Latest news with #Pakistanis
Business Recorder
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Business Recorder
Justice delayed, reform deferred
EDITORIAL: The Chief Justice of Pakistan is right, of course. Timely and effective justice is not just a constitutional duty, it's a moral one. But acknowledging the imperative is one thing. However, delivering on it, especially in a system as chronically dysfunctional as ours, is another. This week's fifth 'interactive session' chaired by Chief Justice Yahya Afridi at the Supreme Court painted a picture of progress. Of the 89 reform initiatives identified under the judiciary's ongoing modernisation agenda, 26 are reportedly complete, 44 are in progress, and 14 are queued up. A commendable pace, if the numbers are accurate; and if they mean anything at all outside internal review meetings. The court claims these efforts have already reduced case pendency. That would be meaningful, if measurable. But for most Pakistanis waiting months, years, or even decades to get a hearing — let alone a judgment — this kind of bureaucratic bookkeeping does little to inspire confidence. We've heard versions of this script before. Reforms have been promised for decades. Automation, digitisation, efficiency; the vocabulary shifts, but the outcome never does. Cases continue to pile up. Litigants continue to die waiting. And the justice system remains a byword for delay, corruption, and elite capture. If anything, the Pakistani judiciary has become one of the most inefficient and compromised arms of the state. Lower courts are riddled with rent-seeking. High courts are overwhelmed by both incompetence and politicisation. And the Supreme Court itself — often the final refuge for those failed by every other institution — is only just beginning to acknowledge the scale of the breakdown. When Chief Justice Afridi expresses concern over slow categorisation of cases or lagging digitisation efforts, he is essentially admitting that even internal housekeeping remains a struggle. These are not grand constitutional challenges. They are operational basics. If the court can't process a case file in time, how will it ever process justice? What makes it worse is the gap between performance and perception. The judiciary has long been one of the most distrusted institutions in the country, and not without reason. Its top appointments have often served as instruments of power politics. Its lower ranks are widely seen as transactional. And its track record on serving the average citizen is abysmal. From land disputes to criminal appeals to family law, justice in Pakistan is routinely delayed, prohibitively expensive, and painfully opaque. Reform cannot be an internal conversation. It must be a public transformation. That's why the Supreme Court's language of 'interactive sessions' and 'review meetings' needs to be replaced with something more concrete. How many cases have actually been decided faster? How many courtrooms are functioning more efficiently today than a year ago? How many litigants have benefited from the 'Case Management System'? What percentage of backlog has been cleared — and not just shifted around? The judiciary cannot keep hiding behind process when what the country needs is outcome. It cannot speak in the language of moral responsibility while remaining structurally unaccountable. The fact that Pakistan still does not have a proper mechanism for judicial performance evaluation, or disciplinary oversight, says everything about how far we are from meaningful reform. Until judges at every level are answerable for delays, reversals, and mismanagement, the justice system will continue to fail those who need it most. So yes, timely justice is essential — and long overdue. But it will not come from power points or pledges. It will come from an overhaul in how the judiciary sees itself: not as an untouchable tier of the state, but as a public service; funded by taxpayers, designed for citizens, and judged by results. The Chief Justice has said the right things. Now the institution must do the hard things. Because until ordinary Pakistanis get justice they can see, feel, and afford, justice will remain a slogan, not a system. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Business Recorder
18 hours ago
- Politics
- Business Recorder
Indian statement on IIOJK attackers ‘replete with fabrications', says Pakistan
ISLAMABAD: The Indian home minister's account of forces killing who he said were three Pakistanis involved in the April attack on Hindu tourists in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) federal territory was 'replete with fabrications', Pakistan's foreign ministry said on Wednesday. Indian Home Minister Amit Shah told parliament on Tuesday that the three militants killed in a gun battle in a IIOJK forest this week were the perpetrators of the April 22 attack and that New Delhi had found evidence to back it. Pakistan has denied involvement in the attack in which 26 men were shot dead - the worst assault on civilians in India since the 2008 Mumbai attacks - and sought an independent investigation. 'The account given by the Indian home minister is replete with fabrications, leading to serious questions about its credibility,' Pakistan's foreign ministry said in a statement. The attackers, who India claimed were Pakistani nationals backed by Islamabad, had opened fire in a valley popular with tourists in IIOJK's scenic, mountainous region of Pahalgam, before fleeing into the surrounding pine forests. It led New Delhi to target what it called 'terrorist infrastructure' in Pakistan and Azad Kashmir, leading to four days of intense fighting in May between the nuclear-armed neighbours before they agreed to a ceasefire.
