Tuesday, 8 December, 2020
04 NEWS
BuzdAr lAudS ArMy’S SuPPort In fIgHt AgAInSt CovId-19
IHC rejects plea against appointments of advisers, SAPMs ISLAMABAD TLTP
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday dismissed a plea challenging appointments of the prime minister’s advisers and special assistants. A two-member bench of the IHC comprising Justice Aamir Farooq and Justice Ghulam Azam Qambrani released the reserved verdict in the open court. The verdict was reserved on September 9, after the completion of arguments from both sides. Earlier, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had released a written order that stated there was no restriction of appointing persons having dual nationality as special assistants to the prime minister (SAPMs). The order read, “It is pursuant to the said powers that the Federal Government has made the Rules of 1973 and has described the “Organizations of Divisions” in rule 4 ibid. Sub-rule 6 of rule 4 enables the Prime Minister to appoint Special Assistant or Special Assistants and to determine their status and functions.” It also read the premier is answerable to the nationals and the parliament and he is authorised to appoint officials and other persons for assistance. There is no restriction regarding the number of special assistants by the prime minister.
LAHORE
C
STAFF REPORT
ORPS Commander Lahore Lt Gen Majid Ehsan held a farewell meeting with Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar at his office on Monday. The chief minister paid tributes to the services of Lt Gen Majid Ehsan as corps
commander of Lahore and expressed good wishes for his future responsibilities. He said that the nation is proud of the armed forces which have written a new history of maintaining peace in the country. The peace has been restored due to the precious blood of the martyrs, he added. He also said that excellent support was extended by the army during the corona pandemic and work is done while maintaining best coordination be-
tween the civil and the military leadership, the CM added. The meeting, which was also attended by other civil and military leaders, expressed concern over the nonimplementation of the SOPs during the second wave of Covid-19 pandemic. The meeting agreed to launch joint efforts for saving the lives of the public, besides having a consensus over implementing strict Covid-19 measures if the ongoing situa-
tion aggravates. It was agreed that hospitals would be equipped with facilities aimed at dealing with the Covid-19 situation, further ensuring strict implementation of wearing masks in offices and public places. It was further decided that the SOPs would be implemented while avoiding the shutdown of business activities. The meeting called for imposing strict restrictions in areas under micro or smart lockdown.
Masood spurns Indian propaganda against Turkey MUZAFFARABAD STAFF REPORT
Spurning India's propaganda against Turkey, the AJK President Sardar Masood Khan has said that Turkey’s support to the right to self-determination of the Kashmiri people has left the Indian rulers perturbed and frustrated. Commenting on the Indian media reports that accused Turkey of preparing to send Jihadi fighters to Kashmir, Masood said that the freedom struggle in Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOK) is indigenous and Turkey or any other country of the world has nothing to do with it. “India’s propaganda is rubbish and a crude attempt to undercut Turkey’s political and diplomatic support for Kashmiris struggling against Indian oppression and tyranny. It won’t happen,” said the president. He maintained that the Indian media reports that the
Turkish fighters fighting in eastern Syria were now preparing to fight the Indian Army in occupied Kashmir, is not only unfounded and baseless but also a deep-rooted conspiracy to malign the indigenous liberation movement of the Kashmiri people. Such Indian tricks have not succeeded in the past and will not succeed in future as well, he added. The AJK president said that India would not be allowed to hide its crimes against humanity and its gross violation of human rights in occupied Jammu and Kashmir. Instead of unleashing false and unfounded propaganda, India must fulfil its international obligations, stop repression in occupied Kashmir, prevent its army from trampling human rights, and immediately cease the settler-colonialism in the disputed territory of Kashmir. “India must fulfil its responsibility towards creating conditions conducive for a fair and a free plebiscite in accordance with the UN resolutions to determine the will of
Kashmiri people regarding their future,” he asserted. The AJK president while describing crackdown against the social media users in occupied Kashmir as illegal and undemocratic said that the Indian Army had set up torture cells and interrogation centres in the different parts of the occupied Valley including Srinagar where the social media activists raising their voice against the repressive actions of the Indian regime are severely tortured. According to reports pouring in from the occupied territory, the cyber police of IOK monitors social media posts of the youth studying in colleges, universities and educational institutions, and those who speak against the Indian state terrorism, liberation of Kashmir, and the right of self-determination are arrested. They are tortured in various concentration centres, and their cell phone, laptops and other equipment are seized in order to prevent them from showing the outer world the true picture of occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
IHC sacks judge over brawl with MPA’s husband ISLAMABAD TLTP
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday dismissed Additional Sessions Judge Malik Jahangir Awan after finding him guilty of misconduct during a brawl with Member of the Punjab Assembly (MPA) Abida Raja’s husband in September. According to a notification issued by the IHC registrar, Additional Sessions Judge Malik Jahangir Awan had appeared before an inquiry commission investigating a road-rage fight between him and the MPA’s husband at a petrol pump near the Foreign Office (FO) in Islamabad. After completing its investigations, the inquiry commission, in its report, declared the additional sessions judge guilty of misconduct. In light of the inquiry commission report, the IHC dismissed the judge from service. Earlier on September 14, police had booked the husband of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MPA in a case under charges of assault against an additional session judge of Islamabad court. According to police, they had registered a case citing the medical report of the assistant session judge. “We have arrested an accused Bilal,” a spokesman for the Islamabad police had said.
