ISLAMABAD: Thirty-eight Indian High Commission officials in Islamabad headed homewards on Tuesday through the Wagah border crossing after Pakistan asked India to cut the size of its diplomatic staff here by half in a tit-for-tat response to the neighbouring country’s similar move.

According to sources, the Indian High Commission officials, including six diplomats, left by two buses and a truck for the Wagah border. The Indian officials also included a first secretary, two second secretaries, and three attachés.

A total of 100 officials of the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi, including their family members, will come back home through the Wagah border today (Tuesday).Earlier, on June 23, Islamabad had categorically rejected the baseless allegations made by the Indian Ministry External Affairs as a pretext to seek a 50 per cent reduction in the staff strength of the High Commission for Pakistan in New Delhi.

The Foreign Office summoned Indian Chargé d’ Affaires to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to reject the baseless allegations levelled by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs regarding the violations of Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations by the high commission’s officials in New Delhi.

The Indian Chargé d’ Affaires was also informed of Pakistan’s decision to reduce the Indian High Commission’s staff strength by 50 per cent as a reciprocal measure. The Chargé d’ Affaires was asked to implement the decision conveyed to him within seven days.

ISLAMABAD : The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Tuesday overturned the Sindh High Court (SHC) order of transferring the Mehar triple murder case to an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC).

A three-member bench of the apex court headed by Justice Mushir Alam announced a reserved verdict on an appeal. The apex had reserved the judgment on May 29, 2020.

Last year in the month of February, the Sindh High Court (SHC) had ordered hearing of Mehar triple murder case in an anti-terrorism court. The high court’s Sukkur bench announced its reserved judgment.Last month, Advocate Umme Rubab Chandio had leveled allegations against Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) for protecting the killers of her father and other family members.

Addressing a press conference in Sukkur, she accused Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah of providing shelter to the killers and added that he is a major hurdle in the way of justice in the triple murder case.

Umm-e-Rabab said that her father, uncle and grandfather were gunned down by two former PPP MPAs in 2018. She once again demanded the arrest of the murderers of her father and other family members, who she claimed was enjoying police protection because of political influenced.

It must be noted that Umme Rubab’s father Mukhtiar Chandio, grandfather Karamullah Chandio and paternal uncle Kabil Chandio were gunned down on Jan 17, 2018, within the remit of Faridabad police station, Mehar taluka of Dadu district.

Umm-e-Rubab is pursuing the case of her slain family members by herself.

The case was highlighted last year when a video of a barefooted Umm-e-Rubab walking out from the court went viral on social media.

Rubab revealed that the decision to attend the court proceeding with bare feet was a sign of protest against the justice system, “which is not deemed fair and impartial in many instances,” claimed Rubab.

Pakistan People’s Party MPAs Nawab Sardar Ahmed Chandio and his brother Nawab Burhan Khan Chandio were nominated in the triple murder case last year in January but were granted a pre-arrest bail from the court.

KARACHI : Sindh Assembly Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani told lawmakers on Monday that the assembly building could be the target of a terrorist attack, his statement coming a few hours after the gun-and-grenade attack at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX).

Speaking during a session of the provincial assembly, the speaker informed the lawmakers that the Sindh Assembly had been facing threats of terror attacks. Durrani said he had earlier received warnings that the assembly building could come under terrorist attack.

He said photographs of the provincial assembly building had been obtained from terrorists who were earlier arrested. The Speaker said that after receiving threats, security measures for the provincial assembly building had been heightened.

Durrani said the Sindh chief minister was fully apprised of the entire situation. He advised the legislators to remain fully alert to such a threatening situation.

The sensational statement of the speaker came in the immediate backdrop of the attack of the Pakistan Stock Exchange building in Karachi earlier in the day.

Labour department staffers contract COVID-19

Meanwhile, the house was informed that almost all subsidiary organisations of the Sindh Labour Department had been non-functional owing to the coronavirus emergency as dozens of staffers of the labour department had contracted the viral infection.

This was said by Sindh Labour and Education Minister Saeed Ghani while responding to lawmakers’ queries during the question-hour session of the provincial assembly.

The labour minister was responding to queries of opposition legislators on how much more time was required to carry out the survey in the province to ascertain the situation of child labour.

The minister informed the house that committees had been formed in 10 districts of the province to tackle the issue of forced labour in Sindh. He said police were authorised to take action on the instances of forced labour in Sindh.

He said Sindh had passed a maximum number of legislations in the country related to the labour sector after the 18th constitutional amendment as these laws were meant to safeguard the legitimate rights of the labourers and to safeguard them against undue exploitation.

ISLAMABAD: An accountability court of Islamabad on Tuesday issued bailable arrest warrants against former president Asif Ali Zardari and started the process of declaring former premier Nawaz Sharif a proclaimed offender in a reference accusing them and ex-PM Yousuf Raza Gillani of receiving luxury vehicles and gifts from Toshakhana.

A National Accountability Bureau (NAB) prosecutor submitted a compliance report to Accountability Judge Asghar Ali stating that the bureau forwarded arrest warrants against Sharif, who is in London, through the Foreign Office.

Observing that the PML-N supreme leader is not joining the trial proceedings intentionally, the judge issued directives for starting the process of declaring him a proclaimed offender over perpetual absence from the hearing.Senator Farooq H Naek, who represented the PPP co-chairman, moved an application on behalf of his client requesting the court to grant him exemption from personal appearance in today’s hearing due to the coronavirus fears.

He said Zardari, being a senior citizen, can’t turn up because of the pandemic.

This is a criminal case as Asif Zardari will have to show up, the judge observed, asking if the former president was diagnosed with the disease. The counsel replied that people will gather on the court premises because of the PPP leader’s appearance, putting not only themselves but him at potential risk of catching the contagion.

Prosecutor Sardar Muzaffar said it is up to the administration to prevent people from gathering, requesting the judge to not extend any concession to the former president and demanding his arrest warrants.

He said the court gave Yousuf Raza Gillani exemption from personal appearance, due to which his counsel has not even turned up before the court, pleading with the court to withdraw the exemption granted to him.

Farooq H Naek argued that the court can issue warrants in case Zardari doesn’t appear, assuring he will show up on next hearing. He said ex-PM Gillani had gone into self-isolation after being diagnosed with the virus.

The hearing was adjourned until August 17.

ISLAMABAD, JUNE 29 (DNA) – Chairman HEC Tariq Banuri has condoled the death of Rear Admiral Mukhtar Khan Jadoon, Director General, Bahria University, Karachi Campus. He passed away in Karachi on Sunday morning.

Banuri, on behalf of the HEC and the higher education fraternity, sent heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, faculty and students, particularly of Bahria University Karachi Campus. He prayed for the departed soul and his family and said that “we would like to offer our deepest and most sincere sympathies to his family at this sorrowful time.”

Rear Admiral Mukhtar Khan Jadoon had assumed responsibilities as the Director General, Bahria University’s Karachi campus in November 2018. Since then, he actively promoted the cause of university, broadened its national image and actively organized, and participated in a number of national and international conferences. He was particularly interested in promoting Blue Economy of Pakistan, and presented many papers on maritime related subjects.

A career naval officer, Mr. Jadoon was commissioned in Pakistan Navy in 1984. He served at various key positions during his service, including Director Naval Intelligence (Ops.), Naval Secretary and Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Operations) at Naval Headquarters.

The Admiral was a graduate of Royal College of Defense Studies, UK, and had a number of professional courses from US, UK and Pakistan to his credit. In recognition of his meritorious service, he had been awarded Sitar-i-Imtiaz (Military).DNA

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