ISLAMABAD: Jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s top aides said on Friday they had held a meeting with Pakistan Chief Justice Yahya Afridi, in a rare development to discuss drafting a National Judicial Policy.
The move comes days after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met Afridi at his residence, with the top judge sharing the agenda of an upcoming meeting of the National Judicial Policy Making Committee and seeking the input of the government on the draft, according to the Supreme Court. The chief justice’s reforms agenda aims to reduce the pendency of cases and provide speedy justice to litigants.
Afridi had informed PM Sharif during their meeting that he would also be taking the opposition’s input and wanted bi-partisan support for his reforms.
Speaking at a press conference in Islamabad, Gohar Khan, the chairman of Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, said the party had met the chief justice on his request to discuss the new National Judicial Policy.
“The chief justice of Pakistan had shared an agenda with us regarding National Judicial Policy and asked for our inputs on ten points,” Gohar said.
Last year, ex-PM Khan had written a letter to then Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, who retired in October, seeking judicial intervention into alleged rigging in the Feb. 8, 2024 national election and the subsequent allocation of reserved seats in the national and provincial assemblies, which the PTI says were unfairly allocated to their opponents.
After the election, the Election Commission of Pakistan had denied the PTI its share of 70 reserved seats in parliament, contending that Khan-backed independent candidates could not claim them. PTI candidates contested the polls independently after the party lost its election symbol in the run-up to election for not holding intra-party elections.
The Supreme Court later struck down the Election Commission of Pakistan’s decision on the reserved seats, calling it “unconstitutional” and ordering that reserved seats be allocated to the PTI.
“We also told him [Chief Justice Afridi] that no one regards SC order as a court order these days. SC orders are not being implemented be it senate elections or reserved seats,” Gohar said.
The PTI chairman added that the chief justice had assured the party of taking “certain measures” to address its issues.
The Supreme Court issued a statement later in the day, corroborating the information shared by PTI leaders about their discussion with the chief justice regarding the situation faced by their party colleagues and supporters.
The statement emphasized the need to make judicial reform a “Minimum Common National Agenda” with comprehensive political support.
Pakistan, currently bolstered by a $7 billion IMF facility granted in September, is navigating an economic recovery path even as it faces prolonged political crisis.
Imran Khan, arguably the country’s most popular politician, has been behind bars since August 2023 in a slew of cases he says are politically motivated. His party has been leading a movement, including through street protests and sit-ins, to demand his release.
In rare development, ex-PM Khan aides hold meeting with Pakistan chief justice
https://arab.news/w2fzu
In rare development, ex-PM Khan aides hold meeting with Pakistan chief justice
- Imran Khan’s aides say top judge asked for their input on draft National Judicial Policy
- Supreme Court says judicial reform should be ‘minimum common national agenda’
Pakistan to begin first phase of Hajj 2026 trainings from today
- Training programs to be held in phases across Pakistan till February, says religion ministry
- Saudi Arabia allocated Pakistan a total quota of 179,210 pilgrims for Hajj 2026
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s religious affairs ministry has said that it will begin the first phase of mandatory Hajj 2026 training for pilgrims intending to perform the pilgrimage from today, Thursday.
The one-day Hajj training programs will be held in phases across the country at the tehsil level until February. The ministry directed intending pilgrims to bring their original identity cards and the computerized receipt of their Hajj application to attend the training sessions.
“Pilgrims should attend the one-day training program according to their scheduled date,” Pakistan’s Ministry of Religious Affairs (MoRA) said in a statement.
The ministry said training schedules are being shared through the government’s Pak Hajj 2026 mobile application as well as via SMS. It added that details of the schedule are also available on its website.
According to the ministry, training programs will be held in Abbottabad on Jan. 2; Ghotki, Thatta and Kotli on Jan. 3; and Tando Muhammad Khan and Khairpur on Jan. 4.
Hajj training sessions will be held in Rawalakot, Badin and Naushahro Feroze on Jan. 5, while pilgrims in Fateh Jang, Dadu and Tharparkar will receive the training on Jan. 6.
The ministry said training programs will be conducted in Umerkot and Larkana on Jan. 7, followed by sessions in Mirpurkhas, Shahdadkot and Mansehra on Jan. 8.
Pakistan’s religious affairs ministry has previously said these trainings will be conducted by experienced trainers and scholars using multimedia.
It said the training has been made mandatory to ensure that intending pilgrims are fully aware of Hajj rituals and administrative procedures.
Saudi Arabia has allocated Pakistan a quota of 179,210 pilgrims for Hajj 2026, of which around 118,000 seats have been reserved under the government scheme, while the remainder will be allocated to private tour operators.
Under Pakistan’s Hajj scheme, the estimated cost of the government package ranges from Rs1,150,000 to Rs1,250,000 ($4,049.93 to $4,236), subject to final agreements with service providers.
