Iran is distancing itself from ally Russia as it rejects planned border corridor backed by US President Donald Trump.
Iran is distancing itself from ally Russia as it rejects planned border corridor backed by US President Donald Trump.
PTI leaders Zartaj Gul and Ejaz Chaudhry filed appeals in the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Saturday against their convictions by anti-terrorism courts (ATC) in May 9 riots cases.
On May 9, 2023, PTI supporters, protesting party founder Imran Khan’s arrest, staged violent protests throughout the country, following which thousands were arrested.
On July 31 this year, an ATC in Faisalabad sentenced PTI leaders, including Gul, to 10 years of imprisonment for their involvement in the riots. The Election Commission of Pakistan later disqualified her and other PTI lawmakers following their convictions. Chaudhry was convicted in another May 9 case by an ATC in Lahore on July 22 and sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Gul filed an appeal against her conviction and sentencing in the LHC today. A division bench of the LHC will hear the case on Monday.
The appeal was filed through Gul’s lawyers, Barrister Ali Zafar and Muhammad Hussain, and pleaded the court to set aside her conviction and acquit her in the case.
It said that Gul was not nominated in the case or “found physically participant in the occurrence”. It added that no justification was provided by the prosecution for her being included through the supplementary statement, which it claimed cast doubt on the authenticity of the occurrence which had not been considered at the trial stage.
It stated that the ATC passed the “impugned judgment … in a hasty and slipshod manner”, based on three witnesses who had admitted in cross-examination that they had not nominated her but she was nevertheless convicted on their statements with a hefty punishment.
“The prosecution has failed to make out a case for such a punishment,” the petition argued, adding that the witnesses themselves had many times misstated and “cheated” the trial court with additions and deletions in their statements making their testimonies unreliable, but ultimately all exonerated the appellant.
“The other ATC court at Sargodha has disbelieved the same prosecution witnesses … but this is ignored in making (the) impugned decision,” it said.
It also stated that no evidence for conspiracy had been brought forward on the case file, challenging her punishment under section 120-B of the Pakistan Penal Code.
The petition pleaded that as “the prosecution also failed to establish the involvement of the appellant in the occurrence and instigation/abetment beyond the shadow of doubt, then there were no reasons to award punishment to the innocent appellant.”
It stated that the judgment was against “facts and law and resulted in (a) misreading of justice” and that, being passed hastily, material parts of evidence were not considered “despite the facts that the prosecution failed to adduce unimpeachable evidence and there was (every) chance of false implication”.
In particular, it cited the lack of material evidence to establish the intention to abet, instigate and conspire to facilitate the other accused parties. According to the petition, the investigation was “biased” and “flawed” but this was ignored by the court. It further criticised that more weight was given to witness statements than evidence by the court, failing to “properly appreciate” the prosecution’s evidence.
It added that 77 co-accused had been acquitted based on the same evidence, while Gul was convicted without valid reasoning.
The petition called for the judgment to be set aside as the case had not been proven “beyond the shadow of a doubt” due to a lack of unimpeachable evidence, adding that the evidence contained contradictions. It called the judgment of the court “arbitrary, capricious, indiscrete, non-speaking and without lawful authority based on no evidence”.
The petition noted that Gul was seeking leave from the court to advance further grounds at the time of argument.
Meanwhile, Chaudhry filed two petitions in the LHC through Advocate Mian Ali Ashfaq.
Chaudhry pleaded the court to suspend his sentence and conviction, along with ordering his release on bail.
He further requested the court in the second petition to set aside his conviction and acquit him in the case in the “interest of justice”.
Separately, the Lahore ATC reserved its verdicts in two arson cases related to the May 9 riots, in which PTI senior leaders Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Dr Yasmin Rashid, Chaudhry and Omar Cheema are accused, with the judge slated to announce the decisions on August 11.
According to Advocates Rana Mudassar and Rana Maroof, who represented the PTI leaders during the hearing, the trials in the cases of burning vehicles outside Rahat Bakery and arson near Shadman Nazar were completed and ATC Judge Manzar Ali Gul reserved his verdict.
They said the verdicts would be issued on Monday.
