PBC rejects amendments to ATA
In a resolution passed by the body which met under the chairmanship of Chaudhry Tahir Nasrullah Warraich, Vice, the participants of the meeting expressed their serious concerns on the amendment and said that every individual has right and opportunity of due process of law and fair trial as enshrined in Articles 4 and 10A of the Constitution.
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Business Recorder
15 hours ago
- Business Recorder
JI chief terms ATA another attack on democracy
LAHORE: Chief of Jamaat-e-Islami Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman has categorically rejected the newly passed Anti-Terrorism Act, calling it another assault on democracy. Addressing participants at a training session in Mansoorah on Wednesday, he said that after the 26th Constitutional Amendment, the judicial system in Pakistan has already been rendered dysfunctional, and ordinary citizens are left helpless in their pursuit of justice. 'Those who already have unbridled powers to abduct anyone at will have now been handed blind and unchecked authority through this law,' Rehman remarked. He said the system is being controlled by brute force, adding that all political parties that supported the passage of the 26th Amendment are collectively guilty before the nation. Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman stressed that while the Constitution forbids any legislation against Islam, the country's judicial and administrative structures remain far from the principles of Islamic justice. Citing the recent devastation caused by heavy rains in Karachi, he said: 'When rulers are imposed against the will of the people, they do not work for the public interest but for the satisfaction of their benefactors.' The JI Emir criticized the role of the establishment in Karachi, pointing out that despite failing to win a single seat, the MQM and Sindh's ruling party, PPP, were handed over all constituencies and even the mayorship. 'For 40 years, MQM and PPP have looted Karachi. The establishment once promised to dismantle this corrupt system, yet it was instead safeguarded and installed in Islamabad under the pretext of so-called 'national interest', which is in no way the people's interest.' He said the recent rains once again exposed Karachi's broken civic infrastructure: 'When drains are cleaned only on paper and millions are embezzled, when roads are left broken, how can disaster be averted?' Turning to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Rehman questioned PTI's performance during the floods: 'Why did federal and provincial governments fail to use modern climate technology to warn citizens in advance? Why has Pakistan, one of the worst victims of global climate change, been unable to effectively present its case before world powers?' The JI Emir, who recently toured flood-affected areas of Buner, Bajaur, and beyond, said Jamaat-e-Islami and Alkhidmat volunteers are engaged in relief efforts there. 'JI is not seeking any political mileage out of this tragedy. We invite workers of all parties to join us in serving and rehabilitating the people.' Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman reaffirmed that Jamaat-e-Islami strives to bring politics, economy, and society under the guidance of Islam. 'We reject sectarianism and respect all schools of thought. Our politics is above ethnicity, because ethnic nationalism is poison for Pakistan. Ethnic leaders, in the past, stood with global powers instead of their own people when Afghanistan was invaded by Russia and later by America.' He announced that Jamaat-e-Islami is forming people's committees across the country as part of its ongoing membership drive. 'Before our November Ijtema-e-Aam (grand gathering), we will establish at least 30,000 committees. Afterward, a nationwide public movement will begin in full strength. JI is a movement for the establishment of Islam's just system.' He spoke about Gaza, noting that Hamas has shown readiness for a ceasefire, sending a clear message of peace. 'Now the ball is in Israel's court—and that of its biggest ally, the United States,' he said. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Express Tribune
15 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Achakzai is Imran's new pick for NA opp leader
In a move that might have come as a rude shock to many PTI leaders, Imran Khan, the jailed founder of the embattled party, has nominated the maverick chief of PkMAP, Mahmood Khan Achakzai, for opposition leader in the National Assembly. Achakzai's nomination has provided grist to the rumour mill, churning out reports that Imran is increasingly unhappy with the PTI leaders over their failure to mount a formidable challenge against the coalition government which he accuses of stealing his party's mandate. The development comes days after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) disqualified Omar Ayub Khan and Shibli Faraz earlier this month following their convictions in the May 9 cases. Both were formally de-notified as opposition leaders respectively in the National Assembly and the Senate on August 8, along with several other opposition members in the National Assembly and provincial legislatures. PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja told reporters outside the Supreme Court on Wednesday that Imran had also nominated Senator