The Hindu
19 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Indian statement on Pahalgam attackers ‘replete with fabrications', says Pakistan
Home Minister Amit Shah's account of forces killing who he said were three Pakistanis involved in the April attack on tourists in Jammu and Kashmir was 'replete with fabrications', Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday (July 30, 2025). Mr. Shah told Parliament on Tuesday (July 29, 2025) that the three militants killed in a gun battle in a Kashmir forest this week were the perpetrators of the April 22 Pahalgam attack and that New Delhi had found evidence to back it. 'Pakistan categorically rejects the baseless assertions and provocative claims made by the Indian leaders during the Lok Sabha debate on the so-called 'Operation Sindoor.' These statements reflect a dangerous tendency to distort facts, justify aggression, and glorify conflict for domestic consumption,' Spokesperson for Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said. 'The account given by the Indian Home Minister is replete with fabrications, leading to serious questions about its credibility,' Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The world knows that India attacked Pakistan without any verifiable evidence or a credible investigation into the Pahalgam Attack. During the intervening night of 6 and 7 May 2025, India's targeting of the alleged terrorist infrastructure resulted actually in the martyrdom of innocent men, women, and children. India failed to achieve any of its strategic objectives. On the other hand, Pakistan's resounding success in neutralising the Indian fighter jets and military targets is an indisputable fact, the Spokesperson said. Instead of misleading their compatriots, the Indian leaders would be well-advised to acknowledge the losses incurred by their armed forces and accept the active role played by the third parties in realising the ceasefire, the statement said. 'India did not avail itself of the immediate offer made by the Prime Minister of Pakistan for a transparent and independent probe into the Pahalgam Attack. Instead, it chose the path of belligerence and aggression. It acted as judge, jury and executioner at the same time. Against this backdrop, any claims regarding the so-called 'Operation Mahadev' do not hold any significance for us. The account given by the Indian Home Minister is replete with fabrications, leading to serious questions about its credibility. Is it a mere coincidence that the alleged perpetrators of the Pahalgam Attack were killed at the start of the Lok Sabha debate?' the Spokesperson said. 'We also reiterate our unequivocal rejection of the ceaseless Indian statements on establishing a 'new normal' in bilateral relations. As we have already shown through our resolute actions in May 2025, we shall forcefully counter any future aggression. For us, the only 'normal' in bilateral relations is respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity and adherence to the principles and purposes of the U.N. Charter,' the statement said. 'The Indian narrative of an alleged 'nuclear blackmail' by Pakistan is a misleading and self-serving construct, and an attempt to veil its own escalatory impulses while shifting blame onto Pakistan. It is well known that Pakistan deterred India through its conventional capabilities, affirming that discipline and restraint remain its guiding principles,' the statement added. 'We also wish to register our disapproval of the Indian leaders' misplaced assertions regarding the Indus Waters Treaty. India's decision to hold the Treaty in abeyance shows its blatant disregard for the sanctity of international treaties, and strikes at a fundamental pillar of regional cooperation. Instead of taking pride in a unilateral and illegal move, India must immediately fulfil its Treaty obligations,' the spokesperson said. 'India's continued reliance on disinformation, jingoism, and chest-thumping risks destabilising South Asia. However, as a responsible country, Pakistan remains committed to peace, regional stability, and a meaningful dialogue for resolution of all outstanding issues, including the core dispute of Jammu and Kashmir,' the statement said. (With inputs from Reuters)
Reuters
19 hours ago
- Politics
- Reuters
Indian statement on Kashmir attackers 'replete with fabrications', says Pakistan
ISLAMABAD, July 30 (Reuters) - The Indian home minister's account of forces killing who he said were three Pakistanis involved in the April attack on Hindu tourists in the Jammu and Kashmir federal territory was "replete with fabrications", Pakistan's foreign ministry said on Wednesday. Indian Home Minister Amit Shah told parliament on Tuesday that the three militants killed in a gun battle in a Kashmir forest this week were the perpetrators of the April 22 attack and that New Delhi had found evidence to back it. Pakistan has denied involvement in the attack in which 26 men were shot dead - the worst assault on civilians in India since the 2008 Mumbai attacks - and sought an independent investigation. "The account given by the Indian home minister is replete with fabrications, leading to serious questions about its credibility," Pakistan's foreign ministry said in a statement. The attackers, who India said were Pakistani nationals backed by Islamabad, had opened fire in a valley popular with tourists in Kashmir's scenic, mountainous region of Pahalgam, before fleeing into the surrounding pine forests. It led New Delhi to target what it called "terrorist infrastructure" in Pakistan and Pakistani Kashmir, leading to four days of intense fighting in May between the nuclear-armed neighbours before they agreed to a ceasefire. The Himalayan region of Kashmir is at the heart of the hostility between India and Pakistan, who have fought two of their three wars over the region, which they both claim in full but rule in part. New Delhi accuses Islamabad of helping Islamist separatists battling security forces in its part of Kashmir, but Pakistan says it only provides diplomatic and moral support to Kashmiris seeking self determination.
Straits Times
20 hours ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Indian statement on Kashmir attackers ‘replete with fabrications', says Pakistan
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox The Himalayan region of Kashmir is at the heart of the hostility between India and Pakistan. ISLAMABAD - The Indian home minister's account of forces killing who he said were three Pakistanis involved in the April attack on Hindu tourists in the Jammu and Kashmir federal territory was 'replete with fabrications', Pakistan's foreign ministry said on July 30. Indian Home Minister Amit Shah told parliament on July 29 that the three militants killed in a gun battle in a Kashmir forest this week were the perpetrators of the April 22 attack and that New Delhi had found evidence to back it. Pakistan has denied involvement in the attack in which 26 men were shot dead - the worst assault on civilians in India since the 2008 Mumbai attacks - and sought an independent investigation. 'The account given by the Indian home minister is replete with fabrications, leading to serious questions about its credibility,' Pakistan's foreign ministry said in a statement. The attackers, who India said were Pakistani nationals backed by Islamabad, had opened fire in a valley popular with tourists in Kashmir's scenic, mountainous region of Pahalgam, before fleeing into the surrounding pine forests. It led New Delhi to target what it called 'terrorist infrastructure' in Pakistan and Pakistani Kashmir, leading to four days of intense fighting in May between the nuclear-armed neighbours before they agreed to a ceasefire. The Himalayan region of Kashmir is at the heart of the hostility between India and Pakistan, who have fought two of their three wars over the region, which they both claim in full but rule in part. New Delhi accuses Islamabad of helping Islamist separatists battling security forces in its part of Kashmir, but Pakistan says it only provides diplomatic and moral support to Kashmiris seeking self determination. REUTERS
