Latest news with #SHC
Zawya
2 hours ago
- Business
- Zawya
Private Selection Hotels & Tours expands globally with GMH alliance
Grand Metropolitan Hotels (GMH) has announced an investment in Private Selection Hotels & Tours (PSH), with over 50 properties in Switzerland and Europe, to secure a 51% majority stake. This investment prepares the luxury and boutique hotel portfolio for international expansion as a strategic partner to the Swiss Hospitality Collection, said a statement. Following a long-established cooperation, Private Selection Hotels & Tours (PSH) will retain its content and personnel autonomy. As part of GMH, PSH now benefits from increased market presence and new strategic perspectives through partnership with the Swiss Hospitality Collection (SHC) which aims to build a powerful network that combines international reach with a deeply rooted culture of hospitality. Private Selection Hotels & Tours contributes two key pillars to the alliance: first, a premium cooperation model for owner-managed hotels with high standards of service, authenticity, and sustainability; second, a specialised tour operating segment offering curated travel experiences – from individual self-guided itineraries to guided cultural and nature-based tours. This is supported by a dedicated call and service center, whose shared-service offerings will now also be available to all Grand Metropolitan Hotels brands. For GMH member hotels, this alliance brings three major advantages: An integrated loyalty ecosystem, where business points earned at Grand Metropolitan city hotels can be transformed into leisure experiences at Private Selection destinations; joint sales and technology platforms will enhance reach, visibility, and direct booking potential; centralised back-office structures also enable greater efficiency and create new opportunities for marketing and brand development – with Swiss precision and international finesse. 'We are very much looking forward to the collaboration and the trust placed in us. With Private Selection Hotels & Tours, we are adding over 50 unique, independently managed top-tier properties to our portfolio. Through our global sales network, a shared loyalty currency, and scalable tech platforms, we are opening up additional revenue channels for each partner hotel – from mid-week business to premium leisure. At the same time, the strong 'Private Selection' brand and the unique DNA of each property remain intact while gaining increased international visibility,' says Martin R Smura, Chairman of the Board and President of Grand Metropolitan Hotels. This new alliance not only creates one of the most powerful hotel groups and co-operations in Switzerland, but also establishes an international network committed to selective growth, partnership, heightened guest experiences, and sustainable value creation, said the statement. Copyright 2025 Al Hilal Publishing and Marketing Group Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
Business Recorder
3 days ago
- Business Recorder
Benami transactions: SC not required to decide pleas on basis of mere suspicion: Justice Mazhar
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court ruled that in the cases of Benami transactions the burden of proving whether a particular person is a 'Benamidar' is upon the person alleging the same by adducing unimpeachable evidence. The judgment, authored by Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, said the Court is not required to decide such pleas on the basis of mere suspicion. Moreover, the mode and manner of transaction is to be established by corroborating the intentions of the parties at the relevant time which could be congregated from the surrounding circumstances such as the relationship/association of parties, the motive or aspiration implicit in the transactions including the subsequent comportment and the factum of possession of the property and custody of title documents. According to the facts of the case, the appellants – daughters of late Nasiruddin Ansari, who died in January, 1985, filed a Civil Suit No.739/1993 for declaration of Benami properties and claimed their share of inheritance in the estate of their deceased father. Probe into benami transactions, money laundering: FBR transfers spark controversy The appellants in their Suit entreated declaration that property No. C/35, Block-9, situated at Works Cooperative Housing Society, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Karachi and House No. A-153, Block-L, North Nazimabad, Karachi, both were owned by their father. However, their mother Mst. Tahira Begum (respondent No.1) was ostensible owner and she had no title or authority but she sold the Property No. C/35, Block-9, Works Cooperative Housing Society, in November, 1992. Whereas the same plea was taken against the Property No. A-153, Block-L, North Nazimabad, Karachi with the further assertion that their mother had unlawfully gifted the property to her son (Late Rashid Bin Nasir respondent No. 2). The appellants contended that they were entitled to their share in all the estate of their deceased father but the respondent No. 1 deprived them of their share in the said properties. The single judge of the Sindh High Court (SHC) decreed the suit after considering all relevant facts and the evidence adduced by the parties in favour of the appellants, but the Divisional Bench of the SHC in appeal upset the findings without any lawful justification. Thus, appeal before the apex court. The main issue before a three-judge bench, headed by Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, which heard the case, was whether the mother of the appellants was the ostensible owner and whether the appellants can claim their share on account of inheritance in such properties. The Court noted that the probe whether the acquisition in the name of the wife by a husband is benami for his own benefit or not, this entirely depends on the intention of the parties at the epoch of buying. The acid test for resolving the character of transactions is obviously the source of funds but it is not always conclusive. The judgment said even if the properties were purchased through the funds or resources of the deceased husband, then both husband and wife were privy to such arrangements/transactions in their own marital relationship and after passing of several years, the children could not question or challenge the title or ownership of properties in the name of their mother without any cogent proof or trustworthy evidence that she was actually an ostensible owner. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Express Tribune
