ISLAMABAD, SEPT 5: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari called for exemption of electricity bills for farmers in disaster-hit districts.

According to details surfaced on Friday, following a visit to flood-affected residents in Kasur, Bhutto-Zardari contacted Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif by telephone to convey the concerns and difficulties faced by farmers in the region.

Bhutto-Zardari has urged Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to provide relief to farmers in Punjab by working in coordination with the provincial government.

Sources said Bhutto-Zardari told the prime minister that the recent floods had caused serious damage to the agricultural sector in Punjab. He said the federal government must play its part in supporting farmers across the province.

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He also pointed out that repayment of agricultural loans had become a major issue and requested either a waiver or a deferral.

He urged that affected farmers be provided cash support through the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP).

The premier has assured Bhutto-Zardari that the federal government would take all necessary steps to support farmers in the affected areas of Punjab.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the spirit of service and welfare is a vital part of Pakistan’s social values and culture, and that the floods have further underlined the importance of aid and donations.

International Day of Charity

On the other side, in a message on the International Day of Charity, the prime minister said the country’s history shows that its people have always helped others beyond the lines of race, background and prejudice. Volunteers and workers have offered practical and financial support in every difficult time.

He said Pakistan is among the countries that contribute significantly to donations at a global level, where philanthropists are providing free healthcare, food services and ambulance support.

The prime minister said that institutions such as the Benazir Income Support Programme and Bait-ul-Mal are supporting millions. He said the recent rains and floods have made aid and donations even more important, as the affected people are waiting for food, shelter and healthcare.

He assured that federal and provincial governments, the public and the armed forces are jointly working in rescue and relief efforts, and every possible help will be provided for the rehabilitation of the affected communities.

DNA

ISLAMABAD, Sept 5 — Following humiliation in “Operation Sandor,” the Indian government has once again resorted to leveling baseless allegations against Pakistan through fabricated stories and false flag operations.

After the global embarrassment over the Pahalgam false flag incident, another drama has now surfaced in Indian media. This time, reports claimed that the Mumbai traffic control room received hoax calls warning about bombs allegedly planted at different locations in the city.

Despite the lack of evidence, Indian media attempted to link the false calls with Pakistan in yet another effort to malign the country’s image internationally. The baseless propaganda is part of a recurring pattern where India tries to associate Pakistan with terrorism through fabricated narratives.

Observers note that after being exposed on international forums for staging false flag operations, India has now adopted a fresh tactic to defame Pakistan. Analysts believe such manufactured stories are designed to divert attention from New Delhi’s internal failures and mounting domestic challenges.

According to diplomatic experts, India’s repeated attempts at propaganda cannot overshadow the ground reality. They stressed that the international community is increasingly aware of India’s habitual blame game and its efforts to scapegoat Pakistan for its own shortcomings.

This latest episode once again highlights India’s use of disinformation as a tool of statecraft, a strategy that continues to backfire at the global stage.

DNA

ISLAMABAD: Supreme Court Justice Mansoor Ali Shah has written a letter to Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi asking him to publicly answer six questions regarding “pressing institutional concerns”, it emerged on Friday.

In a letter dated Thursday, seen by Dawn.com, Justice Shah said he was reluctantly writing it in “discharge of an unavoidable institutional duty”, adding that what compelled him was “your (CJP’s) persistent and complete indifference”.

The judge wrote that his “repeated letters and written communications to you (CJP) on the undermentioned issues have gone unanswered and undiscussed; not once have I received a reply-neither in writing nor verbally”, adding that such silence from the chief justice to the senior puisne judge was “not merely discourteous; it undermines the collegial traditions of this court and violates the institutional courtesy without which a constitutional court cannot function”.

Justice Shah said that with the new judicial year commencing from Monday, CJP Afridi had convened a judicial conference to review the reforms undertaken under his leadership and to lay down priority areas for the coming year.

“It is therefore both timely and opportune that the institutional concerns I raise in this letter be addressed squarely by you in that forum. By doing so, you will not only respond to the questions that remain unanswered but also reassure the judges of this court, the bar and the public we serve that your vision of reform is grounded in collegiality, transparency, and fidelity to the Constitution.”