Cabinet to decide allocation of land for construction of Federal Courts Complex ISLAMABAD AHMAD AHMADANI
The Ministry of Law and Justice has decided to construct a Federal Courts Complex in Karachi and has sought approval of the federal cabinet for allocation of a space of about 5 acres, situated on University Road, Pakistan Today learned on Monday. The cabinet meeting scheduled for Tuesday is likely to take a final decision in this regard. The Ministry of Law and Justice is seeking approval for allocation of a plot of land measuring 5.069 acres, situated at K-28 Trans Layari Quarters, University Road, near old Sabzi Mandi, Karachi, for the construction of Federal Courts Complex, Karachi. Currently, almost 40 federal courts and tribunals of various disciplines are operational but are scattered across the port city. Previously, a courts complex could not be constructed due to the non-availability of a suitable piece of land. The Ministry of Law and Justice has already constructed a judicial complex in Islamabad and Peshawar, but efforts to do the same in Karachi have so far not shown tangible results. The land sought after by the Law Ministry is part of the 18.43 acres occupied by the Department of Stationery and Forms (Cabinet Division). The approval is subject to the fulfilment of codal formalities, determination of the ownership of land and approval of the competent authority. While the area is free from encroachment, some structures of warehouses and offices of the Deputy Controller Stationery and Forms would have to be razed before construction. Meanwhile, Ministry of Defence, in a summary, has sought approval of the federal cabinet for grant of MPhil allowance worth Rs2,500 per month to the armed forces personnel. The MPhil allowance
CABINET TO GRANT MPHIL ALLOWANCE TO ARMED FORCES PERSONNEL is presently only admissible to civilian employees. The financial effect of the proposal would amount to Rs12.3 million per year. The federal cabinet in its Tuesday meeting would also take the final decision regarding a proposed amendment in the policy of import of arms and ammunition. The Ministry of Commerce, after consulting concerned stakeholders, floated two proposals in a summary and sought approval of the federal cabinet on proposed amendments in the policy of import of arms and ammunition. Prime Minister Imran Khan, in this regard, has authorized the submission of the summary to the federal cabinet. The federal cabinet on Tuesday will take up 15 agenda items, including posting of Executive Director in State Life Insurance Corporation (SLIC), amendment in the policy of import of NBP arms and ammunition, permission for import of Montanide Oil from Seppic France in favour of M/s Alternative Chemicals (Pvt) Ltd, Lahore for supply to Livestock & Dairy Development Department, Government of Punjab, grant of M.Phil allowance to the armed forces personnel, appointment of Managing Director, Housing Building Finance Company Limited (HBFCL), allocation of quota for seats of Schools of Dentistry, Constituent College of Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University, Islamabad, reconstitution of Board of Directors (BoDs) of six DISCOs (FESCO, HESCO, LESCO, PESCO and QUESCO), revision/reconstitution of Pakistan Central Cotton Committee (PCCC), the appointment of the post of Managing Director, Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC).