4 days ago
- Express Tribune
Court moved over fatal dumper truck accidents
Enraged mobs set fire to nine heavy vehicles after a dumper hit a biker and the driver tried to escape. Police arrested over a dozen people with the help of CCTV and video footage. PHOTO: EXPRESS A petition has been filed in the Sindh High Court (SHC) concerning the tragic deaths of Karachi residents allegedly caused by the so-called "dumper mafia." The petition was submitted by Ashraf Jabbar Qureshi and other members of Tehreek-e-Bahali Karachi. The petition argues that it is the constitutional responsibility of government authorities to protect and serve the people of Sindh. However, it claims officials have failed in multiple key areas, including water supply, sanitation, road infrastructure, and maintaining law and order. A central allegation is the authorities' failure to safeguard citizens from the dumper mafia, with the petition citing over 600 deaths as evidence of this neglect. The petitioners further claim that instead of supporting the families of victims, government officials are allegedly engaging with the dumper mafia. It is also alleged that many dumper drivers are not Pakistani citizens and do not comply with national laws. One of the incidents cited in the petition occurred on August 10, when two siblings were killed in a dumper accident on Rashid Minhas Road around 2am. Following the crash, members of the dumper mafia allegedly set fire to other dumpers in the area and blamed local youth for the incident. Subsequently, dozens of young men were reportedly arrested on the mafia's instructions. The petition requests that the court direct the respondents to produce records concerning the registration and fitness of dumpers operating in Karachi. It also calls for enforcement of previous orders issued by both the Supreme Court and the Sindh High Court. The Chief Secretary, Home Secretary, Inspector General of Sindh Police, and Additional IG Traffic Affairs have been named as respondents in the petition.
Express Tribune
6 days ago
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Social media should not be used to spread negativity: SHC CJ
Chief Justice Sindh High Court (SHC) Justice Muhammad Junaid Ghaffar has said that a plan to set up more courts and increase the number of civil judges has been finalised. He also urged that social media be used positively and not for spreading negativity in society. He was speaking at the inauguration of the Free Legal Research Service organised by the DG Lawyers. Justice Ghaffar said that through recent amendments, civil cases had been shifted from the SHC to the district courts to minimise inconvenience to litigants and simplify the transfer process. Issues relating to jurisdiction in civil matters had also been resolved, he added. The chief justice said that the plan for more courts had been discussed with the chief justice of Pakistan along with the construction of a Judicial Complex. He said that in a recent Supreme Court meeting, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) was also discussed and it was decided to frame a policy for it. He clarified that judgments could not be produced with one click nor could cases be prepared by pushing a single button, though IT support was being fully utilised. He said the SHC had upgraded its equipment, set up a research cell with civil judges, and improved its official website to include detailed judgments and case information. Orders downloaded from the site could now be verified through a tracking system, and the certified copy system was being computerised. Justice Ghaffar said that in Karachi, affidavits in high court cases could now be attested from any circuit bench, and work was under way to make the same facility available for district court affidavits. Judgments, along with case diaries, would also be uploaded to the website. Advising the public, he said: "People should not spread harmful content on social media, but share positive things." Speaking at the event, Sindh High Court Bar Association (SHCBA) President Barrister Sarfaraz Metlo said the bar was working for the welfare of lawyers and the supremacy of law and the Constitution, but its projects were not being publicised. He said that after the shifting of civil courts, the existing district court infrastructure had become insufficient and the number of civil judges needed to be increased. A free shuttle service was being run between the SHC, City Court, and Malir Court for lawyers' convenience, he added. The ceremony was attended by Justice Agha Faisal, bar officials, and senior lawyers. Under the free legal research service, lawyers will now have access to case information from 1947 to 2025.
Express Tribune
7 days ago
- Politics
- Express Tribune
SHC issues contempt notices to FBR officials in Nomi Ansari case
Listen to article The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Tuesday issued contempt notices to senior Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) officials in a case filed by fashion designer Nomi Ansari, directing the advocate general and prosecutor general of Sindh to prosecute them. A two-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice Muhammad Junaid Ghaffar, fixed August 20 for framing charges against Chief Commissioner Inland Revenue Zahid Masood, Commissioner Rizwan Memon and Assistant Commissioner Sehrish Javed. Ansari moved the court after his name was placed on the Passport Control List (PCL) on June 9 despite an earlier SHC order suspending proceedings in a tax fraud case against him and seeking reasons from the Inland Revenue Department for registering it. He was later also placed on the Exit Control List (ECL), preventing him from travelling to Dubai and representing Pakistan at a fashion show in the United States on July 9. The bench expressed displeasure that instead of complying with court directives, the FBR had gone ahead with registering a criminal case. The CJ noted that superior courts had laid down the procedure for criminal proceedings in tax matters and observed it was "too late" for the revenue body to file a counter-affidavit. FBR counsel Zahid Ibrahim sought time to submit a reply, but the bench said the officials and the federal government had failed to satisfy the court over their actions and proceeded to initiate contempt proceedings.