The questions the judge asked the CJP to answer were:

    Why has the Practice and Procedure Act Committee never been convened to carry out its statutory responsibilities?

    Why was the revision of the Supreme Court Rules 1980 approved by circulation rather than after discussion and deliberation in a Full Court meeting?

    Why was the policy on releasing dissenting opinions adopted by soliciting individual opinions of the judges — saying it was a process “unheard of” — rather than an open deliberation in a Full Court meeting?

    Why was a General Standing Order (GSO) on leave issued that subjects judges to controls inconsistent with judicial independence and the Presidential Order of 1997?

    Why have the petitions challenging the 26th Amendment not been fixed before the original Full Court?

    If CJP Afridi was nurturing independence among judges or “enforcing compliance to turn this court into a regimented force rather than a constitutional court of free and equal judges?”

Justice Shah said the letter must not be construed as a “personal grievance”.

“The concerns I now raise do not come from indolence or neglect, but from a judge who has consistently and conscientiously performed his duty. They are, therefore, institutional concerns borne of experience and responsibility rather than personal complaint,” he explained.

Justice Shah said that he trusted CJP Afridi to use the judicial conference as a “moment of institutional renewal by answering these questions and reaffirming the principles of collegiality and constitutional fidelity”.

Justice Shah said the questions were those that struck at the “heart of independence” and not only the apex court judges, but also the nation, were looking towards CJP Afridi “not for silence but for clarity”.

Concerns about PaPA Committee

Elaborating on his questions, Justice Shah said the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Act, 2023, was enacted by the apex court to put an end to the “one-man show” in the formation of benches.

He pointed out that it required that all causes, matters, petitions, appeals or reviews be placed before benches constituted by a committee under the act, adding that its purpose was “clear”: to review pending cases, devise a transparent case-management plan, categorise cases intelligently and allocate them to benches through collective deliberation.

“Yet, since your assumption of office in October 2024, not a single official meeting of the PaPA Committee has been convened. Bench formation and cause lists are being issued unilaterally, without any committee deliberation. Rosters are circulated for signatures, expecting members to endorse them blindly without discussion of case allocation or categorisation. As a senior member of the committee, I have had no opportunity to participate in its work as mandated by law.

“This is a direct violation of the act and raises serious concerns. Why are junior judges regularly assigned to three-member benches while senior judges are confined to two-member benches? Why are matters of national importance with far-reaching policy implications not fixed before senior benches? The pattern suggests that independent judges are being sidelined, not for reasons of efficiency, but for reasons of control.”

Justice Shah said that minutes of five “committee meetings” displayed on the court’s website could not “cure this defect”, arguing that “they were not committee meetings within the meaning of the act but mere discussions about the chief justice’s travel schedule. Even then, their minutes were uploaded in violation of a binding majority decision of the committee. I had recorded my dissent on that occasion, arguing for transparency, but it was disregarded. This is symptomatic of a mindset averse to collegiality and inclined towards dictation.”

The judge rued that “the genie of the ‘one-man show’, which Parliament sought to bury through legislation, has been released once again”, adding that that was the reason why he had ceased signing the rosters circulated without any meeting.

“By sidelining the committee and withholding even basic information (such as the number of cases to be dealt with or those fixed before larger benches), you have reduced a statutory mechanism of collective decision-making into a façade.

“The result is evident: despite the increase in the number of judges, the court’s pendency remains at 57,455 cases. The very purpose of enhancing the court’s strength — reducing backlog — stands defeated. The unavoidable inference is that enlargement of the court was less about addressing pendency and more about altering its internal balance, thereby diluting the independence and standing of existing judges.”

Revision of court rules

Regarding the revision of the apex court’s rules, Justice Shah said they were a constitutional document that governed the institution’s functioning and their first revision in four decades was an event of “historic significance”.

He argued that such a process required a Full Court meeting on the administrative side. “Instead, you chose to approve the draft rules by circulation — a process suited to routine matters, not to reshaping the court’s constitutional framework.

“By avoiding deliberation, you deprived the court of collective wisdom and diminished judicial dialogue. This course reflects a lack of collegiality and a preference for unilateral authority.”

