician Imran Khan as prime minister after the latter’s ouster in a no-confidence vote in parliament in April 2022.
Sharif is best known for his direct, “can-do” administrative style, which was on display when, as chief minister of Punjab province, he worked closely with China on Beijing-funded projects after 2013. He also planned and executed a number of ambitious infrastructure mega-projects, including Pakistan’s first modern mass transport system in his hometown, the eastern city of Lahore.


Pakistan’s renovated Gaddafi Stadium to open tomorrow with fireworks, music

Updated 06 February 2025
Follow

Pakistan’s renovated Gaddafi Stadium to open tomorrow with fireworks, music

  • PCB has renovated cricket stadiums in Lahore and Karachi for the 2025 Champions Trophy this month
  • Tournament will follow hybrid model after India refused to play in Pakistan, citing ‘security concerns’

KARACHI: Pakistan’s newly renovated Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore will host a free opening ceremony on Feb. 7 featuring a fireworks display, light show and live performances ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced on Thursday.

The PCB has been renovating stadiums in Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi for the tournament, which will take place later this month across the three venues alongside Dubai. This will be the first ICC tournament held in Pakistan since the 1996 World Cup.

According to the PCB, Gaddafi Stadium has been transformed into a world-class facility, featuring over 34,000 seats, brand-new scoreboards on two corners and state-of-the-art floodlights to ensure exceptional visibility for players and spectators after sunset.

“Famous singers Ali Zafar, Arif Lohar and Aima Baig will perform at the opening ceremony,” the PCB said in a statement. “A magnificent display of drums, fireworks and a light show will take place. The public will have free entry to the opening ceremony.”

The statement highlighted that the state-of-the-art stadium had been completed in a record time of only 117 days.

The PCB noted that all barriers in front of the seating enclosures have been removed and comfortable chairs installed. Additionally, new hospitality boxes with world-class facilities have been created for both cricket fans and players.

“First of all, I thank the workers who made the impossible possible,” PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi was quoted as saying. “Frontier Works Organization, NESPAK contractors and PCB teams turned the dream of stadium renovation into reality.”

Pakistani fans have long expressed dissatisfaction with the country’s stadiums, citing a lack of basic facilities and a subpar viewing experience for spectators. The PCB has also been renovating Karachi’s stadium.

The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 will be held from Feb. 19 to Mar. 9, with matches hosted across Pakistan and Dubai in a hybrid model. The tournament’s structure follows a compromise after India refused to play in Pakistan, citing “security concerns.”

Exercising its rights as the host nation, Pakistan designated Dubai as the neutral venue for India’s matches, ensuring the participation of all teams. The PCB has scheduled the Champions Trophy opening ceremony in Lahore on Feb. 16.

In Pakistan, Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi will each host three group-stage games. Lahore is also set to host the second semifinal. Dubai will host all three of India’s group matches and the first semifinal, should India qualify.

The tournament opener on Feb. 19 will feature Pakistan taking on New Zealand in Karachi, while India will face Bangladesh in Dubai on Feb. 20.

This will be the ninth edition of the ICC Champions Trophy after an eight-year hiatus. The last tournament took place in England in 2017. The event will feature the top eight teams in world cricket competing for one of the sport’s most prestigious titles.


Pakistan rejects Trump’s Gaza displacement proposal as ‘deeply troubling and unjust’

Updated 06 February 2025
Follow

Pakistan rejects Trump’s Gaza displacement proposal as ‘deeply troubling and unjust’

  • Donald Trump said this week Palestinians in Gaza should be resettled in Egypt, Jordan or other countries
  • Pakistan condemns Israeli restrictions on aid, shelters and medical supplies to the war-ravaged territory