Azam Swati as Leader of the Opposition in the Senate. He added that the PTI founder had sought five names from the party for nomination to the post of Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly. Raja further said that Imran had tasked the party's political committee with finalising its strategy for the upcoming by-elections on seats that fell vacant after the disqualification of lawmakers in the May 9 cases. The committee was scheduled to meet later in the day to make decisions, he added. He confirmed that Achakzai, who currently heads the Tehreek-e-Tahaffuz Ayeen-e-Pakistan (TTAP), would replace Omar Ayub in the National Assembly. In a separate address in Lahore, Raja urged political forces to unite against what he termed oppression and arbitrary arrests. "It does not matter where you come from or which party you belong to - if you have empathy, we are together," he said. "For the permanence of humanity and dignity, this struggle has to be fought." He warned that "anyone can be detained for any reason" under the prevailing circumstances, adding that "the only law in this country is fear." Raja assured party supporters that the PTI leadership would take their struggle to "every available forum." He said the wider movement was not just about the party's politics but about protecting fundamental rights. "What does the supremacy of law and the Constitution mean? It means having the right to protest under Article 17. Article 15 allows free movement. Article 19 gives us the right to raise and spread our voice together," he noted. He also spoke about the plight of farmers and the poor across the country, saying: "I listened to people in Sindh, it brought tears to my eyes. But this suffering is not limited to Sindh - it is everywhere." Calling for a united front, the PTI leader said, "We all have rights and we are all human. If we fail to act, those rights will erode further." Referring to the devastation caused by floods, Raja said they were not purely natural disasters but were aggravated by "human greed and mismanagement." "We need to eradicate this greed in the same way our forests are being cut down. If we do not stand up now, we may lose the ability to raise our voice altogether," he warned.
Business Recorder
16 hours ago
- Business Recorder
PBC rejects amendments in anti-terrorism act
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) rejected amendments in Section 11EEEE of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, wherein, the law enforcement agencies and the armed forces are allowed to detain suspects for up to three months. A joint meeting of Rules Committee of the Council was held on Wednesday in the chair of PBC Vice-Chairman Chaudhary Tahir Nasrullah Warraich, and Vice-Chairmen of the Provincial/ Islamabad Bar Councils, in the Supreme Court Building, Islamabad. The meeting, unanimously, passed resolutions; It said every individual has right and opportunity of due process of law and fair trial as enshrined in Articles 4 and 10A of the Constitution. They termed it as draconian law and demanded its withdrawal forthwith as the legal fraternity ever struggled for the Rule of Law, supremacy of Constitution in the Country and to guard fundamental rights provided in the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan.' Senate passes Anti-Terrorism Bill amid opposition walkout The council said; 'The Registration of frivolous FIR's against Advocates in Punjab, under Anti-Terrorism Act or under any other charge was strongly condemned and demanded from I.G. Punjab Police to withdraw all illegal, unlawful, false and frivolous FIR's registered against Advocates forthwith, otherwise, the legal fraternity will oppose it at every level.' 'They have expressed their grief and sorrow on the loss of precious lives and in terms of public livestock, dwellings, property and infrastructure in the aftermath of the devastating torrential rains, cloud burst, causing flash floods hitting/ affecting almost every nook and corner of the country especially Dir, Buner and other parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and Karachi. The lawyers especially belonging to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have also been directly affected badly. They demanded from the Federal & Provincial Governments to provide relief to the people of affected areas, without any delay.' 'They have also strongly condemned the unlawful, illegal and unwarranted raid conducted by personnel of the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) accompanied by men in civilian dresses at the residence of Justice Zahoor Ahmed Shahwani (retd), advocate Supreme Court from Quetta. During the course of this unlawful raid, the security officials trespassed inside his residence without any search warrant and violated the sanctity & privacy of 'veil and the four walls'. The meeting stated that the legal fraternity cannot turn a blind eye on such like illegal acts of the police and law enforcement agencies against family members of the judges and senior advocates. The resolution said; 'The amendments in Legal Practitioners and Bar Councils Act, 1973, proposed by the Members of National Assembly belonging to PTI is hereby condemned unanimously and demanded to Government not to pass this Bill, since it is against the mandate of the Bar Councils Act.' Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
