Skip to main content

Imran asks IHC to end spy agency’s ‘involvement in jail affairs’

ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Imran Khan on Thursday filed a petition before the Islamabad High Court (IHC) seeking judicial intervention in the affairs of the Rawalpindi Central Jail, saying the prison is being managed by officials of an intelligence agency.

In the petition filed through his counsel Shoaib Shaheen, Mr Khan said that two intelligence officials virtually control the prison.

The petition said that despite IHC’s clear orders, the superintendent of Adiala Jail did not allow him to consult with the PTI leadership as well as lawyers.

He cited the case recently decided by the IHC in which the high court, while referring to Rule 265 of the Jail Manual, observed that the inmate is entitled to writing letters and interviews twice a week.

The petition states: “It is clarified that this order is passed to remind, reiterate and preserve the values and traditions of our legal system and has little to do with the identity of the petitioner alone. These values and traditions must apply across the board, irrespective of who the petitioner is, but, it goes without saying, they acquire greater prominence when the prisoner in question happens to be not only a political leader with substantial following but also the erstwhile holder of the highest executive office of the nation.”

According to the petition, the IHC has time and again directed the Superintendent of Adiala Jail to “revise the standard operating procedure that two days in a week are insufficient for the purpose of a meeting”.

The petitioner said that the Supreme Court of Pakistan, while hearing an appeal about amendments to National Accountability Ordinance (NAO) laws, has admitted that PTI and the petitioner have greater support among the masses and the apex court has suggested political dialogues to allow the party to perform its significant role in reducing the miseries of the masses at large.

However, the petition states that “this whole process has been dealt with by the colonel and major of ISI who create interference and indulgence in the civil administration due to having a mala fide intention against the petitioner and due to their interference the petitioner is unable to consult with party leadership and his fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution are not protected”.

The petition said that former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was allowed to consult more than 15 people a day without interruption whereas Mr Khan has been denied his meetings with the party leadership and lawyers.

Published in Dawn, June 28th, 2024



from The Dawn News - Home https://ift.tt/Iqa3iS6

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Explainer: Iran’s economy faces rocky road amid rising prices, falling currency

Iran’s economy is going through one of its most difficult periods in years, fueled by sanctions, high inflation, and a significant drop in the value of the national currency, the rial. These pressures have had a direct impact on living standards and have also fueled recent protests. The protests began on Dec. 28 in commercial hubs in the capital Tehran, when shopkeepers, merchants, and small business owners staged strikes and demonstrations to protest soaring inflation, the collapsing rial, and deteriorating economic conditions, and have since grown into nationwide anti-government expressions of discontent involving workers, students, and others across multiple cities. The Iranian president said Sunday that his government is determined to address Iran’s economic problems amid the protests. Masoud Pezeshkian said the government admits to “shortcomings and problems” and is working hard to alleviate the people’s concerns, especially on the economy. Currency collapse at the centre of c...

Mitchell Starc surpasses Wasim Akram as most prolific left-arm pacer in Test history

Australian veteran Mitchell Starc became the most prolific left-arm paceman in Test history on Thursday, surpassing Pakistan great Wasim Akram. The 35-year-old bagged England’s Harry Brook at the Gabba in Brisbane on day one of the day-night second Ashes Test for his 415th wicket since his debut at the same ground 14 years ago. It moved him past Wasim, widely recognised as the greatest left-arm bowler the sport has seen. Wasim played 104 Tests for his 414 wickets with Starc reaching the milestone in his 102nd, helped by a career-best 7-58 in the first innings of the opening Ashes Test at Perth. Starc is now 16th on the all-time wicket-taker list and could move above both India’s Harbhajan Singh (417) and South Africa’s Shaun Pollock (421) in the current pink-ball Test. After that he will have New Zealand’s Richard Hadlee (431) in his sights. from Dawn - Home https://ift.tt/xclHiX2

Global reaction to potential Israel-Hezbollah ‘spiral of violence’

World leaders on Tuesday sounded the alarm over fears of a wider conflict after Lebanon suffered its deadliest day in two decades in Israeli air strikes on Hezbollah strongholds. After nearly a year of cross-border fire since the Gaza offensive erupted, Israeli bombardment on Monday killed 558 people in Lebanon, including 50 children, according to the country’s health ministry. The toll — the highest since Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah went to war in mid-2006 — raised fears of an all-out conflict engulfing the Middle East. ‘Tens of thousands’ flee: UN UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was “gravely alarmed by the escalating situation… and the large number of civilian casualties, including children and women,” his spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. “Tens of thousands of people were forced from their homes yesterday and overnight, and the numbers continue to grow,” United Nations refugee agency spokesman Matthew Saltmarsh said in Geneva. ‘Spiral of violence’: US Israel’s clo...