Punjab, Sindh clash over local governance
The war of words comes amid increasing pressure for local government (LG) elections in Punjab, which have been overdue for months. CEC Sikandar Sultan Raja last week warned that an impending order on the matter could embarrass the provincial government.
Sindh Senior Minister and Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon questioned the PML-N's reluctance to hold LG elections despite claiming to represent Punjab's mandate. "If the Punjab government fails to recognise local institutions, it is undermining the Constitution," Memon said, adding that managing the province through the commissioner system was regrettable and undemocratic.
Memon accused Punjab's government of denying people grassroots representation and vowed that the PPP would continue to push for LG elections in Punjab. "We will not abandon the people of Punjab," he said, denouncing the PML-N's "arrogant attitude" and "politics of rights violations".
He stated that the perception of Punjab as "the fiefdom of a single party" must be dispelled. He also lamented the Punjab government's "politics of hatred and division."
Memon's statement drew a sharp rebuke from his Punjab counterpart, Azma Bukhari. The Punjab information minister stated that the PML-N had previously established a strong LG system in the province and would do so again.
Bukhari mocked the PPP, saying the partywhich secures 400 votes in a provincial assembly constituency and 50 votes in a union council seat contest would soon be put to the test.
"The arrogant rulers in Sindh should have mercy on the province's suffering people. They have been in power for three consecutive terms, yet their performance remains zero," the information minister said.
Meanwhile, PPP Parliamentary Leader in the Punjab Assembly, Syed Ali Haider Gilani, entered the fray, reminding the PML-N-led provincial government that the PPP is a coalition partner and that without its support, the government could not pass the upcoming budget.
"The foundation of this [provincial] government rests on the PPP's support," Gilani said. He praised the PPP's "unparalleled services" in Sindh over the years in infrastructure, health, education, and social protection.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Express Tribune
2 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Pakistan demands immediate UN action to Haiti gang crisis
Listen to article Pakistan has called for immediate and united action by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to help restore political stability in Haiti as gang violence escalates in the Caribbean nation. Addressing the Council's first formal meeting under Pakistan's presidency this month, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, Pakistan's permanent representative to the UN, said that the time for 'half measures' in Haiti is over. 'The gangs' stranglehold has turned Haiti's streets into battlegrounds,' he said. 'Vigilante killings are on the rise, children are being recruited by armed groups and the breakdown of basic services is forcing hundreds of thousands to live in fear and face acute food shortages.' Read: Pakistan advances peace at UNSC Ambassador Asim, presiding over the 15-member Council in his national capacity, said Haiti's crisis requires both political unity and international resolve, calling for a Haitian-led solution backed by firm global support. He expressed Pakistan's support for the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission, led by Kenya and other troop-contributing nations, and urged UNSC to ensure the mission is 'robust, well-resourced, and effective'. 'Anything less risks collective failure tomorrow,' Ahmad cautioned. 'The people of Haiti deserve to live in peace and dignity, free from fear and want. Pakistan stands ready to help forge consensus in the Council to deliver hope and security to Haitians.' Miroslav Jenca, UN Assistant Secretary-General for the Americas, told the Council that state authority in Haiti had eroded sharply since January. He said gangs had virtually paralysed Port-au-Prince, cutting it off with the ongoing suspension of international commercial flights. Read more: Pakistan urges UNSC to stop Israeli 'aggression' Gangs now influence every commune in the capital and surrounding areas, he said, warning that 'the total collapse of state presence could become a real scenario'. Ghada Fathi Waly, Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), said from Vienna that gang control over trade routes was stifling legal commerce and worsening food insecurity and humanitarian need. 'The state's capacity to govern is rapidly shrinking,' she said. 'This erosion of state legitimacy has cascading effects.' Kashmir dispute Earlier, Ambassador Asim had held a news conference at UN headquarters to highlight the long-standing Kashmir dispute. 'It is time that this is addressed,' he said, referring to the conflict between India and Pakistan. 'And I would say this is not only a responsibility of Pakistan, we are here temporarily for two years as a non-permanent member.' He added that UNSC, and particularly its permanent members, must 'take certain steps to actually get their own resolutions implemented'. The comments come just a day after Pakistan formally assumed the UNSC presidency for July, which rotates monthly among member states.
