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Hans India
7 days ago
- Politics
- Hans India
Several protests grip Pakistan-occupied Gilgit Baltistan
Islamabad: Several protests gripped various parts of Pakistan-occupied Gilgit-Baltistan (PoGB) even as the sit-in by the police personnel outside the local leader's house entered its fourth day on Thursday, local media reported. The policemen has been holding protest to demand increase in their allowance as per the 2025-26 budget. Police personnel from other districts, including those deployed for the security of Chinese nationals in Chilas, were also part of the the sit-in in Gilgit, Pakistan's leading daily Dawn reported. PoGB police's daily allowance had been increased from Pakistani Rupees (PKR) 440 to PKR 880 in the budget. However, the authorities have not issued any notification in this regard. The protesting police personnel said that they have been raising this demand for months. They further stated that a protest held two weeks back was called off following the assurance give by the authorities that their issues would be resolved in 14 days. Instead of addressing the issue, PoGB police on Monday began departmental proceedings against personnel accused of "misconduct". As per the official order, 63 officials have been dismissed from service in the initial phase. The decisions were reportedly made during disciplinary committee's meeting. Meanwhile, the lawyers' bodies in PoGB also held a major protest and boycotted the court proceedings in Gilgit, Skardu, Ghizer and other districts. The lawyers have been staging protests over their demands for the past 10 months. As per the statement, Gilgit-Baltistan Bar Council, Supreme Court Bar Association GB, High Court Bar Association GB and District Bar Association Gilgit held a joint meeting. During the meeting, the lawyers bodies decided to observe strike and not attend the court proceedings until their demands were met. The demands raised by lawyer bodies, included appointment of judges on vacant positions in the PoGB Supreme Appellate Court. According to the statement, the lawyers expressed reservations regarding authorities failure in not fulfilling their demands despite repeated protests and termed the failure to implement demands "a conspiracy against GB people". Lawyers have also demanded extension of the Lawyers Protection Act to PoGB by the federal government, describing the decision important for ensuring their safety and professional rights, as per the report. The lawyers demanded advertisement of vacant civil judge positions and called for separating judicial magistrate posts from civil judge posts. The lawyers stated that the GB Supreme Appellate Court has been functioning with only one judge for the past seven years. According to rules, a single judge cannot hear all cases, leading to thousands of important cases remaining pending. Meanwhile, protests were held over electricity shortage at Sikandarabad, Nagar, with the protesters blocking the Diamer section of Karakoram Highway (KKH). Residents held similar protests in Nagar Khas and other regions.
News18
7 days ago
- Politics
- News18
Protests erupt across PoGB as police, lawyers, and locals voice grievances
Gilgit [PoGB], August 14 (ANI): Numerous protests were held in various areas of the Pakistan-occupied Gilgit-Baltistan (PoGB) region on Wednesday, the Dawn sit-in conducted by the PoGB police outside the Chief Minister's House has now reached its third day. The police are demonstrating to urge the authorities to raise their allowance in line with the budget for 2025-26. Officers from other districts, including those assigned to protect Chinese nationals in Chilas, also joined the sit-in in the daily allowance for PoGB police was raised from PKR 440 to PKR 880 in the budget, a notification has yet to be issued. The protesting officers claim they have been fighting for their rights for months, noting that a protest outside the Chief Minister's Secretariat was previously called off two weeks ago after the government guaranteed that their concerns would be addressed within 14 days, according to the Dawn Monday, PoGB police initiated departmental proceedings against personnel accused of 'misconduct".An official order states that 63 officials are being dismissed from service in the initial phase. These actions were reportedly decided during a disciplinary committee the same time, various legal associations in PoGB organised a protest and boycotted court proceedings in Gilgit, Skardu, Ghizer, and several other districts. Lawyers have been advocating for their rights for the past ten months.A joint meeting involving the Gilgit-Baltistan Bar Council, the Supreme Court Bar Association GB, the High Court Bar Association GB, and the District Bar Association Gilgit was held, according to a statement by meeting reached a unanimous agreement that PoGB lawyers would stage a strike and refrain from appearing in any courts across the region until their demands are addressed. One significant demand from the lawyers is the appointment of judges to the vacant seats in the GB Supreme Appellate meeting expressed dissatisfaction with the government's inability to fulfil the lawyers' demands following multiple strikes and protests. The lawyers referred to the lack of action as 'a conspiracy against the people of PoGB", as reported by key demand from the lawyers involves extending the Lawyers Protection Act to PoGB by the federal government, which they argue is crucial for safeguarding their safety and professional lawyers requested the advertisement of available civil judge positions and insisted that judicial magistrate roles be distinct from civil judge roles, consistent with practices in other regions of the country, with appointments being made from the legal profession based on merit, as highlighted by the Dawn have pointed out that the PoGB Supreme Appellate Court has been functioning with just one judge for the past seven years. According to regulations, a single judge cannot handle all cases, leading to thousands of essential cases remaining addition, protests regarding power shortages took place in Sikandarabad and Nagar, where demonstrators obstructed the Diamer section of the KKH. Similar demonstrations were also organised in Nagar Khas and other regions, as cited by the Dawn report. (ANI)
Express Tribune
19-03-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Armughan's lawyer withdraws from Mustafa murder case
In a surprise move, senior lawyer Abid Zaman Advocate withdrew from representing Armughan Qureshi, the main accused in the Mustafa Amir kidnapping and murder case on Tuesday — the day an anti-terrorism court (ATC) extended the physical remand of Armughan until March 24. As per reports, Abid Zaman Advocate, who had been serving as Armughan's attorney, made the decision to step down, stating that the accused's father, who is also a legal practitioner, has expressed the intention to take over the case and fight it personally. This surprising development comes at a critical juncture in the case, raising questions about the future legal strategy and the involvement of new counsel. Earlier while appearing before ATC No 4 at the Jail Anti-Terrorism Complex, defence counsel Tahir-ur-Rehman Tanoli pleaded the judge call the accused's mother as a witness, while fellow defence lawyer Khurram Abbas proposed that Kamran Qureshi, the accused's father, be summoned to court. Advocate Tanoli assured the court that no disruptions would occur if the couple were allowed to attend. The judge summoned both the accused's parents to the hearing. Special Prosecutor Zulfiqar Ali Arain informed the court that Kamran Qureshi had allegedly hurled threats at him. The judge inquired why no formal complaint had been filed under the Lawyers Protection Act, to which Arain confirmed that such an application had indeed been submitted. The investigating officer (IO), Afsar Muhammad Ali, was questioned about whether a formal case had been registered. The IO confirmed that he had submitted the necessary paperwork. The court remarked on the delay in proceedings, stressing the consequences of such postponements. In a tense moment, the judge also ordered the accused to sign a power of attorney, but Armughan refused, stating that he did not wish to appoint a lawyer.
