ISLAMABAD, NOV 19: A seven-member Supreme Court constitutional bench on Tuesday dismissed a petition challenging the extension of the tenure of the army chief.

Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan-led bench rejected the petition over non-pursuance, whereas, the SC registrar office’s objections regarding the plea being inadmissible were also maintained.

The SC bench also includes Justice Ayesha Malik, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Justice Hassan Azhar Rizvi, Justice ⁠Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan and Justice Musarrat Hilali.

The development comes as the ruling coalition, earlier this month, amended the laws — via the Pakistan (Army/Air Force/Navy) Act Amendment, 2024 — that dealt with all three branches of the armed forces, extending the fixed tenure of services chiefs up to five years.

Regarding the retirement age and service limits of services chiefs, including chief of army staff (COAS), chief of naval staff (CNS) and chief of air staff (CAS), the bill read that the criteria prescribed for the senior military officers “shall not be applicable” to the army, navy and air force heads during their “tenure of appointment, reappointment and/or extension”.

The government also amended Section 8C, which deals with the retirement age, which is 64 years, and service limits of service chiefs.

Multiple FIRs on one incident
The bench also held a hearing on a case involving the registration of two first information reports (FIRs) for a single incident.

During the proceedings, the court declared the petition inadmissible and subsequently dismissed it.

Justice Mandokhail highlighted that cases like these have significantly contributed to the backlog of 60,000 pending cases in the judiciary.

He also remarked that the court is repeatedly reminded of this mounting number and questioned why the petition should not be dismissed with a penalty.

Addressing the petitioner, who is a lawyer by profession, Justice Mandokhail criticised the filing of such cases.

Meanwhile, Justice Mazhar referred to the Sughran Bibi case and noted that the court had already ruled on the matter.

He further questioned the petitioner on why they had not approached the High Court to seek the dismissal of the second FIR.

Transfer of cases to regular bench
A three-member bench, led by Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, had transferred two cases from the regular bench to the constitutional bench.

However, during the hearing today, the seven-member constitutional bench decided to transfer the cases back to the regular bench.

During the proceedings, Justice Ayesha clarified that the petitioner’s lawyer had requested the case be sent to the constitutional bench, and it was done at their behest.

Justice Mazhar expressed that not every case should be sent to the constitutional bench, suggesting that cases involving constitutional questions should be the exception.

In a related development, a case concerning a housing society was also transferred back from the constitutional bench to the regular bench. Justice Ayesha noted that cases often shift from one bench to another, highlighting the complexities involved in such transfers.

The lawyer for the opposing party had requested that the case be referred to the constitutional bench, though the petitioner’s lawyer, Salman Aslam, clarified that they had not made such a request.

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad administration on Monday imposed Section 144 for two months ahead of the potential Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) protest in the capital.

According to a notification issued by Additional District Magistrate Usman Ashraf, the ban has been placed on all public gatherings of five or more people, processions, rallies and demonstrations.

The authorities said the decision has been taken in view of law and order situation, citing concerns about potential unlawful assemblies, disruption of public order and the current security environment.

The order specifically mentions concerns about planned religious and and other demonstrations in the federal capital, said the notification.

This is the picture of the notification.
This is the picture of the notification.
The ban prohibits gatherings in all public places within Islamabad’s revenue limits, encompassing the area defined as the Red Zone which includes key government buildings, diplomatic missions and other sensitive locations.

The order states that even after the two-month period expires, any ongoing investigations, legal proceedings or penalties related to violations of the ban will continue.

The development comes in light of the Imran Khan-founded party’s planned countrywide demonstration on November 24.

The former prime minister had called on his supporters to march to Islamabad, stressing that the party’s entire leadership will be part of the protest.

Khan’s lawyer, Faisal Chaudhry, said that the protest would not only take place in Islamabad, but throughout Pakistan and across the world where Imran’s supporters were present.

The party has made four demands — revoke the 26th Constitutional Amendment, “restore” democracy and Constitution, return the public’s mandate, and release all “innocent political” prisoners.

The lawyer said that the party founder had also formed a committee for the march and asked not to reveal the names of those who were part of it as Imran feared they would be arrested.

Khan has been behind bars since August 2023 after he was booked in several cases ranging from corruption to terrorism.

ISLAMABAD, NOV 18 /DNA/ – Today at the “Together We Build” celebration at the National Council of the Arts in Islamabad, the United States and Pakistan commemorated seven decades of collaboration in infrastructure development.  The event highlighted transformative projects supported by the United States that have connected communities, strengthened local economies, and improved the lives of millions of Pakistanis.

Since 2005, the United States, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), has invested nearly $2 billion in infrastructure projects across Pakistan. These efforts include modernizing the Tarbela and Mangla Dams, establishing premier institutions like the Institute of Business Administration (IBA) Karachi and the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), and constructing or rehabilitating 345 schools. U.S. investments have also expanded healthcare access, rehabilitated and equipped facilities such as Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), Jacobabad Institute of Medical Sciences (JIMS), a state-of-the-art burn and trauma center in Peshawar, and multiple health centers.

Speaking at the ceremony, U.S. Ambassador Donald Blome highlighted the U.S. approach to development, which  focuses on creating jobs investing in local communities, and providing services directly to the people.  “Our goal is to ensure that infrastructure investments directly benefit the people of Pakistan and promote long-term sustainability,” he noted.

The Ambassador underscored that the United States provides development assistance through grants, not loans, with no need for repayment.  He reaffirmed that creating opportunity and prosperity for the Pakistani people will remain a central feature of the enduring partnership between the United States and Pakistan.