
Hearing of eleven May 9 cases today
Special ATC Judge Amjad Ali Shah, will conduct the hearing at the district courts instead of the Adiala Jail. During the hearing, copies of the Challans would be given to those remaining accused, who had not been given such papers.
These cases include the GHQ Gate 4 attack case, burning of a sensitive institution's building in Sadar area and burning of the Metro Bus Station.

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Business Recorder
10 hours ago
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Sugar export scheme: PTI for formation of high-powered JV
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Thursday called for the formation of a high-powered judicial commission to investigate what it described as one of the country's largest economic scandals – a sugar export scheme that allegedly cost the national treasury Rs287 billion. The scheme reportedly resulted in approximately Rs300 billion in unlawful profits to politically connected elites. The demand followed revelations presented to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which PTI said exposed a well-orchestrated scheme of plunder carried out by members of the ruling coalition and shielded by state institutions. In a statement, PTI spokesman Sheikh Waqas Akram called for a transparent and comprehensive enquiry into the scandal. He named Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, his deputy Ishaq Dar, members of the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC), and the Federal Cabinet as those who should be investigated for their alleged roles in approving and executing the controversial sugar export policy. PTI characterised the crisis not as mismanagement, but as 'a premeditated economic crime.' It alleged that sugar was exported despite domestic shortages, then re-imported at higher prices. This, the party claimed, artificially inflated costs for consumers and profited a select few. According to PTI, the policy was led by Dar during his tenure as chair of both the Sugar Advisory Board and the ECC. Akram said these approvals, which later received Cabinet assent, created a 'chain of command' linking senior government officials to the financial losses. The PAC's report, cited by PTI, estimates the national loss at Rs287 billion and points to nearly Rs300 billion in illicit gains allegedly pocketed by politically connected families and business interests. Among those named are the Sharif family, President Asif Zardari and his associates, Suleman Shehbaz, and businessman Jahangir Tareen. PTI also accused the ruling elite of misleading the public by downplaying shortages, inflating prices, and manipulating trade to generate windfall profits. The party claimed that state institutions – including the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), and the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) – had remained silent spectators. The statement contrasted the current situation with former Prime Minister Imran Khan's tenure, when a Sugar Enquiry Commission was formed in 2020 to investigate similar profiteering. 'Back then, the report named culprits across party lines,' the spokesperson noted. 'Today, those same networks are in power.' The party also questioned the fairness of the accountability system, claiming that legal scrutiny disproportionately targets Imran Khan while 'real plunderers of public wealth' operate with impunity. PTI has called for sugar prices to be rolled back to 2022 levels as an emergency relief measure. It also urged the PAC to demand updates from the FIA on all pending sugar-related cases and called for criminal proceedings against those involved in alleged fake exports and hoarding. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025


Business Recorder
10 hours ago
- Business Recorder
TTAP for dismantling of ‘hybrid power structure'
ISLAMABAD: The Tehreek Tahafuz-e-Ayin-e-Pakistan (TTAP), an alliance of opposition parties, on Thursday called for an end to what it described as a hybrid power structure – draped in democratic language, but increasingly governed by the establishment. With the district administration sealing the initially announced venue, TTAP participants shifted gears and held the APC at the residence of Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar. The gathering, a melting pot of opposition leaders, civil society members, lawyers, journalists, and activists from all walks of life, unanimously condemned the ongoing wave of convictions against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmakers. The alliance slammed the anti-terrorism courts' rulings as 'politically motivated vendettas' and 'flimsy legal pretences.' As news broke mid-moot of fresh sentences handed to opposition leaders in both the National Assembly and Senate, the mood turned grim. Participants said this would go down as one of Pakistan's darkest political chapters. 'There is no law left in the country. Injustice reigns,' thundered Allama Raja Nasir Abbas of Majlis-e-Wahdatul Muslimeen, capturing the gathering's fury. Hamid Raza of Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), recently convicted himself, remarked bitterly, 'Our fight against terrorism and extremism has been rewarded with a decade-long jail sentence.' Veteran nationalist Mahmood Khan Achakzai didn't mince words either, warning of a 'creeping civilian dictatorship' masquerading as democracy. 'During military martial law, courts had courage. Today, under a civilian façade, shameful rulings dominate,' he said to nods of grim agreement. Former National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser slammed the court verdicts as 'illegal' and linked them to the controversial 26th Constitutional Amendment, which he said strips political workers of their fundamental rights. Echoing this sentiment, Lashkari Raisani called for a moment of reckoning: 'Will we continue to be spectators in a dummy parliament, or confront this crisis head-on beyond its walls.' The spotlight was not only on current abuses. Veteran journalist Hamid Mir invoked the 2016 Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PICA), enacted by the PML-N government. Originally framed to combat fake news, Mir explained how the law morphed into a tool to muzzle media, even those who passed it. Political dissident Javed Hashmi condemned the denial of PTI's electoral symbol in recent polls, emphasizing, 'Even without a symbol, people voted for Imran Khan. Now they want to keep him in jail as a spectacle.' 'Back when Imran Khan was in power, opposition rallies were held without fear or formalities,' recalled former Sindh governor Muhammad Zubair. 'We never asked for permission, and the police never blocked our path. Look at us now – this is not democracy, it is a lockdown.' Despite their ideological differences, the APC vowed to unite in restoring democratic norms, pushing for judicial independence, and ending selective, politically motivated accountability. 'Authoritarianism must die. Democracy will live,' declared Achakzai to rousing applause. The conference closed with a resolute call to uphold the rule of law, enforce the supremacy of the Constitution, and dismantle the 'ongoing de facto martial law' suffocating the country's democratic fabric. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025


