ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday stressed the need for “greater unity and cooperation” among Islamic countries, in his meeting with the prayer leader of the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah, state-run media reported.
Sheikh Dr. Salah bin Muhammad Al-Budair arrived on a seven-day visit to Pakistan on Thursday, where he is scheduled to meet top government officials and lead the Friday prayers at the Shah Faisal Mosque in the federal capital.
The Prophet’s Mosque, more popularly known as Al-Masjid an-Nabawi, holds profound historical and spiritual significance in Islam, having been built by the first Muslim community under the supervision of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). It is also his last resting place, making the imams of this sacred mosque deeply respected across the Muslim world and widely viewed as embodiments of religious devotion and scholarly wisdom.
“President Asif Ali Zardari has underlined the need for greater unity and cooperation among Muslim countries to overcome the challenges being faced by the Muslim Ummah,” the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) said in a report.
Zardari noted that Pakistan and Saudi Arabia enjoyed excellent relations based on common faith, history, and brotherhood. The president also expressed satisfaction that relations between the two countries were growing stronger, reaffirming Pakistan’s commitment to further boosting bilateral ties.
“He urged the need for promoting cultural and people-to-people relations to bring the two brotherly countries further closer,” APP said.
Zardari praised Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, acknowledging the courage and wisdom with which he was spearheading reforms in Saudi Arabia.
Pakistan has been frequently visited by the prayer leader of the Grand Mosque in Makkah in the past.
These visits, along with high-level official exchanges, have played a significant role in strengthening the relations between the two countries.
Saudi religious scholars, such as the prayer leaders of the two holy mosques, have fostered closer ties between the two countries, with many of them often taking a special interest in Islamic education and religious institutions in Pakistan.
Sheikh Al-Budair is also scheduled to meet prominent Pakistani scholars and visit universities during his stay in the South Asian country.
His stay in the country is also expected to further strengthen religious and cultural connections between the two nations.
Pakistan president meets Imam of Prophet’s Mosque, calls for ‘greater unity’ among Muslim states
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Pakistan president meets Imam of Prophet’s Mosque, calls for ‘greater unity’ among Muslim states
- Sheikh Al-Budair, prayer leader of the Prophet’s Mosque, arrived on a seven-day visit to Pakistan on Thursday
- He will lead the Friday prayers at Islamabad’s Faisal Mosque, meet top government functionaries in Pakistan
Pakistan Supreme Court halts trial of prominent lawyer over alleged anti-military tweets
- Top court orders lower court to pause proceedings after lawyers allege due-process breaches
- Mazari-Hazir, husband face charges under cybercrime law that carry up to 14 years in prison
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Thursday halted the cybercrime trial of prominent human rights lawyer Imaan Mazari-Hazir and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, after their lawyers argued that a lower court had recorded witness testimony in their absence, violating due-process rules.
Mazari-Hazir, one of Pakistan’s most outspoken civil liberties lawyers, and Chattha are being prosecuted under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) over posts on X that authorities say incited ethnic divisions and portrayed the military as involved in “terrorism.” Both reject the allegations. If convicted under the relevant PECA provision, they face a prison term of up to 14 years.
The case has drawn broad attention in Pakistan’s legal community because Mazari-Hazir, who has been repeatedly detained over her criticism of the security establishment, argues that the trial court ignored basic procedural guarantees despite her medical leave request. The case also comes as Pakistan faces sustained scrutiny over the use of PECA against activists, journalists and political dissenters, with lawyers arguing that lower courts often move ahead without meeting minimum fair-trial standards.
The couple’s lawyer, Riasat Ali Azad, said his clients filed a petition in the Supreme Court because the lower court had moved ahead improperly.
“Today, the Supreme Court of Pakistan has stayed the lower court proceedings, the trial court proceedings and has said that the [Islamabad] High Court should decide our pending revision petition for which a date has already been fixed,” he told reporters.
Azad said the violation was clear under Pakistan’s Code of Criminal Procedure, which requires evidence to be recorded in the presence of the accused.
“Yet, on that very day, evidence of four witnesses was recorded in their absence, and a state counsel was appointed to conduct cross-examination on their behalf,” he said. “All these things are against the right to a fair trial under Articles 10 and 10-A.”
A three-judge bench led by Justice Muhammad Hashim Khan Kakar ordered the trial court to pause proceedings and instructed the Islamabad High Court to hear the couple’s pending criminal revision petition first.
The trial had been scheduled to resume on Dec.15, but the Supreme Court’s stay now freezes proceedings before both the additional sessions judge and the special PECA court.
The Islamabad High Court is expected to hear the criminal revision petition next week.
Chattha, who is also a lawyer, said the SC ruling underscored the need for procedural safeguards.
“It is a victory for the constitution and the law,” he said, arguing that the trial court had ignored their request to re-record witness statements in their presence.
