Politics

Lahore court remands Elahi to NAB’s custody in bribery case

Published

1 year ago

Farwa

Judge Zubair Shehzad Kiyani presides over the hearing.
Court approves seven-day physical remand of Elahi.
Court directs NAB to submit response to PTI president’s plea.

LAHORE: An accountability court in Lahore Tuesday remanded Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) President Chaudhry Parvez Elahi to National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) custody till August 21 in a case of bribery over development project contracts.

The former Punjab chief minister — who has been detained back-to-back — was arrested yet again by NAB officials shortly after being released from Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail on Monday night.

However, as soon as the PTI president walked free, the NAB officials apprehended him and presented him before Judicial Magistrate Khalid Hayat to seek his transitory remand.

Today the NAB officials, whose request for the transitory remand was accepted last night, presented Elahi before a Lahore court.

The accountability court judge, Zubair Shehzad Kiyani, presided over the hearing in Lahore.

During the hearing, Special Prosecutor Waris Janjua sought Elahi’s 14-day physical remand on NAB’s behalf. He informed the court that a supplementary grant of Rs72 billion was issued for specific sectors of Gujrat under Elahi as Punjab CM.

Others facing charges in the same case have been remanded, he added.

At this, the court approved a seven-day physical remand — half as requested by the prosecution — of Elahi, who sought permission to meet his wife and son.

However, the court directed NAB to submit a response to the PTI president’s plea.

Elahi was initially arrested on June 1 from outside his residence in an Rs70 million graft case related to the embezzlement of development funds allocated for the Gujrat district.

Since then, the former Punjab chief minister has been behind bars on various charges. During a span of around two and half months, the PTI leader was released multiple times on the courts’ orders but was re-arrested immediately every time.

The PTI president was taken into custody during a crackdown launched against the party’s leadership following the May 9 riots.

The riots were triggered almost across the country after the PTI chairman’s arrest in the £190 million Al-Qadir Trust case on May 9 which led to the deaths of at least eight people and injured several others, prompting the authorities to arrest thousands of PTI workers.

During the protests, the miscreants attacked the civil and military installations including — Corps Commander’s House (Jinnah House) in Lahore Cantt and the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi.

The military called May 9 “Black Day” and decided to try the protesters under the Army Act. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif termed May 9 as the “darkest day in the [country’s] history” and announced to try the suspects in the military courts.

The National Security Committee had also endorsed the decision of the top brass to act against rioters under the Army Act.

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Doesn’t think this system would succeed, according to Ramesh Kumar of PPP

Published

9 hours ago

Farwa

“Things seem in control, but they are not really,” he stated. “Shehbaz Sharif has been involved, but I don’t think he can change Pakistan’s destiny,” the PPP chief stated.

“This is the year of the judiciary, and legislation that pertains to it is also being scrutinized,” noted Ramesh Kumar.

“Due to disputes things not being seen to remain in control in the future,” stated the leader of the People’s Party.

“In the absence of internal stability, foreign investment will not come to the country,” he said. “I see things getting very bad and critical over the next three to four months,” Dr. Ramesh Kumar stated.

He said, “There are challenges, I see hardships ahead. Moody’s report comes or not, loans roll over happens or not.”

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Prior to the Lahore demonstration, PTI seeks LHC against arrests.

Published

1 day ago

Farwa

The petition requesting protection against the arrests of its workers and leaders prior to the event set for September 21 was submitted by Sheikh Imtiaz and Yasir Gillani.

The petition asserted that law enforcement is apprehending party members throughout Punjab, infringing upon their fundamental right to assemble for a rally.

The petitioners sought a court order to compel the authorities to cease arrests and for the march to occur peacefully.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf is set to have a demonstration in Lahore on September 21.

Previously, multiple PTI MNAs, including party chairman Barrister Gohar, were apprehended by Islamabad police subsequent to the Sangjani demonstration in Islamabad.

Barrister Gohar and Sher Afzal Marwat were apprehended outside, while Zain Qureshi and Sheikh Waqas Akram were detained within the Parliament House.

Furthermore, law enforcement apprehended Owais Ahmed Chatha, Syed Shah Ahmed, Sahibzada Hamid Raza of the Sunni Ittehad Council, Yousaf Khan, Maulana Naseem Shah, and Ahmed Shah Khattak.

Sources indicated that Speaker of the National Assembly Ayaz Sadiq permitted the detention of PTI Members of the National Assembly outside the premises of the house. The situation occurred after police submitted a copy of the FIR filed against the PTI legislators for breaching SOPs during the public protest on September 8.

Furthermore, three complaints have been filed in Islamabad under the Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Bill, alleging breaches of the event’s NOC. The FIR identifies 28 individuals, including PTI officials Barrister Gohar Ali, Sher Afzal Marwat, Shoaib Shaheen, Omar Gul, Zartaj Gul, Aamir Mughal, Seemabia Tahir, and Raja Basharat.

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When PPP Delegations Meet with the Prime Minister, PPP Leadership Reveals Complete Confidence in Government Policies

Published

1 week ago

Farwa

The Pakistan People’s Party, according to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, is a significant ally that has consistently supported the Government in every move it has taken to boost the national economy.

Within the presence of Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, he was having a conversation with a delegation of the Pakistan People’s Party, who had visited him in Islamabad.

During the course of the conference, questions were asked about the current political climate in the country.

A proposal called the “Charter of Parliament” was submitted in the Parliament by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. The Prime Minister expressed his appreciation for the initiative, stating that it will further improve democracy and the government.

The PPP Delegation expressed their appreciation for the economic policies that the government has implemented in order to boost the economy of the country.

As a result of the PPP Delegation’s unwavering faith in the policies and initiatives of the government, the Prime Minister found this to be encouraging.