Express Tribune
10 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Stop the script:opposition rejects 'engineered politics'
Listen to article As the opposition's All Parties Conference (APC) began in Islamabad on Thursday, senior political leaders called for the restoration of democracy, constitutional supremacy and an end to what they described as engineered politics and judicial victimisation. With a firm call to restore democracy and uphold the will of the people, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan declared that no political solution can succeed unless the voice and vote of citizens are respected. "Some are trying to end democracy, but democracy will continue. We will bring constitutional supremacy, free the judiciary and repeal the 26th Amendment," the PTI chairman said, as the opposition's APC kicked off under the banner of Tehreek Tahafuz Ayin-e-Pakistan (TTAP) – the opposition parties' anti-government alliance. The TTAP's APC brought together leaders of major opposition groups including PTI, PKMAP, former senators, legal experts and civil society voices. Initially planned at a hotel in Islamabad, the venue was shifted to the Tarlai farmhouse of former senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar after the hotel abruptly canceled the booking. Speaking at the conference, the opposition leaders expressed deep concern over what they described as a collapse of constitutional order, political victimization and the erosion of civilian authority. The conference also unanimously condemned fresh prison sentences handed down to PTI leaders, calling them politically motivated. The TTAP leaders demanded the formation of a neutral election commission, restoration of judicial independence and an end to what they called a "scripted" political system allegedly imposed by unelected forces. PkMap & TTAP chief Mehmood Khan Achakzai denounced repeated violations of the constitution by powerful quarters, recalling that a former dictator had dismissed the country's founding document as mere paper. "States do not run on bullets or batons. They are governed through social contracts; and our constitution is that contract," he said. Achakzai appealed to all judges, generals, lawyers, scholars and citizens who believe in constitutional supremacy to guide the movement, saying the alliance was not looking to fight anyone but will not compromise on core democratic principles. He had earlier emphasized that TTAP was not formed at the behest of any institution, adding the alliance will continue its struggle until there is a neutral election commission, parliamentary sovereignty and constitutional rule. Former senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar condemned the fresh wave of convictions handed down to PTI leaders. "Today will be remembered as a black day in Pakistan's history," he said, noting that the opposition leaders in the National Assembly, Senate and Punjab Assembly were all sentenced in a single day alongside numerous PTI MNAs, MPAs and workers. As news broke during the conference of a decision by an anti-terrorism court in Faisalabad sentencing multiple PTI lawmakers to 10 years in prison, TTAP spokesperson Akhunzada Hussain Ahmad announced that the APC had unanimously passed a resolution condemning the verdicts. The resolution specifically named National Assembly Opposition Leader Omar Ayub, Senate Opposition Leader Shibli Faraz, Sunni Ittehad Council Chairman Sahibzada Hamid Raza as victims of what it called politically motivated and unjust punishments. Veteran politician Javed Hashmi said that despite efforts to sideline PTI by denying it an election symbol, the public still sought out PTI founder Imran Khan to vote for him. "Now they want to keep him in jail; it's a farce," he said. Hashmi added that true national unity would only come from winning hearts, not firing bullets and pointed to Gwadar's untapped revenue potential as proof that the country had enough resources to prosper if governed justly. Balochistan's ex-senator Lashkari Raisani called for a "Truth and Justice Commission" to investigate those responsible for weakening the Constitution. "Let this sitting decide if we will talk with the establishment or will all political parties decide the future inside or outside the dummy parliament," he asked, urging a collective decision on whether Pakistan will move forward as a true parliamentary democracy or remain a power-centric state. Majlis Wahdatul Muslimeen (MWM) Chairman Allama Raja Nasir Abbas echoed those concerns, stating that the constitution had effectively been suspended and the pillars of the state had allegedly collapsed. "The people no longer trust this system. Only the rule of law and revival of the constitution can rescue Pakistan from this crisis," he said. JI's former senator Mushtaq Ahmed Khan said the election commission had become a tool of the establishment, and the current parliament was nothing more than a scripted show. "Those who won are in jail. Those who lost have filled the seats in the name of democracy," he stated. The conference continues on Friday with more sessions expected to outline a political roadmap for democratic restoration and electoral reforms, as TTAP positions itself as a growing force against what it calls unconstitutional interference in the political affairs.