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s foreign office said on Thursday any proposal to displace the people of Gaza was “deeply troubling and unjust,” emphasizing that Palestinian land rightfully belongs to the Palestinian people.
The statement comes days after former US President Donald Trump suggested that Palestinians residing in Gaza should be resettled in Egypt, Jordan or other countries while addressing the media alongside visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The proposal was rejected by both Egypt and Jordan, prompting condemnation from various international rights groups as well.
“The proposal to displace the people of Gaza is deeply troubling and unjust,” foreign office spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan told reporters during a weekly press briefing. “Palestinian land belongs to the Palestinian people.”
He said the only viable way to resolve the Israel-Palestine conflict was through a two-state solution, as recommended in United Nations Security Council resolutions.
“Pakistan’s position on the issue of Palestine is very clear, as Pakistan has been and will continue to stand by the people of Palestine in their just struggle for self-determination, as well as for the establishment of a sovereign, independent and contiguous Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders,” he added.
Pakistan does not recognize Israel and calls for an independent Palestinian state based on internationally agreed parameters.
The spokesperson also condemned Israel’s restrictions on the flow of aid, shelters and necessary medical equipment to Gaza, saying it was in violation of the ceasefire deal.
“As per the agreement, 60,000 trailers and 200,000 tents were supposed to enter Gaza, and the deal also required Israel to allow equipment to help clear the way to reach Gaza,” he noted.
Khan said Pakistan called upon the international community to break its silence on the blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement by Israel and its “atrocities” against Palestinians.
“The international community must step up and ensure that the ceasefire agreement is honored in letter and spirit,” he added.
“We call for enhanced, unhindered humanitarian assistance to those in urgent need, opening up all access points of supply to Gaza, and for allowing all UN and international agencies, including UNRWA [United Nations Relief and Works Agency], to operate fully in Gaza,” he added.
Speaking about the situation in Syria since the fall of the Bashar Assad regime, Khan said Syria remained a significant country in the Islamic world, highlighting its cultural influence, people-to-people connections and historic ties through faith, language and history.
“We will support any initiative for a stable Syria and restoration of peace and stability after years of civil war,” he added.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also welcomed Ahmed Al-Sharaa as Syria’s new president last week while expressing his desire for peace in the country. Sharaa, who led the campaign that ousted Bashar Assad, was declared president for a transitional phase and given authority to form a temporary legislative council, with the Syrian constitution suspended.


Militants attack police post in northwest Pakistan, killing three officers

Updated 06 February 2025
Follow

Militants attack police post in northwest Pakistan, killing three officers

  • Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police chief says officers battled militants for two hours
  • Overnight attack in Karak district continued until police reinforcements arrived

PESHAWAR: Almost a dozen well-armed militants mounted an overnight assault on a police check post in Pakistan’s restive Karak district in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, triggering a gunbattle that left three policemen dead and six others wounded on Thursday, police said.
Pakistan has witnessed a surge in militancy in KP, which borders Afghanistan, since a fragile truce between the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the state broke down in November 2022.
Most of these attacks have targeted police personnel and security forces, though civilians and other government functionaries have also been affected.
Pakistani officials have attributed the uptick in militant violence to cross-border attacks from Afghanistan, accusing the administration in Kabul of “facilitating” TTP fighters, though Afghan authorities deny the allegation.
“Militants started an attack on Bahadur Khel police check post of Karak with small and heavy weapons but police officers on duty offered stiff resistance,” Shaukat Khan, the district’s police spokesman, said. “During the exchange of fire, three police officials were martyred and six others wounded. But militants had to flee after police reinforcement arrived.”
Khan said the dead and wounded were shifted to the district headquarters hospital for treatment soon after the incident.
Speaking to the media after attending the funeral prayers of the slain police officers, provincial police chief Zulfiqar Hameed said law enforcement personnel fought bravely with the militants for two long hours.
“The terrorists wanted to take over the police post but their attempt was thwarted. We will chase terrorists everywhere and will take strict action against those involved in this heinous assault,” he added.
So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but suspicion is likely to fall on the TTP that has frequently targeted police and security personnel in the province.
KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur condemned the assault and directed the police chief to take all measures to identify the perpetrators.
He expressed his condolences over the death of the three police officers and prayed for the swift recovery of those wounded in the attack.
“The provincial government will not leave the bereaved families alone and will provide them with all support. Police have rendered immense sacrifices to protect the lives and property of people,” he added.
The TTP and other militants have stepped up attacks against security forces in the country’s two western provinces, alongside targeted killings and kidnappings of law enforcers and government officials, in recent months.
Last week, four soldiers of the paramilitary Levies force were killed after they were targeted by gunfire and an improvised explosive device (IED) blast in Dera Ismail Khan district of the province.
Earlier this month, the military said 18 Pakistani soldiers were killed in a militant attack in southwestern Balochistan province.
The military added that it had killed at least 23 militants in subsequent clearance operations.