ISLAMABAD: Supreme Court’s Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar has observed that the Constitutional Bench and the apex court are not separate entities.

“We are also judges of the SC,” Justice Mazhar remarked on Thursday during a hearing of pleas against the 26th Constitutional Amendment.Justice Mazhar is part of the eight-member bench led by Justice Amin-Ud-Din Khan and also includes Justice Ayesha A Malik, Justice Syed Hassan Azhar Rizvi, Justice Musarrat Hilali, Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail and Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan.

Dozens of petitioners, including the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), Lahore High Court Bar Association, Lahore Bar Association, Karachi Bar Association as well as the former seven presidents of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) and various individuals in personal capacity, had challenged the validity of the 26th Constitutional Amendment.

During the hearing today, petitioner Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar’s lawyer Shahid Jamil appeared before the court and said that his plea concerned the apex court’s practice and procedure committee.

The court, however, said that they would listen to him later and summoned SIC’s lawyer Uzair Karamat Bhandari to the rostrum to present his arguments.Expanding on his plea, lawyer Bhandari said that the case at hand could be heard by a full court, which he argued was already present/existing and only had to be summoned.

“There’s no full court in the Constitution but it exists in judicial precedents and traditions”.

Noting that the decision of the practice and procedure committee concerning full court was right and therefore must be followed, the counsel contended that this full court existed at that time, and the same one should be formed.

“There is an administrative order, there is no question of violating it, There is no restriction on the remaining judges not to sit in the full court.”

“[However] it is possible that some judges who are affected by the amendment might not sit in the bench. It would be better to form a full court and leave it to the judges whether they want to sit in the bench or not,” Bhandari noted.

To this, Justice Mandokhail questioned: “The 26th Amendment gave us [judges] additional responsibility, what is the difference between the new judges and us [part of SC before the amendment]?

Saying that he wasn’t seeking suspension of the amendment, the lawyer pointed out that judicial decisions existed which provided for a constitutional amendment or law to be viewed independently while being heard during any case.

“This bench was formed under Article 191A, how can we ignore it and hear this case,” inquired Justice Mazhar, to which the counsel replied that in the case of Civil Court Ordinance, the case remains with the Criminal Court.

“You are right, this has happened in the past,” Justice Mazhar remarked while acknowledging Bhandari’s argument.

Furthermore, Justice Hilali asked whether the existing CB had the authority to form a bench?

Additionally, Justice Mazhar highlighted that the biggest issue in the said case was how they could ignore Article 191A while sitting within its jurisdiction.

At this, the lawyer said that the court will have to decide on the validity of Article 191A.

Responding to Justice Mazhar’s remarks that Article 191A was a valid constitutional provision, the counsel argued that it was “de facto valid but has been challenged”.

He further highlighted that there are six such cases from the past that deal with the jurisdiction for hearing a case.

Expressing her views on Article 191A, Justice Malik then said that the said provision was not stripping away anyone’s power but was in fact, conferring powers upon the SC.

The judge further asked whether the SC would stop hearing all the cases under Article 184(3) if a CB was not formed?

“Will the SC refuse to hear [matters], saying that it cannot address constitutional issues? Is it that a full court will never be formed in future? Will the full court be dependent on the Judicial Commission to nominate judges due to Article 191A? Justice Malik inquired.

The court, after hearing the lawyer’s arguments, adjourned the hearing till November 10 with Justice Amin-Ud-Din saying that the hearing will be fixed depending on the availability of the bench.

SLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday directed the superintendent of Adiala jail to allow meetings of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders with the party’s jailed founder, Imran Khan.

The directives came on the PTI’s leaders petitions including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, who have sought a meeting with Imran to discuss “policy matters” and cabinet formation of the newly elected provincial government.Hearing a bunch of pleas filed by several PTI leaders, an IHC bench, headed by Chief Justice Sarfraz Dogar, directed the Adiala jail superintendent to implement the court’s March 24 decision regarding jail meetings with the PTI founder.

The three-member bench also comprised Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir and Justice Azam Khan.

Soon after the decision, CM Afridi arrived at Adiala Jail to meet Imran, but his convoy was stopped by police at Dahgal checkpoint near the prison.