They said a total of 25 accused were named in the Rahat Bakery case, while seven accused were declared absconders. They added that the trial of 12 accused was completed in the Shadman Nazar police station arson case and five accused were in custody in this case, while one accused had died.
The lawyers said Qureshi, Dr Rashid, Chaudhry, Cheema, Mian Mahmoodur Rashid and other accused were present in the courtroom.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday blasted the Israeli cabinet’s approval of a plan to occupy Gaza City as a “dangerous escalation”.
Earlier in the day, Israel’s political-security cabinet approved a plan to take control of Gaza City, nearly two years into its invasion of the Palestinian territory. The approval came hours after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel intended to take military control of the entire strip, American news agency Reuters reported.
“We strongly condemn the Israeli cabinet’s approval of a plan to take illegal and illegitimate control of Gaza City. This tantamounts to a dangerous escalation in an already catastrophic war against the people of Palestine,” the prime minister said in a post on X.
He added that the expansion of military operations will only worsen the already existing humanitarian crisis and derail any prospect for peace in the region.
“We must not lose sight of the root cause of this ongoing tragedy: that is, Israel’s prolonged, illegal occupation of Palestinian territory. As long as this occupation endures, peace will remain elusive,” the premier added.
“Pakistan reiterates its unwavering support for the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, including their right to self-determination and the establishment of an independent and sovereign State of Palestine, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital, in line with relevant UN and OIC resolutions.”
PM Shehbaz called upon the international community to intervene urgently to bring an immediate halt to Israel’s unwarranted aggression, ensure the protection of innocent civilians, and ensure the direly needed delivery of humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza.
Earlier, Foreign Office spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan in his weekly briefing announced that Federal Information Minister Attaullah Tarar officiated the send-off of the 18th humanitarian aid consignment to Gaza at a ceremony held at Islamabad International Airport today.
“Under the directives of the Prime Minister, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), in close coordination with relevant partners, facilitated the dispatch of this consignment, which is the 18th shipment from Pakistan,” the FO spokesperson said.
The aid consignment comprised of essential supplies including dry ration packs, Meals Ready-to-Eat and medicines. The ceremony was attended by senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the NDMA, and the Ambassador of Palestine to Pakistan, he added.
This consignment brings Pakistan’s total humanitarian assistance to Gaza to 18 shipments, comprising 1,815 tons of vital relief supplies, he added, saying “This sustained support reflects Pakistan’s resolute solidarity with the people of Gaza.”
Since October 7, 2023, Israeli strikes on Gaza have killed 61,258 and injured 152,045 Palestinians, per the Palestinian health ministry. Bombardments have also destroyed 88 per cent of the Gaza Strip, according to the Gaza Media Office, with Tel-Aviv facing accusations of genocide.
On Thursday, the World Health Organisation said that 99 people were now known to have died from malnutrition in the Gaza Strip so far this year, with the figure likely an underestimate.
International outrage over the humanitarian situation in Gaza has ratcheted up pressure on Israel, with UN agencies warning of famine in the devastated Palestinian territory.
Earlier in the week, Israel’s military chief had pushed back against Benjamin Netanyahu’s plans to seize areas of Gaza it doesn’t already control, three Israeli officials said, as the prime minister faced increasing pressure over the invasion both at home and abroad.
The Foreign Office, in a separate statement, condemned the Israeli plan for complete military takeover of Gaza.
“Pakistan condemns in the strongest possible terms the reported Israeli plan for a complete military takeover of Gaza,” the statement said.
This not only represents yet another flagrant violation of international law and relevant UN Security Council resolutions, but also the occupying power’s intention to further expand its ongoing genocidal military campaign, the statement added.
This highly escalatory action will further aggravate the prevailing grave humanitarian situation and suffering of the civilians in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, in addition to undermining international efforts aimed at achieving peace and stability in the region, the FO said.
“Pakistan reiterates its call on the international community to ensure an immediate end to Israeli impunity and its genocidal military campaign”, the FO said, calling for concrete measures for the provision of unimpeded humanitarian supplies to millions of Palestinians in dire need, and to hold Israel accountable for its heinous crimes.
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