Express Tribune
5 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Broken justice system fuels corruption and elitism: SC
Listen to article The Supreme Court has ruled that a weak and compromised criminal justice system undermines the rule of law and thus encourages corruption, authoritarianism and the rule of the powerful and privileged. "An effective and responsive criminal justice system, free from political interference and corruption, is a fundamental right of every citizen while inexpensive and expeditious justice is a commitment of the State under the Constitution. The criminal justice system will only serve its purpose when the actual stakeholders, the people of this country, will have trust and confidence in a system which is free, accessible, impartial, responsive, independent and free from corruption or any other influence. "It is, therefore, a constitutional duty of every organ of the State, the executive, judiciary and the legislature to take urgent steps so as to ensure that the criminal justice system serves the people of this country and they repose their trust and confidence in its fairness, impartiality and independence", reads a 20-page judgement authored by Justice Athar Minallah, which commuted the death sentence of an inmate imprisoned for the past 25 years into life imprisonment. A three-member bench of the apex court led by Justice Minallah heard the criminal appeal in a murder case. The judgement notes that the appellant has remained incarcerated for more than 25 years. "The appellant had escaped from judicial custody and that obviously constitutes a separate offence and, therefore, it would not be appropriate for us to make any observation lest it may prejudice the case of the parties in any matter that may be pending before a competent court/forum." The appellant was young in 1991 when the occurrence had taken place. He was accompanying his father and the motive was attributed to him and not the appellant. It cannot be ruled out that the appellant may have acted under the influence of his elders, particularly his father. He did not have any criminal record prior to the occurrence and, therefore, he was a first time offender. The court further noted the recovery of the fire arm weapon is not free from doubt and the evidence brought on record in this regard is not safe to be relied upon. In addition to these recognized mitigating factors, the appellant has served the full term prescribed for the alternate punishment of imprisonment for life without the benefit of remissions. "We are, therefore, of the opinion that on account of these mitigating and extenuating circumstances, the sentence of death on five counts was not justified. We, therefore, partly allow the appeal only to the extent of modifying the sentence of death on five counts to imprisonment for life on five counts. The sentences, except those required to be served in default of payment of compensation, shall run concurrently. The benefit under section 382b of Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) is extended in favour of the appellant," says the judgement. The court lamented on the abysmal condition of the criminal justice system in general and the unjustified delays in the ultimate disposal of cases in which the appellant or petitioner has challenged the sentence of death. In the case before the court, the appellant was sentenced to death by the trial court on September 3, 2008. The appeal was preferred within time. "The High Court decided the appeal on September 18, 2014, and the reference was answered in the affirmative and, thus, the sentence of death was confirmed. There is six years delay in deciding the appeal of a prisoner who has been handed down the sentence of death which cannot be justified." The necessary time for taking up the appeal and its ultimate disposal should not have been more than 12 months, stated the apex court. "The appellant had then sought leave by filing a petition before this Court and the necessary and reasonable time required for its final disposal should not have been more than twelve months." The petition, which was filed in 2014, was for the first time fixed for hearing after seven years i.e on March 22, 2021, and finally on January 29, 2025. It took more than 17 years for the appeal process to complete from the date when the death sentence was handed down. "The condemned prisoner was in a death cell and he was not responsible in any manner for this inordinate delay nor were the procedures in his control." The delay had definitely exceeded the necessary and reasonable time required for the appellate procedures to be completed. This inordinate delay brings the criminal justice system into disrepute and undermines the confidence of the people in the courts and the criminal justice system. The abysmal conditions in most of the overcrowded prisons across the country and the inhumane and degrading conditions often reported not only adds to the unimaginable agony and hardship of a condemned prisoner but becomes a form of unauthorized punishment not intended by the legislature. The court also noted that the judiciary is no doubt responsible when the process of appeal exceeds the necessary and reasonable time required for its completion, but the other branches of the State, the executive and legislature, are also equally responsible for ensuring that the conditions in the prisons are humane and that the treatment of prisoners is not cruel, inhuman and degrading. "It is an onerous task of the High Courts and this Court to ensure that the appeal process and remedies provided under the law are completed within the time which is necessary and reasonable for this purpose." The executive branch is equally responsible to ensure that treatment of the inmates of a prison is not cruel, degrading and inhumane. "The legislature is also expected to review the legislation with the object of making the criminal justice system responsive to the needs of the citizens and accountable for violations of their rights." The unauthorized punishment which an inmate of a prison is forced to endure on account of a compromised, weak and failing justice system cannot be legalized nor condoned. We have noted with concern that most of the victims of the inordinate delays in completion of the appellate process are those who are financially so weak that they cannot even afford to engage a lawyer of their choice. "It appears that the criminal justice system, from the stage of investigation to the fixation of appeals, is vulnerable to be exploited by the privileged and powerful while the victims are those who belong to politically, economically and socially marginalized and underprivileged classes." Every branch of the State having a role in the running of the criminal justice system is under an obligation to take urgent steps to remedy the wrongs. A system which fails in protecting and enforcing the rights alienates the actual stakeholders; the people of this country."
Express Tribune
13 hours ago
- Express Tribune
'Fuel levy hurts low-income families'
Opposition Leader in Punjab Assembly Malik Ahmad Khan Bhachar has accused both the federal and provincial governments led by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) of burdening the people with heavy taxation, mishandling fuel pricing, and politicising the recent Swat tourist tragedy. Speaking at a press conference here on Wednesday, Bhachar denounced the federal government's overnight hike in petrol and diesel prices, calling it "ironic" amid declining global oil rates. He said the imposition of over Rs100 per litre in taxes on petroleum products would have a direct and disproportionate impact on farmers and low-income households. "Just days after presenting the budget with promises of relief, the government raised taxes on fuel," he said. "Meanwhile, farmers have been entirely ignored." Bhachar also accused Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz of misleading the public by claiming the provincial budget was tax-free. "In reality, even small two-marla houses were taxed," he alleged. Turning to the recent deaths of tourists in Swat, the opposition leader accused the Punjab government of politicising the tragedy. He said that instead of pointing fingers, the provincial administration should reflect on its own shortcomings. "While the nation mourns the loss of lives in Swat, who will answer for the 23 children who died due to oxygen shortages in Pakpattan, or the 20 newborns who died during deliveries in a single week?" he asked. He condemned the reported closure of 1,132 basic health centres across Punjab, which he claimed would affect approximately 130,000 employees — many with decades of service. "These individuals deserve an explanation," he said, adding that the provincial government had yet to issue a public statement on the child fatalities or the healthcare downsizing. Commenting on the suspension of opposition lawmakers, Bhachar alleged the move was a tactic to pass legislation without dissent. "The authority to requisition the assembly was stripped from us," he said. "We've already called it a fake assembly. Our leader, Imran Khan, commended the lawmakers who resisted and protested against figures like Maryam Nawaz." Meanwhile, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Punjab leadership announced preparations for a province-wide protest campaign against what it described as "inhumane treatment" of former prime minister Imran Khan. "In the face of this oppression and injustice, protest is now our only remaining option," the leaders asserted in a statement. The planned protest follows directives from PTI Patron-in-Chief Imran Khan to resist what the party calls ongoing violations of constitutional and legal order.