Sources privy to the development said the chief minister was reportedly on his way to meet the PTI founder when the police halted his motorcade at the security barrier.

It is pertinent to mention here that in March this year, the same three-member bench had reinstated twice-weekly meetings with the jailed PTI founder Imran Khan, allowing them to take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays in accordance with the prescribed standard operating procedures (SOPs).

However, the IHC had strictly prohibited any media talk after the meetings. It ruled that no individual meeting the PTI founding chairman will be allowed to speak to the media afterwards.

Imran has been behind bars since August 2023 after he was sentenced in Toshakhana case-I — one of the dozens cases registered against the former premier since his ouster from power in April 2022.

He faces multiple cases, ranging from corruption to terrorism.

ISLAMABAD, Oct 23 The Islamabad district administration has intensified efforts to control dengue as 25 new cases were reported in the last 24 hours, according to the latest surveillance report issued on Thursday.

Of the new cases, 16 were recorded in rural areas and nine in urban localities of the federal capital. The report said that 55 patients are currently under treatment at various hospitals across the city.

To curb the spread of dengue, the district administration carried out a large-scale anti-dengue operation. District teams conducted 47,283 inspections in residential, commercial, and public areas.

Fogging was carried out at 2,169 locations, while 974 sites were sprayed with anti-dengue chemicals, primarily in high-risk zones identified during field surveys.

Larvae testing continued across the capital, revealing 412 positive and 5 negative results, indicating the persistent presence of dengue breeding sites in different localities.

District officers have directed teams to further accelerate fogging operations in high-risk sectors and rural clusters, particularly in areas where dengue larvae were detected. The administration also reiterated that all identified breeding sites must be cleared immediately to prevent further spread of the virus.

The report stated that any individual or entity found responsible for allowing mosquito breeding on their premises will face legal action. The administration has instructed field inspectors to report all such violations for the registration of formal cases.

A control room has been set up to receive dengue-related information from citizens. The administration urged residents to promptly report any discovery of dengue larvae to the control room for swift response and elimination.

Officials also appealed to the public to adopt precautionary measures, including covering water containers, disposing of stagnant water, and ensuring regular cleanliness around homes and workplaces. Citizens were also advised to keep windows and doors screened, wear full-sleeve clothing, and use mosquito repellents, especially during early morning and evening hours when mosquito activity peaks.

The district administration emphasized that public cooperation is crucial to control dengue in Islamabad. Teams continue daily surveillance in high-risk areas such as I-9, I-10, G-6, G-7, and F-7 sectors, as well as suburban regions where the virus remains active.

According to the report, consistent monitoring, early detection, and community participation remain key components of the anti-dengue strategy.

The administration plans to sustain its citywide drive, combining awareness campaigns with field operations to reduce dengue incidence in the coming weeks.

Health experts have reiterated that eliminating breeding sites is the most effective way to stop the spread of dengue. The authorities urged residents to cooperate with inspection teams during visits and to report any uninspected sites or stagnant water collections.

SUKKUR, Oct 23 A crucial meeting regarding law and order in Sukkur range was chaired by Sindh Home Minister Zia-ul-Hassan Lanjar. The meeting reviewed the security situation in Sukkur, Khairpur, and Ghotki districts here on Thursday.

IG Sindh Police Ghulam Nabi Memon, DIG Sukkur Faisal Abdullah Chachar, SSPs of Sukkur, Ghotki, and Khairpur, and other police officials attended the meeting. DIG Sukkur provided a detailed briefing on the law and order situation.

The Home Minister directed effective action against criminals and dacoits, emphasizing that the operation against dacoits in rural areas should be intensified. He also instructed that facilitators of criminals be brought to justice.

Zia-ul- Hassan Lanjar directed that targeted operations be conducted based on intelligence in all districts of the police range, emphasizing that protecting public life and property is the government’s top priority. He stressed that a zero-tolerance policy would be implemented against anti-peace elements.

The Home Minister vowed to continue efforts until all districts of Sindh are crime free, reaffirming his commitment to maintaining law and order in the province.