ISLAMABAD, SEPT 5 /DNA/ – In the chronicles of our national history, certain days stand as luminous milestones, evoking glorious moments of the past. Such days rekindle the fervour of patriotism and reaffirm our solemn resolve to safeguard the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our beloved homeland at any cost. Among these, 6th September holds an exalted place, commemorating an era of unparalleled valour and sacrifices by the gallant Armed Forces of Pakistan in defence of the motherland.

It is a day that embodies strong resilience, unyielding determination and exceptional courage displayed by the men-in-arms, shoulder to shoulder with their countrymen, in discharge of the sacred duty of national defence. As the decades go by, this historic day continues to inspire national pride, reminding all that Pakistan’s defence remains impervious to any transgression, and if challenged, will be met with a decisive response. Above all, it is an occasion to honour our heroes who have sacrificed their lives to render the nation’s defence impregnable.

The indomitable spirit to defend the homeland was reaffirmed during ‘Marka-e-Haq’ when the adversary attempted a reckless misadventure on a fabricated pretext. The world witnessed resolute response of our valiant Armed Forces, which stood as an impenetrable wall of steel in defence of its sacred soil. Through an exemplary display of deterrence and maritime vigilance, Pakistan Navy ensured the inviolability of national waters and kept the Indian fleet at bay, thus frustrating its naval ambitions.

This day, reminiscent of the bravery, unity and patriotic fervour of the nation reinforces in us the spirit to serve with utmost integrity, conviction and commitment. The Officers, CPOs, Sailors and Civilians of Pakistan Navy salute our Shuhada and Ghazis and renew their pledge to defend country’s maritime frontiers to ensure robust national security and economic sustainability.

As we mark this occasion, let us sincerely offer our gratification to Allah SWT for endowing us with an independent and abundantly resourceful homeland. We must remain mindful that true strength of a nation resides, not solely in the might of its arms or its rich resources, but more so in the allegiance, resilience and cohesion of its people.

There are adversities along the way, but they make us stronger and more resilient, be it Marka-e-Haq or natural calamities like recent floods, as the nation has always gelled together, its Armed Forces and people side by side, measuring upto every challenge. Each citizen is therefore, entrusted with the responsibility to uphold the ideals of selfless service, ultimate sacrifice and absolute loyalty to ensure that the spirit of 6th September lives on and leads us to our collective destiny.

ISLAMABAD, SEPT 5 /DNA/ – Mahmoud Siddiqui Alhabash, Advisor to the President of Palestine on Religious Affairs and Chief Justice of the Shariat Court, called on the Prime Minister this afternoon. He is leading the Palestinian delegation to attend the Seerat Conference in Islamabad. Imam of Al Aqsa Mosque and Palestinian Ambassador to Pakistan were also present.

                During the meeting, the Prime Minister conveyed his warm regards to Dr. Mahmoud Abbass, President of Palestine. He reaffirmed the unwavering support of the people of Pakistan to the Palestinian cause and assured the Palestinian side that Pakistan would continue to lend its full support for the brotherly people of Palestine, who have rendered enormous sacrifices and bravely faced Israeli brutal aggression.

                 The Prime Minister further assured that he would continue to raise his voice with full force for the rights of the Palestinian people at every diplomatic forum. On the humanitarian situation in Gaza, the Prime Minister reassured the Palestinian delegation that Pakistan would continue to dispatch humanitarian assistance for the people of Gaza, who had been subjected to a man-made famine by Israeli occupation forces.

                The Advisor to the Palestinian President conveyed the deepest gratitude of the Palestinian people to the people and Government of Pakistan for their consistent and unflinching support. Recalling the longstanding and historic bonds between the people of Pakistan and Palestine, they said that Pakistan was a source of strength for them in this difficult time. The Palestinian side also offered their condolences over the recent floods in Pakistan.

                At the end of the meeting, a letter from President Mahmoud Abbas was also handed over to the Prime Minister.

                Deputy Prime Minister & Foreign Minister Sen. Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Information Minister Mr. Attaullah Tarar, Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Mohammad Yousuf, SAPM Tariq Fatemi, Chairman Islamic Council, Foreign Secretary and Secretary Religious Affairs assisted the Prime Minister during the meeting